For those of us unfamiliar with this particular battle it took place in Asia Minor in 281BC and was a contest between the last of the Diadochi: Seleucus & Lysimachus. Other than the causes of the disagreement & the outcome, very little information has come down to us concerning the make up of the armies and how Seleucus came to prevail. Fertile ground then for a gamer with time on his hands on a wet Sunday.
Here then are the first tentative stabs at army lists for the two sides.
Seleucus.
2x10no Companions in wedge.
12no Horse Archers.
10 or 12no Kappadokian Noble Cavalry ( massed or wedge?)
9no Tarentines
4x28no Phalangites
16no Archers
2x16no Peltasts ( mixed tribesmen from various eastern provinces)
2no Elephants (no howdah)
1no scythed chariot ( maybe?)
Lysimachus
10no Companions in wedge.
9no Thracian Noble Cavalry in wedge.
9no Horse Archers.
9no Tarentines
3x28no Phalangites
2x30no Hoplites
2x16no Peltasts
8no Slingers
8no Archers
20no Thracian Infantry (Warband)
Hopefully this gives sufficient character to each army without falling into caricature. I could perhaps include an Elephant in the Lysimachid army as they were available to him, but in very low numbers when compared to the Seleucid army. Anyway as they are un-armoured & un-towered these will only be useful as a cavalry screen, which is as it should be, so shouldn't unbalance things too much.
The use of the scythed chariot in the Seleucid army is also 50/50, most of the time they just sit on the table dying under a storm of missile fire, but just occasionally they do what they are supposed to & devastate a crucial unit. Highly amusing but liable to have a horrible effect on what is supposed to be a long & enjoyable game.
As ever we will be using WAB 1.5 rules, there may be better sets available, but I'm too lazy to learn them.
To be played on 8x4' table because thats the biggest we can fit on our kitchen table.
More thoughts & some pictures of the newly re-based figures to follow.
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