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Thursday, 13 August 2015
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
Fun at the Wargames Holiday Centre
I have another weekend of To the Strongest! gaming at the Wargames Holiday Centre near Basingstoke on the weekend of 6th to 8th November. The games I anticipate running include:
- Thapsus - Caesar vs. Pompey and Juba in North Africa
- Megalopolis - Antipater’s Macedonians attempt to seize a mountain pass from the Spartans; this game reduced us to tears of laughter, back in May.
- On the road to Ravenna - Late Romans, Roman deserters, Goths and Huns battle it out in Northern Italy
- Zela - Caesar chastens Pharnaces’ Pontics; or not, as the case may be…
- Athens and Sparta – will Athenian numbers triumph over Spartan prowess and drill?
- Take the High Road - the Romans intercept a raiding Pictish army
There will be as many minis of as my car will carry - and I have a very big car! :-) We usually have three or four games set up at a time and people get to play most or all of them over the course of the weekend. If you've not played before I can instruct and give you a rule book to take away at the end.
We usually stay in the local Hilton which is very nice and surprisingly cheap. A fine time will be had by all!
Best, Simon
Monday, 10 August 2015
I've not given up painting, honest...
...I've been working on too many things simultaneously to actually complete any of them. Here are the painting trays, which are packed with beautiful minis painted by Redzed that I've been basing. Five units nearly finished.
There is a regiment of Republican Roman cavalry, two of Late Romans and two of Goths or Vandals. I have some more minis painted by Saxon Dog that I am going to base as a third regiment. One day I'd like to play Adrianople. Proper photos to follow in due course.
In other news, I've been chatting with Bill at Footsore Miniatures. When his US website is up he'll be selling my rules over the other side of the pond. He has started a lovely Irish army for To the Strongest! for a Clontarf battle he is planning, have a look here!
Thursday, 6 August 2015
Last of the Romans
During our recent family holiday I was lucky enough to be able to visit the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, to see the stunning Byzantine mosaics there.
Above is the photo of Emperor Justinian, with religious figures on the right and guards on his left. It has been suggested that the bearded figure immediately to Justinian's left is Count Belisarius, which is partly why I wanted to see the mosaics! I very much hope to raise a Belisarian Byzantine army at some stage. The shield is stunning, such vivid colours.
Above is the Empress Theodora with ladies in waiting.
And finally Christ Pantokrator, echoing Justinian who appears to have had something of a messiah complex.
The mosaics are absolutely stunning and well worth a visit; also don't miss the small mausoleum behind the church where you can see some beautiful mosaics really close up.
I'm just finishing some basing and will have some wargames material to post soon. Finally, if you play "To the Strongest!", I've recently been putting up a bunch of new army lists details here; there will be several more to follow over the coming week.
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
To the Strongest! with the Essex Warriors
Here are some pictures of Last Sunday's games of To the Strongest! that I played with the Essex Warriors in their Writtle fastness.
We fought Nicopolis 48BC, a scenario set during Caesar's Civil War, twice. A Pontic army under Pharnaces, son of the near-indestructible Mithridates, attacked one of Caesar's subordinates in Armenia. The Romans were soundly defeated, but soon after Caesar arrived in person and defeated Pharnaces in less time than it takes to say veni vidi vici.
I used pikes for the Pontic army, although it is more likely that by this time they would have been imitation legionaries. Pikes are so... moreish; and they might have been there.
Above is the view from behind the Pontic lines. The Romans look somewhat outnumbered! Below the Pontic scythed chariots are revving up. They performed very poorly in the first game but rather well in the second.
The Roman line is thin and mostly of raw recruits, to boot. The skirmishers are less than enthusiastic asiatic archers.
Above, Pharnaces' bodyguard see off the Roman cavalry. Below the Romans (unwisely) advance to meet the phalanx. No good ever came of fighting a phalanx on the flat...
The Roman left (top above) was made of sterner stuff; the veteran XXXVIth legion. These performed well in both games.
Above, thureophoroi steel themselves for the fight.
In the first game (above) a single phalanx fought three cohorts to a standstill. Below, in the second game, the Pontic's Skythian cataphract allies (on the right) rolled up the Roman wing.
The Pontics won the first game and the Romans (very narrowly) won the second. Below are some of the Essex Warriors; a fine bunch of chaps! Around a dozen Warriors played across the two games. I hope to revisit later in the year!
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
Small but beautiful
Not everyone plays TtS! in 28mm; this week I've seen some lovely pics of 6mm figures. First, here are some pics of part of Ray Ashton's collection in Australia.
The minis look terrific in closeup! Below, Ray is using activation chits instead of cards. These are de rigueur for the smaller scales where cards don't always fit into the smaller boxes.
In other 6mm news, Richard Crawley has made a splendid 6mm wagon laager for To the Strongest!; you just have to have a look at this:
http://thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/laager-laager-laager.html
I could be very tempted to collect some 6mm myself, perhaps in periods like pike and shot that I've not previously tackled. Space is at a premium here in the BigRedBatCave...
His Romans are on the left and Seleucids on the right. I am guessing that the Romans might be Caesarians; it looks like the Seleucids moved first.
The lines close. I like the subtle grid; easy to see if one wants too, but unobtrusive.
The minis look terrific in closeup! Below, Ray is using activation chits instead of cards. These are de rigueur for the smaller scales where cards don't always fit into the smaller boxes.
I think it is a terrific looking game! Note the dinky elephants in the background... I gather that the Seleucids won by turning a flank.
http://thelandofcounterpane.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/laager-laager-laager.html
I could be very tempted to collect some 6mm myself, perhaps in periods like pike and shot that I've not previously tackled. Space is at a premium here in the BigRedBatCave...
Finally if you are going to Historicon this weekend, please drop by and say hello to the chaps at Footsore Miniatures. They are the exclusive US distributor of my rules and I'll be working on some projects with them in the coming months. They will only have two dozen hard copies on their stand at Historicon, so if you want to pick up a copy without paying for International postage, please get in sharpish!
Sunday, 12 July 2015
Athens and Sparta Part III
Here's the situation in mid-game; the Spartan units are circled in red. Top right are the Spartiates, who have moved past the flank of the Athenian line, accompanied by a unit of psiloi. The rest of the line are stepped back in echelon with a unit of lights on the extreme left of the line. The Spartan cavalry are in reserve, but a unit of Athenian psiloi (who had been wandering lost off the table) have turned up behind them (below). Have a look at the tunic borders; Steve Jones painted these, he's very talented.
Below the Spartans having chased the Athenian cavalry and lights off of the table, are starting to turn towards the enemy camp. The Athenian cavalry have returned behind them. The Athenians now outflank the Spartan left, and several units on both sides are in states of disorder.
Above a view down the line. Below the Spartiates and cavalry have managed to redeploy squarely across the Athenian flank.
Below late in the game here is an unusual scene; the Athenian cavalry (left) are charging the flank of the Spartan phalanx, whilst the Spartan cavalry (right) have just been charging the flank of the Athenians in the lower right corner (who are doing their best to charge their own way out of trouble!). The Spartan horse have been charged in the flank and disordered by the Athenan lights. I've never seen cavalry on opposing sides charge in parallel before. An exceedingly confusing melee!
If you don't already have them, the Athenian and Spartan lists can be downloaded from here.
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