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Sunday, 7 April 2013

Once Upon A Time In Nubia

Egypt - 100AD. Those dastardly Kushites have been raiding from the south again, so Rome sends one of its famous punitive expeditions down the Nile to punish them.

The following is a game of HOTT using historical armies - Early Imperial Romans vs Meroitic Kushite. The lists are based loosely on the DBA ones, and are as follows.

Romans

1 x Blade General
4 x Blades (Legionarii)
4 x Warband (Auxiliary Infantry)
2 x Riders (Auxiliary Cavalry)
1 x Shooter (Ballista)

(The Legion's artillery was designed to be light and portable enough to move with the troops, so in HOTT terms works better as Shooters than it does Artillery. It also solves the awkward problem of what to do with the leftover 1AP the Artillery would leave in the army.)

Meroitic Kushite

1 x Rider General
1 x Rider (Kushite Cavalry)
2 x Shooters (Royal Archers)
6 x Spears (Tribal Warriors)
1 x Behemoth (Elephants)

The Kushites defended and set up a terrain with a long ridge on one side of the board and bad going on the other half. The armies ended up fighting along the ridge with the bad going on their flanks.


The Kushite general and his cavalry. The Kushite plan was a strike against the Roman right, hoping to use the elephants to overwhelm it.


The Kushite tribal warriors and archers were to remain back and cover the stronghold.


The Roman Legionarii, ready to advance.


On their right the cavalry and the bolt-shooters. Would they be enough to halt the Kushite attack?


The Roman plan was also an attack by their left, using their auxiliary infantry to overwhelm the Kushite archers and turn the flank of the tribal warriors.


The position after the first few bounds - both sides are advancing their left flanks


The Kushites strike first. Despite the edge their general gives them, they are driven back.


The Romans attack the Kushite archers ...


... destroying some.


However the Romans are in trouble as the elephants overwhelm their bolt-shooters and turn onto the flank of the cavalry.


This has predictable results.


 However the auxiliary infantry soon finish off the last of the Kushite archers.


The legionarii advance.


But the elephants move into their rear.


The advance continues, with one group of legionarii left behind and in a lot of trouble.


Meanwhile Roman infantry advances on the village.


Legionarii in big, big trouble.


The Kushite tribal infantry were looking a little disorganised by this stage, though, as the auxiliaries swarmed all over them.


The elephants continue to pursue the Romans, and the Kushite cavalry returns to the fray as well, having finished off the last of their Roman counterparts.


The Romans fail to take the village.


The elephants attack again.


As do the Roman infantry.


But it's too late. Despite their seemingly strong position the Roman morale is wavering. Auxiliary infantry are lost attacking tribal warriors up a hill, and more legionarii fall to the elephants. With half of their elements lost, the Romans rout.


The Kushite losses - two elements of Shooters and two of Spears. All lost to the Roman Auxilia.


Roman losses - two Riders, two Blades, two Warband and a Shooter. Half of them were lost to the elephants.


The final position. There is still a solid line of Roman infantry in the centre, and their auxilia threaten the stronghold, but it's not enough.


And, yes, those are 6mm figures (Heroics & Ros) on 40mm frontages.

2 comments:

  1. Great looking game - loving the 6mm. You know there is this thing called DBA/DBMM for historical battles? ;)

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    Replies
    1. I do - tedious games, both of them. Why bother, when you have HOTT :)

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