Spartan incursion into Macedon c.420 BC with Fantastic Battles

[Irregular Wars Nic]

This week Lee cross the Foyle to lead a Spartan expeditionary force against my Macedonians for a game of Fantastic Battles. Both armies included priests to read the omens (magic-users with level 3 prophesy). As the sun rose over the plain, a heron was sighted flying east with a frog in its beak. The frog escaped, fell to earth, but then hopped away. Clearly the gods meant the message to be understood as a disastrous omen. But for which side?



After deployment and mishaps, the Spartan invaders looked a lot more... cohesive. From left to right at the top of the photo above, Leeonidas' army consisted of a unit of Thessalian light commanded by a bit of a rogue, a unit of cattle (undoubtably rustled) that were likely to stampede, a large block of allied hoplites commanded by the strategos himself and supported by some skirmishing slingers, a smaller unit of true Spartiate elite hoplites led by the expedition's priest and supported by skirmishing archers, and finally two units of peltasts, each commanded by a captain. One of the Peltast units was afflicted by disease, but otherwise the army was in good shape.

My Macedonian defenders (lower part of the photo, from left to right) consisted of two small units of elite Macedonian hetairoi (one diseased), backed up by a unit of tribal levy/dross, and accompanied by the king and a strategos. To their right was a second unit of tribal dross, but these lads were overly enthusiastic and deployed too far ahead of the main force (and their commanders). In the centre were the Macedonian hoplites led by another strategos and screened by Macedonian archers, an equal number of diseased Thesslian hoplites lead by a priest and screened by mixed slingers and archers, Thessalian heavy cavalry and some (late) Thessalian peltasts, led by a Thessalian strategos. The Macedonians took the 'Master of the Horse' strategy meaning that their mounted units gained an additional attack dice when they charged.



The full report can be read on the blog ---> https://irregularwars.blogspot.com/2021/08/spartan-incursion-into-macedon-c420-bc.html

[Easy E]

Thanks for sharing! 

I liked the stampeding Cattle as a unit.  Too bad they got scattered so quickly.  I thought the Macedonians were in a spot of trouble when the Hetaroi got caught out like that, but the tides of battle turned and turned in this one.

[Irregular Wars Nic]

Thanks Eric.

Yes, I was surprised when Lee turned up with stampeding cattle, but it worked in my favour in the end.