Game 1:
Stanislav27 (Carthage): 7
RiverWanderer (Rome): 2
Most of the battle was fought on the Roman right with Carthage concentrating on ranged attacks as the Romans advanced with multiple "Order Medium" command cards. Carthaginian spirits were buoyed when a Roman "Mounted Charge" faced less than ideal dice rolls with the Roman cavalry destroyed quickly destroyed in its entirety. Further action on the Roman right followed with the Carthaginians getting the better of their opponents.
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Game 2:
RiverWanderer (Carthage): 4
Stanislav27 (Rome): 7
Mark's closing remarks from the first battle were "Perhaps I will learn not to waste cavalry." However, fortuna conspired against this sentence, as his Carthaginian light cavalry was routed in the first attempt by opportunistic Roman ranged fire, which needed a single Flag to disperse the unit.
The second battle was extremely bloody with almost all action taking place on the Roman left and centre-left. Indeed, the Romans kept getting "Order Left" cards all game. The Carthaginians recovered very well after losing their light cavalrymen, putting incredibly accurate ranged fire to good use and chasing a Romand medium infantry until it was shot to pieces before the Romans could close their ranks and protect their comrades.
After baiting the Roman cavalry forward, the Carthaginians unleashed two Mounted Charges, bringing the deadly elephants to bear. The Romans just about weathered the storm, with multiple units severely weakened. The Carthaginian cavalry had advanced very far, however, and after enveloping it, the Romans managed to get back in the fight on the left wing.
Further combat ensued as the Carthaginians brought their Heavy Infantry forward and causing havoc on the Roman centre-left. The Carthaginian elephants had withstood numerous attacks and battle-backs without suffering even a scratch. But then the Roman luck turned, and an advanced Auxilia unit killed the elephants in a single volley of javelin fire. The Carthaginians kept sweeping the pathetic remnants of Roman opposition on the left, but this was not without cost. The Romans managed to seal their victory with their cavalry, which routed a depleted unit of archers and a weakened unit of North African heavy infantry.
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Thanks to Mark for two great and entertaining games. Best of luck in future rounds!
