Kyzikos Seanario

First part of Seanario for Battle of Kyzikos.

Draft version.

Hotz Ships. Going down ?

I was wandering around the web and noticed I could not find any games played with ships or rules in the last few years ! The only games I could find played were small forces of Roman ships against pirates.

But I can also now find 10mm ships available in lead and resin.

Has anyone, anywhere, played a game with the larger  Hellenistic style Hotz ships ?

Does anyone anywhere still use Hotz ships regularly, or even occasionally?
If not it is a shame but the silence seems to point that way.

Anyway, I am hacking out more ships to play my Cynossema seanario, and have nearly finished a draft of the next Peleponnesian War battle(s).

Toil and Trouble

Phew...put together a first draft of seanario for Cynossema, Available as pdf download by clicking on link to left.

Use back button to get back here. (As if you wanted to ?)

Cynossema clash...

New Sea

Wandering round a textile warehouse with the better half I acquired two samples of material which could potentially provide a nice new sea.

Vinyl fake leather in sea grey-blue(below, lower) and horrific synthetic velvet we know as 'Nervøs Velour'(below, upper).

The vinyl is attractive because it is durable and cleanable and consistent in quality.
The velour is attractive because is has a lively sheen which looks like the sea.

On balance, the velour does look so much more lively and eye-catching than the vinyl which appears dull and flat beside it. It is also cheap.

I think a new sea is coming, made of nervøs velour. This shade is 'cobalt'. Grey and green also available...

Olympias on the real 'wine-dark sea'

SEAnario1

CYNOSSEMA : SeaNARIO

SEASCAPE

Using Hotz ships scaled down to 66% of their 1/300 size and a ground scale of 1/500.

Figures 6mm with one paper element standing for c. 5 men or 1:1 if desired.

THE OPPOSING SIDES

PELEPONNESIANS

86 ships in 3 divisions as follows:

16 ships from previous summer

Mindarus' squadron of 55 including some Syracusans

One division of faster ships

left (Mindarus) 25 fast ships

right (Syracusans) 25 ships : can either be with reinforced bows or not

centre 36 ships

ATHENIANS

76 ships in 3 divisions as follows

Thrasylus' left wing – 25 ships

Thrasybulus right wing – 26 ships

Centre – 25 ships

PROCEDURE

The battle is fought as three separate engagements which influence each other.

The number of ships required is just about 1/3 of the original number but the game is actually played with a 1 for 1 representation of ships.

SEA NARIO 1 : CYNOSSEMA

 

The Athenian view as they approach Cynossema

HOW MANY SHIPS ?

160 is a lot of ship models on the table.

Scaling down somewhat is a solution but not too wildly or it loses the character of a battle.

WHAT SHIPS ?
I count on triremes for the most part.  This is how Thucydides usually reckons fleet strength. There would have been additional smaller vessels for scouting, communication and support.

TIME OF DAY ?

Assuming the fleets had to prepare, and then row at 5 knots to get to Cynossema they should have sighted each other mid to late morning. If we make it 10 o'clock then there are 10 hours of light for battle.

SE side of Cynossema : cliff-beach

SEASCAPE

The board should have one edge representing the shore of Cynossema: the southern side and point at least.
The shore is rocky in places with occasional narrow sandy beaches which a trireme could drive up on. 

Headland of Cynossema : was rocky, now fortified

Behind the shore is a cliff line in most places which is not sheer and is vegetated but 20 to 30m high. The point must have been rocky in 411bc before harbours or fortification changed it.

View NE along south side of Cynossema: top of cliff above beach

No peculiarities of the waters are mentioned by Thucydides but it is well known the area has a strong surface current flowing to the Aegean. These can be up to 7 knots. However, there are occasional small counter-currents which, close to the shore, in places flow towards the Sea of Marmora. Later Roman writers mention the current but their accounts of the battle are  confused. It is relatively easy to see where currents run from sattelite photos.

Prevailing winds in the sailing season are north easterlies.
In addition, an afternoon wind blows from the north west across the strait.

View NW over Dardanus

Thucydides does not mention any unusual weather conditions.

SOLUTION

The battle can be divided into 3 actions. This gives a manageable number of ships.
The three actions can be linked with some rules as per multi-table games.

CYNOSSEMA : PHASE 4

Now the Athenians saw the moment to use their superior seamanship when and where it could count.

The Peleponnesian left  were following the Athenian right but unable to catch them. When they had enough sea room and perhapss saw their pursuers tiring or falling into disorder, the Athenians turned on them.

The Athenian centre squadron had beacked onto shore and abandoned their ships. They were followed up onto land by the crews of the Peleponnesian centre and some sort of scrappy land battle developed.

The Athenian left held their own against the Syracusans - maybe seeking some revenge for the Sicilian debacle.

Now it was the Athenians who delivered the periplous on the Peleponnesians! They turned to port and came round onto the rear of the enemy fleet. The Peleponnesian left and centre were disordered and caught at a disadvantage, the perfect situation for effective ram attacks.


It may be significant that this manouvre was executed by the Athenian commander, Thrasybulus, maybe with his best ships against the Peleponnesian commander with his fastest ships. Putting the enemy commander out of the fight - Alexander style - may have contributed a lot to the loss of heart by the Peleponnesian fleet who had already had success in routing the Athenian centre.

Many of the Peleponnesian fleet simply fled before the Athenians as their battle line was rolled-up. They fled north to Abydos or to take refuge in the mouth of the river Midius. The Athenians lost 15 ships and the Peleponnesian fleet, 21 ships. Being outnumbered, and having their centre so severely mauled did not allow the Athenians to take best advantage of their victory but a demonstration that Athens was still supreme at sea was more significant than the casualty list.