Ancients Campaign - Turn 2 opening moves

Ancients campaign turn two began with the usual naval wargame to decide which side, Rome or Carthage, will move their armies first on the campaign map. The winner of the naval engagement will move second which is an advantage.

Unusually for me this game was played against an opponent, my daughter, who is visiting from New Zealand. The rules for the game can be found here and are played on a hex-grid. They are simple rules and the trick to them is to keep the fleet together as one or as groups where all ships begin their move adjacent to a friendly ship.  As ships cannot make any attacks unless they begin their turn in an adjacent hex to a friendly ship. Isolated ships have to rejoin other ships from the fleet, and to make matter worse, when the fleet has lost more that half its ships these isolated ships leave the battle and are removed from play. Commanding ships in this age at sea was a struggle.

The Roman fleet approaches from the top against the waiting Carthaginian fleet in the foreground.

Ships first clash on the flanks.

All ships are now engaged in a giant brawl at sea.

The Romans get the upper hand with a few Carthaginian ships isolated due to losses or entangled ships which are treated as losses.

A last gasp attempt by Carthage to regain the upper hand in the struggle fails. Their fleet has become too split up.

The remaining Carthaginian ships quickly flee the battle as Roman ships mop up any final resistance.

A sound victory to the Roman fleet and my daughter. The win will allow the Romans to move second on the campaign map. Prior to any movement both Carthage and Rome recruit additional armies in regions where they have more armies than their opponent, and they do not exceed the limit of three armies in a regions. Noting that commanders, such as Hannibal do not count to the stacking limit. 

Carthage recruits two new armies in Africa and Northern Italy. While Rome recruits a single army in Southern Italy, there home base. These recruited armies are shown with a "R".

With recruiting finished Carthaginian armies move first. Rome moving second did not move any armies.

Carthage made three moves. One army moved from Spain to Northern Italy, while Hannibal and one army moved to from Northern Italy to Southern Italy and was joined by an army from Africa.

Now the campaign moves are complete, three two games will be played. The first one will be in Spain.