DBA 3.0: Mithridaic Misery

Following on our trip to the Death Spa, Nick and I got down to business and played another game of DBA 3.0.

Having been inspired by the games last week, I'd been finishing of an old Republic of Rome DBA Campaign during the week and trying to find weird and wonderful historical match ups.

Nick chose Book II/49 Marians so I flicked through the glossy pages to find something cool and came up with II/48b Late Mithridaic with some decent blade to face the legion - and a knight to boost!

Apologies in advance as a) I forgot to bring the right figures and b) the photos didn't come out that good and there were many, many, turns of the blade pushing back and forth - of which I lost track.

Nick: II/49 Marians: 1xCv(general), 1xCv, 8xBd, 1xAx, 1xPs.
Dave: II/48b: 1xCv(general), 1xKn, 2xLH, 4xBd, 3xAx, 1xPs.

Nick rolled as the defender and set up the table with an eye on forcing my mass of axuilia out in the open so the blades could mince them. Not a great start for the Mithridaicids, erm, Mithirdaites..., um you know what I mean...


Deployment.

We deployed pretty much historically with heavy foot facing heavy foot in the centre, cavalry on my right flank, with the only special trickyness being me placing the auxilia on the upper slope of a forward hill to try and even things up a bit if the blade got in amongst them.

After a turn or two, this had the desired effect with Nick holding back on my left flank.


The inevitable clash came soon in the game with the legions smashing head on into each other.


And the cavalry doing likewise.


I was also able to deploy the auxilia properly on the crest of the hill.


And so the battle commenced - heading into it my real concern was that Nick's blade reserves would outlast mine (remember this for later), but I was hoping to crush his cavalry with my knights (thinking they quick killed cavalry - doh).


The initial clash did not have the desired effect, although I did take out a blade element in the first combat.


And hence began the long back and forth of it all, with the lines ebbing and flowing as the blades followed up after recoils.


And my cavalry charge being repelled by Nick's cavalry.


The lines constantly reforming.


Over and..


...over again.


Until...


Another cohort down and things looking good for the Mithridaics, 2:0.


But on the flank, the cavalry weren't faring that great.


And off went the knights on their own...


While a series of low PIPs for the Mithridaics saw their centre fragment as the reserve cohorts refilled the legion's line.


Pop! Went the knight.


And two Mithridaic blades.




And it was 2:3 to the Romans.

But then another Mithridaic blade went down.




2:4 to the Marians, with the legion's cavalry general having redeployed on my far right flank...

... and bad things happening in the centre (including underexposure of the photos)...


... and with my general...


... I needed to somehow even the score before the end of the bound. Luckily my general bounced back OK, if you'll pardon the pun.


And my light horse absolutely mashed the legion's Numidian mercenaries!


Now it was 3:4 to the Romans, could my supported blades pull a miraculous comeback to end the game in a draw?


No they couldn't, but they didn't crumble either.


Another fun game, this time going to Nick. Even though it was 3:4 my army was fragmented and exhausted and would not have lasted long in following bounds.

To a figure the troops were mostly from HaT's awesome Punic range, made up of: Romans, Carthaginians, Numidians, Italian Allies, and Gallic Allies, with a psiloi element made up from their Alexander's Light Infantry set.

Good Stuff.