Sunday, March 29, 2015

Society of Ancients Battle Day - the Battle of Hydaspes at the Fremont Game Kastle hobby shop

On Saturday March 28th we re-fought the Battle of Hydaspes.   Charles Lee was Alexander, Ken Mackie was Porus, and Dan (Regicide) Rygasewicz was his subordinate for the first two battles.  
Sedov Svjatoslav  replaced Dan for the third game and then took over for Ken when he had to return home. 

Rules used were Scutarii from Hoplite Research
http://www.lulu.com/shop/william-butler/broadswordscutarii/paperback/product-21971341.html
Available in the UK from Caliver books
http://www.caliverbooks.com/searchcat.php?words=scutarii&price=&period=

The Indian army was given a choice of three deployment options:

Arrian's 200 elephants on a frontage of 100 feet per elephant with the infantry five ranks deep.
120 elephants with the infantry ten ranks deep, but with a reduced morale rating of 8 instead of 9.
A 20 rank deep infantry formation with a morale of 9, but only 85 elephants.
The Macedonians were allowed free deployment after the Indian army was deployed.  There was also the option of arming the Hypaspists with either spears or pike.   Pike was chosen for all three games.

Ken chose to use the ten rank deep formation for the first two battles and the 20 deep formation for the third.  The first two games ended during the third turn when Dan slew Alexander.   The third game was a Macedonian victory as about half the Indian army fled from the field by the seventh turn.
Alexander did not lead the right wing Macedonian cavalry for the third battle, but instead stayed near the center of the army.   The first two battles saw the Macedonians attack the Indian left flank.   For the third battle Charles deployed the phalanx and most of his army on the left and some cavalry on the right.  A reverse of the historical battle.  Charles deployed the Macedonian heavy infantry in 8 ranks instead of 16.

We started at noon and finished at 7 PM.

Army values
MACEDONIAN
UNIT
ATTACK
DEFENSE
MISSILE
MOVE
MORALE
POINTS
UNITS
TOTAL
ALEXANDER
ADD 2
X
X
14
+/-2,1, OR 0
free
1
0
GENERALS
ADD 1
X
X
14
+/- 1 OR 0
free
3
0
COMPANIONS
5
5
X
12
11
10
7
70
HYPASPISTS 1
5
6
X
6
11
10
x
0
HYPASPISTS 2
4
6
X
6
11
10
6
60
PHALANX
3
6
X
6
11
9
8
72
AGRIANIANS
3
5
2"
6 OR 8
11
8
2
16
ARCHERS
2
4
6"
6 OR 8
11
8
4
32
HORSE ARCHERS
2
4
4"
12 OR 14
11
9
2
18
LIGHT HORSE
3
4
2"
12 OR 14
11
8
2
18
286


INDIAN
UNIT
ATTACK
DEFENSE
MISSILE
MOVE
MORALE
POINTS
UNITS
TOTAL 1.2
TOTAL 3
ELEPHANT
4
6
4"
8
10
13
30 or 21
390
273
HORSE
3
5
X
12
10
8
8
64
64
CHARIOT
4
5
4"
10
10
8
6
48
48
INFANTRY 3
2
4
6"
6
9
5
46
0
230
INFANTRY 1,2
1
4
6"
6
8
3
45
135
0
GENERALS
ADD 1
X
X
14
+/- 1 OR 0
free
4
0
0
637
615


 Game 1  Initial Indian deployment.  There was a one foot space from the edge of the table to the left end of the Indian army.   This placed some of the infantry and all the right wing cavalry and chariots off table
 Initial Macedonian deployment.

 Ken and Dan moving their army.
 The Indian right wing cavalry and chariots start moving towards the left.
 The right half of the Indian battle line drifted left to create a space for the right wing chariots and cavalry to move through
 Macedonian right wing cavalry being charged by Dan's chariots and cavalry
 Ken reacts to the news that the Macedonian left wing cavalry has followed his right wing cavalry and is arriving at the table edge.
 The death of Alexander.
 Game 2  Initial deployment.  This time the Indian line was shifted to the left in order to place all the infantry on the table
 The right wing Macedonian cavalry moves around the left flank of the Indian army.
 The armies advance.  The Indian army held back its left wing infantry.
 Dan's cavalry and chariots charge Alexander and the companions
 Macedonian skirmishers trade shots with the Indian elephants.
 Alexander is slain again by Dan's chariots.
 Game 3  Ken chose to use the deep infantry formation with 85 elephants
 Charles Lee positions his army

 The Indian infantry advances in a wedge formation
 Macedonian light infantry archers inflict casualties on the Indian right wing cavalry
 The Indian left wing reacts to the Macedonian cavalry.  Indian elephants drift to the left as they advance.
 Part of the Indian right wing cavalry failed its morale check and took some of the infantry behind them when they routed.
 skirmishing in the center
 Indian elephants and chariots chase off the skirmishers.
 Sedov takes over from Ken as Porus
 Indian infantry reacts to Macedonian light horse in their rear by about facing the rear units.

The moment before the right half of the Indian army routs.  Every unit from the point where the rear lines are separated and the front line angles would flee from the battlefield.

The Indian army had 96 cavalry figures, 6 chariots 50+ elephants, and 1104 infantry figures.  The Indian army was mostly Heroics and Ros and Baccus with some Irregular elephants.

The Macedonian army had 560 phalangites and hypaspists, 96 light infantry archers and javelin men, 32 light cavalry, and 84 companions.   Companions were Baccus, light cavalry a mix of Rapier and H &R,  light infantry H&R,  phalangites and hypaspists Rapier.