The Trojan War
The most likely date for the Trojan War was about 1250/40 BC. According to legend the war was brought about by the abduction of Helen, wife of Menelaus , King of Sparta. She was taken by the Trojan prince Paris who took her back to Troy a city in western Anatolia and seat of King Priam. Paris and Hector, the greatest fighter for Troy, were his sons. In retribution the King of the Achaean Greeks (Mycenaeans) Agamemnon assembled a huge armada and sailed to western Anatolia and there waged a war that lasted ten years. In the Iliad Homer’s poetical account of the Greek attack on Troy the poet describes the final days of the war. The core of his writings deal with the acrimonious relationship between the Greek hero Achilles and Agamemnon and also includes the involvement of various vengeful gods who interfere in the affairs of men. The most notable event in the epic story is when Achilles kills Hector in revenge for the death of his friend Patroclus who was killed by Hector. In his turn Achilles is killed by Paris whose arrow is guided to the Greek heroes vulnerable heel by the sun god Apollo. Finally, the siege of Troy ends in a ruse to gain entry into the city (the wooden horse) whereupon the city is sacked and all the inhabitants massacred. At the end of the story, the gods angry with the destruction of their temples and other sacrilegious acts cause a storm to fall upon the returning Achaean fleet causing many ships to be lost.
Clash of Empires
What follows is an interpretation of the Trojan War using the Clash of Empires: Biblical Conquest Game rules. Please note that the Battle Log can be as basic or as detailed as the players want. The following lengthy interpretation is intended to show how the Clash Battle System can be used to recreate what is essentially a very large and complex battle. Army sizes and composition are speculative. Both armies are made up of Feudal army units. In the rules a Feudal Army is comprised of a group of aristocratic warriors who owe allegiance to a nobleman or King and are each in turn served by an underclass of peasants who fight for them. This army type gets an initial 2D6 Battle Dice and has a Combat Rating (CR) of ❶ which depending upon the number of army units converts into a Fighting Bonus (FB). Only the highest scoring Battle Die is used and odds or evens Battle Dice are required to achieve a Double Bonus. Each domain has a Special Ability this is Shield Wall for the Mycenaeans and Surprise Attack for the Anatolians. Shield Wall imposes a -2 modifier on an opponents Infantry Melee, whereas the Anatolians on a roll of 4-6 on 1D6 can activate Surprise Attack and thereupon double their Fighting Bonus. Modify by +1 for an Initiative win and -1 for an Initiative loss. For Battle Bonus calculation the Mycenaeans also get a +2 modifier to Infantry Melee for Supreme War Leader in command (Agamemnon) and +1 for Hero (Achilles). They also get a +2 modifier to Mounted Impetus for Heavy Chariots. The Anatolians get a +1 for Hero (Hector) and +2 for Heavy Chariots. For the siege of Troy all modifiers are set to zero and there is no Mounted Impetus. So only two Battle Factor Dice are rolled and scores on the Battle Bonus Calculation Tables are highlighted in blue.
The Clash Battle System may look a bit daunting at first glance but as with any strategy game there is a set procedure to follow. In the case of Clash of Empires the main principles are set out below.
Clash Battle System
After rolling for Initiative the Battle Roll for each army consists of the following procedure:
Roll Battle Dice (highest scoring die only)
Plus, Combat Rating (CR) to Fighting Bonus (FB) (conversion dependent upon number of units).
Plus, Battle Bonus calculation and Double Bonus if applicable.
Plus, Advantage Dice (representing a numerical, tactical or other special advantage)
Highest score wins and the difference between the two Battle Rolls determines the number of casualties.
Conversion and Casualty Tables not shown.
Biblical Battle Log
Domain = Aegean (Mycenaeans)
Battle = Trojan War Date: Year 9 Turn 10 and Year 10 Turn 7 after siege
Initiative | Battle Dice | No. of Units and CR to Fighting Bonus | Battle Bonus | Battle Advantage Dice | Total Score |
1D6 +1
= 5 | 2D6 4 and 1 (Highest Die Only)
No odds or evens | 40 Feudal Army units
❶ x 40 = +12 FB
| 18 Points Converts to 1D6 = 5 | Opponent outnumbered 1D6
= 4 | 4+12+5+4 = 25 |
Siege
N/A | 2D6 2 and 6
Evens Dice | 34 Feudal Army units
❶ x 34 = +10 FB
| 10 Points Converts to 1D6 = 4 (Double Bonus) 4x2 = 8 | Opponent outnumbered more than 2-1 2D6 Siege Craft 2D6 5+4+4+2 = 15 | 6+10+8+15 = 39 |
Battle Bonus Calculation Table
Battle Factor (1D6) | Modifiers | Score | Points Value |
Shooting | 0 | 2 | 2/4 |
Infantry Melee | +2 Supreme War Leader/+1 Hero (Achilles) | 5+3 | 8/6 |
Mounted Impetus | +2 Heavy Chariot | 6+2 | 8/N/A |
|
|
| Total = 18/10 |
Roll 1D6 for each Battle Factor and apply modifiers to find total points value and then compare with total FB on the conversion table (in rulebook) to calculate Battle Bonus Dice. Can simplify by rolling 3D6 plus total modifier. Double bonus for odds or evens Battle Dice.
Player A: - Supreme War Leader = King Agamemnon who is personally leading his army in the field. After a protracted period of hostilities between Mycenae and Anatolia an armada of Mycenaean ships (over 1000 war galleys) lands an invasion force of 40 Feudal army units (50,000 troops inc.4000 chariots) on the coast of western Anatolia (Wilusya). The Mycenaeans get +1 to Initiative because they are attacking from the sea. They draw up their battle lines on a wide plain before the city of Troy. Both sides roll 5 for Initiative so there is no tactical advantage. The Mycenaeans have a powerful hero in their ranks, namely Achilles which means that they get a +1 modifier to Infantry Melee. Also, owing to their large body covering shields and an impenetrable wall of spear points the Mycenaeans can reduce their opponent’s Infantry Melee by -2. They roll a 4 and 1 for their Battle Dice. The highest scoring die is the 4 and this goes towards the total score along with the +12 FB and 5 which is the result of the Battle Bonus calculation. This together with their advantage die score of 4 gives them a total score of 25. The difference between the Mycenaean and Anatolian scores is 6 which means that the loser suffers 50% casualties and the winner 15% casualties (6 units) on the Casualty Table. The Mycenaeans go on to besiege Troy for nine monthly turns and by Year 10 Turn 7 the Anatolians are out of supply. Thereupon, the Mycenaeans storm Troy scoring evens Battle Dice which gives them a Double Battle Bonus of 8. This together with a score of 15 on the Battle Advantage Dice and with the aid of a siege engine known as the ‘wooden horse’ they break into the city and massacre its inhabitants. Unfortunately for the Mycenaeans when moving their navy back home they roll a 1 and are caught in a storm losing 70% (1D10 x10%) of their ships.
Domain = Wilusya (Anatolians or Trojans)
Initiative | Battle Dice | No. of Units and CR to Fighting Bonus | Battle Bonus | Battle Advantage Dice | Total Score |
1D6 = 5 | 2D6 6 and 1 (Highest Die Only)
No odds or evens
| 35 Feudal Army units
❶ x 35 = +10 FB
1D6 = 2 No Surprise Attack | 13 Points
Converts to 1D6 = 3 | N/A | 6+10+3 = 19 |
Siege
N/A | 2D6 5 and 2 (Highest Die Only)
No odds or evens
| 18 units -3 for out of supply = 15
❶ x 15 = +4 FB Doubled to +8 FB
1D6 = 4 Surprise Attack
| 8 Points Converts to 1D4 = 2 | Defending Stronghold with Fortification upgrade = 4D6
6+4+3+2 = 15 | 5+8+2+15 = 30 |
Battle Bonus Calculation Table
Battle Factor (1D6) | Modifiers | Score | Points Value |
Shooting | 0 | 4 | 4/5 |
Infantry Melee | -2 Mycenaean Shield Wall/+1 Hero (Hector) | 5-1 | 4/3 |
Mounted Impetus | +2 Heavy Chariot | 3+2 | 5/N/A |
|
|
| Total = 13/8 |
Roll 1D6 for each Battle Factor and apply modifiers to find total points value and then compare with total FB on the conversion table (in rulebook) to calculate Battle Bonus Dice. Can simplify by rolling 3D6 plus total modifier. Double bonus for odds or evens Battle Dice.
Player B: - Supreme War Leader = King Priam but he is not personally leading his army in the field. Having received significant reinforcements from Hatti and the rest of Anatolia the Anatolians decide to give battle with an army of 35 Feudal army units (43,750 troops inc. 3500 chariots). A score of 5 for Initiative means that there is no tactical advantage. The Anatolians also have a powerful hero in their ranks, namely Hector which means that they also get a +1 modifier to Infantry Melee. The Anatolians roll a 2 on 1D6 so fail to activate their Surprise Attack and therefore are restricted to +10 for their Fighting Bonus. They only score a 3 for their Battle Bonus and have no Battle Advantage Dice. All of this results in a score of 19 which signals a significant defeat for the Anatolians and 50% casualties (17 units). The remnants of the Anatolian army take refuge inside their stronghold Troy and prepare for a long siege. Due to a fortification upgrade they can hold out for 2D6 monthly turns and Troy’s impressive defences gives them 4D6 Battle Advantage Dice. For how long they can resist the Anatolians roll a 4 and 5 which means that they can last for 9 turns before going out of supply. They will then lose 1D3 army units per turn due to hunger, disease and desertion. When their time is up, they roll a 6 on 1D3 which equates to the loss of 3 army units reducing them to 15. During the subsequent storming of the city the Anatolians fight ferociously and in the street fighting even manage to pull off a surprise attack (rolling 4 on 1D6). This, however, is to no avail as the difference between the Mycenaean and Anatolian total scores is 9 and an army defeated in its stronghold is automatically destroyed.
The Mycenaean army led by Agamemnon fights a major battle against the Anatolians before the gates of Troy in western Anatolia. Figures by Irregular Miniatures from their 20mm Biblical range. Painted by Silurian and from the author’s own collection. The numerical strength of each army is denoted by blank coloured poker chips. Game board from the Clash of Empires: The Biblical Conquest Game.
What was probably the historical city of Troy was discovered in Turkey in 1873 by Heinrich Schliemann (1822-90). It is generally accepted that the Trojan War was associated with a venture by the Mycenaeans a rich and powerful civilization of the Aegean whose chief stronghold was Mycenae in the north-eastern Peloponnese, Greece. It may even have been the case that the Mycenaeans were so weakened by their expedition against Troy that it precipitated their own demise at the hands of the Sea Peoples. It is significant that their dynasties end about this time.
Sources
Boulter, M L. 2009/2023-24: Clash of Empires: The Biblical Conquest Game. A Silurian War Games Ltd publication.
Cotterell, A. 1989: The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Myths & Legends. Cassell Publishers Ltd.
Eagles, R. 1990: Homer - The Iliad. Published by Penguin Books Ltd.
Mellersh, H.E.L. 1995: Chronology of the Ancient World, 10,000 BC – AD 799. Helicon Publishing Ltd.
Stillman, N.R. and Tallis, N.C. 1984: Armies of the Ancient Near East 3000 BC to 539 BC. A Wargames Research Group Publication.
Article Front Page Picture
Ancient Greek Phalanx. Trojan War. Retrieval Patroclus Body Homer Pottery, National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece. From Farsala 510-500 BC. After Alamy. (IY04212203)
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