Kynoskepalai 197 will be a featured AW demo at HISTORICON ’03 in July. The following article summarizes the state of the design approximately 6 weeks before the show. Things may change dramtically between now and then. Stay tuned!

Introduction

In 197 BCE, the consular army of Titus Quintius Flamininus, with its Aetolian League allies, encountered the Makedonian army of Phillip V in the nightmare terrain of the Dogs’ Heads, Kynoskephalai. Here the deciding battle of the Second Makedonian War was fought. It was a very near run thing for the Romans, who scored a crushing victory after being pushed to the brink of defeat by the Makedonians. The armies were relatively evenly matched forces of mixed arms, each numbering in the mid 20,000’s. The real differences lay at the core of each force, the pike phalanx of the Makedonians versus the multi-line, manipular legion of the Roman Republic. It has often been observed that the irony of Kynoscepalai lies in the fact it was fought in conditions inimical to either military system employed.

The battle was actually a meeting engagement, which developed in stages as successive lines of troops were committed to the fray. The central terrain feature, the Dogs’ Heads, was a rugged ridgeline topped with three prominent hills. These hills formed two saddles, either of which provided a pass through the ridgeline. The opposing armies had gone into camp some distance apart on either side of the ridgeline. On the day of the battle, it was overcast, and the ‘Heads were shrouded in mist. Scouting parties – vanguards – sallied forth from each camp to probe the heights for the enemy. Find him they did as desultory skirmishing broke out in the invisible heights. Additional troops – mostly light infantry and cavalry -- were drawn into the fight, as Flamininus and Phillip fought to control the high ground in advance of their main forces, now issuing forth from camp.

The Makedonians won the initial battle for the heights. Having done so, they were able to deploy their right wing phalanx uphill from the scrambling legionaries. The weight of the Makedonian right wing drove the Roman left down the slope. Presumably, successive lines of Roman infantry gave way – velites, hastati and principes – perhaps bringing the issue to the triarii to save the day. Then, on the brink of victory, the Makedonian right collapsed! What went wrong?

The problem was the Makedonian left wing phalanx, trailing the right en route to the ridge, never had time to properly deploy in support of the right wing. The very success of the right wing managed to draw it away from the struggling left, creating a large gap in the army’s main line-of-battle. The (left) flank of the Makedonian right wing was left hanging, providing an opportunity for unengaged maniples on the Roman right to roll it up, which is exactly what happened under the inspired leadership of an anonymous tribune.

To what extent the deployment difficulties of the Makedonian left were attributable to the rough terrain features of the Dogs’ Heads cannot be determined. Certainly, the army had to deploy in stages as it passed up through the saddles and formed up along the crest of the ridge. This was potentially no less a problem for the Romans, but because they had lost the initial fight for control of the ridge they had to form up below the slopes; this may have allowed their army to present a more uniform, right-to-left front. It is apparent that the multiple lines of Roman infantry on the left absorbed enough of the Makedonian shock without collapsing to provide a chance for victory that was not wasted when the circumstances turned to Roman favor.

Scenario Specifications for Ancient Warfare

The three salient features of the Battle of Kynoskepalai are: ( i) the Dogs’ Heads, (ii) the fog obscuring movement up and around the Dogs’ Heads, and (iii) the stages of battle, proceeding from light to heavy skirmishing, then a race to the tops by the undeployed main battle lines (MBL), and finally an uneven application of Makedonian force, creating an exploitable gap in the MBL to be used to full effect by the Romans.

Two alternative table layouts were tested, the first orientating the table as per usual AW rules, with the central axis running through the midpoints of the short sides of a 8x5 (or 10x6) table; the second, rotating the central axis 45 degrees to run through the corners of a 6x6 square table. The second layout better frames and channels game action, so it is our preferred alignment. The Dogs’ Heads are modeled as follows: an irregular ridgeline of foam is laid out the length of the table, roughly centered on the central axis. The foam is several inches thick (more than one layer of material may be used), with a steep slope. Atop this ridge are placed three hills, also steeply sloped; any or all of these hills may be flat topped or crested. The hills are placed at irregular intervals along the ridge, leaving some space between each hill. Finally, there are two roads running through the two saddles defined by the three hills. These roads originate at opposite sides of the table, along an axis that runs through the center of the table and is perpendicular to the central axis. Note, the roads converge near the table edge, but they do not merge into one road; the roads bow-out from their points of origin to pass through the Dogs’ Heads’ saddles and then bow-back towards their opposite respective points of origin. This is not to claim there actually were roads running up and through the passes of the Dogs’ Head, but it is to suggest the presence of well-worn paths commonly used to negotiate passage through the rough terrain.

In AW terms, the slopes of the Dogs’ Heads and the slopes of the ridgeline count as light delaying terrain, requiring all troops except skirmishers to deduct 1D6 from their move distance while moving on any of these slopes, unless they are using road movement. The tops of the ridges and/or ‘Heads may be level and if so are treated as clear terrain. Please refer to the special disorder rule below for close order stands and heavy cavalry operating on the slopes of the Dogs’ Heads.

A standard feature of AW is the utilization of a physical screen – of cardboard, formboard, whatever -- to allow players to secretly deploy their armies. AW’s deployment scheme is perfectly suited for modeling the literal “fog of war” obtaining on the slopes of the Dogs’ Heads. Allowing the vanguards (see the Orders of March below) of either army to set-up practically in contact with each other accurately models the suspense and surprise of the opening skirmishes of the battle. The “Front Lines”, which are comprised mostly of units of loose order infantry and some heavy cavalry, are also significantly closer together than normal when the screen is lifted, modeling the commanders’ inability to observe the results of the initial skirmishing before reinforcing the vanguards with heavier troops.

Special Scenario Rule

The original playtest version of this scenario allowed for the longish development of the battle by making use of a variable-turn reinforcement schedule, inspired by the Cynoscephalae scenario in GMT’s SPQR: 2nd Edition boardgame. It was great fun and provided a fairly accurate game. with the exception that the Makedonian phalanxes were way too slow getting into the action. The leftmost phalanx, when it finally did get to the front, promptly failed a morale check, went disordered, and put the Makedonian player in a potentially losing position. Failure on the left is the historical result, but not quite in this manner. What was needed is some mechanicism to accelerate the arrival of the MBL units at the front.

1. Road Column for Close Order Foot

Close order foot in road column, regardless whether they are on a road or not, may move at the tactical or (if appropriate) strategic rate of loose order foot. Close order foot on a road in road column may move at 1.5 times the tactical or strategic rate of loose order foot. The table features two roads to channel MBL units to the key sectors as quickly as possible.

2. Delaying Terrain

The light delaying terrain of the slopes of the ridgeline and the ‘Heads is a problem for the close order (infantry and elephants) and heavy cavalry stands in the game. The only delaying terrain on the table is the slopes of the ridges/Dogs’Heads.

• Close Order Foot

  So long as the close order infantry units are in road column, they are not disordered by the slopes, because they move like loose order foot; however, they still deduct 1D6 from their movement every turn they move on the slopes. The level tops of the ridges and some/all/none (depending on the whims of the scenario designer and the shapes of terrain pieces available) of the Dogs’ Heads are clear terrain, in which the close order units may deploy as desired into wider formations without penalty.

• Heavy Cavalry and Elephants

  Road column or no, elephants and heavy cavalry are disordered by delaying terrain as per standard AW unless they are moving along a road.

• Limiting Disorder Caused by Delaying Terrain

  Any unit subject to disorder because of delaying terrain that is already disordered or worse has no additional disordering effect from the slopes. Thus a unit pushed back from the top of a hill/ridge in combat receives a disorder from the combat, but doesn’t receive a second disorder for the slope.

  A unit following up or pursuing, if it is in good order, will be disordered by the slope if it is otherwise subject to disorder by delaying terrain.

  Thus, unless frenzied, a unit on clear terrain on top of a ridge/hill is not obliged to follow-up or pursue, regardless its orders.

3. King of the Hill

Each Dogs’ Head is worth 100 points to the side controlling it at the end of the scenario. Possession is defined by having the most army points on the highest elevation of the Dogs’ Head. Possession is determined at the instant the game ends, so troops have to be physically present. If units for both sides claim control of a Dogs’ Head, the unit with the highest points value is awarded the points. So long as at least one stand in the unit is on the highest elevation, the entire unit is counted; the stand doesn’t have to be completely on the elevation to count. However, a corner “touch” doesn’t count for possession.

4. Roman Order

Please review the official Roman Order rule below. The Kynoskephalai scenario is experimenting with two definitions of legionary infantry, princeps as close order and hastati as loose order 4(L), although most analysts would argue that they were armed identically by this time period (197 BCE). Also, allied Latin infantry (the Alae Sociorum cohortes and the cohort extraordinarii) are also classified as LAI. For the purposes of this scenario, all Roman and Latin socii HI and LAI may use Roman Order, as indicated in the Order of March below by an RO in the strength column

Order of Battle: Roman and Macedonian