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