Battleground Historical Warfare: Second Punic War 218-201 BC
Battleground Historical Warfare: Second Punic War 218-201 BC Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Design Notes
The Second Punic War expansion for Battleground attempts to be two things at once – a reasonable simulation of the armies and battles of that war and a fun and stimulating game. That duality is seen throughout the design of these two factions, and has resulted in compromises of both. My goal here is explain those choices and to provide the context by which historical purists and Battleground fans can tune this product to their particular preferences.
Ancient history is highly imprecise; while many games and books present a single "reality" as though it were clear cut, any history of the Punic Wars must rely heavily on inference and estimation. I've tried to be accurate, but equally I've tried to recognize where I had to choose one historical interpretation over another, and these notes explain the basis and game implications of those choices.
Units - Overview
As noted above, the units in each army must serve a dual purpose – reflecting the actual forces that fought for dominance of the Mediterranean and forming two interesting and competitive Battleground factions. We must be able to recreate such battles as Cannae and Trasimene, but a player should also be able to fight non-historical battles or even defend Rome against an invading army of Orcs or Undead.
For the most part the second goal is not in conflict with the first. Units like Principes and Elephants fit naturally into a system that already includes Hawk Swordsmen and Raptor Pack. We have tweaked some stats to create a variety of strengths (and point costs) among units that were probably equivalent, but I doubt that a purely historical version would vary much. Our main liberty was in creating an elite infantry unit for each faction, giving them an important option for competitive play.
Roman Units
Cavalry
Most historians identify Hanibal's superior cavalry as one of his great advantages. Roman cavalry was merely an adjunct to its heavy infantry, which formed the core of his power. Famous battles, such as Cannae, saw the Roman cavalry defeated by Carthaginian cavalry, after which Carthage achieved victory through encirclement. Rome did win some small cavalry skirmishes, but the consensus seems to be that Roman cavalry simply could not match up to the opposition.
Roman Equites fit this description perfectly. They are outmatched by other cavalry units and will usually be defeated by them. For historical battles, most or all Roman cavalry should be normal Equites. Veteran Equites, however, are more skilled and are generally an even match or better for their opponents. For scenarios in which Rome's cavalry held up well, or for alternate scenarios or non-historical play, a larger fraction or even all of Rome's cavalry can be veterans.
Heavy Infantry
The Roman army was organized in maniples of Hastati (the youngest troops), Principes (men in their prime) and Triarii (older and more experienced troops). The Hastati and Principes were equipped in similar fashion, with pilum and gladius as weaponry and scutum, helm, greave and some chest armor for protection. The Triarii were equipped with longer spears instead of pila and were treated as the last line of defense.
For game purposes we have made two assumptions about Hastati vs. Principes. First, since a soldier's armor was determined by his own wealth, we have assumed that younger soldiers would more likely be limited to a small breastplate, the standard-issue pectorale, while Principes would afford the greater protection of a mail shirt, the lorica. This distinction would not have been so clear in history, but it is a reasonable assumption and very useful for creating a game-play distinction (Hastati units have toughness 1; Principes have toughness 2).
Second, we have assumed that comparable Principes soldiers had received more training than their Hastati counterparts. Principes gain one point of offensive skill and one of courage against comparable Hastati.
The Triarii were one of the most interesting units to design, and the challenges associated with them led to one of the mechanics for the Roman army. Battleground isn't a system that generally lends itself to deep ranks. The military law of "firstest with the mostest" applies, and most Battleground armies that plan on two ranks of infantry would be much better as a single line of stronger troops. The Triarii, however, are clearly a backup unit and needed to be designed so that they would work in that role.
Our solution was to make the Triarii a slightly weak unit in a fight (since there were generally fewer Triarii per maniple than Principes or Hastati) but very good at backing up other units. The bonus a Triarii gives other melee units can easily equal its full fighting power (so you're not short on force) and by being able to back up multiple units at once, the Triarii's ability to plug a hole in your line becomes much better than with a normal unit.
Note: the Triarii's abilities reflect their experience at playing a support role. The extra attacks could represent more motivated troops or simply extra hits from the long spears as the lines thin. Backing up multiple units doesn't mean the Triarii teleport but rather that they anticipate problems in the line and are able to move where they are needed.
Skirmishers
We seriously considered not having skirmishers at all. One of our lead playtesters strongly argued for abstracting skirmishers, along the lines of "Before the heavy infantry and cavalry fought, the skirmishers put up a screen but had little effect on the battle. Battleground takes up when the skirmishers have withdrawn behind the real forces."
The problem with this approach is twofold. First, the skirmishers are interesting units. Velites with wolf hats (worn in the hopes that their commanders could identify them in battle and reward their bravery), Balearic slingers, and small contingents of archers add color to the battlefield. Second, such a simplification doesn't do justice to their actual role in the Second Punic War. True, major set-piece battles like Cannae would work that way, but what about the battle of Lake Trasimene, where favorable terrain enabled light troops to attack the Roman flanks with devastating effect? For every battle where the skirmishers skirmished and then left the field with no meaningful effect, there was another where skirmishers played a significant role.
We set out to design the skirmishers with a few thoughts in mind. They should be crushed by heavy infantry in a fair fight and therefore should only fight heavy infantry when it isn't fair. They should, however, be able to disrupt the advance of an enemy line if that line doesn't have skirmishers of its own. Finally, they should be able to withdraw back through friendly lines, offering support once they get there. Defining this isn't easy and it wouldn't surprise me to find out that we have to amend our skirmisher rules once players get their hands on them, but I'm hopeful that we've accomplished the base goals in a way that is historically reasonable and fun to play.
The system we've chosen to handle skirmishers involves having them rout when they become engaged, usually taking 1-2 points of damage, and then rallying on the following turn. This is not meant as the purest simulation of what is happening but rather as a way to create the effect we want within the existing mechanics of Battleground.
Damage in Battleground does not always mean casualties. It can refer to individual soldiers who have fled or who are no longer combat effective. There is considerable evidence to suggest that most light infantry with javelins would be concerned primarily with their own protection rather than aiming effectively. After a near encounter with heavy infantry or cavalry, this effect could easily be more pronounced. Thus, even if what "really" happened is that the skirmishers evaded the advancing heavy infantry unit (after disrupting its advance with javelins), it is useful in game terms to allow them to become engaged and then to rout rather than to have them evade during the Movement & Command phase.
The Roman faction gets two skirmishers, the core Velites and the rare/elite Cretan Archers. Only a small number of archers fought alongside Rome, but including them (and their Carthaginian counterparts) gives some additional design flexibility.
Allied Troops
We have chosen to treat all of Rome's allied troops as Italians. Although politically they were distinguished between Italians and Latins, based mainly on their relationship with Rome, there's little to indicate any practical difference on the battlefield.
A Roman army would often field as many allied troops as Romans. Rome's strength lay in its alliances and indeed it is almost certain that Hannibal's goal in invading Italy was not conquest but rather to break up the Roman confederacy in order to reduce Rome's status and re-establish Carthage's position in the region.
We don't know nearly as much about the training and equipment of the allied troops as we do of the Roman, but it is reasonable to assume that they had similar training and equipment to the Romans, given their ability to function as a single army.
We have assumed that Italian Swordsmen are essentially similar to Hastati/Principes, having a similar stat profile and a pila attack, but we've also created a unit of Italian Spearmen that would function more like a phalanx than a maniple. This is mainly a nod to the overall Battleground system, where such units (and the bonuses they get against cavalry and large monsters) are an important resource. For historical scenarios you should generally prefer to use the Swordsmen to represent allied heavy infantry.
It's also quite possible that Italian military organization matched Rome to the point of having allied Triarii equivalents. We haven't created such a unit, but it would be reasonable to take more Triarii than would exist purely among the Roman troops and assume that some of them are part of the Italian contingent.
As noted above, we took some liberties when creating an elite infantry unit for Rome. The Extraordinarii were the best allied soldiers, at the personal disposal of the Consul. It is unclear how frequently they fought as a distinct unit, but that is how we have chosen to treat them here.
Roman Faction Abilities
When we design army abilities for our fantasy factions we normally start with flavor rather than a specific game mechanic. That is, what is this army good at relative to other armies? The Men of Hawkshold, for example, is a well-trained army that is highly loyal to its superiors, so a Hawk general who devotes special attention to a unit (e.g. by riding near them and urging them on) will inspire them with bravery; hence the Hawk ability.
The Roman army of the Second Punic War was primarily known for its heavy infantry, and in particular for how it was able to bring fresh troops constantly to the front line while rotating spent forces backwards.
Our first design approach was to give the Romans a healing ability, much like that of the Undead fantasy army. The idea was that the hit boxes on a unit didn't represent the life of every soldier but rather the amount of punishment a unit could take while still maintaining unit cohesion. If rotating troops meant that a unit maintained its cohesion, that was functionally equivalent to healing.
The problem was that it didn't feel right, and got degenerate in long games in a way that simply didn't make sense. A unit that was nearly destroyed would march across the field and by the time it fought again it was at full health. We tried a few variants, but nothing was satisfactory.
For a while we tried an alternate ability, where the fresh troops gave the unit an extra attack and an extra point of courage, lasting for two turns (one for each player). That was balanced and interesting, but it also didn't feel quite right.
We wanted the healing ability but with limits. A unit should be able to extend itself but not to where it repaired any amount of damage. That's what led to the idea of boxes that would get marked off in order to heal. Adding on the ability to check off the box of a backup unit was even better, since it fit our goal of making the Roman army one that was perfectly happy having deep ranks.
I discussed this ability with a friend of mine who happens also to be our distributor for Poland and he was enthusiastic but had an additional suggestion. He said that Roman infantry units should be able to replace a unit they were backing up and be considered charging. At first I thought this was absurdly powerful for one command action since it would mean (+0)+0/+1 (almost as good as an offensive Command Card) plus a pila attack (making it better than a card) plus you could still play command cards on the new unit's attack. On the other hand, Rome's effective use of backup units was really limited to the Triarii; the idea of a line of Hastati followed by Principes simply didn't work. We decided to test it.
Testing showed that the new ability wasn't a problem. Indeed, I don't expect to see three-deep lines of Romans being used in tournament play. It does, however, make that approach reasonable and quite satisfactory in scenario-driven battles where both sides have deep lines.
Carthaginian Units
Heavy Infantry
The Libyan Foot, a staple unit of Carthage's army, is perhaps the most likely unit to generate some controversy among players. Many other games and miniature systems treat the Libyan Foot as a phalanx-style unit, armed primarily with spears and more than one player has suggested that they have some maneuvering penalty when compared with the Roman units to reflect the superiority of the manipular formation over the phalanx. Instead, our Libyan Foot is most similar to a unit of Veteran Principes.
Although Polybius does refer to the Libyans as a phalanx (at least when fighting under Xanthippus in 255BC), there is good reason to doubt that Hannibal's Libyans were equipped and organized like Alexander's troops in a relatively rigid block. Other discussions make clear that the Libyans could fight on uneven ground (a notable weak point for the phalanx), and it would be rather bizarre to assume that the greatest general of that time (and one who prized maneuverability) fielded an army whose fighting style was a century or so out of date.
Most significantly, Hannibal's Libyans at the battle of Cannae were said to look so similar to Roman units (having looted the best Roman equipment at Trebia and Trasimene) as to be virtually indistinguishable. This would certainly indicate that they were using Roman scuta as shields (as well as greaves and roman style helmets), which in turn would be impossible if their offensive weaponry consisted of anything like a Macedonian pike.
Finally, it must be noted that the origins of the Roman gladius and pilum lie in Spain, where Hannibal and his father were based for many years. It is thus far more likely that Hannibal's Libyans were equipped in ways much like the Romans rather than in a spear-bearing phalanx and that is how we have created them for Battleground.
Defensively it seems appropriate to assume that all of Hannibal's Libyans were equipped with mail vests, provided them by Carthage and/or looted from Roman casualties. During the third Punic War, Carthage surrendered far too large a number of such armor to have been solely for the use of its citizens; the Libyan, which made up the bulk of their heavy infantry forces, must have worn them.
No doubt some units in Hannibal's army were of superior quality. We have captured that here, with Hannibal's Elite, but have taken some license with flavor – our elite Carthaginian infantry unit features a mix of ethnic groups that normally fought as a unit. This can perhaps be justified by the personal loyalty Hannibal's troops would have felt after so many years of service to his family, but we do not claim any particular historical evidence that such a mixed unit existed.
The Scutarii are named after their shield's similarity to the Roman scutum. They were armed with one of two kinds of swords – a straight, thrusting sword (on which the Roman gladius was modeled) or, more commonly the falcata which could thrust and cut effectively.
The Scutarii used a range of throwing javelins, including one that was lit before throwing and burned so hot that if it stuck into an enemy's shield it would force him to drop it. For simplicity's sake, we have treated these as comparable in effect to the Roman pila.
The Scutarii were tribal people who often fought individually as mountain skirmishers and, like the Gauls, wore little or no armor.
Gauls
Hannibal was massively outnumbered by his Roman opponents – by a factor of more than ten to one if we compare the army that crossed the Alps with Rome's total available manpower. Hannibal needed to recruit Gallic fighters to his cause, taking advantage of both their desire for plunder and their enmity with Rome to do so. Gallic troops were not as well disciplined or trained as Hannibal's other heavy infantry (or as the Roman legions) but they were fierce individual fighters; this is reflected in their stats (both the high courage and the relatively low percentage of green hits). Gallic troops suffered a high percentage of Hannibal's casualties but he was often able to replace their losses with new recruits.
Some Gallic troops fought alongside the Romans, although this number was generally small once the second Punic War began. Gauls are thus not considered part of the Roman faction but some Gallic units may fight for Rome in particular historical scenarios.
Numidian Cavalry
The Numidians were highly skilled cavalry but fought more of a skirmish-style approach than one of heavy cavalry clashes. This often amounted to a low-casualty fight with other cavalry, with neither side giving ground – a difficult thing to simulate within the Battleground system. At Cannae, for example, the Numidians fought the Italian cavalry to a draw while the Spanish and Gallic cavalry routed the Roman cavalry on the opposite flank. The Carthaginian heavy cavalry then rode behind the Roman line to where the Numidians were still fighting, at which point the Allied cavalry broke. When you consider that the battle line at Cannae was roughly three miles long you get a picture of how long the Numidians and Italians had fought without reaching a decision.
We playtested about six different variants, but eventually decided on a straightforward representation. The Numidians would have relatively few attacks, reflecting their looser formation and tactics and other cavalry units and skirmishers get fewer attacks when fighting them. (This does make Numidians absolutely lethal against skirmishers, which is historically accurate.)
Skirmishers
Hannibal's Caetrati were functionally equivalent to the Roman Velites but were consistently reported to be at least slightly superior to them. Rather than assign them different fighting stats, we chose to reflect this by giving the Caetrati an extra point of courage and a third green hit where the Velites have a third yellow hit. This means the two units will fight equally, for the most part, but the Velites will take their first rout check sooner and be less likely to pass it, both quite significant during skirmish battles but perhaps less important when harassing heavy infantry.
Balearic Slingers are another unit where we put gameplay over pure historical accuracy. Their slings were actually capable of quite impressive range and we could easily have justified a range of 3L. We decided to limit them to 2L to differentiate them from the archers and also because of how we couldn't get skirmish battles to play out the way we wanted them to (and the way we believe they did historically) when Carthage had access to core skirmishers with a range of 3L.
The Moorish Archers are a unit that were included as much for gameplay reasons as for history. There is still debate among historians over whether the Moors contributed to Hannibal's army, and if so they were certainly in small numbers. We have not included them in any of our scenario lists except Zama and the elite designation reflects the fact that there were few (if any!) of them in Hannibal's army, although there is much stronger evidence that some Moorish archer mercenaries fought for Carthage at other times.
Elephants
The elephant is probably the iconic unit for the Carthaginian army. Ironically, elephants played a relatively modest role in the second Punic War. Many died crossing the Alps and of those that survived the passage none remained at the battle of Cannae. It's also interesting to note that although many illustrations and miniature game systems assume that Carthaginian elephants featured howdahs in which spearmen or other soldiers sat, there is little evidence to support this and it is almost certain that Carthaginian elephants featured a single rider with no howdah. Hannibal's elephants were smaller than the elephants most of us are familiar with today, although they were very effective against cavalry and against soldiers who weren't used to them.
We have taken a fairly straightforward approach to Elephants. They are tough but only really devastating when charging. Solid defensive stats and five green hits mean they take a lot of punishment before taking a rout check, but they aren't very courageous once things start to go badly.
Carthaginian Faction Abilities
Carthage is the first Battleground faction with an ability that can be used during army building. We wanted something that recognized Hannibal's ability to achieve superior position and to anticipate his opponent's moves, so we developed the Foresight ability. It gave us the flavor we were looking for and is a powerful strategic weapon, whether against Rome or one of the fantasy factions.
Determination was inspired by the personal loyalty Hannibal's troops displayed. We explored a number of ways to represent this in game terms and finally settled on a modest courage bonus combined with an ability to force through at least one point of damage on an attack. Hannibal's troops won't always be victorious, but they will strive not to fail him.
Scenarios
Note: the historical narrative sections of each scenario are abridged to the parts that frame the scenario; all lists, setup, special rules and victory conditions are transcribed in full.
Crossing the Rhone: What could Scipio have prevented?
Hannibal reached the Rhone river in the early Fall of 218 B.C. At about the same time, Publius Scipio arrived at Massilia, a city that was Rome's strong ally in the region. Scipio had expected only to resupply and gather information about Hannibal, but, upon learning that Hannibal had crossed the Pyrenees, he went into camp nearby and sent 300 horse north along the river to find Hannibal.
Hannibal, meanwhile, had secured the assistance of the Gauls on one side of the river for his crossing but knew he faced a hostile Gallic force – the Cavares – on the other. Hannibal sent a detachment of light troops and cavalry under Hanno roughly twenty-five miles upriver. They crossed there and then moved quietly back towards the location where the main army intended to cross, and gave a pre-arranged signal. Before the first boats arrived, Hanno sprang his ambush, taking the Cavares by surprise, and Hannibal's forces were then able to cross the river safely.
Could Scipio have prevented Hannibal's crossing? The scenario asks what might have happened if Scipio had sent out more numerous scouting parties. Specifically, it looks at what might have happened if a modest Roman party came upon Hannibal shortly after the rout of the Cavares. With most of Hannibal's army still crossing or on the far bank, the leader of the Roman forces would have had an unparalleled opportunity to halt Hannibal's advance and perhaps even kill or capture the enemy general!
Roman forces: Equites (1), Italian Cavalry (2), Veteran Equites (1), Velites (2), Italian Swordsmen (2), Hastati (1), Veteran Hastati (1), Principes (1), Triarii (2). 1873 Points.
Carthaginian forces: Hannibal's Elite (1), Numidian Cavalry (2), Spanish Cavalry (1), Balearic Slingers (2), Scutarii (1), Caetrati (2). Foresight: 2. 1411 Points.
Both sides deploy normally (see diagram). Rome takes the first turn with two command actions. Each player receives four command actions on subsequent turns.
During Movement & Command of his 3rd turn, the Carthaginian player deploys a unit of Caetrati and a unit of Spanish Cavalry into his deployment zone. During his 6th and 9th turns, the Carthaginian player deploys a new unit of Libyan Foot. These units can have any standing orders but cannot move or make a ranged attack on the turn they arrive. If there is no room in the deployment zone or if any unengaged enemy unit is in the Carthaginian deployment zone the new unit's entry is delayed until neither condition applies. Play until either side is eliminated. If the Romans win, Hannibal is unable to complete the crossing. With Winter coming, and Scipio now in position to thwart him, his entire campaign is compromised. If Carthage wins, Hannibal completes his crossing and advances on the Alps before the rest of Scipio's host can engage him.
Ticinus: The First Battle
The first battle between Hannibal's invading army and Rome's defenders was really a skirmish, largely of cavalry, but it was still significant in two ways. First, there was an important morale factor. Hannibal's victory gave him a psychological advantage over the Romans as well as a success he could point to in the struggle for cooperation and alliance from the Gallic tribes in the area. Second, Publius Cornelius Scipio, the Roman commander, was gravely wounded in the battle, which prevented Scipio from exercising command and helped Hannibal maneuver the less cautious consul Sempronius into a massacre at Trebia.
Roman forces: Equites (2), Italian Cavalry (2), Velites (5), Gallic Cavalry (2). 1365 Points.
Carthaginian forces: Numidian Cavalry (2), Spanish Cavalry (6). 1444 Points.
Use a battlefield with standard deployment zones. Rome takes the first turn, with two command actions. Each player gets three command actions on subsequent turns. (See Figure 1.)
Historical reports vary, but the general outline of the skirmish seems clear. Scipio advanced his line slowly, with Velites screening his Roman and Italian cavalry, with the Gallic cavalry on their flanks. Hannibal deployed his heavy cavalry in the middle, with his Numidians on the flanks. (See Figure 2: Numidians on the flanks, Spanish Cavalry in the center; Romans with Velites in front, Italian cavalry in the center and Gallic cavalry on the flanks.)
The Velites, facing charging cavalry, quickly retreated behind the Roman cavalry, quite possibly without throwing their javelins. Hannibal's cavalry demonstrated its superiority over their Roman counterparts, and the Numidians rode around the flanks to fall upon the Velites and then the Roman rear. Scipio and some of his troops escaped but were now unable to defend the territory between the Po river and the Alps.
Trebbia: An Impulsive Consul
After being injured at Ticinus, Scipio was joined by Sempronius Longus, and with him two additional legions, bringing the total Roman strength in the area to four legions. Sempronius wished to engage Hannibal immediately, while Scipio urged restraint. Roman infantry outnumbered that of Carthage by nearly two to one.
Hannibal was able to take advantage of the new Consul's desire for battle, arranging for the fight to be on such favorable terms as to overthrow the numerical superiority of the Romans. He chose a site on his side of the Trebia where the ground was open and seemingly clear. To one side he found some broken ground where a large number of men could be concealed, and placed an ambush there under Mago. Hannibal sent his Numidian cavalry on a dawn raid to harass and provoke the Romans. Sempronius took the bait and quickly pursued the Numidians with his own cavalry, followed rapidly by the infantry.
It was a cold, winter day, with snow that turned to sleet as the day progressed. The Roman soldiers had left camp quickly, many without having eaten, and waded across the Trebia. Hannibal's troops, by contrast, had warmed themselves by great fires, rubbed their bodies with oil and had breakfasted well. The battle went according to Hannibal's plan and the Romans soon found themselves hard-pressed on all sides. 10,000 of the Roman heavy infantry managed to fight their way through the Carthaginian line, and fled to the nearby town of Placentia.
Roman Forces: Equites (2), Italian Cavalry (2), Velites (5), Italian Spearmen (3), Italian Infantry (3), Hastati (2), Veteran Hastati (1), Principes (2), Veteran Principes (1), Triarii (2). 3402 Points.
Carthaginian Forces: Libyan Foot (2), Numidian Cavalry (2), Balaeric Slingers (2), Gallic Warriors (2), Spanish Cavalry (1), Gallic Cavalry (1), Spanish Scutarii (2), Caetrati (3), Elephants (1). Foresight: 2. 2746 Points.
Special Rules
Numb from the cold. Each attack made by the Romans (including Pila attacks) suffers a penalty of (-1)-0/-0 in addition to any other applicable modifiers.
Ambush. The Carthaginian player begins the game with his Spanish Cavalry and one unit of Libyan Foot out of play. During any of his turns, he may deploy them into either of the designated ambush areas (both must come from the same area and be deployed during the same turn) with a Close order. The ambush units can move and attack the turn they deploy.
Break for Placentia. The Roman player wins a decisive victory if he is able to destroy the Carthaginian army, but he can also win by exiting enough units off the Carthaginian edge of the play area. Total the points of units exiting the table and award the result as follows:
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=850 points: Roman victory
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=600 points: Draw
- < 600 points: Carthaginian victory
- No Roman units exit: Decisive Carthaginian victory
Lake Trasimene: Pursuit unto Destruction
After the defeat at Trebia, many Romans feared that Hannibal intended to march directly on the capital. In hindsight this was not a realistic fear. Hannibal's army was far too small to lay siege to the capital and indeed this would have run counter to his true strategy, which was to defeat the Roman army and demonstrate Roman impotence so that dissatisfied members of the Roman alliance would break away.
Gaius Flaminius, currently in command of the Roman army nearest Hannibal, concluded that Hannibal intended to march on Rome and determined that he must attempt to stop his advance. Thus, rather than wait for the forces of Gaius Servilius to join him, he followed close on Hannibal's advance, looking for an opportunity to engage him.
Upon marching through the narrow valley, Hannibal made camp at the far end and positioned his Spanish and Libyan heavy infantry on a clearly visible ridge. With a light mist coming off of the lake, this must have looked to the Romans as though Hannibal had decided to offer battle. The scenario assumes (following Nigel Bagnall) that the Romans saw Hannibal's heavy infantry and deployed for battle, filling the valley with men. Hannibal had placed his light infantry in concealed location on high ground and maneuvered his cavalry around behind the Roman position, so the Romans would find themselves encircled almost from the moment the battle began.
Flaminius died at Trasimene, along with roughly 15,000 Roman and allied soldiers. 6,000 managed to fight through to freedom through the Carthaginian front and sought shelter in a nearby village. They surrendered the next day.
Roman Forces: Equites (2), Italian Cavalry (2), Velites (5), Extraordinarii (1), Italian Swordsmen (6), Hastati (2), Veteran Hastati (1), Principes (1), Veteran Principes (2), Triarii (3). 3996 Points.
Carthaginian Forces: Libyan Foot (3), Numidian Cavalry (2), Balearic Slingers (2), Gallic Warriors (2), Spanish Cavalry (1), Gallic Cavalry (1), Scutarii (3), Caetrati (2), Hannibal's Elite (1). 3212 Points.
Deployment
Deployment can be handled in two ways. If you want to simulate the battle as it happened, deploy the Romans facing toward the Carthaginian deployment zone 1 with cavalry on the flanks, followed by ranks of Italians and with the Roman troops in the center, Hastati in front, then Principes and then Triarii. Deploy the Velites the rear. (We assume they have already withdrawn behind the heavy infantry.) Deploy the Carthaginian Libyan Foot, Hannibal's Elite and Scutarii in deployment zone 1, slingers and Caetrati in deployment zone 2 and the cavalry in deployment zone 3, with Gallic Warriors deployable in zone 2 or 3. (See diagram 1.)
If you wish to capture the spirit of the ambush but leave yourself some scope for generalship, the Carthaginian player begins by deploying his Libyans, Scutarii and Hannibal's elite in deployment zone 1, as above. The Roman player then deploys his forces as he wishes, with two restrictions. They must be facing directly toward deployment zone 1 and there may not be gaps between the heavy infantry units. Then the Carthaginian player may deploy his units in any way he chooses in deployment zones 1, 2 and 3.
In any case, all Roman units must begin the battle with the Close standing order and no modifiers.
Carthage takes the first turn, which begins in the combat phase.
Effect of hills on movement and combat (normal rules).
- Any unit moving uphill loses 1MC.
- Units with high ground gain (+0)+1/+0 on all attacks, including ranged attacks.
- Ranged attacks made against a unit with lower elevation are treated as though the defender was 2.5"(S) closer to the attacker. Ranged attacks made against a unit with higher elevation are treated as though the defender was 2.5" further away from the attacker.
Special Rules
Push through and escape! In the historic battle, some Roman units broke through the Carthaginian line and escaped the trap. As with the Trebia scenario, the Roman player can win by exiting units off the board. Total the points of any Roman units that escape and award victory as follows:
- Carthaginian army defeated: decisive Roman victory
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= 900 points of Roman units exit: Roman victory
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= 500 points of Roman units exit: Draw
- < 500 points of Roman units exit: Carthaginian victory
- Roman units exit: Decisive Carthaginian victory (sic – as printed; presumably "No Roman units exit")
Note: This scenario is designed to emphasize terrain and the lack of maneuvering opportunities afforded the Romans, confined by geography and surrounded on both sides. Although the Romans outnumber their foes and need only push through a little more than a third of their forces to achieve a draw, this will not be easy!
Cannae: Strategy Over Numbers
Cannae is by far the most famous battle of the Punic War, and represents the peak of Hannibal's fortunes and triumph. At Cannae there was no ambush, no icy river for the Romans to struggle across, no disarray in their ranks. Two armies met on equal terms on an open field and the smaller force crushed and nearly obliterated the larger.
Rome put 8 legions in the field for Cannae with the goal of crushing Hannibal utterly. Over 70,000 and perhaps as many as 80,000 infantry took the field for Rome that day, with another 6,000 horse. Against this, Hannibal had probably fewer than 40,000 infantry, most of which consisted of less reliable Gallic allies, but he had a superior cavalry force – perhaps 10,000 in total.
The Roman army was commanded by two consuls, Varro and Paulus. After some days of skirmishing, the two armies presented themselves for battle. Hannibal adopted an unusual tactic with his center (comprised of Gallic warriors), having them advance ahead of the rest of the line so that they formed a crescent. The core of his strategy lay with his cavalry: it depended on a quick cavalry victory leading to encirclement of the Roman forces before the Roman infantry superiority could break through his line and defeat his army.
The battle began with skirmishers, but neither side gained any significant advantage. As the skirmishers withdrew and the main armies closed, Hannibal sent his cavalry forward to engage the Romans while his Gallic troops arced forward creating a bulge in his line. Hannibal positioned himself with the Gauls as he knew the importance of preventing them from breaking before his strategy was complete. (The Roman Consuls also positioned themselves in the spots where their own army was most vulnerable – with the cavalry on the flanks.)
Hasdrubal led the Carthaginian heavy cavalry in a charge against the Roman cavalry and his Numidians engaged the allied cavalry. Neither side had room for maneuver, constrained on one side by the river and on the other by the heavy infantry. The end result was the complete defeat of the Roman cavalry. Hasdrubal led his cavalry across the Roman rear to the far flank where the Numidians were still holding off the allied cavalry; the arrival of the Carthaginian heavy cavalry turned that flank into a rout. Meanwhile Hannibal's center was giving way before the superior Roman forces, and the Romans pushed forward, becoming more constricted as they did. Historic accounts say the advancing Romans were then engaged by Hannibal's Libyans, who had been deployed in columns behind the flanks of Carthage's front lines, though this is by no means certain; it is entirely possible that the Libyans were on the flanks but not removed from the battle, and turned inwards once the Roman flanks had collapsed.
Roman forces: Equites (2), Italian Cavalry (2), Velites (6), Extraordinarii (1), Italian Infantry (7), Cretan Archers (1), Hastati (3), Principes (2), Veteran Principes (1), Triarii (3). 4209 Points.
Carthaginian Forces: Libyan Foot (2), Numidian Cavalry (3), Balearic Slingers (3), Gallic Warriors (5), Spanish Cavalry (1), Gallic Cavalry (2), Scutarii (2), Caetrati (4), Hannibal's Elite (1). 3820 Points.
Setup. Use a standard battlefield but with extra cavalry-only deployment zones extending to the table edge. (This will result in a cramped battlefield with limited room to maneuver.)
For an historical simulation, deploy the Roman forces as follows: Velites in the front, followed by Roman heavy infantry in the center (Hastati, Principes and Triarii), Italian heavy infantry to their flanks and then finally Equites and Italian cavalry on the far flanks. The Carthaginians set up with their skirmishers in front, followed by Gallic Warriors and Scutarii in the center, Libyan Foot on the flanks and cavalry on the wings – Numidians opposite the Italian cavalry and the remainder opposite the Equites.
All Roman units should begin the game on Close, with the cavalry units having a maximum move modifier of 3.5". The Carthaginian player may assign his orders as he chooses.
Rome takes the first turn, with three Command Actions. Each side gets six Command Actions on subsequent turns.
Special Rules
Presence of the Commanders. The Roman consuls placed themselves with their cavalry in order to maintain them for as long as possible. Hannibal positioned himself at the center of his line, for similar reasons. As a result, all of the Roman cavalry and all of the Gallic Warrior and Scutarii get +1.
Dense formation. The Roman soldiers gave up some of the normal flexibility of the maniple for raw power. In addition, their tight deployment and the fact that their consuls were hard pressed on the flanks, limited them to a direct forward attack. As a result, using direct control or changing the standing orders of any Roman Heavy infantry costs an additional two command actions. Whenever a Roman heavy infantry unit that is backed up charges a Carthaginian heavy infantry unit that is not backed up, move both units 1.25" (1/2 S) in the direction of the Roman charge.
Special Rules For Solo Play
The Roman forces at Cannae largely committed themselves to a straightforward plan – break through Hannibal's center while holding the wings. This is captured with the Dense Formation rule, but Cannae is an ideal scenario to take a step further and play as a solo scenario from the Carthaginian side.
Each turn, Rome will use its command actions as follows:
- Rally any routing units.
- Any Roman heavy infantry other than Triarii will use the Replacement ability to gain extra charges against the Carthaginian line.
- If, after Replacement, any front-line heavy infantry unit is damaged, Rome will use the Reinforcement ability to heal as much as possible.
- Draw Command Cards. Rome will play Red cards on its heavy infantry attacks and Blue cards to protect its Calavry. Use your best judgement.
Rome will play offensive cards on its heavy infantry and defensive ones on its cavalry. Leave its cards face up and use your best judgment as to their use.
Aftermath
Hannibal must have seemed invincible to the Romans, having utterly crushed an army nearly twice the size of his own. Rome, however, did not sue for peace and remained determined to seek ultimate victory. Cannae was a powerful step towards Hannibal's goal of breaking away pieces of the confederation, and much of southern Italy did defect after it, but Rome maintained enough of its allies to retain a vast superiority in manpower and resources. After his victory, Rome would gradually regain the strategic initiative, both by harassing Hannibal and forcing him to defend his new allies in Italy and by attacking his base in Spain and, ultimately, Africa. A young general named Scipio – later to be named Africanus – would prosecute the Roman cause on two continents and ultimately bring about Carthage's defeat.
Ilipa
Although Rome could not yet defeat Hannibal in open battle, it possessed sufficient advantages in manpower and materiel to harass Hannibal in Italy while simultaneously seeking to take the initiative from him by disrupting his supply lines from Spain.
Scipio had defeated Hasdrubal at Baecula in 208 and was making significant gains among the Spanish tribes. Gisgo and Mago spent the winter of 207 building their army for a final confrontation with Scipio for dominion of Spain. Carthage was able to field roughly 70,000 infantry, 4,000 cavalry and thirty two elephants, which they camped at Ilipa (near modern Seville). Scipio could only field 45,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry, although over half of his forces were veteran Roman and Italian legions.
During two days, the Roman and Carthaginian forces deployed for battle, but neither chose to engage. Each side put its most reliable troops in the center and the less dependable Spanish recruits on the flanks, with cavalry (and elephants) on the wings. Scipio then took advantage of this routine. He ordered his men to eat their morning meal and to be prepared for battle before dawn. When daylight came, Scipio sent his cavalry and velites forward to harass the Carthaginian outposts and deployed his main army for battle, with the arrangement of his forces altered: his most reliable troops on each flank, with his Spanish troops in the center. Gisgo hastily deployed, but could not risk changing his own deployment and had to wait over the coming hours as his troops tired from the heat and lack of water and food.
Scipio was able to use this deployment, combined with the superior mobility of his veterans over their Carthaginian counterparts, to advance his best forces into contact with Carthage's Scutarii before the Libyan Foot could engage his own Spanish troops. The Scutarii soon fell before the Roman onslaught, which turned into an overall rout of the Carthaginian forces.
Roman Forces: Equites (2), Italian Cavalry (2), Velites (5), Extraordinarii (1), Italian Swordsmen (5), Hastati (1), Veteran Hastati (1), Veteran Principes (2), Scutarii (4), Triarii (3). 4345 Points.
Carthaginian Forces: Libyan Foot (4), Scutarii (8), Balearic Slingers (1), Caetrati (6), Numidian Cavalry (2), Spanish Cavalry (1), Elephants (2). 4830 Points.
This battle uses a double-width table and deployment zone (see diagram). For an historic scenario, deploy the Libyans in the Carthaginian center and the Scutarii on the flanks, while for Rome the Scutarii form the center and the Roman and Italian heavy infantry are on the flanks. Alternately, the Carthaginian player may choose his own deployment but Rome gets Foresight: 6. Carthage's forces begin on Hold; Rome assigns its orders normally.
Rome gets the first turn with three Command actions. Each side gets six command actions on subsequent turns.
Special Rules
Unreliable Spanish. While Hannibal's Spanish troops were fairly reliable in Italy, where they had nowhere safe to go, the Spanish troops on both sides were the least reliable at Ilipa. All Scutarii, Spanish Cavalry and Caetrati units get -2. If a friendly non-skirmisher unit routs within 3.5" of a Spanish unit, the Spanish unit takes an immediate rout check.
Scipio's Maneuver. In addition to outmaneuvering Gigso during deployment, Scipio's veteran Romans were able to march in column formation and then switch to line, enabling them to engage Carthage's Spanish forces before the rest of the lines met. For this scenario, all Roman heavy infantry units have 5", are considered to be under Direct Control and do not pay movement penalties for maneuvering until they are within 5" of Carthaginian forces.
Fatigue. All Carthaginian units heavy infantry units get (-1) -0/-0 while engaged.
Zama: Hannibal's End
By 202 BC, the Second Punic War had shifted increasingly in Rome's favor. Scipio Africanus had landed a Roman army in Africa. Not only had he captured several Punic coastal towns, he had allied with the Numidian prince Masinissa and captured Numidia's King Sypax, potentially ending Carthage's access to some of their best cavalry.
Carthage accepted Scipio's terms for peace, but the armistice was soon broken and Scipio resumed his offensive, attempting to use the taking of Carthaginian towns to force a set-piece battle. Hannibal was ordered to stop Scipio but he refused to decamp before he had an army capable of victory. Weak in cavalry, Hannibal formed an alliance with another Numidian prince, Tychaeus, through which he secured 2,000 Numidian horsemen. He then marched toward Zama, where he and Scipio would have their final battle.
Before the battle, Hannibal asked to meet with Scipio and his wish was granted. Hannibal made his case for peace, offering to leave Rome in possession of Sicily, Sardinia, Spain and all the islands between Africa and Italy. Scipio, if impressed by Hannibal, was less impressed with his offer. He reminded Hannibal that Carthage had been the aggressors and that Carthage had violated the peace, and was determined to defeat Hannibal in open battle.
Roman Forces (full simulation): Equites (2), Italian Cavalry (2), Veteran Equites (2), Velites (6), Extraordinarii (1), Italian Swordsmen (7), Numidian Cavalry (4), Hastati (2), Veteran Hastati (3), Principes (2), Veteran Principes (3), Triarii (5). 6534 points.
Carthaginian Forces (full simulation): Libyan Foot (3), Numidian Cavalry (4), Balearic Slingers (3), Italian Infantry* (4), Gallic Warriors (3), Spanish Cavalry (2), Gallic Cavalry (1), Scutarii (2), Caetrati (3), Elephants (6), Moorish Archers (2), Carthaginian Spearmen (5), Hannibal's Elite (2). 7788 points.
* allied Bruttian soldiers
Roman Forces (reduced): Italian Cavalry (1), Veteran Equites (1), Velites (3), Italian Swordsmen (3), Veteran Hastati (2), Veteran Principes (2), Triarii (2). 2209 points.
Carthaginian Forces (reduced): Libyan Foot (2), Numidian Cavalry (2), Balearic Slingers (1), Gallic Warriors (1), Italian Swordsmen (1), Gallic Cavalry (1), Scutarii (1), Caetrati (3), Elephants (1), Moorish Archers (1), Carthaginian Spearmen (1). 2562 points.
Carthage takes the first turn with 5 Command Actions. Each side gets 10 Command Actions on subsequent turns. With both sides having over 6,000 points, this is a massive battle that could take the better part of a day to complete and in which you may run out of Command Cards. If you'd prefer a more manageable set of armies, try the reduced lists:
Setup and Special Rules
Note: these apply only to the full simulation lists – smaller lists use normal rules, a standard battlefield and deployment zone and a Total Warfare scenario, with five command actions per side.
Elephant charge. Carthage sets up with Elephants in front of its heavy infantry with all of them on Close. Until the elephants either charge or rout Hannibal will be unable to change their standing orders. This charge faces two challenges – a coordinated blast of trumpets and a formation with gaps designed to blunt the Elephant charge. For one Command Action, the Romans may make one trumpet blast before the Elephants engage their heavy infantry. This causes each Elephant to take a rout check.
The elephants that still engage may find themselves steered into gaps in the Roman line, as Scipio deployed his units in columns with gaps between them. For game purposes Rome should deploy normally but divide the number of non-routing elephants in half, rounding down. The Roman player may designate that many elephants as having charged into a gap, in which case it is not considered charging (and scores no Impact Hits).