Extra Impetus - TMG battle between the Scots and stealth Romans, with torsoless allies

This time it was Scots vs Romans with German allies. I had the same list as last time, while Jason modified his list to include a command containing some impetuous German warband. We battled things out in temperate climes this time, with an area of scrub (the lighter felt), forests (darker felt) and a stream crossed by a road, which for some reason neither of our armies was advancing along....

 

Jason's black painted stealth Romans (top) are attacking my nicely painted (by my wife!) Scots (bottom). Those bits of Grey plastic are our camps. We really need to get around to modelling those. Those grey infantry near top-middle are Jason's Impetuous warbands, which immediately went out of control and headed for my pike centre.

 

I decided to trust to my Pike, and newly painted light Cav, to hold my left flank and camp, while the General's pike was to hold off the warband and my Cavalry command was then to turn the flank, flank the warband and hit the enemy baggage.

 

However, now I look at it, some skirmishers, light cavalry and a unit of Pike doesn't seem much to hold off three units of Romans - including the feared super-legionaries!

 

Well, the forces are deployed now, so best make a go of it. However, my CP Cuirassiers on the right there seem not to have got their orders straight and fail their discipline test to march up that flank and threaten the enemy baggage. Meanwhile, the Romans approach my precious whiskey stores.

 

And in the next turn they crash in. My shooting has not been working for me so far, my Cuirassiers will not march around the flank no matter how I curse them, and suddenly the screen on the left flank is swept away and the some what inadequate (but cool looking) light cavalry are duelling with Auxilia in rough going in order to protect the flank of the Pike guarding the camp.

'

Those Pike are getting quickly ground down.
They mat remain fresh longer than Romans, but VBU 4 troops, with disorder, need both supporting bases to even match Romans dice wise, and quickly go down once they roll cohesion tests.

 

While his warbands (too slowly for my liking) made their way towards my best units, his Roman units had their way with the thin line protecting the vital booze. It looked somewhat promising for a bit there, but the Pike are batted aside and Legionaries rampage through my whiskey stores. One glimmer of hope is that I have inflicted losses. At 3 VD per unit, that almost compensates for the loss of my camp.

 

Finally!
The warbands stick their neck out and and I set up a combined fight with my better Pike unit and the better Cuirassier unit (yes, the other is still failing to march on the enemy camp) on one of the two impetuous units. I had already stripped away their skirmish screen with my own skirmishing harquesbusiers, but continued to fail to do more than disorder the warbands.

 

However, counter-charging CP throw a lot of dice, and the Pike proved to be no slouches either. They crush the opposing Germans, losing only their rear base.I thought I was finished (through losing half my VDT) with the loss of the pike base, but it turns out I miscounted my losses in the failed effort to hold the camp. Worse for Jason, he realised that the loss of the warband and Skirmishers meant that command was now 50% gone - so it broke. I had also roughed up the Legionaries on their way to steal my stuff - so the entire army was now over 50% gone. Jason, you were so robbed Flank was turned, baggage sacked, plenty of Legionaries left and you were not far off breaking the Pike command (basically, the shooter s and General kept me in it). I'm not even sure those Germans had to be all grouped together? Even if they did, taking a third warband unit would prevent them being broken so cheaply. 

Good fun anyway. I might have to consider some Romans for myself. Hmm. I am on the hunt for affordable Sarmatians to ally in, as I type this. 

Jason tells me he has got another of his mates keen on the game, so our little 25/28mm Impetus groups grows. 

In other news, I played a game of WOTR vs the feared Morder combo: Khamul, Betrayer, Gothmog, Morranans, and friends. No houserules, no holds barred as prep for NATCON 2011 WOTR. Did my Dunlendings rise to the challenge? Batrep to follow soon. 

Cheers