Pachyderms & Pikemen Aplenty

[Chris]

Following, please see the first three paragraphs of my final solo wargame for 2023.


With the exception of the regions bordering the short-edges of my extended tabletop, the fictional battlefield was essentially flat and featureless. It was not, however, completely bare. To break up the arid environment suggested by the desert-colored cloth, a variety of irregularly shaped pieces of specialty paper and or suitably colored felt were positioned on the 39.375 square-feet playing surface. There were a few gentle hills (cut from appropriately colored craft foam sheets) placed as well, but a very strong case could be made that these "features" were not real or representative terrain. These "gentle hills" were better described or classified as very slight changes in the overall elevation of the plain, which again, was rather flat and featureless. In summary, with the exceptions of the anonymous ridge line and unidentified river, the various decorative embellishments to the arid-patterned sheet were just that, decorative embellishments. They served to invite but certainly not impress the eye as opposed to impact the movement, missile fire, or melee ability of the assembled troop types.

An Indian army was drawn from the list found on Page G of the Antiquity Section in the ARMATI 2nd Edition rulebook. Very generally described, its right wing contained quite a few heavy, 4-horse chariots, while its left wing was composed of a large number of cavalry. The strength of the Indian army was its center. Here, even larger numbers of foot archers were supported by war elephants. There was a smaller number of light infantry and skirmishers screening this impressively long line of battle.

Their opponents for this fictional engagement were Later Seleucids. This fairly heterogenous host was drafted from the list found on Page J of the Age of Empires Section of the rules. Using the same broad brush strokes, the Seleucid army placed cavalry and or camel troops and light infantry on its flanks. The center of the army consisted of a variety of heavy infantry: Galatian warriors, phalangites. Argyraspides, and imitation legionaries. In addition, there were several packets of war elephants, some light infantry, as well as a cloud of skirmishers. The were also a few squadrons of scythed chariots.

If your interest has been piqued, here is the link to the full report. Possible readers might be relieved to find that this post is approximately 4,800 words long and contains narrative maps/figures instead of just narrative.


Here is the link: https://nopaintingrequired.blogspot.com/search/label/Pachyderms%20%26%20Pikemen%20Aplenty


Season's Greetings & Best Wishes for a Terrific 2024,

Chris