Here is a prose version (apologies for the poor writing but I wanted to collate the after action report into a story that I can remember and refer back to...
Lucius Valerius Corvus deployed his troops smoothly and efficiently. Yes, he was outnumbered, but from scanning the lines opposing him on the other side of the glade he was aware that his men were better armed and armoured, and his enemy had no cavalry or massed ranks of missile troops.
As he scrutinised the enemy lines for weaknesses, his thoughts turned to the fate of the garrison of the burnt-out watch tower. The Britons were renowned head-hunters but no grisly trophies were being brandished. He prayed to the gods that the men stationed here had escaped that gruesome ending and were waiting for him somewhere in the wilderness.
He decided that he would have to chance a swift advance and try to break through the enemy's lines. He had mobility on his side in the form of his cavalry, but his legionaries with their attendant baggage train would be much slower.
Combat of Champions (Reputation B9, R8):
First blood to Rome
Just as he was about to order his troops forward, Luconianus, a belligerent, proud warrior strode out from the ranks of Britons and began shouting challenges and insults at the Roman lines. He made it to the mid-way point between the two armies before he bared his chest and began beating it with his sword. He then pointed the blade at Marcus Aurelius, who held the centre of the Roman line, and offered his challenge. Ordinarily, Romans should not accept single combat challenges, but this situation was different. He looked to his commander for guidance. The prefect nodded, so Marcus Aurelius drew his gladius from its scabbard, affirmed his grip on his scutum, and advanced.
Marcus Aurelius strode towards his opponent with sword and shield at the ready, as he was trained to do in the legion's training grounds. Luconianus didn't wait for any formal salute and charged the hated Roman officer. He swung his sword high and crashed it down onto Marcus Aurelius's head, but the Roman saw the blow coming, caught the blade upon his shield and twisted away from the strike. This opened up Luconianus's flank and Marcus Aurelius wasted no time in plunging his sword into his ribs. He gave the blade a harsh twist, pulled it out sharply and was on his way back to his own lines before the proud Briton had hit the green sward.
Turn 1 (Reputation B8, R11):The Britons howled in dismay at the loss of their champion and their war leader Bellicus began to arrange their ranks for a charge. Lucius Valerius ordered his forces to advance in an orderly fashion, dressing the lines as they went.
As the Britons came into range, there was an exchange of arrows between the formed ranks of the Roman heavy archers and the smaller, skirmishing units of the British archers. The training of the Roman milites paid off as their massed shooting caused a few of the Britons to drop, but they did not retreat.
Ignoring what was happening on his flanks, Bellicus shouted for his warriors to engage with the enemy, and they did not disappoint. The massed ranks of several hundred warriors streamed forward toward their foes.
More arrows were exchanged which caused one century of the Roman formed archers to fall back to avoid the onslaught, whilst on the other flank, stones from the slings of the British skirmishers failed to find their mark amongst Lucius Valerius's cavalry squadron.
The lines at the end of Turn 1
Turn 2 (Reputation B8, R11):The two armies clashed in the centre of the glade whilst the archers continued to trade arrows on the Roman left flank. Several of the British archers fell and many decided to retreat from the battle. This allowed the Gallic archers, who had retreated from the Celtic arrow storm moments earlier, to turn their attention to the charging warriors and caused them to stumble which slowed their advance. Unfortunately, for the archers, the warriors were surplus to the battle lines and they turned their attention onto them.
Lucius Valerius was confident that his cavalry would mow down the naked fanatics before him but their bravery was more than he had bargained for as he saw half his troop decimated. He noted that their leader seemed to be a more seasoned warrior than the stripling who had challenged Marcus Aurelius at the start of the battle. The skyclad Britons held their lines, encouraged by the failure of the Roman cavalry to break them.
The clash between the warriors in the centre of the field ground to a halt, with both sides straining for an advantage. Casualties mounted on both sides, but mostly it was the lightly armoured Britons that were slain. However, many legionaries fell to the mystical carp's tongue sword of Bellicus, who was left standing on the left flank of the Roman lines with just a few faithful warriors after the unit opposing him annihilated his troops.
The battle at the end of Turn 2
Turn 3 (Reputation B4, R12):Gaia Pomponia knew that her troops were better armed and protected than the remnants of their Celtic counterparts, so decided to move in and attack them in hand-to-hand combat. They stowed their bows, drew their swords and advanced on the British skirmishers. Meanwhile, in the centre of the field, the legionaries held their position due to the threat posed by the British elite household troops that had manoeuvred into position for a devastating charge.
On the Roman right wing, Lucius Valerius fought for his life. His last remaining troops fought against the naked savagery of Maviloduus and his fanatics, but they managed to halt their attack long enough to enable Lucius Valerius to extricate himself from a difficult situation.
With the loss of dozens of his warriors, and seeing that many were beginning to slip away from the battle, Bellicus realised that he must very soon pull something out of the bag if his fortunes were to change. Backed up by his last remaining troops, he ordered the nobles into the battle. The elite, armoured warbands joined the fray, and they destroyed the Roman century before them to a man. The mystical sword of Bellicus dealt more death wherever it went.
On their left flank, the armoured Roman archers shot down all of the warriors that had attacked them, and Gaia Pomponia's unit dealt many a death blow to her enemies, but not without her taking a wound for her troubles. The remaining few Briton archers turned tail and fled as a result of this onslaught.
Momentarily out of the fighting, Bellicus took stock of what had happened to his warband and ordered his elite warriors to back off. With their leader rescued, the Britons felt it was time to leave the field to the Romans. They had lost this battle, but the Romans had taken many casualties and they would be easier to eliminate on the next occasion that they met.
Lucius Valerius breathed a sigh of relief to see the Briton leave. Although it was a good victory, he had lost a lot of good men that he could ill afford to.
The battle at the end of Turn 3
This game only lasted three full turns plus the Combat of Champions round. A lot happened in this battle that made for an exciting narrative, but the Crushing Victory of the Romans means that Lucius Valerius Corvus can be proud of his small contingent. The next battle may not be as decisive.
Campaign Score: Romans 3 Briton 0Link to this post...
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November 03, 2010, 10:56:53 AM