We miniature war gamers are often behind the learning curve on new information for the troops we represent on the tabletop. That is because we don't have the resources or the time to look up info, or the money to cover all cost in books. (I budget myself to $200.00 a month in books. And I still can't get everything I want. Sometimes that covers one book.) If you can't read Greek or Latin or Russian or Chinese or Japanese you are at a further disadvantage. Sometimes items take years to come to be printed in English.

This publication is an attempt to bridge that wide gulf. And it really is a stopgap measure. The schedule will only allow a certain number of magazines to be published. So we can't cover everything. But if it excites the imagination to encourage more research all to the better. While this publication does not cater to one rule set in particular, we hope that the information contained will allow the enthusiasts to add more enjoyment to their favorite rules, and those who have fallen away from the pastime, dust off that old set, get out those chipped and bent troops and give it another try.

When it comes to speculative fiction, there is no better source then the ancient historical sources. And yet we are dependent on these to give us, the historians both professional and amateur, the true view of what ancient warfare was like. And many people have taken that opportunity to do so. There have been a lot of theses (mine included) on ancient and medieval warfare.

So, how much is accurate? We really don't know. (A lot of people will hate me for saying this.) All we can do is take educated guesses.

We depend on archeological finds for tangible physical evidence, written sources, both describing historical events as well as social situations of the time to put all these finds into a context.

There is a third means now entering the ancient military history arena, reenacting. (Yes, you heard me correctly.) This first got its real start by historian Hans Delbruk who, in order to understand Asklepiodotus "Taktika", trained the 3rd Potsdarn guards of the 1900 German army to operate like successor phalangites.

His discovery? In order to carry out the evolutions described in the "Taktika", troops had to be better trained than just being a crack prewar infantry unit like guards. By doing this, and bringing his focus on the logistics of battles (his speciality) he came to the reluctant conclusion that army numbers, especially those of the barbarians were greatly exaggerated.

I was fortunate to pick Delbruk's passages to translate from German to English for my advanced college classes. As I translated him, I found that be made me think For years we history students had mocked the SCA and their "list" fighting. But maybe they were actually on to something. I joined and took part in two Arizona wars. I found out several interesting things. First drill. Why did the Spartans, Macedonians and the Romans drill so much?

So they could maneuver quickly and confidently on the battlefield. And that is what wins battles. A good example is at Gabiene (316 B.C.E.). If we are to believe Diodoros and Plutarchos the Argyraspides (Silver Shields) fighting as Phalangites went up against a phalanx that was twice their number. These Argyraspides are the remnants of the famous Hypaspists (Super Shield bearers) of Alexandros the Great. This would put their average age at around the 50's if they were 20 years old in 353 B.C.E. when they are described as being part of Phillipos'army.

It was no contest. With the cry "You fight against your fathers!" the Argyraspides broke the enemy phalanx easily. Why? I'd say sheer fear of the veteran unit. Even though neither historian mentions it, I'll bet that phalanx broke before or at the point of contact.

Maneuver cows the enemy and wins battles before the first blow is struck. We drilled for weeks as a spear and sword block. We adopted standard phalanx spacing even though many didn't have a shield. We formed seven across and four deep. It was hard work. We had to chant to move in step.

We quickly found out several things. If the average Greek hoplite drilled once a week, as Aristophenes indicates, no wonder the Spartans beat them. You can move in step and you can close up your files but that is about all you can do with once a week training. Forget wheeling to the flanks. Or, you can do it. Just that you can't do it in any type of formation that would viable to fight on the field. nose battalions that pivot and are well ordered, so easily in war game rules is a designer's fantasy. It can't be done unless you practice it five times a week for several months. I know. I had to do it. In the end, after months of hard work daily, we were well drilled and over threw everybody we faced in the war. The first time. Until they figured out to hit us in the flanks. (Ouch!)

When you are hit in the flank, things happen. All bad. Your formation breaks up as you turn to face your attackers. Since you no longer have your right and left file men to protect your shieldless side, you block one blow and are killed by the other one. The best thing to do is run away from the contact. You call this a tactical withdraw. Everybody else calls this a rout.

If you are hit in the flank, likely you will get knocked off your feet. Getting knocked of your feet on a battlefield is not a good thing. I covered up with my oval shield and just lay there in ball. After people stopped stepping on me (one fell) I lifted my shield and looked around. "Dead" comrades lay all about me and the battle had moved several yards away. I was now behind the enemy "formation." I could have charged their rear. I could have "killed" at least four of them before they got me. I decided to just lie there.

It was at this point I felt closer to all those ancient warriors I had read about in my histories. I decided then and there Delbruk was on to something. No wonder the newly levied legiones lost at Cannae. Against Hannibal's confident vets they couldn't break the line, all they could do is shove it back.

We had to develop flank guards, usually belted knights to stop being flanked. (Sound familiar?) I learned more about phalanx tactical systems in a year then I would have learned in a life time of book study.

Delbruk also made me realize that often you can find the answer to past behavior rooted in the present. After all, people do not change, they still respond the same stimuli, and the famous phrase "history repeating itself" has a large basis in fact. The Swiss emulated the Spartan and Macedonians with well drilled infantry and won many battles against impossible odds, until a counter-neasures were developed. Oddly (or not so oddly) enough they involved short swordsmen and missile weapons.

When I was a kid there was a magazine on painting 54mm miniatures and building scale model kits called Miniature Modeling While at a garage sale in 1995, I found a whole bunch of MMs that dated to 1967-69. Wow! I bought the whole lot, and went home and devoured them. It was then I realized how spoiled we are as miniature gamers. Back then people had to scratch build or convert the figures in order to get Sung Chinese. Now? We order Essex, or Q.T. or Minifig. Indeed we are in the golden age of war gaming. Especially if we game with miniatures. It is the goal of this magazine to enhance that aspect.

While everybody who writes in this magazine will have their own opinion, we hope to back them up with sources so the reader can read these for themselves. But if I say (Her. IV. 32) that is pretty useless unless you have Herodotos "Histories" handy. It is unlikely that many readers will. That is why we will include translated passages of the source being used. It is a different concept, but this is a different magazine. And if one person takes up ancient miniature gaming because of this publication, then it will have done its job.