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How I built my Punic War armies

or

What I did during the Holidays

 

by Paul Mitchell

 

November 2007

Introduction: What Am I Doing And Why?

This piece will take the form of a ‘diary’, in which I will update you all on a (fairly) regular basis on my progress in building my Baccus Punic War armies.

For years now I have been meaning to build wargames armies for a 2nd Punic War campaign game, much along the lines of the DBA campaign system.

However, I have never felt that the popular ancients rules such as DBx and Armati lend themselves well to Roman manipular deployment – most rules encourage the use of a ‘phalanx’ or ‘shieldwall’ line of infantry bases across the table. While that is well and good for hoplite warfare and so on, you’re Romans don’t look like the books say they did – i.e. in a chequerboard 3 – line formation.

Furthermore, I wanted rules which simulated the standoff/pila hurling phase common to Roman warfare of the period. This meant of course that Roman Legionnaires as simple Blades would not be sufficient.

I have recently been using a simple set of rules designed primarily for the renaissance period which regards one base as a ‘unit’, and has a nice attrition mechanism based on ‘Fatigue/Damage Points’. Units have various frontages depending on troop type, and I am of the opinion that they will help me recreate my own version of warfare during the 2nd Punic War. (pikes/spears are deeper than pila – armed legionnaires, who are in turn deeper than warband, who are in turn deeper than skirmishers).

I wanted all units to be the same size, but different troop type would have differing frontages, and settled on 24 – figure units. This was basically because all units are deployed in between 1 and 4 ranks, and 12 – figure units was too small! A 1:10 figure scale means that each unit is 240 men, or roughly two Roman maniples or one – sixth of a Macedonian taxi.

I should point out at this stage that I am just as interested in the ‘look’ of my wargames as the actual process of playing a game. Maybe more so.

I decided to use the DBA army lists for army composition, simply because any more than 12 units would make the project too big. One army will have 288 pieces – quite enough to be going on with. The armies I plan to do are:

  • Republican Roman

  • Late Carthaginian

    •
  • Spanish (possibly 2 armies)

    •
  • Gallic

  • Numidian


In time I will also do Late Macedonians and Late Seleucids – leading me into the Successors Wars (another favourite of mine).

However, as the Romans (and their pesky innovative tactics and weaponry) caused me all of the above wranglings, it seemed only right that I assemble their army first.

The Republican Romans

The Army

These guys will comprise the following:

  • 2 units of cavalry – each unit having 2 45x40mm bases per unit
    • 12 figures on each. “ ‘2 – rank’ units
  • 2 units of Triarii (armed with spears) – 30 x 30mm base with 24 figures. ‘4 – rank’ units

  • 2 units of Velites (javelin – armed skirmishers) – 2 60x30mm bases per unit; 12 figures on each. ‘1 – rank’ units

  • 6 units of Principes/Hastati (pila – armed swordsmen) – 40x30mm base with 24 figures. ‘3 – rank’ units

  • 1 General (3 mounted command figures on a coin)

  • 4 Sub – Generals (2 mounted command figures on a coin)

  • 4 messengers (order markers – 1 mounted figure on a coin)
    •

Command & Control

To explain the presence and significance of command and messenger figures….

I used the Armati army lists to ascertain the maximum number of divisions (i.e. the number of commands an army is allowed), and the army’s Armati initiative rating to determine the number of times an army can change orders (Initiative 4 = 4 order markers).

Armies with more generals have more independent commands and are therefore more flexible – the Later Macedonian army is only allowed 3 independent commands, and is therefore more clumsy than the Spanish army, which can have 6 commands.

Likewise, the limitation on the numbers of times orders can be changed places command and control restrictions on an army, and encourages the player to use his messenger figures wisely, as well as form a ‘plan’ at the beginning of the game (all commands start the game with an order). As an order figure is despatched to only one command, the decision to use order counters should not be taken likely.

A Note on Basing

I know I said that each base was a unit, and now I’m saying cavalry and Velites have two bases. This is because I am using card bases, and find that a single 90x40mm cavalry base, or a 120x30mm Velites base would warp during the glueing and basing process.

Painting the Romans

I am trying to alternate the Hastati/Principes units with the others to stave off boredom and potential ‘writer’s block’. As sources show little uniformity of shield colour (although there are visual suggestions that men within the same unit would have the same colour shield), I decided to give every unit a different shield colour.

Here are my first troops painted and based:

‘Scarlet’ Principes – led by their diminuitive but heroic command group (Danny de Vito and his two brothers I suspect!)

½ unit of ‘Blue’ Cavalry. Not too happy with these, but I daresay I’ll get better at them as I do more.

½ unit of ‘Buff’ Velites. ‘The Buffs’

That’s the equiveaant of 2 units done now. Only 10 more to go!

 

TO BE CONTINUED….