Rome vs Carthage - I get snookered big time

[Justin Swanton]

Peter really pulled a fast one on me. Battle report here.

[Jim Webster]

Interesting
I'm going to have to read the rules now to work out how it works 

[Justin Swanton]

Sure thing. I've PMed you a link to the ruleset plus a sample ref sheet.

[Imperial Dave]

Ooooooo....hoisted by thine own petard 

Great battle and report 

[Justin Swanton]

Ooooooo....hoisted by thine own petard 

Great battle and report 

Yep it was painful. But if it keeps Peter on board as a playtester I'll endure it.

[Justin Swanton]

Going over the game afterwards, I realised that the legions were a bit underpowered in missile fire. In the game they scored one missile hit per shot against the Poeni and Warband, meaning they had no chance of scoring the 4 missile hits necessary to knock off a morale interval before the Poeni and Warband closed with them.

In previous games however they would score 2 missile hits per shot against Warband, meaning they can score the 4 missile hits before contact: 2 during the Carthaginian move when the Carthaginian HI move adjacent to the legions, another 2 during their own move, and another 2 just before the Carthaginians charge them = 6 hits. With one missile hit you get only 1 + 1 + 1 = 3. Details matter.

Pila were pretty devastating against inadequately protected targets so I'm giving the legions those Warband-blasting missile hits in our next game. Let's see what Peter can devise against them.

[Imperial Dave]

I'll await the results with interest 

[dwkay57]

But were the pila general purpose missile weapons or point-of-impact volley weapons? My understanding is that they were only thrown immediately before contact as opposed to used for non-contact exchanges.

[Justin Swanton]

But were the pila general purpose missile weapons or point-of-impact volley weapons? My understanding is that they were only thrown immediately before contact as opposed to used for non-contact exchanges.

True enough. But the mid-Republican legion had velites as well who were equipped with javelins. They would have been used in a ranged, skirmishing role whilst the Hastati and Principes kept their pila for an actual charge. So it all comes out in the wash.

[Justin Swanton]

I know what Peter can do: split his slingers into 4 understrength units and use them to screen his HI as they approach the legions. They soak up all the missile fire then evade back through the Poeni and Warband as they charge the Romans.

Only problem now is that there's nothing to cover his flank. He could detach 2 units of understrength LH and use them as a cavalry guard against my Auxilia, leaving the rest to hold off my MC. Then what do I do? Problems, problems....ah! I know....

[Imperial Dave]

but shows a level of sophistication and battlefield guess work...much like the real thing