In Strife and Conflict- Testing a "New" Game- Chariot Wars era

[Easy E]

WIP Cover for WIP game In Strife and Conflict

I have been doing on and off work on this "Biblical", "Chariot Wars", or "Early Iron Age" wargame for some time.  It is focused around the fearsome Assyrian Empire as the core of the game, and then their adversaries.  I have to admit, it is an area of interest and there are great resources out there.  However, it is also one of those areas where some one always knows betters than you do about it! 

The goal was pretty simple.  How do I modify the Men of Bronze system for this type of warfare? Some of the signature differences are the emphasis on mobility and firepower compared to Hoplite warfare.  There is also the difference between Iron and Bronze Age weapons.  How does a ruleset using the same system capture those pieces?  Below you can see some of my answers. 
             
The Assyrian Empire went through various phases of expansion and contraction.  The Near East and Fertile Crescent was full of powerful rivals, usurpers, and claimants to the throne of empires.  It was always fluctuating between a state of offensive and a position of defense. 

During a period of Assyrian contraction, the Egyptian Pharaoh's covetous eyes once again fell on the lands protected by Ashur.  This time, the rich trading posts of the Levant along the coast were deemed vulnerable.  Pharaoh gathered his army and set out across the Golan to claim these rich and wealthy cities for himself. 

Of course, the King of Assyria was not pleased.  He called upon his local Governor to raise a local army and repel the advance of the Pharaoh.  The King of Assyria was busy elsewhere, and the Royal army was engaged far away.  Therefore, it was up to the local governor to handle the crisis until the King himself could bring his own troops to bear. 

Like a thunderbolt, the Egyptians descended on the region.  Their arrows were soon blocking out the sun as the Pharaoh's forces sped from the desert.  However, the Assyrian forces were soon there to meet them as the Egyptians approached one of the regions many walled cities. 

Forces:

I am using the Assyrian Force straight out of the In Strife and Conflict sample army lists. 

Assyrian Forces:

Heavy Chariots- General

- Composite Bow

- Iron Weapons

2 Archers

- Composite Bows

2 Auxilliary Troops

- Iron Weapons

2 Warband Infantry

1 Skirmisher

New Kingdom Egyptians:

3 Light Chariots

- Composite Bow

- 1 with General

2 Levy Infantry

- Bows

2 Archers

- Open Order

This battle will be using my famous paper templates for this battle, as I do not have suitable armies for this period yet.  I find I can create rules faster than I can source and paint figures for them!

Mission:

We randomly rolled a Secure and Control scenario with Delayed Units as the complication. 

In this case, we decided the objective would be a Watering Hole the armies need to secure to continue operating in the region.  We rolled up terrain as normal, and then placed the Watering Hole in the center of the board. 

The Egyptians are the attackers.

Set-up:

We used the rules in the book to set-up the terrain.  We rolled up the following terrain: 2 Level hill, Swamp, 1 level hill, and the no additional terrain.  Per the Scenario description, The Assyrians set-up the terrain.  Unsurprisingly, the Assyrians put the hills on either side of the object, to limit the maneuverability of the Egyptian chariots around the objective. 

For this battle we are using a 48MU by 48MU board, with 1 MU being an inch.  For the table covering, I am using a cardboard box, and the two hills are more boxes with brown plastic coverings.  Why the low rent terrain?  Because that is what I had available at the moment!

The Egyptians choose to take the South side of the board, while the Assyrians take the North.  It will matter little as the hills are across the center of the board, with the swamp in between around the watering hole. 

The Egyptians place the Levy in the center, with the archers on both flanks.  The light chariots are placed along right flank. 



The Assyrians place their Heavy Chariots in the center, flanked by the Auxiliary Troops as the spearhead of their assault on the watering hole.  Archers then are on the flank of each Auxiliary force.  Both flanks are then held by the Warbands.  Finally, the Skirmishers are placed to the fore of the force.



We then roll for Delayed Units and find the Assyrians are missing 1 Aux Infantry, 1 Archer, 1 Skirmisher, and 1 Warband.  There goes a flank!

The Egyptians have two light chariots late for the battle.  Their speed should make it not an issue.

*************

This is a WIP game, one that I drafted about 3 years ago, and this play test was early last year.  However, it kept getting pushed back due to other projects.  However, despite the time delay it is relatively far down the development pipeline with tweaks needed here and there to make it ready for Post-Production.  However, it has taken a back seat to some other projects I have been working on.  I still need to acquire and paint the armies I want to use for this game.  I am initially thinking 6mm, but I can still be easily convinced to go 15mm or even 28mm by the right models. Any suggestions for me?   

To see the full test game, you can read about it on my blog here:
http://bloodandspectacles.blogspot.com/2022/02/battle-report-in-strife-and-conflict.html

[SteveBurt]

Nice, but how come no cavalry in the Assyrian force? The later Assyrians generally used chariots and cavalry together

[Easy E]

Mostly due to points.  We couldn't take everything we wanted.  You know how it goes.