Greeks at war- A brief look at the Greeks and how their warfare methods. An intro to give the reader a better understanding of the Greeks.

Greece at War

The Ancient Greek army list in Armies of Antiquity allows the gamer to use an army from the early hoplite period that covers the Greek & Persian Wars c.498-448 BC and the Peloponnesian Wars 431-404 BC. Later Greek armies will be covered in a future Warhammer Ancient Battles supplement and are currently touched upon in the Alexander the Great supplement. In this period states (except for Sparta) did not generally raise professional armies but relied on a levy of citizens and subjects.

In Greece this levy consisted mainly of the wealthy citizen hoplite who provided his own panoply of aspis (shield), helmet, cuirass (of linen or bronze), greaves, kopis (sword) and dory (spear). The term ‘hoplite’ is derived from the Greek word for weapon (‘hoplon’), so a hoplite was literally a ‘man-at-arms.’ These heavy infantrymen fought in a formation called a ‘phalanx’ which presented a wall of spears and shields to the enemy. A full panoply of gear was expensive and would cost around 30 drachmas which represented a months pay for a skilled craftsman in, for example, Athens. This wargear would typically be passed from father to son and would usually be very individual, each man having had his shield painted according to family tradition, state loyalty and/or personal taste. On campaign each hoplite would probably have been accompanied by an attendant who may have served as a skirmisher.

Hoplite battles were typically fought on a clear, flat plain. Even so, few hoplite formations were able to keep an ordered battle line when advancing and the individual hoplite had a tendency to drift to his right to gain maximum protection from the shield of the man beside him. In many hoplite battles the two sides never came into contact, one side breaking in panic at the advance of the other. The Gods (through the oracles) were often consulted before a campaign as before Thermopylae when it was foretold that for Greece to prevail Sparta would have to sacrifice one of her kings (Sparta always had two sitting kings). Sacrifices were made before leaving Sparta (to Zeus), on the morning of battle (in order to be the first to win the favour of the gods) and immediately before a battle (within a few hundred metres!) to Artemis. Indeed, a Spartan army never left home without a flock of sacrificial sheep and goats!

When the signal to charge (from around 600 feet) was given the hoplite line would break into a run and if both sides held the two lines of shields would clash against each other as one side tried to force the other to fall back. Spears would be used overarm, the hoplites attempting to strike at undefended parts above and below the shield (especially the throat, groin and thighs). When the spear broke the hoplite would draw his sword and skill would take over from strength. Those unfortunate enough to fall would be trampled by either the advancing enemy (who might use the bronze butt spike of the spear to finish him off) or retreating comrades.

It was when one side broke that the most carnage might be inflicted. Gripped by panic, men would turn their backs and become entangled with their own side and end up being cut down by the victors. According to one historian the casualties amongst a broken phalanx were treble that of the victorious side.
It is important to consider what motivated the citizen hoplite to fight rather than run. In many armies hoplites from a particular community would serve together so that loyalty to friends and family would encourage a man to hold his ground rather to suffer the humiliation of cowardice. It must also be remembered that the hoplite, as a middle-class citizen (and a landowner or at least related to one) often fought to directly defend the interests of both the city-state and himself.

Why Field an Ancient Greek Army?

The Ancient Greeks stood against the might of Asia and defied it. Their civilisation gave us democracy, mathematics, philosophy, architecture and many other benefits. Their civilisation gave us our civilisation and that of the Romans and the Greek contribution to the shaping of the world cannot be overstated. The least we can do in return is paint toy soldier armies of them!
The Ancient Greek army is the epitome of heavy infantry warfare in the Classical Age. It is a great army for the beginner and also rewards the veteran gamer. Tactically, the Greek army is straight forward but benefits from a commander who masters it subtleties and learns how to gain every ounce of contribution from all of his troops.

Visually, the massed phalanxes of hoplites and the hordes of lightly equipped skirmishers give the gamer a true sense of the simplicity of battle over 2000 years ago. The hoplites look menacing and heroic in bronze armour and carrying their long spears.
A lot of miniature manufacturers produce Ancient Greek figures so the collector will have no problems finding varied and good quality soldiers to buy. The Ancient Greek army is challenging but not tedious to paint. Most armies will include more than 100 hoplites so the painter needs to find a quick for painting bronze and linen. The gamer that is talented enough to do so will enjoy painting the varied shield blazons while the less endowed (or lazy) can find excellent commercially available transfers from companies such as Little Big Men Studios (expensive but the best on the market in the authors opinion) and Veni Vidi Vici (great for those who like to highlight transfers and the most efficient suppliers in the business).

The Army List

The bulk of an Ancient Greek army will be made up of citizen hoplites. They are amongst the best infantry available to a commander in the game and perform best in units of at least 24 figures. One look at the special rules for a phalanx will show that all of the benefits of the formation are lost once the unit falls below 16 in number. Hoplites are very survivable with their phalanx benefits, 5+ save hoplon and the option to add light or heavy armour. It should be noted that heavy armour fell out of favour after the Greek and Persian Wars as the role of light troops increased, so the gamer must equip his hoplites according to the period he wishes to enact. An army filled with heavy armour hoplites should sacrifice its numbers of light troops for the sake of historical accuracy.

One of the options available to the Ancient Greek hoplite phalanx is to upgrade to Sacred Band. A Sacred Band must be the smallest phalanx in the army and is unbreakable in hand to hand combat. Very, very few units in Warhammer Ancient Battles enjoy this benefit so it must be used responsibly. That means NO SPARTAN SACRED BAND. In Greek military tradition the sacred band was hand picked of the bravest men of the city state. The Theban sacred band was actually composed of 150 pairs of homosexual lovers and was renowned for its ability to stand up to and defeat the Spartans. The closest that the Spartans may have had to the Theban sacred band was the king’s bodyguard, the like of which fought to the last at Thermopylae. If you want a Spartan sacred band then all of your hoplites better be Spartan or you’re exploiting the army list! The other option is to field Spartans. With their high toughness and stubborn ability they will strike fear into the hearts of the enemy. They are very expensive in points but count as a drilled phalanx so that they only lose their phalanx benefits when reduced to less than 12 models. I like to field them with the General in a unit of 18.

Greek cavalry is rubbish. It is slow and only useful in two ways. Heavy (well, medium really) cavalry is a reasonable option to guard one of the flanks of your hoplite battle line against enemy cavalry and small foot units. There should be little temptation for their General to detach them from this duty during a battle as they are not very good at anything else! Light cavalry are useful in slowing enemy marching, marching on unguarded flanks (although they can’t do much when they get there!) and harassing skirmishers. Even the Thessalian and Theban cavalry are slow and you may only field them if at first you have purchased the standard horsemen.

Greek light troops are above average but again some caution should be taken when using the list. Rhomphia armed Thessalians are tempting but again they would have only been present in later hoplite armies so make sure you have sound historical reason before you use them. Peltasts are good value light infantry that perform well as auxiliary infantry thanks to the option to take thrusting spears. Units 0f 10 can deal out 11 attacks and a +1 rank bonus when formed and receiving a charge and a unit of 15 can deal out the same damage with a +2 rank bonus. Enemy cavalry from the same period will do well to break one of these units so they are perfect for preventing enemy horse from threatening the vulnerable flanks of the phalanx. Javelin and sling armed skirmishers are a must and provide good missile support but the cream of the skirmishing troops are the archers from Crete. Only one unit may be fielded but these are a must thanks to their high ballistic skill.

Must Haves!

Put your faith and trust in the citizen hoplite. With light armour he has a 4+ save and the enemy suffers a -1 to hit if the phalanx is still intact. When the phalanx charges or receives a charge you get to roll a lot of dice as the first two get to strike in either instance. Used as part of a disciplined fighting line the phalanx is rarely broken.

Properly used, Greek light troops are a critical part of your armoury. Use them unwisely and your hoplite battle line will lose its flank and when this happens your army will crumble. The most vital are the Peltasts. Raised to give the hoplite armies flexibility and to harass and cut down the less manoeuvrable enemy phalanxes, they serve the Ancient Greek commander as good counter skirmishers and as capable flank guards.

Cretan archers provide high quality missile support that is ideal for making small enemy formed think twice about getting within range. An opponent will prioritise the Cretans highest as he plans how to destroy your light troop support. Remember that panic tests are the bane of every Warhammer Ancient Battles General and the more you force the more the enemy plan buckles.

Phalanx tactics Although it is a great defensive formation it is vulnerable to being outflanked. A phalanx may not execute a wheel in conjunction with marching and charging and may not make any formation change except for an about face. Keep in mind that a Spartan phalanx does not suffer all of these penalties as they used the trained phalanx rule in the Alexander the Great supplement. However it is important to remember that Spartan and non-Spartan phalanxes may reform and this may be used to change ranks and facing. This means that it is vital that the Ancient Greek General gets his deployment right. He should use his phalanxes in one long line so that they mutually support each flank of each phalanx. The far right and left must then be guarded by terrain and/or more flexible troops like Peltasts. This massed phalanx should then advance as if one to protect those flanks. A phalanx that loses its flank loses its benefits and that will sound the death knell for the brave citizen hoplites. Remember that cavalry may not charge the front of a phalanx and that the -1 to hit modifier for enemy missiles will save many Greek lives. A Greek General should show the contempt for archery that it deserves! Plutarch recorded the last words of a wounded Lakonian hoplite – he was not worried by his impending death, but by the fact that he was dying by the hands of a ‘womanish’ archer.

Most Feared Opponents

If we stick to historical opponents then the Ancient Greek General need fear no enemy. However, some armies will give the Greeks more headaches than others.

Republican Romans
More times than not the maniple beats the phalanx. With the feared pilum the Romans inflict terrible damage initially and this is often enough to break the hoplites. Combined with the fact that Romans are usually very manoeuvrable this means that the Greek commander must be very disciplined and be wary of losing the battle of the light troops. Choose your battles, be disciplined and strike before the enemy.

Skythians
The Skythians and other nomadic horse armies are the antithesis of the phalanx. Discipline and planning are key as is protecting all of your non-phalanx troops with your hoplites. The best defensive strategy is to form your phalanxes into a crescent that opens at the Greek table edge thus giving the enemy no view of the flank of any hoplite. Of course, horses will never charge the front of a phalanx. Keep your light troops and cavalry in this pocket or very nearby with a way to get in. The horse archers will attempt to eliminate all the light troops and tempt one of the phalanxes out of position. Don’t fall for it as it is always a trick to break your solid line. Attempt to ambush enemy horse with your Peltasts and engage in a fight that the Skythians think they can win. Then use your oracles wisely; the Gods favour the bold!

Elephants!

Elephants are ideal for line breaking. Formed units gain no rank bonus against them and as Ancient Greek formations have no standards then it comes down to who inflicts the most damage. Even with -1 to hit an elephant will cause havoc and death and oracles may not help. The key is not to let elephants near the main battle line. This is difficult as the phalanx is even less agile than an elephant so the answer is to shoot the beast. Archers are best but javelin armed skirmishers on the flank of the beast negate its armour save.

Top Tips
o Read about the history of Greek warfare.
o Choose your army with historical accuracy in mind. Spartan sacred band is wrong! Use the Alexander the Great supplement Greek allies section for creating Later Hoplite Greek armies.
o Hoplite phalanxes make very good heavy infantry formations. Don’t skimp on them in favour of light troops and cavalry.
o Use your light troops wisely.
o Don’t waste oracles on skirmishers.
o Keep a disciplined battle line.
o Protect the flanks of your hoplites at all costs.
o Use Peltasts and heavy cavalry to guard the flanks of the army.
o Use Cretans to provide your long range support.
o Formed Peltasts perform well against in period cavalry.
o Do not fear for your hoplites when faced by great numbers of archers.
o Spend oracle points to draw or win phalanx combats.
o Save one oracle for that all important panic test for the Generals phalanx.
o Come back home carrying your shield or being carried on it!

Bibliography & Further Reading

Warhammer Ancient Battles Rulebook: Jervis Johnson, Alan Perry, Michael Perry, Rick Priestly, published by Warhammer Historical Wargames
Armies of Antiquity: Allen Curtis, Jervis Johnson, Nigel Stillman, published by Warhammer Historical Wargames
Alexander the Great: Jeff Jonas, published by Warhammer Historical Wargames
Greece and Rome At War: Peter Connolly
Greek Hoplite 480-323 BC: Nicholas Sekunda, published by Osprey
The Ancient Greeks: Nicholas Sekunda, published by Osprey
The Spartan Army: Nicholas Sekunda, published by Osprey
The Greek and Persian Wars: Jack Cassin-Scott, published by Osprey
The Peloponnesian War 431-404 BC: Philip de Souza, published by Osprey
Gates of Fire: Steven Pressfield. A fictional account of the historical battle of Thermopylae and great reading.