2020 is here! I rang in the new year rather quietly, due to a massive head cold, and rather than make any bold pronouncements about the coming year, thought I would play a little catch-up with this post.
Bruce and I have been playing DBA 3.0 once a month for the past several, and he's been supplying the 28MM armies and choosing some interesting match-ups - more or less historical - so here are the recaps.
October: Army II/5e Aitolian vs 2/5f Phokian. A 2/5 Later Hoplite Greek rumble except the Aitolians get very few Hoplites! We played a double-size game - 24 elements with 2 Generals. . . and the Aitolians have 14 Psiloi with only 8 Hoplites and a pair of Light Horse. The Phokians have more Spears, a few Psiloi, Some Auxilia and a pair each of Cavalry and Artillery (bolt shooters). A very interesting match-up between 2 Aggression 1 armies, though the Phokians look highly favored.
We rolled for army choice and I lost; so I got the Aitolians and all those Psiloi. Bright spot was that I was defending, so with DBA's terrain generation system I had a chance to get some terrain to help even things up. And I got some - a woods and some rough going in the center of the table! The plan would be to get the Psiloi into the woods and rough terrain early, use the Light Horse to harass and look for good match-ups to occur. A long shot but not impossible.
I got to the woods first and sent the Light Horse out on a wide flanking maneuver.
The woods became a fulcrum that leveraged the two Phokian commands apart, though they sent their Auxilia, and even some Cavalry to try to clear out the Psiloi. I refused both flanks while the Light Horse raced around the back of the Phokian army, drawing off the Phokian mounted in pursuit.
The Light Horse picked off a couple elements on the left flank before being chased away by the Phokian Cavalry while both armies traded casualties in the center in the Woods.
After the Phokians lost both their generals on the flanks (the Phokinan general fighting on my left flank survived a couple of surrounded combats before succumbing) I pushed hard on the right flank - including bringing the Light Cavalry all the way back to the flank they started on - against the Phokian command with the Artillery and just squeaked out a win!
November: Army II/30b Galatian vs 2/6 Bithynian. A historical match-up in that the Bithynians were originally responsible for bringing the Gauls to Asia to help in a civil war! The Galatians were mostly Warband with some Psiloi, Cavalry (including chariots) and a Scythed Chariot. The Bithynians were mostly Auxilia and Psiloi with a couple of Light Horse.
I rolled up the Bithynians and defended again; terrain would have no effect in this game. I liked the match-ups; the Auxilia and Psiloi should be able to handle the Galatian warbands.
The Pip Gods were generally good to me. I sent the Light Horse out to draw off the Galatian mounted and pushed forward to the general engagement. The Psiloi screening the Auxilia broke up the Warband charges as planned, and some early Bithynian casualties and good Pip rolls allowed the Auxilia and Psiloi to create some hard flanks when the Warbands pursued into overlaps.
The Bithynian second line filled in for losses in the center and supported the left flank against the Galatian mounted and Scythed Chariot attack, while the Auxilia and Psiloi won the battle in the center against the Warbands.
December: Army II/32a Later Carthaginian vs 2/56 Early Imperial Roman. Bruce brought 15mm Romans - a bit too late in period to be historical - to face off against my Carthaginians. We played a full Big Battle game of 3 commands each. Roman blades are always scary, but the new side support rules for Spears in 3.0 helps even the odds.
The Romans were Blades supported by Auxilia, Psiloi and a few Cavalry, arrayed in three lines. My Carthaginians had a command of 8 Spear and 2 Elephants with Psiloi and Cavalry, a second command of 8 Gallic Warbands and 2 Cavalry, and a third command of 8 Light Horse and couple Psiloi. The Carthaginians were attacking so were able to place the Light Horse command last. The Romans placed a BUA during the terrain phase, but it and the rest of the terrain proved inconsequential.
My initial Pip roll was awful but I eventually managed to get the Light Horse command into action and advance the main battle line.
The Romans countered the Numidian Light Horse with their mounted, but were not able to get their third line into the fight.
The Romans then fed two of their Generals into the fight with the Light Horse, which could not be extricated as the fight grew larger. As the Gauls closed in support, the Spears and Blade battle lines embraced. A couple of early Blade casualties led to the Spears gaining overlap advantages in subsequent combats.
The Punic Spears held firm in the center, handing the Romans more Blade losses, and with the elimination of two Roman generals to the Numidians, 2 commands became demoralized, for a Carthaginian win.
The difference was that third Roman line that never got into the fight. The Carthaginians were able to get more of their elements into combats than the Romans.
Lots of fun. See ya!
