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| The opposing sides size each other up |
For our August game we once more played Conquerors and Kings, with Martin once more commanding his Early Imperial Romans. The scenario was the battle of Arbalo, where the Romans are ambushed in a narrow pass by the Germans. The battlefield was simple: a forest with a narrow central clear path that opened up towards the German side of the table; the Romans had to exit with at least half of their forces 'at strength' (i.e. at at least half strength), while the Germans had to prevent that.
Martin decided to simplify the tactical problem by essentially deploying on only half of the table, putting his legionaries on the left hand side of the path, with the left flank protected by auxilia in the woods, and the right flank protected by cavalry.
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| Confused fighting in the woods |
The Germans sent out flanking forces on both flanks. The forces on the Roman left was more successful, quickly neutralising the auxilia. The main Roman column pushed on ahead while the battle in the woods was going on, leaving the auxilia to their fate, but when the Germans tried to exit the woods to engage the legionaries, they failed their movement rolls and never made it.
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| German flanking forces are unable to exit the woods to threaten the Roman centre |
