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Empires

Historical Battle Scenarios

Battle of Cannae

David San-Briones (Order #32284807)

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Empires

Historical Battle Scenarios

For use will ALL editions.

We have used this supplement to allow players to re-enact decisive battles from history.

This is the second of many historical battle scenarios that we will be writing for use with all
Empires rulesets. For the purposes of the average tabletop-wargame, we have scaled down the
size of actual troop numbers that were used from thousands down to a few hundred.

The Historical Battle Scenarios only use units available from the Empires rulebooks.

David San-Briones (Order #32284807)

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Carthaginian Republic vs. Roman Republic: The Battle of Cannae

Background Story

The Battle of Cannae was fought in 216BC between the Carthaginians, led by Hannibal, and the
Romans, jointly led by Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paullus. The battle took place
at Apulia, in southeast Italy.

The battle would mark a decisive defeat for the Romans who were fighting against a smaller
Carthaginian army.

Battle Plan

In the spring of 216BC, Hannibal marched and successfully captured the supply depot at Cannae.
As well as the supplies; Cannae commanded the surrounding area so was it doubly important that
the Roman took it back. The Roman army found Hannibal’s army by the Aufidus River and
camped just six miles away from them. The ground was now set for what was meant to be a clear
victory for the Roman army.

Fig – 1 - Maps Courtesy of the Department of History, United States Military Academy

David San-Briones (Order #32284807)

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Playing the Battle of Marathon

Units Required

Carthaginian Numbers Scaled Down (1%)

32000 Heavy Infantry 320 Heavy Infantry

8000 Light Infantry 80 Light Infantry

10000 Light Cavalry 100 Cavalry

Commanded by Hannibal.

Roman Numbers Scaled Down (1%)

40000 Roman Infantry 400 Roman Infantry

40000 Allied Infantry 400 Allied Infantry

2400 Roman Cavalry 24 Roman Cavalry

4000 Allied Cavalry 40 Allied Cavalry

Commanded by Gaius Terentius Varro and Lucius Aemilius Paullus.

Carthaginian Units

A Carthaginian player can chose their units in accordance with the numbers above. Units are not
restricted on what upgrades they can choose from.

Hannibal must be placed in the front centre of a Light Cavalry unit. Hannibal follows the rules for a
Supreme Commander.

The Carthaginian player must inform the Roman player of the total number of points used for their
army before the game begins.

Roman Units

The Roman player is allocated a 72% increase in the points used by the Carthaginian player
(rounded down) e.g. The Carthaginian player used 12000 points to build their army, so the Roman
player can use 20640 points.

Gaius and Lucius must be placed in the front centre of a Heavy Cavalry unit. Both commanders
follow the rules for a Leader.

David San-Briones (Order #32284807)

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Additional Rules:

Overconfidence - Romans

1. Every Roman unit cannot benefit from the Never Fall Back rule even if this is a Special Rule for
their unit.

2. When a Roman unit fails their Bravery, any Roman unit within 6” also runs; this does not cause
a chain event.

Well-Timed – Hannibal’s Forces

Once in the game, the Carthaginian player can select one, light cavalry unit that is not in combat,
and doubles their movement for one turn only.

Great Commander – Hannibal’s Forces

At the beginning of the game and after deployment, the Carthaginian player can chose up to three
units and grant them with the Never Fall Back rule, this effect lasts until the end of the game.

Deployment:

Players can choose either side of the board; the deployment area is the same. Players can choose
whether to follow the actual battle deployment of units (Fig – 1), or can decide to place their units
differently. The Roman player must go first in this scenario. The table-top board should be 6ft x 4ft.

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Terrain:

The Aufidus river runs alongside Cannae; to represent this, no unit can run from the battlefield on
the Romans eastern board edge (the Carthaginians western board edge). Other than this, the
battlefield is a plain; therefore there should be little cover and no obstructions.

Winning Conditions:

1. If Hannibal is slain, the Roman army wins.

2. If Gaius is slain, the Carthaginian army wins.

2. If one player loses all of their units, they have lost.

The Battle of Cannae lasts for SIX turns.

David San-Briones (Order #32284807)