With 180 lists plus variations, there is much for a new WRG Ancients Garner to consider. Before you spend all the money, time, and effort required to field your 200 figure masterpiece, you need to make sure you are building the right army for you. Of course, if you don't like it, you can always sell it, but usually you will not be adequately compensated for the time lost in building the wrong army. The purpose of this article is to help you pick the best army for you. To do that I'll suggest several basic properties of good beginner armies, give ideas to make sure the army you pick is right for you, and give a quick overview of some of the WRG army lists.
First off, let me say the General (that's you) decides 95% of all battles, and the 'Killer Army' image is overrated. The man who has a better understanding of the game and his army usually wins. Only rarely do the inherent advantages of an army decide the issue. But there is some validity to the killer army image. Despite attempts by Phil Barker and WRG, all army lists aren't created equal, especially for beginners. There are three reasons for this: (1) the rules lend themselves better to some armies than others; (2) some armies take less experience to use effectively; and (3) some armies are, by their composition, more balanced and versatile.
One of the first decisions you will have to make is what scale (15mm or 25mm) you want. The sale of Ancients figures, especially 25mm, is way up. While the choice between the 25mm-15mm scales is not an easy one, it is best to go with the scale that is popular in your area. But now back to the original decision, which army?
As a very general rule, it is better to have a "regular" army as your first one. This is because they maneuver better (so you can correct your mistakes) and have less erratic morale (so you don't require as many back up plans because your troops aren't doingwhat you wanted them to do). Another general rule is that foot armies seem to make better first armies than do cavalry armies. One reason for this is that the burden of the attack is usually on the cavalry army, and it takes more coordination and finesse to attack than to defend. Another general rule is to choose a versatile army which can give you a different 'look' each game. This has advantages over an army with lots of required points and few troop types. A versatile army has few required points and lots of troop types thus allowing you to tailoryour army based on your strategy, your opponent will be unsure of what your army composition is until the troops are deployed, too late to change his set-up.
As with armies, some troops types are better than others because they are more cost effective. These include multiple armed infantry and Extra Heavy Infantry. The multiple armed infantry add more punch on the same frontage, which means you can apply more pressure to the point of contact. Extra Heavy Infantry give moreclefensive advantage on the same frontage, and are especially effective against bow armies and troops armed with 2HCW, 2HCT, or JLS.
With consideration for the above ideas, pick an army that is appealing to you, and hopefully one that has a fair amount of historical literature written about it. Read about the army you have selected to better identify with your troops and understand its historical tactics. Also consider who makes figures for your proposed army (are all the various troop types you need being made, and are the castings appealing to you?). If you are planning to buy figures from more than one manufacturer, insure that the figures are size compatible. All 25mm troops are not the same size and this holds true for 15mm figures as well. Remember, you don't have to buy and paint all the army at once. You can game with the basic troops now, and add the optional troops later.
To better understand the strengths and weaknesses of the army you are considering, let's take a quick look at most of the more popular armies from the WRG Troop Lists Books I- III. I will also include some of the less popular armies, but armies I believe are worthy of more attention. This quick overview has something for the beginner and the experienced gamer alike. For the new gamer, it will give you a better insight into both your army and your opponent's. The experienced gamer will have the opportunity to become upset if I pan his favorite army, the one he has been winning with for years.
I have an ulterior motive for this army list overview. There are many interesting and effective armies to choose from, but probably 80% of all the armies Ancients players own come from the same 20 to 25 lists. I have been as guilty of this as anyone. I'm hoping this troop list overview will lead to some of the lesser known armies being seen more often.
For this overview I will use 1250 points for my army comparisons, a popular size for both tournament and friendly play.
NEW KINGDOM EGYPTIAN: This early period army used to be a lot more popular than it presently is. The strong points of this army are few; good bowfire and some good shock foot. The main weakness is the required chariots. The list requires 14 of them and non-scythed chariots are not very effective in the rules. Many of the gamers who built this army five to ten years ago aren't playing their Egyptians much any more.
NEW BABYLONIAN: One of the few early armies that can stand in there with most later armies. The Babylonian foot is not that great, but the Lyclians and Arabs make interesting allies. The Lydians have good attack EHC and double-armed Hoplites, and the Arab camel riders are the best gimmick troops in the game (though I don't like to see them used as such).
THRACIAN: Good initial punch and staying power in the woods. Good light cavalry and the wedges are handy for pinning infantry units. Fair amount of missile troops. No close order troops except the Greeks, who are rarely used because the Thracians lose the 2HCW. Other drawbacks are: the attack cavalry cannot handle most enemy cavalry; infantry morale isn't that great; and Thracian foot can't beat EHI. Most manufacturers make one to three Thracian figures each - put them together and you have a colorful and diverse army that is fun to play. Interest is growing in this army as recently one 25mm manufacturer has brought out an entire Thracian line.
ACHAEMENID PERSIAN: If you like troops that shoot bows, this is the army for you. If you wish, every figure in your army can have a bow, and with the cheap irregulars, you can have lots of troops. Cavalry and woods troops are there, but are not that great hand-to-hand. In fact, except for the immortals, you want to stay out of hand-to-hand as much as possible. Usually the man who owns this army has fun the first three or four turns with his bowfire, but the fun stops abruptly when the enemy infantry make contact. The bowfire experts are in heaven with this army, and if the terrain favors them, they do very well.
LATER HOPLITE GREEK: Good against all attack cavalry armies except SHC, have good morale and lots of cheap units. Weaknesses are their cavalry is useful mainly for pursuit, not much missile fire, and not much punch against infantry unless "impetuous". A skirmish bow armed cavalry army can give them headaches. Usually win by having more units than the enemy.
INDIANS: The 'B' class elephants, and the combo of longbowmen with 2HCS and troops with 2HCW, JLS are strong points. Problems are not many woods troops and the required medium cavalry. This army does well in the attack mode, and not so well in the static missile-fire mode. Light infantry archers can give the static longbowmen trouble.
EARLY ASIATIC SUCCESSOR AND ALEXANDER'S ARMIES: The slightly weaker brothers of the Seleucids. Good versatility, good amou nt of missile fire, and the Companion wedges come in handy. Problems are no horse armor or shields for their cavalry, so the cavalry are vulnerable to missiles. They don't have the SHC, Imitation Romans, or Scythed Chariots of the Seleucids, but these are good armies.
SELEUCID: Very versatile with more good troop types than they can buy. A lot of bowfire, and the six Scythed Chariots and the ten Elephants are useful against some armies. The cheap LI missile troops can cause many problems for the longbow armies. Problems are morale is not the best, and there are more required troops than I like.
CARTHAGINIAN: Good woods troops with some fair close order troops. Problems are weak cavalry, almost no missile fire, and many armies have more and better close order infantry. It almost takes a Hannibal to win consistently with this army.
SARMATIANS: Lots of good, cheap attack cavalry with some interesting foot. Sarmatians usually work well against foot armies that lack missile fire. As with most irregular cavalry armies, their game plan is to out-scout the enemy and then set up to overwhelm a flank before the enemy foot can react. irregular cavalry armies go straight ahead well but any other maneuver causes problems, so are vulnerable to maneuver armies.
MACCABEAN JEWS: Great morale, good woods troops and some good attack cavalry. it has a fair amount of bowfire and the irregular PAS for a basically regular army make the standard a good buy. The shock troops are Reg A, Reg B, and Ir. A and the missile support troops are Ir. C, a good balance. Problems are lots of required points if the regular option is used, and the infantry lack staying power.
EARLY IMPERIAL ROMANS: This was my first army, and is a very good beginner army. It has very good attack infantry, fair woods troops, and some good SHC. Minuses are lots of required points, expensive infantry, and the Romans are vulnerable to cavalry armies.
SASSANID PERSIAN: Good attack cavalry, fair missile support, and the 50 man block of Ir. D spearmen that comes in handy as long as you don't depend on them too much. Problems: this is an irregular cavalry army and has almost no woods troops. This is a good army to have around because it is a historical opponent for all the Late Romans, Palmyrans, Arab Conquest, and the earlier Byzantine players.
PALMYRAN: Cataphracts that work well against many armies, good bowfire, and cheap legionaries are all strong points. An opponent never knows if he will be facing a cataphract army or legionaries back up by the cataphracts. Disadvantages are the Palmyrans can be out-scouted by some armies who will then avoid the cataphracts and take out the Palmyran's weaker missile troops, the woods troops are not that great, and the Palmyrans are vulnerable to Knight armies.
LATE ROMANS: Outstanding morale, one of the best in the game with the capability for the entire army to be Reg B. The Legionaries have a very strong first punch against foot, and their darts and caltrops come in handy. Good cavalry and fair woods troops. A very versatile army with a lot of different troop types, even though most people buy every legionary troop they can get. Disadvantages are against EHC and heavier cavalry, especially cataphracts. Usually not enough woods troops because the points are spent elsewhere. Also t ' he legions don't have much staying power and many troop types, such as HI pikes, can beat the Romans on turn two of the melee. P.S.: If you use the SHC chariots, you have missed the point as why we are gaming ancients.
AZTECS: Great woods troops with very good morale and lots of missile fire. The army can have a good number of three different infantry weapons at your option: 2HCW, JLS, or LTS, and either of two missile weapons, slings or darts. These weapons can be combined a number of different ways to make very effective units. The slings can give the Knights and Palmyrans trouble. This is another of those regular armies with an irregular religious group, saving points. Problems are a lack of anything resembling cavalry, and no troops heavier than LMI, so not much staying power without the 2HCW.
SUNG AND HAN CHINESE: The Sung ave a few good cavalry and some fair infantry, and lots of missile fire. The Han have chariots that are expensive and not that effective. Most would dismount the chariot troops if they could, but WRG won't allow it. The Han do have good halberdiers and some fair cavalry. Neither list has good woods troops. The Han are a finesse army, and the Sun are a weak static missile army.
KHITAN LIAO: This army is widely known as having the most expensive EHC around. Unfortunately, they pay a lot of points for some weapons they usually never use. The foot is the typical Chinese static type. This army can skirmish fairly well but does not like prolonged missile exchanges. No woods troops. Not a bad army, but not a great one either.
T'ANG CHINESE: Good attack cavalry with infantry that's only good at standing there and giving limited missile support. No good woods troops. This is a difficult army to master because of the combination of fluid attack cavalry and static infantry, but if mastered, an effective army.
TIBETAN: A strong versatile army. This army can either look like an irregular Palmyran army or a Sarmatian army depending on your option of cavalry armor. Good attack cavalry, lots of bowfire infantry, and the Khambas come in handy. Adequate woods troops with the Turks. The problems are: Ally-Generals are required for any nonTibetan troops, no close order foot, and it is an irregular cavalry slightly hampered by the rules.
EARLY TO THEMATIC BYZANTINE: All good attack cavalry armies with lots of options. The Skutatoi with darts make good support troops for the cavalry. Lots of cheap missile units to offset the expensive cavalry units. Few good woods troops, and the Early could use more EHC. All three lists could use better infantry morale. Of the Byzantine armies, the Thematic is probably the best.
ARAB CONQUEST: Good morale and initial shock in the Irregular A mode, and good missile fire in the Irregular C mode. A good combination of the two is 20 Ir. A's and the swordsmen to lead the attack, and the bowmen to support. Problems are irregular cavalry with inherent maneuver problems, not that many attack infantry, and a lack of staying power.
ARAB EMPIRE: With the troop list changes allowing EHC, this army has good attack cavalry, good woods troops, and close order infantry to act as missile support and a rallying point. Lots of options, troop types, and upgrade possibilities. This army will never be a 'Killer' because of the required irregular cavalry, and the close order foot are not much hand-to-hand, but it has enough good troops to keep things interesting.
VIKING: Good woods troops and berserk wedges. Huscarls have good staying power. This is another army that was hurt when Book II came out. Gone are the double-armed Huscarls and the close order option. The lack of cavalry is also a drawback.
NORSE IRISH: This is the army many converted their Viking armies to. It has good close order troops, and cheap, effective woods troops. it has some cavalry so is not always outscouted. Many consider the lack of shields little hindrance since they don't use their shields when fighting. The foot is vulnerable to EHC and heavier cavalry, and as with most irregular armies, this one does not maneuver well. The Norman allies can do much to offset the Irish vulnerability to cavalry.
VARANGIAN RUSS: Another army many players converted their Viking armies to. An interesting irregular army with good woods troops, fair to good close order infantry in Russ option, and enough light cavalry allies to keep things interesting. Drawbacks include not much of an attack cavalry force, the light cavalry can be run off while the foot watch helplessly, and lots of required points in the Russ option.
KHMER: Advantages are Ir. B elephants and good morale for the regular troops. Drawbacks: JLS armed EHC, and the foot is also armed with JLS, about the least effective hand-to-hand weapon. Being impetuous because of the irregular sacred standard could do much to help correct the low fighting factors. Three years ago this army was unknown, but now at least two manufacturers make Khmer figures.
NIKEPHORIAN BYZANTINE: I used to see a lot of this army, then called Basilian. In the Dallas city tournament four years ago, all four of the semi-finalists were using Basilians. But with the publication of the Book II Army List the now called Nikephorians have fallen out of favor. The problems are: lots of required expensive troops that limit versatility, the SHC are required (average cost is five points per figure more than other cataphracts with almost no difference in fighting ability), low unit density because of the expensive troops, and the EHC back-rankers have few uses, adding lots of points to otherwise effective EHC units.
EARLY AND LATE CRUSADERS: Very interesting that the heavy cavalry dismount as EHI and 2HCW, although historically, if a Crusader Knight had a horse he usually stayed on it. Drawbacks are: only a few regular units, and not much support for the Knights; lots of required points in the later list, and the required foot is not that effective. I don't see this army as much as I thought I would. The players who build Knights seem to go for 14th and 15th Century armies.
EARLY JAPANESE: The early Japanese are usually in the loose order basing, so are strong in the woods. Much longbow and staying power. Drawbacks include the cavalry is not that effective and it is an all irregular army, all Japanese troops have trouble distinguishing armor classes, especially the longbow and 2HCW (so medium cavalry works as well against Japanese as EHC), and longbow doesn't work well against LI or LC.
MID AND LATE JAPANESE: Good armor and staying power hand-to-hand. The Monks are very effective woods troops and the EHI Samurai give most earlier infantry armies fits. Good longbow, many 2HCT (probably the best infantry weapon in the game), and the EHI are almost invulnerable to bowfire. The cavalry can dismount as EHI and even the peasants are interesting. Drawbacks: this is an irregular army and can be outmaneuvered. Also one or two sacrificial breaks can sometimes send the entire Japanese army into impetuous pursuit.
MONGOLS: This is the army that conquered half the known world? People who built this army using most 'unofficial' Mongol lists were disappointed to say the least when Book III was published. The Timurid list has better Mongol cavalry than the Mongol list does, but neither list has much in the way of quality infantry. The Mongols are at their best against irregular infantry armies that they can out- maneuver. But if the infantry has any bows or woods around, the Mongols will have to work much harder. Play this army for fun, because it is not a consistent winner.
SWISS: The early Swiss have great morale and good woods troops. Their main drawback is lack of shields or armor. if the terrain does not favor them, the Swiss will have problems with enemy missiles. The late Swiss have the best pike around but no woods troops to speak of. The few allowed regular units hamper them. Another drawback is all sub- generals must fight on the front rank of a major unit, a good place to die. The C-in-C must fight on the front rank also unless he is a Knight, a rare occurrence historically. Also the lates rarely go impetuous because they are Reg A and have no PA standard. it would take some major rules changes to historically reflect a Swiss army.
PRUSSIAN: This Book III army has the most powerful woods troops around. The irregular A HTW & JLS armed LMI slam into Viking Huscarls at a 10 factor. Not much staying power hand-to-hand, but most opponents rout after one turn of combat. This army has plenty of bowfire and irregular A troops. Many different unit combinations are possible such as front rank 2HCW, bow, sh. and a back rank of JLH, sh. You might even consider making the front rank Irr. A. Problems are few cavalry, no close order infantry, and Prussians cannot fight EHI with much success. Also Knights can ride the Prussians down unless the Prussians use the woods well.
OTTOMAN TURK: in the early option, this army has hordes of Irregular A LC or MC. In the late option things become more interesting. It has a good attack cavalry arm 38 and good infantry support with bows. Some regulars with plenty of cheap irregulars. This is another army where every troop in your army can have a bow. At 1250 points, these guys can equal or beat the Achaemenid Persians for numbers of bows. Some woods troops and several interesting foot options. Drawbacks are not much hand-tohand ability for the infantry, and not enough regular cavalry. This army works best out of its time period, against earlier armies.
TEUTONIC: Good SHK that can take out most cavalry, and the 6 and 12 man wedges can destroy the Late Romans and other such foot. The support foot are not all that bad but not many scouting points in the late option.
100 YEARS WAR ENGLISH: A large number of longbow troops and good shieldless SHK. I usually see this army in the static defense mode with all the longbow in a line anchored on each end with billmen and dismounted knights. This is pretty boring, but historically accurate. The drawbacks are no good woods troops, few scouting points, and the longbowmen can be beaten in a shooting contest.
WAR OF THE ROSES ENGLISH: An interesting variation of the English 100 Years Wars list. its even more longbow, spiked pavises and EHI billmen with caltrops means we will probably see more of this army. Drawbacks are the infantry morale is not that good, and the rest of the problems of the 100 Years list. The few players who I see use this army aggressively with the knights and billmen attacking, and a few longbowmen firing into the melee do very well. Much of the growth in our hobby lately has been in the two later English armies.
MING CHINESE: Lots of bows and crossbows behind pavises. Good shock cavalry and shock foot. The shock troops are Reg B and the support missile troops and Reg C, a good combination. The Nomad allies are useful as a link between the cavalry and the foot. Dismounted Koreans make good allies also. The main drawback is no woods troops. With intelligent use of the organ guns, this army can give the Japanese and Knights a good fight.
ITALIAN CONDOTTA: A late knight army with plenty of color. A large number of knights, and a few good woods troops. Drawbacks are required Reg C morale knights, and the foot morale is not that good. This army can be outshot by others in its time period. Several manufacturers have released figures for this period recently. This and the color books on the period are the main reasons for the interest in the Condottieri.
Other Armies
There are other good armies that I don't have the space to cover such as Theodoran Byzantine, Georgian, Avar, Late Portuguese, and Kushite Egyptian to name a few. But I hope I have given you some ideas about your next army whether it is your first or your fifth.
As you know, all of my comments on the various troops lists reflect my own experience and personal bias. It is very likely that the experienced gamers in your area have very different opinions, but hopefully you have a better idea of the choices available to you. You don't have to build one of the 20 'standard' armies. I have tried to show that most armies have some 'killer' in them. Please remember, the 'General' is still the most important factor in the game. A good player wins because he exploits his army's strengths and protects its weaknesses. And the opposite is also true. So pick an army that holds an interest for you. Learn to maximize your strengths, and understand and protect your weaknesses. Study the historical tactics of your army and use them as a starting point on the gaming table.
Once you have made your tentative choice, I have one last suggestion for the beginner. Borrow a similar army from a friend and play several games before you buy anytroops. If you don't have access to an army similar to your tentative choice, borrow any figures and 'dub in' the army, such as Hoplites for pikemen or Byzantine Lancers for Knights. The look is all wrong, but if your opponent doesn't mind it will allow you to get the 'feel' of the army. You may find you prefer a cavalry army to an infantry one or vice versa. Ensure your fighting style is compatible with the strengths of your proposed army. it can be frustrating to own an army that does not match your style of play because in order to do well with the army, you will have to modify your playing style and many gamers are unwilling or unable to do so. These armies are usually sold and the ex-owner goes in search of a more 'powerful' army. For those of you who already have several armies and are wondering what to build next, take a look at some of the lesser known armies that fight well and have lots of color. Examples of these 'sleeper' armies are the Maccabean Jewish and New Babylonian from Book I, Tibetan from Book II, and Ming Chinesefrom Book Ill. Several companies make Tibetan ranges, but you will have to work harder to find figures for many of the lesser known armies. With a little extra work, you could be the first person on your block to own a Kushite Egyptian army.
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