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After our little duel in the Neutral Zone, Patch and I went back to CC:A for another early barbarian battle from Expansion #2. The Romans have trapped the (Cisalpine) Gauls between two forces, and have an overall advantage, though each force isn’t a match for the Gauls alone. As an extra wrinkle, there’s a hill mass on one side, and whoever has more units there at the end of a turn is credited with two banners (out of eight) until a turn ends without that being true.

Patch started with the Romans, and lead with a Double-Time to move into the hills. He also trapped a Light against a couple heavier units and wiped it out in two attacks for no losses. I Ordered Mediums, and rushed the Roman army that had not moved, and could only do two hits each on two trapped Lights, and took a hit each on a Warrior and two MCs in return. Patch hit back with Leadership Any Section, and knocked out a Warrior, did two blocks to the weakened one, and nearly knocked out two more evading units. I used Inspired Right Leadership to engage unhurt units, and did two blocks each to a Light and Aux, but took a block and two banners on a Warrior, and then a First Strike did a block and banner to another Warrior, killing my leader in the process.

Patch Ordered Four Left (two from each force), and traded blocks between a Med and Warrior, and finished off a weak Warrior. I Ordered Mediums again, and had to take risks with weak units, finishing off a Light, doing a hit to a Medium on momentum … and then losing my Warriors when Patch rolled three banners. I then traded a hit on the Mediums for two hits on Warriors, did a hit on an Aux, and then lost the unit to a two-hit battle back. 1-8

I started with Order Lights in the second game, and got onto the hills. Patch Ordered Two Right, and did a block to an Aux for no damage. I did a Coordinated Attack, and destroyed a BCH, though a First Strike got two blocks on a MC first. I used momentum to get a block on a MC, but took two in return, while I drove off a Warrior after doing a block on the other flank. Patch Counterattacked to finish off two MCs, and do two more blocks to the hurt Aux, while taking one in return.

I reshuffled a little with Order Four Left, doing two blocks on an Aux in return for one each on a pair of Auxes. Patch Ordered Three Center, and pressed on my flank in the hills, forcing one unit off with a banner. I Ordered Mediums to start a few units forward, and bring MCs over the hills, destroying a MC, and getting his leader who was forced to evade through my line, and then did two blocks to an Aux, who did one back to a MC. Patch Ordered Four Center, splitting his attention between the two lines, knocking out a MC, doing a block to a Med, but taking two on a Warrior himself. I used Line Command to engage the area away from the hills, causing two retreats, and doing three blocks to an Aux. Patch Ordered Mediums, killing a unitless leader before he could evade off-board, getting two units into the hills, and forcing my Lights to evade off them (shifting the hill banners to him), and killed an Aux.

I used Clash of Shields (possibly a first, I usually end up holding it for a better time), finishing an Aux and getting three hits on an evading MC, but took two hits on Heavies after a failed momentum attack. An attack in the hills forced him to retreat off, and I momentum advanced to get the hill bonus back. Patch Ordered Three Left to get them all on hills, and forced my Aux back off with a banner. I Ordered Two Center to finish off an Aux, then momentum advanced onto the hills, and finished off a 1-block Warrior. Patch Ordered One (Inspired Left) to finish off a weak Aux. 7-8

Afterword

The ‘three-part battle’ is a situation I feel CC:A doesn’t handle that well, as the retreat rules don’t get modified, and (here) the second Roman force can get stuck trying to retreat through the Gauls instead of toward the rest of their own army. It seemed to work better here than in other scenarios, possibly because those were all small ambushing forces that were too easy to cut up, whereas the Romans can at least try and keep a line together for support here. I still had one evade that went the wrong way though.

The first game went very fast, thanks to me being unable to get anywhere with the dice. And that opening Double-Time from Patch really narrowed down my options. The second game was still pretty fast, but was coming down to the wire as Patch moved onto the hills just in time to keep me from winning, and I was starting to really chew through the Gaulish units.