MeG Imperial Roman vs Alexandrian Macedonians

The might of Alexander the Great vs a failing Roman Empire, who would overcome?

Wednesday night and Andy kindly came all the way over from Thame to play me at MeG at Leighton Buzzard Wargaming Club

Dense coastal terrain was generated, with (left to right) a coastline, a wood, a lump of rocky ground, a marsh and a vineyard (must find my vineyard, it's in a box, somewhere).

As close to outscouting a legendary general as you can get! Green =10%, Yellow 20%, Red 40%, so close!

Deployment. Left to right:
Romans: In the rocks hid my archers (loose, unprotected, combat shy, come on) and an average legion (flexible, shield cover, melee experts). In the gap between terrain nestled my exceptional legion and my 8 superior bases legion. Heading into the marsh, in loose, were another superior legion, and two average legions. Outside them is two units of Roman cavalry, one superior, one average, all melee experts, shoot and charge.
Facing them is a superior skirmisher unit with javelins, Alexander himself being a legend with his exceptional Agema, a phalanx of superior hypastpis spears, two taxis of average pikes, a unit of average greek cavalry, skilled Cretan archers, a superior cavalry unit and an unprotected lancer unit.
Yeah, interesting.

Turn 1, and Andy advances his skirmishers, Agema and hypastpists. I dive my average legions into cover and bring up my cavalry to close the right hand flank gap. My exceptional and large superiors legions pivot to try to close the gap between two main terrain features.

Andy's BEAUTIFUL pikes and cavalry, with a sneak peak at his Hypastpists!

And is amazing cavalry contingent. It's too beautiful to kill, man!

Degenerate Greek snacks compared to true Roman ones!

(Oh all right, we both enjoyed both of them, but I brought the wine gums).

So far, my legions are avoiding the Agema, as we square up, my exceptionals and superiors spend time expanding to try to fill the gap. My other superiors break out the marsh to threaten the pike's flank. My cavalry press forwards, covered by two legions/ Andy is engaging in a shooting match with my bows in the rocks.

Turn 3 and it's all kicking off!
Andy spots my superiors are still in loose formation, and charges before I can hit his phalanxes flankes.

We both have shoot and charge, and I did not have the cards to get two charges off, so shoot and stand on the right, hoping that lancers (+2 and shooting +1) would not disintergrate my short spear average cavalry (+1) too badly!
My superiors take aim at his...

The first taxis charge in.

Hold on, unprotected! I go up one with shooting! Wooppee! This is the best Roman cavalry has been since before v1 was released! Bad shot, sorry.

Due to Andy and my charge arrows, and Andy charging first here, I clip his average unprotected lancers with my superior, protected, melee expert, short spear cavalry, taking the stress out of my average cavalry. Phew!

Superior +1, Impact weapons +2, Integral shooters +1, vs Average, short spear +1, and loose in the open +1. I should be mincing these Greeks. They score a wound in the way in with a black dice shoot and charge!!

Which the promptly convert into a kill on the legion, who, rolling yellow dice, miss! My other superior legion losses a base, but smashes two from the taxis, even with an attached general, this is looking hopeful.

An average auxilia moves up in support of the superior legion, who promptyly lose ANOTHER base in combat, while at +2.

Did you sat unprotected lancers, melee expert, vs superior melee experts and a general, yes please!

Eight superior, long spear, shove hypastpist (+2) charge into six, exceptional, impact weapon, integral shooter (+5), one with a general (+6) Guard legionaries. I lost a base and a half, to Andy's three and a half on impact! They are beautiful though...

I lost a base (from one wound) in melee, Andy was creamed. (2-0)

However, tthe second taxis crashed into, and through, my eight of superior legionaries. Bit embarrssing! (2-2)

At MKWS, Nick and Mark have said that they believe each unit should be able to take two units. However, when the next unit in line is an exceptional Agema with Alexander the Great himself in charge, and you're a rather battered 6 stand legion, it tends to put a dent in that idea.

(Gulp)

I'm going to go through this one step by step, so you can witness the glory of this one.
Andy charges, he could not get all three in, so two, including Alex, will have to do.

His first file is +6. Green-White in Andy's favour, so a 1:3 of shattering (a plus two to the next file), 1:6 to kill & shatter. Oops, we both missed!   

The next file, he has only +4, whereas I I have +6 (+2 exceptional, +2 charging lancer vs exceptional +2, impact weapon +2, integral shooters +1 and a general)! Great result!

This is why I should have pursued! Andy's two taxis both turn 90 degrees, ready to brutalise two of my units on the next turn. Dratanddoubledrat!

Melee phase, and the Agema conform and expand out. They cause a wound in the process.

Elsewhere, my small superiors, joined by my average legion, tear lumps out of Andy's average Greek cavalry, but my superior legion keeps losing bases! My cavalry is on greens to whites along the line vs Andy's and are slowly winning.

Andy's flank charge is lined up on my Superior legion. I rush my Seguntites (average legion) to cover the gap.

Andy crashes in, with his taxi of pikes, the legion shatters and dies.

And so does my general! Causing KaBs elsewhere too.

My Exceptionals die to the flank too! (2-6) I'm losing badly. But I kill his Greek cavalry (4-6), and his unprotected lancers (6-all), Andy breaks on 4, as he has a tiny, but elite army. However, it was so tense I forgot the photos.

Pikes smash into the flank of my Guard legion, my average legion hits Andy's pikes, which are only two deep and I get them to four but not enough to break them.


Success comes from my superior cavalry getting the final kill on Andy's superior horse. Somehow, I made it. (15-6)


 A great game, and Andy has put together a seriously powerful force. Thankfully, the terrain fell well, but my three casulties were my three best units, two of which had pinned four of his, including superior spears and exceptional cavalry. I gave away my exceptionals, but my small superiors was just grim! Maybe I should have gone for a full speed pursuit rather than holding my follow up? Would the angle have been better? Who knows...

Grteat game, better grapes!