403 Philippi I (42 BC)

Historical BackgroundCaesar’s assassination plunged the Roman world into...

403 Philippi I (42 BC)

Great, fast game tonight with lots of drama. Cassius and Brutus both die due to ranged combat! The battle started off with the Triumvirate's unnamed general doing heavy damage to the Republican right flank. He died in battle but did the job. Several plays of Light Troops allowed for showers of arrows to take out several medium troops and light troops, including Cassius and Brutus. Both Octavian and Antony never moved. An extraordinary game to say the least.

They had it coming, poor traitors!

The key to this map is (and for most maps if we're honest) is the cards. If the Trimmvirate army has cards for the left flank (working the hills) and can shoot throughout the battle, then they will curb stomp the Republican Army.

2 solitaire games with both sides winning by the score of 8 - 6.

In the 1st battle I attempted to recreate the success of Bruttus against Octavian on my left, but it hideously backfired.

Two battles, with me being the Liberators and my wife being the Triumvirate. 1st battle I was crushed 8:3, 2nd was a lot closer at 8:7, my strategy in the 2nd one was: Stay behind the wall. I did do a cavalry charge which did some damage, but not enough to justify the 4 banners that my destroyed cavalry units brought to the enemy.

2 more battles. 8:7 and 7:8, insanely close both times. It's a good idea for the Liberators to defend their wall. But also, to deal with the detached force on their right flank, and to launch well-timed opportunistic sorties, especially with cavalry, beyond the wall.

Vittoria del Triumvirato 8-5

Extremely close game, 8-7. Brutus could not get a card to activate until late in the game and his units got badly chewed up by a Double Time card and missile fire.

Meanwhile Octavian spent the entire game slowly chewing up units on the Liberator left with missile attacks. A Rally card by the increasingly desperate Liberators got 4 Swords and Light and did no good.

Octavian committed to attacking the wall just as the Liberators drew some good cards and got reinforcements from the center. A bloody tit-for-tat battle followed with heavy casualties on both sides leaving Octavian in charge of a 1 point Cav sitting on the camp with the score 7-6 in favor of the Triumvirate.

The coupe-de-grace came when two Medium Cav rumbled out of the Liberator backfield, destroying a weakened Triumvirate Medium Cav, charging over the rampart into a large collection of Triumvirate 1 strength units and scoring the last hit needed.

One more miss and the Triumvirate would have received the last banner for the camp.