Biblical Dry Run - Turn One

Battlefield with both armies deployed

Close-up of where the action is likely to be

The rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming seem to make no mention of the effect of rough and/or rocky ground, except to state that it provides "cover."

We agreed, however, that rocky ground should be treated as woods, which means it is impassable to chariots, reduces movement by close-order infantry to 4cm (their normal move is 8cm), but does not impede auxiliaries or open-order infantry.

Troops in rocky ground, as with troops in woods, will suffer half the normal number of hits from shooting, and melees are fought very differently from ones on open ground.

We will treat rough ground similarly, except it does not provide cover and so will not reduce hits from shooting 

Hebrews

Reg, having won the dice-off to decide who moves first, advanced the two columns of auxiliaries into the rocky patches, and also advanced, but more cautiously, the connecting unit of auxiliaries.

The Gadite javelinmen on the Hebrew left advanced to near the edge of the rough ground.

None of my men is quite within slingshot range (16cm), so the Hebrew turn ends here.

Before getting to my half-turn, there is the question of bow range to be considered.

Under the rules there are two ranges for archery - 24cm for troops on foot, 16cm for troops on horseback.

But what about charioteers armed with bows?

They are on foot in as much as they are standing on a mobile shooting platform, but the platform is being pulled by horses and so is not as stable as terra firma.

The rules do not clarify the matter, but it is clear from reading the preamble to the biblical section that it is the lessened stability of cavalry that lowers their bow range, and so I think it fair that the maximum range of chariot bows should be 16cm.

Egyptians 

Accordingly I advance all three of my chariot units so they are in range of the Benjaminite slingers in the rocky ground on the Hebrew right.

The infantry in the plain remain where they are.

On the hill I order my righthand archers to turn and advance to get alongside the unit of marine archers.

Close-order archers have a move of 8cm, but half of this is lost if deviating more than 30 degrees.

The rules do not explain the mechanics of this, but since pivoting would be a very slow process, it seems fairest to let the archers turn, and then advance 4cm, which indeed put them alongside their archer comrades.

After movement, but before shooting is calculated

My Royal Squadron, on the extreme left, shoots first. One die per base is rolled, 4+ being needed for a hit.

I threw 6, 5, 3 and 1 - two hits. However this is halved because the Benjaminites are in rocky ground.

In addition, all Early Hebrews have light armour, which means a saving throw of 6 negates a hit, and Reg does roll a 6.

My middle chariot squadron now shoots, rolling two 6s and two 1s. Again the two hits are reduced to one, thanks to the Benjaminites' rocky ground, and again the saving throw lands as a 6.

With my frustration mounting, my third chariot squadron shoots, rolling 6, 4, 3 and 2 - one hit. The rocky ground halves that, so I roll a die with a 50:50 chance of the hit standing, and a 5 means it does.

But believe it or not, Reg again comes up trumps with a saving-die roll of 6.

For anyone whose maths is not their strong point, the odds of negating all three hits was 215-1 against - no wonder I was quietly fuming!

The plucky (lucky?) Benjaminites' view of the massed Egyptian chariots, with Sherden to the charioteers' right