Will It Be Beef Tonight ?

 Our next game in the Infamy, Infamy ! campaign.

This time the Romans are having to drove cattle across the board and the Barbarians will try and stop them.

The Romans enter bottom right between the hill and the wood

Steve decides to deploy his main war band immediately and it blocks the way between the two hills and the marsh 

He also sends out woodmen archers to harass the approaching enemy 

These are immediately attacked by Numidian skirmishers emerging from broken ground nearby

and when they are joined by slingers too, they start to really hurt the German archers

To add to their pain, mounted German warriors fighting for the Romans gallop up and throw spears

Whilst all this is going on, Numidian light horse rapidly move towards a German deployment point in marshes at the bottom of our table

The German archers destroyed, the Numidian skirmishers occupy the woods

Right on cue, the Centurion marches his legionaries on ahead of the herd of cattle

A German war band is sent to tackle the Numidians in the wood

and they are forced to retire with casualties and shock

Two groups of German slingers appear on the hills at the bottom of our board to threaten the approaching Romans

And German cavalry arrive to take on their opposite numbers fighting for the Romans

The Roman employed cavalry force back the German cavalry but their combined all arms strength looks daunting

The Roman cavalry have orders to block off the German deployment point in the marsh so they have to take enemy slingshot without buckling !

The German War Lord now orders his Fanatics to attack the woods and destroy the enemy slingers

The small war band has retreated as it had received casualties from the enemy slingers and skirmishers before they were defeated. Meantime, the main war band has been building up fervour ready for the fight

Cautiously, the Roman Centurion brings forward his men with the cattle

His cavalry did have to retire as they had taken too many casualties but the slingers are now covering this flank

The Romans can now see what they are up against !

Without hesitation, the Centurion orders a charge against the Fanatics in the woods, leaving the cavalry in charge of the cattle

They smash them and carry on through the woods

as their skirmish allies advance again too

The German War Lord watches but holds his position

The German cavalry are sent off through a secret path in the woods to the north

Now the Legionaries prepare to come out of the woods to confront the main war band

Unaware that the enemy cavalry are intent on outflanking them and taking the cattle

 

Charge ! The Centurion orders his men to throw pila and attack the war band

The Roman allied cavalry have spotted the enemy cavalry and prepare to fight them

Whilst the Romans are busy with the war band, German slingers dash forward towards the cattle

You can smell their breath at this distance !

The war band is battered and falls back behind the Sign of the Boar to try and regroup

 

but the protectors of the cattle herd are worried - they have to throw slings and spears at the approaching enemy cavalry. Fortunately it is enough to drive them off.

As damaged as they are, the Roman allied cavalry is forced to try and chase off the enemy slingers

The Romans follow up - the enemy Oathsworn Warriors have been decimated and they are hanging in front of the rest of the war band. This is as good a chance as you will ever get men - charge !

Big gaps are opening up in the German ranks and the War Lord has been wounded twice in the fighting

His Oathsworn are now destroyed by the relentless Centurion who is desperate to impress his bosses after his recent disaster

The war band scatters but the German second in command tries to skirt across the hills to threaten the cattle with his small band

The Legion dispense with a war band attempting to escape into the marshes

The German war lord has had enough and is seeking to escape into the wooded hills behind the shepherd's hut

His day has been thoroughly ruined by the Romans

But, a depleted war band assisted by slingers makes for the cattle

but the Romans are so quick - they about turn and rush the gap between woods and hill

the slingers evade and run for the marshes as the war band retires back onto the hill. They give up any hope of disrupting the Roman plans now and flee the field with 

all their morale and fervour gone

The Roman allied slingers are ordered to bring the cattle forward 

With a smart about turn, the Centurion and his men are ready to escort the cattle across the field once more

with just glimpses of defeated enemy in the hills, now too timid to interfere

Good, I think its beef for dinner tonight, men, well done !