Hill Of Watchfires - Turn V

This turn begins with the AI receiving reinforcements worth at least seven points

They are diced for in the usual way, the first die landing as a 5, meaning a unit of warriors costing two points. The next die is a 3, which means swordsmen costing three points, and then a 1, archers, that cost three points, taking the total past the minimum of seven.

Further dice are rolled to see where the units appear on the battlefield, and the result is they all arrive in the extreme northeast corner.

The AI now has 15 units, more than twice as many as my seven

The start-of-turn-event die is a 6 - sudden fog, reducing all bow ranges to two hexes.

The Dacian archers are first to activate, but only the unit immediately north of the hill moves, and in a direction away from the Roman cavalry.

My rearward cavalry move to contact the warriors near them, and charge-attack, needing 6+. The dice total 8, meaning the warriors have to retreat three hexes, but they cannot move into the trees, as that hex is next to the horsemen, and archers block their only other possible retreat-hex, so the unit is destroyed, and my cavalry occupy the vacated hex.

My other cavalry climb onto the hill and charge-attack the archers in the centre, needing 6+. However, there is a +1 modifier for attacking out of rocky ground. It is cancelled out by a -1 modifier for having friends in contact with the enemy unit, but that makes no difference as I roll only 5.

Both units of Praetorians advance diagonally right, taking one unit onto the hill.

The newly arrived swordsmen advance into nearby trees, but the other two units of swordsmen stay where they are.

I move my commander to behind the forward Praetorians, putting him in command range of the legion, which advances a hex.

Both units of falxmen stay still, as do my spearmen.

Last to activate are the Dacian warriors. The unit on the hill rolls a 6, allowing it to hurl javelins two hexes (this is the first time this rule has come into play in my playthroughs). There are four Roman units at the required range, but the warriors' preferred target is legionaries, requiring 7+. Modifiers for being on higher ground and for attacking from rocky ground cancel out, but are irrelevant as the AI rolls a pair of 1s. The nearby unit of warriors advances diagonally right to get alongside their comrades, and the newly arrived warriors advance straight ahead.

My cavalry are doing a decent job of sweeping the hill from the west, and my infantry are poised to join them