Battle of Raphia, 224 BC (Med Campaign 5)

 Ptolemy and Seleucus are at it again - Seleucus is trying to throw Ptolemy out of Phoenicia. 

This battle report from John Graham-Leigh:

Excellent battle today against Russ King.  We diced for sides and I took the Ptolemaics; I invaded so had the advantage of setting up second.  

Seleucus occupied a large gentle hill in the centre with thureophoroi and Galatian warbands, with Thracian peltasts and psiloi in the open facing my left.  The pike phalanxes opposed each other in the centre, and on the right the Seleucid cavalry (DBM knights), light horse and elephants opposed my weaker cavalry (DBM Cavalry) and light horse.  There was a large area of rough going opposite my far right which I seized with Cretan archers and camel-riders (Inferior Light Horse).  I expected to defend on the right and attack on the left with my lancers, elephants and numerous thureophoroi.

Mixed fortunes on the left as the Thracians slew many of my infantry but the lancers and elephants destroyed Galatians and thureophoroi.  Ptolemy was himself at risk when Galatians luckily beat an elephant, but survived and led a victorious charge.  The right-flank Seleucid command broke.  On my right the Cretans delayed the Seleucid attack, but it eventually went in with heavy casualties on both sides.  In the centre I had more pikemen (only one file of Seleucid Argyraspids) and got the luck of the combat dice.  The Seleucid phalanx crumbled and then broke.

A tight game - my flank commands were both one element from breaking - but eventually decisive.  10-0 in DBM scoring.

 

Ptolemy is now firmly ensconced in Phoenicia. Thanks to John and Russ for playing this out and sending through such a good report and photographs. Very nice to see some good old DBM lines in action!

Campaign history.

Mediterranean Campaign turn 2, 224 BC (Med Campaign 4)

The last turn's campaigning saw Ptolemy successful in an attack on Phoenicia, and the Gauls defeated on their excursion into Italia.

Situation at 225 BC

In 224BC Seleucus, having gathered reinforcements from the east, attacks Ptolemy in Phoenicia.

In 225BC the Romans launch a punitive attack on the Cisalpine Gauls. 

In 226 BC The Galatians attack the Macedonians in Thrace. 

Actions in the 224-221 BC turn

John Graham-Leigh and friend will do the Seleucid/Ptolemy clash. The players running the other two battles are not yet confirmed.

Campaign history.

Battle of the Clanis River, 228 BC, (Med Campaign 3)

In the year of the consulships of Spurius Ruga and Quintus Verrucosus, The Boii and Senones, angered at continued Roman encroachment upon their lands, formed an alliance with Gaesatae from Transalpine Gaul to lay waste to Etruria. As reports of their depredations reached Rome, Spurius Ruga gathered an army which he led north to meet the Gauls in battle. 

Now the Gauls had accumulated much plunder and had grown careless from their daily excesses. They had made camp in the vicinity of Clusium, between the river Clanis and a formidible hill, but in a position which did not allow them to make easy use of their numbers for anything but debauchery. 

Spurius Ruga saw this opportunity to fall upon the Gauls and catch them unprepared. He ordered the army to breakfast and sent the missile troops across the river to harass the Gallic left flank while using the river for protection. Meanwhile the legions formed up on the plain between the Clanis and the hill and began to advance on the Gauls. Spurius Ruga commanded the right and Spurius Sinistus the left. 

At last aware of the Roman threat, the Gauls debouched from their camp and, each man swaying slightly, began to form for battle. The Boii under Youcansaythatagain were arrayed on the left; the Senones, led by Damnthelotofthem on the right. The Gaesatae, in their eagerness for war threw themselves forward.

The account of the esteemed Ian Piper is as follows:

The Gauls had found a nice campsite but not thought carefully enough. Canny old Spurius Ruga has realised that there is a bottle neck that he can use to his advantage. He has the Marines get some Archers over to the other side of the steep sided but narrow river from which they can fire quite safely into the Gauls who stray close enough (in Hail Caesar 2 shooting isn't usually very effective so this is more a hurry-up for the Gauls, although one Warband managed a command Blunder that moved them into the firing line. 

Assaulting at dawn the Gauls panic fearing being boxed in and their battle lines fill up as each group gets sorted out. Apart from some Fanatics (sorry, I know, but they helped the points balance! - perfectly acceptable!) each unit had to be rolled for in order to get to the front. All this means that there is not enough room for all the Warbands and when they do arrive there will be some confusion and difficult positioning. 

It is a Roman Victory but tighter than you might expect. Both right wings did well and Gauls looked like they might break out alongside the hill but the Heroes of the Hour undoubtedly the Auxillaries as they held up a Warband for a couple of rounds before being overwhelmed by numbers and a flank attack from the Gaulish Cavalry. The (now shaken) Warband then proved easy meat for the Legionaries.

Key:

C = Cavalry VL = Vet Legionaries L= Legionaries M = Marines A = Archers

S= Slingers Aux = Auxiliaries F = Fanatic Warband WB = Warband 1 and 2 = i/c and 2i/c

Forces at start, with Gauls just waking up.

End of turn 4

Final positions

Many thanks to Ian for fighting out what looks to have been a royal ding-dong of a battle. The brief was equal forces but for the Romans to have a terrain advantage. Between the battle, the evocative maps, the photo of the final scene (there is also an account of the forces for both sides but it is hard to format that for the blog), and the report he deserves a bit of plunder himself! 

An update on the overall campaign situation will follow, but for now the Gauls have been driven out of Italia and been unsuccessful in their attack.

Thanks again to Ian!

Campaign history.

Battle of Anthedon, 228 BC (Med Campaign 2)

In the 19th year of his reign, Ptolemy III, also called Euergetes, took a great army into Phoenicia, and fought a battle with Seleucus II, Callinicus, near Anthedon, in Gaza. 

At the urging of his advisors Ptolemy brought many elephants in order to counter those which he knew Seleucus possessed from the herd brought back from India by Alexander.

Seleucus drew up his army on the plain, with half of the cavalry on each wing and the infantry of the phalanx in the centre. The Silver Shields were on the left of the line. The settlers and mercenaries were next to them on their right, and spear-armed infantry from Asia made up the rest of the centre. He placed a third of his elephants in front of the Silver Shields, a third behind them, and a third with the Asiatic infantry on the right. Near the Silver Shields and the cavalry of the left wing stood Seleucus and his guard cavalry.

They say that Seleucus had 100 elephants, 5000 cavalry, and 65,000 infantry of all types, some of whom were placed amongst the elephants to support them.

Ptolemy for his part placed himself opposite Seleucus. The guard infantry took the rightmost place on the line and the phalanx stretched from them out to the left, matching the Seleucid line in extent, but greater in depth. To the right of the infantry were placed half of the cavalry, and the other half were put on the left wing. The elephants he moved in front of the infantry on the right and in the centre. These elephants from Africa were of smaller stature than the Indian elephants but they were exceedingly warlike and Ptolemy had accustomed them to the noise of battle so that they were not frightened by the cries of soldiers or the clashing of arms.  

Ptolemy's army was said to number 63 elephants, 5000 cavalry, and 70,000 infantry.

The lines pressed forward into contact but Seleucus, seeing that the cavalry of his left wing were outmatched, directed that the elephants behind the infantry move to the left and support the cavalry. These elephants prevented the cavalry from being overwhelmed and the fighting there was serious.

 

The battle in the centre was long and vicious. 

Both sides felt the tides of war ebb and flow.

But at the last Seleucus's infantry gave way, and Ptolemy was victorious. 

Ptolemy on the left; Seleucus on the right.

Seleucus lost two thirds of his elephants and half of his phalanx in the battle. Ptolemy's army was too exhausted by the fight to pursue, and the bulk of the Seleucids escaped, apart from the dead on the field. 

Ptolemy has now extended his rule into Phoenicia.

Campaign history.

Ancients Mediterranean campaign.

Something I've been considering recently is an ancients Mediterranean campaign focused on the rise (or fall) of Rome. The timeframe is 228 BC to 168 BC (Gallic incursions and start of Second Punic War through to the end of the Third Macedonian War), with campaign rules based upon John Graham-Leigh's "Simple Campaigning" booklet published by the Society of Ancients.

Turns will span four years, with various attendant actions per turn decided by die roll, and played out on the wargames table. 

Situation at 228 BC

There are five major powers (green being Seleucids) plus minor powers that will change depending upon the turn in question. 

I envisaged it as a solo campaign with Rome at the centre, but the quantity of battles is potentially daunting. Thankfully, a number of SoA members have kindly agreed to involvement with resolving these, so it looks as though we will be able to make a start and see how we go.

This turn's actions so far constitute a grappling between Ptolemy and Seleucus over Phoenicia and an attack by the Gauls upon Italia.

Events will be updated here as they progress.

Any blog-readers not in the SoA who might be interested in playing out battles (under rules of your choice, and including solo play), please feel free to drop me a line at prufrock DOT japan AT gmail DOT com

Cheers all!

Campaign updates:

Battle of Anthedon 228 BC

Battle of Clanis River 228 BC

Situation 225 BC

Battle of Raphia 224 BC

A new gamer

One of the things I've been hoping to do where I live is build a little group of people to get together for occasional multi-player wargames. After many fine intentions but little opportunity I finally had a chap from work who is keen to get involved over and introduced him to ancients.

I'd wanted as a starter to familiarise him with troop types, their strengths and weaknesses, and play around with the general tactics of the period. Commands & Colors: Ancients being a fairly gentle introduction we set up a modified, open-handed Ilipa scenario. 

It was quite successful. E is a very clever fellow so picked up the concepts fast and was almost immediately into third-order questions of the why and how varieties. He liked the game and the era and thinks he knows one or two others who might also be interested, so the ball appears to be rolling.

Aside from being good fun today's experience reinforces yet again for me that the Ancients version of Richard Borg's Commands & Colors system is simply outstanding. The man is a genius. 

Raphia, with Commands and Colors: Ancients, epic version.

The battle is an impressive affair, and the account in Polybius, book 5, provides a description of the historical event. The armies met near Raphia to decide control of Palestine: Ptolemy of Egypt leading 70,000 infantry, 5000 cavalry and 73 elephants against Antiochus of the Seleucids with 62,000 infantry, 6000 cavalry and 102 elephants. 

Although fought in the same year as Lake Trasimene, Gaza in 217 BC seems a world away from northern Italy, closer to the time of Alexander than the time of Hannibal. 

The two armies are fairly even in Commands & Colors: Ancients Epic. Both sides have 31 units and three leaders. Ptolemy has a slight edge in line infantry, with twelve units to Antiochus's ten, but Antiochus has four elephant units to three and ten light infantry to nine. Cavalry numbers are equal, with Antiochus' having more oomph in the charge and Ptolemy an advantage in missiles.  

To win requires 13 banners, with banners won by destroying units or killing leaders. 

Set up has the Seleucid leaders concentrated in the centre and right zones; the Ptolemaic leaders are spread one to each zone.

Scenario from Commandsandcolors.net

According to commandsandcolors.net, Ptolemy wins 61% of the time to 39% for Antiochus. Let's see how our fight got on.

Turn 1:

Antiochus starts with an order two left and order two right. He advances lights to screen his own elephants from unwanted attention and to fire pot shots at the enemy. With one fortunate volley he inflicts a hit on Andromachus's guard unit, weakening it to three blocks. 

Ptolemy plays order light troops, activating troops on both flanks. Daring attacks cause two elephants to rampage, scoring a total of five hits on the surrounding troops. A strong start!

Translation - both sides activate units on the flanks to skirmish for local advantage, aiming particularly to harass elephant units in the hope that they rampage, or to screen them to prevent such attacks on their own forces.

Initial dispositions, looking from Ptolemy's left.

Turn 2:

Antiochus plays outflanked to activate units on each wing for more skirmishing and order medium troops in the centre to begin the slow process of advancing the infantry line.

Ptolemy shuffles units into positions on both flanks to minimise enemy options. The movements are still watchful at this point.

Translation - neither side is in a strong enough position to commit to an attack at this stage. Early manouvering focuses on creating or denying opportunities on the wings while preparing for a decisive clash in the centre. 

Early skirmishing, looking from Ptolemy's left. 

Turn 3:

Antiochus activates units in the central and left zones. 

Ptolemy advances units in the centre and right. 

Translation - both sides are trying to get their heavy and medium infantry units into line for advances into charge range.

Turn 4:

Antiochus advances units in the centre and plays darken the sky on the left. Despite bucketloads of missile dice thrown, little damage is caused - units just retreat.

Ptolemy plays order medium troops and consolidates in the centre.

Translation - both sides are still getting into position. 

The centres are edging closer to each other.

Turns 5 and 6:

Both sides continue to jab at each other on the flanks and advance in the centre.

The two lines of infantry about to meet.

Turn 7:

Antiochus plays order two right to bring an elephant into contact with the left of Ptolemy’s infantry line, line command to bring the infantry lines into contact, and order four left for missile attacks. One light unit is killed, three units of heavy infantry and Ptolemy himself are killed. Three other units are hit badly and pushed back. Antiochus's men only take one hit in total. Five banners are gained and the integrity of the line is maintained.  

The Ptolemaics play two left to attack the elephant, line command to fight back in the centre and order mounted on his right. The elephant is killed but another infantry unit is lost in the centre. 

The score is 1-6 to Antiochus.

Translation - Antiochus's attack causes monstrous damage. Ptolemy is dead and his centre is in pieces. It is hard to see how the Ptolemaics can come back from this.

The phalanx about to go in.

Ptolemy (leader top of screen) loses his unit and his own life in the initial clash.

The aftermath, looking from behind Antiochus's right centre.

Turn 8:

Antiochus orders clash of shields centre. Two more units are destroyed, giving him an 8-1 advantage.

The Ptolemaics play move-fire-move and order two in the centre and eliminate a unit of heavy unit. 2-8

Translation - Antiochus continues to apply the pressure. The Ptolemaics, now under the command of Andromachus, scramble to avoid defeat and attack where they can.

Turn 9:

Antiochus plays order three centre and order one left. An elephant unit attacks the leader and kills the heavy cavalry. 10-2

Ptolemaic remnants  attack on each flank. One skirmisher unit is killed on the left and a light cavalry on the right.  Attacks on the elephants are unsuccessful. 4-10

Translation - the end is near, and the gods favour the mighty.

Turn 10:

Antiochus plays I am Spartacus to kill two more units. 12-4

Ptolemaics play counterattack for an I am Spartacus of their own. They kill three, and miss out on two kills more. The enemy elephant is killed by bowmen! 7-12

Translation - I am Spartacus an gives additional attack dice to units activated. For a moment there was a glimmer of hope for the underdogs, but the dice are capricious. 

Death of the elephant, killed by bowmen.

Turn 11:

Antiochus plays inspired leadership left, move four centre, and inspired leadership right. Two more hits are scored and 14-7 is enough to confirm the victory. 

Summary:

In this case the initial attack in the centre by Antiochus decided the battle. After that it devolved into local clashes with the Seleucids holding the advantage in numbers, leaders, and battlefield agency. The final positions showed a chaotic scene and the photos do not present it to advantage! 

An enjoyable solo outing but it was over as a game after the first major clash, and went very much against the historical victor.