DBMM New Zealand : Early Carthaginians vs Polybian Romans

The North Shore Early Carthaginians launched a raid on Ponsonby today looking for Benny's Polybian Romans. The 400 AP battle got underway after coffee, my fourth, and seemed to rush by in a caffeinated blur of questionable dice and many casualties.

The action was quiet on my left where a command of mostly light troops tried to avoid conflict. In the centre the Romans ground the large Sp and WB command down and eventually broke them. Though the Gauls did managed to inflict quite a few losses on the legions. My Knights were sent to the right flank and found 4 Triari from the centre command who had used the excellent Carthaginian Transport Roading (TM). By taking out a couple the Roman central command broke.

In the final bound the Romans inflicted a number of casualties and Benny was declared the winner after my army lost half its ME by .25! 19 - 6....but it wasn't over yet.....

I quickly engaged the lawyers (Barca, Barca and Mago) and with some CCA (Carthaginian creative accounting) managed to find hanging chads/not counted 4 ME in the army total (had put the Irreg Spanish AX S as 1/2 MEs). So winning draw to Benny 14 - 11.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/824840264342234/posts/3230599527099617

Ben Vartok

Benny trialling the new DBMM movement tray.

Bruce Ferguson

Looks like a mobile TF

Vincent Cholewa

Be careful that thy cup does not runneth over

Vincent Cholewa

You forgot to let slip the dog of war

Paul Graham

Same result in Wellington on the weekend, Keith Trye's Early Carthaginians pulled off a 14-11 winning draw against my Early Seleucids, mainly due to an endless Ps/Ax/LH struggle in difficult terrain on the Carthaginian left which drew in all the PIPs and 5 generals hauling their troops across to join in the fray.

Ben Vartok

14 - 11 to the Romans who then fixed the road.

Andrew Bennetts

Paul Graham Keith Trye hiding in difficult going? Who’d have thought?

Vincent Cholewa

"Generally" that was a good game

Andrew Bennetts

Really fun game. I decided to try a 'traditional' Polybian army, one which even the most inbred Roman senator could put up a show with. At 400AP, 24 Hastati/Princeps Bd(O) and 6 Triarii Sp(S) plus compulsory Velite Ps(S) doesn't leave a lot of change! The idea was to present a wall of tough infantry to grind through frontally before the flanks collapsed. And it nearly worked! The central block of Hastati/Princeps steadily attrited to breaking point the Carthaginian centre, albeit taking rather more casualties from Gallic Wb than expected. On the right, more Hastati/Princeps, Velites and a few Spanish auxiliaries made decent progress against the mass of rubbish infantry in front of them but, as they were only 1/2 ME cheered on by uncommitted Numidian LH, wasn't quite able to break them. Meanwhile, Ben had concentrated his Chariot Kn(O) against my left and to strengthen this I had transferred the Triarii from the centre across to help. Unfortunately, 2 of these got flank locked and then +3ed by Chariots, the 4ME loss breaking my centre just after it had broken the Carthaginian centre! A madcap final bound to see if I could burgle enough extra elements to push the Carthaginians over half (their centre had been VERY big!) seemed to have done enough until Ben's creative accounting stepped in. Ben (+ Whitney the dog) is always great value to play and the weather held off so we had the bonus of playing on the patio.