Carthaginians and Macedonians

Ross called up and threw down the gauntlet. I hadn't played him in an ancients game in a very long time ( nearly a year!!)

His Macedonians under Antigonus One-Eye were itching to fight. I looked over my armies and thought...'Early Carthaginians...why not?'. 

Now, non historical match-ups can be problematic but as these two armies were almost from the same time period we didn't think it was going to be an issue!!

Carthaginian Line

The Macedonians

The table

Paul took the Carthaginian left wing and I took the right. Ross was Antigonus. Paul and I agreed that his wing would go hell for leather against the enemy as his command had a good number of elephants and Ross's flank was lacking in elephants and light troops. My job was just to keep the forces opposite busy as the hammer blow was to be Paul's elephants and his mercenary hoplites.

Macedonian Light Cav on the flank

The Macedonian Phalanx- always looks so impressive!

Carthaginian elephants!

Center of the Carthaginian line- Greek mercenary hoplites

That Phalanx again!

Greek mercenary phalanx, fighting for the Carthaginians!

Macedonian Elephants

Cartho left wing.

Carthaginian left vs Macedonian right....you can see why Paul and I decided that this was to be the decisive flank......and Paul took off

A rapid advance by the Carthaginian left wing, elephants and mercenary hoplites

Holding back the Cartho right wing

Moving ponderously forward.

Macedonian cavalry hanging back - they don't want to tangle with the elephants!

Fight on the Cartho left wing.

Elephants busting through!!

Hoplites advancing- their flank open with Macedonian light infantry hovering...but they're focussed on the elephants!

Carthaginian right wing- cavalry, elephants and hoplites all fighting.

The middle!! Both phalanx getting stuck in- The Macedonians sitting on a hill...and the Greek mercenaries and the Carthaginian spearmen getting stuck in!

Bad dice roll!!

Charges all along the line.

Carthaginian spearmen hitting a Macedonian Elephant in the flank.

I attached my sub general to my Spanish cavalry - to wipe out his Agema!

A very bloody stoush! Macedonian phalangites vs Carthaginian spearmen and Greek hoplites.

Ouch- the cavalry are about to become toe jam! They don't respond well to elephants!

Signs of desperation- the Macedonian heavy cavalry slam into the front of the Greek mercenaries.......it wouldn't end well for the cavalry!

The Carthaginian elephants forcing the Macedonian cavalry back

Cartho elephants pushing all before them!

Action all along the line from the Carthaginian left flank to the center.

Macedonian cavalry taking heavy casualties and falling back.

The remains of the Macedonian phalanx- depleted and eventually destroyed.
Poor Ross' dice rolling was so appalling- it really was unfair!

In the end, the game went ( fortunately ) as planned for the Carthaginians! 

The Macedonians fought well, but their superb heavy cavalry got stomped by the elephants, and the melee between the two phalanx should have been a little closer- but Ross' die rolls were so bad, I think he decommissioned his dice set and wants to buy another!

Game to the Carthaginians!!