Gaugamela 331BC

With Barrie's Sunday school off this weekend, we did one at Camp Cromwell instead.  Mike & Steve commanded the Persians while Jim played Alexander.  The numbers assumed for the scenario are about 35,000 Macedonians & about 60,000 Persians, a reasonable interpretation of limited data.  Our Persians are probably a bit light on for cavalry as we used up all the suitable cavalry figs we had.  Points-wise the armies are about equal.

Both sides have roughly the usually accepted historical deployment.  The Macedonians are on the left.  The phalanx is in the centre with the mercenary hoplites behind.  Alexander is on its right with his companions and hypasists behind.  There is mercenary cavalry on both flanks.  The Persians have their chariots in front of their centre with mercenary hoplites and Immortals behind.  They have two cavalry divisions on each flank and 3 levy infantry divisions across their rear.  The pic is taken after turn 1.  The Macedonians have advanced their centre.  The Persians have advanced their flanks. 

Both sides have formed a V, centre forward for the Macedonians, centre back for the Persians.   The Persian scythed chariots have charged the phalanx and have been destroyed, but they got a few casualties and disordered the Macedonian line for a turn.

On the near flank Alexander has lead the charge of the Macedonian horse.  Most of the Persian cavalry on this wing evaporated in one turn.  On the far flank the Macedonians are not doing so well and are being pushed back.  The phalanx has re-ordered itself & is ready to advance again. 

In a bad turn for Macedon, the phalanx failed to charge home on the hoplites & immortals while Alexander's cavalry somehow failed to break the levy infantry and have rallied back with significant losses.  The Macedonian left continues to give ground.

The Persian centre has counterattacked the phalanx.  Alexander still hasn't broken the levy infantry & has been unable to sweep left to support the phalanx or to get at Darius.

Alexander has finally broken the levy infantry and the right of the phalanx has won through, but the left of the phalanx is in big trouble with one unit being pushed back by the immortals making a hole.  The hypaspists were sent to assist the phalanx but failed command and did not charge home.  The Macedonian left is still hanging on.

Alexander has finally got into the flank of the Persian centre, but it's too late, the companions have run out of punch being all shaken and the entire Macedonian left has collapsed.

So in our fight history was reversed.  Both sides used what we think was the historical plan and the battle followed pretty much the form of the original, but our Darius was bit more cunning and our Alexander lucked out in a couple of important phases.