Phil came over on Tuesday for our usual weekly tabletop battlefield run out. This week he'd requested a Hail Caesar game and we settled on a Punic Wars encounter between Coronus Cunctator and Haztrubal Bicca. It turned out to be a brisk encounter over 5 Turns in about an hour and a half. Brisk even by our standards of late! Phil took on Coronus Cunctator and yours truly Haztrubal Bicca. As you've come to expect now, a photomontage carrying you down into the action, though a rather brief offering by our usual standard ~
The view from behind the Carthaginian starting line. Haztrubal has deployed his Veteran Lybian infantry in his centre with his elephants to the fore accompanied by Light Infantry skirmishers. His Spanish are to his right and his Celtiberians to his left.
Coronus has the Legio VI and the Allied Etruscan Legion in his centre, clearly intending to push through Haztrubals centre one the Velites have dispensed with the elephant threat. His left has all his Roman cavalry screened by Cretan archers and Balieric slingers. His right has mainly Light Infantry and cavalry stiffened by a Celtic warband.
With the initiative in his hand Coronus pushes Legio VI forward to engage the elephants while his left wing skirmishes with Haztrubal's Spanish. The Etruscans don't move, perhaps intimidated by all the pachyderns.
Despite the Etruscan's lethargy Legio VI press confidently forward to close with the enemy. Surely the Velites will make short work of those lumbering beasts and their supports?
On Coronus's left the Roman cavalry drive back their Spanish foe causing much disorder in the accompanying Infantry. This is compounded by the fire of his slingers and archers.
The elephants stamp all over the Velites and crash into the Principes. A short and bloody fight transpires and the remnants of the Principes flee!
Amazingly on Haztrubal's right his Spanish cavalry survive the Roman's onslaught and begin to push the enemy back.
Legio VI are broken by the battle-mad elephants and the survivors flee the field! Suddenly Haztrubal senses the fates may have decided in his favour!
The Elephants are free to turn in on the flank of the embattled Etruscan Allied Legion, pinned as they are by Haztrubal's Southern Italian Allied hoplites.
On Coronus's right it has all gone to pot! The Celtiberian cavalry smash into and over his lightl Infantry skirmishers and drive back his Numidian cavalry!
It's all up for Coronus in Turn 5 as the Etruscans are first driven back and then destroyed by the hoplites supported by the Lybian veteran Infantry.
A first win for Haztrubal and the Carthaginian army since they were brought into being during Lockdown. The game was short and brutal, for which I must truthfully praise the 'dice gods who smote Phil's dice most delightfully!!!! Still great fun followed by a bacon sarni, coffee and fruit cake. After all, we all surely remember the old maxim: an army marches on its stomach!!!
