Carthaginians sent packing....

Kent and I just finished our game-400 pt armies. I made one slight change to my list, dropping a unit of Cav to add two more young warriors units (javelin armed skirmishers).

The Gauls

Command: Poor (range 10")

Commander: Poor (+1)

3x CM Cavalry *

Pts: 9 

           

Commander: Fair (+2)

1x FL Elite Warriors large (Gen)

1x FL  Elite Warriors (large)

2x FL  Warriors

2x S Young Warriors

2x S Archers

Pts: 17           

           

 

Commander: Fair (+2)

2x CGL Chariots

1x FL Elite Warriors large (Gen)

1x FL  Elite Warriors (large)

2x FL  Warriors

2x S Young Warriors

Pts: 21           

           

Kent's Carthagians (two commands).
3x Cav
2x Veteran infantry (incl Fair general)
3x FL javelins
2x slingers

3 Libyan infantry (incl Poor general)
3x Italian allies (FL)
2x slingers
2x elephants (borrowed from me as Kent had worked out his points slightly wrong)

The Gauls assemble for a pre-match pep talk.

The Gauls deploy: Smaller infantry command, large infantry command, cavalry.

        The Carthaginian host assembles.

 Turn 1- I advance my skirmishing bow and javelin armed troops and cavalry. Kent's poor command rolls double ones so the general becomes incompetent.

 Turn 2- My cavalry advance continues but the slingers disorder the forward unit.

 The Libyan infantry- got to love those shields of Kent's.

 Turn 2 or 3. My warband remain on opportunity awaiting the right moment to let loose the impetuous infantry.

 The skirmisher screen engages the punic cavalry.

 Kent's Spanish Scutari (FL- javelins) and my own young warriors (S- javelins) trade shots, I send my two large warband units forward to support my skirmishers.

 Kent is having command and control issues, his plan seemingly to be send random units off in different directions!

  In the centre the chariots are ordered forward.

 On my right flank the skirmishers are driven back by Italian infantry.

 My Cavalry then catches the Italians in the flank but Kent rolls a 1 (the only thing that can save him) and the Italians survive. 

 Meanwhile the chariots attack the Spanish Scutari but are driven back having suffered some losses.

 My warband has just rampaged though several stands of Spanish Scutari and some Punic cavalry but then Kent's remaining cavalry unit catches them in the flank, killing the general and his followers, then advancing into my other large warband which somehow manage to drive them off. Yikes. The smaller command simply melts away as the Veteran Carthaginian general had just charged and destroyed the two smaller warband. The Gallic command is suddenly under half strength so routs!

In my turn the small warband had needed to roll a 2 to charge the disordered Carthaginian general and his veterans but rolled a 1 so fell short. In Kent's turn the Libyan veterans (with the 1 wound marker in the photo) simply cut through two units of warband  in quick order. My warband gneral suddenly has his flank support removed. 

 Sensing the opportunity the Carthaginian cavalry charges the warband general in the flank and routs them. Their pursuit carries the cavalry into the second large warband but somehow the warband survive. Even so in 2 combats Kent has ripped though the command and breaks it!

Four losses on one turn! Luckily though we had also broken the Carthaginian Veteran General's command (3 destroyed Spanish units and two dead Punic cavalry) and so the Carthaginians army breaks as it is under half its break point.

"Bring out ye dead". The losses in the disastrous last turn.

 We had failed to realise the Carthaginians were also broken so in the next turn the elephants charged and destroyed a cavalry unit, but it was only after this that we realised that the (somewhat relieved) Gauls had won a  decisive victory as they only just survived the next onslaught.

Another fun game that had lots of action. The Gauls really did some early damage to the  Carthaginian light troops but then the Carthaginians almost won it back with their final charges. I really liked the balance of this force, the only change might be to try and add some skirmishers and warband from the small command to the Cavalry wing to gets its break point up a bit. 

Kent's army (as with Carthaginians in most rules) is colourful but fragile and will take some real skill to master/ use well as it lacks a killer punch so must rely on a combined arms approach and units working well together.

My warband were almost unstoppable on the charge but when charged thy melted away quickly so I really need to make sure I do the charging. The skirmisher screens worked really well in that regards. Th extra command works well too as it gives me more tactical flexibility.

Would love a rematch soon but I think next week it will be some ACW action using Black Powder.

 Craig