Meanwhile, Somewhere in (Not) Siluria....

The battle of the Serova Hills..

With the Northern Vexillation having marched south we fight the encounter battle....

This will hopefully highlight methods used for when decision-making/activity occurs.

As with all good "Method" scenario designers (ho, ho. ) I have to go through the "What is my Motivation here" process (I always do this, even for one-off fights. This is because unless I "know" why each side is even on the table to start with I very soon get bored..). What I need to "get" is what the commanders' basic plans and intentions are. So how do I do this?

To start with, apart from any campaign factors (very relevant here), I look at the general situation (odds, army make-up, terrain etc.), I.M.P. (Inherent Military Probability) and any known character notes (e.g. we know here that the Roman C.O. - new to the job - is cautious and heavily reliant on a "cabinet" approach, plus has BIG job to do over and above this fight) or decisions (the Celtic C.O. has already decided to give battle - albeit before the full situation became apparent to him). 

The lay of the land is as below. Celts will come on at the top, Romans the bottom.

 

For the Romans matters are pretty straightforward. This is a "policing action" - with maximum prejudice.... "Reasonable Force" don't come into it.  Even the cautious commander knows that his career is on the line with this one. He needs to prevent further looting and disorder in the pacified zones. He needs to kill or capture as many of the hostile braves as possible, while minimising his own losses (he still has a job to do afterwards, remember?).

He has little choice but to attack.......
On the other side it is clear from the make up of the Celtic army (Light & fast. Few close combat bods.) that theirs is a raiding n' revenge force, not an "Army of Liberation". Basically all they really want to do is jollywack about the hills killing, burning, enslaving, looting and getting some heads to put on granny's mantelpiece (or to show the girls back home). All "in a good cause" of course (whacking the dupes of "The Man") but with the least possible amount of actual risk...
 

Numbers are pretty equal, which the Celts are never going to be comfortable with, and man-for-man the Romans are waaaaay better equipped. The Celtic army is skirmisher-heavy. The Romans have a real "divisional" mix, heavy, medium and skirmishers, plus cavalry. Basically it is fairly clear that the Celts have got themselves into the WRONG kind of fight.. The Celtic commander needs to get his guys out of this situation, but with his honour intact.

Luckily the Celtic force is in a good spot terrain-wise: on a ridge with an almost foss-like feature with a muddy stream along most of its front. Standing, making the Romans come to them, causing maximum mayhem with their slingers and skirmishers THEN retiring with honour intact will look much better for the Celtic commander than simply pulling back. 

 Taking all this into consideration I draw up a basic "decision table".
Throw 1x6D:

1: Withdraw, screening with skirmishers pull back and break-off contact.

2-3: Hold position, use skirmishers to cause casualties for a number of moves (after three moves of shooting dice per subsequent move. Throw a 1-2; retire behind skirmisher screen).
4-5: Hold position, but allow individual Formation C.O.s initiative to take the fight to the enemy where appropriate/if activated.

6: Attack.

The Celtic leader plumps for 5.  

The game, thanks to the Activation Tokens, begins with the Romans pushing their skirmishers and the Tungrian mixed cohort on their left forwards. I will take charge of the Roman side. The Celts (with their "hold" orders) will be played by the "AI".

As the Celt activation tokens come up I dice for each activated commander to see if they will be prepared to leave it (simple - 1-4 stand and await. 5-6 advance). On each occasion the Celts decide they are better off behind the stream and on the ridge, with its fosse-like valley in front, rather than risk exposing themselves to the legions and enemy cavalry. Sensible in my book..

Suddenly the Event token comes up. I throw a dice - 6. I throw another dice - 6 again! Gusty wind.... This will seriously affect any missile exchange. It MAY help the Romans, if it continues, by reducing enemy missile effect if they have to storm the ridge. I throw again - "Buggerus!!". The wind is from the east, i.e. from directly behind the enemy lines. It may disrupt their accuracy, but increases their range.....

At this the right hand mixed unit leader takes his men forward. The C.O. gets an activation, but still wants to hold the ridge. The Centre holds.

The Tungrians get activated again, and open ranks to allow their mounted section through, but get lousy dice - they all end the move in a muddle (they should have closed up earlier.. My bad...). I activate the Alpini with my Command chits to distract the advancing enemy. They advance and their slingers try some shots at the advancing enemy chariots, but to no effect..

Third move opens and my slingers get another chance to loose. Despite the wind effects they bring down a chariot. As the enemy seem reluctant to engage, and I'm worried about them breaking off, I decide to bite the bullet - and, as the tokens are kind, advance my right legion cohorts & aux. support (despite having missed an opportunity to move my centre cohorts earlier.. Silly me). Test for weather - no change. Suddenly some of the enemy react - their whole right wing moves forwards, crossing the stream, some getting delayed by the ditch and its marshy bits on the banks.. With my Tungrians still in a tangle this is NOT a good time for them to get active... 

Next go: My legionaries continue moving, but two cohorts (out of my direct command radius and with no set orders, so dicing to make their own decisions) swing to the left of the pond and "double-up" instead of holding the line, because of the Thracians in the way. My Tungrians are STILL in a mess, while the enemy skirmishers rapidly move through the woods on their flank. The enemy chariots sweep past my Alpini and chuck some spears, but not before  my chaps' slings take out another chariot. However, the enemy skirmishers in the centre are now (thanks to the wind) getting the range of the Thracians & the Alpini, causing upset & casualties. Despite opportunities/temptations the main enemy force stays on the ridge. If we have to fight our way across the marsh I won't be happy.....

The weather tries, but STILL doesn't change.

Move 5: The legion cohorts advance, but so do the skirmishers on the enemy centre - these being protected by the pond and the marsh - exposing two of my Legion cohorts to flanking fire.

I activate my main cavalry unit on my right and bring it forward.

My Alpini disperse into skirmish mode, close - in order to negate the enemy range advantage - and exchange missiles with the enemy skirmishers and chariots forward from the main enemy line. Shock and casualties on both sides despite the wind. Another chariot is disabled - the formation chief with it. The chariots withdraw. My Thracians also expand into skirmish mode, and move forward. On my right my "Yellow Shield" Gauls also advance, leaving my commander (who seems to have his slow-boots on today) to follow on in his own good time.

The Tungrians FINALLY get themselves out of their muddle, but make little progress, just pushing their horse through the gap between the two southern woods. They have not seen the skirmishers on their flank in the southernmost woods yet......

But these lads have seen them. This is a real "target of opportunity" and the Celts have 2CPs in hand. I feel that only a real morale fail on the part of their leader will prevent them from taking advantage. I throw a 6D - anything above a "1" and they will skip to the wood edge and shoot. They don't bottle-it, and a mass of arrows, javelins & slingstones whack into my cavalry, causing casualties and shock..... End of the move, and things are getting messy.

I need to close to contact - and ideally use my cavalry to trap the large number of lightfooted enemy, in case they decide to make off - but the bog, pond and terrain are going to both slow me and leave my cohorts' flanks exposed to missile fire. I want to totally eliminate this raiding party, to prevent it going off into another zone and causing havoc there, but the Celts are NOT playing ball...... And, indeed why should they...?
Sixth Move: And first activated are two of my cohorts. I'd LOVE to hit the enemy skirmishers with pilae, but the wind is against me, so we charge. The lightly clad enemy skip out of the way - but only just.... 

  
On my right my med. Gallic cavalry (milliary) unit breaks into a canter, but the chaps are funnelled & slowed by the farmstead. 

Meanwhile the Tungrian cavalry contingent break away from their infantry lads and make for the enemy main skirmish line, while their foot supports start flushing the enemy skirmishers out of the woodland. As elsewhere on the field, the enemy skirmish bods are quick on their feet and there is no contact. The Thracians skip forward, but still no contact their either.....

Then the enemy wake up. On their left a flurry of stones and arrows hits both my Gallic infantry (casualties and shock) and my right hand Gallic cavalry; killing their Prefect (the perils of leading from the front). On top of this their charioteers move forward, make a decision check, debus and CHARGE MY CAVALRY ON FOOT (!!!), bringing their close combat guys with them. My cavalry cannot evade (they have already moved - and anyway cannot turn, hemmed in as they are by the farmstead) and with their leader down and taking hits in the confined space they recoil....!! This NOT how things are supposed to work.

 My left hand Legion cohorts push on, led by the Alpini - to little real effect. However, the pressure of my guys pushing forwards has freaked out the enemy C.O.  The cohorts, against which he has no effective close combat counter in the middle, are getting too close, and his skirmishers are getting edgy about being trapped against that cliff-like slope. He sounds a general retreat - EXACTLY what I don't want with my cavalry in disarray.....



Looks like move 7 will be the last, as I cross my fingers for some opportunities to actually cause some damage...

The Gods are with me - my two right hand Legion cohorts rush the skirmishers in front of them, who evade, but not all are quick enough, and they take casualties. At this point the enemy C. in C. withdraws himself from the field.  My Alpini loose shot at the enemy skirmishers in the enemy centre, then the Tungrian cavalry move in. They are slowed by the ditch and so cannot charge, but trotting in, against the scattering skirmishers they do well, cutting more down at no physical loss to themselves. Meanwhile their infantry contingent pushes through and out of the woods.

But things do not go all my own way. On the enemy left the infantry ignore the call to pull back and follow up their earlier success, charging my Gallic horse again. The cavalry are in too deep a formation to easily evade, and with command & control gone they are confused. There is a melee. Exchanges are pretty equal.

Meanwhile the skirmishers on the enemy left, just behind the cavalry fight, cause some serious casualties and shock among my Yellow-shield Gauls. Things are not looking good here. The Vexillation Commander rushes over as the cavalry pull back to regroup, shouting them into some kind of order.

In centre left my two other legion cohorts move forward, one crossing the stream/ditch, the other moving forwards, not as quickly -  since the commanding Tribune has chosen to lead the faster cohort personally - but nearly outflanking the skirmishers on the enemy far right.




The move ends. There are still fighting enemy on the field.

Move 8: The enemy right pulls back, but don't get enough momentum to cross the ditch... The fight seems to have gone out of them, but they are too far away for me to do them any damage.

Over on the enemy left the dismounted charioteers take advantage of the Roman cavalry withdrawal to sweep through the farmstead, intending to take my Yellow-shield Gauls in the flank. Luckily for me their dice are rubbish, and they fail to contact. Their skirmishers shoot at these Gauls again, but with little effect this time.

Meanwhile, the Alpini run over to back-up the Tungrian cavalry, only to get caught in the (bloody!!) ditch.. THAT small water feature has been a real pain (only takes three dice pips to cross it, but it has swallowed pips JUST when you need them...).. 



My right hand legions swing round towards the enemy left, causing the skirmishers from the enemy centre to evade right off the table, just as the skirmishers fighting the Tungrian cavalry also make off. The move ends with nearly half the enemy already making their way out of my reach. This is NOT good...

Final move - or not as the case might be.... The Alpini and the Tungrian cavalry get in among the "running away" skirmishers in the centre, but most of them scamper away. But that's about it for this move...

Finally, finally: despite the Tungrian inf. pushing forward, the enemy right withdraws is good order (no doubt shouting challenges as they go..).
In the centre the enemy have pulled out completely.

Over on the enemy left/my right our Roman C.O. takes charge of the wavering Gallic cavalry, dismounts some of the turmae and advances to engage the enemy at the farmstead.

There is an inconclusive bit of bashing, then the Yellow Shielded Gauls turn to face the huts, the enemy now have to contend with my lurking cavalry, the dismounted lads and the foot Gauls..

This is enough for the local enemy commander.. Having made his name by driving back my cavalry -  and his flank threatened by the Gallic foot he pulls his men away, remounts his chariots and exits the field, taking his men with him. 

The Roman C.O. orders "General Halt" to be sounded.... The enemy wounded who haven't run off are - um - "treated". Battle ends. Game over... I have failed in my objective and the enemy has escaped......

Or have they......?

This a part of a campaign. The enemy are still in view, albeit off table. The Romans have light troops and cavalry. Whatever happened to "Continuous Combat"? Why should I think there's a final whistle....?

Well there ain't.....

The Roman C.O. has a quick option sheet drawn up and throws a die (maybe the other officers are shouting "Why the "pardon my Greek" have we stopped!!!!!"). Options are:

1 - Halt and regroup.

2-4: Ummmm....... Hang on I'm thinking (Cautious commander, remember? What if the enemy turns, and he loses his cavalry to all those missiles? The main task is still the campaign....)

5 - All light troops and cavalry pursue in good order.

6 - Pursue, with just the cavalry (what's the Latin for "Tally Ho!"?).

And I grit my teeth while he thinks for three moves (THREE!!!) before sending off the cavalry...

I do an off-table "pursuit", with Activation Tokens in the tub as if troops were on a table, to see if the Romans get close enough for action (in which case I''ll fight it out on the Table with bods.).

As it happens the cavalry - who have been chafing at the bit while the boss dithered, race off with speed; but with the enemy having a three move head start they've got some catching up to do. Things start well, but suddenly the weather changes. First the wind drops, then, after two reasonable moves, the heavens open and a storm hits. Visibility and movement affected. Things (and the dice) go pear-shaped...  In the pouring rain, the enemy slips away........ Oh how very dear........

The Butcher's Bill:

Romans:
Yellow-shield Gauls: Tribune dead, 40 dead, 46 lightly wounded
Legion Cohorts: 20 dead, 62 slightly wounded
Alpini: 20 severely wounded, 25 light wounded

Gallic Cav. (Mil) - Prefect dead. 25 wounded.
Tungrian Cav. : 22 slightly wounded 20 wounded.

(Dead: 71. Wounded: 219)

Celts:
 1 chief wounded, 30 chariots lost, 20 charioteers dead, 10 wounded,  40 warriors dead, 51 wounded lightly, 200 dead or missing skirmishers, 211 lightly wounded skirmishers.

(Dead or missing; 260. Wounded: 273 - all wounded are lightly hurt/walking wounded. The more severely wounded were left on the field or dropped during the pursuit). 

The Day is done.. The Celts move off unmolested.....

OK.. So how do you.....?

And so, to battle...... Oh, wait a bit........

I am often asked about my "House Rules" - the basic building blocks by whose conventions my bods bash each other.....

Nowadays I point folks towards the Two Fat Lardies and their oeuvres - Sharp Practice and Dux Britanniarum; to my mind as simple and thoroughly adaptable set of concepts, suitable for tweaking and cannibalisation...

But my House Rules are constantly changing with new (and sometimes very old) ideas floating my punt...

I am, occasionally asked, "Why reinvent the wheel" a good question, to which the answer can only be (as I once had to reply to a lady friend querying, in exasperation, why I stuck to my social eccentricities) "Because it's what I do."..

I enjoy the process.. And occasionally, à la Grenfell, I can sometimes fool myself into thinking that "I take nature's gifts and make them even lovelier"......

So: to the purpose...

The guys are on the table and all nicely in view (in this case. We have seen how random arrival works in my earlier post. The use of "Binds", concealment etc. will be covered in later posts). So who moves when...?

I like to keep myself guessing, so I use an activation system. In this campaign think SP2... Activation by Leader or Command tokens drawn from the tub.

 

The Celts:

The Celts (as we know from the above exercise) are in 4 Formations with a Command Group - so initially they get a token for the C.O. (inherent 3 Command Points) and the 4 formation leaders (2 inherent CPs each) plus 3 Command tokens in the pot.

Note: the individual units within the mixed formations - close combat, skirmishers and chariot groups - each have their own commanders (the chariot commander in formations with chariots is the deemed Formation leader with the CPs), but these commanders can only Activate their group for movement/combat when their formation commander is dead/detached more than 12" away. They are deemed to have a 1CP ability, but no actual initiative when under the command of someone higher.

If detached from their formation commander these leaders do NOT get a token. in the tub but may be activated by two drawn CPs each. They CAN remove shock from their own group if activated in this way while still under formation commander command and shoot (ditto), but cannot advance to contact with the enemy on their own (i.e against formation command orders). They CAN advance to skirmish, but to do so must be either in cover or within 12" of another friendly unit.

If these individual unit commanders are then killed there are no replacements and a unit must start to move off the board (rate of 1x6d) unless it is "picked up" by a formation commander.

Note: in games with tribal irregular forces I have a provision that a Senior Leader (C.O. or Division C.O.) in charge of a group/formation will have a tendency - whether he likes it or not - to absorb "followers" belonging to the same tribe; that is to say that the commands attached to more junior commanders may decide to tag along with him (He is the BIG man after all....).

Basically in practice this means that any formation/group coming directly adjacent to or within 3 inches of a formation under his command (unless they have VERY specific orders to stay in place - e.g in a fortification/prepared defensive position) will have a tendency to "cling" to him in a kind of "follow-my-leader" way and become part of his formation if he decides to move (I throw a dice. On a throw of. 4-6 the guys want to come too - and he has a bigger command).

He CAN spend CPs ordering this formation to split up/tell groups to stay put, but this takes effort and time.....

This tries to recreate a "mob" effect where command structures are weak or rely on "charismatic leadership" rather than formal command structures....

In some scenarios it means I suddenly have my WHOLE army (or the enemy's whole army) moving off in one big Formation "in Order of Mob". 

The Romans:

The Romans are more formally organised, so have more tokens: a token for the C.O. (3CPs), one each for the two legion Tribunes (2 cohorts apiece at 2 CPs each), ditto the 5 Auxiliary Prefects (2CPs) and FOUR Command Tokens to reflect their better organisation/command structure.

Each Legion cohort has its own sub-commander team who have no individual draw token but can be activated on draw of 1CP token each. This reflects the  flexibility, initiative and quality of the professional Roman junior officers (the centurionate). Each command team has an inherent 2CPs to start with. However, this is reduced to 1 if the command team is reduced in number by combat. If all of the command team are removed due to casualties the cohort can be activated for movement with 3 drawn CP but cannot attack.

In this scenario ALL of the forces are on the table and there are no "random reinforcements". This is because THOSE are being dictated/handled at campaign level. Had other Celtic bands been lurking in neighbouring zones on the map, Roman patrols or scouts ranging around off-table, another Roman force marching to help THESE would be factored in with an "Event" token and appropriate Event Table.

I will also have an Event Token in the pot, but this will be there to allow for imponderables like weather changes (this isn't SILURIA, remember...?) on a very simple Event Table:

Event token turns: up throw a 6D. If a 6 thrown, throw again and apply the result below:

1-2 Starts (or stops) raining. Missiles less effective by half.

3-4 Storm. Starts (or stops) raining hard. I mean hard. Stair-rods hard. Visibility bad - within 2". NO missile fire. If this continues for more than three moves the stream becomes impassable. Movement reduced by 2". Cavalry cannot charge. If this continues for four moves ALL movement is halved for the rest of the game. Charge speed is impossible for all. Cavalry can only trot.

5- If windy, wind drops. If no winds Fog rises (or dissipates if already foggy). No charging for horses. All movement reduced by 3". Visibility 3". No "blind" shooting.

6 - High, gusty wind starts (or stops); If starting; Fog is blown away. All missile fire reduced by half. Movement reduced by 2" - accumulative if other weather limits already in place. If rain in progress becomes storm. Throw for direction (8d dice - points of compass). Missile fire with wind directly behind adds 6" to range. Missile fire against the wind in ANY quarter -3" to range.

Movement/Actions/Combat:

Pretty much vanilla SP. Minimal tweaking. Two group actions per activation, plus any Command Points (Leader or drawn Token). Movement 1x6d (1 pip =1") per action.  Shooting is 1 action, no loading/unloading/presenting.  Nothing to see here. Move along...

Close combat is under review..... Currently a Dux Brit/SP cross...

 

Special Unit Characteristics:(Note: Some aspects of these have been influenced by my reenactment experience).

Celt close-combat troops: 

• Wild charge: 2CPs may be added to any unit activated to move. Add 3 x6d to movement. Must end in contact or gain 3 shock points. Receiving force gets 1x6d shock points.
• Gather heads - 2CP. Add 1 shock to ALL enemy units in view within 12."
• Taunt (must have already gathered heads): 2CPs. Forces control check (throw 1x6d. If greater than all combined enemy command points with that unit then the unit charges in poor order (add 2 shock to charging unit).

Chariots/cavalry:

• Debus: warriors on the back can get off & fight as infantry. Getting back on costs 1CP.
• Gather Heads: Chariot troops MUST be debussed, otherwise as other troops. Cavalry must also use 1 extra activity/command point for dismounting and remounting.
• Taunt: as above. Can be done from chariots and from horseback. Can evade contact from reacting force on throw of 3-6 on a 6d..

Legionaries:

• Step Out/trot: costs 2 CPs. Gain 1 movement dice + 3 ins.
• Testudo: Form testudo costs 2CPs. Cannot be carried out if within 6" of enemy unit. Unform/break testudo costs 2CPs. Negative effect: if moving straight into combat after breaking from testudo suffer 2 shock AT ONCE. If charged from rear suffer 4 shock AT ONCE.
• Exchange ranks (not in combat): costs 1CP. Rear supporting unit in cohort exchanges position.
• Form Wedge: If not charging - no additional cost. If forming while charging costs 1CP but receiving enemy suffer 4Shock AT ONCE. Negative effect: if charged from the side when in wedge suffer 4 shock AT ONCE
• Move Backwards while engaged: costs 2CPs +1 shock. Enemy is drawn with unit on throw of 4-6.
• Pilum throw: 1CP throw javelins (only allowed twice per unit unless re-supplied).
• Open ranks (charge): costs 3CPs allow other rank/support cohort behind to charge through. 1SP penalty to both but 2SPs applied to enemy receiving the charge AT ONCE.
• The Old one-Two: cost 2CP. Loose pilum & charge (only allowed twice per unit unless re-supplied). Add 1 pip to all dice thrown for the close combat/charge.

Legions & Auxiliaries:

• Open Ranks: cost 2CPs. Allows other friendly unit (any type) to pass though at walk (no movement penalty).
• Med-Heavy Cavalry: Dismount: costs 1CP. Roman & Celtic med. to heavy cavalry have a dismount capacity. One in four men must remain with the horses as horseholders. Once they have been dismounted troops act like any similar foot of their class.

OK.. Them's the basics.  Nothing revolutionary, but fast enough, with enough "chrome" to keep me happy. High-level AI decision-making will be covered in a later post. Meanwhile; any queries, comments, snipes & "WTFs?" please go ahead....

Campaign Update - and "Where did the Men go..?"

While the Northern Vexillation vacillates the main force wends its way westwards, but soon it is clear that action needs to be taken regarding the apparently hostile forces hovering in the hills of the Abana - Serova area.

 The War Diary shows that things are on the move.

(Tip: for easier reading - or to see some, selected images bigger -right click, open in newer tab)

Peaceful areas are ravaged ("Collaborators" cry the Druids) and Fort Serovium is attacked and overwhelmed, but not before the garrison sends a courier north to seek aid.

For the Northern Vexillation this means ANOTHER Council of Officers (the new C.O. just isn't confident enough to make his own decisions), but they decide they have to act.

Moving south the force happens upon a raiding force of hostiles fresh from destroying said fort. Enemy strength as reported appears to have been exaggerated - it is estimated at approx. 4 to 5,000 - not the 10,500 last reported. The vexillation advances to engage....

Which begs the question: "Can these Romans not count now...? How so...? "

It's all part of the "keep me guessing" part of Solo Play...

When a previously unknown hostile force appears on the map I throw dice to see how many "groups" (of "approx. a cohort's worth" of around 400-500 each group) make it up, as per the Rules previously posted, and I treat this as an "on the board" strength, for strategic purposes.

However, when a previously un-scouted enemy force comes into contact with a mobile Roman force (as opposed to an isolated, and possibly surrounded outpost) for the first time I dice again to see how much of that estimate is real "fighting strength".

To do this I throw two 6D dice and add the scores. The total of these two dice added together, multiplied by ten percent of the original estimate is the ACTUAL fighting strength of the enemy force. Thus a force could turn out to be a mere 20% of the rumoured force (so that I may have been charging my chaps about on a fool's errand) or 120% (which could be very bad news indeed if I'd been banking on an over-estimate).

For example, in this case the original estimate was a fighting power of 11,000 men. This force swarmed in the zone containing the century fort at Serovium. They did not attack the fort at first, but spent a day pillaging and surrounding the fort (activities decided by dice throw). When they did attack the fort their estimated loss (fought on the CRT) was 500 men.

However, when the vexillation came across the hostiles and fully scouted, the actual fighting strength was much lower (i.e. . the total for the two dice came to four, 40% or so of the 10,500. I then divide this by 400 to get the number of groups that will fight/be available to fight on the table.

And so to the battle set-up.....

Once we get to the table the terrain is set out based roughly on what I know of the locale, but otherwise randomly (this is for the campaign. For individual fights I may be testing-out certain methods, so may actually "design" the field)  and I dice to see from which side "my side" starts. As I'm playing the Romans in this battle I set out the Roman forces.

I then dice to see who/what the Romans can see on the table.

In this case the Celts could field 11 groups. I throw 1 dice to see how many groups are in the "First Formation", then again for the next formation and so on until all groups are allocated. In this encounter I threw two "threes" (i.e. two formations made up of three groups each) and two "twos" (two formations of two groups each), leaving one of the eleven groups operating independently. Under the circumstances it seems reasonable to deem this the "Command Group" - i.e. the Celt C. in C. with bodyguard, aids, hangers-on, sisters, cousins, aunts etc...

I then dice for each formation (yes, more dice...) to see if each formation  is placed on the table in the open, or possibly concealed (as a "Blind") or kept off table for later deployment. In this scenario the odds are that most hostile troops will be in view, so a simple throw of "3-6 on the table", "1-2 off or concealed" suffices.  Had this been an ambush, rather than an encounter battle, there would have be a greater likelihood of there being concealed or off table groups involved in the fight. As it happens all turn out to be on the table.

So, we now have both sides on the field. Let battle commence....

Technical Interlude: "Council... What Council....?"

Occasionally there will be mention in my posts, usually during campaigns, of a decision made by a "Council of Officers", "Council of War", "The Elders of the Tribe", "The Band" etc. etc. These comments will relate to instances where I need a group decision for "my side" or the enemy regarding policy, strategy, grand tactical action and so forth (i.e when it's not just a case of the relevant commanders obeying orders or me saying "You lot go there"). There are several ways I mimic this...

Sometimes I will be lazy, list the options (occasionally just in my head) and simply chuck a dice.

Other times I will draw up a table of options, allocate "dice result" numbers to these, based on my assessment of the likelihood or advisability of certain decisions - THEN simply chuck some dice (example below using five x 6D).

Or do a similar thing using my old Tell Me" dial....

However, for the scenario being played out at the moment I am using method described in the following examples using a pack of standard playing cards. I have found this method quite satisfying, particularly for long-term, grand-scale campaigns where politics, as well as military decisions, are part of the mix....

First I decide on the issue the make up of the council (the number of members), and the issue the council members are to discuss - in a "Yes/No" form. I then assess if anything is know about the council members (i.e have they an opinion known in advance, do they have a voting history/character/agenda?).

If it is pretty clear what their opinion on the matter will be then cards are drawn from the pack until one turns in the "colour of their opinion". This represents both the individual's "vote" and their ability to marshal their arguments.

Basically the higher value the card, the stronger the feelings of the person involved and the better his/her arguments so that. for example, someone drawing an eight of hearts (red) is deemed to have "out-argued" and convinced over to his side someone with (say) a two of clubs (black). Where the opposing cards add up to the same value as a character's card the character affected will abstain.

Where relevant a character might be granted a random additional card of that colour to further back his arguments (for example; when I have used this method to see if a defeated tribe will fight on against the Romans any Chief Druid in the Council is highly likely to be highly motivated to argue for fighting on. He will get an additional appropriate card in his personal draw).

Example 1: An isolated force has a newly-appointed commander (who has inherited command due to the C.O. being hors de combat) following an unanticipated battle in which a high number of friendly casualties were taken). He is unsure of what is expected of him under these new circumstances and so, while awaiting orders from a higher authority, he calls for a meeting with his senior officers in order to glean their opinions before making a decision.

In this case the question is "Should we conform to the orders issued to the force before the recent battle, and proceed as if nothing has happened, or retrench here ans await further instructions?"

On this occasion Black cards will mean a "Stay put & await orders" vote. Red cards will mean a "Yes to following orders" (in this case pressing on into possibly hostile territory with a reduced force) vote.

In the example we are following there is the new C.O. and his council of officers (eight of them). At this stage of the campaign none of them are "characters" and their opinions are unknown. They therefore have no Starting Cards. I draw a random card from the shuffled deck for each officer.


We see that opinion is divided.
The C.O. is pretty cautious about proceeding (Black 8), given the changed circumstances.

One of the junior Tribunes (Black King) and one of the Senior Centurions (Black Queen) are very much urging caution - and marshalling sound arguments as to why pressing ahead would be an unwise choice.

The other officers are split. Some have no real opinion, other than being vaguely uncertain (Black 2 ), others are arguing for different sides, but with little passion or solid argument (4-7s).
One of the Milliary Prefects however is pretty gung-ho (Red Jack) and putting forward a good case for following the orders laid down for them. The result is as follows:

"After a lively debate, and despite good points on both sides, it is decided that caution is the best policy. They will await orders from higher command".

How do I decide/know this?

I move and place the cards in  order of seniority OR "strength of feeling" if there are no extremes in ranking. Thus, in the pic the Black King trumps the Red Jack  - i.e. the Tribune out-argues the Prefect, who concedes.

The Black Queen (with its value of 12) outnumbers and so "out persuades" the Red. 6. The Black 7 ditto the Red 5, and the Black 5 beats the Red 4 (i.e. the officers arguing for caution defeat the arguments of those in favour of a "forward" policy).

With the Black 9 backing the C.O.'s position anyway, when it comes to a vote the Black cards have won the argument, and the Council unanimously votes for caution, the C.O. confirms the decision of the Council (he had his doubts anyway)..

Meanwhile I make a note of those individuals who have drawn Picture Cards - these will form "character notes" for future discussions (i.e the gung-ho Prefect will now always draw a red card, the noticeably cautious Tribune & Centurion always black).

                        
Example 2:

A Tribal Army has just suffered a serious defeat, so bad that it seems appropriate the tribe considers its options. The choices on the agenda are "Do we continue the fight?" or "Do we sue for terms".

We have a Council of Elders and Chiefs made up of six elders, a senior druid, the current High Chief /Warband leader and the chiefs of two allied contingents (I normally have one "elder"/chief per division/unit but this will vary depending on the scenario).

It is already known, as part of the background to this event, that Druid is strongly for fighting on, as is the Chief of the Albi contingent (as long as the fight in on someone else's ground he is all for it..) so they each get a starting card from the red suits (drawn at random) to represent this.

The High Chief, wounded in the fight and shocked by their defeat and the casualty rate, two Elders (whose units broke in the previous battle) and the Chieftain of the allied Catoni (whose chaps lost heavily) are not so keen, so they get get random starter cards from the black suits (see the left had Starter Positions on the pic below) .

Then we shuffle the pack and draw for the debate - laying cards for all the participants who do not already have cards. The Druid - because of his inter-tribal spiritual influence and powers of persuasion - will get an extra card randomly drawn from the red suits.

The result is as follows:

We then assess the "debate".

Cards are laid down in order of seniority. Once a card has been laid it cannot be moved again.

We see that all the High Chief can do is persuade Elder 6 to abstain.
The Druid however can use his red Jack to trump the black 10 of Elder 1 (winning him over) and his red 9 the black 7 of Elder 3.
The Chief of the Albi uses his red 7 to counter the black 5 of Elder 5 and the Chief of the Catoni his black king to beat down the red 9 of Elder 2.

This just leaves Elder 5 to play (the only card neither played nor covered by another card). He can trump the High Kin's black 2, talking Elder 6 back to the "war party" AND "see" the High King's 2 with the "unused" pips, causing him to abstain.

We therefore see below the red (for war), black (for peace) and abstaining (blue) final positions....

The party wishing to continue the fight wins the debate - the High Chief giving in to the pressure from his council. Note, however, that the Chief of the Catoni has NOT been persuaded at all and has very strong feelings (untrumped Black king). As an independent chief he will withdraw his forces from the forthcoming battle.....

I have used this method in large and small campaigns - and even mid-battle - when a serious decision needs to be made and find it quick to use and achieving pleasing results; with untrumped high cards  leading to all sorts of actions by junior commanders which upset matters for both the AI AND the live solo player....

The Game's Afoot...

The Battle of Riangola River.

Firmus's force, moving southwards along the valley of the Riangola in Hillfort Cluster XXXVI (see map) is menaced by a very large body of enemy, seeming intent on ravaging the baggage train.

As the game opens:
Ist Thracum (inf) has been deployed as a flank guard.

Coh. 3, Legio. II Aug. and Vth Gallorum (inf.) form the vanguard (marching in battle order) - placed approx 1m from the board's eastern edge (diced for).

Next comes the C.O. and his staf/bodyguard, leading the main body.

Firmus's column of march will thus consist of Coh: 5, 6, 7 of Legio. II Aug. plus baggage (not arrived on table) with I Tungrorum (mill. Inf.) forming the rearguard.

All bar the Vanguard are in marching order, with their impedimenta on their shoulders, shields slung & covered and helms any which way (i.e they are not "battle ready").In front of the main column surveyors/pioneers are dealing with a route issue and making the native track suitable for wheeled vehicles.

The Celts will come on - well, wherever they come on.....

Entry & Activation:

All unit activation is by a "Token Draw" in the Sharp Practice Two style. Each activated unit has two "Inherent Action Options" (movement/combat etc.) . These can be added to by officers with bonus abilities. For movement each unit throws 1x6d per Action Option used. Combat is based on adapted SP2 rules/conventions.

In the Activation Token Tub I have tokens for:

One Unit Commander Token for each Roman "division" commander; i.e. the Senior Tribune - force C.O.,  his 2IC (in this case the Camp Prefect - the most experienced military officer), the Vanguard commander (a legion Tribune),  the Prefect of the Thracian flank guard and the Column captain (a legion Tribune). If the column breaks up/once full combat is joined each cohort will have it's own junior officer added to the token mix, but initially the units stay firmly under senior officer control.

Three Roman "Command Tokens" (used as per SP2).  If any additional Roman forces enter the table (e.g the rearguard or returning scouts - as dictated by "Events" below) an additional Command Token is added for every 2 such units.

1 Celtic Activation token. Every time this is pulled a Celtic body arrives at the table edge, the nature and size of the force diced for as outlined previously.  Deployment point is decided by dice (12 designated possible entry points. I dice thrown/1 entry point per activated body).

An additional, allocated Unit Commander token is added to the tub for each new unit/body, Roman or Celtic, placed on the field.

Two Celtic Command Tokens are placed in the tub to begin with. An additional token is added for every two Celtic bodies subsequently entering the table.

A "Card" token.  If drawn I throw a 10d and consult the Event Table drawn up for this scenario. This table is as follows:

1: Roman Transport Issue - if the baggage train ins on the table there is a problem. The baggage train cannot move ("Sorry Legate, the wheel fell off didn't it..."). Otherwise ignore & throw again.

2) Roman unit activates (player's choice).

3) Celtic unit activates (diced for).

4 or 5) If the Celtic Activation Token has already been drawn, add it to the tub again - it may be drawn again.

6) Unit panics - dice for side affected, dice for unit. Unit moves 12" in the direction away from the nearest enemy unit. Any conflicts/choices diced for.

7) Unit rallies - dice for side affected. A single panicked or broken unit rallies. Dice for any choices.

8) A "Blind" appears. Deploy in cover at table edge as if arriving Celtic force. The nature of this force will not be revealed until "spotted". Dice for side. Dice for size as standard if Celtic or for off-table unit (if any available) if Roman. 

9) Unexpected reinforcements (Roman). If there are any scouting/off table Roman units available one of these enters play. Deployment diced for as for Celts.

10) Weather changes (This Ain't Siluria, remember..) - if fine it turns to rain. Visibility and movement halved. Missile effects halved. If already rainy, the rain stops.
                                                                                     

On the first turn the Romans make little progress ("Who built this road then, Legate?"). The Celts draw their Activation Token, throw for numbers & type of body, and we're off...

I won't give a blow account, but will mainly use this Bat. Rep.  as an exercise in describing the rule conventions that allow me to have a lot of solo fun.....

We've seen above how I get the guys on the field in a way to keep me guessing.

In addition, as the Roman player I wanted to get into some kind of Battle Formation, bring the baggage on into a protected "square" safe from any wild enemy attacks coming in the same old way - and using my legionaries to beat them off, in the same old way; hoping my cavalry scouts (two whole cohorts worth) would turn up to complete an enemy route... Hmmm.......... To do this, however, I needed lucky activation of my officers....

Well, as things progressed the Celts kept coming on (eventually arriving on three sides) with the Activation happening as per the token draw and the Celt targets decided by IMP & dice. I manage this by looking at the options open to the activated enemy formation (inc. any overall enemy orders/objective - in this case the baggage and generally being a nuisance), dice for the "courage" of the commander,  make a quick "probability" calculation, throw dice as appropriate - and take the consequences...

Early on I made what turned out to be a serious tactical error and, thanks to the above, nearly came a cropper.....

In my haste to get the column deployed AND keep an eye on my vanguard I left the C.O. exposed between them - providing (as the Tokens hampered me and favoured the enemy - and the dice played out) a Target of Opportunity for the enemy chariots, swiftly exploited...





Down went my C.O. (wounded), my 2IC (dead) and my only on-table cavalry (their bodyguard; dead or scattered).  A flurry of good tokens retrieved the situation but things were going pear-shaped for me very early.



Next, my column deployed to meet a flanking threat, but by doing so opened the road for the baggage - which came on between the column and ANOTHER enemy force. This force swept in, through the baggage train, and after a swift & inconclusive fight with the column, ran off some of the baggage & killed a lot of non-combatants before withdrawing in good order.

Some friendly auxiliary infantry reinforcements arrived (scouting unit - as dictated by the Events Table) but with my command structure gone my defence was disjointed, I had no effective Battle Line or reserve, NO cavalry and I was in a bad position to act aggressively without exposure to a fast and numerous enemy..

Discretion proved the better part of valour for both sides - and as the enemy pulled away from the field with their booty (while taunting us)  all we could safely do was to dress the ranks and watch.....

So ended the first battle of the campaign. My Northern operations have received a setback, and though the Butcher's Bill wasn't THAT bad (see below)  I can't claim THAT exercise as a victory.....

With a report forwarded to the Legate commanding the campaign (it will take at least 4 days to reach him) the vexillation will do some local slapping & nailing to ram home the message "We ain't beat and we ain't going", then hunker down and await instructions. 



So ends the first 20 days or so of the campaign in the north...

Meanwhile: the Legate carries on with "Flying the Eagle" along the coast, convincing the locals re. which side of their laver bread is buttered, gaining a "Forced March" card to hold in hand for when needed, ravaging the large sanctuary near the coast and begins building a fort & supply depot in the valley of the Occama river. It is while he is there, on the 24th, he receives the report of the action in the north.

However, also on the 24th. (a card turns and...) reports arrive at Isca indicating that there is a potentially hostile force in the unpacified hills south of the mountains overlooking the Serrova valley. No indication of size. No indication of intent....... But it looks like the fewmets might be hitting the windmill all too shortly.......

Decisions have to be made:

What orders should be sent to the Northern Vexillation?

Does our push west and north have to come to a standstill while we investigate the force hovering behind our lines - and within striking distance of Isca - or can we assume that THAT is going to turn out to be just a minor nuisance, to which we can just send an investigative flying column, while we pursue our main objective...?

Hmmm.....

And So It Begins.........

Spring Project  2018: "This Ain't Siluria"; A Roman v Celt campaign..

Phase one: Having set out my campaign ground rules (see previous post) we begin. This scenario has a back story - the formal pacification of an area where the "tribal government" has decide to "Go Roman", but we can't be sure how well the outlying regions will react to that - given that they have had a couple of generations of fighting them...   So - a note from the Governor:  



With my orders in place I draw up the forces available to me. To get the job done I reckon I will need two columns operating in the area. One will be under my direct command, the other under the command of a sub-commander. I decide on the forces HE will have, and issue him with instructions. In theory he will follow these - but events (decided by the cards) may provoke independent thought on his part (dangerous - or inspirational ?). I set out his rules of engagement & orders:

  And so the game begins. Using the map and tokens, throwing a dice each day to see if we draw a "event Card (throw of 5-6 needed) we proceed.

The Plan is roughly as outlined on the map below. Blue represents the planned movements of my column, red those of the secondary, "North" column.



I keep a (rough) War Diary to track events. This  allows me to keep a grip on what is occurring, but also provides a "narrative feel". From this we can see that the operations begin fairly smoothly.

There is one minor skirmish (on the 8th), which I deal with on the Combat Table and some interference (on the 6th - the "Serious Storm" card) and a bit of good luck (the opportunity to "Force March" on the 5th.). On the 19th, however, we get a card indicating one mobile unit will be subject to "harassment" by local forces. We have our first "on the table" operation.   


By the 19th we have the map situation as below; 

The pinkish shaded areas are those zones "pacified" so far (by persuasion or intimidation). The battle is taking place way up in the right hand corner of the map. There are two small fort garrisons (the aux. markers) and the garrison at Isca (far right). The main force is the one by the coast. We have missed an area just below the eastern mountains - this could prove to be a hot-spot unless dealt with PDQ....

We know the Roman forces involved (see the orders above), and throw to see how the C.O. is dealing with the issue of scouting.  In this case the C.O. elected to travel in "Thorough Scouting" mode. (this was diced for. Result = option 3 on the Scouting Options). As a result, his cavalry ( I Aelia Hispanorum eq. mill, Picentiana Gallorum eq) and one cohort I Alpinorum Peditata are deemed detached as scouts/advance guard and will not initially be available to him during the battle.
As he opted for this scouting mode he could have deployed up to four cohorts (legionary or auxiliary) in positions of advantage (e.g. flank guards, securing hills commanding his route etc. ) up to 3' from the column head/rear if desired. However, (diced for) he has decided to only deploy one cohort in this way

I then decide on the size of the hostile force he will encounter by the simple throwing of a dice; every point on the dice up to 5 adds one "body" of approx. 400 foot, 200 horse or 50 chariots to the force (the nature/type of that "body" is again decided by another dice throw: 1-2 = skirmishing foot, 3-4 = close combat foot, 5 = horse, 6 = chariots.
Thus, for example, throws of 4 and "Type" throws of 1, two 3s and a 5 means a force made up of 1 body of skirmishers, two of close combat infantry and one body of cavalry). If a "6" is thrown this means 6 "bodies" AND I throw again - to a maximum of 10 throws (i.e the enemy force cannot exceed 24,000 foot).  In this case I throw two sixes (in succession as above) and a 5.
However, as this is an "ambush" type scenario, to add to my uncertainty as the Roman Player I will not dice for body type until the hostile units are deployed on the table. I decide on my Order of March, set up a suitable table based on the local geography and IMP, and off we go.....