Mare Nostrum: Seleucid vs. Rome (1st campaign round game finally played)

Secure the strongpoints!

One of our campaign players (Risto) had missed his first round game due to busy workschedules. Since I didn't have any games scheduled for this week, I suggested we play a game. It was nice to play a game without any pressure, due to the fact that game didn't have any impact on my campaign game. It was also Risto's first HC Game. He's a keen DBM player and had played few Black Powder games though.

Game was good and quite close fought... read on!

Scenario: 

Since it was Risto's first game, we decided to keep it simple: we placed 3 strong points along the central line: Roman fort, a temple and a watchtower. The player, that would control more of them in the end of the game would be the winner

My Army

Since the game didn't have that much of importance to my campaign success; I decided to try something more radical: 2 cavalry divisions and just one, rather strong infantry division, boosted by an elephant.

Risto's army included one strong cavalry division and two infantry divisions, with couple of legionary units, archers and some auxiliary light infantry, with a just one scorpio.

Deployment

Risto chose his table half and deployed his army along his whole table edge with his cavalry division taking his right flank. My only infantry division deployed right from the table center and my both cavalry divisions to the left.

Risto seems pleased with his strong battle line.

My army deployed. My first division with the heavy cavalry in the left flank deployed in marching columns as well as the infantry division in the right. Center division (cav,) deployed into battle line to be able to react, should something unexpected happen.

My battle plan was to overwhelm Risto's troops with my faster army, while holding the Roman fort -objective with my infantry.

Round 1-2

Risto won the roll off for starting the game and decided to go first. That was just fine with me, I would get to shoot my warmachine right from the first round. There was also a Kings of War -tournament ongoing at the club and our game got lot of attention.

Risto pushed his troops steadily forward as I educated him on the game rules...

My left flank cavalry division moved quite nicely forward and formed into battle line (after a reroll), while the second division moved slightly slower and took positions to take flank charges, should the Romans do something drastic...

My infantry also succeed very well in their command and moved forward and changed formations into battle line. Things were going smoothly indeed!

Risto's second round didn't start so smoothly, his cavalry moved quickly and made a maneuver around the watchtower, but then his middle division's second command was a blunder and his legions moved one move back, effectively leaving the cavalry division stranded and facing two of my cavalry divisions...

Risto's shooting sent my horse archers retreating, but not much more happened.

I was pondering whether to just push forward towards legionaries  with all of my cavalry or to counter the moves from Roman cav. Since I needed to capture the watchtower as well and didn't want to leave so much enemy cav behind me I decided to charge them with some of my cav and proceed towards the Roman infantry with the rest. Well, a sound plan, but the dice weren't with me this time. Failed command and just my drilled Agema cav turned to face the romans...

Infantry on my right flank also seemed to waiver before the Roman might and only my drilled veterans pushed forward one move.

My central cav div called a charge against the stranded Roman auxilia running towards the temple, but the hill side must have been too rough a ground, since they couldn't quite reach them - darn! What a disappointment of a round.

3rd and 4th Rounds

Risto started his third round aggressively charging my Agema Cav with three of his cavalry units. I naturally counter charged. This battle raged by the  watchtower for several turns, while my Agema slowly pushed the Romans back. By the  way: DO UNITS STOP at the table edge, when giving ground? Or are they destroyed? 

The stalemate continued on the right flank: Romans held their ground and my division commander just couldn't get them moving. Just my drilled veterans pushed forward and soon would risk becoming stranded from the rest of the division. Some wounds cumulated on both sides, mainly due to warmachine fire.

Another angle:

THE MOST DRAMATIC events took place in the centre; my second cav division charged all out on Roman Legionaires: my scythed heavy chariot crushed into Roman archers and one of my medium cavs, supported by two other units charged one Roman legionaires unit (supported by another). Most unfortunately my second Agema Cav from the 1st division didn't quite reach their flank. I sought to break through the Roman line and then turn to roll  their line with most of my cavalry. A good plan, but Romans with their pilum are always dangerous...

After lot's off fighting and dice rolling I lost the combat by three (I didn't save much against pilums with medium cavalry) and duly proceeded breaking my both medium cavs - both the fighting one and the one in support. I lost my commander in the process. Luckily the romans were also shaken and couldn't do sweeping advance! In the fight next door my chariot pounded the Roman archers and caused 4 wounds before vanishing. Archers gave ground disordered. My 2nd div was now broken: 2 medium cav and the chariot were gone and only two light cav remained. I was shocked and Risto was grinning...

Lot's of dead cavalry

Situation in the centre after round 3.

Payback time...

On my round 4. I finally managed to crush the Roman cavalry division - this was accomplished with just one Agema cav unit and my army commander - whom survived the battle!

In the middle my other Agema cav charged the shaken Romans, supported by horse archers and light cav. They duly smashed the romans, whom couln't do that much damage with pilums now. The fighting Romans were shattered and the supporting unit became shaken, since 6 wounds were carreid over to them. They also broke.

My cavalry continued merrily with a sweeping advance and trashed the already badly damaged archers. Finally, after some very dramatic events, my plan was working! With this success Risto's second division was also broken.

Archers being trashed by the sweeping cavalry


In the right flank I finally managed to get my troopsinto fight, when my veterans ploughed into Romans, supported by another phalanx. Not quite as I had planned... the rest of my troops there were just too slow!

There my troops also conquered! Romans were driven away in disorder! All objectives were more or less in my hands and the Roman army was broken!

GREAT VICTORY TO MACEDON!