Legion Exclusive.pdf

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EX L US IV E R UL ES

S EN R IO S FO R

T actica l W a rfare in the R om an A g e 1 00 B C - 70 0 A D

Copyright

©

1975,Simulations Publications, lnc., NewYork, N.Y.

1.0 ROMAN OPTIONAL RULES

2.0 TERRAIN UNIT PRomBITIONS

3.0 SCENARIOS B.C.

3.1 Numidia (106 BC)

3. 2 Ver ce ll ae ( 101 BC )

3. 3' A pul ia ( 71 BC)

3.4 Cabira (72 BC)

3.5 The Sambre (57 BC)

3.6 Carrhae (53 BC)

3 .7 Phar sa lus ( 48 BC)

3 .8 Secon d Phi ll ippi ( 42 BC)

4.0 SCENARIOS A.D.

4. 1 Teu tobur ge rw al d ( 9 AD)

4.2 Minden (16 AD)

4. 3 Boud icca n Revo lt ( 61 AD)

4. 5 Eup hr at es ( 261 AD)

4.6 Placentia (271 AD)

5.0 POST·DIOCLETIAN SCENARIOS

5. 1 C tes iphon ( 363 AD)

5. 2 Adr ianop le ( 378 AD )

5. 3 Chal ons (4 51 AD)

5.4 Daras (530 AD)

5.5 Busta Gallorum (552 AD)

5. 6 Cas il inum ( 55 4 AD)

5.7 Hypothetical Scenario

6.0 DESIGNER'S NOTES

to form a Square' (orbi s or tes tudo). The Square

f ormati on cannot be f lank at ta cked (s ee 6 .5 ). The

Square may

move

only one hex (of any t err ai n) per

Movemen t Phase. The Squar e may not a tt ack . The

Square is dissolved when it suffers any adverse

combat results.

PROCEDURE:

At the end of any Friendly Movement Phase in

which four Roman SD units are in the same hex,

the Owning Player may invert the top SD marker

in t he s tack, s ignif ying t he fo rma tion o f a Squa re .

The hex' then has a Defense Strength of the total of

all four units. The hex is immune to the effects of

flanking attacks. The marker is set right side up

when the units in the hex suffer any ad verse

combat results.

[1 0] ROMAN

OPTIONAL RULES

CASES:

[1.11] Leader units may be in a hex, in addition to

the four SD units. Leader units do not count for

s ta ck ing purposes. Their combat, movement and

r al ly ing capab il it ie s f unc tion norma ll y. They may

f reely l eave a Squar e f ormati on at fu ll Movement

Allowance.

[1.12] No uni ts may move through a hex containing

a Square.

[1.13J The Square can only be created at the end of

a Fri endl y Movement Phase. Dis rupted unit s may

not form a Square.

[1.14] A Square may voluntarily be dissolved

during a Friendly Movement Phase. In the Phase

in which a Square is dissolved, all SD units that

were in the Square may only move one hex.

[1.15] The one hex movement of

a

Square

f ormati on a ll ows it '

to

move one hex into any

tm·'·IIi.u.

normnlly plI,~Nllhl \, r MIII II )N~o f n or ma l

Any combinat ion of t he f oll owing th ree n il es may

be used by agreement of the Players in T~e lon

s cenar io s w it h Roman for ce s.

[1.2] LEGION INTEGRITY

GENERAL RULE:

Each Roman SD unit may be marked on the

r ever se a s be long ing t o Legi on

I,II

or

III, 8

SD

per Legion. Each Legion has its own Leader unit.

SD units of one Legion may not benefit in any way

from another Legion's Leader units. SD units of

d iff erent Legions may not combine their Comba t

S tr engt hs in any way. Ifattacked or attacking in a

mixed s ta ck . t he Owning Player must spec ify

Which Legion's SD units in the mixed stack are

attacking or defending.

CASES:

[1.21] Only SD and Leader units are affected by

this rule. Other units may fight in combination

without hindrance (subject to the usual res tr ic tion

on Classes of units; see 10.0).

[1.3J GREEN ROMAN RULE

GENERAL RULE:

Each Roman SD unit is identified as belonging to

Legion '1' ,

II ,

or

III .

Consider all SD units of

Legion

I

to have a Combat Strength of five

points; a ll SD uni ts of Legion

II

to have a Combat

Strength of four points (normal rate); and all ,SD

uni ts of Legion

III

to have a Combat Strength of

t hr. ~ poin ts (t he g reen t roops).

CASES:

[1.31] The Roman SD units affected by the Green

Leg ion ru le a re t rea ted norma lly in eve ry way , s ave

the variation in their printed Combat Strength.

[1.32] It is strongly recommended to use this rule

with Optional Rule 1.2.

r 1 . 4 1

nOM

A N

1,I~orONAItY I)ANIf1

where they are allowed to stack only two- high or

less panic in the manner of normal units.

CASES:

[1.41]

Roman SD units which cannot panic

function normally in all other respects. They

con ti nue to fi ght a s though not hing has happened ,

although all other units on their side may have

panicked.

[1 .42 ] The pan icky Roman SD uni ts , a ctuall y a

case of the declining strength and cohesion of the

Legion, are essentially reduced to the status of

normal uni ts .

[1.5] BYZANTINE CATAPHRACTS

GENERAL RULE:

Byzantine Cataphracts (BC) have a dismount

capability: they may convert into an SD unit or a

2· 5 SK unit (note the bracket is ignored). In turn,

the converted SD or SK unit can be turned back to

i ts original mounted form. Any convers ion requi res

one Movement Phase where the changing unit

remains stationary (and does not even change

Facing, if Option 16.0 is being used). A unit that is

changing may not be a disrupted or a panicked

unit, nor may it be adjacent to any Enemy unit.

PROCEDURE:

In the Movement Phase o f t he conver si on , tu rn the

BC unit upside-down and place an appropriate

new unit r ight si de- up on top o f it t o symbo liz e

the new capacity of the unit.

The

converted uni t

will not be able to engage in combat on the turn of

its conversion because the change cannot take

place adjacent to an Enemy unit.

[1.51] The mount capacity i s int rins ic to either

uni t; t he moun t may neve r be des tr oyed and i sonl y

eliminated with the uni t.

[1.52] Victory Point values for either converted uni t

a re cha rged a t t he Byzanti ne Ca taphr act r at e. Th is

is regardless of the form the unit was in when

destroyed.

[I.53] Always keep the original identification

marker under the converted unit.

[1.54J Note that no special SK unit is provided for

converted BC units. Players will be reminded of

the new strength of the BC/SK unit, 2· 5 rather

than [2]· 5, by the presence of the upside-down BC

unit under the converted SK unit.

[1.55] Byzantine Cataphracts (in their regular,

moun ted form) ar e t he on ly uni ts t ha t may employ

both Fire Combat and Melee Combat in the same

Player- Turn.

[1.56] Be units may fire their missiles during the

Fire Combat Phase, move, and then use their

Mel ee At ta ck S treng th du ring the Mel ee Combat

Phase.

[1.57] BC units cannot use their fire weapons on

consecutive Player-Turns, however. This is in

accordance wi th r ule 7 .12.

[2.01

TERRAIN

UNI T

PROHIBITIONS



...

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.... -

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T actica l W a rfare in the R om an A g e 1 0 0 B C - 70 0 A D

Copyright © 1975,Simulations Publications, Inc., NewYork, N.Y.

1.0 ROMAN OPTIONAL RULES

2.0 TERRAIN UNIT PROIDBlTlONS

3.0 SCENARlOS B.C.

3.1 Numidia (106 BC)

3.2 Vercellae (101 BC)

3.3' Apulia (71 BC)

3.4 Cabira (72 BC)

3 .5 The Sambre ( 57 BC)

3.6 Carrhae (53 BC)

3.7 Pharsalus (48 BC)

3.8 Second Phillippi (42 BC)

4.0 SCENARlOS A.D.

4.1 Teutoburgerwald (9 AD)

4.2 Minden (16 AD)

4.3 Boudiccan Revolt (61 AD)

4.5 Euphrates (261 AD)

4.6 Placentia (271 AD)

5.0 POST-DiOCLETIAN SCENARlOS

5.1 Ctesiphon (363 AD)

5.2 Adrianople (378 AD)

5.3 Chalons (451 AD)

5.4 Daras (530 AD)

5.5 Busta Gal lorum (552 AD)

5.6 Casilinum (554 AD)

5.7 Hypothetical Scenario

6.0 DESIGNER'S NOTES

[1 0] ROMAN

OPTIONAL RULES

Any combination of the following three rules may

be used by agreement of the Players ' in Legion

scenarios with Roman forces.

[1.1] ROMAN SWORDSMEN SQUARE

GENERAL RULE:

In d isr egard of normal s tack ing rest rict ions ,

Roman SD units may stack four units on one hex

to form a Square (orbis or testudo). The Square

formation cannot be flank attacked (see.6.S).The

Square may move only one hex (ofany terrain) per

Movement Phase. The Square may not attack. The

Square is dissolved when it suffers any adverse

combat results.

PROCEDURE:

At the end of any Friend ly Movement Phase in

whichfour Roman SD unit s are in the same hex,

the Owning Player may invert the top SD marker

in the stack, signifying the formation of a Square.

The hex'then has a Defense Strength ofthe total of

all four units. The hex is immune to the effects of

f lanking attacks. The marker is set r ight side up

when the units in the hex suffer any adverse

combat results.

CASES:

[1.11]Leader units may be in a hex, in addition to

the four SD uni ts . Leader uni ts do no t coun t fo r

stacking purposes. Their combat, movement and

rallying capabilities function normally. They may

freely leave a Square formation at full Movement

Allowance.

[1.12]Nounits maymove through a hex containing

a Square.

[1.13]The Square can onlybecreated at the end of

a Friendly Movement Phase. Disrupted units may

not fo rm a Square .

[1 .14] A Square may volun tari ly be d isso lved

during a Friendly Movement Phase. In the Phase

in which a Square is d isso lved, a ll SD unit s that

were in the Square may only 'move one hex.

[1.15] The one hex movement of a Square

formation allows it to move one hex into any

terrain normally passable, regardless of normal

Movement Point costs.

[1.16]Ifa Square is disrupted, stacking limitations

must be complied with by the end of the next

Friendly Movement Phase, or the overstacked

units are eliminated.

[1.2] LEGION INTEGRITY

GENERAL RULE:

Each Roman SD unit may be marked on the

reverse as belong ing to Legion I , II or I II, 8 SD

per Legion. Each Legion has its own Leader unit.

SDunits ofone Legionmay not benefit in any way

from another Legion's Leader units. SD units of

different Legions may not combine their Combat

Strengths inany way.If attacked or attacking in a

mixed stack, the Owning Player must specify

Which Legion 's 8D unit s in the mixed s tack are

attacking or defending.

CASES:

[1.21]Only SD and Leader units are affected by

this rule. Other units may fight in combination

without hindrance (subject to the usual restriction

on Classes of units; see 10.0) .

[1.3] GREEN ROMAN RULE

GENERAL RULE:

Each Roman SD unit isidentified as belonging to

Legion l , 'I I' , o r ' II I' . Cons ider all SD uni ts o f

Legion I to have a Combat Strength of five

points; all SDunits ofLegion 'II ' tohave a Combat

Strength offour points (normal rate) ; and all SD

units ofLegion 'II I' to have a Combat Strength of

thr~ points ( the green troops) .

CASES:

[1.31]The Roman SD units affected by the Green

Legionrule are treated normally in every way, save

the variation in their printed Combat Strength.

[1.32] It isstrongly recommended to use this rule

with Optional Rule 1.2.

[1.4] ROMAN LEGIONARY PANIC

GENERAL RULE:

Roman SD unit s, in any scenario where they are

allowed to stack four-high never panic (whether or

not they actually do stack four-high). This super-

cedes rule 13.0. Roman SD units in any scenario

continue to light as though nothing has happened',

a lthough all other uni ts on their s ide may have

panicked.

[1.42]The panicky Roman SD units. actually a

caseof the declining strength and cohesion ofthe

Legion . are essen tial ly reduced to the s ta tus of

normal units.

[1.5] BYZANTINE CATAPHRACTS

GENERAL RULE:

Byzan tine Cataphracts (BC) have a dismount

capability: they may convert into an SD unit or a

2-5 SKunit (note the bracket is ignored). In turn,

the converted SDor SKunit can beturned back to

itsoriginal mounted form. Anyconversion requires

one Movement Phase where the changing uni t

remains s ta tionary (and does not even change

Facing. ifOption 16.0is being used). A unit that is

changing may not be a d is rupted or a pan icked

uni t, nor may i t be adjacen t to any Enemy uni t.

PROCEDURE:

In the Movement Phase ofthe conversion, turn the

BC unit upside-down and place an appropriate

new unit r ightside-up on top of it to symbolize

the new capacity of the unit. The converted unit

willnot beable to engage incombat onthe turn of

i ts convers ion because the change cannot take

p lace adjacen t to an Enemy unit .

[1.51]The mount capacity is intrinsic to either

unit; the mount may never bedestroyed and is only

eliminated with the unit.

[1.52]Victory Point values foreither converted unit

are charged at the Byzantine Cataphract rate. This

is regardless of the form the unit was in when

destroyed.

[1.53] Always keep the original identif ication

marker under the converted unit.

[1.54]Note that no special SK unit is provided for

converted BC units. Players willbe reminded of

the new st rength of the

BC SK

unit, 2-5 rather

than [2]-5,by the presence of the upside-down BC

unit under the converted SK uni t.

[1.55] Byzantine Cataphracts ( in their regular ,

mounted form) are the only units that may employ

both Fire Combat and Melee Combat in the same

Player-Turn.

[1.56]BC units may fire their missiles during the

Fire Combat Phase, move, and then use their

Melee Attack Strength during the Melee Combat

Phase.

[1.57]BC units cannot use their f ire weapons on

consecu tive Player-Turns. however. Th is i s in

accordance with rule 7.12.

[2 0] TERRAIN

UNIT PROIDBITIONS

Certain uni ts may be proh ibi ted from entering

certain types of hexes, except through road hex-

sides, as below:

Class A uni ts may not enter Woods Hexes.

Class Mfand Class C units may not enter Swamp.



2

[3.0] SCENARIOS B.C.

[3.1] NUMIDIA (106 BC)

Numidians: lOPS, lOBI, 10LC, 100C, 1 2 , 1 3 .

VP S2, PL 33. Deploy: A-3 and/or B-3. Deploy

second, move first. Stacking: 2. Leadership:

Mt. Ex.

Romans: 20SD, SLC, SSK, 1 1 , 1 2 . VP 74, PL

22. Deploy: On road from north map edge to town

( inclu si ve ), two unit s per hex . Deploy f ir st, move

second . S tack ing: 3 .

Game Length: 12 Game-Turns.

Victory Conditions: Romans must exit twenty

units from the south or west map edge; or achieve

a Marginal Victory. The Romans win with a

Marginal Victory and no exit., Numidians must

achieve a Substantive Victory; or prevent the

Roman exit. The Numidians win with a Substan-

tive Victory despite a successful Roman exit.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all woods and

swamp hexes .

Historical Notes: Numidia had been wracked by a

success ion st rugg le fo r a lmost a decade befo re the

Romans intervened and, to end the war, parti-

tioned the country. The leader of the most

powerf ul Numidian f ac tion, lu rgur tha , d is li ked

t he a rr angemen t and r evo lted aga inst t he Romans .

He was defeated, however , by Caec ilu s Me te llu s at

the Battle of Muthul, and, after two years of

guerrilla warfare, lurgurtha was captured in 106

B.C.

[3.2] VERCELLAE (101 BC)

Romans: 30SD, 12LC, 12SK, 2 1 , 2 2 . VP 112,

PL 56. Deploy: D-4. Stacking: 4.

Cimbri: 35BI, 12LC, 100C, 1 2 , 1 3 . VP 139,

PL 2S. Deploy: G-5. Stacking: 2.


Victory Conditions: Romans must achieve a

Decisive Victory or exit 40 units off the west map

edge. Cimbri must a ch ieve a Marg inal V ic to ry ; o r

prevent a Roman exit. If the Romans exit and the

Cimbri achieve a Marginal Victory, the Cimbri

win.

Te rra in Modif ica tions : I gno re a ll v il lage , ri ve r,

and swamp hexes. '

Historical Notes: As with most armies, the

Romans learned only from their own defeats.

Thus, when the Cimbri, a particularly effective

group of migratory barbarians, moved into

Sou ther n Gaul , they ann ih ila ted a Roman Army of

SO,ooo and a lso but che red 40,000 Roman ci ti zens

at the Battle of Arausio in 105 B.C. The stage was

s et f or Mar iu s to make h is sweeping r ef orms of t he

Roman military system. Marius gave the Roman

Army in Gaul new leadership and confidence.

A ri el' d cllla lin g th l)

Cimbr ]

N( 'vt l l 'n l l i JH IlS ,

h

l'I'II~lll'd I h 1 1 I I II V I · ' ,· I I I I I~ 1 11 I' Y 1 11 11

1

1 1 1 1 1 1 III

[3.3] APULIA' (71 BC)

Spartacus.

20MS, lOBI , 20SD, 2LC , 1

I .

VP 113,

PL 57. Deploy: E-3 and/or B-3. Stacking: 2.

Romans: 20SD, SLC, SSK, 2 2 , 1 3'~. VP 75, PL

30. Deploy: H-3. Stacking: 4.


Vi ct ory Cond it ions : Spa rta ens w ins by exit ing the

Leader unit and twenty other units off the east

map edge. The Romans must achieve a-

Subst ant ive Vi ct ory and prevent a succes sf ul ex it.

I f nei ther s et o f condit ions i s f ul fi ll ed , t he game is a

draw.

Specia l Ru le: Spa rta cus' SD un its may s tack th ree

per hex .

Historical Notes: The social instability of the

Roman Republic was demonstrated when the

gladiator Spartacus led rebellious slaves in a

campaign (the Servile War ) that gave them

successes against three Roman Armies. Spartacus

ruled over most of Southern Italy from 73 B.C. to

71B .C. , f rom his armed camp on Mount Vesuvius.

Finally, in 71 B.C., Pompey was recalled with his

veteran troops from Spain, and they eventually

def ea ted Spa rta cus and put h im and hi s fo llowe rs

to the sword. This proved once again that

i nd iv idua l ski ll , fe roci ty , and b raver y i s no ma tch

for discipl ined, regular t roops.

[3.4] CABIRA (72 BC)

Romans: 20SD, SLC, SSK, 1 1 ,2 2 . VP 75, PL

3S. Deploy: F-3. Stacking: 4.

Pontians: lOPS, lOBI, 15SD, 2LC, 4HC, 4SK,

40C, 1 2 , 1 3 . VP 112, PL 34, Deploy: C-3.

S tacki ng : 2 .



Decis ive Victory; or achieve a Substantive Victory

and exit IS units off the east map edge within four

hexes of the road (exclusive). Pontians must

prevent these conditions.

Special Rules: Ponti an SD units may stack three

per hex.

Hi st ori cal No tes : Mi th ridat es , K ing of Pon tus ( in

As ia Minor), anger ed by the Roman occupat ion o f

the neighbor ing Kingdom of Bit hynia , dec la red

war on Rome and attacked' Bithynia. After some

initial successes, Mithridates was defeated by

Lucullus at the Battle of Cyzicus and retreated to

Pontus. Lucul lus pursued, and caught Mithr idates

Army at Cab ira. The Legion proved superior to

their Asian-s tyle opponents , a lthough the Pontians

had large numbers of Roman mercenary swords-

men. His Army destroyed, Mithridates fled to

Armenia.

Deploy: G-2; half of the total number of units

must be on the north side of the river. Deploy

second, move first. Stacking: 2.

Nervii: lOMS, 30BI, 2SK, 2 2 . VP l1S, PL 35.


Vi cto ry Cond iti ons: Nervii must achi eve a Marg i-

nal V ic to ry . Romans must achi eve a Substanti ve

Victory; or exit 20 units off the map edge within

four hexes (exclusive) of the southeast corner.

Nervii win by a Marginal Victory despite a

successful Roman exi t.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all village and

swamp hexes .

Historical Notess In the second year of his

succes sfu l Gal li c Campaign, Jul iu s Caesar began

to pacify the Belgic tribes of Gauls, with eight

Legi ons . Hi s r econna is sance was i nadequate and

the Romans were ambushed by 50,000 Nervii, a

par ti cu la rl y unfr iend ly Ga lli c tr ibe . The Romans

held on their right and center, but the Roman left,

t he VII and XII Leg ions, we re i n dange r o f ann ih i-

l ati on unt il Cae sa r t ook charge o f t he s it uat ion and

launched a counterattack with such ferocity that

f ew of t he Ne rvi i s urv ived . The Roman v ic to ry was

directly attributed to Caesar and his strong

personal leadership.

[ 3.6 ] CARRHAE (53 BC)

Romans: 20SD, 6LC, 6SK, 1 1 ,2 2 . VP 67, PL


Par thians : SHC, 200C.

vr -

56, PL 17. Dep loy: C-3

and/or A-3. Stacking: 3. Leadership: Mt. Ex.


Vi cto ry Cond it ions : Romans must exit ei gh t uni ts

off the north map edge within four hexes

(exclusive) of the road. Parthians must prevent

these conditions.

Terrain Modificaitions: Ignore all terrain and

effects.

Special Rule: Note that the Parthians require no

Leader units.

Hi sto ric al Note s: The te rri to ria l expans ionism of

the First Triumverate led Crassus to intervene in

an internal quarrel of the Parthians, a tribe in

Northern Mesopotamia. At Carrhae, Crassus'

expeditionary force was surrounded by the

Parthian Army of mounted bowmen. Crack shots

and expert horsemen, they kept the range open

and refused to let the Romans close in for hand-

to-hand fighting. The Romans were weakened by

the missile fire and were soon defeated in detail.

Over 10,000 Romans were enslaved and 10,000

died, including Crassus (who had molten gold

poured down his mouth by his captors). This was

the first indication the world had of the Asiatic

mounted archer, in many ways the most offcctlv

pre-gunpowder

n l o l h l i l l g

1 ) 1 1 1 1 1 .

Caesar: 24S0, 4LC, 4SK, 1 1 , 1 2 . VP 66, PL

-. Deploy: E-4 and/or G-2. Stacking: 4.


Victory Conditions: Pompey must achieve a


and control hex F . Caesar must achieve a

Substantive Victory; control hex H . If both

fulfill Victory Conditions, the game is a draw.

Te rr ai n Modi fic ati ons: I gnore al l s lope, h ill top,

and swamp hexes.

Spec ial Ru le: Caes ar' s f orces neve r pan ic .

.Hlstorlcal Note s: The F irs t Triumverate collapsed

when Pompey usurped power. C iv il War r esul ted,

pitting the forces of Pompey against those of

Caesar . Aft er def ea ts i n nor thern Greece, Caesa r

withdrew to Thessaly. Pompey pursued with

40,000 men and attacked Caesar's 20,000 at

Phar sal us . Alt hough Pompey had the number s, he

lacked Caesar's tactical skill. Caesar seized the

initiative and attacked with part of his force,

keeping a large reserve. When Pompey committed

h is super io r caval ry f or ce , Caesa r took them in the

f lank wi th h is re se rves , rout ing them. Caesar t hen

enveloped Pompey 's pos iti on, c ausing hi s a rmy to

panic. Pompey fled to Egypt. His army suffered

15,000 casualt ies and los t 24,000 pri soners . Caesar

lost but 2,230 men.

[3.8] SECOND PHILLIPP I (42 BC)

Triumvlres: 30SD, SLC, SSK, 1 1 , 1 3 . VP 94,

PL 3S. Deploy: H-3. Stacking: 4.

Tyrranicides: 25SD, 12LC, 4HC, 5SK, 1 2 . VP

S6, PL 22. Deploy: E-4. S ta ck ing: 3 . Leader sh ip :

.Mt . Ex.


Victory Conditions: Triumvires must achieve a

Substanti ve Vi ct ory ; o r cont ro l hex F . Ty rrani -

ci de s mus t p revent t hes e condi ti ons.

Te rr ai n Modi fic ati ons: I gnore a ll sl ope, hi ll top,

and swamp hexes.

Historical Notes: The Tyrranicides, who had

assassinated Julius Caesar, were opposed by the

Second Triumvirate, who set out to punish them

for their deed. The First Battle of Phillippi, on

26 Oct ober , had proven indeci sive. I n t he Second

Ba tt le , An thony and Oct av ian, t he Tri umvira te

' commande rs, demonst ra ted on t he Tyrranic ides '

flank to divert their attention from an attack on

thei r l eft fl ank. Th is at ta ck p roved unsucce ss fu l.

Most of the Tyrannicide Army collapsed and

Brutus, t he ir s ole r ema ini ng leader, commit ted

suicide.

1 4 . 0 1

SCBNARIOS

A.D.



~Uc,;UIIU, IUOVl·

linn.

. )IIH·t\tllt-~ . • .L.fJllUt.a·~ IIIup:

Mt. Ex.

Romans: 20SD, 8LC, 8SK, 1 1 , 1 2 . VP 74, PL

22. Deploy: On road from north map edge to town

( incl usi ve ), two uni ts per hex . Deploy f irs t, move



Victory Conditions: Romans must exit twenty

units from the south or west map edge; or achieve

a Marginal Victory. The Romans win with a

Marginal Victory and no exit. Numldians must

achieve a Substantive Victory; or prevent the

Roman exit. The Numidians win with a Substan-

tive Victory despite a successful Roman exit.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all woods and

swamp hexes .

Historical Notes: Numidia had been wracked by a

success ion st rugg le fo r a lmost a decade befo re the

Romans intervened and, to end the, war, parti-

tioned the country. The leader of the most

powerf ul Numid ian f ac ti on , Jurgur tha, d is liked

the arrangement and revol ted against the Romans.

He was def ea ted , however , by Caeci lus Me te ll us a t

the Battle of Muthul, and, after two years of

guerrilla warfare, J urgurtha was captured in 106

B.C.

[3 .2 ] VERCELLAE (101 BC)

Romans: 30SD, 12LC, 12SK, 2 1 , 2 2 . VP 112,

PL 56. Deploy: D-4. Stacking: 4.

Cimbri: 35BI, 12LC, 100C, 1 2 , 1 3 . VP 139,

PL 28. Deploy: G-5. Stacking: 2.

Game Leng th : 25 Game- Turns.


Decisive Victory or exit 40 units off the west map

edge. C imbri mus t a ch ieve a Marg inal V ic to ry ; o r

p reven t a Roman exi t. If the Romans exit and the

Cimbri achieve a Marginal Victory, the Cimbri

win.

Te rr ain Mod if ic ati ons: Igno re al l v il lage , ri ver ,

and swamp hexes.

Historical Notes: As with most armies, the

Romans learned only from their own defeats.

Thus, when the Cimbri, a particularly effective

group of migratory barbarians, moved into

Sou thern Gaul, they ann ih il ated a Roman Army of

80, 000 and a lso butche red 40,000 Roman c iti zens

at the Battle of Arausio in 105 B.C. The stage was

s et fo r Mariu s to make h is sweep ing r efo rms of t he

Roman military system. Marius gave the Roman

Army in Gaul new leadership and confidence.

After defeating the Cimbri several times, he

crushed them at Vercellae as they attempted to

invade Italy. The Legions annihilated the bar-

barians, killing 140,000 and enslaving 60,000

more. It was a fitting revenge and proof of the

effectiveness of Mar ius' work.


Vi cto ry Cond iti ons: Spa rta cus w ins by ex iti ng t he

Leader unit and twenty other units off the east

map edge. The Romans must achieve a-

Substanti ve Vi ct ory and prevent a succe ss fu l exit .

If neit he r s et o f condi ti ons i s f ul fi ll ed , t he game is a

draw.

Specia l Rul e: Spar tacus ' SD unit s may s tack th ree

per hex .

Historical Notes: The social instability of the

Roman Republic was demonstrated when- the

gladiator Spartacus led rebellious slaves in a

campaign (the Servile War ) that gave them

successes against three Roman Armies. Spartacus

ruled over most of Southern Italy from 73 B.C. to

71 B.c.,

fr om his armed camp on Mount Vesuv ius.

Finally, in 71 B.C., Pompey was recalled with his

veteran troops from Spain, and they eventually

defeated Spa rta cus and put h im and hi s fo llowe rs

to the sword. This proved once again that

i nd iv idual sk ill , fe roci ty , and b rave ry i s no ma tch

for discipl ined, regular t roops.

[3.4] CABIRA

(72

BC)

Romans: 20SD, 8LC, 8SK, 1 1 ,2 2 . VP 75, PL

38. Deploy: F-3. Stacking: 4.

Pontians: lOPS, lOBI, 15SD, 2LC, 4HC, 4SK,

40C, 1 2 , 1 3 . VP 112, PL 34, Deploy: C-3.

S tacki ng : 2 .




and exit 18 units off the east map edge within four

hexes of the road (exclusive). Pontians must

prevent these conditions.

Special Rules: Pontian SD units may stack three

per hex.

H is to ric al No te s: Mith ridate s, Ki ng of Pon tus (i n

As ia Minor ), anger ed by t he Roman occupa ti on o f

the neighbori ng K ingdom of B it hyni a, decl ared

war on Rome and attacked Bithynia. After some

initial successes, Mithridates was defeated by

Lucull us at the Battle of Cyzicus and retreated to

Pontus. Lucul lus pursued, and caught Mithr idates

Army at Cabira. The Legion proved superior to

their Asian-s tyle opponents , a lthough the Pontians

had large numbers of Roman mercenary swords-

men. His Army destroyed, Mithridates fled to

Armenia.

[3.5] THE SAMBRE (57 BC)


38. Deploy: E-4 and/or H-I. Deploy first, move


V ic to ry Cond iti ons: Nenli must achi eve a Marg i-

nal Vic to ry . Romans must achi eve a Substanti ve

Victory; or exit 20 units off the map edge within

four hexes (exclusive) of the southeast corner.

Nervii win by a Marginal Victory despite a

successful Roman exi t.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all village and

swamp hexes .

Historical Notes: In the second year of his

succes sfu l Ga ll ic Campaign, Jul iu s Caesar began

to pacify the Belgic tribes of Gauls with eight

Legi ons . Hi s r econnais sance was inadequat e and

the Romans were ambushed by 50,000 Nervii, a

par ti cu la rl y unfr iend ly Ga lli c t ri be . The Romans

held on their right and center, but the Roman left,

t he VII and XII Leg ions, we re in dange r o f ann ih i-

l ati on unti l Cae sa r t ook charge o f t he s it uat ion and

launched a counterattack with such ferocity that

f ew of t he Ne rvi is ur vived . The Roman v ic to ry was

directly attributed to Caesar and his strong

personal leadership.

[3.6] CARRHAE (53 BC)



Par thians : 8HC, 200C. vi > 56, PL 17. Dep loy: C-3

and/or A-3. Stacking: 3. Leadership: Mt. Ex.


Vi ct ory Condi ti ons: Romans must exit ei gh t unit s

off the north map edge within four hexes

(exclusive) of the road. Parthians must prevent

these conditions.

Terrain Modificaitions: Ignore all terrain and

effects.

Special Rule: Note that the Parthians require no

Leader units.

Hi st ori cal Note s: The te rri to ria l expansi on ism of

the First Triumverate led Crass us to intervene in

an internal quarrel of the Parthians, a tribe in

Northern Mesopotamia. At Carrhae, Crassus'

expeditionary force was surrounded by the

Parthian Army of mounted bowmen. Crack shots

and expert horsemen, they kept the range open

and refused to let the Romans close in for hand-

to-hand fighting. The Romans were weakened by

the missile fire and were soon defeated in detail.

Over 10,000 Romans were enslaved and 10,000

died, including Crassus (who had molten gold

poured down his mouth by his captors). This was

the first indication the world had of the Asiatic

moun ted a rche r, in many ways the most e ffe cti ve

pre-gunpowder f ight ing man.

[ 3.7 ] PHARSALUS (48 BC)

Pompey: 30SD, 12LC, 12SK, 20C, 2 2 . VP

114. PL 57. Deploy: H-3. Stacking: 3.

UC4,, )I~IVCv rciory: . .

r

IU,·'HCVC

II ~ lImSIl IIlIIVO v

and control hex F . Caesar must achieve a

Substantive Victory; control hex H . If both

fulfill Victory Conditions, the game is a draw.

Te rr ai n Mod if ic ati ons: I gnore a ll sl ope, h ill top,

and swamp hexes.

Speci al Ru le: Caesa r' s fo rce s neve r pani c.

.Histor ical Notes : The First Triumverate col lapsed

when Pompey usu rped power. Civ il War r esul ted,

pitting the forces of Pompey against those of

Caesar . Aft er def ea ts i n nor thern Greece, Caesa r

withdrew to Thessaly. Pompey pursued with

40,000 men and attacked Caesar's 20,000 at

Pha rs alu s. Alt hough Pompey had the number s, he

lacked Caesar's tactical skill. Caesar seized the

initiative and attacked with part of his force,

keeping a large reserve. When Pompey committed

h is super io r caval ry f or ce , Caesa r took them in the

f lank wi th h is re se rves , rout ing them; Caesar t hen

enveloped Pompey 's posi ti on , c ausing hi s a rmy to

panic. Pompey fled to Egypt. His army suffered

15,000 casualt ies and los t 24,000 pri soners . Caesar

lost but 2,230 men.

[3.8] SECOND PHILLIPP I (42 BC)

Trlumvires: 30SD, 8LC, 8SK, 1 1 , 1 3 . VP 94,

PL 38. Deploy: H-3. Stacking: 4.

Tyrranicldes: 25SD, 12LC, 4HC, 5SK, 1 2 . VP

86, PL 22. Deploy: E-4_ Stack ing: 3 . Leadership :

Mt. Ex.


Victory Conditions: Triumvires must achieve a

Subst an ti ve V ic tor y; o r con tr ol hex F . Ty rrani-

c ides must p revent thes e condi ti ons.

Te rra in Modi fic ati ons: I gno re al l sl ope, h ill top,

and swamp hexes.

.,

Historical Notes: The Tyrranicides, who had

assassinated Julius Caesar, were opposed by the

Second Triumvirate, who set out to punish them

for their deed. The First Battle of Phillippi, on

26 Oc tober , had p roven i ndec isi ve . In the Second

Ba tt le , Ant hony and Oc tav ian, the Tri umvir ate

commande rs , demons tr ated on t he Tyr ran ic ides '

flank to divert their attention from an attack on

t he ir l ef t fl ank. Th is a tt ack proved unsuccess ful .

Most of the Tyrannicide Army collapsed and

Bru tus, t he ir so le r ema in ing l eade r, commit ted

suicide.

[4.0] SCENARIOS A.D.

[4_1 ]TEUTOBURGERW ALD (9 AD)


37. Deploy: G-3. Stacking: 4.

Germans: 35BI, 12LC, 1 2 . VP 118, PL 30.

Deploy: A-2 and/or E-2 and/or J-2. Stacking: 2.




Victory Conditions: Romans must exit any unit off

any map edge. Germans must eliminate all Roman

units. Any other situation results in a draw.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all village hexes. All

bridge hexes are treated as ford hexes.

Historical Notes: The consolidation 'ofRoman rule

in Germany was upse t by many tribal revolts.

Varus led an expedition of three Legions {some

20,000 men accompanied by 10,000 non-comba-

tants} agains t the revo lt ing Germans . Varus '

campaign was endangered when the commander

of his native auxiliaries, Arminius, switched sides

and became a centralizing factor in the German

revolts. In the rough terrain of the Teutoberger-

wald, in Lippe-Detmold, the Roman column was

ambushed by the Germans. The Romans were

ou tnumbered and the rugged terra in made the

otherwise almost invincible Roman tactics impos-

sible. Despite this, the Romans held out for three

days. Atthe end, they were massacred, losing their

sacred Eagle standards in the process. This

unprecedented defeat led the Romans to abandon

their plans for the conquest and colonization of

Germany. Asa result, the Germans never received

the benefits of Roman rule and the Empire's

frontiers were settled on the Rhine and Danube.

[4.2) MINDEN {AD 16}

Romans: 20SD, 8LC, 12SK, 3 2 . VP 87 , PL 52 .

Deploy: G-3. Stacking: 4.

Germans: 30BI.l0SK,I I , 3 3 . VP124,PL 37.

Deploy: J-3, P-3 and/or S-3. Stacking: 2.


Victory Conditions: Germans must control hex

G . Romans must win a Substantive Victory'and

control one of the German deployment hexes

without losing control of hex G .

Historical Notes: Germanicus led a large Roman

expedition into Germany to punish Arminius {who

had reverted to his ear lier name of Hermann the

German} and recap ture the three Eagles of the

Legions destroyed at Teutoburgerwald. Hermann

again rallied the German tribes, but Gerrnanicus

was more skillful and had a la rge r force than

Varus did. When the Germans attacked h im at

Minden, the Romans held f irm and dealt with the

Germans a bloody repulse. Afterwards, Germani-

cus marched throughout Germany and recovered

the Eagles. Teutobergerwald had been avenged,

but i ts damage could no t be undone.

14.31 I lOUl) ICCAN ImVOI ,' 1' (A. n. (. 1)

l{..

mUUNt

IOSI .

III.C.

4SK.

1 1 . V

.1 / . 1 1 .

II).

[5.1) CTESIPHON (A.D. 363)

Romans: 20SD, 12LC, 8SK, 1 1 . VP 77, PL 23.

Deploy: F-4. Stacking: 3.

Persians: 20SD, 6HC, 200C, 1 2 . VP 93, PL 28.

Deploy: H-4. Stacking: 3. Leadership: Mt. Ex.


Victory Conditions: Persians must achieve a

Substant ive Victory ; o r con tro l hex F . Romans [5.3) CHALONS (A.D. 451)

must prevent these conditions. Romans/Goths: 5PS, 20BI, 10SD, 5LC, IOSK,

[4.5) EUPHRATES (AD 261) Terrain Modifications: Ignore all terrain and 2 2 . VP 127, PL 44. Deploy: G-4. Stacking: 3.

Palmyra: 10SD, 6BI, 4BW, 10SK, 100C, 1 2 , effects except river, bridge and ford hexes. Huns: ISMS, lOPS, lOBI, 5LC, IOOC, 1 1 . VP

2 3 . VP 103, PL 40. Deploy: J-4. Stacking: Histo laiN t • Wh J I b C h 106, PL 27. Deploy: J-3. Stacking: 2. Leadership:

3.

Lcadcrshi : Mt. Ex. r c

0

es. en u Ian ecam~ aesar, e Mt. Ex.

P

had already re-asserted Roman rule III Gaul . He

SUNNllJllth

10MS, 5SK, IO 1< , 101'( 150(', 1 2 ,

JlOW w e nt t o M C S O J) O (: il l1 1i o,

whore

1~()J1l1l11

rule was Gume

1,1l g .h ,

30

00I110·TUrtlR.

.1 .1 .

VI' I)').

1 1 . .10. 1)L\l II v: 1I. l. S ind I .., IIU'l-lllcm,LI lJy

P L - I M l u H

XllllIUlluuhIHl AfllJI'

111 ... __

M , M II

Victory Conditions: Britons must exit ten units off

the west map edge; or con trol hex F . Romans

must prevent these conditions.

Terrain Modifications: Slope hexes and non-ford

r iver hexes may not be entered.$

Historical Notes: Queen Boadicea of the Icen i

tribe, incensed against the indignities of the

Romans , led her t ribe in a revol t. Joined by the

Trinovante tribe, she sacked the Roman cities of

Londinum and Verulamium, killing all Britons

who had accepted Roman ways. The Romans

rushed reinforcements and at Towchester a Legion

was attacked by hordes of Britons. The Britons

attacked without any sort of tactical coordination.

Roman discipline again proved infinitely superior

to barbarian ferocity, despite the fact that Roman

weapon technology was only slightly superior. The

Romans eventually counter-attacked and pursued,

slaughter ing thousands of Iceni. Boadicea com-

mitted suicide.

[4.4) LUGDUNUM (AD 197)

Severians: 20SD, 8LC, 12SK, 4LC, 4BW, 1 1 ,

2 2 . VP 103, PL 52. Deploy : G-5 . Stack ing : 4 .

Nbanites: 20SD, 4LC, 6SK, 3BI, 3LC, 9MS, 3 2 .

VP 95, PL 38. Deploy: C-3 and/or D-5.

Stacking: 3.

Game Lengtb: 20 Game-Turns.

Victory Conditions: Severlans must win at least

one enemy deployment hex, win a Margina l

Victory, and exit 8 units off north map edge road

hex.-Albanites must control hexes C , D and

B .

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all swamp hexes.

Historical Notes: Septimus Severus had become

Emperor by the frequent late-Roman practice of

killing all his competitors. Septimus Albinus,

angered by Severus' arbitrary rule, brought his

troops over from Britain and marched on Rome.

Severus intercepted them near the present-day city

of Lyon and, in a bloody battle, Albinus was

defeated. Severus returned to Rome and continued

his high-handed, yet effective, rule. One effect of

this battle was the withdrawal of troops from

Britain by Albinus encouraged Pictish incursions

there.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all river, swamp and

woods hexes.

Historical Notes; The Persians had invaded

Antioch and Asia Minor in 241, angering

Odenathus, a pro-Roman Arab who was prince of

Palmyra. Odenathus ski ll fu lly used his small

Arab-Roman army to force the Persians to

withdraw from Cappadocia, and then ambushed

the retiring Persians onthe banks ofthe Euphrates

River . Laden down with loot, the Persians were

surprised and forced across the r iver , pursued by

Arab horsemen. The next year, Odenathus

followed up his success by an invasion of Persia.

[4.6) PLACENTIA (AD 271)

Romans : 20SD, 8LC, 12SK, 2 2 , 2 3 . VP 88,

PL 53. Deploy: F-3. Stacking: 4.

AIamanni: 20BI, 6SK, 8HC, 8LC, 3 3 . VP 105,

PL 32. Deploy: G-S. Stacking: 2.


Victory Conditions: Romans must capture hexes

G and C . Almann must win a Marginal

Victory.

If

both, t~e game is a draw.

Historical Notes: The Alamanni, a barbarian tribe,

slipped through Roman forces south of the

Danube and moved towards Italy. They were

pursued bythe Emperor Aurelian and were finally

brought to batt le a t Placent ia . The barbarians

were in strength, however , and the Legions were

not asgood asthey had once been. Asa result, the

Romans were repulsed with heavy losses, although

Aurelian soon rallied and defeated the Alamanni

at the Battles of Fano and Pavia, where they were

wiped out.

[5.0] POST D I OC LETI A N

S C E N A R I O S

3

strength. This proved an effective tactic, and led

the Pe rsians to attempt a decisive attack near

Ctesiphon. Despite initial Persian success, the

Romans soon rallied and, with Julian at their head,

staged a successful counterattack, although Julian

was ki lled at the heigh t of the act ion .

[5.2) ADRIANOPLE (A.D. 378)

Romans : 20SD, 12LC, 8SK, 1 1 . VP 77 , PL 23.

30. Deploy: G-4. Stacking: 3.

Ost rogoths : 24BI, 12HC, 120C, 2 2 , 1 3 . VP

123,PL 49. Deploy: E-2 and/or K-2. Stacking: 2.

Leadership: Mt. Ex.


Victory Conditions:

Remans

must achieve a

Substantive Victory; or achieve a Marginal Victory

and cont rol hex F . Os trogo ths must ach ieve a

Decis ive Victory ; or cont rol hex D and exi t

eighteen units off the east map edge within three

hexes {exclusive}of the road. If both sides fulfill

victory conditions, the game is a draw.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all river and swamp

hexes.

HIstorical Notes: The Ostrogoths had been forced

into the Roman Empire bythe Huns infringing on

their territory. This created tension between the

Ostrogoths and Romans, so on 9 August, 378, the

Emperor Valens and 60,000 men, one third of

them cavalry, marched on the main Gothic camp

near Adrianople. The Gothic cavalry was absent

foraging. Afte r a delay, the Romans began an

attack with their infantry in the center and their

cavalry on the flanks. The Gothic cavalry, however,

arrived as the attack was beginning. They fell upon

the Roman right and smashed it. At the same time,

the Goths in the camp {defended by a wagon-

laager}went overto the attack. The Roman cavalry

routed off the field, leaving the infantry sur-

rounded. The Gothic cavalry was greatly superior

to the sword-armed Romans in the melees. Valens

fell along with 40,000 Romans. For the first time,

cavalryhad defeated infantry byshock action. The

Goths had used s ti rrups to make this poss ib le .

Thus began a thousand years of domination of

European warfare by cavalry.



4

had led 100,000 Huns, Franks and Germans over

the Rhine. Faced by this menace, the Romans and

Goths jo ined fo rces . They encoun te red the Huns at

Chalons-sur-Marne. The Goths began by at-

tacking the Hun's right, but the Huns instead

launched an a tt ack on the Roman-Go th ic cente r,

routing the Alan barbarians placed there. Yet the

Romans on the left and the Visigoths on the right

re fused to gi ve way and a tta cked , t hreatening the

Huns with double envelopement. Fighting was

bit ter and losses were heavy on both s ides . Final ly,

At il la s aw things we re no t going h is way and pull ed

back , a lthough fi ght ing r aged t hr ough t he n ight.

Chalons was a b loody bat tl e. No quar te r was a sked

or given. It was successful in that the Romans and

the Goths had prevented the Huns from overrun-

ning Western Europe. Had the Huns won, what

remained of civilization in the decay of Rome

would have been total ly des troyed. Itwas for the

benef it o f a ll human ity t hat t he Hun 's i nva sion was

repulsed and sent back across the Rhine.

[5 .4 ] DARAS (A.D. 530)

Byzantines: 6SD; 60C, 12BC, 1 2 . VP 61, PL 24.


Persians: 10SK, 240C, 1 3 . VP 79, PL 24.

Deploy: J-3. Stacking: 2. Leadership: Mt. Ex.


Victory Conditions: Byzantines must achieve a

Substanti ve Vic to ry ; o r cont ro l hex H . Pers ians

must prevent these condi tions.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all terrain and

effects except for river, ford and bridge hexes.

Historical Notes: Byzantine activity along the

frontiers of the Persian Empire provoked an

invasion of Byzantine ter ri tory by 40,000 Persians

and Arabs. They were met by a young Thracian

General, Belisarius. Belisarius entrenched his

r egu la r i nf ant ry i n the cen ter o f h is l ine, pushing

h is ef fec ti ve .c ava lry (Byzan ti ne cat aph ract s and

Hun archers) out forward on the f lanks. Bel isar ius'

i nfantr y he ld t he in iti al Per si an a ssault , and then

he sent his cavalry into the attack on both flanks,

enevloping the Persians. The Persians f led, leaving

beh ind 8 ,000 dead. The out number ed Byzan ti ne s

had won because o f t he t act ic al s ki ll o f Be li sa riu s

and because of t he qua li ty of t he Hun cavalr y and,

e spec ial ly ; the Ca taphr act s, who , armed w it h bow ,

lance, sword and other weapons, were the most

f orm idabl e fo rce i n t hei r t ime .

15.51BUSTA GALLORUM (A.D. 552)

Romlln~1 lOPS, ISI lI . 7SK,

2 4 l 1 e ,

1 1 , 1 ,1 . VI'

1 1 0 . 1 1 .

DllJlloy:

E ·

I,

: - l l m k l l l j { i

I. I

1 I c 1 1 , ~ h l l ~


Substantive Victory; or exit 20 units off the east

map edge, within three hexes (exclusive) of the

road . Ost rogo ths must ach ieve a Marg ina l Vi ct ory

and control hex E .

If

both s ides ful fi ll Victory

Conditions, the game is a draw.

Special Rules: BI and PS units may stack two

units per hex.

Historical Notes: The Goths had overrun all of

I ta ly by 534. Two years later , the Byzantines under

Belisarius began a campaign to liberate the

peninsula. The Goths 'and their Frankish allies

r ema ined unde feated, h9weve r, unti l t he eunuch

Narses moved on Rome with 20,000 men. He

encountered the Franks and Goths in a narrow'

pass. As both sides deployed, Gothic cavalry

charged down the pass, but were repulsed by

Byzantine missile fire. Repeated Gothic and

Frankish attacks were' unsuccessful, due largely to

Byzantine fire. Then the Byzantines went over to

the o ff ens ive , wit h t he Ca taphr ac ts going around

the f lanks in a double envelopement. Six thousand

barbar ians we re k il led. Nar ses ent ered Rome , but

the Italian War was to rage for another two years.

[5 .6 ] CASILINUM (AD 554)

Byzantines: 6PS, 9BI, 4SK, 15BC, 1 1 ,2 2 . VP

99; PL 50. Deploy: D-S . S tack ing: 3 . Leade rsh ip:

Mt. Ex.

Franks: 35BI. 12HC, 160C, 1 2 . 2 3 . VP 164,



Vic tor y Cond iti ons: F ranks must cont ro l hex D

and exit 10 units off the north map edge road hex.

Byzantines must win, a Substantive Victory or

control hexes G and D .

Hi st ori ca l No tes : Some 30,000 Franks and Goths

under Bucce li n had i nvaded I ta ly , and i n 5S4 , we re

b rough t t o bat tl e a t Cas il inum by 18,000 Romans

and Goths under the eunuch Narses. Outman-

euvered. the Barbarians were forced to attack

Nar ses on ground ofh is own choosi ng . Na rs es d rew

up his forces in a concave formation. while the

Franks attacked in a wedge formation in the

center. The Romans, however, engaged the

barbarians with missi le f ire, whi le enveloping them

with horse archers. The barbarian attack went to

pieces under a rain of arrows. After they had been

disorganized, Narses ordered an attack. The

barbarians were surrounded and wiped out , a lmost

to the man. The battle had many parallels to that

o f Cannae in ta cti ca l outcome .

[5.71 HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO

Mll rh lll A rmy . :lOSI), 121. (' , 12SK. 1 1 . 1 2 . VP

IW . PI,

fI .

I)II1l1 Y:11·.1.

S lI lI k lu lI :

Victory Conditions: Either side must achieve a

Substantive Victory; or achieve a Marginal Victory

and contr ol the opposit ion's dep loyment hex.

Terrain Modifications: Players may decide to

igno re al l t err ai n and e ff ec ts.

His tor ic al No tes : Th is i s a hypot he tic al sc enar io

representing what were probably the two finest

ancient armies. The Roman Army appears as it

emerged from the Marian Reforms, in which

condition it won Caesar's famous victories. The

Belisarian Army features the powerful cataphracts

and Asian-style horse archers. This type of army

enab led Be li sa riu s to win many v ic to rie s, a lmost

always against super ior numbers .

[6 0] DESIGNER S NOTES

[6.1] GENERAL SYSTEM COMMENTS

PRESTAGS is, of course, an attempt to unify five

older games, namely Armageddon, Phalanx,

Centurion, Dark Ages and Renaissance of Infantry

into one compatible system. Many of the older

games dif fered widely in their levels of complexity

and t hei r at temp ts to s imu la te the va rious per iods

o f wa rf ar e. For e 'xampl e, i n t he o ri ginal Pha lanx

sys tem , each coun te r had an actual st ack ing po in t

value and i t was neces sar y to compute these va lue s

not only at the end of the Movement Phase, but

also during the course of movement, in the

Movement Phase. There were also more res tr ic tive

leadership rules, that forbade a unit from

effecti ve ly doi ng any th ing outs ide o f le ader shi p

control radius (which was also more limited). In

that game, a unit could not even turn facing to

meet an enemy a tt ack w ithou t l eade rship .

A great deal can be learned from these games, the

ol d f ive and t he new fi ve, by t he game p laye r about

how and why game systems devel op . The f ir st two

games , Renais sance o f I nfantr y ( or ig inal ly pub-

lished in S&T nr. 22) and Centurion (published in

S&T nr. 25) , were originally done by a consort ium

of ta lent headed by James Dunn igan, AI Nofi, and

R. A. Simonsen. These produced many innova-

tions, but the games esentially concentrated on

certain mechanical aspects, while ignoring the

human; t hus f ac ing was i nven ted i n th is per iod, a s

we ll a s feudal c avalr y cha rges , et c., but ther e wer e

no effective leadership control rules. Then John

Young took over the leadership in pre-Seventeenth

Century tactical games and designed and de-

veloped Phalanx, and cooperated with S.B. Pat rick

on the Dark Ages game. These games e ssenti al ly

built on the basis of the prior two games, and

continued expanding by incorporating innovat ions

such as contact and very restrictive leadership

factors,' as well as expanding the variety of

counters.

During this series we gradually realized that SPI

had made a number of mistakes, both in the actual

prod uction and the game design conceptions.

Insufficient quality of development and' basics

such as proofreading made these games suffer.

Additionally, although people (some of them at

least) enjoyed many of the game rest~ictions

(leadership, feudal cavalry, etc.), this cou 9 be

ove rdone. They want ed t he f lavour o f t he r ule s, but

s ti ll demanded a func ti onal ,game .

. ,.

In t his la te st a ttemp t, PRESTAGS i s a tt empti ng t o

satisfy almost all the people who will buy these

games. There are at least two or more levels of

complexity in every game. The scenarios have been

checked for accu racy a t l ea st t hre e t imes . Many of

the inhibiting rules have been changed to

moderate their inf luence. New scenarios have been

included , and o the rs r evi sed .

Most impor tant ly, these games are also completely

homogeneous. Although many people indepen-

dentl y have l inked the p revi ous ly publ is hed

games, this system has been designed from the

ground up to demonstrate the ebb and flow of

military systems, throughout most of recorded

history, and to permit the game player to match

them in any.way desired. For the first time it is

possible to match the pharaoh's armies against a

Spanish tercio, or Alexander the Great against

Scipio Africanus. This is possible only due to the

earlier games, and the advance of the state of the

art.

[6 .2] LEGION DESIGNER'S NOTES

Legion is the only game in the PRESTAGS series

that revo lves ar ound a s ingle , a lmost conti nuous

empire. It proceeds from the founding of the

Marian Legion to the heyday of the Byzantine

Empire. Basically, the prior Roman armies,

a lthough enormously successful, were defensive,

meant to fight on homeground and break the

normal attacker, a spear pahalanx. By 100 B.C.,

most impor tant oppos ing syst ems and powers we re

destroyed or in eclipse. Rome had no real

competi ti on fo r empi re . So the Mar ian Legion was

shaped to enable a full phalanx to be formed with

the consequent ability to deliver a hard shock

against the increas ingly less r igid formations in the

per ipheral barbarian areas . Despi te the rapid

socia l decli ne o ft he La te Republ ic , t he Empir e di d

not co llapse simp ly because there we re no seri ous

opponents for three centuries. The only items of

interest militarily during this period were the

internal revolut ions and occasional forays by either

side across the boundaries. The Roman armies

rotted, as all armies do without opposition. So

when the great migrations of the third and fourth

centuries occurred, the old empire declined and

fcll, l in d t he l eg io ns b ec am e ext inct . Infantry was

t lll ll d II l1d

cnvnlry

WII~

kiI lA,

Only

t he e as te rn

1'111111 1' ~1I1 vlvI'<I,111111tlid NlIII k(.IIll ' lId

l ullIlIlIN

h



r ou tin g th e A lu n b arb ur lu n« p lu ced

there.

Y et

the

Romans on the left and the Visigoths on the right

re fused t o g ive way and a tta cked, th reateni ng the

Huns with double envelopement. Fighting was

bit ter and losses were heavy on both s ides . Final ly,

At il la s aw th ings we re not going h is way and pul led

back, although fighting raged through the night.

Chalons was a b loody ba ttl e. No qua rte r was a sked

or given. It was successful in that the Romans and

the Goths had prevented the Huns from overrun-

ning Western Europe. Had the Huns won, what

remained of civilization in the decay of Rome

would have been total ly des troyed.

It

was for the

benef it o f a ll humanit y t hat t he Hun's inva si on was

repulsed and sent back across the Rhine.

[ 5.4 ) DARAS (A.D. 530)

Byzantines: 6SD; 60C, 12BC. 1 2 . VP 61. PL 24.


Persians: 10SK, 240C, 1 3 . VP 79, PL 24.

Deploy: J-3. Stacking: 2. Leadership: Mt. Ex.


Victory Conditions: Byzantines must achieve a

Substanti ve Vi cto ry ; o r con tro l hex H . Pers ians

must prevent these condi tions.

Terrain Modifications: Ignore all terrain and

effects except for river, ford and bridge hexes.

Historical Notes: Byzantine activity along the

frontiers of the Persian Empire provoked an

invasion of Byzantine ter ri tory by 40,000 Persians

and Arabs. They were met by a young Thracian

General, Belisarius. Belisarius entrenched his

regu lar in fantr y in the cen ter o f h is li ne , pushi ng

h is ef fec tive . cava lr y (Byzanti ne cataph racts and

Hun archers) out forward on the f lanks. Bel isar ius'

i nfantr y hel d t he i nit ia l Per sian as saul t, and t hen

he sent his cavalry into the attack on both flanks,

enevloping the Persians. The Persians f led, leaving

behi nd 8 ,000 dead . The outnumber ed Byzan tines

had won because o f the t ac tic al s kil l of Be lis ar ius

and because of the quality of the Hun cavalry and,

e spec ia lly , t he Ca taph ract s, who, a rmed wi th bow,

lance, sword and other weapons, were the most

fo rmidab le f or ce i n t he ir time .

[5.5) BUSTA GALLORUM (A.D. 552)

Romans: lOPS, 15BI, 7SK, 24BC, 1 1 , 1 3 . VP

160, PL 72. Deploy: E-3. Stacking: 3. Leadership:

Mt . Ex .'

Ostrogoths: 30BI, 12HC, 120C, 1 2 . VP 139. PL

42 . Dep loy: H-3. S ta ck ing: 2 . L eade rship : Mt . Ex .


Special Rules: BI and PS units may stack two

units per hex.

Historical Notes: The Goths had overrun all of

I ta ly by 534. Two years later , the Byzantines under

Belisarius began a campaign to liberate the

peni nsul a. The Goths 'and t hei r F rank ish al li es

r emai ned undefeated, however , unti l t he eunuch

Narses moved on -Rom~' with 20,000 men. He

encountered the Franks and Goths in a narrow

pass. As both sides deployed, Gothic cavalry

charged down the pass, but were repulsed by

Byzantine missile fire. Repeated Gothic and

Frankish attacks were' unsuccessful, due largely to

Byzantine fire. Then the Byzantines went over to

the o ffens ive, w it h t he Ca taph racts going around

the f lanks in a double envelopement. Six thousand

barba ri ans wer e k il led. Na rs es ent er ed Rome , but

the Italian War was to rage for another two years.

[ 5.6 ) CASILINUM (AD 554)

Byzantines: 6PS, 981, 4SK, 15BC, 1 1 , 2 2 . VP

99; PL SO. Deploy: D-5. S ta cki ng : 3 . Leadership :

Mt. Ex.

Franks: 35BI. 12HC, 160C, 1 2 , 2 3 . VP 164,



Vic to ry Cond iti ons: F ranks mus t con tro l hex D

and exit 10 units off the north map edge road hex.

Byzantines must win a Substantive Victory or

control hexes Goo and D .

Hi sto ric al No te s: Some 30 ,000 Franks and Got hs

unde r Buccel in had i nvaded It aly , and i n 5S4 , we re

b rought to bat tl e a t Casi li num by 18,000 Romans

and Goths under the eunuch Narses. Outman-

euvered. the Barbarians were forced to attack

Na rs es on ground ofh is own choosi ng . Na rs es d rew

up his forces in a concave formation. while the

Franks attacked in a wedge formation in the

center. The Romans, however, engaged the

barbarians with missi le f ire, whi le enveloping them

with horse archers. The barbarian attack went to

pieces under a rain of arrows. After they had been

disorganized. N arses ordered an attack. The

barbarians were surrounded and wiped out , a lmost

to the man. The battle had many parallels to that

o f Cannae i n ta cti ca l outcome .

[5.7) HYPOTHETICAL SCENARIO

Marian Army: 30SD, 12LC, 12SK, 1 1 , 1 2 . VP

110, PL 55. Deploy: E-3. Stacking: 4.

Belisarian Army: 12SK, 240C, 20BC, 1 1 . VP

145, PL 58. Deploy: D-3. Stacking: 3. Leadership:

Mt. Ex.


H is to ric al No te s: Th is is a hypotheti cal s cena rio

representing what were probably the two finest

ancient armies. The Roman Army appears as it

emerged from the Marian Reforms, in which

condition it won Caesar's famous victories. The

Belisarian Army features the powerful cataphracts

and Asian-style horse archers. This type of army

enab led Be li sar iu s t o win many v ic to ri es , a lmos t

always against super ior numbers .

[6 0] DESIGNER S NOTES

[6.1) GENERAL SYSTEM COMMENTS

PRESTAGS is. of course. an attempt to unify five

older games. namely Armageddon. Phalanx,

Centurion. Dark Ages and Renaissance of Infantry

into one compatible system. Many of the older

games dif fered widely in their levels of complexity

and t hei r a tt emp ts t o s imu la te the vari ous per iods

of warfare. For example. in the original Phalanx

sys tem. each counte r had an actual s tacking poi nt

value and it was nece ss ar y to compute t hes e va lues

not only at the end of the Movement Phase, but

also during the course of movement. in the

Movement Phase. There were also more res tr ic tive

leadership rules. that forbade a unit from

eff ect ivel y doing any th ing outs ide of l eader sh ip

control radius (which was also more limited). In

that game, a unit could not even turn facing to

mee t an enemy a tt ack wi thou t l eade rship .

A great deal can be learned from these games, the

o ld f ive and t he new f ive. by t he game p layer abou t

how and why game systems develop. The first two

games. Renai ss ance o f In fant ry ( ori ginall y pub-

l ished in S&T nr, 22) and Cent ur ion (publi shed in

S&T nr. 25) . wer e or ig inall y done by a consort ium

of t alent headed byJames Dunn igan . AI Nofi , and

R. A. Simonsen. These produced many innova-

tions. but the games esentially concentrated on

certain mechanical aspects. while ignoring the

human; thus f ac ing was invented i n th is peri od . a s

we ll a s f euda l c aval ry cha rges . e tc . • but t he re we re

no effective leadership control rules. Then John

You ng took over the leadership in pre-Seventeenth

Century tactical games and designed and de-

veloped Phalanx. and cooperated with S.B. Pat rick

on the Dark Ages game. These games essentially

bu ilt on the basis of the prior two games. and

continued expanding by incorporating innovat ions

such as contact and very restrictive leadership

factors .: as well as expanding the variety of

counters.

F inall y. Armageddon (S&T nr . 34) was done. Th is

was a complet e reve rs al f rom the complexit y leve ls

that had been inco rpor ated in to Phal anx and Dark

Ages . The f eel ing a t that t ime was t ha t the s imple st

gaine pos si ble would be most wi de ly accepted. The

period lent itself to this since almost nothing

concrete is known about the warfare.

least) el1joyed---;~;;~y- of'

-t ~

game restrictions

(leadership. feudal cavalry. etc.), this could be

ove rdone. They wanted t he fl avou r o f t he r ul es. but

s til l demanded a funct iona l , game.

•

In th is l ate st a tt emp t. PRESTAGS is a tt empti ng to

satisfy almost all the people who will buy these

games. There are at least two or more levels of

complexity in every game. The scenarios have been

checked fo r accur acy a t l eas t th re e t imes. Many of

the inhibiting rules have been changed to

moderate their inf luence. New scenarios have been

included. and o ther s r ev is ed.

Most impor tant ly, these games are also completely

homogeneous. Although many people indepen-

den tl y have li nked t he pr ev ious ly pub li shed

games. this system has been designed from the

ground up to demonstrate the ebb and flow of

military systems. throughout most of recorded

history. and to permit the game player to match

them in any way desired. For the first time it is

possible to match the pharaoh's armies against a

Spanish tercio, or Alexander the Great against

Scipio Africanus. This is possible only due to the

earlier games. and the advance of the state of the

art.

'-

[ 6. 2) LEGION DESIGNER'S NOTES

Legion is the only game in the PRESTAGS series

that r evol ve s a round a si ng le , a lmost con ti nuous

empire. It proceeds from the founding of the

Marian Legion to the heyday of the Byzantine

Empire. Basically, the prior Roman armies,

a lthough enormously successful, were defensive,

meant to fight on homeground and break the

normal attacker. a spear pahalanx. By 100 B.c.,

most import ant opposing sys tems and powers wer e

destroyed or in eclipse. Rome had no real

compet it ion f or empi re . So the Mari an Legion was

shaped to enable a full phalanx to be formed with

the consequent ability to deliver a hard shock

against the increas ingly less r igid formations in the

per ipheral barbarian areas . Despi te the rapid

soc ia l dec line of t he La te Republi c. the Empire di d

not co llaps e s imply because ther e we re no seri ous

opponents for three centuries. The only items of

interest militarily during this period were the

internal revolut ions and occasional forays by either

side across the boundaries. The Roman armies

rotted. as all armies do without opposition. So

when the great migrations of the third and fourth

centuries occurred, the old empire declined. and

fe ll. and the l eg ions became ext inct. I nfantr y was

dead and cavalry was king. Only the eastern

empir e sur vived . and d id so l ike the o ld Romans by

developing a competing, but superior system,

based on the marvelous cataphracts. There was

one l ast moment o f g lo ry under Just in ian , i n Af ric a

and Italy, before the tide of Islam erased any

chance of the empire being restored.

Documents

Legion Exclusive.pdf