Being given the Hun-around.

Yesterday afternoon I completed the bases on my brand spanking new Hunnic DBA army, so last night I took the opportunity to take them out on the table against an Eastern Patrician Roman army. This list is Attila's army, and I have to confess, I'm not exactly sure how to approach an army with so much light horse in it.

Attila himself, and to his right, some Gepid knights for a bit of extra power hitting.

The Romans were defenders (only just though), and deployed first, with Auxilia in the woods, blade and bow in the centre, heavy knights and light horse on the flanks and knights in reserve. The Huns deployed in two groups, one with all of the warband and the other with all of the heavier mounted.

First PIP die is not a 1, so the ploughed fields are removed.

The Romans advance in an oblique manner while the Huns send forward their light troops on the right and their warband in the centre.

The Hunnic lights face off against the Auxilia and the newly advanced Roman line. They are in bow range but that shouldn't be a problem really.

Ooops. It appears that it is - the first Hun element is forced to flee, but can't pass through its supporting comrade and is destroyed (I think I've played this right). First blood to Rome.

The warband barrels into the blades hoping for a quick kill and supported by the Hun general, but it is a draw. The rest of the warband pulls back out of the Clibinarii Zone of Control (ZoC), and the light horse advance to create their own ZoC.

On the right the Hun Light Horse is recoiled shooting again.

Combats are happening all along the line now. The Gepids repositin themselves in the centre.

And now a knight battle extends the combat.

The Huns lose another Light Horse on the left.

Attila is pushed back, while the rest of the Roman line looks solid as a rock.

The door is closed on the Hunnic Psiloi as combat rages everywhere.

But while the psiloi win against the odds the supporting light cavalry are forced to flee.

Things are coming to a head - the Roman blades have killed a warband, and pursue into it's supporting element.

The Roman Auxilia advance and destroy the Hunnic psiloi, and with that the Huns are forced to abandon the field.

The Hunnic casualties from the game.

 I really hadn't expected Attila to be so soundly defeated. 4-0 is quite a drubbing, but I have to admit to not really knowing what to do with so many Light Horse against so many knights. And the Hun deployment wasn't good, because the Gepids soon realised that charging the bows opposite them was potentially suicidal. In the next game I will probably also split the warband apart from each other, as they ended up facing knights which wasn't a desirable outcome either.

Two questions arose for me around support. Does a supporting element die when it's friends to the front are destroyed, and does a fleeing element that can't interpenetrate explode if it has to flee through its supporters. Both questions for Fanaticus I think. I read the recoiling and fleeing rules and interpenetration rules a few times, and I think I have done it correctly.

The Hunnic army, smarting from its recent defeat.

The Patrician Romans, who are intended to be able to morph into Late Romans as well.

Nate