Saturday, November 15, 2014

A Long Time Between Drinks! - Comitatus Game 2


It's been a long time since I did anything with my Late Antiquity collection and hence this blog! I haven't been able to get to the club much lately and I have wanted to have another go at these rules to familiarise myself with them before inflicting them on anyone at the club, so while I had a bit of free time on my hands over the weekend, I set up another solo game in the shed this time.

I wanted to see if the Goths had a chance of winning with the forces I have, as the first game ended in a Roman victory. The results of this game indicate that they don't! I had the rules more under control this time, and played the skirmishers better, which made the results much more lopsided in the Romans' favour! I'll need to boost the Goths' numbers in infantry or skirmishers or both, I reckon, to get a more even result.

The table was divided by a low ridge with a rocky outcrop and wood with the opposing armies either side of the ridge. The Goths got initiative and their light infantry and archers headed for the woods, while the infantry went to the left and the cavalry to the right of the terrain obstacle. The Romans did likewise, but sent their light cavalry ahead of the infantry and the horse archers ahead of the heavy javelin cavalry.


Goths advancing...

...followed by the Romans

Romans in march column

as are the Goths

Starting positions with obstacle in centre

Approaching each other with counters indicating respective bow range after which each side can't march-maneuver.

Gothic cavalry rounds the woods to be met by Roman horse archers

Gothic skirmishers in the woods try to counter the deep Roman skirmish screen approaching the Gothic infantry, which has formed into Cuneus.

Disruption points galore as the skirmishers get stuck in. The Roman light cavalry were particularly damaging to the Cuneus closest to the camera

The Gothic heavy cavalry shakes out into line while the Roman horse archers disrupt the Gothic light cavalry.

The Roman heavy javelin cavalry try to maneuver to catch the Gothic cavalry in the flank as they round the woods

The Cuneus closest to camera now has 5 disruption points (which really should be 4 plus a marker to indicate it is now Shaken)! The right hand Cuneus advances through the gap between its neighbour and the woods to try to take the pressure off.


Roman archers behind the infantry give indirect fire support

The bickering between skirmish forces continues in the woods

The far Cuneus declares a charge! The light cavalry bugs out..

...before the Gothic infantry crashes into the Roman line..

...resulting in the Romans being pushed back with disruptions, but by no means a spent force!

The cavalry dance continues on the other flank.

The Goths who adventurously charged are now in trouble! Pinned to the front after their last combat, they can't react to the menacing flank-wards move of the other Roman line! 

The flanks charge goes in! 

The Goths retire, but with 4 disruption points, they're in trouble! In a sequencing error, the other Roman line should have thrown missiles before the first line charged to make sure of things.

It doesn't matter, though, as they do now, resulting in the Goths becoming Shaken.

A follow-up charge results in the Goths bugging out for the rear, past the other Gothic Cuneus which had retreated earlier to try to shed some disruption points.

With the Gothic infantry in bad morale, unlikely to be able to reform, the game was declared another Roman victory, despite the Gothic cavalry being untouched. I suppose if I had used the cavalry to support the infantry instead of going on a flanking march, the result could have been different, but I still feel the Goths need more infantry to counter the preponderance of skirmish forces.

Friday, July 4, 2014

Comitatus is Go! - First Solo Game


CRAASSSHHHH!

It's been a while since I've posted anything here, and I've always meant to have a solo game to work out the basic mechanics of the rules before inflicting it on anyone at the club. As I had the day off today I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone and play a solo game and then write a battle report.

I still think I need another game under my belt and try a few different things, as I don't think I got the hand of missile fire and I know I made a few errors with movement and the early combats. The few things I learned is that mass is might (as it should be in a god rule set!) and the Romans in defence are a tough nut to crack with infantry. 

In my next game, I think the Goths will have to use their preponderance in heavy cavalry more cleverly, and to remain in cuneus when contacting the enemy, with at least one stand behind in deeper formation, rather than dissipating their strength in spreading out. Also, there was only 10 points the difference between the two sides in favour of the Romans,  but I think the Goths could do with a little more oomph for the infantry: I'll probably have to paint another couple of stands to provide the muscle.

Apologies for the lighting; there was either not enough or too much as the sun started shining directly through the front window after starting off cloudy.

Romans starting with light cavalry closest to camera (javelin and archers), foot archers and skirmishers, then heavy javelin cavalry furthest from camera. Infantry at the rear of the formation.

Goths with light javelin cavalry, skirmishers and archers, then heavy cavalry, with two infantry cuneus at the rear.

The general's view

Goths raring to go

The Goths won the initiative and moved first

The Romans moved slowly to keep cohesion 

First contact on the flank between light cavalry, with an inconclusive result.

Gothic infantry advance

The archers on both sides couldn't hit the side of a barn!

On the other flank the heavy cavalry charged each other!

Resulting in both side retiring with disorder points!

The Romans did well! I was expecting them to be an early casualty.

The light cavalry bicker away on the other flank.

Gothic skirmishers add disorder points to the Roman infantry.

Again, the Gothic archers hit nothing! I'm sure I was doing something wrong!

Time for the Roman skirmishers to earn their keep: Theheavy infantry threw missiles and the Roman skirmishers got stuck in to the nearest stand of Gothic skirmishers,

,,,while on the other side, their counterparts tried to put the Gothic archers under pressure.

Then came the moment of truth... CHARGE! One Gothic cuneus came in, The infantry threw their missile weapons and the archers shot overhead...

,,,but the Goths moved one stand forward and crashed into the line resulting in more disorder points and leaving the Roman line shaken!

The other Gothic cuneus charged in and dispersed its strength by fanning out and attacking both remaining lines..

Big mistake, as the resulting combat proved; the Goths were broken and ended up shaken.

The next Roman turn, the middle Roman infantry line turned and charged the reamining Goth cuneus in the flank, while the shaken Roman line stood fast, pinning the Goths in front.

The Goths couldn't stand the pressure and they also broke with disorder points and a shaken marker.

Time to unleash the Gothic shock cavalry again, this time with the general and his comitatus attached!

Might is right!

The Roamn cavalry couldn't stand.

The Gothic cavalry barrelled into the Roman infantry on the right of the Roman line...

...and routed them!

They then powered off in pursuit of the fleeing infantry, but with all the Gothic infantry in a bad way, this battle was chalked up as a Roman victory!