ADLG Seleucid v Republican Roman

Another in Stan and I's series of opponents of Republican Rome saw my Seleucid army take on Stan's Republican Romans.

The Seleucid list has (relatively) few choices available at the time period when they fought the Romans so I went for a large Phalanx command (including two scythed chariots), a smaller Elephant/Thracian command and a micro command of Cataphracts and Skythians.

With many of the troops classed as 'Elite' and expensive anyway the army was small and had little maneuverability so I was mostly relying on forming up opposite the Romans and charging in!

The terrain was fairly clear but even at deployment it looked like my plan could be in trouble:

The Romans don't look like they want to engage in a frontal fight and the Cataphracts will take a long time to get into action. A rare view of my army from the front:

The Roman Legion in the open retires while the Roman cavalry advance to slow the Phalanx and Cataphracts. The Seleucid's blindly continue with their outdated plan:

The Phalanx and Cataphracts are being drawn forward by the retiring Roman cavalry. The Elephants and Thracian's watch unhappily feeling rather left behind as the Scythed Chariots advance:

The Scythed Chariots attack some Triarii:

The Chariot attack fails and both will soon be destroyed. Meanwhile a menacing force of Italian Allied Infantry is making a move around the Seleucid left flank. At this point I considered moving the Elephants and Thracian's behind the Phalanx but didn't actually do it:

The Roman Cavalry have successfully drawn the Seleucid Phalanx and Cataphracts into the middle of nowhere. The Elephants and Thracian's could still get away but receive no orders to do so:

Roman Legionaries and the Italian Infantry form a powerful line to attack the Elephants and Thracian's. The Phalanx has turned but only has uphill Legionaries as potential targets. The Seleucid's have been totally out-maneuvered:

One Thracian attempts to buy some time for the Elephants but fails badly:

The Elephants are being surrounded and the Phalanx is in danger of being outflanked. One (small) positive is that Seleucid Cataphracts have achieved the unlikely task of sacking the fortified Roman camp!:

 The Phalanx attacks the hill while the Elephants attempt to stem the tide of Romans:

The Phalanx makes no headway against the Romans on the hill and is now outflanked. The last Elephant fights on desperately:

The Elephant is surrounded and cut down as Legionaries charge into the flank of the Phalanx. The end is near:

The Seleucid army collapses into rout and flees:

Well I was totally outplayed in that game, Stan didn't do what I expected him to do and I failed completely to react to his moves leaving the Elephants and Thracian's to be slaughtered, ending up attacking uphill with the Phalanx and wasting the Scythed Chariots. Apart perhaps from sacking the camp with the Cataphract's I'm not sure there was a single positive for the Seleucid's all of which was down to my choices!

Having said that it was great fun to see how badly my plan went and my assumptions collapsed like a row of domino's, hopefully next time I'll manage to put up more of a fight.