Pulling a fast one

[Justin Swanton]

My last Optio game with Peter. One of the longest games I can remember, i.e. a little over 3 hours. I tried a stunt that almost didn't work - but worked. Enjoy!

[dwkay57]

It looks best to leave the tricks to the guys from Carthage.

Best tactics for the Romans is probably legions in the centre, march straight at the enemy and munch their way through them. Auxiliaries and cavalry on the flanks hanging back and stopping any flank attacks etc. for as long as they can until the legions break the enemy.

[Justin Swanton]

It looks best to leave the tricks to the guys from Carthage.

Best tactics for the Romans is probably legions in the centre, march straight at the enemy and munch their way through them. Auxiliaries and cavalry on the flanks hanging back and stopping any flank attacks etc. for as long as they can until the legions break the enemy.

Tell that to Scipio!

[CarlL]

David

What auxilliaries do you have in mind other than Latin allies, (other legion or cavalry) or mercenaries, depending on the campaigning area with Carthage? 

CarlL

[Justin Swanton]

David

What auxilliaries do you have in mind other than Latin allies, (other legion or cavalry) or mercenaries, depending on the campaigning area with Carthage? 

CarlL

Probably Celtiberians or Iberians with the assumption all our battles take place in Spain. Other mercenary types would be specialists like archers or slingers which the auxiliaries are not.

[dwkay57]

An auxiliary is anything that is not a legion. I like to keep things simple, especially my battle plans. When fighting in the Society's championship back in the 1970/80s, I soon learned that I was not in the same league as the greats of history.

[stevenneate]

My last Optio game with Peter. One of the longest games I can remember, i.e. a little over 3 hours. I tried a stunt that almost didn't work - but worked. Enjoy!

Good game report Justin. A cunning plan that came off (just!). Well described and pictorialised. Did the shooting add any extra drama?

[Justin Swanton]

My last Optio game with Peter. One of the longest games I can remember, i.e. a little over 3 hours. I tried a stunt that almost didn't work - but worked. Enjoy!

Good game report Justin. A cunning plan that came off (just!). Well described and pictorialised. Did the shooting add any extra drama?

It did. Shooting is continuous - each shooting unit gets to fire twice a turn, in its and its opponent's move, at any moment in either move (there's no separate shooting phase). Shooting hits accumulate - 4 hits knock off a morale interval - which can tip the scales against a unit when it engages in hand-to-hand combat.

I wouldn't say it's all that dramatic - more like something to worry about and not ignore. Armoured targets like legionaries can pretty much shrug it off, but vulnerable targets like cavalry need to be careful.

Shooting however is crucial when it comes to elephants. Elephants crush anything in charge and melee combat (except pikemen who can hold them off) but they have limited morale and are especially vulnerable to missile hits. So you have to shoot them down to shaken before they engage your melee troops. There are ways of pulling it off, and ways for your opponent to negate those ways of pulling it off. Ellies are problematic but not a wonder weapon.