The (Unofficial) Great Battles of History
The Theban Art of War
This module, published in C3i magazine, issue #7 covers battles of the innovative Theban leader Epaminondas, during the brief period of Theban supremacy between the Peloponnesian War and Philip II's conquest of Greece.
You need both Deluxe Alexander and Diadochoi to play.
Scenarios included are:
Neither battle is particularly well balanced, but they are quick-playing and you can't argue with the price (the module is available on-line). I think either battle would make a pretty good teaching game, particularly if you let your opponent have the Thebans.
Size is usually not a very important feature of the GBoH system, but these battles showcase the Deep Echelon hoplite unit from Diadochoi. With a size of 60, column shifts from favorable size ratios are enough that any attack it can make is a good bet, and its enemies are going to do their best to avoid a frontal assault.
Balance: 90% Thebes
Attraction: Epaminondas shakes up the traditional hoplite battle by concentrating on his left flank and refusing his right.
Theban Advantages: Leadership, initial deployment, more cavalry.
Spartan Advantages: Virtually no decisions to make before losing.
It sounds funny, but Pelopidas might be the most important leader on the map. Why is a lousy `3' initiative leader so great? Because he goes before the Spartan king Cleobrotus (initiative '4'). By using Epaminondas's Elite Initiative Orders Phase, and then letting Pelopidas activate normally, the Thebans get a 1-2 punch that has a good chance of winning the game on the first turn.
The Thebans should follow the historical strategy: move two LCs into the enemy cavalry's flanks to pin them, then move up the Sacred Band and the Deep Echelon units to attack their front. The third LC helps guard the retreat routes to the west. If you're careful, you can guarantee that the routed cavalry must rout through their hoplite line.
Pelopidas then activates; finish clearing out the enemy LC, and takes out the peltasts and phalanx on the Spartan right. If you can get to the rear of the PH, face southeast so that Cleobrotus cannot OW to the east.
It's not unusual to see this sequence rout all its targets and accumulate 29 rout points, one more than needed for victory. Try for Momentum and put routed units in the kill pile for the quick win.
Even if some targets survive, the Spartans are going to be hard-pressed to pull out a victory. Cleobrotus better do some quick rallying.
Suggestion for game balancing:
Balance: 80% Thebes
Attraction: A (slightly) higher quality Spartan hoplite line tries to beat more numerous and better supported Theban hoplites, including the huge Deep Echelon formation.
Theban Advantages: Leadership, Deep Echelon PH, more numerous + better light troops
Spartan Advantages: Better hoplites, terrain, board edge
Whereas in Leuctra the Thebans should attack immediately, here they should consider using their EIO phase for a cautious advance from their left flank. Their LC is just out of range of the Athens 1 LC's flank; by moving slightly northeast they can threaten that flank while still protecting themselves. The Theban LP can help protect the LC, too. As long as they're not flankable, peltasts have nothing to fear from LC, against whom they are defense superior.
Agesilaus must then respond somehow, and his options aren't too appealing. And what should Agesilaus do about the threat to his flank? It's very hard for a single flank guard to respond to two LC threats (plus possible LP). As for the hoplites, the system tends to reward the attacker,other things being equal. But how can the Spartans attack? The hoplites can't reach the enemy line in one move, so if he advances and doesn't try for Momentum, the Thebans are guaranteed to get the first attack. But even if he tries for Momentum (60% success), Epaminondas will trump (80% success) and the Thebans will likely get the first attack in anyway.
So the Spartans are reduced to hoping for hot dice.
Note that neither side's hoplite line is of uniform TQ; since an extra TQ point sometimes decides who routs and who keeps on fighting, it's worthwhile to pay close attention to those TQ values.
Suggestion for game balance: remove the three Theban LCs. On the Spartan right, the two LP vs one LC mini-game can be interesting.