Marcus Plastix & Metalix Maximus fight for the Purple

Jim's plastic Romans v. Steve's metal Romans
500 points in 4 divisions each in our first Hail Caesar Roman Civil War battle.

Metalix (far side of table in pic) deployed all his cavalry in one divison on the left of his 3 infantry divisions, each such a confusing mixture of legionaries & auxilia in several varieties of elite, veteran, light, medium & heavy that we only discovered after the battle that he'd accidentally added in an extra unit.

Plastix (in the foreground) had 2 legionary divisions in the centre (each 4 cohorts & 2 light archers each) with a mixed division of eastern auxilia foot & horse on each flank.

Both sides advanced their left, though Plastix's left flank cavalry seemed singularly reluctant to go anywhere.

On Plastix's right his outnumbered cavalry got ridden down, but his infantry spread out to cover the flank.

In the centre the opposing legions crashed into each other, but Metalix's right failed to keep up and Plastix's left flank infantry got around Metalix's legion's flank.

Plastix's right flank division was broken by Metalix's cavalry, but Metalix's flanked legion was destroyed in the centre.

Plastix's RH legion held on desperately as the other one finished off their opponents and turned to help it.

On Plastix's left his flank division was stiffened with a cohort from the centre.  The cataphracts charged the auxilia while Metalix's auxilia charged the infantry on their right.  Plastix lucked out on both counts.  The cataphracts got thrown back, and worse still, the supporting cohort broke allowing the auxilia to get into the flank of Plastix's legions.

That was the decisive moment.  Metalix's 2nd legion was on the point of collapse, but the pressure was relieved just enough for it hold on until the cavalry could get around Plastix's right flank.

Plastix personally lead his last sound cohort into the fray in a desperate charge for death or glory.  Unfortunately he got death - dying heroically in the front line.

This was a desperately bloody battle, even the winners didn't have a lot left unshaken.  But for the moment the superiority of metals over plastics has been established...Hail Caesar Metalix Maximus!