Mak the Makedonian

A Headless Body Production

Venue: Harve de Grace Community Center
Event: Cold Barrage 2026
Theme: US Nationals, 2nd Period
Round: 3
Players: Phil Gardocki running Republican Roman, list 58
              Jim Tobin running Alexandrian Macedonians
Game System: L'Art de la Guerre, 15mm, 200 points per side.

The Forces:

The Makadonians are led by, and who else, Aléxandros, "Protector of Men".  With him is Philastos, "Dearest", the Competent, and Nicanor, "Victorious", the Ordinary.
4 Companions, Heavy Cavalry, Impact, Elite 
1 Paionians, Light Cavalry, Javelin
2 Hippakontistai, Light Cavalry, Javelin
1 Bactrian Light Cavalry, Bow, Elite
6 Phalanx, Pike, one Elite 
1 Hoplite, Heavy Spearmen  
2 Thracians, Medium Sword, 2HW 
4 Agrianians, Light Infantry, Javelin, two Elite  
2 Cretans, Light Infantry, Bow, one Elite   

Breakpoint of 23. 

The legions are commanded by Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus, Consul of Rome, a Strategist, Tiberius Sempronius Longus, Son of Tiberius Sempronius Longus, Consul of Rome, Defeater of the Boli, regarded as Competent, and Marcus Porcius Cato the Elder, also rated Competent despite his years.

2 Equites, Medium Cavalry
2 Numidians, Light Cavalry, Javelins
8 Hastati or Principes, Heavy Swordsmen, Impact, 1/2 Armored
2 Newly Recruited Hastati, Heavy Swordsmen, Impact, Mediocre
2 Extraordinarii, Medium Swordsmen, Elite
2 Other Italians, Medium Swordsmen
6 Velites, Light Infantry Javelin, most Elite
2 Syracusians, Light Infantry sling
Breakpoint...26

Display Conventions: When you see a jagged word bubble like "Ouch!" or "Heus!", 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:

Aléxandros wins the initiative and elect to attack in the plains.

Aléxandros takes the point of honor on the right with a command consisting of 3 taxis of pike, one of spear, a brace of Thracian warbands, just a ile of Companion cavalry, and supporting lights.

Philastos phils out the phalanx with 3 more taxis of pike, another Companion horse and supporting lights. Nicnor takes the left with the remaining ilai of Companions.

Scipio selected a lot of terrain, and got most of it on his side of the board.  But it was largely loaded on his left.

On the left, Marcus deploys with his Italian allies.

Tiberius takes the center with 5 cohorts of legionnaires.  Scipio takes the right with another 5 cohorts .

Turn 1:

Aléxandros races across the board

Philasos, however had a shortage of command points and was only able to order his lights forward.  Nicanor's Hippakontistai advanced into the field, only to find it pre occupied.

Marcus's Italians slosh through the mud to try and get an advantage on the left flank. 

In an attempt to take advantage of the Macedonian pike spread, Tiberius marches forward.  But Tiberius and Scipio mix their signals, spreading out in front of the Macedonians.  

Scipio's focus is on maintaining control of the field on the right.

Turn 2:

On the adjacent table, an impressive parade of pachyderms.  

Unswayed by the pike spread, Aléxandros advances on the dark, forbidding, swamp

He can rely on Philasto's catching up with his phalanx.

Nicanor adjusts his forces to the realities of the rough ground ahead.  Initially he wanted to take an hold it, but now his role is to cover Philastos's advancing phalanx.

The Italians have a two element overlap on the Thracians, but the problem is that ile of Companions.

With the gap between the phalanx closing, Tiberius closes to charge reach while he still has an edge.  Scipio obliques left and forms a unified front.

His Velites have the rough going in control.  

Before things get intense, a quick walkabout the con.  I think this combined arms command is on an Oz themed game.

Facing what looks like undead and ogres.

What a great looking field.  I should take notes on what games I am looking at.

Turn 3:

Ever aggressive, Aléxandros orders his Agrianians and Cretans to assault the Italians in the Marsh.  Surprised, the Italians are initially taken aback

Not something you see much of.  Light Infantry attacking sturdier foot.  But the Marsh is a great equalizer with the Medium Infantry at a -1.  

 

Aléxandros's phalanx does a stutter step charge. Running off the Velites.  

Philastos's phalanx almost catches up with Aléxandros's pike.

Their initial charge spent, the Agrianians face the reality of better formed foot.

Tiberius orders a general charge by his legionary cohorts.  Their heavy pilum disorder 3 of 4 taxis of Aléxandros's pike.  On his left, the Roman horse couldn't quite work their way into charging the Thracians.

Scipio's legions hold the lines and will await the charge by the remaining pike.  That pike would be vulnerable to the rather obvious flank charge by Roman horse in the field.  

 But that is where Nicanor's ilai of Companions come in.

On the left table, Steve's Warring States Chariots are about to engage the enemy foot.

On the right, the Elephant parade has exploded!  Going where they will chasing down Norman knights.

Turn 4:

An Agrianian Disengages from the Marsh.  A troop of Hippakontistai covering its retreat.

Aléxandros and Philastos throw in the remainder of their forces.  One cohort is routed.  

On the Macedonian left, the Companion cavalry display their skill.  On charges a Roman legion, nearly routing it.  Another slips by, engaging the flank guard of newly trained legionnaires,  The last sets up on the flank of the heavily disordered cohort.  

All of this covered by the Paionians to prevent a flank charge by Roman horse in the field.

In the middle of the 4th, the score is 7 of 26 for the Romans...

To 12 of 23 for the Macedonians.

I missed taking pictures of the bottom of the 4th.    The press of the infantry battle continued in earnest. 

The Roman casualties mounted, 3 cohorts routed, taking the Roman score to 10 of 26

To the Macedonian score of 14 of 23.  

Turn 5:

The Thracians put the pressure on the Roman horse.

Aléxandros's phalanx has been penetrated and is facing total collapse.

But Scipio's legions have been surrounded and are facing destruction.

The Roman score is up to 14 of 26

Aléxandros is up to 15 of 23.

Marcus manages to shake the mud off of the sandals of one of his Extraordinarii and orders them out to charge the remaining Thracian warband.

Both Tiberius and Scipio have cohorts charging taxis's flanks.

But the Macedonian horse has broken through and around the field, and are charging where they will.

The Roman score creeps up to 16.

The Macedonian score climbs to 19.

Turn 6:

Aléxandros orders his Companions to plug the hole in his lines.  But too late to save their Hoplite mercenaries.

But Philastos' and Nicanor's Companions charge into the rear of Scipio's cohorts.  Routing one, and nearly destroying the other.

Nicanor's lights pull back out of javelin range.

The Roman camp is looted and Scipio's legionary losses are serious, the Romans are now only 3 points away from demoralization!

As are the Macedonians.

Turn 7:

A prompt rally brings the Roman score back down to 22.  Then a Roman horse turns on the flanks of the last Thracian Warband, but the front facing Extraordinarii, weary from crossing the Marsh, just didn't have enough in them to seal the deal.  They were hoping for an easy kill, but the Thracians hold on, taking the Macedonian score to 21.

Tiberius has another cohort flank and destroy another pike, taking the Macedonian score to 22!

The winning points could have been had either in the last pike standing (upper left), or a missile exchange from the rough, (right) but no!

We were about to call it a tie when I noticed the hithertoo unengaged Numidians.  Who were badly deployed near the left side rough, and had nothing near them they could engage.  But then, there was the camp looters!

The Hippakontistai didn't know what hit them.   Romans for the win!

What went wrong?

Overall, the battle went well with the legions  taking out 4 of the pike and Hoplites and Thracian warbands.  But there were elements of the army that just did not perform well, or didn't even engage.

The Italians, after an initial win in the Marsh, were mostly pinned in place by a single Light Horse.   3 elements that did not do much afterwards.  The Numidian horse were deployed in such a way that they could not do their main job of skirmishing.  Only getting into the fight after the camp fell.  If they were on the more open side of the board, they could have kept the Macedonians from leaking through.  They could have distracted the Companions from making the flank attacks that collapsed Scipio's command as well.