The Battle of Trebia, Rome vs. Hannibal
Aug 2, 2020 10:08:19 GMT
gregorius, nangwaya, and 1 more like this
Post by diades on Aug 2, 2020 10:08:19 GMT
I, Tiberius Sempronius Longus, would teach this Carthaginian a lesson. I took Malta from their comrades after all. Scipio foolishly lost at Ticinus to Hannibal emerging from the Alps, but that was just a cavalry skirmish. Roman heavy infantry will win out. I will take him by the Trebia, West of Placentia.
My army is formed up with the outskirts of Placentia (hamlet) to my left. Velites out front, hastati in a row, flanked by more velites. Principes behind them flanked by equites and finally the triarii, flanked by my own noble cavalry.
Ahead to our left is a large boggy area, with enclosures beyond; to the right, open plains.
Hannibal declares his hand...a line of Poeni spearmen emerges with the bog to their right. Spanish scutati flank them in the bog with caetrati and slingers right. On the left, deep ranked Gallic warriors and elephants. Behind Hannibal and more cavalry. Numidian light horse lurk behind the bog.
I take time to extend my line. My Principes add to the left of my line and all wheel to the right, to prevent Hannibal's left outflanking us. One unit of velites moves right to counter the elephants, whilst the other unit scouts towards the bog with the equites.
Hannibal extends his left wider with cavalry as his line advances and fills the space on the right of his spear himself. Meanwhile his lighter troops move right to counter my scouts, who back off.
I split my triarii, one heads right and one left. I join my line in readiness to crush the Gauls. My scouts out left sense their counterparts have over reached and charge home for first contact. My equites are pushed back by the scutati, leaving the velites exposed. The Numidians spring the trap and my left is outnumbered. Hannibal moves across to exploit the advantage. Thankfully all of my troops hold firm and I send a unit of triarii and two of principes to bring balance. The battle now has two fronts.
On my right, Hannibal extends his line by reducing the Gallic frontage, whilst I squeeze triarii into the line and advance principes outside the enemy left.
On the left, the Numidians cause trouble and I lose velites and soon after equites too. Hannibal himself is forced into the bog by triarii.
Everything fragments for a while. I am forced to move over to my left wing to prevent a disaster. Fighting continues intensely with the Carthaginians in front of the bog, whilst the main lines on my right continue to juggle position for advantage.
I ride down enemy slingers, Hannibal flees through the bog and the lines on my right finally clash. So much pushing and pursuing, the lines quickly break up. Elephants are flanked, but escape. Finally the hastati destroy enemy poeni spearmen. The victors aid me as I return against more stranded enemy spear, but they prove strong and we are pushed back, just as the Gauls defeat hastati. The victorious Gauls now surround the previously victorious hastati. Meanwhile the Numidians also flee through the bog and the scutati are destroyed.
The fight is in the balance (3-3). The decisive hold is the enemy spear against me when my hastati have their flank, as the Gauls and spearmen combine to destroy the hastati. Victory for Hannibal and we must retire to Placentia.
As all bar one of our lockdown games reported here have been via Skype, they may be slower than usual. They all use maximum board size. This was two hours of fun. Only twelve elements each, but by imagining Sempronius vs Hannibal at Trebia, it felt like an historic reenactment, even with Mago springing on the Roman left ( the light horse emerging from between bog and enclosure). Hannibal had a total of seven PIPs in his first five bounds, which, along with the boggy terrain, allowed me to deploy my compact initial formation well. I think I struck too soon on the left, I had higher hopes I had the right better set up earlier on, but could not close. Interesting seeing Hannibal as Cavalry flee a full 4Bw through boggy, given that he started in good going and the Numidian Light Horse following suit soon after. Both then popped out the other side and shored up the Carthaginian right before the game was done!
My army is formed up with the outskirts of Placentia (hamlet) to my left. Velites out front, hastati in a row, flanked by more velites. Principes behind them flanked by equites and finally the triarii, flanked by my own noble cavalry.
Ahead to our left is a large boggy area, with enclosures beyond; to the right, open plains.
Hannibal declares his hand...a line of Poeni spearmen emerges with the bog to their right. Spanish scutati flank them in the bog with caetrati and slingers right. On the left, deep ranked Gallic warriors and elephants. Behind Hannibal and more cavalry. Numidian light horse lurk behind the bog.
I take time to extend my line. My Principes add to the left of my line and all wheel to the right, to prevent Hannibal's left outflanking us. One unit of velites moves right to counter the elephants, whilst the other unit scouts towards the bog with the equites.
Hannibal extends his left wider with cavalry as his line advances and fills the space on the right of his spear himself. Meanwhile his lighter troops move right to counter my scouts, who back off.
I split my triarii, one heads right and one left. I join my line in readiness to crush the Gauls. My scouts out left sense their counterparts have over reached and charge home for first contact. My equites are pushed back by the scutati, leaving the velites exposed. The Numidians spring the trap and my left is outnumbered. Hannibal moves across to exploit the advantage. Thankfully all of my troops hold firm and I send a unit of triarii and two of principes to bring balance. The battle now has two fronts.
On my right, Hannibal extends his line by reducing the Gallic frontage, whilst I squeeze triarii into the line and advance principes outside the enemy left.
On the left, the Numidians cause trouble and I lose velites and soon after equites too. Hannibal himself is forced into the bog by triarii.
Everything fragments for a while. I am forced to move over to my left wing to prevent a disaster. Fighting continues intensely with the Carthaginians in front of the bog, whilst the main lines on my right continue to juggle position for advantage.
I ride down enemy slingers, Hannibal flees through the bog and the lines on my right finally clash. So much pushing and pursuing, the lines quickly break up. Elephants are flanked, but escape. Finally the hastati destroy enemy poeni spearmen. The victors aid me as I return against more stranded enemy spear, but they prove strong and we are pushed back, just as the Gauls defeat hastati. The victorious Gauls now surround the previously victorious hastati. Meanwhile the Numidians also flee through the bog and the scutati are destroyed.
The fight is in the balance (3-3). The decisive hold is the enemy spear against me when my hastati have their flank, as the Gauls and spearmen combine to destroy the hastati. Victory for Hannibal and we must retire to Placentia.
As all bar one of our lockdown games reported here have been via Skype, they may be slower than usual. They all use maximum board size. This was two hours of fun. Only twelve elements each, but by imagining Sempronius vs Hannibal at Trebia, it felt like an historic reenactment, even with Mago springing on the Roman left ( the light horse emerging from between bog and enclosure). Hannibal had a total of seven PIPs in his first five bounds, which, along with the boggy terrain, allowed me to deploy my compact initial formation well. I think I struck too soon on the left, I had higher hopes I had the right better set up earlier on, but could not close. Interesting seeing Hannibal as Cavalry flee a full 4Bw through boggy, given that he started in good going and the Numidian Light Horse following suit soon after. Both then popped out the other side and shored up the Carthaginian right before the game was done!
