The Battle of Gaugamela (Arbela)

Monday, 01 July 2013

The Battle of Gaugamela (Arbela)

Over the weekend, Paul and the Python set up the battle of Arbela from the Spartan Prestags. This battle was fought in 331 BC between the unstoppable Macedonian phalanx (and its charismatic young king, Alexander the Great) and the full military resources of the Persian Empire (under perhaps the greatest military coward of all time, Darius, King of Kings).

The battle panned out as a game of chicken between Alexander and Darius. The Macedonian army was the trouble in the battle until Alexander spied Darius through a gap in the lines and charged his companion cavalry through. Darius saw him coming and ran.

In the prestags game variant of the game, the result will never be in doubt. For one, the Persians do not have 5 times as many units (about two times I think) and the Persians get a stacking of 2 to reflect their training inferiority. So when the Macedonian phalanx hits the Persian line, it attacks with 24 against 4 - 8 (the best Persian unit is the professional spear-men with a strength of 4), the defenders with just disintegrate (with a 3-1, 4-1 or 6-1 column, worse if a leader gets involved). During that slaughter, the Persians have a chance, just a few turns before the Persian panic level is reached) to hit the Macedonian flanks with their cavalry.

Missing from the order of battle on the right were the chariots. From memory it was the last use of war chariots in the Middle East. Caesar was bemused to see them reappear in Britain 200 years later.

I recall playing this scenario 20 odd years ago as Persia and I got close, at one point surrounding the phalanxes with my cavalry, but they did not stop them before my panic point was reached.

This time, it was a draw as Paul dared not face the Python; he formed his men in a defensive circle and declared he would wait for the Persians to attack. (Historically, and in the rules, I only needed to stop him from destroying my army to prevail.) I did draw up the Persians in a non optimal long line with cavalry wings just to emphasise my numbers. (A better tactic would be to create a spearman castle with Darius in the middle, and let my cavalry run far and wide.)

It caused me to reflect on a famous exchange between Alexander and one of hist generals, Parmenion, on the night before the battle. Parmenion is recorded as saying "I would not attack if I were Alexander". The young king retorted: "Neither would I if I were Parmenion".