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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Hit Me One More Time!

After the Roman debacle last Monday (see Fourth Battle of Trasimene), four Postie's Rejects regrouped to give the battle another go.  This time, players would swap sides.  Ray (Right Wing) and Lee (Flaminius, Left Wing) would command the Romans.  Richard (Hannibal, Left Wing) and Steve (Marharbal, Right Wing) would command the Carthaginians.

Would Richard's dice rolling turnaround from last week?  Could the Romans pull off an upset?  Read on to find out.

As a refresher, the battlefield and army deployments are,
Battlefield and Army dispositions
With Hannibal holding initiative on Turn 1, Marharbal strikes with his cavalry against the Roman Left in an attempt to seal off any chance of Roman escape to the west.  Working in tandem, two Numidian light cavalry drive off Roman velites bringing up the rear of Flaminius' march column.  Cautiously, the Gauls move up through the woods but do not attack.  Flaminius, seeing his escape to the west cut, forms up his legions and moves inland. 
Numidians attack!
Flaminius draws up his battle line.
As the range closes between the two battle lines, light infantry from both armies exchange javelin volleys.   In Richard's first roll of the session, we see three sixes on three dice.  Three hits!  Lee's light infantry wavers under the barrage of missiles.   
Devastating javelin volley disrupts Roman light infantry.
Roman light infantry returns the favor but not as effectively.
In the defile, Carthaginian heavy infantry move up to plug the exit.  The heavy infantry on the right engages auxilia but is driven off.  Quickly following up, a second Carthaginian heavy infantry attacks.  The auxilia are scattered.   
Carthaginians attack into the defile.
One attack fails but the second succeeds.
Back at the lake, the Numidian cavalry continue harassing the Roman left flank.  All of the velites are either driven into the lake or are dispersed.
Velites dispersed!
Having brought all of his infantry up into the woods and within charge range, Marharbal sends the Gauls screaming down from the hills.

The warband farthest east attacks, preceded by a hail of javelins from the light infantry to its left.  The warband strikes the already wavering auxilia.  Despite being supported upon its left by hastati, auxilia break and run into the lake.  This rout carries the hastati along with them.  The hastati remain poised and give ground slowly.  A gaping hole opens in the Roman line.  In hot pursuit, the Gauls contact a body of skirmishers but with the support of the resolute hastati, the Gauls are repulsed.  Ready to pursue, the hastati are held in check. 
Gauls rush out of the woods!
In combat, auxilia are destroyed but
the hastati make a controlled retrograde.
Pursuit fails and the warband is driven away.
Making its move down from the heights, the middle warband of three attacks.  The Gauls target the now exposed principes on the end of Flaminius' line.  With Flaminius, himself, offering encouragement, the principes stand firm.  The enemy is driven away!
Warband #2 attacks!
Flaminius and his principes stand ready for the charge.
The Gauls are repulsed!
Now time for the third Gallic warband to attack.  Flaminius and his principes are again the target of the assault.  With support to his left, Flaminius sees the charging warband off.  The enemy comes on in the same way, they are sent off in the same way.  Flaminius' line holds!   
Warband #3 attacks...
The Gauls are repulsed!
Back in the defile, heavy infantry from both armies continue to battle it out for control of the vital pathway.  First, in one clash, the Carthaginian numbers are halved.  Then the Roman numbers are halved and the Romans are forced back.  Nearing exhaustion, the Carthaginians choose not to pursue.  Quickly moving up in support, a second block of legionaries plow into the enemy.  Shocked by this sudden attack, the Carthaginian heavies fall back taking their supporting Spanish light infantry along.  The legionaries wheel to bring the retreating enemy into sight.  The pathway out of the defile is clear!
Clash of the titans!
Losses mount to both...
forcing the Romans to break off the attack.
Quickly bringing up more infantry,
 the enemy is driven back!
The way out of the defile looks clear.
While the Romans see success in the fight out of the defile, trouble continues to brew for Flaminius.

Seeing his Gauls repulsed, Hannibal quietly brings up his two bodies of Spanish scutarii through the woods.  Sensing that the enemy below has been sufficiently weakened, the Spanish go in.
Spanish scutarii take up the front line.
Charging down the hill, the scutarii strike Flaminius and his already weakened principes.  The force of impact is too much and the principes recoil taking Flaminius with them.  Flaminius rallies his troops at the lake's edge.  With its flank now uncovered from Flaminius' retreat, a body of hastati is targeted by the second band of Spanish.  Seeing Flaminius and the principes withdraw, the Roman heavies do not hold their ground.  They fall back to form up alongside Flaminius.  This time the Spanish pursue.  Overwhelmed, the hastati rout into the lake and perish.  Caught up in the exhilaration of victory, the Spanish cannot be controlled.  They plunge into the lake in pursuit.      
Flaminius attacked!
The shock of impact is too much...
Flaminius is driven back to the water's edge.
Hastati rout into the lake with the Spanish in hot pursuit.
Pushed up against the lake with his wing in tatters, Flaminius realizes that he is truly down to the triarii for salvation.  Without concern for preserving themselves, the triarii advance inland toward the awaiting Carthaginian heavy infantry.  The two bodies clash but with Hannibal's leadership, the Romans are driven off.  Following up, Hannibal dispatches the triarii as the Romans scatter into the lake.  Returning from the action in the defile, the only Roman cavalry is attacked by Hannibal's heavies.  No match for the Carthaginian's long spears and dense formation, the Roman horsemen turn and rout away.
Down to the triarii!
Hannibal makes short work of the Roman remnants.
On this day, Flaminius and his Roman legions are done for.  While a portion of the Roman army makes its way out of the defile, isolated, as in history, they will be hunted down and killed.

Victory to Hannibal and Carthage!

Congratulations to Richard and Steve for a battle well-played.  While Flaminius made a valiant stand and the outcome was close, Lee and Ray suffer a hard-fought defeat.  There were times in the battle where it looked like the Romans had the upper hand.  A Roman victory looked possible.  Alas, it was not to be.

At least this time, Flaminius was not killed in battle.  

Great game, guys!  For me, a very entertaining contest with much tension, decision-making, and even some laughter.

With that, I close the book on Lake Trasimene although with six games stuffed into the annals, I may return to reflect upon my overall impressions of this particular battle and these half-dozen games.

To read Richard's account of the battle, please visit Trasimene - The Return Match.

By the way, Richard's die rolling was much improved from last week!

48 comments:

  1. After 6 battles your miniature lake Trasimene must neec draining and a clean up! ☺
    Neil

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    1. Millenia later, the lake bottom will be an archaeologist's gold mine.

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  2. Flaminius put up a good fight and the Romans in the ravine escape, something I think they have done on all occations?

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    1. Yes, Flaminius fought hard in all games. In a few of them, he even survived.

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    2. The Romans in Reject Game #1 never made it out of the defile. Well, they did but not the end they intended to exit.

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  3. It certainly was a very different game than our first bash, when the Romans we're all but slaughtered. Although we lost it was good to see Richard's dice improve, as it did make for a thoughtful and more even game. But I'd like to see Richard go back to the dodgy dice one day, when I'm playing against him of course!!
    Thank you for two entertaining game Jonathan, I think I can say that from all the Rejects.

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    1. You and the Rejects are welcome, Ray! Both games were very good fun for me and you fellas are a pleasure to direct in a remote battle.

      Game #2 was much different than Game #1, much more competitive too.

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  4. Reruns are actually fun! Different results make for good gaming memories. Thanks to players and you, Jonathan, for another sojourn by lakeside.

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    1. Glad you like re-runs and pleased that you enjoyed this six-pack of Trasimenes. Now it is time for something different.

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  5. Great to see a much closer game here than last week! If time and inclination permit, it would be great to read your thoughts on these 6 games in terms of lessons learnt re: tactics etc.

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    1. Yeah, much better to see a more closely fought battle although Ray and Lee enjoyed themselves stomping Flaminius in Game #1. A retrospective on the six games is a topic I would enjoy but time may not permit such reflection. On to the next set of games!

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  6. Another splendid game, for one brief moment it seemed Flaminius and his boys were about to stem tide. Alas history was not to be reversed this day.

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    1. Thanks, Phil! I had fleeting thoughts of a Roman victory too!

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  7. A close call! Well done to Richard and Steve, but also to Ray and Lee for taking it to the wire.
    I enjoy seeing your brilliant figures close up in these reports. My bandwidth isn't broad enough when we're gaming to really appreciate them. Now struggling to resist placing an order.....

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    1. Chris, they all played solid games and the dice were much more even this time around. I enjoy seeing players adapt as each game is played. Repeated playings offer a chance for a game, scenario, tactics and players to evolve. Fun process to watch unfold.

      On bandwidth, that is a hazard of remote gaming but as long we players can discern what is going on down on the table, I think we should continue pressing on. I could set up my phone as a roving third camera for close-ups. Three years ago when I began, I set up the phone for such purpose but players quickly told me it was not needed.

      Resistance (and temptation) is futile. Would these be 6mm or 10mm armies?

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    2. Probably 10mm Jon. Although it is easier to achieve a mass effect in 6mm for the same outlay. I expect I'll prevaricate for a while and end up ordering more SYW figures!

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    3. Nothing wrong with adding to your SYW/WAS project!

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    4. Go on Chris you know you need some Romans!
      Best Iain

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  8. my personal philosophy of never rooting for the romans seems to hold up in this series of battles. 😁
    Looks like you and the players had a very enjoyable run with the scenario, and by now you especially, know it very well.
    and i agree, the close up shots really do let your miniatures shine. 😁

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    1. Your personal philosophy helps you to side with a winner.

      Trasimene is a battle I know well now and not only from the gaming table and the six games played perspective. My hope is that players gained a better understanding of the battle and situation too. Glad you approve of the figures!

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  9. Fabulous report that captures exactly what an entertaining and challenging game it was. I'm happy my dice improved... it couldn't get any worse!
    I think we all like winning. But I wonder if the satisfaction and achievement feels better when the victory is achieved without the extremes of luck playing such a dominant part. Just thinking out loud.

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    1. Thanks so much, Richard! You provide good encouragement to keep hammering out these battle reports.

      This was a closely-fought battle, for sure. I agree that it more satisfying to come out victorious in a well-fought contest. Sometimes extreme luck plays a role in our recreations on the table just as it did in the historical fight. Do we want to rachet down the possibility for extreme events by reducing possible variability that dice provide? I guess that question can only be answered by the player. Wild swings in fortune can be very enjoyable as well as entertaining too.

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  10. I enjoyed every one of the six games - well worth the repetition. More like this please!

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    1. Great to see! Is there more interest in seeing battle reports from games in which you have also taken part than in games in which you were not a participant?

      We move seventeen hundred years forward in time next. I plan to bring the Great Italian Wars collection out onto the table for a run. Armed with a new scenario book, lots of interesting battles to consider and recreate.

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  11. Excellent report. That was a tough game and I hadn't realised how close it was when the end came. The Carthaginians handled their troops well and used them effectively. As Flaminious I can only say we put up a good fight, but not good enough!

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    1. Much appreciated, Lee! That was a very good game with plenty of back and forth throughout. Had the Romans been able to follow-up in pursuit a few more times, the outcome could have been very different.

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  12. Well played by the Romans, they nearly pulled it out of the fire. Nice to see Richard's dice rolling improve. I make that 5-1 to the Carthaginians, which underlines what a difficult task it is for the Romans as it should be.

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    1. Yes, the Romans played well, indeed! As Lee notes, just not well enough!

      The final count was Carthage 5, Rome 1 but five of the six games were really quite close and winnable. As Vol reminds me, even my singular loss as Carthage came down to the wire.

      Tough situation for Rome but still a game worth fighting, I think, and the historical result was the most common result seen.

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  13. Impressive Ancients gaming once again, Jonathan. Nice to see this famous battle re-fought so well.

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  14. Another great looking game from the same scenario Jon - you have certainly got your money's worth out of this battle - and you even managed to reference Britney Spears in the title of your post - outstanding work all around!

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    1. Thanks, Keith! Yes, we got a lot of mileage and a half-dozen enjoyable games out of the scenario. Ms. Spears was, indeed, the inspiration for the title. I am impressed by your knowledge of ‘90s pop music.

      Switching to Great Italian Wars next week.

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  15. Great report. The Romans put up some decent resistance before finally being overwhelmed

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    1. Thank you, Neil! Flaminius fought the Good Fight with victory was just out of reach.

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  16. Well that was closer than the last one ,at least the Romans seemed like they had a chance! Looking forward to some great Italian Wars action next!
    Best Iain

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    1. Yeah, this was much closer than Reject Game #1! Richard and Steve were much relieved to see Richard's dice make a big turn-around.

      Italian Wars collection is out on table for a parade before battle.

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  17. Not a lot to add to this impressive list of responses. The series of games has been a real triumph and clarified what the famous battle was all about. If you do get time for some reflection/analysis I'm sure that would be most welcome. However onwards and upwards, the wars won't fight themselves and there are so many of them! Thanks again,
    Stephen

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    1. Stephen, I am pleased to see that you enjoyed this series of Trasimene battles. Doubly good to see you stepping toward a regular commentator.

      You are quite right. These battles will not fight themselves and there is a seemingly endless supply.

      On to the Great Italian Wars!

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  18. Well done Jon your stamina amazes me 👍

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  19. Excellent victory for Carthage! Great report.

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  20. Great report again. At two points I thought Flaminius surely had a chance to pull off a win. If he had successfully rolled just a few more pursuits, he would have knocked more points off of Hannibal's score die. The Romans did break out of the defile, but couldn't finish off the opposition there. A historical outcome for this game.
    All around a great series. I look forward to the next. What rules will you be using for the Italian Wars?

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    1. Thanks, Vol! Yes, a few more Roman pursuits and the outcome may favored Flaminius. Rules for Italian Wars will be the same; BI with modifications. I have a little scenario with a two-game game in mind.

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  21. Superb. It is interesting that the result could not be changed, despite knowing what is coming from the north and so reacting more quickly than in history and also putting up a good fight. I really like the way that you play out several versions of the same battle/game. It's a great idea.
    Regards, James

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    1. Thank you, James, for the encouragement in my methods. I suppose the outcomes are similar because the situation is singular with not much chance to rewrite history. If we keep playing and continue to see the historical result, I think that is a good gauge of scenario design.

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  22. A tough scenario for the Romans to win. Of course, that was the heart of Hannibal's genius; creating just such situations! A great series of games, Jon!

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    1. Tough but not impossible. The Romans were only blown out in one of the battles. The other five saw a near run thing. Glad you enjoyed the battles, Peter!

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