Routing, not shown: AS/VII LG h
In Pursuit: AS/XV Ex RC (w/ 4 hits)
I got several strong disagreements with the last move. I appreciate everyone's politeness as well as candor. I do try to run the game in the spirit of the voting, but it's often difficult to reconcile the various approaches to the game exhibited in the voting. It's inevitable that moves will occur that seem ...suboptimal... because of the resulting committee-think. The strength of this format is really less the demonstration of expert play than the exposure of unconsidered options and cross-pollination of ideas.
But please keep those comments (and votes) coming!
Anyway, onto the current move: should the Roman's trump? The voting went like this:
Option | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, trump with Laevinus | 1 | |
| Yes, trump with Drusus | 2 | |
| No, it's too risky | 5 | |
| No, Milon can't do much anyway | 1 | |
| No, no reason specified | 2 |
Overwhelmingly you voted for no trumping. Among the comments categorized together as "too risky" were the possibilities of the trump failing (with the Romans needing all their leaders right now) and the high possibility of Pyrrhus trumping the trump.
I did like the "trump with Drusus" answer. Drusus is useless anyhow until he can either rally the off-map cavalry or reach the Roman left. While those tasks are worthwhile, they're not so critical that risking their postponement (via failure to trump) would be too hard to handle.
The voting for Milon's momentum:
Option | Votes | |
|---|---|---|
| Move to shock with three HIs | 6 | |
| Move two HI, move to shock with advanced HI | 2 | |
| Move two HI, recover PH | 1 | |
| Move one HI, recover PH, move to shock with advanced HI | 2 | |
Five of the voters in the winning faction even agreed on which units should be attacked, so here goes:
Routing, not shown: AS/VII LG h
In Pursuit: AS/XV Ex RC (w/ 4 hits)
One HI moves forward to pin a cohort as another HI moves around its flank. The third MI advances to shock attack the remaining advanced LG. No missile fire occurs, as the Romans have already used their missile volley.
Pre-shock TQ checks put two hits on an Epirote. The flank attack routs its target at the cost of another hit, while the remaining attack fails to rout its target with a 3(2) result. That particular cohort happens to have TQ 6, so there's no possibility of collapse.
Milon tries again for Momentum but fails with a dieroll of '8'.
So now the Romans go. Which leader should go: Drusus, Falco, Magnus, or Cassius? What should that leader do? Should he try for Momentum?
Activated so far: Pyrrhus (EIO), Plautius, Rebilus, Milon.