A close-run thing (or, how Malchus finally beat Fabio)

A crucial moment in the battle during turn 3 - read on for details!

Bryan and I met to fight the second battle for each of us this campaign turn. As such, it is what the campaign calls a "pressed battle." That means that rewards and risks are minimized from the first battle of each turn. But, since I am not doing this for the glory, but rather as an excuse to play games with friends, that is more than enough incentive for me.

Bryan won the scenario selection roll, and chose "This is my land!" For us older guys, I call it "Get off my lawn!"

I was really hoping to win the roll so I could select pre-battle scouting, in which my cavalry would have a tremendous advantage. However, I rolled poorly and having the "impetuous" disadvantage didn't help.

For variety, we chose to use diagonal deployment zones. Our warbands wouldn't fit within the deployment area, so we used the engagement phase rules for deployment.

This was going to be a slugfest, not the type of engagement my warband was necessarily built to excel at. But my lighter units did give me an advantage in that I was able to push them up quickly, "locking" Bryan's unit further from the objectives than I was. The trick would be to hold him off long enough to win...

______________________________________

Malchus surveyed the farmland before him. This miserable little Sicilian farm held little value, other than its location. It sat close by a ford on the Assinus River south of Messana. Many troops headed to the city to contain the Romans, or Roman troops seeking to break out south into the island, would find the ford useful, and Hanno had ordered Malchus's band to seize and hold the farm until he arrived with greater numbers of troops.

His Numidian scouts had returned earlier that morning and reported the presence of Greek soldiers advancing on the farm from the north. They had gotten a close look at the enemy, and remarked on the beauty of the Greek commander!

"Yes," Malchus thought. "Rasap be praised." It had to be that gorgeous Greek bastard that had already bested him twice. This would be his chance to avenge himself upon the Greek (he hadn't learned his name, though Malchus's men were calling him "Fabio" - he didn't know why) and settle the score!

Malchus had ordered his men to advance quickly and close on the central area of the farm. This was where the battle would be decided, and he chose to risk tiring his men in order to get there first.

On the left flank, his Numidians sat astride their mounts. The horses whickered and pranced, eager to run. They would get their chance. In the center, he had formed a line of alternating spearmen and tribesmen. He hoped the volleys of javelins would weaken the enemy as they approached, so he could order his disciplined spearmen into the fray to finish them off. At least, that was the plan...

Unit positions at the end of the engagement phase.

The Carthaginian line faces its Greek foes.

I was pretty pleased with my deployment. I had pushed my lighter troops with five and six moves, even though it meant they would start the game with a fatigue, in order to freeze Bryan's troops as far as possible from the objectives. Of course, that meant I would have to test to activate those units, so we would see if my gamble paid off.

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The Greeks moved forward in an orderly fashion, their own javelin-armed troops covering the ranks of more heavily-armed soldiers. On the left, Malchus could see pikemen. And behind them, damn their eyes, slingers! Slingers had hurt his cavalry badly in the last engagement, and he hoped history would not repeat itself.

In the center, Bostar led the advance. The ranks of spearmen flanked his veteran javelin men. On the right, the newly recruited Libyan tribesmen ran ahead into a stand of palms from which they taunted the advancing Greeks.

Unit positions at the end of turn 1.

Malchus's view.

The Numidian horsemen wait for their opportunity.

Juba commands the right flank.

The new recruits taunt the enemy.

Turn 1 was uneventful, as Bryan and I both maneuvered our troops into position for when combat would actually be joined. The Numidians were my wild card. I was hoping to be able to use them aggressively as I had in the last game.

________________________________

The Numidian horsemen charged out from behind the building that had shielded them from the slingers and threw there javelins. Despite their flimsy armor, only two slingers fell.

The junior Greek commander (Malchus did not recognize the younger man, he was not the same as had been present at the earlier encounters) responded quickly. The Greek pikemen moved up to shield the vulnerable slingers before they suffered more casualties.

The Numidians make their move.

The javelin men on the right charged and threw their missiles, with little effect on the enemy. Rather than retreat back into the palms, they stood their ground and threw again. Once more, few foes fell to their missiles.

There was little other contact with the enemy, as both commanders maneuvered their troops, seeking a decisive advantage when combat was finally joined in earnest.

The tribesmen throw their javelins.

Unit positions at the end of turn 2.

Turn 2 saw our troops finally engage. There was no melee combat, though a lot of javelin-throwing. My tribesmen were singularly ineffective against Bryan's hoplites, though my Numidians saw limited success against the slingers. Bryan's pezhetairoi scored just enough hits to disorder my spearmen on the right.

________________________________________________

Malchus was concerned that his green tribesmen on the right had overextended themselves. They could not withstand a charge from a formed unit of heavy infantry. He wondered about his cavalry on the left flank. Apart from a desultory charge, they had been quiet.

Nevertheless, he was mostly content with his formation thus far. His troops held most of the open space before the farm's lone small building.

The Greek javelin units peppered his formations of spearmen with incoming missiles, causing few casualties, but breaking up their formation. His javelin men responded, killing some of the opposing troops among the palms.

Malchus ordered his spearmen into the trees, hoping to crush the enemy decisively. The rough terrain forced his men to break their ranks, and the attack was less successful than he had planned. In fact, the advance of the spearmen had left them vulnerable to a flank attack by the Greek pikemen!

Fortunately, his men's armor protected them from the brunt of the attacks and their discipline held.

Meanwhile, on the far right, the javelin men were suffering at the hands of the Greek spearmen and were falling back into the trees.

And on the left, there was no sign of his cavalry. He would have words with Juba when this was over.

Malchus's line holds firm.

Tribesmen clad only in tunics face the pride of the Greek infantry.

A volley of incoming javelins does little damage, but breaks up the formation of the spearmen.

The Greek infantry charges!

Javelin men cause some casualties among the Greeks in the palms.

The spearmen charge into the trees...

... and are in turn charged by the pikemen.

Unit positions at the end of turn 3.

Overview of the center of the battlefield.

Turn 3 was when things got "real." Bryan's hoplites engaged my exposed javelin men and did heavy damage. In the center, the highlight was the charge of my spearmen and their ability to withstand Bryan's counter-charge by the pikemen.

My Numidians failed their activation test, and so just sat this turn. I was also hampered by having fewer command points than normal. I had really wanted initiative this turn, so I had bid two command points. I won, but I felt it when it was time to give my troops orders as I was limited in actions and reactions.

______________________________

On the left, Malchus finally saw some signs of life from the Numidians. They charged forward, hitting the pikemen in the rear with javelins. He could see some of the enemy fall from the missile attack. 

However, before they could strike again, the slingers turned their attention to the horsemen, knocking one from his mount.

This seemed to disorient the Numidians. They wheeled their horses and fled behind the cover of the farm building! Oh yes, Malchus would need to "discuss" this failure with Juba. But first, there was still a battle to be won.

On the right, The Greek hoplites had made short work of the remaining javelin men, and the Libyans had fled, fading into the palms. Rather than press their advantage immediately, they chose to re-form their ranks, presenting a solid front of shields and spears to their Liby-Phoenician counterparts.

While his Greek opponent concentrated on the right, Malchus turned his attention to the center. Bostar had noticed the disarray of the pikemen and ordered the veteran javelineers to unleash volley after volley against them. The casualties they suffered, combined with their fatigue from the earlier charge against the spearmen, saw the unit of pikes dissolve and flee the battlefield.

The ineffective charge of the Numidians.

Having dispatched the javelin men, the Greek spearmen turn their attention to their Libyan counterparts. 

The veteran Libyan tribesmen unleash a volley against the pikemen.

At the end of turn 4, Malchus's men hold the left center, though the right is still disputed.

The Numidians charged out, did little damage, and lost a rider when the slingers countered. They failed the two morale tests and stalled. 

The javelin men on the far right were destroyed, but with his unit already fatigued, Bryan chose to re-form ranks rather than attack again into my spearmen. They would do so next turn. but I feel that Bryan lose some momentum in not pressing the attack.

The Libyan tribesmen in the center were deadly! Bryan's pikemen last turn had used three actions, so they did not recover any fatigue. The Numidian attack did add a little more, so when the javelins hit and did just enough damage to kill a couple of pikemen, the unit dissolved. Bryan considered using a fate point to re-roll the results, but with the odds stacked against him because of fatigue modifiers, he chose to let the rolls stand.

As an aside. earlier in the game I cleverly used my fate point to turn two hits on the enemy into just one. Enough said about that.

_________________________________

This was the decisive moment! All of Malchus's plans and counter plans were for naught as the battle was to be decided by vicious combat. At this point, no quarter would be given or taken, as the climax of the battle raged!

The re-formed hoplites charged the remnants of the Libyan spearmen, and the already weakened unit broke and fled, leaving Malchus's right flank dangerously exposed.

The wily Greek ordered his petzhetairoi into the scrum, and they engaged the remaining unit of spearmen. Malchus could see that they had little effect on the disciplined troops.

As the Greek javelin troops advanced, Bostar commanded his tribesmen to once again launch their missiles. Though weary, the Libyans responded. The javelins struck the pezhetairoi with devastating effect. The Greeks fell before the onslaught of missiles, and the few survivors ran.

At this point, with his line dissolving and Malchus's troops firmly in control of the left side of the field, "Fabio" ordered his troops to withdraw.

Malchus smiled grimly. It had been bloody, and a very close-run thing, but it was a victory!

The Libyans again launch missiles against the Greeks.

Unit positions at the end of turn 5.

At this point, the battle was still very much up for grabs. Bryan's hoplites did indeed charge into my spearmen and saw them off with little effort or drama. Fortunately, the surrounding units were not affected by their disintegration.

Bryan's pezhetairoi attacked with javelins and did not do much damage. But the counterattack by my javelin men was brutal and Bryan's unit was destroyed.

On the left, knowing that I could not afford to lose the Numidians like I did last game, I was perhaps overly cautious and chose to keep them safe rather than charge wildly to glory. With a range of 12 inches, slingers are a huge deterrent to unarmored cavalry in my mind and I was concerned that they would be able to do much damage to my horses. The possibility of having the unity stall within range of the slingers led me to keep them behind cover.

When Bryan failed his force break test, the victory was mine!

This battle had huge swings of momentum. In the middle turns, it seemed like I could not activate my units at all. As mentioned, in turn 3 I bid two command points and hampered my ability to command my warband.

So, in turns 4 and 5 I bid zero and kept all my command points. Combined with having fewer surviving units, this meant I had enough to buff my activation rolls in the crucial moments. For example, when ordering the javelin men to launch that last fatal volley against the pezhetairoi, I need a 6 to activate them. I used a command point to roll an extra die, and fortunately one of the three came up with a "6!" 

This was indeed a very close affair.  In the end, it came down to a couple of clutch dice rolls at just the right time. Had they gone differently, the outcome could have been a Greek victory. Bryan and I always seem to be evenly matched, and our battles seem to come down to one or two crucial moments. 

In this case, I was victorious. Malchus is on a roll!

'Til next time!

Villa rural Romana en 3D

La casa en la mesa de juego (Foto/Beren)

En una publicación anterior, escribí sobre algunas ideas que tuve para construir una selección de estructuras rurales para representar una villa o granja romana. A diferencia de los edificios de la ciudad, quería algo más pequeño y modesto.

El propósito del terreno, en un juego típico de Clash of Spears, es simplemente crear interés escénico y táctico al darles a las tropas algo a tener en cuenta mientras maniobran y atacan. Beren vio mi publicación y diseñó un modelo 3D imprimible basado en uno de mis diseños. ¡Creo que hizo un trabajo estupendo! Y lo que es mejor, ¡ha puesto los archivos a disposición de cualquiera que desee usarlos de forma gratuita!

El edificio en 3d (Foto/Beren)

Los archivos están disponibles en mi unidad de Google en este enlace. Lo único que pido es que si descargas e imprimes el edificio, me envíes una foto de él en uso.

El edificio en la mesa de juego (Foto/Beren)

¡Gracias Beren, por darle vida a mi boceto! No puedo esperar para tener mi propia versión de esto en la mesa de juego.

¡Hasta la próxima!

3D Small Roman Rural Villa

The printed villa on the tabletop. (Photo/Beren)

In a previous post, I wrote about some ideas I had to build a selection of rural structures to represent a Roman villa or farm. As opposed to city buildings, I wanted something smaller and more modest.

The purpose of the terrain, in a typical Clash of Spears game, is simply to create scenic and tactical interest by giving the troops something to take into account as they maneuver and attack.

Beren saw my post, and designed a printable 3D model based on one of my designs. I think he did a terrific job! And what is better, he has made the files available for free to anyone who wishes to use them!

3d render (Photo/Beren)

The files are available on my Google drive at this link.

The only thing I ask is that if you download and print the building, you please send me a photo of it in use.

The printed villa on the tabletop. (Photo/Beren)

Thank you Beren, for bringing to life my sketch! I can't wait to get my own version of this on the gaming table.

'Til next time!

¿Cuáles griegos? Eligiendo mi próxima facción para Clash of Spears

Si han leído mis publicaciones anteriores, ya saben que hasta ahora en la campaña de Clash of Spears no me está yendo muy bien, al menos en términos de victorias.

No me malinterpreten, lo estoy disfrutando mucho y me ha dado una razón para reunirme con personas con las que amo pasar el rato (¡ya saben quienes son!). He jugado más juegos en el último mes que en los 10 anteriores combinados. Y la campaña me motiva a construir y pintar tropas. Para mí, esos factores por sí solos me llevan a la columna de victorias en la campaña, independiente de los resultados del combate. Para mí la narrativa es todo. Juego ante todo para tener una experiencia agradable. Y eso generalmente depende de contra quién estoy jugando. Tengo la suerte de que hay muy pocas personas en la tienda local con las que no me gusta jugar. Pero también tengo un lado competitivo. Esa es, después de todo, la razón por la cual juego. Disfruto la camaradería, la pintura y el modelado, y la investigación que implica crear un ejército. Pero es bueno ver a mi ejército (generalmente) completamente pintado, históricamente preciso (o al menos históricamente plausible) disfrutar del éxito en el campo de batalla. Y últimamente, eso me ha estado eludiendo. A medida que aprenda más sobre Clash y las matemáticas detrás del juego, estoy seguro de que esas victorias llegarán. Pero, ¿puedo ayudar en ese proceso mirando más allá de la "regla de la genialidad" y haciendo elecciones de ejército y tropas basadas no solo en lo que me gusta, sino en lo que es más efectivo? Creo que puedo, mientras que al mismo tiempo no pierdo lo que más me atrae al juego. Por ejemplo, prefiero las tropas de escaramuzas con misiles en lugar de las tropas de "formación". Solo una preferencia personal. Prefiero sangrarte de mil cortes que molerte bajo los pies.

En Clash, el rasgo de especialista en escaramuzas te permite tener una reacción libre cuando el enemigo te carga, por lo que es posible correr dentro del rango de tiro de un enemigo, lanzar una andanada de jabalinas y estar listo para huir cuando el enemigo lo ataque en su turno. Las posibilidades de activar la unidad se basan en su determinación (básicamente liderazgo). Las tropas especialistas en escaramuzas con una determinación de 5 son baratas, pero en el futuro busco construir ejércitos alrededor de hostigadores con una determinación de 4. Menos miniaturas para los puntos, pero una probabilidad mucho mayor de reaccionar cuando quiero que lo hagan, así que sospecho que serán mucho más efectivos en general. (Descanso matemático: el especialista en escaramuzas te permite intentar una reacción gratuita, lanzar un dado y necesitar obtener tu determinación o más. Para determinación 5, eso es, por supuesto, una probabilidad del 33 %. Si gastas un punto de mando, obtienes dos dados y se necesita un solo éxito de 5 o más. Esa es una probabilidad del 55 %. Para los escaramuzadores con valor 4, esas posibilidades aumentan al 50 % y al 75 % si gastas un punto de mando y tiras dos dados. Ese es un aumento estadístico significativo. En mi opinión, vale la pena el costo adicional. Las tropas adicionales son buenas, pero si no se activan de manera confiable cuando las necesitas, son inútiles. Y, al menos con mi suerte, mis escaramuzadores tienden a acercarse demasiado y luego ser masacrados cuando no reaccionan y se retiran. Eso significa mirar las listas de ejército y darme cuenta de que los cartagineses que he elegido, si bien son mi preferencia histórica y de modelado, posiblemente no se adapten mejor a mi estilo de juego. Los únicos hostigadores que tienen que son civis (tropas comunes) son determinación 5. La fuerza griega pírrica que iba a construir a continuación (porque quiero elefantes) tiene el mismo problema. Pero mirando las listas, la lista de los griegos de Magna Graecia incluye una opción para los escaramuzadores de determinación 4 (peltastas) que cuestan solo 13 puntos en comparación con los 8 de los hombres de jabalina de determinación 5 (psiloi). Además, vienen con un escudo que los hace más resistentes a las bajas en combate. Por eso, voy a cambiar mis planes y construir una fuerza de griegos de la ciudad de Taras. Afortunadamente, todas las tropas griegas de Victrix que adquirí recientemente se adaptarán a un ejército de Magna Graecia, así como a uno pírrico. Los escaramuzadores los armaré como peltastas en lugar de jabalineros. Los honderos y arqueros (tanto regulares como cretenses) están cubiertos. Los diversos hoplitas serán todos útiles. Me gustan las unidades de caballería por su versatilidad y movilidad. Un inconveniente de la lista de griegos en Italia es que puedo desplegar caballería con armadura pesada o caballería sin armadura, pero no ambas al mismo tiempo. Puedo trabajar con eso. Ah, pero sin elefantes. (¡No se preocupen, mis cartagineses aún pueden usar elefantes!) Ahora estoy investigando la historia, las costumbres y las armas de los griegos en Italia. Y me enteré de que esos griegos en realidad se aliaron con Pyrrhus, por lo que aún podría incluir algunos hoplitas epirotas en mi ejército... No tengo prisa. Todavía tengo que completar las unidades que necesito para la fuerza cartaginesa que estoy desplegando en la campaña. También tengo el resto de mis celtíberos para pintar. Así que no esperen ver publicaciones de griegos pintados inmediatamente.

Solo estoy pensando en mi próximo proyecto y compartiendo un poco del proceso de pensamiento que usé en su selección. Quizás construya los griegos de Taras para la próxima campaña o torneo de Clash. ¡Hasta la próxima!

Which Greeks? Choosing my next Clash of Spears faction

If you’ve read my previous posts, you already know that so far the Clash of Spears campaign isn’t going very well for me, at least in terms of victories.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying it very much and it’s given me a reason to get together with people I love hanging out with (you know who you are!). I’ve done more gaming in the past month than in the previous 10 combined. And the campaign motivates me to build and paint troops.

To me, those factors alone move me into the win column in the campaign, regardless of the combat results.

You see, I’m all about the narrative. I game first and foremost to have an enjoyable experience. And that’s usually dependent on who I’m playing against. I’m fortunate that there are very few people at the local shop that I don’t enjoy playing against.

But there is a competitive side to me as well. That is, after all, why I play games.

I enjoy the camaraderie, the painting and modeling, and the research that goes into creating an army. But it’s nice to see my (usually) fully-painted, historically accurate (or at least historically plausible) army enjoy success on the field of battle. And lately, that’s been eluding me.

As I learn more about Clash and the math behind the game, I’m sure those victories will come. But, can I help that process along by looking beyond just the “rule of cool” and making army and troop choices based not just on what I like, but what is most effective? I think I can, while at the same time not losing what appeals to me most about gaming.

For example, I prefer skirmishing missile troops rather than “formation” troops. Just a personal preference. I’d rather bleed you from a thousand cuts than grind you underfoot.

In Clash, the skirmish specialist trait allows you the potential to have a free reaction when charged by the enemy, so it is possible to rush to within throwing range of an enemy, launch a volley of javelins, and be ready to scamper away when the foes charge on their turn. 

The chances to activate the unit are based on its grit value (basically leadership). Skirmish specialist troops with a grit of 5 are cheap, but going forward I’m looking to build armies around skirmishers with a grit of 4. Fewer models for the points, but a much greater chance of reacting when I want them to, so I suspect they’ll be much more effective overall. 

(Math break: Skirmish specialist lets you attempt a free reaction, rolling one die and needing to score your grit or higher. For grit 5, that is of course a 33% chance. If you spend a command point, you get to roll two dice and only one success of 5+ is needed. That is a 55% chance. For skirmishers with grit 4, those chances increase to 50% and 75% if you spend a command point and roll two dice. That is a significant statistical increase and, in my opinion, is well worth the additional cost. Extra troops are nice, but if they don't reliably activate when you need them to they are useless. And, at least with my luck, my skirmishers tend to charge too close and then get butchered when they fail to react and withdraw.)

That means looking at the army lists, and realizing that the Carthaginians I’ve chosen, while being my historical and modeling preference, possibly aren’t best suited to my style of play. The only skirmishers they have that are civis (common troops) are grit 5.

The Pyrrhic Greek force I was going to build next (because elephants) has the same issue. But looking at the lists, the Greeks of Magna Graecia list includes an option for grit 4 skirmishers (peltasts) that cost only 13 points compared to 8 for the grit 5 javelin men (psiloi). In addition, they come with a shield which makes them more resistant to casualties in combat.

Because of that, I'm going to pivot and build a force of Greeks from the city of Taras. Fortunately, all of the Victrix Greek troops I recently acquired will fit a Magna Graecia army as well as a Pyrrhic one.

The skirmishers will be assembled as peltasts instead of javelin men. Slingers and archers (both regular and Cretan) are covered. The various hoplites will all be useful.

I like cavalry units for their versatility and mobility. One drawback to the Greeks in Italy list is that I can field either heavily armored cavalry or unarmored cavalry, but not both at the same time. I can work with that. Oh, and no elephants. Sigh. (No real worries, my Carthaginians can still use elephants!)

Now I am researching the history, customs, and arms of the Greeks in Italy. And, I learned that those Greeks actually allied with Pyrrhus so I might still include some Epirote hoplites in my army…

I'm not in a hurry. I have yet to complete the units that I need for the Carthaginian force I am fielding in the campaign. I also have the rest of my Celt-Iberians to paint. So don't expect to see posts of painted Greeks here immediately.

I'm just thinking ahead to my next project, and sharing a little of the thought process I used in its selection. Perhaps I'll build the Greeks of Taras for the next Clash campaign or tournament.

'Til next time!

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.

_____________________

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.

_______________________

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!