Late Bronze Age
One Hour Wargames
Rules
Version 1.1
This variant of One Hour Wargames (OHW) Ancient Rules covers battles in the Near East / Levant area in the Late Bronze Age - roughly from 1500 BCE to the Bronze Age Collapse around 1177 BCE.
I usually play One Hour Wargames at a reduced scale which you can read about here and I play using 1/72 plastic figures.
UNIT TYPES
The game features the unit types of Heavy Chariot, Light Chariot, Archers, Levy, Skirmishers and Warband. These replace the unit types in the original rules.
Heavy Chariots
Heavy Chariots seem to be a Hittite invention. Heavy Chariots have 3 crew - a driver, a spear-armed warrior and a dedicated shield-bearer to further protect the crew. Heavy Chariots don't shoot but depend on closing and winning the hand-to-hand fight. Note: Heavy Chariots here are the 2-horse, 3 crew variety not the 4 horse versions which appeared later during the Iron Age.
Movement 9”
Shooting Range n/a
Shooting n/a
Hand-to-Hand D6
Special Rule: Heavy Chariots uses the Shield Bearer modifier in hand-to-hand combat. This represents the added protection provided to the crew by the dedicated shield bearer and the more solid construction of the chariot.
Light Chariots
This is the definitive and defining Late Bronze Age weapons system. The chariot was the marker of nobility (The Maryannu - a name referring to the hereditary warrior nobility caste mounted on chariots were a prominent presence in numerous societies across the Ancient Near East during the Bronze Age.) Light Chariots have a crew of 2: the driver and the noble archer. They depend on speed and shooting but can conduct hand-to-hand fighting (representing the effects of very close range archery).
Movement 12”
Shooting Range 12”
Shooting D6 + 2
Hand-to-Hand D6
Archers
Units are armed with bows, are unarmoured, and rely on massed shooting for effect. The Archers here are slightly different from the original rules having poorer hand-to-hand combat effectiveness. (They weren't as effective as the later Persian archer model used in the original rules.)
Movement 6”
Shooting Range 12”
Shooting D6
Hand-to-Hand D6 - 2
Special Rule: (Optional Rule) Archers move 3". Use this rule if you think massed archers were poor quality like Levy just armed with a bow rather than a spear.
Levy
Infantry in this period were generally low status and equipped in a basic fashion. Levy are unarmoured and spear armed (although a motley mixture of figures with hand held weapons can also work visually). Not too much was expected of them but they could be effective when engaging enemy infantry and worry chariots that frontally assaulted them. Neil Thomas calls this type of unit "Biblical Infantry" in his Ancient and Medieval Warfare book.
Movement 3”
Shooting Range n/a
Shooting n/a
Hand-to-Hand D6
Special Rule: Egyptian Infantry.
Egyptian infantry were better trained and armoured compared to other infantry so these special rules apply.
Egyptian Infantry move 6".
(Optional Rule) Egyptian Infantry get the Armour modifier when facing shooting and hand-to-hand. The rule is optional as Egyptian Infantry had some armour but it wasn't metal. Use this rule if you think it was effective. Egyptian Infantry seem to be able to hold their own when fighting Sea Peoples, so in this case at least, I would adopt this rule. Note: Egyptian Infantry under this rule are the only unit type that gets the Armour modifier.
Skirmishers
Units act in open order and are unarmoured. They are the same as described in the OHW Ancients rules. Note that only Skirmishers can interpenetrate as per original OHW rules.
Movement 9”
Shooting Range 12”
Shooting D6 - 2
Hand-to-Hand D6 - 2
Special Rule: Skirmishers can move through Rough terrain and Woods.
Warband
Units are unarmoured, act in a loose formation and aim to charge the enemy and defeat them in hand-to-hand combat. Warbands are generally devastating if they can get into hand-to-hand contact so this should be their tactical aim.
Movement 6”
Shooting Range n/a
Shooting n/a
Hand-to-Hand D6 + 2
Special Rule: Warbands can move through Rough terrain and Woods.
NEW TERRAIN
There is a new terrain type - Rough Terrain. Rough terrain represents difficult terrain found in the Middle Eastern area such as rocky ground, small sand dunes, dried up wadis. Only Skirmishers and Warbands can move through Rough terrain. If using any of the OHW scenarios, Rough terrain replaces Marsh in the scenario.
NEW RULES
In addition to the new unit types above and the new rules below, all other rules remain the same as the original One Hour Wargames Ancient rules.
Shield Bearer modifier
Heavy Chariots acquire half the number of mandated hits in hand-to-hand combat (rounding any factors in favour of the attacking unit.) Note: this applies only to hand-to-hand not to shooting.
Armour Modifier not applicable
The Armour Modifier in the original rules will never apply unless you are using the optional Egyptian Infantry rule.
ARMY LISTS
I have put together some suggested army lists rather than using a diced selection matrix as per OHW rules to give flavour to the different nations involved. Feel free to modify these based on your study of the period. These army lists are highly influenced by De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA) v3.0 Army Lists and Neil Thomas' Ancient & Medieval Wargaming lists.
All armies have 6 units.
Egyptian
2 Archers
2 Egyptian Infantry
2 Light Chariots
Options
Replace 1 Archer with 1 Skirmisher
Replace 1 Egyptian Infantry with 1 Warband (Sherden Guard)
Hittites
2 Heavy Chariots
3 Levy
1 Skirmishers
Mitanni
2 Levy
3 Light Chariots
1 Skirmishers
Sea People
1 Skirmishers
5 Warband
Options
Replace 1 Warband with 1 Light Chariot
Syrian-Canaanite
2 Levy
2 Light Chariots
2 Skirmishers
Options
Replace 1 Skirmisher with 1 Archer
Replace 1 Levy with 1 Light Chariot
November 2023