This article continues the case study of the Battle of Issus started in the InsideGMT article Great Battles of Alexander: The Battle of Issus (Part 1), picking up the action with Game Turn 2.
The Persians have the bulk of their Light Cavalry across the Pinarus and poised for an assault on the rather disorganized Macedonian left flank. Meanwhile on the Macedonian right flank, the Macedonians have cleared the skirmishers guarding the “easy” Pinarus crossing and have a portion of the Companion cavalry on the Persian side of the river. In the area right of center, the Macedonians have a couple of peltasts across the river having dispersed the skirmishers manning the abatis along the riverbank.
As with the first Game Turn, Alexander will have the first Player Turn due to the Elite Initiative Orders phase. The next three Player Turns will go Rheomithres, Aristodemus and Darius with the Persians choice as to the order. Thymondas has the next Player Turn followed by Nazarenes. The Macedonians follow with Player Turns for Parmenion and Craterus, Macedonians choice as to the order. Alexnader will have the last Player Turn.
Elite Commander Initiative
Movement and Missile Fire Segment
Alexander takes the EIO Player Turn (neither subordinate is in command range anyway) so he can get the balance of his cavalry over the river and begin the process of regrouping his wing in preparation for his drive against the Persian left wing. He will need to move to put the three cavalry units already across the river into command range. His first of seven orders goes to move himself 4 MP to hex 4411. That position keeps his Hypaspists in range along with his cavalry and coverage for the area across the river where some of his cavalry will be at the end of this Orders Phase.
His second is a Move order to Companion 4 (4608) which changes facing due east and moves across the river to 5007, incurring 3 Hits (1 river, 2 up slopes). His third is a Move order to the Agema (4609) which follows the same path across river ending in 4907 facing northeast, incurring 2 Hits (river, up slope). Order four moves Companion 3 (4610) along that same tried and true path into hex 4808 facing northeast, garnering the same 2 Hits as its predecessor. With no room on the other side of the river, Alexander leaves the Paeonians where they are and uses his remaining three orders to recover 2 Hits each from Companion 2, Companion 1, and the Prodromoi.
Since there is a crowd of units just over the river, I flipped the three Companions to their Moved side as a memory aid. This concludes the EIO Orders Phase.
Rheomithres
Movement and Missile Fire Segment
Play now proceeds in Initiative order starting with one of the Persian 3-rated leaders. The three leaders are spread out over the battlefield so any one leader’s actions will have no effect on the other. So once again the Persians start the Game Turn with Rheomithres.
Rheomithres’ first order removes the 2 Hits on Asia Levy in 5018. He will need to move to be able to rally the routed Asia Levy in 5210. With his second order, he moves 6 MP into hex 5114 and stops there (the extra MP cost for Woods and slopes adds up fast). His last order goes to Rally the routed Asia Levy, and he succeeds (barely, 4 DR). However, the 6 DR on the Rally Table undoes this and the Asian Levy must rout move two hexes, first into 5209. The Sheer slope is impassable to infantry and prevents the unit from moving directly toward the Retreat Edge. The Asian Levy adjusts its facing and sidesteps into hex 5109.
Decision time for the Persians. During Game Turn 1, the Persians were reluctant to attempt Momentum with the expectation that the Macedonians would jump at the chance to deny any further Momentum attempts by the Persians. On Game Turn 1, guaranteeing a Momentum chance for Nabarzanes, who is leading the Persian offensive, made sense. But are the Macedonians keen on taking the risk of a failed Trump? Losing the opportunity to act at all in the Game Turn can be critical. To quote the Design Note from The Trump Option section (Alexander, 5.4) “… The non-Macedonian player will often find that, for him, its best application is when it backfires on the Macedonian player. For that reason, players should be aware that this option should not be used indiscriminately.”
Given that Alexander was a bit careless in leaving himself alone in a hex, it’s time to test the Macedonian’s resolve and the prowess of Alexander with some potential Personal Combat (Alexander, 9.2). Rheomithres makes a Momentum attempt … and succeeds (2 DR)! Decision time for the Macedonians. It seems clear that Rheomithres will take his chances with Personal Combat. A successful Trump by any of the Macedonian leaders will put a stop to such heroics but risks losing a Player Turn, and depending on who makes the attempt, the potential for Momentum, should the Trump attempt succeed. Alexander is not backing away from a fight, so no Trump.
Momentum Orders Phase
Rheomithres’ first order is another Rally attempt for the routed Asian Levy … but a 7 DR eliminates the unit. Here I mistakenly violated the Rally rule (Alexander, 10.27), in that a given leader is allowed only one Rally attempt per unit per Game Turn, one of those nuances in the rules that are often overlooked. Rheomithres’ second order moves him to hex 4511 (7 MP), staying at the same elevation. Why not issue an order to one the two remaining Asian Levy units first? His last order is kept in reserve should he survive the Personal Combat. He has 2 MP left which would allow him to move away, and should he have a second Momentum Orders Phase, move adjacent to Alexander again and force another Personal Combat.
The Personal Combat mechanics, which aren’t present most other GBoH games, are straightforward; each side rolls a die and adds the result to the respective leader’s Personal Combat rating. High total is the “winner”, insomuch as that the winner is unaffected while his opponent suffers the adverse effects. The difference between the two totals is used in conjunction with the Leader Casualty Table to determine the extent of the adverse effects. In our case, both sides rolled a 7, Alexander wins due to his 7 PC rating (Rheomithres has a 3 PC rating), the differential is four so Rheomithres is Wounded (Ratings reduced by 1) and Finished.
Aristomedes
Aristomedes job is to shore up the Persian left flank so will go next. He orders the Sittaceni Archers 6, 5, and 4 in that order to hexes 4501, 4403, and 4203. These Skirmishers will serve as a screen and speed bump to slow the Macedonian advance. It will take some time to coax those cumbersome Cardaces into a defensive line, so Aristomedes will go for Momentum. A 5 DR doesn’t cut it; Aristomedes is Finished.
Darius
Now to Darius. His generous eight hex command range makes him an asset in a support role in that he often need not expend an order to move into range. He will let Thymondas handle the pesky Peltasts. Order one tries to rally Persia 1, but an 8 DR sends the unit off the field – eliminated. Orders two and three remove the Hits on the Syrian Archers (2213) and Cardaces 1 (2115-2016). Note that there is no requirement that the entire two-hex counter be in command range to receive an order. None of the other in-range Persian units with Hits qualify for recovery.
Time for a Momentum decision. The Macedonian left has issues. Parmenion’s “crisis” left a gap between the left wing and center that is beckoning Nabarzanes’ cavalry to exploit. Sensing that the Macedonians are looking for chance to have Parmenion go before Nabarzanes, Darius decides to pass on the Momentum attempt. Aristomedes failure was perhaps a blessing.
Thymondas
Thymondas, the only 4-rated leader, is next in Initiative order. The two Thracian Peltasts on the Persian side of the river are within one Hit of routing, so Thymondas will use his Skirmishers to see if they can be driven off with missile fire.
His first of four orders is a Fire order to the Arabian Archers in 2714 who fire at the adjacent Thrace 1 (recall the Skirmishers can fire through a flank hex) and hits. Thrace 1 faces the Macedonian retreat edge and rout moves into hex 2617. So far so good for Thymondas. There are no other shots, so a Skirmisher will need to move into position to take one. Although the rules allow for firing over a friendly unit (Alexander, 8.14), the “blocking” friendly needs to be closer (not halfway) to the firing unit, so firing over a friendly at an opposing unit adjacent to that friendly is not possible. The hex with the abatis (2416) is open, so Thymondas issues a Move order to Syria 4 which proceeds into 2416 passing through Cardaces 3. There is no penalty when Skirmishers move through other friendly units (Alexander, Stacking Chart). Entering the abatis does cost a Hit (I’ll play this as written, though I suspect that the penalty was directed at the Macedonians). Unlike its compatriots, Thrace 3 has missiles, so it uses Entry Reaction Fire and hits (4 DR). The Syrians ignore Thrace 3 and shoot at Thrace 2 (love those flank shots) and hit (0 DR, +1 for moving). Thrace 2 faces toward its retreat edge and rout moves into 2517 moving through Thrace 3 (an enemy ZOC does not block the path if occupied by friendly unit). Thrace 3 passes its “moving through” TQ check, incurring the minimum 1 Hit (now has 4 Hits). Order three goes to Syria 1 (2412) which moves into 2515. Thrace 3 reacts again and hits again (2 DR). Syria 1 shoots and misses (7 DR, +1 moving), ending Thymondas’ hot streak.
Unfortunately, Syria 3 (2213) is just out of range, so Thymondas is unable to use it to occupy hex 2615 (and, no I am not going to move the Royal Guard HC there). His last order removes the Hit on Cardaces 3. Thymondas declines the Momentum opportunity to ensure that Nabarzanes goes next.
I flipped none of the Skirmishes that moved not by choice but based on an exception often overlooked. Skirmisher units do not incur a Hit for moving again during the Game Turn (Alexander, 6.13).
Nabarzanes
Movement and Missile Fire Segment
Nabarzanes has eight LC within three hexes (his Line Command range) so issues a Line Command with Move orders to the group (as Wing Commander, using a Line Command is automatic in his initial Orders Phase). His primary targets are the Amyntas and Ptolemy Phalanxes that have exposed flanks and the nearby damaged Thessalians and Thracians. Although some players may be tempted to use those horse archers to do away with the nearby routed Thracians, they would be doing away with some valuable assets. Routed units are as good as “eliminated” unless orders are expended to save them, and as happened with Parmenion’s rally attempts, a success is not a guaranteed outcome. Moreover, while they are headed for home, they can inflict Hits on their brethren on the way there. So why expend orders to help your opponent out unless you have nothing better to do with them?
Here are the moves and fires in order:
- Persia 5 (2219) moves to hex 2223, facing the two Macedonian units. The Thracians reaction fires and hits. Technically, I should hold off on the shots until after everyone moves (Alexander, 8.21), but since this is the only reaction shot there is no point in complying. Persia 5 is not Shock capable, so sitting astride Thessaly 4’s flank is not worth the hit to react. However, facing in the other direction could possibly block infiltration around Thessaly 4, but in doing so present a flank in the direction of the enemy. Thessaly 4 rotates to the west to block the infiltration, passes its TQ check and incurs the mandatory 1 Hit penalty. The archers fire at the Thessalians scoring a hit. Thessaly 4 closed the path to the flanks of the Thracian Peltasts and the Amyntas Phalanx
- Hycarnia 1 (1719) moves to hex 1925 (7 MP); Thessaly 2 changes facing, passes its check, and incurs the mandatory 1 Hit; The Hyrcanians fire and miss; Missile Low. Shock Must Check TQ placed
- Hycarnia 3 (2020) moves to hex 2521, facing east (6 MP); fires at the Ptolemy Phalanx and misses, Missile Low . Shock Must Check TQ marker placed
- Hyrcania 4 (1920) moves to 2522, facing Thessaly 5 (8 MP); fires and misses; Missile Low. Shock Must Check TQ marker placed
- Hycarnia 2 (1820) moves to hex 2025, facing east (6 MP); fires at Thessaly 1 and misses ; Shock Must Check TQ marker placed
- Media 1 (1918) moves to hex 2122 (5MP); fires at Thessaly 4 and hits ; Shock Must Check TQ marker placed
Nabarzanes has two horse archers and himself yet to move.
- Media 5 (2019) moves to hex 2423 (7MP); fires at Thessaly 5 and misses. The hex chosen pins the Amyntas Phalanx.
- Hyrcania 5 (2218) moves around the Thracian ZOC to hex 2419, facing the Thracians (7 MP). The archers are not Shock capable so making a facing change with a +3 DRM to the TQ check would be reckless. Hyrcania 5 fires and hits.
Nabarzanes (1919) has all units except for the two Media LC on the other side of the river in range, so remains where he is.
Shock Combat Segment
There are five Shock combats. Starting from the left side of the map, the Pre-Shock checks go as follows:
- Hyrcania 1/Thessaly 2 – both pass
- Hyrcania 2/Thessaly 1 – both pass
- Media 1/Thessaly 4 – both pass
- Hyrcania 3/ Ptolemy – both pass
- Hyrcania 4/Thessaly 5 -Hyrcania 4 incurs 1 Hit
Rather uneventful, but not overly surprising when good quality units are involved. As my usual practice, I will resolve steps 9.14 through 9.16 together for each combat. There are no leaders involved, so that step can be ignored.
The Hyrcania 1 has a frontal attack on Thessaly 2. The combat is resolved on Shock CRT Column 5 (LC vs. HC, no SRD or terrain shift) with no adjustment for superiority. The result is 2(2). Hyrcania 1 (4 Hits), Thessaly 2 (3 Hits). The Hyrcania 2/Thessaly 1 combat is resolved on the same Column 5 with no adjustment for superiority, and with the same 2(2) result. Hyrcania 2 (3 Hits), Thessaly 1 (2 Hits).
The Media 1 has a flank attack on Thessaly 4. The combat is resolved on Shock CRT Column 6 (there are no shifts). Media 1 has Position Superiority due to the flank attack and thus is Attack Superior (AS). Note that when cavalry fight cavalry, flank/rear attacks don’t move the Shock CRT column much. The result is another 2(2), adjusted to 2(4) for the AS. Media 1 (3 hits), Thessaly 4 (10 Hits). Here we have a Breakthrough situation; Thessaly 4 incurs 2 more Hits which is irrelevant in this circumstance.
Hyrcania 3 has a flank attack on the Ptolemy Phalanx. The base Shock CRT Column is 5 which will shift to Column 2 due to the Size Ratio Difference (SRD) and the slope. Note since the Hyrcanians move to the attack, the ratio is rounded in their favor. The Hyrcanians have Position Superiority and so are AS, but the doubling of hits is halved when an LC attacks a Phalanx. The result is 3(2) with no adjustment (8 DR). Hyrcania 3 (3 Hits), Ptolemy (3 Hits)
Last combat. Hyrcania 4 has a frontal attack on Thessaly 5. We are back on Shock CRT Column 5 with no adjustments and another 2(2) outcome. Hyrcania 4 (3 Hits), Thessaly 5 (5 Hits).
For the Collapse step there is one rout. Thessaly 4 faces south and rout moves to hex 2125. None of the other combatants are within 1 Hit of a rout, so no TQ checks. Media 1 advances into 2123, where the Thracians take an entry reaction shot and hit – Media 1 (4 Hits).
Without hesitation, Nabarzanes will go for a Momentum Phase … and succeeds. A timely success. Nabarzanes is in position for another round of mostly survivable Shock combats. The intent here is to inflict another couple of Hits on each of the engaged Macedonians before the inevitable counterattack, which in most cases would be Attack Superior, enough to rout most of the Persian engaged cavalry even if they did not attack. The shock attacks require no orders, so those orders can be used instead to bring the Bactrians across the river and into a position to finish off the weakened Macedonians.
Trump decision time for the Macedonians. Parmenion cannot afford to lose a Player Turn so won’t make the attempt. Craterus has no better chance of succeeding and will be needed to help put out any fires on the left flank. Alexander has the best chance to succeed but at the possible cost of a delay on his wing and the loss of Momentum opportunities for both Craterus and Parmenion. Alexander will Trump …and succeeds (barely with a 7 DR). Nabarzanes is Finished.
Alexander
Movement and Missile Fire Segment
Alexander uses six of his seven orders to remove Hits from the six cavalry units across the Pinarus: Companion 1 (1 Hit), Companion 2 (2 Hits), Companion 3 (None), Companion 4 (1 Hit), the Agema (None), and the Prodromoi (2 Hits). Order seven is a Move order to Agriania 1 (4311) who has been loitering on the high ground since the start of the battle. The Agrianians face east and start to move toward Rheomithres who withdraws 3 MP to hex 4712. The Agrianians move into hex 4411 to keep Alexander company. No reason to risk another Personal Combat.
Momentum Orders Phase
Alexander succeeds in his Momentum attempt. Since he will have the first Orders Phase next Game Turn, there is no need to move the Companions now since some are already within striking distance of the Persians. Rather, Alexander uses four orders to remove the Hits from Companions 1, 2, 4 and the Prodromoi. At some point, Alexander will need to cross the Pinarus since the Steep/Sheer slopes are impassible to leaders and thus obstruct the tracing of command range (Alexander, 4.21). That can wait till his next Orders Phase. His remaining three orders will go to move his Hypaspists in the following order.
- Agema (3912) moves to 3511, 1 Hit for the slope – 2 Hits total
- Hypaspist 2 (3813) moves to 3412, 1 Hit for the slope – 1 Hit total
- Hypaspist 3 (3713) moves to 3413, 1 Hit for the slope – 1 Hit total
The Hypaspist are positioned outside Slinger range and within Move distance for an assault on the Greek Hoplites. Alexander is Finished.
Parmenion
Movement and Missile Fire Segment
The Macedonian player has the choice of either Parmenion or Craterus for this Player Turn. Knowing how Parmenion fares will determine what Craterus will do, so Parmenion goes next. And Parmenion’s options are limited since has only three units in command range that could receive a useful order. There is no benefit in having the Amyntas Phalanx wheel and incur the Hit(s) (Alexander, 6.45) since its attack would remain frontal (Alexander, 9.15).
His first order is to move Thessaly 3 (2126) to 2124 (5 MP). Media 1 fires in reaction and hits. Shock Must Check TQ marker placed. With his second order, he has Thrace 6 fire at Persia 5 and hits. Persia 5 uses Return Fire (Alexander, 8.23) and misses. Order three is a Rally to Thrace 5. A 5 DR does the trick and breaks Parmenion’s Rally losing streak. A 9 DR on the Rally Tables leaves the Thracians with 3 Hits. The Thracians face north and receive a Missile No marker (Alexander, 10.27).
Order four sees Parmenion move to 2325 placing the routed Mercenary Peltasts (3022) in range. His last order is a Rally order to that same unit and again Parmenion gets the job done (3 DR). Mercenary 5 ends up with 3 Hits from the Rally Table, then faces west, and receives Missile No marker.
Shock Combat Segment
Now for some additional Shock combats. Shock No TQ markers go on Thessaly 2 and Thessaly 1 which attack Hyrcania 1 and Hyrcania 2 respectively. Shock No TQ markers are also placed on Thrace 6, Amyntas, and Thessaly 5 which attack Persia 5, Media 5, and Hyrcania 4.
Thessaly 4 must shock Media 1 which is the only Pre-Shock TQ check situation. The Thessalians pass, but the Medians incur 1 Hit (5 total).
The attack by Thessaly 2 is resolved on Shock CRT Column 9 (Sizes are the same, no terrain effects). HC are Attack Superior against LC. The result is 2(3) adjusted to 2(6) for the superiority. Thessaly 2 (5 Hits); Hyrcania 1 (10 Hits). The attack by Thessaly 1 is resolved the same way with the same 2(3) result adjusted to 2(6). Thessaly 1 (4 Hits); Hyrcania 2 (9 Hits). Thessaly 3’s attack breaks the pattern with a 2(2) result adjusted to 2(4). Thessaly 3 (3 Hits); Media 1 (9 Hits) – breakthrough is irrelevant.
Thrace 6’s attack is resolved on Shock CRT Column 8 with no shifts or adjustments and a 3(2) result. Both Thrace 6 and Persia 5 have 5 Hits. The Amyntas’ attack is resolved on Shock CRT Column 12 which includes the shift for the SRD but there is no superiority. The result is a 2(3). The Amyntas (4 Hits); Media 5 (4 Hits). For Thessaly 3’s attack it is back to Column 9, Attack Superior for a 2(2) result adjusted to 2(4). Thessaly 3 (7 Hits); Hyrcania 4 (7 Hits).
Now the Collapse step. Hyrcania 1, Hyrcania 2, and Media 1 face northeast and rout move to 1923, 2023, and 2121 respectively. Both Thrace 6 and Persia 5 are right at their break point. A Thrace 6 advance would not cause any terrain hits, so by the tie breaker rule (Alexander, 10.15) Persia 5 (the defender) routs, while Thrace 6’s Hits are reset to 4. Persia 5 daces northwest and rout moves to 2221. There is a similar situation with Thessaly 5 and Hyrcania 4, both are at or over their break points, but Hyrcania 4 is over, so it routs, and Thessaly 5 has its Hits reset to 6. Hyrcania 4 faces northwest and rout moves first to 2521, passing through Hyrcania 3 which incurs 1 Hit, and moving to 2421, avoiding Ptolemy’s ZOC.
Media 5 is within one Hit of its TQ and in an enemy ZOC so must make a TQ check (Alexander 9.18 #2). It passes and has its hits reduced to 3.
The victorious Macedonians advance: Thessaly 2 into 1925, Thessaly 1 into 2025, Thessaly 3 into 2123, and Thrace 6 into 2223 now Missile No. No facing changes. Thessaly 5 advances into 2522 where Hyrcania 3 reacts by changing facing, passes its TQ check incurring 1 Hit, fires (now Missile No) and hits, routing the Thessalians! Thessaly 5 changes its facing, and rout moves into 2624 avoiding Media 5’s ZOC.
Aside from Thessaly 5’s rout, a successful counterattack though not unexpected given the heavy cavalry’s superiority. Parmenion is Finished – the price the Macedonians paid for the Alexander’s successful Trump.
Craterus
Craterus is next with the final Orders Phase of the Game Turn. Should he support Parmenion or recover Hits on the Hypaspists and position himself to assault the Persian Hoplites next turn? He cannot rally the Thracians next to the river or the nearby Thessaly HC since they are in Persian missile range and LOS. He can reach (barely) Thessaly 4 for a rally attempt and be able to recover Hits on two other units but then would be too far to put all the Hypaspists in range next turn – he does not have a Momentum opportunity. Given the Persian disarray and the distance from the fresh Bactrians, Parmenion should have time to recover and reform his flank, so Craterus will take command of the Hypaspists.
Craterus’ first of five orders recovers the Hits on the Meleager Phalanx. With his second order, he moves himself to hex 3515 (3 MP) placing all the Hypaspists in range along with several Peltasts. His remaining three orders recover the hits on the three Hypaspists. Ineligible for Momentum, Craterus is Finished.
Rout and Reload Phase
On to the Rout and Reload Phase. The first step is to remove the Rallied markers from Thrace 5 and Mercenary 5. Next come the rout moves. Moving from left to right across the map, Persia 2 (1718) rout moves to 1708. Persia 4 (1814) follows suit and rout moves to (1806). Hyrcania 1 (1923) rout moves through Nabarzanes to hex 1915, followed by Hyrcania 2 (2023) which passes through Cardaces 1 into 2015. The latter passes its TQ check incurring the minimum 1 Hit. Media 1 (2121) and Thessaly 4 (2125) are in the same hex row. The Medians are furthest from the bottom edge so they will go first, not that it matters in this situation. Media 1 rout moves through Cardaces 1 and stops in Syria 2’s hex where it must move one more hex to 2112 (Alexander, Stacking Chart). Cardaces 1 fails its TQ by one, so it still incurs only 1 Hit. The Syrians fail their check by two so incur 2 Hits.
Thessaly 4 rout moves off the map and is eliminated. Persia 5 (2121) rout moves through Cardaces 2, stopping atop Syria 3 and moves one more hex to 2212. Cardaces 2 passes its TQ check and incurs 1 Hit while Syria 3 fails and incurs 3 Hits. Hyrcania 4 (2421) rout moves through Hyrcania 5, goes west to avoid Thrace 4’s ZOC and ends up in 2716. Keep in mind that routing units pay the MP costs for terrain. Hyrcania 5 pass its TQ check and incurs 1 Hit,
Thrace 2 (2517) is next, and rout moves around two different Persian ZOCs onto hex 2721. Ptolemy passes its TQ check and incurs 1 Hit. Thrace 1 rout moves through Ptolemy and skirting the Persia ZOC lands atop Thrace 2. Time to check the Stacking Chart. Thrace 1 moves one more hex to 2722. Ptolemy once again passes and incurs a hit. Thrace 2 is eliminated. Thessaly 5 (2623) rout moves through the recently rallied Thrace 5, exits the map, and is eliminated. Thrace 5 fails its TQ check by three causing it to rout and move its two hexes off the map where it is eliminated. If by chance it stayed on the map, it would then rout move its full MA. That the unit routed in this phase does not exempt it from the rout moving (Alexander, 10.22).
This segment was a bit messy, so here is a summary of the Hit count of those units impacted during this segment.
Persians: Cardaces 1( 2 Hits), Cardaces 2 (1 Hit), Syria 2 (2 Hits), Syria 3 (3 Hits, and Hyrcania 5 (2Hits).
Macedonians: Ptolemy (5 Hits) … and two Peltasts eliminated.
Withdrawal Phase
The Macedonians lost the two Thessaly HC (14 RP) and two Thrace LP (10 RP) for 24 RP this turn. Added to the 12 RP from the last turn the Macedonians have lost 36 RP.
The Persians lost another Asia Levy (3 RP) and Persian LC (6 RP) for 9 RP. Added to the 17 RP from last turn the Persians have lost 26 RP.
All somewhat misleading since the Macedonians have only one routed unit on the map due the nearness of their retreat edge while the Persians have seven.
End of Game Turn Commentary
Although the Persian Light Cavalry onslaught on the right flank was repulsed (five routed units), the damage to the Macedonian wing was significant with four eliminated units, one routed, and the remainder with three or more Hits. Aleander’s Trump prevented a follow up set of favorable Persian shock combats, but more importantly it denied the Persians the opportunity to bring the fresh Bactrian cavalry across the river and in range for another assault.
On other fronts, the Persian skirmishers were able to drive off the peltasts that crossed the river, positioned more units to protect the Persian left flank, and the daring Rheomithres exploited a bit of Macedonian carelessness to engage Alexander in Personal Combat, coming out on the losing end.
For the Macedonians, Alexnader’s Trump blunted the Persian momentum on the Macedonian left allowing Parmenion the opportunity to counterattack and send most of the Persians lights toward their side of the field. The Trump prevented any follow-up. On the Macedonian right, Alexander moved all his Companions and the Prodromoi across the river in striking distance of the Persian line and importantly removed all the hits incurred in the river crossing and combats. With the Macedonian left temporarily stabilized, Craterus recovers the Hits on the Hypaspists, preparing them for cross river assault against the Greek Hoplites.
Both sides continued to pursue their overall battle plan. The Macedonian Trump was effective in minimizing the impact of the Persian assault without preventing the Macedonians from getting their right wing in order for offensive operations.
To be continued ….
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