Low Tech – How to play a frontal clash between two phalanxes (Hoplites, Shield Wall)

[Rasna]

We have two opposing heavy infantry formations. Soldiers are equipped with a Long Spear with butt spike (Reach 2, 3*) as main weapon, a Shortsword or a Long Knife as backup weapon and a Shield – depending on setting, it could be an Argive Shield (DB 2, DB 3 in a shield wall), a Heavy Large Shield (DB 3) or a Kite Shield (DB3). Some curved shortswords could qualify as Small Falchions or Kukri, while Small Axes were common backup weapons among Germanic peoples and more generally in later periods.

Armour also depends on setting. Assuming we're talking about Peloponnesian War (Greece, 431-404 BC), wealthy hoplites were protected by Corinthian Helm (Full Helm, DR 3+1* on skull, DR 3 on face), bronze cuirass (DR 4 on chest), pteruges (DR 2* on abdomen, shoulders and upper arms – arms 5-6 on 1d) and bronze greaves (DR 3 on knees and shins – legs 1-4 on 1d). Poorer hoplites were likely to be protected by a more open helmet (Pot Helm + Broad Cheek Guards, DR 3+1* on skull, DR 3 on cheeks and ears – face 3-5 on 1d), layered linen or leather cuirass (DR 3 on chest), pteruges (DR 2* on abdomen, shoulders and upper arms – arms 5-6 on 1d) and bronze greaves (DR 3 on knees and shins – legs 1-4 on 1d). In each cases feet were protected by sandals (DR 1* on feet [bottom]); shoes were known but they were likely to be less usuals. Bronze neck guards were plausible – there is one from a surviving Sannite panoply – but, like bronze upper arm guards, forearm guards and thigh guards, they were very rare. Corselets made of bronze or iron scales were rare too – they appear to be more common in Etruria, Cyprus and Anatolia.

If I'm not wrong, only the first two lines fought. The rear ranks assisted their comrades pushing forwards. Spears were used mainly in over-arm grip (Reach 1, 2*; although overarm grip isn't considered viable by GURPS Martial Arts, an exception could be made for long spears and other strictly thrusting polearms with Reach 3), because in tight formations it seems to give some significant advantages over the underarm grip (as argued in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZVs97QKH-8 and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtIPp-m69BY).

The question is: how to play it with GURPS rules?

If only the two first ranks fight, each hoplite of the first rank is exposed to the attacks of the enemy two first ranks. Holding his Long Spear in over-arm grip (Reach 1, 2*) and fighting in shield wall, I think the hoplites of the first ranks are likely to use extensively a combination of Evaluation, Beat and Defensive Attack against unprotected targets (neck, arms, thighs, feet) to assure good defense after the attack, and Deceptive Attack to lower the high Block bonus of the enemies; but also a combination of Evaluate and Attack, maybe intermixed with Beat or Feint, in order to inflict a decisive blow and advance. The second ranks, being protected by their front rank comrades, I think they would mostly use Evaluate followed by Committed Attack or All-Out Attack against the enemy first ranks.

Shield Bash and Shield Rush would be both suicidal and would break the formation, while Committed Attack and All-Out Attack would expose the first ranks to the attacks of two to five enemies – one from the front, one to two from the sides, one to two from the rear ranks.

These are only hypothesis. I'm not sure they're correct and I don't know how to play the push from rear ranks and the effects which it has on the opposing phalanxes, so I ask you folks in search of suggestions.