Andy's Wargaming Blog

Clickable pic of the WW1 Brits from the last post

2011-08-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hopefully!!! :-)

I'm Back! Raiding Season Campaign Game 1

2011-08-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

Well, yes...I'm still here! Having been forced by a number of circumstances, including total painting burnout, to back off from painting and gaming in general, I have, at last, been tempted back!

So, to get me back in the mood for some serious Dark Age gaming action for 2012 (can't say anything official yet, but it's gonna be HUGE), I persuaded my mate Carl to play the WAB Age of Arthur Raiding Season campaign with me.

I have taken Northern Welsh against his early Saxon kingdoms, so, in game 1, Urien of Rheged (me!!) won the dice-off and became the attacker, launching a massive raid South into Mercia against Carl's pagan horde!

The first game in the campaign is 'Bassas Ford'. No pics, as Carl's whole army is unpainted and anyway, I rushed out and forgot my camera!! Sorry!! Next time!!

Carl deployed his whole army, (1 unit of Gedriht + General, 2 x Duguth, one lead by his ASB, the other by a Wiglera, 1 unit of Geoguth and 2 of skirmishers) while I deployed a unit of javelinmen, a unit of mounted combogi with theri character (Owein, a Tiern). He then fought a prolonged challenge against an Atheling (who I presume led Carl's Geoguth...) For each turn the challenge lasted, I was able to deploy a further unit plus accompaying characters and luckily, our challengers were so shite at fighting that I was able to deploy all my units before my Tiern finally hacked his opponent to the ground and, having removed his head and waved it at the growling Saxons, made his way back to his mounted combrogi!!

The scenario is all about the attacker getting his general and lots of units over a river running diagonally across the whole length of table, with a central ford and flanking (very narrow) bridge! I therefore weighted my mounted Teulu (+ Urien and his ASB) and my mounted combrogi led by my Tiern onto the flank and decided to sacrifice the poor bloody infantry (2 x 23 combrogi led by Uchelwyrs) and 1 x 15 combrogi. As our troops are all light open order, we decide that the river rules in the supplement superceded all WAB 2.0 difficult ground rules otherwise the river was no real barrier.

The game went well! Predictably, my combrogi facing the Gedriht were annihilated, as were the 15 facing off against the Geoguth. The unit facing the Duguth lasted most of the game before eventually being run down. However, my mounted combrogi forced a flank crossing in the face of Saxon javelinmen and my Teulu ground the Wiglera's Duguth into the dust, the Rex challenging and slaughtering the Wiglera into the bargain. This meant that I had the general and 2 units across the river, fulfilling the 'close-run victory' conditions I'd aimed for with nothing Carl could do about it!! Huzzah!!!

In the post-game character dice rolling, the Saxon Wiglera escaped lasting injury, as did one of my Uchelwyrs. The Saxon Atheling and the other Welsh Uchelwyr both suffered wounds, the Saxon being reduced to WS 3 and the Uchelwyr reduced to 1 wound!!

So, one up to the Welsh and in a couple of weeks, we will play game 2, which, as I won a close-run victory, is the 'Roman Road', where Carl's 1000pts wil try to ambush my 1500pt column and prevent me exiting the board!!!

Watch out for a report on that around 5th Sept ish.

And keep popping back, cos I have Welsh cavalry on the painting table, testing a new 'speed painting' technique using army painter dip and 1 highlight - here's a picture of some WW1 Brits I painted a couple of months ago using the technique... Twice as quick as my layering, although how it'll work with Dark Age troops, especially the horses, who knows??!!! In the next week or so, hopefully, we'll find out!

The Pine Wood Of Tevar in Wargames Illustrated!! (plus other news)

2011-03-20T03:36:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Just a quick 'heads up' that a mahoosive (14 page!!!!) article of the Pine Wood of Tevar game, written by James Morris and featuring gazillions of lovely pics of our armies, should be appearing in the May issue of Wargames Illustrated. I have seen the proofs of the article...it's really rather mega!!!!

In other news, painting has stopped in the Guitarheroandy household. I just can't get up any enthusiasm for it. This is largely due to work pressures, family stuff, band stuff and the fact that I am regularly attending wargames club for the first time in over a year. We are mostly playing the dark Age skirmish rule set called 'Pig Wars', which is fast, frantic, bloody and great fun - about as far removed from WAB as one can get in mechanics, but just as much fun. However, contrary to many of the WABbers out there, I am not stopping playing WAB in the light of all the new ancient sets coming out, or as a result of ForgeWorld's apparent lack of desire to bring out new supplements. In fact, I am attending an event in April (Fall of the West/Age of Arthur) and my wargames club is about to start a Late Roman Republic/early Empire campaign, so all is well and WABbing here in Peterborough at any rate!

I do hope to pick up a paintbrush again soon, but need some inspiration! I keep looking at my colonials, but it feels like a mountain to climb...and I still have more Arthurians I want to do, but somehow...well...can't be bothered!! At least my repetitive strain injury has massively improved, which means that I am physically able to paint should the muse decide to return!!

I hope to post some pics from the WAB Spring Open (if I remember to take a camera!) and will keep you posted on developments with painting should any occur!!

Thank you all for your patience and for continuing to look me up on here occasionally...

Cheers

Andy

Gary Moore - R.I.P.

2011-02-07T15:17:00.000-08:00

Another of my guitar heroes from my teenage years bites the dust...

R.I.P Gary...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T08:54:00.000-08:00

Well, hello one and all. Happy New Year! Sorry it's taken me nearly a fortnight to get around to that!!

So...2011...b*gger me, how did that one sneak up on us, eh? And, more to the point, what is going to happen on this blog in 2011??

Well, the repetitive strain injury is no worse, although I haven't painted in weeks and haven't had a proper session on the guitar in a while either. Now Crimble is out of the way, I can at least get the painting kit back in the lounge so I can try a bit now and then when I get a mo in the evenings, not that I seem to have much time spare these days...

So, what's the 2011 plan? Well, changes are afoot from what I thought I'd do in my last message: My wargames club is going to run a WAB 2.0 Late Republican/Early Imperial Roman campaign around Easter and I do want to paint a new unit of Auxiliaries to go with my Sulla Romans. I have a load of Foundry Greek peltasts and will be using them (to fit in with my 'Sulla in the East' theme). Ideally, I need to layer paint them to match my Caesarian legionaries, but I may do them in the style of my (on hold) repo Romans, so basecoat, dip, one highlight...depends how the arm holds out and how lazy I get/how little time I end up with!! Once they are done I will have 3500pts of Romans which is cool. I did field them all in a game against my mate Grahame's EIR last week and won a close-run victory in a 5 and a half hour epic encounter!!

I have also been on the hunt for alternatives to WAB for Age of Arthur. I have found two great little sets for skirmish type games (Brytenwalda - http://brytenwalda.blogspot.com) and Tod Kershner's 'Pig Wars'. Both are light years away from WAB's systems and need far less models. Pig Wars is especially good for multi-player games. If you want a copy of Pig Wars, join the Pig Warriors Yahoo group where you can contact the author and receive a download of the rules for $10, plus access to various additioanl files in the Yahoo group's file section. Well worth a look!

Anyway, along with these, I have been writing my own rules for the period - sort of GW Lord of the Rings in scale (30-60 models per side, large scale skirmish). I now have almost enough to playtest, I just need to type up a couple of playtest scenarios. Some of you already know about this and have offered to read/playtest, which is kind! Expect to receive an email shortly! If any others fancy a look, let me know. I am not claiming that they are great...they may not well even be reasonable, or even remotely playable, but it has been a fun and very interesting experience writing them! If you do have a read/play, you'll see bits of Triumph& Tragedy, bits of LOTR, bits of WAB...all given my unique 'twist'. Am hoping to start my own playtesting shortly as well, so watch this space for further info...

Talking of Arthurians, I do have a hankering to paint some more Age of Arthur stuff and willbe doing a few more Franks/Saxons this year, enough to do a warband for each of the rulesets mentioned above, but not a full WAB army yet. I also want to do a unit of Wolftail warriors and Arthur's cavalry based on Cornwell's books. They'll be useable in the skirmish rules and might see light of day in aWAB army at some point. It may take me months to do them, but I intend to have a go!!

I also intend to do a bit more with my colonials. I intend to get 2 or 3 squads of Brits and another mass of Pathans done in 'dipping' mode this year. I have half a Sikh unit basecoated already and intend to finish those this month.

Finally, on the back-burner are the Repo Romans, as I'll not have time to do them this year and gaming the era isn't high on my priority list this year. Also, I do intend to paint 2 more El Cid units: Knights Hospitaller and spearmen in the livery of the Hospital to join my 'Alfonso the Battler' El Cid force. These will wait til late in the year if I do them at all this year...

So that's me so far. Hopefully I wil get my a*se in gear and post more this year. Thanks to those who still follow this blog. I appreciate it.

Cheers
Andy

Quick update...

2010-12-03T00:28:00.001-08:00

Hello one and all. So sorry for lack of updates recently, but I have been on a self-imposed painting ban since attending the Warhammer World campaign weekend with my El Cid army. This is because the frenzied painting spree that had lasted from June til the end of October has aggravated an already unpleasant repetitive strain injury in my right arm. This is impacting on all my hobbies, as guitar playing doesn't do it any good either - not good when one has gigs booked and needing rehearsal for!!!

So, basically, I have stopped painting, or, at least, I had til this week, where I picked up a brush just to see what happened. I managed 90 mins before it hurt, which is good...that's 85 mins more than when I stopped painting in October!!

Anyway, the El Cid force now stands at 2500pts, so I don't need to do any more to it, although at some point I do want to paint a unit of Knights Hospitaller and a unit of peones in the livery of the Hospitallers to give the army an early 12th Century Aragonese feel (Alfonso 'The Battler' introduced the Hospitallers into Spain in the early 12th century.)

However, my next job is to finally finish the 4 Saxons I promised someone I'd do for him in August. They are over halfway complete, so should be easy to get done in the next two weeks, even with a limit of no more than an hour at a time painting. Then it's Colonials time. I aim to get enough Anglo-Indians and Pathans done to start trying out Triumph and Tragedy with a couple of chaps at wargames club early next year. These are being painted in the same way as my Repo Romans that have now been temporarily shelved, so 'basecoat, AP dip and one highlight' jobs. Have just picked up some Pontoonier Miniatures British - very nice models!!!

Once those are done, I need to paint a unit of peltasts to join my Sulla era Romans as we have a club campaign starting in April and I need some 'auxiliary' infantry (I figured Greek types would suit the overall 'Sulla vs Mithridates' army theme and have had the models for ages but with no deadline or no event, I hadn't painted them before) , then it's back to Repo Romans, probably midway through next year.

One thing is certain though...no more mad frenzied painting-fests...the doc has already told me that the arm damage is only going to get worse, unless I do everything in extreme moderation or simply stop everything altogether...the latter is not an option!!

Pine Wood of Tevar new pics

2010-09-10T11:49:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of Chris Payne, here are 3 rather cool pics from last weekend at Partizan.
First, a close-up of James' marvellous new banner for El Cid...

Here's a close-up of the camp...

And a really good shot of the whole battle...really good lighting on this one (something of a miracle in the Kelham Hall!!!) so you can see the whole table in all its glory...

Enjoy...

Andy

The Pine Wood of Tevar demo game, Partizan 5th Sept 2010

2010-09-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here are the pics I took during James Morris' demo game 'The Pine Wood of Tevar' at Partizan yesterday. Apologies for the quality of some of the pics, but I was struggling to find a few moments to snap away in between chatting to the myriad of interested gamers (so many that in fact we only played the game once all day!!!!) and rolling some dice. So, if you nclick on a pic and it's a wee bit blurred, I'm sorry. Also, these humble pics don't really do the game justice. James' magnificent terrain and brilliant eye for how to arrange it (note the way the wooded slopes pull the eye onto the rockty outcrop and the perfect position of the camp on the other side...brilliant!!) simply loked stunning, as it was a table of about 10 x 6 feet!!

The pics tell the story of the game as we played it until I lost the will to take any more pics!
Below, view down the Catalan battleline just before my Andalusian allied cavalry failed the first of 3 failed allies tests (yup...three ones in a a row!!!)

El Cid's force mooch out of the camp to meet the onslaught...little suspecting the Count of Barcelona's devious ruse...

View from the Catalan right flank - Christian Jinetes, led by a newly-painted hero...

The Count of Barcelona and his personal retinue and army standard...

The other half of the Catalan panzer division!!!!

Close-up of El Cid's personal retinue (yes...a Copplestone Charlton Heston...note the faberoony banner. (BTW...El Cid...WS7!!! 4 attacks...veteran...ugh...!!! We later agreed that WS7 was too much and that he should be WS6 instead, with all other stats remaining as usual.) This unit is veteran too...sigh...

El Cid's Andalusian allies...no failed allies tests here, no siree...

El Cid's Christian jinetes...led by a veteran character (all El Cid's characters were veterans)

El Cid's camp...just look at those brilliantly painted tents and the myriad of 'stuff' to make the camp look mega cool!!

What's this??!! Sneaky catalans on the ridge behind the Cid's lines...Crossbows and archers, no less! We also had spearmen attacking out of the wood on El Cid's right flank...(cue evil laughter...)

El Cid's army from above...

The crossbowmens' view of the battlefield..."Hey, amigos...El Cid has NO IDEA that we are here...!!!"

View from behind the Catalan lines...look at that panorama towards the ridge...stunning!!

Another of El Cid's nasty characters...

El Cid's best mate, Alvar Fanez...he had a rough time of it later on...shame!!!

Another view of that brilliant El Cid retinue...awesome painting!!

Turn 1: General Catalan advance (we got first turn automatically...) My allies top left are still debating whether to join in. On my right flank, I attempt to draw El Cid's Andalusian nobles into a charge...This continued with charges and feigned flights over a few turns...

Turn 4: After messing about for 3 turns (actually, we were 'jockeying for position' with our caballeros), James caved and advanced into range (Andy Mctaggart had told me earlier that he would if I waited long enough...it's true..he did!! ;-) ) So I charged my 'panzer division' into El Cid's 'Tiger division'...

Close up of the main event. The Cid challenges the Count...he stoopidly accepts and, despite charging and going first, causes no wounds and receives one! Overall, it's a drawn combat, even with the muso roll-off!

In this combat, Alvar Fanez challenged my character and slaughtered him despite going second!! Killed outright!! However, this incensed the Catalan caballeros, who kicked major arese and ran the El Cid unit down, capturing Fanez in the process!! Hoorah!!! Yes, we were using the 'Ransom' rules from the El Cid book...

The end of turn 5: The Count is wounded a second time and his caballeros seem to be armed with rubber swords!!! We flee, but get away! We decide that, new rules notwithstanding, army standards are NOT captured unless the bearer is killed (or captured)

Those pesky Andalusian nobles use their special move to get on my flank...so I charged them..and bounced, reduced to 5 or less...bye bye jinetes....even with a flippin' character in there...sigh...

The Count has rallied and been caught in a charge. He declines the inevitable challenge and flees twice more before eventually being caught and captured. His army standard who accepted the challenge was killed outright...

This is better!!! On my left, a combination of bowfire, crossbows and (eventually) Andalusian jinetes causes the El Cid jineters to be in a spot of bother!! We slaughtered them with caballeros and the character fled only to be peppered with about 4000 crossbow bolts...ouch...

Earlier, my peones had stood off a unit of dismounted knights, chaisng and slaughtering them to a man. The gallant caballeros thenm turned and finished off El Cid's archers and crossbowmen, capturing the camp in a final glorious charge, just before the Count was captured!!

So, game over! A Winning draw for El Cid, as he had fulfilled the main objective - kill or capture the opposing general - difficult for the catalans with El Cid being as hard as he was, hence the decision to tone him down a notch!! However, the Cid had actually lost more men than the Count and had lost his camp with all its accumulated loot, so no shame in that at all!!

As I hope you can sense from this narrative, I loved every second of it! A brilliant game on the best terrain I've ever played on with a great opponent! It was my first show demo and I loved it!!

Thanks to all who came to look and to chat and to tell us how great it looked. We really appreciated the interest.

Watch out for a full article and scenario in Wargames Illustrated soon with better pics of course!!!

Now, I have to paint some more models ready for October at Warhammer World. More info about my army choice and the new models shortly...

Thanks for reading!!

Andy

El Cid, El Cid and MORE El Cid...

2010-08-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Ha! That got your attention didn't it?! :-) Sorry that there's no eye candy to go with the title...just advance warning that my El Cid army will be making an appearance at 'The Other Partizan' on Sunday September 5th at Kelham Hall, Newark. Yes, James Morris has kindly invited me to join him in putting on an El Cid demo game! We shall be doing 'The Pine Woods ofTevar', where El Cid took on the unfortunate Count of Barcelona and destroyed his army, capturing most ofthe Catalan nobility in the process!! Naturally, I shall play the Count of Barcelona and James shall play El Cid...for two reasons:
1. James wrote the El Cid supplement - who else could be El Cid?
2. El Cid needs to win!!!!!! With James playing the great man, that's significantly more likely than if I do!!

Scenario details to be revealed on the day (James and I have spoken and he is currently drafting it out) but suffice to say that it will be great and will look fab, as the terrain will be marvellous and James' army looks stunning. He's also painting new character models, which I'm looking forward to seeing!!!

Anyway, I'm doing a bit of painting for the event. I shall be increasing the number of models in one of my cablleros hidalgos units, as well as adding additional models to my Spanish and Andalusian jinetes units and my Peones unit. I shall also be adding an additional character (4 Catalans are named in the sources for this battle, so I shall field all 4!) and a small unit of Ballasteros (x-bows.) As with all this army, the models are Perry. Look out for them on the blog over the next few weeks and if you come to Partizan, do drop by and say 'hello', especially if we have thus far only corresponded online. I always like to put a face to a name whenever possible...

Following the event, I shall continue to paint El Cid stuff as I hope to go to the October Warhammer World El Cid campaign, also being run by Mr Morris and for that I need 2500pts...YIKES!!!!!! That's one more unit of caballeros and another of peones. to add to the load I already have painted...better get the painting going!!!!

Andy

Clickable Byzantine army pics...

2010-08-05T01:31:00.000-07:00

Apologies...some pics in the last post weren't clickable...I think because I re-arranged the order after upload... So here are the full army shots and some cavalry shots that SHOULD be clickable so they expand!

Let me know if they don't... You'd think I'd have got this blogging thing sorted by now wouldn't you!!??!!

Andy

Justinian Byzantines for Hot Lead 2010

2010-08-04T10:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks
Here is my 1500pt Justinian Byzantine army that I took to Hot Lead at Gripping Beast HQ lasy month. The army is built from the Beyond The Golden gate supplement, which was quite a challenge, as I wanted to take an army that was 'opponent friendly' and which suited the event. Most WAB players seem to feel that BtGG armies are rather OTT so I wanted to disprove that. Accordingly, I decided to take no Bucellarii, as they are HUGELY cheesy, being strength 4 with options for kontos or thrusting spear, making them strength 5 on the charge!!! I also decided that I would take no kontos armed troops, using thrusting spears instead, as I actually feel that, as well as being more 'friendly', the thrusting spear rule more than adequately portrays the use of the various kontos-type weapons in use at the time - I hate the 'always strike first' rule that Kontos gives, unless I'm playing against other kontos armed troops at my wargames club, of course!!!!

So, here's the army: Clockwise from top left back row:
9 Psiloi with javelins
24 skutatoi (thrusting spear, large shield)
ASB and Magister (Magister armed with heavy armour, shield and throwing spear, both drilled)
24 skutatoi (as the first unit)
10 psiloi with bow and buckler
9 Regular Byzantine cavalry (light armour, bow, buckler: superior byzantine cavalry)
12 Comitatus (heavy armour, thrusting spear, bow, buckler: superior byzantine cavalry, drilled)
10 German allied cavalry (light armour, thrusting spear, shield, superior German cavalry)

Here are the Comitatus: My late Roman cataphracts remounted on unarmoured horses (they can also be used as Romano-British commanipulares now!)

Here are the HGerman allied cavalry. Some of these are from my Arthurian armies, but others are repainted late Roman cavalry (I repainted tunics and shields to match my current colour scheme and to take away the 'uniformed' look, as I had done months ago with the cataphracts.) They also have a new leader and standard bearer, both old Late Romans also with repainted tunics and shields.

Regular cavalry: More repainted late Romans (tunics and bucklers) with a Romano Brit as the unit leader.

The Romano-British milites masquerading as Eastern Romans. I chose the most 'Roman' models for this unit. Next to them, repainted Roman archers (tunics and bucklers)

A unit of Late Roman infantry with repainted tunics and shields. Again, originally painted 10 years ago in 'parade ground' colours, now redone to match my other models.

The Magister - West Wind's Arthur model, who also commands Romano Brits for me!

ASB: West Wind Arthuian banner bearer on holiday from Romano-British service ;-)

So, there you have it!!

On the day, they trashed a 1000pt Sassanid army in the 'Saving the Plunder' scenario. Basically, the Persians had to get a wagon load of booty off the table before I caught it! After enduring a turn of massed archery, I decided that a full-on charge was the order of the day. As the Sassanid player had also not taken kontos, the fights were evenly matched, but my troops came out on top, his allied Parthians and Lakhmids fled and the rest of the game was me chasing down fleeing troops - oh, and capturing the wagon! Victory by 1500pts to 0!!

Second game was against Shieldwall Welsh. I only had 1000pts in the 'Scared Shrine' scenario that I've talked about on here before. I was hideously outnumbered and due to an unlucky panic test failure early on was on the back foot all the way through. Luckily, I had read the scenario victory conditions carefully and played very well by sticking to those and only lost by 200 ish points, so a close-run defeat/draw.

Game 3 was agaisnt Romano-British with Welsh allies. The Romano Brit player played the scenario very aggressively (it was 'herediatary enemies - 2 random units each with 'hatred') and destroyed my infantry before I could destroy his flankers and get in his rear. In the end it was a draw - I lost by 85 points in another really good game.

Game 4: Multi-player game. Me and some AoArt Picts vs 2 Rus armies, 1 pagan Rus and 1 Era of Princes. This was a fabulous game where I managed to outmanoeuvre the Rus opposite me while his ally utterly (to the very last figure) trashed the Pict allied force. As a result, of the 4 players, the Era of princes Rus player got about 2000 VPs; I got 1150, the Rus opposite me got about 300 and the Pict about 100.

All in all, I came about 15th out of 30 ish...way better than usual. If I'd played a few more games and practised co-ordinating my cavalry better, I'd have done even better as that was what let me down in game 3 and 4 particularly - I just took too long getting into position for the killer charges... Still, none of my opponents found my army 'Cheesy' or 'OTT', so I reckon that was a result! I'll use it again for sure and am about to paint a unit of Huns to go with it (once I've done a load of El Cid stuff for a demo game and gaming event in October!!)

I hope yuou enjoyed this post! It's been a while since I showed you any stuff!!

Cheers

Andy

Spam part 2

2010-08-04T10:20:00.000-07:00

Hi there.
Seems that, in my efforts to prevent spam, I made it impossible for anyone to post comments! Try it now. It should let all registered users (incl open ID) to post and I have set up moderation, so that I can see in advance if any crap arrives and thereby filter it out!!

Let's see if that works!!!

Cheers
Andy

Killing the SPAM!!!

2010-07-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

Hi
Just to let you know that I am still here and that normal service will shortly be resumed. To prevent the zillions of Chinese spam comments on the blog, only those registered can now comment on my posts...if I've set it up right!! I'll monitor this and see if I've done it right! If no-one comments, I'll know I've c*cked up somewhere and I'll sort it!!! Please try to comment and I'll see what happens!

Sorry...blame the idiots who are spamming me out... :-(

Justinian Byzantines to come shortly!!

Andy

WAB 2.0

2010-05-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Well...it's here at last!!! And it's good...very good! All the alterations kinda make sense. I'm playing my first game on Monday evening - a 1500pts per side Age of Arthur game against Carl and his Saxons. I will be taking either Romano British or British kingdoms...hmm...shieldwall foot, or close order warband that can't manoeuvre...hmmm...dunno yet!!

Anyway, have any of you spotted the 3 pics in WAB 2.0 that contain my models? You haven't??!! Shame on you!! Two have my Caesarian Romans and one has Romano-Brit milites...get searching... :-)

WAB 2.0 battle report next week all being well...

Dipped Republican Romans

2010-04-06T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.

Here are the first shots of my work in progress 28mm Republican Roman army for WAB and Crusader rules. These pics are the first 10 painted figures in the army and are part of a 16-strong unit of Principes from one of the 2 allied Italian legions.

Basically, this army is being built to represent the army that served in the wars against Antiochus (battle of Magnesia, etc) but will also be fine for the 2nd Punic War and any of the 2nd Century Macedonian wars. The army is not points limited, but is using units that feel about righta nd will work with both WAB and Crusader. The army will be a typical 2-legion Consular army, so it will have 2 Roman legions, 2 Italian legions and assorted cavalry. It will also eventually have Pergameme and Tarentine cavalry, thureophoroi and peltats, plus a small unit of Cretan archers and an elephant!

The models used wil be Aventine miniatures for all the Velites, cavalry and Roman legions and about half the allied Italian legions. The rest of the Italian legions will be A&A Samnites, Crusader Republican Romans plus a handful of Foundry Caesarian Romans that I have converted. I'd have liked all the legions to be Aventine, but can't justify not using the suitable models I already have!! The Pergamemes will be Polemarch, as they have on pre-order a bunch of specific models in their Successor range!

The painting method is as follows:

All models wearing lots of armour (mail, full greaves, or composite Italian armour and full greaves) are spray undercoated black, with all tunics, flesh and boots re-undercoated white. All lightly armoured/unarmoured troops (hastati, pectroale-armoured Principes, bronze-armoured Triarii, Velites, etc) are spray-undercoated white with all weapons and bronze armour re-undercoated black.

Basecoats are then applied. On these pics: Flesh: Foundry Flesh mid tone. Tunics: Foundry Brick red shade or mid tone, Foundry Night Sky light, Foundry Ochre shade, Foundry phlegm green light. White tunics are left with the undercoat. Mail is drybrushed over the black with GW Chainmail. Bronze armour is all GW burnished gold. Pilum wood is Foundry Spearshaft shade. Pilum shanks are GW Chainmail. Sword blades are GW Mithril siver. Boots and belts are Foundry Bay Brown light. Armour trim (leather) is Foundry tan light.

Once these are completed, the models are washed in Army Painter Strong tone applied by brush. Once 100% dry, the tunics, flesh and bronze are given a single highlight using their original basecoat colour. Bases are painted in GW Graveyard earth. Fine sand is PVA'd on and, oncer dry, is washed with a VERY thin mix of the basecoat and water. Finally it is highlighted with GW bleached bone. The model is then given a light coat of varnish to seal in the highlights before being given a good blast Testor's Dullcote.

Shield designs are LBM. The backs of shields are Foundry Bay Brown Light. The back of the shield is washed in dip as well. The metal on the front of each shield is GW Chainmail, washed in dip. The spine of each shield has a light wash of dip. The transfer is given a brush-on coat of GW 'Aardcoat before being matted down with Dullcote.

I'm very pleased with the results. The Aventine minis look especially good using this technique, which takes about 30% of the time it takes me to do the full-on layered approach I've used on my Dark Age models. With an army the size this one will be, that's very important!!

Unit sizes will be 16 figs per heavy infantry unit and each legion wil have 1 unit of velites (12 strong), 1 unit of hastati, 1 Prinipes and 0.5 unit of triarii (the army will have 2 triarii units, each oone composed of half Roman and half Italian allied models). Cavalry will be in units of 10 or 12. Pergameme troops, not sure yet. Possibly 24 Thureophoropi and 12 Cretan archers, probably 10 each of Companion and Tarentine cavalry...

I hope to complete this unit over the next week and a half, then tackle the same legion's hastati. Each legion will have its own shield design so it's clear on the table which legion is which...

Keep checking back for updates to this and my ongoing Colonial project... I have comparatively little time to paint these days - probably about 3 hours a week if I'm lucky...

Cheers

Andy

Crusader BIG Game Monday night

2010-03-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we had a bash at refighting a bit of Sulla's war with Mithridates of Pontus (approx 80BC) using Crusader rules on Monday evening. We played on an 8x4 ft table using 5000pts per side. For the Romans this equated to:
1 x 6 bases (24 figs each) Veteran legion (and boy did they kick ass!!)
2x 6 bases of regular legions upgraded to 'seasoned' morale
3x6 bases of regular legion
1x6 bases of auxiliaries (basically just bog standard light troops)
3x5 and 1x4 bases (10 and 8 figs respectively - half the models per stand for skirmishers) skirmishers, 2 units of archers, 1 of javelins and 1 of slingers
1x4 (8 figs) bases of Roman cavalry
1x5 bases (10 figs) Gallic cavalry
2x Scorpio bolt throwers.
3 commanders

The Pontics had loads more stuff:
64 phalanx in 2 units, 40 galatian warband, 32 thureophoroi, 2 units of 20 Thracians, 2 units of kontos armed heavy cavalry (1 guard unit), 1 units of heavy cavalry, 1 of light (10-12 figs per unit) innumerable slingers, archers and javelinmen and 4 commanders.

The game was supremely umpired by my mate Phil, who did a brill job!

Sadly, I forgot my camera, so no pics (...I know...idiot!!)

However, with 3 Roman players and 4 Pontics it was a superb game. The rules are fabulous - the 'do everything with a unit before moving to the next one' idea is fab and you have to really think about the order of activation - if you rout with a unit, your whole army turn ends, so you have to pick what combats you do when.

Basically, I commanded the Roman right with all the cavalry and skirmishers. We weighted our left and centre with legions. This was done so our best troops met the superior Pontic cavalry and we would avoid the phalanx if at all possible. The Pontics, seeing this deployment, decided to transfer their heavy cavalry across the army to their left, but did it in front of their infantry and our fast advance ended up catching the guard cavalry napping with our veteran legion...that was the crunch moment of the game, as the next turn saw us engage the whole of the now weakened Pontic right and right centre and send it crashing back in disarray. I managed to hold off the Galatians, the Thracians and a forest of skirmishers by only using slingers, archers and javelinmen. My cavalry were virtually unengaged, the Roman cavalry spectacularly defeating a unit of Kontos cavalry who attacked the line in the last turn.

So a historical outcome! In a major clash, the Pontic missile screen failed and, once the legions hit home, nothing could stop them. Our rapid advance and clever deployment also meant that the Pontics wasted their cavalrty superiority. I was particularly pleased, as the basic battle plan was mine, proving that I'm not always a complete muppet with battle strategy!!!!

I'll definitely use Crusader rules again and am even more keen to get my 'Scipio/battle of Magnesia' era Republican force on the go. Pics in about 10 days time of the first part of the first Italian alled legion, if all goes to plan...

I have to do a factory reset on my PC tonight, as the nice man from Dell told me it was the only way to begin to try to sort the issues I've been having with it since september when I bought it!! So, assuming I have a PC to post pics on, I'll get some up in about 10 days time!!

Toodle pip!!

Andy

Still Here....

2010-02-24T14:07:00.000-08:00

Hi All
Just a quick post to let you all know that I'm still here!! I'm just not getting any painting done at the mo. I've also only played two wargames since August (both WAB Bretwalda games at my club) and got trashed in both...

Anyway, just to say that I still have Colonials as a work in progress. I still intend to paint some more Welsh and Saxons for Age of Arthur and I am dragging out my half-purchased but never started Republican Romans, inspired as I have been by Aventine Miniatures fabulous new range and by Phil Hendry (see his blog to the right in my blog list) where he gets the most amazing results on 3rd Century Romans using Army Painter dip and LBM shield designs. Accordingly, my Romans will follow his lead - watch this space over the next 6 months as I attempt to put together a force with which to play WAB and Crusader rules...

In other news, my son is 18 months old, nearly walking (yup...he's a lazy blighta, just like his dad...LOL!!) and becoming a right typical 'little boy'.

I hope to do some painting next week, which may result in more finished colonial Brits... Pics as soon as possible, but don't hold your breath, as life has a habit of getting in the way here at 'Hawes Towers' these days.

All the best to you all.
Andy

Losing....and regaining....the joy....

2009-12-09T11:24:00.000-08:00

Ok...I admit it!! I'm jaded...I lost the joy!! 3 solid years of painting Dark-Age/Early Medieval minis have taken their toll. That and running an Arthurain campaign at my club, where I experienced first hand both the best and worst of wargamers and their approach to gaming and to the humble efforts of others have just beaten me into submission!!

I haven't played a game since August (the fabulous El Cid campaign day at Newark) and I think it's actually a good thing. I've had time to stop, to read, play a bit of guitar, watch some cool DVDs and TV (Spooks...bloody marvellous programme!) and I experimented with the Army Painter dip as you saw on my last post.

So, what now? Well, I decided I really ought to pick up a brush again and paint something 'properly'. But I took one look at those half complete Welsh cavalry and El Cid minis and couldn't face them. So, you know what? I pickled up the Empress minis Zulu War Brits that I raved about last post and had a look at them. I filed off the gaiters, green-stuffed them a bit and then undercoated black. And slowly, I started to paint... And I got out my undercoated, but thus far unpainted Mordheim Norse warband and started the Jarl...

And you know what?? I'm starting to enjoy it!!! I'm not back up to speed by a long shot, but slowly, ever so slowly, the joy is returning!!! I've begun to put my thoughts in gear for my LOTOW adaptation for Colonial gaming and have bought the excellent new skirmish rules 'Triumph and Tragedy' and am eagerly awaiting their new Colonial supplement.

So, what does it all look like? Well, here are the first two Brits.... Next up, some rank and file Brits and that Jarl...

Pathans (Thank Goodness for Dip!!!)

2009-10-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Here are the first Pathans for my 'Legends of the Old West Alamo' adaptation set on the NW Frontier of India in the last quarter of the 19th Century. The models are by Old Glory (one of the best ranges they actually do!) and Castaway Arts. 6 models were painted about 5 years ago 'properly' and the rest have been painted with neat basecoat colours over either a white or off-white undercoat, metallics were washed witha 50/50 mix of black ink and water and then the models had a good brushed-on coat of 'Army Painter Strong Tone' dip. This has been followed up by a good blast of Testor's Dullcote.

The secret is to be REALLY neat with the basecoats and to choose the colours carefully!!

Photos were taken on the 'rockery' area at the back of my garden...perfect NW Frontier terrain!!!

I haven't painted the banner yet...

Basically, there will be three types of Pathan warrior in my rule set: Fighters, marksmen and Ghazi fanatics. They will be led by the following heroes: Senior Mullah (priest/war leader); Mullah (priest) and Malik (Tribal headman). Here you can see a unit of fighters supported by a unit of marksmen, led by a Malik. I have decided that all my marksmen models will be the Old Glory 'kneeling' poses for ease of differentiation on the tabletop.

Next up, 12 more fighters followed by a unit of Ghurka Riflemen for the Brits....

Quick update...

2009-10-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

No pics yet, but you'll all be pleased to know that I have 30 painted Pathans ready for this NW Frontier thang I'm planning... have 12 more on the go at the mo and anticipate them being done by middle of next week, then it'll be a blast of Dullcote so I can take piccies!!!

I must say that the 'neat basecoat colours and Army Painter dip' technique is bloody brilliant for this kinda thing. They actually don't look too crap, even without matting down the bright shiny gloss finish that the dip gives!! Ok, they aren't going to win me any prizes, but that ain't the point. It's about getting 160 odd Pathans painted and ready for gaming by about next Easter along with about 60 Brits/Indians to fight 'em. They look more than decent enough for that and are stil better than 90% of what you see on the cover of Miniature Wargames magazine!!! (Sorry MW...great articles sometimes, but far to many cruddy pics of relatively poorly painted minis...)

Actually, am very tempted to paint some of the Brits 'properly', as I succumbed to some Foundry and Perry models and some of Empress Miniatures FABULOUS Zulu war Brits - ok, so the latter ain't really NW Frontier, but they are the best Colonial Brit models since Perry's Sudan range and I had to buy a unit. They are so good, that Army Painter would almost be an insult...but having said that, it's all about time and getting them onto the table, so I may well end up biting the bullet and dipping...

I have also bought some Eastern buildings via EBAY from the Colonial Steamboat Company, which are lovely...pics of those when I do the Pathans...

Next job is to actually write up properly on the PC the rule tweaks for Legends of the Old West/Alamo that I'm going to use, along with the 'solo play' rules for controlling the natives... At least if I do that, I can get some solo games in playtesting before I take them to the wargames club....as it stands, they are on about 15 sheets of dog-eared A4 where I 'jotted'...not good!! Can't possibly even play a solo game with those!!

Tune in in a week or so for the pics...

Still here...

2009-09-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks
Sorry for lack of updates recently. Am in the middle of rehearsals for a Thin Lizzy tribute gig in October, so most of my limited free time will be taken up with that til then. However, I have undercoated 50 or so Northwest Frontier British/Indian trops and 150 or so Pathans ready for painting - am basically going to use Army Painter dip on them, as it works beautifully with the sort of colours I'll be using on these chaps, especially the Brits with all that khaki!!!

I hope to get the 1st Company, 67th Foot done in the next couple of weeks - well, it's only 12 models and, as there is minimal highlighting (only the black boots!) it's all single basecoat and dip, dip, dip!!! Might even get some of the Pathans done too just to see how they work out. Models are Castaway Arts for the Brits/Indians (plus Perry mountain gun) and Pathans are Old Glory and Castaway Arts.

The rules I'll be using are adapted LOTOW Alamo rules, using ideas 'borrowed' from Dan Mersey's superb article about a similar approach in a recent issue of 'Battlegames' magazine, plus some of my own additions. He has a fabulous non-player system for native hordes, so basically, as long as the scenario is sound, one can play it solo, or in a multiplayer format, all can be the Brits, which is cool!!! Anyway, it's all a bit 'in progress' at the mo, esp writing the additional rules down, but I'll keep you posted with ideas as they come and the playtests I intend to do for my 'additional' bits.

I will get back to 'proper' painting later in Oct with some more Arthurians and El Cid alongside the colonial stuff - I just bought some 'ballasteros' for my El Cid army, so they need doing, plus I want to finish my new mounted Welsh teulu and do some more Saxons/Franks...

Stay tuned...
Andy

Age of El Cid Event - plus, 'Why I suck at WAB!!!!'

2009-08-18T01:14:00.000-07:00

Well, what a cracking day!! Mr Morris & Co certainly know how to put on a gaming day!!! Thanks to all the Newark Irregulars for their input into the day...brilliant stuff!!!!!

So, how did I do? Well, won one, lost two: had a stinking cold and cough so felt like sh*t anyway, but fortunately, had such fun that the malady was easily forgotten once the gaming began, although by game 3 I was beginning to falter a bit!!!!

In the end, I won a prize for 'best painted characters' (GB models) and for being in the winning faction (lovely Almoravid Priest-dude on a wooden display stand.) So that was nice!!

I had 3 great opponents and played all 3 scenarios.

In my first game, I played Chris Payne (I think that was his surname) with his Andalusians playing 'Cattle raid' from Age of Arthur.

He had a well-chosen army and got off to a flying start by destroying the attacking potential of my caballeros in turn 1. He killed half the unit with his mercenary X-bowmen, reducing my potential for overlapping and flanking and for destroying his light troops.

My infantry gained hatred for this scenario, which was great, as I simply advanced them up to take on the Andalusian spearmen while manoeuvering for the killer charge with the caballeros hidalgos. Where Chris lost the game was in moving his own mercenary knights along the road - he should have stayed in position flanking his foot and threatening my charge. As it was, I charged his archers, pursued into his knights, won the successive combat and forgot I had ferocious charge!!!! Tw*t!!!! Anyway, justice won out 2 turns later and I broke his knights, pursued and killed them. In the ensuing panic, virtually his entire army melted away, leaving me able to capture 2 out of 3 baggage bases and win a mighty victory. Had it not been for hatred on my peones, it would have been different, as they held on most of the game, even when flanked by 24 more spearmen... Lesson there: Learn your special rules!!!

Game 2: Lee McColl and Christian Spanish. This was where it all went wrong. he had a superior, but smaller force - 2 units of caballeros hidalgos, 2 of caballeros, 1 unit of X bow and some slingers gained in the bonus card round. I gained Sudanese spearmen in the bonus card round.

I basically attempted a mass outflank on his right and he was right to be worried, as it seemed to be working. However, he cunningly countered my audacious move with caballeros on his left flank by charging them with foot archers. I slaughtered those, but, in the pursuit, hit his general's unit in the flank. I lost the combat and the caballeros fled, leaving me in trouble! What followed was typical me: he destroyed both units of foot with his knights (despite arming them with throwing spears) - the Sudanese FBIGO'd but panicked when the peones were destroyed and the pursuit of the peones hit the running sudanese by HALF an inch!!!!! My general failed his panic test by throwing double 6 so my best unit ran - it rallied, but failed another panic in the very last turn again on double 6- can't recall why... but they panicked anyway and handed about 600VPs to Lee to give him a 1450 to 91 pt mighty victory!!! He was embarassed and I was gutted! However, I know where I went wrong! I should not have pursued those archers, but got behind his knights... Different story then, I feel!!

Game 3: Against Chris Stone and his Almoravids. Now, his was an example of a brilliantly chosen army list!! It was designed to play well and to win without being beardy. He fielded 2 stubborn units of mixed spear and bow, each with 2 drummers and a Sheik (massive close-combat monster - 3 attacks each!!) One unit had a priest so gained hatred. He fielded his ASB and a Christian captain in a unit of mercenary knights, then fielded 9 Ghuzz horse archers (basically nomad cav -BS4, parthian shite...err...shot, etc) and 3 units of foot skirmishers. No general - as he said, why throw points away? He didn't need one!!!!!! Stubborn, hatred, ld 8 on the knights anyway....

We played apilledo and I defended (with nearly all cavalry!!!). It was a predictable mess. The Ghuzz shot me to bits. I did eventually kill them in combat, but my caballeros and jinetes were all but gone, so were easily panicked by javelin fire. My caballeros hidalgos charged his and killed 1 model!!!! He killed 4 back - I threw 4 save throws on 3+ and got 4 ones-like most of my dice on the day - couldn't hit, couldn't wound, couldn't save and couldn't pass LD tests!!!!! Luckily, they were not caught in pursuit and managed to inflict a slaughter in turn a couple of turns later - Chris suffered similar saving-throw hell and I ran the unit down. But it was all academic. I held onto one booty base, but almoravid spear with a sheik will eat peones for breakfast, so the other two got captured. Close-run victory to Chris, but another 50 VPs and he'd have won a mighty victory.

So, why was it all so bad? Well, more than my usual BIG share of ill luck - 2 failed panic tests on LD9 with throws of 12 against Lee ... Unbelievably bad save throws against both Lee and Chris S with my caballeros hidalgos, but more than anything, bad army choice. I only had 1 decent combat unit. I should have fielded 2 units of caballeros hidalgos and not taken the 3rd character. The foot were useless in 2 out of 3 games. The archers and slingers killed nowt in any of my games really and it was only 'hatred' that made the peones useful in game 1.

However, despite taking a tw*tting, I enjoyed the day immensely as it was such great relaxed gaming fun. I maintained my current average of about 30% victories in WAB. I am beginning to realise that the only wins I get these days is against those with less experience of the game - and even then I often lose. Against good players, I usually get utterly mauled because I never maintain a decent battle-line, I don't manage to support my units properly, I'm reactive rather than proactive and I don't think ahead enough. I also play with armies I like rather than with armies I might use effectively (assuming one of those actually exists!!) Also, I hadn't played with this army for about 5 years and then I only used it about twice in its unpainted state, so I didn't really know what I was doing!! Still, events like this need players like me...every event needs its 'cannon fodder' players.

I certainly won't stop gaming with WAB. I'd be just as crap with any ruleset. However, I will think more about my army lists in future!!! I got it about right at Hot Lead with a really good AoA Welsh army that was mis-matched against Shieldwall opponents in 2 games - against other AoA armies, I am convinced it would work well (assuming I used it well, of course!!) so at least I am beginning to think better about it!!

And here is a call to those folk who are good at organising gaming days...we want more El Cid!!!! It's a great period, especially if you don't allow the later lists with lances and sh*t... Now, who else around here can I persuade to buy a load of Almoravid or Andalusian models so that I'm not always forced to fight Carl's Christian knights when playing this period???

El Cid Army Update

2009-08-15T07:29:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, I go to Newark for a 'Morris and Jones' event set in the Age of El Cid. Consequently, I have been painting like a maniac to finish 1600pts of Spanish!!

Here are some pics of the Andalusian allied cavalry and some foot archers...

The Peones are currently on the varnishing table, with gloss varnish drying and awaiting Dullcote... If I have time I'll add them later. If not, it'll be next week!

Cheers

Andy

Bretwalda: The finale

2009-08-15T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Bretwalda is now over... Round 7 was the usual disaster I've experienced through most of the campaign. I played 'Mt Agned' against Pete's Romano-British and managed to lose a mighty defeat, largely through severe ill-luck, as Pete had several rounds of unfathomably good shooting that destroyed my skirmishers and reduced my Teulu to an ineffective mob...

So the campaign was effectively over. Phil and his Picts won it (no surprise there - he very rarely loses a wargame of any sort, especially WAB) The following week was the prize-giving accompanised by a final fun game. Here is the text I sent to the players before this final game:

Camlann - The Aftermath

“The battle of Camlann is over…Arthur and Medraut are slain, their warbands shattered, the survivors scattered.

Now, in the aftermath a few battle-shocked heroes and the pitiful remnants of their warbands scour the land, for, with such slaughter comes the chance for loot. Many famed artefacts are rumoured to lie in the countryside around the battle site. The right hero, with the right artefacts might even gain all that the great Arthur lost…”

This, then, is the scenario for Monday evening’s battle. Each player must provide a warband that meets the following criteria:

1 fully equipped major hero (Tribune, Tiern, Atheling, Mormaer, Curadh)
1 fully equipped minor hero (Decurio, Uchelwyr, Thegn, Champion, Toiseach)
Up to 72pts of comitatus warriors, (commanipulares, Teulu, Gedriht, Nobles, Fianna) equipped as you would normally field them please (so basically, that’s about 4 warriors…)
Up to 70pts of ordinary warriors (milites [NOT sagitarri], combrogi, Geoguth/Duguth, Pictish warriors, Ceithern) equipped as you normally field them, please. Romano-British players may swap up to 2 milites for sagitarri. Pictish players may swap up to 3 warriors for hunters. Irish players may swap one Fianna for a packmaster and may then swap up to 2 Ceithern for hounds. This gives an average of 9-10 ‘ordinary’ models for each player.
ALL warriors fight on foot.
Characters are newly-created for this game, so have no special attributes or items – this keeps the playing field totally level for all players in the campaign.

The game will use the basic movement, shooting and hand-to-hand combat mechanisms of WAB. However, ALL models move, shoot and fight as individual skirmish models. There are no ‘units’ as such.

When models lose their last wound to either shooting or hand-to-hand combat (most only have 1 wound , but heroes will have 2 each…) they are not necessarily dead, but a d6 is rolled and the following table consulted:

1-2: KNOCKED DOWN
The force of the blow knocks the warrior to his knees. Place the model face up to show that it is knocked down. Knocked down models may crawl 2” in their movement phase if able to actually move at all (i.e. not in combat). Knocked down models in combat may not strike back, so stand a VERY good chance of being killed in the subsequent round, unless the opponent is fighting other models at the same time!! They may stand up at the start of their next turn, but may only move at ½ speed and may not charge or run (assuming they can move at all). They may fight and shoot as normal. From the next turn, they may do everything as normal, assuming they haven’t been hurt again, of course!.
3-4: STUNNED
The force of the blow knocks the warrior to the ground. He is barely conscious and can do nothing…nothing at all! Place him face down to show that he is stunned. If the model is still alive at the start of its next turn, the player may turn him face up to show that he is now ‘knocked down’ with all the problems that go with that! If he survives, that model can recover as explained above in subsequent turns.
If a model is a hero or a comitatus model, he is assumed to wear a helmet and therefore has a 4+ save against being stunned. If he makes the save, he is assumed to be merely ‘knocked down’ (see above)
5-6: DEAD!
The force of the blow hits a vital spot and the warrior is slain! Remove him from the game!

This potentially keeps models alive a wee bit longer and reflects the very ‘individual skirmish’ nature of the game!

The object of the game will be to collect ‘loot’ counters which will be placed on the board by the umpire prior to the game commencing. Each ‘loot’ counter will be numbered and the umpire will declare what it is and how much it is worth as a player claims it.

To claim a counter, a player only has to move a model into contact with it in its movement phase. (Any model that happens to be fleeing may not claim a counter!!!) The number is then revealed, with the umpire informing the player what he has gained. Of course, some counters actually are not ‘loot’ at all, but something a weeny bit more interesting/sinister!!! All will be revealed as the game progresses!!

If a model is slain (i.e. is actually ‘dead’), it drops any ‘loot’ counters it is carrying. Any enemy model in base-to-base contact may immediately pick it up in their next turn assuming that they have not been charged by another model in the interim. In that event, the counter is simply placed back on the table.

Any model may, for sake of ease of game-play only carry one loot counter. Loot counters do not impede the model from moving, shooting or fighting!

Andy will umpire – depending on the number of players, we may run 2 games concurrently, as too many players on one table in this sort of game doesn’t work!!!

Game Turn:

1. Initiative dice: Play will proceed in order of dice scores, high to low.
2. Compulsory movement phase (for all non-player stuff).
3. Each player now goes through the following in the order of the initiative dice:
a. Recovery phase of ‘knocked down’ and ‘stunned’ models (i.e. turn them over/stand ‘em up...)
b. Usual WAB movement phase
c. Usual WAB shooting phase
d. Usual WAB HtH phase

Notes:

- There will be NO warband tests!! All models move and fight as the players wish!
- It is a fight to the death! There will be no leadership tests for losing models! Play continues until the umpire deems it a good time to stop, as he has no idea how long it will take to play each turn!!! Players may concede at any point if things are going awry for them!!Umpire’s decision on all things is final!!

There were only 6 players available for this game and I umpired. basically, we used an 8x6 table and placed thre small villages and church enclosure, various woods, a river, difficult groun, yada, yada and players diced for deployment, deploying 6" in. The table was coverd in 24 loot counters, face down. As a player moved in to contact, I revealed what he had 'found'. There were lots of cool loot, including Excalibur, the Cauldron of Herne, The Holy Grail, the Dragon-Sword of Hengest, plus treasure, etc, as well as ravening wolves, a bear, various peasants and skulking warriors. At the start of each game turn I rolled a D6. On a 4+, a random event occurred (of my choosing on the spot, actually) which included more wolves, peasants with waggons, wild boar, etc...

It was a fun game and the only changes I'd make would be to make the wolves and bears tougher, as they died too easily... As the game progressed, it sped up, as we simply allowed everyone to move in intitative order, then do their shooting and combat, otherwise it took too long to play a turn.

So...what did I learn from leading Bretwalda?
1. You can't please everybody all the time - lots of folk loved the campaign, but to others it was all wrong. I shouldn't get stressed by that....in future, I won't get so up tight!!!
2. It's a lot of work!!! A LOT of work...
3. It WAS worth it for the vast majority of players who did enjoy it.

If anyone wants a copy of the full 'Bardic Chronicles' poetry booklet, request it in the comment section, with your email address added and I'll send it, but be warned, it is a 5 Megabyte monster as I put some photos in it. Same goes for the final game notes and loot counter list (much smaller files those!!)

Next project: Writing a 'Raiding Season' style campaign (see Age of Arthur for Raiding Season campaign) based on the heroic poem Y-Gododdin (using Rosemary Sutcliff's amazing 'The Shining Company' as inspiration...)

Hot Lead

2009-07-15T07:20:00.000-07:00

Hot lead on Sunday 12th July was, as always, great fun!

Round 1 was against Andy Cummings' Welsh. I had 1000pts against his 1500 and was attacking and trying to 'despoil' an abbey! He deployed a character and his Teulu leader in the abbey as per the scenario. I decided that the only course of action was to get my Teulu into the abbey as fast as possible, killing both defenders in the process. Once in, I had to be 'unmolested' for 2 turns to score 500 bonus points. It was a very close game! Andy killed or panicked all my army except the Teulu, but I kept the abbey and enough of his troops were running or dead at the end to give me a small victory. I was pleased with that! A good start and Andy is a great guy to play against.

Round 2. I was assaulting a defended river with 1500pts of Welsh against Paul Rebel, a Dutch gamer with 1000pts of Kingdom of the Isles Vikings. Paul is a really nice guy and the game was ok, but his army was the nastiest I have ever played!! At 1000pts he had frenzied hirdmen + berserker (with about 46 attacks each!) a unit of bondi led by a f***ing Godi (!!!) So, sh*t troops become unbreakable...great!!! And a unit of Gestir, plus a unit of thralls. You can guess what happened. I didn't know about the Godi so got embroiled there, the Gestir ate the Teulu for breakfast, chasing them down and killing the Welsh Rex. The Hirdmen never even fought! I did manage to get 2 units over the (very difficult terrain) river and score points and I even slaughtered the Gestir with combrogi (!!!!!????? Paul's dice failed him on that combat!!) but I got thrashed!! By Paul's admission, his army was 'a bit cheesy' and I have to say that it was a tad out of place in such an event. Paul came joint first, which doesn't surprise me, as, if his force that hard at 1000pts, what would the full 1500pts have been like? Please note: I'm not critcising him. Everyone is entitled to take what army they like, but I did feel that I was 'out-armied' rather than 'outplayed' and the fact that I even got 2 units over says a lot!! So, despite a trouncing, I was rather pleased at the outcome of round 2 considering what I was facing!!!

Round 3: This was 1000pts of Welsh against 1500pts of Shieldwall Flanders in the 'Sacred Shrine' scenario I played in last year's Hot Lead. However, unlike last time, this time I got trashed!! The combination of charging heavy armored milites plus armoured infantry led by the dux slaughtered my shrine guardians to a man. My teulu managed to kill a unit of spearmen and panic the light horse, but it wasn't pretty. My opponent was another Dutchman called Frank. He was a great opponent too and it was very encouraging to fight an army of Normans that actually wasn't Normans - no ferocious charge - but they didn't need it anyway!!! Dead Welshmen everywhere!!!!

So, three games played: one minor win and 2 defeats...hmmm...last place beckoning again..

Round 4: 1500pts of Welsh against 1000pts of Almoravids. They were arrayed in 2 giant units of spear/bow in a camp, with 10 berber horse prowling outside. I had to get my army standard into the camp to gain 400pts, with each additional standard counting 100pts if inside. Sadly, the camp was fortified, so all my attacks would need 6s to hit!!!

This time my opponent was again a Dutchman called Kees. He was the nicest opponent of 4 very nice chaps (which says a lot actually, as all my opponents were really splendid chaps!) and it was one of the most tense but most enjoyable games I've ever played. It went to the last throw of the leadership dice in his last turn before my Teulu finally broke in. He had destroyed 2 of my units and the remainder were all down to around 25% of starting strength, having repeatedly charged and been beaten back from the barricades. His poor use of light cavalry was his undoing, though, as he foolishly left them open to a charge only 3 inches from the table edge - feigned flight from THAT one and stay on the table :-)

To be fair, Kees threw several outrageous successful break tests and I threw a succession of above-average lots of 6s to hit throughout the game and he was in some ways unlucky to see it all fall apart on the last turn. I was unlucky in that a few failed warband tests saw me having to charge his general's unit from the front when I was actually doing a far better job of fighting to its flank only... So overall it all balanced out and I ended up with a win.

So, 2 wins, 2 defeats. I ended up about 3/4 way down the league table, which is decent for me. And as we all know, these events are not about winning, but rather are about enjoying a good game and I certainly did that on Sunday.

No pics this time, as I was too busy gaming to take photos. Darrell won the 'fave army' award - he was tied for first place with me and Martin wisely awarded him the prize. I've already won that far too many times and anyway, Darrell's Byzantine army does look rather magnificent!!!

I'll be back for Cold Steel in January...which army shall I take? Is it time to move away from Age of Arthur and try something else? Maybe...we'll have to wait and see.....

Bretwalda, Round 4-6

2009-07-01T13:31:00.000-07:00

Two posts in two days...what is the world coming to??

Anyway, here is the round 4-6 summary, plus the latest poetry...

Round 4: As Gavin had pulled out of the campaign, this left me having to field 2 warbands each week in doubles matches when everybody else played singles. So, in Round 4 I played Rob and Mark with their Saxons at the River Glein. Despite Loyalty and hatred, the main Teulu died to a man and I was unable to kill anything. Mighty victory to the Saxons. Shocking game: dreadful dice rolling and I was outplayed!!! Grim, grim, grim...

The Annals of Connaught
Darkness fell and the groans of the wounded and those about to die filled the air. Bloody slaughter it was - the last remnants of the Saxon host had gathered around their lord to make a stand on the hill. Conn'Ann and the Red Shields watched them satisfied that their men held the Roman buildings and had scattered the rest of the saxons to the winds. They wouldn't try coming down this road again! Conn'Ann had no use for buildings - he would take what he wanted and then burn it to the ground - let the ruins be a warning to all enemies of the fate that awaited them.

(Grahame Middleton, after a long and savage fight against Carl Fisher’s Saxons in the Old Roman Waystation scenario.)

Of The Fight At The River

And Uther did come to the fight at the river
Numberless the enemy host
From the Eastern and the Northern Seax
Heroic sword-song did come this day
In mighty carnage at the ford
Cut down, the dragon,
Cut down our lord
Carried from the field, sword red with the blood
Of a score score of heathen enemy.

May the bards sing of the courage of the Cymri
As death came among them.

All hail to Uther Blackheart
May his wounds heal
May his righteous vengeance
Smite all who oppose him.

(Andy Hawes, after a ‘right royal tw*tting' at the hands of Rob and Mark’s Saxons in the River Glein scenario…)

Round 5: pairing up with Rob, my destroyer from Round 4, against Richard Westley's Saxons and Reuben Turner's Welsh (the 'Faithless Warband of the Cymri'). We played Land Grab, my own scenario. I was lined up opposite Reuben and managed to catch him in a right old fix, my Teulu finally, for the first time in the campaign, doing what Teulu should do and killing all his Teulu, his slingers and a unit of combrogi. I lost about 8 models all game! Sweet! Rob did his bit too, killing virtually all Richard's army. Mighty victory of the mightiest kind!!!! That's better!!!!

Of The Second Fight At Duribrovae

Hail to Uthr the victorious,
Mighty lord of Cymri,
Protector of land and cattle,
His name is known across the land,
His praises sing through the mountains.

Death to the sons of Cystennin,
Faithless Warband of the Cymri,
Despoilers of women,
Craven curs,
May the bards ever sing of your treachery.

Hail to the Teulu,
Faithful Warband of the Cymri,
Protectors of their lord,
Of Cymri, land and cattle,
A hundred hundred fall to their spearsong

Of the Faithless Warband of the Cymri
None remains,
Spear song shatters their treachery,
Swift swords strike black hearts from the breast
For the carrion crow and the raven beak.

Hail to Uthr the victorious,
Mighty lord of Cymri,
Protector of land and cattle,
His name is known across the land,
His praises sing through the mountains.

(Andy Hawes, after his Welsh warband (allied with Rob’s Saxons) faced Reuben’s Welsh (allied with Richard’s Saxons) in ‘Land Grab’ and where Andy’s Teulu (comitatus) finally managed to kill something…errr…no…make that ‘kill EVERYTHING!!!!’)

The Annals of Connaught

Mighty was the valour of Niall the Bard. The enemy champion stood in the ford daring all before him. Conn'Ann put on his war gear to teach this upsart a lesson but Niall stepped forward begging his lord for the chance to show his skill at arms. The contest raged long and hard - blow for blow Niall struck before a cruel trick from his foe brought him down. What glory can the enemy gain from beating a bard? Songs will be sung of Niall and his courage that day whilst the name of the enemy is not remembered.
(Grahame Middleton, who ‘heroically’ sent his bard to fight (and die) in the single combat in the ‘Bassas Ford’ scenario which ended in a bloody draw!)

And so to Round 6 on Monday: Due to another person pulling out (sigh...) and two not being able to make it we played 'proper' doubles. - no using 2 warbands for me this week! Huzzah!! I was paired with Dan who was using Romano-Brits against Reuben (again!) and Grahame's Scots Irish, who are ridiculously effective in this campaign.

We played Cat Coit Celidon and we attacked. It was all going well until my combrogi, who had spotted a gap in the enemy line and were rushing forward to exploit it, failed a warband test and had to charge some slingers, who fled, leaving them open to attack from all and sundry. Despite suggestions that we really should avoid fighting and just get off table as per the scenario, Dan cheerfully walked into a stand up fight with Grahame's kick-ass Fianna....with predictable results!!!!

My Teulu then got embroiled in a slog with Reuben's, with my ASB killing his ASB in a challenge, my Uchelwyr fighting and killing his General and his Teulu dying to a man..well, one was left!! I then hunkered down in the far corner of the table so my general couldn't be caught and killed, thereby denying the enemy a mighty victory... Great game, but grim result!!

The Caledonian Forest

Hail to Uthr the Mighty,
Heroic lord of Cymri,
Protector of land and cattle,
His name is known across the land,
His praises sing through the mountains.

Death to the sons of Cystennin,
Faithless Warband of the Cymri,
Despoilers of women,
Craven curs,
May the bards ever sing of your treachery.

Cruel ambush in Celidon woods
In treacherous alliance with men of Connaught
The host of Gethin waits
Faithless Warrior
Son of a craven dog
May the bards sing of your cowardice

A warrior named Derfel,
Clad in gleaming iron in the front rank,
Wearing the brooch of his people
Sword reddened with traitor’s blood
Death to the son of Custennin,
May his spirit never know God’s Grace and Glory.

A warrior named Dogmail
Clad in gleaming iron in the front rank,
Carrying the Dragon of the Cymri
Death-dealing sword-song
Now the Faithless son of Custennin
Gluts black-beaked ravens in Celidon.

And the band of Uther returns to its people,
Roman allies avail them not,
Many Cymri lie forever in Celidon
Their bones bleach under Northern snows
Many the tears, loud the lamentation
May the bards sing to their memory.

(Andy Hawes, after failing to exit a single model as the attacker in the Cat Coit Celidon scenario and after virtually all Dan’s allied Romano-Brits had died after being suckered into fighting Grahame’s killer Fianna comitatus…Ugh!!!)

The Annals of Connaught

The enemy were spread across the fields and woods - the last remnants of those thinking themselves Roman were dead or fled - the Red Shields had put them to slaughter. Conn'Ann had relied on his allies to deal with the leader of the enemy alliance and valiantly they engaged the foe. Few of the enemy escaped as they were swept from the field but their base cur of a warlord kept his head as he ran away. Thus are destroyed all who would stand against the mighty Conn'Ann.
(Grahame Middleton - The same game from the victors’ point of view…)

Round 7 in 3 weeks...the final round!!! Watch this space!!

Welsh Army for Hot Lead

2009-06-30T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here are the latest photos of my Age of Arthur Welsh for Hot Lead. Some of the models you've seen before, but have had a shield repaint, using animals, spirals and Christian crosses to replace the very Romano-Brit designs I originally gave them (don't worry, I still have enough Romano Brit type infantry to field 3 units!!). The Teulu have been completed after I started them for my Bretwalda warband, so there are now 22 of those. I've also painted new banner bearers and a new muso for the foot combrogi.

I'm really pleased with the very 'Celtic' look of this army via the banners (I am REALLY pleased with the Teulu's raven banner...) and shield designs. The next stage (after finishing my El Cid army) is to paint a new mounted Teulu and mounted combrogi unit and some additional foot combrogi and skirmishers...lots to keep me busy!! I'll also do a 'painting spirals' tutorial for those who like that sort of thing, when I get a mo... It's easier than it looks, trust me!!!

Here's the 1500pt army....left to right:

15 combrogi; 20 Saxon allies led by a Thegn (my 'Franks' from the Cold Steel Romano Brit army!); 22 Teulu led by the Rex and ASB; 22 combrogi led by an Uchelwyr; 9 mtd combrogi. On the hill behind, 2 units of pagenses (and Scheltrum Miniatures' Arthurian fort!!)

Welsh characters...

Teulu...

Combrogi...

Decisions, decisions...

2009-05-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a busy old week. Painting has occurred, but I haven't finished those Andalusian archers yet - shame, as it was excellent weather for photography this evening.

However, there is less need to rush through the El Cid models, as I took a long read of the Hot Lead scenarios last night and realised that taking an El Cid army would, for me, be incredibly stupid...You see, each scenario pits 1500pts against 1000pts in unbalanced scenarios and while the 1500pt army might have done ok, the 1000pt variant I'd come up with was useless for at least half the scenarios. To be honest, the 1500pt one wasn't great and, as I came last at Cold Steel, I would like to be not last at Hot Lead, so have opted for an Arthurian Welsh army - however, not my usual cavalry-fest, but an infantry based force with Saxon allies (well...I wanted an excuse to field those Franks again and the idea was always that they could sub as Saxons if you ignore the heavy throwing spears on some of them...)

So, I will still be painting El Cid, as I want to complete the army...just not quite as frantically as I would otherwise have been!!!! I do need to mount the Saxon/Frank character on a round base and finish half a dozen new Welsh Teulu, so that's what'll take my time this week and next, then it'll be back to the El Cid, I promise!!!!

Bretwalda update tomorrow night, all being well....

Painting Update: El Cid

2009-05-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

Hi

Just a quick post to let you know that I am still alive and kicking...still deaf after the eardrum perforating incident, but otherwise back to full health.

Managed to take a few quick snaps tonight of the Christian cavalry from my 1500pt Age of El Cid Christian army. I hope to take a few tomorrow in slightly better light - it was quite late when I took these, having spent the afternoon babysitting my son while his mum went shopping with her friend....

Basically, at 1500pts, the army is designed to be an army from the time of Sancho Ramirez of Aragon, so somewhere around 1060AD (I intend taking it to Gripping Beast's Hot Lead event and armies have to fit the 400AD - 1066 timeline).

It has an Infante General (yeah, I know he's crap, but I can't fit in a Rey with the troops I want!!) and an Armiger ASB. It has 10 Caballeros Hidalgos representing the household knights who have taken to using French styles of fighting, so they are tooled up with thrusting spears, heavy armour and warhorses. It then has 9 caballeros, representing Aragonese nobles who still fight in the traditional style, fully equipped with light armour, javelins and shield. These are supported by 9 Jinetes who are fully armed with javelins, thowing spears and shields. This is enough points for the 50% core allocation, so the remaining Christian troops consist of 20 peones with thrsuting spear and 11 arqueros (archers). These are then supported by Andalusian allies: a unit of 9 Andalusian jinetes, armed as their Christian counterparts and 10 Andalusian archers (because they are cheap as chips!!

I have no idea how it'll perform in the scenarios on the day, especially as I have to create a 1000pt version as well....

Anyway, I have posted pics of knights before, but here is what I took tonight and they are now arrayed as they will be in the units in the army. I'll try to do a couple of pics of the arqueros tomorrow if I get them based tonight.

First, the Infante and armiger with the Caballeros Hidalgos:

Next, a couple of pics of the Caballeros Hidalgos. Note that I used only models with couched spears in this unit to differentiate them from the Caballeros who are all 'overarm' spear models.

Next, the Caballeros, who, as I mentioned above, are all 'spear overam':

Next, the Jinetes. No standard with these guys, as they always operate in skirmish formation... I also tried to keep the shields very simple and also kept tunic decoration to a minimum to suggest less wealth with these guys.

Now, a rather poor shot of all the Christian cavalry - should have put the flash on!!!

I'm about to start painting the Andalusian archers. Hopefully, they'll take me no more than a week, leaving me about 6 weeks to paint the Andalusian jinetes and then the peones. It'll be tight, but it's do-able!!! If not, I'll have to sub some Arthurian spearmen as the peones for the event!!!

Bretwalda round 4 update coming very soon...

Cheers

Andy

Delays, Illness and Misery...

2009-05-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hi All
For those awaiting news of Bretwalda Round 4 or indeed some newly painted figs, apologies. I have been laid low for the past couple of weeks with, first, a stinking cold, next, a throat infection, and now, (hopefully finally) an ear infection which has resulted in a perforated eardrum (OUCH!!!!!). Consequently, all is not well chez GeetarheroAndy!!! :-(

As a result, Round 4 of our Bretwalda Arthurian campaign will take place in two weeks time, and, once the dizziness resulting from the mangled eardrum has subsided, painting of my El Cid Christian jinetes will commence, as I am determined to get 1500pts of 'em onto the table , hopefully by July for the 'Hot Lead' gaming day at Gripping Beast - a tall order when you consider that I still have to paint about 30 infantry and 16 cavalry!!!!

Wish me luck...

Andy

Bretwalda Bardic Chronicles, Volume 3

2009-04-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

The usual round of poetry after the battles:

“Shield brother fought brother for the bridge.
Rushing to gain first glory
Geoguth stand atop it.
Throw spears to keep the foe back.
The horse of the Romans rush forward across the ford
Their regret is great as they flee straight back
Jeered by our own brave Britons who chase them back.
The river runs with blood as warriors wade in
Hacking with axe and sword.
One brave Decurion holds, fights on
Horseman against horseman – to kill the enemy General.
Saxons flee – ashamed to fight, their leader will not stand.
Rash Geoguth fall back – too rash to hold
To be replaced by measured fighting men.
The bridge is held, the ford cleared
The river runs bloody.
Roman Christmen, sword brothers did not shame us.
But our Saxon brothers shame we Anglians.”
(Carl Fisher, whose Angles, allied with Romano-British fought off a Romano-British/Saxon alliance on the River Glein)

The Annals of Connacht :

The enemy camp was looted and their warriors lay strewn across the hillside. It was a hard fight but Conn'Ann had caught them off guard in the mists of early morn. Many were the heroes made that that day and many were laid low. The enemy had trusted his Welsh allies to his cost - when things started to go awry they had turned and vanished into the mist like the cowardly curs they were. The enemy hearth troop were cut down as they stood and Niall the bard will sing long after of their bravery - we salute a gallant foe. The Saxon warlord fled across the hillside but was hunted down and dispatched as he ran. Of all our host who fought so well that day there is one who shall be sung about in our halls above the rest - Black Fang - Conn'Ann's favourite warhound. Many times did the enemy try to slay him but such was his skill and ferocity that none could touch him. He will sleep at his master’s feet and have his fame known throughout Eire.
(Grahame Middleton, whose Scots/Irish, allied with Saxons, achieved a mighty, but bloody victory in the Dawn Attack against a Saxon/Welsh alliance. The hound, Black Fang, survived being in combat with about 10 Welsh combrogi, who resloutely managed to not hit or wound him at all!!!!!!)

Of The Fight At Durobrivae

Tidings have come from the Civitas of Durobrivae,
Where Picti and Cymbri of Gwynedd did stand in mighty alliance,
Of killing by heroes in great ferocity of strife.
Where Einar, king of Mercians, did fall in mighty tumult of war,
Roman allies availed him not.
Now ravens glut on his warriors’ bones.

Uthr, Blackheart of Gwynedd,
Arrayed in gleaming iron in the front rank,
Wearing the brooch of his people,
Threw back armed uprising of Roman and Saxon.
The Heathen are departed,
Driven back toward the briny sea
Before the great champions of the Cymri.

A man called Ceredig, a noble youth,
Fearless in the fight at the village,
Cut down in his glory by Saxon Lord.
Cymri warriors cry ‘vengeance.’
Though lacking bright mail-coats,
Death-dealing with blade and spear
And hatred most strong, they drive the Barbarians to flee.
Now black-beaked ravens glut on Saxon bones.

Artorius Castus, Roman Lord
Lines arrayed in gleaming iron
On high ground shieldwall forming.
They dare not come to the fight.
Like women, craven curs, they stand at bay
Arrow storm no match for Cymri spear-song.
Now the bards sing of their misery.

Hail to Uthr the Victorious,
Mighty Lord of Cymri,
Protector of land and cattle,
His name is known across the land,
His praises sing through the mountains.

(Andy Hawes, after the Welsh/Pict alliance carried the day in Land Grab - the original name of the scenario that won the ‘best scenario’ competition on the WHW website recently)

The 'Land Grab' scenario worked really well again. The Romano-Brits took the high ground on the right flank opposite the watchtower, while the saxons took the left opposite the village. The Welsh/Pict alliance mixed and matched its units, deploying the combrogi with 'hatred' in skirmish formation to rush the village in turn one. The Pict noble and Welsh Teulu formed a solid battle line in the open ground centre, flanked by Pictish warriors. The remaining combrogi deployed in skirmish formation on the extreme left, tasked with destroying the Romano-Brit archers.

The Pict hunters and welsh Pagenses used 'concealment' to deploy next to the watchtower and in the woods to the very right of the Romanoi-Brit deployment.

The battle was decided by three things:
1. The 'hatred' combrogi taking the village and destroying the saxon skirmishers (also with 'hatred' ) who attacked them AND the Geoguth who followed them up! This was helped by Ady (Saxon commander) throwing the worst 'wound' dice I have seen in ages two rounds in succession, allowing skirmishing Welsh to win a combat against the formed Geoguth, chasing them off the table!
2. The solid wall of Pict nobles and Welsh Teulu, who finally tempted the Gedriht to charge. The Gedriht contained a pagan priest, as did the Pict nobles, so Phil (Pict commander) having lost several men, and knowing that he was certain to lose the combat (but with his own priest allowing him to be stubborn) , decided to kill the Saxon priest, so the unit were no longer stubborn, allowing the Welsh teulu flank charge that was looming for the next turn its chance of succeeding. So he targeted the priest with everything in base contact and killed him. Saxons no longer stubborn...Welsh flank charge next turn DEVASTATED the Gedriht, who were chased down and slaughtered. Dead Saxon king, centre won!!
3. The Romano-Brits staying on the hill too long. They did eventually come down, but only at the point where the Gedriht charged, meaning that the Welsh Teulu to their front could ignore them and flank charge the Gedriht. In the final turn, the Romano-Brit Commanipulares could reach the palisade, but hadn't enough movement to cross it and contest the objective.

All in all, a great fun round.

Pics from Round 3

2009-04-07T01:52:00.000-07:00

Not great quality and few close-ups (cos they all came out blurred...bah!!!!!), but a few shots from our round 3 games last night. You'll all be pleased to hear that the Welsh/Pict alliance managed to secure a mighty victory after a hard slog. I think, to be fair, we only managed it because the Romano-British player in the alliance facing us delayed his assault by one or two turns..had he come off the hill a turn or two earlier, the Pict Nobles and Welsh Teulu would not have been able to gang up on the Saxon Gedriht and it would have been a very different story! Anyway, full report (including poetry) to come later. For now, some pics...

First, two views down the tables. There were three multi-player games, each with 2 against 2. We played 'Dawn Attack', 'Land Grab' (my own scenario) and 'River Glein'..

Rob Farley's Saxons (Warlord plastic Celts with GB Saxon bucklers and some GB Saxon cavalry) on the Dawn Attack scenario (defending)...

Grahame Middleton's Scots/Irish attacking on the Dawn Attack scenario

Ady Roxburgh's Saxons on the Land Grab scenario...

Pete Irving's Romano-Brits, allied with Ady's Saxons on the Land Grab scenario...

Phil Freer's Picts and my Welsh, facing Ady and Pete on Land Grab...

Gavin Parnaby's Romano-Brits on the River Glein...

Gavin's allies (Richard Westley's Saxons) lurking in the village on the River Glein...

Saxons and Scots/Irish clash in the Dawn Attack...

Hope that gives a feel for what was going on...

Cheers

Andy

My 'Bretwalda' Warband...

2009-04-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

As it was sunny this afternoon, I took a few pics...trouble was, it was too sunny, so apologies for the pic quality!! It's been a while since I photographed outside and I'd forgotten that 'bright overcast' is a far better bet than 'bright sunshine'....

So, here's what I use for 'Bretwalda'. It's a fairly typical warband. 4 characters , a unit of comitatus, two units of ordinary warriors and a few skirmishers.

I was a bit limited in troop choice, ,cos most of my 'Arfur' figs are at James Morris' house, after he collected them for me from GW HQ the other week (they were there for photographing for WAB 2.0, although whether they'll make the cut...??? Who knows??)

So, anyway, my Welshies for Bretwalda...gathered by the Ford ready for battle!

Another view of the whole warband...

The Teulu...note the spiral shield patterns - a design 'borrowed' from Professor Guy Halsall's rather splendid Romano-British army...

The heroes gather in the front rank of the Teulu....

Close-up view of the characters with their repainted shield designs...

Round 3 of Bretwalda is tomorrow, where I team up with my mate Phil and his evil Picts who kicked my ass last week. We are fighting against a Romano-British/Saxon coalition, although I don't yet know the scenario, as I'm not drawing those til all lists are in..am still waiting for two, despite requesting them in last week...

For anyone thinking of running a similar campaign, here's a warning. Don't expect people to actually email lists in ahead of games, cos they won't....well, some will...probably most, but there will always be some who can't get it together in time... Drives me mad and utterly buggers up the organisation of everything...

Bretwalda Round 2: An Irish Tale and info for Round 3

2009-03-24T13:19:00.001-07:00

Here is Grahame Middleton's Scots/Irish offering after the death in battle, and subsequent roll of something other than a one on the 'wounded character' table of his general Conn'Ann (the barbarian...groan....of Connaught)

Mighty Conn'Ann slips and falls in the blood of the slain and a groan goes up from the Red Shields of Connacht. Enraged they become and their blows are as a hailstorm upon the enemy as they slay their hated saxon foes without mercy - see how the Saxon prince turns to flee as his hearthtroop is cut down around him and watch as the craven cur is cut down as he runs. Their standard is taken and their booty is ours.
What is this? Conn'Ann rises as if from the dead, shakes his head and strides back towards his men - more beloved of them than ever before - surely they are now invincible!
Annals of Connaught

And here is the info for what we are doing in Round 3...

"After the battle there comes a time for the healing of hurts and making of alliances. Across the rivers, beyond the hills, beyond the Great Roman Wall, and across the windswept Western Sea, alliances are being made...warlords and warbands combining ready to recommence the campaigning season.

Does your warband dare face the future alone...unsupported...?? No, it is a time to place old feuds aside, to open up the mead-hall to your erstwhile enemies, making pacts and alliances over the feasting!! It is a time to share resources, to replenish the supplies, to heal the wounded and to gather strength for the struggle to come..."

Round 3 will see multiplayer games, comprising alliances of two players, each taking on another alliance, using multi-plyaer scenarios from the Bretwalda book.

For Round 3 alliances, you will fight alongside your opponent from Round 2, against an opposing alliance drawn randomly by my wife sometime this week!! You will find out which scenario you are playing days before Round 3 takes place and AFTER you have submitted your army list for Round 3.

Special Round 3 Alliance Rules:
Players should ignore the rules for selecting an overall general in any scenario in the book. The warlord who won last week's battle will be army general in the alliance, even if he has lower leadership than his ally!! This is because he won and is therefore boss!!!! In the event that Round 2 was a 'bloody stand off', then you can use the rules in the scenario you play for identifying who is the general. All other rules ref sub-generals, army standards, etc, are as the multiplayer rules in the scenarios in the book for all players!
In the lull between battles, warriors who were wounded have been well tended by those skilled in healing, both from their own and their ally's forces. This, and the good food and hearty drink of the alliance feasting, go a long way towards healing the warriors' hurts! At the beginning of the Round 3 game, after deployment and before the first game turn, players should roll a D6 for any unit or character who is suffering any type of wound from Round 2 that may affect their fighting ability (e.g. 'minor wounds' for units and any wound for a character.) On a roll of 4, 5 or 6, the wound has been healed and the unit/warrior fights at full capacity...Don't say I never do anything nice for you!!!! :-)

Hopefully the players will appreciate this and enjoy the new challenge of a multi-player battle!!

Hopefully, some pics after the next Round's battles, if I can get away from my own game and from umpiring the others!!

Bretwalda Round 2: A Saxon Tale

2009-03-19T14:09:00.001-07:00

After my poetic (ish...and very heavily..ahem...'influenced' by an actual poem...) efforts, here is a belter of a poem from fellow cub member Carl Fisher. Carl (with his Angles) was fighting my variant of the Mt Agned scenario against Dan Phillips' Romano-British...

Read and enjoy...

The battle of Mount Agned - a fragment in translation:

In this way King Eni royal brother to Rædwald,
Lord of warriors and ring-giver to men,
Won eternal glory in battle with sword edges
The sons of Tytila of Anglia, befitting their noble descent.
Defended their land in battle against each hostile people,horde and home.
The enemy perished,
Christmen and Roman,fated they fell.
The field flowed with blood of warriors,
from sun upin the morning, when the glorious starglided over the earth,
till that noble creation sank to its seat.
There lay many a warrior by spears destroyed; weary, war sated.

The East-Saxons pushed onwardall day;
in troops they pursued the hostile people.
They hewed the fugitive grievously from behind
with swords sharp from the grinding.
The Angles refused not hard hand-play to any warrior
who came fated to fight.

Death came to many, horse and man.
Banners were broken over the whales back.
The hill too small to hold the dead entombed
Covered with the dead.

Running over the grass we sought them, slew them.
Front and rear we hewed then,
Hemmed them in and brought them low.
Death upon death, though arrows fell like rain.

They left behind them, to enjoy the corpses,
the dark coated one, the dark horny-beaked raven
and the dusky-coated one,
the eagle white from behind, to partake of carrion,
greedy war-hawk, and that gray animal
the wolf in the forest.

There spirits join the old ones on their stone road.
Trapped in death, watching the hill from afar.

Never was there more slaughter
on this island, never yet as many
people killed before this
with sword's edge: never according to those who tell us
from books, old wise men.

How cool is that??? Marvellous stuff and indicative of a mighty Angle victory!!

Round 3 will be different: It will be multiplayer games with Round two's protagonists joining forces to fight against another pairing. In this way, each multiplayer force contains a winner and loser from Round 2, thereby attempting some sort of balance to each Round 3 game. I also have an idea for some random events which may occur for Round 3 as well...

Still, I can't reveal too much yet as one Round 2 game is yet to play. That will happen next Monday, after which the draw for Round 3 will occur!

Went the day well...??? Did it f***!!! :-)

2009-03-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

Hmmm...yes....well... Round two of the Bretwalda campaign. My Welsh against my mate Phil and his Picts. Yes, this is the Phil that I've wargamed with for 15 years and have beaten about 5 times!!!!

So, I was present at his mighty victory and my Warlord was slain in a challenge. So, with the old adage, 'roll anything but a 1' on the post game sequence wounds table, what did I do???? Yup, you guessed it!! One dead Warlord!!!! Only one so far in the campaign...Great!! At least it proves that, as organiser, I'm not weighting anything in my favour!!

So, in true Bretwalda tradition... A Poem!!!! Borrowing heavily from the 6th Century Northern Welsh poem about the death of Urien Rheged, where a warrior returns to the kingdom with the head of his slain Lord, here is my lament to my fallen king, Cunedda, Dragon of Gwynedd!!!

A Lament for Cunedda

A head I hold in my hand
Protector of Cymri
Proud Lord of Gwynedd

A head I hold in my hand
Of Fair Cuneda,
Unflinching on the war-field

A head I bring upon my horse
Head of Cunedda the Dragon
Glutter of ravens black

A head I bear from the field of slaughter,
Upon his jaws a foam of blood
Woe to he who so struck my Lord

A head I bring to the burial place
From the field of woe and slaughter
Woe be to Gwynedd from this day

A head I bear upon my shoulder
He who slaughtered Saxon-kind
Now a litter-burden to the resting place.

Caer Leon saw his fall
In fierce combat with the Lord of the North
Now ravens feast on my Lord’s breast

Hail to Cunedda
Pillar of Prydein
He was the shield of his people

Deadened my heart
My soul is broken
To funeral field we bring our Lord

A gentle Lord’s body we bury today
A cairn we raise above him
Mighty hero of Gwynedd

The feast hall silent
The mead-song stilled
Now rest, Cunedda, brave Lord and king

So in Round 3 I have to elect a new Warlord from my retinue.

It was a bugger really, as I so nearly had the scummy Pictish blightas!!! Bloody stubborn due to bloody Pagan Priest and curse my inability to roll wound dice!! Three rounds of combat in a row I hit with all attacks in that challenge and caused only one wound in all three rounds of combat!!! Bum, bugger, Arse, Feck, etc....

Full battle write up later in the week if I can shake the hideous throat infection that has plagued me since Tuesday....

Getting 'In The Spirit' of our Arthurian campaign

2009-03-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of poetic renderings, by myself and by a fellow club member Pete Irving following our round 1 games. Pete plays with Romano British and composed a very 'Heroic' missive about his game against a Saxon warband playing my very own 'Drustan and Essylt' scenario, where the objective of the game is to capture the lady Essylt and her serving maid...

"Lo, wreaking red-ruin upon the Saxon dogs who had defiled his true love, yea, did he slay one band of a hundred, breaking them before his fury and shattering his first beaten sword, yea did he slay a second band of a hundred, breaking them before his rage and shattering his second beaten sword, yea, did he challenge the third band and ripped out the vile Saxon Warlord's spleen with his bare hands, and he slew another hundred in his anger but three hundredth-and-first's dagger found his back and Lord Castus fell upon a mound of enemy before the gates of his true love's hall. And she, held by a kinsman, lamented for the loss of her lord.... the brave Artorius Artorius (so good they named him twice) Castus. "
(Pete Irving)

And here is my own, written in the style of a Welsh poem of late Antiquity (a la 'Y Gododdin', etc) Note the...ahem....'heroic' twist I managed to put upon what was in essence an uneventful game!!!! Sheer genius, I reckon... :-)

Cattle Raid

And the Lord Cunedda,
Dragon of Gwynedd
Did come unto the fight
Protector of the land
Of Cymri and their cattle
Blades bright, banner flying, men of Gwynedd come to the war-field
Saxon slaying follows the mead-hall song

Lo Dogmail,
Of sword bright, of mind cunning
Did draw the enemy on by feigning flight
Thrice cunning, thrice running
Yet turning
To take up again the fight

And Cymri youth
Too poor for the sword-song or spear
As David to Goliath did their storm of death fall
Saxon Hearthguard bleed and die
Death falling from the heavens

Now Cunedda,
Shield-splintering dragon of the West
Calls his Teulu
Forward to the foe
Saxon Hearthguard bleed and die
Caught in mighty onrush

Now wounded and in pain most mighty
Cunedda’s anger knows no bound
Swords flash
Spears fly
Shields splinter
Saxon Hearthguard bleed and die
Flee in mighty terror

Hail to the Lord Cunedda
Warlord victorious
Dragon of Gwynedd
Protector of the land
Of Cymri and their cattle
(Andy Hawes)

Expect more as the campaign continues... :-)

Just Started My Arthurian Campaign

2009-03-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

Well, it finally happened...the start of my Arthurian campaign entitled 'Bretwalda' at my wargames club.

The campaign is a 'skirmish' affair consisting of 800pt warbands using Paul Leach's (of WI mag articles fame) 'Character-Heavy Skirmish warbands' idea. I have tweaked it slightly and have popped it below for your perusal:

· Each army (called a ‘Warband’) is 800 points.
· It must contain 3-5 characters chosen from your retinue (9 characters, up to 700pts, basic costs paid only: up to 1 priest character and up to 1 bard character allowed in the retinue). You may take as many of each type of character as you can afford for the battle. The army must be led by a hero (Romano-British Magnate or Tribune; British/Welsh Tiern; Saxon Atheling; Pict Mormaer; Scots-Irish Curadh.) This hero will be referred to as your Warlord. Those armies where the warlord character has Leadership 8, may pay an extra 25pts to give the Warlord Leadership 9. Please note that you don’t have to field the original named warlord in every game, but you must field one character as a warlord who counts as ‘army general’ for that game.
· You may field one of your heroes as an Army Standard Bearer to represent your Warlord’s personal standard. Any character who is upgraded in this way must pay 15pts to do so as per the army lists. Please note that only character types allowed to upgrade in this way as per the army lists may be chosen as an Army Standard Bearer.
· Up to 550 points may be spent on units. A unit may number between 5 and 20 models. Units may have a leader and musician if they pay 5pts for each as indicated in the army lists.
· Units may have standards (5pts each as normal) under the following conditions: With the exception of the Romano-British (they get standards for free to represent their supposed more 'military' as opposed to 'warbandy' nature), the number of standards in the army is limited by the number of Tiern, Atheling, Mormaer or Curadh models in the army. You may have one unit standard for each of the afore-mentioned heroes. Please note that an army standard does not count towards this maximum.

The lists are basically very similar to those in Age of Arthur, but simplified so that there are less choices , e.g. there are two types of Saxon army, one of Welsh, etc. I also added a point of toughness to the Romano Brit decurio to make him more survivable in the 'challenge-fuelled' environment of the battles.

The scenarios are adapted from Age of Arthur and Siege and Conquest, (except for one I wrote myself based on the legend of Tristan and Iseult) but set on 4x4 foot tables. There are multi-player scenarios for 2 players each side and these come direct from Age of Arthur except for the one I wrote which won the recent Scenario competition at Warhammer Historical.

Basically, we will play 7 campaign rounds. Each round has 6 campaign points up for grabs - mighty victory = 5 pts/1pt; close-run victory = 4pts/2pts; bloody stand off 3pts each. Each week, players are randomly drawn against each other, with winners always being drawn agianst winners and losers ahgainst losers to give every player a decent chance of winning each week.

At the end of each battle, there is a 'post-battle sequence' which gives bonuses to winning/surviving characters and units and penalties to losing/dying ones. Also, this is where character advantages are gained. You can't pick them in basic lists in this campaign.

So far, we had round 1 last week and, apart from some arguments afterwards via email about one players very cunning tactics, and it being 'not fair' it went very well!!

If anybody wants the players' booklet, I have it on PDF and am happy to email it out to fellow WAB forum users for personal use or internal wargames club use only. No publishing it anywhere!!!!

So, over the next few months, I will let you know how I get on. Although I'm organising it, I'm playing as well - there's no danger of me winning so I may as well join in!!!

My round 1 was a variant of 'Cattle Raid' from Siege & Conquest, where one has to basically escort a load of cattle off one's own table edge while avoiding the enemy.

My warband consisted of 2 Tierns (gen and ASB) and 2 Uchelwyrs. I had 13 Teulu on foot, plus 16 Combrogi, 14 combrogi and 6 sling armed pagenses - a fairly typical sized warband. My opponent fielded late Saxons and had 2 Athelings (gen and ASB) 2 Thegns, a unit of Gedriht, 1 of Duguth, 1 of Geoguth and a few javelinmen. So actually, we were very evenly matched!!

The whole battle was one of frustration... the cattle in their random movement proceeded to spend all game in the way. We couldn't get round to drive them off the table and couldn't attack each other cos they were in the way. My opponent had a mega round of javelin fire which caused my Uchelwyr 'Dogmail the Bright Sword' and his unit of combrogi to panic and flee (he'll be re-named 'Dogmail the Yellow Bellied' for the next game!!) They failed to rally for 2 turns before their 'run for the woods' made them succeed at what would have been their 4th round incapable of rolling 7 or less on 2 D6!!!

My moment of 'glory' came when my slingers shot the crap out of the Saxon gedriht, leaving my Teulu with a fighting chance of beating them...which they did in the ensuing combat (despite the Saxon Atheling inflicting a wound on my general who had challenged him and failed to wound despite having the charge!!!), but I didn't pursue, as doing so may have exposed my flank to the Duguth...except that the bloomin' cattle wandered across blocking the charge...

At close of game, I'd won, but only a close-run victory putting me solidly in mid-table obscurity. I didn't do any better in the post-game sequence, rolling mostly 'no effect' for my troops and characters...this won't do me so well in the next game when I'll be facing armies who gained some far better stuff...

Round 2 happens on the 16th March... I'll post some pics of my warband when I get a mo, as it contains a few figures you've not seen and I've re-painted some shields on some of my troops to give them a more 'Welsh' look - am especially pleased with the spiral designs on my foot Teulu!!!
Cheers
Andy

Wassup wiv da WAB Forum??

2009-02-14T01:26:00.000-08:00

Is it just me and a dodgy interweb connection, or is the WAB Forum knackered?? I couldn't get on it all day yesterday and it's still down today? Gremilns afoot somewhere, methinks!!

On a brighter note, go to Warhammer Historical's website see link on the right...) to see my prize-winning Age of Arthur scenario 'Heirs to the Kingdom' in all its glory! Yes, I won their recent scenario-designing competition and my entry is on the website...

Marvellous!!

Also, check out the next issue of Wargames Illustrated for the Cold Steel report and double page spread of pics of my army! haven't seen the mag yet, meself, but have seen the article proofs... It looks fab!!!!

Oh dear, oh dear...

2009-01-31T13:24:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok...so this ain't a wargaming post. Sorry, but I can't believe what I just saw on telly a few mins ago...

That bloody Eurovision thing where Lloyd Webber is writing the song that's gonna win us the title?

Ok, so his Royal Ugliness did the smart thing and roped in Diane 'I wrote just about all the best 80's power ballad AOR pop/rock tracks' Warren to help him...bloody genius move that. The girl is a phenonemanl pop songwriter. I know some folk think of it as sanitized pap, and they may be right, but when it comes to pop/rock songs that sell bucketloads, our Di is the one...

So tonight we get to hear this masterpiece of musical genius that will, doubtless, win the big Euro contest...

Well, I have news for Mr Lloyd Knobhead... That song is the most over pompous, West End theatre-ised poop I have heard in a long while. The thing sounds like it was written for a show in a second rate London theatre!! By the sound of it, Ms Warren may have written the chorus (by far the best bit of it!) but the verse is all typical Lloyd Webber show stuff and with the big schmaltzy production and that oh-so-formulaic key change....I just wanted to throw something at the telly....

Last place and 'nul points' beckons again, methinks...

Oh well, time to go and dig out those 80's John Waite, Cher, Bad English and Aerosmith CDs to hear Ms Warren in all her glory again...

On the painting front, a break from all things WAB....I have just assembled the models for a new Mordheim warband. I've gone with Norse...a rather less 'chaotic' Chaos Marauder-type warband, which has been fun with the old plastic glue and stuff. Did me a cool conversion of a 'Wolfen/Ulfwerenar' (depending on what version of the list you read) from a Chaos hound body (top half and legs) and a plastic Marauder's arse, along with a LOT of Greenstuff...

At our club, we usually start with 700 point warbands rather than the official 500, as it gives folk a chance to upgrade a few models and means that you get interesting lists quickly, rather than waiting for 8 games before your warband becomes cool.

Pics to come eventually....

Cold Steel or 'How I Know Why The Last Roman Enclave in the West Fell!!'

2009-01-13T05:53:00.000-08:00

So I went to Cold Steel (Bloody B*stard FREEZING Steel, actually...brrrr!!!!!) with My Romano-Gauls determined to win at least one game and hoping for a place about 2/3 to 3/4 down the table at close of play. How did I do? Well, the title may give you some idea, and if you've read the Gripping Beast frontpage, you'll also know. For those who haven't, here is the tale of fun and laughter amidst great woe and gnashing of teeth...

Comes Paulus sent his 750pt scouting force out into game 1 and met up with 750pts of Saxons led by Scrivs, he of the Normans who kicked my ass at Hot Lead.
The aim of the game was to claim the objective (a standing stone dead centre of table) after turn 3. The rule being that, after turn 3, if one had a unit touching it and the enemy couldn't contact it (the objective, not the enemy touching it - a teeny loophole in the scenario, IMHO...not that it matters, you understand, but just thought I'd mention it...) it was game over!!
So, I went second (yup...first bad dice roll of the day!!) and already could see a problem, as Scrivs went rushing for the objective faster than me (movement 5 Saxons...) ..his view being, run past it and block me off. So, I thought, better to attack than sit and be blocked or attacked. So I did...everything charged...and killed nothing! My attack stalled (I forgot that javelin armed troops on a hill use massed archery...neither the surviving commanipulares - javelined to death - nor the Franks could hit a thing...)
Within two turns, everything was dead...everything... Scrivs scored 1149 points and I scored 0...Horrible!! Scrivs kept apologising, bless 'im and I was laughing at the sheer stupidity of it..every attack dice I rolled failed to hit, every break/panic test I rolled went bad...!! Anyway, it was so bad, so horribly one-sided, that we replayed it 'for fun' and even though the 'loophole' meant I lost again, we just kept playing and by end of turn 6, the Romano-Gauls were in possession of the field... I felt a bit better!!!

On to Game 2: Flank attack. Self-explanatory scenario, although one could hold off from making a flank attack if one wished, with one's 'flank force' arriving on one's own table edge in turn 3. As there was a possibility of the flankers never arriving (roll a 1 on turn 5 onwards...) I opted not to flank...some of you know me and ones on a D6!!! This game was full 1500pts and saw me against Tom Webster-Deakin's (TWD on the WAB forum) Saxons. This was more like it!! By turn 3, I was looking in trouble (again). I had Franks fleeing (I am gonna see the paymaster about hiring some other hairy-assed barbarians at this rate!) and the Saxon flankers were on. However, a titanic struggle erupted in the centre where my Commanipulares and the Saxon Gedriht got stuck in. Here's Tom's Gedriht, awaiting the onslaught...

Next to it is a wide-angle view at the same moment, also showing my Franks bravely b*ggering off while my cavalry actually threaten to do something useful (knowing my skirmishers are about to get mullared.)

It was a slug-fest...the Cyning killed my Comes in a challenge. I survived the panic tests and my ASB took over, finally finishing off the Saxon king (the Comes had inflicted 2 wounds before being hacked down) having killed his opposite number in a challenge too!! Huzzah!!!! Having 'Loyalty' was a TOTAL bonus, as I lost the combat in round 2 of this fight, but loyalty kept me in it and with the death of the Cyning, Saxons began to flee. I'd turned it around!! By end of game, I had won by almost 700pts. It had been a cracking game, swinging this way and that, and Tom was a great fun chap to play...we had a blast!! The Franks were totally shite, though...heavy throwing spears were not much use in this game...!!!!
So, two games down and 1 victory, 1 massive defeat. Not bad.

So to game 3: Outscouted... Basically, I lost the outscout roll and had to deploy my whole army, leaving my opponent (Martin the organiser) to deploy afterwards. He had Romano Brits - an odd army. No commanipulares, but a shedload of milites and pedyt, all armoured, large shield and thrusting spear, with one unit of equites and LOADS of shooty stuff/skirmishers.
I didn't play this very well, as I decided that going headlong into that shieldwall wouldn't be great. So I attempted to outmanoeuvre and outflank...with far less units and troops than Martin had!! Doh!!! It was obviously doomed to failure, but I did manage to entice 1 unit of milites into combat out of shield wall and that was where it got silly. My charge angle was not great, so only my general and one other figure (3 others in round 1) could fight...in 2 round of combat, despite hitting & wounding on 3's, I had scored no wounds!!!! It was shocking! Eventually, I did carry the combat, but it summed up my luck from game 1 and indeed the day. At game end, I felt that I'd basically saved what could have been a disaster but should have been better. I won by 260 odd points. Puny, but still not a defeat...and Martin's a nice chap to play against, even if he does keep getting WAB 1.5 and WAB 2.0 mixed up...yes, he's obviously a playtester, but I promised I wouldn't let on about the thing he let slip, even though it's only very 'tiny'!!!! :-)

Then to Game 4: Rearguard. 1000pts of me versus 1500 of hideous later Saxons - sorry..can't remember the player's name, but he had a killer painted army of Almoravids at Hot Lead!!!
Anyway, I just had to survive...why, oh why didn't I have my Welsh cavalry instead of slow Romano-Brit foot!!???? Anyway, I chose to deploy where a hill gave me some chance of a shieldwall protected by woods, but it was a waste of time. He had his Gedriht mounted with mtd raider and shot the hell out of me, while I couldn't get him to fight when I wanted him to, with him eventually charging in to finish it off..his infantry were still out of touch, but some mtd Duguth were skirmishing up my rear (ooer). He challenged my Tribune...who foolishly accepted (well, it is Age of Arthur) and was slaughtered. The whole army then failed its panic rolls and ran, to either be chased down in pursuit or charged down while fleeing. I lost by about 1600pts to 36 (I killed a unit of slingers!!!) I was stupid really. My commanipulares had loyalty, so if I'd have accepted the challenge with the ASB, they'd have held and it may have been a bit different (although he told me he had Hail of Blows ready for the next round of combat...5 attacks hitting on 4, wounding on 2...ouch!!)

So, another colossal defeat, meaning that, although several players lost all 4 games or 3 games and I only lost 2, I actually came LAST!!!!!!!!!!!!
Still it didn't matter! In fact, it was a bonus, as I won a pack of saxon models for coming last - the 'casualties and killers' pack by GB - marvellous!!!

I think that the army selection was partly at fault really. I tried to play aggressively with an army that is far better suited to defence. They are too slow to get the drop on Saxons, etc (8" charge against 10" for the enemy and you have to keep the Franks in check otherwise the battleline fragments...). I'd have been better with mtd commanipulares (knight commander & professional) and more units...and thrusting spears on the infantry. I could then have held a shieldwall centre and outmanoeuvered with kick-ass cavalry...it would have been better tactically and would have suited my style of WABbing better, I think. The Franks look lovely, but not in this army!! They'll be used again, but masquerading as Saxons alongside some Welsh probably at some point!!!!

I also had some atrocious dice rolls at crucial moments in games 1, 3 and 4 - we all have them, but I excelled myself today! Martin couldn't believe it in game 3!!!

Also, I didn't play terribly tactically in game 3 and in game 4, made a stupid heroic decision...

Best news of the day was that Wargames Illustrated magazine had their official photographer there and he took LOADS of pics of my army for the mag, voting it 'best painted army' (I won a year's subscription to the mag!!) and Rob Broom took my army away to Nottingham to be photographed to go in the WAB 2.0 rule book! How cool is that!!!!!!????? Marvellous news indeed and I do feel a little bit proud, I must admit. I shall bask in the limited glory that allows for a while..after all, I can't bask in any gaming glory, can I? :-)

So, all in all, a bloody great day as always, despite the result!! Won 2 (well, won 1 and drew 1 really) and lost two, so no worse than usual in some ways, but the severity of the defeats meant last place!!! But as you all know it's not about that. It's about the fun and I certainly had that, as always!! Thanks to all my opponents, to GB and Martin for the organisation (oy...where woz the early morning donuts, boys??) Here's to Hot Lead in the summer!!!

Here's some more pics from various games...First, James Morris' Irish...

and various unidentified other shots...

Romano-Gallic Army, 460-486AD

2009-01-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

This is the army I'm taking to Cold Steel next week. It's meant to represent the army of the Roman enclave of Aegidius and Syagrius in Gaul around 460-486AD. As a result, it's a predominantly Roman army with Frankish allies and is taken from the Age of Arthur Romano-British 'Twilight of Britannia' lists, as recommended by the authors for the Romano-Gallic armies of the period.

First, here's the General: Comes Paulus Aurelianus (the 'Count Paul' from Gregory of Tours' History of the Franks).

Here is the Army Standard: Decurio Quintus Ambrosinus.

Now the Commanipulares: Legio Honoriani Gallicani:

Now the Roman infantry (milites): Auxilia Gallicani Iuniores:

Here is the Frankish Antrustio Marcomir and his Franci: Foederati Franci:

And now a shot of the whole army. The cavalry and skirmishers have appeared elsewhere on this blog amongst my Welsh army.

All models by Gripping Beast. All banners and shields hand painted as always.

You can look forward to a report after Cold Steel. So far the army has played 3, won 2, lost 1!!!!

A Wargames Butterfly...

2008-12-07T00:04:00.000-08:00

There is another blog out there that I occasionally visit, that is called 'The Life & Times of a Wargames Butterfly'. It's a truly apt title for describing a syndrome that affects many gamers - that inability to stay focused on any one period/project for more than 5 minutes. And, yes...true to form, I have been afflicted with the same!!!

I have been trying to paint my El Cid army for about 4 years now... I start...I do a bit, then something else comes along. First, it was Legends of the Old West and various events where Caesarian Romans were required...then came Age of Arthur, which turned my world upside down and which I'm STILL painting loads of models for!!

So anyway, I got going again and have now finished two units of Caballeros Hidalgos and the characters. See pics below...

However, I just can't settle to it... I have a unit of jinetes, 2 units of Andalusian cavalry, 2 units of archers and two of spearmen still to do... I just can't get the motivation to crack on and do it exclusively. You see, there's Romano British foot commanipulares and Frank allies to do... (I've decided I am taking that army to Cold Steel - see post below. I'm using all my German tribes figures that lurk within my Welsh units as Franks, with, hopefully, a few new models thrown in if I can get them done in time) The commanipulares are almost done. Just armour, weapons and shields to do. Then I have to paint the Romano-British and Frankish banners - 4 in total - and the army is useable...well...I could use the same banners I use with my Welsh, but I want very 'Roman' looking ones, really, so I hope to get those done soon.

And then there's colonials... For years, I've wanted to do some 28mm NW Frontier multi-player stuff at the club. I have gazillions of Old Glory Pathans sitting in a box and the advent of Army Painter dip (and a fab article about using Legends of the Old West as a Colonial set in 'Battlegames magazine) has finally convinced me to do it! Pathans worse mostly off-white, so it's a doddle!! White undercoat, basecoat fleh and weapons, the occasional coloured turban or sash, plus a few blue tunics (some clans wore blue, apparently) and DIP, DIP, DIP!!!! Trouble is, I've got about 150 of them to do... Then there's the Brits... Castaway Arts in Australia were the source of my British and Sikh companies. I tell you...if you want nice Colonial figures and a splendid customer service, use these guys!! The sculpts are not 100% perfect (long arms on some models) but I defy you to find models with a better period 'feel'. They are absolutely lovely!! And Gerry, who sculpts and runs the show, did me a super deal!!! I spent $200 (£80) and he sent me the stuff post free from Oz!!! Not only that, but the communication was friendly and of the highest possible quality. Recommended!!! Anyway, these models are also getting the 'dip' treatment...

So there you have it. Romano-Brits, Colonial Brits and Pathans, El Cid... I am flitting like the butterfly of this post's title between the three projects which means that neither really gets the time it needs... Still, Cold Steel has focused me on ensuring the Romano-Brits get the lion's share of this month's time.

I hope to post pics of the commanipulares and milites before Christmas.

And lastly, on a completely unrelated note. Those of you who like rock music (esp of the 1980s US variety) may be interested in my MySpace site, where I have begun to post songs recorded by myself and a few of my mates. Go to www.myspace.com/andyhawes9 So far, there's one complete song up there, but we intend to complete another in the new year (only bass and vocals left to record) and there are loads more written and ready to go - time permitting!! If you like what you hear, leave a comment...

And that's another reason why the painting doesn't always get done!!!! :-)

See you soon...

Saxons and Romano-Brits...

2008-10-03T04:17:00.000-07:00

I've posted a few pics of these on the WAB forum, but here they are for those that don't go there often. These are the second batch of Saxons I've painted as a commission. GB and musketeer minis and a total joy to paint!!!

Next up, some Romano-British Commanipulares with 'finest armour'/Belisarian Byzantine Buccelarii (I can't bloody spell that word!) I love multi-purpose Dark Age figures!!! These will be the mounted commanipulares in my 450-486AD Romano-Gallic army (Twilight of Britannia lists). I'm halfway through the foot version and have a unit of 24 GB Saxons and German tribesmen that I've set up for Frank allies awaiting painting. Trouble is, I'm on an El Cid thing at the mo, so Heaven knows when this army will be playable. I am thinking of taking a Romano British army to Cold Steel in January rather than my usual Welsh, as some of the Welsh foot can easily be used as milites/Pedes. It would have been nice to take the Romano-Gallic army, as it's a bit of a good 'un, but I must do some more El Cid painting first...

Anyway, the models....Most of the barded models are my late Roman cataphracts with a 'refreshed' paint job (toned down leatherwork, uniform colours and shields to match the rest of my Arthurian models...) All GB models, by the way...

The next post will be the characters and two units of Caballeros Hidalgos for my on-going El Cid army. It'll be a little while yet, but I'm doing quite a bit of painting while junior tries to avoid going to sleep in the early hours...the record so far is painting horses at 4.15am....

My latest miniature!! :-)

2008-09-14T01:37:00.000-07:00

It is with great pleasure that Lucia and I announce the arrival of our son, Cameron Jack Eric Hawes (Cameron cos we like it, Jack after my grandad, Eric after my dad) into this world....

He arrived today at 4.52 am after just under 10 hours labour. It wasn't easy and he needed a bit of help, but he's here and he and his mum are now doing nicely. His dad is still in a daze!!!

Without doubt, my finest work yet... :-)

A Rather Spiffing Surprise!!!

2008-08-08T00:39:00.000-07:00

Bought the new 'Wargames Soldiers & Strategy' mag while on a shopping trip in Stamford yesterday (buying a host of jungle animal toys for Junior's 'jungle themed' nursery, dontcha know...)

Anyhooo, I knew that this issue contained an article by James Morris about the Picts, so I figured that was a 'must read' (and I was right...outstanding article...easily the best written I've seen in that magazine and better written than most of what currently appears in WI as well...Informative, suitably 'informal' writing style, backed up with a wide variety of references, good bibliography and minitures guide...top stuff...Well done, Mr Morris, sir!!)

Anyway, was reading through said article and there, on page 44, was a LARGE picture of a unit of my Northern Welsh Combrogi (taken at 'Struggle for the North' last year, I believe!!) Bugger me! Bit of a surprise!! (although, I knew that Mr Guy Bowers had taken quite a few shots of the army on that day...)

Other pics in the article are from the League of Ausberg's Arfur collection, (amongst others) so am in esteemed company there!

Anyway, I had no idea that was gonna be happening til I read it, so thank you, authors, photographers and ediitors of WSS...

World domination surely awaits......

Hot Lead...The Run-Down

2008-07-24T01:16:00.000-07:00

It's a long, long way to sunny Evesham (two hours plus drive) so we had to set off at 6.30am on Sunday... My wife reckoned it's all good practice for the lack of sleep I'll get when the nipper arrives...whatever!!!

Anyway, myself and my friend Carl (with his nasty Normans in tow) arrived at Beast HQ at 8.30 to be greeted by a far too sprightly James Morris, as well as various members of Da Beast's team...

After coffee and croissants had woken us all up, we kicked into game 1; Disaster at the Lake. This was a 1500pts v 1000pts special with a twist. The bigger army in march column along a lakeside road, amubushed in fog by a smaller army (yup...it's lake Trasimene, really...) Trouble is, visibility is limited to 2" and every time an ambushing unit wants to move it gravitates 45 degrees left ona D6 roll of 1 or 2; right on a 4 or 6.

I was playing against Nick Buchanan and his Age of Arthur Picts (superb historical match up...the king of the Northern Welsh taking on the Picts near Hadrian's wall...marvellous!) and I was ambushing. He put his nobles with all the nasty characters at the front of the column (the object is to get as much off the short table edge as possible) and in my deployment map, the Welsh Teulu were lined up against them. This wasn't good cos at 1000pts I couldn't afford a Rex and every character in that front unit would eat my Tiern army General for breakfast... So, don't roll a 1 or a 2 for the Teulu Andy....Oh Bugger!!!!! That's be a 2 then... Yup, The Teulu crashed into the stubborn (yikes! Didn't realise THAT!) Picts whose General issued a challenge. I refused, and STILL won the combat but stubborn kept the Picts there... That combat then dragged on for several turns until I was pretty much forced to accept the challenge and fight the Pict chieftain...with predictable results..one dead General and one fleeing Teulu, down to 4 men so couldn't rally... Shame, cos I'd utterly destroyed most of the rest of the Pict army with one foot combrogi unit and one mounted combrogi unit!!! So, defeat in game 1, but a fabulous see-saw game and Nick is a top opponent who I would happily choose to play any time at all.

Game two: The River Crossing: 1500pts v 1500pts , the 'capture the ford and bridge' thing from 'Arthur'. I've played this dozens of times, but never against bloody Normans!!! My opponent, Scrivs from the WAB forum, had deployed a mass of milite units, most heavily armoured and each led with a comes and I knew I was bolloxed from the start! So I played a game of cat and mouse. Predictably, when his troops caught me, it was a mess. On his first charge, I lost 9 men in one unit!!!! One comes left a unit and single-handedly destroyed a unit of mtd combrogi by killing 2 or 3 each turn, making them FBIGO then pursuing and doing it again... My one moment of glory came when he charged my Teulu with 8 light armoured milites. The Teulu lobbed javelins, killed 2 and in the ensuing panic test the Normans skeeddaddled!!! Fabulous result!! By this time, I'd got the Teulu, one unit of foot combrogi and one of mtd combrogi over the river, out of harm's way and claiming the bridge, but I'd lost the ford. So I lost, but only by about 150 pts, so I was pleased. From what I thought was a total no-win destructo-fest, I'd managed a close-run defeat... Scrivs was another top class opponent and if he picks an army other than nasty Normans, I'd play him again any time too!!!

So, 2 games down and 2 defeats...not looking too good!!! So, to game 3: The Miraculous Shrine. In this game, my 1000pts force was facing 1500pts of early Saxons from Arthur. Great! This is my sort of game! I deployed my shrine behind a small wood and chose 24 combrogi as 'guardians'. They have hatred and have to stay within 6" of the shrine, moving back if lured away by warband, etc... Any unit of mine fleeing within 6" of the shrine rallies immediately.

This game was against a chap called Adam Holmes and was even more fun than the game against Nick! Adam's army had a sh*t-hot nasty unit of Gedriht including a priest who made them 'fierce', 2 units of Geoguth and one of Duguth, plus assorted crap skirmishers and a single unit of 5 mounted Geoguth deployed on his right flank. He deployed bang in the centre with the aim of coming round the wood and overwhelming the guardians by sheer weight of numbers. However, the Welsh had other ideas!! I deployed the Teulu to the left and the mounted combrogi to the right. In my first turn, I charged the mtd Geoguth with the Teulu and killed them all. I wiped out the skirmishers with the mounted combrobi and then the fun began. My entire strategy was to use the mtd combrogi to draw the fierce Gedriht and Geoguth out of their attack, while the Teulu took what units they could to pieces. It worked like a charm! In the event, 2 units of Geoguth eventually charged the guardians of the shrine, but hatred and unmodified Ld 10 kept them there until the Teulu arrived to hit the Saxons in the flank....that was pretty! Lots of very poorly Saxons!!! The fearsome Gedriht never got a look in, being shot to pieces and led a merry dance by the mounted combrogi - it did help that they failed 3 'fierce tests' though. I was very pleased with the way I played this game and for the first time in a while, I completely out-played and out-thought an opponent. Adam tried very hard, but I beat him good and proper, winning by a very substantial amount of points, although if you'd have popped by the table at any point, it looked (and was) a fierce contest. One of the best games of WAB I've ever had, actually...and I'd happily play Adam again as well. He took his punishment very well and seemed to enjoy the game as much as I did.

So to game 4: Against Bill Smith and his Shieldwall Scots! This time we played 'Ambush' from Age of Arthur and I was strung out in column facing the Scots. Like all Shieldwall armies, the Scots have HIDEOUS characters and it was pretty clear from the army list that if I fought and got bogged down, I'd be in trouble, and, seeing as the object was to get off table, I decided not to fight, but spent all game dancing light cavalry around the Scot units. I think Bill found it very frustrating and I can't say I blame him! He wanted to fight anmd I wouldn't let him!! Again, he used the tactic of charging a Mormaer out at some infantry and slaughtered 3, forcing an FBIGO test that took them off table, so in the event, My characters and cavalry got off (which was my big points) , but the foot didn't. So I won, but not by a colossal margin. It wasn't quite as satisfactory, because I don't think Bill enjoyed it as much as I did..so apologies to the good fellow if that was the case!!

I was pleased with the way my cavalry tactics are evolving, though, as in all games where light cavalry came into their own, I played them very well.

So, two wins and two defeats against 4 great players. A fabulous day's gaming once again.

A mention must be made of the winner of 'best painted army'. Bob Lorton fielded BTGG Ostrogoths and what a fantastic army! The mounted comitatus were unbelievable! I know that Nick Buchanan (my first opponent) is doing a write up for Wargames Illustrated and I hope that a pic of Bob's army makes the cut, cos it was STAGGERING!!!

Da Beast are trying to ensure that Cold Steel in January is an Arthur only event, which I will make every effort to get to, as it was the slight imbalance of the BTGG and Shieldwall armies vs the Arthur ones that might have caused some individuals a problem (it certainly made my 2nd game very tricky...)

Huzzah!! Hot Lead!!!!

2008-07-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

Just got back from 'Hot Lead' and you'll all be pleased to hear that the Sword in the Stone vignette won the prize for 'best shrine'.

Bloomin' marvellous!!!!! Nice Gripping Beast plaque was the prize there.

Then I won a lovely little pre-painted dark age hovel in the charity dice-off. It was worth 15 quid...I spent a tenner on dice...so got a spiffing little hut for bugger all!!! Result!!

Also managed two good wins and two defeats with the Northern Welsh, so am well chuffed!

More detailed report to come tomorrow cos I'm too bloody knackered to write one now!!!

Yup...Still alive...still here...still painting.....

2008-07-13T13:05:00.000-07:00

Cor, doesn't time fly when you are up to eyes with work, pregnant wife, nursery decorating, work, organising stuff for the wargames club, work, visiting family, work, more work, going to a couple of concerts, work, giving a mate guitar lessons, recording some songs with your mates on your fabulous new home recording studio, work..oh...and a bit of painting...oh and did I mention work???

Anyway, yes, I am still painting, much, I'm sure, to Tony's delight (you remember, that patient man who I promised to paint some saxons for?) Anyway, the second unit of Saxon Gedriht is well under way, although I can't seem to get in a good stint at them.

When I paint, I like to have a period of a month where I can do an hour a day, pretty much every day. That's when I build up a head of steam and actually crank through stuff at a decent rate. Sadly, I haven't really managed to do that since about February, so my many projects have all suffered horribly.

Anyway, the one thing I did manage to complete last week was this...did it in two evenings one weekend...mega quick time for me!

It's a 'Sacred Shrine' vignette for Gripping Beast's Hot Lead event next weekend. Basically, it's one of Martin Gibbins' cunning little WAB scenarios where a 1000pt army gets to try and take on 1500pts worth in a totally unfair scenario...it sounds awful if you are one of the '2000pts, pitched battle tourney' types, but I love it! Really makes you think.... Anyway, for this scenario, 'Da Beast' are providing shrines, but have given the option for players to model their own themed shrine to take along. Apparently there's a 'best shrine' competition too!!

As I'm taking my now almost customary Age of Arthur Northern Welsh (Kingdom of Rheged) army, I thought that I'd do some sort of 'sword in the stone' vignette set on a barren, heather strewn rocky outcrop somehere near Hadrian's wall', and here's the result!

Rocks courtesy of my neighbour's garden, heavily drybrushed with Foundry Granite. Sword by 'Da Beast' simply stuck into a hole I drilled into the rock....Merlin, courtesy of West Wind; heather courtesy of the big pack of clump foliage by I can't-remember-who that's in my 'stuff' box, with heather flowers dotted on with Foundry Winestain red light...

Enjoy!!

Saxons coming early August once I've taken a day or two off work to complete the little blighters!!!!

A Grand Day Out....

2008-05-05T05:43:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Just got back from a delightful morning out at Flag Fen (prehistoric/Bronze age historical site) near Peterborough.

Being Bank Hols, they always have some sort of event on, and this year it was 'Britannia' the Arthurian society doing a Romano-Brits vs Saxons re-enactment. Well, you know me and all things Arthurian - red rag to a bull, really - so I dragged the missus out and off we went.

Now, I've seen Britannia before. They were at Salute a couple of years back and were pretty darn good too! Today 's extravanganza was pretty spectacular, as not only did we get a full-on skirmish, but the Saxons arrived across the lake (hey..it is the Fens!!) in a re-constructed curragh (hide-boat). That was pretty special, I can tell you!

Anyway, the narrative went something like this:

Saxon warlord arrives in his curragh demanding that the local Romano-Brits allow his people some land to settle on. Foolishly, they tell him to b*gger off and a few harsh words are exchanged (not to mention a few arrows, one of which came perilously close to one of the Saxon oarsmen's ears!!!)

The Saxons land and march on the Romano-Brit forces who attempt to defend their camp. Sadly, Saxon reinforcements arrive and the Romano-Brits get their a*se kicked big stylee and the camp gets looted!!

Here are some pics to support the narrative...

Pretty cool, I think you'll agree...although you'll also note that I did not take any pics of the victorious Saxons after the battle... You know me and Saxons!!!!!

If you like this sort of thing and ever see 'Britannia' advertised near where you live, go see them! It's a spectacle not to be missed!!

Wargamers are a strange breed...

2008-05-03T11:11:00.000-07:00

I've just come from the WAB forum where there has been an, erm...'interesting debate' about a rule called 'ferocious charge'. Now, for the non-WABbers among you, let me explain... It's a rule that's meant to show how nasty a bunch of medieval knights was when they charged headlong into their enemy...note the word charged in that sentence...

Anyway, sadly, the actual 'rule as written' states that any unit with the 'ferocious charge' rule will, when it wins a round of combat, immediately cause its enemy to break and run without any of the usual 'do they run or stand' leadership tests... Note that it doesn't say that the unit actually has to be charging to do this when it wins the round of combat...and therein lies the rub!!!

Now, I've played a few games against folk with these 'ferocious charging' knights and every time, the player has used the rule when his knights have charged...makes sense...the charge is hideous...they hit hard, win big, my troops run like b*ggery!!! If I ever do hold the charge, never, never (and I repeat) NEVER has my opponent then claimed the rule in subsequent rounds of combat when his knights aren't charging!! Quite right too....jolly fair and sporting and everyone's happy...even though I'm usually being slaughtered at the time...

Now, some folk on the WAB forum were actually trying to justify how the knights could still claim to be charging ferociously (and thus winning and autobreaking/slaughtering their enemy) even when they weren't charging (!!!!???) just so the 'rule as written' makes sense. WHAT?????!!!!

Bloody hell!! Anyone with an iota of common sense can see what a load of utter tosh that idea is..How can a unit be ferociously charging when it isn't charging???!!!!!!!! Why didn't the errata guys at Warhammer Historical spot this utter buffoonery and actually write the errata properly?

It is difficult, though...Imagine that you are facing one of thse guys at a tournament and they pull that one on you? You can't argue it cos the 'rule as written' means that they are right... What happened to common sense? What happened to 'sporting??? Let's just hope that no-one actually ever does that... I'm sure that those guys who were arguing for it actually wouldn't...not really...

I mean, just how badly do some chaps need to win a game of toy soldiers???!!!!!

Anyway.....no painting updates cos I've been up to my proverbials in it at work, not to mention gardening and stuff at home! A few Welshies and Romano Brits awaiting completion from ages ago, but nowt new really started beyond the basing and undercoating. Unlikely to get much done over the next month either the way it's looking, so sorry about that! Will update as soon as I can...

Work/life balance...what's that?????

More pics and Salute....

2008-04-20T02:28:00.000-07:00

Good morning All...

Thought I'd whack a few pics up this morning, seeing as how I've completed the new Romano-british army standard bearer to go with the Ambrosius model I posted earlier. I've also popped in a couple of shots of the two characters in with their unit.

It's quite amazing how much difference a few different models in a unit can make. The unit below is basically my British Kingdoms Teulu, but with two different characters and a different leader (the chap with the cataphract armour and face-covering parade helmet), a different standard bearer (with the Draco,) and a chap in the back rank with an oval shield who doesn't normally get used in the Brit kingdoms force. The whole unit now just looks much more 'late Roman' which is, of course what I was after...

Salute was ok. No pics, I'm afraid, as the missus had taken the camera with her to her friend's birthday party...I only just managed to sneak in with the above shots before she whisked it into her handbag...

Trouble with Salute is that it's just so bloody enormous. You kinda forget what you've seen after a while and it all blurs into one..

However, I must say that from an Age of Arthur standpoint, Newark Irregulars did not disappoint with the battle of Hatfield!!! Marvellous armies, stunning conversions and the biggest 28mm Dark Age village I've ever seen!! Great to catch up with James and Steve again... Oh, and apparently the Welsh won!! Yaaaayyy!!!!! (Well, apparently the victory was rather more due to the alliance with Penda's Saxons, but hey ho...)
Nice to see Mike Evans again too, whose son Tom was heroically rolling dice for the Welsh contingent! Also ran into Guy Halsall, unsurprisingly, not far from the Hatfield game!!

Other things of note: Fantastic Medieval 'Siege of Orleans' game that looked really reallly good. Must resist...must NOT buy medieval knights!!!! The Warlords' 90mm LOTR game was even better than last year's...loads of 90mm Uruk Hai and Rohirrim slugging it out over MEGA terrain... Bloody fantastic!!
A fewe other nice looking games, but like I say, it kinda blurred after being there all day!!!

The Andy Hawes award for 'spoiling what should have been a great display game' goes to the chaps doing 28mm Waterloo. Great terrain, marvellous models...but just so many of the buggers that it looked rather more like a rugby scrum! With a table half as long again, it'd have worked a treat....as it was, not so great, which was a shame...

Perry's plastic ACW went down a storm and so it should. I bought an infantry box set and for £12 it's a minor miracle!! Great quality models and the plastic cavalry are even better! I'm going to paint a dozen or so as 'Plains war' infantry for LOTOW then convert the rest to Indian Mutiny Brits for skirmish gaming. The painting will be 'basic', i.e. base colours then use that dipping stuff....should look great, as I've already run a couple of tests from some of my unpainted figure horde!!! Pics will be posted, rest assured...

Warlord games were promoting their new plastic 28mm Romans and they are stunning too! I now have 4 of the free samples through various means. If I can be arsed, I'll paint them. They are brilliant models and will sit beautifully alongside Foundry's stuff...

Oh, lastly, an honourable mention must go to the chaps with the radio controlled Action man size WW2 tanks, which looked (and sounded!) bloody GREAT!! They spent the day manoeuvering round the hall and the look on some folks' faces was priceless!!! There was one chap (about 45 years old) - typical 'stereotype wargamer' look with straggly, thinning, unkempt hair and a wild, similarly unkempt beard reaching to his chest, who literally danced when he first saw them! He reminded me of a strange 'Merlin-like figure'!! Priceless!!! But, joking aside, it does actually say a lot about the sheer quality of those tanks...even the 'action men -style' tank commanders were radio controlled, with their hands lifting binoculars, etc...the turrets turned round..the exhausts even 'smoked'. Stunning!! My faves were the Russian T34 with it's infantrymen passengers and the SS Tiger, which just looked rock hard!!!!

Anyway...must dash. The wife is due home in a couple of hours and I have to sort the house out prior to her arrival!!

See ya...

Shock!! Horror!! New painting!!!!

2008-04-06T11:37:00.000-07:00

Here are those new painted figures I promised you on 1st April (so, no Dave, not an April Fool!!) Apologies for a few blurred pics. I'm having an issue with 'depth of field' at the mo and can't find the sodding camera manual!!!!

Anyway, the figures: First off, we have Ambrosius Aurelianus, Romano-British Dux for Age of Arthur. West Wind Arthur figure with a Foundry shield on Crusader Miniatures El Cid horse. Little conversion (just the helmet plume) but a BUGGER of a shield design! I'm actually halfway through a foot version, but can't face painting the shield again!!

Next, two Welsh lords for a 7th Century Age of Arthur warband (and maybe even Shieldwall Welsh at some point...) Both converted. These are heavily influenced by James Morris (the 'heroic' basing and the Celtic spirally shield designs) although I've decided against too much white, opting for madder red and ochre as counters to the usual black and white colours...

The first one is a West wind Mordred figure with his axe removed and with a Green Stuff belt pouch to cover up the mayhem where the axe handle attached to his belt! The shield was another first rate sod to paint, but I like the result! Same with the tartan tunic...ouch... Oh, BTW, the head is a West wind Saxon head. It came with a beard: I 'shaved' it off with a fine craft knife. I am sad...very sad...let's move on, shall we??!!

The next chap is a right old mish-mash of parts! Including the shield, there are 4 separate parts to this little conversion...Can anybody spot them? This was another b*stard of a shield design, but, again, it looks well cool!

Last, some new combrogi. These are GB figs (apart from one Foundry and the muso who is a West Wind Pict - great model!) and I've gone with very plain shields (some wil have simple spirals eventually) and simple tartans on some clothing. I want a totally 'non Roman' look to these little beauties...

So, that's what I've been painting... Next up, some Teulu conversions and then some Saxons (At last, eh Tony??!)

See ya.....

Back from hols.....

2008-04-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Just got back last night from a week's hols in Gran Canaria. Last hols before the 'Hawesling' arrives!! And jolly nice it was too...

Anyway, now I'm back, you can expect a pic or two, as I'm off work all week and intend to do some painting. I have just completed a Welsh Lord conversion (a bloody good one though I say so myself!!) that I started before going on hols so as soon as I've stuck the static grass and whatnot on his base, I'll drag the camera out. Am going to tackle the other two lords (including a new army standard) along with some of Tony's Saxons and some Teulu conversions over the next couple of weeks. I also have a Saxon Lord that I want to paint...it's the GB one with the axe and the head in his hand... I've added a casualty model to his base...sans head, of course and I think he'll be fun to paint!!

The basic idea is to do some additional figures to create a less 'Roman' looking Welsh army to use for late 6th-7th Century scenarios, so these guys wil replace the more Romnao-Brit looking guys in my current army. I have some more combrogi to do that with as well. In fact I've finished the first 5 and they look good with their 'Celtic' clothing. I'll take pics of those when I get a moment too.

I'm also looking at the possibility of doing some sort of Arthurian mini campaign at the local wargames club early next year (involving the 'character-heavy warbands' idea that appeared in Wargames Illustrated or on the net somewhere late last year) and some extra Welshies will give me the ability to field three different warbands for use by those players at the club with none. I'm thinking of about 500pts of troops and about 250-300pts of characters (no Rex, Dux, Cynings, etc...just the 'middle level' heroes and below) doing skirmish scenarios (using the skirmish rule adaptations from Age of Arthur). Then there's that Tristram and Iseult scenario that I'm working on as well...

By next January, there'll be at least 4 players at the club with Arthurian armies, two of us with 5 potential warbands between us... Anyway, that's why I'm painting extra Welshies and why I'll be doing some Saxons and hence why the El Cid got put on the back burner once I realised I'd never get 'em done for WHW in May this year... Nobody at my club does El Cid so there's no point painting them yet if I can't play with them!!!!

Right... Off to the painting table...

See ya...

Progress and stuff..

2008-03-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the kind words and good wishes either in replies to the previous post or in the emails. Very kind!

Impending daddyhood is a marvellous (if slightly scary) thing...

Anyhoo...back to painting and stuff.

Am pleased to report that I've been allowed out to attend Salute this year. I'll be mostly found hanging around the Newark Irregulars table where apparently some big Dark Age Welshies & Saxons thing will be going on. (@James & Steve: I promise not to drool too much over the wonderful figures or make too much of a nuisance of myself cheering on Cadwallon and his evil Saxon ally, Penda the pagan!!!!!!)

The rest of the day will be spent trying not to buy too much and working out how to get what I do purchase into the house and past the missus!! She's being really brill at the mo, despite the associated tiredness, etc, that come with being preggers. I know that I should not rely on this though and will really try not to purchase too much stuff for fear of unleashing the beast that lurks within...

As for painting, Tony's Saxons are being based and undercoated along with some Welshies and Saxons that I'm doing for me. I can paint those in my sleep and as they are all on foot, that'll cut the painting time down. I can paint horses really well, but they take me a bloody AGE to do, so some 7th C Welsh and a bunch of Saxons will be much easier than El Cid things...and anyway, one can NEVER have enough Arfur figs!!!!

I'm doing a few nifty conversions too. Most of them are GB attacking Teulu that I've...erm...chopped!!!! I love GB figs. The new Saxons are the dogs floppsy bitz, but the 'Welsh Teulu attacking' are a bit crap really...well, no...you see...hmmmm....it's the heads that do it...they just don't look right to me! Not up to El Soapster's usual standards IMHO (sorry Soaps...) So anyway, I've removed the offending heads and replaced them with some suitably 7th Century-ish Saxon and Romano-Brit helmeted heads from West Wind (am going for the idea of a Welsh kingdom that trades with as well as fights with its saxon neighbours, hence the Saxon helmets). They look bloomin' great and fit in BEAUTIFULLY with the GB standing Teulu, (which I've left as they are cos they are fab models all the way!!)

Anyway, those are what I'm gonna be working on now, so expect a few 'in progress' pics soonish after Easter... I've decided to use James Morris' idea of doing spirals on the Welsh shields. I'll let you know how wise that idea is once I've tried a few!!!!

Right. I've an hour til the wife returns from Aqua-natal (???!!!!!) so time for a bit of painting before dinner!

See ya...

Sniffer Dogs and search parties....

2008-03-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

...are not required! Though I can see why Dave thought it might be so!

Sorry for lack of posts lately. This has been largely due to life handing me a few months where painting has simply not been done at all.

First there is work! As some of you know, I work for a Local Authority Education Team, supporting Primary schools in difficulty. It's always a job that requires many hours per week working at home, just like teaching...Well, this term has seen the workload explode out of all proportion. Which has meant I've lacked time, energy and motivation to paint. Any spare time I have had has been spent making loud noises on my guitar, as that's very therapeutic when one is stressed!!
Then there's the wargames club. Our venue (pub back room) became untenable due to the Council's decision to bulldoze said pub...VERY soon! at the same time, I was elected club secretary, just as we had to move to our new venue (a spanking room at Peterborough Museum - absolutely top notch...am sure that Lord S would approve, as it is in a class above most other wargames club venues, dontcha know!!) This has taken several hours of admin time to sort out...leaving less time for painting!!!!

Then, and this is the good bit, there's the MARVELLOUS news that Mrs Hawes and I are expecting a wee baby Hawesling which is due in September this year. HUZZAH!!!! This has meant a vast re-organisation of the spare rooms upstairs to accomdate Junior's nursery and has prompted the purchasing and building of a vast IKEA storage system in which to gather and store all my wargaming paraphernalia...father-in-law and I are completing the construction this very weekend....

So, that's why no painting updates!!!!

It has meant that I now will not get the El Cid done for Warhammer World in May, which is a bummer. However, that project will simply go back on the backburner while I consolidate my ever growing Arturian collection with more welsh and a mass of saxons (including a bunch more for my very patient commission customer, Tony, who is awaiting the second Gedriht unit for his Sea raider army.) as thereis no timesacle for them and as it's virtually all foot I have to paint, it'll be speedier than the El Cid. Also, I can paint basic Arthurian foot in my sleep, so it's easy....

Anyhoo, as I am reorganising everything, I may drag out the camera and snap some of the stuff you haven't seen... maybe the Caesarian Romans which (all 3000pts worth!) are going to the club for a mega bash on Monday evening against a Pontic type affair done using the Armies of Antiquity Alexander list. So I may snap the best units for you if I get a mo in between IKEA building this weekend...

Laterz....

More Perry Caballeros Hidalgos...

2007-12-28T08:23:00.001-08:00

Some more Perry conversions...

Here is one of my character models. Note the shield design, shamelessly nicked from an Osprey book about Normans! Also, note the sculpted lower tunic beneath the mail hauberk and the rather cool tunic border..BTW I've found a great way to do gold tunic borders: Basecoat with GW Bestial Brown and then use Foundry Ochre 'Shade' to outline the pattern, highlighting with the 'light' Ochre. Works a treat!

Now some unit shots of Caballeros Hidalgos. There will eventually be 12 of them plus the general and ASB in this unit... I really like the way the madder red and ochre pulls the whole unit together... Click on the unit pics for close-ups ...it doesn't always work on here, but these ones seem ok.
More to come shortly...

Merry Christmas

2007-12-23T23:02:00.000-08:00

To all of my blog-reading buddies, whether avid readers or casual pop-in types, may I wish you all the best for Christmas and for 2008! Wherever you are, have a good one!

After the Christmas break, expect to see a shedload more El Cid. I have almost all the figures I need now (just waiting for the fabulous Perry boys to replace the ones that their Christmas Gremlin c*cked up in my last order..despite said c*ck up, the Perry chaps were brilliant, and have sorted it out big stylee, BTW...) so I can paint with a furious frenzy! Along with those you'll see the next unit of Saxons being painted for Tony, so it'll be a busy old time...

See ya....

El Cid Spanish Caballeros Hidalgos

2007-12-21T00:09:00.000-08:00

Here are the first few models in my El Cid army. I've actually painted a few more than this, but the photos came out a bit shite, so until I can re-shoot those, these will have to suffice for you:

All Perry miniatures (the whole army will be) many of which have been subtly converted to give them flowing Andalusian robes under their mail and tassells on the shields. The round shields are from the 'bitz box'. (One can never underestimate the value of a 'bitz box' and I often pick up spare shield packs, etc for conversion purposes....)

More to come shortly...I hope to have the entire unit complete by New Year...

The Great Plastic Figure Debate...

2007-12-07T08:50:00.001-08:00

Just my 10p worth since the announcement that the Perry twins are gonna do 28mm plastic historicals....

Bloody great idea! It's always good to promote low cost, high quality and the Perry models will fit that perfectly! I guess it depends on what they actually produce range-wise, but in general, it can only be a good thing in that it may facilitate a few more folk into buying armies that they previously couldn't afford....

I actually don't think that many will suffer for it...there will always be metal ranges that folk want but that the Perry boys won't do in plastic. However, what it may do is hurt the metal manufacturers who produce lower cost but not such good quality metals for the ACW and any other ranges the Perries make... It may also make a few manufacturers think about the price they charge for their metal figs (Foundry, are you listening?) although I appreciate that the cost of metal does keep rising...and I don't mind paying decent money for quality stuff, to be honest.

Anyway, time will tell. I'm just dreading the day that the Perry Crusaders and Sudan models come out in plastic...cos the unpainted figure mountain may rise dramatically chez moi... :-) :-)

British Kingdoms Teulu on foot

2007-12-01T08:55:00.001-08:00

Here are my British Kingdoms Teulu on foot. They are a mixture of West Wind and Gripping Beast figures. Many of the West Wind figs have been subtly converted.

This is the last unit to be painted for my British kingdoms army. I still have about 20 Welsh foot to paint to make the army look less 'Roman'. I also have the West Wind mounted models to paint and these models will replace the more 'Roman' looking ones when I field the army in future. The more 'Roman' looking models will be drafted into the Romano-British units that I have begun to paint. Eventually, I'll be able to field 2 x 1500pt armies, one of British kingdoms and one of Romano-British, which will be cool. Not to mention the Saxon and Frankish allied units...

Below are pics of the whole Teulu plus close-ups of the Gripping Beast Wolftail Warriors, Arthurian heroes, etc that I've used in the unit. Other pics (West Wind figs) can be seen on the SAD WAB forum...

Next up, will be some heavily converted Perry Crusaders which are going to form my El Cid Christian Spanish army...I bought the models for half an army when the range first came out, painted a few then did nowt else. So, I've been tarting up the ones I painted back then and have been converting like crazy... Pics to come of the first few as soon as I can...

At LAST!!!! SAXONS!!!!!!

2007-11-10T03:26:00.000-08:00

Yup, here you are, Tony! Your Saxon Gedriht in all their glory! I hope that you like them. Bill...great sculpts, mate!! Such a joy to paint! If you want to use any of the pics yourself on your website, just go for it....

For those who've not come here from the WAB forum, the bucklers are by Little Big man designs and the banner is handpainted. The blond hair is done in two ways.

1. GW bestial brown, snake-bite leather and bubonic brown

2. GW Snakebite leather, Bubonic brown, bleached bone

Anyway, enjoy the pics!!

Why I Wasn't At WHW This Weekend...A Rock n Roll Story!

2007-10-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Yeah, ok...so this post isn't anything to do with wargames... Well, except that it's about why I didn't get to the Age of Arthur campaign at WHW this weekend.

Here's some pics of me playing with Thin Lizzy tribute band 'Cold Sweat' at the Peterborough 'Dedication 5' show on Saturday. The show (which takes place every year) raises money for the Rosin Dubh (Black Rose) trust that helps kids in Dublin to get off the streets and involved with music, etc. As with all previous shows, the guest of honour was Philomena Lynott, mother of Phil Lynott, Thin Lizzy frontman. At over 70, she always enjoys the shows, dancing away, leading the singing of 'Whiskey In The jar' (which the headline bands usually encore with) and generally imbibing what she refers to as 'the Holy water!' Great lady!!!

Anyway, there were 4 bands this year. As always, half the acts play 100% Thin Lizzy material and the rest play other stuff, with the odd Lizzy track thrown in. We did 100% Lizzy and I'm the bloke with the white Fender Stratocaster and dodgy bandana!!!

There's talk of us reforming (again!!) next year to headline the event, so Mr Robb Broom, let's see if we can manage to not clash events next time, eh?!!

The Last Legion

2007-10-27T04:47:00.000-07:00

Just for you Matt....

This film is worth seeing. It isn't a classic by any means, in fact it's a bit of a B-Movie in its overall look, but that ain't necessarily a bad thing! If you've read the book, there are a few similarities...the names of most of the characters and the basic plot, although there the similarities end!

The film itself is set in the late 5th Century when the last emperor of the West, Romulus Augustulus comes to power at the age of 13. At this point, the Goths under Odoacer rebel and take over, imprisoning the boy emperor and his British tutor Ambrosine in an impregnable fortress on the island of Capri. Fortunately, despite getting a right twatting by the Goths during the sack of Rome,, a handful of the Imperial Guard led by Aurelius and accompanied by a mysteious agent of the Eastern Empire, lead an escape plan, the idea being to take the boy to Constantinople. The last bit of the plan fails due to the fickle nature of the Easterners and they end up searching out the last remaining loyal legion: the 9th, based on Hadrian's Wall in Britannia.

This is playing right into Destiny's hands, as Romulus has discovered the Caliban sword of Julius Caesar, an invincible weapon forged in Britain centuries before and wanted by everybody including the vicious Goth lord Wulfila and some dude in Britannia called Wortigern...getting the pictutre so far?

Anyway, they head to Britain and there's a massive battle to end the film, although the final scenes that come after the battle really set the context of the legend...I'll say no more than that!!

The characterisation is weak...the Romans are either all noble, heroic and tragic, or treacherous...(with mostly English accents!!), the barbarians are all savage and cruel ( with Scottish accents, curiously!!) and the heroine is cute beyond belief and can swing a sword and that's all we can say about her!!! She certainly can't act!!!

The costumes are typical Hollywood...despite it being 476AD, the Romans all carry rectangular scutums with the Early Imperial insignia on them (sigh) although they do at least carry Draco standards. The barbarians are stereotypical...loads of fur, long hair and huge axes!!! The battle and fight scenes are reminiscent of Cona the barbarian (not necessarily a bad thing!) and were obviously done on the cheap...not masses of CGI, for example, but, again, I quite like that!!!

Despite the obvious flaws, I really enjoyed it! Don't take it too seriously and you'll do the same. However, expect an historically accurate story of the fall of Rome and you'll be VERY disappointed!!!!

I'm Back!

2007-10-25T02:08:00.000-07:00

Yup, I'm back and damned glad to be so too! No disrespect to any Irish folk reading this, but Dublin wasn't that great really....Some cool pubs, but as I'm not much of a drinker and can't stand Guiness, I was onto a loser really! On the plus side, the Medieval/Viking exhibition 'Dublinia' is really rather fab and rescued the holiday. Oh and the people themselves....really friendly and very helpful to two English folk who hadn't got a clue!!!

The wedding was good too, incidentally. Great ceremony, great people and great food....The bride had kindly 'arranged' with the band for the evning do that I would get up and do a number with them. Always tricky, that...you never know if they are gonna be a decent band or a bunch of melons and THEY don't know if the person getting up can really play or not... Anyway, I did Bryan Adams' 'Summer of 69' with them-probably one of the easiest songs to play and a sure-fire crowd pleaser and it went well....lived up to my 'guitarhero' persona anyway and surprised those folk who knew that I 'play a bit of guitar' but who didn't realise that I actually really can play guitar fairly well!!!!

So, one more day off before going back to work and today I am going to the flicks to see the Last Legion and then will come the frenzied attempts to finish painting Tony's Saxons and my Teulu. All being well, about two weeks should see both complete...the Saxons sooner I hope (and so does Tony, I'll bet...a patient man, our Tony!!!!)

Also coming up shortly, battle 3 in the Raiding Season against the Picts and the commencement of the club Mordheim campaign...which reminds me...I really must work out a gang and paint it...by Nov 6th!!! ARRRGH!!! Oh well, basecoats only I reckon...that'll at least stop me getting penalised for having unpainted models....I can top 'em up later!!!

Right...film starts in an hour so I'm off...

See ya...

An Even BIGGER Question...

2007-10-15T09:50:00.000-07:00

Will 'The Last Legion' film that comes out on Friday be utterly shite? Initial reviews seem to think so... Bloody shame, as the novel is a cracking read if one is an Arthurian/late Roman Empire nut like wot I is....

Nonetheless, utterly shite or otherwise, I feel that it is my duty to view it, as there are so few 'non-kniggets in armour' Arthurian movies out there that even a shite one has to be viewed.

Talking of which, Tristan and Isolde isn't a bad movie. A bit slow, but probably the most realistically portrayed post-Roman warriors and battle tactics (aside from the Irish archer on horseback...ouch...should've been lobbing javelins and ok, the Irish in the movie are more Saxon looking, but hey...you can't have it all ways...) that I've seen... Ok, I know that doesn't say a lot, but check out the scale armour, various leather accoutrements, vaguely spangenhelm helmets and Pictish shields, etc...

Worth hiring for a wet Sunday afternoon or even forking out a fiver for...no worse than Clive Owen's King Arthur, which I found mildly entertaining if only for the Nazi-ish Saxons and the pretty cool battle on the ice (armour-piercing crossbows aside!!!!!!)

On the painting front, am off to Dublin for the wife's cousin's wedding this coming weekend, so that'll slow progress down, but I have to say that the Teulu and Tony's Saxons are looking pretty darn good thus far... Cloaks, hair, shields, weapons/helmets and banners still to do....so about 2/3 of the way through really. At least the Saxons have LBM transfers for the bucklers, so that'll speed that bit up and their hair is dry-brushable, as is the fur on the cloaks, so that'll take a few minutes to do... It'll be worth the wait once they are done, I can assure you!! Trouble is, I have three banners (two British & one Saxon) to do, but I'll do those last and will make sure that I do the Saxon banner first so I can get them sent off to their very patient owner!!!!

Anyway, it's been a pig of a day, so I'm gonna chill for an hour...

See ya...

Questions...questions....questions...???

2007-10-09T10:57:00.001-07:00

Question 1. How are the Saxons and Teulu coming on? Well, you'll be delighted to hear that the answer is 'slowly, but very nicely, thank you!' Tunic patterning is all done and looking suitably posh and noble and we are now painting lots of belts, shoes and general leatherwork, after which it'll be the wooden back of all the shields followed by the cloaks. The wife is away all day Saturday, so, aside from re-stringing the old geetar ready for next week's warm-up gig in preparation for the Thin Lizzy tribute thingy, it's paint slapping all the way!!!! Not long now, Tony, if you are reading this!!!!

Question 2. What will I be painting after the Saxons and Teulu are done? Hmmmm....Dunno...Possibly slapping a paint job on some of my WFB Dwarfs, but then again, the boxload of French-Indian war skirmish models (Rangers, Mohegan allies, civilians and nasty Frenchie allied Injuns) are really tempting me... Trouble is, I have a few old colonial movies to watch on DVD and that'll make me wanna buy NW Frontier skirmish models (Some lovely new stuff by Castaway Arts in Australia...1880's British, Sepoy and Pathans...REALLY nice!! Tempting...Must resist...) Also have the latest version of '4 Feathers' picked up for a bargain £5 (I heard it wasn't great, but for £5...) so watching that will make me want to buy Perry Sudan stuff...NOOOO!!! Must resist!!!!

Then of course, there's Soapy's and Bill's Saxons which I want as allies and enemies for my Brits... Oh dear, so much to buy and so little time available to paint it all....

Question 3. Will Darrell post any more pics of painted Welshies on his 'Just Add Water...' blog this side of 2009? :-) Sorry Darrell...couldn't resist...although you are getting very close to your deadline and are probably too busy painting to take photos... How many models do you actually need to get finished now?

Question 4. Why am I waffling about on here and not slapping more paint on those Saxons and Teulu? Bloody good question for which I have no answer....

See ya....

Vengeance is sweet!!!!

2007-10-02T23:41:00.000-07:00

"The clash of swords is silenced
The splintering of shields is over.
The haunting cries of the wounded and dying,
Harsh, piercing cries of ravens gorged.
Pictish dead un-numbered.
Honour returns to Briton lands!

The River Glein runs red,
Her waters a charnel house of graveyard reek.
Scene of slaughter, heroic battle,
Forests of spearshafts lay waste to the Picts.
Urien avenged!
Honour returns to Briton lands.

Fierce was the charge of Llywarch's Teulu...
Unnumbered the foe,
Undaunted the Cymri,
The splintering shield-rim,
The war-song upholding
Dying like heroes for the honour of Llywarch.
Honour returns to Briton lands."

Aahhhh....you can't beat a bit of shite pseudo-Welsh poetry first thing of a morning!! They don't call me a literacy expert for nothing!!! (Err...actually, on the basis of that poem, they wouldn't call me literacy expert at all, but hey...who cares?)

Anyhoo folks, why am I writing crap poetry? Well, last night saw battle two of the 'Raiding Season' and the Britons have managed a close-run victory against Mike's Picts! Urien is almost avenged (see earlier post if you're wondering what the hell I'm on about) The river crossing is our's and now our warriors strike deep into the Pictish heartland, to plunder the spoils of war!

In a close-fought and bloody encounter, the Britons held the bridge and contested the ford. It was a game where both players went for it BIG style, where both our comitatus units were slaughtered, where the Picts' Saxon allies were rather pathetic and where both players had our share of very good and very bad dice rolls. In short, a bloody great game that tested our generalship and really went to the wire!!! (Especially when my Combrogi warbanded OFF the bridge in turn 6, leaving me from a position of victory, to a position of defeat!! Luckily, next turn - my last- they were able to pop back ON to the bridge and save my blushes!!! ) Now, THAT is what wargaming is about!!!

As usual, we forgot a couple of things in the excitement, but hey...not to worry! It balanced out in the end!

Anyway, the next game is 'The Cattle Raid', where I attempt to herd my plunder off the table and the Picts try to get it back!!!! A great fun scenario that I have played before as the attacker..and a great excuse to get my recently painted Gripping Beast cows and sheep back out onto the gaming table!!!!

On the painting front, slow progress, as I'm painting tunic decoration on Teulu and Saxons, but that'll be done by Sunday ready for leather work then the cloaks... We're getting there!!!!!

Right.. off to work....

See ya...

Have you tried..?

2007-09-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

Playing Age of Arthur British Kingdoms against Shieldwall Vikings?

Well....

Don't!!!!!

I did last night. I played well, tactically sound, etc, and I was given a right mullaring!! Didn't help that the bloody Teulu failed a panic test and fled off table, but by then I'd realised that you just can't hurt the Vikings. My opponent played with Norwegians and fielded 3 formed and two skirmishing hirdmen units, including 6 berserkers, a unit of bondi spear and a unit of bondi archers. He had a unit of thralls too....

I managed to draw out most of the berserkers without too much loss (lots of dead skirmishers), but let's face it. His hirdmen hit on 3 and wound on 4. I hit on 4 and wound on 5... Add to that the Hersir in every unit and the Konnagg....errr.....king chappie and...well...bloody pointless!!! In one combat, a unit of hirdmen killed 4 combrogi with berserkers, then scored 12 hits with their Hersir and ordinary attacks. I lost the combat by 9 points and I started with a rank extra!!!!!
BTW, it was a 2000pt game to give my mate a practice for the Derby Worlds tourney at the weekend. Apparently, some nasty gamers on some forum or other (not SAD WAB, of course) have been laughing at all the AoA players that are going and gleefully plotting the calamitous slaughter that will ensue when their (planned to the nth degree) BTGG and Shieldwall, etc, armies meet the AoA ones... Not what gaming's all about really is it? Where's the fun and tension of a tightly fought, tactically challenging battle..? But no...they'd rather have a spawnily-won 3000 victory points win that they can gloat about to their (virtual?) pals while planning their next beardy army list... And you wonder why I don't do tourneys??? I hope that Grahame doesn't have a hard time of it, as he (like a lot of others who go and suffer at the hands of these tossers) is not of that ilk at all....A least he's got a rock-hard army!!!!

Still, it's always good to play against Grahame...he plays very fair even when dishing out mayhem with an Army I couldn't really hurt!! He and I are gonna do the Raiding Season campaign from AoA at some point and that should be a different tale!!!! Much more balanced and great fun. (he plays Romano-Brits, BTW)

On the painting front, slower progress on the Saxons and Teulu, but then I am in tunic-painting mode now, so that takes longer. Looking good though and they will be worth the wait!!

Right, garlic bread starter has been served by the darling wife with main course not a gazillion miles behind, so I'm gonna scarper.

See ya....

A-Painting We Will Go...

2007-09-20T11:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after a long time of inactivity on the paintbrush front (for several reasons, not least of which was the fact that all my brushes were knacked...nice new set arrived from Foundry last Friday, tho...) I'm back in the swing of it. Tony's Saxons are coming on nicely and so are my foot Teulu.

Have approached it a bit differently this time in that I'm doing a mega batch-paint job, so all 20 of the Saxons and all 22 of the Teulu have their armour finished and the flesh tones will be done by close of play tonight. After that, it's basecoat the trousers and tunics before settling in to the highlighting. I'l probably do that by colour..i.e. all the blue tunics first, then all the green, etc...It seems to be speeding me up a tad, but as the detail painting sets in, I fear that'll change. Still, I'm really enthused again right now, so it's all systems go!

One thing I will say, is that the Musketeer Saxons are a bloody JOY to paint! Their faces are particularly great and I think represent my best fizzog painting ever!!! That's entirely due to Bill's masterful sculpting which allows superior fine-line brushwork...Ta Bill!!!

I'm currently struggling against an overwhelming urge to spend a fortune on those and Soapy's new GB Saxons, pics of which, painted in all their glory, caused a real froth of excitement this week, but, as I just bought a large box of GW Dwarfs for WFB (not the shitty new edition, BTW, but the 'still really rather fun to play' previous edition), I can't really justify it just yet. But fear not, they shall be purchased sooner or later....

Oh, by the way, on the 'fame & glory' front, have any of you spotted some of my combrogi and pagenses in this month's Wargames Illustrated magazine? Yup, there they are, right up in the corner of one page of the 'Hot Lead' report...No caption to say they are mine, mind you (shame on you Mr magazine man!) but, hey...a photo in a mag is a photo in a mag....

Right...better stop all this wafflin' and get back to the brush work.

See ya!

PS No pics of anything as previously promised cos I haven't had the time to get everything all set up, but I'll get round to it eventually!

A Lament for King Urien

2007-09-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, let me explain.....

Tonight saw the first game in the 'Raiding Season' campaign between my British Kingdoms and Mike Evans' (of Evans/Gleeson events and Huntingdon Wargames Club fame) Southern Picts.

It was the battle of Bassas Ford, so, retinue and army chosen, we set up for battle!!!! I was determined the attacker and basically had to start the game with skirmishers and one formed unit, plus one character against the entire Pict host. My character would fight a duel in the ford and every turn it lasted, I could bring on a unit. After that, I had to dice for arrivals...

So, I thought I'd risk the big one and took an army with my Rex (King Urien...you can guess where this is going, can't you?). He sat in the ford for the challenge backed up by his Teulu. The Picts Allied saxon Atheling stepped up to face the challenge...

Anyway, the challenge lasted 2 turns. despite going first in both turns, Urien received 2 wounds (despite Finest bleedin' armour!!) although he slew the Atheling! Now the fun started, as I failed to bring any more than 1 unit of combrogi to the field.

Bear in mind that, to win this, I have to have 3 full units across the river after 6 turns. Mike basically rushed the river and denied me crossing opportunities....eventually, after losing 2 Teulu to missile fire (3+ save...bollox!!!) I succumbed and charged the Teulu into the allied saxon gedriht..if they won, it would be ok, if they lost...flank charge by Pict nobles with more characters than is humanly possible. The Teulu slammed home and killed 9 (yes...9!!) saxons!! Result...but FBIGO of course, but out of range of the Pict nobles, so we followed up and hit them again.

By this time, I have some more troops on the table, but the Pict nobles have charged my combrogi at the ford...oh dear.

Next turn, the Teulu charge again and kill...2 saxons...WHAT? Only 2!!! And yes, they killed two back (3+ save...bollox..) except it's even worse as Mike has realised that the Rex has only one wound and showers 6 attacks at him!!! They wound and kill him!!! So much of the army now legs it and the Teulu flee with nowhere to go as they are too close to the other Picts and are therefore destroyed...Bugger!!!!

I conceded at this point as 1 unit of combrogi still hadn't arrived and I couldn't even get a bloody stand off!!!!

So I roll on the character casualty table....and get a 1...That's the Rex permanently dead then!! At least the ASB survived!!!!!

What a disaster of a game!!! (albeit a great fun disaster!!!) The chances of losing so many wounds on the Rex and Teulu with finest armour was remote, but to lose the Rex permanently was horridly bad luck!!!

So next time we have to play the River Glein..where I have to assault the ford and bridge.(my least fave scenario, as I've only won it once in 4 attempts as the attacker..although Mike did sportingly offer to attack instead) Of course, I am now without my beloved Rex Urien, so goodness knows what I'm gonna do now!!

Actually, I do know....I am going to post an entry into the great Welsh Book of Grudges and the Picts shall appear next to bloody Dalriada Irish in my list of 'most hated'....

Mike has very sportingly said that if my Tiern that takes over as general wins a mighty victory in the next game, he can upgrade to Rex, which is not in the rules but was really kind and I'll take him up on it..although I can't see it happening with the River Glein...Although, a plan is forming...I may have to be very cunning with this one...

Next game probably won't be til early October, but I'll keep you all posted...

There's always something...

2007-08-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

...that gets in the way of painting!!

Ok, so I got back from the honeymoon and there was all the gardening to do...then it was back to work and catching up on all the crap that accumulated while I was sunning myself in Turkey.

Now, I find myself talked into doing a Thin Lizzy tribute gig in October with a local band who are one guitarist down. They did it last year as a three-piece after their second guitarist acted like a right royal tosser and was sacked... They did a great job as a three-piece, but as any of you out there into Lizzy will know, one guitar just don't cut it...so I've stepped in for this year's show. This means learning 45 mins worth of stuff from scratch (except for 'Jailbreak' which I used to play in my last three bands...) VERY quickly!!!!

Anyway, fortunately, I've now learned all bar one track and we've had the first two rehearsals. It's going well...REALLY well and is great fun! ('Emerald' is a particularly good track, with its 'raiding and slaughtering' theme in the lyrics - a real wargamers' tune!!) One more track to learn and I can get the paintbrush out again. Sadly, that track is 'Black Rose' an absolute monster of a tune with some hideously complex lead guitar to unpick... Still, I have to have it nailed for rehearsal next Wednesday, so after THAT, I can pick up the brush again.

Apologies to those awaiting Roman pics and mega apologies to Tony whose Saxons still haven't seen a lot of paint...Priority job, after next week's rehearsal mate, I promise!!!!

Anyone going to Partizan on Sunday? I hope to be there myself...

Bases....

2007-08-19T23:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks to those of you who've replied ref the 20mm GW base affair... I now have innumerable options...thank goodness for that...very much appreciated one and all!!

Not much to report today other than the fact that 75% of that Caeasarian unit I mentioned on the last post are now finished! Speedy work indeed!! Trouble is, while the rain this weekend has helped the overall Roman painting, it has meant that I've not yet undercoated any Saxons...Still, looks fine so far this morning, so you never know...may be able to get out with the spray can...either that or I'll have to tidy the shed so I can get back to spraying 'indoors'...I'll need to do that for the winter anyway...Bum...shed-tidying...another job I loathe. Why do I let things get so bloomin' untidy? Answers on a used fiver.....

Anyway, Pics of Romans not far off now, I promise..

See ya

I'm Back!!!

2007-08-15T09:33:00.000-07:00

Yes folks, I have returned from my nuptuals and honeymoon refreshed, relaxed and even slightly tanned...mind you, being in Turkey, with a temperature of a scorching 33 degrees in the shade will do that to you. (And before some smart arse says owt, yes...I bloody well did get sunburned in the shade!!!!)

So, what's new, I hear you cry? Well, not a right lot, I cry back... Since Lucia and I got back, all we've done is bloody housework and gardening (oh, and whinge that we wish we were back in Turkey, sitting by the pool, endless drinks on tap...eating fine food in splendid surroundings...sigh....)

I have actually undertaken a couple of truly horrendous jobs: Numero uno: pressure jet-wash the patio, front and back...sadly, I still have 60% of the back to complete, but at least the front is done...gallons of filthy sand, moss and accumulated bird crap washed away...ugh...

Job Number Two (and possibly EVEN worse): Tidy the painting table!!!! Yes, those old paint pots that I've steadfastly refused to chuck away up til now are well and truly gone, the accumulated Greenstuff chippings, metal filings and chippings, knackered paintrushes, bits of chopped up conversion models, were all tipped into the bin. The paints have all been put in a nice new box file for easy instant access and some of Bill's Saxons are sitting awaiting gluing to the bases ready for undercoat (Are you reading this Tony? Yup, it's your Gedriht at long last!!) on a clean and bare table...how long that'll last is anyone's guess! If it lasts beyond the weekend I'll be surprised, as I'm a lazy and messy old blighter, especially on the painting table!!!!!

So, my painting plans for the next month are:
1. To start the first Saxons. The king and his standard bearer first, methinks...
2. To finish that third unit of 24 Foundry/Companion plus some GB Caesarian legionaries that I'm doing for the Crusader rules (actually, they are based on GW bases, so they can double as WAB types, but obviously in units of 18...) Talking of bases, that reminds me...WARNING: RANT APPROACHING!!!!!

Have you seen what bloody Games Sodding Workshop are doing with their bases? I used to buy them in the big bags, about 40 or so bases at a cost of £4...not cheap, but acceptable in the grand scheme of things. Anyhoo, I go into the local GW on Monday to stock up on some more 20mm ones. Except, they don't appear to have any...loads of 25mm ones, monster bases, round ones even, but no 20mm ones... Enter 'new manager type dude' who says 'I'll get you some on Mail Order, mate. How many do you need?' Well, I actually need about 20, but extras will be needed for some of Soapy's new Saxons in the not too distant, so I tell him.. and he says...'they come in at 75p for a 4 base sprue!!!!!!!!!' WHAT?????!!!! That means I'd be paying £7.50 for what I ordinarily get for £4???!!! Errr...I don't really think so!! So I left the shop, somehow managing not to tell him where to shove his 75p for 4 bloody bases.... That company gets worse, I tell you truly!!! If anyone out there knows of similar bases that I can buy elsewhere, please add a comment to this 'ere post...ta...

Ok...Rant over....Where was I? Oh yes...painting....

3: Start the British/Welsh Kingdoms foot Teulu. I'll probably paint a couple of these along with those two Saxons, and keep that ratio up as I go with both units as that'll keep both units moving along nicely...Lots to do, as always!!

Anyway, I'll hopefully post some pics of the new Caesarians (I have 2 units and a General base finished already) as soon as the 3rd unit is finished..probably two week's work along with prepping Saxons, etc....

See ya...

A Grand Day Out....

2007-07-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

Well, despite the almighty deluge that descended on Evesham at the weekend, and police warnings that no-one should attempt to visit said town, myself, Carl and Grahame made the bold decision to ignore all of that, brave the steadily advancing flood waters and head off to Hot Lead.

'Twas a decision both boldly executed and extremely well made, as:
a) the flood water was nowhere near the venue
b) although it was VERY close to the A46, it never actually blocked it (despite a supposed tidal surge at 2pm Sunday afternoon...squelch!)
c) it was a bloody STONKIN' day!!!!

Yes, following on from the excellence that was the 'Struggle for the North' day in Newark, this Hot Lead bash was magnificence personified. A hearty "HUZZAH!!!" to the chaps at 'The Beast' for organising the day and a further several "HUZZAHs" to my opponents, Ed, Karl, Guy and Bob (especially Bob...) for four of the best games of WAB I've ever had!!!!

The event also gave me the opportunity to meet the mighty Bill from Musketeer minis (Hi Bill...great meeting you at last!) as well as seeing once again a few faces from the Newark bash and other events I've been to in the past (Hi Warren, Jim, Andy, Steve, James, etc...) The other undoubted highlight of the day was being able to hob-nob with The Beast's Royal Family, Lord S even being so kind as to allow me a sneak preview of some of Soapy's new Saxons. Now, listen up folks, cos this is massive....we all know that the Soapster can sculpt a bloody good mini, but he's really gone and excelled himself this time....Rumour has it that he's been chatting to Guy 'I know everything there is possibly to know about the early Dark Ages...EVER' Halsall and as a result, he has produced THE most historically accurate, not to mention vibrantly posed little barbarian buggers EVER!!!! What with Musketeer Bill's models and these upcoming Beastie ones, Saxon players are going to be in little toy soldier heaven. Even I , notorious Saxon-hater that I am, will be hard pushed to resist buying several packs of these little beauties when they eventually see the light of day...Superb. Mr Soaps, we salute you, sir!!!

Anyway, enough of this...what you all want to know is, 'did Andy get his ass kicked again?' And the answer is a resounding 'NO HE DID NOT!' Out of my 4 games, I lost the first to Mr Ed 'quiet man' Mc Donald...we played the river crossing scenario. He had a Vortigern Romano British Civitates army and I decided that, despite being the 'defender', I was going to attack!! Not the smartest decision I ever made, as the river had clearly been swollen by the overnight rain over Evesham (It was several inches wider than any wargame river I normally use!) and my attack stalled!!!! Despite this, it was a great fun game. You can't have anything else when playing Ed...a gentleman and jolly nice chap all round...even reminded me that I could FBIGO when I forgot to do so.... Anyway, I lost by around 600pts, so a 'close run defeat' in Age of Arthur terms, but as Martin 'The Organiser' was running some bizarre (but very clever) scoring system, none of us had a clue what such a result actually meant!!!

Onto game 2! The 'Ambush (Roman Rd)' scenario. This is one I've talked about before on this 'ere blog and luckily, I drew the long straw and was the attacker. This is the game where you have to start in march column and get everyone off-table.. My opponent was a chap called Karl, quite new to WAB and using an Armies of Antiquity 'Cataphract' army. So, opposing me were two COLOSSAL units of horse archers (BS4, Parthian shot, fire & flee...groan) and the biggest unit of cataphracts (16 of the buggers!) that I've ever seen!!! Still, thanks to a dodgy 'fire and flee decision' ( the 15 man unit of horse archers fired and then fled off the table!!) that army was reduced to just 2 units in turn 2 and I strolled off table with everyone except the mounted combrogi who died under a hail of arrows. Result: a 1500pt victory to me...massive victory, but, again, with the 'secret scoring system', who knows what that signified??!!

Game 3: 'Surprise Return'. This is the 'loot the village' scenario and I was attacking with 1000pts. Now, I've changed my army considerably since first trying this and decided to go cavalry heavy, so a Teulu and 2 mtd combrogi units, 2 lots of skirmishy foot and 1 heavy infantry unit. I was playing this against Guy Bowers and his Fatimid Arab army. What saved me in this battle was that Guy didn't bring his army on until turn 4, so I got 4 turns of looting in virtually unopposed (ok, the bloody peasant defenders held out for a turn...) Having gained over 600pts by looting alone, my strategy when the Fatimid hordes approached was simple. Don't fight and don't die!! To that end, I used one mtd combrogi unit to tie up 2 units of Arab horse and 1 unit of Arab foot while the rest of my army danced away.. To be fair, Guy did destroy my skirmishers (with bloody nafatun...ugh...'orrible little blighters, them!!) but the overall result was an almost 600pt victory for me..a minor victory, but a win's a win!!!

So far, it was all going too well...a close-run defeat, a major win and a minor win...surely it would all go pear shaped in game 4??? Not so, my pretties...not so!!!!!

Game 4: Against a chap called Bob. Now, Bob is new to WAB and was playing with a rather nice little army of El Cid Spanish. This was the 'Hereditary Enemies' scenario where 2 random units hate the enemy. I ended up with 2 units of foot combrogi hating him and his king's knights (oh dear!!) and a unit of guard infantry (oh dear again!) hating me.
Now, I have to say this at this point. I've been playing WAB since it started, but this was without any doubt at all the most fun game I've ever had when wargaming! The battle was opened by Bob's jinetes charging my mtd combrogi, who fled and then failed a rally test, exposing my flank. Luckily, the Teulu stepped in and sent the Jinetes packing, chasing them down and slaughtering them when they opted to fire and flee. Luckily, my mtd combrogi rallied and returned to the fray to tie up his guard infantry rather nicely for the rest of the game. In the centre, Bob advanced into a veritable hail of sling stones that finally knocked over three of the king's knights, meaning that once the massed cavalry assault hit my combrogi, the king's unit was short on numbers and I could FBIGO from the ferocious charge. In the next rounds of combat, the Spanish king found himself in a tit-for-tat hatred contest that lasted the rest of the game, the rest of the caballeros villanos on either flank wilting under the hail of combrogi attacks and defeated by the rank bonuses. The game was decided when my Rex and his Teulu, having broken into skirmish formation, slammed into the King's Caballeros Hidalgos' rear and the Rex challenged the Spanish king to single combat. It was a tense moment...the Rex slammed home two wounding attacks, to be wounded once in reply...the very air crackling with the whirl of their sword blades...(err...sorry..got carried away there for a mo!!) Anyway, in the next turn (the Hidalgos survived the devastating Teulu attack due to 'hatred'...well actually that's a fib..the battle standard bearer was the only one still alive supporting his king at that point) the Rex slammed home with three 6s on his 'to hit' dice and caused two wounds...the Rey's armour deflected the first, but he died under the second. The surviving Spaniards (with the exception of the guard infantry) all failed their panic test, the army standard bearer was slaughtered by the British Teulu and it was all over. What a game! Bob and I had a blast throughout, as there were several cases of either dodgy or magnificent dice rolling for both of us, several combats swung hither and thither... In the end I won by a massive 1300pts, but that wasn't a true reflection on how close it had come. Without 'hatred' I'd have been stuffed, as the Spanish would have overwhelmed my centre... Bob, I hope you get to read this mate. I'd happily play WAB with you anytime...buy yourself an army from Age of Arthur...you know you want to!!!!

So, that was the gaming over. Three wins (two real big ones too!) out of four games and all great fun to play. After the charity dice-off, I was delighted to win a large ornamental boar as the prize for 'best painted army' (James Morris also won this category...esteemed company I'm in there...James' vignettes and overall army painting skills are second-to-none!) and overall, I came in around half-way up the table..a real result, as I was expecting to be around the bottom at the start of the day, so expectations exceeded there!!! I also came in better than both Grahame and Carl, so that was nice!!!!

Having said that, such a day is NOT about winning...it's about having great day. I certainly had that and would have enjoyed it even had I lost every game!

So a HUGE "thank you" to Martin and the Beastie Boys for organising the day and to everyone else who braved the possible rising flood waters to attend. I'll DEFINITELY be booking back for 'Cold Steel 08' if they run it next year!!!

On another and entirely different note, this will be my last blog post for a wee while, as I'm off to get married on Friday, so I'll see you all when I get back! Watch out in coming months for pics of Caesarian Romans that I'm painting to use with the Crusader rules, as well as some of Bill's luvverly Saxons and my foot Teulu for WAB...

See you all anon......

Work Sucks!!!!

2007-07-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

Work sucks...it's official...it's now 5 past midnight and I've only just finished writing up the first of the two report forms from my visits to schools today. I still have one more to do, but I'm buggered if I'm doing it now...and obviously, I haven't picked up a paintbrush because of it and those Welsh pagenses have to be done ready for Hot Lead...bit of a sod really, as the rest of this week ain't gonna get any better...

I'm sorry to whinge, but sometimes one must vent one's spleen...

At least I managed to finish my Hot Lead army lists ready for a mate to check for me (did that while better half cooked dinner...) as that was a job I'd been putting off. Just hope that I can actually count and that both lists are actually legal, otherwise it'll be another bloody job to do trying to re-write them...sigh.....

Anyway, now I have to drink the rest of the cocoa and then off to bed...I'm back at @*$$%!*@# work in 8 hours time!!!!

Welsh Lord On Foot

2007-07-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

For some time now, I've been wanting to convert a dismounted version of the rather fab Gripping Beast mounted Welsh Lord vignette piece that I use as my army general in my British/Welsh Age of Arthur army. You see, I rather fancy a rock-hard foot Teulu unit to give me different tactical options to the usual all-out 'banzai' cavalry charge that is beginning to characterise some of my games...(oops..giving all my secrets away... :-) )

So, after an email to Darren at GB central, I managed to negotiate a mixed pack of figures to do the job. You see, being a bit anal about it, I wanted the figure to literally look like he'd just stepped off his horse, so no difference in armour or clothing or equipment at all...tricky, you'll be saying...but no...not really. So, here's what I did...

This is the master figure that I started with: he's from a Teulu character pack...

However, he's got no shield, is bareheaded and the helmet he's carrying is the wrong one!! Also, he's got no splint armour on his legs... Ok...so, I need a new head and probably a new left arm, as trying to just remove the helmet will be tricky...Ok..no problem:

So, I sawed off the head and the left arm. I cut the arm off under the shoulder armour and then sawed very gently on the helmet where it joins the body. Remarkably, after the smallest of cuts, the whole helmet just came away!! The great God of converting was certainly with me that time!!

Then I just went to the other figures I had been given and as you'll see from the pics, chose the matching head and a good left arm to replace what I'd just chopped away...See below...

The head swap guy is from a 'standing Teulu' pack and the arm swap guy is from a Combrogi foot command pack. I fixed the head in place by glueing and pinning and the arm I just glued, as it was glued both under the shoulder armour and along the side of the body. In both cases, the joins were tidied up with a tiny bit of Greenstuff. While the Greenstuff was out, I also added splint armour to the lower legs. Before I did this though, I chopped the model off its base, as I wanted to create a scenic base with the lord standing on a slab of rock and its cast base rather got in the way. Unfortunately, while chopping, the left foot not only left the base, but also the model's lower leg!!! Bugger!!!
This necessitated a quick drill, pin and glue operation, before glueing the model to the slab of rock (actually a piece of 'slate gravel' type stuff that I ...err...'liberated' from the next door neighbour's front drive when he wasn't looking!) Repair completed, I set to work creating the splint armour with the aforementioned Greenstuff, also using it to bolster the join between the stone and the 20mm plastic base.
Now, I know that a lot of Age of Arthur players are basing all their characters on huge round vignette bases. They look bloody great when they do that, but I'm a bit of a pilchard on the wargaming front and, unless the character is actually sitting right in amongst his unit where he should be, I get ever so confused...so I've stuck to my 20mm base and will sit him squarely in the middle of his Teulu with his army standard right next to him on one side and his bard on the other!! Sad, but it helps me keep track of who's fighting who, etc...

After that, I found my last spare Foundry Arthurian shield and a GB sword and undercoated the lot. The shield I left separate until after the main model had been painted.

I then painted him using exactly the same colour scheme as the mounted variant, sticking the shield on last. And here he is in all his glory...

I hope you'll agree that he looks rather fab. I particularly like the effect of the stone on the base...very 'Welsh' and raises him up so that he stands head and shoulders above and slightly in front of his Teulu. They will not be painted for a while as this is my last major paintjob before I get married...3 weeks from today!!! Look out for the foot Teulu, complete with this chap, probably in September...

Where do the weekends go?

2007-07-01T03:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it's midday on Sunday and I haven't done ANY of my weekend jobs yet... Well, that's not strictly true as me and my s'ignificant other' collected our wedding rings yesterday from Birmingham (can it only be 4 weeks til the 'big day?' Blimey...that's come round quick!) which entailed a whole day out as it's a 2hr drive from here. Still, the garden remains a tip...it's hard to time it right, trying to nip out to cut an already over-long and very damp lawn in between the deluges...sigh.....

On a wargaming note, managed a 'bloody stand off' against Grahame's Romano Brits on Tuesday evening. We did that 'capture the bridge and ford' scenario (can't recall what it's actually called) from the Age of Arthur and I managed to capture the ford and rout his entire left flank, while he captured the bridge on my left. All I actually lost was one unit of light cavalry and skirmishers, while I pretty much destroyed all his cavalry (2 light and one commanipluares units..one light cavalryman stood heroically on the bridge at the end), his Saxon Geoguth allies and all his skirmishers. I couldn't dent his shieldwalls of Pedyt though, although another couple of turns might have done it, as I had his re-arranged battle-line nicely flanked at the end...so he granted me a gracious 'moral victory' despite the scenario's actual result. They are playing a NW Frontier game at the club this week which I can't get to cos of the sig. other's birthday...Bum!!

Anyway, I did finally manage to complete the 'chopping, glueing and greenstuff-ing' phase of my conversion of a foot variant of my Welsh Lord. I've actually made him from 3 different Gripping Beast models, with a Foundry shield and he looks the 'mutt's floppsy danglers' to put it..err...strangely!!!!

Anyway, weather permitting, I hope to undercoat him this afternoon and make a start on painting him alongside the 9 sling-armed pagenses that I picked up last weekend, as I have decided that I need them for my British kingdoms army for Hot Lead. I also plan to start work on a couple of foot Teulu models...more conversions, this time using West Wind armoured Saxon and Pict Command bodies with Romano-Brit cavalry Helmeted and Saxon Helmeted heads and, in two cases, Artizan Carolingian arms with BIG swords in hand... (I had the 'Charlemagne' pack and have nicked the horses and the mailed officer for my Teulu, so Charlemagne's and the other chap's sword arms are being 'borrowed' for two front rankers in the foot Teulu..they now look awesomely hard, even before the paint has gone on!!!)

It's gonna be a busy week, what with sig other's birthday, the Peterborough Children's film awards (yes, honestly, our Primary school kids are making short animated movies as part of their literacy studies and we have an 'Oscar-type' ceremony on Thursday...last year's was brill..) and my dad's pending 80th birthday, for which I have lots to do...AND bloody work-related stuff, which is always a right pain in the arse and really gets in the way of painting... So I don't know if I'll get much painting done. Will post pics of Welsh lord as soon as I've got him finished..and must remember to send pics to Darren Beast as well...but it may be a while!!

Right...off to Sainsbury's now and after that, the museum, where there is a 'real' king Arthur and Robin Hood on hand today as part of our 'Myths and Legends' themed Peterborough Festival..Could be interesting....

Converted West Wind Arthurian cavalry

2007-06-27T12:31:00.001-07:00

The pic above is of the Mounted Picts, on stock horses from the pack, but with assorted round shields replacing the Pictish ones, and with Romano-British heads as I wanted these chaps to represent Northern Welsh (Gododdin, Strathclyde, Rheged, etc) from the late 6th/7th century. Nice, clean castings, good poses and a doddle to paint!!!

The following are the first three Romano-British cavalry figures. The first has a Saxon helmeted head, as they are meant to be 6th/7th century and therefore not so 'Roman' looking. Note the javelins (including the extra one in the shield hand on two models.) The shields are old First Corps Republican Roman Velites shields..perfect size for these cavalry models!!!!

The horses are from Foundry's Greek range and are extensively converted with Greenstuff leather straps and brass decorations, enhanced flowing manes and additional saddle-blanket sculpting. I like the effect. The horses really fit the poses of the models (very 'Welsh' with the javelin throwing poses) and I am looking forward to painting the others, some of whom also have converted Foundry horses, others who have Artizan horses sculpted by Ebob... watch this space!!!

New Title...

2007-06-26T10:38:00.001-07:00

Have re-titled this blog due to the fact that I'm wittering on about gaming as much as painting now...

Just thought I'd mention it... :-)

A Successful Day!!!

2007-06-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

First, apologies to those expecting an earlier post...fact is I was too knackered to do anything Sunday evening or yesterday after work...

So anyway, Struggle For The North was bloody fantastic! Best day's wargaming EVER!!!! Not only was the event marvellously organised and played in the true WAB spirit by each and every one there, but I DIDN'T lose all my games!! BONUS!!!!

However, being the utter pilchard that I am, there are no pics, as I took my mate's camera...but not its battery...DOH!!!!!!

So, battle 1: The battle of Winwaed. My Welsh allied with Trev's Mercians against Northumbrians...2000pts of the buggers, with 2 (yes..2!!!) units of nasty Gedriht sitting on a huge hill in the middle of a floodplain. Every time we wanted to move we had to dice to see whether the mud squelched and slowed us down. So my cavalry proceeded to find the only dry ground on the table and whizz round to enemy flank....only to get 'squelched' just as they reached the perfect position...bugger!!!!! However, this forced the Northumbrians to detach a large part of their army to protect said flank, allowing the Mercians to punch through the centre. Result: close-run victory to the alliance, despite the loss of the Mercian Cyning in one of the most entertaining and drawn-out challenge combats I have ever seen.

Battle 2: The battle of Strathcarron: Against the Dalriada Irish. This was my worst WAB defeat EVER... I had gained the services of the bard Aneirin for this game and my opponent gained a unit of renegade Northern Welsh foot. His army was vast, spreading right across the table from the huge impassable river n the flank to the swamp on t'other flank. So I decided to deploy all my cavalry next to the river, and collapse the flank while attacking with foot in the centre. (This of course after a 'single combat' at the start of the game. Which Aneirin lost to the Irish King's Champion - he's a hard bugger!!) Perfect plan...the Irish comitatus obligingly failed a warband test and presented their front to my Teulu and the flank to a tiern-led mounted combrogi unit. Now we were cookin'... So, everybody charged and...errr....killed nobody...ones and twos everywhere..obviously the Irish king challenged my Rex and wounded him..then the bloody Irish killed enough chaps to win the combat and I even failed two flee tests needing to roll 8 or less (sob!!!). Result, Teulu and combrogi flee.. Ensuing panic causes other cavalry to flee into the impassable river and thence get destroyed...Meanwhile, all foot combrogi bounced with similar atrocious attack dice (the Irish player also had some 'Chaos lord' in each of his units rolling 3 attack dice on WS4 which didn't help any!!!) By the end of turn 4, every Welsh unit had either been chased and destroyed or had fled the table and I'd killed 4 Irish models!!! The Irish player had by this time apologised about 15 times for the manner of his victory...but he was such a nice guy and I was having such a great day that even this monumental defeat didn't dampen my spirits. However, The Dalriada Irish are now Northern Welsh enemy number one....which made game 3 interesting...

Battle 3: Degastan - The Welsh allied with...the bloody Irish (!!!!) against Northumbrian Saxons. Again, 2000pts with 2 nasty Gedriht units. This Irish player was Duncan Macfarlane from Wargames Illustrated magazine - with an Irish army that seemed to be made up of weird goblin and Sassanid figures(!!!!???) Anyway, same plan as with Winwaed, spoilt by my foot combrogi's propensity to fail panic tests and flee right left and centre! However, the cavalry did their job perfectly, tying up the entire flank while the Irish fought, killed (and died...ha!!!) in the centre and other flank. Result: Close-run victory to the alliance!!! Hoorah!!!!!

And so it was over.... The Northern Welsh came 3rd out of 6, which I thought was a real result! I won 'best painted army' which was a genuinely proud moment ( I won that lovely Gripping Beast 'Sutton Hoo helmet thingy' that is going to take pride of place in the new figure display cabinet when it eventually arrives.) and then we were off home...knackered, but absolutely buzzing.

I think that what really made it for me was the scenario-based approach (great scenarios) and everybody's attitude. I don't think I heard a rules query all day and nobody did anything other than have a whale of a time. I've already posted numerous 'thanks' posts elsewhere...

Lessons learned:

1. I REALLY like Welsh armies...the skirmishy bit is fantastic... I may be purchasing yet more cavalry models to allow me to field an almost entirely mounted Gododdin force (my fellow Northern Welsh-er, Rob Coulman, fielded that force and was more successful than me...) I am definitely going to paint a foot Tuelu and work out a 6th/7th West Welsh army list as well...

2. Slings!!! Get slingers... In fact, any javelin or sling armed models that you can!! I now have 9 slingers on the painting table to add to my British kingdoms force.

3. Characters: Foot combrogi (especially against Saxon Duguth) are at a major disadvantage without an Uchelwyr, as they are down on initiative and if they flee are down to LD5..the Uchelwyr has I4 and Ld7 so at least he can help the combat and can give them a chance slightly greater than a gnat's bollock of actually rallying if they flee.

Anyway, if I get a spare moment later this week, I'll post some pics of the West Wind cavalry figures that I painted for this event. Am also converting a foot version of my Welsh Lord model who will take up my painting time along with my slingers next week. Then it's time to paint a unit of Musketeer minis Saxon Gedriht (I'm painting those on a commission basis for someone else, but I'll post pics here as they get done.) They look as though they'll turn out superb...bloody marvellous models (well done Bill!)

Right, breakfast now...then off for another joyful day at work....

Winning Streak....

2007-06-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I took that Northen British variant to the club on Tuedsay and played against my mate Phil who is a DEMON wargamer!! He took a Saxon horde (using a variety of borrowed Vikings, etc, as he's a dyed-in-the-wool classical era player) which included something like:
Cyning
ASB
18 Gedriht
3 x 19 Duguth each led by a Thegn
1 x 15 Geoguth
2 x 10 slingers

We played a straightforward pitched battle and Phil basically adopted 'panzer' tactics, rushing everything across the board to negate my cavalry superiority. I charged him with everything and the game then settled down to several turns of slogging, before each broke the other's right flank.

The game ended with my all surviving units (all my cavalry, his Gedriht and one unit of Duguth) breaking into skirmish formation . I managed to trap the Duguth between all 3 cavalry units and destroyed them in the final turn, giving me the close-run victory. So, against an all-infantry army, I did ok... (not sure if it'll always be like that though Bill...I share your concerns!!)

I feel that I played it well, although I had more dice luck than usual. Also, Phil may be a demon player with Macedonians or Carthaginians, but by his own admission, it all goes wrong when he tries to use barbarian type armies....still, any victory against Phil is rare indeed, so I'll just be happy that I won!!!

So, I now have 3 wins and a draw out of 5 games.... Looking good, although I fear that my opponents tomorrow may well be better versed in using Saxons, etc and that I may not end up quite as successful....Still, we'll have to see! I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh, and I'll post some pics of my latest light cavalry too...can't post today as the missus has just headed off for her hen weekend (we get married in 5 weeks time) and she's nicked the camera for that!!!!!

Hope to borrow a mate's camera for the event tomorrow, so I may have some pics of that as well...

Still painting...and stuff about my army for 'Stuggle for the North'

2007-06-14T23:22:00.000-07:00

Just under two weeks to go until the 'Struggle for the North' in Newark and that second unit of light cavalry is coming on rather well. I must say that the new Picts from West Wind are rather nice...the horses are smaller than the carthorses that the Romano-Brit models come with and are nicely sculpted and posed. The riders are cool too. As they come wearing a tunic, a belt and a pair of shoes, they aren't rocket-sclence to paint, which is a relief!!! I reckon that I'll have them done by next Friday ready for varnishing on the Saturday and gaming on the Sunday!!!

Basically, the army will look something like this:

8 mounted Teulu accompanied by Rex and Uchelwyr ASB
8 mounted combrogi accompanied by a tiern
9 mounted combrogi
24 foot combrogi
23 foot combrogi accompanied by an uchelwyr
15 foot combrogi
9 pagenses

As you can see, I've gone for a cavalry-heavy force... I may need to drop a foot model somewhere, as I'd quite like to use 'finest horses' with the Rex along with his free 'mounted raider' (which the Tiern can also have...) As everybody is either light infantry or light cavalry, there'll need to be some 'ducking and weaving' to get a result, hence 2 units having 'mtd raider'...No idea how it'll work, but I'm quite excited at the prospect!!!
I'll be trying it out against a Saxon horde in few days time...we may try the Battle of Chester scenario because it sounds fun...

Close-Run Victory..aaaahhhhh...that's better!!!!!

2007-06-11T10:45:00.001-07:00

Played a cracking game against my mate Grahame last night. It was another rehearsal game for GB's Hot Lead...

Anyway, we played the 'surprise return' scenario and I was the attacker. If you aren't familiar with it, basically the attacker (with 1000pts) assaults a village held by a handful of peasants. The defender's 1500pts come on at a diced for point (Grahame's came on in turn 2-the best option for the defender!). Now, the nice bit is this. The attacker's force who break into the village and rout the perasants then dice to see if they loot or pursue. You get 100pts for capturing the village and 50pts per unit per turn spent looting or pursuing. Flipside is that any unit charged by the enemy while so doing are treated as fleeing...ouch!!! Other flipside is that looting units have to dice to reform..a LD test on their base unit leadership...hmmmm.

Anyway, I fielded 1000pts of Brit kingdoms, equating to a 10-man Teulu with Tiern as General and an Uchelwyr ASB, 2 x 20 foot combrogi, 8 mtd combrogi and 10 skirmishers. Grahame fielded a Twilight of Britannia army with bloody loadsa guys, including a large unit of allied Saxon Geoguth who he fielded as skirmishers. I attacked the vilage with the foot combrogi, each unit in 2 ranks to maximise attacks and entered the village straightaway-the luckless peasants made little fight of it!! Then Grahame's VAST army arrived...all on my left flank where my Teulu and mtd combrogi were posted...Luckily, he was so scared of my rock-hard Teulu, that his VAST attacking wing never launched an assault. So I kept looting!!!! Eventually, I had to stop, as the Saxons were getting close and indeed, Grahame's Saxons, on my right flank, destroyed a previously looting unit of combrogi in his 6th turn (after about 3 turns of combat!!) Despite a flurry of panics (my Teulu survived fleeing off-table by 1/2 an inch!!!) everyone recovered in my last turn. My mtd Combrogi destroyed his mtd milites in my 5th turn, but apart from a few missile casualties, that was it! So, a close-run victory to the Brit kingdoms!!! Yippee!!!!

Actually, it was a damned good fun scenario and I'll enjoy playing it at Hot Lead, although I reckon that most other generals would have been a bit more 'gung-ho' than Grahame, who, to be fair had not played against my Brit Kingdoms before and had heard horror stories about my Teulu, and he had only played one prior game with his army, so I got off lightly!!!

Tell you what though, these victories are a bit worrying...I've never been so successful with an army 2 wins and a draw out of 4 games....Wait til I get to Hot Lead...my usual losing streak will surely return!!!!

Anyway, after a rather scrummy dinner of sea-bass with all the trimmings, I am off to paint some more of the extra 9 cavalry I need for my Northern Welsh Kingdoms army for the Struggle for the North day in Newark on 24th June...only two weeks to paint 6 light cavalry...not looking hopeful!!!! I hate painting bloody horses!!!!!!

Massacre!!!!

2007-06-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

Just replayed that Roman Rd scenario as the defender against Carl's late Romans and got a right royal hammering... As I already knew, combrogi bounce off pedes with full kit who are armed with heavy throwing spears!!!

Luckily, my Teulu stepped in and salvaged 924 very welcome victory points, otherwise it would have been very embarassing!!! I still can't believe how good those guys are!!!!!

Am not at all sure how I'll play that scenario at Hot Lead if I get to do it as the defender, as it is a real pig...but still great fun.

On another note, am now painting extra cavalry ready for the Struggle for the North campaign run by Morris & Jones...have decided that if one is to play at Rheged or Gododdin, one might as well follow the heroic poetry and go with lots of chaps on horses...have no idea how it'll go as I've still not managed to get a practice game in and the event is only 3 weeks away. And my entirely light infantry and cavalry force is likely to face nasty Heptarchy Saxons in bloomin' shieldwall with nasty thrusting spears....and Picts armed equally unpleasantly...Oh well, I may have to just go with the flow and hope that 'captain cock-up' decides not to come out to play that day!!!!!!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

PS have painted the first of the (converted) West Wind Romano-British cavalry that will eventually be my Rheged Teulu (although probably not in time for the above event.) It looks great...will post a pic at the weekend....

And now for something completely different....

2007-05-29T01:17:00.000-07:00

One of my other 'little jobs' from the past few weeks has been doing some work for a mate who has just become a daddy... He and his wife asked me to paint a mural on their nursery wall. They opted for woodland animals... A bit of a different scale to 28mm wargame figures, I think you'll agree!!! Paints used were those little Homebase DIY tester pots of wall emulsion with colours liberally mixed to get the shades I wanted... Different, but great fun to do and, at three months old, little baby Isabelle has already begun to notice that this particular wall looks different to other three in the room... (aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh).....

1500pts British Kingdoms Army

2007-05-27T09:25:00.001-07:00

As promised, here they are: 1500pts of Age of Arthur British Kingdoms. All shields and standards handpainted...fool that I am!!!!

The Whole army. Three views.... Bit of work with Adobe Photoshop on the first one to get some sky in there...

First, the Rex (obviously Latin for 'king,' Rex is a title that any very powerful British Warlord could give himself if he felt like it and had the force to back up that claim...) with his Teulu (pronounced 'Taily' - these are his bodyguard, comitatus, etc.) I have fielded them as heavy cavalry because I can and because somehow, an Arthurian army without them just feels plain wrong, even though there is diddly-squat evidence that 'Arthur' (or any of his more 'historical' contemporaries) ever really fought with such cavalry..let's face it, the Teulu could fight on horse or foot as they needed to. In WAB, you can't be dismounting and remounting warriors so I've bitten the bullet and gone with cavalry...

The Rex is accompanied by his battle-standard bearer, an 'Uchelwyr' or minor nobleman, carrying the dragon banner.

Next, the spearmen or 'Combrogi'. The chap in the green cloak in the first pic is a 'Tiern' (high ranking nobleman.) He's there to boost the fighting power of this unit and he certainly did that in the game on Tuesday!!

These are a handful of pagenses (skirmishers) with javelins...

The Cavalry. These are mounted Combrogi, light cavalry with throwing spears, shields and javelins. I like these guys...very handy!!!

Lastly, a bard. He doesn't fit in points-wise, but he will be part of my 700pt character retinue for campaigns, so I've stuck him in these pics.

I hope you like them! I'm very pleased with the overall effect. They seem to 'hang together' pretty well, largely due to the unified unit standards (themes and colours) and the choice of red, black and white as shield colours. I'm looking forward to playing a few more games with them. So far, they've played two: One close- run victory and one bloody stand-off...

Next in line for the paintbrush, three javelin-armed mounted combrogi and four javelin-armed Teulu models for my late 6th/7th century Northern British variant...

The Thinking behind My Army

2007-05-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Before I post the first finished army pics, I thought I'd just share the rationale behind what I am doing with this army.

Initially, I was planning on a Romano-British army, simply because that's all I'd seen out there in wargame land and because what I'd read suggested that was the way to go. Also, my reading of Philips and Keatmans fantastic 'King Arthur, The True Story' really inspired that idea. It was only when the Age of Arthur book actually came out and I read the historical background, that I began to rethink. Anyway, I ploughed on, detemined to field an Ambrosian Twilight of Britannia list. I even bought additional Roman models to add to the mass of GB Arthurian/Germanics I'd already got. However, I played a couple of games with that army while painting and found myself oddly dissatisfied. I found myself playing just like I do with FOTW Romans...badly!!! So that prompted a rethink and I tried a British kingdoms list. It felt very different, with rock-hard characters, Teulu and warband infantry and I found myself playing more aggressively, and just plain..better! So I bought the West Wind models and 'British-ised' them with round shields (see earlier post) and that's the army I've completed...I simply removed the very overtly Roman troops and popped them away in the storage cabinet until I could think of what to do with them.

Then came the news that Morris and Jones were planning a 7th Century campaign day based in Northern Britain. I was really keen to get involved, but would have to field a later army.... and it was then that it struck me... I could actually do three armies in one here. So this is how...

The current British kingdoms force has 3 infantry blocks containing about 70% round shield models with the rest oval shield Arthurian range, some armoured. I figured that would be entirely appropriate for a Brtish kingdom that had started out as a warlord in charge of an old Romano-British frontier garrison who declared himself Rex. As time went on, the Roman equipment would begin to wear out, although the descendents of the original military garrison and their armourers, smiths, etc still retained their knowledge of Roman arms techniques, so some Roman armour , helmets and shields still remain in use, although only in a minorty among the combrogi. Gradually, the equipment and tactics would evolve to that seen in later kingdoms, very 'skirmishy' - lots of javelins, etc and obviously all round shields, armour very much limited to Teulu and leaders...

So, by replacing some of the round-shield foot models with the Roman chaps I've relegated to the storage cabinet and by re-arranging unit numbers, I can field the army of the Roman Military Civitas that preceded the Warlord's take-over-much more of a late, late Roman looking force.

By painting a few more round-shield unarmoured types, I can replace the oval shield types competely to field a much later force - 6th-7th century...Even better if I replace some of the current Teulu with West Wind's javelin-throwing ones.

Genius! with one an a half armies' worth of figures, I can field 3 different variant armies!

So, here's the scenario:

Romano-British civitates force: Represents the garrison of Hadrian's Wall near Carlisle-the Western end of the wall, the Civitas of the Carvetii.

British Kingdoms force: Represents the early stages of the kingdom of Rheged that emerged from that civitas, aiming for the time period of late 5th early/6th century-ideal as an 'Arthurian' force as well:

Northern Welsh force represents the kingdom of Rheged from the time of Urien onwards (mid 6th century until the kingdom's absorbtion by Northumbria.)

So that's where I am now. The British kindoms are what you'll see in the pics in my next post. The next job will be to get some troops done for the later period, along with a foot Teulu, before finishing off another dozen or so Roman foot models and a couple of oval shield cavalry to complete the earlier army...

A First Victory!!!

2007-05-23T03:52:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what a lick of paint can do for one's generalship!!! Yup, second outing for the British Kingdoms boys (first outing fully painted) and we managed a (very rare, but bloomin' welcome) 656pt 'close-run victory.'

I was playing against my mate Carl who was once again using my Late Romans (we were practising for The Beast's Hot Lead event in July) and we played the 'Roman Road' scenario from the Age of Arthur book. Basically, I had to start in column of march with 1500 pts while Carl's 1000 ambushed me and tried to prevent me exiting his table edge (short table edge...). See the book for more details. Anyway, it was a tremendous battle... In the end my Teulu, complete with General and army standard exited safely (gaining me STACKS of victory points) while my brave foot troops slaughtered Roman cavalry and cataphracts and one unit was slaughtered by Roman pedes. I was denied a Mighty Victory due to my mounted combrogi failing a crucial panic test and getting stuck on the table, being beaten in a fight by bloody Roman archers (ok, with a bit of help from their general and ASB...) Great fun, but a bit of a sod of a scenario for the defender if his 1000pt army is small in numbers, (as the Romans were really, with expensive troops, equipment and all...) as there was just too big a gap for me to pile through. Also, my cavalry gained me an advantage (which I partly blew by getting the mtd combrogi in trouble, but hey ho...lessons learned!!) that infantry armies wouldn't have...

Anyway, as I say, a rare victory for me which could have been better if I'd not made a couple of stupid errors, but Carl acknowledged that he'd made some mistakes too. If he hadn't made those, it might well have been much closer.

First game on the new gaming boards as well. I have to say, both of my armies on such nice new boards did look rather cool!! Sorry there are no pics, but we didn't have time or enough light.

Full British Kingdoms army pics at the weekend, I PROMISE....

Oh, and the bloody heating/hot water still isn't fixed and is going to cost me a smal bloody fortune when they come back to complete the job...GREAT!!!

TRA-LA-LAAAAAAA.......!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-22T00:03:00.001-07:00

Sorry...please excuse the over-enthusiastic fanfare leading this message...but I've only gone and completed the painting of 1500 points of British Kingdoms..... I know.... Unbe-flamin'-lieveable innit?!! (In the immortal words of Age of Arthur co-author Steve Jones, "About bloody time!" and I can't argue with him really!)

Anyway, I finally applied the last blob of static grass at 10.30pm on Monday evening after a frenzied weekend of paint-slapping....well, I have a game this evening and wanted to play with all painted toys...although, note to self, be careful...not varnished yet!!!!!

I shall be taking some full army and finished unit pics over the next few days and will post highlights both here and on the WAB forum.

To be honest though, it's not QUITE as much of a celebration as it could be, as I don't think that my list is a great gaming list...I could use a second unit of skirmishers, so I'll be doing those over the next week or so, but even so...after almost 16 months of painting it is GREAT to have at least something resembling an army painted!

Anyway, must get on...bloody hot water/heating system failed over the weekend and this morning is to be spent working from home so I can phone innumerable heating engineers to get a repair quote...sigh......!!!!!

Not Long Now...

2007-05-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Yup, unbelievable though it may be, after nearly 15 months of painting, I am within a gnat's bollock of completing the core 1500pts for my Arthurian army! I reckon I've got about an hour's work on the last 5 Pagenses, then about 3 more evenings on the last 8 foot Combrogi and then I'll have 1500 lovely points of British Kingdoms. Bloody fantastic!!!

The plan then is to paint a couple more unarmoured cavalry (I've had to temporarily sub a couple of painted Teulu types to get my mounted Combrogi to painted gaming strength-and I painted too many Teulu anyway...) then I will have a less Roman looking light cavalry unit.

Next, it's a foot Teulu, which will be fun...having to paint replica banners...bugger....

I then need to paint about a dozen more Roman types (you know, big oval shields and stuff) and a couple more armoured cavalry and I can field a pretty good looking Twilight of Britannia Romano-British force (I'll just swap some non-Roman looking types for the Roman looking ones to do that...)

At the same time, I want to paint some very British looking fellas on foot and a few javelin-throwing West Wind Teulu cavalry so that I can create a 7th Century Northern British army.

The basic idea is that there are about 75-80 models that can fit into all 3 armies, with the remaining 30 or so filled by the very specific variants to personalise it all. It's a bloomin' great plan, but will probably take me another 6-8 months to do... Then of course, there are the Saxon allies.....

Anyway, I'm off out to a charity pub quiz now, organised by a mate from work. My team are calling ourselves the Magnificent Seven...there are indeed seven of us, but I am not sure how magnificent we'll be as my day at work has resulted in my brain turning to soup! Great! The upside is the very nice fish n chip supper that precedes it!!!!!

Hopefully, if I can summon up the energy tomorrow, I'll post a bit about why I've chosen the armies that I have and how I see the history of the three linking together. It sounds bloody clever, doesn't it? Well, don't hold your breath, but I hope it'll interest someone out there somewhere....

This weekend, I has been mostly reading...

2007-05-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

An aside from painting stuff today...

After my mammoth post on Saturday, I settled down to a bit of a read. My other half had toddled off to Birmingham for a wedding dress fitting thingy, leaving me 'home alone'. So I went to the bookshelf and found a dusty little paperback that I'd picked up from Amazon last year: 'The Shining Company' by Rosemary Sutcliff. Yes, it's a book designed for folk from 10 years old, but, by golly, it's one of the best 'Arthurian' books you'll ever find! Detailing the last stand of the people of Gododdin at the Battle of Catraeth (Catterick) around 600AD, it's a story of coming of age through the horror of war and the valour, yet futility of battle. Ok, you have to excuse the stereotype Saxons with horsetail banners and huge axes and the artistic license of warriors wearing face-covering mail masks, but once you've got past that, it's bloody fab. Beg, buy, borrow, steal a copy...errr...ok, don't steal, but you know what I mean!

Which reminds me, if you want a CRACKING Arthur story, also check out Sutcliff's 'Sword at Sunset' which is her attempt at the story of the Romano-British Arthur, for grown ups, this time! It really is a belter of a book, with all the ingredients (again, excuse the generic barbarians, but I honestly can't recommend it highly enough! Both Sutcliff books are available on Amazon as I type (in fact, have just ordered two more that I last read when I was about 12, but can still remember as being the dog's dangly bits, so to speak, so have ordered second-hand copies to re-read when painting has driven me bonkers!)

Am currently reading 'The White Phantom', second in an Arthurian series by Patrick McCormack. It's bloody great! The first book, 'The Last Companion' is superb as well. They tell the story of Bedwyr, last of Arthur's Companion cavalry, 10 years after the disaster at Camlann. With a cracking plot of vengeance, ancient chalices, etc, with tantalising glimpses of Arthur's life told in flashback, if you like the period, for Heaven's sake read these books! The warfare is small-scale and very realistic (i.e. tactics, weapon-handling, etc). Very good indeed and providing serious inspiration as I battle to complete the first 1500pts of my various Arthurian armies...

Talking of which, back to the paintbrush...sigh........