Rome vs Syracuse - The Portable Ancient Wargame

Having played the first round-robin ancients game (Syracuse beating Carthage), now it was Rome's turn to have a go against Syracuse's hoplites and catapult artillery.  I again used the DBA 1e army list for Camillan Rome to determine the make up a Roman Republic army for the Portable Ancient Wargame (the rules to which are found in Developing the Portable Wargame).

Roman heavy infantry - the team to beat, for sure.

The Romans had seven heavy infantry units, two heavy cavalry, and two light infantry with javelins (the velites).  The Syracusans had five heavy infantry hoplite units, two heavy cavalry, one light cavalry, an artillery detachment, and two light infantry units: one with slings (2SP) an one with javelins (3SP).  Terrain was again randomized and I continued to toy around with the random deployment in three lines, with all heavy infantry in the center. 

Starting positions, Syracuse on right, Rome on left.

The heavy cavalry contingents for both armies ended up on opposite flanks, with the two Roman heavy cavalry squadrons opposed by the Syracusan light cavalry, while the Syracuse heavy cavalry was unopposed.

Roman light infantry and Syracuse light infantry and cavalry skirmish on Syracusan left.

The Syracusan artillery was ineffective this time, and the Roman velites performed very well and made a mess of things on the Syracusan left.  You would think this would clear the way for the Roman heavy cavalry to do something spectacular but they were rather ineffective instead.

Syracusan hoplites looking towards the light units skirmishing in the middle ground.

Roman Velites and Syracusans skirmishers in close combat.

The Romans were then able to start moving their heavies into sweep aside Syracusan light infantry. The Greek heavy cavalry, even unopposed by Roman cavalry, was not able to make effective attacks against the Roman right flank.

The Syracusan infantry line looks in better formation, but the Romans are making short work of the Syracusan lights, and the Syracusan cavalry to the left is not making headway.

Syracusan lights against Roman hastati and principes.

At last, the heavy infantry lines make contact...

Hastati flank the Syracusan left.

The hoplites of Syracuse are underwhelming.  The more numerous Romans start overlapping the ends of the Syracuse line and attacking hoplites in the flanks...

A big scrum.

Loses pile up for both sides, but Syracuse takes the worse of it, and the Roman's Italian allies anchoring the Roman left route a unit of hoplites to push Syracuse past 50% losses and give the Romans' the victory.

End of game. Syracuse right is quite disarrayed. Italian allies on left side have just dispatched a unit of hoplites.

Romans are tough to beat, the sheer number of heavy infantry tending to be resilient enough to make advantages in enemy light infantry or cavalry numbers moot.

A victorious Roman general surveys the field.

If I wanted to adhere more closely to the DBA 1e lists, the Syracusans could actually take another unit of hoplites and forget about the artillery. Unfortunately I do not have another unit of Greek-ish hoplites, so no such luck.  I do have a box of Mithridatic Heavy Infantry which should do the trick. Maybe the rematch would play out a bit different.  

Next up is Epirus vs. Rome. My Epirote army uses a lot of the same units as Syracuse, just phalangites and elephants added in place of some of the hoplites and artillery.