The (Unofficial) Great Battles of History
Frédéric Bey has been kind enough to permit me to post translations of his GBoH scenarios from Vae Victis magazine. The creativity is his; the "translationese" and typos are mine. My French isn't perfect, so if anyone can offer corrections, I'd be grateful.
Two scenarios for The Great Battles of Alexander (GMT)
Delium unfolded during the Archidamian War (431-421 BC), which was the first phase of the Peloponnesian War between Sparta and Athens for the conquest of the hegemony of the Greek world. In the course of that conflict, Athens won a number of important naval battles whereas Sparta didn't cease to assert the invincibility of its hoplites, invading Attica each summer.
In 424 BC, under the impetus of Cleon, the Athenians nevertheless launched a land offensive against Boeotia, allied to Sparta. The campaign plan forsaw an invasion of Theban territory by two armies, one led by Demosthenes operating in the west, the other commanded by Hippocrates emerging in the east. Whereas the first found its advance blocked, Hippocrates had to face only the Boeotian army of Pagondas, who he met on a plain near the port of Delium. The two armies each numbered 7,000 hoplites; the Thebans were accompanied by light troops but they didn't participate in the battle. After a fierce combat, the Athenian phalanx (formed evenly in eight ranks) ended it by giving way. Pagondas won the victory thanks to the deep hoplite deployment on the flanks (25 ranks) and the welcome intervention of two squadrons of cavalry at the decisive moment. Hippocrates was killed in the battle and Sparta and her allies maintained their supremacy on land.
The terrain was flat (one hill perhaps served as an anchor for the Theban right wing, but nothing is certain), the map for Gaugamela, folded in half on account of the reduced size of the armies, is perfectly adapted.
The units come from Great Battles of Alexander. The leaders of the two sides are found in the insert of this issue of Vae Victis.
| Hippocrates (pink) | 1812 |
| Athens HO/HI-1 (mauve) | 1806/1807 |
| Athens HO/HI-2 (mauve) | 1808/1809 |
| Athens HO/HI-3 (mauve) | 1810/1811 |
| Athens HO/HI-4 (mauve) | 1812/1813 |
| Athens HO/HI-5 (mauve) | 1814/1815 |
| Athens LC (mauve) | 1817 |
| Pagondas (mauve) | 3509 |
| Thebes HO/HI-1 & 2 (mauve) | 3508/3509 |
| Thebes HO/HI-3 (mauve) | 3510/3511 |
| Thebes HO/HI-4 (mauve) | 3512/3513 |
| Thebes HO/HI-5 (mauve) | 3514/3515 |
| Thebes LC (mauve) | 3517 |
| Grk Ally LC-1 (red) | 3505 |
| Grk Ally LC-2 (red) | 3506 |
The rules are those of GBoA Deluxe Edition. Optional rule 6.5 ("Drift to the right") should be used. Only the Theban HO/HI can use double-depth formation (rule 9.62). The special rule "Greek Cavalry" from the Chaeronea scenario of GBoA should be used. Hoplites and cavalry cannot intermix in the composition of a single line.
After having summer relieved by the fragile peace, called the Peace of Nicias, concluded between Sparta and Athens in 421 BC, the Pelopennesian War rapidly resumed its unbridled course. Threatened in her traditional sphere of influence by the initiatives of Argos, the Spartans invaded the territory of Mantinea. Agis, king of Sparta, and 7-8,000 hoplites met a coalition army scarcely less numerous composed of Argives, Mantineans, and Athenians. The resulting battle is particularly representative of the tactics of hoplite warfare.
The Spartans, to avoid being outflanked on their left (the weak point of hoplite phalanxes), detached their left wing from the rest of the phalanx to cover the advance of the enemy right. However, they thus created a hole in their center, for the Spartan units on the right front refused to come to plug it. Mantineans and Argives then routed the Spartan left and were engulfed between the two wings of Agis. But the Spartans, sure of their strength, passed over to the attack on the right and immediately routed the Athenian hoplites which faced them. They then began a pivoting movement which triumphed over the entire enemy army. The losses due to the rout were not higher thanks to the intervention of the Athenian cavalry (that of Sparta didn't participate in the combat).
The terrain is flat, the map of Gaugamela, folded in half on account of the reduced size of the armies, is perfectly adapted.
The units are from the GBoA module Diadochoi. The leaders of the two sides are found in the insert of this issue of Vae Victis.
| Agis (red) | 1812 |
| Sparta HO/HI-1 (black) | 1806/1807 |
| Sparta HO/HI-2 (black) | 1808/1809 |
| Sparta HO/HI-3 (black) | 1810/1811 |
| Sparta HO/HI-4 (black) | 1812/1813 |
| Sparta HO/HI-5 (black) | 1814/1815 |
| Greek LC-1 (sky blue) | 1804 |
| Greek LC-2 (sky blue) | 1817 |
| Cylon (blue) | 3510 |
| Greek HO/HI-2 (sky blue) | 3506/3507 |
| Greek HO/HI-1 (sky blue) | 3508/3509 |
| Argos HO/HI-1 (blue) | 3510/3511 |
| Argos HO/HI-2 (blue) | 3512/3513 |
| Athens HO/HI-1 (pink) | 3514/3515 |
| Athens LC-1 (pink) | 3517 |
The rules of those of GBoA Deluxe Edition. Optional rule 6.5 ("Drift to the right") should be used. Double depth formation (rule 9.62) is not allowed for either of the two armies. The special rule "Greek Cavalry" from the Chaeronea scenario of GBoA should be used. Hoplites and cavalry cannot intermix in the composition of a single line.
The Spartans towards the west edge, and the Coalition towards the east edge of the map.
The army of Agis is defeated when 39 Rout Points are eliminated, the amry of the coalition when 30 Rout Points are eliminated.
N.B. The French version of GBoA, to be edited shortly by Oriflam, includes both the pieces of the base game and those of Diadochoi.