GREEK HOPLITE WARFARE: Hail Caesar House Rules

 

Okay, over the Easter weekend, Grant and I played three games of Hail Caesar, Argos verses Sparta. We applied a few of our own house rules which we think worked very well. I also referred back to the old Warhammer Ancient Battle's rules - (Armies of Antiquity) for some additional inspiration/flavour. It's only about one page worth. I have also included one of my corresponding new unit cards.

General Rules

The Oracles
At the start of each game, each side rolls 1d6 which represents the auguries taken by the priests before battle. The score represents the number of re-rolls either side may make throughout the game for any reason. Re-rolls are total re-rolls – such as a break test or Command roll or an entire unit save roll (all dice) or a unit’s attacks (all dice). The re-roll always counts and a re-roll may only be attempted once for each re-roll.

Note: This idea is taken from Warhammer Ancient Battles: Armies of Antiquity.

Broken Ranks
Instead of broken divisions, Ancient Greek armies are broken either when all Hoplite phalanxes are broken or once all remaining units in play are shaken.

SPECIAL RULES

Spartan King
One of the two Spartan Kings will take the field as the Army General (command rating 8) but he always fights in the Spartiate phalanx. He is therefore unable to attach himself to any other unit. The Spartiate King may attempt to rally any unit within 12” of the King figure but if he does so, he cannot add his combat value to the Spartiate unit in any turn he does so unless he is rallying the Spartiates.

Ekdromoi
From the Greek, ‘to run out’, taking one move to change formation, Ekdromoi units can deploy a skirmish screen up to 6” to its front arc. When skirmishers are deployed the whole unit presents an unclear target to its front. The skirmish screen fights as a small unit of skirmishers with javelin with short range value of 2.

Ekdromoi units who have deployed skirmishers and are charged to their front automatically retract their skirmishers (free formation change) but must pass a Command roll to retain the Phalanx special rule or lose it for the entire melee.

Note: This idea is inspired by the Mixed Formation rule in Black Powder.