Clash of the Titans: Carthage vs Seleucia with Optio

[Justin Swanton]

Hi everyone, it's been a while.

Here is a game I played recently at the Durban club with Matthew, a programmer and Ancients enthusiast. He brought his 15mm Seleucids, I supplied the Carthaginians. We played using the Optio system. Here's a view of the game just after the commencement of hostilities. Seleucids in the foreground, Carthaginians behind them:

In Optio each figure base has an underbase with a morale scale and a slider bead. Each morale scale has a number of intervals, varying from, say, 2 to 9. Morale starts fresh (grey intervals) and eventually drops to shaken (white intevals) with a combat penalty. When the bead drops below the last morale interval the base routs. Bases can be killed once routed, not before.

Bases are grouped into command groups (CGs) of 1 - 4 bases. CGs are themselves grouped into commands under an officer: either the general or one of his commanders. In this game each side had one general and two commanders. Officers have a command rating (how many CGs they can place in command each turn), a combat rating (which improves the fighting ability of the base they accompany), and a panic rating (which may cause nearby friendly bases to rout if they are killed). Officers' ratings are expressed as 3 numbers: command, combat, panic.


CARTHAGE

General: Hasdropdabal 3-1-3
Commander: Dinnabal 2-1-1
Commander: Belofdabal 2-1-1

2 x CG Carthaginian Spear: each 4 bases, 5-4 (first number = fresh morale intervals, 2nd number = shaken morale intervals)
1 x CG Warband, 4 bases, 2-2
1 x CG Spanish Auxilia, 2 bases 2-2
1 x CG Numidian Psiloi, 2 bases 2-1
1 x CG Carthaginian Cavalry, 2 bases 2-2
1 x CG Spanish Cavalry, 2 bases 2-2
2 x CG Numidian Light Horse, each 2 bases 2-2
1 x CG African Elephant, 1 base 2-1


SELEUCIA

General: Dongiveatos 2-2-3
Commander: Attalos 1-1-1
Commander: Underbos 1-1-1

2 x CG Pikemen, each 4 bases 3-3
1 x CG Thurophoroi, 4 bases 2-3
1 x CG Archers, 2 bases 2-2
1 x CG Cataphracts, 2 bases 3-2
1 x CG Companions, 2 bases 2-2
1 x CG Skythian Light Horse, 2 bases 2-2
1 x CG Indian Elephants, 2 bases 2-1

The Carthaginians have more troops than the Seleucids, but the Seleucids have a qualitatively better army. Here is the combat table. In charging (bold) and melee (normal) each base scores so many hits against its opponent. Top numbers are Seleucid, bottom numbers Carthaginian. Hits are compared, the smaller number subtracted from the larger, and the result represents the drop in morale intervals by the losing base. If melee (not charge) combat is drawn, both bases lose one morale. This represents the effects of accumulating fatigue along with the perception that one is not winning).

Shooting (italics) is a bit different. A shooter scores missile hits against its opponent without one number being subtracted from the other. 4 missile hits disorder the base, and 4 missile hits on a disordered base cause it to lose a morale interval. It is rare to rout a base by shooting alone, but shooting inflicts crucial disorder - with a negative combat modifier - allowing heavier troops to win charges and melee. Disorder can be reversed, but only slowly.

There are a few things to notice. First that pikes will beat anything frontally provided they are in good terrain  (any other kind of terrain severely disorders them, applying negative modifiers in combat). Elephants may beat pikes in a charge, but will lose out in melee as the fight is drawn, resulting in both sides losing morale - and pikes have more morale than elephants to lose.

Secondly that Cataphracts and Companions will outfight Carthaginian and Spanish cavalry, but the Carthaginians have more light horse, equalising things somewhat.

Thirdly, that the Carthaginian spear have a very high morale rating. They can't beat pikes in a straight-out frontal fight, but they can last a long time against them, giving the Carthaginian player time to put something together against the pikes.

Lastly, and more importantly, that the Carthaginians have better leadership than the Seleucids, represented by higher command ratings.

Here are closeups of the left, centre and right wings from the Seleucids' POV:

LEFT WING

Seleucids
Left to right: Skythians, Cataphracts, Archers, Pikes, Companions behind the Pikes

Carthaginians
Left to right: Carthaginian Cavalry, Spanish Cavalry, African Elephant, Spanish Auxilia, Carthaginian Spear

CENTRE

Seleucids
Lots of pikes (ouch!)

Carthaginians
Carthaginian Spear (brace yourselves...)

RIGHT WING

Seleucids
Left to right: Indian Elephants (double ouch!), Thurophoroi

Carthaginians
Left to right: Numidian Psiloi, Warband, Numidian Light Horse

Terrain in this game consisted of forest (green circles with trees), rough ground (light brown thingies) and a deep river to the left, which could be crossed but with difficulty. If a base physically sits on a terrain feature it is affected by that terrain - it doesn't depend on which square the base is in.

Terrain has two effects on bases. The first is to inflict a disruption. A disrupted base fights with a negative modifier and can be slowed down. It loses its disruption the moment it quits the terrain. The second effect is to inflict a disorder on top of the disruption, with a more severe negative modifier. The disorder is lost more slowly. Psiloi are fine in forest, warband and medium infantry like Auxilia are not too bad, and everyone else severely affected. Rough ground inflicts a disruption on most types but not a disorder and it doesn't slow anybody down.

Rest of the AAR to follow soon.

[Chris]

Thanks for posting Justin. Very interesting! Looking forward to the report. I'm going to guess the Carthaginians won the day. (Hey, I've got a 50-50 chance of being right.) Though, given the   numbers of pike and the nature of the terrain, I'm going to qualify that and say that it was a costly win for the Carthaginians.

The OPTIO rules certainly seem to be progressing very nicely. Forgive me if you've answered this one before, but what years do the rules cover? Are they broad in scope (3000 BC to 1500 AD?), or are they narrower, and built around a single  empire or personality, such as Rome and name your emperor?

Regards,

Chris

[Justin Swanton]

Thanks for posting Justin. Very interesting! Looking forward to the report. I'm going to guess the Carthaginians won the day. (Hey, I've got a 50-50 chance of being right.) Though, given the   numbers of pike and the nature of the terrain, I'm going to qualify that and say that it was a costly win for the Carthaginians.

Actually it went Seleucia's way though it was pretty close. The Carthaginian player was paying too much attention to how the rules were working and not enough to tactics  .

The OPTIO rules certainly seem to be progressing very nicely. Forgive me if you've answered this one before, but what years do the rules cover? Are they broad in scope (3000 BC to 1500 AD?), or are they narrower, and built around a single  empire or personality, such as Rome and name your emperor?

At present they cover  the period from Greek hoplite battles to late Roman Republican: Greece, Persia, Macedonia, mid- and late-Republican Rome, Gaul, Spain and Parthia, but it should be quite possible to extend them beyond that.

[Justin Swanton]

Players' battleplans

Seleucia's plan was to hold on the flanks and advance on the centre, crushing the Carthaginian spear. Carthage's plan was the opposite: hold in the centre and win on the flanks, then surround and annihilate the Seleucid pike.

Course of the battle

The battle developed as three distinct parts: left flank, right flank, and centre.

Centre

The pikes advanced and engaged the Spearmen, who hoped to gain an advantage by retiring on to the rough ground - which would inflict a severer combat penalty on the pikes than on them. For a long time the central fight was a slogging match whilst exciting things happened on the wings.

Here's a close-up of the pikes with the Companions behind them. Nervous but determined Carthaginian spear in the distance.

Left flank

Carthage's original plan of crossing the river was changed when the Seleucid cavalry and archers moved up. Carthage moved his own cavalry up in response.

Soon the two sides were hotly engaged.

The Carthaginian cavalry could not match the cataphracts so withdrew beyond the forest and prepared a welcoming committee should the cataphracts follow them in single file. Meanwhile the Spanish cavalry tried to break through the Skythians and archers, but without success.

The battered Spanish cavalry pulled back. Carthage's elephants and Spanish Auxilia moved to outflank the pikes, now engaged with the spearmen. But the Companions saw a chance and charged the Auxilia in the flank. Ouch! One Auxilia base routed.

Right flank

Carthage's warband moved up at full pelt and charged the Thurophoroi. Warband are deadly in the charge and the Thurophoroi saw their morale drop to shaken. In the meantime the Carthaginian player decided his light horse would do better on the other flank , so turned their battleline 180 degrees and marched them off with the right flank general. This would prove to be a mistake...

After losing the charge and subsequent melee, the Thurophoroi recoiled and then retired. The Warband, worried about those nearby Indian elephants, did not follow up. Another mistake...

The Seleucid elephants moved up to engage the Warband, who, now out of command range of their general, could not do much about it. The Carthaginian psiloi advanced to engage the pachyderms. Elephants are vulnerable to missile file and, having a low morale, do not last long if the fight goes against them.

The Numidian LH moved at speed around the rear of the spearmen but then ran out of space when the spearmen were forced to recoil back into the last squares on the board. What do they do now?

The Carthaginian player made a hurried change of plan. The light horse would inflitrate through a gap to the right of the pikes and attack them from the rear. The Seleucid player however had seen this coming and marched his Thurophoroi at full speed toward the trouble spot. Who would get his blow in first....?

Things became very confused at the rear of the pikes. The Numidian LH formed up and prepared to charge. One base of Companions headed towards them at speed, ready to charge them in the flank and force them to flee. But the Companions in turn were being rear-ended by African elephant. Meanwhile the Thurophoroi marched up in column and prepared to form line.

The Indian elephants worked their way through the Warband despite everything the Numidian psiloi could do. Victory was turning into defeat.

Forced to face the elephants, the Companions could not prevent the Numidians from charging the rear of the pikes. Being skirmisher class troops, however, the Numidians did not get any bonuses for charging in flank/rear, and the pikes took the first blow without crumbling. But time had run out for the Numidians - the Thurophoroi were lined up and ready to charge them, and they had nowhere to go. At the same time the Carthaginian spear had finally reached breaking point. Unable to recoil any further they were losing extra morale. With the rout of his Numidians and Spearmen imminent and unavoidable (and no chance of lucky 6's to turn things around) the Carthaginian player conceded defeat. Game over!

[Chris]

Well, I did say that I had a 50-50 chance.

Thanks for responding and for posting the photo-heavy report.

The bases look especially interesting with the wire and marker used to indicate morale levels.

The scenario or contest seems to cry out for playing with another set of rules. I shall have to pencil something in on my gaming calendar.

Thanks again for providing the verbiage and visuals. Much appreciated.

Chris

[Justin Swanton]

Thanks Chris. Seleucia and Carthage are interesting armies, both variegated but with different troops types and hence strengths and weaknesses - though my money is on Seleucia. Difficult for Carthage to find an answer to those cataphracts, Companions and pikes.

If you do get around to playing the scenario let me know how it goes. Maybe even a battle report...?