Impetus Batrep: Shamlessly borrowed my battle-plan from 'Gladiator'

Impetvs! Still no WOTR for me but I really like this game and Jason suggested 400pts. Awesome, a full multi-command game. Jason had the German list from Extra Impetvs 2 and I had, in true Gladiator fashion, Marcus Aurelius' forces (Middle Imperial Romans) led by a general that has Maximus' looks and dog, but none of his smarts. Exhibit one was giving an independent command to that Muppet Quintus. I don't have the German list but it was essentially plenty of their cool cav with integral skirmishers (allowing them to shoot on the charge) and then another command that had about five large units of German light-foot warband, the tough long-spear kind that my Sarmatians have an intense dislike of.

My list was: 

Command one (VDT 24/12): 

Poor General

Equites Alares

Legionaries (Veterans) with General

Three Auxilia

Three Raw Legionaries

Funditores (Slingers)

Lanciarii (skirmishers)

Two Ballistae

Command two (VDT 14/7)

Poor General

Legionaries (Praetorians) with General

Auxilia

Funditores

Lanciarii

Three Sarmatian Cataphracts (the Auxilia pressed into service by Marcus Aurelius).

On to the report - Red dice mark disorder and white dice mark VBU loss. 

The campaign to pacify Germania proceeds well. In reality, these barbarians have been under our law for decades but yet another band outrageously refuses the local magistrate's demands to allow good Roman colonists access to lands rightfully gifted by the Imperator, Marcus Aurelius.

General Maximus has proceeded to this dark and wet corner of the Empire to pacify these malcontents and restore the Pax Romana.

The Barbarians kept in a tight group, like little chicks clustered around a mother hen. By Jupiter! All the better to round them up and crush them at once. I have taken up position to better observe the battle, near the front line. The barbarians are none the wiser, but in a surprising move, Quintus is sneaking some heavily armoured cavalry and some legionaries through a thick forest on our right flank.

They are not proceeding quickly.

Our advance scouts have reported back. It seems that the barbarian commander is not some poor rube, as was first surmised, but in fact an expert rebel with long experience harrying the forces of Rome. Worse, there is word that traitor's from our Auxiliaries have swelled the ranks of the dissident forces.

It transpires at this point that General Quintus, in charge of the stealthy mission on the right flank, is in his cups and too in thrall to Bacchus to properly master the prideful Praetorians and the willful and disrespectful Sarmatians.

The Germanic rebels led with their cavalry. They came yelling over a shallow rise and right into the teeth of our line. First the skirmishers, then tough wedges of Auxilia, awaited to blunt their assault. Behind those waited the Legionaries, to crush the remnants. The General had interspersed Ballistae amongst the line and their cruel bolts scythed through the horsemen as they were pelted by stones and javelins. The rebels were determined though, a few of their lead units came close enough for us to see that they were indeed turncoat Auxilia.


The first clash at our lines was fierce, we sent the enemy back up that rise in disorder but lost one of our own units of Auxilia.

As we took pause to re-group between one of the Germanic raids, I could see the General cursing the ineptitude of Quintus on the right flank. Two wedges of his Cataphracts waited ready but the flanking forces appeared lost totally within the thick woodlands. 

Just as the General was about to send a runner - we saw them. A mass of men, jeering, banging their shields and crying to their uncouth gods. The cavalry had just been a spoiling attack and now the grim work would begin. The line had small gaps and there was a little disorder, but if we didn't hold against the first shock of the charge, they would be into our baggage and all would be lost.

We've been fighting a long time but I have found some space to pen this - praise Jupiter Saviour! The line held. The ranks were a little shaken and it will take some time for the Centurions to reorder them, but the men gave not an inch in the face of the noise, stench and shock of impact.

Now I see the cavalry reserve has sprung into action, it's commander skillfully wheels about and makes for the enemy's right flank. Already, I can see the mass of hairy savages begin to disintegrate.

Mars was with the Legion this day, and somehow we held without loss - now the barbarians will witness the drilled Roman war-machine in action!





The Equites continue to press the Germanic flanks, while Lanciarii sprint through gaps between Legionary Cohorts, exploit the gaps the cavalry created, and swiftly engaged the enemy flanks. Far to the right, we can hear the brassy sounds of bugles - it appears that Quintus may have managed to gather his men and will be along to assist in while there is still light in the day.

He will find us at our rest though. Assailed on all sides, pelted by missiles, pinned by the unmovable wall of the Roman Legion, and with fresh Cavalry Auxilia revealed by our maneuverings to the right, the Barbarian rebels have lost heart and disperse.

Roma Victor!

Cheers Jason, that was heaps of fun and I loved getting to work the whole Roman army together. That was the aim of going for smaller bases in the first place and I like the variety of forces you get, not to mention the uncertainty created by having multiple commands. Maybe as an interim measure to your enlightened aim to join the ranks of mighty Rome, I could take a turn or three using your undisciplined rabble? You were already a little hamstrung in deployment due to your not remembering that LF (ie all the warbands!) is no longer impeded by forests but I think there are even more possibilities for that force, why I remember som tricks you USED to use....

Thanks for reading.