Turning the flank - Rome vs Carthage with Optio

[Justin Swanton]

A classic game and quite short - 1 hour and 15 minutes. Have I already mentioned that Optio doesn't give long games?

Battle report here.

[Imperial Dave]

Never heard you say that before....

[dwkay57]

I'm surprised Peter didn't pin his left flank on the wooded hill and then sweep in your left flank.
Is there no provision for light horse (or foot) to evade through closer order troops?

[Justin Swanton]

I'm surprised Peter didn't pin his left flank on the wooded hill and then sweep in your left flank.

That would have been a good idea. He did have to deploy everything first though since his general had such a bad command rating. If he had deployed up to the woods on the hill I would have changed my own deployment. Lessee....he stacks all his cavalry on his right flank, ready to turn my left. So I deploy my Auxilia back in the wooded squares on my left, my skirmisher foot opposite his slingers, and my cavalry on my right flank. I then sit tight and wait for him to come to me, only advancing my legions to meet his HI and Warband at the stream (or maybe not even then). If he advances I hit his left flank with my cavalry. If he doesn't advance we call it a day and break for coke and chips. The latter option is quite historical (except the coke and chips).

Is there no provision for light horse (or foot) to evade through closer order troops?

No. Thus far all units can pass through LI and vice versa, but that's it. HI do not allow cavalry through their ranks, though historically it did sometimes happen - Republican Roman cavalry frequently passed through their own infantry to engage the enemy. I'm not sure however who could and couldn't do it, so leave it out for the sake of simplicity.

[dwkay57]

I think Peter could have worked the right sweep plan from his current deployment. Move the slingers on the left out on to the hill to provide covering fire, even sending some of the Numidians to help and distract your cavalry. The remaining Numidians would ride right to cover that flank as the Poeni infantry started to turn in. Legions would probably still break through to win the game though....

[Justin Swanton]

I think Peter could have worked the right sweep plan from his current deployment. Move the slingers on the left out on to the hill to provide covering fire, even sending some of the Numidians to help and distract your cavalry. The remaining Numidians would ride right to cover that flank as the Poeni infantry started to turn in. Legions would probably still break through to win the game though....

Now there's an idea. The Carthaginian MC on the right, under command of the general, forms column and double-moves (6 squares) to the left wing. Meanwhile the Balearic slingers move up to the hilly slope facing the Roman MC. From there they can target the Roman cav (elite slingers have a range of 3 squares). The Roman cav either pulls back out of range - at which point the slingers advance to keep them in range - or they close with the slingers.

At this point all the Carthaginian MC are behind the slingers. The Roman cav will have lost a morale interval from the missile fire by this stage so if they charge the slingers - who evade through the Carthaginian MC - they will face the Carthaginian horsemen at a disadvantage. If the Carthaginians can finish the Roman cavalry they will be able to flank charge the legions whilst the warband and Poeni infantry hit them from the front. The Roman skirmisher javelinmen are on the wrong side of the battlefield to help. It might work.

The Numidians need to also move to the left to support their MC against the Roman MC. Or to the right to pin down the auxilia and LI.