A DBA 3.0 historical scenario - The Battle on the Auha 291 AD

While compiling research for an upcoming project and reading about the Goths, in particular the Tervingi, I stumbled on this little known engagement taken from Ablabius’ Origo Gothica. It describes a conflict between the Goths (Tervingi) and Gepid near the oppidium of Galtis in what is formerly Roman Dacia. The passage sketches the battle between two rival tribes and their allies battling for possession of the region.

The battle field is not described in detail other than it took place close to an oppidium situated near the Auha River. Players should therefore use Hilly terrain (two difficult hills) plus two woods and a river. Regarding the employment of the allied contingent both players are free to select which elements are to be replaced by the three allied elements. The Gepid player is the attacker, therefore the Tervingi player places terrain and moves first (this is based purely on the degree with which the Gepid are willing to fight having recently beaten the Burgundi).

Optional

Historically, the two rival groups fought a number of battles to claim the region formerly known as Dacia. Players may wish to play three battles using the same terrain items but exchange attacker/defender role and possibly deploy their standard army without allied contingents as a further option.

Tervingi (King Ostrogothica)  

1 x general (3Kn), 1 x noble (3Kn), 8 x warriors (4Wb), 2 x archers (Ps).

Taifali continent; 1 x general (3Kn), 1 x noble (3Kn), 1 x archer (Ps).

Gepid player (King Fastida)

1 x general (3Kn), 3 x cavalry (3Kn), 4 x spearmen (4Wb), 4 x archers (Ps).

Vandal contingent; 1 x general (3Kn), 2 x warriors (4Wb).

Sources

History of the Goths, Herwig Wolfram, University of California Press, Translation from the German edition.

Early Germanic Literature and Culture, Brian Murdoch, e-book, describes the Auha River serving as a border between the Goths and the Gepid.

From Dacia to Erdöelve: Transylvania in the Period of the Great Migrations by István Böna, places the Tervingi “on the fringes of Transylvania and the south-eastern Carpathians. Further battles were fought in the Szamos valley.