Second Coronea with Legion II

[Justin Swanton]

This is the second game I've played with Phil Sabin via Zoom and Cyberboard. Phil puts up Cyberboard on the screen and I tell him which hexes to my move counters to. We each throw a die for our combats during our turn. It works well.

Legion II simplifies much of the original Legion but still produces a nuanced game. Legion has always been my favourite Ancients system since it reduces the vagaries of dice rolls to a minimum and encourages historical tactics. In this game I made a huge blunder deploying my line too long and putting my Theban veterans on the right flank where they were too far from the Spartans to take part in the battle until it was largely over.

Here are the OBs:

Allies: 6 Veteran Heavy Infantry (Hoplites), 12 Average Heavy Infantry (Hoplites), 1 Average Light Infantry, 4 Average Medium Cavalry.
Veterans have a panic threshold of 38, Others 12.

Spartans: 6 Veteran Heavy Infantry (Hoplites) + Average Leader (Agesilaus), 9 Average Heavy Infantry (Hoplites), 1 Average Medium Infantry, 2 Average Light Infantry, 4 Average Medium Cavalry, 3 Unfortified Baggage.
Veterans have a panic threshold of 40, Others 12.

Armies march onto the battlefield via a deployment hex on the player's board edge and deploy into line or whatever the player wants. There is a hill on the right but otherwise no terrain features.

Turn 1. Both armies start marching onto the field. Cavalry move 5 hexes, Light Infantry (LI) and Medium Infantry (MI) move 3 hexes, and Heavy Infantry (HI) move 2 hexes. This means there isn't the room to deploy the entire army in the first turn. It takes about 2 - 3 turns to get everybody onto the battlefield. Thebes (yours truly) are the dark counters at the top, and Sparta (Phil) the light counters at the bottom.




Turn 2. Most of the troops are now deployed. Thebes starts shaking out a line. Some hoplites units are doubled up - 2 counters per hex - which improves their combat performance but makes for fewer units.




Turn 3. Everyone has turned up for the big event. Thebes continues shaking out a line whilst Sparta starts migrating its infantry towards its right. Spartan cavalry engage Theban cavalry on the left, killing one Theban cavalry unit. But it's early days yet.




Turn 4. The surviving Theban cavalry on the Theban right flank pulls back, and the Theban infantry are sent in to drive the Spartan cavalry back. This is a mistake. The Theban commander isn't paying attention to the fact that the Spartan infantry - including all its veterans - are weighted on the other flank, where there are no Theban veterans to counteract them.




Turn 5. Sparta drives at the Theban left with veterans and doubled average hoplites. The initial attack causes a Theban average HI to become spent (text on unit becomes yellow). Some units like hoplites have 2 steps. A first hit costs the unit to lose a step, a second hit destroys the unit.




Turn 6. Both armies close in the centre where the fighting is furious though Thebes comes off worse. Meanwhile Thebes attempts to take control of the hill on the right which will confer a combat bonus. The Theban veterans on the left are hurrying towards the fight, but they are far away...




Turn 7. Thebes loses two HI hoplites units on her left but starts outflanking the Spartan's own left. At this point the problem of command limitations becomes apparent. Each army has a number of command points that depend on how many units are still on the battlefield. Command points are used for movement and combat, so move too many units and you won't have enough command points for all your units that are capable of fighting (2 command points per unit to attack). I couldn't move my Theban veterans this turn as my command points were needed for the combats on my centre and left. It was now that the magnitude of my blunder came home to me.




Turn 8. Sparta manages to withdraw from the left. There is more fighting along the lines which leave a big hole in the Theban centre. I need those Theban veterans!




Turn 9. The crucial tipping point is reached. I have lost so many units that my remaining average hoplites plus my light infantry and cavalry flee the field. My Theban veterans remain and have thrown themselves against the Spartan left flank in an attempt to wrest victory from the jaws of defeat.




Turn 10. Everyone moves at top speed to reorganise their lines: Sparta on the right and Thebes on the left. Thebes is determined to go down in a blaze of glory, intent on forming a giant wedge that will charge the enemy and, who knows? maybe even defeat them.




Turn 11. The two sides ready themselves for the final clash.




Turn 12. Nearly ready...




Turn 13. Chaaarge! Sparta, led by Agesilaus himself, attacks the Theban centre, causing a Theban unit to become spent. Meanwhile the Spartan cavalry get round the Theban left flank. Not looking good for Thebes.




Turn 14. The Theban left flank crumbles, but Agesilaus is under pressure from the Theban centre and is in danger of being killed, whilst his unit is spent. Can Thebes turn things around?




Turn 15. No, Thebes can't. Another Theban unit is lost in the centre and that is enough to send the survivors packing. Game over!

[gavindbm]

Given how good I find Lost Battles to be...I really must try Legion II (as I never managed to get to grips with original Legion rules)

[Justin Swanton]

The Legion II rules are available on Board Game Geek for free here. The rules section is only 3 pages long, followed by a list of historical scenarios. Very easy to get into. Enjoy!

[dwkay57]

Having armies marching on to the table does generate some interesting tactical problems - especially if the order of march is not thought out in advance.

I was surprised how much cavalry the Spartans had. I would have anticipated that a Theban army would have had more (and of a higher quality). But may be that is because I tend to think the Spartans as being too conventional in their approach.