Battle Report - Gallic vs Marian Roman

After staying up all night watching the chieftains celebrate their victory over the Hebrews, I finally caught up with Nights Dark Angel(1) just as Sol was spreading his glory across the hills. A scant few minutes later, I was tipped out of the rude furs that the Gauls laughably call a bed, and woken by the boisterous Tokharix.

"To horse, to horse, brave Roman! There's mischief afoot" he sprayed into my face, with a breath strong enough to knock over my horse. I brushed some errant spittle from my beard, squinted at him, and sneezed. "By doze is blogged" I replied, "and i'b siggening for someding". Tokharix, ignoring me, shoved me into the arms of a couple of waiting slaves, who dressed me and propped me onto my horse - taking care to tie me onto the girth, as I kept slipping off to one side.

Riding south, between coughing and sneezing, I found myself knee to knee with Cassiorolus, the author of all my misfortunes in these Gods-forsaken northern lands. "Well, you're in luck, Markie!" he remarked and slapped me on the shoulder. After a brief halt to get my right-side up on my horse, we resumed travel. "We're off to the rescue of the Sugambri. It seems that Great Caesar has sent one of his legates, Binnsius Minor, to oppress them again, so we're off to help. And what luck for you - you'll get to see your countrymen routed, and meet the beauteous Su."

I blinked at him, sneezed heartily, and said "Who?"

"Su of the Sugambri - famed throughout all Gaul for her beautiful eyes, and her magnificent... endowment" he chuckled, making a sweeping gesture. "It's heretidairy" he explained, "every generation of them has a Su."

I rode on in misery, coughing and thinking longingly of a hot tisane the way Nursey used to make them, oblivious to the countryside we rode through. After a nights' brief rest, we rode through the next day, and I noticed vaguely a mighty river whose banks we followed. I croaked a brief enquiry through my aching throat, and Cassiorolus explained, 'This is the Upper Ronus, lands of the Sugambri(2) - fine lands for grapes or cattle. Metamorphix the Druid has predicted, that one day a mighty Nation will be forged here, doomed never to win a battle."

I relapsed into my misery, coughing and sneezing all the way south, til near dusk when we rode into the camp of the Sugambri. Some slaves assisted me down from my horse, and stayed beside me, holding me up, as I was introduced to the Sugambri chieftain, Tubafix, a great stout barrel of a man.

"This is my biographer, Markie, a captive Roman scribe" explained Cassiorolus. Tubafix scowled at me, then half-turned and gestured, "This is the beauteous Su" he announced to all.

"Captivating" said Cassiorolus.

"Enchanting" said Brakederox.

"Bedazzling! Such huge brown eyes!" exclaimed Tokharix.

"Id's a cow." I said, dully.

Tubafix knocked me down with a swipe of the back of his hand - not a difficult task in the state I was in. "Not just A cow, my lad!! The Holy Cow! The luck of the Sugambri rides with Su, and the fortunes of our herds flow from her." The slaves dragged me off to a pile of sleeping furs, where I gratefully passed out, suffering dreams all night of being by a cow intent on ... I'd rather not think what.

In the dawn light, the slaves got me up and dressed, in between my protests and sneezes. I stumbled over to where the chieftains were gathered, wiping my nose on a sleeping fur I'd kept hold of. They were surveying the field of battle.

"Well, the Roman camp is on the right there, and obviously they'll form up between the camp and that steep hill on the left. I doubt if they'll deploy anything between that hill and the Ronus, but I believe they have some ships patrolling the Ronus itself, so beware of a seaborne attack. I imagine they'll fill the hill with Spanish, and keep their cavalry
tucked out of the front line in reserve." Cassiorolus summed things up neatly - a most unlikely habit in such a barbarian.

I squinted at the field through streaming eyes, and decided he was right. The Ronus was a broad splash of blue covering the left flank, with woods lining its bank for half its' length. There was only a narrow plain between it and the large hill Cassiorolus mentioned, then a larger plain from the hill to the Roman fortifications.

Cassiorolus apparently had command, for he briefly issued instructions. "Right, Tokharix, you take half the infantry and all the archers - slip up through the woods as far as you can get, then launch an attack across at that steep hill. You should have enough weight of numbers to crush through, although you'll probably take some stick doing it. I'll take
the cavalry, and form up beside the woods. If the Romans try to extrude their cavalry to bother you, I can intervene: otherwise I'll guard the flank of Tubafix. Tubafix, you take the rest of the infantry, and the youths, and form the centre, facing where the Roman line will be. You should only approach slowly, wait for Tokharix to capture the hill before you throw yourself onto the Roman lines. Keep the youths out front in case they've got artillery. Brakederox, you take the chariots, and guard Tubafix's right flank. If that fort looks weakly held, you could jump off your chariots and assault it, but I doubt it'll be that 1weakly held."

The other three commanders agreed, without a murmer of dissent - a most unnatural way for Gauls to behave(3). As they assembled their forces, I watched my proud countrymen deploying, with mounting alarm. Contrary to expectations, the narrow plain between the Ronus and the hill was filling with cavalry - first some horse archers from far Commagene, then half a dozen alae of Numidian horse, and finally four alae of good Roman cavalry. Worse, while the Roman main line stretched from hill to fort, the hill itself was left ungarrisoned - Binnsius instead used his
SPaniards and Ligures to garrison the camp. There was only a small reserve of legionaries standing behind the main line, plus a long line of dishevelled-looking archers. I felt a pricking in my fingers, and decided today was not going to be a lucky day for Rome.

The Numidians started by racing forward, sweeping well wide of the woods and heading for the centre of the battlefield. However Cassiorolus showed his aptness for command (4) and brought his huge line of cavalry forward to cut them off from any further advance. At the same time, Tokharix and his infantry came boiling out of the woods, cutting off any retreat for the Numidians, and isolating them from the rest of the Roman mounted.

It was only the work of a few minutes for Cassiorolus to crush the Numidians, caught as they were, while Tokharix drove forward at the rest of the intimidaged Roman mounted. He kept his few archers on the riverbank, but the Roman galleys seemed obsessed with sailing down the whole length of the river (5).

The Roman centreline advanced a little, wheeling, then opened ranks and let the archers form up in front of them. Tubafix, looking at his warriors bereft of armour or protection from arrow storms, sent the skirmishing youths dashing ahead, while holding back the mass of his warriors. Brakederox brought his chariots up to cover the flank of these
 youths, and decided that dismounting to charge the Roman fortifications was a mugs game.

The Roman cavalry, demoralised by seeing their Numidian mercenaries wiped out, fled the field precipitately, only their general Adularis putting up any resistance. However, the COmmagene horse archers showed more backbone, skirmishing and slowing the advance of Tokharix. Nevertheless, Tokharix was able to send three columns of infantry
streaming up and over the hill.

With this threat to their rear developing, the Roman main line wheeled further forward, pivoting on their fort, while the archers crept forward too - too far forward to seek quick cover behind the Legions.
 

While the skirmishing youths whooped and charged into these anxious-looking archers (assisted by a small detachment of Brakederox' chariots), Cassiorolus gathered his cavalry again, and noticed the wide gap opening between the hill and the Legions' flank. He mustered several companies, and charged home, ably assisted by a stray company of  archers from Tokharix' command.

As the end of the legionary line started to crumble, the line of archers fell apart, no match for the whooping, cheering youths all desperate to prove their manhood. I watched in amazement as the rest of the Romans turned en masse, and ran off the field, leaving camp and baggage to the fury of the Gallic sack. A whole army shattered, and not one charge of Gallic warbands into Roman legions.

Notes:
(1) i.e. Sleep - the scribe Marcus Autus Decimus waxing poetic, to dire effect as usual
(2) Burgundy
(3) For a miracle, none of the Gallic Allied generals went unreliable !
(4) Throwing a 6 for pips first turn :)
(5) Antz was trying to get a few shots at the Hd I had on the baseline,
but when trying to sail past the island I'd put in the WW, found I'd
left a small garrison to stop him march-moving past it.

The Romans made it easy for the Gauls by exposing their weak mounted army, in a position where it couldn't be supported by their foot. Leaving the Steep Hill ungarrisoned would probably have doomed them anyway, but bringing their filler Bw(I) out meant that the Ps(S) could chop them up easily, and no need to fight the Bd at all.

I think Antz was hampered by being a naturally aggressive general trying to fight a defensive battle - all his instincts were urging him forward, often to his own detriment.