10mm Fantastic Battles - Early (mythical) Macedonians vs Early Imperial (rotten roaming) Romans

This week Roger and I revisited our quasi-historical-pseudo-mythological 10mm grudge match: Early Macedonians vs Early Imperial Rome. This would be the third clash between these armies. In their first match, the Macedonians stormed to victory. The rematch saw the Romans put up more resistance, fighting the Macedonians to a bloody standstill. Once again, we mustered 1,500 point armies and fought over a standard 30x20bw table (120cmx80cm using 40mm base widths.)

The Romans deployed with three solid units of formed and drilled foot (auxiliaries, praetorians and legionaries). The centre was supported by two units of slingers, an onager battery, and some harpies. On the Roman right (top left of photo), German foot and Numidian cavalry held the flank, while on the left (top right of photo), German cavalry presented a reserved flank. A unit of minotaurs had been sent on a flank march but were driven back by a stronger enemy flanking force and redeployed behind the German cavalry. The Germans on both flanks started the battle diseased. 

The Macedonians deployed towards the middle of their deployment area, but found their line much disrupted by late and enthusiastic units. On the left, a unit of Illyrians and Herakles (a character company) took up position in the woods. Next to them were two units of hetairoi cavalry, two units of hoplites, and a large horde of unreliable levy. The levy had one job, and one job only: sit in the rough terrain and don't get outflanked! Units of skirmishing Cretan archers and Macedonian slingers and archers formed a screen out the front, while a cyclops and a company of sirens formed a mobile reserve. A camp (two companies of formed infantry with slow and shieldwall traits in tortoise formation) sat at the back bolstering the Macedonian break point. Meanwhile units of Thessalian cavalry and peltasts were on a flank march off table to the right. 

As the battle opened, the German cavalry ploughed ahead the seize control of the woods on the right of the battlefield. Their swift advance caused consternation among the Macedonian levy who suddenly felt like their flank was quite exposed. They wheeled forward to try to present their front to the woods. In the centre, the enthusiastic Cretans were bombarded by the onagers forcing the whole Macedonian line to advance. 

Behind the Roman line, the Thessalian flank march arrived swiftly, engaging the minotaurs in the rear. They were, however, frustrated as the Roman seer blinked the minotaurs forward, out of combat.

Herakles and the Illyrians made it into the woods on the Roman right flank, while the Roman onagers turned their attention to the hetairoi cavalry, devastating them with two turns of well placed indirect shooting. The Thessalian cavalry continued to pursue the blinking minoataurs, who continued to be blinked away before melee could be resolved. The Thessalian peltasts started to close with the Roman slingers who had turned back to meet the flank march.

On the Macedonian left, Herakles took on the pride of Numidia single handedly, while his Illyrian support was charged by the fiery warband of Germans. While Herakles proved suitably heroic, the Illyrians were outnumbered and outmatched and soon scattered.

In the woods on the right, Macedonian levy supported by the sirens met the German cavalry, held them, and forced them to flee. The Thessalian cavalry finally caught and routed the minotaurs, while the Thessalian peltasts fought and broke the Roman slingers.

In the centre, hoplites met with legionaries, as the Macedonians attempted to hold the slowly advancing Roman infantry. Hetairoi and harpies fought in a swirly melee with saw the pride of Macedon scatter. With the Macedonian left failing, but the right overwheling the Roman defenders, it had very much become a question of holding the centre together until one side or the other could reorganise their prevailing right wing to come to assist.

The Macedonian centre was smaller, but entirely intact. The Roman right was solid but, much of it, too far from the action trying to catch Herakles. 

Herakles destroyed the Numidians, just as the German infantry column charged into his flank, finally driving him from the field.

To try to hold back the Macedonian forces on the right of the line, the Romans summoned a large unit of expendable flaming pigs, right in the face of the Thessalian cavalry.

And then the Roman legionaries, facing hoplites to their front, and a cyclops in the flank, broke and fled, bringing the Romans just moments two companies away from their break point. The battle had run late, and the Macedonians had only lost 7/18 leaving no doubt of the battle's outcome. 

The Macedonian levy sat safe in their woods, and the sang the paean of victory!