Talavera In 3D - Turn One

Map

Ready for the off

My three activation dice land 4, 2, 1. I reroll the 1, getting a 5.

Both cavalry units in area 2 advance two hexes, and I move the infantry in area 4 and 5 forward a hex each.

The AI's four activation dice land 6, 5, 3, 1. Wildcard 6 is rerolled, becoming a 2.

In area 1 the infantry roll a 1, but 1 & 2 only have an effect if there is a nearby hex with trees in it.

The infantry in area 2 also roll a 1, and the artillery do not move as they cannot move to a hex that would put enemy troops in range and line-of-sight.

In area 3 the cavalry advance diagonally right two hexes, putting them behind the large hill, three hexes away from my further-forward horsemen. The infantry advance diagonally right.

In area 5 the cavalry advance two hexes into the trees behind Talavera. The forward infantry occupy the trees directly ahead of them. The rearward infantry also advance a hex.

The right-flank French cavalry, although sheltering behind high ground, may find they have advanced precipitately if I am able to activate units in area 2 next turn

Talavera In 3D - Setting Up

Map - orientated with East at the top

I win if, at the end of turn 10, there are more Allied than French units east of La Portiña, a tributary of the River Tagus.

I have gone for exactly the same setup as before

That may show a lack of imagination, but really Wellesley's options are limited, and I could not come up with a better formation.

The AI has set up with a strengthened left flank

The AI set up very differently first time through

Talavera In 3D

THE 13th scenario in Mike Lambo's Battles Of Napoleonic Europe is the Battle of Talavera, with the human taking on the persona of Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington.

He commands an Anglo-Germano-Spanish force of five units of infantry, two of cavalry and one of artillery.

The AI has Marshal Jean-Baptiste Jourdan (mistakenly called Marshal Soult in the book) and an all-French army consisting of seven units of infantry, two of cavalry and one of artillery.

Map of the battlefield - the Allies start below the red dashed line

Map converted to 3D, using Hexon II tiles and a variety of scenic items from my collection

My Allied army - the figures are 10mm-scale by WoFun of Transylvania

The French army

Going into this scenario, my 3D score against the AI is 7-4, or 7-5 if the battle I started a unit short is included.

At the same stage first-time through, using maps and counters from Lambo's book, I led 7-6, having played one scenario twice (if the replay is excluded, the score was tied 6-6).

Inglorious

I RECENTLY spent £16, plus £5 post and packing, on 100 10mm Philistines from Old Glory.

There was no photo of them at the company website, but, I thought, what could go wrong?

The answer is that instead of 100 figures, I received 20 blocks of five figures, joined not only at the base, but at the shoulder and arm, so there is no possibility of separating them.

Complete waste of money

Slingshot 363

THE Mar/Apr issue of the Society of Ancients' magazine Slingshot has a wide variety of articles to suit many tastes.

Slingshot 363 - something for almost everyone

But the one thing it does not have is a wargame, ie a report on a battle fought on the tabletop.

I play a lot of chess, and I would be astounded if I were to buy a chess magazine and found it did not contain a single chess game.

I realise the hobbies are not identical, even if one arguably evolved from the other - "chess with a thousand pieces," etc. Nevertheless ...

Adding Stability

LAST year I bought two slightly different packs of 54mm-scale trees in preparation for relaunching Project Kaiser, my refighting of the Franco-Prussian War.

I was very pleased with the purchase, except that the trees in one pack proved unstable.

Stability has been fixed, or at least vastly improved, by fixing steel washers to the bottom of the trees' bases

The 12 trees standing proud

The contents of both packs

Palms

LAST month, on a visit to Bavaria, I found a set of palm trees that should go well with my 10mm biblical project.

I knew when I bought them there was next-to-no-chance of the trees standing by themselves.

But they are absolutely fine on leftover 20x20mm steel bases from my War of the Austrian Succession project

Midianite archers defending the same palm grove

Tree-mendous!

MY recent purchase of a pack of 15 deciduous trees in Bavaria means I now have quite a forest of 10mm-scale trees, both evergreen and deciduous.

A good mix

Updated Biblical Cheat-Sheet

HERE is a cheat-sheet for the core of my adapted rules for fighting biblical-era battles with 10mm miniatures.

They are based on Neil Thomas's rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, but you will need that book for specific points not covered here, and in general for how the rules operate on the tabletop.

Some of the adaptations are a result of my studying the period, and of how I like a wargame to work, with some adapted from Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame books.

MOVEMENT

Open-order cavalry, light chariots: 24cm

Close-order cavalry, heavy chariots, camelry: 20cm

Open-order infantry, auxiliary infantry: 12cm

Close-order infantry: 8cm

Turning more than 30° from straight-ahead costs half the movement allowance, except for open-order troops, camelry and light chariots, who are not penalised.

Variation: when a unit tries to use at least 75% of its movement allowance, roll a die, a 6 meaning 25% is added to the distance covered, a 1 meaning 25% is deducted.

MISSILE RANGES

Foot bows and slings: 24cm

Mounted bows: 20cm

Javelins: 8cm

Archers as well as javelinmen can shoot at attackers who make contact after having started more than 8cm away.

HITS

5+ on a die scores a hit. If it is not saved, use the following table:

Quality of unit hit  Lose base  Fall back 3cm

Elite                            1-2             3-6

Average                      1-3             4-6

Levy                            1-4             5-6

A unit that cannot fall back, either straight or within 30° of straight back, eg it is blocked by impassable terrain, by enemy troops or by friendly troops not in open-order, or it would leave the battlefield, loses a base.

A unit in a melee whose opponent falls back may follow up and immediately force another round of hand-to-hand fighting, provided the player's unit suffered fewer hits than its falling-back opponent.

MORALE

The general's unit receives a +1 modifier when testing morale.

If the unit is destroyed, every friendly unit in line-of-sight tests its morale immediately; every other friendly unit tests its morale at the start of the army's next turn.

Scene from a battle fought between Egyptians and Hebrews in late-2024 using Thomas's unmodified rules

Biblical Update - Other Changes & Clarifications

An army is defeated once the number of its units falls below half, rather than, as in Neil Thomas's biblical rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, once the number falls to a quarter.

This is, perhaps, not such a big change as might appear at first sight, at least when both sides start with eight units, as "below half" means three units and "a quarter" is two units.

However, I reserve the right in my battles to sometimes vary from the standard starting strength of eight units.

A battle beginning early in the morning can normally last 15 turns before nightfall.

Troops in difficult terrain use the same combat table as for fighting in woods.

Troops behind cover receive an extra die per base in the first round of a melee.

Gadites sheltering in a palm grove

Biblical Update - Generals

COMMANDERS, who were often also kings, played vital roles in ancient armies, and I want them represented in some way on the tabletop.

But since Neil Thomas's biblical forces in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming always consist of eight units, it would be disproportionate, in my opinion, to have an individual figure representing the general.

Instead I rule that in each army an elite unit is designated as the general's (if an army has no elite units, another unit becomes the general's, and the unit is upgraded to elite).

Such a unit receives a +1 modifier when testing morale.

But if the unit is destroyed, the general goes with it, and every friendly unit in line-of-sight must immediately test its morale, and all other friendly units have to test their morale at the start of the army's next turn.

Pharoah's chariot squadron leads Re corps at our refight of Charles Grant's Kadesh scenario 

Biblical Update - Casualties

HITS from shooting and in melees are inflicted on a roll of 5+ (rather than 4+ under Neil Thomas's biblical rules).

This obviously reduces the number of hits, but under my adaptation it is no longer necessary to score four hits to remove a base.

Instead, if a hit is not saved, roll a die:

Quality of unit hit  Lose base  Fall back 3cm

Elite                            1-2             3-6

Average                      1-3             4-6

Levy                            1-4             5-6

A unit that cannot fall back, either straight or within 30° of straight back, eg blocked by impassable terrain, by enemy troops or by friendly troops not in open-order, or would leave the battlefield, loses a base.

A unit in a melee whose opponent falls back may follow up and immediately force another round of hand-to-hand fighting, provided the player's unit suffered fewer hits than its falling-back opponent.

The overall effect of these changes is to speed the game, and in particular to stop melees dragging on, as they otherwise have a tendency to do.

A melee in rocky ground during the Battle of Palm Hill

Biblical Update - Firing At Chargers

ONE rule I have dropped from Neil Thomas's biblical section in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming concerns what happens immediately preceding a melee.

Thomas stipulates that a charge must be declared at the start of the half-turn by the attacking player and that, if contact is successfully made, the defending unit, if armed with javelins, may shoot, provided the enemy started further than 8cm away.

I am dropping the need for a charge to be declared, and I am extending the right to use defensive fire to bow-armed troops, again provided the enemy starts more than 8cm away.

Assyrian close-order archers will be among those benefitting from the increased right to defensive fire

Biblical Update - Missile Ranges

THERE are three missile ranges in Neil Thomas's biblical section of Ancient & Medieval Wargaming.

Bows on foot 24cm

Bows on horseback, slings 16cm

Javelins 8cm

I have discussed these distances in previous posts, for example here, and have made two major changes in my adaptation of the rules.

The first is that slings were not outranged by infantry archers, and so I give them the same range as bows on foot, ie 24cm.

But I have also upped the range of bows on horseback to 20cm, and have decided that chariot archers should come under this category (Thomas's rules leave the question open).

Bows and slings on foot 24cm

Mounted bows 20cm

Javelins 8cm

Egyptian bow-armed chariots in action

Biblical Update - Movement

MY rules are very much based on Neil Thomas's biblical ones in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, but the movement section has considerable input from Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame.

At the start of each turn, dice to see who has the initiative, higher score moving first. If the army has a great general, add one to the roll; if the army has a poor general, subtract one.

The higher score moves first, ie the winner does not have a choice in the matter, and the winning player picks a unit of his army to start with, and it moves, shoots, tests morale, etc, before a second unit does likewise, and so on.

Open-order cavalry and light chariots can move 24cm; close-order cavalry, heavy chariots and camelry, 20cm; open-order infantry and auxiliary infantry, 12cm; close-order infantry, 8cm.

Turning is free to open-order troops, light chariots and camelry, but other troops that deviate more than 30° from straight-ahead lose half their allowance.

When a unit tries to use at least three-quarters of its allowance, roll a die: 6, add 25% to the distance covered; 1, subtract 25% from the distance covered.

For example, a unit of close-order cavalry wants to turn to its flank and advance 8cm. Close-order cavalry have a normal movement allowance of 20cm, but since the unit turned more than 30°, its allowance is reduced to 10cm, and since 8cm is more than three-quarters of 10cm, a die is rolled. It lands as a 1, meaning the unit, perhaps because of an unexpected obstacle or confusion about the order, only covers 6cm.

This rule should not be enforced when the result would be ridiculous, eg a unit sent to defend a wall or line a river bank should not be made to move across the wall or into the river as the result of a 6 being rolled.

Assyrian close-order cavalry

*Amended 4/4/26 to make clear that open-order cavalry, as well as open-order infantry, light chariots and camelry, can turn more than 30° without losing any of their movement allowance.

Biblical Update - Moving & Firing

UNDER Neil Thomas's biblical rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming it is stated that "close-order* troops may never move and fire."

Nevertheless, a special rule for the Assyrian army allows its close-order infantry and cavalry units to fire with half their bases even after moving.

I have more-or-less kept this special rule in that I am allowing Assyrian professional close-order infantry and close-order cavalry to move and fire.

Moving on to open-order troops, he states that open-order infantry, open-order cavalry and light chariots may move and fire "under certain circumstances."

1. Open-order infantry armed with javelins may throw their javelins either before or after moving.

2. Open-order cavalry and light chariots armed with bows may shoot either before or after moving.

3. Open-order cavalry and light chariots armed with javelins may split-move, ie shoot at any point during their move.

However, no unit may shoot if charging, ie intending to force a melee.

I understand why ordinary close-order infantry armed with bows are not allowed to move and fire, but why are open-order infantry armed with bows the only open-order troops unable to move and fire?

This seems to me a clear anomaly, and I intend treating open-order archers the same as bow-armed open-order cavalry and light chariots, ie by letting them fire before or after moving.

Egyptian open-order bowmen

*He uses the word "heavy," but "close-order" is a better term, as I have explained before.

Biblical Update - Canaanites & Philistines

NEIL Thomas's Canaanite and Philistine list in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming covers "states operating in what is now Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria."

He goes on to add the Mitanni, in what is now Iraq, "and even the Hammurabic Babylonian empire."

CHARIOTS bow-armed light chariots, elite 2-4 units

SPEARMEN biblical infantry, light protection, levy 2-4 units

SKIRMISHERS javelin-armed open-order infantry, light protection, levy 2-4 units

ARCHERS open-order bowmen, light protection, levy 0-1 unit

The Philistines are allowed an extra troop type:

GUARDS biblical infantry, medium protection, average 0-1 unit

The Babylonians also receive a compulsory extra:

ARCHERS close-order bowmen, light protection, levy 1-2 units

I do not have much to say about this list at present, except that an argument can be made for upgrading the Philistine guards to elite.

Open-order archers were an integral part of many biblical armies

Biblical Update - Hittites

THE Hittite list in Neil Thomas's Ancient & Medieval Wargaming covers six centuries, and is basically the equivalent of lists 16 (Hittite Old & Middle Kingdom), 24 (Hittite Empire) and 31 (Neo-Hittite & Later Aramaean) in De Bellis Antiquitatis.

HITTITE CHARIOTS spear-armed heavy chariots, elite 2-4 units

SYRIAN ALLIED CHARIOTS bow-armed light chariots, average 0-2 units

SPEARMEN biblical infantry, light protection, levy 2-4 units

SKIRMISHERS javelin-armed open-order infantry, levy 1-2 units

There are no special rules for a Hittite army in A&MW, but two points from the list stand out.

The first is that Hittite chariots, as opposed to the chariots of their allies or vassals, are treated as melee weapons, rather than shooting platforms, and I agree with Thomas's arguments on this score.

The second point is the levy status of all infantry, which seems a little harsh, but I intend going with it unless I find convincing evidence to prove this wrong.

Hittite biblical infantry may have been impressed, but can also have something of an impressive look

Biblical Update - Elamites

THERE are lists for 11 armies in the biblical section of Neil Thomas's Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, which is a low number when compared with, for example, Phil Barker and Sue Laflin-Barker's De Bellis Antiquitatis.

Some of Thomas's lists are suitable for more than one nation's armies, with a minimum of adapting, but even so there is nothing that would be suitable for the type of Elamite army that won the Battle of Siddim in about 1800 BC, that being the first battle mentioned in the Bible.

Nevertheless it is a fairly easy process to come up with an appropriate list, and here is mine.

CHARIOTS bow-armed light chariots, elite 0-1 unit

ROYAL GUARD close-order archers, light protection, elite 0-1 unit

ARCHERS open-order, light protection, average 5-8 units

JAVELINMEN open-order infantry, light protection, levy 0-2 units

If chariots are chosen, the general - perhaps commander, or king, is a better word - will be with them. If chariots are not chosen, but the royal guard is, the army commander will be with them. If neither elite unit is chosen, the commander will be with one of the open-order archery units, which will be upgraded to elite.

At Siddim, which was probably at the south end of the Dead Sea, King Chedorlaomer of Elam and three client kings fought against the forces of five rebel Canaanite cities.

The army of the cities may have been armed to the Elamite force, but I have not looked into this in any depth yet, so I am keeping an open mind.

Seven units of Elamite archers, including one at three-quarter strength and one in close-order

Biblical Update - Midianites

I AM yet to field a Midianite army on the tabletop, but I have all the necessary figures, including an abundance of camelry.

The relevant list in Neil Thomas's Ancient & Medieval Wargaming is as follows.

CAMELRY bow-armed, open-order, light protection, average 2-4 units

SKIRMISHERS open-order javelinmen, light protection, levy 2-4 units

SLINGERS open-order, light protection, levy 2-4 units

ARCHERS open-order, light protection, levy 0-2 units

What this means is that even if a wargamer takes the full allowance of four units of camelry, all of whom are of average quality, the other four units of the army will be levy.

To my mind, 50% levy is too high, and I will change this to be that half of all non-camel units will be levy, and the other half average.

In addition, under my adaptation of Thomas's biblical rules, one of the units of camelry will have the 'general' - perhaps the title chieftain, sheikh or commander is a better choice - and thus be elite.

The Midianite list, which is meant to represent any Arab tribal army, has a special rule for camels.

This states that they have a movement allowance of 16cm and enjoy a saving roll of 4+, rather than 6, which is the norm for troops with only light protection, "if attacked by horses in hand-to-hand combat."

Two points leap out at me.

Firstly, the wording implies that if camelry attack cavalry or chariots, they do not get an enhanced roll - it only applies if the horsemen attack the camels.

Later, on the same page, Thomas writes: "(Camelry) may be able to repel chariots and cavalry owing to its enhanced armour saving-roll against horses."

I find it hard to believe this is what is really meant, and I will be giving camelry a 4+ saving roll in melees with cavalry and chariots, no matter who attacks whom.

The second point is that camelry's movement allowance of 16cm is not only 8cm less than that of light chariots and open-order cavalry, but is 4cm less than heavy chariots and close-order cavalry.

I accept that horses generally move quicker than camels, but I do not accept that camelry, which, remember, is in open-order, would manoeuvre slower than cavalry in close-order, even if the close-order would, perhaps, not have been as tight as it later became as cavalry developed over the centuries.

Accordingly I am giving camelry a movement allowance of 20cm, ie the same as heavy cavalry and chariots.

Bedouin camelry in action as part of an Assyrian-led army that took on Egyptians, using Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame ancient rules, reported on my blog just over a year ago

Biblical Update - Hebrews

NEIL Thomas's list for a Hebrew army in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming is really three lists, covering the same centuries as the Early Hebrew and Later Hebrew lists in De Bellis Antiquitatis.

(Thomas uses the word Israelite, rather than Hebrew, but this can lead to confusion after the Jewish kingdom splits into a northern part, Israel, and a southern one, Judah).

The main list, which covers Hebrew armies up until the accession of David's son Solomon to the united throne, is as follows.

SIMEONITES & EPHRAIMITES Auxiliary infantry, light protection, elite 1-2 units

GADITES & ISSACHARITES* Open-order javelinmen, light protection, average 1-2 units

BENJAMINITES Open-order slingers, light protection, average 1-2 units

OTHER SEVEN TRIBES Auxiliary infantry, light protection, average 2-4 units

One of the units of Benjaminites can be equipped with bows, rather than slings.

The army enjoys a special Guerrilla Warfare rule, designed to reflect its skill at ambushing enemies after luring them into suitable terrain.

Accordingly the Hebrew commander can add two pieces of rocky terrain anywhere on the battlefield (size of the terrain pieces is not stated, but a diagram of suggested deployment for the army shows two units in each of the pieces of rocky ground).

The Hebrew commander can also deploy two open-order units anywhere on the battlefield after the enemy has finished setting up. Again, the mechanics of this are not explained.

The second list is specifically for Solomon's army, which cannot use the Guerrilla Warfare rule, but gets an additional troop category:

CHARIOTS bow-armed light chariots, elite 1-3 units

With this addition I think it only fair that the Simeonites and Ephraimites lose their elite status, becoming average.

The third list is for armies after Solomon, ie for the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, and ignores all the above.

Instead Thomas says to to use the list for Canaanite and Philistine armies, and I will look at this later. 

*"Issacher" in A&MW, but clearly Issacharites is meant.

Hebrew army at the Battle of Palm Hill

Left-to-right in the photo are Issacharite javelinmen; Benjaminite slingers and Ephraimite auxiliary infantry in rocky ground; two ordinary bands of auxiliary infantry in the centre rear; more Benjaminite slingers and Simeonite auxiliary infantry in the second patch of rocky ground; Gadite javelinmen.

Biblical Update - Assyrians

THE Assyrian army list in Neil Thomas's Ancient & Medieval Wargaming is titled New Assyrian Imperial, and covers the years 750-610 BC.

The dates are uncontroversial, at least from a new-versus-conventional chronological viewpoint, and Thomas's dates are essentially the same as the Neo-Assyrian Empire (745-681 BC) and Later Sargonid Assyrian (680-609 BC) lists in De Bellis Antiquitatis by Phil Barker and Sue Laflin-Barker.

CHARIOTS Heavy chariots, elite 1-2 units

CAVALRY Close-order cavalry, light protection, elite 1-2 units

LINE INFANTRY Professional close-order infantry, medium protection, elite 2-4 units

AUXILIARY INFANTRY Auxiliary infantry, light protection, average 2-4 units

ARCHERS Open-order infantry, light protection, levy 0-2 units

There are two special rules for the Assyrians - terror and mixed units.

The terror rule has it that enemy troops in hand-to-hand combat with any Assyrians, apart from archers, must test their morale before the first round.

The mixed-units rule means Assyrian cavalry, line infantry and auxiliary infantry are assumed to be equipped with bows, and can shoot with half of their bases each turn even if they have moved.

There is a fair bit in the above with which I am not happy.

For starters, since a Thomas army has eight units, it is possible using his list to field an Assyrian army in which three-quarters of the units are elite, eg by selecting two units of chariots, two of cavalry and two of line infantry, along with two units of auxiliary infantry.

I also do not understand why the average infantry are regarded as auxiliary infantry, rather than biblical infantry.

My version of the above list is therefore:

CHARIOTS Heavy chariots, elite 1-2 units

CAVALRY Close-order, light protection, average 1-2 units

PROFESSIONAL INFANTRY Professional close-order, heavy protection, average 2-4 units

SPEARMEN Biblical infantry, medium protection 2-4 units

ARCHERS Open-order infantry, light protection, levy 0-2 units

Note that as well as debuffing the quality of cavalry and professional infantry, from elite to average, I have upped the protection of professional infantry from medium to heavy, and of spearmen from light to medium.

This is because professional infantry tended to have both large shields and body armour, while spearmen - at least the ones I have painted - have large shields.

I am keeping the terror rule, but I am only allowing cavalry and professional infantry to use the mixed-units rule.

A 13-unit Assyrian army, plus a general in a chariot, organised for a battle using Bob Cordery's ancient rules in The Portable Wargame

Biblical Update - Egyptians

THE Egyptian army list in the biblical section of Neil Thomas's Ancient & Medieval Wargaming is designed for New Kingdom Egypt and is dated 1200-800 BC.

That is because Thomas is using Egyptologist David Rohl's controversial - putting it mildly - new chronology, which has not found mainstream acceptance, but is popular with conspiracy theorists.

More conventional dates are found in version 3.0 of De Bellis Antiquitatis, where Phil Barker and Sue Laflin-Barker give 1543-1069 BC.

The dates are not important for my current purposes - what counts are the units in the A&MW list, which is as follows (using my terminology, where it differs from Thomas's).

CHARIOTS Bow-armed light chariots, elite 1-3 units

SPEARMEN Biblical infantry, light protection, average 2-4 units

ARCHERS Close-order bows, light protection, average 1-2 units

SHERDEN GUARD Auxiliary infantry, medium protection, elite 0-1 unit

The list has a special rule that allows one unit of spears to be upgraded to medium protection, thanks to the men having body armour as well as shields.

This mostly strikes me as very reasonable, except for one thing - the defensive protection of the spearmen.

Under Thomas's biblical rules, all troops are classified as having light, medium or heavy protection.

He writes: "If a soldier is equipped with a breastplate or a shield, he counts as having light armour; if he has a breastplate and a shield, he has medium armour. These ratings can be augmented if the man has extra armour, horse armour, or an unusually large shield."

To my mind Egyptian spearmen, at least the ones in my collection, have unusually large shields, and so I am going to classify all such units as enjoying medium protection.

That makes the corrected list as follows.

CHARIOTS Bow-armed light chariots, elite 1-3 units

SPEARMEN Biblical infantry, medium protection, average 2-4 units

ARCHERS Close-order bows, light protection, average 1-2 units

SHERDEN GUARD Auxiliary infantry, medium protection, elite 0-1 unit

This incidentally does away with the special rule for upgrading the protection of one unit of spears.

An Egyptian army using the deployment suggested in A&MW

Biblical Update

MY long-term major project of fighting battles from the Bible with 10mm-scale figures is progressing nicely.

There is still a fair bit of painting to do, but I have been reading and researching the period, and, importantly, have settled on a ruleset.

I will be using Neil Thomas's biblical rules from Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, but incorporating ideas from Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame, as well as modifications of my own.

You will need both books to fully understand the concepts, but especially A&MW.

Here I want to discuss how the armies will be organised.

Under Thomas's rules, an army always consists of eight units, and each unit almost always consists of four 40x20mm bases, aligned in two ranks of two bases.

I like this approach, especially for the pre-classical ancient period, when information on army sizes is very limited, and usually very biased.

In addition, knowledge of unit organisation and tactics are usually extremely limited - guesswork is the order of the day.

So normally I will follow Thomas, albeit reserving the right to vary unit numbers when I feel it is necessary.

In my experience the rules work perfectly well with more units on the table, and with rival armies fielding different numbers of units.

Thomas has nine types of unit for his biblical armies.

Five are on foot: heavy infantry, biblical infantry, heavy archers, auxiliary infantry and light infantry.

Four are mounted in one way or another: heavy cavalry, light cavalry, heavy chariots and light chariots.

I have discussed before why I disagree with some of the terms he uses as I think they can be inappropriate and confusing.

For example, Thomas's heavy archers often have neither shields nor armour - the defining criterion for them is that they fight in close order.

Below I list Thomas's nine types of troops, my names for them, how many figures there should be per base, and the basic characteristics of each type.

THOMAS'S NAME     MY NAME                 FIGURES

Heavy infantry            Professional infantry       6

Well-drilled, fulltime, close-order, often with heavy protection, ie shield and body armour.

Biblical infantry          Biblical infantry              6

The great bulk of close-order melee infantry.

Auxiliary infantry       Auxiliary infantry            4 

Disciplined melee infantry, but in looser formation. They move quickly, and are a match for biblical infantry (but not professional infantry) in hand-to-hand fighting in, and are especially effective in difficult terrain.

Heavy archers           Close-order archers           6

Bows in close-order formation. Do not carry shields, but can have full mail armour, but can also have just medium or light protection.*

Light infantry            Open-order infantry          2

Skirmishers equipped with bows, slings or javelins.

Heavy cavalry           Close-order cavalry          3

Usually melee troops. Often, but not always, protected with shield and body armour, and the horse may have protection too.

Light cavalry             Open-order cavalry          1

Mounted version of open-order infantry.

Heavy chariots           Heavy chariots                 1 (plus crew)

Chariots designed for close combat.

Light chariots             Light chariots                   1 (plus crew)

Chariots designed for shooting, usually with bows.

*Troops have heavy, medium or light protection, needing a saving throw to negate a hit of 4+, 5+ or 6 respectively.

Six units of javelin-armed open-order cavalry - figures from Newline Designs

Handy Find

AM visiting Bad Wörishofen, a Bavarian spa town that seems to cater to upmarket hypochondriacs.

That may be a little unfair, but there is no doubting the numerous health facilities and swanky hotels.

This is very much off-season as most of the town's medical treatments are based around hydrotherapy, which requires walking through water troughs that only fully operational in the summer months.

As well as hotels, spas and smart restaurants, there is a large toy shop that I suspect does a good trade with indulgent grandparents.

It has also done a decent amount of business with me this year.

These four palm trees will enhance a desert oasis

A pack of 15 deciduous trees that could make a small wood or orchard

The palms have stability issues that I should be able to solve fairly easily, but there is no such problem with the 15 green 'uns

I cannot deny that the palm trees were expensive, but I have found it difficult to obtain suitable such models for 10mm-scale battle scenes.

More Hittite Infantry

Four more units of 10mm Hittite infantry

These are again from Newline Designs, and painted using my new glued-to-the-base method.

Charity Begins At Orpington

WHENEVER I find myself with spare time in a place I have not visited for a while, I like to tour the charity shops.

I am mostly looking for unusual history and travel books, but at the Kent town of Orpington earlier this month I made two finds much more directly related to wargaming.

First up, and costing 50p each, were these 75ml tubes of acrylic paint - compare their size with the regular 18ml Citadel pot - from children's charity Demelza

The second find, costing £1.99 for the pair at Age Concern, was these approximately 10mm-scale boats

I very much hope the lefthand tube will make an acceptable flesh colour, while white is always useful, and I am sure I will find uses for the purple.

The boats may only play a decorative role, but will be none the worse for that.

New Painting System

I HAVE painted my first unit of Hittite infantry, arranged for Neil Thomas's biblical rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming.

10mm figures from Newline Designs

Previously I have painted 10mm figures by first fixing them with Blu Tack to coffee stirrers - the type easily obtainable in Costa, Caffè Nero, etc.

But recently I took a new approach, at least when painting troops in open-order, gluing them to already-painted bases.

This worked so well that I decided to try the same technique for close-order infantry, the result being the figures above.

As usual with 10mm troops - at least, with my 10mm troops - it does not pay to inspect them too closely.

However, to be fair, 10mm figures are not meant for close scrutiny. Spears, for example, are almost as thick as legs, and facial features are very limited.

But I like the from-a-distance look, and there is no doubt that painting figures glued to bases, rather than Blu Tacked to thin strips of wood, leads to far fewer messy accidents.

Summing Up Our Refight Of Wörth

THE original Battle of Wörth saw the Germans suffer about 10,000 casualties, a third less than the French.

This was in stark contrast to Spicheren and, to a certain extent, Wissembourg/Weissenburg, where, although the Prussian-led armies were victorious, they suffered high casualties.

Our refight of Wörth started slowly, but as German, especially Prussian, reinforcements reached the battlefield, the casualty rate swiftly climbed.

It ended with a German victory, but with strength-points lost only just higher for the French, although the latter lost two complete units to the Germans' one.

Reg and I agreed the refight seemed quite realistic, despite the toy-soldierish nature of the affair, and it was certainly enjoyable, a testament to the rules, based largely on those of Neil Thomas, but with a major input from the writings of Bob Cordery.

Wörth - Turn Seven

Situation after six turns

I roll for reinforcements, but fail to bring the final Bavarian infantry brigade to the table.

Both my guns are still masked by friendly troops. There seems no point in manoeuvring the forward, Prussian gun, but I order the other gun to advance, although the gunners do not respond (I roll a 2 for activation - one less than is required for non-Prussian Germans).

My four-base infantry south of Niederwald finish crossing the Sauer, advance two hexes and fire at the two-base French infantry, but a -1 modifier for shooting in the same turn as moving means no hit is inflicted.

My two-base infantry bayonet-charge the same French unit, but only the French inflict a hit, and it becomes the compulsory loss of a strength point.

My three-base infantry north of Niederwald are ordered to charge the French infantry directly ahead, but fail to activate, and so shoot instead. However, their morale is clearly shaky as they fire wildly, causing no damage.

The Bavarian infantry are similarly unsuccessful in shooting at the French opposite them.

I next choose to fight the melee between my lancers and the French gun crew in Frœschwiller. I roll a 4, which, thanks to the lancers being cavalry in hand-to-hand combat with artillerymen, is enough to score a hit, despite a -1 modifier for the French being in cover. MacMahon fails to score a hit, but the hit his men suffer can be resolved as withdrawing a hex, and this is what he chooses.

This means the artillerymen, with their gun, leave Frœschwiller, and my unit immediately occupies the village, and initiates another round of combat. Again I score an unanswered hit, and this time MacMahon accepts the loss of 1SP, rather than have the unit retreat to the edge of the battlefield, where it would inevitably suffer another round of meleeing.

My unit directly west of Wörth, now that the cavalry are not blocking its line-of-sight, can shoot at the three-base French northwest of Niederwald. A hit is scored thanks to the +1 modifier for my unit having more than 3SP, and the hit causes the compulsory loss of 1SP.

The other Prussian infantry west of Wörth cannot advance, but the Prussian unit that arrived on the battlefield last turn advances two hexes.

The French are hanging on, but time seems to be against them

MacMahon, perhaps hoping to get the bad news over first, starts with the ongoing artillery-v-cavalry melee, and his men duly suffer another hit, without being able to inflict one in return, and it becomes the compulsory loss of 1SP, meaning the French have lost a second unit.

The infantry melee south of Niederwald is inconclusive.

The three-base French west of Frœschwiller fail to activate, and so have to settle for shooting at the Bavarian infantry (MacMahon explained that he had hoped to have them melee with my lancers). However, there is good news for the French when his men score a hit, which eliminates the Bavarian infantry's last strength point.

The two-base French west of Niederwald advance obliquely right to take partial shelter behind the wood, from where they shoot at the nearest Prussian infantry. MacMahon rolls a 5, but -1 modifiers for having moved, and for having fewer than 3SP, mean no hit is scored.

The four-base infantry west of Niederwald turn and advance a hex, getting them off the edge of the battlefield, and shoot at the same Prussian target, this time scoring a hit. My men have nowhere to withdraw, meaning I must accept the loss of 1SP.

Another bloodthirsty turn - each side lost 3SP - means the French, in addition to losing two of their six units, have lost exactly half of their starting strength points, while the Germans have lost a relatively modest one unit and 10SP (out of 38)

With defeat inevitable - an army is beaten once its starting total of strength points or of units falls below 50% - MacMahon concedes.

Wörth - Turn Six

Situation after five turns

I roll for reinforcements, receiving a brigade of Prussian infantry.

Neither of my guns can fire as both are masked by friendly troops.

My three-base unit south of Niederwald fires at the two-base French, but I roll a 1. The other Prussian unit south of Niederwald spends this half-turn crossing the Sauer.

My three-base unit north of Niederwald shoots at the French directly ahead, scoring a hit, which proves to be the compulsory loss of a strength point.

The infantry in Wörth leave the village, and line up to shoot at the same French unit, but another 1 means no damage is done.

The infantry east of Wörth pass through the village, but have no suitable target as they are partially masked by the ongoing cavalry melee.

The Bavarian infantry in the northwest charge the French nearest them, but the melee is inconclusive.

I leave my artillery where it is.

Finally, the cavalry melee is also inconclusive.

The Prussian attack is gaining momentum

The French gun does not have a target, so MacMahon orders it to swivel within Frœschwiller in the hope of having a clear line-of-sight next turn.

The infantry south of Niederwald shoot at my three-base unit opposite them, scoring a hit, which I choose to resolve as the compulsory loss of 1SP, rather than have the unit fall back into a river hex.

The three-base French immediately northwest of Niederwald shoot at the Prussians advancing on them, scoring a hit which becomes the forced loss of a strength point.

The four-base unit northwest of Niederwald fails to activate as a 2 is rolled.

In the infantry melee the French score a hit, which I choose to resolve as making my men fall back a hex (my men fail to score a hit in return). MacMahon orders his victorious unit to follow up their success by occupying the vacated hex (this does not require an activation roll), so instigating another round of meleeing. This time both units inflict a hit. MacMahon has a choice as how to resolve the hit his men suffer, and decides to let them fall back a hex. I also have a choice, but since falling back would take the unit off the battlefield, I suffer the loss of 1SP.

In the cavalry melee, my men score a hit, and do not suffer one, and the hit is resolved as the compulsory loss of 1SP, meaning the French hussars become the first unit eliminated. My men occupy the vacated hex, and initiate a round of hand-to-hand combat against the French artillery in Frœschwiller. However, despite my unit receiving a +2 modifier for being cavalry fighting artillery, I fail to score a hit thanks to rolling a 2, as there is a -1 modifier for the enemy being in cover. MacMahon rolls a 5, but a -2 modifier for being artillery fighting cavalry means the French also do not score a hit.

A relatively bloodthirsty turn means the French have now lost 8 strength points (out of a starting total of 22SP) and one unit, while the Germans have lost 7SP, having started with 38SP

Wörth - Turn Five

Situation after four turns, looking from above the Prussian-controlled east bank of the Sauer, with Bavarian reinforcements arriving from the north

I do not receive any reinforcements this turn.

My rearward artillery fire at Frœschwiller, but I roll a 1. My forward artillery fire at the infantry next to Frœschwiller, but again I roll a 1.

The Bavarian infantry in the northwest corner of the battlefield shoot at the French infantry nearest them, scoring a hit - just - with a 4. The hit is resolved as either the loss of a strength point, or falling back a hex, and MacMahon chooses the latter.

The Bavarian lancers advance to the outskirts of Frœschwiller.

My Prussian infantry south of Niederwald shoot at the two-base French opposite them, but the die lands as a 2.

The Prussians in Wörth shoot at the French infantry beside Frœschwiller, easily scoring a hit, which is resolved as the French falling back a hex.

The Prussians in the river hex emerge and shoot at the only target in range, the French artillery in Wörth, rolling a 5. There are -1 modifiers for having moved and for the target being in cover, but a +1 modifier for having more than three strength points, so a hit is scored, which is resolved as the compulsory loss of 1SP.

The brigade behind Frœschwiller remains where it is. Really I should have ordered the unit in Frœschwiller to advance, so the other brigade could enter the village.

Finally, my rearward infantry on the left flank start to cross the Sauer.

The crunch point of the battle seems near

The artillery in Frœschwiller fire at the Bavarian infantry, but without effect.

The French infantry south of Niederwald shoot at the Prussians nearest them, but also unsuccessfully.

The hussars charge the Bavarian lancers, but soon think better of it after failing to score a hit in the melee, while suffering one themselves. The hit is resolved as the compulsory loss of 1SP.

The three-base French infantry move so as not to block the line-of-sight of the unit next to them, and turn to shoot at the Bavarian infantry, but miss.

The unblocked infantry fire at the same target, scoring a hit, which I choose to resolve as the loss of a strength point, rather than have the unit leave the battlefield (Reg and I, after a quick conflab, agreed the unit would not be able to re-enter).

Finally, the other full-strength French infantry brigade advances to shoot at the Prussians who have just crossed the Sauer. A roll of 5 is enough for a hit, despite a -1 modifier for moving. The hit is resolved as the compulsory loss of 1SP.

With both armies losing 2SP this turn, the French have lost 6SP and the Germans 4SP