Roman Civil Wars - The Battle of Ruspina, 46 BC

15 turns, Fog of War on, vs. the AI

Desert ambush

I am Julius Caesar, the greatest soldier and statesman the world has ever known. My campaign against the forces of Pompey, my one-time friend and son-in-law, to see who will rule Rome as its first emperor, has taken years to complete and cost thousands of my loyal legionnaires. But the fight nears its conclusion.

Pompey is dead. His sons and other scattered bands still resist me, however -- and now one of my former underlings, Labienus, has attempted to ambush my forces in this tiny strip of North Africa, supported by bands of Numidian cavalry and bowmen.

One more piece of the Republic to stamp out, then to deal with the treacherous Labienus.

To battle!

Setup

I am greatly outnumbered. No matter. The 5th, 14th and 15th Legions form the backbone of my command, along with screening forces of cavalry and a few hundred bowmen. We will see what these Numidians are made of soon enough.

The whole of the Numidian army has arrived on the field. Its numbers are impressive -- but how will Labeinus use them? I have brought my archers back under the protective wing of my legions and rolled my flanks back a bit, as I expect them to be tested immediately by their horsemen.

Their horsemen have arrived; a few have been met with volleys of arrows that caused them to immediately disrupt. If this is the level of competence of their entire army, we need just wait for them to throw themselves on our spears.

What these Numidians lack in finesse and training they make up for in numbers; waves of them have curled around my flanks, grasping fingers prying for a weak spot. They have found none, and they have paid a price for their efforts. I must reign in my legionnaires; they leap from the formation to punish these horsemen but leave gaps we cannot afford.

Yet more horsemen have arrived to swing further around my right. We will be back-to-back soon. No matter; they are taking punishing losses.

They continue to crash upon our shield walls; we hold, for now. Their bodies begin to pile up in front of our formations; these tribesmen are feeling the full might of Rome.

Just as they threaten to swamp us with their numbers, the toll taken by our spears shows itself and they break and run, or surrender -- only to be replaced by fresher units. But even their manpower is finite. Their main thrust has fallen on my left flank; the 5th Legion has never let me down, but the weight is falling heavily on them. I will contract further and shift some help to the west. War elephants are bearing down on my center. I hate elephants.

The elephants approach, but the mauling the Numidians are taking is not sustainable.

I remain concerned about my left; despite their abhorrent losses, the Numidians press hard there and I am beginning to crumble.

A steady stream of horseless riders returns back through Labienus' lines... when this is over, these men will bother us no more. But first we must survive this day; my legions are worn down and exhausted, and the accursed elephants are punching right into my center.

They are relentless... my left flank and center are crumbling. Just need to hold for three more turns.

All is lost! The elephants have crashed through my center, sending my army's morale plummeting, and we have routed from the field despite my leadership. We largely stood our ground, we killed far more Numidians than we lost... but in the end their numbers were too much, and we were ground to a pulp beneath their masses. I should have fought through the initial screens of cavalry to the high ground... and now we pay for my folly.

To the ships! We must live to fight another day!

 AAR written by: John Thompson, Staff Writer