Byzantiad -

 

Looking at the dates of these pictures indicates this battle was fought out more than three months back - at the end of April.  How time flies! The thing was a kind of experiment, using my 15mm metal armies on my large(ish) hex board. Of course, the single, DBA-style mounted elements would look lost within hexes 10cm across, but, having plenty of figures and elements to play with, that was the point of this action.

Each element represented a strength point (SP), and could be removed whenever on was lost. As the skoutatoi  and kataphraktoi (klibanophoroi) were double-based, they had to have a SP loss indicator. All units had 4SP, being differenced by weight, otherwise the whole thing was Portable Wargames as she is spoke.

The action purported to be fought somewhere in the Balkans: a large scale raid by Bulgars, or perhaps a Byzantine punitive expedition into Bulgaria. The armies comprised:

Byzantine:
Commanded by Emperor Dementius himself - single element 6SP
1 unit kataphraktoi - Cataphracts (mace/lance/bow), 4SP (elite) 
1 units tagmatic kavallarioi - Heavy Cavalry (lance, bow), 4SP (elite)
2 units thematic kavallarioi - Heavy Cavalry (lance, bow), @4SP (average) = 8SP

1 unit prokoursatores - Lance/Bow  Light Horse (lance, bow), 4SP (average) 
1 unit Varangian Guard - Close Order Spear, 4SP (elite)
2 units skoutatoi - Protected Bowmen (spear, bow), @4SP (average) = 8SP
1 unit peltastoi - Loose Order Spear (spear, javelin), 4SP (poor)
1 unit akontistai - Light Infantry (javelins), 4SP (average) 
1 unit sphendonistai - Light Infantry (sling), 4SP (poor) 

Totals:
12 units, median 6.
50SP: Exhaustion Point = minus 17; Rout Point = minus 25

Bulgar: 
Commanded by Kavkhan Attaboi - single element 6SP
2 Heavy Cavalry (javelins, bow), @4SP (elite) = 8SP
5 Bow Light Horse (javelins, bow), @4SP (average) = 20SP
4 Close Order Spear, @4SP (average) = 16SP
1 Bowmen, 4SP (poor)
1 Bow Light Infantry, 4SP (average)

Totals:
14 units, median 7.
58SP: Exhaustion Point = minus 20; Rout Point = minus 29.

The slight difference in overall strength points in favour of the Bulgars is (supposedly) offset by the slight qualitative advantage that the Byzantines have, especially in the weight of their mounted arm.

Let's look at some pretty pictures of the Byzantine army: 

Peltastoi and thematic kavallarioi.

More thematic kavallarioi, kataphraktoi (with the Emperor), and the two units of skoutatoi. Note that in some war games army lists the kavallarioi are called kataphraktoi, and the heavier type, klibanophoroi. I tend to favour the terms used in the Praeceptor of Nikephorus II.

Tagmatic kavallarioi obscured by the Varangian Guard. Akontistai javelinmen form the skirmish line on this flank.

Early moves. The Bulgars seize the villages, filling the forward central village with light infantry javelinmen. As the Byzantine foot move up, enemy light horse begins to harass their line. The prokoursatores, a far-flung left flank guard, is coming under pressure from Bulgar horse archers. One of the thematic cavalry units (white shields) goes off to lend them a hand. 

The blue shield skoutatoi push for the gap between the twin villages to their right and rising ground to their left. The peltastoi mount the ridge (off the top of the above pic, clearer in the pic below), whilst the light slingers provide the link between the two. The red shield skoutatoi have taken some hurt from the javelinmen in the village, but the akontistai have inflicted the same upon a light horse unit as the Varangian Guard range up alongside.

An archery battle begins on the Bulgar left. The flanking spearmen take a loss, but the Byzantines early on take worse hurt. The Bulgar heavy horse archers cause losses to the tagmatic cavalry, and the javelinmen in the village halve the strength of the Varangian Guard - rather bad luck for elite troops.

This does no more than annoy the Byzantine cavalry, which engages enemy heavy horse led by the kavkhan himself. The impetuosity of the charge throws the Bulgars back (the Byzantine combat roll overcame the advantage to the Bulgars' presence of their commander).

Meanwhile, action on the Bulgar right is little more than skirmishing. The Byzantine light horse is driven back, but at heavy cost to the Bulgars. Between them, prokoursatores and kavallarioi annihilate the lead Bulgar horse archers before their comrades could lend help. The heavy horse moving up to assist are intercepted by the peltastoi on the ridge, and lose a strength point to a flank attack with javelins.

As the Bulgar heavies reel back, in come the Byzantine cavalry, to strike a heavy blow. The Bulgar heavy horse archers lose a second SP. 

Perhaps the Bulgars might yet retrieve the situation on their right, but for the pressure mounting in the centre. Both skoutatos units are entering the pass between village and the peltasts' ridge, led by the super-heavy cataphracts. The Bulgars have a couple of spear units close by, and a weakened light horse unit (having exchanged pleasantries with the slingers at the cost of a SP each) rides in to deliver volleys of arrows. 

The Bulgar left, meanwhile, draws back a little, the solid line of spears linked to the hilltop village, to which the Bulgar javelinmen have withdrawn, by Attaboi's heavy horse. The front village having been abandoned by the Bulgar light infantry, their Byzantine counterparts occupy it. 

The Byzantines advancing in the centre, the skoutatoi turn their attention to the hilltop village and begin a storm of arrows (with which the Byzantines are lavishly supplied) upon the place. In rear of the village, a unit of spearmen stands, seemingly reluctant to move from their fine position.

As the skoutatoi turn right, the Emperor turns the kataphraktoi left, his eye upon the spearmen standing beside a small wood, and a light cavalry unit farther off. The prokoursatores near the ridge have them covered.

That there are three Bulgar mounted units to hand facing two Byzantine - the latter's slingers and medium foot some distance off - might make things a bit tricky for the kataphraktoi facing the spears, but all three have taken some damage already- 4 strength points among them, for the loss of one slinger stand.

The Byzantines continue to press on the right. The red shield skoutatoi storm the hilltop village and wipe out the defending javelinmen. The kavkhan's horse nearby have to draw back away from the place, but continue to present a front, along with two spear units.

By now the Byzantines are well and truly in the ascendancy. Urged on by the Emperor, and the presence of 'Our Lady of Bachernae' the kataphraktoi charge into the spears before them, and destroy half the unit. On the far left, the white shield kavallarioi charge the depleted heavy horse, whilst between the two heavy horse units, slingers and light horse engage the enemy light horse and bowmen. Dare the Bulgar light horse attack the flank of the kataphraktoi?

Seems not - and by now the Bulgars are no longer capable of mounting counter-attacks. The Byzantines are pressing all along the front, driving back the kavkhan's retainers, shooting the spearmen off their hill, and the Varagian Guard have avenged some of their losses upon another spear unit.

The battle ends with the Bulgars exhausted and defeated, and their centre completely pushed in, only remnants of units still forming any kind of line. Reducing the Bulgars by 20 strength points, the Byzantine loss was maybe half that - an emphatic victory.

A comment on the battlefield and the troops.
As a pick-up game, I generated the terrain using Bob Cordery's method, modified for the size of my board. The Balkans being, I am supposing, pretty hilly in places where it is not mountainous, I based the generation upon that premise.

The kataphraktoi you might observe is formed of two double-stands with the figures forming a trapezoid 2+4 on each. Really they would be 'better' (for a given value of...) forming a quad-stand with the figures forming a trapezoid 6+8.  It turns out that a few weeks ago I found a lonely and long-lost kataphraktos figure amongst a bunch of spare Byzantine figures I didn't know I still had. It ought to have been shipped off to Oz with some other such figures about 6-7 years back. So this last figure could fill the gap in the front rank. Maybe.  Just as a loose figure you understand.

One of the stands is entirely lance armed - the original weapons carved away and replaced with something longer and more pointy - modelling wire and the head of a pin held together with tin-foil or paper pennons. Discovering a little more about these fellows, I arranged the next stand with

• front 2-figure rank armed with maces (plastic, cribbed from a Revell 100YW box);
• outside 2 rear-rank figures armed with lances;
• inside 2 rear-rank figures horse-archer figures armed with bows.
  

Each in their way are handsome looking units, I think.