I remember Kruse Smith's articles on the WRG army lists back in Volumes V and V of THE COURIER where he went through the various lists and outlined their good and bad points. At the time, this was very helpful to me and to many others, I'm sure. Over the years, I've noticed the dearth of differing armies at conventions and tournaments and I felt perhaps I could address some lists Kruse didn't get to. All of the points which I will bring up are my own opinions and observations of the armies, few of whom I have actually used on the table or seen in action.
Personally, I don't like using pre-set lists as much of the enjoyment to me of building, painting and fielding an army is in the research which I do into the actual composition, tactics and generalship of a particular force. This is not, however, everyone's view and the army lists are useful to the new gamer as well as the experienced one who hasn't the time or the inclination to do an in- depth study. Lists are also a necessary part of the tournament scene where there has to be some standard for setting parameters on competitive armies.
With this in mind, I offe rthe following reflections on twenty-seven armies from the WRG Books I, II and III. Pick one that fits your personality and mode of play (you will notice that there are no Eastern or Oriental lists discussed, as my main field of study has been Western Europe). If you find that a given army is notto your liking, try another... it's a great feeling to watch your opponent uneasily thumbing through the army lists trying to find your army five minutes before the battle begins! That's the beauty of the Ancients period - there are so many different periods to choose from and many figures are interchangeable from one army to another. I use the same 'generic' light cavalry and light infantry archers for everything from Roman foederati to Teutonic auxiliaries and in this way, keep the costs of ownership down considerably!
#9 EARLY HITTITES:
This is the army for chariot lovers. More versatile than the chariot-heavy Hyksos (list #8), the Hittites can have up to 27 2horse HCh, Regular B with crew of 1 Bow and 1 J LS. Additionally, up to 20 Syrian LCh are allowed as well as a handf ul of Irregular A MI with 2 HCW up to 65 skirmisher foot and some rough terrain UAL There are also a required 20 MI with JLS/Sh. This is a good army versus contemporary opponents, with plenty of missile troops, but will be hard-pressed by an army such as Slavs or Vikings which can have LMI/LHI wedges attacking the HCh units impetuously and breaking them. The Hittites have a very balanced list to give their Egyptian foes a run for their money!
#12 EARLY ASSYRIAN:
The best chariot army around with up to 45 4horse HCh, with 2 crew. There are armored archers (HI Regular B) and armored foot with JLS as well. Plenty of LMI and a host of skirmisher foot with bows make this hard-hitting attack army a problem for virtually anyone they face. They will have a tough time with facing SHC or SHK armies, but will have a field day against most early foes, as they did historically! This army could be a real convention contender in the hands of the right general.
#19 LATE HEBREW:
A problem here in that there is no standard for the CiC, a problem which sometimes occurs in early armies which makes it hard to prompt units as they'll usually be out of sight. This army is allowed some chariots (up to 17 LCh), but is mostly made up of LMI, some camels and up to 60 LMI archers with shields, a real plus as they can fight as well as shoot. There are also a good number of close-order troops which are a help when facing enemy mounted attacks. I have never seen anyone with this army and can only conclude that it is a different type of rough terrain army and would be a real challenge for experienced gamers to experiment with.
#24 EARLY HOPLITE GREEKS:
This was a popular army a decade ago when the availability of other ancients figures was a problem. Few gamers today would even consider an LTS-armed army, especially in light of the proliferation of pike-armed armies, and the lack of a standard again might be a problem except that the Greeks are regulars and are much easier to prompt. As far as the pluses go, you have have up to 180 close-order Regular B foot - try breaking 48-man blocks of these! Good skirmisher cavalry, up to 30 of whom can fight in wedge, They also have some rough terrain Thracians, who can handle most of their competitors, and plenty of LI for skirmishing. This is a good army for the beginner or for a cautious commander who has contemporary opponents.
#35 GALLIC:
This is one of my favorites. Use the LMI option with up tol 2 LCh which are useful for making the enemy uneasy, but for little else in such small numbers. The strength in the army is the ability to have up to 200 Irregular A class LMI with JLS/Sh which will chill the heart of any foe! The army can also have a dozen Ir. A HC if desired. There are not many missile armed light troops, but enough to screen. As Phil Barker notes, only an offensive-minded player should use this list and keep the units LARGE to keep CPF losses down. As an additional incentive, the Gallic shields are some of the most colorful around... use your imagination. The Gallic forces should do well against most contemporary enemies, even the Romans if played properly. It used against later opponents, i.e., Book III knight armies, you have to roll up to stand a chance!
#43 PYRRHIC:
I used to field a Pyrrhic army - colorful, yet a 'forlorn hope' type of force with several units of lance-armed wedge-using cavalry, phalangites, some Ir. A galatians, a fair number of missile troops and rough terrain types, a unit of elephants, but not a real lot of anything - much like the Carthaginian list. This army does have a character all its own, hoever, with good morale levels for all but the light troops and Reg. C pikemen. Again, there is no standard or army banner, but with the regulars, this is not a major problem as it is with irregular troops. This army provides something different to fight the Romans with, but it will stand up to Book I I I armies as well.
#45 GALATIAN:
A close order foot version of the Gallic army, but with interesting variants. For example, this army is allowed up to four 4- horse scythed HCh Ir. A at a bargain basement cost of 24 points each. These can destroy small enemy units at will! They also make their opponents uneasy if within 6". Also, if desired, up to 72 HI Legionaires can be bought, but not with the HCh. As before, the foot warriors can be Irregular A class. The major drawbacks to this army are the lack of long-range missile troops and the slow- moving quality of the foot. The Galatians are therefore very susceptible to missile armies.
#57 EARLY GERMAN:
This is a great army for the no-frills, no finesse infantry commander! The list allows up to 32 cavalry, 1/2 HC,andallcan be IrregularA. The foot can number up to 300 close-order types, 1/2 with LTS/ Sh and the rest having JLS/Sh, up to 1/4 of which can be Ir. A. There are some rough terrain types who are shieldless but wield the deadly 2HCW and an option to employ Sarmation EHC with Lance and Bow. Again, there are few missile troops and the wedge-option is useless for closeorder foot as they will only pick up one extra fighter and will be disordered the following turn, counting a big -2 in hand-to-hand combat. This is a steamroller army, pretty much doomed to historical tactical use, but fun to play against traditional enemies nonetheless.
#60 ANCIENT BRITISH:
Once very popular as a 'fun' opponent to Caesar's legions, this army is rarely seen under 7th edition. Why? Because in 15mm, it cannot cover the table with enough terrain to keep from being destroyed. Unless in a tactically advantageous position, this army cannot win. There are no open-field foot worth counting and plenty of mediocre loose-order infantry who are colorful and fun to paint, but not good for much else but looking at. The army is allowed up to 24 LCh and up to 150 slingers, whose range is 1/2 that of an archer. Unless you build this army in 25mm, I guarantee you will be a much sought after opponent!
#68 DACIAN:
This is a good army for the novice who wants an army of reliable, quality fighters. Good cavalry with Lance and Bow, EHC and HC both, combined with a good number of irregular A foot armed with 2HCW/Sh, who, if impetuous, will hit enemy SHK on an even roll at a factor of 6! The Dacians also have large numbers of C class LMI with 2HCW and others with JLS/Sh. There are plenty of LI archers and even artillery. Using the Dacians successfully will require a sound plan and tactical good sense, but they should hold their own.
#75 EARLY SAXON, FRISIAN, ETC.:
Another challenge to the more experienced commander. There are virtually no cavalry (only up to 6) and a required 132 MI Ir. C JLS/Sh. There are a good number - up to 60 Welsh with LTS/Sh, but LTS are not much use in woods. The list also allows up to 45 LI archers. Also included are numbers of LI with JLS/Sh and a handful of Welsh LB men. How do you win with an army like this? Get a river across your front, put 48 man MI blocks along it interspersed with LI and hope you are not going to be surprised by a flank march. Seriously, this list is only good vs. contemporary opponents... notably themselves, but for the player who's bored with always winning, try winning with these guys.
#82 SUB-ROMAN BRITONS:
A good opponent for #75. Which is worse? #75 is. The Sub-Romans at least have Arturicis and his 5 Reg. A EHC as knights of the Round Table! They also have up to 44 other Ir. B HC and some LC, up to 180 Reg. D LTS/Sh MI, up to 36 Reg. D LMI archers, plenty of mercenary close-order foot and even some Irish rough terrain troops. Mark Bloom is the primary upholder of Briton warlordship... but don' task him how these troops fare in competition. If they can't win, think what a challenge #75 really is! Against historical opponents (#75), the SubRomans do quite well, with a good number of quality cavalry and plenty of close-order types. I would opt for Reg. D rather than Ir. C, just for the added maneuverability and flexibility of use for the foot. An interesting variant for the Later Roman player.
#89 SLAVIC:
I can't understand why I've never seen this army fielded by anyone. If you like infantry wedges, the LMI/LHI kind, this is the army for you. You can have up to 200 figures worth, 1/2 with 2HCW and the rest with JLS and shield, of course... these aren't Irishmen! There are up to 30 LC horse archers which can also be equipped with JLS and shield. In addition, there is a contingent of ship-mobile Vikings, up to 42 MC with)LS/ Sh up to half of whom can be upgraded to HC and all Ir. B. To top it off, you can also field up to 36 close-order HI. That's a lot of versatility foran army erroneously thought to have derived its name from the word slave! The way I see it, this army has all of the advantages of a Viking army (without the fictional Berserker wedges!) and a hefty amount of cavalry to prevent the Viking problern of always being outscouted. I am presently in the process of painting up around 1800 points worth of these guys and I'll let you know how they fare.
#104 FEUDAL SPANISH:
One of the more colorful armies, again unseen on the wargames table. The army of El Cid and Alphonso can include units of Ir. A EHK, a very mean opponent to face unless you have SHK in wedges! A veritable army of CB, archers, slingers (over 100!). Close- order foot can be Regulars and in 48-man blocks, only good luck breaking them. A few units of rough terrain troops are also available. I would think that a very aggressive player could do wonders with this army. The poor quality foot can all be upgraded to at least C class so, morale-wise, this can be made into a better than average fighting force.
#107 MAGYARS:
An army for the horse archer lover. Over 180 LC horse archers can be fielded. Back them up with some MC/HC (up to 36 available) and make the maximum Ir. A; 12 LC and 12 HC. There are plenty of rough terrain troops, including up to 150 wedge-fighting Slavs, but no close-order foot. I would be hard-pressed to find a way to win convincingly with this army, though they certainly did their part historically in conquering Eastern Europe, so forthe frustrated Mongol player, a change of pace army is a possibility.
#111 PRE-FEUDAL SCOTS:
This is my favorite overall WRG army. The Scots always provide excitement and suspense down to the last bound, They have plenty of versatility as well with lots of close-order LTS/Sh armed spearmen and hundreds of loose-order types with 2HCW and JLS to worry your opponents. Many of the loose-order troops can be upgraded to either Ir. A or B. You can even have 12 wedge-fighting HC with L/Sh as well as up to 22 LC. Buy plenty of Vikings and upgrade to LH I. I always try to get a major water feature and buy up to 45 points worth of ships to send the Islemen or Vikings up a flank. The only real disadvantage is in the lack of long- range missile troops... only up to 32 total, so if you don't use this army aggressively, you won't do any better than a d raw.
#113 ANGLO-DANISH:
This an army which has seen fairly consistent use over the past few years. The combination of 15 Norman HC, a large number of rough terrain troops (Vikings) and the tough 48 man fyrd blocks makes this army an excellent buy for the cautious playerwho likes to hold back, ambush his opponent and counterattack in turn as the enemy wears himself out battling against the close-order foot. The main disadvantage of this list is that only 6 LC are allowed and if you don't use the Normans, you'll almost always be outscouted.
#122 EARLY POLISH:
The Early Poles are a missile- orientated gamer's dream. You are allowed Lip to 96 LMI archers with shields, so that they can fight as well as shoot, combined with 24 slingers with shield, and German CB in addition to up to 50 LC horse archers which make this army a very powerful force to contend with, fire-wise. There are plenty of Ir. B HC as well as some wedge-fighting German cavalry. There are a good number of close-order foot - up to 136 - and some 2HCW LMI rough terrain types which allow a vast degree of flexibility. Using the slingers in front of the archers allows use of shields while firing and you can shoot holes in any enemy during missile exchanges. A great beginner's army and one which offers plenty of tactical scope.
#129 EARLY RUSSIAN:
An army rarely fielded, probably because of its similarity to the Anglo-Danish armies and the more powerful (as faras HC goes) Anglo-Normans. The Early Russian list does offer the flexibility of having up to 100 horse archers, however. The disadvantage is a lack of all but a handful (24) of rough terrain troops. This army is an interesting variant to try vs. early Teutonics... Alexander Nevsky style!
#134 ANGLO-NORMAN:
Only by allowing the Anglo-Norman knights the ability to fight in wedge is this army a tournament contender. Otherwise, it does not have the strengths of the Anglo-Danish list (i.e., lack of strong rough terrain and high morale foot). With wedges allowed a baianced and strong combined arms force can be built. With plenty of missile troops and a good number of 48-man fyrd units, the commander of Anglo-Norman should do fairly well against most opponents. In any event, if you have the troops for this army, you have enough to make up armies of ten other lists as well.
#140 SCOTS COMMON ARMY:
This army is an interesting variant for the owner of a Pre-Feudal Scots army, or vice-versa. Lots of missile capability, close-order foot and rough terrain troops with some knights and HC to keep things interesting. Personally, I've never liked this combination very much - there's too much room for mistakes, but with a possible 36 Ir. A foot, it might be a different army to experiment with. I would not recommend this army to a beginner.
#144 ANGLO-IRISH:
A very interesting mix of Book I I I knights and Book II LMI/LHI. I've tried to figure out how to use these guys, but haven't come up with anything that works. I like the hordes of CB men which the Early and Middle variants offer. If you don't mind Reg D (which I don't), you can arrn the Middle/Late period archers with 2HCW or Sh. Closeorder troops are listed - up to 72 - and even 18 LC are allowed. The main problem potential commanders will have to learn to deal with is the Irish predilection to eschew shields. This really hurts in close-combat and in missile exchanges, especially if you are MI/LMI. If you are a gutsy player and want to ram an army down the throat of an opponent, these guys might just be the army for you.
#147 LATE BULGARS:
Here is an easy list for the "cheap and lazy wargamer". Plenty of HC (up to 58) and LC (up to 132) plus some LMI and archers. Spray paint the horses and voila! An army in four hours! Seriously, this army does not have much of a chance in a serious set-to, but offer an experimental skirmish army which can be utilized in plenty of other lists. The lack of any close-order troops combined with the mostly 'D' class morale make this army cheap to buy but miserable to fight with.
#155 GRENADINE:
Perhaps the most colorful army of all. For the artistic wargamers, the scope is tremendous and they don't fight badly either! A good mix of HC, EH K, LC, close-order foot and up to 180 long range missile troops makes this a contending army in any arena. In the Late variant, handgunners and bombards are also available. The only problem here is a lack of rough terrain fighters, although the hordes of LMI with B/Sh should afford themselves well if in large units.
#162 KNIGHTS OF ST. JOHN:
I've never seen this army on the wargames table. Granted, it is a rather one-dimensional bunch, with a possible 156 crossbowmen as well as bombards and organ guns, but it also has the usual knights, as well. This list would be an extreme challenge to use, Anyone who could win convincingly with this army would have to use a fairly static defense and refined tactical interaction between units, but it would be interesting for a change of pace. Also, it could be constructed fairly easily out of components of other Book III armies.
#163 LOW COUNTRIES:
The Early option allows a possible 180 closeorder Regular foot and the Middle option allows over200! Handgunners up to 8 artillery and a fair amount of CB/LB men make the Dutch/Belgian/ Flemish armies a good static defense force. It would be difficult to crack through a determined defense, especially with EHK/SHK (up to 32) backing up the foot. Though lacking missile troops and probably being outscouted, which are definite detriments, this army should fare better than others with similar handicaps because of its substantial staying power, (i.e., Regular C foot). This is another good choice for the cautious player... don't worry about the enemy shooting you to pieces. It's hard to get enough hits firing at 48 man units to do any real damage.
#176 HUSSITE:
The ultimate army for the defense-orientated player. Set up the wagons and let the enemy come and get you. The Hussites can be beaten, but your opponent will have to use his head and historical tactics to do it. You can have 12 SHIK, as well as a Sacred Taborite chalice to keep morale high. Up to 48 LC are also available for a variant. I would not opt for the Ir. A. foot, but would rather gofor the Regular B option. A tough nut to crack, and colorful and different as well.
#177 SCANDERBERG ALBANIAN:
Another challenge army for the experienced gamer who needs a humbling experience. This army can also be made up from parts of other Book III lists. Plenty of LC and LI with CB, 1/3 of whom can be LMI with 2HCW as well give this army some deadly firepower. There are quite a few LMI javelinmen and archer which tends to direct me towards building this in 25mm where you can load up the table with terrain. I hope this article will spur some interest in these armies. I think that the change of pace from Later Roman/Seleucid opponents would be far more fun and exciting, with the need to develop new strategies and tactics to maximize the strengths and to diminish the weaknesses of each list, spurring us on to new methods of play and research. Many of these armies are certainly not tournament style heavy hitters, but these were the troops available to commanders and they usually did not have the choices that we do! Each army has positive points, however, and it is a true measure of one's generalship to try winning with a less than stellar band of warriors. I know that I always enjoy figuring out howto use a new 4 army as I try to make certain they become a winning combination.
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