The Bagradas Plains, 255 BC

SPQR BATTLE REPLAY
The Bagradas Plains, 255 B.C.
BY DAVID FOX
The historical scenario is a real tough one for the Romans; faceto-face with a strong combined-arms force, heavy with elephants
and cavalry, while extremely weak in cavalry themselves. The
best Roman strategy is fairly obvious - pitch in with wave after
wave of legion infantry while trying to fend off the Carthaginian
cavalry, hoping that they can punch through the thin line of
Carthaginian infantry before the heavy cavalry rolls around to hit
them in the rear.
As Xanthippus, the Carthaginian player, is challenged to utilize all
of his weapons - elephants, heavy cavalry, and phalanxes - to
their best effect.
Turn 1:
No elite initiative, so we start with the 2's:
All commanders get an automatic line
command in their first phase this turn,
simulating orders given before the battle
started. Regulus starts out with a Praefect
Sociorum, giving a line command to his
velites. They move forward six hexes,
with the Carthaginian elephants retiring
before them. The tuskers, pressed up
against the phalanxes, run out of retreat
room, and the velites deliver a volley of
javelins from their last hex, scoring several
hits (while receiving a few themselves
from the elephant screens).
2nd Praefect Sociorum: The first line of
hastati and alae cohorts moves forward
five hexes, two cohorts refusing each flank
(keeping an eye on that cavalry).
3's - Tribune Antonius: The second hastati
line advances five hexes, with one cohort
refusing each flank.
Tribune Cassus: First principe line moves
five hexes forward, again with one cohort
refusing each flank.
Praefect Equitine Falco: Roman right wing
RC moves to cover the open right flank.
Praefect Equitine Drusus: Ditto for the left
wing RC.
4's- Bostar: Now it gets interesting. Bostar
gives a line command to the elephants,
who finally get a chance to strike at their
velite tormenters. Under a shower of
javelins, three Roman velites rout.
Hamilcar: The Carthaginian Sacred Band
HC advance in a wide sweep around the
Roman right flank.
6's, which means Xanthippus:
Xanthippus decides to use six individual
orders to move himself and give commands to five elephants. (See Figure 2, page
32) The pachyderms smash into the velites
who have been tormenting them for the
past half-hour, routing three of them. Foul
elephants hit the first line of hastati,
who throw their pelia before the monsters
hit them. One cohort routs but the others
stand fast — two rampaging elephants
smash into their own phalanxes, while a
third rampages between six cohorts to
hit one of Hasdrubal's Carthaginian HC's !
Xanthippus gets 1st Momentum. Not very
satisfied with the impact of their first
charge, Xanthippus sends six more
elephants charging into the hastati. Again,
they are repulsed, two of them hitting the
phalanxes in their flight while a third
manages to rampage into two other
previously placid elephants, rampaging
them in turn into the now rather battered
phalanxes.
5's — Regulus wins the die roll vs.
Hasdrubal: Worried by the cavalry
hovering on his flank, Regulus gives an LC
to the Triarii, who are more than six hexes
away from his other troops, allowing
them to move forward four hexes, closing
up with the rear of the principe's. He rolls
for momentum and misses.
Xanthippus gets 2nd Momentum. Horrified by the havoc wrought by the tuskers
among his own troops, Xanthippus spends
four commands to re-order four of the
more shaken phalanxes. He orders two
previously uncommited elephants
forward, destroying a routed velite.
Hasdrubal: Hasdrubal moves the
Five Roman cohorts and one Carthaginian
HC rout move.
Carthaginian right wing HC up around the
Roman left flank. He rolls for momentum,
gets it, then rolls against Xanthippus'
Leadership rating and gets a second line
command. He sends the cavalry in a wide
sweep, surrounding and destroying the
left wing RC. All units take a hit for
moving a second time in one turn.
Hasdrubal gets a second momentum, but
misses Xanthippus' leadership rating, and
so can only give 5 individual orders. He
moves four units that sweep around to
attack the Roman rear Principe line from
the rear (See Figure 1, page 32). Three
cohorts rout, with two HC in pursuit,
destroying one of them. One cohort holds
fast, routing the Carthaginian HC that
attacked it.
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End of Turn 1:
Analysis:
Carthage — Xanthippus can look back
at the first turn with mixed feelings.
His heavy cavalry has performed well,
with Hasdrubal's wing chewing up the
Roman rear while Hamilcar's HC's are
hovering on the Roman right, waiting
to do the same.
On the other hand, the elephant charge
was shockingly ineffective, doing little
damage to the legionaires but inflicting
great punishment on his own forces.
The tuskers are truly a double-edged
sword, as he has learned to his detriment.
Rome: Regulus is in trouble, and he
knows it. He wasn't able to bring up the
Triarii quickly enough so he now has two
bodies of strong enemy cavalry in his
rear. He did catch a break with the
elephants, though, and it looks as if they
beat up their own phalanxes pretty
thoroughly. Maybe he can exploit that
opening and win this one yet.
Turn 2:
2's. Praefect Sociorum: Without
ceremony, Regulus orders the first hastati
line into a headlong charge. They slam
into the phalanxes, and without their pila
(used up on the elephants) the result is
predictable — six of the hastati rout.
Praefect Sociorum: The second hastati
Since Regulus (also a 5) earlier got a
trump, the five commanders are now
limited, so Hasdrubal can't roll for
momentum and the turn passes to
Xanthippus.
Xanthippus:
The Carthaginians have this one locked
up — just to be sure, Xanthippus tries to
rally three Celt MI. Two rally, but the
third misses the rally roll and rout moves.
He gives individual orders to three more
Celt MI, who envelop the V legion alae
Cohort Extraordinaire, destroying it
(See Figure 4, page 33).
Xanthippus rolls for Momentum, but
misses, so the turn is over.
line rolls forward. They have more
success, dealing some significant damage
to the phalanxes with their pila while
routing three Celtic MI.
End of Turn 2: Both players total their
points for routing and destroyed units.
3's. Tribune Antonius: The beat goes on.
Rome: 151 points
Knowing that their only hope is to bust
through the Carthaginian center before
the cavalry in their rear can get going, the
first line of principes enters the fray. (See
Figure 3, page 33) Two phalanxes finally
break under the pressure and rout.
Tribune Cassus: The second principe
line advances, but they don't have
enough movement points to reach
the Carthaginians. Cassus rolls for
momentum and gets it, but is trumped
by Hamilcar.
Hamilcar: He rolls against Xanthippus'
strategy rating, and gets a line command.
His units surround and destroy the
Roman right wing cavalry.
Hamilcar gets momentum, but is trumped
by Regulus.
Regulus: This is it. The Romans have to
win now or the battle is over. Regulus
moves and commands four individual
principes, destroying four phalanxes.
He rolls for momentum and gets it,
BUT...
Carthage: 70 points
The battle is over, with Carthage as the
victor.
From the Roman point of view, the
situation couldn't have been much worse
— almost no cavalry, and the legions
deployed outside of their normal checkerboard formation. Despite that, Regulus
did relatively well, thanks to the
unpredictability of the elephants.
A couple of momentum die rolls or
failed Carthaginian trumps and he just
might have been able to pull it out.
Xanthippus gave a lesson in how to use
combined arms — send the cavalry to hit
the flanks and rear while launching the
elephants as a holding attack to soften up
the legions, then hit them with the
phalanxes as a coup de grace. Granted,
not everything worked as expected — the
left wing cavalry never really got rolling,
and the elephant charge did more damage
to his own units than to the Romans, but
in the end the phalanxes held out just
long enough to allow victory.
Hasdrubal rolls for the all-important
trump, and trumps him.
Hasdrubal: He activates three HC's. They
hit three cohorts from the rear, routing,
pursuing, and destroying all three.
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