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#81
Ancient and Medieval History / Re: New Roman shipwreck off Si...
Last post by DBS - Aug 10, 2026, 04:08 AMQuote from: Erpingham on Aug 09, 2026, 07:21 PMhe Carabinieri Art Squad has a serious reputation for tracking stolen artOh I know, had dealings with them in Iraq on artefact protection. Very impressive lads.
#82
Battle Reports / Re: Refighting almost the Batt...
Last post by Adrian Nayler - Aug 09, 2026, 09:52 PMA few years ago we played a couple of games like Carrhae using my house rules. As these use elements like DBx rather than fewer deeper units we were able to set up the legions in a large open square one element deep all around. (They are at little risk of being defeated in a frontal melee by horse archers and have good protection from their arrows.)
In the centre of the square we started the Roman lights and cavalry which, since I allow both types to interpenetrate legions, had no difficulty leaving it once they descried the Parthian approach. The Romans significantly outnumbered the Parthians overall but in the first game we restricted the numbers of Roman cavalry presuming their allies had deserted them. That Roman cavalry proved insufficient to stand up to the much greater Parthian mounted force and once they were defeated the Parthians flowed around the square.
Unable to move in different directions without breaking the square, the Roman infantry continued to advance forwards and though their lights were able to keep some of the Parthians in check they were too few in number to be everywhere at once. Slowly but surely Roman casualties mounted without them being able to effectively respond in kind. In my rules an army can be defeated either by destroying enough of its units to break it or by wearing its stamina down to the point where its army morale cracks. Thus it was that the Romans were ultimately defeated by a never ending trickle of demoralising casualties from the horse archers.
For our second game we added in the previously absent allied cavalry and this changed things around completely. The Romans now had sufficient cavalry, though still outnumbered, in conjunction with their light infantry to significantly cramp the style of the horse archers and catch a goodly number of them. This time Rome had an emphatic win.
In the centre of the square we started the Roman lights and cavalry which, since I allow both types to interpenetrate legions, had no difficulty leaving it once they descried the Parthian approach. The Romans significantly outnumbered the Parthians overall but in the first game we restricted the numbers of Roman cavalry presuming their allies had deserted them. That Roman cavalry proved insufficient to stand up to the much greater Parthian mounted force and once they were defeated the Parthians flowed around the square.
Unable to move in different directions without breaking the square, the Roman infantry continued to advance forwards and though their lights were able to keep some of the Parthians in check they were too few in number to be everywhere at once. Slowly but surely Roman casualties mounted without them being able to effectively respond in kind. In my rules an army can be defeated either by destroying enough of its units to break it or by wearing its stamina down to the point where its army morale cracks. Thus it was that the Romans were ultimately defeated by a never ending trickle of demoralising casualties from the horse archers.
For our second game we added in the previously absent allied cavalry and this changed things around completely. The Romans now had sufficient cavalry, though still outnumbered, in conjunction with their light infantry to significantly cramp the style of the horse archers and catch a goodly number of them. This time Rome had an emphatic win.
#83
Battle Reports / Refighting almost the Battle o...
Last post by Jim Webster - Aug 09, 2026, 07:46 PMAt our club we had a go at fighting a battle between Parthians and 'Marian Roman' so it was designed to be Carrhae 'like'
Did use an 'infinite wargames table' so the Romans couldn't pin the Parthians against the edge of the world
Wrote it up in my blog
https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/2026/07/30/refighting-almost-the-battle-of-carrhae-53-bc/
Did use an 'infinite wargames table' so the Romans couldn't pin the Parthians against the edge of the world
Wrote it up in my blog
https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/2026/07/30/refighting-almost-the-battle-of-carrhae-53-bc/
#84
Ancient and Medieval History / Re: New Roman shipwreck off Si...
Last post by Erpingham - Aug 09, 2026, 07:21 PMQuote from: DBS on Aug 09, 2026, 06:37 PMI did groan seeing the Carabinieri described as "police
It was probably easier for UK eyes. The Italian policing system is very complicated
The Carabinieri Art Squad has a serious reputation for tracking stolen art #85
Ancient and Medieval History / Re: New Roman shipwreck off Si...
Last post by DBS - Aug 09, 2026, 06:37 PMI did groan seeing the Carabinieri described as "police"; of course in one regard they are, but they are not PC Plod with a snorkel... Exactly the right chaps to protect the site.
#86
Ancient and Medieval History / Re: New Roman shipwreck off Si...
Last post by Jim Webster - Aug 09, 2026, 03:39 PMI confess when I saw the subject line my first thought was "have they found the ram" 
A nice find though
A nice find though
#87
Ancient and Medieval History / New Roman shipwreck off Sicily
Last post by Duncan Head - Aug 09, 2026, 01:30 PMhttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgx1kpz17go
No connection with the Aegates battle this time, it's a later merchantman by the look of it.
No connection with the Aegates battle this time, it's a later merchantman by the look of it.
#88
Ancient and Medieval History / Re: Cartimandua of the Brigant...
Last post by gavindbm - Aug 05, 2026, 09:54 PMMy default for my Ancient British armies has been to claim they are Brigantes led by Cartimandua.
#89
Ancient and Medieval History / Cartimandua of the Brigantes
Last post by Duncan Head - Aug 05, 2026, 02:41 PM #90