https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/ Sun, 10 May 2026 03:51:52 +0000 MyBB https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65486 Wed, 25 Dec 2013 17:38:03 +0000 Compass Rose]]> https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65486 After Action Report – Roman Civil Wars ‘Rome Versus the East’ Scenario – by Paul Bruffell

In the early years of conflict in the East, the Roman army saw a great variety of weapons and cavalry on the battlefield. Only the great commanders could adapt to defeat such a variety - can you show you too are a great commander? – so ran the introduction to this table top battle.
This fictional encounter has all the trappings of good entertainment. With a hot coffee in hand, I set to the challenge issued by my friend. I chose, of course, to play the Roman army. To emulate the great commanders of the Roman Republic was too attractive an opportunity to turn down. I was soon to learn this was going to be more of a challenge than I expected.

My initial positions are as you see below but the enemy army is partly obscured by dust clouds kicked up by the swirling wind. The visibility was seriously reduced and this partly nullified the strike power of my archers and slingers. Considering the reduced visibility, my battle tactics were - to seek out the enemy positions, numbers and troop types with my skirmishing light infantry on the left; move my elephants in the center to engage the enemy phalanx and create as much chaos as possible and on the right use my light cavalry as flank protection for the legionaries. Of course, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men’ readily fall apart once battle commences and so it was here.



By turn 5 out of a set battle of 20 turns the armies had closed and the picture was a little clearer.
My elephants charged in to the enemy phalanx but their ranks held firm and my beasts were slaughtered all too quickly. The skirmishing infantry that went with the elephants can be seen below pulling out of the melee as they are ineffective against pike men in close combat. The Roman legionaries are now approaching the phalanx hoping to catch the phalanx disorganized by the elephants and unable to array a wall of spear points.



On the left my light infantry started to pour missile fire into the chariot group and camels. Meanwhile, my experienced heavy cavalry drew up ready to exploit any gaps in the enemy line.



On the right of the map, I charged my light cavalry in to a group of javelin men and quickly scattered them allowing the cavalry to overrun some stone throwing engines that had barely fired a shot. So far the skirmishing had gone my way but the main encounter was still to come. I had to move the Roman legionaries in to battle against the phalanx and seek the opportunity to strike at the flank of the pike men.

The screen shot below shows the battle development on turn 7. The phalanx had moved forward and swept aside my light medium infantry throwing javelins. Losses to these men were so high I sent out desperate commands for their immediate withdrawal. Unfortunately, the onrushing legionaries trapped some of my javelin men between the two forces and they were quickly dispatched by the pike men. The phalanx, following Hellenistic military tactics, had closed ranks and doubled their depth to become an unstoppable machine. The first wave of legionaries throwing themselves on the spear wall made no effect and the pike men continued forward. Roman losses were now mounting at an alarming rate. So much so I kept glancing at the victory point score as I saw the battle swing in favor of my enemy.



The only positive news I had on the right of the map was my light cavalry were now forcing some pike men to turn in their direction as their right flank protection had been destroyed.

On the left of the map the enemy chariots had charged in to my light infantry immediately followed by their camelry. The camels quickly broke through my skirmishing line and approached the Roman cavalry; the distinctive smell of the camels was too much for the horses and this created considerable disruption to the ranks of heavy cavalry.

At this point the enemy disposition was a little clearer. Some of my Peltast units had taken advantage of a gap in the enemy front and penetrated in to their rear on the left side of the phalanx. In the enemy rear were columns of extra heavy cavalry waiting their opportunity to strike. To counter this menace, I moved one third of my heavy cavalry away from the camels and across the map to cover the gap in the center and another third of the heavy cavalry can be seen moving behind the legionaries seeking to take up position on the right where a flanking assault on the phalanx may become possible.

The uneven advance of the phalanx caused its units to loose cohesion and the solid wall of steel spikes was no more. Gaps began to appear and the chance for my legionaries to dart in and attack the pike men from the rear. To do this I had to commit more legionaries to pin down the phalangite advance accepting even more casualties to gain a victory.

Turn 8 is shown below. The pike units are now becoming isolated and easy pickings for my more numerous legionaries. A few pike units have started to rout. My reserve of legionaries and heavy cavalry moving to the right of the map are out of view on this screenshot.



On the left, my light infantry have finally overwhelmed the enemy chariots and their camelry are exhausted. I ordered in small units of heavy cavalry to support the fight where possible. The battle was at last swinging back in favor of the Romans after a very worrying period where the Hellenistic phalanx appeared to steamroller over everything in front of it.

By turn 11, the Hellenistic army was in tatters as seen in the Victory Status below. The phalanx had disintegrated although isolated units fought on. The real question was – ‘why did the enemy extra heavy cavalry fail to mount a charge?’. My friend later admitted he struggled to move them in to Line formation for the charge and had to commit them piecemeal to stop my marauding Peltasts. I doubt I will be so fortunate next time.



Turn 12 was the end for the Hellenistic army, losses had mounted too high and their army routed from the field. This was a tough battle for the Romans and a close run thing. Facing a strong phalanx is never easy.

The game was played by e-mail usually passing a turn on to your opponent each day. The ‘we-go’ system means you have two e-mail battle files to address per turn of the game. One will be the time you send out orders and the other is watching the simultaneous action unfold. Each e-mail phase will take around 15 minutes to address when playing a table top battle such as this with 7500 points per army. Larger battles will take longer but many scenarios provided with the game are less than 10,000 points per army. So in total this battle took me 12 turns x 2 x 15 minutes = 6 hours of fun spread over 4 weeks. If I had been playing the computer AI then the battle would have been concluded within 3 hours or one night.]]> After Action Report – Roman Civil Wars ‘Rome Versus the East’ Scenario – by Paul Bruffell

In the early years of conflict in the East, the Roman army saw a great variety of weapons and cavalry on the battlefield. Only the great commanders could adapt to defeat such a variety - can you show you too are a great commander? – so ran the introduction to this table top battle.
This fictional encounter has all the trappings of good entertainment. With a hot coffee in hand, I set to the challenge issued by my friend. I chose, of course, to play the Roman army. To emulate the great commanders of the Roman Republic was too attractive an opportunity to turn down. I was soon to learn this was going to be more of a challenge than I expected.

My initial positions are as you see below but the enemy army is partly obscured by dust clouds kicked up by the swirling wind. The visibility was seriously reduced and this partly nullified the strike power of my archers and slingers. Considering the reduced visibility, my battle tactics were - to seek out the enemy positions, numbers and troop types with my skirmishing light infantry on the left; move my elephants in the center to engage the enemy phalanx and create as much chaos as possible and on the right use my light cavalry as flank protection for the legionaries. Of course, ‘the best laid plans of mice and men’ readily fall apart once battle commences and so it was here.



By turn 5 out of a set battle of 20 turns the armies had closed and the picture was a little clearer.
My elephants charged in to the enemy phalanx but their ranks held firm and my beasts were slaughtered all too quickly. The skirmishing infantry that went with the elephants can be seen below pulling out of the melee as they are ineffective against pike men in close combat. The Roman legionaries are now approaching the phalanx hoping to catch the phalanx disorganized by the elephants and unable to array a wall of spear points.



On the left my light infantry started to pour missile fire into the chariot group and camels. Meanwhile, my experienced heavy cavalry drew up ready to exploit any gaps in the enemy line.



On the right of the map, I charged my light cavalry in to a group of javelin men and quickly scattered them allowing the cavalry to overrun some stone throwing engines that had barely fired a shot. So far the skirmishing had gone my way but the main encounter was still to come. I had to move the Roman legionaries in to battle against the phalanx and seek the opportunity to strike at the flank of the pike men.

The screen shot below shows the battle development on turn 7. The phalanx had moved forward and swept aside my light medium infantry throwing javelins. Losses to these men were so high I sent out desperate commands for their immediate withdrawal. Unfortunately, the onrushing legionaries trapped some of my javelin men between the two forces and they were quickly dispatched by the pike men. The phalanx, following Hellenistic military tactics, had closed ranks and doubled their depth to become an unstoppable machine. The first wave of legionaries throwing themselves on the spear wall made no effect and the pike men continued forward. Roman losses were now mounting at an alarming rate. So much so I kept glancing at the victory point score as I saw the battle swing in favor of my enemy.



The only positive news I had on the right of the map was my light cavalry were now forcing some pike men to turn in their direction as their right flank protection had been destroyed.

On the left of the map the enemy chariots had charged in to my light infantry immediately followed by their camelry. The camels quickly broke through my skirmishing line and approached the Roman cavalry; the distinctive smell of the camels was too much for the horses and this created considerable disruption to the ranks of heavy cavalry.

At this point the enemy disposition was a little clearer. Some of my Peltast units had taken advantage of a gap in the enemy front and penetrated in to their rear on the left side of the phalanx. In the enemy rear were columns of extra heavy cavalry waiting their opportunity to strike. To counter this menace, I moved one third of my heavy cavalry away from the camels and across the map to cover the gap in the center and another third of the heavy cavalry can be seen moving behind the legionaries seeking to take up position on the right where a flanking assault on the phalanx may become possible.

The uneven advance of the phalanx caused its units to loose cohesion and the solid wall of steel spikes was no more. Gaps began to appear and the chance for my legionaries to dart in and attack the pike men from the rear. To do this I had to commit more legionaries to pin down the phalangite advance accepting even more casualties to gain a victory.

Turn 8 is shown below. The pike units are now becoming isolated and easy pickings for my more numerous legionaries. A few pike units have started to rout. My reserve of legionaries and heavy cavalry moving to the right of the map are out of view on this screenshot.



On the left, my light infantry have finally overwhelmed the enemy chariots and their camelry are exhausted. I ordered in small units of heavy cavalry to support the fight where possible. The battle was at last swinging back in favor of the Romans after a very worrying period where the Hellenistic phalanx appeared to steamroller over everything in front of it.

By turn 11, the Hellenistic army was in tatters as seen in the Victory Status below. The phalanx had disintegrated although isolated units fought on. The real question was – ‘why did the enemy extra heavy cavalry fail to mount a charge?’. My friend later admitted he struggled to move them in to Line formation for the charge and had to commit them piecemeal to stop my marauding Peltasts. I doubt I will be so fortunate next time.



Turn 12 was the end for the Hellenistic army, losses had mounted too high and their army routed from the field. This was a tough battle for the Romans and a close run thing. Facing a strong phalanx is never easy.

The game was played by e-mail usually passing a turn on to your opponent each day. The ‘we-go’ system means you have two e-mail battle files to address per turn of the game. One will be the time you send out orders and the other is watching the simultaneous action unfold. Each e-mail phase will take around 15 minutes to address when playing a table top battle such as this with 7500 points per army. Larger battles will take longer but many scenarios provided with the game are less than 10,000 points per army. So in total this battle took me 12 turns x 2 x 15 minutes = 6 hours of fun spread over 4 weeks. If I had been playing the computer AI then the battle would have been concluded within 3 hours or one night.]]> https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65441 Tue, 17 Dec 2013 19:22:09 +0000 Compass Rose]]> https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65441 After Action Report – Roman Civil Wars Bastarnae Scenario - by Paul Bruffell

Marcus Licinius Crassus the Younger, grandson of the Triumvir defeated at Carrhae by the Parthians, had fought in the civil wars initially with Sextus Pompeius and then Antony before defecting to Octavian (the emperor Augustus). In 29 BC Crassus led a Roman army against the Bastarnae a tribe that inhabited the region between the eastern Carpathian mountains and the Dnieper river (modern Moldova and southern Ukraine). The Bastarnae were probably Germanic in language and culture, but they had cultural contacts with the Sarmatians and Dacians. Crassus fought a pitched battle against the Bastarnae near the river Cedrus and, according to Dio Cassius, killed their King Deldo in single combat.
The initial positions are shown below. In this battle I played the Bastarnae (in blue) against the Roman empire. My opponent was experienced and at the core of the Roman army was a strong contingent of legionaries in the form of Legio III Scythica. I new this would be no easy challenge.



Having viewed the enemy dispositions as they approached my army arrayed around a convenient hill, I decided on my tactics for this pitched battle. My skirmishers are to keep the enemy missile men from causing heavy casualties on my spear armed infantry (the first rank of three). My main infantry force was to hold the hill and await the enemy’s approach. Meanwhile, my medium cavalry would strike on both wings, to clear the enemy cavalry on the Roman right and pin down the Roman auxiliaries on his left flank. This will reduce the Roman main strike to just his legionaries and right wing auxiliaries. My cavalry were also armed with the bow giving them an added threat potential. This probably came from their Sarmatian neighbors.
The first few moves went ahead as I planned, my cavalry taking positive steps to secure the flanks and threaten the Roman rear. The Roman cavalry on their right flank was quickly overwhelmed and by turn 7 had been overrun. My cavalry on the Roman left flank began to pour archery fire in to the nearest auxiliary units creating significant losses. Action on the flanks was looking good for my Bastarnae army, however, the Roman forward skirmishing line was more experienced than my tribal skirmishers and these Bastarnae light infantry suffered serious losses in the opening moves.







The Roman response to the threat on their left flank was effective and the auxiliaries created a cordon of warrior groups that managed to hold the charging cavalry. On the Roman right the story was not so good for them. Marcus Crassus’ command for the auxiliaries to protect the flank was unheeded and they charged in to my front rank of spearmen. This seriously exposed their rear and my medium cavalry took the opportunity to strike home. You can see below desperate attempts by the Roman skirmishers to hold off my marauding cavalry.
In the center, matters were not going my way. The experienced legionaries of Legio III cut a swathe through my ranks of men and my Bastarnae warriors suffered a heavy price to delay their progress in capturing the hill. I moved in unit after unit sacrificing the flower of our brotherhood to hold the hill and its victory points.



The hard fought battle to capture the hill in the center by the Roman legionaries prevented them from recognizing the closing trap as both Roman flanks collapsed. By turn 11 out of 12 the trap was all but closed and the Romans faced a Major Defeat.



Victory was assured for the Bastarnae on this day but the price in dead warriors was a high price to pay to stop the Roman advance.]]> After Action Report – Roman Civil Wars Bastarnae Scenario - by Paul Bruffell

Marcus Licinius Crassus the Younger, grandson of the Triumvir defeated at Carrhae by the Parthians, had fought in the civil wars initially with Sextus Pompeius and then Antony before defecting to Octavian (the emperor Augustus). In 29 BC Crassus led a Roman army against the Bastarnae a tribe that inhabited the region between the eastern Carpathian mountains and the Dnieper river (modern Moldova and southern Ukraine). The Bastarnae were probably Germanic in language and culture, but they had cultural contacts with the Sarmatians and Dacians. Crassus fought a pitched battle against the Bastarnae near the river Cedrus and, according to Dio Cassius, killed their King Deldo in single combat.
The initial positions are shown below. In this battle I played the Bastarnae (in blue) against the Roman empire. My opponent was experienced and at the core of the Roman army was a strong contingent of legionaries in the form of Legio III Scythica. I new this would be no easy challenge.



Having viewed the enemy dispositions as they approached my army arrayed around a convenient hill, I decided on my tactics for this pitched battle. My skirmishers are to keep the enemy missile men from causing heavy casualties on my spear armed infantry (the first rank of three). My main infantry force was to hold the hill and await the enemy’s approach. Meanwhile, my medium cavalry would strike on both wings, to clear the enemy cavalry on the Roman right and pin down the Roman auxiliaries on his left flank. This will reduce the Roman main strike to just his legionaries and right wing auxiliaries. My cavalry were also armed with the bow giving them an added threat potential. This probably came from their Sarmatian neighbors.
The first few moves went ahead as I planned, my cavalry taking positive steps to secure the flanks and threaten the Roman rear. The Roman cavalry on their right flank was quickly overwhelmed and by turn 7 had been overrun. My cavalry on the Roman left flank began to pour archery fire in to the nearest auxiliary units creating significant losses. Action on the flanks was looking good for my Bastarnae army, however, the Roman forward skirmishing line was more experienced than my tribal skirmishers and these Bastarnae light infantry suffered serious losses in the opening moves.







The Roman response to the threat on their left flank was effective and the auxiliaries created a cordon of warrior groups that managed to hold the charging cavalry. On the Roman right the story was not so good for them. Marcus Crassus’ command for the auxiliaries to protect the flank was unheeded and they charged in to my front rank of spearmen. This seriously exposed their rear and my medium cavalry took the opportunity to strike home. You can see below desperate attempts by the Roman skirmishers to hold off my marauding cavalry.
In the center, matters were not going my way. The experienced legionaries of Legio III cut a swathe through my ranks of men and my Bastarnae warriors suffered a heavy price to delay their progress in capturing the hill. I moved in unit after unit sacrificing the flower of our brotherhood to hold the hill and its victory points.



The hard fought battle to capture the hill in the center by the Roman legionaries prevented them from recognizing the closing trap as both Roman flanks collapsed. By turn 11 out of 12 the trap was all but closed and the Romans faced a Major Defeat.



Victory was assured for the Bastarnae on this day but the price in dead warriors was a high price to pay to stop the Roman advance.]]> https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65436 Tue, 03 Dec 2013 22:25:36 +0000 Compass Rose]]> https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65436 Timing and Exploitation
AAR on the Roman assault of Jotapata in Galilee, 67AD written by Paul Bruffell

Jotapata stood on the north-western edge of Galilee and formed the lynchpin in a ragged line of fortified positions strung out across the uplands and manned by Josephus’ Galilean forces. This battle was the first major assault on a fortified position by the Roman army assembled to crush the Jewish Revolt.
The theme of this battle is spelt out in the title. An assault on a fortified town such as Jotapata is all about timing and exploitation. As Vespasian, the future emperor of the Roman empire, I had 1500 legionaries of the XV legion Appolinaris assembled for the assault on the walls of Jotapata. Typical of the Roman army in siege warfare, I also had three siege towers, 2 battering rams, a number of stone throwing engines, a large number of Syrian archers and some cavalry to sweep up any deserters from the town.
Confident of a successful assault and sufficient game turns to breach the walls, I sat back and admired the scene as my troops took up position.


The Roman units are in red and the Galileans / Judeans are in pale green on the town walls.

As you can see, the battle opens as the Roman assault towers and battering rams are approaching the walls, supported by 6 centuries of legionaries. A further 6 centuries are marching in column just arriving on the left edge of the map with supporting ballista. This battle encompasses the second assault on Jotapata, the previous assault had weakened the walls and so the battering rams are moving to exploit that weakness.
Covering fire from the archers nestled behind their mantlets is not proving as deadly as I hoped but keeps the enemy heads down and reduces enemy missile fire such that they are not effective unless targeting the assaulting units. Roman confidence was high as the legionaries approached the walls with scaling ladders.


Heavy fighting commenced immediately the Romans approached the walls.



The defenders hurled down missiles, boiling oil and rocks on the legionaries. My losses of these highly skilled heavy infantry from the XV Legion began to mount at an alarming rate. The computer AI played the defenders and had stationed light and light medium infantry on the walls and towers. The AI also held back a reserve of Jewish regulars to face any breach in the wall made by the battering rams. In the early part of the battle this proved to be a very effective tactic.


By turn 4 the battering rams had succeeded in punching a hole in the wall and one of the main gates. My legionaries charged in to the breach but suffered heavy losses from defenders on adjacent wall sections firing down on them. Meanwhile attempts to scale the wall occurred in a number of places and heavy fighting was seen all across the battle line. It was at this point I realized I had not moved my second group of six centuries to the front. Failure to support the initial wave now placed my front line units in jeopardy. I gave the order for my six centuries to march rapidly to the point of action. Not changing in to line formation at this point would prove to be a mistake. Timing when conducting an assault is everything.



By turn 5, a group of legionaries had pushed the defenders from the wall and moved on to the parapet themselves. Heavy and chaotic fighting continued along the wall and at the edge of the assault tower platforms. The second wave of legionaries can now be seen marching along the road towards the heavy fighting.
On the far right of the battlefield, legionaries can be seen clambering up the steep ravine and assaulting a weakly defended part of the walls. However, just as the legionaries were poised to launch over the parapet, their commander was killed by a javelin and this halted their forward momentum.



By turn 9 the continuous fighting on the walls had taken a toll on attacker and defender alike. The AI had committed and lost a considerable number of its commanders in an attempt to bolster his levies and contain the experienced Roman legionaries. The first wave of legionaries was now exhausted and the second wave was only just arriving. The AI had now committed most of its regular reserves to contain the Romans at the breaches in the walls. Indeed, one group of 100 men stormed out of a tower and attacked the legionaries at the base of the wall. Seeing this action disrupt the second wave of legionaries, Vespasian sent in a force of heavy cavalry to hack down these defenders who had rushed out from their sally port. Valuable time was lost in eliminating this force of Galilean regulars.


A quick check on the Victory status showed me I was in a ‘Minor defeat’ and needed my second wave to prove as hardy and determined as my first wave of legionaries.Most of my problems had so far stemmed from a lack of coordination between the first and second wave attack.On the positive side, assaults on the wall on the top left and far right of the map had successfully tied down enemy units.
I steadily pulled back the assault towers and battering rams as they had done their job and I did not want to lose this equipment to any further enemy sallying from his battlements.

This was the position at the end of turn 10, half way through the game.



22 legionaries are left fighting on the wall North of the central road. Two units of the second wave are still entangled with a force of Galilean regulars who had sallied out from the fortifications.
By turn 19, as seen below, the Romans had secured themselves on the ramparts and were pushing through the breaches. The intense fighting had at last exhausted the defender’s supply of man power.



Stubborn resistance remained in one of the forward towers but many defending units had now started to retreat. The victory score had now moved back to a ‘draw’ status and Legionary units are spilling over the wall towards the buildings and victory hexes. A lone unit of Zealots remains to face the Roman onslaught.



Turn 20 and the assault came to a close with a draw.
Conclusions –
I needed to have my second wave of legionaries in closer support to my first wave and should have moved up the mantlets (initially with the bowmen) to provide cover for the second wave. The battering rams and assault towers are the key to getting Roman units on to and through the wall. This siege equipment needs to be protected from enemy units sallying forth from their towers.
Commanders must be kept behind the mantlets to avoid losing them to enemy archers. Loss of a commander unit prevents coordination of the legionary assault units. If I had cleared the walls of Galilean forces quicker and the battle moved in to the open space behind the wall then I could have moved in my heavy cavalry to great effect. As it was, they had little impact on the battle.
I hope you found my observations useful in preparation for your assault on a fortified position.]]> Timing and Exploitation
AAR on the Roman assault of Jotapata in Galilee, 67AD written by Paul Bruffell

Jotapata stood on the north-western edge of Galilee and formed the lynchpin in a ragged line of fortified positions strung out across the uplands and manned by Josephus’ Galilean forces. This battle was the first major assault on a fortified position by the Roman army assembled to crush the Jewish Revolt.
The theme of this battle is spelt out in the title. An assault on a fortified town such as Jotapata is all about timing and exploitation. As Vespasian, the future emperor of the Roman empire, I had 1500 legionaries of the XV legion Appolinaris assembled for the assault on the walls of Jotapata. Typical of the Roman army in siege warfare, I also had three siege towers, 2 battering rams, a number of stone throwing engines, a large number of Syrian archers and some cavalry to sweep up any deserters from the town.
Confident of a successful assault and sufficient game turns to breach the walls, I sat back and admired the scene as my troops took up position.


The Roman units are in red and the Galileans / Judeans are in pale green on the town walls.

As you can see, the battle opens as the Roman assault towers and battering rams are approaching the walls, supported by 6 centuries of legionaries. A further 6 centuries are marching in column just arriving on the left edge of the map with supporting ballista. This battle encompasses the second assault on Jotapata, the previous assault had weakened the walls and so the battering rams are moving to exploit that weakness.
Covering fire from the archers nestled behind their mantlets is not proving as deadly as I hoped but keeps the enemy heads down and reduces enemy missile fire such that they are not effective unless targeting the assaulting units. Roman confidence was high as the legionaries approached the walls with scaling ladders.


Heavy fighting commenced immediately the Romans approached the walls.



The defenders hurled down missiles, boiling oil and rocks on the legionaries. My losses of these highly skilled heavy infantry from the XV Legion began to mount at an alarming rate. The computer AI played the defenders and had stationed light and light medium infantry on the walls and towers. The AI also held back a reserve of Jewish regulars to face any breach in the wall made by the battering rams. In the early part of the battle this proved to be a very effective tactic.


By turn 4 the battering rams had succeeded in punching a hole in the wall and one of the main gates. My legionaries charged in to the breach but suffered heavy losses from defenders on adjacent wall sections firing down on them. Meanwhile attempts to scale the wall occurred in a number of places and heavy fighting was seen all across the battle line. It was at this point I realized I had not moved my second group of six centuries to the front. Failure to support the initial wave now placed my front line units in jeopardy. I gave the order for my six centuries to march rapidly to the point of action. Not changing in to line formation at this point would prove to be a mistake. Timing when conducting an assault is everything.



By turn 5, a group of legionaries had pushed the defenders from the wall and moved on to the parapet themselves. Heavy and chaotic fighting continued along the wall and at the edge of the assault tower platforms. The second wave of legionaries can now be seen marching along the road towards the heavy fighting.
On the far right of the battlefield, legionaries can be seen clambering up the steep ravine and assaulting a weakly defended part of the walls. However, just as the legionaries were poised to launch over the parapet, their commander was killed by a javelin and this halted their forward momentum.



By turn 9 the continuous fighting on the walls had taken a toll on attacker and defender alike. The AI had committed and lost a considerable number of its commanders in an attempt to bolster his levies and contain the experienced Roman legionaries. The first wave of legionaries was now exhausted and the second wave was only just arriving. The AI had now committed most of its regular reserves to contain the Romans at the breaches in the walls. Indeed, one group of 100 men stormed out of a tower and attacked the legionaries at the base of the wall. Seeing this action disrupt the second wave of legionaries, Vespasian sent in a force of heavy cavalry to hack down these defenders who had rushed out from their sally port. Valuable time was lost in eliminating this force of Galilean regulars.


A quick check on the Victory status showed me I was in a ‘Minor defeat’ and needed my second wave to prove as hardy and determined as my first wave of legionaries.Most of my problems had so far stemmed from a lack of coordination between the first and second wave attack.On the positive side, assaults on the wall on the top left and far right of the map had successfully tied down enemy units.
I steadily pulled back the assault towers and battering rams as they had done their job and I did not want to lose this equipment to any further enemy sallying from his battlements.

This was the position at the end of turn 10, half way through the game.



22 legionaries are left fighting on the wall North of the central road. Two units of the second wave are still entangled with a force of Galilean regulars who had sallied out from the fortifications.
By turn 19, as seen below, the Romans had secured themselves on the ramparts and were pushing through the breaches. The intense fighting had at last exhausted the defender’s supply of man power.



Stubborn resistance remained in one of the forward towers but many defending units had now started to retreat. The victory score had now moved back to a ‘draw’ status and Legionary units are spilling over the wall towards the buildings and victory hexes. A lone unit of Zealots remains to face the Roman onslaught.



Turn 20 and the assault came to a close with a draw.
Conclusions –
I needed to have my second wave of legionaries in closer support to my first wave and should have moved up the mantlets (initially with the bowmen) to provide cover for the second wave. The battering rams and assault towers are the key to getting Roman units on to and through the wall. This siege equipment needs to be protected from enemy units sallying forth from their towers.
Commanders must be kept behind the mantlets to avoid losing them to enemy archers. Loss of a commander unit prevents coordination of the legionary assault units. If I had cleared the walls of Galilean forces quicker and the battle moved in to the open space behind the wall then I could have moved in my heavy cavalry to great effect. As it was, they had little impact on the battle.
I hope you found my observations useful in preparation for your assault on a fortified position.]]> https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65413 Fri, 29 Nov 2013 02:22:24 +0000 Compass Rose]]> https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards/showthread.php?tid=65413 Caesar Vs Pompey at Dyrrachium (7th July 48 BC) written by Paul Bruffell

After crossing the Rubicon and forcing Pompey and his senatorial supporters to abandon Italy, Caesar conducted a brisk campaign in Spain against Pompeian forces before turning his attention to dealing with Pompey himself who, in the meantime, had mustered a large army in Macedonia. However, neither side was ready to risk battle straightaway - Pompey's troops were raw and needed training, whilst Caesar had so far only managed to transport seven of his eleven legions across the Adriatic Sea - so the two armies began constructing fortifications until, with only the southernmost part of Caesar's fortifications still unfinished, it was necessary for Pompey to break out before it was too late.


Pompey

In the early morning mist, Pompey launches a surprise attack with 3 legions, Legio I, Legio II and Legio III. Only Legio I had experienced legionaries. Pompeian initial positions are seen below. The Caesarean forces are not yet visible.




The skirmishing archers advanced cautiously to avoid running straight in to any opposing legionaries in the dark. 30 minutes after dawn the visibility improved and the enemy could be seen for the first time. Directly ahead was Caesar’s Legio IX, veteran of the Gallic Wars.



Cohorts of Legio IX were found to be digging trenches, forming ramps and mounting palisades. Their actions were screened by light infantry slingers. Clearly the Caesarean forces were caught unaware and the Pompeian Legions pressed on.

Soon after, (on the map right), Pompeian forces observed the columns of marching legionaries from the Caesarean fortifications. This was the Antonii Legion, another experienced legion. If the Pompeian’s are to succeed they must strike quickly.



On the left of the battlefield, Pompey’s Macedonian cavalry charged their opposing Gallic cavalry and broke their ranks. As Pompey’s supporting Iberians moved in to counter the Gallic infantry, Caesar’s left flank quickly fell into turmoil. Meanwhile, in the centre, a rain of arrows showered Caesar’s Legio IX and broke a number of his units. Pompey held back his militia legionaries allowing his bow men to do as much damage as possible but this was to prove his undoing; giving Caesar precious time to react.



Finally Pompey released Legio III and their charge broke the shattered Legio IX, who had suffered heavy losses from Pompey’s eastern archers.





With arrival of the Antonii legionaries threatening to flank Pompey’s militia and role up their line, Pompey was forced to fall back and abandon his attempt to break out from the Caesarean fortifications. Pompey’s early success was countered quickly by Caesar’s action and the game settled into a draw.

This simulation lasted 10 turns. For game purposes the battle could have been continued but the arrival of highly disciplined veteran legionaries would quickly stop the Pompeian forces. Could you have done better either as Pompey or Caesar. Play the scenario against the computer AI and see how good you are.]]> Caesar Vs Pompey at Dyrrachium (7th July 48 BC) written by Paul Bruffell

After crossing the Rubicon and forcing Pompey and his senatorial supporters to abandon Italy, Caesar conducted a brisk campaign in Spain against Pompeian forces before turning his attention to dealing with Pompey himself who, in the meantime, had mustered a large army in Macedonia. However, neither side was ready to risk battle straightaway - Pompey's troops were raw and needed training, whilst Caesar had so far only managed to transport seven of his eleven legions across the Adriatic Sea - so the two armies began constructing fortifications until, with only the southernmost part of Caesar's fortifications still unfinished, it was necessary for Pompey to break out before it was too late.


Pompey

In the early morning mist, Pompey launches a surprise attack with 3 legions, Legio I, Legio II and Legio III. Only Legio I had experienced legionaries. Pompeian initial positions are seen below. The Caesarean forces are not yet visible.




The skirmishing archers advanced cautiously to avoid running straight in to any opposing legionaries in the dark. 30 minutes after dawn the visibility improved and the enemy could be seen for the first time. Directly ahead was Caesar’s Legio IX, veteran of the Gallic Wars.



Cohorts of Legio IX were found to be digging trenches, forming ramps and mounting palisades. Their actions were screened by light infantry slingers. Clearly the Caesarean forces were caught unaware and the Pompeian Legions pressed on.

Soon after, (on the map right), Pompeian forces observed the columns of marching legionaries from the Caesarean fortifications. This was the Antonii Legion, another experienced legion. If the Pompeian’s are to succeed they must strike quickly.



On the left of the battlefield, Pompey’s Macedonian cavalry charged their opposing Gallic cavalry and broke their ranks. As Pompey’s supporting Iberians moved in to counter the Gallic infantry, Caesar’s left flank quickly fell into turmoil. Meanwhile, in the centre, a rain of arrows showered Caesar’s Legio IX and broke a number of his units. Pompey held back his militia legionaries allowing his bow men to do as much damage as possible but this was to prove his undoing; giving Caesar precious time to react.



Finally Pompey released Legio III and their charge broke the shattered Legio IX, who had suffered heavy losses from Pompey’s eastern archers.





With arrival of the Antonii legionaries threatening to flank Pompey’s militia and role up their line, Pompey was forced to fall back and abandon his attempt to break out from the Caesarean fortifications. Pompey’s early success was countered quickly by Caesar’s action and the game settled into a draw.

This simulation lasted 10 turns. For game purposes the battle could have been continued but the arrival of highly disciplined veteran legionaries would quickly stop the Pompeian forces. Could you have done better either as Pompey or Caesar. Play the scenario against the computer AI and see how good you are.]]>