Alexander Falls at Granicus — Campaign Packs (334 BCE →)

A Manx Gaming Solutions alternate‑history project for tabletop wargamers. This overview introduces the first five campaign packs. Each pack will get its own page with unit lists, base sizes, orders of battle, and scenarios.

Premise: Alexander dies (or is captured) at the Battle of the Granicus, 334 BCE. Persia survives and reforms; no Seleucid/Ptolemaic world, no Alexandria. Rome stays western; India faces Persia directly; Scythians, Celts, Germanic and Scandinavian polities endure as independent powers.

Pack 1 — The Spartan Rebellion (332–329 BCE)

Theatre: Greece & the Aegean • Mode: Land & Naval • Scale: Company → Small Army

Historical baseline: Agis III of Sparta historically rebelled (with Persian funds) but was crushed at Megalopolis (331 BCE). In this timeline, with Persia ascendant and Memnon alive, the revolt is broader and better‑supplied.

Historical tactics & troops

  • Greek hoplites, peltasts, Cretan archers, Thessalian cavalry
  • Macedonian phalanx & companions (limited post‑Granicus)
  • City garrisons; light siege (rams, ladders)

Alt‑timeline forces (use real units)

  • Spartan hoplites (late classical), perioikoi spears, psiloi
  • Persian satrapal infantry, Greek mercenary hoplites, Phoenician marines
  • Rhodian/Phocaean naval crews with catapults; Ionian peltasts

Scenario hooks: Isthmus break‑through; Aegean convoy interdiction; Boeotian field battle; siege of a coastal polis under Persian protection.

Hoplite vs Hoplite Satrapal Aid Coastal Sieges

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Pack 2 — Siege of Memphis (c. 315 BCE)

Theatre: Lower & Upper Egypt • Mode: Siege & Riverine • Scale: Garrison → Army

Historical baseline: Historically, Alexander took Egypt and founded Alexandria. Here, Egypt remains Persian or priest‑ruled; revolts erupt along the Nile against satraps.

Historical tactics & troops

  • Macedonian siege trains (towers, rams), hypaspists, phalangites
  • Greek mercenary garrisons; nascent Ptolemaic fleet

Alt‑timeline forces (use real units)

  • Persian garrison infantry, Immortals (elite spear/archer), levy archers
  • Egyptian priest‑levies, Nubian archers, Libyan light infantry, desert skirmishers
  • River flotillas; siege by ramps & sappers; fewer towers

Scenario hooks: Nile fort relief; breach at the White Wall; desert column ambush; riverine night assault on granaries.

Nubian Archers Temple Politics River Action

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Pack 3 — Scythians at the Caspian Gates (290–280 BCE)

Theatre: Hyrcania & Media • Mode: Mobile Warfare • Scale: Raids → Field Armies

Historical baseline: Steppe incursions periodically hit Achaemenid borders. Without Hellenistic Bactria/Seleucid buffers, Scythians consolidate and press south earlier.

Historical tactics & troops

  • Achaemenid sparabara, archers, javelin cavalry
  • Local levies; Greek mercenary hoplites as garrisons

Alt‑timeline forces (use real units)

  • Scythian horse archers, noble spear cavalry, early cataphract‑style elites
  • Persian guard cavalry, hillmen javelinmen, fire‑temple militia (archers)
  • Fortified caravanserai as objectives

Scenario hooks: Feigned‑retreat envelopment; rescue of a sacred fire; night raid on baggage; steppe vs foothill positional battle.

Horse Archers Cataphract Seeds Caravan Targets

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Pack 4 — The Iberian Contract Wars (250–220 BCE)

Theatre: Iberia & Western Med • Mode: Land & Naval • Scale: Columns → Armies

Historical baseline: Carthage historically expanded in Iberia to replace losses and buy power. With Rome focused west and no eastern distractions, this escalates sooner and wider.

Historical tactics & troops

  • Carthaginian core, Libyan spearmen, Numidian light cavalry
  • Balearic slingers, Iberian scutarii, African elephants

Alt‑timeline forces (use real units)

  • As above, plus Celtic mercenaries (Gaesatae), heavier shield formations
  • Roman manipular expeditions (limited), Ligurian auxiliaries
  • Coastal naval fights with rams, fireships

Scenario hooks: Silver‑mine seizure; Numidian screen vs Roman maniples; ambush in cork oak hills; harbor fight at dawn.

Elephants Balearic Slingers Numidian Cav

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Pack 5 — The Indo‑Persian Frontier War (c. 200 BCE)

Theatre: Arachosia & Indus • Mode: Field & Siege • Scale: Army

Historical baseline: Seleucid–Mauryan treaties shaped the NW frontier. Here, Mauryan successors push into Persian satrapies; no Seleucids exist, so the clash is direct.

Historical tactics & troops

  • Mauryan elephants, longbow archers, spear‑and‑shield infantry
  • Hellenistic pikes & heavy cav (absent in this timeline)

Alt‑timeline forces (use real units)

  • Mauryan elephants, Indian longbows, guild militia, chariots (as command)
  • Persian guard cav, sparabara‑style archers, hill tribes, Scythian auxiliaries
  • Desert fort sieges with ramps & sapping; fewer torsion engines

Scenario hooks: Crossing the Bolan; elephant shock vs guard cav; steppe raid on supply; storming a mud‑brick citadel.

Elephant Shock Guard Cavalry Hill Tribes

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System‑agnostic notes: These packs are designed to work with DBA/DBMM, Hail Caesar, Triumph!, Impetus, or your house rules. We list historical troop types (even if drawn from different historical armies) to represent plausible forces in this alternate timeline.

Next step: create one Weebly sub‑page per pack. Replace each “View full pack” link, and on those pages include unit counts, base sizes, command structure, terrain, deployments, and victory conditions.