014 Great Plains (203 BC)

Great Plains – 203 B.C.
Turn 1: Masinissa’s Numidians conduct a mounted charge against the Carthaginian right. The Carthaginians are pushed back and suffer a few casualties. But Hasdrubal Gisco’s leadership forms up the Punic line and the infantry force the Numidian cavalry to retire.
Turn 2: The Carthaginian commander, Bostar, in charge of the Punic the center, double times his Carthaginian troops forward and engages the Roman light infantry. The Romans successfully evade with few losses.
Turn 3: Bostar double times again trying to smash through the Roman light infantry screen, but the Roman light infantry actually hold their own and the Carthaginians only have marginal success.
Turn 4: Roman Legate, Gaius Laelius, hits the Punic left with medium infantry and horse. Bostar’s forces stagger under the attack. On the Carthaginian right, Hasdrubal and Hanno move forward scattering the light Numidian cavalry before them… Victory Banner Count: Carthage 2, Rome 1.
Turn 5: Roman Legate, Gaius Laelius, commanding the Roman center, orders a coordinated attack that concentrates on Bostar’s weakened auxiliaries. A Punic unit is lost and Bostar is forced to find refuge with another Carthaginian battalion. He then motivates that unit to attack forward into the teeth of the Roman center. A Roman light infantry unit is shattered. Carthage 3, Rome 2.
Turn 6: Fighting in the center is hot! Bostar and Laelius are facing each other and both sides suffer losses; the Carthaginians lose another infantry unit. All tied up. Carthage 3, Rome 3.
Turn 7: Both sides have little luck… But then a Roman cavalry unit foolishly tries to cut off a Carthaginian infantry unit only to be surrounded itself. It is destroyed between three Carthaginian infantry formations. Carthage 4, Rome 3.
Turn 8: Romans surge forward in the center and destroy the last Carthaginian medium and heavy infantry in the Punic center-left! On the other side of the battlefield, Hanno finally begins to move toward the Roman left flank with his fresh troops… but is it too late? Carthage 4, Rome 4.
Turn 10: The stubborn Bostar orders all his remaining light troops and they unleash a swarm of sling bullets and javelins. This is enough to eliminate an exhausted Roman infantry unit. Now the Roman right is perilously close to collapsing! Carthage 5, Rome 4.
Turns 11-13: Both sides go on the defensive and reposition for a final strike.
Turn 14: Both sides reform their lines. Hasdrubal and Hanno, after they’ve reset a firm line of infantry, finally order the double time and the Carthaginians crash into the Roman left line… a line that has fresh heavy and medium infantry legionary troops. The Punic forces take horrendous casualties as the Romans battle back. The Roman line holds.
Turn 15: Publius Cornelius Scipio oversees a clash of shields as his Romans converge on Hasdrubal’s veteran heavy infantry. The Carthaginians lose another infantry unit and Scipio has tied things up 5 to 5. In a gamble for the ages, Hasdrubal with impressive leadership urges on his exhausted Carthaginians forward for one last charge against the Roman line. His men hit a Roman infantry unit with a devastating attack (Rolled four leadership symbols on a roll of four dice!) and eliminates the Roman unit which breaks Scipio’s line for the sixth and final victory banner! Carthage 6, Rome 5. Very close game! We’ll run this one again…

6-5 Carthage, very close and tense match. Romans (me) managed to move their foot forward in an extended line, while Carthage ate up the Roman light troops and went to a quick 3-0 lead. As soon as the lines met that went back to 3-3, and then it was trading units one for one each turn until the end almost. Rome could likely have won it if they had managed to draw a single card allowing them to activate two units in the centre, but the hand was full of less useful cards for the most part. We also did not pick up on the error in the Vassal module mentioned below (HI vs HC with Hasdrubal, dooh!)

the map and the Vassal's scenario are wrong.

In GMT officil scenario book the unit attached with Hasdrubal is an Heavy Infantry not an Heavy Cavalry.

Also the list of the units below the map states 1 HC and 1 HI.

How the Vassal's module can be correct?

Romans win at last 6:4, despite Carthage's heavy cavalry being used to good effect, line commands and double times move the roman foot with leaders in their midst come forward resulting in heavy Carthaginian losses in the centre.

Another 6:4 Carthage win, this time the turning point being a "clash of shields" that takes out key Roman units in centre, and heavy infantry well-commanded doing well. Carthage's heavy cavalry never came into action. Solo play.

Carthage was taking a beating, Rome 4:2, its centre having been driven into and its heavy cavalry destroyed, when a coordinated strike saw it wipe out two Roman units with their officers to get 4 banners, for a 6:4 win for Carthage - statistical fluke but such is war.

Just played it tonight: Rome 6 - Carthage 5
Carthaginians had the chance to win with an all-or-nothing "mounted charge" on Heavy Cavalry... but dice rolls conceeded the victory to Romans.

Solo Play:

Carthage was completely outmatched in this battle. Rome spent the first several turns laying down harassing fire that weakened the Carthaginian line. A combination of Move-Fire-Move, Green Units, and Darken the Sky really made this an effective move. Once the actual battle was joined, Carthage took the lead through a shock attack that pushed back Scipio's legion. Unfortunately, here and throughout the rest of the battle, Carthage could not eliminate many units but instead sent them retreating several hexes away. The other bright spot for them was Hasdrubal was again a powerful commander using his heavy infantry to crush Laelius and scatter his legion. This was not enough however to counteract the superior Roman fighting force.

Rome 6 - Carthage 3

Carthage opted to push against the Roman left this time, keeping themselves away from the bulk of the Roman force. It was quite effective as their medium units were able to cut off and then eliminate units, while Rome was struggling to respond. Hasdrubal was again an excellent leader. Though his heavies were cut to pieces, the back up medium infantry filled the role and cut through the Roman line. In my games, it seems that Carthaginian leaders named Hasdrubal are absolutely unstoppable. Rome fought back for a long time and protected its units, but the continuous onslaught broke them before the larger right legion could come into play.

Carthage 6 - Rome 2