Organizer/Umpire: Dave Arner
WRG 7th Edition Ancient Rules

Ethiopian Army of 1329 AD: List 101, Abyssinian, 1600 Pt: (David Sweet)
vs.
Marian Roman Army. of 105-25 BC: List 59, 1600 pt: (Greg Ellsworth)

As noted in prior repartee the opening round of the tournament was, a multigame round-robin, where each player earned tournament points by, the game-point loss differential: 5 each for a draw, 6 for the winner, and 4 for the loser with 160-pt (10%) difference, and so forth.

The three highest finishers in each 5-person division would move on to the next round. The system had an effect on the battle. This was the Roman player's first game but the Ethiopian's third in the two prior games (see reports), the Ethiopian had picked up an average win and a catastrophic defeat for only about 6 points of a possible 20--so the Ethiopian needed to take risks and play, for a big win.

It was a fair and open battle in good weather. When the time came to dice for terrain, the Roman player tried to compress the clear area. He first picked, "Major water feature" -- reprsenting the shore of a large river or lake, which has the effect of narrowing the west end of the table by 10 1/2 inches(out of 6 feet). He also picked woods at the far east and a marsh in the far west. The Ethiopian drew 2 small woods in the west--these, and the marsh, and the share were all separated by gaps 1 element (stand) wide. There was also a large woods in the center just on the Ethiopian side of the midline and a steep rocky, hill in the east at the same distance.

The core of the Roman Army were legionnaires with the infamous pilum -- treated in WRG as a HTW (Heavy Throwing Weapon) which can not be fired as a missile as such but which has a very good first-round combat factor. The legionaries in moderate number--were placed in a 2-deep line across the center. The west had several small (6-12 man) units of auxiliary cavalry--Spaniards (guarding the marsh-shore gap) Macedonians, Gauls, and Germans (the latter 12 Irregular A fanatics), all medium or heavy. The east had more auxillaries--a unit of light medium infantry (LMI), a unit of javelin-armed Numidian light cavalry (LC), and a unit of Syrian horse archers (more LC), and. two units of light infantry, led by a Roman general who formed part of an elite Regular A body of cavalry.

The Ethiopians force-marched units onto the east hill--a WRG maneuver which allows placement up to the center lint but which boosts fatigue points. These was a unit of LMI and a unit of javelin-armed LI. Otherwise, the large number of Ethiopian fanatics (Irreg A) and ordinary Irreg C LMI stretched a few inches west of the hill past the back of the large woods about halfway to the small woods. In on eo fthe small woods was the LI Badel Mabraq. The woods-shore gap was plugged by LC. There was also a foot archer unit, Qasta Nehab, just in front of the vast LMI line west of the woods. Both commanders decided after setting up that ther west was too cramped and their east need strengthening, so both marched cavalry east: the Romans sent the Gauls and the Ethiopians an extra-heavy and a LC unit. Under the WRG "March" moves, which allow much faster movement away from combat, it took only two turns for each side's reinforcements to get close to their desired position, whore they neared enemy and had to switch to shorter, more normal "tactical" moves.

The Ethiopian LMI took a while to get through the large woods, and the legionaires took a while to get anywhere at all. The result was two battles: one on each flank.

In the west, the Ethiopians advanced Qasta Neheb to shoot the enemy. This attracted the attention of the Germans, who took some arrow damage. However, when the Germans charged, the archers managed to pass their waver (morale) test, a 50% chance. The result was more arrow damage to the Germans and a defeat of the archers, but not their rout or destruction

So the Roman mustered two more units which he planned to have aid the Germans and wipe out the 24-man archer unit. The unit of legionaries succeeded near the large woods and together with the Germans routed the archers.

However, 6 Macedonian cavalry joined by a general who had planned to strike on the west exposed their flank to the relatively speedy, Irregular A LMI unit, Badel Sabraq ("Sun in Victory"). The unit made an impetuous charge into the shieldless flank and proceeded to roll up on the dice differential, which, as Irregular A, gave them an extra +2- in melee. Result: the general and Macedonians were routed, and so badly damaged they were destroyed (dispersed beyond rallying) in their first rout move. The nearest legionarries (not the ones which had charged, but a Regular C class 16-man unit closer to the marsh) failed the waver-test and fell into the state of unshaken--in effect between normal and routing.

Badel Sabraq charged them. As already shaken,, the Roman had to take another test and failed, and broke--the Ethiopians got a free hack at theit backs.

The Irregular Germans had passed their waver tests. and destroyed Qasta Naheb the next turn, but, at the same time with the loss of the Macedonians, exposed their own flank to the charge of the Ethiopian heavy cavalry, which quickly routed the Germans.

Meanwhile, the LMI worked their way through the woods and marsh to be on the flank of the Spaniards. This gave the Roman player a dilemma: his Spaniards were better than either light unit but would have to fight while being hit in the flank. The Roman tried placing the Spaniards in a skirmish formation which allowed him to evade (move away from) charges, but the second time the speedier Sawaryana Warmat unit caught and routed the Spaniards.

Meanwhi1e, in the east, the main Ethiopian advance was carried out by the two 24-man Irregular A LMI units, Takuela ("The Jackals"') and Sellus Hayle ("The Trinity is my Strength"). Syrian horse archers rode up to shoot, and were charged by Hayle. The Syrians were not in skirmish formation for various reasons, and this is where the Roman player discovered he had made two mistakes: His orders allowed only skirmishers to evade and he did not leave enough gaps to maneuver well.

Sellus Hayle rolled poorly but the LMI beat the Syrian LC easily. The injured LC was required to attempt to escape (break off), but the only route out of the way took them into the Roman side's woods. They they were slowed while all, including the portion still outside the woods, had their backs exposed to the newly arrived Gojjam LC. Gojjam charged and routed the unit. Sollus Hayle meanwhile crashed into and defeated the Numidian LC. The subsequent waver tests found many Roman units shaken. The Ethiopians continued to charge home into the Roman units.

In fact, the Roman general was killed on the dreaded +2, -5 die roll combination.

By this time everything east of the legionaries was destroyed, routed, shaken, and/or under mandatory orders to retreat off the field. Takuela, which had finished off the Numidians in the traffic jam, struct the corner of the easternmost legionarries (who had passed several waver tests, even though C class). The combat surged back and forth and eventually the Romans rolled down while Tukuela rolled up (plus 2 more for Irregular A) - and disordered their enemy--not in rout or even shaken, but enough to make it unlikely the legionaries would ever collect the rout they needed at this point. At the same time, the untouched and frustrated central legionaries were unable to contact a large Ethiopian LMI unit, an Amora, which went into skirmish formation and evaded back into the woods.

At this time the game was over, with Ethiopian losses of 65 pointis (Qasta Neheb) and Roman of 1010--a 945-point difference which was enough to give the Ethiopians the maximum tournament victory of 10-0 (plus or minus 801 or more).