Victory (Or, how Malchus finally beat the winless blues!)

Numidian cavalry ride unopposed across the farm.

With Campaign Turn 1 (finally) over, it is time to begin Clashing in Turn 2. My first match-up of the new season was against Chris and his Gauls.

The last time we met, we fought (and were defeated) side-by-side against Greek traitors in the streets of Messana. This time, whether because of treachery, confusion, or the cruel and fickle hand of fate, we would be facing each other across a small farm estate in the Sicilian countryside.

We determined the scenario (Pre-Battle Scouting), set up the terrain and deployed our troops.

It was time to Clash!

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In his tent, Malchus faced the courier across the table. "Very well," he said, "Tell Hannibal Gisco that it will be done."

Malchus followed the man outside, where his lieutenants curiously awaited news of the meeting. The messenger mounted his horse and immediately set off in the direction of the main body of the Carthaginian army.

"The siege is not going well," Malchus began.

"Tell us something new," Bostar muttered, but he quieted immediately under the glare of his commander.

"The siege," Malchus repeated himself, "is not going well. Messana holds out despite Hannibal's efforts. Recently there have been instances of Roman sorties breaking out and wreaking havoc among our lines. One such raiding force has been reported in the area of Catanna, and since we are the closest detachment, we've been ordered to scout the town and confirm the enemy's presence."

"Scouting? That will be a perfect test for our new cavalry," Bostar said, looking at Juba.

"And we are ready!" Juba replied.

"Gather the Libyans and the Numidians," Malchus continued as if he had not been interrupted. "Make sure they are fed. We leave within the hour."

As his deputies left to see to their men, Malchus walked over to Menestar's tent. This would be a test for the seer as well. Malchus would ask for a reading, and woe be to the wretch if he turned out to be false.

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Malchus was thoughtful. The grumbling among the men had ceased with the prospect of imminent action. Even the normally taciturn javelin men seemed to be in better spirits.

His troops had traveled throughout the afternoon yesterday and camped near a small farm within a short march of Catanna in the evening. An hour before first light, Malchus had given the order to rouse the men and advance on the farm.

Malchus himself had not slept. Thinking on Menestar's words had kept him up. Malchus could make no sense of them, struggling to understand the augur's ramblings:

"Friend or foe, fickle they be,

With care approach, 'til you can see;

Joy for the riders that leads to doom,

For one glory, the rest a tomb;

Fortune comes and fortune goes,

An end will come, to earthly woes."

Malchus pondered the final phrase the priest had uttered. The end of "earthly woes?" That could easily be prophesying his death. No matter, death came for all, at some point. The important thing was not that one died, but how one died. He would die as he had lived, a disciple of Rasap, seeking glory for his god and his homeland.

As his troops advanced, they could see movement on the horizon behind the copses and fields. Enemy or not, Malchus did not know, but it was his mission to find out.

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Malchus stood among his officers looking over the farm. One of his Numidian horsemen had identified the troops across the fields as Gauls. They very same Gauls, in fact, that he had fought alongside in Messana. 

They were not behaving as allies, however, arraying themselves as if for battle. He could see the tribesmen and warriors formed up across the estate, working themselves into a frenzy. Even if he had not been able to see them, waving spears and clashing their swords against their shields, he would have been able to identify them from their yells.

The Carthaginian deployment. I should have put my cavalry on the far left flank, but it was easily corrected. (Apologies for the unpainted figures - I did not get a chance to fully paint the new units before the start of Turn 2. This will be corrected before the next battle.)

A very compact line of Gauls.

Typical, he thought. Their allegiance was only reserved for whoever paid them last.

"Friend or foe, indeed," he thought, reflecting on to Menestar's prophecy.

It was clear that the Gauls were there to keep him from scouting the area beyond the steading. Indeed, this would be a good test for his cavalrymen.

Malchuis looked to Juba. "You know your part in this, and there are none better suited for the task than you and your men. Go. We will hold the line here until you return."

"As you command." The words were hardly out of his mouth before Juba was already turning and running towards where a Numidian stood holding his and his leader's horses. With a leap and a yell, Juba mounted and galloped off to see to his men.

"As for us, we will hold, as I have said," Malchus now addressed Bostar. "Not one Gaul get past us. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly, my lord. We will not break."

Initial set-up.

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Though early in the battle, Malchus's deployment seemed to be holding. His heavy spearmen held the center, flanked by the Libyan tribesmen. Juba and his Numidians were already gone, riding hard to get past the Gallic line and scout the area behind them.

Ahead of him, Malchus noted the Gauls advancing slowly, almost methodically. This was not what he had expected from their leader, Teutomatus. Looking closely, he did not see the tall Gaul among the commanders leading their men. For a second, he wondered if he had perhaps been injured or slain in another engagement. That would be no more than the fickle bastard deserved, he thought. He dismissed Teutomatus from his thoughts. No time for idle wondering, there was a battle to win.

Troop positions at the end of Turn 1. So far, my plan was working. I had a strong line of defense, while the cavalry was free to ride.

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Turn 2 saw little action, as we positioned our troops to counter the enemy movement.  Chris advanced methodically, as I maintained a steady line and sent my cavalry raiding.

Troop positions at the end of Turn 2. My center line is holding firm, and the cavalry has many options for movement and attack. But on my right, there is a gap that Chris might exploit to get around my line. 

The javelin men advance into the fields.

The spearmen stand by, forming their wall.

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Malchus was confused. He had expected much more aggressive action from the Gauls. On the far right, they were advancing in strength. But in the center, their movement seemed to lack urgency. And on the left, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Malchus thanked Baal that he had ordered Juba to race around the left flank with the Numidians. From what he could see, they would meet no opposition and would be able to accomplish their mission without difficulty.

"Bostar! Harass those Gauls in the woods!" Malchus called out. "Do not let them get any further!"

"As you command," Bostar replied as he ran off to direct the javelin men on the right.

They knew their task though, veterans of many such skirmishes as they were. The tribesmen ran up, taunting the Gauls as they loosed their javelins. The cover of the woods protected the enemy from the worst of it, but there were one or two screams as missiles found their targets.

The Numidians can exert their threat over a large part of the battlefield.

The Gauls continue their cautious advance.

The javelin men move to intercept the Gauls on the right, launching several volleys of javelins.

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Troop positions end of Turn 3. The center still holds, the cavalry still poses a threat, and the javelin men have moved to stall the Gallic advance on the left.

Ranks of disciplined spearmen hold the center.

Malchus saw some movement in the field of hay before him. Quickly he ordered the javelin men on his left to advance and engage the enemy. He needed to slow them down.

The volley of javelins was ineffective, and the inexperienced tribesmen were caught in the countercharge by the Gauls. The Gallic warriors made short work of the Libyans, sending the survivors fleeing back towards their own lines.

Fortunately, his spearmen stood stoically, not reacting to the loss of the screening troops.

"Advance!" Malchus yelled, watching exuberantly as his men attacked the Gauls.

This was more like it, he thought. The disciplined spearmen were not the easy kills that the javelin men had been. The combat was inconclusive, however, as despite the losses both sides held firm in their resolve. The spearmen fell back to catch their breath before their next attack.

Libyan spearmen move into the field to attack the Gallic warriors.

The combat is inconclusive, and the spearmen fall back to regroup.

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Malchus wondered how the Numidians fared. Their independence and ability to range far and wide across the battlefield meant that he did not have to manage them as closely, but it also kept him ignorant of their status...

He needn't have worried, however. The Numidians, with Juba giving them orders, had already scouted the enemy camp and had ridden hard to get back into the fray.

They feinted a charge between the farm buildings, drawing a reaction from the Gauls, before wheeling and attacking a unit of tribesmen that had been left isolated in the rear. Their javelins flew true, causing grievous wounds among the Gauls and sending the survivors fleeing as the unit dissolved!

The Numidians threaten a charge between the buildings into the thick of the Gallic line.

But then wheel to the other side of the building and attack the tribesmen instead, eliminating the unit.

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On the right, the Gauls made one last attempt to break past Malchus's line, as the heavily armored nobles charged out of the woods at the javelin men. Malchus looked on, concerned, hoping Bostar had learned the lesson from prior engagements and did not wait too long to pull back the javelin men.

Bostar had indeed learned from the mistakes of the past, and as soon as he saw the Gauls break through the tree line he ordered the Libyans to fall back. But they resisted, wanting to engage the foe.

Damn them! Bostar yelled at them again, and even grabbed one of the stragglers by the arm, spinning him around and shoving him toward the rear. At last, the tribesmen reacted to Bostar's urging and gave ground, though grudgingly, ahead of the Gallic advance.

The javelin men fall back before the Gallic charge. They failed their first attempt, but I used a fate point to re-roll, and they succeeded in reacting.

Now! That was the moment Bostar was waiting for. He ordered the second unit of spearmen to move up, threatening to flank the Gauls if they continued their charge.

The Libyan spearmen move to close the gap. The Gauls wanted nothing to do with the formation.

For their part, the Gaul saw the object of their fury retreating ahead of them. With an immovable wall of spears and shields advancing from their right, they chose discretion over valor and fell back, fading once more into the woods.

Troop positions end of Turn 4. The javelin men have fallen back before the charge of the Gauls as spearmen move to support them. Meanwhile the Numidians continue to threaten the enemy rear.

The javelin men taunt the retreating Gauls, after being supported by the spearmen on the left.

On the left flank, after dispatching the warriors, the Numidian riders turned their attention to a unit of enemy slingers. The foe fared better than their comrades however, and few of them fell to the cavalry's missiles.

The Numidians javelin were ineffective against the slingers.

At this point, the Numidians' exuberance turned into fatal overconfidence. They charged past the slingers toward the other side of the battlefield, hoping to complete their scouting.

The slingers did not waste the opportunity, and their stones felled many riders. In the end, only one of the Numidians survived, but that was enough for the mission to be a success.

The Numidians charge forward, overextending themselves and leaving themselves as easy pickings for the surviving slingers.

All across the field of battle, the Gauls began to pull back, breaking contact and heading back to their camp. They dragged their dead and wounded with them, yet maintained discipline in their retreat. This was an orderly withdrawal, done at the command of their cautious leaders, not a rout.

But it was a victory! Malchus exulted as he saw the Gauls disappearing into the fields and woods.

Bostar approached. "My lord," he asked, "Shall we pursue?"

"No," Malchus replied. "We have the information we sought and need to get to back to Hanno as soon as we are able. Let's form up and return to camp. But stay alert, I do not trust these Gauls not to attempt to deceive us."

"As you command," Bostar said, adding with a smile, "and congratulations, sir."

Troop positions at the end of Turn 5, when the game ended. The Gauls were falling back across the field, and the Carthaginians had done just enough for a minor victory.

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Late that night, Malchus sat beside the burning coals of the fire. He could hear the sounds of the camp around him. The snores of some as they slept, the laughter of others as they shared one last drink before retiring, the exchange of countersign as the sentries made their rounds.

He could not help thinking about Menestar. Could the priest really speak the words of the gods?

Their foes had been Gauls with whom they had previously been allied. Certainly this could be the "fickle friend or foe" from the prophecy.

And Juba had told Malchus of the ride of the Numidians, and their deadly mistake. He wondered, could this be what the seer had referred to when he spoke of joyful yet doomed riders?

Malchus took another swig from the amphora of wine some of his men had "liberated" from the farm before their return. He was exhausted from the exertions of the day, and had no more patience to dwell on obscure pronouncements.

Menestar had seemed to foretell the events of the day accurately, although cryptically. As he nodded off, Malchus decided that the seer had earned another day of life. He would wait and see what the future would bring before determining Menestar's final fate.

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At last, a victory for Malchus, albeit a minor one. I believe I won this battle with the scenario selection roll. Knowing I would have an advantage in mobility with my cavalry, I chose a scenario where that advantage would be maximized.

With six command points and six units, Chris had to advance slowly and somewhat methodically, or risk leaving units out of command range which would make them vulnerable. Not at all the wild, headlong charge I expected from a Gallic horde!

In the after-battle phase, Malchus and Bostar each earned an experience point, which means they are eligible to level up for turn three. Juba earned one, and I chose to give him the extra so that he can also advance. I should have plenty of leadership options next turn, as long as everyone survives this one.

Next up, to see if Malchus can maintain momentum and continue to win. I'll have to ask Menestar what he predicts.

'Til next time!