Western Roman (late) vs Early Anglo-Saxon

[massina_nz]

Well back again, let's see if my hard-pressed empire can repel another bunch of barbarians



I’ve played my opponent once before, but it was about six months ago, and I can’t remember the armies we played or the scale of my victory, but my opponent is itching for revenge.

Again it’s a 500 point Legions Triumphant only battle, with FOW and double moves on.

Open battlefield selected by opponent, and I’m facing the Anglo Saxons, another monotype army to face, with plenty of HF. My chief aim is to break up their lines with my skirmishers, before they hit my legionaries. I’ll also put all my Cavalry on the more open left flank, but have to watch out for lots of broken ground on my far left. Otherwise there’s not much terrain that helps me other than the plantation on my right, where I can posit my Aux, and either drag some barbarians in there, or flank the advancing horde. My general feeling is this battle will be much harder than my last AAR.

I lost the initiative. Pretty unusual, as the Anglo-Saxons won’t have many cavalry or light foot. (But they did have an inspired general)



I send both flanks forward, but the cavalry move is not really genuine, I want to drag the warriors forward and break up their ranks somehow. In a toe-to-toe battle my legionaries will eventually lose.

I tossed up whether to replace the Ave Armoured HF for Sup Protected HF with Bow. I went with the former again because although the Sup will make my troops last longer, the Armour will help me more in the first 2-3 rounds of combat. Although the bow units may have been useful against the more numerous protected HF, having a 1-in-3 chance of disordering them, they would have been useless against the Armoured nobles. And you can guess which units will lead the Anglo-Saxon charge!

The one clear advantage I probably have is that the vast majority of his troops a shock troops, so they will be prone to Anarchy (about a 40% chance because they are untrained), whilst my infantry will happily sit in an orderly line.

And if they advance I might get to use my heavy artillery. But I’ll need to rid of his pesky light foot first.

I realise that the two MF city militia units are practically useless in this battle, I better hide them somewhere. I purchased them to pump up my break point level a little bit and protect against Light horse incursions on my camp. The Anglo-Saxons have no cavalry at all. So I’m best to hide them somewhere

[massina_nz]

I move my light cavalry forward to the far right of the Anglo Saxon line. That way they won’t get their evade moves cut-off



After suffering some minor casualties from arrows, my heavies retreat. I’m hoping the enemy skirmishers will follow, and then I can spring a trap for his skirmishers.

His warbands advance slowly as my Aux and Bow take the plantation on my right.

[massina_nz]

His skirmishers aren’t drawn in, but my light horse begins to escape around his flank. Now I’ve never done this before so I don’t know how it will turn out.



My bowmen get their first shots in. But no disruptions yet. At least the Marsh in front of them will give them an extra turn of shooting before they withdraw. Even though they are protected, I still prefer to use my Aux to fight in the plantation.

[massina_nz]

Light horse continue to draws away some of the warbands. Just need to be careful my light horse doesn’t get too close to the map edge. At the moment the three light horse units are distracting eight HF units, which is a good swap. The decision is always do I go closer than 3 hexes so the light horse can let off a volley of javelins and have to evade away, or just stay at a distance and go around them.



Given I can’t suck in his skirmishers; the only plan I have at the moment is to do a left hook with my cavalry, as the light horse have managed to open up some space.

I angle my cavalry in so if his skirmishers close to shoot at my troops, I may be able to scare the skirmishers off. Also as the warbands advance (blue arrow), I may be able to swing my cavalry around behind them (orange arrow) when they leave a gap behind them.

I notice that my opposition seems to have only a single inspired commander. But I’m really unsure about how I can use that to my advantage.



Again more warbands peel off the sides, next turn my bowmen will have to retreat. As again they don’t inflict any disruptions.

It’s a bit unnerving seeing that mass of warbands approaching slowly. With only one commander they have to move at the spread of the slowest unit to keep a straight line, that’s two hexes a turn. But at least the solid block is beginning to fray at the edges.

[massina_nz]

More mucking around on the flank – this time I’m keeping >2 hexes away. My opponent must think the light horse is more of a threat than they really are. He could probably just ignore them, so this is helping me.



My cavalry have to advance to threaten his skirmishers, as they can’t just sit there and let loose at my cats



Still no disruptions, will he attempt to engage me in the plantation? The impact foot can get 2 POA against the Aux, but will lose one dice to do so, so net benefit to them.

[massina_nz]

I’m able to get behind the HF with my light horse, this time staying out of charge reach.



My cavalry withdraw, I finally realise that my mounted will have a good POA advantage against the warbands if I charge them, I just need to time it right..



Still no disruptions despite several missile volleys from my troops. I accidently send one Aux into combat .When I was doing the screen capture; I was checking the combat odds and knocked the touch pad by mistake. I get away lightly and don’t suffer a disruption, and now I have an advantage here, as he has 2 dice to my 3 (HF are very disordered when attacking into swamp), and my armour is better.

[massina_nz]

He withdraws the rest of his warbands from the plantation to leave a gap in case the HF routs (A) as it would have disordered all the units behind it if it did. I win the combat in my opponents turn but don’t induce a disruption. – Also he turns other HF to face the Aux (B), obviously doesn’t want to be outflanked.



Skirmishers continue to harass my cavalry; one has lost 17% already.



The barbarian HF rolls well in combat and I don’t, and neither for the cohesion test and I disrupt, despite having 1 POA and two more dice and a friendly unit behind me.
I then retreat my bowmen, and form my AUX so if the HF charges into the plantation, then next turn the HF would be in trouble.

Still no disrupts from all missile units.



My cavalry turn to face the skirmishers, next turn we will advance towards the warbands which are their real target, but not so they are within the HF charge range.

At the end of my move, one of my cats anarchy charges the rear of a skirmisher, and it doesn’t evade and fragments. Well I’m pretty sure the skirmisher wouldn’t have been set to “do not evade”; so maybe it didn’t evade because there were too many friendly unit in the way of its possible evade move path? Postscript: My opponent says his unit was set to the default evade option (AI choice). So I guess it didn't evade because it had too many friendly units in it's evade path - first time I've ever seen that.

[massina_nz]

Pretty static in and around the plantation.



Manage to destroy two skirmishers, but will lose the equites next turn. Because the Cats didn't disrupt their opponents they should break-off, otherwise they'd be open to a rear attack,

[massina_nz]

I disrupt one HF in the Anglo-Saxon turn, but my cat takes some damage and then breaks off.



Perfect, just what I want, the HF engage the Aux in bad terrain.



In my turn, things start to look good on my right flank as the Aux have a huge advantage, inflicting four cohesion step losses



More mixed results on my left flank, I can’t turn a disruption into anything more despite good odds with both melee and impact combats, another impact combat causes a fragment, and a disordered cat anarchies

[massina_nz]

A Cat on my left flank routs in the enemy's turn.



The barbarian horde crashes into my legionaries. I get away with mostly okay results, although I receive a fragment and one unit goes below 75%.



Finally some tangible success on my right, One Aux fragments, but two HFs are routed.



I muck up my attacks, the optimum would have been to [1] attack the fragmented HF first, then hope it routs and disrupts an adjacent unit, then [2] attack that hopefully disrupted unit. Then move the last Aux into contact with the routed unit, so it can move into melee combat with the [2] unit next turn, and avoid having to participate in impact combat, denying the impact foot it’s native advantage (2 POA for being impact foot). Well it didn’t matter anyway because my dice rolls were horrible.



I charge in my Equites Alani against the HF hoping to have a ripple effect, but combat is a draw, thankfully my Cat routs one of the other HF units which fragments another, I have to move my other other Equites Alani forward to stop a rear attack by HF on my Cats.



Combats in the centre are even despite my units generally having the better odds. I move C-in-C away from low strength Disrupted unit as it may rout next turn.

[massina_nz]

I lose that under strength-disrupted unit to rout, but other results are mixed



Only inflict a fragment in my turn, maybe next turn the HF will break and I will be able to assist my hard-pressed legionaries



I attempt to put pressure on the left of the barbarian front line, but only suck up two disrupts on my own troops, odds were roughly even, but my troops were roughly handled. Next turn the odds will be more in my favour. Ideally I’d like to roll up the barbarian line.



Cavalry start to get some favourable results. It’s great how they can break off and then charge again. My light horse has returned to the action, chasing LF.. If this flank breaks my cavalry can then swing in to help the centre.

[massina_nz]

One of my fragmented units routs when my commander evades through them. I forgot my commander was only an Equites unit, and they are nowhere as tough as the Cats and Equites Alani.



My losses increase in the centre but two HF barbarians rout – those nobles however are tough. I’m surprised my opponent isn’t placing some units in his second line to help with cohesion tests.



Finally the HF that first made contact routs



This barbarian flank begins to crumble. I advance some Limitanae to flank the units by the plantation.



On the other side of the centre my flank is crumbling. I had a chance to auto rout one of the noble untis,needed 2% but only got 1%



The Anglo-Saxon units crumble as one fragmented unit routs and carries the rest of them away with it

[massina_nz]

My left flank collapses as routs moves from combat interpenetrate with the troops behind them. My opponent has been clever, by starting the end and working inwards he can get the units to rout through their friends behind, rather than through the empty gaps.



With my centre-left now dissolving the pressure is now on to win on my right, I even throw my general in but to no avail. Although I think in my opponents turn his line will collapse



I’m able to auto-rout the nobles facing my sole unit on the left. That unit still has strength 87%, so may be able to survive another turn.



My cavalry continue to do well.



Getting close, both sides have roughly equal BPs left, although I have a greater proportion of my starting forces left able to fight.

[massina_nz]

This flank finally dissolves



As does my main battle line,



The Anglo Saxon reserves facing my cavalry should break next turn



If I survive the next turn, then I should win.

[massina_nz]

A couple more routs on the left flank - but is it enough



My other dice rolls this turn are underwhelming. I have 6 BPs left versus 4 for my opponent. It's in the lap of the gods now

[massina_nz]

Well the gods weren't kind. The Anglo Saxons loot my camp (that the milita were supposed to protect), and are successful with a rear attack. So game over, victory to the Anglo-Saxons.

I think I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory here, mid-to-late game I havd a good break point buffer, but my Legionaries and Limitanae were just rolled up very easily. Big mistake placing my weaker Limitanae on my flanks. Once the roll started I couldn't stop it.

Thus ends my very short sojourn with he Late Western Romans. Maybe I'll give the patsies (Patrician Romans) a go next.

[vitriol]

Nooooooo!!!! one of the most beatiful AAR ever seen ended with a defeat!
anyway thank you massina, I've appreciated the use of large pictures along the text and figures on them.
I look forward for the next one.
cheers
luca

[massina_nz]

Nooooooo!!!! one of the most beatiful AAR ever seen ended with a defeat!
anyway thank you massina, I've appreciated the use of large pictures along the text and figures on them.
I look forward for the next one.
cheers
luca

Okay NP. But does anyone have any particular requests for an AAR? Otherwise I'll do another one with the same army.

Glad you enjoyed the AAR BTW.

[JocaRamiro]

This was an exemplary, and much appreciated battle report.

Let it be a model and inspriration for us all.

JR

Requests? No, follow your heart.

[massina_nz]

Here's my Early Anglo Saxon DBA 28mm Army painted with Gripping Beast and Black Tree Design figures and LBM shield transfers



And here's some more close-up pics