Romans versus Romans and Primadons

I’m lying on the floor, looking out over the battlefield. The fighting is over. If there were smoke or mist in scape, it would lay over the field and the dead now. We leave the dead on the field and they lay in pockets where the fighting was heaviest, silent testimony to the ebb and flow of the conflict.

I almost won. I don't win a lot. But this was close.

It was a scenario we call military objectives. Each side has three objectives, out of a possible five. The other side doesn't know what you have and you don’t know what they have. I didn't try to engage my sons' forces- I focused on my objectives.


my Romans controlling one entrance to the cave

This month's map has a bumpy green field leading into Bleakwoode, then sand dunes, with a lava stream burning through the ground near the cave system. The cave has three openings. It’s a decent map. The sand dunes aren't a good area, even if you're tempted by their height. They’re too far off, too excluded- generally not in the battle.


Roman cavalry kicking through the sand dunes

I drew assassin, messenger, and scouting. My assassination target was Prius Flavious Bronwen, a roman centurion. I fielded a large roman force, with heavy cavalry, a war elephant and gladiators, as well as Julius Caesar, legionaries and archers. I had an out of period cannon piece too. My opponents were more Romans, mostly legionnaires, and a force of primadons. Gorillinators, Zaeus, and the ook ook berserkers. The latter are nice figures that came to us at Xmas, D and D war apes- enough for one squad.


the berserked elephant wandering near Bleakwoode

I think this is the first time we‘ve fought Romans on Romans. We have enough squads so that my son was able to take four legionnaire groups (swords only) against my three (pilum only). We both had two squads of archers but most of mine were up in the war elephant.

I thought I had taken an early lead. I had initiative and had set up my cannon on height and charged way up the one flank with half the cavalry and the war elephant, towards the cave. The ook ook berserkers tried to stop us and they even succeeded in engaging the war elephant and bogging him down. I trample stomped one but they climbed up the next turn and started slaughtering the poor Roman archers. They would soon take control of the elephant and so a squad of legionnaires brought the elephant’s wounds up to 6/8 - enough to make the confused elephant stampede on 11+ each turn. And that's exactly what it did, so it was not used against me.

I was successful on the flank, scouting the cave location and crossing the map for messenger. I only needed to scout one more location and kill Prius, the assassin target, to win.

Half of my cavalry caught Prius on the other side of the map, near the dam. I attacked him with two galloping charges, one gladiator and two legionnaires but we only did 4/5 wounds. My son counterattacked and after three turns Prius was still alive and had purposefully moved of cannon range (the coward!)

I had split my forces up to chase objectives while my sons came at me in two columns- one roman, one primadon. My scattered forces fought losing battles- I only tried to engage them and occupy them so the rest of my forces could achieve the objectives.
Prius' tenacity was to be my downfall. The legionnaires rallied around him and I could not get to him with my depleted forces. My sons moved in for the kill and slaughtered most of my remaining troops, and then completed their own objectives with a runner of their own.

Good game, they said, and left happy. Close game. I’m here, laying on the floor, looking at the battlefield. Sometimes luck is with you, sometimes against you. Prius should have fallen. He withstood a huge number of skulls. And that first counter attack he led was decisive- it was one of those times in which I could roll no shields.


Prius and his goons celebrating with my captured cannon

The mist and smoke of the afterfight roll over me. I will live to fight again. but I’m having a hard time beating these sons of mine....