The Historical Armies Thread

[IrishHitman]

Due to the continued success of multiplayer games on EB, I have decided to create this thread so that we can post a series of multiplayer armies based on historical sources. I also would like everyone else to post some as well.

Hopefully we can stage massive hypothetical battles if people are willing.

Here's the first one to get us started.

Army of Alexander the Great, Spring 334 BCE, Start of the Persian Campaign:
Source: J.R. Hamilton's introduction in Aubrey de Sélincourt's translation of The Campaigns of Alexander.
Scale: Approx 1 Unit/1,000 troops except where otherwise stated.

I will place quotes/paraphrasing of what my sources specifically say, but you do not have to do that.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Player 1: Makedonia:
2 x Companion Cavalry ("...originally 1,800 troopers")
2 x Thessalian Cavalry ("the Thessalian cavalry, also 1,800 strong at the start of the expedition")
1 x Hellenic Medium Cavalry ("The Greek Allies furnished 600 horsemen")
1 x Thracian Prodromoi ("... and the remaining 900 were made up of Thracians, Paeonians and "Scouts" (Prodromoi) who were also called "Lancers" (Sarissophoroi)...)
3 x Hypaspists ("These were an élite corps, consisting of a Royal battalion (agema) and two other battalions, each of approximately 1,000 men")
1 x Agrianian Assault Infantry ("The outstanding unit among the light troops was the Agrianians, 1,000 strong")

Player 2: Makedonia:
9 x Pezhetairoi (9,000 "Foot Companions")
3 x Thracian Peltasts (3,000 of 7,000 "Thracian and Illyrian light troops armed with javelins")
4 x Peltasts (4,000 of 7,000 "Thracian and Illyrian light troops armed with javelins")

Player 3: Koinon Hellenon (representing the League of Corinth allied infantry and Greek mercs):
7 x Classical Hoplites ("7,000 Heavy Infantry")
5 x Mercenary Classical Hoplites ("while 5,000 Greeks served as mercenaries")
1 x Cretan Archers ("Two bodies of archers from Crete and Macedonia respectively")
1 x Toxotai ("Two bodies of archers from Crete and Macedonia respectively")

[dejan07]

I like your choice IrishHitman, unfortunately we don't have Persians.

If you are interested i have many historical army lists in my archive from my wargaming experience

[IrishHitman]

I like your choice IrishHitman, unfortunately we don't have Persians.

If you are interested i have many historical army lists in my archive from my wargaming experience

The Persians can be easily simulated as the Successors adopted many of the Persian units in their armies....

Besides, it's not only the Persians that we can test the Grand Armée on...

I'd like to have a go at Julius Caesar.

[antisocialmunky]

I was going to do a series of games based on Alexander's campaigns in glorious 3vs3 or 3vs4.

[mountaingoat]

sign me up for this , can someone post .. lets say a getai vs rome scenario?

[fleaza]

nobody cares about the getai, they were nobodys in history.

alexander the great on the other hand, mattered.

[m0r1d1n]

sign me up for this , can someone post .. lets say a getai vs rome scenario?

i think that any rome vs. maks battles in the maceedonian wars can be made into 2 vs 2...2 guys control roman armies (legion inf. + allies and cav.), while 2 guys control maks..(one with maks and the other the thracians..they were plenty...i think they had an alliance of sort..)

[seienchin]

Due to the continued success of multiplayer games on EB, I have decided to create this thread so that we can post a series of multiplayer armies based on historical sources. I also would like everyone else to post some as well.

Hopefully we can stage massive hypothetical battles if people are willing.

Here's the first one to get us started.

Army of Alexander the Great, Spring 334 BCE, Start of the Persian Campaign:
Source: J.R. Hamilton's introduction in Aubrey de Sélincourt's translation of The Campaigns of Alexander.
Scale: Approx 1 Unit/1,000 troops except where otherwise stated.

I will place quotes/paraphrasing of what my sources specifically say, but you do not have to do that.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Player 1: Makedonia:
2 x Companion Cavalry ("...originally 1,800 troopers")
2 x Thessalian Cavalry ("the Thessalian cavalry, also 1,800 strong at the start of the expedition")
1 x Hellenic Medium Cavalry ("The Greek Allies furnished 600 horsemen")
1 x Thracian Prodromoi ("... and the remaining 900 were made up of Thracians, Paeonians and "Scouts" (Prodromoi) who were also called "Lancers" (Sarissophoroi)...)
3 x Hypaspists ("These were an élite corps, consisting of a Royal battalion (agema) and two other battalions, each of approximately 1,000 men")
1 x Agrianian Assault Infantry ("The outstanding unit among the light troops was the Agrianians, 1,000 strong")

Player 2: Makedonia:
9 x Pezhetairoi (9,000 "Foot Companions")
3 x Thracian Peltasts (3,000 of 7,000 "Thracian and Illyrian light troops armed with javelins")
4 x Peltasts (4,000 of 7,000 "Thracian and Illyrian light troops armed with javelins")

Player 3: Koinon Hellenon (representing the League of Corinth allied infantry and Greek mercs):
7 x Classical Hoplites ("7,000 Heavy Infantry")
5 x Mercenary Classical Hoplites ("while 5,000 Greeks served as mercenaries")
1 x Cretan Archers ("Two bodies of archers from Crete and Macedonia respectively")
1 x Toxotai ("Two bodies of archers from Crete and Macedonia respectively")

Nice list. :)
But you are implying Alexander had more Hoplites than Phalangitai?
Do you have any sources for that?

[IrishHitman]

Nice list. :)
But you are implying Alexander had more Hoplites than Phalangitai?
Do you have any sources for that?

J.R. Hamilton's introduction in Aubrey de Sélincourt's translation of The Campaigns of Alexander

According to J R Hamilton's sources, at the start of Alexander's campaign, yes.
Mainly due to the large Greek allied contingent and the forces he left behind in Macedonia.

The figures are based on Diodorus' figures which agree with Arrian's (and therefore, Ptolemy's), and can be taken as correct for the most part..

[Azathoth]

Nomads were too far off to take part in the Battle of Issus.

Darius' Gaugamela army would have much more of those.

Sorry, thought one of those was for Gaugamela.

[IrishHitman]

Sorry, thought one of those was for Gaugamela.

I'll be making a Gaugamela model for both armies, don't worry.

[IrishHitman]

I just tested the Hellenic Native Spearmen, they rout and rally pretty accurately along the lines of what various sources say they did.

i.e. without a leader, they're going to crumble eventually.

[mountaingoat]

anyone have more info ?

[antisocialmunky]

I think Pennesula Italica or Invisio Barbarorum... um... ONE of the Roman RTW mods over there at teh twcenter.net has a campaign for Julius Caesar with a fairly extensive dostier of his legions.

[IrishHitman]

so i think we got...5000*4 legionaries and 1000*4 auxiliaries (light cavalry, light infantry or velites)

ummm...i don't think it would be correct to take 1 unit=1000 men..instead lets divide the total no. of men in a particular unit type by their unit size in EB...

like...20000/200 = 100 legionaries,
1500 cav / 100 = 15 units cav.
2500 L.I. / 160 = 15 units L.I. (approx.)

ratio = 6 or 7:1:1 (approx.)

OR

the previous way we got 20 legionaries 2 cav, 2 auxilia infantry

then we keep the ratio of units intact while scaling down the total no. of units for both caesar's army and megas's army (after determining the no. of units there too) to make the battle playable in MP EB...what say??

i know this is a rather approximate amount but....best i could get......

Well, he doubled his legions early in his campaign, as far as I'm aware.

[m0r1d1n]

yupp that he did..i just took into account the veteran legions...
so come on..somebody compile and set up a match-up...2 vs. 2
caesar vs. megas

[IrishHitman]

yupp that he did..i just took into account the veteran legions...
so come on..somebody compile and set up a match-up...2 vs. 2
caesar vs. megas

It would take a 4v4 to do it.