Sometime ago I expounded, in all my wisdom, of how I thought an ancients warfare battle should go. 'Twas my thought that the commander should devote all his efforts into keeping his battleline intact. If the line broke up into several contingents, thus creating several different and simultaneous combats, there would be no way that a commander could control any of the units... aside from the particular unit to which he might attach himself, he could only watch and hope for the best.
Which means that the greater number of current wargames rules on ancients warfare don't really depict 'reality' and 'historical accuracy' and whatever else their authors cry out.
For example, each turn, the commander shouts: "Numidian Archers, run out to the left flank!", and, immediately, off run the Numidian Archers. And then he shouts: "Parthogenic Javelineers, cut over to the right!", and, instantaneously, off go the dreaded Parthogenecites. And then he shouts: "Zimbobwe Heavy Cavalry, charge those unsuspecting Circassian Knifethrowers!" and, without a moment's hesitation, off gallop the Zimbobwe cavalry.
This sort of thing makes for a good game, but it just doesn't ring true to me, historical buff that I am.
I'm currently up to around the 6th version of what I term my 'battle-line ancients' rules. I wasn't happy with numbers 1 through 5, I must admit even number 6 has flaws, and I must admit there's still a long way to go.
In setting up the opposing forces, I start out with each side arrayed in two parallel battle-lines, a front line and a reserve. There are no gaps in the lines... the units form an unbroken line... everyone, in effect, is shoulder-to-shoulder with his buddy.
When I presented this current version of ancients warfare, expounding on what I was attempting to do, Tony Figlia raised the issue: "Didn't they also fight in 'blocks'?', pointing out that way back then, not everyone fought shoulder-to-shoulder.
There's nothing wrong with 'block' warfare, except for the fact that, once the blocks advance on their own, the commander loses (should lose) control. Each block, therefore, once having been issued its orders, should plow ahead and should not be permitted to divert from its assigned task.
Most importantly, once launched, there should be no way to subsequently coordinate the individual advancing blocks.
This is rather nicely modeled in TACTICA... here, the blocks are the main battle units; these main battle units are given orders, pointed toward the enemy, and, come hell or high water, they go right for the throat. No diversion is permissible.
The Simon shoulder-to-shoulder concept, therefore, goes back a phase or two, prior to the block formations. You present an unbroken line to the enemy. Once your array is broken, and gaps are introduced in your line, i.e., blocks appear despite your best intentions, you're in for trouble.
And so, in Version 6, your two battle-lines, front line and reserve, are formed of heavy and medium infantry. By definition, we have no gaps; all stands are adjacent to one another.
What follows is an outline of what I'd like to do; thus far, I haven't successfully implemented all the procedures and integrated all the action/reaction phases. Perhaps if I explain it, it will all come clear - even to Ml - and everything will fall into place.
The Theory...in Outline Format
At the outset, all cavalry is placed alongside, i.e., on either flank of, the reserve line. There are specific 'cavalry phases' during the bound, wherein the horsemen will charge forward, trying to bash either enemy cavalry or the flanking units of the opponent's front battle-line... for now, however, the cavalry are placed somewhat to the rear.
To the rear of the reserve line are the missile troops. They're about to dash out to cover the flanks or to cover the space between the two main battle-lines. When they deploy, the missile units are given fatigue markers, and each time they fire, they're given more fatigue markers.
The accumulation of markers serves to make it more and more difficult for the missile units to evade oncoming formed units. Cavalry units will try to run over the missile troops, and, on occasion, these light units, i.e., archers and javelineers and stingers, may get stuck between the two opposing battle-lines as the lines close to contact. In either case, getting run over by charging cavalry, or squashed between battle-lines, the markers lessen the probability that the missile troops emerge intact. In fact, "intact" is too liberal a word... if the light troops fail to evade the oncoming units, they're eliminated.
Rules Developing
At this stage of the rules development, there are 8 phases to the half-bound. The initial phases consists of the placement of the missile troops, followed by an advance of the active side's battlelines, followed by a number of cavalry charges and counter-charges, followed by the missile firing phase.
In the cavalry phases, the active side moves out all of his horsemen to whom he has given the order to charge. These charging units are moved to the 'half-way' point, and, at this point, the in-active side can commit his own cavalry units in an attempt to interdict the opposing horsemen.
To prevent a huge 'piling on', a maximum of 2-units-on-1 is allowed.
As the cavalry units move out and charge halfway across the field (at the 'half-way' point), the missile troops fire. They place hit markers on their targets, who test for casualties. At this point, a charging cavalry unit, which finds that it has incurred a large amount of casualties, is allowed to abort its charge and run back to its reserve line, whence it started from.
Missile troops don't concentrate solely on opposing cavalry; they also strike against the enemy's main battle-line units. Those units hit by missiles also test for casualties. The result may be merely to suffer a hit marker (which counts against the unit in subsequent melees), or to lose a stand, or to have a stand drop back out of the line, refusing to participate in combat.
Missile fire is simultaneous, and so both sides suffer at the same time.
Immediately after missile fire, I instituted what I term a Command Phase. One or both sides get to adjust their lines. You can do several things:
- Units that lost a stand can close up, filling in the gap.
Units that had a stand momentarily drop out of line can bring it back in.
The commander can transfer a unit from the reserve to the front line, or vice versa.
The intent here is to permit a commander to adjust his battlelines, compensating for missile casualties, prior to making contact. If the active side has gotten zonked by missile fire, and there are huge gaps in the ranks - produced by stands disappearing or having fallen back - the active commander would certainly like to adjust his line before he orders it to make the final advance. Conversely, the in-active side, also suffering from the results of missile fire, would also like to adjust his own units before he's contacted.
The Command Phase is implemented by drawing one of 6 cards on which are noted which commander gets to adjust. There are 2 cards for Side A, 2 for Side B, and 2 which indicate that both sides are eligible.
If the active side, Side A, doesn't draw his card, he may not want to continue his advance with his line somewhat out of kilter... missing stands, missing units. etc.
On the field, there are two commanders, one for the front battleline, and one for the reserve line. Each has a staff of 'officers', i.e., tokens, which are used in the adjustment procedures. Assuming that the active commander gets to adjust and straighten out his lines, he advances to contact.
His main battle-line is placed against the opposing line, and both sides now get a number of 10-sided dice (Hit Dice, HD) depending upon their relative configurations.
Dice are assigned as follows:
- a. If your line is longer than your opponent's
b. If you have a cavalry unit on your flank
c. For every heavy infantry unit in your line
d. For every 2 medium infantry units in your line
e. If one of your heavy infantry units directly faces an opposing medium infantry unit
f. For the gaps in the opposing line
g. For every hit marker on the opposing line
In short, you get a die, or dice, for all the good attributes of your line, while your opponent gets dice for all your bad attributes. The result of tossing all your dice is to place a number of markers on the opposing line... the markers are placed alternately by the players so that one poor unit cannot be solely targeted and inundated.
After markers are placed, every affected unit tests to see if it loses stands, if its stands are forced back and won't participate in combat until rallied, or, perhaps, if the entire unit disappears.
A toss of 1,2,3,4,5 on the HD is a hit on the opposition. The winner o! the engagement depends upon two parameters: S The number of stands remaining in your line, i.e. the number of your survivors, and
- H The number of HD you placed on the opposing line, i.e., the casualties you inflicted on your opponent
Each side tosses a die and looks at the following product:
- (10-sided die) x (3 + H)
The winner is the side with the higher product.
The losing battle-line now retreats and forms up, gaps and markers and all, to the rear of its reserve line, which now becomes its new front battle-line.
The winning line may advance into contact with the opposing new front line. But note that, as a result of the recent combat, the winner's battle-line has gaps in it, stands that fell back, units that were wiped out, hit markers, etc., each of which will give the opposition one or more HD to toss.
Here, therefore, prior to the advance, we have another Command Phase in which a command card is drawn, and if the winning commander's luck holds out, the card will indicate that he may adjust his line, take off markers, bring in a unit or two from his own reserve line, etc.
If his card is not drawn, he will definitely have second thoughts about an advance into a fresh opposing line.
This ends the half-bound, and the sides are reversed, with Side B now becoming the active player.
Paper Theory
On paper, the above sequence looks pretty good; one might even say there's a bit of logic to it. On the table-top, it's been extremely difficult to implement.
The sequence of phases have been altered, the melee procedures have been constantly adjusted, the combat results chart is always being fine tuned. At present, for example, after the firing or melee phases, when units find themselves with one or more markers on them, each marker is rated at 25 points, and the total value of the markers, V, is used to determine what happens to the unit; dice are tossed, and the following chart is used:
- Dice Throw and Result
100 -------------------------
- 1 stand drops out of line
- 1 stand removed
- 2 stands removed
Thus 3 markers on a unit gives a value V of 75, and a toss of 37 or below would indicate that the unit loses 2 stands, while with a toss of above 75, 1 stand falls back and must be rallied.
I have no doubt that, in time, these rules will reach a state of absolute perfection, equal to the status of the EMPIRE systems or NAPOLEON'S BATTLES, or (gulp!) IN THE GRAND MANNER, or (double gulp!) WRG 7th. Until that time. I can only dream...
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© Copyright 1994 Wally Simon
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