Chariots, Chariots Rampant?

A wee while ago I followed the development of a Chariot Wars game on Jonathan’s blog (Parlouse) see link in side bar. The author, Ian Russell-Lowell, is someone who really knows his stuff.  A genuine expert if you like.  

The title of the rules in development is Rein Bow Warriors.  An apt and witty title. I’m not sure where it has got too. What I have seen so far looks very promising.

Getting chariots right is tricky.  We need to understand they were the wonder weapons of their day. Like all wonder weapons they cost a fortune to make, maintain and deploy.

Turning to Dan Mersey’s Lion Rampant (v2) I reach his thoughts on chariots. He is thinking about Irish and Pictish chariots.  That’s fine. Chariot technology didn’t deviate much wherever, whenever.  I’m ignoring “heavy” chariots here. The exception rather than the rule.  

All the same, one heavy chariot has the same horsepower as two light chariots, ditto firepower if we can misuse the term. Is it as simple as that?

Anyhow, Dan tells us to treat Irish and Pict chariots like so:

“Use the Heavy Cavalry profile

+2 points per unit (so unit cost is 6 points). That’s a quarter of a Lion Rampant 24 point “Army”.

Unit may not enter, rough terrain, cross linear obstacles(walls, hedges, etc.).

Armour is increased to 4

Use only 1 or 2 models per unit and track damage using the Strength Points rules elsewhere in this chapter.”

Here is Dan’s Heavy Cavalry profile with his Irish and Pict chariot adjustments.

Models per unit	2	points	6
Attack	5+	Attack Value	4+
Move	5	Defence Value	5+
Shoot	-	Shoot Value	-
Courage	4+	Maximum Move	12
Armour	4	Special Rules	Counter Charge

I mostly like this. Mostly, because chariots were light, designed to bounce over rough ground, the horses and crew were highly trained. They could cope with sloping hills too. I’ll be ignoring Dan’s rough ground prohibition.  

I’m also minded to Julius Caesar’s view that chariots panicked his Legionaries. Fearsome? Shooting javelins? Dan includes that in his combat stat's. But, let’s not go there yet.

Dan is at pains to recommend we don’t try to apply the foregoing out of period.  

I’m going to ignore that because I think it might take us somewhere useful in terms of a Bronze Age Chariot Game.

There is another matter. Bronze Age Chariot Warriors shot bows.  Hugely expensive Composite Bows.  Bows that had a greater penetrating power and range than the self -bows of foot soldiers. A Chariot could also carry many more arrows than an individual man on foot. For that reason I opt for the hitting power of crossbows combined with the rate of fire of bows.

Chariots it seems were not deployed singerly.  Mutual support seems to have been the order of the day. Plainly the Military Minds of that time felt this was a necessity. Much to ponder there.  What circumstances did they envisage?

Dan injuncts us no more than two chariot units in any force.  I find this entirely satisfactory. Here then is a heretical Lion Rampant Bronze Age Chariot  unit profile.

Models per unit	2	points	6
Attack	7+	Attack Value	6
Move	5	Defence Value	5+
Shoot	6	Shoot Value	4+ Range 18”
Courage	4+	Maximum Move	12
Armour	4	Special Rules	Fearsome, Skirmish, Evade

Anything else?  Yes, in Lion Rampant units move or shoot. Chariot archers had a vehicle to move them.  They trained to shoot on the move.  The Special Rules Skirmish ability allows chariots to move and shoot in the same turn. 

Here is a problem.  Look, no composite bows. Drews, that great scholar of the period, thinks they had them. I'm not convinced. Rein Bow Warriors likens chariot combats to arial dog fights. I buy that. Look at that Dendra armour, arrow proof. Something to think about.

Something else to think about is why do we have so much evidence for unarmoured chariot drivers? Was it foul play to shoot down the driver? A convention of Chariot Wars? We know that chariot drivers were highly valued technicians. Did they just change sides when captured?

Soonish we are going to look at the nemesis of the Chariot. Again through the lens of Lion Rampant. We will also see some sample Bronze Age Lion Rampant “Warbands”. Hittites, Sea Peoples, Libyans and Mycenaeans.

I will be reporting back.