Warrior Ancient and Medieval Rules

[John Murphy]

Sorry if this too long.

I have only played the new Early Nikephorian Byzantine list a few times,
but it has become one of my 2-3 very favorites. Partly because there is
such a wealth of historical information on them that you can delve into
all the literature and never really exhaust it. But out of Paul G's new
lists they have become my favorite.

All my comments below are based on the point values printed in the army
list book. I think, off-hand, there are some correction I do not
remember but the difference should me negligible for this discussion.
But double-check before you might use any of my calculations.

Definitely do not forget to take the fire syphoneers. They will not do
much against horse archers but against an army with a few elephants (or
pike blocks or whatever) the prospect of a 2E 8-fig 122-pt unit (as LMI,
or you can pay an extra 16 for LHI) skirmishing and shooting elephants
with 16@+3=40 or most anything else with 16@+4=48 is too good to pass
up. They will not always get set up for a shot but I would say they take
out enough to be well worth the points over 50-75% of the time. And at
least they make a threat your opponent must pay attention to, so giving
you a chance to do something else.

The other thing is the kontaratoi. I made the mistake starting off in
this list using irregular Varangians for my foot shock troops and not
taking any kontaratoi. The latter are, admittedly, a bit expensive when
loaded up with all the armor and weaponry they can carry (which is in my
book the way to play them - like Late Imperial Romans on steroids). But
if you want something with plenty of missile firepower and the staying
power to win battles (the latter being why they might do better in a
skirmish army than 1-shot fire-and-forget irregular Varangians) these
are the guys.

1x Psiloi 8E Reg D LI B @ 42 pts. (mandatory but don't like to spend too
much on them - force march every game)

1x Fire Syphoneers 2E Reg C LMI fire_projector, Sh @ 122 pts.

2x Kontaratoi 6E Reg C 1/3 HI LTS, JLS, D, Sh 1/3 MI LTS, JLS, D, Sh 1/3
MI B, Sh @ 154 pts.

1x Kontaratoi 4E Reg B 1/2 HI 1/2 MI HTW, JLS, D, Sh @ 122 pts.

That gives you, in my opinion, a very good infantry force for only 594
points (if I counted correctly). If I were to play this army nowdays,
based on my previous games with them, this is how I would run them and
probably leave all the Varangians on the shelf unless it was a doubles
game. But that is my style (and especially with this very good skirmish
army) - better to have something that can maneuver and continue being a
threat into the mid- and end-game rather than a one-shot frontal weapon
which attracts a lot of players based just on looking at the ideal
first-combat on the charts.

Then you work out how to build your (S)HC and LC.

My choice for this is to use the LC as very cheap and very capable
skirmishers which, like the LI, I force march every game. You can afford
them to be D because they are there to take up space and maybe use their
"free" maneuver at the end of an approach to get a flank shot so will
only charge in a situation where prompting is not required anyway. Most
of those have opposition who do not fight back, and 99% of the time you
are only skirmishing and shooting, so Sh are not needed.

4x Kavallarioi Archers 2E Reg D LC B @ 30 pts. (you may want more - I
usually take as many as 6 units but your opponent will take one look and
groan - you might also consider running half as many units at 4E to save
a few points but while maybe almost as good frontally that gives you
less chance of getting a flank shot)

Finally we come to the cream of the crop, the heavy cavalry.

First I buy the HC and then see if there is room left for SHC. I have
played with and without the kats in the past and I am undecided how
useful they are. They can be very, very good or just very expensive
targets for something charging from 121p. Just a note - if you do buy
the kats make sure they have something they can legally charge in the
same path when they get near other mounted so that they have a valid
charge target and do not get cancelled - then they will probably meet
the mounted halfway instead of taking it in the shorts at a halt.

Note I build the HC as skirmishers (B-armed) with a punch against the
right kind of opponent rather than EHC lancer specialists because I have
found in many years of playing various Byzantines off and on that the
cavalry which can not skirmish is much less useful the way I play this
army.

1x CinC & Kavallarioi Lancers 2E Reg 1/2 A 1/2 B HC L, B, Sh (PA) @ 197
pts.
3x CinC & Kavallarioi Lancers 2E Reg 1/2 A 1/2 B HC L, B, Sh (P) @ 127
pts.

Note that sometimes you only have points for 2 subs but I try to get all
3 since they can charge impetuously and allow other HC to do so, and
soak up another HC off the minimum as well.

2x Kavallarioi Lancers 2E Reg 1/2 A 1/2 B HC L, B, Sh @ 91 pts.

All these are tremendously capable units and if you do not like Reg A/B
L/B cavalry then, in my opinion again, perhaps Byzantines in general are
not quite to your flavor. They are never uneasy, can nearly always be
impetuous and need a "1" to tank a waver, and can shoot and evade
anything they do not have the chutzpah to face up to. They are, in my
experience, very good at wearing down and destroying unscreened knights
in this last manner (get the knights tired and disordered then the
support shot with Byzantine general-led impetuous charge, and all the
die-roll insurance, almost makes up for the difference in armor). Once
again, don't think of the first contact off the combat charts, envision
maneuver and skirmishing and playing into the middle and end of the
game.

So I have spent something like 1350 points on 15 units. My advice is for
1200 rather than degrade anything above skip the SHC and you will also
have to drop a sub-general and/or some other unit(s) from the above.

However, if you want to play 1600 then by all means experiment with the
SHC. When I played them I actually ran them as one huge 4E 16-fig unit,
the way the Byzantines actually ran them. Nothing normal can really
shoot them. But they present a major threat and also a major target for
knights and elephants. So it goes without saying be smart, clever even,
with the one unit. Like your lancers, they rely less on impetuousity so
you can plan on getting off more than one near-full-power charge. The
reason for hoarding them, however, is to be sure when they charge that
they are supported to prevent something else from taking them out
afterwards.

1x Kataphraktoi 4E Reg 1/2 A 1/2 B SHC L, Sh @ 290 pts.

Oddly enough this is one army (out of a few perhaps - I can think of a
couple others I have played) where I have found historical tactics
sometimes work. And there is so very much written on the subject for
these guys ("Sowing the Dragons Teeth" by Eric McGeer, recommended to me
by list author Paul G himself, is an excellent place to begin).

In this vein, throw out a horde of light skirmishers (LI/LC), march the
close foot as mobile terrain with the heavy cav in the gaps so they are
protected and can charge out when a good chance presents itself. Of
course, no plan survives first contact in the heat of battle does it!

Message: 5
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2004 15:36:15 -0000
From: "spocksleftball" <spocksleftball@...>
Subject: Re: More tacticals

I have the lead for Nikephorians in 25mm and looked long and hard at
these chaps. the fact that you can actually buy them as Vikings
makes me giddy with reason, and they are effective as such. However,
at 1200pts if you want SHC and enough LMI B to ward off all
things "anti-horse" out there, then you can't afford them anyway. :(

John,
This is exactly how I've been looked at Nikephorians since the early
90s. I like the fact that now if wanted, the Varagians are now LHI.
I agree with every major point on best troop types you've outlined,
and we agree on all main ideas. I always run 2E RgC LC B units, but
I also buy a 6E Hun unit so I can run off enemy LC. I always buy the
SHC but run them with/near the infantry as armored coutnerattackers.
I would drop a Skutatio unit to bring it down to 1200pt. I don't
usually do the fire boys, but I think your right about El; the trick
has always been keeping them alive.

Here is my main theme in Byz. All LI B in 4E units forced marched
across the front (4 units) 4 units of Rg LMI B/sh to create shooting
batteries that will skirmish foot and force charges/halts or stand in
brush and shoot up mounted. 4 to 6E RgB HC L/B/sh. I agree totally
that unless you're at Siege of Augusta where EHC can skirmish, it is
a waist of point for EHC. Again the HC can move up next to LC or LMI
and help with shooting, then get the subG impetuous. This usually
doesn't happen until a point in the enemy line has been made tired or
disordered from shooting. By time the enemy has pushed my entire
force back from 1/2 the way into his side of the board, he is tired
and usually caught nothing. Now he is close to where my HI LTS and
SHC are hanging around awaiting a chance to pound something that is
tire/disordered.

On the HC the old Nike list had front rank L back rank B, while the
old Maurikian was everyone double armed. This got me to play the M.
Byz, but now everyone can help in the charge with L.

Excellent comparitive analysis John.
Wanax

--- In WarriorRules@yahoogroups.com, "John Murphy" <jjmurphy@s...>