Cancon practice 3: Spartans vs Sassanids 500 points

In this practice game for Cancon (500 points, 15mm), the Spartans under Strategos Scotto defended Greece against the invading Sassanid horde of Emperor Markibares.

Both sides had three commands each of five units, with an Expert general. The Startans had seven large Hoplite units, peltasts and six Skirmishers, mostly javelin armed. The Sassanids had lots of CM with comp bows, a few CL, two elephants and some r area in the centre for the Sassanid cavalry to deploy.CP lancers.

Scotto's first error was not to deploy the maximum possible terrain against his all mounted opponent. After a piece was removed there was brush and marsh on his right flank but otherwise a wide clear centre for the Sassanid cavalry to deploy into. The Sassanids placed lancers and elephants on their right, light cavalry on their left, and cavalry in the centre. The Spartans placed large hoplite commands in their centre and left flanks with skirmisher screens and a mixed hoplite/peltast command on their right. There were gaps between the Spartan hoplite groups filled with skirmishers, which would prove a mistake.

Both sides advanced quickly, the Sassanids to reach bow range, the Spartans to charge them. The Spartans sent skirmishers forward on their right and left flanks to delay the Sassanids. Those on the Spartan right reached cover, but would eventually be whittled away by the Sassanid CL firing bow. Those on the Spartan left were first disordered and then ridden down by Sassanid CM in short order. This would expose the flank of the Spartan left hoplite command....

In the centre the Spartans did some damage to the Sassanids,but not before Markibares charged through the gap between the two hoplite groups to flank the Spartan left flank commander and his hoplites. This command broke soon afterwards. On the right things went better for Sparta. Terrain and javelin caused disorder forced the Sassanids to charge in vs hoplites that promptly beat them. The Sassanid CL command was broken. A few inconclusive charges in the centre might have carried the day for the Spartans. But alas, further flank charges from the gap between hoplite commands broke another hoplite unit. The combined losses from left (broken), centre, and right commands saw the Spartans defeated.

This was another fun practice game between two very different armies one all foot, the other all mounted!). I learnt a lot, including:

1. Never use less than the maximum number of terrain pieces if a foot army vs a mounted opponent!
2. Use terrain to channelise or restrict a mounted opponent, or at least to protect your flanks.
3. Never split your heavy foot units up. You need more than skirmishers to hold the line in between.
4. Skirmishers are good, but you need lots of them to be effective. You might easily lose a unit to an unlucky damage roll, so have at least three or four units of them on each flank if using them at all.
5. Don't forget that heavy foot get a +1 modifier to damage checks vs missile fire (forgot this till after the game).

So lots to learn, and a good fun game. Also nice to see that a result was possible for both sides. I need more practice!

Scott Elaurant

Sounds great Scott. Impetus is a great set of rules and those Sassanids can be quite good in open ground.

Any pictures of the action?

cheers

Carlo

Sorry no pictures. I am practicing for the upcoming Cancon competition and will try to take some there. I am just posting the lessons ai learn from each game because I find that there is an answer to most of the questions asked About Impetus on this forum. The best way to find those answers is usually to play the game and learn better tactics!

So what did you learn oh Strategos Scotto?

Dennis

Well after three losees, one win and a draw, I learnt that an all foot army is very hard work in 15mm on a six x four table. I think you have to have more cavalry or light foot for mobility, or lots of shooters if you want to stay defensive. The Spear are just to expensive double ranked to get a decent front line, and single ranked they get shot up by cavalry and CL bow.

I tried lots of terrain and won 1 game that way vs Mongols, but then the FL can beat the hoplites up.

Were you counting the modifier for your FP being shot at??? Did you have Thracian FL Javelinmen in your list???

Yes we counted the modifier for +1 on the casualty die roll. But once you get disordered, extra combat disorder causes you to take at least one strength loss. After that it is all downhill. You can go to large units to delay the process, but then they can flank you because your line is not long enough. That is how mounted bow gets you.

Quite true. I run an army of mixed large and standard Greeks as well as LC and 5 x FL Peltasts. Seems to work well. Against traditional enemies the Greeks work well but you can't help crappy dice rolls.

Dennis