Asculum 279bc

I'm still playing with my simple ancients rules, yesterday I played a game based on the battle of Carrhae. I didn't take any photos but the Romans were heavily defeated. If I had held back the Parthians and been the typical impatient wargamer the Romans would have been annihilated. A good historical result for such simple rules. I have recently pondered making the heavier/elite units more valuable for the victory conditions but in this battle the few Roman light troops were more effective than the legions. So I think I'll leave things as they are with each destroyed unit counting the same.

Today I set up a game based on Asculum 279bc, Pyrrhus against Rome. I used Commands and Colors Ancients as a guide to set up the table and first to eight destroyed units was the winner.

 The armies are closing.

 The Romans are about to be outflanked.

 On the other flank the Romans charge home and get the upper hand!.

 But Pyrrhus rallies his men and with the aid of his light horse rout the Romans.

 The rest of the Roman cavalry are routed.

 Pyrrhus proceeds to roll up the Roman line, killing a Roman general in the process.

 The phalanx crashes into the Romans. For this battle I classed the Roman hastati and princeps as elite medium infantry and the triarii as elite heavy infantry. The Epirot phalangites are all classed as heavy.

 The Romans fight back.

 But the Roman flanks are beaten.

 Pyrrhus is unstoppable.

 It's down to the triarii, oh dear!.

 Most of the Romans are wavering now.

9-3 to Pyrrhus.