Greeks vs Greeks - Battle of Amphipolis

The battle of Amphipolis was fought during the Peloponnesian War, when a Spartan expeditionary force under the Spartan general Brasidas seized the town of Amphipolis in northern Greece that had been part of the Athenian empire. The Athenians in their turn sent an expeditionary force under Cleon to retake it. Cleon arrived at Amphipolis but, thinking the Spartans more numerous than they actually were, began to retreat from the scene. At this moment Brasidas made a sudden sally from the city walls and caught the Athenians unawares with their backs to them. The Athenians were routed and Cleon killed, but Brasidas was also killed, tarnishing the Spartan victory.

In this Optio refight using Optio's VASSAL module for online play, nobody is retreating. This is a small scenario with relatively few troop types, so ideal for introducing a new playtester to the system. Jon Freitag from the US agreed to give Optio a whirl (many thanks!) and I thought we'd try this.

Jon commanded the Spartans, yours truly the Athenians. Sparta (Jon) at the bottom with 2000 hoplites (4 stands), 2500 peltasts (5 stands) and 300 - rounded down to 250 - Greek cavalry (2 stands). 

Athens (me) at the top with 2000 hoplites (4 stands), 1000 peltasts (2 stands), 500 archer skirmishers (2 stands) and 300 rounded to 250 Greek cavalry (2 stands). Ground scale BTW is one square = 100 yards.

Amphipolis was situated on a hill with a river running around three sides, leaving only the fourth as an avenue of approach (that’s a stream here, not a river). That is where Athens formed up on high ground at the top.

The armies deploy, Athenians at top and Spartans at bottom. Brasidas, the Spartan general, did not have professional Spartan hoplites with him but rather freed slaves and mercenaries. He wasn’t too confident about the calibre of his troops and attacked only when the Athenians were withdrawing from Amphipolis, catching them by surprise. 

In this game the Spartan hoplites are average quality troops whilst the Athenian hoplites are better than average. Both sides' hoplites are classified as unwieldy since they are not professional full-time soldiers.

Being unwieldy, the hoplites are unable to form column and hence are very unmanoeuvrable: you basically just formed them up in a line and sent them in. Jon would discover this unpleasant fact in mid-game (sorry Jon, couldn't explain everything at once).

Our generals both had the same command rating, so we threw dice (!) to decide who moves first. I won the throw and started things off.

Turn 1. Athens

I advanced my army to the stream and waited to see what Jon would do.

Turn 1. Sparta.

Jon advanced at top speed. Sparta fears nothing!

Turn 2. Athens.

Jon had moved his Peltasts ahead of his Hoplites. This gave me the idea to move up on his left and concentrate on his Peltasts before his Hoplites could effectively intervene. I hoped in particular to pin his rightmost Peltast unit against the Hoplites behind it, preventing it from evading a charge by my own Hoplites. My Greek Cavalry meanwhile engaged Jon's to keep them busy.

Turn 2. Sparta.

But Jon was not to be caught so easily. Moving up his Hoplites diagonally he freed the area behind the Peltasts so they could evade if necessary.

Turn 3. Athens.

Chaaarge! Jon's Peltasts evaded my Hoplites whilst his cavalry stood their ground against mine. The rightmost Spartan Peltast unit meanwhile was getting badly shot to bits by my Peltasts and Archers. Should it really be hanging around?

Turn 3. Sparta.

On reflection, it shouldn't. The lone understrength Peltast unit pulls back. The Hoplites meanwhile discover what being classified as "unwieldy" means. The two units form a battleline, with the commander attached to the rightmost one. The leftmost unit must keep station with the rightmost unit if it is able to, so it can't turn left to face the Athenian hoplites' flank. The rightmost Hoplite unit can however turn right to face my cavalry (a commander can always do what he likes with his unit). Turning whilst in line disorders any class of unit, but necessité oblige. 

Turn 3. Melee.

Mounted vs mounted charge and melee combat is always resolved twice (to simulate the speed at which mounted engagements were resolved). In a drawn melee fight - the case with the two Greek Cavalry units here - both sides lose a morale interval per combat resolution. So both cavalry units lose two morale each. They should rout, but in the case where units mutually rout each other, morale remains at one level above routing and the units break off, essentially taking time out for a cuppa after a bout of gruelling fighting (readers of Asterix in Britain will understand).

Turn 4. Athens.

My cavalry is ZOCed by two units so, according to the rules, it may leave either ZOC by moving directly away from it for its first square of movement (and then moving freely thereafter). My Greek Cav could turn right and move away from the Hoplites, but that would mean a 90 degree turn which would disorder them, so they do an about-face (no disorder) and move straight back from the Spartan Cavalry and then on to the slopes of the hill, which will give them an advantage in future combats, before doing another about-face.

My Hoplites and Peltasts drive against the Spartan Peltasts, determined to pin them against the walls of Amphipolis.

Turn 4. Sparta.

Jon discovers the extent to which his Hoplites aren't ballet dancers. The leftmost unit is out of command and can move only 1/2 a square per turn. The rightmost unit needs to turn before moving anywhere useful. It's up to his Cavalry to form column and move against the flank of my Hoplites in an attempt to turn the situation around for his Peltasts.

Turn 5. Athens.

Chaaarge! The Peltasts manage to chuck a few javelins before the Athenian Hoplites close with them. Peltasts can fight in hand-to-hand combat at a pinch, but they are no match for heavily armed Hoplites. This is not looking good for Sparta.

It's looking especially bad for the leftmost Spartan Peltasts who, having been thoroughly pincushioned by the Athenian Peltasts and Archers, rout immediately when charged.

Turn 5. Sparta.

The Spartan Cavalry form line and start shooting up the Athenian Hoplites, but they can't do much damage since shooting at troops in melee comes with a -1 modifier.

Turn 5. Restore Order.

The rightmost Spartan Hoplites lose a level of disorder.

Turn 5. Melee.

The Spartan Peltasts naturally lose the melee and become shaken. They are hanging on by their fingernails...

Turn 6. Athens.

To prevent the Spartan Cavalry from sneaking through the gap between the Spartan and Athenian hoplites and doing mischief in my hoplites' rear, I move my Cavalry up to ZOC that square. Otherwise just arrange the Peltasts a bit and wait for the next melee which should decide the game.

Turn 6. Sparta.

Jon goes for the consolation prize and charges the flank of my Hoplites with his Cavalry. Normally a flank charge disorders the charged unit with a subsequent -2 modifier in combat, but this is Greek Cavalry, essentially Light Horse, so the charge inflicts only an All Grey modifier, meaning that all the grey (firm) intervals of my Hoplites are considered to be white (shaken), with a -1 modifier for combat. The white intervals are unaffected.

Turn 6. Melee.

And then it's all over. The Spartan Peltasts rout and their commander, with no friendly unit of his command to run to, routs with them. Each stand counts for one loss point whilst the commander counts for 4 loss points (the number in his red box). If an army loses in points the equivalent of half its stands then all its average units rout (which is every unit in this case). Sparta started out with 11 stands. Losses are 4 + 4 = 8 and Brasides will have some explaining to do when he returns to Sparta. We all have our off days.

Edit: I forgot to add that lone Peltast base routed earlier, so Sparta's loss points actually totalled 9. Brasides will need to do some fast talking when he gets back home. 

Thanks again Jon for this tryout game. You'll probably beat me in the next one.