the first thing you'll note is that due to a small misunderstanding then Roman troops and regiments are the same size as Celtic hordes. Did that have something to do with the Celtic loss? Nha.....that would be a sore loser grasping at straws, wouldn't it be? And that's not what I am (or am I.....)
Actually, having written to the other two players asking if I'd made any mistakes, it turns out it was the OTHER way round - my Celts were based as regiments rather than hordes, which did of course make them MORE manoeuvrable.
So I guess I was at an advantage, not the underdog. But these are such minor details
:)
On the board were seven tokens (green) which represent the objectives to be held at game's end if that was the victory condition rolled. As you well know in KoW you don't know whether you're playing for slaughter or objectives till the very end of the game, making it a deep tactical consideration how deeply you want to commit to either facet of the engangement
The Celtic battlelines
1/72 scale beautifully painted archer troop, chariot regiment, infantry hordes
More Hordes, more archers and skirmishers, a clan lord, some light cav
The full army arrayed ready to give the invading Romans the beating they deserve
The Cavalry heavy Roman army looks VASTLY larger than it should as its troops are based as regiments, and behaved as such, and their regiments as hordes - but let's move on from these little details of "little" consequence....
Lots of regulars, three blocks in fact protected by skirmishers who would make and amazing impact on the game
The Roman center, the General, their initial deployment being a strong corner and denied flank arrangement
Romans move forth spreading their four regiments (which should have been troops!) in a fan manouver while the cavalry moves out one flank and archers and skirmishers cover the advance
What do Celts do? They move forth of course! Terrain affecting their unity, they spread out into three spears to effect three flank combat zones
Celtic Cavalry on one flank manoeuvre to charge the heavy Roman flank in both the flank and front.
The Chariots smash into a Roman block and find themselves drawn into the same deadly trick
The Chariots hold the high ground forcing the Romans to spread to protect their flanks
The battles in the center are furious beyond belief for both sides. A total back and forth bloodbath
Here the question raised...had the Romans been troops (as they were paid for) instead of regiments (as which they rolled and acted and whose area they covered) how long would this all have gone on for?
The Celts own the battlefield destroying all but one Roman troop/regiment BUT leaving the skirmishers to roam the battlefield and carry on putting hits and forcing Nerve tests
So in conclusion, the Romans won. Despite the Celts having obliterated the Roman forces, their skirmishers managed two turns of nerve test causing little wounds which forced the Celts to leave the board.
A fantastic battle, which I would love to play again with the Romans rolling, testing nerve and having the right base sizes for their troop cost, and I learned a very valuable lesson indeed - in Kings of War even a SINGLE little wound, insignificant as it may appear, causes Nerve tests. And THAT's how you win battles in KoW.
Thanks Ben for a great game, and Tom for once more supplying all the terrain and miniatures.
Thank YOU for stopping by and reading
May your dice roll high!
Steven
