Has.been and vodkafan's continuing DBA thread. New games page 2

[vodkafan]

Has.been and I faced off for a pleasant morning of socially distanced 25mm DBA yesterday. We got 3 games in and immense enjoyment was ours. I was Carthage for the first two games and lost all 3 games through totally inept generalship  .
We changed the terrain around for each game so we had a different tactical problem each time. The playing area was 3 x 3 feet.
It won't be a proper battle report , we just took photos when we felt like it so anyways here goes!

 The motley Carthaginian army on it's tray, these Essex models are likely 40 years old now but still charming!


Here is the first game before battle was joined. I didn't have a coherent plan, to be honest. I had a vague idea that my cavalry would storm down the hill and roll up his weak flank after I had crossed the river and made him commit to battle in the centre . But the river was an unknown quantity.


My light horse tested the river and found it passable.
 Seeing this my enemy promptly crossed the river with scouting elements and cavalry


I tried to contain them with my Numidian light horse while my infantry crossed the river,


but in the end had to commit my elephant too


My heavy infantry are across and get stuck in


My cavalry finally come down the hill to help


But by this time my Light Horse are gone and my elephant is surrounded and slain so the battle is lost


The second fight was a mess. The first one should have taught me not to divide my very heterogeneous force either side of a fast flowing river. But my adversary did exactly that  so I rather lazily followed suit. Then again he might have had a proper plan though whereas I didn't.
But still, don't my Essex blokes look smashing standing on this hill here?


One thing about DBA it teaches you to respect the Romans. Great race, the Romans....


Off we go!


Get some for Carthage!


Oh no the general is in a spot of bother over the river


Oh wait bollocks now the elephant is surrounded again


My general and what's left of the cavalry are pushed back ignominiously into the river while the Roman meat grinder chews up my army piece by piece. Great race, the Romans....


I didn't take any pics of the third game which is probably just as well 
Hope you enjoyed reading as much as we enjoyed playing.

[Digits]

One thing about DBA it teaches you to respect the Romans. Great race, the Romans....

All right... all right... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the Romans done for us?

[vodkafan]

All right... all right... but apart from better sanitation and medicine and education and irrigation and public health and roads and a freshwater system and baths and public order... what have the Romans done for us?

The wine?

[Digits]

“the wine”?

Clear not a Monty Python fan sir! 

As for the games....looks good fella, but clearly you need to up your game!  Three straight losses....that what happens when Gandhi is on your shoulder! Lol

[has.been]

We did have a good time.  Nice to throw dice again & move figures around the table.
First game.
Romans (me) opt for deploying on the left of the table.
A lone velite unit defends the high ground on our right.

[has.been]

The Carthaginians (Vodkafan) split their forces either side of the river,
(In DBA the river's passability is an unknown until someone tries to cross.)
Will it prove a mistake ?
The Romans are happy, especially if the river proves to be difficult to cross.

[has.been]

Carthaginians test the waters with some Numidian cavalry, it is NOT a
difficult river.  The Carthaginian General, Hanomag (Hanibal's Germanic half brother)
opts to re-unite his army & starts to cross the river.
Skippy Kanga (Scipio Africanus' Australian half brother) moves his fastest troops,
the cavalry & velites across the river & gain a temporary numbers advantage on that wing.

[has.been]

Vodkafan has to throw in his elephant to try & redeem the situation.
meanwhile there is a big clash in the centre with Phoenician spearmen
shoulder to shoulder with wild Gallic tribesmen facing Republican legionaries.
The Carthaginian  Cavalry remaining on their hill for what turns out to be far too long.
Even the elephant can't hold back the Roman Cavalry & velites. Game over.

Close up of the Punic base camp. The only figures on the table that I painted.
The shield is a free hand painted copy of an actual Carthaginian shield.

[has.been]

Second battle.
Carthaginian battle line up & the Romans.
Then they close.

[has.been]

Possibly to make up for being late for the fighting in the previous fight,
Punic Cavalry charges forward. Brave or foolhardy?  2 bases take on 4 !!!!
Turns out to be a bad move & the surviving cavalry (General) is forced to retreat,
towards the difficult river.  Narrowly avoiding drowning in the raging torrent he
survives, but without his dignity intact.

[has.been]

Yet more bravery (foolishness?) the elephant takes on, single handed, almost
half the Roman army!!!! To add to its glory/misery more Romans prepare to
cross the difficult river.

[has.been]

The Roman's failure to cross buys the Carthaginians enough time to
move the Gauls over & cover the far bank. From there they jeer &
the Romans & dare them to cross. When they do it is when the Gauls
have had to turn & fight Legionaries on their side of the river.
Game over.

[has.been]

Game three, which we squeezed in before Vodkafan had to head off to work,
(hence only one picture from me). Vodkafan changed sides & tried commanding,
rather than facing, the Romans. He decided on a mighty (unstoppable?) armoured
fist, to punch through the polyglot Punic peasants.
I meanwhile had the plan of...
let him come on, hold the centre with Gauls etc., win with better cavalry on the wings,
then surround the Latin infantry.  Remind anyone of Cannae?
As it was my left wing refused to flipping move all game. never mind I did win.

Of note, Vodkafan won every throw for aggression!  (even when Roman!?!?!)
The aggression throw was Romans 1+dice V  Carthaginians 3+dice.

[vodkafan]

As always you got some excellent good close ups! Many thanks for the games and all the food and drink, and not forgetting the lift to work.

[has.been]

You're welcome. Do it (or similar) again, hopefully soon.