The Battle for Rome

[econ21]

UMPIRE NOTES ON TURN 5 (LATE AFTERNOON)

All units obey orders.

Map of situation after moves but prior to combat resolution:



Western combat:

Servius orders his equites to charge the Italians engaging the Iberians. Decius orders the missiles of his 5th Legion to target the equites, after which Marcellus will counter-charge. The 4th Italian alae is to move around the Iberians and charge them in the backs.

Combat resolution: the Iberians, supported by the equites destroy Luca’s Italians who they had flanked in the early afternoon. However, the Consular forces are then overwhelmed and destroyed by elements of Decius’s army, assisted by Marcellus’s bodyguard. Decius’s 3rd Italian Alae is reduced to three-quarter strength.

Note an error was discovered in the composition of the 2nd Italian Alae - it had Gallic slingers, not Italian swords. Decided to let the previous combat resolution stand, but remove the Italian swords (assume slingers ammo depleted and not include in the battle).

Eastern combat:

Servius orders the Ariminum garrison, the Consular Gallic Alae and the Gallic cavalry to retire to the tree line. The Senate 2nd Legion, 2nd Gallic Alae and Praetorian cavalry move headlong to attack them.

Combat resolution: the Senate infantry roll over the Consular opposition. The Senate cavalry charge the Consular cavalry and Servius faces a choice. He can fight the Senate cavalry to a standstill, but ultimately fall beneath the hordes of enemy infantry. Or he can pull out, salvaging what forces he can to regroup with Quintus. Never being one to surrender easily, he chooses the latter course. He escapes with Appius, half his Gallic noble cavalry and a half strength unit of velites. The Senate losses comprise mainly Gauls (a unit of Gallic warband is removed to represent this), plus Praetoria - Publius’s 44 cavalry are reduced to the standard 16 to represent this.


Feedback to Servius

Damn, this is not going well. Your withdrawal to the treeline was aggressively pursued by massed Senate forces: their 2nd Legion, the second of Decius’s Gallic Alae and a Praetorian cavalry alae. Your bedraggled group of infantry was no match for a Roman legion backed by howling Gauls and was quickly cut down. Publius Laevinus, white haired and seemingly tied to his horse to prevent him falling, led an alae composed entirely of elite Praetorian cavalry towards you. You faced a choice - fight him and inevitably die once the Senate infantry get to you; or fall back to Quintus’s position. Never one to surrender easily, you choose the latter course. You escape with Appius, half your Gallic noble cavalry and a half strength unit of velites (clinging to your horses or slinking through the woods).

You pass Iberians fleeing to your rear. Evidently, they have been overrun but with Publius’s Praetoria on your tail, you cannot stop to rally them. And in truth, there are too few to bother regrouping - either they fought well this day or their Senate adversaries did.

You meet up with Quintus. He is sandwiched between two armies - Luca’s and Decius’s. This is not going well.

Feedback to Marcellus

The loyal Italians before you crumble in the face of the onslaught of the Iberians and the Consular equites. But help is at hand - Decius’s 3rd Italian Alae moves to flank the Iberians whiles velites from his 3rd Legion fire into the equites. Buoyed by this aid, you launch a fierce counter-charge against the equites, destroying them. But you and your Praetorians take no pleasure in killing these young Roman knights.

Instead, you curse Servius, who you can see emerging from the trees with a band of cavalry to join up with Quintus’s army in the west. Reports from your 2nd Legion indicate that it fought well. Again assisted by Decius’s men, it despatched the infantry from Servius’s eastern flanking force. You owe Decius several drinks after today. But now, your attention turns west, where Quintus’s army lies sandwiched between Luca’s army and what is now primarily Decius’s force. Aside from your own escort, only your 2nd Legion remains standing.

Feedback to Decius

Fastidiously, you observe the battlefield from a safe distance. Getting too personally involved would be unnecessary and inefficient. You take quiet satisfaction in having all your orders obeyed - at last! And what is even better, Publius Laevinus’s has managed to crush the Consular forces opposing him. Well, the man always could fight, if he could be bothered to turn up.

Closer to your current position, your 3rd Italian Alae assisted Marcellus in routing the Iberians but nothing remains of Marcellus’s Army of Afrika except a battered 2nd Legion (instrumental in Publius’s victory). You briefly reflect on the irony of your having ceded overall leadership of this campaign to Marcellus, when in fact he has precious few of his own men to lead.

But you are not a man to let sentiment or narrow ambition cloud your judgement. There is only one order of business today and that has just fled to the shelter of Quintus’s army, now trapped between yours and Luca’s. Now you have Servius cornered; time to finish this.

Feedback to Luca

Finally, your men are in position. Quintus’s army has also deployed - half facing you, half facing the east. Your scouts can provide you with no information on the course of the battle in the east. You hear shouts and cheers coming from Quintus’s camp. In the distance, you can make out a significant band of riders and several banners entering his camp to loud acclaim. You deduce that Servius has joined with Quintus. Indeed, you can even make out the personal standard of your step-son, Appius Egnatius.

It is evening - there are only a few hours of light remaining. Your second in command asks for orders.

End of turn 5 map:



With fog of war for Luca: