Across The Danube - Turn IX

The battle feels to me to be very much in the balance

If I divert troops to deal with the Dacian warriors on the Roman right, my centre could be overrun. My best hope seems to be if I can quickly defeat the remaining unit on the Dacian right, and then swing my cavalry units from there to take the Dacian centre in the flank.

The start-of-turn-event die lands as a 2: Dacian war horns. This mandates that unengaged warrior units in a trees hex advance a hex, which means the sole Dacian unit of warriors moves to the foot of the small hill.

I leave my archers where they are. The central Dacian archers have a target within range and line-of-sight, so also stay where they are, but the other Dacian achers advance diagonally left, approaching the red line.

My extreme-left cavalry advance into the rocky ground at the foot of the large hill in the Roman position, and charge-attack the falxman unit. They require 7+, but there is a +1 modifier for attacking from rocky ground. However, I roll 8, forcing the falxmen to retreat two hexes, and I am happy for my horsemen to occupy the vacated hex.

My other left-flank cavalry advance so as to contact the rearward Dacian swordsmen, whom I charge-attack, requiring 7+. There is a +1 modifier for the Dacians having another unit of swordsmen adjacent to them, but I roll 10, forcing the swordsmen to retreat three hexes, meaning they cannot cross the red line before the end of turn XII (at least not without an improbable series of actions that would have to include advances after inflicting defeats on Roman units).

My central cavalry advance diagonally right and charge-attack the other unit of Dacian swordsmen. The 7+ is reduced for the enemy already being in combat, but I roll 5.

Neither unit of Dacian swordsmen can move - one because it is engaged by the enemy, and the other because it has already retreated this turn.

My forward legion is in combat, and the rearward one has no need to adjust its position.

Only one of the falxman units can move, and it advances into the central wood.

My spearmen descend from the big hill, entering rocky ground next to the forward Dacian swordsmen, and I advance my commander diagonally left to bring every Roman unit, apart from the archers, into command range.

Finally, the warriors move along the foot of the small hill to occupy rocky ground.

Another crunch attack-phase is imminent