3.6.4.9 Ninth battle turn

Ninth battle turn - orders

Night is falling - the armies are exhausted, and with the collapse of his Spearmen, Darius decides that the battle is lost and orders his troops to disengage.

After the orders, the position is essentially unchanged:

Ninth battle turn (missile fire)

On Alexander's right flank, Alexander's Archers 3 unit (460 strong, with a missile value of 20) is led by Ptolemy, who has a Tactics score of 5 (with +2 specialism in leading a unit in battle) and an IQ of +1. The unit is quite tired and has good morale. It is standing and firing from a normal firing position (i.e. nether advantageous or disadvantageous) at Darius' Spearmen 2 (with a defence value of 12) in close order. To determine how many casualties are delivered this battle turn, Ptolemy makes a dice roll, with a basic value of 5 (Tactics) +2 (specialism) +1 (IQ) +20 (missile value) +2 (good morale) -1 (quite tired) +0 (normal firing position) -12 (defence value) +0 (target in close order) -6 (night time) = 11. He risks 3D+2, rolls a 2, 2, and 1 giving a dice roll result of 7. This results in the firing unit causing casualties in the target equal to 4% of its size (i.e. 4% x 460 = 18 casualties). The unit strength of the spearmen unit is reduced by 18.

Ninth battle turn (melee combat)

As Darius' forces disengage, Alexander's troops harry them.

Achilles is commanding the pike phalanx unit (which is 926 strong) - he focuses them on harrying the retreating cataphracts. Achilles has a Tactics score of 4 with a specialism in battlefield strategy of 2 and an IQ of +0. His unit of veteran troops are armed with pikes and their melee value is 25. The unit is reeling and has good morale. Against the cataphracts, Achilles makes a dice roll, with a basic value of 4 (Tactics) +2 (specialism) +0 (IQ) +25 (melee value) +2 (good morale) +0 (not charging) -4 (reeling) -2 (disadvantaged position) -29 (defence value) -3 (target is elite in close order) +0 (attacking the target's front) -2 (night time) = -7. The phalanx is too tired and off-balance to catch the cataphracts as they retreat.

Meanwhile, Alexander's heavy cavalry attack Darius' Spearmen 2 one last time. Alexander is commanding the unit personally and has a talent for Tactics (+2), a Tactics score of 7 with a specialism in battlefield strategy of 3 and an IQ of +2. His unit of elite heavy cavalry are armed with spears, there are 142 of them and their melee value is 30. The unit is reeling and has average morale. They are attacking the front of the Spearmen unit (defence value of 12 in close order). To determine how many casualties are delivered this battle turn, Alexander makes a dice roll, with a basic value of 7 (Tactics) +3 (specialism) +2 (talent) +2 (IQ) +30 (melee value) +0 (average morale) -4 (reeling) +2 (advantageous position) +0 (not charging) -12 (defence value) -1 (target is green in close order) +0 (attacking the target's front) -2 (night time) = 27. He decides to risks 9D, rolls a 5, 2, 3, 4, 4, 6, 1, 2 and 3 giving a dice roll result of 30. This results in the attacking unit causing casualties equal to 63% of its size (i.e. 63% x 142 = 89 casualties). The unit strength of the spearmen is reduced by 89.

Ninth battle turn - consequences of combat

At the end of the battle turn, the units in the battle have the following status:

Battle conclusion

Darius' troops now retreat from the battlefield, and Alexander decides his troops are in no fit state to follow.

Alexander wins the day, but at no small cost. Of his original army of 6,750, only 2,665 (39%) have remained unscathed and only 1,528 (22%) are still on the battefield and in a fit state to fight. At least, his medics may be able to treat some of the wounded.

For Darius, the battle was even more bloody - of his original army of 11,600, only 4,824 (42%) have remained unscathed, but of those only 1,513 (13%) were still on the battlefield and able to fight. By ceding the battlefield, he dooms his wounded to death; unless he can regroup his army and recruit more forces, the next time he faces Alexander, the battle is unlikely to be so close.