Positioning camps in terrain features

[adrianc]

Here's one I forgot to mention in our recent posting. Graham (The Macedonian) chose to place his unfortified camp in a village on his baseline and defend it with light troops while he marched on the Indian flank with his phalanx.

This worked quite well as formed enemy troops could only enter the village at a disadvantage. This seems allowable under the current rules - any problems with this ? The camp could have been deployed similarly in a dense wood, etc.

Adrian

[plewis66]

I asked Simon about this one at Leeds, and he pointed out that it was quite common, for example, for British forts to be placed on hills, and for Germans tomplace their camps on woords, and that this is deliberately permitted by the rules.

[nikgaukroger]

Not sure that the siting of British hill forts is really relevant to where a camp can go other than if there was a hill fort near the battlefield it would not be unreasonable for the camp to be inside it.

That said Belisarios' army once camped in and around orchards much to the troops delight and the Nervii before the Sambre battle had their camp within woods.

Roman fortified camps are, I think, always in open ground although they may sometimes be on hills - mind you they were placed with the availability of water in mind most of the time.

[adrianc]

Hmm... Perhaps the ability to place camps in terrain (or to fortify them, even) should be specified in the army list? (Like wood plashing in DBM)

[nikgaukroger]

Probably not worth the complication IMO.