At Issus, Darius hoped to trap Alexander’s cavalry into a difficult crossing but Alexander dismounted and led his hypaspists over the stream. He was wounded but opened the way for the cavalry to lead a decisive charge. At Granicus, the Persian cavalry attempted to overwhelm the Macedonian cavalry and Alexander was bloodied and stunned, but able to gather himself as the battle rolled on. At the siege of Gaza, a ballista bolt hit Alexander square in the shield and penetrated into his shoulder. He recovered, exacting a terrible revenge. The next year, at Gaugamela, Darius tried to overwhelm Alexander with massed cavalry, chariots, and war elephants, but none of them came close to knocking out Alexander, who once again cut through the Persian line. Darius fled, only to be assassinated in the hinterlands. In the end, the closest that the Persians came to a winning ‘killing Alexander’ strategy was in those first confusing moments of the Granicus battle.
USING LION RAMPANT
Skirmish games are all the rage right now. Lion Rampant inspired this Alexander game because it is fast and cheerful. You can tailor this scenario to your own favoured set of Ancients rules, such as Men of Bronze, SPQR, or SAGA: Age of Hannibal.
