Showing posts with label Celtic Army. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Celtic Army. Show all posts

Friday, 19 July 2019

Gallic Horse


Here are some photos of my extended and re-based Gallic horse. These are, strictly, part of my Gallic army as seen  at Salute in April, but they weren't needed for the Mancetter battle. Shaun McTague very kindly painted a dozen more for me, which I mixed in with the 36 I already had, to give me a generous total of 48. Each unit now consists of a whopping 16 miniatures. This gives me a broadly similar representational scale between my infantry and cavalry units. I'm gradually adding extra cavalry to bring my other armies up to the same standard.

Almost all of the minis are Wargames Foundry. I took the opportunity to "tart up" the existing figures and re-based onto my 20cm grid-half bases, which fit together to make a unit 19cm wide by 13cm deep for the 20cm grid. The photos don't do them justice.  :-(


These are half the heavy cavalry that I require for my 2020 To the Strongest! Salute game. The other half will be "Romanised" Gallic horse- semi-uniformed types, proto auxiliaries, in fact.

I've been basing a lot of other great stuff- I hope to post some more photos, next week!

Thursday, 18 April 2019

Mancetter to Salute- Part II



Apologies for the delay in posting the second part of this- I have been frantically busy since Salute! All of these lovely close-ups of our Mancetter 61CE  To the Strongest! game were taken by Alan Daniels.


The chariots are mash-ups of the Wargames Factory kits with Newline and other ponies.


Above is my favourite warband, based on Tacticus' account of the druids at Mona. "On the shore stood the opposing army with its dense array of armed warriors, while between the ranks dashed women, in black attire like the Furies, with hair dishevelled, waving brands. All around, the Druids, lifting up their hands to heaven, and pouring forth dreadful imprecations, scared our soldiers by the unfamiliar sight, so that, as if their limbs were paralysed, they stood motionless, and exposed to wounds. Then urged by their general's appeals and mutual encouragements not to quail before a troop of frenzied women, they bore the standards onwards, smote down all resistance, and wrapped the foe in the flames of his own brands."


Celtic women cheer on their menfolk. I see that d****d scene-stealing flock of sheep has crept into the foreground!


Another chariot. The look of the chariots was much improved by the recent flockathon.


Some of the warbands include armoured warriors, representing dismounted noblemen and chariot warriors.


Above is a downhill shot. The legions in the reserve line were not much engaged; the fight falling to the the auxiliaries, further down the slope.


Finally I was really chuffed to receive the Bill Brewer Memorial Award for best presented game: runner up; a super seal on the event. I'd like to thank everyone who helped with the project, especially Shaun McTague and Ian Notter, and, on the day- Ian, again, Mike Brian, Tim Thompson, Andrew Brentnall and Neil Graber. Also, of course, everyone who played or stopped by for a chat! And lastly the Warlords (especially Philip Andrews) who run the event with great (and often unappreciated) efficiency.

Onward to Salute '20... for which I already have half a plan!

Monday, 8 April 2019

Mancetter to Salute! Part I



Here are some lovely photos that chum Ian Notter took of our To the Strongest! Battle of Mancetter 61CE game. The shot above catches the back of the laager, warriors, slingers, Roman skirmishers, Auxilia line, legionary line and flanking horse.


Here's a wide shot. You can see that the British line is wider than the defile between the two forests, and the size of the hill which was perhaps 20cm high. 

The British had 12' of light troops and 12' of warriors, 2' of chariots and 4' of laager. The Romans had 4' of lights, 7' of auxiliaries, 4' of legionaries and 2' of cavalry. I might revisit this battle another year if I can get a few more units of warriors painted. :-) 


Above the shots show the forests. These attracted a lot of praise; they were assembled by the simple expedient of sticking ALL the trees that Ian and I own together, in close proximity to each other. The tall trees that people particularly liked, come from Debris of War.


Another show-stealing element was the flock of sheep in the foreground. From 1stCorps, and painted by chum Shaun McTague, these aroused more interest than the 900 freshly-flocked Celts. :-/


Above, druid offer a much-needed sacrifice. Below, a downhill shot, taken from behind the Roman lines. You can just make out the British women in the distant laager.



The British warrior units are three ranks deep, bolstered by heroes. These turned out to be quite formidable of which more, in part II, tomorrow!


And finally, here's a photo of me grinning like a loon, nicked from Antonio Dimichele.  As you can see, I had a VERY good time!

Tuesday, 2 April 2019

Meet the Flockers!


Here am I (left) with chum Ian Notter (right) with the 100% flocked and tufted British army that we've just completed for our huge "To the Strongest! Salute game. Many thanks to Ian- it's not something I could have done all by myself- I think I would have gone mad! Well madder, anyhow.


There are 18 warbands, each of around 36 minis for a total of 640-odd hopping mad Britons. Many of these (250+?) have been freshly painted by Shaun McTague, others come from Shaun Watson. Most of the original warband were painted by Nick Speller some years ago and have all been re-based. I reckon there are at least 90 standards and 30 carnyxs.


Here are 90 skirmishing slingers that will screen the brave (suicidal?) uphill charge. All of the units are based on irregular-edged bases from my TtS!20 series, which should blend nicely into the terrain cloth.


Here are twenty light horse and some command stands.


On the left are 18 British chariots. On the right, the wagon laager.


Finally, here are sundry baggage elements and battlefield dressing.

I'm really delighted to finish these off! Please come by and see our huge Romans vs. Boudicca game, "Mancetter 61 CE", using the "To the Strongest!" rules, at stand GA12, just to the right inside the Salute entrance- the first table you'll come to! I'll be the one in the shirt. :-)

Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Celtic Shields IV


Shields finished (bar the backs- but no more photos, I promise!). The final stage was to paint and ink around the bosses. I'm really pleased with them- LMBS designs are stunning and, mixed in with freehand shields for variety, should look rather splendid.

Putting my commercial hat on... I've imported a limited number of rivers and tracks from Deep-Cut. They are printed on mouse-mat material, 28mm scale and ideal for quickly rolling out on top of one of the cloths I sell. You can find them here.


Friday, 11 January 2019

Celtic Shields III


It may not look especially different to the last image, but I've painted in the edges on all the shields- it took me three paint sessions- well worthwhile I think. Lots of careful colour matching. 

Next I need to paint some of the shield ribs (I'll leave most white) and after that the 130-odd shield bosses. Then there's inking, varnishing and the shield backs- perhaps another four sessions, in all. I suppose including cutting and preparation there will be around 15 evenings work to produce 150 shields - it'd take a lot longer if I was doing one pack at a time.

Monday, 7 January 2019

Celtic Shields II


Here are the shields from the last post with the LBMS transfers applied- I love LBMS transfers! I've found I can apply around 20 an hour, whilst watching TV.

A couple of learning points that people might find useful:

  • All sculpted metal shields are asymmetrical, to some extent, so take plenty of time checking that the transfer is the right way round. There is always a right way and a wrong way!
  • A clay-shaper is a really useful tool for gently pushing the transfer into contact with the shield around the boss.

Next I need to paint the edges and backs of the shields, the ribs and the bosses- perhaps a week's work. These should be sufficient for the expansion to my Celtic army for Salute, which will be a theme on this blog for the next three months. 

Saturday, 5 January 2019

New Year- new project.


I prepped these over Christmas for my Salute project (filing, priming, spray white, gloss varnish). Celtic transfers can be quite time-consuming to apply, what with the fiddly boss and ribs to be cut out, and the edges and rim matched. I am hoping that by doing a big lot together, there will be economies of scale. My favourite shields are the above, from A&A, and I'll be using the excellent LBMS transfers. I'll come back later with more details of what I'm up to.

For Millsy, here's my army list for the To the Strongest! Worlds at Chalgrove. I've not played with knights since play-testing, some 5 years ago, and am really looking forward to using them. I am guaranteed to have plenty of spare time between games, one way or the other!


I'm trying to get as many of the Chalgrove lists in as possible, as soon as people have them ready, because it spreads the load for Tim (who is kindly checking them) and helps us to know the number of attendees. So if you are coming, and have a list ready, please fire it over to Tim!

Thursday, 28 May 2015

Did I mention that I hate Celts?



This is the front rank element for my eighth Celtic warband, and a new general. It is a single 18cm wide element with 23 miniatures on it that were painted by Nick Speller - thanks Nick!

The general is a lovely mini that came from North Star, and marks a basing departure for me as he is on a semicircular base. This will be the new standard for attached generals* in my collection; they sit snugly next to a unit and yet can be quickly removed. The name will go on the front of the base so that it can easily be seen; this one is named Brennus.

Below are a mix of new and re based slingers from a variety of painters. Most are on the new 18cm bases. 


If you are at Partizan on Sunday, I'll be running a largish game with lots of Romans and Britons- please do drop by, say hello and even play for a bit, if you have time! 

*In To the Strongest!, attached generals are those who are attached to a specific unit; detached generals can wander freely about the battlefield.

Wednesday, 15 October 2014

Caesar at SELWG- pukka photos!

Mate Ian Notter has sent me some decent photos of Caesar's expedition into Kent.  All are "clickable" for higher definition.


Here's the view down the table, at the start of the game.  SELWG gave me a slightly larger table than anticipated, and I couldn't resist sticking in a spare board and making it 16' long.  This would cause his nibs problems, later on... The game started with a Roman legion (the VII) deployed in a square around two baggage units, their carts groaning with stolen British grain, and several herds of fat (looted) cattle.  Many Britons, have turned up to contest ownership, and surround the VII on three sides.

The other legion (X) and Caesar was in the camp at the far end of the table (below).



Above is another view of the beleaguered VII, several of whose cohorts started the battle surprised and disordered.  Below you can make out the Roman baggage wagons, in the centre of the square. I had intended that the cohorts at the front of the square would help them to break out, but this proved to be no easy task. 


I am finally starting to get enough Britons, although a couple hundred more wouldn't go amiss.


Below is a shot of Caesar's relief force, marching to the rescue, but somewhat delayed by skirmishing chariots.  In my rules the presence of the well-handled chariots prevented the legion from using march moves, and that (and the extra long table) prevented Xth from relieving its comrades.


Finally, below is my favourite shot of the game, which conveys something of the carnage and excitement of the fighting around the Roman square; a unit of Britons has just broken through. Legio VII was, eventually, over-run in both games. Card play turns out to be quite exciting!


The various teenagers and parents who played both games really seemed to enjoy themselves.  It was also great to see Nick Speller (who has painted so many of the Celts) again, and mate Mark.  Thanks to Ian and George for helping to set up and knock down the game, and to Ian for his great photos!

Monday, 6 October 2014

Fanatics!


"On the beach stood the adverse array, a serried mass of arms and men, with women flitting between the ranks. In the style of Furies, in robes of deathly black and with dishevelled hair, they brandished their torches; while a circle of Druids, lifting their hands to heaven and showering imprecations, struck the troops with such an awe at the extraordinary spectacle that, as though their limbs were paralysed, they exposed their bodies to wounds without an attempt at movement."  Tacitus Annals, Book XIV, 30

I've just finished basing a unit of Celtic fanatics, based on Tacitus' above description describing the Druid-led forces at Anglesey, preparing to receive the Roman landing (and golly that is a scenario I will need to tackle, one day!).  Pics are clickable.

These are a mixture of Renegade and Black Tree Designs Celts, led by two Druids who are fantasy figures, a Foundry German priestess, and a converted Foundry nymph. I painted most of the figures, and Nick Speller the remainder. Despite earlier misgivings, I am really delighted with the way the unit has turned out, and want to paint a second one at some stage.


In my "To the Strongest!" rules (to be published in November, initially as a pdf), fanatics fight in much the same manner any other unit of warriors. Their fanaticism, however, enables them to ignore the effects of disorder, and they consequently fight with full effectiveness until they drop!

I am gradually basing/re-basing the front rank of all my Celtic warrior bands as 18cm frontage single elements. They look better this way, and are quicker to deploy and move around the wargames table.


These new recruits to my Celtic army, along with Caesar and some invading Romans, will be at SELWG on Sunday- please drop by and say hello if you are there!

Wednesday, 2 April 2014

Brittunculi triumphant

Here are some shots of last night's game; a baptism of fire for my the new chariots. Here's a view along the table; soon after landing in Britain, a small force of legionaries (near end of table) have been cut off by Britons (centre); Caesar and the veteran Xth legion  are marching to their assistance (rear).


Caesar's advance was uncharacteristically slow (due to several failed activation cards).


The Britons, however (below), were able to push quickly forward.


A warband burst through the thin Roman line, swept into the camp, and then turned onto the rear of the Roman line; the chariots on the hill then captured the Roman baggage, and the battle was won (and lost).


Below, I'm slowly migrating from using the 4L Really Useful Boxes, to the low 7L size.  These are 30cm wide and take 5 elements across, rather than three.  A more efficient use of storage space!  Here are most of the new chariots, packed for Salute.


Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Chariots, wave 2


Most of the second wave of chariots are ready, for the looming game at Salute.  There are still a couple more on the painting tray, awaiting crew, which will bring me up to a total of 18 vehicles.  I hope to add a smaller third wave, later this year.

These models are a mix of Warlord and Wargames Factory vehicles, mostly with Relic wheels and with Foundry and Newline ponies and various crew conversions.   The crew were painted by Nick Speller.  

Wednesday, 12 March 2014

Seeing the back of my Celts!


At last, the final warband is complete! Above are the backs of yesterday's nobles, and below the new unit of warriors. Most of the warriors in this new unit are Renegade Miniatures Celts, a fine range once the swords have been cut down or removed. Almost all are eBay repaints. The standards are a converted from an Aventine Roman one, and from part of a charm bracelet.


The chap front and centre appears to have suffered an accident (misplaced basing material from the original painter). I like to think that he has spotted a pilum coming his way!

I still have a good few chariots to sort, and, over time, I'll need to re-base my existing Celts to match the new basing style.