ADLG Late Roman v Ancient Spanish

Another outing for the 28mm Late Romans, this time against Gordon's Ancient Spanish. I'd played the Spanish earlier with Carthaginians and lost so this time was hoping to do better!

The Roman army consisted of two commands based around Legionaries, one of which included two Cataphracts, and a smaller command of impact cavalry and light horse.

Deployment saw both sides concentrating on their right. The Roman plan was to use the small cavalry command to quickly intervene where it could do most damage:

The Roman Auxilia think they have little chance of holding the plantation and retire to the hill:

The Roman right advances:

The Spanish also advance on their right in rather worrying numbers:

On the Spanish left the Celtiberians hold back:

The Auxilia deploy on the hill while the Legionaries move up in support:

The Roman advance continues on the right:

Spanish Scutarii rush forwards:

In the centre the Spanish have advanced their veteran armoured Roman Legionaries, they have an advantage in quality over the Late Roman Legionaries but not in numbers especially as the Roman impact cavalry await them:

The crunch is coming for the Roman left:

The Spanish Legionaries close despite the odds. The Celtiberians have also started to advance:

The Spanish charge home on the Roman left. The fight does not go well for the Romans:

The two battle lines, both sides have attacked on their right and refused their left:

One Cataphract attacks an isolated Celtiberian. The other prepares to charge the Spanish Legions in the flank:

On the left the Auxilia attack. One Legion has already been wiped out:

The situation looks grim for the Romans who look like they will be overwhelmed soon:

One Spanish Scutarii luckily catches two evading Roman light infantry killing them both. In the centre the situation is better with the Spanish Legions being overlapped on both flanks and the Cataphract poised to hit the end Spanish Legion in the flank:

On the Roman left things deteriorate further:

The Cataphract fighting the Celtiberians has ridden down it's first opponent and is poised to attack the next. In the centre the struggle continues:

More Celtiberians fall to the Cataphracts while the other Cataphract charges the flank of a Spanish Legion. Things seem to be looking up for the Romans:

On the left the Roman remnants have recovered a little and actually inflicted some losses on the Spanish:

The Spanish Legionaries fight on, both sides are now close to breaking:

On the left only Spanish skirmishers remain against the few surviving Romans:

With both sides only two losses from breaking the Spanish manage to get two shooting hits on the Roman Auxiliaries breaking the Roman army. The Spanish just hold on to win:

The scattered remnants of the centre and right where the Romans were definitely gaining the upper hand just as their morale broke!:

This game looked like a victory for Gordon for quite a while before the Romans made something of a comeback to almost snatch victory or a draw. The Cataphracts did very well, one of them almost single-handedly riding down the Celtiberians.

In the end the loss of the two Roman light infantry who were caught evading probably made the difference contributing 4 to the Roman break point which they could ill-afford.