Enemies of Rome: Dacians finished!

87 CE: The Dacian general Decebalus marches to take up a defensive position at the 'Iron Gates of Transylvania' – a pass between the Ţarcului and Poiana Ruscă Mountains.

Somewhere north of Hadrian's Wall, c.300 CE

Picts (II/68 a) vs. Middle Imperial Romans (II/64 a)

It was late Saturday night, I couldn't get into painting, so instead I tried my first DBA game using the latest Solo DBA variant. I have played many solo games over the years, but not with the benefit of this rules variant.

The Romans rolled the lowest aggression score (becoming the non-player general (NPG)) so I styled this encounter as a Pictish raid on the Roman frontier.

For the purposes of this description I assume the Picts are deploying to the north of the battlefield and the Romans to the south. The random terrain placement rules saw a north-south road running along the eastern edge of the battlefield pass through a fortified Pictish village and woods. A steep hill was the centre of the Roman deployment zone.

NPG deployment resulted in a placement that looked like the Romans were leaving their marching camp in columns with cavalry (2 x 3Cv inc. gen.) and light horse (1 x 2LH) to the west (with the general), auxiliaries (3 x 4Ax) marching over a steep hill in the centre, legionaries (4 x 4Bd) and bows (1 x 4Bw) in a reserve column behind the centre and ballistas (1 x Art) advancing along the roadway to the east. (NB: One blade element should have been a 3Bd and the Bw I used only has two figures on base).

Initial deployment from point of view of NPG

The Roman general took a largely defensive stance forming a line of battle with his mounted troops on his left flank and moving the legionaries and bows that were in reserve up towards his centre. His auxiliaries moved quickly to occupy the woods on his right flank with support from the ballistas. Meanwhile the Picts advanced their line largely as deployed with the garrison of the BUA advancing towards the wood to restrict enemy road movement on the left flank.

With the legionaries still struggling through bad going, it fell to the auxiliaries on the Roman right to slow the Pictish advance. A Pictish warband slammed into the centre of the auxiliaries and a deep formation of spears supported by skirmishers (psiloi) attacked their right flank. Pictish spear moved up into the forest on the left to provide some support for the exposed flank of the warband. The warband was repulsed, but the spears took first blood by destroying the auxiliaries caught outside of the woods.

In the woods the Pictish spear advanced to contact with the auxiliaries that were overlapping the left flank of the warband. With its flank secure, the warband again charged forward to contact the remaining unit of auxiliary. The Pictish spears were destroyed being no match for the auxiliaries in the woods, while the warband pushed their opponents back and impetuously followed up their attack. The main Pictish line advanced with the skirmishers on the left flank contacting the Roman bows at the head of the column of legionaries – recoiling the column.

While the legionaries finally formed a line of battle in the centre, the previously repulsed bows let loose a storm of arrows that destroyed the skirmishers to their front. The auxiliaries on the Roman right flank responded by contacting the warband on its front and left flank. However the warband repulsed this assault and fiercely pursued the auxiliaries out of the woods. (Pictured below - Romans 1: Picts 2)

The Pictish centre and right advanced into close combat with the newly formed Roman line with light horse sweeping around to contact the end of the Roman left flank. On the Pictish left the warband supported by spears slammed once more into the unit of auxiliaries now in open ground, while efforts were made to secure the extreme left flank. However the beginning of the end was seen when Roman ballistas rained bolts down on the left flank of the warband causing it to recoil from contact. The Pictish chieftain and his light horse destroyed the Roman light horse on the end of the Roman's left flank but his centre collapsed with a unit each of spear and skirmishers destroyed and the remaining units repulsed.

End result Romans 2: Picts 4

Overall, I found the terrain placement, NPG deployment and tactical engines for the NPG very satisfactory. The Romans successfully played a largely defensive game with the exception of the auxiliaries rushing to grab the bad going on the Roman right – a manoeuvre acceptable for a defensive command according to the Solo DBA system. The Picts came to grief under my command largely through the poor match-ups (particularly psiloi against mounted and the spear against auxiliaries in bad going) and the rather impetuous charge to contact in the centre and right.

A very enjoyable game and one that certainly gives me great enthusiasm to explore this solo DBA system further.

2011: DBA matches so far ...

Here are the other DBA campaigns/battles so far:

1. Thutmosis III’s campaign for the Levant: a DBA piston campaign

6 battles were fought between Thutmosis III’s New Kingdom Egyptians (I/22 a) and the rebellious Syro-Canaanite (I/20 b) tribes centring on the arable lands around Gaza and Jeppa (maps 5 and 6). The Pharaoh's efforts to subdue the Levant and expand his empire resulted in a series of fierce encounters with significant losses on both sides (particularly amongst chariots and Egyptian heavy infantry). Two of the rebellious Syro-Canaanite generals we killed during these encounters (3 generals killed = victory) but the final rebel general fought the Egyptians to a stand-still. Both sides decided to withdraw and lick their wounds after 3 victories each.

2. Somewhere on the Eurasian Steppe c. 300 CE

The steppes thundered with the hooves of two mighty barbarian cavalry armies – the Sarmatians (II/26) and the Alans (II/58). As the Alan General I took 8 units of knights (8 x 3Kn) and 4 light horse (4 x 2LH). The two armies formed up in two opposing battle lines and pushed into contact. The first clash of the saw the Sarmatian line disordered with the Alan light horse taking a toll on the impetuous knights. The Sarmatians never recovered the cohesion they required to better my Alans and were defeated with 4:1 losses.

3. Khan Kubrat and the Bulgars c. 584 CE - empire postponed!

Khan Kubrat, Early Bulgars (III/14 b - technically not a historical match-up) engaged a force of Later Sarmatians (II/26) knights in hilly country on the edge of the steppe. However, when the forces clashed the Sarmatian knights presented a cohesive battle line and defeated the Bulgars who became seriously disordered on their right flank ultimately with the loss of their Khan. Losses: Sarmatians 2 / Early Bulgars 3 (inc. gen). The Bulgars would have to look to another mighty Khan to unify their kingdom.

4. Battle of Edgecote Moor, 26 July 1469

My Yorkists, led by king Edward IV, were narrowly defeated by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. Both sides struggled to deploy their forces in a battlefield confined by steep hills and woods. The Yorkist left flank (largely archers and skirmishers) sought to advance to woods on the right flank of the Lancastrian line. However, the Flemish mercenaries (pike and auxiliaries) and Neville's heavy infantry pushed back my right flank (knights and heavy infantry) inflicting heavy losses. Losses: Lancastrian 2, Yorkist 4

Middle Imperial Romans (West) vs. Later Sarmatians

A recent encounter saw me field the Middle Imperial Romans (II/64) – the first ever DBA army I put together (and they look like it!) – against the Sarmatian knights. We deployed with a road running down the centre of the board at right angles to our lines. The road bisected some woods in the centre of the battlefield. I had a steep hill on my right flank and the Sarmatians had a similar hill on their left flank.

As I advanced the Roman line (cavalry and auxiliaries on the right flank and legionaries, ballista, and light horse on the left) towards the centre of the board the Sarmatians split their force (their total force was 9 bases of knights, 1 of light horse, and 2 of skirmishers) and charged around both sides of the woods. On my right flank my auxileries took to the relative safety of the woods and my cavalry threatened the Sarmatian's weaker left flank, causing it to withdraw out of contact range.

However, two lines of knights thundered around the wood on my left causing me to hastily form a battle line with my heavy infantry (pictured). This manoeuvring took all the movement pips I had for a few turns, starving my right flank of the ability to pursue its advantage. On my left, the Sarmatians contacted the light horse on my extreme left flank driving it off and subsequently disordered my legionaries. Sarmatian skirmishers harried my ballista rendering them ineffective. From there is was a turkey shoot - with the knights decimating my disordered heavy infantry. Rome succumbed to the barbarian invaders!

Some larger pictures of my Picts

Pictish spearmen (detail)

Pictish spearmen

Scratch built Pictish Camp

DBA II/68b Pictish 500–846 CE - first viewing

At last the Picts are ready to take to the field - in fact they have fought (and lost) their first battle already!

I have yet to paint the shields but the figures are largely as I mean to use them apart from that. They have recovered from a near disaster while varnishing them when I applied the Army Painter matt varnish and they came out like they had a layer of frost over them - with much of the painting detail apparently lost.

A quick look at TMP forum and Fanaticus told me that I had sprayed them in conditions of too-high humidity. It was raining when I sprayed them on the porch and then I let them dry in the laundry with a dryer going - what was I thinking! I managed to recover them with a spray of the matt acrylic picture varnish I had always used previously - this seemed to reduced the frosting almost to nil.

This is also my first slap-dash attempt at miniature photography.

The Picts were blooded last week in an encounter with the Late Imperials Romans. I deployed with a steep hill on my left flank, another just forward of my right flank and dead ahead a gentle hill - behind which the legionaries were awaiting me. On my left flank I deployed a body of 3 x spear and 2 x psiloi on the crest of the steep hill. two light horse were positioned in the centre (with LCh general behind) ready to dash up the valleys between the hills and the right flank. The rest of the centre and right flank was made up of the remaining spear and psiloi.

The Romans pushed forward on my left flank with cavalry, knights, and light horse encouraging me to leave the spear and psiloi on the hill while the spear and psiloi on my centre/right advanced towards the gentle hill with light horse to cover their flanks. The legionaries and auxilia facing my centre and right (refused flank) would not be drawn out as I had hoped - ultimately causing me to over-extend my force on the right. Once I separated my two bodies of spear to a degree they could not be quickly reunited, the legionaries fell on me and defeated me 4-0. Many silly mistakes were made but it was an enjoyable encounter.

For my next trick I'll learn how to use photos on this blog!