Alexander's Successors 323-47 BC
Gametesting the WAB Pontic Army Lists
Pontics vs. Romans
A few troops from Larissa had joined up, but these were old school hoplites with the worst
order, and even fewer skirmishers.
The Armenian horse rode in and told the general that a Roman force commanded by Dickus
Nortonius "Magnus" had fortified themselves in a narrow plain to the east.
Jonasonios broke camp and marched.
The armies came into sight and the Pontic general spied the Roman cohorts in a line
covered by cavalry on their right, and auxilliaries to their flanks. Their left rested on
a rocky outcrop and then further on a line of palisades
guarded their left wing.
The Pontic line was arranged from left to right
as follows:
Left wing:
Pontic Guard cavalry in wedge covered by some Rhoxolani horse archers. Then a wood that
was occupied by the Trallian slingers. to their right came the Thessalian Hoplite rabble,
then the scythed chariot, then the Armenian
Cataphracts fully armored men of barded horses. The center was held by the Pontic Levy
phalanx, a huge mass of men stiffened
by the addition of freed slaves. Next came a detachement of heavily armored Brazen Shields
phalangites. On their right a mock legion of levies and ex-slaves, and they were covered
by a fully outfitted but understrength
cohort. Next the Armenian archers and Greek psiloi covered the Armenian light horse. Both
sides generals sat squarely in the rear giving morale support to their forces. Passersby
noticed the disaparity in numbers and looked for the Pontic army to overwhelm the thinner
Roman lines.
The battle commenced with the Roman's Gallic skirmishers hurling themselves forward. On
the Pontic right they blew over the Greeks and rushed uphill into the Armenian archers,
the archers amazingly blew them back in rout. The other Gallic mob burst through the
Trallians in the woods sending them packing for a while, they rallied and held the enemy
in check.
On the Pontic left the cavalry soon found an opportunity to charge, the wedge pivoted and
launched into the Roman horse. Contact was heavy but the Romans armor proved superior and
they held. The Roman Auxiliaries then charged the Pontic cavalry in flank, flattening them
out. They could stand these losses no longer and fled back. They rallied but the Roxolani
routed.... The left flank was falling apart.
On the right wing the Armenian light troops both foot and horse demonstrated agains the
Roman fortifications, there was no further result as neither side could break the impasse,
this continued to nightfall.
In the center the phalanxes pushed forward trying to get in range of the back peddling
Romans. With the right stymied and the left about to collapse the Pontic levy phalanx
advanced boldly along with the cataphracts to hit the center of the Roman line, where a
massive slaughter ensued. The Romans counterattacked both here and on their right flank.
In the center the Levy phalanx and cataphracts were assailed in front and flanks,
the levies dropped in droves but they defiantly would not yield, the cataphracts
however bolted in haste, but rallied. However the scythed chariots fled with them. The
center battle was reinforced and a horric combat all along the line turned to a stalemate.
On the Roman right their victorious cavalry charged to mop up the few remaining Pontic
guards. Instead of blowing them over the Pontic cavalry turned the tide and rode them
down, but they were a bit out of range of influencing the center battle.
Back to the center.. the Romans had everything commited and then by some miracle the
Thessalian hoplites held, and then they beat a cohort....sending them back in rout.
The Roman center then recoiled as losses mounted and finally their center fell apart
entirely under the weight of the phalanxes....the Romans rallied in their fortifications,
and then marched off into the rainy night sullenly cursing the stubborness and rage of the
Pontic levies..
Night fell and ended any pursuit.. but the road to Epirus was now open! Crap had once
again prevailed over class.
This was a 2500 point battle between a Pontic list from the Successors
against the Romans of the Late Republic.
PONTIC ARMY LIST 02/28/06 2500 pts.
Jonasonios vs. Rome
13 units 214 models 25% Break point 53
Characters
1 ARMY GENERAL
0-1 Army Battle Standard
CAVALRY
SHOCK CAVALRY
10x Pontic Guards
6x Rhoxolani cavalry
PONTIC Infantry
30x Brazen Shields
12x Mock Legion
30x Ex-Slave Legion
ARMENIANS of Tigranes
12x Armenian Cataphracts
12x Armenian Cavalry
11x Armenian Infantry
SCYTHED CHARIOTS
1x Scythed Chariot
TERRITORIALS
10x Trallian Slingers
10x Psiloi
20x Militia Hoplite
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04/28/07