A Pyrrhic Victory? Battle of Asculum (279 BC) at the War Room
Alex’s splendid 28mm Ancient figures saw action at the War Room on Sunday 30 November. In a loose refight of the Battle of Asculum, set in southern Italy, the Republican Romans (Brian, Trevor, Richard and I) took on the massed Greek phalangites of King Pyrrhus of Epirus (Philip, Alex, Mal and Paul). We used Hail Caesar II rules, which are based on Black Powder mechanics.
Table with figures laid out prior to player deployments
The battlefield was flat apart from a gully on the Roman right, some small hills, and points of rough ground.
The Greeks deployed with their heavy cavalry on the right flank (Philip), phalanxes in the centre (Alex and Mal), and their other infantry and some cavalry on the left (Paul). Some elephants were distributed along the battle line. A steamroller advance by the phalanxes would be supplemented by the Greek cavalry falling on the Roman left.
After consultation, the Romans refused their left flank (which Brian would hold with infantry), while the legionaries massed in the centre (Trevor and Richard), and I held the right with our light and heavy cavalry. Our plan was to hold the left and centre, and smash through on our right, to fall on the Greek rear.
Primus
As the game began, Brian soon repositioned to protect the Roman left.
Both Alex’s infantry and Philip’s cavalry advanced.
Secundus
As Richard moved up his light infantry, so did Brian against Alex. Meanwhile I advanced on Paul’s infantry with my Numidian light cavalry and dealt them two hits with javelins.
Alex soon forced Brian’s light infantry to evade, and Mal moved up in the centre. Philip formed wedges with his heavy cavalry on the Epirote right and kept advancing.
Paul now launched his light cavalry against the flank of my light cavalry. I madly chose not to evade, and lost a unit of Numidians, while the others fell back!
Tertius
I positioned my heavy cavalry to protect the Roman right flank, and tried to rally the Numidians, but failed. Paul’s light cavalry, capitalising on longer range and good dice rolling, forced back some more of my light cavalry on the Roman right.
Richard’s legionaries went in against Mal’s spearmen, a melee which was initially indecisive.
As Philip swung his cavalry around on the Epirote right, Mal’s phalanxes kept advancing, as Paul reorganised his line, and his light cavalry fired on my medium Roman cavalry. One of my medium cavalry took a casualty and had to retire 12″.
Nevertheless, Richard and Mal’s melee ended in an Epirote retreat, and the Romans continued to press on.
Quartus
I advanced with my medium Roman cavalry and pushed back some of Paul’s light cavalry.
Trevor’s Roman legionaries now attacked Alex’s phalanxes. Richard’s legionaries also pressed on against Mal’s spearmen, who were finally destroyed along with an elephant, after a break test.
Richard followed up and attacked the next Epirote unit, making a sweeping advance. Paul’s infantry lost the melee and retreated 6 inches.
Meanwhile, Brian pulled back his left to cover Trevor’s advancing centre. The Romans were winning on the centre-right of their line.
In a big melee, however, Trevor’s advancing legionaries eventually lost two units to Alex’s pikemen.
Moreover, Philip’s cavalry was now threatening Brian’s left flank…
…while Paul attacked Richard’s men from the rear with a heavy cavalry unit, and kept up the pressure on my cavalry with his light cavalry.
Trevor attacked Mal’s phalanx but lost another unit.
Richard’s infantry was slicing through Paul’s infantry like butter. After five hits, the next Greek infantry unit was forced to retreat again, and Richard followed up.
Quintus
My Numidians were still not obeying orders and languishing behind our lines. So I launched the medium Roman horse against Paul’s light cavalry, and another medium unit crossed the gully. My assault was successful, and the Greek light cavalry was destroyed.
Richard’s infantry again assaulted Paul’s infantry on the Roman right and dealt 4 hits, leading to two Greek infantry units fleeing off table. The clash between Paul’s heavy cavalry and one of Richard’s infantry continued, but the Greek left was almost broken.
Unfortunately for the Romans, our centre under Trevor was creaking under the weight of the phalanxes and being slowly pushed back. Still, Philip’s cavalry continued to move up, but had still not made any attacks. The Roman tactical plan seemed to be working.
As the centre continued to groan with massed infantry, Mal wheeled a phalanx and charged one of Richard’s infantry encroaching on the Greek rear. Was this genius or mad rules?
Paul’s super manoeuvrable light cavalry duly popped up on my flank and destroyed a medium cavalry unit. It seemed the light cavalry could never be caught and had deadly firing and close combat abilities. C’est la vie!
Back in the centre, Trevor lost another Roman unit and the line began to thin out. Nonetheless, Richard’s infantry and Mal’s phalanx fought a combat and both retired. Paul however managed to lose a Greek general after his heavy cavalry defeated Richard’s infantry in a melee. The Greeks had now lost two generals.
Still, Trevor exploited Mal’s breakaway phalanx and attacked it in the rear, and eventually destroyed it. Trevor followed up with another unit and another phalanx fell back.
Richard finally defeated Paul’s cavalry. Meanwhile Brian formed a ‘circle’ with his legionaries as Philip’s long-awaited cavalry was now incoming.
At this point the Greek left wing was effectively destroyed, with just two light cavalry units left. Half of the Greek centre had been destroyed and it was being outflanked by Richard as Brian and Trevor pinned the remaining phalanxes.
Philip now finally charged the Roman infantry of Brian, who lost the melee.
Alex also charged in with two phalanxes against Trevor on the centre-left of the Roman battle line. The result was a draw, though.
Sextus
The Romans charged in against the disorganised phalanx on the Greek centre-left, and threatened the Greek rear.
One unit of Philip’s Greek cavalry was pushed back. He attacked with two more units and eventually forced two Roman infantry units in square to retire.
But both Trevor and Brian were giving ground. Trevor attacked Mal’s phalanx but it held its ground. Still, one of Alex’s phalanxes had to turn to face a Roman attack from the rear. Even so, Alex’s phalanxes pushed back the Roman line under Brian. On the Roman right, Phil (taking over from Paul) managed to destroy the second of my medium cavalry with Greek light cavalry.
Final positions. Romans threaten Greek centre and rear.
Epilogus
After a great game, Alex adjudicated a draw. The Roman plan had essentially worked, with our right bludgeoning through the lighter infantry and cavalry of Paul, and turning Mal’s flank to attack the Greek centre from side and rear. However, our left and centre was not far from breaking, owing to the arrival of the Greek heavy cavalry and the remaining Greek phalanxes which were getting the better of Brian and Trevor’s forces. All in all a spectacular game. While the rules led to some points of discussion (the Greek light cavalry seemed overpowered and over manoeuvrable; while a wheeling phalanx seemed unlikely), Hail Caesar II are relatively fast moving and playable. In retrospect, I should have evaded with the Numidians, and while the result wasn’t catastrophic, I never managed to roll them in for the rest of the game. Splitting our cavalry into separate units would have helped to counter the Greek light cavalry.
Thanks to Rob for umpiring, lunch, and making the War Room available, the players, and to Alex for putting on an impressive game with wonderful figures.
