Graeco-Bactrian Army

[willb]

Graeco-Bactrian
i came up with a couple of possible 800 pt armies as follows
3 bg 4 each LH Bow/Light Spear
1 bg 4 each LH Bow/Sword
3 bg 8 each Hf PIke
2 bg elephants
4 bg 4 each CV Lancer/Sword Superior
IC and 2 TC initiative 4

second list
4 bg 4 each LH Bow/Light Spear
1 bg 4 each LH Bow/Sword
2 bg 12 each HF pike
1 bg elephants
2 bg CT Lancer/Sword Superior
2 bg CV Lance/Sword Superior
IC and 2 TC initiative 4

all troops average except as noted.
i am aiming for steppe terrain and using the pike and elephants as a pinning force/anchor for the rest of the army.

[timmy1]

What are you taking the CvCt as, Drilled or Undrilled? The 2nd list looks more likely to succeed but 1 BG of El may not be much use, how/what do you plan to pin with 1 BG of El? (I know it will be with 2 BG of Pike.)

[willb]

all mounted are undrilled. it will depend on the opposing force as to what the pike and elephants would do and how aggressively they would be used. it is possible to keep the first list, but organized as 2 bg of 12 pike though this might leave one bg of elephants without flank support.

[Probert]

Second list is tactically better, and I personally like the two huge pike units.

[babyshark]

Has anyone experimented with--or thought about--the all mounted version of the army? It looks hard to get up to 800 points using just GB troops; an ally is a necessity.

Marc

[timmy1]

With respect, 800 points in 15mm with this army all mounted is easy to get to - it is what to leave out. Post 210BC. As you can see, been thinking about it (and can do it).

IC and 2 TC
Greek Lancers Cv, Arm, Ave, Drilled, Lance, Sword - 1 BG of 6 @ 78
Iranian Lancers Cat, HA, Sup, Drilled, Lance, Sword - 3 BG of 6 @ 120 = 360
Bactrian LH, Unprot, Ave, Undrilled, Bow, Lt Spear - 4 BG of 4 @ 36 = 144
Saka LH, Unprot, Ave, Undrilled, Bow, Sword - 1 BG of 4 @ 40
Mountain Indian LH, Unprot, Ave, Undrilled, Jav, Lt Spear - 1 BG of 4 @ 28

800 points. Initiative +4. 10 BG.

No Nellies. Enough LH (6 BG) to delay your opponent wherever you like, all the non-LH is drilled, the LH or Cv to hit the flanks, the IC to hold the Cats until you are ready and the Cv and Cats go down in the last 2 groups.

It will make the britcon winner's list very nervious!

However, it will require nerves of steel to play.

[babyshark]

Interesting. That looks a lot like what I came up with, only I used a Saka ally and less cats. Not sure whether I have the nerves of steel required, though. Losing the PBI against a non-cav army could lead to enormous pain.

Marc

[philqw78]

It will make the britcon winner's list very nervous!

No it won't. He had 19 BG and including 5 BG of LH, which yours is no better than, mostly as bad or worse. His MF will easily outmanouver your BGs of 6 cats/lance Cav. 4's would be a different matter.

[willb]

with a saka ally command you can get
IC
2xTC
BG 4 Guard CV
4 BG 4 CV lancers (1 Superior drilled, 1 Superior undrilled, 2 average undrilled)
4 BG 4 Bactrian LH
1 Ally TC
BG 4 saka superior undrilled CV lancers
3 BG 4 saka horse archers (1 can be part of the main army)

799 points, initiative 4, 13 BG
quality of one of the lancers to average and removing the saka lancers allows adding 2 more BG of 4 horse archers increasing the number of BGs to 14 at 799 points
the question would be whether quantity is better than quality.

[Smackyderm]

I'm working on some Graeco-Bactrians.

While it is possible to do all horse... if you're going to omit pikes and pachyderms, why not just get it over with and play Parthians?

[willb]

I'm working on some Graeco-Bactrians.

While it is possible to do all horse... if you're going to omit pikes and pachyderms, why not just get it over with and play Parthians?

depends on whether you want drilled lancers or not