DBMM Defeat from the very Jaws of victory...............

Gallic vs Marian Roman

400pt game today with Stephen I used Gauls vs his Romans.

I invaded and terrain saw a huge (2FE) difficult hill plonked in Stephens middle zone, a couple of small woods and two small rough hills with a Paved Road completed battlefield.

Stephen deployed first with a line of Legionaries (a mix of BdS & BdO) supported by fortified Bolt-Shooters with flank resting on the DH and other flank supported by Cavalry and Light Horse with a few more Legionaries. The DH was occuppied by Psiloi and Auxillaries. I deployed 2 Allied generals with a large central Cmd (40 Wb with Ps and Lch support) and to rear a Cmd of Cavalry and Chariots to sweep around my left flank (on table). My warriors were all WbO.

Opening moves saw repective mounted Cmds move to flank and Legions and Warband approach each other. Thankfully both my Allied Cmds were reliable.

Roman Art caused a few losses. Hostilities began in earnest when BdS moved in against my central Wb Cmd (as they were a somwhat disrupted group due to sponno moves). Wb took a couple of losses but in their turn detroyed several Elite Legionaries. My mounted Cmd had poor Pips allowing oppossing Roman cmds to deploy unmolested against one Gaul Allied Cmd.

The key matchup in the centre saw the Legions in bit of distress nearing Disheartened status, with Gauls suffering losses but due to only counting 1/2ME per loss nothing too dangerous. Indeed things looked very good for the Gauls.....................until.......................with Romans tetttering on the brink the Gauls had 5 key combats in their OWN turn with each being 3 to 2 in favour of Warriors and quick kills looking almost assured ....................BUT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......... with uncanny dice rolling managed to lose 4 out of the 5 combats and indeed lost 4 elements !! (my rolling 1 to Stephens 5 or 6 each time) the Romans then followed up and in their turn quick-killed several more Wb for no loss causing the central (CiCs) Gallic Cmd to break !!!!!!!

In the meantime the Allies had assaulted the DH with a to and fro battle uphill against Aux and Ps. On other flank my Cavalry and Allied Wb were dealing well with Roman horse but rather rashly I put an Allied Gen in his Chariot into melee and of course he ended up overlapped on both flanks and died, this broke his Cmd and tipped balance with Gallic army being routed.

Game hinged on that key turn when Gauls failed to win in their own bound as if they had of either killed some Romans or managed not to die against the battle was theirs...................but alas not to be.

This is closest I have come to actually winning a game but yet again my dice rolls let me down at crucial juncture.....................the Dice Gods hate my guts !

Still another superbly fun game with lots of exciting die rolling contests. Dbmm has not thus far failed to be anything but fun for us. Of course neither of us have used Spear armies yet !!