I didn't think they'd have the Gaul!

The flu refuses to remove its claws, but I am feeling a bit better. Well enough to finally go back to the paints and complete my Gallic army for DBA. I've been beavering away at the matched pair of Marian Roman and Gallic armies for a while behind the scenes, in order to play out the last four DBA games in my 6 x 6 challenge.

Family picture

I set the table up in the lounge this afternoon and deployed the two sides. The Romans were invading Gaul - no surprises there, and so the arable terrain was selected without a built up area but with 2 plough instead. These were good going for the whole game, as was the gentle hill, and in fact, only the difficult hill presented any rough going. There was a woods, but it didn't make it onto the cluttered table corner that was rolled.

 The two sides lined up facing each other, the Gauls with three two-deep elements of Warband, the Romans with a second line which included the general.

 Both sides advanced in a fairly standard way - the Gallic cavalry sensed an opportunity on their left and charged into the Roman lights holding the hill. The Cretan psiloi were removed, but the Numidian Light Horse stayed stubbornly fighting on.

 In the centre the Gallic chieftain burst through he Roman line, although the rest of the Gauls were all pushed back.

 The Romans advanced their reserve to pin the Gallic chieftain while the rest of the Roman army continued to push the Gallic Warbands back.

 On the Roman left, first blood was drawn, and the legions prepared to close the door on the Gallic flank.

 The Gallic cavalry which had attempted to do the same to the Numidians were surprised with some extraordinary fighting skill, the light horse recoiling its surrounding elements.

 Now the Romans decided to deliver the coup de grace, charging into the Gallic chieftain.

 But the Chief has his blood up. Another element of legionaries goes 'poof' and in the other promising Roman attack where they had closed the door, the Gauls fought off their attackers! And totally out of no-where, a fourth element is lost to the Gauls on the right flank, where all previous combats had been going one way.

 VICTORY!

 The casualties.

The damage to the Romans was mostly done to their legionaries, which is quite different to where they used to lose casualties in DBA 2. In that game the aim was always to try and take out the supporting elements. I have to say, I am impressed with the ability of the Gauls to fight in DBA 3.0. I can't recall ever seeing a game where they were able to carve their way through the Roman line so effectively in the previous edition. The double element +1 and auto-kill on Blades makes them lethal with just a little luck. I probably should have held the Roman reserve back a little and moved it so that the centre element, which also happened to be the general) was opposite the Gallic Chieftain, so they could have got a 6 vs 3 match-up, but that is all learning. A rematch goes without saying.

 'The blood of this chicken has brought us victory!'

'Come on Porcius, let's get out of here.'

Nate