Mons Graupius 83AD-refight.

I have been fighting the battle of Mons Graupius,83AD over the past few days,and it has been tremendous!-I have been wargaming for nearly 50 years now,and during that time I have had some great games-this ranks among them(even though it was played solo!)
I opted to be the Roman general Agricola,and issued orders to the troops under my command,as per the actual battle,ie. only the Auxiliary infantry and cavalry were to get involved,the cavalry had a specific role to play,and that was to nullify the opposition chariots and cavalry,then push into the flanks of the Caledonians-simple,and it worked!! The Caledonian orders were very simple-attack the Roman line!-chariots were to lead,supported by the clumps of cavalry,then the tribes would advance and finish what the others had started-oh yeah????(an out-flanking move would be made once the fight had begun in earnest!)

The chariots(said by Tacitus to be scythed!) begin their ill-fated move against the Roman line.

Top photo shows the chariots skirmishing with the auxiliaries-they all came off worse! bottom photo shows the Roman right flank cavalry moving to threaten the tribes as they advance-the Caledonian cavalry are no match for the Romans and are driven off!
In the background you can see the tribes moving towards the Roman line.

On the Roman left flank,the cavalry are inexplicably beaten by the Caledonian cavalry!!(could it be down to some horrible dice throwing by the Roman commander?oh that's me!!!) luckily the reserve cavalry are stationed here to save the day!

The Roman line has charged,the chariots have decided to give ground ie. evade the charge,and have "bumped" into the advancing tribes-chaos ensued!!! and the Roman commander had a chuckle-no Brian that's not a little hen!-the Roman cavalry are following orders and are pushing into the Caledonian flank.

CHAOS!!!-now it's time for a push against the tribes before they can restore order.

The Batavian and Tungrian auxiliary infantry are pushing the tribes back up the slopes,whilst the Legions just wait for an opportunity to get involved!

Top photo shows the right flank tussle(chariots are fleeing!) bottom shows the out-flanking move by the tribes being thwarted by the Roman cavalry and reserve cavalry!-8 of the 10 cohorts of auxiliaries are doing magnificently-however Black and Blue(aptly named!) aren't, and are being pushed back,breaking the Roman line-should the Legions get involved?

Top photo shows the tribes on the point of collapse-bottom shows the only success-Black and Blue being beaten and an ugly hole appearing in the line!

Oh the shame of it!-it's back to the melting pot for you my lads!!-however help was at hand and cohorts from the 2nd and 20th Legions lent a hand and stabilised the position-hurrah!

Top photo,legions advancing to save the day,bottom photo showing general retreat by the Caledonians.
I thoroughly enjoyed playing this game,although moving two large armies was a bit of a struggle at times(my board is 10x6!)-the orders,as per the day,worked well,as did the tactical ability and fighting qualities of the troops-highly recommended!!
I have been "re-visiting" my WW2 planes,so watch this space!