Here's another unit for Raphia- this unit will be the left most infantry unit in the Seleucid force. These are Crusader later Thracians painted by Craig Davey. My only intervention with these was to add flock and dry-brush the bases.
Friday, 25 March 2016
Wednesday, 23 March 2016
Thureophoroi
Here are a new unit of thureophoroi for Raphia. The minis were painted by Craig Davey- I have just replaced lead spears with the ubiquitous North Stars and carried out a little work on the bases. Nice models from Aventine!
Tuesday, 22 March 2016
Even more xystophoroi
Here are another two regiments of xystophoroi for the big WHC Raphia game, bringing the total to nine. These will be on the Seleucid side; there is now just one regiment remaining to base. These lovely Aventines were mostly painted by Craig Davey, with a couple of extras painted by Shaun McTague. I retouched and re-based. They are going to hit the table tonight, I bet every card they play will be an Ace!
Below is another shot of Andrew Brentnall's 6mm Pharsalus game- this looks better each time I see it. I have a scenario written for this battle which I'll publish later on.
Monday, 21 March 2016
Praetorians
I recently bought a beautiful (late) Early Imperial Roman army from Aventine's Adam Smith and he has kindly painted up some further units to round it out. These are the Praetorians of what will be my third Early Imperial army (EIR3).
Like Adam, I love to see Praetorians with Black shields; very Hollywood! These will hopefully see action later this year against a German army.
Sunday, 20 March 2016
Small but beautifully formed
Mate Andrew Brentnall will be putting on a spectacular Pharsalus game at the Society of Ancients Battle Day at Bletchley on April 2nd, using To the Strongest! and his lovely 6mm Romans. Below are pictures of an earlier test game; the final scenario is rather larger!
I am astonished how effective minis in the smaller scale look these days, especially used en masse in conjunction with the new cloth mats (these ones are the steppe design 10cm grid). Reminds me of that scene in Spartacus...
On the left are the Pompeians and on the right are the Caesarians with (mostly) small units. The Pompeians have deep cavalry units and the Caesarians small, veteran cavalry units.
Andrew is looking for players so if you think you can make it to Bletchley for the day (it's always a very enjoyable day out) then please drop me a line (or leave a comment) and I'll put you in touch with him. I hope to be there myself to see how it plays out!
Monday, 14 March 2016
Ptolemaic Xystorphoroi
I've re-based the Xystphoroi on the front of my rulebook (which was painted by Raglan) into wedge and added a second unit painted by Shaun McTague. Shaun will shortly paint a third regiment to match. I really like the look of wedges for Successor cavalry. There will be seven regiments in wedge, two in rhomboid and four in line in the Raphia battle, for a total thirteen.
Both units are of Polemarch riders, sold by Gripping Beast, on Aventine Successor horses. These are their older horse range- the new horses are slightly different but just as nice. These units can be deployed in line or wedge as I prefer.
After Raphia I plan to add some Alexandrian companions, some prodromoi, some Thracians and a whole load of Persians to the mix, which will permit me to re-fight most of the Successor battles.
Friday, 11 March 2016
Pyrrhus of Epirus
Above is Pyrrhus of Epirus at the head of his companions. Pyrrhus was the general rated by Hannibal as the second best of all time (after Alexander the Great), although he was slated by the Argives (boom boom!).
These are the superb Aventine Miniatures Pyrrhic range- super sculpts, especially the man himself at the front. Incidentally Aventine now stock my rules, should you want to add a set to your next order.
Pyrrhus was painted by Tilman Moritz of LAF and his companions by Redzed. The basing is a clever innovation of mine- the same minis can be deployed in line or wedge as preferred.
So why is Simon basing Pyrrhus when he should be basing Ptolemy, I hear you ask? Well the plan is to make duplicates of the central stand so that the same unit can be used in a variety of different battles each time with a different commander (Ptolemy, Antiochus, Eumenes etc.). This way I'll get maximum use out of the lovely unit!
Pyrrhus was painted by Tilman Moritz of LAF and his companions by Redzed. The basing is a clever innovation of mine- the same minis can be deployed in line or wedge as preferred.
So why is Simon basing Pyrrhus when he should be basing Ptolemy, I hear you ask? Well the plan is to make duplicates of the central stand so that the same unit can be used in a variety of different battles each time with a different commander (Ptolemy, Antiochus, Eumenes etc.). This way I'll get maximum use out of the lovely unit!
Monday, 7 March 2016
Slings and arrows...
I had been fretting about not having enough archers for Raphia and my other games in April, so I finished and based up three new units (above). When I got round to putting them away, I realised that I probably hadn't needed to worry - I found no fewer than 15 units of Greek archers and slingers (below)! :-)
Saturday, 5 March 2016
Fritigern Reiks
Here is Fritigern, Reiks of the Thervingi, and his comitatus. These minis were painted for me some time ago by Redzed Shaun, who did a superb job. I've only just got around to finishing the basing. The minis are all Footsore, ex Musketeer.
One day I want to refight Adrianople and these are just the chaps for the job! In the meanwhile, they will lead the Gothic charge at the Wargames Holiday Centre in late April.
One day I want to refight Adrianople and these are just the chaps for the job! In the meanwhile, they will lead the Gothic charge at the Wargames Holiday Centre in late April.
Wednesday, 2 March 2016
Raphia roundup
I've been working hard on the Raphia game and I thought it might be interesting to share the deployment plan (above, clickable) and for me to review what is left to do. The battlefield (including the dunes at the edges) will be fourteen foot wide. The Ptolemaic phalanx (and supporting infantry) will be 8' 8" wide (2.6m). I have the majority of the troops I need painted and based, but there is still a deal of ground to cover.
Troops not yet painted include:-
- 48 Silver shields
- 48 Thureophoroi
- 24 Thracians
- 24 Galatians
- 9 Ptolemaic lancers
There are also the following to do- these are substantially painted but not finished or on based:-
- 20 Seleucid lancers
- 96 phalangites
- 48 Greek mercenaries
Troops on bases but needing grout/flocking
- 336 phalangites
When finished, these will add another 2' to the pike phalanx and 2' of supporting infantry to the host.
I also need to finish and base the following by the week after Salute for a Leuctra game; half of these are painted but most need spears, finishing and basing.
- 145 Thebans
It's going to be a busy March and April!
Tuesday, 1 March 2016
Raphia Elephants
No, not ones made out of twisted straw but rather of tin and lead!
Above and below, Shaun did a magnificent job on the drapery.
Above, Indian elephants tend to fade to pink as they get older; think bald patches. These are very old nellies, being part of Alexander the Great's own herd, passed down to Pyrrhus like family heirlooms through several generations of Successor owners.
The elephants are escorted by Wargames Foundry javelinmen that I bought from Steve Marshall.
Here are the four new elephants for the looking Raphia Game. All of the elephants and most of the crew were painted by mate Shaun McTague although I added some detailing, notably the skin pigmentation, washes and based them. All of the photos are clickable!
Three of the elephants are superb Aventine Miniatures and the fourth (on the right) is a solid lead beast from Timeline Miniatures with an Aventine howdah and crew. She weighs an absolute ton!
I have finished these with a Pyrrhic vibe- later I plan to get some specifically Seleucid armoured elephants painted up, with proper red ears.
Above, Indian elephants tend to fade to pink as they get older; think bald patches. These are very old nellies, being part of Alexander the Great's own herd, passed down to Pyrrhus like family heirlooms through several generations of Successor owners.
The elephants are escorted by Wargames Foundry javelinmen that I bought from Steve Marshall.
Last but not least the tusk-less cow (above) is a Timeline Miniatures model with an Aventine Howdah. I think of her as Mrs Jumbo and that is, of course, Dumbo behind her. At the battle of Beneventum the Pyrrhic elephants panicked after such a cow became concerned for her calf and rampaged back through their own lines.
There will be 11 elephants altogether in the Raphia game. Because there is no room for baby Dumbo at the Salute Inn, the battle will instead be fought exclusively at the Wargames Holiday Centre over the weekend after Salute (22nd-24th April), along with the Sabis (thousands of Celts; I bloody hate Celts!), Leuctra (with a spanking new Theban army), the vast Cremona 69AD game and a Late Roman bash. A weekend at the Wargamees Holiday Centre is a very fine experience, indeed, and Mark tells me he still has a couple of places left... you can book here.
Monday, 29 February 2016
The To the Strongest Wales Open May 21st 2016
Mate Ross Broadstock is organising a To the Strongest Tournament in Cardiff on May 21st. I will coming and hopefully even playing!
The scale is 28mm- if you don't have an army Ross, friends and I will be able to loan you one. Because no re-basing is required, it is a great opportunity to dust off that WAB or DBx army that hasn't seen action for a year or two. I will assist with writing your army list. There will be a trophy and prizes.
Please contact Ross (at) figurepainting dot co dot uk to register - I look forward to seeing some of you in Cardiff!
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Polybian Roman army list
With lots of help from mate Millsy I've published a rather spiffing extended Polybian Roman army list for To the Strongest! This has a lot of pictures of the minis in my collection within it, many of them Aventine Miniatures painted by Redzed. You can download it for free from here.
Thursday, 18 February 2016
New nellies for Raphia
I'm currently working on elephants for the Raphia game. These lovely Aventines were painted by mate Shaun McTague (with lovely decorated cloths) but I am adding detailing, notably giving a couple the skin pigment issues that one sometimes encounters on Indian elephants (below).
Unfortunately I've not been able to get a table at Salute this year; apparently there isn't enough space for all the proposed games. The battle will therefore only be fought at the Wargames Holiday Centre near Basingstoke on the weekend after Salute (April 22nd -24th)- Mark still has a few spaces. I will, of course, take lots of photos for those who can't be there!
Wednesday, 17 February 2016
Hills now on sale
Regular readers may recall that I made a great number of hills last week for the Chalgrove event. I designed these to complement the Deep-Cut "plains"battle mat, which is a somewhat darker green than the traditional flocks used on many a wargames table. The below hills are 16cm diameter; there are also oval hills some 31cm long.
Tuesday, 16 February 2016
The 2016 To the Strongest! World Championship at Chalgrove
On Saturday I travelled up to Chalgrove for the second "To the Strongest!" worlds, where I enjoyed a fine day's gaming with a great bunch of chaps, most of whom are in the photo below.
The event was organised by Steve Dover (third from left). This year it became a proper World championship with Alex Myers (fifth from left) travelling from Ghent to participate, not to mention Ross from Wales (fifth from right).
I took all too few photos of the games, alas - I was too busy answering questions and enjoying watching the games develop.
Above, my EIRs under Neil Shuck's command fight Franks or Vikings. Below Alex Myer's Alan camp was an almost unassailable fortress; uphill and packed with mobs.
Above Nick Simmerson's Greeks won the best painted army prize; the shields were super! Below Simon Purchon's Sassanids tackle a Late Roman army, if I recall correctly.
And finally here's another shot of Nick Simmerson's phalanx.
It was a super day, with 21 very good-natured games played. In the end Simon Purchon won a decisive overall victory with his Sassanids who combined fire-power with manoeuvre and impact. Colin Hoare's Marian Romans marched into second place and Peter Ryding's Mongols whipped their subjects into third.
Here's a link to Neil Shuck's post on the event.
Here's a link to Neil Shuck's post on the event.
Thanks again to Steve Dover and the South Oxfordshire Generals for organising and hosting the event, and thanks to everyone who participated!
Thursday, 11 February 2016
The hills have I- part 3
The hills are pretty much finished- once dry I'll remove the surplus flock and the gravel and dark green layers below will show through. You may be able to see that the colour is a good match for the Deep-Cut plains mats (in the background). I'm taking no fewer than nine mats and forty-five hills to the Worlds at Chalgrove on Saturday!
Wednesday, 10 February 2016
The hills have I - part 2
Five hours of flocking has got me to this stage; all the hills now have a 50% covering of dark green flock and ballast. The next stage is, once they are dry, to remove surplus material, and then I'll apply a medium green flock, perhaps tonight, perhaps tomorrow.
The hills have I
Today I shall mostly be flocking hills for the To the Strongest! World Championships at Chagrove in Oxfordshire on Saturday. By the time I have finished these should match the Deep-Cut plains mats that we will mostly be using.
If you are in the area and fancy dropping in for a look or to join in, please drop me a line!
Monday, 8 February 2016
Seleucid line cavalry
These are some Seleucid line cavalry that I bought from mate Craig Davey for my planned Raphia game at the Wargames Holiday Centre on the weekend 22nd - 24th April. Unfortunately they were very roughly handled during their long march southwards (from Leeds) but they are now, happily, restored to peak military efficiency! Pics are clickable.
The miniatures are all Aventines and very nice they are, too. Happily Craig's basing style works very well with the Deep-Cut Mats.
I have been very busy writing, shipping, basing and painting recently which has cut rather into my blogging time. Have no fear; normal service shall be resumed shortly!
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