Germans and Gauls: 106 BC

Gordon has sent me a report of the encounter between migrating Germans and local Gallic tribesmen in our Dies Martis campaign (summer 105 BC). Here it is, edited a little:

The Gauls have fought the Germans. There are no pictures as the Germans look very Anglo-Saxon including the two handed axes and the kite shields but it is done. [Proxy figures!]

The Gaulish army was

5 x 48 V 4-6 WB(I)

1 x 24 E 4-6 WB(I)

2 x 12 V 4-6 HC

2 x 8 V 3-6 LC deployed in skirmish

various skirmishers

The German Army

7 x 32 V 4-6 WB(I)

1 x 24 E 4-6 Soldurii WB(I)

2 x 18 V 4-6 HC

1 x 12 V 3-6 LI

various skirmishers.

The terrain was a number of gentle rises none of which had any effect on events. The German left overlapped the Gaulish right. [The armies were very similar. The Gauls had five very large warbands, while the Germans had a larger number of smaller units and cavalry superiority. The 'I' denotes possible initial charge impetus.]

From their left the Germans had their HC then the LI then the 7 WB and the soldurii on the right. 

From their right  the Gauls had the LC in skirmish facing the German HC, their own HC facing the LI and one German WB. Then a gap and the 24 fig WB then the 5 x 48s. They ovelapped the German line by 1.5 WBs.

The Germans attacked on the left and refused their right. The Gauls attacked all along the line. Although they were eventually destroyed, the Gallic HC tied up the German HC for the whole battle. Although the game was abnormally affected by the dice, the Germans won because apart from the LI every unit fought. The Gauls had one 48-fig WB that never got into action and one that barely did.

The number of units that failed to get impetus or pass the fates (more in this one game than in all the other of the games we have played since they were re-introduced) or went haring off after winning a melee was a feature of the battle. [Explanation: there is a small chance that when a unit should break according to losses accrued, it might stick about regardless because somebody does something heroic enough to stave off its demise for a time. This is called a 'fates' roll. Also, when a Warband breaks its enemies in melee, there is a chance that it will pursue recklessly rather than remain under control.]

The Gauls lost all of their cavalry; the soldurii; and two of their large warbands. The Germans lost their soldurii and two Warbands.

Subsequent campaign events unfolded as follows:

Autumn 106

Jugurtha arrives in Mauretania to persuade his father-n-law Bocchus to join him in his war against Rome. Marius bolsters his legions with more anti-Jugurtha locals to help counter the expected enemy superiority in light troops. The Teutones march back eastwards to join the Cimbri for a massed assault on Transalpine Gaul.

Spring 105

Alarmed by the threat from the north, Rome raises six raw legions from the capite censi and sends them to join the consular army already present in Transalpine Gaul. Bocchus and Jugurtha attack Marius and Sulla in Numidia.