Hello everyone,
A newbie to dbmm, I've partaken in a few games but am still getting the hang of the rules. I'm Playing at Wakefield & District Wargamers.
I present a rough battle report of the first game I've played with full involvement in start-finish.
Andrews assistance and patience throughout is much appreciated.
Andrew Parkin's newly acquired Early Imperial Romans faced off against the club stock Goths with myself at the helm.
As we were both playing with what we had available to us, and the match was put together a little last minute, we used hastily drawn up lists from book #2
Andy's Early Imperial Romans (if i recall correctly) featured;
Sub General Reg Cv (O)
10x Auxiliary Reg Aux (S)
Sub General Reg Bd (O)
12x Legionaries Reg Bd (O)
(Commanded by Nigel, whose surname I must find out!)
C-in-C Reg Cv (O)
8x Cavalry Reg Cav (O)
(Some baggage, exact details I have forgotten)
My Late Visigoths (Army list chosen based on available units, rather than historical matchup!)
Sub Gen Irr Kn (F)
10x Cavalry Irr Cv (O)
2x Baggage Irr Bg (O)
C-in-C Irr Kn(F)
12x Psiloi Irr Ps(O)
12x Spears Irr Wb (O)
2x Baggage Irr Bg (O)
Sub Gen Irr Kn (F)
10x Cavalry Irr Kn (F)
2x Baggage Irr Bg (O)
As a newbie, we skipped weather and stratagems, with a terrain layout giving a battlefield tile whose only defining central features were a road across the rear of the visigoths, a gentle hill just off the right flank towards the roman ranks, rough going scrub patch (SF) ('yellow leatherette patch') in front of the Roman right flank and Difficult going woodland (Wd) (Dark leatherette with trees) just obscuring the left from the visigothic perspective. Other gentle hills and woodland were close to the edges of the map, and didn't really have a bearing on the game.
Andrew rolled best for initiative and deployed his troops forward Auxilia on the Roman right flank, Legionaries central, with Nigel holding the roman cavalry left flank slightly back to protect the infantry flank whilst ensuring they were clear of any Kn (F) charge
If I recall correctly, as the Romans brought regular generals, they allocated the two flanks to average the higher command dice and allocated the lower dice to the central legionaries.
I deployed the Visigoths so C-in-C was central with the Irregular Warbands to hopefully help control their impetuous nature, flanked in the central command by Irr Ps (O). The warbands 3 deep, so any front rank destruction wouldn't lose second rank bonus'.
On the Goths left flank, facing auxilia and rough going, Irr Cv (O) arrayed, 2 ranks deep so as to avoid the woods if possible.
On the Goths right flank, Irr Kn (F) arrayed against the Roman cavalry with the intention of controlling them in a head on clash.
1
Andrews opening move rolled an average 2x 4 and a 2, which, alongside his reg generals & reg troop bonus, allowed him to move forward significantly. The auxilia and legionaries lined up in battle line, with 3 units of auxilia splitting into the woods for a potential future maneuver, and Nigel's cavalry staying out of charge range whilst splitting to provide effective flank support.
In return, having rolled 3,5,3 (left to right) I mostly did nothing, sending out a screening force of psiloi with the intention of breaking up the enemies line before a warband rush, and slightly expanding my Cv(O) to hit the left flank, particularly where the Ps(O) die.
Critically, I had no intention of being drawn into the rough going.
2
Andrews avg.3 and 2 rolls let him push forward, happily (for me)out of the rough, with his cavalry and 3x legionaries forming a flanking edge whilst staying back from my Kn(F)
With a roll of ?, 4 and 6, I spend no points on my left command, slamming the Cv (O) forward behind my Ps(O), with my warband suring towards the fight.
The flanking Kn(F) move forward to just a few paces outside charge distance, and split under my hope to kill the flank protection and move into a flanking position.
2 Combat
Rolling poorly, my Irr Ps(O) have a unit spent and a loss in first contact against the legionaries and auxilia, respectively, with 2 more pushed back, and one unit of Irr Cav (O) repulsed.
3
Andrew surges his legionaries forwards, keeping a handful in reserve, he maneuvers some of his auxilia in the woods into my Irr Cav(O) flank, it's not looking good for me.
Nigel pulls the Roman C-in-C back from the potential pin zone behind his Reg Cav (O), mand moves the flanking unit back towards the main body of cavalry, expecting my splinter unit to overlap & overpower it alone.
Combat
My far left unit of Irr Cav(O) is destroyed, with some others pushed back, but critically I land a kill on the Aux and some pushbacks. My left flank Ps suffers 2 pushbacks and a loss (might have been a spent, can;t remember!), the right flank Ps 2 spent's and a pushback.
My warbands suffer a loss and 2 pushbacks, with 2 stalemates.
At 0.5 ME each, I'm not worried about a rout... just a loss of fighting units!
Rolling 2,4,6 I split my Kn(F) into 3, bringing 3 units against a legionary unit to the center, and swinging my right flank back at the flank of the Roman line.
Warbands press forward impetuously, whilst my C-in-C Irr Kn(F) moves back and around to hopefully fill a gap whose second enemy rank is a sub general. A unit of previously pushed back Ps moves back slightly out of the pin with the idea of circling around later
Combat
Stalemates on the left flank, 3 of my warbands are pushed back, with the fourth, having already lost its front rank, having a surprise win and following up. Right flank Ps suffer a spent and a pushback, and my Kn(F) being pushed back by the legionaries.
4 (some missed images here, so a rough memory is all i can go off of!)
Nigel brings his far flank support further back to cover his main cav line flank with his TZ, whilst supporting Andrews legionaries in combat.
Andrew moves his auxiliaries forwards, the remaining one in the woods to its edge to support his filthy flanking, and slides his legionary sub-general across to fill gaps in the legionary line.
I lose 2 units of Irr Cv (O) in the Auxilia fight, with another pushed back. My warbands take front rank losses across the board, and the cavalry he charged forward strikes a blow, killing on of my units of Kn(F)
Rolling a 4,2,4, I move my left flank sub-general around to change the nature of the flanking maneuver, I surge my Cav(O) forwards and reposition the withdrawn unit of Ps(O) on the left flank of my infantry centre.
My warbands surge forward, with my C-in-C Irr Kn(F) getting stuck in whilst overlapping the legionary sub general. I push both sides of the Irr Kn(F) force on the right flank towards the enemy, with Andrew getting ever more confident of his win. I was warned not to push my C-in-C forward, but in my opinion, if you don't use it you lose it.
Combat proved better for me, my left sub general Irr Kn(F) eliminating the Reg Aux(O) in his match, with my Irr Cav (O) flank drawing stalemate or pushing back the rest of the auxiliary flank.
My warbands suffered a loss and 2 pushbacks to one win, with my C-in-C pushed back, with Ps on the left drawing stalemate and Ps on the right being pushed back.
The Irr Kn(F) drew stalemate against the legionaries whilst destroying the Reg Cv(o) on the right flank.
5
Andrew, confident in victory, drew his auxilia and sub-general into line, swung a unit of legionaries into the flank of my healthiest warband for a double rank massacre, and brought a unit of his reserve legionaries to support his flank legionaries dealing with my Kn(F) into an instant kill position.Nigel brought up his main cavalry line, splitting of an element to assist on the flank fight with the Roman C-in-C in close order.
Combat
Against my Irr Cv(O), Andrews Reg Aux(O) overlapped by my SubGeneral pushes back and is followed up, the right side of my left flank cavalry body pushes back the Auxilia it is in contact with, my helthy warband loses 2 whole ranks in the aforementioned massacre, my Kn(F) surrounded by legionaries is destroyed and my Kn(F) on the right flank fighting Cv(O) comes up stalemate. The end is nigh, it's closing on 22:00 (having told my wife w/ 4wk old baby I'd be home by 2130 latest), and we all know the Romans have won, the question is by how much.
Duncan
I move my Irr Cv(O) line up across the board to overlapping and contracting positions, the few psiloi pulled from the fight on the left re-engage with some legionaries, freeing up the single rank of warband from fatal flanking, with the rest of my warband, C-in-C and Ps surging forward. My Irr Kn(F) line moves into contact in a thunderous charge, with the subgeneral moving round to flank.
Combat
WOW.
On the left flank, one of my Irr Cv(O) repulsed, and another in stalemate... but alongside that, a pushback and a kill on the auxilia sub general!
In the center, a psiloi pushed back and a stalemate on the left, my weakened warbands suffering 2 pushbacks but inflicting 2 kills on the higher ME point (comparatively) legionaries. My C-in-C smashes through their line with a kill, and my Psiloi on the right are pushed back.
On the far right flank, a unit of Irr Kn(F) is lost, but it is of no consequence to me. My main Irr Kn (F) charge of 4 units into the Roman Irr Cv(O) has succeeded. 4 combats, 4 kills.
The Left is disheartened, the right broken, the center broken too (if I recall correctly).
The Romans flee the field.
The Goths have won.
A surprise ending!
Thanks for reading!
