Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Hail Caesar: Adrianople 378AD scenario

The scenario is based on Adrianople 378AD.  The Huns & Goths start with their 2 infantry divisions  on a big hill and their 2 cavalry divisions off table.  The Romans have all their army on the table at the start.  Their 2 infantry divisions are much stronger than the enemy's, but the cavalry though as good in quality as the Barbarians is outnumbered.  Each Hun cavalry division throws 1 dice turn 3, 2 on turn 4 & comes on if a 5 is thrown, or on turn 5.   One comes on one flank and one on the other, their exact point fo entry being 2-3' from the corner along the back edge on a 1, 2-3' from the corner of the side edge on a  6 and proportionally in between otherwise.
Dale, Mike & Dylan commanded the Romans and Jim, Chris & Mark the Barbarians.
The Romans are on the left in traditional deployment with cavalry on the wings.  The Barbarian foot is on the hill.
Mike's foot on the Roman left blunder back at the start and got rather left behind.  His cavalry charged the infantry anyway, but bounced off.  Dale's foot has just failed to charge home on the second turn, with his cavalry covering his flank.
 The Barbarians have lost a unit on their left, but still have a reserve to fill the gap.
 Mark's cavalry has arrived on the far flank (on turn 4).  The Barbarian foot is still holding the line.
Mike scrambles to form a front facing Mark's cavalry on the far flank while Dale pulls his cavalry back to face the imminent arrival of Jim's cavalry on the left.  The Barbarian foot is giving ground, but still holding on.
Jim's cavalry has arrived but has only moved 1 move on while Mark's cavalry has failed to press on.  The left end of the Barbarian foot has counterattacked the Roman's flank left hanging by the cavalry, but Romans are tough & it's not going well.
On the far flank Mark's cavalry is doing bugger all while the centre fights for its life.
The Roman cavalry on the near flank has withstood the first charge,  but Mark's cavalry still has not attacked and the Barbarian centre has finally cracked.  With half their divisions broken out of 4 while the Romans have lost none, the Barbarians fail their Army Break & the Romans have won.
The hairy Barbarians dream of what might have been.  It was a close run thing.  The Roman cavalry on the left was down to half strength & would surely have broken if Mark had only got the command dice to charge it.   With a Roman division broken, the Barbarians would not have failed their Army Break Test with exactly half their divisions lost.  The Barbarian cavalry on the other wing would have soon cleaned up Dale's cavalry, then the Roman infantry would have been surrounded by a horde of heavy & light bow armed cavalry, and that scenario seldom ends well for the infantry.


 

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