The Crossroads (played 27 November 2020)

This scenario came from Charles Grant's book on Wargame Scenarios.  My Belisarians vs Scott's Sassanids.  The idea of the scenario is a meeting engagement where the winner is the army that holds the important crossroads.  The terrain was more favorable to Scott's deployment (the far side of the table) than it was for mine.  Nonetheless, one must fight the game.  It ended up as a pretty significant Sassanid victory. 

 

The map for the game. 

 

Some of Scott's light cavalry along with my Huns have a special rule that allows them to have a free move at the start of the game.  

 

I came on at the far end of the table heading for the crossroads.

 

 It was tough to try to get all my army on the board and in battle array only coming down one road.

Scott deployed more quickly, took the crossroads and looked to engage.

I untangled my army, deployed and tried to use the terrain at hand to my advantage.

 

Scott's powerful Clibanarii units stormed forward stacked two by two.

I was able to break the first two Clibanarii units by taking them in the flank with my Bucellarii.  I hoped that the routing units would mean that Scott would fail his morale tests and flee for the rear.

 

Sadly for me, the remaining two Clibanarii did not flee but smashed into my blue Kataphraktoi and hit my Bucellarii in the rear.

 

With my general and his Bucellarii defeated and fled off the table the rest of my army failed a bunch of morale tests and the Byzantines withdrew.