Sunday, January 30, 2011
falls an eagle...
The Spanish army arrayed itself outside the gates of Abdera. The ocean waves lapped gently on the nearby shore. Breezes played over the hills and through the olive and oak groves nearby. The Spaniards tightened helmet straps, hefted shields, gave a last wipe of the sharpening stone to their javelin points.
Beyond the hills, beyond the woods, the Carthaginian army filed into its formations. The general's speech had been short and to the point. They should put these Spanish to the sword so that they could end the war and return home heroes. Their army was larger, had more cavalry and a proper phalanx, even mercenary tribal warriors. Word was that the Gauls were on their way to support them. "But let's get it done today--win the loot and glory for yourselves, instead of leaving it to barbarians to collect!" the general urged them.
The Numidians were first off the mark. Galloping away from the African lines, they started to wheel towards the Spanish left flank, hoping to race up to the gates of the city ([in game terms, not a BUA but the Spanish camp]). But volley after volley of missiles (darts and javelins, but also rocks, stones, and boulders) from the Spanish auxillia sitting atop the nearby hill caused some of the horsemen to turn away. Before they could be called back, they had surge toward the hill, only to be caught unawares in ambush by the Spanish hillmen and slaughtered (Carth LH hit in flank by Ax on steep hill, turn out of line to face, forced to recoil into 2nd LH at 90* angle, killed: 1-0 Spain). Their fellows, barely taking int he sudden rout of their comrades, suddenly faced an onrushing horde of Spanish horsemen, screaming and shouting, while the foot to their flank rushed on them with bloody swords (Carth LH hit front by Sp LH(G) and flank by Sp Ax, recoiled, dead; 2-0 Spain).
The Carthaginian general was not too concerned with his right wing. There was no way that his phalanx would be able to grind up the hill in the face of Spanish light troops, and he had issued strict instructions to the Numidians to avoid contact and threaten the enemy flank. He had bigger fish to fry, as he led the noble cavalry of Carthage towards the flat, open ground on the Spanish right, his warband mercenaries trailing behind.
And right on cue, here came the Gauls! They dashed forward onto the line of Spanish swordsmen that had been trying to lure the Punic cavalry towards the wood. A rapidly moving battle ensued, with Gallic horsemen and Iberian light foot advancing and retreating by rushes. "Let them wear out the enemy," thought the Carthaginian general [designated by one of the players as "Mr Sparklypants" for what reason I wasn't entirely clear...] The Spanish lost an element of Ax to the Gauls, but then trapped and skewered a squadron of Gallic horse (3-1 Spain). Finally, after a see-saw engagement, the Gallic commander slew the Spaniards' leader in single combat (3-2G--Spanish keep fighting as they still have fewer losses than the allies).
But what was this? While all the fighting had been going on at the Spanish right flank, their left had been inflitrated. A band of renegade mercenary Spanish caetrati and scutari under Punic command had managed to circle around and force (or perhaps bribe?) their way through the Spanish gates (Ax+Ps beat campfollowers and occupy camp: 3-2CG--Spanish break). Their last stronghold overthrown, their general dead, the Spanish army disintegrated, fleeing for what safety they could find in their barren hills, while the streets of Abdera ran riot with foreign looters!
Gaul lost one element and slew two, so 1 PP for casualties, plus 2 PP for killing General Hispania.
Carthage lost two elements and slew none, so gets no PP for casualties, but does get 2PP for capturing the Spanish camp.
Spain killed three enemies and lost two, so they get 1PP.
Spain retains Abdera and becomes a tributary of Carthage. They lose an additional 4 elements for losing both their camp and general in the same battle.
Beyond the hills, beyond the woods, the Carthaginian army filed into its formations. The general's speech had been short and to the point. They should put these Spanish to the sword so that they could end the war and return home heroes. Their army was larger, had more cavalry and a proper phalanx, even mercenary tribal warriors. Word was that the Gauls were on their way to support them. "But let's get it done today--win the loot and glory for yourselves, instead of leaving it to barbarians to collect!" the general urged them.
The Numidians were first off the mark. Galloping away from the African lines, they started to wheel towards the Spanish left flank, hoping to race up to the gates of the city ([in game terms, not a BUA but the Spanish camp]). But volley after volley of missiles (darts and javelins, but also rocks, stones, and boulders) from the Spanish auxillia sitting atop the nearby hill caused some of the horsemen to turn away. Before they could be called back, they had surge toward the hill, only to be caught unawares in ambush by the Spanish hillmen and slaughtered (Carth LH hit in flank by Ax on steep hill, turn out of line to face, forced to recoil into 2nd LH at 90* angle, killed: 1-0 Spain). Their fellows, barely taking int he sudden rout of their comrades, suddenly faced an onrushing horde of Spanish horsemen, screaming and shouting, while the foot to their flank rushed on them with bloody swords (Carth LH hit front by Sp LH(G) and flank by Sp Ax, recoiled, dead; 2-0 Spain).
The Carthaginian general was not too concerned with his right wing. There was no way that his phalanx would be able to grind up the hill in the face of Spanish light troops, and he had issued strict instructions to the Numidians to avoid contact and threaten the enemy flank. He had bigger fish to fry, as he led the noble cavalry of Carthage towards the flat, open ground on the Spanish right, his warband mercenaries trailing behind.
And right on cue, here came the Gauls! They dashed forward onto the line of Spanish swordsmen that had been trying to lure the Punic cavalry towards the wood. A rapidly moving battle ensued, with Gallic horsemen and Iberian light foot advancing and retreating by rushes. "Let them wear out the enemy," thought the Carthaginian general [designated by one of the players as "Mr Sparklypants" for what reason I wasn't entirely clear...] The Spanish lost an element of Ax to the Gauls, but then trapped and skewered a squadron of Gallic horse (3-1 Spain). Finally, after a see-saw engagement, the Gallic commander slew the Spaniards' leader in single combat (3-2G--Spanish keep fighting as they still have fewer losses than the allies).
But what was this? While all the fighting had been going on at the Spanish right flank, their left had been inflitrated. A band of renegade mercenary Spanish caetrati and scutari under Punic command had managed to circle around and force (or perhaps bribe?) their way through the Spanish gates (Ax+Ps beat campfollowers and occupy camp: 3-2CG--Spanish break). Their last stronghold overthrown, their general dead, the Spanish army disintegrated, fleeing for what safety they could find in their barren hills, while the streets of Abdera ran riot with foreign looters!
Gaul lost one element and slew two, so 1 PP for casualties, plus 2 PP for killing General Hispania.
Carthage lost two elements and slew none, so gets no PP for casualties, but does get 2PP for capturing the Spanish camp.
Spain killed three enemies and lost two, so they get 1PP.
Spain retains Abdera and becomes a tributary of Carthage. They lose an additional 4 elements for losing both their camp and general in the same battle.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
winter 213
The autumn winds turn cold and the waves of the Med grow rough and threatening (to 3rd century BCE naval vessels, any way). The army of Syracuse gives up its siege of Etruria and marches back to Latium.
Bruttia, Syracuse, Carthage, and Gaul all recruit enough troops to bring their armies to full strength.
Rome and Spain each recruit two elements. I will select Rome's elements; Spain needs to PM/email me with his choices.
All nations fought battles or sieges in 213; none are limited to 10 elements in 212.
It being the end of the year, I have updated the prestige totals. Please let me know if you see any errors.
All players should send me the starting location of their armies for 212 and what changes in peace or war they are making. Once I have received them all, I will dice for starting player, announce the beginning and end of wars, and we can start 212.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Spain/Carthage battle report
Spanish defeat Carthage 4-0; Carthage loses 2 Wb, 1 Ax, 1 LH.
After the battle, Spain's army is: 5x3Ax, 1x2Ps
Carthage's army is: 2x3Cv, 1x2LH, 3x4Sp, 1x2Ps
No general or camp captured, so no additional losses.
Summary: The Spanish, defending, set up terrain, choosing a BUA and road, two steep hills and a woods. The Carthaginians ended up with the BUA in their deployment areas (not their choice) and gave it a wide berth in set up (and play).
One Spanish Ax was deployed in the BUA. The others, and their lone Ps, were set up in two columns ready to march onto one of the steep hills overlooking the Cartho deployment area. Their LH general set up behind.
The Carthos had two blocks of foot: one of 1 Ax + 2 Wb in column, one of 3 Sp backed by a Ps. The 2 Cv (one a General) were behind these, while the LH were in a column on their outside flank. They sent the LH column on a sweeping move between the steep hills around the Spanish rear, while the Ax+2WB block climbed up the hill to attack the Spanish foot.
The Spanish Ax deployed into a line, supported by their Ps, and waited for the Carthos to come to them. The center Ax (supported and uphill) forced the leading WB (who was overlapped and getting no support because of the BG) to retreat. Then the outside Ax doubled the Cartho Ax (uphill and overlap plus a 5-2 dieroll). When the Wb came back in, joined on their other flank by a Sp, they lost first one Wb, then its follower (two combats in which the Spanish Ax was uphill and supported against a Wb that was overlapped and unsupported: 5-1 even before you get to the dieroll). In at least one of those the Wb was actually double-overlapped, as the Carthos realised that Sp in BG are actually *worse* than Ax.
The Spanish LH(G) fell back away from the Numidians to get them close to the hill, then got close enough to them to be attacked as a line (but not outflanked). The Numidians got a recoil on the overlapped Spanish LH(G), but then an Ax lurking on the hillside closed the door on the righthand Numidian as the LH(G) came back, and the QK ended the game.
After the battle, Spain's army is: 5x3Ax, 1x2Ps
Carthage's army is: 2x3Cv, 1x2LH, 3x4Sp, 1x2Ps
No general or camp captured, so no additional losses.
Summary: The Spanish, defending, set up terrain, choosing a BUA and road, two steep hills and a woods. The Carthaginians ended up with the BUA in their deployment areas (not their choice) and gave it a wide berth in set up (and play).
One Spanish Ax was deployed in the BUA. The others, and their lone Ps, were set up in two columns ready to march onto one of the steep hills overlooking the Cartho deployment area. Their LH general set up behind.
The Carthos had two blocks of foot: one of 1 Ax + 2 Wb in column, one of 3 Sp backed by a Ps. The 2 Cv (one a General) were behind these, while the LH were in a column on their outside flank. They sent the LH column on a sweeping move between the steep hills around the Spanish rear, while the Ax+2WB block climbed up the hill to attack the Spanish foot.
The Spanish Ax deployed into a line, supported by their Ps, and waited for the Carthos to come to them. The center Ax (supported and uphill) forced the leading WB (who was overlapped and getting no support because of the BG) to retreat. Then the outside Ax doubled the Cartho Ax (uphill and overlap plus a 5-2 dieroll). When the Wb came back in, joined on their other flank by a Sp, they lost first one Wb, then its follower (two combats in which the Spanish Ax was uphill and supported against a Wb that was overlapped and unsupported: 5-1 even before you get to the dieroll). In at least one of those the Wb was actually double-overlapped, as the Carthos realised that Sp in BG are actually *worse* than Ax.
The Spanish LH(G) fell back away from the Numidians to get them close to the hill, then got close enough to them to be attacked as a line (but not outflanked). The Numidians got a recoil on the overlapped Spanish LH(G), but then an Ax lurking on the hillside closed the door on the righthand Numidian as the LH(G) came back, and the QK ended the game.
another battle in Spain
The king of Iberia was in a terrible fix. Holding together his national alliance of different clans and tribes was never an easy thing at the best of times. Early victories over invaders had led to a sense of overconfidence, and the result had been the painful defeat in his one adventure in Gaul in which his general (and favourite cousin) had been killed by the same cheerful Gauls that he had been buying wine and melons from a month before. They had even sent his head back, packed in snow from the Pyrenees, as what they claimed was a kindly gesture.
Now the temporary truce with Carthage had broken down again as the Sea People decided they wanted to try again to lay claim to a northern holiday spot and trade entrepot. And with severe losses sustained in the last few battles, the Iberian armies were just not up to defeating the might of the sons of Phoenicia.
So the Iberians hunkered down and looked for an opportunity to strike at the invaders on their own terms. An opportunity of sorts presented itself in the hills outside the hill town of the Oretani. The Iberian army, which had been lurking around the flanks of the Carthaginian host, came close enough to threaten the enemy's rear, which caused the Carthaginian army to deploy for action, trying to chase off what they thought was a force of banditti.
Instead, they found a small army (small, but still an army) lurking in the hills above them. Surprisingly steep hills. Very rocky too. As the line of advance troops (auxilia and warbands) climbed up the slope to "chase off those rascals" as their commander had ordered, they found themselves getting short of breath and losing formation. Just as the leader of the warband contingent was beginning to realise that his supports weren't keeping close enough to, well, provide support), their front ranks found themselves in contact with javelin-throwing infantry hidden int he rocks above them. Infantry whose slingers seemed to be able to pick just the right space between files to shoot a stone or two before the ranks closed up again. Things suddenly started looking dicey. They should have fought these savages on level ground. The problem was that level ground seemed very hard to find in these hills.
Below, the leader of the Numidian scouting force was also shaking his head. He hoped that the mission he'd been sent on--to circle around behind the enemy and attack their rear--was feasible. It seemed as if all the Iberians he could see were up on the stony higher ground, a place he wasn't about to lead his scouts. Then ahead he saw a force of light horse. Somethign odd about them, but they were someone he could fight. He turned and waved to his column leaders to spread out. They could envelop the enemy's right and sweep them up, if they moved quickly.
The Carthaginian general frowned. Things on the hill seemed to be progressing slowly, if at all. He gestured to the polemarch commanding the phalanx to send some of him men up there to help with the fight. Where were the Numidians? They should have ridden all the way around the enemy by now; the Spanish had no horse to fight, so the scouts should be in position to ride down the stragglers his foot would surely be chasing off those hills any time now.
The foot were not so sure. First their allied scutarii had been beaten and fled the field. Then the leader of the warbands and his leading troops had been cut off in a ravine and decimated by enemy who rolled rocks downhill on them peppering them with light spears and sling stones. Now the spearmen who had come up from the main army were finding it nearly impossible to keep their formation on the difficult ground of the mountainside. Screams from the other side of the hill resembled horses being hamstrung and gutted--normally just a part of battle, but they knew the Iberians had no horse, so it could only be their own troops suffering. Now... another avalanche of boulders were followed by a screaming horde of swordsmen. The last of the warbands fled...
As they trailed back down the coast, the Carthaginian general pondered how things could have gone so wrong. Sending the warband up into the hill to figh the Spanish auxiliaries had not worked out well, admittedly, and reinforcing them with spearmen had been his only option, but a poor one in retrospect. He still could not puzzle out what had happened to his Numidians. The survivors insisted they had driven back a force of light horsemen only to be ambushed and broken when the lighthorsemen turned back to fight again and a band of swordsmen had appeared from the rocks on the Numidians' flank and started hamstringing their horses. An ambush like that was typical of Iberian mountain fighting and their adroit use of combined arms. But eh Spanish *had no horse*! All his scouting reports had confirmed this.
And as for the story of their being led by a warleader with no head...
Now the temporary truce with Carthage had broken down again as the Sea People decided they wanted to try again to lay claim to a northern holiday spot and trade entrepot. And with severe losses sustained in the last few battles, the Iberian armies were just not up to defeating the might of the sons of Phoenicia.
So the Iberians hunkered down and looked for an opportunity to strike at the invaders on their own terms. An opportunity of sorts presented itself in the hills outside the hill town of the Oretani. The Iberian army, which had been lurking around the flanks of the Carthaginian host, came close enough to threaten the enemy's rear, which caused the Carthaginian army to deploy for action, trying to chase off what they thought was a force of banditti.
Instead, they found a small army (small, but still an army) lurking in the hills above them. Surprisingly steep hills. Very rocky too. As the line of advance troops (auxilia and warbands) climbed up the slope to "chase off those rascals" as their commander had ordered, they found themselves getting short of breath and losing formation. Just as the leader of the warband contingent was beginning to realise that his supports weren't keeping close enough to, well, provide support), their front ranks found themselves in contact with javelin-throwing infantry hidden int he rocks above them. Infantry whose slingers seemed to be able to pick just the right space between files to shoot a stone or two before the ranks closed up again. Things suddenly started looking dicey. They should have fought these savages on level ground. The problem was that level ground seemed very hard to find in these hills.
Below, the leader of the Numidian scouting force was also shaking his head. He hoped that the mission he'd been sent on--to circle around behind the enemy and attack their rear--was feasible. It seemed as if all the Iberians he could see were up on the stony higher ground, a place he wasn't about to lead his scouts. Then ahead he saw a force of light horse. Somethign odd about them, but they were someone he could fight. He turned and waved to his column leaders to spread out. They could envelop the enemy's right and sweep them up, if they moved quickly.
The Carthaginian general frowned. Things on the hill seemed to be progressing slowly, if at all. He gestured to the polemarch commanding the phalanx to send some of him men up there to help with the fight. Where were the Numidians? They should have ridden all the way around the enemy by now; the Spanish had no horse to fight, so the scouts should be in position to ride down the stragglers his foot would surely be chasing off those hills any time now.
The foot were not so sure. First their allied scutarii had been beaten and fled the field. Then the leader of the warbands and his leading troops had been cut off in a ravine and decimated by enemy who rolled rocks downhill on them peppering them with light spears and sling stones. Now the spearmen who had come up from the main army were finding it nearly impossible to keep their formation on the difficult ground of the mountainside. Screams from the other side of the hill resembled horses being hamstrung and gutted--normally just a part of battle, but they knew the Iberians had no horse, so it could only be their own troops suffering. Now... another avalanche of boulders were followed by a screaming horde of swordsmen. The last of the warbands fled...
As they trailed back down the coast, the Carthaginian general pondered how things could have gone so wrong. Sending the warband up into the hill to figh the Spanish auxiliaries had not worked out well, admittedly, and reinforcing them with spearmen had been his only option, but a poor one in retrospect. He still could not puzzle out what had happened to his Numidians. The survivors insisted they had driven back a force of light horsemen only to be ambushed and broken when the lighthorsemen turned back to fight again and a band of swordsmen had appeared from the rocks on the Numidians' flank and started hamstringing their horses. An ambush like that was typical of Iberian mountain fighting and their adroit use of combined arms. But eh Spanish *had no horse*! All his scouting reports had confirmed this.
And as for the story of their being led by a warleader with no head...
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Peace and War!
The war between Syracuse and Spain ends.
Both Syracuse and Bruttia declare war on Gaul!
Both Syracuse and Bruttia declare war on Gaul!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)