Tryout Vassal Optio game very loosely based on Leuctra

[Justin Swanton]

This game using the revamped Optio Vassal module has only a tenuous connection with Leuctra, in that I cobbled the scenario together without bothering to look at the sources, relying just on Wikipedia for a rough idea of troop numbers. I've since looked at the sources and this game has a very faint resemblance to Leuctra. I'm posting it anyway as it gives a good idea of how Optio works and I went to the trouble of recording it. I'll be doing another game that tries to replicate the historical battle more rigorously. For the best experience, right-click on each image and choose 'Open Image in New Tab". This may take you to Imgur in which case you click Open Image in New Tab again. Then click on that tab and use the magnifying glass to see the battle in all its glory. Place the magnifying glass on one area of the battlefield and click to zoom in on that area. Click again to zoom out, place the magnifying glass on another area of the battlefield and click to zoom in, and so on. Technologee!

Deployment

Each battlefield square represents an area roughly 100 x 100 yards/metres. Each infantry base represents 400-500 men deployed 8 - 12 men deep. Each cavalry base represents a quarter of that number (+/-100 - 125 horses).

Sparta has about 10,000 hoplites and 1,000 cavalry. Thebes has about 8,000 hoplites and 1,500 cavalry. The Theban column is deployed about 50 men deep (48 men if you consider each base to be 12 deep). The Thebans have thinned out the centre and right flank of their line to about 4 - 6 deep, but Thebes has no intention of these hoplites doing any serious fighting.

For this scenario there is a special rule that no infantry on the Spartan side will advance ahead of the Spartans on the right flank led by Cleombrotus. Which means that the Theban oblique order will result in all the infantry fighting occurring on the Spartan right flank, hopefully ensuring a short game.

The bases are organised into command groups (CGs) of which there is one per square composed of one or more bases. CGs are grouped into commands under a commander. Each CG has a morale scale (the white and grey squares with a red dot) and the command they belong to is indicated by a coloured rectangle around the morale scale which corresponds to the colour of the commander. Commanders themselves have three traits: command ability, combat ability and loss effect. I'll explain all this a bit later (maybe).

The two armies show that not only does Thebes have more cavalry, but their cavalry is qualitatively superior to the Spartan cavalry. Spartan hoplites are elite but their allies are not enthusiastic, shown by their low initial morale. Thebes has one elite unit, the Sacred Band, hiding behind the Theban column. The rest of its hoplites are pretty average.




Orders
After deployment the commanders are given their orders. Order indicate where the commander himself must move in the course of the battle. His command can move as the player sees fit provided it remains in command. There are no command ranges in Optio - to be in command the commander must be with a CG or a battleline/column of CGs, so in most cases where the commander goes is where the command goes. CGs can fall out of command if they cannot follow the commander, in which case they still have limited movement options.

Epaminondas orders his commanders to advance straight ahead. However some commanders are to stop at specific places on the battlefield (indicated by non-transparent circles). This will create an oblique order with the Theban column at the front on the left flank. The thinner part of the line will hopefully not have to engage the numerically superior Spartan allies. Placing a circle on the border between two square means the commander is free to advance into either square. It gives a little local flexibility.

These orders circles are invisible to the opposing player during a Vassal game.




Theombrotus' own orders are simpler (and not historical) - just move straight ahead and mow down the opposition. The commander representing the general doesn't need orders since he represents the player himself, freely able to move that commander and his command with him. I didn't actually have to give him or Epaminondas orders.





Turn 1. The game starts with Thebes making the first move. I've removed the orders circles so as not to clutter the battlefield. The Theban cavalry can move up to 3 squares per turn, but both commands are slowed down by scattered woodland and ploughed land. The oblique order starts taking shape.




Cleombrotus wonders what on earth the Thebans are up to, and decides to stay put until he finds out.




Turn 2. The Theban cavalry move up to engage the Spartan horse whilst the Theban column advances towards Cleombrotus. A CG can charge another CG only if it starts out adjacent to it so the cavalry engagement will happen either in the Spartan's move or the next turn. This allows the second player to retire if he so wishes rather than engage.




The Spartan cav respond immediately by chucking javelins at the Theban horse who chuck javelins back. Missile attacks inflict missile hits, marked separated on the morale base. 4 missile hits score 1 morale hit - the red dot moves down one morale interval. This makes missile fighting more protracted than charging or melee, but nonetheless allows for incremental damage that can make all the difference in the ensuing chanceless hand-to-hand fighting. Either player can shoot once per turn, at any moment in his or the other player's move. This particular bout of missile exchanges takes place in Thebe's turn.



Sparta to move and Cleombrotus, realising his cavalry are going to lose the coming fight, decides to advance his infantry and get to grips with the Theban hoplites before the Theban cavalry are free to harass him.



Turn 3. The Theban cavalry charge home. At the same time the Sacred Band, who had been in column the whole time (indicated by the infantry base being a little further ahead of the morale base) wheel left, advance one square and wheel right. Only columns can wheel in this fashion, and only trained infantry or agile units like cavalry can form column during a battle (though all units can start the game in column and deploy into line during the battle).




The charge combat ends in a draw all round. Charge combat consists of each CG inflicting so many hits on its opponent who inflicts so many hits back. If both CGs score the same number of hits nothing happens. If one CG scores more hits than its opponent, the loser suffers a drop of as many morale intervals as correspond to the difference between the hits. So if CG A scores 4 hits against CG B and CG B scores only 2 hits against CG A, CG B loses 2 morale intervals.

Being in a thinner line (the case with the outermost Spartan cavalry CGs) doesn't affect charge combat, but it will come into play during melee.




Cleombrotus, seeing the Sacred Band, hesitates. Advance? Stay put? He opts for stay put.




At the end of the turn melee combat is resolved. Unlike charge combat, if the result is a draw both sides suffer a drop of one morale. This represents combat fatigue, not a feature in the few seconds of a wild charge. For the Spartan cavalry in a thin line (one base only in the square) there is a problem. A thin line inflicts a -1M modifier. This means that lowest firm interval (black) is treated as shaken (white). A shaken interval itself inflicts a -1 modifier on the CG's combat factor. This means that instead of scoring 4 hits the overstretched Spartan cav score 3. Difference of 1 hit and they lose 1 morale. The denser Spartan horse tie with the Thebans and both lose 1 morale.




Turn 4. The Sacred Band moves up. Epaminondas starts composing his victory speech.




"Death or glory, preferably the latter!" Cleombrotus yells and orders the entire line forward.




Second round of melee combat and the Spartan cavalry fold. Commanders that are part of a routed CG must take a test - the only time in Optio where dice are used - to determine whether they are wounded. Essentially they throw a die each. A 6 inflicts a wound. A second wound kills them.




Turn 5. The Sacred Band get on the Spartan flank and reform line. Cleombrotus wasn't able to extend his line earlier as the cavalry was in the way. Maybe that's why he historically deployed the cavalry in front of the infantry?




Cleombrotus has no choice but to close for combat, and try to smash the Theban centre before his flank is gone. Epaminondas wins the charge combat since he has a combat factor of 3, better the Cleombrotus' 1, meaning the Thebans score an extra combat hit in the charge. This works only if a commander's combat factor is 2 or more. If both opposing commanders have the same combat factor then neither scores and extra hit.




After normal movement routed CGs move directly towards the rear. If they reach it they leave the battlefield and are placed on the side to help calculate panic hits, which I'll explain later.



There is no infantry melee at the end of turn 5 as this is a 'Restore Order' turn (which allows disordered units to restore order). Only cavalry vs cavalry melee takes place at the end of each turn. Cavalry vs infantry or infantry vs infantry melee takes place at the end of the 'Melee Combat' turns.


Turn 6. Having dispatched the Spartan cav, the Theban cav commanders have completed their orders. They are now free to range up to 4 squares from the last square their orders took them to. This allows them some local initiative which they promptly take advantage of by moving in column to the rear of the Spartan infantry.

At the same time the Sacred Band charges the Spartan flank. Flank charges disorder the charged CG but there is no combat resolution. A charge against a CG's rear however disorders the charged CG after which charge combat is resolved, probably routing the CG. Cleombrotus takes a wound test for being part of a charged CG and passes.

Epaminondas puts the finishing touches on his victory speech.




The blue Spartan ally commander, feeling increasingly like the patty in a burger, turns to face the Theban horsemen in his rear.




Melee, and the fighting is fierce. Cleombrotus' CG is losing and the great man himself is wounded after a failed wound test.




Turn 7. The Theban cavalry complete their move to the Spartan rear and reform line, then send the Spartans some javelins as free gifts, scoring missile hits.




The blue Spartan allied hoplites charge the Theban cavalry, who evade with ease, snickering.




It being a Restore Order turn, there is no infantry melee.


Turn 8. The Theban cavalry charge the Spartan infantry in the rear, disordering them and inflicting a morale hit on each Spartan hoplite CG. Though out of command, the remaining Theban cavalry are able to make a one-square move (possible during a Melee Combat turn) and prepare to further harass the blue Spartan allied hoplites.




At this point there is little Sparta can do. The blue hoplites turn back to face their infantry opponents again.




Melee and the Spartan right flank finally collapses. Pity as the centre is doing quite well.




And then it all falls apart for Sparta. The panic threshold has finally been reached. Each CG that routs applies panic hits to friendly CGs within 2 battlefield squares. Each base of the routed CG plus all bases of previously routed CGs are taken into consideration. Skirmisher foot, elephants and scythed chariot bases each inflict one panic hit. All other bases inflict 2 panic hits. Depending on the size of the army so many panic hits will rout adjacent levy, average and veteran CGs. In the case of Sparta, its army originally numbered 21-30 bases, so - consulting the Panic Threshold window on the right, average troops (Spartan allies) rout on 16 panic hits whilst veterans (the Spartans themselves) rout on 27. So far, 8 cavalry bases have routed = 16 panic hits. Cleombrotus own CG has also routed - a further 4 panic hits. Two commanders have also left the field, contributing another 2 panic hits. That's a total of 22 panic hits. Not enough to rout the adjacent Spartan CG but enough to rout the allied CG next to it. This CG then applies panic hits in its turn, counting its own bases and previously routed bases (but excluding Cleombrotus's routed CG). Total again of 22 and the nearby allied CGs rout in turn, applying panic hits down the line, resulting in the entire line crumbling.

Only one CG - the unrouted Spartans - is still in the game, but since more than 3/4 of the army has routed, it too decamps. Game over!




The battle pretty much went as expected. Could Cleombrotus have improved the outcome? Possibly stacking more cavalry on his right flank? I will try another game with a more historical deployment and tactics and see if the Spartans ever stood a chance.