I needed a C&C fix this week and Tom D obliged, wanting to try Ancients for the first time (he knows Memoir '44 and Napoleonics, but hasn't played this one before). I gave him an intro, emphasising the importance of leaders, and he picked this scenario, taking the Roman side.
Tom immediately spotted the usefulness of the "Line" card he started with and the legionaries crunched forward. What he didn't know was that I had a "Counter attack" and a "Line" of my own. I used the former to get my Auxilia in range and started peppering the Roman line.
Using my "Line" let me close on the advanced Roman elements and take out one Light and one Medium infantry for the loss of one Auxilia. Tom retreated two one-block units and got the left flank Roman cavalry into the action. I lost another Auxilia, leaving a nasty hole in the Carthaginian line right of centre.
Right, three Light cavalry versus one Medium: gotta be worth a go. Result: two dead Light cavalry and the third reduced to one block and retreated to the back row. At least the Mediums were battered and my slingers finished them off.
I got the Elephants into action on the left to little effect- it was the Auxilia that removed two more legionaries to make the score 5:4 in my favour - one more needed. The Roman heavies had shifted across from their left and smashed into the Carthaginian centre. Two Auxilia went down in quick succession to give Tom the win 5:6.
We re-set and didn't have "Line" cards this time. I advanced the Roman flanks under fire from the Carthaginian slingers and skirmishing from the Medium cavalry. Then Tom used a "Mounted Charge" to unleash the Elephants and Light cavalry. As he quickly found out, Light cavalry doesn't do well against Medium infantry with a Leader. Result: three dead Light cavalry for battered Medium infantry (one reduced to a single block by the Elephants).
I pushed the Romans forward centre-right, past the Elephants, to engage the Carthaginan left flank with Heavy and Medium infantry under Publius. I removed another Carthaginian Auxilia while Tom brought his Heavy infantry against mine and both fell (4:1 is the score).
Continuing to push the attack on the right unsupported, Publius and two Medium infantry pinned two Carthaginians against the edge and only needed to eliminate one. That's 6:1 and 11:7 in aggregate, with two wins for the Romans.
A rather bruising initiation for Tom, mainly due to his attack with the Light cavalry, but good fun (and enough time left for something else to finish off our evening).
