Dust to Dust
A Battle Report from the Sands of Sassanid Persia
CONTENT
Introduction
The Opposing Forces
Battle Plans
The Battle Itself
DOWNLOADS
Severian
Romans
This article first appeared in the June 2003 edition of Miniature Wargames
28mm Sassanid Persians from Gripping Beast (picture courtesy of Justin Curtis, and copyright Gripping Beast)
When I had planned the timetable for writing and publishing Vis Bellica, one of the (many things) that I got wrong was how much play-testing would be needed. I had naively assumed that only three or four battles would be needed to iron out any inconsistencies. In reality, the play-testing process took many months and many battles.
The
“breakthrough battle” (i.e. the first one that the rules survived
reasonably intact) was the one described below:
an encounter between the Severian Romans and the Sassanid
Persians. Reasonably
contemporary opponents, although the Romans were perhaps a bit
infantry-orientated.
The
battle took three hours to fight and clearly showed how the command
system was the heart of Vis Bellica:
making the players into proper generals rather than glorified
chess players.
Vis
Bellica is an element-based system, with one base representing
approximately the following numbers of troops:
|
|
Infantry |
Cavalry |
Close Order |
900 |
420 |
|
Open
Order |
650 |
350 |
|
Skirmish
Order |
500 |
280 |
Severian Romans
Sub-General
Leader
1: Legio XIX “The
Dusteaters”
5
x Legionarii (CO Infantry)
Leader
2: Auxilia
3
x Auxilia (OO Infantry)
1
x Auxiliary Archers (OO Infantry)
Leader
3: Light Troops
2
x Legionarii Lanciarii (OO Infantry)
1
x Auxiliary Light Archers (SO Infantry)
Leader
4: Equites
2
x Equites Alares (CO Cavalry)
1
x Equites Catafractii (CO Cavalry)
Leader
5: Gothics
3
x Gothic Foot Warriors (OO Infantry)
The
Legionaries, Auxiliaries and Gothics were Average Medium Infantry.
The Cataphractii were Average ExtraHeavy Cavalry and the Alares
were Average Heavy Cavalry.
Sassanid Persians
Sub-General
Leader
1: Cataphracts
3
x Cataphracts (OO Cavalry)
Leader
2: More Cataphracts
3
x Cataphracts (OO Cavalry)
Leader
3: Not Quite Cataphracts
3
x Clibanarii (OO Cavalry)
Leader
4: Dodgy Ally Albanians
2
x Albanian Light Cavalry (SO Cavalry)
Leader
5: Footslogging Scum
3
x Levy Foot (OO Infantry)
2
x Mercenary Archers (SO Infantry)
The
Cataphracts were Veteran ExtraHeavy Cavalry, the Clibanarii Veteran
Heavy Cavalry.
Battle Plans
Using
the Vis Bellica scouting rules, the Romans had to set up their Leader
bases first. Each Leader
base represented the position of one Leader’s troops, but the
Sassanids would not know which represented what, and the two False
Leader bases the Romans were allowed could be used to confuse matters
further.
Each
side had formulated a cunning plan for the forthcoming battle.
The Romans
The
Romans knew that they would be utterly outscouted by the vast numbers of
Sassanid cavalry, and that the enemy would probably use this advantage
to try an outflanking manoeuvre.
Dispatching
troops to the flank, however, would weaken the main Sassanid force,
perhaps presenting the Romans with an opportunity to destroy it before
the outflanking troops arrived to threaten their rear.
The
plan, therefore, was to place difficult terrain on the flanks, to slow
down any outflanking force, and then to rush forward into contact with
the remaining Persians as fast as possible.
As
an additional refinement, the army would form up right to left in order
of quality and advance in echelon:
the idea being that the presumably victorious legionaries would
return to assist their lesser quality colleagues in the closing stages
of the battle. The two False Leader bases would be used to disguise the
echelon formation: picked
cavalry dragging tree branches generating huge amounts of confusing dust
in front of the Roman lines!
The Sassanids
Ah,
the cunning of the oriental mind!
Knowing
that the Romans would expect an outflanking manoeuvre, the wily Persians
decided to dispatch off-table only their False Leader bases:
hoping that the Romans would keep back reserves to deal with
them.
Seeing
the enemy deployed in two lines, but not being able to work out where
the Legionaries were yet, the Sassanids decided to deploy their infantry
in the centre, and form their cavalry into loose columns behind them.
The Cataphracts and Clibanarii could then move out to the right
or left once the main Roman threat had been identified, closing to
contact as soon as possible.
Defeat Conditions
Vis
Bellica includes the option for each side to have Defeat Conditions: conditions which, if fulfilled, mean the battle is lost.
The
Romans opted for the “All Gone” defeat condition.
If 18 bases or more or their army (including Officers) were
routed or destroyed, then the army would fold.
The Sassanids opted for the “Big Man Down” defeat condition on their Sub-General. If that Officer were killed, then the army would fold.
Outflanks Revealed
The
first matter to resolve was what happened to the Sassanid outflanking
forces.
Two
quick rolls of the dice resulted in ‘double 6’ and ‘double 1’!
Jubilation
in the Roman ranks as their Explorates
reported that one Sassanid outflanking force had got lost and wouldn’t
be playing any part in the forthcoming battle, and that the other had
failed to even leave. It
was still lurking around the Persian baseline, surely too far from the
action to have much future influence.
Deciding
that this was the best of omens, and that his plan was now bound to
succeed, the Roman commander deployed his troops onto the field
immediately. No point in hanging around:
there were Persians to kebab!
Seeing
this, and pretending desolation, the Sassanid commander moved his
Cataphract and Clibanarii Leader bases to face the left, weaker, side of
the Roman force. The dodgy
Albanian allies were ordered to slow down the Roman legionaries.
The
Persian troops were still on their Leader bases, so the Romans could not
be sure exactly what was going on in the enemy lines, but confidence was
high: still buoyed up by the thought of those lost outflanking
manoeuvres.
Both
sides thundered forward.
Someone Has Blundered
As
the two lines drew closer, the Sassanids were forced by Roman spotting
rolls to deploy from their Leader bases onto the field.
Quickly
the Roman commander totted up the enemy troops facing him.
Given the previous reports of his scouts, there did seem to be an
awful lot of Persians in view.
The
Sassanid player could hold it in no longer.
Gleefully he revealed that the unsuccessful outflanking forces
had, in fact, been False Leader bases.
Morale
on the Roman side plummeted. What
had seemed like an easy victory against an inferior force would now be
the usual hard slog.
However,
seeing the Sassanid ExtraHeavy cavalry heading for his weaker side, he
realised that his advance-in-echelon plan had a good chance of working. This was provided, of course, that the Legionaries dealt with
the Persian infantry with no problem, and that the rest of his line
could survive the cataphract onslaught for a round or two.
He ordered the Lights to halt where they were, and the Equites to
support them. And would
someone please get rid of those dodgy Albanian skirmishers who were
starting to ineffectually pepper the Dusteaters with arrows!
First Clashes
Now
facing each other approximately diagonally across the field, the two
sides came into contact.
First
up was the clash between the Gothics and the Cataphracts.
Vis Bellica allows melees to be fought as a whole rather than
just base-by-base, so only one combat calculation was required to
resolve the clash of two brigades of three bases each.
Seven
hundred veteran ExtraHeavy cavalry armed with lances smashed into 2,000
charging foot warriors armed with light spears and shields.
It was carnage on both sides, but the horsemen had the advantage
of weight and armour. The
Gothics were pushed back and shaken, and would probably not last for
much longer.
Immediately
after this, the Clibanarii charged the Roman Auxilia.
Here it was four Roman bases facing three Sassanid bases, but the
Roman Leader had had enough Command Points to elect to hold his Archers
back and shoot into the charging Persians before the rest of his men
closed to melee.
Again
the Romans were pushed back and shaken, but the Persians, lacking the
protection of their more heavily armoured colleagues, had suffered
badly. The next round of
melee would be interesting.
Meanwhile,
the Roman Lights had first halted and then dispersed in the face of the
charge of the Sassanid “More Cataphracts” unit.
This had allowed the Equites to counter-charge the Persians, and
the two lines of horsemen thundered together.
Here
the densely packed ranks of the close order Roman cavalry looked as if
they would carve into the Sassanids, but the Persians were better
quality and better armoured. Again
it was carnage on both sides, and once again the Romans were pushed back
shaken. Could nothing stand
up to the charge of the Persian heavy horse?
Ding-Ding: Round Two
The
first thing to do was to continue the melees that had begun last round.
The
Gothics were effectively annihilated by the cataphracts:
the Sassanid steamroller first breaking them and then smashing
them from the field as they fled.
In
the centre, however, the Roman Auxilia had managed to plant their back
feet and survive the pushing match that had developed with the remaining
enemy Clibanarii.
The
situation was resolved when the Roman Auxiliary Archers, under the
direct orders of the Roman commander, downed bows and charged into the
fight. The battered Clibanarii were broken, but outdistanced their
pursuers as they routed.
Finally,
the Roman Equites were also pushed back and broken by the Persian
cataphracts. The
Cataphractii were caught and destroyed, with the Alares making their
getaway.
Despite
the fact that the Sassanids were up two combats to one, both commanders
knew that the Romans had the better tactical situation.
All eyes turned to this round’s big clash:
the Dusteaters verses the Sassanid Levy infantry.
Well,
almost.
Those
dodgy Albanian cavalry were still hanging around, all five hundred of
them, and they had now worked their way round to the Roman rear.
If they charged this inviting target, then they would almost
certainly prevent the Legionaries themselves from charging, and might
even do some serious damage.
Command
dice were rolled.
Disaster
for the Sassanids!
The
Sassanid commander did not have enough Command Points to change the
orders of the Albanians from “Forward” (i.e. close to missile range
and pepper, but avoid melee”) to “Attack” (i.e. close to melee).
His
Albanian allies were quite happy to shoot arrows at the Romans but it
was more than their jobsworth to actually fight them hand-to-hand.
Sorry, Satrap, that’s the way it goes!
With
a hail of javelins and pila,
the Romans charged home.
The
Sassanid commander, knowing that all was probably lost, joined his
quaking infantry and prepared to die!
If
the melees above had been carnage, this was carnage squared.
Grim faced professionals all, the Legionaries dispatched the
Mercenary Archers immediately and butchered the Levy Persians in two
quick rounds.
To
add insult to injury, the Sassanid cataphracts that had beaten the Roman
Equites were now subjected to a flank charge from the reformed Lights
which effectively destroyed them as a fighting force.
The End
It
was all over for the Persians.
They
had lost everything except one (battered) brigade of cataphracts and the
Albanians (as yet unscathed and still shooting at the Romans).
In
exchange, the Romans had lost the Gothics (a shame, but plenty more
where they came from) and the Equites;
and some of the Auxilia were pretty beaten up too.
They were, however, in possession of the field, and their main
unit was almost untouched.
This
time it was the Persians who ate dust!
Conclusion
The
Roman advance in echelon had allowed them to fragment the attack of the
Sassanid cataphracts so that it fell all along their line rather than as
a punch against one part. Had
the Persians been allowed to concentrate their cavalry, then they could
have destroyed one Roman brigade at a time.
As it was, the Sassanids had had to take into account the fact that there was always another Roman brigade coming forward, so troops had to be despatched to meet that threat too. Good use of orders had also allowed the Romans to quickly respond to local events.
However,
the Persian commander did survive, making it back to Sassanid Central to
do what losing generals have done since the dawn of time…
Blame
it on the Albanian Allies!