Victory Results:
 33 %
Record a victory for BOTTOM ARMY  67 %
Total plays 3 - Last reported by ozzie on 2024-02-24 07:35:48

BETH ZACHARIA - 162 BC

Seleucid vs Hasmonean

Historical Background
Following the purification of the Temple, Judas started to help the Jews in settlements outside Judaea. With his power base and manpower resources growing, and with no response from Antioch, in early 162 BC, Judas decided to capture the Acra fortification in Jerusalem, and placed it under siege. This elicited an immediate reaction from Lysias. With the return of the Royal army from the east, following the death of Antiochus IV, Lysias, who was accompanied by Antiochus V, was able to take a much stronger army to Judaea, including the Royal Guard, cataphract cavalry and eight elephants. Lysias once again approached Jerusalem via Beth Zur, which was captured and garrisoned. Judas encamped his army at Beth Zacharia and hoped to catch the Seleucids in a defile as they marched north to Jerusalem. Lysias was wise to this, and covered his advance with light troops on the ridges. Lysias's army emerged from Wadi Shukheit to find the Hasmonaeans deployed on the saddle between two hills just south of Beth Zacharia. Depite brave resistance, during which Judas's brother Eleazer died killing one of the elephants, the Hasmonaean army was overwhelmed by the heavy seleucid assault, and forced to withdraw to the Gophna hills. Lysias placed the Temple under siege, but before it fell, a man called Phillipus arrived from the east with an army and a claim to the throne. Lysias rescinded all the edicts of Antiochus IV to placate the Jews so that he could once again withdraw to Antioch where he defeated Phillipus.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. Can you change history?

War Council

Seleucid Army
Leader: Lysias
Take 5 Command Cards      .
Move First

Hasmonean Army
Leader: Judas Maccabaeus
Take 6 Command Cards 

Victory
6 Banners

Special Rules
Due to the presence of Eleazar with the Hasmonaean warrior infantry unit, that unit may always count leader symbols as hits in close combat and may always ignore one reteat banner.

The Seleucid heavy cavalry units are cataphract heavy cavalry. Use Eastern cataphract heavy cavalry units to represent them.

Fright at First Sight: Any Hasmonaean unit in close combat with the elephant unit may not ignore any flags rolled by that elephant unit, even if the unit has an attached leader or is supported by two adjacent friendly units.

 

Read more notes/rules HERE.

Original PDF : click here to download Jim Duncan maps/scenarios (JDxx)

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ozzie replied the topic:
1 month 5 days ago
Game 5 of the Maccabean Revolt campaign. A very surprising 6-1 win to the Hasmoneans - yes, you heard right, the Hasmoneans. All those heavy infantry pike, cavalry and elephants don't help if you can't move them.....

The Seleucids (me, who else!) few a hand of Move Medium Troops and Move Light Troops and Move Fire Move and that made up the majority of my hand all game. Antiochus leading his heavy cavalry unit and a pike block managed to tackle the Zealot warband of Eleazar where, astonishingly, the heavy cavalry, the pike block and Antiochus were all destroyed without inflicting a hit. As Eleazar plunged through scattering Seleucid units, the elephants finally got to move and attack the warband. Not a single hit.... Eleazar and the warband destroyed the elephants to win the game. The Seleucids just limped away in embarrassment.

After game 5, a 19-8 lead to Hasmoneans and a Seleucid king killed.