An Ancient Mini Campaign - Part 3

This is part 3 of an Ancient campaign covering the invasion of Luminaria by Carthaginian forces and covers the first battle of the campaign. Luminaria is a hypothetical client state of Rome. 

Note - To help speed up my posts I am using the free online AI tool ChatGPT to help create the battle narratives from my brief descriptions. The process is I quickly write up my notes, copy them into ChatGPT asking it to reword as a narrative. I then get back a narrative which I do need to modify, but does provide a good framework which speeds up the writing. See what you think…

After a delay for reconnaissance the Carthaginian forces advance.

See the previous post for the setup of this game and the orders of battle.

Battle Narrative

Commander Marcus, leading the Roman forces, made a tactical decision to divide his heavy infantry, stationing them between the defense of Mariposa and the adjacent hill that provided a commanding view of the city. Positioned between the two, the light infantry stood ready to advance through the fields and orchards.

Hanno the Carthaginian commander, after a brief pause for reconnaissance, observed the advance of his forces. The primary assault would be led by the heavy infantry against the city, while the Gaul war-bands were tasked with clearing the challenging terrain of the fields and orchards.

The attack by Gauls in the centre is well underway as the Carthaginian heavy infantry slowly advance, coming under fire from catapults in the city. 

The assault on Mariposa is well underway.

The Roman light infantry fiercely defended their central position, delaying the advancing Gauls, while the defenders of Mariposa soon found themselves under intense pressure, prompting Marcus to deploy supporting troops to counter the relentless assaults on the city.

The Gauls are finally making good headway in the fields and orchards, pushing back the Roman light infantry.

Supporting troops arrive in an attempt to divert the attentions of the attackers.

Despite their valiant efforts, the Roman light infantry eventually succumbed to the relentless onslaught of the Gauls. The fields and orchards were cleared, and the victorious Gauls regrouped, then joined the assault on Mariposa.

With darkness descending upon the battlefield, the Roman forces managed to hold onto Mariposa by a narrowest of margins. Marcus had executed a commendable defense, successfully delaying the invaders. However, with additional Carthaginian reinforcements en route, he made the wise decision to withdraw his forces and regroup.

The fields and orchards are cleared.

The assault on Mariposa almost succeeds only to be thwarted on the final turn.

The next post will return to the campaign map.

The next campaign turn to be played.