Hail Caesar: Carthaginians versus Gauls AAR

After months of not being able to get our gaming group's schedules aligned, Eric and I were able to meet up for a 1 on 1 game of Hail Caesar at one of our local shops.  This battle on a 4' x 8' table put my invading Carthaginians and allies against the Gallic chiefs of the area.  

The Carthaginians arrived first and placed their cavalry on the right flank.  This consisted of elite Liby-Phoenicians, Gallic traitors, and small units of Numidians and Ligurians.

The center division was composed of the heavy Libyan formations, with supporting Numidians and Ligurians, and an elephant.

The left flank was composed of traitorous Gauls, with a few Samnites in support. 

The Gallic chiefs  packed their ranks with warbands for the left and center comments, withe the most elite units opposite the Carthaginian heavy infantry.

In addition to warbands, the Gallic right flank included their cavalry,  strategically placed as far away from the Carthaginian elephant as possible.  

The Gauls began an advance with their center and right flank, but the left flank refused to budge.

Carthage sent forth their Gallic and Samnite allies, along with part of the heavy infantry, and the melee commenced.  

Enraged at their countrymen's treachery, the Gauls managed to destroy and push back many of the warbands on Carthage's left flank.

While some of the Samnites and Numidians also lost ground, Carthage's heavy infantry managed to hold.

The rest of Carthage's heavy infantry and cavalry finally began their advance.

Carthage's left flank continued to struggle against the Gallic onslaught and risked collapse as the warriors were either killed or fled the battlefield.   

Carthage's center did much better, pushing back some of the Gauls and killing their general.

The Gallic warbands attempted to charge the Carthaginian cavalry, but failed to close the distance.  The Carthaginians then slammed into them and expected to crush the Gauls.

However, the supposedly elite Liby-Phoenician cavalry lost the round and fled the battlefield like cowards.

With their light cavalry pressed into heavy combat, it was questionable on if Carthage's right flank would survive or collapse. 

At this stage, the battleline was a mess and uncoordinated melees covered the battlefield.

Carthage's left flank finally collapsed and the surviving units started to retreat, often picked off by the Gauls before they could escape.

Meanwhile the heavy Libyan formations and elephant found success in pushing back many of the Gallic warbands, eventually breaking the Gallic center.

The Gallic cavalry began a flanking maneuver on the Carthaginian center.

Unexpectedly, the Numidian and Ligurian light cavalry fought fiercely enough against the Gallic warbands to crush their resolve and the Gallic left flank collapsed, causing their entire army to flee the battle. 

Despite significant shortcomings at the start of the battle and a real belief that I was done for, the Carthaginians managed to hang on by the skin of their teeth and survive for another day.