Descriptions of Armies for Medieval Warfare Part 1

Descriptions of Armies
for Medieval Warfare

by Terry Gore

The following army list descriptions will be included in subsequent editions of MW. I thought that they may be of interest to others as well.

1. Roman: Mid-5th to Late 5th century A.D.

The Western Roman Empire was falling apart. No longer were the armies made up of the solid heavy infantry which had conquered most of the known Western world. Instead barbarian tribes had been integrated into the armies of the Empire, bringing with them their weapons, armor and generals.

The legionarii represent the remnants of the once proud Roman armies of the past, now of mediocre quality at best. The pilum has been replaced by javelins and bows in response to the mainly mounted, missile-armed enemies the Later Roman armies now are coming into conflict with. Foederati represent the various allied barbarian warbands, under local tribal leaders, utilizing their ethnic weoponry and battle tactics. Auxilia are trained, but poor quality troops. The Gothic and Hun/Alan cavalry are reliable, hardy allies providing mobility and a mounted force to complement the various foot.

The most famous general of the period is Aetius, famous for his defeat of Attila the Hun at the Mauriac Plain in 451. Tactics in this period favor the cavalry armies, with the foot usually holding the center, while horsemen fought to gain a flank advantage, in order to roll up the enemy line. This is an army of great cavalry strength, while at the same time being vulnerable because of the poor quality foot. Aetius managed to succeed with it in battle. A challenge for the experienced gamer to emulate his actions.

Huns: Mid-5th to Mid 6th.

Attila needs no introduction. Successfully having overrun most of Western Gaul, the Huns amalgamted the tribes they had conquered into their armies. The Hun army is perfect for the lover of mobile attacks. The numerous javelin-armed cavalry not only could hold their own in close combat, they were all bow-armed as well.

The optional foot represent the conquered subject tribes of Germany and Gaul, not very happy to be forced to fight for their enslavers. They should not be given a prominent, exposed position in any battle. Instead, use them to hold hills, fords, bridges and tie up enemy foot, allowing the Hun and allied cavalry to shoot them into disorder and then attack.

The Ostrogoths were reliable allies, who fought well for their charismatic overseer. Flank marches are not a bad idea. Though Attila lost his most famous battle at the Mauriac Plain in 451, he did not make this a habit and actually invaded Italy the next year. After his death, the Huns were virtually destroyed at the Battle of Nedao in 454. A good army for any level of player.

3. Visigoths: Mid-5th to Early 8th.

The Visigoths were found in Spain and southern France. Though initially allied to Rome out of mutual fear of the invading Huns, they soon became a fierce power establishing a kingdom in their own right. 'Roman' troops began serving in the Gothic armies the Imperial garrisons were assimilated by the Visigoths.

The Visigoths offer a well-balanced combination of heavy cavalry (the nobles or Bucellarii were the heavy cavalry, armed with lance, javelin and shield), skirmish cavalry (Gardinga), and unarmored spearmen and archers, all of average quality who managed to fight and often win until destroyed by the Berbers in 711 A.D. after their quality seriously began to deteriorate. Two famous Visigothic leaders who fought alongside Aetius were Theodoric and Thorismund. Their usual tactics were to lock the enemy into a position with light cavalry, then pick a point of attack and use frenzied nobles to punch through. This is an average army for the semi-experienced gamer.

4. Early Byzantines: Late-5th to Late 6th.

This is a very popular army, due in part to the personalities in command, Belisarius and Narses. Robert Graves (author of I, Claudius) wrote a novel on the life of Belisarius, one of the ablest early Byzantine generals. Exceptional at war, inept at coping with the intrigues of the court, Belisarius epitomized the warrior-general at the height of his power.

Narse, a eunuch, also commanded with much success. His crowning achievement was at the Battle of Taginae in 552, where, in his 70's at the time, Narses dismounted his allied horse and formed them in the center of his line. He then formed up his 4,000 archers angled on either flank of his foot and dismounted cavalry with the Byzantine horse in reserve. His troops slaughtered 6,000 gothic cavalry as they were mown down by the archer fire trying to close with the tempting target of the dismounted cavalry!

The Byzantine cavalry are the shock force of this army. Armed with bow and lance, they can shoot their enemy into disorder before charging in with the lance. The skutatoi foot are also formidable. They should be arrayed in mixed ranks, with spearmen making up the first and second ranks and the archers the third. Hun allies provide a good screening force, Isaurians and limitani the rough terrsin troops.

Upgraded axemen (to Veteran PMI status) in wedge can be used to hold gaps between woods, which should be filled with as many units of UI javelinmen as will fit. Use the cavlary on the flanks and to protect the flanks of the foot. A religious idol will be a big help for morale. A flank attack is a good option, as you will need some element of surprise to overcome a resourceful, better armored opponent. This army is a challenge for beginners, but with judicious use of rough terrain, is still formidable.

Tactically, Belisarius' victory at the Battle of Dara in 530 is a prime example of how the Byzantine army fought. The foot were in the center, cavalry to the flanks and in reserve and the Huns were in ambush! Watch out. This is a good army for any level of player.

5. Slavs: Early 5th to Early 13th.

Though often thought of as serving simply as subject races in other armies, the Slavs managed to establish their own tribal states in the Balkans. A true rough terrain army, the Slavs fought best in hilly, wooded areas. They rarely stood up in the open to the developing cavalry armies which more and more frequently infringed upon their lands.

The adventuresome player looking for a challenge could do no better than giving the Slavs a try. Utilize as much delaying terrain as possible.

6. Italian Ostrogothic: Late 5th to Late 6th.

The main deterrent to the Byzantine 'reconquista' of Italy in the 6th century were the Ostrogoths. The most well known battle of the time at Taginae found the Ostrogothic leader, Totilla, outsmarted by Narses, as he charged into a hailstorm of missile fire from both flanks, much like the Light brigade at Balaclava a millenia and a half later.

The strength of this army lies in the large numbers of Noble cavalry, armed with lance and javelin. The archers are inexpensive, but of brittle morale, and the spearmen are best placed as a front rank in mixed units with the archers. Even then, avoiding a close action with the foot until the cavalry can charge is essential to success. Not an army for beginners.

7. Picts: Late 5th to Late 9th.

Because of the pressure from the Picts, pouring down across the border of Scotland into Britain, the Romano-Britons sought aid from the tribes of Germany in the 5th century. The Picts threatened the decaying 'civilized' vestiges of Roman rule in Britain. Vortigern, the British High King, lived to rue the day he invited the Germans into his lands. Between the wild Picts to the north and the ravaging Saxons landing on his eastern shores, the Romano-britons were doomed.

The mainstay of the Pictish army was the hardy spearman. They are plentiful and, being close order, can cope with mounted as well as other foot types. The light cavalry provide support and security for the flanks of the spearmen. The Attecotti were fearsome in battle and best used for ambushes or to secure a flank. Being fanatics, they will hold their own. Saxon allies are useful as they allow a veteran, better armored force to perhaps hold the center or as a reserve. One of the notable Pictish victories was at Nechtansmere in 685, where under the able command of Brude, they ambushed the Northumbrian army of Ecgfrith and destroyed it.

After the Viking presence became a force to be reckoned with (after the early 8th century), they often allied themselves with later Pictish forces, though by this time the Saxons had acclimated and the Attecotti had passed out of history. This is a very interesting and challenging army. It is better for more experienced players, though beginners can do passably well with it.

8. Sassanian Persian: Late 5th to Early 7th.

A major enemy to the earlier Roman empire, the Persians offer a mix of armored, veteran cavalry armed with lance and bow along with large numbers of missile troops, some elephants and levy foot (not of great quality, but if supported and kept in a superior tactical posisition, they will do all right).

At Nineveh in 627, a Sassanid army lacking elephants and under command of Razatis met double their number of Byzantines under Heraclius. Razatis challenged Heraclius to personal combat in order to spare his army, but miscalculated as the Byzantine commander killed him! The army fought for 8-9 hours before being virtually destroyed.

The Persians are primarily a mobile force and it is wise to emulate their tactics. Use the foot in the center to occupy the enemy there. Elephants can be used to tear into enemy ranks and disorder them or on a flank to threaten a roll up of the enemy army. The armored cavalry should be maneuvered as to be used at the point of decision to break through a flank or a portion of the enemy center. And good and popular army for beginners or veterans alike.

[Ed. I hope that these lists...and there will be many more in future issues...may spark some interest in the various armies described. Personally, I have never played over three-fourths of them, yet I am always eager to place a new army down and see what can be done with it. During the play-testing of the rules, my Scots often masqueraded as many different Dark Age fighters while my later Teutonics ranged from being English 100 Year War to Burgundians.

For those of you who either play other rules sets or have worked on your own, please feel free to comment on my own army descriptions. I always enjoy new information and willingly accept constructive criticism.

Note: I am looking ahead toward putting out a scenario booklet, along the lines of the ones I did for Pallas Armata, now publ;ished by L.K.M. in England. This will be primarilly aimed at my own rules, but will be readilly usable by players of DBM and ARMATI as well. If there are any favorite battle scenarios anyone would like to see in the booklet, please write me or E-mail Bruce at 061815 @ msn.com. This project will not be started until next summer at the earliest.]

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© Copyright 1998 by Terry Gore
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