Hail Caesar Successor Battle - Antigonid vs. Pyrrhic

Had another great Hail Caesar game today pitting my Pyrrhic army against my buddy's Antigonid army. It was a close run with the Pyrrhic army losing one pike phalanx unit, an elephant and their Companion cavalry, as well as their only two bow units. The Antigonids lost one of their own elephants, two Thracian foot units, a Cretan bow unit and a unit of slingers.

The start of the battle - Pyrrhic forces on the left, Antigonids on the right.

Close-up of the Antigonid battle line. Three towered elephants, one unit of heavy cavalry with lances (xyston), three pike phalanx units, two Thracian foot units with javelins and two-hand weapons, two units each of Cretan archers and slingers (on Rhodian).

The Pyrrhic army. A unit of hypaspist elite medium infantry, a unit of medium cavalry Companion cavalry with lances (xyston), two towered elephants, three units of pike phalanx, two units of mercenary Hoplite phalanxes with long spears, two light cavalry units and two units of archers.

A unit of Antigonid slingers move into the village on their right flank.

The Antigonid right; Thracian foot move up to support Cretan archers.

Pyrrhic light cavalry charge into Antigonid slingers. The slingers able to cause a few casualties prior to being destroyed.

Meanwhile, in the center of the battlefield, Antigonid forces successfully move up towards the Pyrrhic center. The Pyrrhic army failed a few activations early in the game.

Pyrrhic archers in combat with a unit of Antigonid Thracians foot wielding rhomphaias. The archers having no saves were destroyed.

Antigonid scythed chariot charges into a Pyrrhic pike phalanx.

Pyrrhic light cavalry charge into Cretan archer. With the help of another light cavalry unit in support the archers were destroyed - even after inflicting a few casualties from closing fire.

Antigonid pike phalanx units and elephants charge into the Pyrrhic center.

A Pyrrhic phalanx unit attacked to their front by Antigonid pikes and also to their left flank by a unit of Thracians with rhomphaias.

A unit of Greek mercenary hoplites waiting on their turn to charge into the rear of the Thracians. A free move as they are in the 12" proximity rule. Otherwise, the battle rages on in the center between phalanxes and elephants.

The "brave" Antigonid heavy cavalry charge into a small unit of Pyrrhic archers. The archers were destroyed shortly thereafter.

Pyrrhic Companion cavalry counter-charge into the Antigonid heavy cavalry after destroying the archers and making a sweeping advance. For the record, Hail Caesar doesn't have a special rule for cavalry wedge formations. We may come up with some kind of house rule for them later.

The Pyrrhic Companions lost their fight against the Antigonids and broke off the table.

Center of the battle field. The Thracians were soon destroyed by the combined attacks from the two mercenary hoplite units. We called the game soon after this as it would've continued as a slug match between the surviving forces.

All in all, another great Hail Caesar game where we got more familiar with some of the special rules - like elephants and phalanxes. My buddy promised to paint the rest of his command figures - since they might be mistaken for Cleitus. Tomorrow is a holiday Dragon Rampant game which will be the last game of the year for me. Until next time, wishing you all a healthy and great holiday season!

Hail Caesar Gaming - EIR vs. Celt (Britons) - My Blogger Is Working Again!

Phew! What a relief, it seems my issue with uploading images has resolved itself. Anyway, without further drama, here's a report of the Hail Caesar game yesterday.

Thanks to a couple of my buddies, got in a long-awaited EIR vs. Celts Hail Caesar game. In fact, this is first Hail Caesar game I've played (actually umpired) in many years. It was a great game going for 9 full turns, and played with figures never gamed before - painted during the lockdown period. Here's a staged shot of the layout prior to the start of the actual game. Note the roundhouses and Druid objective marker, both recently added, on the far right of the picture.

As those of you who play both Hail Caesar and Black Powder, you know they are very similar in overall mechanics, but there are some interesting differences. For one, support units in hand to hand have their own attack dice in Hail Caesar. In Black Powder, support units values are added during the combat resolution portion. Shooting is also not as important as in Black Powder, and the emphasis is on combat. Anyway, on to the images of the actual game - as usual, I failed to capture all of the action during the heat of battle.

Initial moves by the three Roman divisions. The two divisions on either flank consist of two units of legionaries, one unit of auxiliaries, two small units of archers and a unit of medium cavalry. The center division, led by the army general, consists of one unit of Praetorian legionaries and two units of Praetorian medium cavalry.

Initial moves of the Celts. The army consists of two divisions of infantry and two divisions of horse. The infantry divisions each have three warbands (one of which is made up of nobles clad in mail cuirasses - better saves) and two units of slingers. The horse divisions each have two units of British chariots and a unit of medium cavalry.

Celt slingers charging Roman Auxiliary archers - the archers causing casualties from closing fire - the unarmored slingers having no saves. The slingers had already caused a casualty to the archers in an earlier round of shooting

Roman left at the bottom of the picture; Celtic horses in the background roaming the battlefield for opportunities.

Legionaries and Auxiliaries charging into a warband of nobles - a unit of Auxiliary archers having broken after losing combat with the Celt slingers.

Celt warbands advancing on the Roman battle line, while Celt cavalry and chariots maneuver on the flanks.

The Roman center with the army general joining a unit of Praetorian foot - supported by a unit of Praetorian cavalry to their rear, about to charge into small unit of unarmored slingers. This should have been a cake walk for the Romans. However, due to accurate and deadly closing fire from the slingers - one of the hits being a 6, the Romans had to take a Break Test. This was failed with a score of 2, and the with the casualty, they had to break!

The Roman battle line showing the loss of the Praetorian foot in the center.

A Celt warband being attacked by Roman cavalry to their front, and a unit of legionaries to their right flank. The division commanders of both sides joining in the fight. In the distance, Praetorian cavalry charge into another Celt warband - avenging the loss of their infantry brethren.

The Roman left victorious after destroying the Celt warband.

Praetorian cavalry counter charging Celt horse - the latter supported by two units of chariots, and their division commander (with war hound) joining the fight.

Another division of Celt horse looking to join in the action - somewhere.

Two units of Celt chariots - one attacking a unit of legionaries and the other a unit of auxiliaries. Celt horse supporting the unit fighting the auxiliaries.

Celt chariots supported by cavalry vs. Roman infantry.

At the end of turn 9, the Celt forces had lost enough of their army to declare it a Roman victory - a very close victory at that. Also, one of the minor victory conditions wasn't achieved by the Romans. This was for them to recapture their lost eagle and standards held by the Druid priest within their village on the far end of the table. The Romans actually never made it past the mid-way point of the table, but they had won the game by attrition. 

All in all a very satisfying game. It was great to re-familiarize myself with the rules after so many years. One of my buddies (who played the Romans) and I enjoyed it so much that we're playing a Macedonian/Successor game next week. Looking forward to this game and posting another report as well. Until next time, thank you all so much for visiting the blog and leaving such nice comments. I realized how much this blog is a part of my life after not being able to update it properly (with images) for less than 24 hours! Happy Holidays!

The Battle of Argos - Another Hail Caesar Pre-Game Checklist

Yet another roll call of sorts in preparation of hosting games again this summer. This one is based upon the Battle of Argos, where Pyrrhus met his end with the assistance of a roof tile dropped on his head by the worried mother of an opponent. Most of the figures here have already been pictured in the two earlier posts; the exception are the two Spartan Hoplite units on the side of the allied Argive-Spartan-Macedonian army.

The allied army facing Pyrrhus with his elephants and pike phalanxes. Both sides have Gallic/Celt mercenaries.

The actual battle was fought inside the city of Argos; Pyrrhus having been secretly allowed in. He was killed within the walls of the city when one of his elephants was killed and blocked the gateway out.

The allied battle line from their right: 1 unit each of Gallic medium cavalry and Greek light cavalry - both with javelins; 2 large Spartan Hoplite phalanx heavy infantry.

The allied battle line from their left: 1 unit of Greek light cavalry with javelins; 2 units of Gallic light infantry slingers screening 2 units of Gallic/Celtic mercenary warband medium infantry with swords and javelins; 1 unit of Argive Hoplite phalanx heavy infantry.

The Pyrrhic army battle line from their right: Companion heavy cavalry with spears; 3 units of Epirote pike phalanx heavy infantry with 2 elephants interspersed between them; light infantry archers screening.

The left of the Pyrrhic army battle line: Gallic Mercenary medium cavalry with javelins; 2 units of Gallic/Celtic Mercenary light infantry slingers; 2 units of Gallic Mercenary warband medium infantry with spears and javelins; 1 unit of Greek Mercenary Hoplite phalanx heavy infantry.

The allied Argive-Spartan-Macedonian army arrayed.

The Pyrrhic army arrayed. In retrospect, I might give the Mercenary Hoplite unit to the allied army, and only keep the 3 pike phalanxes and 2 Gallic Mercenary warbands for the Pyrrhic infantry.

I may end up following the historical scenario by having less units fighting inside of the city - but this will require suitable terrain like small houses, etc. A lot of work, but would be interesting, I think.

Anyway, thanks again for allowing me to indulge myself with these "pre-game" setup photos. One thing I realize is I could use a few more command stands. Thanks again for checking out the blog and best to you all.

Hail Britannia - A Hail Caesar Roll Call

Following the previous post, I figured I'd array the forces for an EIR vs. Ancient Britons game - again using Hail Caesar for rules. As I mentioned earlier, I've not played any wargames for over a year, and more than a little rusty with the rules and troop assessments. As the Celts were already on the table for the Invasion of Macedonian set up, I went ahead and pulled out the EIR figures which have never tasted battle as of yet. No specific battle, but would be either during or soon after Boudica's Revolt. Again, the troops are pretty much massed in battle line for the sake of fitting into the camera lens easier. In an actual game, there would be more terrain and varied positioning of troops.

The Roman's figure count and unit sizes are on the smaller size, but will give them stats to match the larger-sized Celtic units.

The EIR army battle line. I used the same units/troops for the Celts in the previous post, so left them out here.

From left to right above: 4 units of light infantry Auxiliary archers screening; 2 units of Praetorian medium cavalry with spears/javelins; 2 units of Legionary heavy infantry with pila; 2 small units of Praetorian veteran heavy infantry with pila; behind them 2 units of Auxiliary medium infantry with spears; 2 units of Legionary heavy infantry with pila; 2 units of Auxiliary medium cavalry with spears/javelin.

The right of the Roman battle line.

The center of the Roman battle line.

The Roman left. I made the standard size for Roman infantry 12, and 4 for cavalry.

Since our governor recently announced our state will be back to "normal" in June, figured I'll be hosting games again this summer so wanting to take stock with the figures I have on hand. Although I'll likely be capping the player count to 4 (2 per side). I usually go with 6 (3 per side); and may up the count later on if all goes well.

Thanks again for checking out the blog and wishing you all the best.

Celtic Invasion of Macedonia - Hail Caesar Setup

Here are some photos of a setup for a hypothetical battle between invading Celts and Macedonians. Hypothetical in that the Macedonians are led by Pyrrhus and not Ptolemy Ceraunus or Sosthenes. Historically, Pyrrhus was still having a great time in Italy and Sicily during this invasion. However, didn't want to give the Celts too easy a time as they did with Ptolemy Ceraunus or outnumbering the troops Sosthenes had. The photos are a bit dark as I took them at night, and the flash only helped out a little.

As it appears we may be getting back to normal soon here in Washington State, figured I had better refresh myself with the rules for Hail Caesar, Black Powder and Bolt Action. Part of this setup is to inventory and familiarize myself with the units. I also wanted to see how they'd be grouped into divisions.

For an actual game, I'll add a bit more terrain and the units won't be so bunched up. It's easier to get them into the picture this way.

Looking forward to hosting this Hail Caesar game in the not too distant future - probably in the summer.

Below is the Macedonian-Epirote army. From left to right: Companion heavy cavalry; Hypaspist elite heavy infantry; behind the Hypaspists, 2 units of Samnite Warband light infantry; a light artillery bolt thrower; Mercenary Hoplite phalanx heavy infantry; 3 Macedonian-Epirote Pike phalanxes heavy infantry; interspersed with 2 Elephants - with Light Infantry archers screening them; another Mercenary Hoplite phalanx heavy infantry; behind the Mercenary Hoplites, 2 units of Light Cavalry armed with javelins.

Next, the Celtic army; left to right: 4 units of Light Infantry skirmishers with slings screening main body; 6 units of Warband armed with swords and javelins - 2 of these units are nobles in army and classed as heavy infantry; 2 units of medium cavalry armed with javelins; in the rear, 4 units of Light Chariots.

ADDENDUM: (some closer-up shots of the units)

Macedonian right: Companion heavy cavalry; Hypaspist elite heavy infantry and 2 units of Samnite warband light infantry.

Macedonian center: Mercenary Hoplite heavy infantry phalanx; Macedonian pike phalanx heavy infantry and elephant - screened by light infantry archers. Army general (Pyrrhus with standards in the center).

Macedonian center, continued: Epirote elite pike phalanx heavy infantry with elephants on either side and light infantry archers screening.

Macedonian left: Macedonian pike phalanx heavy infantry and Mercenary Hoplite phalanx heavy infantry. 2 units of light cavalry with javelins in the rear. Division general is an "actual" Pyrrhus figure by Relic Minis 

Celt left: 2 units of Noble heavy cavalry with javelins and swords; unit of light infantry slingers screening a unit of Warband medium infantry and a unit of Noble Warband heavy infantry - both with swords and javelins. Chariot squadrons in the rear.

Celt center: 2 more units of light infantry slingers screening 2 Warband medium infantry with swords and javelins. Army general Bolgius to the right with raised shield. Boudica's great, great, great aunt Hazel commanding the center. Chariot squadrons (total of 4 with 2 chariots per) in the rear.

Celt right: Warband medium infantry and Noble Warband heavy infantry, screened by light infantry slingers; chariots to the rear.

I think I have enough units for a 4-player (2 per side) game. Probably going to hold off on larger groups for awhile. On another note, my Perry finally arrived a day ago - no fault to the Perry's as the shipping label shows they mailed it out on April 13th. Their website does say "within a month" for orders being sent to the USA. I was just spoiled from my earlier orders which arrived within 2 weeks. Thanks again for dropping by and wishing you all the best.