Roman Holiday

 A Headless Body Production

Location:  Regency at Providence Community Center, Phoenixville, Pa

Event:       Providence Gamer's Game Knight

Players:    Steve Turn, playing the Picts
                  Bruce Potter, playing Early Imperial Roman

Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 200(ish) points per side.

Deployment:
After much checking of the auguries, the terrain was laid out.  Fields, plantations and a gentle hill.

The Roman deployment on the left was their Ballistas and 2 Bowmen units.  The center is the legions.   On the right is the Auxiliaries.  The Pict right flank is 3 Light Horse.  The center command is 8 War-Bands supported by 2 Light Infantry Bow.  The Pict left is 8 more War-Bands, 2 chariots and 3 Light Infantry Bow.

From a great height, the gods Iovantucarus, Buxenus,and Moritasgus look on.*

Off in the distance, the Roman left flank is two Ballistas and two Bowmen.  The Legions are in the center, the Auxiliaries are on the right flank.

The Picts have an uncharacteristically orderly camp there.

Compare that against the dilapidated mess the Romans have.

Turn 1:

The Picts move out, and claim the hill.  Their Light Horse on the far right are running around the Ballista command.

Legate Darryl, looking at the approaching hoard, is not happy.

The Pict Light Horse have turned the flank of the Roman shooter command.  But there is a Legionary Cohort defending that flank.

To answer the Pict Skirmishers, Legate Larry double times the Heavy Cavalry their way.

The Legions advance confidently to the hill.

Turn 2:

With both impetuosity and numbers, the Picts charge the Auxiliaries.  The numbers are unusual.  The Auxiliaries are +2 to the Picts +1, on contact, BUT due to "furious charge", if the Picts win, they cause two cohesion levels of damage instead of one.

The Auxiliaries hold for now.  But next round the superior numbers of the Picts will make more difference.

Legate Darryl attempts to rally the damaged Auxiliary cohort, but lacks the eloquence to motivate them.  Fresh Roman Auxiliaries, who were camped at the nearby plantation, arrive in the field.

The Picts swarm and destroy one Auxiliary, while the remaining two still hold their ground.

The Velites have retired through the lines and are sent to support the Heavy Cavalry.

Shots are fired, and a Pict Archer is hit.

Turn 3:
The Roman right is crumbling fast.  The Pict flanking maneuver with their Light Horse is contained on the left. The center is about to be engaged.  The legions make a lackadaisical charge for the Pict skirmishers on the hill, rolling a 2 in the chase, and so only go one inch.  Leaving them at the bottom of the hill.

Legate Darryl's efforts at holding the line fail as 3 cohorts of Auxiliaries fall leaving two Light Infantry to hold the field, and two Auxiliaries that are just arriving.

But it is not for naught, as one of the newly arrived Auxiliary Cohorts destroys a war-band, and engages another.

Turn 4:

The fight for the hill begins.  The Roman line charged skirmishers on turn 3, and rolled short!  So the charging Picts have the up up hill advantage!

The side view of the same situation

The Picts on the Roman right flank charge again! This should clear the remaining Auxiliaries between them and the Roman Camp.  Legate Darryl, a single Auxiliary Cohort and 2 Light Infantry Bow form the line.

And the Roman Light Infantry WINS!

The other Light Infantry ties, along with the Auxiliary Cohort.  The line holds!

The fight in the center is still undecided.  Between Roman Armor and Pict support the casualties have been kept to a minimum.  Far afield, a Pict Light Horse is run off of the board.

On the Roman turn, the right flank begins to crack, but doesn't break.

The Legionaries in the center begin to wrack up casualties.  Another War-Band is destroyed.

The Pict Light Horse has had enough.  One has fled the field, one is engaged and about to be destroyed, the last is escorting the War Leader Darryl off at speed.

Turn 5:

The Roman shooter command, having spent a number of turns ineffectively shooting at Light Infantry, is now engaged with a couple of War-bands.  The Bowmen take the hit and hold.

On the hill, the Picts, despite their advantage with position and numbers, were being whittled away.  Some of the Legionary cohorts had 3 hits, but fought on, while the Picts having 3 hits, would rout.  Also the interior Pict lines were being turned.  At some point during turn 5 the Pict army had lost 27 points and the army fled the field.  The Romans, sitting at 20 out of 22 points, were themselves only one unit from breaking themselves. 


The Picts:
Competent War Leader Larry       
2    Chariots Light chariot    Elite
6    Warriors    Medium spear-men missile support       
2    Atecotti Warriors Medium swordsmen impetuous Elite
3    LI Bow    Light infantry bow           
                                           
Competent War Leader Darryl
6    Warriors Medium spear-men missile support       
2    Atecotti Warriors Medium swordsmen impetuous Elite
2    LI Bow    Light infantry bow       
                    
Ordinary War Leader Darryl
3    Light cavalry javelin     

The Romans:
Brilliant Legate Larry  
2    Heavy cavalry   
6    Heavy swordsmen armor impact   
2    Light infantry javelin   
                Brilliant Legate Darryl
5    Medium swordsmen impact   
2    Light infantry bow   
               
                   
Ordinary Legate Darryl
2    Light artillery    
2    Bowmen           
1    Heavy Swordsmen armor impact    

*I'll save you the googling.  These are Celtic deities, Iovantucarus is the protector of youth, Buxenus, is the god of Box trees, and Moritasgus is the great Badger god.