WTF – Ancient and Medieval Supplement

Troop Categories
Infantry categories are ‘Battle Line Infantry’, ‘Skirmish Infantry’, ‘Support Infantry’ and ‘Shooters’. The
other category is ‘Mounted’.

Battle Line Infantry

Battle Line Infantry includes ‘Elite Infantry’, ‘Heavy Infantry’, ‘Host’, ‘Levy’, ‘Phalanx’ and ‘Spear’. Battle
Line Infantry fight in close formation and tend to be the bulk of most armies, usually deployed in the centre.

Elite Infantr,y
These are reliably better than most of their contemporaries. They may have thrusting spear and shield or
sword and shield, and may have secondary missile weapons such as pila or javelins. Most Roman
legionaries should be graded as Elite Infantry, as should Spartan Citizen hoplites.

Heavy Infantry
Most Battle Line Infantry should be Heavy Infantry unless there is a specific reason to catogorise it as
something else. Similar to Elite Infantry, but no better than most of their contemporaries. Most Hoplites are
Heavy Infantry.

Host
Host may have a mixture of weapons, such as swords, axes, short thrusting spears, and usually shields. They
may also have secondary missile weapons. Although effective, they are less drilled than most other Battle
Line Infantry, usually with less armour. Gallic and Iron Age British infantry are examples of Host.

Levy
Levy are conscripted, poorly trained troops, often with improvised weapons, lacking shields and armour.

Spear
Spear are armed with long, thrusting spears to enable them to combat mounted troops. They may also have a
shield. Examples include Minoan spearmen with tower and figure-of-eight shields.

Phalanx
Phalanx are armed with pikes, for example Macedonian and Hellenistic pikemen.

Skirmish Infantry
Skirmish Infantry includes ‘Elite Skirmishers’ and ‘Skirmishers’. They are dispersed swarms of light troops
on foot that can harass the enemy, or delay their advance, but are unlikely to do significant damage to their
main troops. They are not disadvantaged by Bad Going, but are vulnerable to mounted troops in good going.

Warfare’s Tremendous Feats v. 0.9.1 © Richard Lee and Kevin Owen 2020
Elite Skirmishers
Elite Skirmishers are armed with slings or bows, or javelins and shields. They are stronger against Infantry
than are other Skirmishers. Examples include Balearic slingers and Republican Roman velites.

Skirmishers
Other skirmishers tend to have javelins, but are without shields. Republican Roman leves are an example.

Support Infantry
Support Infantry includes ‘Light Infantry’ and ‘Raiders’. They fight in looser formation than Battle Line
Infantry, and are faster. They fight in denser formations than Skirmishers, but are not disadvantaged fighting
in bad going. They act as individual units rather than a screen.

Light Infantry
These are armed with javelins and reasonable shield, and often, a melee weapon. Most Italian Hill Tribe
infantry would be graded as Light Infantry, as would most peltasts.

Raiders
Well armed, usually with sword or axe plus shield, sometimes with secondary throwing weapons, they are
used to fighting in loose order as well as close order. Examples Iberian Scutarii and any early Vikings.

Shooters
Shooters include ‘Archers’, ‘Elite Archers’ and ‘Artillery’. Shooters fire with significant effect at a distance.
They are slow moving, and relatively weak against infantry in close combat. Their close combat factor
against mounted and aerial units includes short range fire.

Archers
Archers are massed bowmen who are slightly less effective than troops graded as Elite Archers.

Elite Archers
Elite Archers are massed, competent and well-armed bowmen trained to fire effectively en mass.

Artillery
Artillery refers to torsion artillery more than guns,but can include the very earliest bombards and cannon.

Mounted
Mounted are ground-based units that fight while mounted, and also chariots. Mounted include ‘Cataphracts’,
‘Cavalry’, ‘Elephants’, ‘Elite Cavalry’, ‘Horse Archers’, ‘Knights’ and ‘Scythed Chariots’.

Cataphracts
Heavily armoured horsemen with bows and spear that are not impetuous. They are relatively slow
moving. They were found in some Byzantine and Sassanid Persian armies.

Warfare’s Tremendous Feats v. 0.9.1 © Richard Lee and Kevin Owen 2020
Cavalry
Other horsemen, plus some chariots. Most Republican Roman cavalry would be classified as Cavalry, as
well as, for instance, Gallic or British chariots and cavalry.

Elephants
These include Indian or African elephants, with any riders and infantry escorts.

Elite Cavalry
The Elite Cavalry troop type includes the better chariot troops, as well as horsemen. Examples include
Caesar’s German cavalry and Hittite chariots.

Horse Archers
Examples are to be found in many armies of the steppes, including Huns and Mongols.

Knights
Impetuous horsemen that usually attempt to charge enemies instead of using missile weapons. Examples
include Duke William of Normandy’s knights at the Battle of Hastings.

Scythed Chariots
These were occasionally used by, for instance, the Seleucid army, to attempt to break up infantry formations.

Unit Cost in Army Points

Unit AP
Levy, Skirmishers 2
Archers, Artillery, Cavalry, Elite Skirmishers, Heavy Infantry, Host, Light Infantry, Phalanx and Scythed 3
Chariots
Cataphracts, Elephants, Elite Archers, Elite Cavalry, Elite Infantry, Horse Archers, Knights, Raiders and Spear 4

Suggested Basing Scheme for 15mm Figures

Unit Types Figures Depth mm
Elite Archers, Elite Infantry, Heavy Infantry, Host, Phalanx, Spear 4 20
Archers, Light Infantry, Raiders 3 20
Elite Skirmishers, Skirmishers 2 20
Cataphracts 4 30
Knights 3 30
Elite Cavalry, Cavalry 2-3 30
Horse Archers 2 30
Levy 6-8 30 or 40
Artillery, Elephants, Chariots, Elite Chariots, Scythed Chariots 1 model + any crew 40

Warfare’s Tremendous Feats v. 0.9.1 © Richard Lee and Kevin Owen 2020
WTF – Ancient & Medieval Playsheet Close Combat

Sequence of Play Close Combat Factors Foot Others

Battle Phalanx 3 4
Select Terrain Pieces (3 each)
Line
Spear 4 4
Attacker/Defender Roll Infantry
Heavy Infantry 4 3
Terrain Placement (2-6 pieces by defender) Elite Infantry 5 3
Attacker deploys Camp and troops, then Defender. Host, Levy 3 2
Attacker takes the first turn. Skirmish Skirmishers 1 1
Infantry
Each bound Elite Skirmishers 2 1

1. Active player rolls for Control Points (CP) Support Light Infantry 3 2
Infantry
Raiders 4 2
2. Movement, (active player)
Shooters Archers 2 3
3. Shooting (both players, active player first) Elite Archers 2 4
4. Close Combat (active player decides order) Artillery 2 2

Tactical Movement Mounted Cavalry 2 2

Horse Archers, Knights 2 3
Command Distance 16 MU line of sight, 8 if not
Elite Cavalry 3 3
Unit Movement in Good Going MU Cataphracts, Scythed Chariots 4 4
Battle Line Infantry, Shooters 3 Elephants 5 4
Cataphracts, Elephants, Skirmish and Support Inf. 4
Knights, Scythed Chariots 5 Tactical Factors
Cavalry, Elite Cavalry 6 Troops Situation
Horse Archers 8 All General +1
Mounted move 3 in Bad Going.
All Up hill or defending river +1
Skirmisher Infantry may move as a group wider than bank
1 column in Bad Going. Garrison All +2
All Each side overlapped and -1
Shooting
not in combat, and each
Target Factor Infantry 1, Mounted 0 extra enemy
All except Garrisons Fighting to Flank or Rear -2
Shooting Factor Archers 0, Elite Archers 1,
Artillery 2 Elephants V. Skirmish and Light Inf -2
Mounted Fighting in Bad Going -1
Range Archers and Elite Archers 3, Artillery 8
Art, BLI except Host V. Infantry in Bad Going -2
• Shot General +1 Host Fighting Infantry in Bad -1
Going
• Shot in cover, or garrison +1
Mounted Attacking Garrison -1
• Shot on rear edge -1
Rear Support: Units supporting same unit type in good
Shooters may shoot up to 1 MU into and out of going against BLI, Cataphracts, Elephants, Knights and
cover. Support Infantry: Phalanx +3, Spear & Host +1

Use Combat Results table in Close Combat Section

Warfare’s Tremendous Feats v. 0.9.1 © Richard Lee and Kevin Owen 2020
 Combat Results
Diff Result
1-2 Skirmish Infantry destroyed by Mounted in good
going;
Skirmish Inf. fighting Battle Line Inf. no effect;
Elephants fighting Skirmish Infantry or Light
Infantry flee 2 BP;
Scythed Chariots destroyed;
Otherwise 1 BP from loser.
3-4 BLI destroyed by Host, Elephants, or by Scythed
Chariots or Knights in good going;
Skirmish Inf. and Shooters destroyed by Mounted
in good going;
Support Inf. destroyed by Knights in good going;
Mounted destroyed in bad going;
Cavalry, Elite Cavalry flee from Scythed
Chariots in good going and lose 2 BP;
Knights destroyed by Elephants or Scythed
Chariots;
Elephants destroyed by Skirmish Inf. and Light
Inf.;
Artillery and Scythed Chariots destroyed;
Otherwise recoil and lose 1 BP.
5+ Skirmish Infantry flee from Battle Line Inf, 1 BP;
Horse Archers flee from all except Cataphracts
and Horse Archers in good going, 2 BP;
Mounted (except Scythed Chariots) flee from
Battle Line Inf. in good going, 2 BP;
Otherwise destroyed.
Turning after Combat: After combat, a unit
fighting a single unit on flank or rear turns to face
the attacker.
Recoil: 1 MU or through friends. Destroyed if
garrison or can’t recoil. Elephants destroy units they
recoil into. Can’t recoil into Elephants.
Fleeing: Recoil, turn 180 degrees, then full move.
Pursuit (not garrisons): Elephants, Host, Knights,
Levy, Pikes, 1 MU, or to rear support.

Breakpoint Loss on Units Destroyed

Unit Destroyed Break Points Lost
Levy, Scythed Ch. or Skirmish Inf. 2 Add +6 if
destroyed
Other Infantry 5
unit was
Other Mounted 6 General’s
Camp loss costs 10 BP, plus any garrison

Warfare’s Tremendous Feats v. 0.9.1 © Richard Lee and Kevin Owen 2020