Today I was able to play the third encounter between the Romans and the Britons in my Midgard : Britannia campaign - None Shall Pass. Again, it was played solo, using some predetermined tactics that I have acquired as the other games have progressed - I have learned a lot from my previous mistakes.
The British army for scenario 3 (97/209=306pts):
- Bellicus 3 (47pts)
- Maviloduus 2 (32pts)
- Catuarus 1 (18pts)
- 1x Warriors 3 (22pts)
- 3x Warriors 2 (51pts)
- 1x Female Warriors (16pts)
- 1x Mounted Warriors (16pts)
- 2x Skyclad (32pts)
- 2x Archers (30pts)
- 2x Slingers (20pts)
- 1x Hounds (22pts)
The Roman army for scenario 3 (85/121=206pts):
- Lucius Valerius Corvus 3 (43pts)
- Gaia Pomponia Thrax 2 (21pts)
- Marius Pollux 2 (21pts)
- 2x Legionaries (68pts)
- 1x Auxiliary Archers (29pts)
- 1x Auxiliary Spearmen (24pts)
The playing area remains at 6' by 3', and the deployments mentioned in the rule book still just about worked.
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| Starting positions |
The scenario dictates that the smaller force be the defenders (the retreating Romans will be trying to stop the Britons' advance by holding the two river crossings). If they can hold out until nightfall then the defenders will stand a chance of escaping into the darkness. The Romans are therefore classed as the defenders and the Britons the attackers.
For this game I had to source a few new items: I bought some river sections that still need painting, and created a few more bases for the newly introduced troop types - Roman auxiliary spears and Celtic mounted warriors and hounds (didn't get time to finish this base as I was torn on dog type to use - I plumped for the wolfhounds in the end as their bases fit in with the movement trays I had available). I already had the extra figures required for this scenario, but needed to undercoat a few in order to begin painting them for future battles (who knows, maybe the final battle will be with fully painted armies and terrain?).
The two armies are divided into three contingents each, but not as strictly as in the previous game...
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| The Britons advancing on the river crossings |
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| The Romans defending the two fords |
After a quick debrief, Lucius Valerius ordered his wounded be attended to and that everyone was given a hot meal before bedding down for the night. As Marius Pollux's troops were fresh, they kept watch.
A few more stragglers arrived at the camp during the course of the evening, but the whole process was being watched by scouts from Bellicus's army, who reported back to their chieftain until it was too dark to do so.
Bellicus, after calling a halt to the chase of the routed Roman force, advanced in triumph to one of the main villages just south of the fortified Roman camp. He knew that based on his recent victory, he could recruit a whole host of warriors in order to destroy the small Roman force that was left. He knew that even with the extra auxiliary units from the camp, he would still outnumber the Roman force and would eliminate them at the river crossing the following day.
Unfortunately for Bellicus, the Roman prefect got the drop on him, and had prepared his men for an early escape knowing that the British chieftain would want to attack the depleted Roman cohort as soon as he could. Throughout the night Lucius Valerius tried to make the camp appear as though it was asleep and licking its wounds, but in silence the prefect had got his men ready, armed and supplied before they left the camp in flames just before sun-up. The British warband arrived early at the burning camp, but the Romans had already gone. Bellicus's scouts told him that the Romans only had a few hours' start on him.
Bellicus surmised that the Romans would take the main route directly to the crossing and be able to cross very quickly. However, the river was swollen from heavy rains in the north which also made some of the ground boggy, which slowed the Roman waggon train. As soon as the waggons had cleared the ford, the British outriders arrived.
Valerius quickly ordered his remaining units to about-face and defend the two crossings so that the waggon train that held their supplies and wounded could get as far away as possible. With Fortuna's blessings, he could delay them long enough so that the wounded could reach the next fortified watch tower. It would take the waggon train all day to get to the watch tower, provided that it was not ambushed along the way. Valerius and his men would have to sell their lives dearly in order for the waggons to reach safety.
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| The route to the 3rd battle |
It was an hour before the rest of Bellicus's force arrived at the fords. He quickly arranged his battle lines and advanced upon the small Roman contingent. "This should be an easy victory," he thought.
For this game, both armies start with the same Reputation score - for the Romans (the much smaller force), what would be more glorious than being able to hold up the enemy at this critical point? The game runs for six turns, and ends with the coming of night and the ability for any survivors to steal away from the confrontation.
Turn 1 (Reputation B9, R9):
Bellicus, hungry for a swift victory, yelled abuse and insults at his adversaries along with the rest of his men. After several minutes of taunting, the hubbub died down and Bellicus challenged Lucius Valerius to a single combat - winner takes all. If the Romans won, then Bellicus's army would allow the rag-tag unit to pass unmolested, along with all others along the way, back to Roman lines. If Bellicus won, then the Romans must leave all of their weapons and promise to never return to this territory again. Lucius Valerius stuck to standard Roman protocol and refused the challenge despite the loss of face this entailed.
Bellicus ordered his army forward and they made for the Roman lines in quick time. The only response from the Roman defence was a quick volley of arrows directed at the fast approaching hounds, but only a few arrows found their mark, not stopping their rapid advance.
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| Turn 1 : The Britons advance |
Turn 2 (Rep B9, R8):
The slings and arrows from the British skirmishers had little effect against the heavy armour of the Roman legionaries holding the fords, and neither did the rapid assault by the mounted warriors, who were wiped out to a man in the swift running waters and treacherous footing of the shallows.
The Roman archers also failed to find their mark against the fast approaching skyclad Celtic warriors.
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| Turn 2 : Bellicus's troops assault Valerius's position |
British losses = 1 unit mounted warriors
Turn 3 (Rep B7, R8):
The Britons kept up the assault, by taking the fight to the enemy, but found the combination of rough ground and heavily armoured troops a stern challenge. Again, Valerius ignored a direct challenge costing him reputation, but his troops did the talking for him as the legionaries cut down a unit of skyclad warriors, although not without taking a few casualties themselves. The Roman left flank also fared well with the legionaries there dispatching all of the Celtic war hounds.
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| Turn 3 : The battle begins in earnest |
British losses = 1 unit hounds, 1 unit skyclad
Romans gain 2 Rep as both fords still held by them, but lose 1 Rep due to challenge
Turn 4 (Rep B6, R9):
British slings and arrows failed to take out the Roman archers in support of the rest of the army, but the determination of Bellicus's army to eliminate the hated Romans drove them onto a fated victory. The push from the Celtic female warriors drove the Romans back on the British right flank, clearing the ford for any who would follow, but no-one was there as they were busy trying to eliminate Valerius on the left flank.
Catuarus and more of the skyclad warriors following him fell to the swords of the Romans, but not without them causing many casualties on the other side, including a deft wound to Valerius himself. The British slingers in the centre forced the Roman archers to step back under a hail of stone and lead shot.
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| Turn 4 : The meat grinder |
British losses = Catuarus, 1 unit slingers, 1 unit skyclad
Romans gain 1 Rep as one of the fords still held by them, but again lost Rep due to challenges unmet
Turn 5 (Rep B4, R8):
The Roman left recovered somewhat with the annihilation of the frenzied unit of British women. The ford was left to Maviloduus and his bodyguard to defend, but they were pushed back by the numbers still available to the Romans there. Today was certainly a good day for the Celtic champion to call upon the Favour of the Gods.
In the centre, the Roman archers were pushed back under the sling stone and arrow storms aimed at them, but Gaia Pomponia's bravery returned them to the fray every time they retreated.
Spurred on by the injury to Valerius, the British noble elite warriors pressed further into the ford. Again Valerius ignored the challenge from Bellicus. The British leader, was now becoming angry with the Roman leader's perceived cowardice and called his men forward for one more push. At last, Bellicus's Legendary sword came into play, and Valerius was pushed back to the reserve unit of auxilia milites when his century of legionaries were finally destroyed.
The counter-attack by Lucius Valerius's fresh spearmen surprised Bellicus and his household troops as the nobles were cut down to a man, but not without Lucius Valerius going down in the melee with a somewhat unremarkable death as he became Food for the Ravens.
This was the signal for the rest of the Roman contingent to pull out and try to stem the flow of losses that were rapidly piling up. They had almost made it to dusk, but the death of the prefect was the final nail. The death of the Roman leader and his first century of legionaries led to much celebration by Bellicus and his army that they ignored the retreating Romans and instead concentrated on violating the body of their hated enemy commander.
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| Turn 5 : Lucius Valerius Corvus falls |
British losses = Catuarus, 1 unit slingers, 1 unit skyclad, 1 unit warriors (3)
Roman losses = Lucius Valerius Corvus, 1 unit legionaries
The Britons gained several Rep for leadership during this round
Final Tally (Rep B4, R-2):
The final Reputation tally difference was 6 in favour of the Britons - a Mighty Victory (2 points in campaign terms)
Bellicus finally saw the defeat of his hated enemy, Lucius Valerius, who had outwitted him at every turn except the last.
This game lasted five of the six turns allowed. Again, it was a very bloody affair, but the Britons managed to pull-off a Mighty Victory, to even the campaign score with the Romans. Again, there were a number of take-aways from this battle:
- The Roman tactics were quite sound
- Deploy the strongest units at the fords so as not to incur too much damage from the funnelled British troops
- Use missile troops to weaken approaching enemy units
- Use the spare infantry unit as a reserve in case of a break though by the enemy
- Warriors with javelins proved their worth but I used them far too late in the game
- The British tactics also worked once under way
- Use Agile troops so they are not hampered by the rough ground of the fords in order to soften up the enemy before the heavy troops move in
- Use missile weapons for the same purpose and to keep enemy archers under pressure throughout the encounter
- Use overpowering odds at the choke points to feed the meat grinder in the hope of slowly diminishing the enemy units
- Use heavy warriors with high ranking leaders to follow up Agile troops
- Using the support functions of friendly units to reduce casualty counts
- Warriors with javelins proved their worth throughout the game
- Mistakes
- The Britons should have positioned their missile troops in the centre to get more to bear each round
- The right flank was a lot weaker than the left flank of the British forces. One or two more warrior units may have kept the Romans from counter attacking and maybe saved the female warriors
The British took a lot of casualties again, but it allowed them to win the battle. I thought that this was going to be a meat grinder affair, and the British tactics worked very well knowing that. I loaded the left flank on purpose in the hope that it would fall (taking their leader with it) whilst the centre and right flank were engaged. This would then allow a flanking manoeuvre to mop up the rest of the Romans. It very nearly worked.
Next game will require a lot more reinforcements. I will post an aftermath blog in the next day or so to sum up what happened and what needs to be done going forward.
Campaign Score: Romans 3 Britons 3
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