We've been bashing about with the Polemos Napoleonic rules for the past few months (so my ancient wargaming has taken a back seat) but we decided to have another go at the Punic Wars. Russ is a sucker for punishment!
Playing the Field of Glory rules, we both used the basic armies of Mid Republic Rome and late Carthage.
No photos unfortunately - I've just completed a 6 week course to become a plumber and managed to sit on my camera and cracked the LCD screen during the course!
As the Carthaginians (with Hannibal) easily won the initiative I had to set up first. I placed some veiltes and hastati in what looked like my centre - and Russ placed his African Spears and Gauls just about opposite. I then placed the rest of my troops to the left of the ones on the table which Russ countered with cavalry and skirmishers. But this gave the battle lines a lop-sided feel (which suited me!) as all his key units - elephants and African spears - were not going to impact on my core troops.
Unusually I split my cavalry (all Russ' were on one flank and his elephants on the other). While the elephants were a deterrent to me getting my cavalry round his left flank, it meant that my hastati and principes were spared the stompiness in the centre.
As the battle opened my 'left' cavalry rode to the top of a hill on my left flank and stayed there (to stop the Cartho cavalry running round the back - no Cannae's here). My velites ran forward in one big lump to scare off his archers, slingers and Numidian light horse while my Italian allies (on the right) - noticing that the main Cartho battle line was moving towards them - decided to shift to my left so their spears could be put to better use by taking on the Cartho cavalry.
As Russ was moving his main infantry as a battleline it was pretty unweildly and couldn't swing round fast enough to engage the Roman core (which was moving in behind the velites). My tactic was to punch through his right flank - held by cavalry and skirmishers - and then swing round to attack his core troops on the flank or rear.
This depended on the velites holding on while the core troops came to defend them. For a time (certainly at impact where the Numidian horse did some damage) it wasn't looking good and a couple of bolsters from the attached general were required. As usual, Hannibal kept his troop morale going and it took a double 1 to eventually get a cohesion test fail from the slingers facing the velites.
There was an issue about Russ' african spears joining the skirmisher's melee (as they were moving in at an angle). We thought they could if they detached from the battle line but in the end he decided to leave it (as his Scutarii were just behind the slingers and would annihilate the velites in any event). The velites managed to break the slingers - then javelined the scutarii (dropping them a cohesion level) then ran off and emerged behind the Roman lines - just in time to intercept Russ' elephants which had trundled round to threaten the Roman rear. Talk about lucky!
Russ then decided to charge my roman infantry with his Gallic cavalry and my hilltop cavalry with his Spanish cavalry. The idea was to pin the infantry then let his Numidian light horse engage their flank. However, a disaster occurred for Hannibal. Russ threw six 3's for his Gauls - the worst possible outcome as he couldn't even get re-rolls. On the hill (as the Romans had the advantage of height and armour) the Spanish fared no better and lost that combat as well. The cavalry were soon in real trouble and the Romans pressed forward to finish the job.
Just to the right of this, the Italian allies who had been trying to get to the Cartho cavalry found themselves in the line of attack of the scutarii. They turned to face and - as the spanish were Disrupted - managed to hold on against the impact and took a base off the Spanish in return form one of their own. The Spanish were therefore being whittled down before engaging the bulk of Roman infantry. They did get bolstered but events elsewhere meant that this would count for little (especially as Last Orders had been shouted from the bar.
The key event was the African spears finally engaging the hastati on my right flank. As they were in checkerboard formation they had triarii on both flanks. Despite being impact foot, they were up against Superior spearmen in 2 ranks so POA's were cancelled out - and Hannibal was right behind them. As battle was joined the Romans lost a base and a cohesion level. But in the next movement phase the triarii stepped up and (in an epic melee) Russ found his 1BG fighting 3BG of Romans. The hits he inflicted (and there were lots!) were therefore spread around and the impact of these were reduced. However, he took 6 hits back (1 base lost) and lost a cohesion level despite Hannibal being close by.
We therefore shook hands and counted up the cost. Russ had lost a couple of BG's for no return and was looking like losing all his right flank. So another Roman victory.
Aftermath
Russ was probably more disillusioned about the FOG rules after this one. We still find some situations that are not apparent in the rules - and we were rusty after a long time away. But I suggested that FOG is like that. You try to get your units in a position where you can bring points of advantage to bear and make them count. The Romans are tough and drilled but not very mobile - the Carthaginians quite the opposite. I suggested that I take the Carthaginians next time as I feel that they can dish out a lot of damage.
My tactic will be to put all skirmishers (including light horse) in the middle with the elephants and african spears behind them. Line up the cavalry opposite the Roman cavalry and put the scutarii on one flank and the Gallic foot on the other.
The skirmishers (4BG to 2BG) would drive the velites away - the Carthage skirmishers could then pepper the slow moving ranks of Romans - forcing cohesion tests. The cavalry should at least pin the Roman cavalry down (they are pretty well balanced). Once the Roman line had a few Disrupted markers on show, the elephants and spears move in. The elephants engage a BG of hastati (on whopping POA's) and if the triarii move up they engage a more numerous (though less well armoured) enemy. But without the advantage of having a 2:1 or 3:1 BG superiority. Already Disrupted, the Romans will be fighting at a huge disadvantage and will probably crumble.
That's the theory - and Russ now knows how I'll play it! Lets see if it comes off.