To The Strongest game - edit: Report, post mortem, new scenario notes

[olicana]

I've just set up this little Punic Wars engagement. It might have a few figures, but this will be played, done and dusted in a couple of hours. To The Strongest handles ancients games in a novel way, and very quickly. A set of rules made for battles where you have to push one or two figures around the place.

RECOMMENDED!

I hope you like

http://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/the-battle-of-trebbia-218-bc-using-to.html

[WimVdB]

A really good set of rules, if you want to play large battles with lots of miniatures!

Just played a game last saturday at Crisis, Antwerp with Simon Miller and friends.

[Emporium]

Wow great set up and great minis too! Just to have an idea how many minis you used to build the roman and carthaginian armies?

[Nevyen]

Amazing Collection mate very very impressive

[Hu Rhu]

Lovely set up.  You don't do things by halves do you?  That is an amazing amount of figures and all beautifully painted. Love the shields on the Spanish and Gauls.

[olicana]

Thanks guys, following an email exchange with Simon M. I've now discovered he's changed the rules (in the free army lists) for Polybian Romans. I'm in full agreement with his assessments and amendments, so we'll play them tonight. I'm sure they'llwork a treat.

However, it has meant a change in deployments so I've edited the original blog post, and I've also added some more detailed scenario notes.

Looking forward to pulling some chips out of a bag tonight!

http://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/the-battle-of-trebbia-218-bc-using-to.html

[olicana]

A pictorial report on how this went, a few notes post mortem, and a scenario upgrade.

I hope you might find it useful.

http://olicanalad.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/trebbia-using-to-strongest.html





James

[SteveBurt]

Nice report.
I see that you have 3 Roman units per square - I don't think that's allowed; I think the Triarii need to be in the square behind, or the Hastati need to be in the square in front with the Velites.

[olicana]

Nice report.
I see that you have 3 Roman units per square - I don't think that's allowed; I think the Triarii need to be in the square behind, or the Hastati need to be in the square in front with the Velites.

Nope, three units allowed. It's in the new Polybian Roman list now available at the TTS site. Simon emailed me shortly after I'd set the first battle up to let me know. The rules for maniples are now completely different too.

[bigredbat]

Well in the new regime the three units become two, since the hastati and principes combine to form a two hit unit that can share a box with the triarii.  So you are both right!  ;-)

[olicana]

Hi Steve,

I apologise, reading my last post back it sounds 'tetchy' at best. I didn't mean to sound that way. Sorry.

The new rules for Polybian Romans makes them much tougher than before in a very clever way. Allowing the hastati and Principes to be one unit, with the back and front ranks swapping around is much better than the previous way of doing things - well done Simon - though after the results of last night's play, I'm not sure if 6/5 saves are not over egging the Roman pudding.

I might have, in future, my Polybian Romans as velites 7, hastati 7, principes 6, hastati 5. A downgrade would make the 'legion' 7,7,7,6, and an upgrade 7,6,5,5. But that would be me being very picky.

Best Regards,

James

[SteveBurt]

No apology necessary.
So now the Hastati & Principes form one full sized unit (that's the same way FoG does it), but the ranks can swap to replenish Pila?
Presumably if the unit is disordered it remains so after the ranks swap?

[olicana]

They swap after a successful activation to do so, the activation also allows a normal rally check. Pila is replenished.

The best thing about the swap is the fact that the save improves. Troops can't swap until the hastati have been disordered. Of course, after swapping the ranks, the chance to rally also improves.

It works very well.

[SteveBurt]

A couple of things spring to mind (posting them here since Yuku seems to be dead-ish)

1. The troop ratios are wrong in the new list. It should be 2:2:2:1 velites:hastati:principes:triarrii. The maniples of the triarii were half the size of those of the first two lines.
I think the new list has twice as many triarii as it should; there should only be one unit of triarii for every 2 of hastati & velites. They could span 2 boxes behind the front line.

2. The line relief should be available to later Romans, too. Certainly up to the end of the Principate. You'd need to keep track of which unit has used line relief in this case since the two ranks would be identical (maybe just move the standard to the rear rank).

[James Morris]

Mega! Great looking game. Agree that the latest army list changes to Polybian Romans feel right and give a much more satisfying game. Must play again soon!