Alexandrian Macedonian

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Historical Overview Section


Born in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father Philip II of Macedon to the throne in 336 BC after the King was assassinated, and died thirteen years later at the age of 32. Although both Alexander's reign and empire were short-lived, the cultural impact of his conquests lasted for centuries. Alexander is one of the most famous figures of antiquity, and is remembered for his tactical ability, his conquests, and for spreading Greek civilization into the East. By the time of his death, he had conquered most of the world known to the ancient Greeks. Alexander conquered the Late Achaemenid Persian Empire, including Anatolia, Syria, Phoenicia, Judea, Gaza & Egypt together with vast swathes of the rest of the world up to and including some of the Classical Indians, despite the handicaps of excessive alcoholism, outrageous eyebrows and a broad and wholly inappropriate Irish accent.

Fis first dust-up was against the Thracians, who he took down during a school holiday whilst his dad was not looking. When the Classical Greek city of Amphissa began to dig up land near Delphi, Philip decided this was a brilliant excuse to conquer all of Greece. Despite pretending to prepare to attack the Illyrian, the daft Illyrians tried to invade Macedonia, but Alexander gave them a spanking too. Father and son then marched south but at Chaeronea, Boeotia the forces of Classical Greek Athens and Thebes took them on. Big Mistake. Alexander commanded the left wing of the Macedonian army and quickly routed his enemy. After the victory at Chaeronea, Philip and Alexander marched unopposed into the Peloponnese and established a "Hellenic Alliance" with the exception of Sparta. Philip then announced his plans for a war of revenge against the Persian Empire, but sadly he suffered a bout of the common classical era disease, "death by stabbing" at a banquet before he could set off, leaving the conquering to Alexander.

Alexander began his reign by having his potential rivals to the throne murdered, in a move with no likely connection to the death of his father. The Classical Greeks decided to try and make a bid for freedom at this point. Again, Big Mistake. Alexander then spanked the Thracians, then Illyrians, then the Classical Greeks (again) before crossing the Hellespont and spanking the Late Achaemenid Persians at the Battle of the Granicus - although their Emperior Darius ungraciously declined to attend having a more pressing engagement elsewhere. After spending the winter campaigning in Asia Minor, Alexander's army crossed the Cilician Gates in 333 BC and defeated the main Late Achaemenid Persian army again - this time under the command of Darius III - at the Battle of Issus. He then swept up all of Egypt, Syria and in 331 BC marched eastward into Mesopotamia (now northern Iraq) and defeated Darius and the Late Achaemenid Persian army once more at the Battle of Gaugamela. Darius did a runner, but fortunately another rebel general conjured up yet another Late Achaemenid Persian army, so Alexander slapped him too, just to make sure no-one felt left out. Alexander caught up with Darius soon after, but not until Daruis had also suffered a unpleasant bout of "fatal stabbing by a former close confidant". Alexander then dropped a cigarette whilst relaxing at the Persian capital Persepolis, burning it to the ground by accident.

Soon afterwards Alexander crossed the Indus and fought and won an epic battle against a local Classical Indian ruler Porus, who ruled a region in the Punjab in the Battle of Hydaspes in 326 BC. However, his troops didn't like curry, were homesick for stuffed vine leaves and pitta bread, and were really rather disturbed by the way their leader had started wearing a dress like the Late Achaemenid Persians they had so recently duffed up, so demanded he give up and go home. Which he did.

On either 10 or 11 June 323 BC, Alexander died in the palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, in Babylon at the age of 32 from the other common ancient illness of "eating something that disagreed with him" (which strangely often afflicted powerful leaders who's family or friends had something to gain from their death). Oddly, Alexander had no obvious or legitimate heir at the time, as although a son was born soon afterwards to one of his wives this didn't really count. So, a huge question arose as to who would get to take over and rule the newly-conquered, and barely-pacified Empire. With a Simon Cowell-style telephone vote not really an option in 323BC, it came down to Alexander's word. However when Alexander's companions had asked him on his deathbed to whom he bequeathed his kingdom; his laconic reply was "tôi kratistôi"—"to the strongest". What could possibly go wrong ??!! (NB - see Early Successor, Hellenistic Greek), Graeco-Bactrian, Indo-Greek, Later Seleucid, Later Ptolemaic, Pontic, Attalid Pergamene and Pyrrhic pages for details).

User-contributed links about this army:

Using the army in FoG

  • Tempting as it is to use all the toys, thats the way to go wrong with this army.
  • Especially consider doing without the elephants. One group isn't that likely to be helpful and remember that you have pikes to take on enemy knights and heavy foot. They will also significantly slow down your agema and companions if you try to group them together. 2 BGs is good, but soaks up points
  • If you do take them, they tend to do better with the foot. The undrilled elephants require a general in the BL or BG to wheel and that can really limit cavalry maneuvering.
  • MF Iphikratean hoplites are a good bet as they are mobile and can also be used as more bad terrain troops if required.
  • Pikes can be 8's or 12's, or sometimes 10's - the jury is out on whether the extra stands to absorb losses are worth the points, and 10's may be something to have if you have spare points after you design the army. 3x8 or 2x12 for the pikes both have advantages.
  • It isn't a good bet to count on either the pikes or the cavalry to win by themselves. You really need to work them together to be successful with the army. Depending on the opponent one or the other may end up being more decisive but normally both need to be coordinated and involved to win with this army.
  • The Agema are expensive - but are required to give you two groups of lancers. This will work great within that book, but are not worth it when you begin to encounter knights. If you are fighting knights, especially Heavy Armored, you will need elephants which means 2 BGs
  • Alexander as the IC is historically appropriate, but 4 TCs instead of an IC and 2 TCs gives you 10 more points and more command range.
  • It also lowers your initiative by 2 to give you a greater chance to move first which is good as you can march your pikes at the enemy - which you need to do as if an enemy gets to slow you down via light horse or foot so your pikes are not in play then you will nearly always loose.
  • Light foot in groups of 4 is a great opportunity to get extra units and should be taken, especially when some can be superior.

UK Tournament Results for this army in 2008

Position / total players
2 / 25 Alexandrian Macedonian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
3 / 22 Alexandrian Macedonian Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
3 / 17 Alexandrian Macedonian Warfare 2008 25mm (RoR, LT, IF)
5 / 10 Alexandrian Macedonian Britcon 2008 25mm (open)
5 / 25 Alexandrian Macedonian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
7 / 22 Alexandrian Macedonian Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
7 / 14 Alexandrian Macedonian Roll Call 2008 25mm (open)
9 / 13 Alexandrian Macedonian IWF 2008 15mm (open)
10 / 62 Alexandrian Macedonian Britcon 2008 15mm (open)
10 / 22 Alexandrian Macedonian Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
10 / 25 Alexandrian Macedonian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
11 / 22 Alexandrian Macedonian Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
13 / 62 Alexandrian Macedonian Britcon 2008 15mm (open)
13 / 16 ALEXANDRIAN MACEDONIAN Scottish Open 2008 (open)
19 / 20 Alexandrian Macedonian Warfare 2008 15mm (RoR, IF, LT)
20 / 25 Alexandrian Macedonian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
21 / 22 Alexandrian Macedonian Oxford Doubles 2008 (IF)
22 / 25 Alexandrian Macedonian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
25 / 25 Alexandrian Macedonian Roll Call 2008 15mm (IF)
6 / 27 Alexandrian Macedonians Britcon 2007 15mm (open)

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army

You can see some of the figures in the Ancients Photo Gallery also on this site


Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
800AP as used at the ITC Lisbon by Spain

  • 8 Phalanx
  • 8 Phalanx
  • 6 Superior LF, JLS
  • 6 Average LF Slingers
  • 8 Phalanx
  • 4 Armoured Average LS/Sw Cavalry
  • 2 Elephants
  • 4 LH Lance/Sword
  • 4 LH, Bow
  • 8 MF, LS/Sw, Average, Protected
  • 4 Elite Companions
  • 4 Superior Companions

IC and some TC's



800 AP as used at Faenza 2010

  • 4 LF, Bw
  • 6 LF, J/LS
  • 4 LH, J/LS
  • 4 LF, Bw Cretins Superior
  • 4 Lh, Ln, Sw
  • 6 MF Thracians - offensive spear
  • 6 MF Thracians - offensive spear
  • 6 HF Greeks - offensive spear
  • 8 Pike
  • 8 Pike
  • 8 Pike
  • 4 Cv, Superior, Armoured, L/S, Sw
  • 4 Lancers, Elite
  • 4 Lancers, Superior
  • 2 Elephants






Remember to leave a line before you copy the above section as a template for your own list


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