White Tunis 310 BC – Command & Colors Ancients Game

Armies deployed from the Syracusan side

Opposite end from the Carthaginian side

Carthaginians advance on their right flank

The Syracusans are heavily outnumbered

Carthaginian chariots and cavalry attack

Carthaginian chariots and cavalry retreat

Syracusans advance with centre and right flank

Last Saturday afternoon I played a solo Command and Colors Ancients game out in the shed. The scenario was White Tunis 310 BC. Diodorus Siculus is the main source for details on this battle. Agathocles, the tyrant of Syracuse, invaded Africa with a small Syracusan army of 13,500 infantry, including 3,000 Greeks and 3,000 Samnites, Celts and Etruscans mercenaries. He burnt his ships to avoid their capture by the Carthaginians, committing his army and himself fully to the campaign! According to Diodorus a hastily assembled Carthaginian army of 40,000 infantry, 1,000 cavalry and 2,000 chariots jointly commanded by Hanno and Bomilcar opposed them.

I modified the scenario slightly ditching the two single block Syracusan cavalry units and added a unit of Carthaginian medium cavalry. The Syracusans were heavily outnumbered but had the advantage in quality of troops with six heavy infantry units, six command cards and first move. The Syracusans had poor cards through out the game, with very limited options, including two mounted charge cards, but no cavalry! The Carthaginian Sacred Band led by Hanno inflicted damage early on the Syracusan left flank led breaking the Celt Warriors unit and two hoplite units, including Agathocles‘ bodyguard. The Syracusans were on the back foot the entire game and when Bomilcar led an attack in the centre it was a comfortable 6-3 victory points win for the Carthaginians.