Thinking, playing Latrunculi & Petteia like the ancients

[Catiline]

Thanks for posting Gil<br>
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Here are my thoughts. They are in no way criticisms and are perhaps best explained by citing my own stupidity,<br>
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A copule ofthings spring to my mind as not being clear<br>
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I presume you set up like chess ie along a base line on opposite sides of the 8x8 board. Is the move sequence such that you can split the phalanx so that starting with<br>
<br>
XXXXXXXX<br>
<br>
you can after the first move get<br>
<br>
XXXX<br>
_____XXXX<br>
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then second move you move one rank to get a formation two deep<br>
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ie<br>
XXXX<br>
XXXX<br>
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Can this deeper formation move as a whole or does it count as two phalanxes and so require two turns? If it wants to move forwards (ie up) must it move with individual files or can it do so complete. THe way you talk aboutpenetrating units counting as surrounding i assume it must move forwards in files, but this seems to defeat the point of the phalanx which needs lateral integrity.Surely it works in a more phalanx like fashion if it can move as a whole, the trade off being that it has lost frontage giving the enemy more space to monouvere.<br>
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what about a formation of say five in the front line and three behind, giving you more length on one hand but still retaining some of the weight which seems to be crucial to the tactics at a glance.<br>
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ie you form<br>
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XXXXX<br>
XXX<br>
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If it can move as a whole and say engaged an enemy still in single line formation thus<br>
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OOOOOOOO<br>
_XXXXX<br>
_XXX<br>
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would you get<br>
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_OOOOO<br>
OXXXXXOO<br>
_XXX<br>
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or acounting for momentum and double depth<br>
<br>
_OOO<br>
_XXXOO<br>
OXXXXXOO<br>
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So far as I can tell there's little way back for Player O underthese circumstances, unless a great deal of movement is possible to rearrange his phalanx. THeban tactic is put into effect and a weight bias in the phalanx to one end can irrevocably smash the enemy? In eithre of the above out comes surely none of player Xs pieces are captured?<br>
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I assuming that each turn a player can move a phalanx whole or in part ie split it by moving part of it forwards or to one side as space allows<br>
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also how does an idividual hoplite move. a column can move as far as it likes along its axis but only 1 square forwards<br>
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how many enemy pieces must be adjacent to a hoplite to trap it? 2 on opposite sides? 4 to block all movement axis?<br>
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There is more but hopefully theanswrs to my above question will deal with some of that<br>
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an email game sounds good once I've worked it out<br>
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<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub45.ezboard.com/ucatiline.showPublicProfile?language=EN>Catiline</A> at: 1/15/02 2:22:45 am<br></i>