Maharajah 1996 Refight

Jim's Macedonians v. Steve's Carthaginians

We refought an old war from the CC War Records - same troops, same generals, but new rules & more interesting terrain.  The Carthaginains had the advantage of the high ground.  The Macedonians were compensated by being given 1st move.

The Carthaginans deployed conventionally with cavalry on each flank, infantry in the centre.  The Macedonians did likewise, except they put their hoplites behind the heavy cavalry on their left where a spur gave them a chance of gaining the top  of the escarpment before the enemy could stop them.

The Macedonian right was sideshow.  The Carthaginians had the numbers & eventually won, but not in time to influence the main action.

In the centre, the phalanx advanced to the foot of the hill to be met with a ferocious charge of gauls & elephants.  The LH phalanx broke on the first charge by their opposing Gauls.  The next one beat off the elephants, then took on citizens behind as did the RH one.  But the line had a big gap to the right wing cavalry & a mob of Spanish infantry was moving to outflank the phalanx.

On the Macedonian left, the Eastern horse galloped up onto the plateau & charged cavalry & Gauls, eventually clearing the flank.  The hoplites & companions followed them onto the plateau then wheeled right to attack the Carthaginan centre in flank.  The Argaraspids turned back to deal with the victorious gauls in the centre. 

The battle turned into a race - could the Carthaginians finish off the phalanx before the Madedonian left arrived to save them.  It was a close run thing, the RH phalanx broke under flank attack, but the centre one just managed to reface and hang on.  It was just 1 morale test fail off routing when the relief arrived in the form of a 3 fresh hoplites plus companions & argaraspids.  They were too much for the Carthaginians & near vicotory rapidly turned to defeat.

The 1st 4 pics are taken from behind the Macedonian right & show the battle devoloping in sequence.  The 5th one is the centre from behind the Macedonians - the Macedonian left has arrived to save the day.