Poseidon’s Warriors First Game, Romans vs Carthaginians

After a glut of classical period land games, what better to refresh the system than a game of Classical galley combat?
I've always wanted to do this, but never found a rule set or figures I liked, until now!
John and I set up for our first game of Poseidon’s Warriors tonight. John opted for Carthage, I got my Roman fleet. All ships are Tumbling Dice. Rules by Osprey.
Carthage:
1 x Flagship Hexerer with Admiral
1 x 5 Slow Trireme
2 x 3 Fast Quadreme
3 x 3 Quinquereme (one squadron with elite crew +1” move)
Two commanders to position at his desire.
Rome:
1 x Flagship Hexerer with Admiral
1 x 5 Slow Trireme
4 x 3 Slow Quinquereme with artillery (shooting range 8” to flanks) and Corvus (+2 grapple attempts)
We borrowed Pete’ Deep Cut Sea mat, which with my basing was a pretty perfect match!

Romans, always out numbered, never out gunned! Both fleets were equal points, so how would the heavy and slow Romans, (4” move, -1 for the unwealdy Corvus, so 3”) fare against the faster, lighter, ram orientated Carthaginians.

Initial deployments, John opted for a straight line, I had a feeling that depth would help!

First moves (at 3" a go, I wasn't going far), but my Triremes swing out to the right for an attempted right hook.

This may seem a silly move, but with my artillery loaded ships only firing from the flanks, my swing right allowed me to get as many shots in as possible.

(Looks good doesn't it!)

Contact! 

Blue counters represent lost marines. Yellow lost oar banks. Red is hull damage. A few shots to show how the quick, brilliant and brutal combat system works.

A hull hit on contact. My Roman's can take two hits.

The centre galleys fail to grapple, and so backs off; the rest are locked together by the Corvii. John only has one marine in all his ships, whereas the Romans have two, the left hand galley will be lost in close combat.

John was learning quickly that Roman galleys are not to be closed with. Drawn combat is continued until resolved. This would cost John a squadron.

And that's how quick and brutal these rules are, perfect! 

After these first hits, it was still all to play for...

John starting to envelope my centre, my holding force has already lost a squadron, but they had gone down fighting, taking four of John's ships with them and artillery had inflicted a lot of hits on oars!

John's second line hits my centre squadrons, already beaten up by the initial contact, the results would be costly.

A few turns later, the aftermath of secondary rams, my galley (right) is the only surviving ship from the centre; facing the remaining majority of John's fleet, but that ship with a hull hit is John's flagship, and is moving at half speed, meaning my galley can chase, if it survives!

On the right, my trireme squadron about to come off worst to John's fast Quinquiremes! I would catch one before he shattered me to matchwood!

 Penultimate turn: I pass a morale check - phew!
You start at 2+, but when you hit 50% losses this rises to 4+, I got lucky, as I had lost 12 ships, over half my fleet, but with one more trun, I could force John to test too.

John tried to take my right hand flank head on, attempting to sink my flag and admiral, but it didn't quite work, as being marine-less due to artillery hits, any boarding action by my Corvus armed galleys would be an automatic capture/sinking! He was inflicting two hit on his rams (I saved on 5+, and saved LOADS), but in return took two from my rams (he saved on 6s) and was sunk by boarders.


There's no one left here to hunt, apart from two Carthaginian Quinquiremarines slope off to safety, as the Roman fleet clears their left flank.

Final turn, I had forced enough hits on John to make him test too, and I passed... He didn't. A slight tactical victory to the Romans as we had lost 12 ships each!

What could have been improved? Really, not much. It was great! It's a good game. Simple, fast (unless you're a Roman galley with Corvus fitted), lethal and great fun. Combats are deadly, Rules are simple, but well thought out. They work well and dive a good effect.
Nexy game booked already for next month!