AT LAST! Coronus Cunctator...

 ...takes the field, after months of enforced gaming abstinence - for which I apportion blame to the Chinese and BoristheBastard equally - Phil and I were ready to meet across the table here in GHQ for the resumption of friendly hostilities. In fact, like buses, games on resumption came in multiples for the next day I had fixed a game here with Jon! Two games in two days I wondered if the human frame could take the excitement? Turns out that I need not have worried...

The games featured the same Punic Wars armies and battlefield layout but were played out with differing rule sets. First Phil and I fought the game using our in house variant of Neil Thomas's Ancient and Medieval Wargames rules. On the following evening Jon and I refought parts of the battle using Hail Caesar, under Jon's more experienced guidance I should say. Rather than two AAR reports I've opted for a series of pictures which I hope give a sense of the games, starting with an overall shot of the battlefield at the onset of hostilities ~

Before battle is joined the gods of war and of victory must be implored through sacrifice to intercede and the omens must be read...

The mighty legions of Coronus Cunctator will carry the struggle to the enemy ~

Though the vast allied army of Hannibal Bicca are equally as confident of emerging from the struggle wreathed in victory ~

I should start by saying that our concensus when Phil and I ran out of time after 12 moves was a winning draw to the Carthaginians, having lost only three full units to the Republican Romans' six. We also realised that our rules as they stand would not do for this new sub period, giving very strange outcomes in the way Light Infantry and Elephants combined to bog the game down in the centre for too long. Phil will work up some of our ideas now and we will try again next month I hope. In the meantime some in action shots from the Monday game ~

Carthage attacks! Don't get too excited, it soon bogged down.

The Republican Romans' screen of Velites and Balaeric Slingers was soon under pressure.

Elephants enjoy 8 attack dice in Hand-to-Hand combat. It doesn't do your morale any good when you throw seven 1's and a 2 though!

On the Carthaginians' right opposing cavalry melees swirled back and forth, to very little effect it has to be said.

The Allied Italian Legion took a battering, loosing all its Velites and Hastatii while inexplicably the Carthaginian elephant and supporting Light Infantry just look on!

At long last the Republican Romans on the right look like making a break through, were it not for the Celtiberian warband on their flank that is!

Meanwhile the interminable cavalry melees elsewhere on the right drag on without conclusion (Note to self, Buy new Dice!)

The end of times, after twelve turns! Now on the following night, rather than fight the whole battle through again Jon opted to stage two or three actions from within the battle to fully explain the rules to me as I'm more than a novice with Hail Caesar. After two hours of one to one tuition I'm much more confident and comfortable with the basic concepts, though I did throw dice just as awful as in Monday's game, loosing each of the demonstration mini battles! Perhaps the dice gods really do hate me...⚡⚡⚡