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Monday, September 11, 2023

Ilipa, Again

In the first playing of Ilipa, Scipio and his Romans received what Chris dubbed a "Hasdrubbing" in a five-player remote game (see A Tale of Two Armies).  That game was on 30 August.  Flash forward a week later and the two armies are positioned for battle again.  This time (06 SEP), I face off against Richard L. in a remote contest.  Yes, I actually get to take an active command.  Richard chose to take on Hasdrubal's command since he said that, "If I lose, I have managed to repeat history."  Richard is a solid and thinking player.  I figured I would have my hands full as Scipio in this fight.
Initial deployments
As before, Scipio has his battle line drawn up with two legions on the wings and a weak center.  Hasdrubal has his heavy infantry in the center and lighter troops out on the wings.
Carthaginian Right
Roman Left
Carthaginian Center
Roman Right
How will the commanders fight this battle?

After skirmishing to mostly little effect as the two lines slowly advance toward the center, Carthaginian medium cavalry strike against the Roman Right.  In a flash, the Roman cavalry are overpowered and flee toward the rear.  Without hesitation, the Spanish horsemen are off in pursuit.   The panicked Roman cavalry are caught and slaughtered.  Already, the Roman Right looks in jeopardy.    
The battle lines close.
Skirmishing out on the Carthaginian Left.
Roman horsemen turn and flee...
and are ruthlessly pursued.
On the Roman Left, Marcius brings up his cavalry to challenge the Spanish cavalry and elephant.  Before the Romans can coordinate a charge, the Spanish cavalry attack. The Roman light cavalry, the target of the Spanish charge, are driven off.  The Spanish pursue and hit the Roman medium cavalry.  Witnessing the quick collapse of the light cavalry to their left, the remaining Roman horsemen break and race to the rear.  The momentum of the Spanish cavalry carries them into the rear of the Roman cavalry.  Like their comrades on the Roman Right, these Romans are dispatched with relative ease.  Now, both Roman wings are unhinged!    
Cavalry face off on the Roman Left.
Roman cavalry are seen off
with the Spaniards in hot pursuit.
Roman medium horsemen are chased down...
and dispatched.
In a matter of only a few minutes, both Roman cavalry wings are in flight.  Trying to calm the chaos whirling around him, Scipio orders his legion forward.  He will attack the elephant and crush the Carthaginian Left before the Spanish cavalry can return.

The legionaries move forward to confront the elephant, throwing their pila as the distance is closed.  In the clash, the elephant is spooked and driven away.  The remaining Roman light cavalry set off in hot pursuit.  The rampaging elephant is caught from behind and flees. 
Scipio's legion sees the elephant.
The pachyderm is sent packing!
Caught from behind and destroyed!
Encouraged by the success on the Roman Right, Marcius leads his legion into an attack against Hasdrubal's heavy infantry blocks.  No matter how it measures up, the attacks will go in as two separate melees.  One attack with be one-to-one.  The other attack with be at one-to-two.  Marcius sends in the one-to-one attack first against the right of the Carthaginian line.  This first attack is repulsed after heavy fighting.  The second attack going in at a disadvantage actually clears the two blocks of heavy infantry from its front.  Hoorah!

The jubilation is short lived.  The one Carthaginian spear unit follows up on the failed Roman attack.  The legionaries buckle under the weight of the heavily armored enemy and flee.  The retreating legionaries skirt passed the Triarii.  In the pursuit, the Carthaginian spear hit the Triarii in flank.  Assailed from an unsuspecting direction, the Triarii crumble.  Marcius' legion is unraveling.
Marcius sends his legion forward.
The first attack is repulsed.
The second is successful.
In pursuit, the Carthaginian spearmen force part of
Marcius' legion to flee while the Triarii become a target.
Caught in flank,
the Triarii are destroyed where they stand.
Having put much of Marcius' legion to flight, Hasdrubal turns his right in toward the Roman Center.  Sending in first Spanish light infantry followed by a warband to soften up the remaining portion of Marcius' legion, the Spanish cavalry strike the legionaries in the rear.  Shocked by assaults from all sides, the legion falls apart and scatters.  Hacking through the fleeing Romans, the Spaniards reach the Spanish light infantry allied with the Romans.  Showing no quarter, these foot are cut down where they stand.   
Carthaginians turn in to envelop Marcius' remnants.
After repeated attacks to weaken the Romans, 
Spanish cavalry attack.
Caught from behind, the Romans and
 their Spanish allies melt away.
Unable to take any more, Scipio's Army breaks.  The battle is lost.

Wow!

What a severe beating I took at the hands of Richard's well-timed moves and superbly executed combats.  This was a Roman disaster of epic proportions.  Really, it may have been over before the Roman legions could find their footing.  

Richard is a cagey opponent and he taught me a few valuable lessons even as he was reacquainting himself to the rules.  Will I learn from these lessons in my next battle where I reprise my role as Scipio?

Stay tuned for the next Ilipa installment.

Thanks to Richard for a well-played and very challenging game.  Great job!  Until we meet on the battlefield again.

53 comments:

  1. Well, that was decisive! The one bright Roman light being the local victory in the centre with a 1:2 assault against the two Carthaginian blocks.

    Once again Roman Cavalry flanks unravel and a very believable account results.

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    1. It sure was decisive! Sending the elephant packing on the Roman Right was a brief bright light as well. Once Scipio's cavalry were gone, the flanks opened, and the Romans were in serious trouble.

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  2. The loss of the Roman cavalry on both wings did not augur well. I thought routing the elephant might help, but the Triarii being hit in the flank was a nasty blow.

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    1. Quite right! The cavalry loss was not an encouraging omen to begin the battle. Hasdrubal did not hold back and capitalized on this advantage gained. The loss of the Triarii was a nasty blow, for sure.

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  3. Blimey, that was another Hasdrubbing for sure! Really once the cavalry on the flanks had gone, I thought it was game over. At least the Romans did put up in some token aggressive action before the (inevitable?) collapse. Great game as always and good luck in the next outing, hoping lessons learnt from Richard are still in the back of your mind...

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    1. Another Hasdrubbing, no doubt! Even though the Roman cavalry were overpowered early, I still thought Scipio had possibilities for victory. No on this day! Yes, I learned some lessons playing the Romans that will come into focus in the next game.

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  4. Well that was a cracking game and no mistake. Scipio's boys took a fair old beating there.

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    1. This was a great game played masterfully by Hasdrubal. Yes, Scipio's boys took a fair old beating.

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  5. Another great report. It's beginning to look like the Romans have a tough job here, Scipio must have been having a really good day! I'm looking forward to the next game to see if things balance out and there are lessons to be learnt.
    The Romans don't seem to be winning on the wings, where they have loaded up their legions, which is their tactic here. I know a few poor key rolls by one side can leave a hole in your lines and this is what tips a battle, is this happening here or are the legions not up to it?
    John

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    1. Thank you, John! Glad you enjoyed the battle report!

      Expect to see a different battle next time. I (hopefully) learned a lesson or two from this game that I kept in mind for the next.

      Being defeated on both wings spells trouble for Scipio. The legions need to stick to the flanks rather than drifting toward the center where Hasdrubal's heavy infantry can come on with full effect. Hasdrubal had a few good rolls and Scipio had a few bad ones. In one of the photos, my attack dice can be seen on the table. Six dice with nothing higher than a '2'! The legions are up to the task if better employed...

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    2. You must have been using Napoleon Dave's dice!

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    3. How could that be possible? Sure felt like it, though.

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  6. Winning the flanks, plowing into the sides of the center units. Seems Richard remembered enough of the rules. And got in some good rolls. Next time, better luck!

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    1. Seems he did! Richard is a sharp player no matter the rules or period on offer.

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  7. Wow indeed. Blimey that was a scorcher. Those big Carthaginian spear blocks pack a punch, but Richard seemed to get the best out of all his units. Was he lucky with initiative and activations?

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    1. Yes, my Romans went down in flames. Richard, ever the gentleman, would say he was lucky and I was unlucky. Often, we make our own luck.

      Those Carthaginian large spear units are fearsome, indeed.

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  8. Gosh, that seemed like a crash course in humiliation. Glad you still had fun though.

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    1. Well put! Yes, I have fun even in humiliating defeat.

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  9. Scipio really was a great general wasn't he? Bit of bad luck, the Roman cavalry of this period isn't up to much and unfortunate with the Triarii but better luck next time!
    Best Iain

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    1. Better than me! Yes, next time shows a promising turn-around for Scipio.

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  10. Oof. Not quite a Varus-level of disaster but a hard time still.

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  11. Lovely looking game Jonathan. I really should start playing Impetus again.

    Christopher

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  12. Oh dear! That was a pasting and a half Jon! I hope you learned a valuable lesson there, don't play Richard again! Or don't post about it anyway! LOL!

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  13. that was a great looking battle at least!
    Sometimes we find ourselves on the wrong end of the spear. or pikes. or whatever ancient armies used... 😁

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    1. that was a great looking battle at least!

      Well, that is one way to put it! I find that when hosting and playing, I have difficulty switching hats between player and umpire. Yeah, that is my excuse...

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  14. Jonathan,
    You didn't drown any chickens for not eating did you? ☺
    Clearly the gods favoured the Punic cause......
    Neil

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    1. No doubt, FATE favored the Punic Cause. This time…

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  15. A stunning victory for the Carthaginians, you were really up against it from early on with the loss of the cavalry on both wings

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    1. Stunning, and well-deserved victory, for sure. Perhaps I will get Richard next time? I face Richard on his home turf as we return to the WoTR in two weeks.

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  16. Another fascinating game report with a unfortunate start for the Romans. How many turns did the game go for?

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  17. I feel a bit better about losing with the Romans now ;-).
    As a game I think the Romans do not benefit from the fog of war, unlike Scipio.

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    1. Good! We will see if the Romans can do better in Wednesday's game.

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  18. Well you win some you lose some 😀

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    1. So true! I do prefer losing with a little less flair for incompetence, though.

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  19. Jonathan a great looking game and obviously well played by Richard.
    From your replies in the comments above it sounds like you have learned your lesson and next game may have a different result.

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    1. Thanks, Ben! Yes, Richard is a wily opponent who I have faced across the remote gaming table many, many times.

      Next game may have a different result, indeed.

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  20. Interesting stuff, I'm beginning to wonder how the Romans actually won! Mind you, I should really try to read what happened in the real battle... I will be interested to see your next account - and of course, looking forward to another try at it, from the Roman side this time!

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    1. David, for me, the key to a roman victory was not to be drawn into a drift toward the center to engage Hasdrubal's heavy infantry. One of the wings must defeated before turning inward.

      I am very interested in seeing how Tony and you handle the Romans later today.

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  21. A great batrep and when reading that you lost both flanks, it seemed that the end was preordained for the Romans.

    An interesting scenario and it reminds me how much I enjoyed playing BI, which has dropped out of favour here at the moment; need to revisit it in the future.

    Cheers, Ross

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    1. Thanks, Ross! Have not heard from you in a while.

      Why did your group give up on BI? It gives a very dynamic and tension-filled contest.

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    2. Many of the players also played full Impetus in competitions. With the 2nd edition and continuing changes the game dropped from favour and it's place was taken by ADLG for competition games. The result was few or no interested players in either Impetus or Basic Impetus.

      I agree with you that it gives a very dynamic and tension filled contest, something that works particularly well in historical matches.

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    3. Too bad. I suppose that is one of the hazards of playing competitively.

      Which rules’ changes sparked the jettisoning of BI?

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    4. I'm not a hugely competitive player, it was the player base that moved leaving me few opponents for a friendly game.

      Art de la Guerre, which I now play too.

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  22. Super report Jon! Scipio certainly took it in the wings this time. With the poor Roman cavalry of the period, this could easily have been the historical outcome of this battle.

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    1. Thanks! I took it not only in the wings but EVERYWHERE!

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  23. Rather historically, once the flanks were smashed, the battle was pretty much over. Highlight though for me was the elephant going down.

    Were the dice also with Richard or was it just his tactical genius that won the day?

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    1. Yeah, seeing Richard's elephant go down was one of the few highlights for the Romans on this day! Richard will claim that he was very lucky but he is a pretty darn good player in every game he plays.

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