[Ongoing] The Lamian War

[Aetius]

Cassander's scouts report the Aetolian army is approaching to relieve the city. they have accurately detailed its composition, seems to be largely a levy force mustered with great alacrity.

A messenger arrives in Cassander's camp with a finely written letter stamped with a rich seal;

"Cassander, lord of Macedon, false tyrant of hellas

Firstly, on behalf of the council I am bound to demand you withdraw and respect our sovereignty over Lamia.

If not, I request of thee to release the defenders of Lamia so that we may fight on the field of battle to decide the future of our respective nations. However, if you lack the honor of your father we shall attack your position with the utmost ferocity in as soon as my men are ready.

-Thelon
Strategos of Aetolia"


Strategos Thelon
Command: 4
Combat: 4
Not an Aetolian, but the leader of the Locrians under the Aetolian League. His wealth as a major owner of properties around Naupaktos made him influential enough to assume the rank of Strategos with his connections.






Relief Army
Thelon
10 Aetolian Hoplites
48 Aetolian Levy Hoplites,
40 Aetolian Psiloi,
24 Aetolian Ekdromoi

~30,500 soldiers

Inside Lamia -20% BP from starvation
Heraclitus of Aetolia (Command: 10
6 Aetolian Hoplites (1500)
4 Aetolian Hippeis (400)
8 Aetolian Levy Hoplites (2000)
4 Aetolian Ekdromoi (1000)
12 Aetolian Psilioi (3000)

7,500 Infantry
400 Cavalry

Leosthenes (Command: 12
2 Elite Athenian Hoplites
4 Athenian Hoplites
4 Athenian Ekdromoi (1000)
2,500 Infantry


VS

Besiegers
Cassander
Alexander Veterans x 7
Pezhetairoi x 25
MERC thracian peltast x 6
Argypsiades x 6
Hypastists x 4
Hetairoi x 6
Agema Peltasts x 4
Thessalian Cavalry x 5
Prodromoi x 8
Xystophoroi x 12
Mercenary Hippeis x 10
Alexander's Thessalian Cavalry x 6


13,000 Infantry
4,700 Cavalry

Lysimachus
12 x Silver Shields
Alexander's Thessalian Cavalry x 6
3,000 Infantry
600 Cavalry

NOTES:
The Aetolian Army is approaching and will begin its attack tomorrow. You can choose to hide behind your siege walls and recieve a +10% bp bonus (but your cavalry must be dismounted) and have to fight on two sides or you can agree to Thelon's request, letting the garrison inside Lamia out (they will lose starvation penalty) to the Relief Army then have a battle.

If you win they will accept defeat
If they win you will accept Aetolia's independence and pay 500 talents.

[Aetius]

Right Flank
Cassander
12 x Alexandrian Argypsiades
6 x Argypsiades
4 x Hypastists
12 x Alexandrian Thessalian Cavalry
5x Thessalian Cavalry
6 x Hetairoi

Center
Lysimachus
7 x Alexandrian Veterans
5 x Pezhetairoi
4 x Agema Peltasts

Left Flank
10 x Pezhetairoi
8x Prodromoi
12x Xystophoroi

Guarding Lamia

10x Syntagma of Pezhetairoi
10x Mercenary Hippeis (mostly dismounted)

Plan

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Cassander looked at the finely written scroll along with its fine seal. He could tell by its appear and its contents that it was written by someone with no real knowledge of warfare, and by its aesthetic, probably a wealthy aristocrat. People should know when they are conquered, he mused. Immediately, Cassander called a council of war with Lysimachus, his ally. They agreed that an outright battle was necessary. Already, the Greeks were shown to be stubborn and unruly. He would ultimately need to teach them a lesson worthy of them remembering.

Cassander would march out to meet the relief force on the field of battle, but would ultimately refuse to allow the besieged forces to join them. Instead, he would leave behind a garrison to prevent them from joining the battle. Orders were given to prepare breakfast still in the night, and then march outside before dawn, leaving behind a token force to guard the walls. (This same strategy was used by Scipio Africanus at the Battle of Ilipa) As the lines of communications are cut by the siege walls, the besieged are unlikely to know about the battle until it is already upon the relief army. Cassander hoped to take the enemy relief force by surprise. Though clearly they would muster, they would be slightly disorganized and without breakfast for a long day of fighting.

Ultimately, the battle should be pretty straight forward. The Macedonians are to march rapidly upon they Aetolians at daybreak and force them to muster. The goal is to avoid a drawn out skirmish. The right flank shall be heavily loaded with Elite Shock infantry, including the entirety of the Alexandrian Argypsiades and Thessalian Cavalry, along with Hypastists and Cassandrid Argypsiades, and the heavy cavalry. The battle plan is for a classic hammer and anvil approach, in which the infantry charge, and move to pin the enemy infantry, while the heavy cavalry moves to flank and delivers the knock-out punch.

Back at the Camp, cooking fires are ordered to be left burning to give the illusion and subterfuge that more men are guarding the camp than truly are. A sally is expected, however, reserves will be provided. With the existing soldiers, the Pezhetairoi are ordered to forsake their Sarissas and adopt closer range, and skirmishing weapons suited to defending the wall against any potential sally. The Mercenary Hippeis will dismount and help to man the walls, but some of their number will remain mounted and, at an opportune time, withdraw to the outer countervallation wall and return to the inner circumvallation wall blasting trumpets at will, giving the illusion to the sallying army that Cassander's forces have returned victorious to continue the siege. (This is part of the tactic that Julius Caesar used during the siege of Alesia, where he sent his cavalry out to pretend to bring in reinforcements).

Aetolian army formation
Army split evenly in 3, although all the real hoplites were focused on the right under Thelon, in a amateur imitation of the boeotian style of fighting. In reserve were the psiloi

Skirmish
6x MERC Thracian Peltasts (counter-skrimishing)

vs

52 psiloi and tons of ekdromoi (skirmishing)

As per plan, the macedonians broke the siege partially and began their attack. Coming up from their camp the aetolian army mustered rather sloppily and a skirmish broke out. Opening up the battle, both forces from the city and army led out a skirmish, although desperately outnumbered the savage thracian mercenaries terrified the young aetolian men and they drove many back. Ultimately though they suffered grave casualties and all fell or were badly wounded. Their bravery was very admirable.

Macedonian Losses (~10000 bp)
6 Merc Thracian Peltasts
1 Merc Hippeis


Battle
Right

As Lysimachus moved forward to pin the center, Cassander led from the front the overwhelming might of the macedonian military against the poor aetolian souls opposing them. Glorious steeds decked in armor, cavaliers hardened by decades of war, charged with such strength that the Aetolian levy hoplites broke formation before impact and were IMMEDIATELY shattered.

Crushing victory -564
0 macedonian losses
aetolia: 16 levy hoplites, 6 ekdromoi

Center
In the center Lysimachus steady command was a great comfort to the veterans there. Although they were greatly outnumbered the levies opposing them were no match. They were quite brave however. Eager to get kills the agema peltast captain emerged from the phalanx and charged into a weak section of the line which is being exploited to great effect
Losing Ground -1079 -2 levy hoplites

Taking Ground
~minimal macedonian losses
Aetolia: -2x levy hoplites



Left
Despite being the hammer of the aetolian force it proved to be poorly led by Thelon who found himself unable to control the mass of men and completely unable to respond to the macedonian cavalry. At this moment he realized the Aetolian council had made a mistake and there would be no glory today. The Macedonans could not be beaten in battle, their qualitative advantage was simply too high and with combined arms proved impossible to counter. Even so they fought on and due to great numbers have felt safety in them right now.
Taking Ground
Macedonian:, -1 prodromoi
Losing Ground, -2 ekdromoi


At Lamia [defenders -20% bp from starvation] besiegers +10% from siege walls
Philip, a relative of Cassander was tasked with containing Lamia. Leosthenes and Heraclitus, perhaps moved by desperation emerged from the gates leading from the front. With psiloi keeping the heads of the surprised Macedonians down on their walls they scaled them with remarkable ease and with his elite hoplites Leosthenes broke through, lit a fire to the section of the wall. After it fell with the aid of a ram the entire army of Lamia burst forth and the fight became quite desperate. Philip ordered his cavalry to blow the horns and pretend as if Cassander was returning to scare the greeks although this failed as a spy had informed Leosthenes of this stratgem and his troops were guarded against it. (roll failed

Clearly Losing

Macedonian Losses:2 x merc hippeis,3 x pezhetairoi

Attackers -1x hoplite


All loss so far
Macedon
6 x merc thracians
3 x merc hippeis
3 x pezhetairoi
1 prodromoi
~3,100 dead wounded, or fled

Greeks
1x hoplite
18 levy hoplites
8 ekdromoi
~6,750 dead wounded, or fled

Notes:
++Cassander can return to reinforce Lamia but only with his cavalry
++The Aetolian center is now flanked giving +50% bp although the reserve psiloi will attempt to delay

[Aetius]

Lamia -- Result

So I want to send 12 Alexander's Thessalian Cavalry back to reinforce the camp
And i want the whole of the remaining right flank to pivot in and flank the enemy center
I've left the Thessalians and the Hetairoi there
Hammer + Anvil
And the Hypastati will also move in and cut directly into the flank of the hoplites in the center

In the main battle the Aetolians have no answer to the macedonian shock cavalry forces hitting their flank followed up by a charging pike phalanx of silver shields. The psiloi are no match and the hoplites all throw down their weapons and run to escape imminent death.

Result: Macedon has won a Crushing Victory the main battle, the relief army has failed to end the siege of Lamia

Hearing the horns from Lamia, Cassander knew Philip was in trouble, signalled to the thessalians to follow him back to camp. Riding hard he met Philip halfway who had a wild look in his eyes. "The Greeks over took us before I could do anything!". Unpleased with him as usual, Cassander continue to the camp to only see the greek rearguard of psiloi keeping the remaining few phalangites back. The cavalry tried to overtake the greeks but they had already gone into the woods and began climbing into the hills mountains above Thermopylae. Looks like this: http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2014/...mopylae-P.jpeg

Clear Defeat at the siege lines, Greeks escape the city

Macedonian Losses:5 x merc hippeis,4 x pezhetairoi
Greek Losses: 6 psiloi


Total Losses
Macedon
6 x merc thracians
8 x merc hippeis
7 x pezhetairoi
1 prodromoi


Greeks
Aetolian Army- all killed, surrendered, or fled


Escaped Greek outlaw army under Leosthenes and Heraclitus
Elite Hoplites x4
Hoplites x9
Ekdromoi x4
Hippeis x4
Levy Hoplites x8
Ekdromoi x4
Psiloi x6

Notes

• The Lamian war is now over. No one in greece disputes Macedon's authority outright.
• Aetolia has surrendered to Macedon, Macedon may implement any terms on it sees fit, or outright annex it.
• Leosthenes and Heraclitus have escaped into the Pindus mountains and forest. They may return later in the game to retake Athens and Aetolia respectively either in a revolt roll, invasion roll, vassal rebellion event, or even exiled nobility to another diadochi. If you have assassins you may use them to try and kill them to prevent this inevitability
• You all get a 2 free move days to cancel out any delay in the battle