DBA Hoplite Campaign - Spring 479 B.C. - Spartan Move

Sparta moves its army from Naupactus to invade Chalcis. The Athenian army stands despite being outnumbered 12 to 9.

The Athenian Strategos Peridus furrows his brow. The Spartans have invaded early in the Spring - too early after Winter's pall - and Peridus suspect some cunning stratagem. "This early into the Spring - before the snows in the mountains have melted - what are the Spartans up to?" Peridus shakes off the feeling. He has to attend to the matter at hand. Athenian lands have been invaded and the Spartans must be made to pay. A smile slowly crosses his face. He knows where to make his stand against the Spartans...

The battle at Chaldis between Athens and Sparta was a three hour long affair with pictures at the end of every few turns (only when the positions started to change significantly). There were a number of errors that Ira and I made with regards to the rules - the killer nature of the river, how to count as defending a riverbank - so rather than write up and elaborate report, here are the highlights:

• The Athenians setup the terrain, placing a BUA and a river to intersect the board, dividing it into two sections: one 1/3rd the width of the board and one 2/3rd the width of the board. There was a central steep hill to meet the Bad Going Terrain rules, but it played no part in the battle.
• The Athenians ended up defending.
• The Spartans ended up opposite the BUA (town) and having to cross the river.
• The river turned out to be difficult (a roll of a '6' on the type of river).
• The Spartans attempted to flank the Athenian defensive line and lost two Hoplite elements, but eventually flanked the Athenian position with the remaining two Hoplite elements, destroying the Athenian Hoplite element holding the flank on the last turn.
• The Athenians lost one Hoplite element in the battles raging at the river banks.
• The Spartans had the Athenian General flanked, but he valiantly fought free, destroying a Spartan Hoplite element and recoiling the Spartan General element.
• The Athenian counter-attack eventually settled the matter when it flanked and destroyed the fourth Spartan Hoplite element.

The Athenians won 4-2, forcing the Spartans to retreat their army back to Naupactus.

Athens: 4 prestige; reserves: 3x4Sp, 1x2LH, 1x3Ax

Sparta: 7 prestige; reserves: 4x4Sp

Thessaly: 3 prestige; reserves: none

Thrace: 1 prestige; reserves: 1x2Ps, 1x3Ax, 1x2LH