The movement trays are cut, the deployment plans have been organised, the hordes of heavy infantry have been assembled, and a MacDonalds' breakfast awaits early tomorrow morning!
Romans: (totals 1767 AP, 363 ME)
Varro as inert CinC – Reg Cv(O)
18 Italian cavalry as Reg Cv(O)
9 Velites/leves as Reg Ps(I)
45 Hastati/Principes as Reg Bd(I)
9 Triari as Reg Sp(S)
2 Reg Bg(O) as command baggage (off table)
93.5 ME
Paulus as ally general Reg Cv(O)
12 Roman cavalry as Reg Cv(O)
9 Velites/leves as Reg Ps(I)
45 Hastati/Principes as Reg Bd(I)
9 Triari as Reg Sp(S)
2 Reg Bg(O) as command baggage (off table)
87.5 ME
Marcus Atilius as sub-general Reg Bd(O)
24 Velites/leves as Reg Ps(I)
47 Hastati/Principes as Reg Bd(O)
12 Triarii as Reg Sp(S)
2 Reg Bg(O) as command baggage (off table)
91 ME
Gnaius Servilius as sub-general Reg Bd(O)
24 Velites/leves as Reg Ps(I)
47 Hastati/Principes as Reg Bd(O)
12 Triarii as Reg Sp(S)
2 Reg Bg(O) as command baggage (off table)
91 ME
Carthaginians: (totals 1181 AP, 218 ME)
Hannibal as Brilliant CinC, Reg Cv(O)
14 assorted Javelinmen Reg Ps(S)
2 Slingers Reg Ps(O)
16 African Spearmen Reg Sp(S)
8 Iberian infantry Reg Bd(F)
40 Gallic infantry Reg Ax(O)
(army baggage)
76 ME
Mago as sub general Reg Cv(O)
14 assorted Javelinmen Reg Ps(S)
2 Slingers Reg Ps(O)
16 African Spearmen Reg Sp(S)
8 Iberian infantry Reg Bd(F)
40 Gallic infantry Reg Ax(O)
(army baggage)
76 ME
Hanno as sub general Reg Cv(O)
18 Numidians as Irr Lh(O)
(army baggage)
26 ME
Hasdrubal as sub general Reg Cv(O)
32 Iberian & Gallic Cavalry Reg Cv(O)
(army baggage)
40 ME
Off table camp
8 Irr Bg(O) as army baggage
4 ME
One thing that became obvious when getting down to this detail is just HOW expendable the Gauls are – the Carthaginians can afford to lose every one of them (40 elements, 20 ME per command) and still not be
broken….they'd be disheartened and wouldn't be far from it of course, but that'd leave them with mostly the Sp(S) who couldn't care less(plus a smaller number of Spanish Bd who could of course….but they can lose over half of those as well and still be hanging on for grim death – 40
Gauls + 5 Bd = 25 ME lost – they need to lose more than 25.33 ME to be broken)
(for those not familiar with DBMM, each element is worth a number of "Morale Equivalents" (ME) – "cheap" ones like light troops, some poor quality levies, etc are worth 1/2 ME per element, most are worth 1 ME, some high class ones like Knights, many troops graded "Superior" are worth 2 ME, and all generals are woth 4 ME. Commands become "disheartened" when they lose more than 1/4 their total ME, which makes them fight worse and it becomes more difficult to move closer to the enemy, and the break when they lose more than 1/3.
In this refight almost everything is worth 1 ME, except the Superior Spearmen (Triarii and Carthaginian veteran Spearmen) are worth 2, and all the light infantry and Gallic infantry are worth 1/2)
Something that irritates me is that DBMM baggage isn't right for this battle (IMO DBMM baggage is too complicated and has forgotten what it's there for….). As an ally general Paulus is supposed to have his own baggage and cannot share in the "army" baggage that the Romans have.
But this is palpable nonsense. The Roman army was unitary – the consul who was not in command each day did not, AFAIK, sit in his own camp then move back to the rest of the army the day after when he was CinC as the other consul moved out!! :(
Giving the Romans a camp with regular baggage would give them an extra PIP dice……which goes completely against their total lack of manoeuvrability in this battle (as I see it). So the only "realistic" option is to give each of the 4 Roman commands their own "off table" command baggage. The Carthaginians also get 4 ME/command from "off
table" army baggage in a 5th command – but it's irregular baggage so adds nothing to their on-table command & control.
(I won't try to explain DBMM baggage any more than that!! :))
Table depth may be an issue if the Carthaginian cavalry tries to repeat its historical manoeuvre and sweep around behind the Roman army. Historically there was nothing in that area other than the smaller of the 2 Roman camps, so the "edge of the world" at the Roman table edge should not prevent them from doing it.
So we'll play a "house rule" that Carthaginian cavalry that move off-table on the Roman edge can march off table, coming back on anywhere they like – using a tactical move if that is within 400p of any Romans who would prevent marching, or march moves if further than 400p.
I don't see table depth being an issue for pushing the Carthaginian centre off the table – they'll be at least 10 recoils away from that as I calculate it, which should take 15-20 turns in average. And if it does come to that we'll improvise something on the day! :)
