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...
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Dipped Republican Romans
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
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
Thursday, 11 March 2010
Crusader BIG Game Monday night
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
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
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
Still Here....
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
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
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
Losing....and regaining....the joy....
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...
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...
Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Pathans (Thank Goodness for Dip!!!)
Hi All
Next up, 12 more fighters followed by a unit of Ghurka Riflemen for the Brits....
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....
Monday, 19 October 2009
Quick update...
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...
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...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)