Epirus vs Rome - The Portable Ancient Wargame

With games between a Syracusan army against a Carthaginian one and a Roman one in the books, the Romans stayed on the table and I changed out the Syracusans for a Epirote army.  Once again, I used the army list from DBA's first edition as a basis for an army from Epirus. This method surprising creates two armies of the same SP strength, or just a point or two off, so its an easy resource to add to the Portable Ancient Wargame toolbox.

Initial positions - Epirotes on left, Romans on right.

The Epirotes of Pyrrus thus ended up with four phalangite heavy infantry units, two hoplite heavies, two light infantry units (one with bows [2SP], one with javelins [3SP]) two heavy cavalry units, a light cavalry unit, and a unit of elephants.  The Romans had the same composition as the previous game - seven heavy infantry units, two heavy cavalry, and two light infantry with javelins (the velites).

Roman hastati in front of the woods. In retrospect, heavy infantry cannot enter wooded squares in The Portable Ancient Wargame, so that unit of principes in the woods wasn't right. I really need to sit down and outline a solid random deployment system.

The random terrain and deployment wasn't too weird this time, although I redrew one of the terrain tiles because the "big woods" tile came up.

Epirotes. I painted those phlangites and elephants in 2021 so its taken way too long for them to get on the table.

Both sides spent their first turns repositioning infantry from three lines in the center into a single battle line with perhaps a reserve of a single unit. The Epirotes sent their elephants from their center to their right, to support their two units of heavy cavalry against the Roman cavalry.

Romans make first move and start deploying into a proper battle line.
20mm figures do fill up a 6x4ish table quite nicely...

The Roman infantry, however, was able to take position on the crest of the small hill first.  This gives them a slight advantage in close combat rolls which would probably prove the decisive factor in the game.

 

Roman lines are now starting to take position atop the hill (slight bonus if attacked and enemy is fighting uphill). Epirotes are lining hoplites and phlangites up across from them.

The Epriote battle line.

 

Epirote elephants. Although there are two figures this counts as one unit.

Roman legions atop the hill looking at advancing Epirotes.

Epirotes have commenced the attack on Epirote left.

The Epirotes accordingly tried to focus their efforts on the flanks - with the Roman and Epirote heavy cavalry tried up on the Roman left, the elephants could hit the Romans in the flank. At the same time, Epirote light infantry and unopposed light cavalry could try and flank/overlap the Roman right flank anchored at the corner of the hill.

Phalangites vs legionaries.

Close combat has now commenced all across the table.

As it turned out, the Roman cavalry got he better of their Epirote counterparts, the elephants failed to really disrupt the Roman flank.  On the opposite flank, the Roman simply would not budge from the crest of the hill. 

Roman hastati are attack in front by hoplites and in flank by Greek light infantry.

Still, it was hard fighting all around.  Both generals fled when the units they were respectively attached to were routed. And both sides ended up past their exhausted point, so we entered the twilight of battle with both sides unable to advance towards each other, trying to push the other side past the 50% route mark using only units already in close combat proximity or ranged weapons.

A unit of phalangites is routed on Epirote left!

 

The game-winning close combat for the Romans was delivered by the Roman cavalry against the Epirote elephants, but once again the real game winner was the Roman heavy infantry, which threw back multiple attacks by phalangite, hoplite, and light troops alike.

End of game. Three of four phalangite blocks have been routed...

Rome could not be budged from the hilltop.

I am definitely finding that light infantry deployed at the flanks of the battle line is more effective than in front of it in a traditional skrimish role.  With thier seven full units of heavy infantry, the Romans are proving really difficult to beat, athough I've often wondered if sheer numbers of heavy infantry were the real secret to Roman success, and not the pila and/or three lines in a checkerboard formation or whaever (wargamers can never seem to decide if Romans of the Republcian era should be in three lines or in a checkerboard of blocks).  The results on the table certainly seem to indicate that having more heavy infantry than anything else is the way to go!

Epirote elephants were not effective.

Up next will tbe final round robin game, with Epirotes going up against a Late Carthaginian army, so there will be elephants all around!