Our 20mm Roman Civil War Game

Romans vs Romans

Using the Field of Glory rules

This game was our club's introduction to "Field of Glory" rule set. The game-masters were Phil Young and John Stengel. We used Phil's beautifully painted 20mm (1:72) plastic Roman armies for this game. The game was played in the "Gaming space" located next to "The Dragon's Lair" in Pearl Mississippi.

Jim Pitts - Punctilius Pictianus and Ed Sansing - Cialus Magnus took the photos and wrote most of the commentary below. I, your humble web-master, merely added a few lines and did some reorganizing. My main part in the battle was to roll my dice incredibly poorly and thus watch most of my troops be swept from the field (Jay Stribling - Gladius Tucia).

Photo by Jim Pitts

A picture of one of Phil Young's fortified base camps, scratch-built from toothpicks. Very nice looking.

The participants, Good Romans every man!

Side A
Larry Reeves - Placidius Dementia
Fred Diamond - Paius Maximus
Sean Pitts - Caveat Emptor
Roger Daene - Ipso Facto
Jim Pitts - Punctilius Pictianus

Side B
John Switzer - Mucosa Grandiosus
Jay Stribling - Gladius Tucia
Travis Melton - Exxon Effluvium
Ed Sansing - Cialus Magnus
Bill Hamilton - Thesaurus Xylophone

Images, mainly of the southern half of the field.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

The battlefield. The Romans of Side A are on the left with Dementia (Larry Reeves) in the center wearing baseball cap, Maximus (Fred Diamond) in right center, and Emptor (Sean Pitts) and Facto (Roger Daene) on the left wing. Pictianus (Jim Pitts) the photographer, was on the far right flank.

Side B had Grandiosus (John Switzer) in the center shown in his blue battle shirt, with Tucia (Jay Stribling) and Effluvium (Travis Melton) - who was just out of the picture, on the left wing. Magnus (Ed Sansing) and Xylophone (Bill Hamilton) are on the right wing.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Part of Pictianus' command, a medium infantry archer unit and a medium cavalry unit. His other unit was light cavalry horse archers.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Pictianus's horse archers try their luck against one of Effluvium's legionary units. Making no impact of the heavily armored Romans, they fell back. In the dusty distance, Effluvium's light horse archers are galloping over to engage the similar light horse of Pictianus.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Paius Maximus' three legionary units advance towards Gladius Tucia's single legionary unit. In the dusty background the commands of Placidius Dementia and Mucosa Grandiosus are beginning to close with each other.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

One of Paius Maximus's units engages Gladius Tucia's sole infantry unit. Maximus' command figure is seen leading from the front while Tucia's figure seems to be lagging behind.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Meanwhile in the center, Placidius Dementia's infantry (one left) and Mucosa Grandiosus' legionaries (on right with Green & White dice) began to slug it out. Dementia would ultimately overpower Grandiosus and send him fleeing the field.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Maximus' unit has beaten Tucia's and begins to pursue them without remorse.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Punctilius Pictianus' cavalry unit (on the right) and one of Gladius Tucia's two cavalry units clash behind the village occupied by Pictianus' archers. Pictianus though the archers would be virtually impregnable behind those stone walled villas. Much to his chagrin, one of Exon Effluvium' legionary units quickly routed them and pursued them out through the gardens to the left of the village. One of Paius Maximus' infantry units would come to the assistance of Pictianus and attack Tucia's cavalry from the rear - bye, bye Tucia's cavalry!

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Punctilius Pictianus' horse archers (foreground) and those of Exxon Effluvium archers approach each other in a shower of arrows (which did little damage to either unit). The next turn Effluvium charged Pictianus and the ensuing melee went on for the rest of the game, the two units being so evenly matched.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

Back in the center, Placidius Dementia's legionaries mass to overpower Mucosa Grandiosus' last units, with Paius Maximus maneuvering to outflank Grandiosus. In the dusty northern distance, the elephants of Side B stomp their way through the outmatched Side A Romans on the left wing.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

After Punctilius Pictianus' archers (disappearing out of the left of the picture) use their faster movement to outdistance Exxon Effluvium's pursuing legionaries, Effluvium then turns to face Paius Maximus' unit which has just completed destroying Tucia's cavalry unit. Maximus would eventually attack and defeat Effluvium in the gardens.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

After riding all over the battlefield looking for an opponent, the second of Gladius Tucia's two cavalry units finally catches the fleeing archers, who valiantly try to shot the Romans out of their saddles.

Photo and commentary by Jim Pitts

But they don't and are sent fleeing from the battlefield, carrying the command figure of Punctilius Pictianus with them. Finally the sun set on this clash of Romans, ending the battle in a draw.

More Images can be found at part 2 of this battle report - Taken by Ed Sansing.

This battle broke very nicely into two separate sections, the southern half which was mainly photographed by Jim Pitts - Punctilius Pictianus and the the northern half with images taken by Ed Sansing - Cialus Magnus . I carried over the "Roman names" of the players who fought in an ancients battle in 2004. Those players who were not at that battle had new "Roman names" invented for them - without their knowledge or consent!

So, who was the victor in the Roman vs. Roman battle?

Well - nobody. Both sides were 3 points from breaking the other. The first side to break two units, or to break one unit and plunder the other's camp would have won. We had gotten a late start to this game. Had we begun about 11:00am (which is normal for a large game in a new period) we would have fought this to completion.

Go to Part 2 of our Roman Civil War Battle

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