6 x 6 - time to get moving

After a roaring start to the 6 x 6 challenge, I have fallen well behind in getting my games played. So this month my aim is to play out all of my DBA and Song of Broken Legions games.

Having just finished marking a whole pile of essays on the Aeneid and Roman art, all of rather variable quality,  I felt like I needed a break. I was inspired to head back to ancient Rome for another crack at the Gallic Wars. The first game was over rather quickly, so I was able to get in two battles.

GAME 1 (or 2 if we count the first encounter from a while back)

The Romans and Gauls face each other again. What would the outcome of this engagement be? The Gauls were at 1 nil before this fight.

The deployment. The Gauls went for subtlety with their patented 'Gallic steamroller'.  The Romans matched them in the centre with their infantry including a second reserve line for any breakthroughs.

Within 2 turns the lines were at each others' throats.

In the first turn of combat the Romans pushed the Gauls back all along the line.

But then it turned to custard. Roman legionaries began to get bowled by the Celtic comeback.

The Gallic Chieftain ploughed his way through the Romans (no pun intended)

The end of the game and the Romans have lost 5 elements to 1.

 GAME 2 (or 3)
Two games in a row had been won by the Gallic steamroller. This time I was determined to see if I could come up with better tactics for the Romans.

Deployment, and the Roman lines look a little different.

As the steamroller moves forward the Romans deploy their flank columns to allow an overlap. They also send the Light Horse forward to seize control of the flank.

Battle is joined and immediately the overlap yields results, while the Roman cavalry in the centre falls back in front of the chieftain, rather than being auto-killed as a blades element would have been.

The door is closed on the Gallic left and the Psiloi deliver a lesson to the Gallic warbands before it. In the centre the legionaries outfight the warband element before them.

The battle is won by the Romans 4 nil. The Roman general didn't even get into combat. 

This was a great game because I worked out how to take down the Gallic steamroller, and it was very simple really. The Romans were also helped by the terrain, most of which was 'good going'. All of the terrain in these games was chosen at random by dice rolling. Next game I will look at trying to choose terrain specifically as if I was playing the Gauls as 'my' army. This way I aim to develop the tactics to play to the strengths of both sides.

In other news, with the release of Star Wars Legion next year, I'm going to take Star Wars off my 6 x 6 list, and replace it with Pikeman's Lament. My Marlburian armies for Spain are almost complete and I already have one game completed. I figure this will spur me on to paint the last half dozen units I need, as well as being a dedicated set of rules as opposed to Star Wars where I was going to need to adapt rules or write my own stats etc.

Nate