SPQR: Player's Guide

Expansion for SPQR (First Edition)Expansion for SPQR (Deluxe Edition)

SPQR: Player's Guide Rulebook

Table of Contents

The Battle of Lamia, 208 B.C.
The Battle of Elis, 208 B.C.
The Second Battle of Beneventum, 214 B.C.
The Battle of Pydna, 168 B.C.

The Battle of Lamia, 208 B.C.

Phillip V of Macedon vs. The Aetolian League under Chief Magistrate Pyrrhias.

Historical Background

In 210 B.C., Marcus V. Laevinus went to northern Greece to try and form an alliance with the Aetolian League. After the promise of assistance in taking coveted territory for them, the Aetolians agreed. For Rome, the alliance with a Greek State was important. It provided her the opportunity to become involved in Greek affairs, thereby keeping powerful Macedonia, led by King Phillip V, too busy to involve itself again in the Second Punic War.

In 215 B.C., Phillip attempted to capitalize on the early successes of Hannibal by forming an alliance. However, before Macedonia could actively participate against Rome she had to attack her neighbors, an action Rome did not sit idly by and watch. Moving into Illyria, Phillip was able to quickly sieze the port of Oricum. He then continued on to Apollonia, another port, and laid siege. The control of these ports could have been used by Phillip for crossing the Adriatic into Italy. Rome's response, though small, was quite effective. After retaking the lightly garrisoned Oricum, Quintus Naevinus Crista was sent to Apollonia to reinforce the town and hopefully lift the siege. With 2,000 hand-picked men, Crista slipped past the besiegers under the cover of darkness. On the next night he led a successful raid on the Macedonian camp, killing and capturing many men. Phillip escaped the attack, but with his army dispersed, he returned to Macedonia.

Several years following the alliance between Rome and Aetolia, the Achaean League was being harassed from the south by the Spartans, and being raided from the north by the Aetolians. Adding to their troubles was the possibility of Pergamum also entering into an alliance with Rome. Threatened by all of this, the Achaens called upon Phillip for help. He responded by raising an army and setting off across Thessaly.

With Phillip on the march, the assembly of the Aetolian League sent their Chief Magistrate, Pyrrhias, with an army to intercept them. They met near the town of Lamia in north-central Greece and fought two battles. Phillip and the Macedonians were victorious in both.

Pre-Game Notes

This scenario is small by GBoH standards. Because of this, it makes a very good learning scenario for new players. It is also relatively unique for SPQR in that there are no Roman legions fielded — a few cohorts, but no legions.

Balance, Difficulty and Playing Time

Balance: Favors the Macedonians. However, due to its small size a missed trump or momentum can easily sway the battle one way or the other.
Difficulty: It is not going to get much easier than this.
Playing Time: An hour, maybe two, depending on the type and volume of beverage consumed.

Initial Deployment

Map: Use the Zama Map from SPQR.

Counters: You can find all the counters you need in SPQR. In an attempt to use the properly labeled counters for the forces represented, units of the same color appear on both sides. If this causes you undue stress, replace them with other counters of similar unit types and combat values.

Victory: The Aetolians win if the Macedonian army incurs 40 Rout Points. The Macedonians win if the Aetolian army incurs 34 Rout Points.

Macedonian Army of Phillip V

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Phillip V [OC]	Stacked with any unit
Cavalry Commander (a)	Stacked with any cavalry	Repl. Ldr. (pink)
Infantry Commander (b)	Stacked with any infantry	Philocles
Thessaly Cavalry	1611	Thessalian Cav. HC (1)
Companion Cavalry	1612-1613	Macd. HC, Guard HC
Macedonian Infantry	1615-1618	Macd. LI (1-4)
Phalanx	1619-1624	Macd. PH (1-3)
Agema Infantry	1625-1627	Epirus HI (1-3)

(a) Leader may only command cavalry units.
(b) Leader may only command infantry units.

Aetolian League Army of Pyrrhias

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Pyrrhias [OC] (a)	Stacked with any unit	Alexander
Cavalry Commander (b)	Stacked with any cavalry	Repl. Ldr. (purple)
Infantry Commander (c)	Stacked with any infantry	Milon
Aetolian Cavalry	3211-3213	Aetolia LC, Grk Mrc LC (1-2)
Psioli Levy	3215-3216	Crete & Applnia LI
Romans (d)	3217-3219	AS/XIV Cohorts (a-c)
Aetolian Hoplites	3220-3223	Aetolian HI (1-4)
Aetolian Peltasts	3224-3231

(a) Pyrrhias has a Strategy Rating of 2.
(b) Leader may only command cavalry units.
(c) Leader may only command infantry units.
(d) These represent about 1,000 Roman reinforcements.

Army Size and TQ Levels

Army	Size	TQ	Rout Level (b)	Quality Ratio (c)
Macedon	88	115	35%	6.26
Aetolian	69	84	40%	5.25

(a) All figures exclude Skirmishers.
(b) The rout levels are high to reflect the level of confidence felt by the participants, and (more importantly) takes into account the small number of units involved. (We didn't want an army to rout after losing just 3 counters.)
(c) We are using a new method to determine this ratio: average TQ per unit (not per SP).

The Battle of Elis, 208 B.C.

Phillip V of Macedon vs. The Aetolian League and Sulpicius Galba.

Historical Background

After defeating the Aetolians at Lamia, a thirty day truce was proclaimed and Phillip moved his army to Achaea. Once a garrison was in place, he left to attend the Nemean games and further his political position within the region.

During this time, the Achaean Chief Magistrate, Cycliadas, conspired against the city of Elis in retribution for the city's refusal to enter the Achaean League. Fearful of losing to the Achaeans should they attack, the Eleans requested assistance from the Aetolian League. The Aetolians quickly accepted and sent a garrison to Elis. This in turn provoked the Achaean Assembly which raised their own army. King Phillip was now summoned and came back to fight along side Cycliadas against the Eleans and Aetolians. This last escalation was viewed as too dangerous by Rome which thereby decided to send troops to Greece.

The Achaean and Macedonian armies crossed the Elean border and devastated the surrounding lands. Upon nightfall they retired to their camp and planned to advance on Elis the next day. That night, Sulpicius Galba landed on the Elean coast with about 4,000 men, approximately one legion (half a double legion), and entered the city unbeknownst to the enemy.

In the morning, the Achaean and Macedonian armies formed up for battle and advanced on the city. Some cavalry was sent forward to provoke the garrison. In response, the combined forces of Aetolia, Elis, and Rome left the city and formed up themselves. The sight of the Roman standards came as a shock to Phillip, and his initial reaction was to withdaw. But, the fighting had already begun and it was too late to extract his army. As the battle started to turn against his troops, Phillip personally led a cavalry charge against a Roman cohort. Thrown from his horse, it was thought he had died. However, this was not the case, and a melee ensued between the Romans trying to get at him and his own men trying to protect him. Phillip survived, yet his efforts, though brave, were not enough. The Achean and Macedonian armies were defeated and forced to retreat.

Even worse for Phillip, the rumor of his death spread faster than he could prove otherwise, causing several of his allies and subjected peoples to abandon him. He in turn was forced to return to Macedonia and recover these losses. For Rome, it was exactly what she wanted. With Phillip out of the way, she could concentrate on subdueing Carthage.

Pre-Game Notes

This is another small scenario by GBoH standards, though it is larger than the previous one. It is still a good learning scenario for new players and the addition of a Roman legion (half a double legion) allows players to gain a little experience commanding Romans.

Balance, Difficulty and Playing Time

Balance: Favors the Aetolian/Roman despite their disjointed command structure. However, due to its small size, a missed trump or momentum can sway the battle one way or the other.
Difficulty: Easy.
Playing Time: A few hours at the most.

Initial Deployment

Map: Use the Zama Map from SPQR.

Victory: Either side wins when the other has suffered 47 Rout Points.

Macedonian Army of Phillip V

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Phillip V [OC]	Stacked with any unit
Cycliadas	Stacked with any infantry	Mago
Cavalry Commander (a)	Stacked with any cavalry	Repl. Ldr. (green)
Thessaly Cavalry	1609	Thessalian Cav. HC (1)
Companion Cavalry	1610-1611	Macd. HC, Guard HC
Trallian Infantry	1613-1614	Illyrian LI (1-2)
Achean Hoplites	1615-1620	Bruttm. HI (1-6)
Phalanx	1621-1624	Maced. PH (1-2)

(a) Leader may only command cavalry units.
(b) SK's may have 3 spaces between them for Line Command purposes.

Aetolian League Army and Roman Army

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Elean/Aetolian [OC] (a)	with any non-Roman unit	Alexander
Infantry Commander (b)	Stacked with any infantry	Milon
Cavalry Commander (c)	Stacked with any cavalry	Repl. Ldr. (purple)
Suplicius Galba (OC) (d)	with any Roman unit	Dentatus
Tribune	with any Roman unit	Any Tribune
Aetolian Cavalry	3009-3011	Aetolia LC, Grk Mrc LC (1-2)
Aetolian Hoplites	3018-3021	Aetolian HI (1-4)
Elean Hoplites	3022-3023

(a) The Elean/Aetolian commander has a Strategy Rating of 2. In addition, he can not give orders to a Roman unit, or Leader.
(b) Leader may only command non-Roman infantry units.
(c) Leader may only command cavalry units.
(d) Sulpicius is considered an OC when commanding the legion. He and the Tribune cannot give any orders to a non-Roman unit.

Army Size and TQ Levels

Army	Size	TQ	Rout Level	Quality Ratio (b)
Macedon	92	133	35%	6.61
Aetolian	114	157	30%	5.41

(a) All figures exclude Skirmishers.
(b) We are using a new method to determine this ratio: average TQ per unit (not per SP).

Transcriber note: the source chart prints the Roman commander as "Suplicius Galba" (the article text spells it "Sulpicius Galba"). The chart spelling is kept as printed.

The Second Battle of Beneventum, 214 B.C.

By Dan Fournie. The source headings print the year as "214 B.0 ."; it is read here as 214 B.C.

Historical Background

By the fifth year of the Second Punic War (214 BC), the Carthaginians had been campaigning up and down the length of Italy, and had been victorious in every significant combat action. The Second Battle of Beneventum was the first major defeat suffered by Carthage in Italy. However, the Carthaginians were not beaten by Rome's vaunted citizen legionnaires. Rather, a collection of slave levies and convicts brought Rome her first victory.

The Volones, Slave Legions of Rome

Rome counted among her chief military assets a nearly inexhaustible supply of quality heavy infantry. But even the Romans were hard pressed to field troops after the debacle at Cannae, 216 BC. Eight legions had been shattered, on top of the catastrophic losses at Lake Trasimene and Trebia in the preceding years. A Dictator, Marcus Junius Pera, and a Master of Horse, Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus were elected to replace the slain Consul Paullus and the discredited Consul Varro. But the generals needed armies.

Only the two urban legions remained intact in Italy and these were assigned to the dictator, Junius Pera. By calling up teenagers who would normally have been too young to serve, Rome put together another consular army. These troops were too raw for field duty, however, and were assigned to garrison the capital. The remnants of the Cannae legions were combined with a force of marines from the fleet to field a third consular army, under the Praetor Marcus Claudius Marcellus. But this force was too demoralized to face Hannibal again in battle. The senate needed another army to confront Hannibal.

What the senate did was to purchase a body of 8,000 slave volunteers, the volones, to form two new legions. In addition, 6,000 convicts were released from Roman jails to serve in this army, after volunteering to fight as well. The slave volones were armed and equipped as legionnaires at state expense. They were trained and led by professional Roman centurions and tribunes. There was not enough equipment on hand initially to arm the convict volones, so they were given the Celtic arms and armor that adorned various trophies and temples in the city. Presumably, later they were issued standard arms. Allied Italian cavalry, and some infantry, were added to the volones to complete the army. Its total strength was about 18,000 foot and 1,800 horse.

Tiberias Sempronius Gracchus takes Command

The volones were placed under the command of the Master of Horse. Sempronius Gracchus was a cut above the average Roman general, resourceful, innovative and open to new concepts. He readily accepted the command of slaves and convicts, where more traditional Roman nobles would surely have balked. Gracchus trained his new recruits hard. To develop cohesion in his polygot army, Gracchus declared that all soldiers in his army, be they slave, convicts or free men, would be treated equally and endure the same discipline. His even-handed treatment soon earned him the undying devotion of his volones as well as the respect of his allied legionnaires.

Gracchus' first mission in 216 BC was to bring relief to the garrison of Casilinum, under siege by Hannibal's forces. Since his army was too weak to challenge Hannibal to open battle, Gracchus hit on the stratagem of floating rations down the Volturnus River to the beleaguered garrison under cover of darkness. In this and other actions, Gracchus' military ability was recognized.

In 215 BC Gracchus was elected Consul. Although he had his pick of any legions he wanted as consul, Gracchus retained his volones army. Gracchus discovered the location of a Carthaginian-allied Capuan army of 14,000 men, intent on ambushing a force of allies from Cumae. He forestalled their plans by committing his volones legions to a night attack. Gracchus' men overran the Capuan camp, killed 2,000 and scattered the remainder of the Capuan army. Gracchus then withdrew into Cumae, and repelled a siege assault by Hannibal's army. This successful night attack and defense displayed a

[Transcriber note: in the copy used, the map covers the rest of this paragraph's column, so the words between "displayed a" and the next passage are not legible. The next sentence is transcribed as it follows in the text layer.]

army and the commander. Gracchus retained his command again in 214 BC, this time as proconsul.

Hanno, Son of Bomilcar, and his Army

The Carthaginian general at the Second Battle of Beneventum was Hanno, son of Bomilcar. Hanno was one of Hannibal's top marshals. He had commanded the flanking force at the crossing of the Rhone River, when the Carthaginians faced a huge Celtic army barring their crossing. Hanno had led a picked force of horse and foot up river to cross secretly, and then fell on the rear of the barbarian host while Hannibal had fixed their attention with an assault crossing. In another notable command, Hanno was entrusted with the 4,000 Numidian light cavalry at Cannae (according to Polybius). After Cannae, Hannibal assigned Hanno to be his marshal in Lucania and Bruttium. With the able assistance of his subordinates, Hamilcar and his cavalry commander, Mago the Samnite, Hanno directed a brilliant campaign to seize all of Bruttium (save Rhegium) and most of Lucania, 216-214 BC.

In addition to capturing these provinces, Hanno's mission was to levy and train an army of Bruttian and Lucanian reinforcements for Hannibal. With a small cadre of veterans, Hanno set about building a new army. By 214 BC, he had built his force up to 17,000 foot and 2,000 horse. The foot were mostly Bruttians, a mix of trained soldiers and recent conscripts. Hanno had other Italians, including Lucanians and Samnites, mercenaries, and a few units of veteran Iberian and Celtic infantry. His mounted force included 1,200 crack Numidians, as well as raw Bruttian cavalry. Hanno probably had a few elephants as well.

The Course of the Battle

As the campaign season of 214 BC opened, Hannibal ordered Hanno to bring his army North into Campania, to join the main army. Since the Consul Marcellus was known to be at Nola, Hannibal ordered Hanno to take the route by Beneventum. Meanwhile, the Consul Fabius ordered Gracchus to occupy a blocking position at Beneventum. The armies of Hanno and Gracchus arrived nearly simultaneously. Since the town had a Roman garrison, the volones army was able to enter the city, while Hanno encamped three miles away, along the Calor River. Gracchus decided he wanted to fight, and set up a new camp only one mile from Hanno's. Meanwhile, Gracchus had previously sent a request to the Senate seeking permission to grant his volones their freedom, in light of their good service. He received a reply on the eve of this battle. The Senate, and the Consul Marcellus, authorized Gracchus to grant his troops their freedom at his own discretion.

Before deploying for battle, Gracchus announced to his volones legions that they could win their freedom if they each brought in an enemy head. Gracchus then placed his forces in standard Roman formation, with one flank covered by the river. Hanno responded with a battle formation in two lines, light infantry in the van and mixed heavy and medium foot in the main line. The two armies clashed and bitter fighting ensued. The promise of freedom spurred the volones to prodigious efforts, slaying Bruttians and taking their heads. The Bruttians, horrified by this atrocity, responded with equal ferocity. However, eventually the volones realized that enemy heads could not be distinguished from friendly heads, and fell to cutting off heads of slain foe and friend alike. The most valiant volones were all encumbered by holding a head while they fought (try holding a shield and a head and swinging a sword, and you'll see it's not easy).

Gracchus then gave the order to drop the heads and promised freedom to all, but only if they won the battle. The revitalized volones legions stormed against the Bruttian battle line. The Carthaginian line wavered and then broke. Hanno's conscripts had finally had more than they could take. The Carthaginian army was routed. The volones pursued the fugitives back to their camp. Without hesitating, the slaves and convicts then stormed the ramparts and seized the camp. Livy claims that only 2,000 men of the Carthaginian army escaped death or capture, but such losses are clearly exaggerated. Hanno's Numidians would have been able to cover the withdrawal and save some of the army. Roman losses are given as 2,000 killed and many wounded. Hanno probably lost as much as half his infantry.

Aftermath

Gracchus followed up his victory with an invasion of Lucania. But Hanno still had fight in him, and cut up the lead Roman cohorts before withdrawing into Bruttium. Gracchus parlayed his victory into an election to a second consulship in 213 BC, and continued to lead his beloved volones legions in action. Hanno, Mago and Hamilcar built another army, and faithfully kept up the struggle for Hannibal. In 212 BC, Gracchus again retained his command as a proconsul. In that year, Hanno and Mago the Samnite were finally able to take vengeance for the defeat at Beneventum.

Mago's Numidian cavalry ambushed and slew Gracchus in 212 BC. There are three versions of his death: either he was lured to his death by a treacherous Lucanian, caught by surprise while bathing in the River Calor, or ambushed while performing a religious ritual a half mile from his camp at Beneventum. All versions agree it was Mago's cavalry that did him in. As a bonus for the Carthaginians, not only had they eliminated a great enemy general, but the volones legions were destroyed as well. It seems that the volones, who had served under no commander other than Gracchus, took his death as the equivalent of a discharge and promptly deserted. The volones army just disintegrated. This was a lesson the Roman nobles would have done well to master. The volones had in fact reacted just as later, professional legions would. Legions that owed their allegiance, not to the Senate and People of Rome (SPQR), but instead to a great general, would no longer be reliable defenders of liberty.

Special Rule: The Emancipation Proclamation

Before the Battle of Beneventum, Gracchus announced to his volones that they could win their freedom if they each brought in an enemy head. At first all was well, but the heads soon became a nuisance. Gracchus then gave the order to drop the heads and promised freedom to all, but only if they won the battle. Here's how it works in the game: The Roman player may issue his Emancipation Proclamation at any time, and immediately remove up to two (2) cohesion hits from every Volones unit. Note: This rule does not apply to allied Italian units (AS triarii, extraordinaire and cavalry).

New Counters Needed

Second Beneventum can be played using only SPQR counters. A few counters from Africanus and C3i Nr.2, Pyrrhic Victory (as specified in the scenario) are nice to have.

This list is all the new counters that would be nice to have, they may be published later as part of a C3i magazine insert sheet.

Units

Carthaginian

Samnite HI (same as from Africanus) (12)
Bruttian LC (same as from C3i Nr.2, Pyrrhic Vic.) (1-2)

Play Balance

These two armies are fairly evenly matched, with maybe a slight edge to the Carthaginians. That's where the Emancipation Proclamation should even things out. But it may be too great an advantage for the Roman player. It can be cut to a one (1) cohesion point reduction, if necessary you could explore.

Initial Deployment

Map: Use the Cannae Map from SPQR. Although this battle took place near the site of Pyrrhus's (First) Battle of Beneventum (featured in SPQR), it was fought out in the open on a plain. The Aufidas is now the Calor River. The Roman Army uses the Northeast map edge as its retreat edge. The Carthaginian Army uses the Southwest map edge.

Carthaginian Command: Hanno, son of Bomilcar is the Carthaginian OC. Hanno has a strategy rating of '5'.

Roman Command: The Proconsul Tiberias Sempronius Gracchus is the Roman OC (use Dentatus).

Carthaginian/Bruttian Army of Hanno

Unit(s)	Hex(es)
Hanno, Bomilcar's son [OC]	Anywhere
Mago the Samnite	with any cavalry
Hamilcar	with any HI or MI
Bostar	with any LI or EL
The Van (EoH = every other hex)
Bruttian (Illyrian) LI (1-4)	1803-1809 (EoH)
Lucanian (Thracian) LI (1-4)	1811-1817 (EoH)
Iberian LI (1-3)	1819-1823 (EoH)
Cretan LI (1)	1825
African Elephants (1)	1827
The Main Line

Roman Slave Army of Proconsul Gracchus

Unit(s)	Hex(es)
Proconsul S. Gracchus [OC]	anywhere
Tribunes (2)	with any HA/PR
Praefects Soc (2)	with any CO/VE
Praefect Equit	with any RC
XIV Legion (Slave Volones)
Velites (a-c)	3208, 3210, 3212
Hastati (a-d)	3510, 3512 (2 per hex)
Principes (a-d)	3709, 3711 (2 per hex)
Triarii (a-c)	4010-4012
XIV Alae Sociorum (Convict Volones)
Velites (a-b)	3204, 3206

The source also shows three leader counters for Gracchus, Hanno B. and Mago S. (Cav), placed with the Roman deployment.

Line Eligibility Table

Carthage: 1. LI and EL*; 2. HI and MI; 3. LC.
Rome: 1. Velites*; 2. Hastati and Cohorts*; 3. Principes and Cohorts*; 4. Triarii; 5. RC.
* May form lines occupying every other hex.

Note: All SPQR 2nd Edition rules are in effect.

Victory Conditions

A player wins by forcing his opponent to withdraw.

Army Withdrawal Levels:
- Carthaginian Army: Withdraws when units with TQ points totalling 100 have been eliminated.
- Roman Army: Withdraws when units with TQ points totalling 110 have been eliminated.

Army Size and TQ Levels

Army	Size	TQ Points	Rout Ratio	Quality Ratio
Carthage	193	247	40%	1.36
Romans	183	313	35%	1.55

The Battle of Pydna, 168 B.C.

By Dan Fournie. Legion vs. Phalanx. The source headings print the year as "168 B.0 ."; it is read here as 168 B.C.

The Final Showdown

The Battle of Pydna was the last in a series of major encounters between the two most highly developed tactical systems of the classical world: the Macedonian phalanx and the Roman legion. The phalanx had achieved victory at Asculum and Heraclea, while the legion had triumphed at Beneventum, Cynoscephalae and Magnesia. Supporters of the Macedonian system could discount the three defeats. At Beneventum and Cynoscephalae, the phalanx had been committed on terrain that favored the legion. And the troops at Beneventum and Magnesia weren't "real Macedonians" at all (merely Epirotes and Seleucid Syrians). Many felt that, given suitable terrain, a truly Macedonian phalanx remained superior to the legion in a set piece battle. At Pydna, this theory was to be put to the test.

Historical Background: Causes of the Third Macedonian War

The roots of the 3rd Macedonian War (172-167 BC) can be traced back to the conclusion of the 2nd Macedonian War (200-196 BC). After King Philip V had been decisively defeated by the Consul Flaminius at Cynoscephalae, the Macedonians had been forced to accept a peace treaty that imposed severe restrictions on the kingdom. Macedonian activity in Greece and Thessaly was strictly forbidden, and limits were placed on Macedonian military and naval activity.

Philip decided to bide his time, and even supported Rome against the Seleucids in the Syrian War (192-188 BC). Philip, acting in Rome's behalf, seized a number of cities near the Hellespont and in action against Aetolia. After the war, Roman commissions humiliated Philip by forcing him to turn over some of his conquests to Pergamon. Philip began secretly preparing for war. But he was distracted by the internecine fighting of his two sons, Perseus, the eldest, and the pro-Roman Demetrius. Perseus eventually had his brother Demetrius assassinated (181 BC), and then Philip his father died in 179 BC. Perseus took over the throne from his father, as well as the plan for war with Rome.

As it became clear that a great war was in the offing, both sides strove to shore up their allied support. Although Perseus was a fairly disreputable character, he became very popular as the last great hope to prevent Roman domination of the world. With the fall of Carthage and Seleucid Syria, only Macedon could hope to face Rome as a great power. None of Rome's Greek allies rallied to her support, as had been the case in the earlier war. Only King Masinissa of Numidia and King Eumenes of Pergamon joined the Roman alliance. While Perseus was strongly favored by the many small kingdoms and republics of the Hellenistic world, few were foolish enough to join his military alliance, for fear of Rome. Only King Cotys of the Odrysae Thracians and King Gentius of Illyria actually joined Macedon.

Opposing Armies

Macedon had enjoyed a quarter century of relative peace and fielded one of the largest armies in its history. A full 21,000 manned the phalanx, and there were also 5,000 crack peltasts (equivalent to hypaspists) and 3,000 cavalry. Auxiliaries, including Thracians, Paeonians, Agrianians and mercenaries added an additional 13,000 foot and 1,000 horse. This army was blooded in recurring skirmishes with Thracian and other barbarians, but not attrited through any heavy fighting.

The Roman army, as usual, consisted of two Roman legions supported by allied Italian forces. For this campaign the legions were reinforced to a strength of 6,000 men each, with an equal force of allies — a total of 24,000 legionnaires. The cavalry included only 600 Roman and 600 Italian horse, as Rome was learning to rely on more capable auxiliary horsemen. These auxiliary forces included some 10,000 foot, mainly Numidians and Pergamenes. The mounted auxiliaries totalled about 2,000: Numidian light cavalry, Celtic troopers and a unit of Pergamene heavy cavalry. Masinissa had provided a force of African war elephants as well. The auxiliaries were commanded by Misagenes, Masinissa's son, and Attalus, Eumenes' brother.

Initial Campaigns and the Prelude to the Battle

Rome got off to a poor start in this war as Perseus and his marshals were able to outfight the consuls Publius Licinius (171 BC), Aulus Hostilius Macinus (170 BC) and Quintus Marcius Philippus (169 BC) in a series of skirmishes. The Roman army showed signs of indiscipline and a lack of thorough training.

Then Lucius Aemilius Paullus was elected consul in 168 BC, and assigned the Macedonian command. Paullus was the son of the consul slain at Cannae, and had experience as a Praetor campaigning in Celt-Iberia and as a Consul against the Ligurian. When Aemilius Paullus assumed the command, his first task was to restore strong discipline and to institute a rigorous training regimen.

Once he was satisfied with the state of his army, he advanced directly against Perseus. The Macedonian army was entrenched in a strong position on the Elpeus River. Aemilius Paullus sent Scipio Nasica with a detachment to turn Perseus' flank, forcing the Macedonians to withdraw to Pydna. Perseus encamped and offered battle on the plain, favorable to his phalanx. Aemilius Paullus declined the battle and pitched his camp in nearby rough terrain.

The Course of the Battle

The two armies then spent a few days glowering at one another, until a chance incident brought on the general battle on 22 June 168 BC (we know the exact date from an eclipse the preceding night). The two armies were camped on opposite sides of a small stream, the Aeson, that both used for watering. Aemilius Paullus had five cohorts of allies and 700 Ligurians in outposts along the stream, while Perseus had some of his Thracians and other light infantry facing them.

A Roman pack mule escaped from his grooms and ran into the stream. Two Thracians seized the animal at midstream and began to drag it towards their lines. A small group of Italians chased and caught the Thracians, slaying one and returning with the beast to the Roman side. The outpost of 800 Thracians became enraged and charged across the stream. The fighting spread, and Perseus reinforced with more and more of his troops, finally committing his entire army. The outpost Italian cohorts were overwhelmed by the massed phalanx, and the Macedonians drove them further and further back.

Aemilius Paullus, realizing that more than just a skirmish was developing, rushed his troops out of camp and into line of battle. The Consul led the left-wing legion out, while the Proconsul Lucius Albinus commanded the legion on the right. Scipio Nasica and Attalus took command of the left-wing cavalry and auxiliaries, while Prince Misagenes led the right. But the Macedonian phalanx proved unstoppable.

The hurriedly deploying legions were thrown back before the impenetrable wall of sarissas. But even as the phalanx pushed the legions back towards their camp, it began to break up and lose cohesion as the terrain worsened. On the Roman right, Misagenes unleashed his elephants to break up the Thracians before him. Aemilius Paullus and Lucius Albinus rallied their hard pressed legionnaires and began a series of small counterattacks into the gaps developing in the phalanx.

The Macedonian line was halted, and then the Roman short swords began to do their devilish work. Perseus' left collapsed, and then his center. Only on the right did the agema fight on as the rout became general. All 2,000 of these elite Macedonians were cut down where they stood, buying time for Perseus to make good his escape. Reportedly, 20,000 Macedonians were killed and 11,000 captured, while the Roman army suffered impossibly light losses of only 100 killed. Perseus, with some of his cavalry, escaped.

Aftermath

It was a decisive victory for the Romans. The Macedonian monarchy was abolished, and four small republics were carved out of the ancient kingdom. But Macedon had been the historic bulwark of Greece against marauding barbarian tribes. Unintentionally perhaps, Rome now had the burden of policing the Balkan frontier with her own troops.

Pydna was the final confirmation of the superiority of the legion over the phalanx. But it had been a very close run thing. Each legionnaire had faced ten spearpoints, until the phalanx began to break up. It was said that none who faced the Macedonian phalanx that day could ever forget the sight of the inexorable wall of spears bearing down upon them. Later in life, Aemilius Paullus is said to have suffered from nightmares in which the Macedonian phalanx drove right over his army. But Rome had won, and became the sole superpower of the ancient Mediterranean world.

Sources

Unfortunately, Polybius' account of Pydna did not survive. Livy provides an excellent, detailed order of battle for Macedon (most likely from Polybius). However, his description of the battle is fragmented, and critical sections are missing. Plutarch, the biographer, is generally useless as a military historian, but he does provide a few details.

Counters

Pydna can be played with existing SPQR counters. A few counters from War Elephant (as specified in the scenario chart) are nice to have.

Start

The game begins with the Macedonian Player using an elite Initiative Order (5.5), with Perseus as the selected leader, even though Perseus is not an elite OC. He may use this only in the first game turn.

Initial Deployment

Map: Use the Cynoscephalae Map from SPQR. The actual site of this battle has never been determined. The Roman Army uses the North map edge as its retreat edge. The Macedonian Army uses the South map edge.

Counters: You can find all the counters you need in SPQR. If you have the War Elephant (WE) Module, counters that can be used for this battle are listed as well.

Note: This scenario opens as the phalanx is driving back the outpost line and the legions are just forming up. The Roman camp would be on high ground, from 3217-28 and 4217-28.

Macedonian Deployment

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
King Perseus [OC]	Anywhere	Philip V
*King Cotys	...Thracian/Odrysae unit	Tychaeus
Hippias	...PH or HI	Nicanor
Asclepiodotus	...MI or LI	Athngras
Leonnatus	Anywhere
Alexander (son of Perseus)	Anywhere

[*King Cotys may only issue orders to Thracian and Odrysae units.]

Macedonians and Greeks

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Macedonian PH (1-14*)	1018-19, 1020-21, 1022-23, 1024-25, 1026-27, 1228-29 [as printed], 1030-31 (double depth)	*Use 2 African PH stacked underneath
Agema (Epirote HI) (1-3)	1032-34	WE Egypt. Agema HI
Peltasts (Maced.LI) (1-4)	1035-1038	WE Egypt. Peltast
Mercenary Hoplite HI (1)	1017
Aetolian Hoplite HI (1)	1016
Guard Cavalry HC (1)	1016
Macedonian Cav. HC (1-3)	[ALL cavalry within 1 hex of 1041]
Thessalian Cav. HC (1)	(as above)

Transcriber note: the source prints "1228-29" in the Macedonian PH row. It is kept as printed; it may be a typographical error for 1028-29, which the rest of the row's sequence suggests. Check against the printed chart before relying on it.

Auxiliaries

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Paeonian & Agrianian LI (1-4)	1231, 1233, 1235, 1237	use Illyrian
Cretan LI (1)	1215
Cretan LI (1)	1217	use Appolonian
Cretan Archer SK (1-3)	1225, 1227, 1229
Cretan SK (1-3)	1219, 1221, 1223	WE Egypt. Cretan SK
Celtic MI (1-3)	1013-15
Thracian LI (1-4)	1209-12
Odrysae LI (1-2)	1207-08	Iberian / WE Thrac.MI

Line Eligibility Table: Macedon

PH, HI, MI, and Macedonian (Peltast) LI
Odrysae and Thracian LI
SK and any LI*
All Cavalry

* May form lines occupying every other hex.

Roman Deployment

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Consul Paullus [OC]	Anywhere
Proconsul L. Albinus	Anywhere	M. Atilius
* Misagenes	...Numidian unit	Masinissa
* Attalus	...Pergame unit	WE Eumenes or Maharbal
Scipio Nasica	Anywhere	Laelius
Tribunes (2)	....any hastati/principe
Praefects Soc (3)	...any cohort/velites
Praefect Equit (1)	....any RC

[* Prince Misagenes may only issue orders to Numidian MI/LI, elephants and any cavalry. Attalus may only issue orders to Pergamene LI and any cavalry.]

Outpost Line

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
AS VII Cohorts (a-e)	1407, 1313, 1422, 1526, 1430
Ligurian MI (1-2)	1509, 1411

V Legion

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Roman Velites (a-c)	2318, 2320, 2422
AS Velites (a-b)	2415, 2316
Hastati (a-d)	2519, 2621 (2 per hex)
Principes (a-d)	2719, 2821 (2 per hex)
Cohorts (a-i)	2517, 2616, 2717, 2816 (2 per hex), 2818 (1)
Roman Triarii (a-c)	2918 (1), 2919 (2)
AS Triarii (a-b)	2917 (2 per hex)
Cohort Extra (1) (attached)	2624

III Legion

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Roman Velites (a-c)	2429, 2431, 2532
AS Velites (a-b)	2427, 2525
Hastati (a-d)	2628, 2726 (2 per hex)
Principes (a-d)	2828, 2926 (2 per hex)
Cohorts (a-i)	2630, 2731, 2830, 2931 (2 per hex), 2730 (1)
Roman Triarii (a-c)	3029 (1), 3030 (2)
AS Triarii (a-b)	3028 (2 per hex)
Cohort Extra (1) (attached)	2624

Auxiliaries

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
Numidian MI (1-6)	2707-2712
Numidian LI (1-4)	2406, 2408, 2410, 2412
African Elephants (1-5)	2405, 2407, 2409, 2411, 2413
Pergamene LI (1-4)	2634-2637	N.Africa / WE Perg. LI

Left Wing Cavalry

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
III AS RC (a)
V AS RC (ex)	[All cavalry within 1 hex of 2940]
Celtic Cavalry LN (1)	(as above)
Pergamene HC (1)	(as above)	Sacred Band / WE Perg.

Right Wing Cavalry

Unit(s)	Hex(es) / With any...	Use SPQR Counter(s)
III Roman RC
V Roman RC	[All cavalry within 1 hex of 2704]
Numidian (brown) LC (1-3)	(as above)

Line Eligibility Table: Rome

Velites and LI*
Hastati and Cohorts*
Principes and Cohorts*
Triarii*
AS RC, Pergam. HC & Celtic LN
Roman RC and Numidian LC
LI and Elephants*
Numidian MI

* May form lines occupying every other hex.

Victory Conditions

A player wins by routing the opposing army.

Army Rout Levels:
- Macedonian Army: Routs when units with TQ points totalling 162 have been eliminated.
- Roman Army: Routs when units with TQ points totaling 175 have been eliminated.

Army Size and TQ Levels

Army	Size	TQ Points	Rout Ratio	Quality Ratio
Macedon	301	405	40%	1.35
Romans	291	505	35%	1.74