Impetvs- Cathage v Celts

Gaming Room update. Concrete went down today so is now drying.

lowly getting back into painting. I have painted up 6 stands of rear ranks for my Celtic warband and also a unit of Black Tree  Design cavalry.  I have some Black tree Celtic infantry to paint up but am a bit concerned that they dwarf the Warlord Games and Foundry ranges os am pondering whether or not to get more Foundry Celts to add to the army instead.

Tonight Kent and I got together for  a 40 pt rematch of our last Cathage- vs Gaul game.

I now have Extra Impetvs 4 so was using the new Gallic lit in that, which meant no more VBU3 javelinmen but the option fo taking some heavy foot. as per usual I opted for 3 commands, a small cavalry command, a large warband command and a smaller command of heavy foot.

Cavalry (poor commander)
2x cav, 1x skirmisher

Light Foot Command (Average commander)
3x large warband (vets in front)
2x warband
2x skirmishers- javelines
1x cav

Heavy foot command
2x large solduri (VBU 6)
2x warband
2x skirmishers- javelins
2x light chariots

 The Celts deploy.

Kent' Carthaginians- he had 2 commands with:
2x punic cav
4x Spanish scutari (javelins)
2x vet infantry
3x infanrry
3x skrimsihers
2x elephants

 A rather nicely painted elephant.

 Turn 1. I opted to put most of my army on opportunity to hold it back till the right time but let my cavalry advance, screening the flank.

 Kent reacted by ending his punic nobles forward to investigate.

 In the centre our skirmishers clashed and his superior troops (VBU 3) soon drove my skirmih screen back.

 Meanwhile on my right the Carthaginian advance continued,

 Turn 3 or 4. And still the Celtic warband wait their orders to attack- about the only tactical decision we get to make, when to release the horde.

 Wait for it...wait for it....

 The cavalry clash and my cavalry come off second bet and are routed form the field.

 Was that the signal we were waiting for? Time to advance then!

 In the centre the heavy foot crash into the Veteran spearmen and in time will come off second best.

 Even the chariots tried to run down a few Spanish scutarii.

 The warband drove the elephant back and, as so often happen in Impetvs, the battle breaks down into a series of disjointed fights with both sides desperately trying to get to win the command roll offs to activate endangered commands.

 My right wing is starting to collapse but I also have Kent's troops on the ropes. Who will break first?

 On the left I am finally making inroads having driven back the pesky skirmishers and advancing into the Libyan spearmen but the casualties have not been light.

 Booth sides are rapidly approaching their break point.

 Even the chariots are thrwon i to try to turn the tide of battle in our favour.

Our right flanks have utterly destroyed each other, I am left with my general and a stand of warband (5 pts out of 24) at the end of the final rounds combats but Kent's command is also shattered.

 On my left the final rounds combats also broke this command and the Celts returned home to lick their wounds as did the Carthaginians. Both sides were utterly exhausted and retreat to lick their wounds.

Result
As usual a great game. As so often happen it came down to a race to break the other army first and in the end we both lost but had a lot of fun doing so in game that really went to the wire. I am already looking forward to a rematch.