“War is divine in the mysterious glory that surrounds it and in the inexplicable fascination that inspires it.”

– Joseph de Maistre

A rare Thursday night battle at Firestorm Games. Romans and Britons fight it out on Watling Street in 61AD.

An unusual visit to Firestorm Games on a Thursday evening saw me refight the Battle of Watling Street with that master of disguise, Douglas Baldwin himself. He took the natural role for him of Queen Boudica of the Iceni leader of the rebellious Britons fresh from rioting their way through Colchester, London and St. Albans while I was the stern patrician Roman Governor, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, forced to confront these wretched peasants.

I sought to protect the Roman flanks with woods to force the Britons to confront the Legions frontally. Surely this would work, it did in the actual battle in 61 AD. There is a diffence between woods in To the Strongest! than in the historical battle.

Well there were lots of Britons most poorly dressed, no togas, the dress of a Roman gentleman, to be seen at all. Indeed some of the Britons were wearing nothing at all! Most of the rest seemed to lack even a shirt.

We Romans lined up ready to fight the foe properly uniformed and in formation.

They started by moving chariots and light horse straight towards the woods as if they would be able to pass through them with ease! Surely some mistake? No, no mistake, they went through them like knives through butter, my defensive plan fell through.

Agricola moved his reserve Legionary cohort over to the left ending with his men facing in two directions, never a wise move under “To the Strongest!” His Moorish light horse did not stay for long! Agricola’s command began to crumble.

The reserve cohort with Agricola were meant to protect the Ballistarii if the Britons got too close but, instead, the artillery men had to fend for themselves as a group of unclad fanatical hairy warriors headed straight for them. The catapults were lost and the warriors pressed on towards the ramparts of my camp.

Douglas Baldwin had vowed on these very hallowed portals of Facebook that he would be the first to sack my new camps!
Vettius Valens, however had foreseen this attempt and had placed our Legionary Lanciarii ready to contest the British attack. Twice the Britons attacked and hit. The first blow was contemptuously shrugged off by our veteran Lanciarii but on the second save they drew only a “2”. Surely this was curtains, but to be sure we consulted the rules. Light infantry in rough going get +2, men defending fortifications also get +2, so a usual save of 6+ becomes 2+ and our Lanciarii survived leaving their bare-arsed opponents shrivelling away as they did no resume their attack. Indeed the Lanciarii threw javelins at them and disordered them!

However that aside, Agricola’s wing did not fare well. Soon he was left with his own Third Cohort of Legio XIIII Gemini. His fourth cohort had started well, hitting ill clad British warriors with a charge and a successful volley of pila and then breaking the wretches. This left them a little exposed regrettably exploited by the British slingers who disordered them. The fourth Cohort attempted to rally but failed several times and eventually were destroyed.

In the Roman centre the First and Second Cohortes of XIIII Gemini with their Eagle and Legatus Legionis, Vettius Valens, held the ridge forcing the enemy to stay back. The first cohort did attempt to charge the fanatic waariors assaulting the camp but the activation to turn was too high and a subsequent activation to charge the flank of the fanatics failed. That prompted more Britons to advance to put the first Chort into a zone of control forcing the Cohort to face around to confront the enemy. The chance was lost.

Over on the right Paulinus himself sought to use the woods as a bulwark but here too it leaked like a sieve! The Iceni light horse saw off the Governor’s Moorish light horse too leaving two veteran Alae to hold the line as British warriors surged forward. Boudica herself was present but she hung back looking for flanks and rears to charge. One of the two Alae was lost leaving Paulinus and the other isolated. He managed to pull back, rally a disorder and then with great luck with activations, charge Boudica and her Iceni charioteers in the rear. Was this the master stroke that would end the battle and the War? We hit and got two hits! Great. Mr Baldwin whose luck with the cards had been changing, saved both hits on the chariots and on Boudica’s royal backside too.

Were the Gods deserting Rome? I needed a “10” to charge again. I drew a “10”! Another hit! Mr Baldwin saves again! No more “10’s” for Paulinus who had to pull back as other Britons moved up to rescue Boudica. In a subsequent fight the Roman Ala was hit. They saved but Paulinus drew a “1”, he then drew again, a”10” and the Governor fell at the head of his men. However that lost his army its last medal and therefore the battle. Perhaps in our alternate history that also cost Rome its Province of Britannia. The Druids it seemed still wove powerful magic despite our efforts on Mona only months before!

Once again a super historical game using TTS! Thanks to Simon Miller again. Happy birthday Simon!
I have agreed to put on this battle at the Society of Ancients Convention at Madingly Hall, Cambridge in October hopefully with a few other figures but will make the flanking woods “Impassable” under the rules to make the battle more of the slugging match it was historically. It should be fun! I certainly hope so.