15mm Second battle.

These solo games with my 15mm Roman and Gallic armies are getting better and better and,dare I say it, more sophisticated and realistic.Over the week-end I fought what I thought would be a fairly straightforward game with the Romans attacking a Gallic stronghold,defended by the Allobroges tribe-was I wrong!!

To make life more exciting I "hid" Gallic infantry and cavalry in the hills,using a simple system of 5 bits of paper(one for each hill) with 3 of them having Gauls on them and 2 with no troops-so I didn't know where the Gauls would be until the hills were investigated by my cavalry and Aux. infantry.

This is the terrain I fought over,with the town at the top.All hills are marked ABCDE.

I "shuffled" the bits of paper,and allocated one to each hill,and the game started.

Top photo shows the view from the Town,bottom shows the Legion in testudo formation,whilst the Aux. troops on each flank investigate the hills!!-so far so good.

Aaaarh!-6 warbands swept down from hill E,whooping and hollering-but were met with stout resolve by the Aux. troops,who gave them a right old thrashing,and moved onto hill D-also alive with Gauls-and after an heroic struggle beat them too! The left flank Auxiliairies had nothing to do as both hills A and B were devoid of Gauls!!-The legion was advancing steadfastly until they were level with hillC,and then they were attacked,and forced into a defensive formation,again,with the help of the Auxiliaries on the right, a massive melee developed........

Top photo shows the legion about to march past hill C,bottom shows the Gauls "exposing" themselves (ooh er!) and the legion and Aux. troops preparing to fight them off!

The melee is developing into an all consuming "brawl" which the Gauls were winning-they were probably on the same pills as Robbie Roddis!!-the legion was taking lots of casualties,which Crustinuts(the Roman commander) didn't want at this stage in the campaign.However flank pressure from the Aux. troops began to tell,and the Gauls were now suffering casualties which Spandex (the Gallic commander) couldn't take if he was to defend his town-so both Commanders decided to sound the re-call,and retire (it's good being retired!) to their respective camps(which the Romans have built,large enough to contain all their remaining troops!)Note that the Legion is now out of testudo formation!

As the Romans retired(aw, shut up!!) they were screened by the LF Aux troops who kept up an "arrow storm" to keep the Gauls from coming over the walls and attacking their rear.

All was now set for a second battle,the next day-watch this space!!!