Nauseous Sextus joins the Roman Army

The first cohort of the Batavians have a problem.  The problem`s name is Nauseous Sextus, a youthful ode writing poet from Pompeii, who has secured the appointment as the new Prefectus.  The First Spear, a grim and dour fellow named Caius (but the troops call him Infelix - Unhappy) summed up the new prefect as "bloody useless."

As luck would have it the cohort has been sent out to quell the latest trouble across the frontier, where the blue skins have once again been killing tax collectors.  The angry chief of the Otadini, an unpleasant individual named Bellicos, is revolting.  Enough said really.

My Roman figures are Zvezda Roman Auxilia in 1/72.  They are really well detailed, light and store well.  Those shields make them look like a professional unit, without the need for transfers and the MDF bases give them a feeling of substance. 

The Celts are Italeri Gauls.  Nice figures that I have based on double depth bases.  The cost of all of these figures was under £10.  The same set up, even using plastics would probably be over £100.  For me that's a no brainer really, even before the storage advantages.



Cohort
Being a set of back of a postcard Ancients rule by Uriah the Hittite, based on his experiences as Uriah the Police Sergeant during Riot training.

D6 Pip Roman

(Simulating a shouty Centurion)

Ready spears     1 Pip 

Throw spears    1 Pip (3BW range)

Brace                1 Pip (+1 recieving charge, entire formation)

Lock shields     1 Pip (+1 recieving charge, entire formation)

Push                  1 Pip (+1 in 2nd and subsequent combat rounds, push forward 1/2 BW if element wins combat round)

Swords             1 Pip (+1 to simulate the Roman buzzsaw)

Advance           1 Pip (per 1BW movement for formation or element, max 3 times or 120mm)

Rally/Reform the line.  1 Pip (straightens the line. Elements advance or fall back into line within 1BW rear elements may replace front rankers)

D6 Pip Celtic

(Simulating a shouty rioter)

Taunt                   1 Pip, Call the enemy horrid names!  +1 in 1st round of Combat

Boast                   1 Pip, tell the enemy of your heroic heritage  +1 in 1st round of Combat

Throw javelins    1 Pip (3BW range)

Forward              1 Pip (per 1BW movement for formation or element, max 3 times or 120mm)

Wild charge        2 Pip (the screaming Celtic battle charge lead by the War chief.  +2 Combat 1st Round)

To me!                1 Pip (elements may advance or fall back into line with the War chief 1BW)

Move                  1 Pip (per 1BW movement for formation or element, max 3 times or 3BW.)

Formations.

Roman units may form a line or column formation of up to five elements wide.  The Cohort may operate a formation of two lines, 1 BW apart, moving as a single formation.

Celtic units operate as a mob.  To move as a "formation" on one PIP it must include the War chief in the front line of its ranks.

Movement

1 BW per PIP up to a max of 3 for a formation or single element

Difficult terrain +1 Pip, except for skirmishers.

Celtis Warbands must attempt to charge into contact if within 4BW of enemy.

Shooting

D6 per shooter.  6 + hit.  3BW Range.

Saving roll 5-6, Fall back 1BW 3-4, Miss 1-2

Fighting

D6 per front rank combatant, 1 D6 between 2 second rank.

5-6 Hit

Saving 5-6, Fall back 1BW, 3-4, 1-2 Dead.

Morale

Below 50% and you're off!

The Test Game

We begin near the ancient British settlement of Cockium Inconnoviae, where lived the inventor of the device that has brought to generations of beautiful girls the healthy exercise known as "having to walk home."

As he worked at his square wheels, this simple Briton, Hengist Pod, would listen to his wife telling him what he should do with them...

Into this peaceful world marched the Cohort of Nauseous Sextus, demanding the taxes, and also the return of their tax Collectors...

Nauseous forms the line.  This is apparently an evening battle, since my camera recorded it in dark tones.  He can see that the Celts up ahead are unhappy with Roman rule, and that its probably not going to go well.  What have the Roman's ever done for them?  He rolls 3 Pip on a D6.  The Cohort deploys into a double line and advances 3 BW.

Bellicos, the Celtic War chief deploys into a 5 element wide mob.  He rolls 4.  He spends a PIP taunting the Romans, giving the Formation he is with a +1 to their aggression that he will be able to use in combat. He moves forward 3 BW.

The Cohort roll 5 Pip on a D6.  The Formation advances 3BW, and readies spears for throwing.

Bellicos rolls 1.  He uses it to Boast to the Romans about his ancestors.  His men`s aggression goes to +2, and they can use this in the first round of a combat.  He cannot now move having exhausted his Pip.

The Cohort rolls 3.  The wise old First Spear sees that if the Romans close the distance towards the Celts they will be within charge range and deny him a volley of spears.  He holds the formation. He could lock shields against a Celtic missile round, but he wants to throw his own spears before the Celts contact.

Bellicos rolls 5.  He moves forward 3 BW and is now within 3 BW of the Romans.   The Celts ready javelins and throw. 

The Cohort rolls 3.  The First Spear orders throw spears.  The front of the Roman formation looses a volley.  He then orders lock shields +1 and brace +1.  The Romans cannot move until they recieve a charge or change these orders.

Within 4BW the Celts must charge.  Bellicos rolls 2, and orders the "Wild charge." (+2) He is putting all of his hopes on that first round of combat.

The Romans have a +2, against the Celts +4.  In the combat the Romans have five elements or 15 men.  The Celts have five elements, with 20 men, but only 15 of these can fight (the looser mob has two "lines" on the deeper bases.)  3 Romans are killed as are two Celts, but the line straggles as individual Roman elements are pushed back.

The Romans roll 5.  The Primus Pilus Centurion orders "Swords," (+1) and reforms the line.  He then orders "Push."  The Cohort could have braced and locked shields again but didn`t have the Pip to do that.

In the combat the Roman kill seven Celts, and lose no men.  Only Bellicos own element stands its ground as the "Push" shoves the Celts backwards.

Bellicos rolls 3 Pip.  He orders "To Me!"  His own element falls back in line with the rest of the formation.  He taunts the enemy again to give his men +1 in the coming combat.

The four Roman elements still in combat are still "Pushing."  They kill four Celts for one Roman.  The Celts have lost two complete elements, and it is the Roman's turn.

The Cohort rolls 4, the First Spear orders "reform the line" to bring the formation back under control.  Now he orders "advance," and the line moves 1BW forward into contact with the weakened Celts, who now have gaps in their line. The Celts lose another element

Bellicos Rolls 5, and brings his second line up to replace his losses.  He has enough to order a "wild charge" for one of these elements. It's not enough.  The Celts fall below 50% of their original elements.  With Bellicos and his men routing, the Romans can turn their attention  to the British settlement and gather those taxes... or just capture everyone they can and sell the lot to a slave trader.
Nauseous will probably write an ode about this...

"There was a young lady called Venus,
  Who ... oh never mind..."

Things to work on in my rules.
Morale, 50% losses seems over generous.
Skirmishers
Horse
Chariots
Casualties.  I tried to monitor individual element casualties, but realised that this is a "unit," and that the Centurions would be shouting for them to close up.  For each 3 casualties along the line the Romans can lose a base etc...  Far easier to track
Shooting.  The Romans had to Ready Spears, before throwing.  The Celts just chucked javelins and bricks.  The Romans should probably get a +1 for that preparation Pip.
Tighten up the orders, and generally do more playtesting.
The Roman Commander should be able to spend Pip to enable his Centurions to fight in the front ranks for a +1, similarly the Celts can have named heroes inspired to fight by Pip, but there must be a morale risk for losing them.

Nauseous will be in command for a little while longer it seems.