Me (M) and B were invited to help run a participation game of Romans vs Celts by Black Wolf Wargamers (who I've done games with before Romans and Celts, Saxons and Vikings, English Civil war and World War I (games 1, 2, 3, 4, rules) -B) again at Verulamium museum.
For the game we Brigands took command of the Celts, while the Black Wolves commanded the Romans. We used Warhammer Ancient Battles rules.
The scenario was thus: For over a month the Britons, as part of Boudicca's rebellion, had laid siege to a Roman fort, attempting to starve the garrison out. Supplies were running low and the Romans could not hold out too much longer. But then sails were sighted off the shore! Ships landed with a small contingent of legionaries and auxiliaries, bringing with them enough supplies for the garrison to last long enough for a main relieving party to get through. Having also seen these new arrivals, the British warlord hurriedly mobilised his warriors to come down on the supply train.
Both Romans and Celts received their hidden orders from the umpire. We had three objectives. Our main objective was to capture the mules and/or the wagon, but we could also gain victory points by setting fire to one or both of the ship and/or brake down the gates of the fort. (on a double 1 or 6 a unit could break down the gates, while a unit in contact with the ships for a turn could set them on fire).
Before the game, 6 cards were put up as entry points for the Celts, who were rushing to the road as fast as they could, on either side of the board. We rolled every turn to see which card it was and that determined the troop type. We supposedly had 10 units to bring on, but this was at the discretion of the umpire.
I would take command of the Celts near the beach, while B would take those up by the fort.
It was a cold morning as the Roman landed on the beach. The precious supplies harnessed up and ready. As the troops disembarked they received their orders.
The Roman relieving force began to march, one troop of legionnaires leading the way, marching straight down the road.
It looked a clear march to the fort, no sign of any besiegers, but more strangely the garrison had not come down to meet them. Something was wrong, very wrong.
With terrifying speed a troop of Celtic household warriors burst out from the woods near the beach on the Roman right, charging down into the auxiliary unit with frenzied war whoops!
The ferocious warriors hacked down several of the unprepared soldiers sending the whole troop running from the field, and startling the near by legionaries.
Seeing the supplies from their towers, the garrison commander quickly gathered his cavalry and rushed out of the gates in a bid to hold off the warbands of Britons who had rushed out of the woods on either side of the road. The cavalry charged a nearby warband, but were easily defeated and sent running back to the fort.
After making slow progress, the barrels falling off the wagon once and the wheels getting stuck in ruts, the wagon began to move speedily up the road.
One of the warbands, led by a local chieftain, came off worse in a short fight with the leading Romans column.
The fanatics on the beach had been charged in the flank by a troop of legionnaires and broken. The Roman column had defeated all Britons on the field except one warband, who were facing off the victorious unit of Romans.
It was then, when the wagon seemed untouchable, that a troop of light horse thundered onto the battle heading right for the luggage. The chieftain led his men back into the Romans to keep them occupied.
The Roman commander in a desperate bid to save the wagon charged alone into the light horse to hold them off as the food made its way to safely. Amazingly he managed it and sent them packing.
The Warlord's warband, who had beaten the fort's cavalry back into their gates, quickly turned from attempting to smash down the gates to face another troop of legionaries.
They were hacked to pieces against the walls as cavalry charged out of the gates into their rear.
The Romans had pushed all the Britons away from the wagon but had left it all alone, for the taking, as another horde of Celts rushed down to take the prize in full view of the fort!
The beach was now firmly back in Roman control, when a band of chariots sped down a low hill onto the battle, they charged straight for the auxiliary slingers with no sign of stopping! The formed marines on the left had braced them selves for hails of javelins not a full blown charge at their support! The slingers fled before the thunderous charge!
The slingers fled in panic as the chariots charged after them.
The warband heading for the wagon, caught sight of some legionnaires, and forgetting the wagon charged into the soldiers, so terrible was their charge however that they broke the enemy over running them and killing them all!
.
They charged through, straight into a unit of auxilia, surrounding them and cutting them down, although each man died hard to defend the mule train
Another troop of frenzied warriors now came rushing up the road hoping to catch the wagon before it got into the fort.
The British chariots charged across the beach, catching the slingers as they ran, thundering though them, men falling under the thundering horses and cascades of javelins.
The auxila had held to the last man, the officer was the only man left alive, he broke away and fled before the triumphant British, who sized the mules and headed for the woods.
Another unit of light cavalry rode out to cover the captured loot as it was carried off.
The chariots now turned on the boats, several men leaping off into the water, to hew a hole in the hull, and climbing up the side to kill the sailors and set fire to the sails.
The marines, who might have saved them, were to afraid of the hail of javelins thrown at them to charge. One of the boats was now filling quickly with water and both sails on the boats were on fire, the blaze only encouraged and fed by the mail clad nobles and warriors climbing aboard.
The only other supply wagon left seemed certain to reach the gates the archers on the wall cheered it as it hurried forward, a troop of warriors seemingly chasing it in vain. When, a few metres from safety, it stuck in a rut in the road and stuck fast, the Celts bearing down on them! The drivers quickly abandoned the cart and made away, leaving the goods to the Britons! The archers were the only hope. (They had to kill six men to make them take a panic test, but then we realised fanatics have frenzy and don't take panic tests... they killed nine, but they would have to kill all of them to stop their sweeping charge!)
The Britons (surprisingly!) had the field!
The fanatics snatched the cart and ran back to the woods whooping with triumph, knowing the Romans would, without food, have to surrender.
The warband bore off the mules as the light cavalry ran down the fleeing auxiliary officer, filling him with spears and taking his head for good measure, he had put up a good fight though.
The marines watched as their boats burnt, with no way back home by water they would have to try and defend the supply less fort.
A clear British victory!
With three of the four objectives completed, including the main one.
The garrison would have to leave the safety of the fort, and be hunted by the celts or stay in the fort and wait for their certain fall to starvation.
It was a great game, although public support seemed almost entirely with the Romans! Cheers coming from the crowd and dice rollers every time a warband was beaten and chased down, which happened four times!
Every body found it very funny though when the wagon, having been moving fine got stuck in a rut 6" (one move) from the gates with the Celts' fanatics bearing down on them! Incredibly close!
Hopefully we will be doing Saxons and Vikings next time with Black Wolf Wargames.
By M
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