Some talk of Alexander...

My Macedonian army is designed to allow it to represent any of the three main Successor armies - Antigonid (Macedonian), Seleucid (Persian), or Ptolemiac (Egyptian)... more or less, some with an extra unit or two from another of my Ancient armies. As My Indian Army set up last month revealed a need for some additional "elbow room", I added another row of squares to all for sides, making the grid now 16 square wide and long. I also finished up some hills designed top fit the grid. These had been carved from pink Insulation foam several years ago, and then painted with a really sickly looking lime powder green acrylic base coat (leftover wall paint).  Some spays of Dark green, yellow green, and red-brown paint later, and they look much better! I may dry brush the edges of the hills in a light brown color to bring them out a bit. Here's the Army list for Legio Quaternarius:

#5  Macedonian Successor States  (300 - 100 BC)

Core Units - common to all Succesor Armies

QTY	Unit Description	Unit Type	Cost	Subtotal
5	Phalanx	HI*PK,Sh	15	75
2	Hypaspists	LHI*LS,Sh*Elite	14	28
2	Successor Hvy Cav	HC*SS,Sh	15	30
2	Succesor Light Cav	LC*J,Sh	9	18
1	African Elephant	EL*J	16	16
2	Light Bolt Throwers	ENG	12.5	25
1	General	General	25	25
15	TOTALS			217

Antigonid (Macedonian)

1	Thracian Peltasts	LMI*2H,J,Sh	8.5	17
2	Thracian Archers	LI*B	2.5	5
1	Thracian Lances	LI*LS,No Sh	8	8
2	Javelinmen	LI*J,Sh	4	8
2	Slingers	LI*Sl,Sh	2.5	5
1	Staff Slingers	LI*Staff Sling, no Sh	2.5	2.5
1	Scythians	LC*B	7	7
25	TOTALS			277

Ptolemaic (Egyptian)

QTY	Unit Description	Unit Type	Cost	Subtotal
1	Camel Archers	LCam*B	8	8
1	Chariots	LCh*B	12	12
1	add. Successor HC	HC*SS,Sh	15	15
2	Peltasts	LMI*LS,J,Sh	8	16
4	Egyptian Archers	LI*B	2.5	10
24	TOTALS			278

Seleucid (Persian)

QTY	Unit Description	Unit Type	Cost	Subtotal
1	Cataphracts	EHC*LS, no Sh	16	16
1	Camel Archers	LCam*B	8	8
5	Selucid Archers	LI*B	2.5	12.5
3	Peltasts	LMI*LS*J,Sh	8	24
25	TOTALS			277.5

Here is the Antigonid version of the Successor army (minus an Elephant unit to be borrowed from my Carthaginians laid out on the grid for Legio Quaternarius. Deployment will be limited to 3 squares onto the table, with no units starting in the two rows to either flank. The two contraptions to the rear are my scratch built shooting catapults, described previously here. 

Antigonid Left Flank; we'll be covering each of the unit types in more depth later.

Antigonid Center - mostly units of extremely powerful; Phalangites!

Antogonid right flank.

Right Flank again

Center - replacing the ancient alloy pikes, many bent or broken,  with wire ones is the main work needed to get this army ready for Prime Time again. 

Left Center

Left Flank.

5 units of HI Pikemen with shields formed into one big block.  - the left hand one with the white "facing color" had it's pikes replaced with wire ones years ago - in addition to their fragility, the alloy pikes were too tall to fit my storage boxes properly as well! That means 31 pikes to replace (one figutre has the Standard and hence needs no work). 

The alloy pikes look a bit better from this vantage point!

2 units of LI Slingers.

I recall actually making the sling "bullets" out of epoxy putty. Lead was used by experienced slingers of the classical era, such as the Rhodians.

2 stands of Cretan archers.

They would benefit from some black lining if I have the time. 

2 units of Agrian Javelinmen.

From this angle, somehow these guys all remind me of Sarek, LOL!

Staff Slingers (borrowed from my Byzantine army).

Again, a bit of black lining might perk these otherwise rather dull paint jobs up somewhat!

Suiccessor Heavy cavalry - the mounted striking force of the Army!

I don't recall the manufacturer - ? Garrison or Ral Partha - definitely not Minifigs like the rest!

Dry Brushing the helmet crests with Hippo Gray would bring these stalwarts more to life as well!

Successor Light cavalry - Prodromoi.

Pretty much OK as they are - straightening the Javelins just invites breakage!

Thracian Lancers - armed with the 14 foot Xyston; probably about as awkward to handle in real life as it appears here!

While vulnerable due to their Light Cavalry status, their long lances make them the most dangerous Ancient LC in melee.  In Legio Quaternarius, you usually try to maneuver them into the flank of the enemy who is otherwise engaged to their front - and serve them en brochette!

These colorful chaps are Scythian LC Horse archers. 

While relatively weak on the battlefield, in their harassing role these troops could be a major pain in the rear on the march to armies not equipped to deal with them. 

Usually when you saw the rear of Scythians, it was a feigned retreat!

Greek Mercenary Hoplites - Thebans to the left, Athenians to the right.

Probably more colorful than real life, but what the heck? :-)

The leather pieces hanging down from the waist are protective pteruges.

Macedonian Hypaspists. These elite troops formed the junction between the vulnerable right (shieldless) flank of the Phalangites and the cavalry. I have given them white metal  shields, as some evidence suggests they may have been renamed to become the Agyraspides, or "Silver Shields"

Regardless, in keeping with their role, the Hypaspists had lighter armor, shorter spears, and larger shields than their Phalangite bretheren. 

Thracian Peltasts - armed with Javelins and adept at using broken ground to their advantage...

the vicious rhomphia, a sort of curved axe, made the Thracians dangerous in hand to hand fighting as well!

More standard Greek style Peltasts. 

Armed with Javelins, long spears, and shields but little or no body armor.

The Seleucid army had a small number of cavalry with metal armor on the front of the horse and most of the body of the rider. These Kataphractoi were inspired by their encounters with similarly equipped Parthian cavalry. 

These cataphracts were the beginning of the trend that would ultimately lead to cavalry supplanting infantry as the principal arm of most later Ancient armies. 

Arab Camel Archers; I do love camels!

I think most Wargamers love some Camelry too, both for their uniqueness and

the "dreaded smell factor", which is present in Legio Quaternarius, as well as most Anceint rules!

A Successor general and some war engines. 

"Alexander the Great appears to have been one of the first generals to employ artillery on the open field of battle, rather than in a siege. He used massed artillery to fire across a river at a Scythian army, causing it to vacate the opposite river bank, thus allowing the Macedonian troops to cross and form a bridgehead".  (Quote from Wikipedia)

"By Alexander’s time, torsion-powered artillery was in use. Torsion machines used skeins of sinew or hair rope, which were wound around a frame and twisted so as to power two bow arms; these could develop much greater force than earlier forms." (ditto)

    Of course, In Legio Quaternarius, the fire of these engines is represented by the player shooting with the actual model catapults seen at the beginning of the post. This army, along with my Mauryan Indians, Republican Romans, and Carthaginians will be on the table at Ellis Con, held Saturday November 15th, form 9AM - 9 M in Danielson, CT. If all goes well Barry and I will play a refresher game of these rules this weekend, perhaps using my Sassanid Persian and Byzantine armies.