A clash of kings! 28mm Seleukid civil war with Fantastic Battles

Andriochos and Antinichos met for a Seleukid civil war rematch this week running 1,000 point armies of second century BC Seleukids built for Fantastic Battles. Last time these forces clashed, I came out on top. Who would triumph this time?

My legitimate forces, led by the rightful king, Antinichos, were defending which put me at a slight disadvantage. Normally I like defending, but our armies (by no means identical) both favour open terrain. This meant there were limited tricks I could play with deployment and Andrew/Andriochos was able to deploy cleverly in response to my setup.

 

Rolling for mishaps, the usurper's army suffered little other than a unit of skirmishers turning up behind the main line on his right rather than out front. Several of my units were suffering from disease and two units - slingers and thureophoroi - were late my left flank.

The forces of the legitimate king advanced cautiously, trying to decide how best to negotiate the terrifying elephants facing the cavalry on the right wing. Over on the left wing, the camel archers were more confident. Joining with the unit of Cretans, they started shooting arrows into the massed naked Galatians opposite. 

But the camel riders were too cocky and were caught by a fierce rush of sunburnt flesh and wildly flailing ... weapons.

The usurper's forces were equally aggressive on my right flank. Not only did two companies of elephants charge my hetairoi, but even the Cretans in the service of Andriochos charged forwards into my unit of Arab auxiliaries.  

The Arabs made quick work of the Cretans, but the hetairoi, led by King Antinichos himself, found themselves in a desperate melee.

In the centre, the pikemen of the phalanx clashed inconclusively, while my thureophoroi, elephant and cataphracts held back, waiting for the right time to charge.

When my cataphracts did charge they were met with a counter charge by the usurper's cataphracts. All the while, the hetairoi cavalry clung on doggedly in their struggle against the elephants.

Back on the left flank, the camelry scattered before the Galatians who then charged on into my Cretans. The Cretans tried to evade but could not get away fast enough. Andriochos' second phalanx advanced in support of the barbarians, challenging my thureophoroi, but exposing their flank to an elephant charge which should have been devastating. Somehow, I managed to score only a single Resolve loss after rolling 11 dice for the flank charge. Inconceivable!

Along the line, the heavy infantry and cavalry were all now committed, leaving the skirmishers - pulled back behind their respective forces, to redeploy in support where they could.

My Arabs swept round into the flank of Andriochos' elephants, while his second phalanx reformed to face the failed elephant rampage on its flank. The Galatians - having driven back their Cretan opponents - now turned their sights on the thureophoroi. Both sides had the advantage on their respective right flanks, although my right was certainly precarious.

Frustratingly, the Arab flank attack was a turn too late and, in the ensuing melee, the usurper's elephants and my hetairoi both scattered, taking the wounded Antinichos with them. Seeing their king fall, resolve loss rippled through the army of the legitimate ruler and the Arabs too scattered. 

In the following turn, it was all over. Both my glorious cataphracts and my elephant fled before the enemy attack and I was taken to my breakpoint of 11/11. A fiendish victory for Andriochos the Usurper, and a sorry day for the legitimate house.

Hail Antinichos - wherever you have fled to!