Today we played Midgard again, this time using the Republican Romans against a Syracusan army, which never occured as a field battle as far as I know (The Siege of Syracuse during the second Punic War not really qualifying to me)
We were supposed to be 4, but ended as a 3, Phil got the Syracusans, while Lawrence and I had the Romans.
The Deployment...from the Syracusan side.
I deployed on the Roman right, with Roman and Allied cavalry, plus some Leves.
In the centre were the Legions...Lawrence had some Leves further out on our left.
So on to the Syracusans...
On the left the vaunted Syracusan cavalry and some Tarentines, supported by some archers and Campanian Hoplites.
The rest of their truncated line was Hoplites, with 2 units of Thracian Peltasts.
The Syracusan cavalry began by advancing.
...as did the rest of their line...
...with their light troops ahead.
I moved my Leves to engage the Greek archers.
These were driven back by a unit of Syracusans.
A unit of my Hastati chased off the archers but was unlucky to be damaged by the Thracian Peltasts. Phil got 3 hit on 4 dice!!!
As Lawrence sent his Leves forward, the Thracians there drove them back too!
My Cavalry charged the Syracusan unit which had charged my Leves, i hoped to destroy them before they could be reinforced...
The Roman cavalry failed!
The entire of Lawrence's advance was being held up by those Thracians and a unit of Mercenary Hoplites.
One of my Hastati units advanced, driving the Thracians to the Syracusan rear, but where were the others? failing their movement dice of course!!!
My Principes managed to catch the Greek archers and routed them.
The Leves finally managed to damage the Thracians, and drove them back.
I managed to take the damage off my Allied cavalry, I hoped this would give them a fighting chance?
Nope, the Tarentines charged and defeated them completely!
My Principes had come to support their Hastati, but the Hastati were broken too!
The second Hastati unit was broken by the Campanian Hoplites!
In desperation, I charged my Leves into the damaged Syracusan horse, and broke them!
The Roman cavalry and the second Syracusan horse unit destroyed each other! This left both Heroes glowering at each other!
The Tarentine Light Horse now charged my Triarii! They did well too, and killed my Hero!
My second Principes broke a Hoplite unit - at last!
On Lawrence's wing, the cursed Thracians routed one of his Leve units.
With Hoplites to spare, Phil routed the Triarii.
The 2 isolated heroes fought a single combat, I should have won, being a Minor Hero against his Champion, but he won! fortunately the winner died too!
At the end of this turn, Phil had +8 Rep, against our -5!
My wing was destroyed!
Lawrence had been slowed by his own (and the enemy's) light infantry, and couldn't make the headway he wanted.
An overview at game end!!!
A Total disaster for Rome! - Phil made a rather good Timoleon!!!
