424 BC - Trouble at the Mountain Pass

In this little adhoc fictional scenario a Spartan king meets with his allies on the road to a mountain pass to carry the war into Attica. And this time featuring: 28mm, Ancient Greeks (Plastic Warlords and others), Hail Caesar (plus house rules for Phalanx, Hoplit run and Othismus (Push of shields)), me as the Delians and Bart as Sparta!

The Athenians were trying to block the road on top of the mountain pass and waited for the Peloponnesian league forces to come, which would start the turn just having marched onto the battlefield. The victory conditions wouldn‘t be this time the count of destroyed units, but how many units Sparta and their allies would get through.

Bart started the game and re-organised his battle order into mainly a division of light forces, the Spartans and the rest. Then the Athenians slowly marched forward, some of them not be able to keep up the formation, line and phalanx ... hmm.

As the Delian forces crept nearer, something weird happened: The Spartan light division made up of 4 peltasts and a unit hippei were slolwy slaughtered (which was expected), BUT the 3 hoplite moras of their allied friend weren‘t moving at all!!! While the Spartan King and his retinue waited stoic in formation for the right moment to strike. It didn‘t look good for the invaders ...

Then the Athenian general (me) made the  crucial mistake and jumped the gun/dori and charged the waiting spartan allies. Soon a cluster fight evolved with some supports and what should be an easy push back became a devastating rout! The Delian elite unit with support was slaughtered - you could hear a needle fall in Athens.

Then the Spartan King moved with his two moras and charged the remaining Delian allies - ouch! The result was as expected they lost several combats, while the Kings bodyguard just had one(!!) casualty point loss. The  Delian light troopers nearly killed all Spartan ones and even the overall unit count was in favour of the Athenians, BUT of course, it didn‘t matter. On the mountain pass were just 2 severly beaten and shaken Athenian Hoplite units, while the Spartan King left them behind and marched towards Athens -  should his lesser allies deal with them.

Congratulations Bart, and overwhelming victory for the Spartans again! I will never make the mistake again and attack waiting Spartan/Peloponnesian forces - ever! :)

Initial set up

The Athenians

Sparta and her allies

Sparta regroups

and marched forward a bit 

The Athenian slowly creeping forward

And the new Spartan light division is formed on the slopes of the pass.

The Delians fumble while they progress ...

And the Spartan helots are getting slaughtered.

Still the Spartan allies do not move!

Athens encroaching ...

... while losing formation ...

and the Spartan helots are getting ridden down by the Thessalonikian Horse!

The Delian elite with the Athenian general charge!

A clash that could decide the battle

Its not looking good for Sparta

But then the Generals unit takes hits

Has to withdraw and the Spartan allies attack again!

A huge cluster fight!

While the Spartans wait

The generals units are getting slaughtered!

Riders on the slopes!!

The Athenian flank retreats

But yet again Spartan allies attack!

The table is now turned

Even though the Spartan hoplites are ridden down ...

The Spartan allies push forward

Now the Spartans move and attack ...

...the remaining two allied hoplite moras of Athens.

While the Delian general hides in a shaken unit

The Kings Bodyguard clash into the Delians.

The break test didn‘t go well ... as expected...

And the King and his bodyguard continues his travel to Athen ...

... leaving behind the mess of the Athenian prisoners for his allies.

The death-toll-table is 4 Spartans (but only lights) vs 3 Athenian hoplite moras!!!