Sunday, 6 November 2011

Hello Sailors

21 more ex-marines for Legio Adiutrix I; roughly blocked in.  I've picked a different shade of blue, and carried out a few head swaps, to bring in a little variety.


Painting an 80-man legion from scratch, is a fair old job. When this batch is finished, mid week, I'll have 61 minis ready, and will be slightly more than half way to final completion of the unit, when one factors in shields, basing and "snagging".  I really do like this BTD pose, rather nicely sculpted (by Woody now of GB, IIRC).

Saturday, 5 November 2011

Marcus Clodius Balista, Dux Ripae

Here rides Marcus Clodius Balista, Dux Ripae and later Praefectus Praetorio.  He is a noble Angle by birth, hence the blond hair, unusual on a Roman.  Although a barbarian, he rises high in the ranks of the Roman army at the time of Valerian and Gordianus, in the excellent Harry Sidebottom books.  If you've not ready these, do buy them as soon as you possibly can... the first, essentially about the siege of Dura Europos, is the very best, but all are good.  Harry Sidebottom has written the series of Roman novels that I would have written if a) I could write worth a damn, and b) I was an Oxford Lecturer in Ancient History!


This is another, slightly retouched mini from my fortunate US eBay purchase; a heavily converted Black Tree Miniatures Roman general, I believe.  Curses; it has just occurred to me that he should be riding Balista's Pale Horse...  the mount he is riding must be a "loner".  I might even tackle him, again, later (see comments).

Thursday, 3 November 2011

Coh. II, IIII Scythica


I've finished my second Middle Imperial unit, a Cohort of the IIII Scythica.  This legion was stationed in Syria, guarding the border with the Parthian and later the Sassanian Empires.


All the figures are from A&A miniatures, and some were bought painted on eBay, painted by a very capable painter (although I did the shields, with A&A transfers, and one hand painted). The shield design is based on the one found at Dura Europos.

I'm quite pleased with them!  The tribune came out particularly well, do have a click. There are some shots here of the progress of the painting.   I'll return to paint a third unit in a month or so.

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

Middle Roman Syndrome


I mean, I just love this A&A range, but they take so long to paint!  Twice as long as an EIR.  It's the pteurges, and the edges around the armour.  Look good though... but will I ever complete an army of them?

A quick WIP shot of the A&A Middle Imperials that have been on my painting tray for around a month; ready to base.  I painted half, the rest (the better ones!) came from a lucky eBay purchase from the US.  Various command figures are coming on, in the background.  Watch this space...

Saturday, 22 October 2011

New Toys


Yesterday I took delivery of a lovely Roman fort from Paul Darnell; it is a beautiful piece of work!  I especially like the gate tower, and the blue-grey colour he has used for the wood, which I shall nick for future projects.


There are 2 barracks with it, very simple, very nice, mostly foam-card and Wills pantiles.  I might try to make some myself.

Paul is getting out of modelmaking, shortly, so this could be the time to commission that building you always wanted, from him!

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Per Mare, Per Terram

(The motto is of our Royal Marines; seems appropriate!)

20 more recruits for my rapidly-mustering ex-marine legion, I Adiutrix.  This time I've gone with a pale (almost duck-egg) blue tunic.   These are 20 more almost total repaints of an eBay purchase.  I replaced all the original pila with new pila I made by cutting the heads off old pila, and drilling metal pins into them, so as to get nice, thin shafts.  Bonkers, I know, but I shall do the same with all my pila in future!  Only 40 minis to go, now... and 80 shields, still on order.

I'll now take a little while off this force, to finish the Middle Imperial Cohort that has been on my painting tray for a month.   After that I may have a crack at the new Marcommanic-war Romans*, that I've just bought off Keith at Aventine.

*Very Late Early Imperial, one might call them.  Or Very Early Middle Imperial, I suppose...

Thursday, 13 October 2011

Rumble by the Rhine


On Tuesday we played another Hail Caesar game, another battle between revolting Batavian and German auxiliaries, and their savage German allies, and a regular Roman/auxiliary force who were trying to relieve a small fort (one of Paul Darnell's lovely models, above, with some great buildings by John Smillie).


Above are my loyal auxiliaries; Britons, Gauls and Raetians, with some Praetorian cavalry.  The legionary cohorts were deployed (below) off to my right, just beyond a small wood that turned out to be a terrific PITA.



Ianicus commanded the Germans.  Above are some of the savage German warbands; mostly Dr Simon's minis.  Below are his German and Batavian mutineers.


The battle started with Dr Simon seizing the vicus, just outside the fort, with his auxiliary archers, and (imaginatively) with dismounted legionary cavalry (you can just make them out in the photo at the top of the post).  Ianicus countered by seizing the central wood (below) with his javelinmen. 


This was an issue for us, because in Hail Caesar close order troops cannot enter a wood; we had nothing to pry the skirmishers out with.  Moreover the HC proximity rule (of which more in a later post) required our legionaries to face the LI, even though they had no missile weapons that could harm them and could not even melee them.  So the better half our army was useless!

I decided that the only thing I could do was move forward my auxilia to throw javelins at them.  Meanwhile Ianicus was trying to manoeuvre around my left flank... click on the map, below, to see the situation at this stage.


After this I'm afraid it all went a bit pear shaped for the Empire.  Dr Simon laboriously manoeuvred his legionaries around behind the wood on our baseline, and then behind my lines, to face the outflanking mutineers approaching from my left.  Ianicus attacked with his Germans, and these, after a very tough fight, my surviving troops were pushed back onto Simon's columns and destroyed (a photo of the traffic jam is below).  The legions might have still have recovered it, I suppose, but it was late and we called the game.


We found the rules very frustrating; the proximity rule, in particular, is badly worded, and we struggled with various other rules, plus the poor layout of the rule set.  It is safe to say that Hail Caesar's "more friendly style of gaming" came under considerable strain, on Tuesday; it got competitive, and these rules just cannot cope with competitive! 

Still, on the plus side it looked good, and played fast.  The combat system is good, and I like the way that ordering works.  We are starting to get a reasonable grasp of the core mechanics.  Will have another crack in a week or so...