Why We Don't See More Chariot Armies

Well, for one thing, few chariot armies ever do well against a non-chariot army in competition. But if you take any army out of its period, it's going to have problems. Has anyone tried a Seleucid or Late Roman Army against a Renaissance French Catholic Army (WRG Renaissance Army List)? The results are grim...and not for the French (by the way, their arquebusiers don't make that big a difference...but that's another article). Against the people they fought against, a chariot army offers unique pleasures on the gaming table. And like it or not, it can bring out the tactician in all of us.

Wargaming with a Chariot Army

Using a chariot army depends on the period and the opponent (what am I saying? Using any army depends on the period and the opponent). I'll make a rash assumption and say that these armies should be used within period and against historical opponents only (I know this is a radical concept, but it is a necessary assumption here). Having gamed with most of the chariot armies at one time or the other, and assuming the above, I offer the following observations:

Sumerian -

early period, and the earlier observations there especially apply. Single out the enemy leader early, who ever is in a chariot will do, and try to take him out. Don't try anything fancy - with this army a subtle maneuver is charging one turn before your opponent expects it. The army has a few hard-spots, usually the bodyguards around an Ally General. Most of the army is poorly armed men of poor morale in large units.

Hyksos -

a light chariot lover's army. This was the chariot equivalent of the nomad army. Most opponents will be foot. The opposing chariot contingents will be armed the same, but far fewer in number. The mobility of the light chariots will keep it out of the way of the foot until the opposing chariotry has been driven off, and then it will get on the flank and rear of the opposing foot and destroy it (the troops who could form up in an all-around defense, and make it work, didn't exist for another 1500 years).

Hittite -

this is the regular chariot army, the chariot equivalent of a combined-arms army. The infantry is mostly regular, the chariots are regular, and the extra crew can be handy. This is a good army for beginners in the chariot period. There are very few gimmick units, unless you opt for the Neo-Hittites. The secret of using this army is to do everything in mass, never send one unit when you can send five. It also has a good rough terrain capability, something lacking in almost every other chariot army. Those who've ever seen Central Turkey (or even maps of Turkey) wouldn't be surprised at that.

Minoan/Mykenean -

an army poor in chariots, but better in foot. The size of the Mykenean states precluded large armies, and the lack of grazing land precluded large numbers of chariots (Pylos, a major power in the world of the Aegean, fielded perhaps 50 chariots). The foot is what will win the battle, if the chariots can hold off the enemy. If not, open Homer and read battle passages out loud to console yourself (there are some quite good ones). Speaking of Homer, deploying the army the way Nestor prescribes in The Illiad (the massed chariot charge backed by foot) actually works reasonably well.

New Kingdom Egyptian -

a balanced army, as long as you don't try to use the chariots as a shock arm; in the Egyptian army of this time they are mobile missile platforms. Leave closing with the enemy to the regular foot. The foot it is probably the best real foot around, even if they don't have armor to speak of. The chariots are best used to unhinge enemy formations by getting around them, leaving the enemy vulnerable to the Egyptian foot. Of course the proscription against using the chariots in a shock role doesn't apply when attacking the flank or rear of an enemy unit.

Assyrian -

the Third Reich of the Bronze Age, naming the army "SS Division Ashurbanipal" would not be too far out of line, you'd even get to use swastikas. This is the army to give to those who don't think history existed before September 1, 1939. This army is really simple to use. The chariots smash things open, the cavalry exploits, while the infantry mops up. Sort of like the way tanks are supposed to be used. Nice touches are to count the captives to your opponent afterwards as you march them off into slavery; or, if you have to be somewhere else soon (lunch), simply announce that you are slaughtering them out of hand. This army can be tough even for opponents from outside the chariot period.

Hebrew -

The Hebrew army is the quintessential rough ground army. Chariots are something that get provided for those odd times when the army comes out of the hills. My advice for using a Hebrew army outside of rough ground is...don't. There is a reason the borders of ancient Judea ended at the edge of the rough ground, the opponent's chariots couldn't go there, and Hebrew light infantry was killed if it went into the flat. This army is best used with the chariots on the flank somewhere, holding the enemy off while the much better foot deals with their opponents in rough terrain. If the chariots must be committed to the main fight, bring a covered litter surrounded by guards and priests and hope your opponent saw the first Indiana Jones movie.

Chou

In many ways the Chou were the equivalent of the Hittites. But they brought numerous changes to the chariot. Heavy chariots for shock, light chariots for pursuit, a mixed bag of foot, something for everyone. The foot isn't that good, but against other Chou armies (which is how they should be used), it isn't that bad. The chariots are the maneuver element, the foot has a static role. Think of using them like an English Civil War army, pin with the foot, punch with the chariots.

Ch'in -

The culmination of the chariot style of warfare in China was found with the Ch'in. Sun Tzu addresses this kind of warfare in reasonable detail. This army, by the way, represents all the armies of the Warring States era in China. Cavalry is appearing in small numbers, crossbows are increasing in number and range (the sheer number of crossbows, their ease of use, and the length of time needed to train a man - one afternoon - is a point often overlooked by wargames rules writers), and the quality of the armies is on the rise. As stated above, the critical attack was often an attack of massed chariots, supported by large numbers of horse archers. For a chariot army they don't get much better than this.

Han -

until you fight a Han army. This almost isn't a chariot army. Shortly after the Han consolidated China, the chariot was phased out. But during the period when they did use it, they went the Ch'in one better, they supported their chariots with lance-armed heavy cavalry as well as light cavalry. This makes a very effective tactic, especially near the flank of an army. The foot is good, too. Pikes appear, supported by crossbows in the same unit (something you don't see for nearly 1700 more years in European armies). For those who doubt the morale of this army, and its successors, it was troops like these who made the Hsiung-Nu (possibly the Huns) move west to get away from them.

Indian -

the last of the "real" chariot armies. Depending on the rules, the Indian chariot, especially the 4-horse type with 6 crew, is not something to take on lightly. While everyone is admiring your chariots, though, introduce them to the real killer in an Indian army, the archery. A lot of rules give 2/3rds the foot longbows, but as they are bamboo bows it can be argued that they were really self-bows. Still, that many of anything in one spot can be awesome (more than once I've "shot" my chariots into the middle of a Macedonian or Successor army, supporting them with 120 bows in a 1600 point WRG army. When the chariots arrived, there was a large hole where the center of the phalanx used to be). The elephants are nice,and best used either on the flank where they can keep the enemy horse off your back, or with the baggage column where they can haul large loads of fodder for their dinner. The horse, the medium cavalry that is, is a joke. It is best sent off somewhere, to some other battle if you can help it. Failing that, it can work with the elephants (Indian horses aren't as disturbed by elephants as other horses, and even medium cavalry can be deadly if they hit enemy cavalry disordered by your elephants). The Sakae cavalry are very useful, especially in large numbers. It's best used on the flank opposite the elephants in massed cavalry attacks.

British Celtic -

Not a chariot army in the sense of the Bronze Age, but typical of the Urnfield cultures that grew up in the western Mediterranean and Italy during the Bronze Age and the 1st Dark Age. Using this army is similar, in many ways, to using a Mykenean army, but with an overdose of barbarian foot. The chariots are really battlecarts that give a fraction of your foot a lot of mobility. The most effective tactic is to generate a "screaming downhill charge" with everyone charging as fast as they can. Overloading on chariots is a good way to lose, this is an army that has to capitalize on its foot and bad terrain. Painting yourself blue just before the battle should only be reserved for desperate situations.

Conclusion

Chariot Armies: Historical Overview