Phil on Ancients: Seleucid vs Seleukid

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Harve de Grace Community Center
Event: Barrage 2025
Theme: Classical theme, round 1
Players: Phil running Seleucid, list 42
Chris Sikorsky running Seleukid, list 42
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side.

This the first round of the world famous L' Art de la Guerre tournament in sunny Maryland!

I drove down the day before and played my favorite battlecruiser (yes, I have a favorite battlecruiser, don't judge me) in a game of Jutland. See pictures later. Spent pleasant night in a 1.5 star hotel, and breakfasted at a Waffle House. What is not to like?

And because Walt has a subtle sense of humor, the first game will be a Seleukid civil war! Winner gets naming rights for the dynasty.

The Forces:

The Seleukids are commanded by unnamed commanders. I think there was a Brilliant and two Competents.
1 Xystophoroi, Heavy Cavalry, Impact
5 Pike
3 more units of horse, qualities uncertain
2 Asiatic horse, Light Cavalry, Javelin
2 Elephants, Mediocre?
2 Galatians, Heavy Sword, Impetuous
3 Thracians, Medium Sword, 2HW
1 Cretans, Light Infantry, Bow, Elite
1 Cretins, Light Infantry, Bow
2 Lycians, Light Infantry, Javelin
Breakpoint of 25

The Seleucids are commanded by Larricles, <Τεμπέλης>, a Strategist. His brother Darricles <Τόλμη>, the Brilliant, and his other brother Darricles <Τόλμη>, the Ordinary.
6 Pike
2 Argyraspids, Pike, Elite
X* Heavy Cavalry, Impact, Elite
4 Thracians, Medium Swordsmen, 2HW
2 Thureophoroi, Medium Spearmen
2 Cretans, Light Infantry, Bow, Elite
2 Cretins, Light Infantry, Bow
2 Slingers, Light Infantry, Sling
2 Scythed Chariots
Breakpoint of 22

*Formally known as Xystophoroi

Display Conventions: When you see a jagged word bubble like "Ouch!" or "¡Ωχ!", this implies a disorder caused by missiles. Letters in parenthesis represent some up or downgrade for the specific unit. For commanders it is s for strategist, b for Brilliant, c for Competent and o for Ordinary, u for unreliable. For troops it is e for Elite, and m for Mediocre. Other abbreviations, Hvy Heavy, XB Crossbow, LB, Longbow, Jav Javelin, 2HW 2 Handed Weapons, B Bow, Kn Knight, HKn Heavy Knight, HC Heavy Cavalry, Md Medium, Sgt Sergeants, LC Light Cavalry, Chr Chariot, Cat Cataphract, Pa Pavise, LI, Light Infantry, HG Hand Gun, FKn Foot Knight, Hvy Spear, Heavy Spearmen.

Inappropriately capitalized words are used to highlight terms that are specific to the game. For example Brilliant, Competent and Ordinary have specific game values for the commanders.

Any ambiguity as to what was moved or who is being referred to is to be considered Fog of War and part of the fun.

"XX" implies a unit killed in that location on that turn.

Deployment:

The board before adjustments

The board after adjustments.

Other pics before the game:

The cheer leading squad on 155

The battle of Jutland:

German battle cruisers heading for the rear of the British column and will eventually cross the 'T'. German battleships race the front of the British column and deliver, and receive, a pounding as well.

Materials of this game are all 3D printed and beyond first class in quality.

Back to the Ancients battlefield.

Deployment:

The Seleukid's (top of panel) deploy on the coast's edge, with their Thracian/Elephant command. Pike in the center, and the bulk of their cavalry on the right where they have plenty of room to maneuver.

The Seleucid's (bottom of the panel) deploy away from the terrain and coast, but have their Thracians ready to invest the plantation and field if needed. Their pike have equal numbers with the Seleukid's heavy foot. But only a single horse to match the Seleukid's 5 troops of cavalry.

Turn 1:

The Seleucid's main line advances just a single march. Their cavalry swings wide to see what they can lure away from the Seleukid cavalry command.

My thought is that 2 or three troops will go after 'X', and being elite and armored, 'X' could possibly outfight them. The slow advance of the main line had more to do with a bad roll for the Thracian's command points. And that elephants suffer combat penalties in the plantation, but not the field. So no hurry to make contact there.

The Seleukid's are not going to kid around here. Sending 4 troops after 'X'

The rest of their line advances 3 UD's

Turn 2:

Larricles orders his Thureophoroi forward, ZOCing one of the Seleukid lights. 'X' charges, hoping for a lucky die roll and destroying the other light horse, but no such luck.

Larricles splits his phalanx in two. One group to challenge the Seleukid horse, the other the right flank of the Seleukid phalanx. Where he will have an overlap.

The brothers Darricles advance a single UD.

Sliding right into the rough.

The Seleukid light horse disengages, allowing their heavier lancers to charge.

Led by their fanatical Galatians, the Seleukid phalanx charges across the field.

Their Elephant supported Thracians advance to taunting range.

Chris did not realize that elephants are disadvantaged in the plantation. I was thinking he was just accepting the elephant minus in order to gain the advantage of the overlap.

Turn 3:

'X' is routed. But Larricles orders a taxis forward to hold the line.

Here comes the press of combat. Fortune smiled on the Seleucids. Literally rolling one better in every adversarial dice off.

Larricles has the left overlap, and brings up the chariots to plug any holes that develop.

I think this would be a good time to complement Chris's casualty markers.

By the river, the dice begin to change. One Thracian warband is routed by elephants. In the plantation, despite being -2 on the die roll, the Seleukid elephants (mediocre!) roll a win.

The Seleukid horse command is going to have nothing to do with the pike, and head deep behind the Seleucid lines.

Galatians and Thracians rout. Both sides trade a Taxis of Pike.

The lines by the river thin out rapidly.

At the bottom of the third, the score is 13 of 22 for the Seleucids

To 12 of 25 for the Seleukids.

Turn 4:

Larricles has a surplus of command points. Sending a taxis to challenge a light horse. Another taxis turns on the flanks of the Galatians, routing them. The Scythed Chariot charges a pike and routs it as well.

Darricles has a pike push through the Seleukid line. And sends his chariot into an elephant, and routs it as well. This would be the first time I have had a double win with the chariots in a single game. Usually, I don't see two wins with the chariots in a whole tournament.