The "300" Scenario

[Jtolman]

Has anyone tried setting up a Scenario based on the 300 to see what kind of Odds an Elite group of Pike men could withstand in a tight narrow area (say 1 or 2 cards wide against hordes of non- elite troops. Get a ratio down of 3/10 ? 3/100 numbers?
 this also brings up a question.

Should troops on Hold command get a defensive bonus? Should their be a D(defensive) command that gives a unit a bonus to defense while a penalty to offense?
I might ask the defensive question agan in the rules/suggestion forums.

[Niko White]

I expect we might see some historical units that have special formations that do what you're mentioning there (focus on defense) though I'm not sure.

And if you take a really elite couple of units (Celestial Guard spring to mind) and make them literally unflankable/unpinchable, then hilarious things can indeed happen.  It would be really boring though, I expect, to do it with say, Hawk Heavy Infantry who deal so little damage.  Right now if you really want to mimic 300 I'd use Dwarf Spearmen, they seem the closest we have to hoplites.

Of course, I suspect 2 Celestial Guard in a gap with 2 Healer Mages behind them might actually be able to take an unlimited number of truly weak units like Hawk Peasant Mobs...that would be hilarious.  Of course, if that were a real scenario you'd need to model the guys just getting tired of slaughtering peasants after a day or so 

[Chad_YMG]

I think Ultiville has it about right.  The key thing in any 300 scenario is that the vast majority of the other team is never actually in the battle.  If that happens, then elite units with either a healer mage or the capacity to heal from the scenario can last virtually forever against crappy units.

Take a scenario with a column of (5) 5/5 offense, 2/1 defense units facing off against Celestial Guard.  They need 1s to hit and 3s for damage, so they rate just under 1/2 a hit per turn, while the Guard will be cutting them down like wheat.

[carlkay58]

Definitely the Celestial Guard should be the defenders. They have a great time of slicing through most other units fairly easily.

A decent rule for healing could be: If the Celestial Guard is not engaged and does not move, it may heal one damage during the friendly Movement and Command Phase.

[gull2112]

I am assuming that with the next historical expension that a 300 scenario might be in the works.

[dllina5marcel]

Not definitely but there is a possibility that troops should get a defensive bonus on Hold command.

[gull2112]

Spammital!

[ZiNOS]

There is not going to be a 300 scenario in Alexander vs Persia since both armies have changed a lot at that time. The Hoplites turned more light and the light infantry of the Persians turned more heavy.

[gull2112]

In the American war for independence the british army in America became more like the american army (lighter and more irregular, while the American army became anglicized and more regular (deeper ranks, bettered ordered, lots of fiber in their diet ). Is that the same thing with the classical Greeks and Persians?
What the historical analysts call mirroring.

[ZiNOS]

Well, not exactly. During the Pelloponisian war, the Greek Hoplites had to become lighter because they started losing to the iphicratean spearmen and the generally more heavily armed than before skirmishers.

Many Greeks went to Persia to become Mercenaries, so they moved the trend there also.

And the Persians after their defeat in Greece during their invasion, had to sit again to the drawing board for their army.

And then came Phillip II, the father of Alexander and all was reset....

[gull2112]

And then came Phillip II, the father of Alexander and all was reset....

Yeah, if my old man had given me the most awesome army the world had ever seen, instead of his beat up pick-up truck....

I did name the truck Bellerophon, but it wasn't the same.

[ZiNOS]

Sorry to correct you but the geek inside me is screaming!

Bellerophon is a Corinthian hero (mythical or not) that rode the Pegasus (definately mythical).

Bucephale (or whatever in english) is the horse of Alexander.

[gull2112]

Thanks for the correction. I know I've seen bellerophon used as Alexander's horse, but that reference was obviously incorrect as well. Of course, with my brain injury, who knows.

[gull2112]

Wait, my mistake, I've seen it as Bucephalus, I think, maybe not.