Revisiting Byzantiad - ideas for a rule set.

Some recent ideas from the ever fertile region of Mark Cordone, has, along with some of my own have bethought me to reexamining a rule set I proposed about 6 years ago, but in another context. The earlier rule set I added to a few articles I wrote concerning the Vales of Lyndhurst Chronicles authored by the late Barry Taylor. Some of the ideas I used there I incorporated into the 'Map Games' I began exploring about 18 months ago.

The 'new' skoutatos unit. Just 6 men in the rear rank
(spears and bows on double depth stands) gives a 
14-figure unit - more in keeping with the 700 of close order troops 
of the unit as a whole

The new context is Mediaeval, specifically, but not exclusively, concerning events within and surrounding the Byzantine Empire c.1000AD/CE. I have put together a rule set for a FP3x3PW Byzantiad, some ideas of which appear in Bob Cordery's 'Green Compendium'. In this posting I will lay out some ideas for a 6x6 or larger grid war game. 

Most of my Byzantine horse are 'Tin Soldier',
as are the archers here. Of the provenance of the 
lancers I have no idea, or even why I have them.
Two stands  (the red shields) have had their shields
 repainted to form a new 2-stand unit

The occasion for this was that about a fortnight back, I was hunting through some boxes of stuff, and lit upon a weighty chocolate box of obscure provenance that, when opened contained a surprising surprise. Years ago, I sent off a consignment of surplus Byzantine figures to a fellow blogger in Australia (which, unasked, he reciprocated very generously). Now, among those figures were 5 klibanophoros figures. There ought to have been a sixth, but for the life of me, I couldn't find him. 

Well - there he was, in this box, with a whole bunch of works in progress. So much so, that I have been able to create a seventh unit of skoutatoi, and add a double-stand to two 3-stand units to form 4 2-stand units. I even found some armoured archers that I hadn't seen for at least 20 years!

I still have more than I ... erm ... need, but, having recruited many of these extra figures into my Byzantine Army, what is left over are oddments - like my orphaned klibanophoros dude. I do have a small number of trapezetai and heavy cavalry archers I'm not sure what to do with...

Scattered additional foot figures and 
trapezetai light horse. Four of the foot will become 
menaulion, the rest might fetch up as 
Armenians or something.

This led me to rethinking how my armies are organised. Central to the project, my Byzantines will be the benchmark, and cleave as closely as may be to the Praecepta Militaria of Nikephoros II Phokas. Although the older units and stands remain unchanged, I've placed just 3 archers in the rear rank of the new heavy infantry stands. The 14-figure 2-double-stand units represents the 700-strong close order body of a unit of troops. At 1 figure to 50 men, the skirmishing troops - slingers and javelin men - from each unit would be represented by a single 2-figure stand. These will however be brigaded together as 2 (or possibly 3) stand units.

The tricky ones are the menavlioi - a peculiar troop type capable of skirmishing, or standing in the front rank of the main body. At 4 figures the stand, they would represent 100 from each of 2 units. I have 2 such stands, and the figures to make a third. I could make a fourth, but I prefer to leave them slightly under represented. 

A 'general's' stand. Added to a 2-stand unit, it will 
add a SP. Integral to a 2-stand unit, it will add a 
SP to combat only. 

My Byzantine army won't include any of the more arcane specialist types. I'm none too clear what their artillery looked like (being unconvinced of the wagon mounted affairs), and I doubt if anyone makes fire syphoners, and I don't imagine them easy to employ on an open battlefield. Attacking or defending strong places, sound like their métier.

What about the enemies? I find I have enough Pechenegs for a DBA game, except that it is wanting a couple of War Wagons. I shall have to do something about that. Best represented are my Bulgars, but even that army is woefully dwarfed by my Byzantines. I might I think be forced to purchase a consignment of Barbaric types - Lombards, horse and foot, Bulgar heavy horse, Rus axemen, ... nothing too extreme, you understand... Many of the types can stand in for other armies, e.g. the Georgian and possibly Seljuk Turks.

For the rule set, let's start with a
Table of Troop Types:

The observant reader will at once notice that all the mounted units have been given TWO strength points (SP) only. For one thing, each stand represents 1 SP, each double-stand represents 2. The Byzantine heavy cavalry units comprised 300 men (theoretically, of course) - 180 lances and 120 archers arranged in 5 ranks. At 1 figure to 50 men, that gives us a 6-figure, 2-stand unit.  The exception is the unit of kataphraktoi (klibanophoroi, according to most sources, but I prefer the nomenclature of Nikephoros II). This unit formed a trapezoid something over 500 strong. Rounded, this allows us a 4SP unit. At the Battle of Silistria, the Emperor John Tzimiskes fielded two units of such kataphraktoi (as distinct from the heavy kavallarioi), but they were each only about 380-odd strong. I daresay I could split my unit into two separate wedges of 2SP each!

The battle reported earlier this month features 4-stand cavalry units, which look good, but I want to examine the smaller 2-stand units. 

Now, this list fits in with the rule set I have in mind. This could be played on a field 6x6 or larger of squares, or a field of hexagons instead. Note that in the above list, distance is determined in 'squares', but hexagons is implied if played on a hex field.

This will be a kind of hybrid Portable Wargames/ Command & Colours set, using my system of combat resolution. We'll start with this. In combat, roll as many dice per unit as its Strength Points. The results to be:

1 = hit on artillery, vehicles, war wagons fortifications or camp.
2 = hit on cavalry (optional retreat or SP loss)
3 = hit on cavalry
4 = hit on infantry (optional retreat or SP loss)
5 = hit on infantry
6 = hit on infantry

Now, though theoretically the Byzantines at least fielded artillery, they don't actually feature in my armies. However, my Pechenegs will have at least one war wagon, probably two for a DBA-sized game (12 units a side). 

• Each unit rolls 1D6 per SP for all shooting and close combat. 
• A general with a separate stand accompanying the unit adds 1SP for combat, and 1SP for the unit.
• A general integral to the unit adds 1SP for combat only.
• The number of combat dice might be added to or subtracted according to target or circumstance.

There are still one or two gaps and areas to play test.

1.  The menavlatoi. This really is a peculiar troop type, and might well be disregarded. DBM/DBA treats them as 'Blades (Exception)' Bd(X) - highly manoeuvrable, capable of standing in the front rank of the main body of its unit at need, but also may support the unit's sphendonistai (sling) and akontistai (javelin) skirmishers.  The chappies count as Bd(S) (superior) against 'knights' (as defined in the DB* rule sets), and as Bd(F) (fast) otherwise.  I was considering treating them a 'Axemen' but with just 2SP. Probably I should add another line to the list above: 
Menaulion 2SP, Move: 3, Weapon Range: (-), Close Combat modifier: +1 vs charging cavalry or cataphracts

2.  I have given the artillery just 1SP. One imagines that if any enemy actually makes contact with them, they wouldn't last long. But even just 1SP shooting at long range is likely to do some damage before the enemy get close. However, it may turn out to be desirable to add +1 to shooting at all but light troops (foot or horse).

3.  I want to look at extending the Portable Wargame unit activation system.  After rolling for initiative for each IGoUGo turn, the side moving rolls for the number of units that may do something
1 = median -2
2 = median -1
3 = median
4 = median
5 = median +1 
6 = median +2 
The result, if an army has, say, 12 units, is that it may move anything from 4 to 8 units, depending on the roll.                          

4.  Close Combat is initiated by moving the front of a unit to overlap a grid area containing an enemy. This counts as moving 1 grid area. If the combat remains unresolved at the end of the turn, it continues to be fought out in subsequent turns unless and until one or other side breaks off, is destroyed or retreats. The idea behind this is the notion of 'holding attacks' to pin the enemy down and/or to gain time to bring up reserves. The foot troops in particular are suited for this role; less so the horse.

5. At just 2SP, the horse will be pretty fragile for the most part, especially compared with close order foot. This is experimental, but I am hoping it will lead to more 'realistic' handling and effects.                                                                                        

Extra double-stands to be added to the other 
red and blue-shield units.

A play test to come...