Clubbing it! Republican Romans vs Seleucids Part 2

It's been a funny week. Ocular Shingles (on my forehead and around my eye) has meant painting is a massive no-no as to avoid any unnecessary scarification- a position that ill finds me as I love painting! Being currently unwise to scratch my very itchy and painful forehead or eye, I was luckily able to continue to scratch the wargaming itch by getting to the club, hat gracing my head, in the event anyone decided to lick my forehead! Joke..... sort of!

OK, Republican Romans vs Seleucids Part 2!

The Cretan Archers in combination with the Dahae Horse Archers having dealt with one unit of Roman Cavalry it was now high time for Seleucid Line Cavalry having the worked their merry way around the Roman Right Flank to charge the one remaining unit of Roman Cavalry. This was going to be very hit or miss as they had taken a lot of casualties from the Numidian Lights allied to the Romans and could possibly would lack the requisite impact to dispose of the Roman Cavalry. 

Crunch! OK, sort of Crunch!

A nice image with belying the fact that the Seleucid Line Cav failed to punch through the Romans and flattened out. They eventually won the combat but it was a bit of a dead rubber in the end.

Seleucid Agema Cavalry, somewhat harder hitting than the Line Cavalry about face in order to set up hopefully position themselves for another charge. 

Seleucid Cretans let forth their arrows causing many a casualty at the encroching Roman Velites casing plenty of casualties and a failed Panic Test to boot. 

The Roman Left flank that was to see most of the fighting as pike met scutum, pila and gladius, the battle raging on. As more Roman and Seleucid units joined the fight the momentum was to switch back and forth. The Seleucid Argyraspides, equipped in Imitation Legionary garb, being trained to a higher standard for combat then most Roman Legionaries managed to hold their own for four or five turns proving their value in melee. 

An inspired move; A unit of Seleucid Pike charge their own elephant, denuded of mahout and crew, won the combat and sent the elephant crashing into the flank of a roman unit! 

From Above before the Ellie crashed into the roman Legionary unit. 

The departure of the elephant left the unit of Pike with their respective "asses hanging in the air" as they are charge by a unit or Legionaries. They promptly fled and rallied in their next turn. Phew! 

OK, the Elephant had four attacks hitting on 3's. Ouch! Not the best......

Seleucid Agema Cavalry Wedge charges the last remaining Roman Cavalry. The Roman Cavalry Fled leaving Seleucid Agema in the risky position of being the path of a potential elephant Stampede!

The Seleucid Argyraspides continue to prove their mettle by fighting on, never once having to burn their Stubborn special rule. 

Pretty much stalemate; or rather, the combat leaning more in favour of the Romans. Some very gritty fighting was taking place on both sides. 

More Roman Legionaries work their way around the Seleucid Right readying themselves for the flank charge that would win them glory and end the struggle. 

Dunno.... it just looked like a nice image!

After being joined by the heroic Antiochus III The Great, the Seleucid Agema cavalry reposition and crash into the side of a part of the Roman Acies, crushing the roman Legionaries with Xyston and hoof. 

This Phalanx wheeled to avoid the expected Roman Flank charges. 

One of the oddities that a game of WAB always throws up; a unit of (really) not very good Mercenary Archer Skirmishers holding up against the Roman Velites and eventually win the combat seeing off the Velites!

The Cretans move to one side allowing the pike phalanx to move forward and by positioning themselves nicely to pin down the pesky Numidian Light Cavalry. This seemed to do the job. Meanwhile, the last Elephant careered away eventually leaving the battlefield. 

The deciding moment of the game. Two charges from the two respective Roman Legionary units, seen below; one broke the Argyraspides, he other stalled in attempting to break the pike phalanx. 

Overall, a very enjoyable game which could have gone either way, though it certainly didn't feel like that one week one (see HERE!). I would have to give the game to the Republican Roman forces as they were definitely in the ascendency when time was called (the pub!) and the game, after three weeks of enjoyable wargaming, was packed away. Fab.

Cheers.