Britannia - Round I: Welsh Turn

The card for Andy's Welsh

It shows the Welsh receive two victory points for each Roman army eliminated, and 6VP for each Roman fort destroyed, but since the Welsh have already submitted to Roman rule, these possibilities are not currently in play.

Anyway, on with phase one: population increase. The Welsh control two normal areas, Gwynedd and Hwicce, each providing two population points, and two difficult-terrain areas, Clwyd and Powys, each providing one population point. That makes exactly six, as with the Belgae, and so the Welsh receive a new army, which Andy places in Hwicce.

[Note that the Welsh, being a subject nation, would normally only receive half the above population points, but the Roman player, ie me in this case, is allowed to waive this rule, which I did. Whether I should have done, however, is another matter.]

In the movement phase, Andy's Welsh invade March, which is controlled by Richard's Brigantes. He also moves the Powys army into March, and the Gwynedd army into Powys.

Next is the phase for battles/retreats, and in this case the only battle to be decided is that for March, where the Welsh have three normal armies (the maximum allowed for a non-Roman force) against the Brigantes' one. A roll of 5+ is needed to eliminate a normal army, but the dice land 3,3,1 v 4 - indecisive. Richard now has the option of retreating his army, and he chooses to do so, moving it to Cheshire.

Phase four (raider withdrawal) is not applicable, and neither is overpopulation, so the the Welsh turn in round one is over.

My Romans score two victory points thanks to the submitted Welsh capturing Hwicce (the Welsh do not score VPs for areas held in round one).

Map at the end of the Welsh turn

Victory-point totals: Reg's Belgae, 20VP; my Romans, 40VP; Andy's Welsh, 2VP.

Britannia - Round I: Belgae Turn

Situation after the Roman turn

The nation list in the top-right of the board shows that, after the Roman turn in each round (until their departure at the start of round VI), next up are Reg's Belgae.

The Belgae card

The Belgae start their turn in round I by automatically rebelling against the Romans, or, as the rules put it, they  "unsubmit," receiving an extra army, and a leader, Boudicca.

Reg places Boudicca, and her accompanying army, in Suffolk, which already has two Belgae armies, bringing the area to three armies, which is the stacking limit for non-Roman peoples in normal terrain (in difficult terrain, the stacking limit is two units).

Leaders are important, as they can move through three areas in a turn, as can accompanying armies. In addition, those armies in battle receive a +1 modifier to every die they roll.

Note that, as per their card, the Belgae score six victory points for every Roman army and fort they eliminate in round I during their turn.

They also score two points for each Roman army they destroy at any other time, so their elimination of a Roman army in Downlands during the Roman turn in this round gained two points.

A look at the Welsh card shows a similar rule - they gained two points for destroying a Roman army in Cornwall during the Roman turn

With everything ready, the Belgae turn-proper starts with phase one: population increase. 

First, the population of the areas occupied by the Belgae is calculated, scoring two population points for a normal area and one for an area with difficult terrain.

Reg's Belgae have three areas, Suffolk, Norfolk and Lindsey, each of which is normal, so that means a total of six population points, and since six is exactly the number required to recruit a new army, the Belgae receive one. Reg places it in Lindsey.

Close-up of southeastern Britain, where the Belgae are about to move 

Phase two is the movement phase, and Reg sends Boudicca and the three-stack of armies with her to invade Essex. He also moves one of the armies from Lindsey to the now-empty Suffolk.

Phase three is battles/retreats, and in this case that means settling Boudicca's invasion of Essex.

The Belgae have three normal armies, and my Romans also have three armies, or, at least, two Roman armies, and a fort (representing Londinium?), which counts as a normal army when battles are fought in the area in which it is built.

Reg will roll three dice, needing to score a 6 to eliminate a Roman army (all Roman armies in an area have to be destroyed before a fort can be attacked). If both Roman armies are eliminated, 5+ will be needed to destroy the fort.

My Roman armies need to roll 4+ to eliminate an enemy army, and my fort needs to roll 5+.

But the presence of a leader in the shape of Boudicca means Reg receives a +1 modifier on every die roll, so he will need 5+ to eliminate a Roman army and 4+ to eliminate the fort.

Reg rolls 6,5&2, eliminating both my armies (I should not have left Essex so lightly defended), and gaining 12 victory points. I roll 6&1 for my armies, and 3 for my fort, eliminating one Belgae army.

The battle continues, with Reg rolling 6&4, while my fort rolls 4. The result is my fort is destroyed, this being shown by flipping over the token, and the Belgae receive another six victory points.

'Londinium' is clearly ablaze

The fourth phase, raider withdrawal, does not apply, which brings us to phase five: overpopulation.

The Belgae occupy four areas, which means they have a capacity for eight armies - any extra armies would have to be removed. But there are only five Belgae armies, so overpopulation is not a factor.

The highly successful, and historically accurate, Belgae turn has ended with the Roman-controlled South Coast looking very vulnerable

Victory-point totals: Reg's Belgae, 20VP; my Romans, 38VP; Andy's Welsh, 2 VP.

Britannia - Round I

Map with armies deployed - at the bottom I have already started sorting my 16 invading Roman armies into distinct stacks, but am not committed to playing them in this way

The very first thing to do at the start of each round is to consult the timeline.

Colourful artwork shows the Romans receive 16 units, which start in the English Channel, and constitute a major invasion, indicated by the shield and crossed weapons

It also shows the Belgae receive an extra army this round, and a leader, Boudicca - more on these developments later.

But the game starts with the Romans, as they go first in each round (until all legions are withdrawn at the start of round six), and make all their actions, before the next nation has its turn, and so on.

The first thing for me to do is to consult the Romans' card to see what victory points are available to me this round

The first item is six victory points if I can force Reg's Belgae to submit this turn (how that happens, and why they would want to submit anyway, I will come to later).

Looking further down, I see I also gain six victory points if I kill Boudicca this round (unlikely, I would have thought, as she is not even on the board yet - the Belgae's turn comes next) or in round two.

There are also points available in this round, and the next two, for occupying various areas, with those furthest north being the most valuable.

That gives me some idea of what I should be aiming for (we have all been studying experienced gamers' Britannia advice on the internet - some of it is, to say the least, contradictory, but I guess the fact that 'experts' can have different opinions about the best strategies is a good sign of a game that is deep, rather than trivial).

Each nation's turn starts with a population-increase phase - each nation, that is, except for the Romans, who instead, in later rounds, receive reinforcements, but this does not apply in round one.

Next is the movement phase. Roman armies are different from other nations' armies in several ways, including that they can move through three land areas in a turn, rather than two, and can have as many units in a single area as desired, unless that area has difficult terrain (shown on the map by deeper shading, eg Downlands and Devon), in which case they are limited to four units. Difficult terrain also halts armies that enter it.

Normally, when an army or armies enter an area already occupied by another people's armies, the newcomers halt, and a battle is fought (in the battle phase). However, if the attacking armies outnumber the defending armies by more than 2-1, the excess armies can move on to another area in a manoeuvre known as overrunning.

Southern Britain, after the Romans' movement phase

Using overruns, I have positioned eight Roman stacks, each of two armies, in eight areas - two occupied by Andy's Welsh (Devon and Avalon) and six by Reg's Belgae (Wessex, Sussex, Kent, Downlands, South Mercia and Essex).

Is this an optimal start? I suspect it is on the conservative side, but what unfolds may give a clearer indication.

With phase two of the Roman turn complete, we now move on to phase three: battles/retreats.

Battles are fought area by area, with the attacker - in this case, me - deciding the order. One die is rolled per army, so in this case I will roll two dice against my opponent's one in each of the eight areas where a battle is to be fought.

Roman armies normally need to roll 4+ to eliminate an enemy army, while a Roman army is only eliminated on a roll of 6 (this reflects Rome's superior military sophistication).

I start in Kent, where the dice land 5&1 v 3, meaning the Belgae army is eliminated. It is replaced by a Roman fort, which automatically happens whenever a Roman army is the sole occupant of an area. Forts have several advantages, including acting as a stationary 'normal' army, ie an army without the extra fighting abilities usually enjoyed by Roman armies (more on forts later).

In Sussex, the dice land 5&3 v 3, having exactly the same effect as in Kent.

But in Essex the dice land 3&2 v 4 - no result. When this happens, the defender can retreat, and Reg decides to take this opportunity to withdraw his Essex army north to neighbouring Suffolk, a Roman fort appearing in its place.

In South Mercia the dice land 6&1 v 4 - the Belgae army is eliminated, and a Roman fort appears in its place. The result is the same in Wessex after the dice land 4&1 v 2.

Next is Downlands, but here the combat system is different as a defending army in an area with difficult terrain is only eliminated on a roll of 6. The dice land 3&1 v 2 - no result.

The Belgae cannot retreat, even if Reg wanted them to, as there is no adjacent area that is either solely occupied by Belgae or is vacant. If the defender does not retreat, the attacker can do so, but I have no wish to retreat, and so the battle continues. This time the dice land 5&4 v 6 - a Roman army is eliminated.

Reg cannot retreat, and I choose not to, so there is another round of fighting, and this time the dice land 6 v 1 - the Belgae army is eliminated, and a Roman fort appears in its place.

At this point, with the Belgae reduced to four areas, they can submit to Roman rule.

Submission has various effects, but the most important one from the submitting nation's viewpoint is that it stops further Roman attacks. However, Reg declines to submit for the moment, and so I shall discuss the issue further later.

The next battle is in Avalon, against Andy's Welsh. The dice land 6&4 v 1, so the Welsh army is eliminated, and a Roman fort appears.

Finally, Devon, which is difficult terrain, so both sides need a 6 to score a kill. The dice land 6&4 v 2, so I win immediately.

This ends phase three, and normally we would move on to phase four of the Roman turn. But, you will hopefully recall, this round sees the Romans launch what is termed a major invasion, and that means the invader gets to repeat phases two and three.

So once again I can move my armies through three land areas, albeit having to halt any army that enters an area with difficult terrain. But I have great flexibility in that one advantage conferred on the Romans by forts is that any area with an undestroyed fort counts as having Roman roads, allowing Roman units to move through such areas without being charged against their movement allowance.

Roman expansion continues, with eight more battles to be fought (barring submission by the Belgae or Welsh)

I start in Cornwall, where difficult terrain means both sides need a 6 to score a kill. The first dice land 3&2 v 5. The Welsh cannot retreat, even if Andy wanted them to (defenders can never retreat to sea), and I do not want to retreat, so the battle continues, the dice landing 5&4 v 4. That is again indecisive, but the next dice land 6&5 v 6. The Welsh army is eliminated, along with a Roman army, and a Roman fort is built.

In Dyfed I win immediately when the dice land 6&5 v 2.

In Gwent, which is a difficult area, the dice land 2&1 v 2 - no result. The dice are rolled again, landing 2&1 v 5, and again: 6&4 v 1. So Gwent falls to the Romans, and at this point Andy orders the Welsh to submit to Roman rule (the Welsh can do this when reduced to five areas or fewer).

Submission has the following immediate effects:

i) Roman units in any Welsh-held area leave, in this case meaning the two Roman armies in Hwicce move to South Mercia.

ii) The Romans receive victory points for the four areas controlled by the Welsh as if the Romans had occupied those areas.

iii) The Romans can no longer attack Welsh areas, and the Welsh can no longer attack Roman ones.

Effect ii) means, as per the Roman card above, that the Romans receive two victory points for Gwynedd, and one each for Clwyd, Powys and Hwicce.

These points are in addition to ones for occupying the other conquered Welsh areas, Cornwall, Devon (2pts), Dyfed (2pts), Gwent and Avalon.

That is 12 points in all from the Welsh areas, to which must be added two victory points for the occupation of each English area (note that many geographic terms in Britannia are anachronistic, but, after all, 1,000 years of history are being covered). So far that is six areas, which means a further 12 points, and so my Romans have so far collected 24 VPs.

In North Mercia it is one Roman army against one of the Belgae, and the terrain is not difficult, so when the dice land 5 v 2, the Belgae army is eliminated, and replaced by a Roman fort.

Reg now offers the submission of the Belgae, muttering that he should have done so before I took North Mercia.

This has the following immediate effects:

i) My armies in Belgae-held areas leave, and I put two of them in Essex, and the rest in North Mercia.

ii) I receive victory points as if I have occupied Suffolk, Norfolk and Lindsey (2pts per area), and I receive a further six victory points as per the Roman card for inducing the Belgae to submit in the first round.

iii) The Romans can no longer attack the Belgae, and the Belgae can no longer attack the Romans (well, in theory, perhaps, but actually the Belgae will unsubmit when Boudicca appears later this round).

So, including the Roman occupation of North Mercia, I have a further 14 victory points to add to the 24 mentioned earlier, meaning 38 in total.

Updated situation in southern Britain

With phases two and three of the Roman turn completed (twice, thanks to the Romans launching a major invasion), we turn to phases four and five - raider withdrawal and overpopulation.

Since the Romans were not raiding, as opposed to invading, and since Romans are not subject to overpopulation rules, the Roman turn in round I is finished.

The whole board

Britannia - How To Win

THERE are four main ways to score victory points in Britannia.

The foremost of these is by uncontestedly holding areas of the map at the end of a scoring round (these are rounds V, VII, X, XIII and XVI).

The card for the Caledonians - one of the nations controlled by Andy - shows that at the end of round V, and VII for that matter, the Caledonians receive four points for controlling each of Caithness, the Hebrides and the Orkneys, and two points for each of Dalriada, Moray and Skye

The second way to score victory points is by occupying certain areas during certain rounds.

This is a less-onerous requirement than holding an area, as to occupy is defined as being the sole nation to have a unit in an area at any point during the round.

Therefore, merely passing through an empty area at some point during the round is sufficient, and the nation concerned immediately scores the appropriate number of victory points.

My Norwegians gain 10 points if at some time in round XV they occupy York, six points if they occupy North Mercia, and four points for occupying each of Bernicia, Cheshire and March

Note that you can only once score points for occupying an area - a subsequent occupation does not score. However, you can score points for occupation even if you have already scored for holding the same area.

The third main method of scoring victory points is by eliminating specified enemy units.

The section with a skull on a red background shows Reg's Picts in any round score two points for each Roman army eliminated, and six points for each Roman fort destroyed

The fourth way to gain victory points is to successfully claim the title of bretwalda between rounds VIII and X, or the title of king from round XI onwards, except for round XV (more on this later).

Finally, my Romans have three additional ways to gain points: i) limes (submitted nations and intact forts) at the end of round V, ii) submission by the Belgae in round I; iii) submission by the Brigantes, Picts and Welsh (more on all this later).

There are some limits and refinements on scoring, but I will come to those when, and if, they come into play.

Britannia - The Players

BRITANNIA is designed for three to five players, but the publishers state, and the online consensus concurs, that the ideal number is four.

That certainly suits us, by whom I mean myself and my three regular boardgame opponents: security consultant Richard Johnson, serving British forces officer Andy, and 'Reg', often my nemesis in wargames with miniatures.

None of us has played the second edition of Britannia before, although Richard, many years ago, played one game of original Britannia, albeit his memory of it is hazy, to say the least (he cannot recall how it finished or, indeed, if the game was completed at all).

So what follows is a learning experience, and a review, rolled into one, and, as usual, I will write it up as we go along.

The game starts, very reasonably, by placing a snazzy round-marker at the top of the timeline, ie round one (AD 45-60)

Each player is randomly given a colour (blue, green, red or yellow), which determines which nations he will control during the coming 1,000 years.

Andy receives green, which means he will have Caledonians, Danes, Jutes and Welsh; I get yellow (Dubliners, Norwegians, Romans, Romano-British and Scots); Reg has blue (Belgae, Picts, Angles and Normans); Richard red (Brigantes, Irish, Norsemen and Saxons).

My five nations - everyone else has four 

We now place our starting tokens on the map.

That is easy for me as I simply place 16 Roman armies in the English Channel.

Tokens are sturdy and colourful

Andy (green) starts with Caledonian armies in Caithness, the Hebrides and the Orkneys - "as far from your expletive deleted Romans as possible," as he robustly, but accurately, puts it - and Welsh armies in Avalon, Clwyd, Cornwall, Devon, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Hwicce and Powys, making a total of 12 armies.

Reg (blue) has 10 armies of the Belgae, in Downlands, Essex, Kent, Lindsey, the Mercias (North & South), Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex and Wessex, and six Pict armies, in Alban, Dalriada, Dunedin, Mar, Moray and Skye.

Finally, Richard (red) has nine armies of the Brigantes, taking up the final areas on the playing part of the board: Bernicia, Cheshire, Cumbria, Galloway, Lothian, March, the Pennines, Strathclyde and York.

Ready for the off

Another view

Britannia

BACK in November 2024 I walked to a Hobbycraft store south of the Thames in Greenwich.

One of the first things confronting me, after I passed under the river via Greenwich Foot Tunnel, was a branch of Oxfam.

As I noted at the time, it had quite a treasure trove of secondhand books, although I only bought two as my backpack was fairly laden anyway, and the return-journey to my home in central London was about 14 miles.

One of the books I bought was Tim Clarkson's The Men Of The North, to which I later gave an enthusiastic review.

The book inspired me to hunt down a copy of the boardgame Britannia, first published in 1986, and rereleased in a second edition in 2005.

I obtained the latter from Wisconsin-based Noble Knight Games, but only now have I got round to opening the box and preparing to try the game.

As the name and the artwork hint at, the game covers roughly 1,000 years between the Roman and Norman conquests of Britain 

The game (simulation?) is played on a board measuring approx 33x22in (84x56cm), much of which is taken up by a map of what were to become England, Scotland and Wales

There is also a rulebook, errata sheets, 17 'nation' cards, numerous tokens, and various odds and ends.

The total cost, including shipping, was almost exactly 100 dollars, and, as far as I can see from a first look, the only thing obviously missing from what was supposed to be a secondhand, but complete, game is a set of five six-sided combat dice.

Unless the dice have some special feature, their absence will not be a problem.

Moor History

AM visiting Mallorca, where, while walking near the Bay of Santa Ponça, I came across interesting remains from prehistoric and more recent times.

Partially reconstructed charcoal burners' hut, part-way down Sa Morisca (Moors' Mountain), from the days before electricity

Remains of a tower on the summit, the first version of which was apparently built 3,500 years ago

Inside the tower, which, according to archaeologists, probably served as a lookout, a place to ceremonially drink wine, and simply as a way to impress/intimidate other communities

Part of a wall built to protect the settlement in troubled times 2,500 years ago

View from near the summit to the modern town of Magaluf - the area's conquerors included the Romans and, in 1229, James I of Aragon, who, while taking Mallorca from its Muslim rulers, successfully assaulted Sa Morisca with 750 soldiers, including 50 knights

Slingshot 366

The Sep/Oct issue of the journal of the Society of Ancients includes my account of refighting Charles Grant's Battle of the Apocryphal Well

It also has the editor pondering on what the magazine should concentrate on, history or wargaming.

Inevitably, the answer must be both, but, at least from my perspective, the emphasis should be on the latter, as the former can nearly always be found elsewhere.

On another personal note, I was pleased to see coverage of WoFun's plastic flats, used by Steven Neate in place of counters for the boardgame Commands & Colors (I must get round to buying it), much as I have used the Transylvanian firm's figures for refighting battles from Mike Lambo's Battles Of Napoleonic Europe.

In short, it probably will not surprise anyone to learn I found this latest issue of Slingshot to be full of interesting articles, and I read every one from start to finish.

A Tale Of Two Titles

I PLAN to refight the original Battle of Megiddo, ie the one fought at some point in the 15th century BC between Egypt and a rebellious Canaanite coalition.

It can probably truly lay claim to be the first battle in history where there is enough evidence to reconstruct a convincing outline of what happened, why it happened, and how it happened.

All our evidence comes from inscriptions ordered by the victor, Pharoah Thutmose III, and to understand them I have bought two books, both called The Battle Of Megiddo.

 

A contrast in size, but an even bigger contrast in quality

The larger book has a completely inappropriate cover, but otherwise is a reasonably faithful reproduction by Leopold Classic Library of Harold Nelson's 1913 dissertation for his doctorate from Chicago University, written after visits to the battlefield and surrounding lands in 1909 and 1912.

I write "reasonably faithful" as, although the book includes photographs, admittedly of varying quality, it omits Nelson's maps

Fortunately, informative maps, based on Nelson's work, can be found online, and are a handy aid while reading the book, which makes for a gripping account.

Jack Whittaker's book, on the other hand, which came out this year, has not a single illustration between the covers, contains no index or bibliography, and makes no attempt at estimating the numbers involved in the battle, or how they may have lined up.

Instead we are 'treated' - hardly the right word - to endless cliches, waffle and repetition, so much so that I gave up in disgust when he moved on the from the battle to the subsequent siege of the city of Megiddo.

If I had only bought the second book, I would have learnt no more about the battle than I already knew before I began reading, but Nelson's book is, thankfully, altogether a different story, and very much a pleasure.

Latest Chariots

10mm from Tenth Legion (formerly Magister Militum) - painted as Mitanni, but could equaly be Syrian, Canaanite, etc

Land Ahoy!

THE North-West Passage By Land is one of those wonderful books where my only regret when reading it was that it eventually ended.

Fortunately there were some 400 pages before that happened, and I enjoyed every one of them.

The first edition, published in June 1865, was quickly followed by two more editions before the year was out.

Its subtitle, although clumsy (a sign of the times), summarises the book well: Being The Narrative Of An Expedition From The Atlantic To The Pacific, Undertaken With The View Of Exploring A Route Across The Continent To British Columbia Through British Territory, By One Of The Northern Passes In The Rocky Mountains.

This is a 2021 reprint by Alpha Editions, which specialises in making available out-of-print books that would slip under most potential readers' radar 

The authors are the eldest son of an earl, William Wentworth-Fitzwilliam (Viscount Wilton), and medical student Walter Cheadle, who teamed up to cross North America in 1862.

Their exciting adventures, and the skilful way they present them, have inspired me to book a two-week walking holiday in the Canadian Rockies next year, which will include going to some of the places visited in the book, which contains exactly the mix of travel and history that I find so fascinating.

Summing Up Hunters' Ridge

ANOTHER incredibly exciting battle, and a real nailbiting finish.

For two turns running, the AI needed a roll of anything but 4 or 6 to advance a unit of falxmen onto the ridge, and so win the battle.

But both times, the die landed as a 4, meaning I survived, and so now lead the AI 4-0.

However, after rereading the rules, I have just realised I should not have allowed my commander (and his entourage) to make a charge-attack in turn XI - such attacks are only available to cavalry.

Clearly, this made a difference to the details of the battle, but did it change the outcome?

I suspect my mounted troops would have been able to hold the ridge against the sole Dacian unit concerned ... but I cannot be sure.

It is unfortunate when rule mistakes are made, but at least I can say they are honest mistakes, and sometimes they benefit the AI - after all, there was the scenario not so long ago when I started with one less unit than I should have had!

Hunters' Ridge - Turn XII

Nothing changed in the attack phase last turn, and suddenly I am just a turn from victory, provided I can stop any Dacians ascending the ridge 

The start-of-turn-event die is a 6, which gives me another ballista attack. Again, it cannot be used against the meleeing cavalry or the falxmen in trees, so I have to shoot at the left-flank warriors, but I roll 6, one short of the minimum needed.

Three Dacian archer units advance, but the forward unit on the Dacian left is happy where it is as it has my commander in its sights.

There is no point in moving my cavalry, but I move my commander off the ridge, so he cannot be shot at.

The Dacian cavalry by the pond enter it, and have to immediately halt (mounted troops always stop on entering a water or tree hex).

My forward Praetorians remain where they are. There is no point in moving them as the outcome of the battle depends on whether the forward falxmen on the Dacian right clamber onto the ridge (note that the Dacian cavalry, even if it should execute a successful attack in the attack phase, would not then ascend the ridge as Dacian cavalry never advance in such circumstances).

So it all comes down to the falxmen at the foot of the ridge. A die is rolled, and it lands as a 4, which, as last turn, only allows diagonal movement, which is not possible for the unit, so, against incredible odds, or so it seems to me, I have won.

Hunters' Ridge - Turn XI: Attack Phase

The forward archers on the Dacian left have a shot at my commander

They need 9+, and there is a +1 modifier for being on lower ground. The dice total 5.

The right-flank Dacian cavalry attack the Praetorians straight ahead, needing 8+. There are +1 modifiers for being on lower ground and for attacking from rocky ground. The dice total 7.

My middle Praetorians counterattack, needing 8+, but with -1s for being on higher ground and for having comrades in contact with the same enemy unit. However, I roll 4.

My rearward Praetorians similarly attack the same cavalry, but with a +1 for attacking from rocky ground. I roll 5.

Hunters' Ridge - Turn XI

All depends on the forward falxmen on the Dacian left

The start-of-turn-event die is a 6. This allows me a ballista shot at the furthest-forward enemy unit, but one condition is it cannot be engaged in combat, so that rules out the cavalry, and another is that it cannot be in trees, so that rules out the dangerous falxmen. Instead I have to shoot at the warriors on the other flank, needing 7+ with no modifiers, any hit sending the enemy fleeing three hexes. I successfully roll 8.

The forward archers on the Dacian right advance diagonally right, but the other archers stay still, including the forward ones on the Dacian left, who have my cavalry in range and line-of-sight.

My cavalry fall back diagonally left two hexes.

The Dacian cavalry in the shallow pond advance to the foot of the ridge, where they are met by my commander, who charge-attacks them, needing 8+, with a -1 modifier for being on higher ground. I roll 7, causing the Dacians to retreat two hexes, and so out of the water.

My unengaged Praetorians advance diagonally left.

The falxmen at the foot of the ridge roll a 4, but, fortunately for me, that mandates advancing diagonally left, which they cannot do, so they do not mount the ridge.

The falxmen on the Dacian left advance, as do the warriors next to them.

The situation on the Roman left is still desperate, but the Dacians are running out of time

Hunters' Ridge - Turn X: Attack Phase

This could end in tears

The Dacian left-flank forward archers shoot at my cavalry (friends do not block line-of-sight). They need 9+, and there is a +1 modifier for being on lower ground, but a -1 for the falxmen also being in contact with my men. The dice total 8 - one short.

My horsemen attack the falxmen, needing 7+. There is a -1 for being on higher ground, but a +1 for attacking from rocky ground. I roll 8, forcing the enemy to fall back two hexes. I do not let my cavalry occupy the vacated hex.

The right-flank Dacian cavalry attack my extreme-left Praetorians, needing 8+, but with +1s for being on lower ground and for attacking from rocky ground, which is just as well as the dice total 9.

My Praetorians in the trees attack the falxmen they are engaged with, needing 7+. There is a -1 for high ground, and I roll 10, easily routing the Dacian unit. Again, I do not let my men advance.

The forward Praetorians on the left attack the Dacian cavalry, needing 8+, but with -1s for being on higher ground and for having comrades also in contact with the horsemen. However, I roll 3.

Finally, my other unit of Praetorians similarly attacks the same cavalrymen, but this time with a +1 for attacking from rocky ground. I roll 4.

I am holding on for now, but there is nothing to stop the furthest-forward falxmen from ascending the ridge next turn, and so winning the battle for the AI

Hunters' Ridge - Turn X

This could be the last turn

The start-of-turn-event die is a 4, which lets me move an unengaged unit that is in command range and on foot. I move my central Praetorians along the ridge to their left.

None of the Dacian archers moves.

My cavalry advance two hexes diagonally right, and charge-attack the falxmen at the foot of the ridge, needing 7+. There is a -1 modifier for being on higher ground, but a +1 for attacking from rocky ground. I roll 5.

The right-flank Dacian cavalry advance a hex and charge attack my extreme-left Praetorians, needing 8+, but there are +1 modifiers for being on lower ground and for attacking from rocky ground. The dice total 7.

My commander falls back diagonally right to put him in command range of the Roman cavalry, as I do not want them advancing off the ridge if they defeat the falxmen in the attack phase.

All three unengaged units of falxmen advance, putting two of them at the foot of the ridge, and a unit of warriors also reaches the ridge.

The thin red line is in danger of having multiple holes punched through it

Hunters' Ridge - Turn IX: Attack Phase

Only the forward archers on the Dacian left can attack

They shoot at my forward Praetorians, needing 9+, but with a +1 modifier for being on lower ground. The dice total 8.

Hunters' Ridge - Turn IX

Five Roman units against 13 Dacian

The start-of-turn-event die is a 5, but that only affects Roman cavalry who are already in contact with an enemy unit, which does not apply here.

The forward archers on the Dacian left have a target to shoot at, so do not move, but the forward archers on the Dacian right advance into trees, putting them in range of my forward Praetorians.

My cavalry move diagonally back to the right, and then straight back off the ridge, so as to be out of sight of the Dacian left-flank archers, but still covering, as well as they can, the Roman right.

The right-flank Dacian cavalry advance directly ahead a hex, not making contact with my leading Praetorians. The other Dacian cavalry advance into the shallow pond.

Both my Praetorian units north of the ridge drop back, so they are again on the ridge.

The left-flank falxmen advance to the foot of the ridge, and two of the other units of falxmen also advance, but not the ones on the extreme left.

Two of the warrior units advance.

It would be somewhat ironic, considering their performance in previous scenarios, if falxmen prove my undoing

Hunters' Ridge - Turn VIII: Attack Phase

I need to make my advantage count in the centre, so I can redeploy my men to meet threats of the flanks 

My archers begin by shooting at the nearby cavalry, needing 9+, but with -1 modifiers for being on higher ground and for the enemy being in contact with another Roman unit. However, I roll 4.

The forward Dacian archers shoot at my furthest-right Praetorians (their preferred target of the three available), needing 9+. There is a -1 modifier for help from warriors, but a +1 for being bowmen engaged at close range. The dice total 6.

The Dacian archers in trees on the hill on the Dacian left shoot at my archers, needing 7+, but with a +1 for being on lower ground. However, they roll 11, eliminating my my unit.

My cavalry attack the Dacian horsemen to their front, needing 8+, but with a -1 for being on higher ground. I roll 8, forcing the cavalry back two hexes. My men do not advance.

My Praetorians next to the commander attack the archers, needing 6+. There are -1 modifiers for having two friendly units in contact with the Dacians, and another -1 for attacking while adjacent to the commander. But there is a +1 for attacking into trees. I roll 10, easily destroying the bowmen. The Praetorians do not occupy the vacated hex.

The next unit of Praetorians attacks the warriors, needing 5+. There is a -1 thanks to the warriors already being engaged with another Roman unit, but this is cancelled out for attacking into trees. I roll 7, forcing the warriors to retreat three hexes. My men do not advance.

Losing my archers is a grievous blow, and my forward Praetorians are vulnerable to a charge from the Dacian right-flank cavalry

Hunters' Ridge - Turn VIII

Situation after seven turns

The start-of-turn-event die is again a 2, allowing, in this case, two warrior units to advance straight ahead, putting one if them in contact with my archers, which could prove a problem.

My archers, being pinned, cannot move, but three units of Dacian archers advance, one of them reaching the foot of the ridge.

My cavalry circle behind my archers, re-emerging on the ridge, where they advance to the edge* and charge-attack the forward warriors, needing 6+. There are -1 modifiers for being on higher ground and for the warriors being engaged with my archers. I roll 4, the minimum necessary to score a hit, and this forces the warriors to retreat two hexes.

The right-flank Dacian cavalry advance diagonally one hex, and the cavalry in the shallow pond advance a hex to reach the foot of the ridge, making contact with my cavalry (but cavalry cannot charge-attack from a water hex).

I advance my commander onto the ridge, and also advance the two nearby units of Praetorians, meaning there will be a huge melee in the centre of the battlefield in the attack phase of this turn.

Two of the units of falxmen move forward, but crucially not the unit on the small hill on the Dacian right.

Finally, the rearward warriors advance onto the hill on the Dacian left, which is now covered in hostile tribesmen.

Standby for fireworks in the centre

*How did they do this? Cavalry, as opposed to commanders, can only move two hexes, not three, so my cavalry should not have been able to circle behind the archers, ascend the ridge and move a further hex to the forward edge of the ridge. I have only spotted the error as I come to publish this post.

Hunters' Ridge - Turn VII: Assault Phase

My archers have a clear shot at the Dacian left-flank cavalry - I need to take advantage of this

Bows against cavalry need 9+ to score a hit, but there is a -1 modifier for being on higher ground, and I roll 12! That routs the cavalry, and suddenly the danger on the Roman right looks much less threatening.

None of the Dacian archers has enemy in range and line-of-sight, so next to attack are my Praetorians. I begin with the unit in the trees, which requires 6+ against swordsmen, but there are -1 modifiers for being on higher ground, for attacking while next to the commander, and for having colleagues also engaged with the enemy unit. I again roll 12, easily eliminating the swordsmen. I do not let the victors advance to occupy the vacated hex.

Two sets of double-6s were overkill, but none-the-less welcome