Line of Battle

In historical gaming we like to present and display things as interpreted from historical sources, both of a primary and secondary kind. Primary sources are written works or art works from the actual time the events we are researching occurred -- anything more than a generation away from the events are not primary sources. The writings of Caesar or Polybius are considered primary sources because both are describing things they were eyewitness to.

Secondary sources are those sources which are written or executed in art forms created after the events that they deal with. So Plutarch writing on Alexander is a secondary source even though he is considered to be an ancient writer. Likewise, Peter Connolly and Col. Dodge are modern writers and are therefore secondary sources.

The following are my interpretations for historical gamers to use when gaming with Classical Hack. They are less abstract when tactics are involved than other sets of rules. This is what makes Classical Hack different and, I think, better than other systems.

Notice how the Romans are deployed on the right in the picture. This depicts a legion circa 200 B.C. in two sections, one Roman on the right of the line and one Allied Latin section on the left of the line. Velites are to the front, then hastati, followed by princeps. To the very rear are the triarii.

The whole setup is designed to work with the forward units breaking back after first round of melee. The enemy, pursuing disordered, crashes into the next fresh Roman unit. Personally, I think if you use Romans (regardless of your game system) not deployed in this fashion then, frankly, you are a gamer and not a historical gamer. But _gaming is ok, too_, if it works for you.

Frankly, I found it frustrating because I couldn't do tactical things and so I always lost. That wasn't much fun. I still lose but I have fun because I get to reenact things in miniature as I reasonably know they would have been done. So I suppose what I am saying is this: Romans should fight like Romans, Greek hoplites like Greek hoplites, phalangites like phalangites and tribal Celts like tribal Celts. If you can't win even occasionally with them in Classical Hack it is because you are not using them like they were designed to be used, and that's historical. If you are a gamer, stick with gaming, but if you are a historical gamer Classical Hack is for you.