Palling Around with the Palmyrans

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Harve de Grace Community Center
Event: Cold Barrage 2026
Theme: US Nationals, 2nd Period
Round: 1
Players: Phil Gardocki running Republican Roman, list 58
               Kurt Holmes running Palmyran
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side.

The Forces
The Palmyrans are led by 3 commanders of uncertain qualities, 2 of which are Included
5 Cataphracts, mostly Elite
3 Medium Camels, Bow, Mediocre
6 Light Horse
3 Legionaries, Heavy Sword, Impact, some with Missile Support
3 Auxiliaries, Medium Sword, Impact, some with Missile Support
2 Bowmen
Breakpoint...22

The legions are commanded by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Consul of Rome, a Strategist, Tiberius Sempronius Longus, Son of Tiberius Sempronius Longus, Consul of Rome, Defeater of the Boli, regarded as Competent, and Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, also rated Competent despite his years.
2 Equites, Medium Cavalry

2 Numidians, Light Cavalry, Javelins
8 Hastati or Principes, Heavy Swordsmen, Impact, 1/2 Armored
2 Newly Recruited Hastati, Heavy Swordsmen, Impact, Mediocre
2 Extraordinarii, Medium Swordsmen, Elite
2 Other Italians, Medium Swordsmen
6 Velites, Light Infantry Javelin, most Elite
2 Syracusians, Light Infantry sling
Breakpoint...26

Display Conventions: When you see a jagged word bubble like "Heus!" or "ܐܘ!",  this implies a disorder caused by missiles. Letters in parenthesis represent some up or downgrade for the specific unit. For commanders it is s for strategist, b for Brilliant, c for Competent and o for Ordinary, u for unreliable. For troops it is e for Elite, and m for Mediocre. Other abbreviations, Hvy Heavy, XB Crossbow, LB, Longbow, Jav Javelin, 2HW 2 Handed Weapons, B Bow, Kn Knight, HKn Heavy Knight, HC Heavy Cavalry, Md Medium, Sgt Sergeants, LC Light Cavalry, Chr Chariot, Cat Cataphract, Pa Pavise, LI, Light Infantry, HG Hand Gun, FKn Foot Knight, Hvy Spear, Heavy Spearmen.

Inappropriately capitalized words are used to highlight terms that are specific to the game. For example Brilliant, Competent and Ordinary have specific game values for the commanders.

Any ambiguity, or out and out errors, as to what was moved or who is being referred to is to be considered Fog of War and part of the fun. 

"XX" implies a unit killed in that location on that turn.

The HAWKS group still setting up in a vast room.

I showed up at 10, but already Walt Leach with a couple of helpers had set up the 24 tables necessary.

Deployment:

The Palmyrans won the initiative and will defend in the Desert.

Having an initiative of 4, I never expected to loose the initiative, and expected to defend in all my games.

 Morgan Freeman comments, "It was a notion that would be heavily disabused this weekend."

The Palmyran right side command is a mix of Cataphracts and Legionnaires.

In the sand dunes, is an allied command of camels and light horse.

On the left a strong force of Cataphracts and Auxilia, supported by bow and camels.

Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Consul of Rome deploys with a legion on the left.

Not to be out done by titletry, Tiberius Sempronius Longus, Son of Tiberius Sempronius Longus, Consul of Rome, Defeater of the Boli, takes the center with his legion.

Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder decides he is too old to play the "Mine's bigger game." His Italians occupy a near by vineyard and start early with the drinking.

Turn 1:

Scipio... orders his horse to come out of ambush. He plans for them to get behind the Palmyran line.

Tiberius... advances at the double, not paying attention that Scipio stopped a few paces back.

Marcus orders his Numidians forward to distract the Palmyran command, while order his Italians to forage for more wine.

This is a team event. One table down is Garth Parkers Norman knights. Two tables down is Eric Turners Golden Horde.

On the other side is Steve Turn's Warring States Chinese facing a vast horde of Camelry.

Facing a shortage of command points, the Palmyrans send a single troop of horse archers to face the Roman Velites. A pair of Cataphracts also advance at a trot.

Their allied command also just advance a bit.

Their third command also just advance a single bound.

Turn 2:

Velites close in on the Palmyrans and loose javelins. Scipio's cohorts challenge the cataphracts. Cats beat legions 1 on 1, but are out numbered here.

Tiberius's Velites also advance and loose javelins.

The Numidians pull back, but the Syracusian slingers advance to keep the larger Palmyran line from double marching.

The disordered Palmyran horse archers withdraw to recover. Their legionary cohorts fill the gap.

Note, interpenetration is allowed by units that "terrorize" but cause a cohesion hit. So the Allied commander (blue marker) diverts left, giving the camels space to charge.

Palmyran cohorts run off the Syracusian slingers.

Turn 3:

Contrary to the arrows, Scipio's cohorts do not advance here. But his troop of horse is now behind the Palmyran line.

Tiberius orders his Velites forward for one last throw.

Marcus's Numidians see a gap and try to shoot it. But are pelted by arrows on the drive by.

Palmyran archers disorder the flanking Roman horse. A general charge is launched down the line, with each group winning and losing 2.

It looks like we forgot the rule that Light Horse cannot interpenetrate camels. <heavy sigh> But it did not work out so well for the light horse as the Velites stand fast.

The Cataphracts also charge, two hitting the legions scoring 1 and losing one.

Syracusian are run off again, but not before they score a hit on the Auxilia.

At the bottom of the 3rd, the score is 10 of 22 for the Palmyrans.

To 10 of 26 for the Romans.

Turn 4:

Roman horse run down the Palmyran archers. But Scipio's line of cohorts are cracking.

So too Tiberius has a cohort fail. On the up note though, the Velites routed a light horse, causing a hit on a camel.

Most of us can agree, a wounded camel is a good thing.

Numidians race for the Palmyran camp!

Palmyran light horse run up to pin the Roman horse. A Palmyran cohort turns Scipio's flank. On the other side, the Palmyran cataphract, with an included general, digs into the Roman reserve (red 1) cohort.

Camels charge the Velites. Which are caught as they cannot interpenetrate units that are supporting melee. Cataphracts turn Tiberius's flank.

Palmyran Auxilia enter the Vineyard.

The hope of the Numidians raiding the camp has failed.

The battle has turned. The Romans are at 15 of 26.

To the Palmyran score of 12 of 22.

Turn 5:

Velites charge the Palmyran light horse, which stand and are defeated. The Roman horse charge a Palmyran cohort in the back, but roll poorly, and it is Scipio's cohort that takes a hit.

Tiberius orders is cohorts to charge the camels, who run to the relative safety of the sand. But a cataphract is defeated.

Ignore the arrows. It is the Romans charging. losing 2 and winning 1.

The Roman score is now 18 of 26.

To the Palmyrans 15 of 22.

The score may have seemed close, but Scipio's block has been Cannaed.

While Tiberius's block is merely flanked.

Marcus's Italians are also failing.

And that was it. The final score of 26 to 15.

What went wrong?

Well, a lot.

First is the basic army design and doctrine. I designed this army to fight defensively, on a small front. With reserve cohorts to fill in the gaps, and an abundance of lights to control terrain.

Ideally, defend in the mountains, with a coastal, a town, and two steep hills. To that end there is a strategist for a Initiative level of 4 and two adjustments. This did not happen.

Second was blanking out on the army mix of my opponents based on the last team tourney, which was before Covid. Just about every team created lists that were the antithesis of what would be regarded as "the norm" for that period. For example, I faced 3 cataphract armies. Our period one teammate faced 3 camel armies. Our period 3 and 4 teammates faced a pachynko of pachyderms. 

I should have known that. The last team tournament, I did the same thing. Running Burmese with 5 elephants. Only to be, in one case, out numbered by elephants, and they had artillery!

So I was unprepared <Morgan Freeman commented, "That sentence should end right there"> for what I was going to face, <"you could stop now"--MF> in terrain that wasn't native, <"But you won't"--MF> and fighting in a posture I didn't practice with.

Other pictures at Cold Barrage.

10mm figures on a 16 foot board.

Floating battleships