Belisarius tests innovation against the Gepids
Jun 21, 2020 13:35:27 GMT
Baldie, nangwaya, and 1 more like this
Post by diades on Jun 21, 2020 13:35:27 GMT
It has been nearly two hundred years since a Roman army has defeated a Persian one. We have lost much of Italy. My Emperor Justin remains strong in Constantinople. Our treasuries and populace will no longer sustain our mighty infantry of history and our fiercest enemies are masters of horse. I have therefore trained a bandon of my own elite cavalry to fight with plombos, lance, sword and bow. We have drilled hard and the Emperor has funded a second unit. We have leave in this the year of our Lord 525 to test our mettle and effectiveness against Mundus of the gepids and have crossed the Danube to seek him. We have drawn him to a field of our choosing.
To our right, a gentle hill, perhaps an ancient kurgan. To our front in the centre of the field a small wood and away to our rear left an edifice, a ruin from greater times. I have deployed our troops in a tight block facing to advance to leave the wood to our right. In the front our Psiloi flanked either side by our allied light cavalry. Behind the Psiloi we have two units of scutatoi. A short way behind our two units of boukellaroi, ready to be tested, flanked by more allied light horse.
Mundus chooses to mirror our deployment. He will advance around the other side of the wood. His battleline of spearmen to the fore, his noble lancers behind. His archers prepare to enter the wood.
I wheel my formation to the right to have the wood central in our line of advance and send more light horse forward to extend each side of our line. Mundus advances his spearmen and his archers occupy the woods.
Time for tactics, the gepids invariably charge straight in anyway! My Psiloi advance to neutralise the enemy archers, my left wing allied horse race wide left to set Mundus a problem, whilst my right allied horse advance towards the outer enemy spearmen, leaving room for our boukellaroi to advance between them and our Psiloi. Mundus takes the bait on his right diverting his reserve archers and the bulk of his lancers to deal with my advanced left flank. I bring my forces into line ready to charge the waiting spear. Mundus realises his error and diverts some of his lancers towards his left flank, but they have a long way to go.
We charge home with lance in shock mode against the enemy spear, whilst our allied cavalry stay wide to protect us from enemy lancers and our Psiloi advance onto the woods, but out of contact with the enemy archers. My own bandon prove too much for the gepids afore them who disintegrate and scramble through the unit supporting them. Our other boukellaroi to my left force their opponents back as do our allies on my right.
Lancers line up wide on the gepid left, but still too far back and we charge home again.
Once more the enemy Spears are no match for our discipline and break, with such effect that so too does the unit facing my allies to my right. The unit facing the boukellaroi on my left are more resolute and retire once again, perhaps strengthened by the proximity of the woods and their archers.
Mundus is undone! He tries to rally his lancers back from his right to shore up the gap, but they are too far away. His reserve archers advance to threaten my left mounted. For the third time we charge forward and this time the boukellaroi on my left destroy their opponents. With the entire infantry middle class of his army destroyed, Mundus sues for peace. Belisarius, my name, will become known! We meet and the post engagement analysis begins.
It turns out that both generals started the game fearing they were the weakest force. Mundus had four knights, four warband and four Psiloi. Belisarius had two cavalry, six light horse, two blades and two Psiloi. The terrain choice was a big factor. Your thoughts?
To our right, a gentle hill, perhaps an ancient kurgan. To our front in the centre of the field a small wood and away to our rear left an edifice, a ruin from greater times. I have deployed our troops in a tight block facing to advance to leave the wood to our right. In the front our Psiloi flanked either side by our allied light cavalry. Behind the Psiloi we have two units of scutatoi. A short way behind our two units of boukellaroi, ready to be tested, flanked by more allied light horse.
Mundus chooses to mirror our deployment. He will advance around the other side of the wood. His battleline of spearmen to the fore, his noble lancers behind. His archers prepare to enter the wood.
I wheel my formation to the right to have the wood central in our line of advance and send more light horse forward to extend each side of our line. Mundus advances his spearmen and his archers occupy the woods.
Time for tactics, the gepids invariably charge straight in anyway! My Psiloi advance to neutralise the enemy archers, my left wing allied horse race wide left to set Mundus a problem, whilst my right allied horse advance towards the outer enemy spearmen, leaving room for our boukellaroi to advance between them and our Psiloi. Mundus takes the bait on his right diverting his reserve archers and the bulk of his lancers to deal with my advanced left flank. I bring my forces into line ready to charge the waiting spear. Mundus realises his error and diverts some of his lancers towards his left flank, but they have a long way to go.
We charge home with lance in shock mode against the enemy spear, whilst our allied cavalry stay wide to protect us from enemy lancers and our Psiloi advance onto the woods, but out of contact with the enemy archers. My own bandon prove too much for the gepids afore them who disintegrate and scramble through the unit supporting them. Our other boukellaroi to my left force their opponents back as do our allies on my right.
Lancers line up wide on the gepid left, but still too far back and we charge home again.
Once more the enemy Spears are no match for our discipline and break, with such effect that so too does the unit facing my allies to my right. The unit facing the boukellaroi on my left are more resolute and retire once again, perhaps strengthened by the proximity of the woods and their archers.
Mundus is undone! He tries to rally his lancers back from his right to shore up the gap, but they are too far away. His reserve archers advance to threaten my left mounted. For the third time we charge forward and this time the boukellaroi on my left destroy their opponents. With the entire infantry middle class of his army destroyed, Mundus sues for peace. Belisarius, my name, will become known! We meet and the post engagement analysis begins.
It turns out that both generals started the game fearing they were the weakest force. Mundus had four knights, four warband and four Psiloi. Belisarius had two cavalry, six light horse, two blades and two Psiloi. The terrain choice was a big factor. Your thoughts?
