One group of people I did not include for In Strife and Conflict were the (in)famous raiders of the Late Bronze Age; the Sea Peoples. I did not initially add them because they did not have much interaction with the Assyrians. The Assyrians were a Mesopotamian power at the height of the Sea Peoples encroachments. The Sea Peoples were primarily operating on the coasts of the Eastern Mediterranean. It was not until after the Broze Age collapse and the rise of the Neo-Assyrians. The Assyrians moved westward and scooped up many of the remanent city-states left in the post Hittite and post-Sea People world. Since In Strife and Conflict was focused on Assyrians, it did not seem like the Sea Peoples were a useful addition to the rules.
However, the Sea People are a staple of the chariot war genre. When people think of Chariot Wars, they soon think of the Bronze Age collapse; and that takes them straight to Sea Peoples. Now, I am not a personal believer in the “Violent Migration” theory of the Bronze Age collapse, but there is no doubt the Sea People played a part in the system collapse that happened. Plus, there is plenty of evidence about the Sea Peoples.
There are a couple of things that make the Sea People a bit of a conundrum when trying to integrate them into Chariot Wars. These are:
- They have limited use of light chariots
- They are mostly a light infantry force
- There should be a lot of them
- They were accompanied by their families
- There is no real clear idea what this army looks like
- It is made up of several tribes of people from across the Mediterranean
So, how does one go about making a Line-of-Battle for such an ill-defined, non-army, army? Well, let’s dive into it.
Who Are the Sea People?
Good question. For many years, no one really knew. However, they existed based on plenty of evidence left by the Egyptians. This includes pictoral and written evidence. Thanks to this evidence, Historians keep trying to trace the origins of the various tribes of the Sea People. The origins of the Sea Peoples are not entirely relevant to the discussion here. However, they hailed from Sicily, Sardinia, the Aegean, Anatolia, etc. Before the Sea People “invasion” and the Bronze Age collapse these tribes and peoples were known in the area and even served as auxiliaries and allies of the city-states that would later collapse.
For example, the Sherden was one of the tribes that made up the Sea Peoples. However, we also know that they made up Ramses II Royal Guards and took part in the Battle of Kadesh. At the same battle, the list of Hittite allies included tribes that would later be associated with the Sea Peoples. The Sea Peoples seemed to have a mercenary, subject, or military relationship with the Chariot cultures of the region. They were not strangers or unknown invaders.
We also have wall reliefs that depict the Sea Peoples bringing their families with them in ox-drawn carts. The Egyptians claim that the Sea Peoples came in great numbers but it is unclear how many were actual combatants? This indicates that they were not looking for spoils and portable wealth. They were looking to settle and move-in. They were not “raiders” at all.
All or our records on the Sea Peoples comes from what written and visual records remain from their enemies. The writers assume that the readers are familiar with the situation. Therefore, we are getting a limited and one-sided image of these peoples. Other evidence comes from archeological evidence, which due to age is limited to certain materials. Huge swathes of the culture of the Sea Peoples is unknown to us and potentially unknowable.
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| This scene from the north wall of Medinet Habu is often used to illustrate the Egyptian campaign against the Sea Peoples, in what has come to be known as the Battle of the Delta (c. 1175 BC),[1] during the reign of Ramesses III. While accompanying hieroglyphs do not name Egypt's enemies, describing them simply as being from "northern countries", early scholars noted the similarities between the hairstyles and accessories worn by the combatants and other reliefs in which such groups are named. Wikimedia Commons |
The Sea Peoples Military
Again, we are working with very limited evidence on what the military of the Sea Peoples looked like. Indeed, creating a “universal” picture may not even be realistic considering the cosmopolitan nature of the Sea Peoples themselves. We know a bit about the Sherden, who used helmets, corselets, and greaves. We also know that they used round shields of Bronze, swords, and spears. Occasionally, iron swords are mentioned as well. For other tribes, Archers and thrown missiles weapons like Javelins also appear to be part of their arsenal. However, different tribes seem to have had distinctive head gear or equipment. It is unclear if this also meant that they had a different role on the battlefield.
In at least one pictoral representation, we see the Sea People making use of Chariots of a similar design to the Egyptians. However, it is unclear if this is just an artist interpretation as that is what an army “should have” or if the artist was an eyewitness or working with an eyewitness of the battle. There is not much other evidence to support that the Sea Peoples used chariots. They are not discussed often, and the descriptions of battles are often only fragmentary or a line or two at best.
There is a reference to the Sea People using a two-pronged land and sea strategy at the Battle of the Delta. There is also reference to ships appearing in other sources. This led to the name “Se Peoples” but not all the tribes associated and named as the Sea Peoples have any connection with the sea. Therefore, even the term Sea Peoples could be a bit of a misnomer. We do not know much about their sailing ability, ships, or their Naval prowess. As the Battle of the Delta the naval arm of the invasion was defeated, but so was the land arm.
We have no idea how the Sea Peoples organized themselves. No idea who was in charge, no idea how they coordinated, and no idea how they fought as units. Therefore, we have to make a lot of assumptions when it comes to the organization of Sea People armies.
The sources seem to indicate that they were a fast moving, infantry-based army. They operated as mostly light infantry, with a core of heavily armed and armored Sherden. It is unclear how they integrated ranged weapons into their forces. However, they seemed to favor close-up combat where many chariot based armies preferred archery or other ranged attacks as the primary attack arm.
Beyond these broad strokes, we know very little else about the Sea Peoples military structures, doctrines, or how they fought. The chroniclers at the time do not leave much detail. The archeological record is not much better.
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| Ramses II's Sherden Royal Guard at the front of his armies |
Creating the Sea People Line-of-Battle
First off, I use 6mm miniatures on 60mm x 60mm bases for my games of In Strife and Conflict. However, the game itself is base and model agnostic though. You can use single-based 28mm, multi-based 15mm, or whatever you want. The rules are interested in Unit-vs-Unit combat and does not have any casualty removal. Therefore, when I talk about this Line-of-Battle I am refer to it by units.
I think we have seen that the Sea People are not a homogenous group. That means, as I build this Line-Of-Battle I will assume that various infantry troop types are available to them. This could be split up on tribal lines, or a mix of headgear and weaponry as the army builder sees fit. I think having different tribes represent different unit types is an attractive option to differentiate units on the battlefield but is probably not a realistic portrayal of how they operated in the field. However, sometimes the needs of expediency make sense on the tabletop where they do not on the battlefield.
Second, I went and reviewed the Unit Profiles in the core In Strife and Conflict rules. Thankfully, they are a bit generic with some options. I think these will represent the Sea People unit types we have seen well. After I have a basic list, I will think if any other special Chrome is needed. Here is what I think fits in with the line-of-battle based on the evidence and the needs of the army as a playable force:
Light Chariots W/Javelins
Professional Infantry
Levy Infantry
Irregular Infantry
Skirmishers
Mounted Infantry (?)
The core would be Professional Infantry, possibly Sherden. The Levy and Irregular Infantry would give them numbers for flanking and Rear attacks. A limited number of light chariot with javelins would fit the bill for what we see about the Battle of Djahy. Skirmishers and Irregular would give them some enhanced mobility to pin enemy formations for the others to maneuver into position. They would also allow them to use terrain to advantage.
One thing I am noticing right away, is that general Infantry does not have access to Javelins. This is something I will need to create some Chrome for them. There are two ways to go about it. The first is a unit upgrade as a Shoot weapon. The second is to use a system similar to my Roman Legions in Wars of the Republic as a rule that is triggered by using King's Decree to reduce enemy armor. This would give them some additional punch up close, but reduce their range options.
The Mounted Infantry is a question mark to represent ox-drawn carts. We see them in the artwork, but for moving families and not troops. Therefore, I am not sure I want to add them in to the army list at this point.
In the core rules there are two Special Rules that maybe appropriate for the Sea Peoples. They are Iron Weapons, which some sources claim the Sea Peoples had limited numbers of. The other is Terror. This would impact how other units reacted to their charges or their ability to charge them. Then, I might add a Thrown Weapons special rule for the Professional Troops to help with their "shock assault" capabilities.
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| Sea Peoples in conflict with the Egyptians in the battle of Djahy. Wikimedia Commons |
I decided on the following:
Sea People Line-of-Battle
0-2 Professional Infantry
- Thrown Weapons for +2 points
0-2 Light Chariots
- Javelins for +1 Points
1+ Levy Infantry
- Upgrade with Javelins- Shoot 3 (6MU) for +1 Point
1+ Irregular infantry
- Upgrade with Javelins- Shoot 3 (6MU) for +1 Point
0+ Skirmishers
- Sea Peoples can arm 0-2 Units with Iron Weapons at +2 Points per unit
- Sea Peoples can Equip all Units with Terror for +2 Points per unit
- Professional Troops for Sea People may be armed with Thrown Weapons for +2 Points per Unit
Thrown Weapons
The Sea People had a reputation for barraging their opponents with darts and javelins as they closed the distance to melee. This was to soften up an enemy as they approached with casualties and laden-down shields.
A Unit that charges, counter-charges, or is charged may spend a King's Decree to use their thrown weapons. The enemies' Armor is reduced by 1 to a minimum of 1 in the following melee. In the End Phase, the opponent's Armor rating is returned to normal.
Sample Sea People Army
Below you can see a sample Sea People army built using the Line-of-Battle above. This is to give you an idea of what a Sea Peoples army could look like. It is built to a 48-point force. This force gives you 8 units and 9 King's Decree at the start of the battle.
1 Professional Infantry 12
- Thrown Weapons, Terror, Warlord
1 Light Chariots 11
= Javelins, Terror
2 Levy Infantry 10
- Javelins
2 Irregular Infantry 10
- Javelins
2 Skirmishers 4
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| Painting Sherden from Baccus 6mm |
Final Thoughts
This army list adds a completely different style of play to your games of In Strife and Conflict. Many of the Lines-of-Battle found in the core rules focus on Chariot Wars armies supported by archers and infantry. The Sea Peoples are a completely different playstyle than the dominant fighting style of the region. Therefore, any commander who wishes to use the Sea Peoples will have a to develop new strategies and tactics to help make these infantry heavy forces successful. We do not know historically how the Sea People were about to do this and that is what makes playing a Sea Peoples force so exciting.
Let me know if you think I missed out on any other Lines-of-Battle for In Stife and Conflict. I will gladly look into expanding into more forces.
Until next time!
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