New Beginnings

As November 2011 comes to an end and the year draws to a close it's is time to look at the coming months with a view to starting a new project. This year started with plans and talk of undertaking a "Rise of Macedon" army for late Philip or early Alexander and this is still likely of happening but later in 2012. The Spartans are so very nearly completed with only a few more stands required for the full 400 point army under the new list so no major change of plans there. 


The main thrust of early 2012 will be to start a 300 point Mycenean/Trojan army for Impetus. The starting point for this will of course be The Illiad itself and the following quote sets the scene for the first two stands of the army; a chariot and heavy foot stand:

The Trojans, on the other side upon the rising slope of the plain, were gathered round great Hector, noble Polydamas, Aeneas who was honoured by the Trojans like an immortal, and the three sons of Antenor, Polybus, Agenor, and young Acamas beauteous as a god. Hector's round shield showed in the front rank, and as some baneful star that shines for a moment through a rent in the clouds and is again hidden beneath them; even so was Hector now seen in the front ranks and now again in the hindermost, and his bronze armour gleamed like the lightning of aegis-bearing Jove. 

The plan is for each character from Homer's epic to have a foot stand and where possible a chariot as well. This will give the army a heroic feel which relates to the primary source as well as defining the opposing sides by character figures and scenes from the epic. Work has already started on the first stand and chariot for Hector and here are a few working progress pictures to start with. All figures are from Redoubt Miniatures.

Driver

Hector

Chariot Runner

Shield Bearer

The Trojan Horse

A constant reference throughout this project will be Peter Connolly's book as below and needless to say there will be no red in this:

Before this entry is finished a belated welcome to:

• Iain

Hopefully you will find some of the ravings here of use.

Cheers for now

Cinaed overview

Well where to start, last weekend saw the Spartans take the field for the first time in a competitive game and for that matter as a finished force and my prediction came true as the wooden spoon is mine, all mine :). To be fair I had 3 very good games and enjoyed them all in different ways.

Game 1 against Crusaders was going to be hard from the very start; when your facing 6 units of crossbows and 4 short bows with 2 light cavalry and 3 Impetuous Heavy cavalry to back them up you know your in for a tough time. So the Spartans fought in the shade to start of with. In-discipline in the ranks broke the battle line as it progressed through the arrow storm, during which time the right flank evaporated under the pressure of the combined skirmishers and light cavalry allowing the Crusaders the opportunity to flank the main phalanx. When the battle line finally clashed the Crusaders held - the dice god was not in my camp at this point - and the Crusaders then released their Knights. The Spartans held them for a while but the flanking lights brought in the end. Overall a very good game and a fair introduction to Impetus.

Game 2 against Carthage was also going to be hard. 4 units of cavalry on the extreme left, with elephants and Spanish light infantry over on the right. I had decided to split my line and hold the left with skirmishers, 1 phalanx and my only unit of cavalry. The rest went forward to clash with the Spanish. Again in-discipline on the left caused problems and a failed charge didn't help matters. The evasion from light cavalry changes a lot from BI. 1 Phalanx held up the elephants whilst the other 2 clashed against the Spanish with support from a unit of peltasts on the far right, yet again I couldn't wear the main line down and it all went horribly wrong from there.

Game 3 against the Huns was just painful and the Spartan's fought in the shade yet again. The Hun player had 2 warbands which were my main target and a good combat ensued there. However, against such a mobile and bow armed force I was always going to struggle. Again the holding force on the right this time dwindled away too quickly and with the loose of 1 phalanx on the left to missile fire very quickly it was over very quickly.

The Spartans are a good army to play with but lacked enough missile troops and  cavalry to hold their flanks long enough for the phalanx to do its job against this opposition. In games 1 & 3 I couldn't just sit there as I would have just been whittled away with no means of replying. Game 2 I could have done so but counted on the phalanx beating the Spanish - which they should have done - allowing me to turn the flank and centre.

Overall Impetus is a good game which has more to offer than BI, not that I am saying I'll stop playing BI as I won't. Things to look out for are evasion, counter charge, skirmishers dispersing when contacted and opportunity charges.
Forgetting a few minor changes in the cohesion test - which is slightly different - doesn't help either.

The day itself was very good with a friendly bunch of guys from Falkirk, Kincardine and Fife. There are already plans for 4 games next year and I'm going to go back after all I don't want to stay at equal 98th in the world rankings for ever :)


Unfortunately, there are no pictures of the day as the camera was on the blink.
Cheers

So very nearly finished...

in the last 10 days 38 Spartans have left the painting table and are now ready for use. Here are a few quick pics of the final work in progress

More to follow shortly.

The old lie...

Dulce Et Decorum Est

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,


Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,


Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs


And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;


Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots


Of disappointed shells that dropped behind.



GAS! Gas! Quick, boys!-- An ecstasy of fumbling,

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;


But someone still was yelling out and stumbling


And floundering like a man in fire or lime.--


Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light


As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.



In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,


He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams you too could pace


Behind the wagon that we flung him in,


And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,


His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood


Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud


Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,--


My friend, you would not tell with such high zest


To children ardent for some desperate glory,


The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est


Pro patria mori.

Wilfred Owen

Nothing else for just know, more updates to follow over the next few days

It has arrived...

EI4 that is. On first glance a good product with an interesting range of army lists. The history for each section provides an overview of the period without detailing every move made by the opposing armies. The campaign that is detailed is simple enough to create game play but has enough detail to keep it interesting.

The main list at this time here is the Spartan list, which offers some more variety within the list. Yes its still a hoplite army but there are options with certain units to create a detailed and varied army without over kill. This does open up some more options the list created for Mantinea but this in itself is good, especially with a days gaming in the offing at Cinaed late next month. On the downside a few more bases will have to be painted but the list has provided the motivation to do this and on that subject here a few pictures of the Spartan's as they stand at present:

Hopefully there will be more to follow over the next few weeks before Cinaed on the 20th of November. Also a quick welcome to:

• Peter Celella

Thanks for joining the brave followers of this blog.

That's all for now.

Cheers.

Breaking the Widow's Wall 2

With just under a month passing by since the last entry there isn't really that much to report. A little painting has been done on both the Vikings and Spartans Allied Phalanx but nothing major. In fact the biggest use of hobby time has been on prepping the figures for the 12th SS Infantry Company for Flames of War. Considering the amount of superglue that has ended up over fingers and hands it is surprising that anything has actually been stuck down or glued in place; still nearly completed before undercoating.

The next few weeks will see a concentrated effort to complete another base of Spartans and some other Ancient Greek Skirmishers to allow for a few different options in the completed army at 300 points. This however, will all depend on the changes to the army list when EI4 arrives. There may be more use for peltasts than skirmishers but time will tell.

Some WIP pictures to follow shortly.

Cheers for no

Breaking the Widow's Wall 1

After reading this months Wargames Illustrated late night with its high contents of Dark Age articles, it was an easy choice this morning to pick up the paint brush and start yet again on the Vikings for Basic Impetus. This base will represent the infamous berserkers for this army and choosing the figures for the base was an interesting exercise. Rather than have a stand full of bare chested warriors gnashing their teeth and stamping their feet, a decision was made to create this by varying the figures, as the stand is represents upto 2,000 men. So a eye catching figure was selected as a centre piece for the stand with other various Viking types to back him up. Easier to let the a few pictures show how the stand is coming together:

Here is an individual picture of the centre piece and name sake for this entry:

The figures are all from Gripping Beast's Vikings, Varangian and Rus ranges and hopefully there will be more later this week.

The magazine also included an in depth battle report of Gripping Beast's SAGA Dark Ages skirmish rule set and whilst it is very tempting and has some very interesting mechanics at present it will be staying with Gripping Beast. 

Ironically, this is the last issue of the current subscription for Wargames Illustrated that will be coming this way. The magazine has not been inspiring lately and suffers from too much of a particular set of rules - understandable considering Battlefront own it. By not resubscribing each issue can be view before purchase and it possibly allows for a change by subscribing to Wargames, Strategy and Soldiers in the near future, but enough rambling there's painting to be done. 

Cheers for now.