Remembering PRESTAGS

Another view of Herodotus

Pip has taken to swmming around that boat. I think he wants me to buy it. I'll need a job first.

Also note the traffic jam over Anzac Bridge. You would have to be mad to drive to work in Sydney...

St Saba - Paul's history?

5 December was the feast of St Saba

St Saba 

Sabbas the Sanctified

or is Paul's surname linked rather to: St Sabbas the Goth

St Sabbas the Goth

In any event,

Sancta Maria. Ora pro nobis!

Sancti Saba et Sabbas. Orate pro nobis!

Omnes Sancti et Sanctæ Dei. Orate pro nobis!

A subitanea et improvisa morte. Libera nos, Domine!

Ab insidiis diaboli. Libera nos, Domine!

A morte perpetua. Libera nos, Domine!

Peccatóres. Te rogamus audi nos.

Ut inimícos sanctæ Ecclésiæ humiliare dignéris. Te rogamus audi nos.

Ut omnes errántes ad unitátem Ecclésiæ revocare, et infidéles univérsos ad Evangélii lumen perducere dignéris. Te rogamus audi nos.

Ut ómnibus fidelibus defunctis réquiem ætérnam donare dignéris. Te rogamus audi nos.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi. Parce nobis Domine.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi. Exaudi nos Domine.

Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi. Miserere nobis.

 for the full Litaniae Sanctorum

Herodotus

Great name for a boat. I noticed the name when Pip swam over to it.

 

Sorry - Typepad knocked out some detail. Here is a close up...

History and tradition

An interesting article.

It seems that a particular view of interpreting history had a significant influence on the development of the Roman liturgy after 1962. Pope Pius XII warned of archaeologism but it seems that this is exactly what led to the 'de novo' and tectonic creation of the new lectionary rather than something that developed with an organic order.

Did the Roman Rite Anciently Have Three Readings? http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2013/11/did-roman-rite-anciently-have-three.html#.Uo_5ruJCrK0

sort of apropos of this is a quote I saw on a photography blog which I really like:

"Everything I write is a personal opinion. Even when I quote facts, they are the facts I personally choose to accept."

The other oldie but goodie: "If it isn't broke, don't fix it"

 

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".

PRESTAGS Counter of the Week (2): Elephants

Welcome to the PRESTAGS counter - the Elephants.

OK, I know it has not been a week since the post about Swordsmen, but I'm getting in early in case I miss a week later. Plus, I want to beat Maurice to the Elephants because I just know they will be his first pick for counter of the week (not that there is anything wrong with multiple posts about the same counter).

The Elephants are only in one PRESTAGS game: Spartan. I have always been amused that this counter is so unique that it was used in the summary advertising for Spartan:

For those fans of Roman history who remember Hannibal and his elephants: the battle of Zama (202 BC) can be found in Spartan and not Legion along with many other Roman battles. What are the special rules for Elephants?

Well, the first thing to remember is that Elephants "are peculiar" (like Maurice) and they "run rampant in the first Friendly Movement Phase following their involvement in any form of combat" (like Peter).

Yes, the Elephants rampage, and I think this is historically accurate. At the battle of Magnesia (190 BC) at a crucial moment the Syrian elephants stampeded through their own ranks, and so assisted the Romans to defeat Antiochus. And thus all of Asia Minor was lost to the Romans. This famous battle (and the battles below) are of course all scenarios in Spartan.

The Elephants didn't always spell doom for their own side. At the battles of Heraclea (280 BC) and Asculum (278 BC) King Pyrrhus of Epirus defeated the Romans both times with Elephants in his army. Pyrrhus only narrowly defeated the Romans at Asculum and he mourned "another such victory and we are lost". Hence the expression we still use today: a pyrrhic victory.

If you like to play Alexander the Great, you can have a crack at the Elephants on the opposing side in the battle of Arbela (331 BC). This was one of history's greatest battles, where Alexander's force of 47,000 Macedonians defeated a massive hord of 250,000 under Darius III. I can barely imagine what this incredible army of 250,000 in the ancient world must have looked like, especially to the Macedonians lining up against it.

In the case of Elephants, overall I think it is "with friends like this, who needs enemies".

PRESTAGS Counter of the Week (1): Swordsmen

Welcome to the PRESTAGS counter (or unit) - the Swordsmen.

The Swordsmen unit represents at least 100-125 men, and is the only military unit to appear in all five of the PRESTAGS games. The leader counters 1 to 4 are the only other counters in all of the games.

Not surprisingly, the Swordsmen unit is at the heart of the third (and middle) PRESTAGS game: Legion.  In the Roman civil war scenarios, most of the counters are Swordsmen. These are some of my favourite scenarios, and the ones I remember most.

I think the Roman Legionary epitomises the Swordsmen. When I see the SD counter, I think Roman Legionary (and the occasional Centurion).

Do not be deceived by the apparent 'spears' in these pictures of Roman legionaries. They are the Pilum, a heavy type of javelin used for throwing and for pinning the shields of enemies. In most periods of Roman history each Legionary carried two. But at heart, the legionary was a close quarter swordsman, and the famous Roman short sword was designed to both slash and cut, and to stab. In disciplined ranks, the Roman swordsmen were deadly.

Hoplites played PRESTAGS

Even Hoplites played PRESTAGS, although only Chariot and the earlier scenarios of Spartan.

The Battle of Zama

The battle of Zama was fought on a largely featureless plain. It does ruin the photo to have the Roman on a hill and the Catheginians swimming across a Lake to get them, but it is still a very playable scenario.

What to do with the Elephants is the question. A frontal charge was very effective in acient times in terms of breaking up the battle line. However,in Prestags it is madness as the elephats are likely to stampede and could run back into your own lines; much better to use them on the flank. In the actual battle the Roman prepared for a frontal attack and trained to open up paths to let the elephants run harmlessly through and be cleaned up by light troops in the rear. Again, in Prestag, this would be madness (you do not want a beserk elephant in your rear!)

This picture shows the army formed in standard Republican Roman lines. I think having the  Triarii as Militia Spearmen is a bit unfair. PS (Professional Spearmen) might be better. Also, Scipio won by swinging the Triarii around from his rear to turn the catheginian flank and trap the centre. The movement allowance of spearmen in Spartan and the weakness of spearmen against swordsmen (advanced rules) makes this unlikely to suceed.

I would expect the Cartheginians to win this game with their cavalry. (Russell Crowe did it with anti chariot tactics, but as a spectator said "I don't remember the Battle of Zama going like this.)

Alea iacta est!