Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Macedonian
And
Punic Wars
Contents & Introduction....2
Timeline......4
Carthaginian 275 - 146BC ......6
Gallic 400 - 25BC .......12
Hellenistic Greek 250 - 50BC.18
Macedonian Successor 320 - 148BC...24
Numidian 300 25BC.30
Roman 275 - 105BC...36
Spanish 200 - 20BC42
Campaign Map.48
Mercenaries..50
Introduction
This is the first supplement for the Crusader rules. It covers the Macedonian and Punic wars with
seven major army lists and a separate list for the mercenaries that may be chosen by various
nations.
I have not tried to give a comprehensive history of this period or any specific campaigns or battles
there are other supplements and books available that can do that far better than myself. What
I have tried to do is cover some basic facts, some of the more important but not often mentioned
information, and hopefully some of the events of the period that might inspire a few battles or
campaigns.
The main point about this supplement is the army lists so Ill briefly explain how they are set out.
Each army needs a general. A leader costs 100 points and his abilities are rolled for randomly
from the table on page 47 of the rules. An army should generally only have one leader unless
there is a big battle, an obvious split to the army, or as part of a pre-generated scenario.
Should you want to work out the points for a pre-designed leader: simply add all of his bonuses for
Morale, Combat, and T&L; and then multiply by 25 to get his actual points cost.
Each army will have a list of available troop types, the points per stand for those troops as listed,
and then optional upgrades that will increase or in a few rare cases decrease the amount of
points that each stand will cost. To get the cost of a unit simply multiply the stand cost by the
number of stands in the unit there are no extra costs involved for command stands within a unit.
The Notes for each army will usually list restrictions on how many of a troop type you have, the
maximum number of units or a relative number of certain morale classes of stands for example,
not being able to have more veteran stands than non veteran.
Each army will have an allies, mercenaries and restrictions section. This will tell you which
mercenary units you may hire and which other army lists you may include allies from. The
restrictions section tells you what % of the points value of the army must be spent on certain
troop types, or restrictions on the maximum % that may be spent. This is usually as a limit to the
amount of cavalry that you may have, and there is always a limit to the amount of points that you
may spend on allies and mercenaries.
As a final note, I would say that it is impossible for me to restrict army choices too much and yet
still make these lists flexible enough to cover two centuries of warfare. With that in mind, I would
urge you not to simply make up super armies Im sure there are enough loopholes to allow you
to do so. A little bit of research and common sense will see a balanced army that you can field
against any opponent.
As always, comments, suggestions and corrections are more than welcome.
Regards
Mark Sims
March 2008
Macedonian
& Punic Wars
Timeline
This is not meant as a comprehensive timeline, but rather
as a guide to some of the important events of this period,
so that you have some context with which to read the
various army lists information.
I have started with the final subjugation of southern Italy
and it concludes with the Jugurthine war and the end of
Numidia as a separate nation. Of all of the lists in this
book this only leaves the Gauls to fight on into the next
century.
Once again war was fought in Sicily. In 345BC a large scale campaign was launched to capture
the island, but yet again failed miserably. The Carthaginian armies suffered major defeats and the
Generals chose to either commit suicide or were condemned to death by the Tribunal of 104.
The war in Sicily continued with Syracuse making an alliance with the Etruscans; in return
Carthage found an ally of its own Rome. The alliance of these two powers effectively put an end
to Greek influence in Sicily and Southern Italy. King Pyrrhus of Epirus campaigned in both areas
against Rome and Carthage, having some success but nothing that could be held onto.
After defeat in the First Punic War Carthage lost control of Sicily, and much of its African
possessions were ravaged by Reguluss invasion in 256BC. With the end of the war Carthage
was left with large unpaid mercenary forces evacuated from Sicily and an empty treasury.
Carthage feared that the mercenaries would become a threat to the city itself. They were moved
to another town and offered a smaller sum than initially agreed they decided not to take it and
mutinied instead. The oppressed Libyan peasants did what all oppressed peasants tend to do in
this kind of situation they rose up in revolt, as did some of the Numidian tribes.
The Mercenary War that followed was over in two years, both Rome and Syracuse offering
tacit support to Carthage by not intervening or supplying the rebel forces. However, when the
mercenary garrison of Sardinia offered to hand the island over to Rome, she certainly didnt turn it
down. This almost precipitated another war between Carthage and Rome, but sensibly Carthage
backed down.
After the Second Punic War Carthage hung on as a minor power on the North African coast, but
many in Rome would not settle for anything less than its complete destruction. The opportunity
was given them by the Numidians whose raids on Carthaginian territory finally forced a
Carthaginian declaration of war. As Carthage was forbidden
by its peace treaty to declare war without Romes consent,
this led to the Third Punic War. Carthage offered peace and
gave into Romes demands until it was finally demanded that
the inhabitants must leave the city which would be destroyed
and that they could settle where they liked, so long as it was
at least 10 miles from the sea!
After a prolonged and bloody siege Carthage was captured
and destroyed, as were any cities that had remained loyal to
her. Her African possessions were then made into a Roman
province in 146BC.
You have a lot of choice for infantry, so its up to you which style of army you prefer smaller units
of tough troops or a mass of cheap bodies. If you have taken Gauls, then remember that they are
going to be impetuous and try not to get them behind anyone else even elephants. Spanish are
good in rougher going, and Greeks will be able to stand toe to toe with most opponents though
you may want to think twice about testing them against a Macedonian phalanx.
A fully tooled-up unit of Punic heavy cavalry is probably going to be a match for most other cavalry
in this period, but youll need to decide early on whether you plan to use these in your starting line
up or as a reserve. Add in some Spanish cavalry and you have a couple of hard hitting units, but
dont get carried away with them they will still die horribly against a good unit of steady infantry.
This army covers a very large time period and various major campaigns so its impossible to
restrict or limit every combination of troops just dont take the piss too much, and try to have
some historical context for your army if possible.
Carthage 275-146BC
Troop type (Notes)
Morale
Levy
CS
Poor
BS WND ATT
T&L
Light
35
Hand Weapons
Upgrades May beTrained (+10 pts), or Regular (+20 pts), May have T&L 6 (+ 2 pts), T&L 7 (+4pts), armour to med (+5pts)
If Regular T&L may be increased to 8 (+6pts), If Trained or Regular CS may be raised to average (+5pts)
Seasoned
Av
Medium
79
Light
35
Hand Weapons,
Upgrades Thrown melee weapons (+4pts), to Veteran (+20pts, wounds to 4), may be Steadfast (+5pts)
T&L to 8 (+2 pts), T&L to 9 (+4pts), Combat skill to good (+5pts)
Levy
Poor
Hand Weapons
Upgrades Armor to medium (+5 pts), T&L to 6 (+2 pts), T&L to 7 (+4pts), may have Phalanx (+5pts)
Combat skill to average (+5pts), to Trained (+10pts), to Regular (+20pts)
One unit may be designated Sacred Band and upgraded to Seasoned and Steadfast (+35pts)
Levy
Poor
Light
35
Hand Weapons
Upgrades To Trained (+10pts), T&L to 6 (+2 pts), May have thrown melee weapons (+4pts)
Elephants (2)
Regular
Good
Light
167
Regular
Av
Light
78
Light
35/2
Light
84
Punic Cavalry
Libyan Skirmishers
Levy
Poor Poor
Trained
Poor
Av
Notes
1
May not have Early and Late Citizen Spearmen in the same army. May not combine Hannibals Veterans &
Early Citizen Spearmen in the same army.
10
11
In 226 there was a major invasion of northern Italy by Gallic tribes: the Boii, Ligones, Insubres,
Taurini and Gaesati. 50,000 infantry and 20,000 cavalry advanced into Etruria, ravaged the
countryside while avoiding major battle. As the Roman armies converged on them they tried to
head for home via the Etruscan coast, but were blocked and defeated at Telamon in 225BC. The
Romans pushed their advantage over the next five years and defeated the tribes of Cisalpine Gaul
until, in 220BC, it became a Roman province.
12
In 280BC the Celts invaded Macedon, Greece and Thrace. The Greek invasion was defeated
and the majority of the forces returned home; three tribes moved on to Asia Minor and became
the Galatians. They lasted just under 100 years, until in 189BC Rome reduced them to complete
submission as part of its continued expansion in the east.
Celtic tactics tended to involve the warriors
working themselves up into a battle frenzy,
lots of noise, and a ferocious headlong charge
rushing at their adversaries like wild beasts.
This in itself was sometimes enough to break
the enemy formation; but if not, their lack of any
other plan, reserve, or tactics made them very
vulnerable if Plan A failed.
Cavalry are of a generally good quality for
the period, being recruited from nobles and
their retainers. The numbers would suggest
that these were not all Noble cavalry (20,000
nobles in an army 70,000 strong is a very
high Chief:Indian ratio). As such, the army list
differentiates between armoured nobles and
those less well equipped.
Chariots are mentioned as late as 225BC at the
battle of Telamon, but skirmish tactics are the
norm charging in against formed troops only
seems to have been attempted if the enemy
were already disrupted or weakened.
13
The mainstay of your army will be decent units of foot troops: not very heavily armoured, with
many units only having shields, but there are enough options there for you to have a good solid
core of infantry. Almost all of your foot units are going to be impetuous: this means that unless you
are very lucky, you are not going to be able to stop parts of your army from heading towards the
enemy first chance it gets. What this means is that each turn, at least one of your units will pile
forward; the best way to deal with this is to make it part of your plan.
If you try to hold back your army, youll find that you just end up fragmenting and giving the enemy
a chance to take you on piecemeal. Give in to the fact that you have an army of madmen and plan
accordingly; when one unit fails a T&L test, becomes impetuous and advances uncontrollably, then
you may as well advance with the rest at least youll be presenting a solid front just remember
to keep some reliable troops to cover the flanks of your line.
Dont try to think of any complicated plans this army isnt going to follow them! Keep it simple
and you are in with a chance. Impetuous and fanatic troops with low T&L and the shock ability
are best used in one way get stabbing with the enemy as fast as you can, dont give them time
to draw your impetuous troops out of position, and dont let them get on your flanks and force you
to make awkward manoeuvres that your units have little chance of carrying out.
Gallic cavalry are worth their weight in gold to this army while your infantry are charging at
everything in sight, your cavalry need to be covering their flanks and even simply getting in their
way to stop the more obvious distractions that the enemy places in their path. Use your few
skirmishers to soak up casualties or to try to cancel out what the enemy is trying to do: impetuous
troops can be worn down and pulled out of position by skirmishers presenting themselves as
targets and then fleeing.
This is a very hit and miss army, but good fun all the same. If things go well in the first charge,
you are in with a good chance; if you bounce and have to start manoeuvring, you really are in
trouble.
14
An assortment of
shaken markers. You
can make these to
compliment your army
or as generic markers
for any period.
15
Gallic 400-25BC
Troop type (Notes)
Morale
CS
Levy
Av
BS WND ATT
-
T&L
Light
43
Light
68
Light
67
Light
72
Gaesati (2)
Regular
Av
Regular
Av
Regular
Av
Gallic Cavalry
Trained
Av
None
64
Levy
Poor Poor
10
None
40/2
10
Light
60/2
Light
72
none
16/2
Chariots (7)
Trained
Poor Poor
Solduri (5)
Regular
Good
Skirmishers (6)
Dregs
Poor Poor
Notes
16
May not have more Tribal Warrior stands than Gallic Warrior stands.
May not have more than one Veteran Tribal Warrior unit.
May not have more bow or sling armed stands than javelin armed stands.
Must have at least one Noble or Gallic Cavalry unit for each Skirmish Cavalry unit
17
The Achaean League grew to control most of the Peloponnese, but in doing so came into conflict
with Sparta. The League allied itself with Macedon to help fight the Spartans, but stayed neutral
during the first Macedonian War. The Achaean league eventually defeated Sparta and took control
of the entire Peloponnesian region. During the Third Macedonian War the League favoured an
alliance with Macedon but did little about it. In 146BC the League openly revolted against Roman
domination and was soundly defeated and dissolved.
In 235BC Cleomenes came to the throne of Sparta. As the Achaean League was looking to unite
the Peloponnese, and Sparta occupies a large chunk of this land, they were bound to come to
blows sooner or later. In 229BC the League declared war on Sparta, but after suffering a series
of near-crushing defeats, had to ask Macedon for help. Antigonus III of Macedon fought against
Sparta and decisively defeated her at Sellasia in 222BC. The end came for Sparta in 192BC when
they finally succumbed to, and were integrated into, the Achaean League.
18
Suffice it to say the Greeks fought each other, the Macedonians, the Romans, the Illyrians, and the
Syrians at one point or another, as well as supplying many mercenaries. At least youll have a lot
of flexibility with allies and who you want to fight.
Greek Armies
This is a period of transition for the Greeks, starting with the traditional hoplites who then become
lighter in the form of thureophoroi and then turn into Macedonian-like phalangite pikemen.
When this change took place varied amongst cities, states and leagues. It was a gradual change
in tactics and style if you take the region as a whole; as such, I have not restricted the type of
Greek heavy infantry that you are allowed to combine in your army. There are two exceptions to
this:Spartans must either be hoplites or phalangites. They skipped the thureophoroi phase, and
you may not have Spartan citizen hoplites and Spartan citizen phalangites in the same army (this
restriction does not stop you mixing in mercenary or standing units though).
City states would rely on citizen levies and mercenaries, but there were also some standing forces
available to the Leagues at various times. The Citizen levy did not have a great reputation for
quality or training, and the professional mercenary troops would most likely be sought after during
conflicts of which the Greeks seem to have a fair few amongst themselves.
So, who has hoplites, phalangites or thureophoroi? As a rough guide you could assume
phalangites after 220-200BC, thureophoroi for approximately 60-70 years before that, and up until
then it would have been traditional hoplite panoply. The heavy troops would have been supported
by lighter peltasts and psiloi, as well as mercenary skirmishers such as Cretan archers, Rhodian
19
slingers, and in some cases freed slaves who cant have been much use. Greek cavalry make
up small proportions of the army, and are either heavy with spear, javelins, armour and shield; or
alternatively armed with xyston but no shield. Light cavalry are what you would expect: shielded
with javelins and spear.
20
will get more units but they will be more brittle; go for 8 and they are tough (and look nice) but you
get less units. If you want to go for 10 or 12, you will almost certainly have an unstoppable unit;
but with all your eggs in one basket, you will need some good flank cover for this mob.
This is a heavy infantry biased army, and in my experience they are the ones that most need a
plan before you deploy. If you just pop your units down in a row and hope for the best, dont be
surprised if you find enemy units on the flanks running over one phalanx after another.
21
Morale
CS
Citizen Hoplites
Levy
Av
BS WND ATT
-
T&L
Light
50
Light
62
Trained
Av
Levy
Av
Light
44
Dregs
Poor Poor
None
18/2
Levy
Poor Poor
None
44
Levy
Poor Poor
None
40/2
Light
62
Light
57
Light
69
Trained
Av
Citizen Phalangites
Levy
Av
Trained Phalangites
Trained
Av
22
Notes
1
Only 1 bow armed unit of Greek psiloi and only 1 staff sling armed unit allowed in the army
23
24
25
Rome effectively made Macedon a buffer between their interests and the Thracian, Celt, and
Illyrian tribes, as well as an ally in case of Syrian aggression. In 194BC the Romans evacuated
all of the Greek cities they had been occupying, and effectively handed the country back to the
Greeks though under Roman protection.
26
Macedonian Armies
Basically you can have lots of pikes and not very many cavalry. Youll find that the best
Macedonian phalanx with good quality, well trained and armoured troops is a steamroller going
over or through most things in front of it. Unfortunately your opponent isnt likely to be kind enough
to place his army in a position where you are going to be able to do this well, not after the first
time anyway.
The phalanx is going to be vulnerable to a few things, firstly skirmishers basically you will never
be able to catch skirmish units unless they make a mistake; and if your opponent is using them
properly, a half-dozen skirmish stands at close range can start to eat away at your units. Flanks
are always going to be a problem; if you are fighting an army that has cavalry superiority or more
units than you, then these are going to have to be watched. You can cover them with small, cheap
units, or deploy in such a way that one phalanx can cover the next in line: refusing one flank and
attacking in echelon is a good way to do this. Lastly dont fight in bad going if you can help it.
Cavalry you dont get much of this but it can be good quality, so you can use it to smash enemy
cavalry formations before they can start to get round your pikes. The other great anti-cavalry units
are going to be elephants if you are allowed these in your list. I tend to use them on the armies
flanks opposite enemy cavalry when facing solid infantry armies like Greek or Roman, but as a
shock force in the centre against barbarian armies.
As I say with all infantry heavy armies your starting deployment and plan is particularly important.
Trying to move a phalanx about from one flank to another, changing direction or facing, or going
through bad terrain are all going to lose you the battle.
A final note on phalanx size and quality: to keep the combat bonus you will need to have at least 5
stands in the unit this being the minimum that can still be in 2 ranks which you need for phalanx.
You have the option to go for a lot of smaller units, but these can be vulnerable when they start
to lose stands; or alternatively use a smaller number of large units. I tend to go for 8 stands for
pikes which is a happy medium: they can take punishment but are not too unwieldy. Quality of
the troops can determine how many stands you would like or can afford per unit. Unarmoured
phalangites are best deployed in large units or they suffer badly from missile fire. You can get
away with poor quality troops so long as they keep their phalanx bonus, but their lack of T&L will
mean they are very inflexible. If you go for a large super phalanx of well trained, high quality, well
armoured pikemen, then make sure you cover its flanks!
27
Morale
CS
Hypaspists (1)
Seasoned
Av
BS WND ATT
T&L
Medium
92
Light
87
Regular
Av
Psiloi
Levy
Poor Poor
None
28/2
Elephants (3)
Regular
Good
Light
167
Poor
Av
Light
84
Light
93
Elephant, Tower
Upgrades to medium armour (+5 pts) T&L to 7 (+2pts)
Trained
Seasoned Good
Trained
Av
Light
62
None
44
Levy
Poor Poor
Notes
28
29
Numidians 300 - 25 BC
The Numidians were semi-nomadic Berber tribes situated to the west of Carthage. During the
period that we are dealing with, the Numidian nation was composed of two major tribal groups: the
Massyli in eastern Numidia and the Massaesyli in the west. (Ill call them east and west kingdoms
from here on in) Knowing this goes some way to explain the Numidians seemingly constant
side-changing and the fact that Numidian troops would often be fighting for both sides in any
conflict involving Rome and Carthage.
The eastern kingdom was closest to Carthage and seems to have had closer ties with them than
the western, even to the extent that its princes may have been educated and raised in Carthage.
Numidia did not pay tribute to Carthage as did other provinces, and the troops that fought for
Carthage and Rome did so as allied contingents rather than as mercenaries.
During the First Punic War, Rome proposed peace terms with Carthage after Roman successes in
battle, and because Carthage was also embroiled in war with Numidia presumably the western
kingdom. There is little information on this part of the conflict, but as no major battles between
Carthage and Numidia seem to have been fought, it was presumably a low key affair though
would still have tied down Carthaginan forces that could be used elsewhere.
30
It was during the Second Punic War that Numidia came into the spotlight. At the start of the war
the eastern kingdom was ruled by Gaia and allied with Carthage; the western kingdom ruled by
Syphax was sympathetic to Rome. Syphax took no real part in the war until 214, when Carthage
sent Hasdrubal to attack his kingdom; in turn Syphax and the western Numidians concluded an
alliance with Rome. Roman military advisors arrived and started training Numidian troops with the
intention of having Syphax in the west attack Gaia in the east.
Meanwhile Gaias son Massinissa had been campaigning with the Carthaginian army in Spain, but
when his father died in 206BC, he allied himself with the Romans -- with the understanding that
if he aided them against Carthage, they would help him conquer the eastern kingdom and unite
Numidia under his rule. This triggered King Syphax and the western Numidians to change sides
and ally with Carthage, marrying the daughter of a Carthaginian nobleman no doubt to seal the
arrangement.
With both sides now effectively having swapped alliances, we see King Syphax of the Massaesyli
in the west, with his Roman trained troops fighting on the side of Carthage, and King Massinissa
of the Massyli in the east fighting for Rome. To add to the confusion, Gaia had a second son
Oezalses who was also vying for power with Massinissa.
The next two years did not go well for Massinissa, and
he was brought close to total defeat at the battle of
Hippo Regius with his rival Syphax. He managed to
escape, and with the Roman army landing in 204BC, he
joined up with Scipio and defeated Syphax, captured his
capital of Cirta, and was able to fight against Carthage at
the battle of Zama with 10,000 Numidian warriors.
After the second Punic War, the terms imposed on
Carthage meant that they could not declare war without
the prior permission of Rome. Massinissa had united the
tribes of Numidia and was expanding into Carthaginian
territory, presumably with the tacit approval of Rome, as
every commission sent to sort out the problems favoured
Numidia at the expense of Carthage.
Carthage eventually got fed up with this and raised an
army to fight off the latest Numidian incusion only to be
soundly defeated. Rome took this as an excuse to start
the Third Punic War and we already know the outcome
of that.
31
Massinissa died in 148BC and was succeeded by his son Micipsa, who in turn was succeeded in
118BC by both of his sons. Jugurtha, nephew (or adopted son?) of Micipsa killed one of the sons
and went to war with and defeated the other. The defeated son - Adherbal - appealed to Rome
for help, and the commission split Numidia into 2 kingdoms presumably along the lines of the old
eastern and western kingdoms.
It was not too long before Jugurtha was again at war with
his Numidian neighbour. This time he cornered Adherbal
in his capital of Cirta and when the city fell he had Adherbal
killed along with a bunch of Italians who had supported
and helped defend the city. It was because of this act
that Rome declared war with Numidia in 111BC, the so
called Jugurthine War. This war saw Rome repeatedly
fail to fight a decisive battle or campaign, and it lasted until
105BC, when Jugurtha was betrayed and handed over to
the Romans.
Numidian Armies
The mainstay of the Numidian army is its light cavalry.
Primarily fighting with javelins, they are particularly unsuited
to a stand-up fight, but are perfect mounted skirmishers.
Their tactics were to avoid contact with the enemy, but to
dart in and attack flanks and rear, or cut off groups of pursuers that had overextended themselves.
The Numidian horse on the Carthaginian right were meanwhile charging through the cavalry on
the Roman left; and though, from the peculiar nature of their mode of fighting, they neither inflicted
nor received much harm, they yet rendered the enemys horse useless by keeping them occupied,
and charging them first on one side and then another.
As well as the light cavalry, a king would often have his own elite bodyguard either mercenaries
or his noble entourage or possibly a combination of both. Within the Crusader rules the only
cavalry unit that may be fielded formed is this bodyguard every other Numidian cavalry unit only
has the option of being in skirmish order.
Numidian infantry are not particularly impressive. The preferred tactic seems to have been
the same as that of the cavalry: to avoid contact with the enemy as much as possible and gain
advantage by attacking a flank or wearing the enemy down by constant skirmishing.
The attempt by Rome to train some of king Syphaxs warriors seems to have been partially
successful in that, rather than just allied cavalry, we start to see Numidian infantry appearing on
the battlefield. However, their quality still wasnt up to much when compared with the mounted
Numidians.
Imitation legionaries in the Jugurthine War are a bit of a mystery, and I personally think that a
single unit of Picked Men representing Italian deserters, mercenaries, and so on, is as far as I
would go judging by the scanty evidence. The stats for these troops have been included, and I
would use them as an extension of the trained infantry rather than as 6 legions of Roman look alikes!
32
The infantry statistics are pretty bad no matter how you look at them. Skirmishers are average,
but you will almost always be outclassed by your opponents formed infantry units.
Numidian armies made use of elephants extensively with as much luck good and bad as
anyone else seems to have had with these beasts in battle.
33
Morale
Levy
CS
Poor
BS WND ATT
T&L
Light
35
None
22
Hand weapons
Upgrades To Trained (+10pts), May be Light Infantry (no points cost), Thrown melee weapons (+4pts)
T&L to 6 (+2pts), T&L to 7 (+4pts), Combat skill to average (+5pts)
Numidian Warriors
Dregs
Poor
Levy
Poor Poor
None
28/2
Light
49
Hand weapons
Upgrades Javelins (free), Slings if no javelins (+5pts), Short bow if no javelins (+5pts) To Trained (+10pts)
T&L to 5 (+2pts), T&L to 6 (+4pts), Armour to light if no bow or sling (+5pts)
If armed only with javelin may have Parthian Shot (+5pts), missile skill to average (+5pts)
Trained
Poor
Regular
Good
None
162
Av
Light
76
Elephant
Upgrades to light armour (+5 pts) T&L to 7 (+2pts)
Regular
Trained
Poor
Av
10
None
NOTES
34
may not have more trained infantry/Imitation Legionary units than warrior units
only one unit per army, may have no more stands than the smallest cavalary unit in the army
No more than half of the skirmish cavaly stands in the army may be upgraded to seasoned.
60/2
35
36
37
There are two obvious disadvantages to the Roman deployment its going to have a small
frontage, and your troops are going to cost a lot if you go for the best quality. The answer to this
is try to make use of your generally good Training and Leadership as well as your drilled ability. If
you just line up facing the enemy, then you are not getting the most from the flexibility this army
offers.
High morale and well trained units are about the only ones I would suggest making as small as 45 stands; but the Romans can do more with a lot of small, flexible units than they can with a few
large ones. If you can force your opponent to make awkward manoeuvres, then they are going
to start failing their T&L tests (especially the Gauls!) and give your units open flanks and isolated
units to pick on.
38
Cover your flanks the enemy is no doubt going to have a wider battle line than you if you deploy
in depth, so use your allies, skirmishers and cavalry to counter this. These are not going to be
your best troops, so it may be worth holding these back 5 stands of poor cavalry are still a threat,
but if you commit them and they rout early on, you will find the enemy nipping at your flanks. If
this does happen, then at least you can be fairly sure that your well-trained triarii units will be able
to re-deploy to face them.
The reality of the wargames table is going to mean that unless you are fighting a large battle with
a lot of troops, you are not going to have as many units as you would like. I know its really the
individual maniples within a unit that should form a chequerboard formation, but if you want to
extend your frontage and still keep three lines of formed troops, then try it with units instead.
Youll find that the drilled ability and the highest T&L numbers you can get are worth their weight in
gold after all, it must have been more than just bendy spears that won the Roman Empire.
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Morale
CS
Velites (1)
Trained
Poor
BS WND ATT
Av
T&L
Light
52/2
Hastati (1)
Trained
Av
Light
61
Light
72
Medium
96
Light
45
Principes (1)
Regular
Av
Triarii (2)
Seasoned
Av
Levy
Poor
Trained
Av
Light
62
Dregs
Poor
Light
25
Light
84
Hand Weapons
Upgrades To Levy (+10 points), to Trained (+20pts)
T&L to 5 (+2 pts), may have thrown melee weapons (+4pts)
Trained
Poor
Av
Notes
1
You must have equal numbers of stands of Velites, Hastati and Principes in the army. Within
this restriction you may organise the units as you like with differing numbers of stands per unit and
they may have different quality and training.
You must have exactly half as many Triari stands as you have Principes stands. Within this restriction
the Triari may form any size units and those units may be differing quality and stats.
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Must have at least one Principes unit for each Italian ally unit.
Represents the hastily-raised legions of criminals and conscripts. If there are any Penal Legionaries in
the army then the rest of the army may contain only ONE Seasoned and ONE Veteran unit of any kind.
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Spanish 200 - 20 BC
The Iberian peninsula could be split into three rough cultural groupings during the period that
this supplement covers. To the west modern day Portugal we have the Lusitanians; in the
east, centre, and south the indigenous Iberian peoples; and in the north, Celts that migrated to
the peninsula during the 9th and 7th centuries BC. This final group, the Celts, can arguably be
subdivided further into Celts and the Celtiberians. The latter being a mixture of both the Celtic
and Iberian cultures; and as they seem to be such good warriors, presumably taking the best from
both.
By the 5th Century BC the tribes in their traditional hill forts castra had begun to be grouped
into loose confederations, probably under control of the most powerful leader or faction at any
one time. These tribal grouping were based on an important town or city, and effectively became
autonomous city states oppida - that would each control their own area chorai that would
include other tribes and included subject castra
These confederations would often be at war with each other, sometimes in alliance and sometimes
not. These states created hospitality pacts that roughly equate to defensive pacts, and the
Romans as well as Carthaginians used these to ally with one tribe while conquering another.
The Carthaginians had developed peaceful trade with Spain through semi-autonomous Phoenician
cities, but after the loss of Sicily and Syracuse they turned their attention to conquering large areas
of Spain and gaining control of the peninsulas extensive mineral wealth.
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In 237BC Hamilcar Barca set out to conquer Spain. Over the next two years he established
himself, and then began to bring under control the Phoenician cities along the coast, and to
conquer the tribal lands that they dominated. Pushing into the interior of Spain proved more
difficult, and Hamilcar had much more trouble subduing the Celtiberian tribes. In 229BC his luck
ran out, and faced by a superior force he was defeated and killed.
After the death of Hamilcar, his son-in law became the new commander in chief. Hasrubal (the
Elder) was already acting as lieutenant in Spain, and he used diplomacy to secure the conquests
that his father-in-law had gained. In 226BC Rome and Carthage agreed to the Ebro treaty, which
drew a line along the river which determined their respective spheres of influence. Presumably
Carthage could not have been too unhappy with this agreement, as their share south of the Ebro
river included almost all of the Iberian peninsula. The one sticking point was the city of Saguntum,
still allied with Rome. It was actually in the Carthaginian territory south of the Ebro and was to
become the cause of the Second Punic War.
Jumping forward to the end of the Second Punic War, we see Rome extending its influence and
eventually subjugating the whole of the peninsula but not until some particularly bloody wars had
been fought. In 197BC the Turdetani of south-west Spain revolted and between then and 178BC,
the Romans dealt with general uprisings throughout the peninsula.
The war between the Romans and the Celtiberians was called the fiery war, so remarkable was
the uninterrupted character of the engagements
There had been peace in Spain for almost 25 years, when in 155BC a Lusitanian raid and the
defeat of two Roman praetors encouraged rebellion. Quintus Nobilis was sent with 30,000 men
to quell the revolt but botched the job particularly badly, and was replaced by Claudius Marcellus
who came to terms with the rebels. Off and on for the next 20 years there were wars and
rebellions: first the Lusitanians succumbed in 139BC with the murder of their leader Viriathus; then
in 133BC the Celtiberians were crushed after the fall of their last fortress at Numantia.
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Spanish Armies
Spanish armies are fairly well balanced in that they have some decent foot troops with their
scutarii, good caetrati skirmishers, and fairly decent heavy and light cavalry. What they seem to
lack are any really hard units of their own; but with the ability to add Celtiberians to your ranks,
that pretty much covers that too.
This is going to be a light army: almost all of your troops have the capacity to be upgraded
to light, and if they do, you should try to make the most of this by fighting in the worst terrain
possible. You can also use the feigned flight ability of your troops to avoid combat and draw your
enemy into a position where they can be flanked. This ability is useful when fighting Roman or
Carthaginian infantry, as they are most likely going to able to beat you in a stand-up fight.
Your caetrati can actually be quite good troops for skirmishers easily the equal of most other
nationalities; so try to use them to clear away enemy skirmishers. Once that is done they have
free reign to harass the formed enemy units.
Your light and heavy cavalry are not bad, but the heavies probably dont have the punch to go
straight in against good infantry; so hold them back and wait for the enemy to become weakened
or expose a flank. Alternatively use them to chase off the (most likely) poorer Roman cavalry and
start to threaten flanks.
The Spanish fought with and against both the Romans and Carthaginians as allies and
mercenaries. They also fought amongst themselves a great deal, so there is plenty of scope for
using this army on the tabletop. At the very least a couple of units of scutarii will not look out of
place in any Punic Wars battle.
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45
Spanish 200-20BC
Troop type (Notes)
Morale
CS
Scutarii (1)
Trained
Avg
BS WND ATT
T&L
Light
56
None
40/2
Caetrati (1)
Trained
Poor Poor
Dregs
Poor
None
14
Light
62
Light
52
None
33/2
Light
66
None
59
Hand Weapons
Upgrades Morale to Levy (+10 pts) T&L to 3 (+2 pts), T&L to 4 (+4pts)
Armor to light (+5 pts), Thrown melee weapons (+4pts)
Celtiberian (3)
Regular
Avg
Lusitanian
Trained
Avg
Slingers (4)
Levy
Poor Poor
Trained
Av
Trained
Avg
Notes
46
Must have at least twice as many Scutarii stands in the army as you have Caetrati stands
For each unit of tribal levies you must have at least two other units in the army
Must have at least one Caetrati unit for each slinger unit
You may not have more heavy cavalry stands in the army than light cavalry units.
One heavy cavalry unit may be upgraded to Devotio - If the army commander is killed unit becomes
fanatic. Upgrade costs no points but must be declared at start of battle.
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48
49
Morale
CS
Mercenary Hoplites/Phalangites
Trained
Av
BS WND ATT
T&L
Light
62
Regular
Av Good
None
77/2
Light
57
Light
60/2
None
55/2
Light
46
Av
Tarantaine Cavalry
Trained
Poor
Av
Balearic Slingers
Trained
Av
Av
Mercenary Peltasts/Thureophoroi
Levy
Av
Thracians
Trained
Av
Light
54
Galatians
Trained
Av
Light
50
57
Crusader Miniatures
Crusader USA for customers in the US and Canada, Crusader UK for everywhere in the world
outside of the US.
Crusader USA - www.crusaderminiaturesusa.com
Crusader UK - www.crusaderminiatures.com
Crusader Yahoo Group. Thanks to all the people who have taken the time to put army lists up on
the Crusader Yahoo Group - http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/crusaderminis/
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