Medieval Crossbows

 

After a couple of games last month using the "Lion Rampant, 2nd Edition" rules, I saw a need to complete a unit of crossbows.  I had four painted 25mm figures obtained a number of years ago and decided to match them with eight unpainted figures that I had acquired a fewer number of years ago.  I knew I couldn't even begin to match the paint job of the original figures.

So here we have my new unit of twelve crossbows:

Please click on image for a larger picture.

I think you can probably tell which ones are newly painted (hint, their helmets are all the same) and which ones I bought already painted.

My Medieval troops are all (or will soon be) mounted on hexagonal bases to distinguish them from the forces raised by my wargaming buddy Lord Sterling which are either on round bases or rectangular/square bases.

Mustering the Troops

 

It has been over a month since I've posted anything, which is not really unusual.  Various non-gaming related events have "interfered" with my gaming activities.  But I have been working on several gaming items.  One being obtaining a copy of the 2nd edition of Dan Mersey's "Lion Rampant" medieval rules.  After reading through the rules and digesting the changes, I said, "Self, we need to have a medieval game."  So I dug out my vintage 25mm Medieval troops and started planning.

After updating my "retinue" list (now a "warband" list) from our last games back in 2015, I planned on what I needed to do to bring some of the units up to date.  Many of my units have gone from washers (infantry) and rectangular metal bases (cavalry) to hexagonal bases, but not all.  I did that to differentiate my Medieval units from those of Lord Sterling who has the Kingdom of Parallelogram and the Kingdom of Circumference.  I decided in the Duchy of Hexagonal, although I called it the Duchy of Bentwood.

Please click on a picture for a larger image.

So here are the first eight Warbands (each of 24 points), first the forces loyal to Duke William Worthington:

From the left - Bentwood Castle, Castle Kilgarren, Cove Hold, and Southern Hold.  Since I took this picture I've substituted some units for others, but the basic composition remains the same.

Bentwood Castle (Duke William) -- two elite cavalry (AKA knight) units, two heavy infantry units, and one Archer unit.

Castle Kilgarren (Sir Robert Hastings, Constable) -- one elite cavalry unit, one heavy cavalry unit, two veteran heavy infantry units, and one skirmisher unit.

Cove Hold (Count Leslie Dumfries) -- one elite cavalry unit, two heavy cavalry units, one veteran heavy infantry unit, and one crossbow unit.

Southern Hold (Baron Hugh Guisby) -- one elite cavalry unit, two heavy cavalry units, one veteran heavy infantry unit, and one archer unit

Against them are arrayed the rebellious alliance:

From the left - the Teutobergerwald Abbey, Free City of Haven and Men of the Dale, High Tor Keep, and High Reaches Castle.  Again a couple of units have been substituted since the pictures was taken.

Teutobergerwald Abbey (Lord Abbot Heinrich von Kurland) -- two elite cavalry units, two heavy infantry units, and one crossbow unit.

Free City of Haven (Walter, Hereditary Manager of the Free City) and Men of the Dale -- one heavy cavalry unit, one veteran heavy infantry unit, two light infantry units, and one veteran archer unit (the Men of the Dale).

High Tor Keep (Baron Stephen de Bleu) -- two elite infantry units, two light infantry units, and one archer unit.

High Reaches Castle (Freiherr Uwe von Strenger) -- one elite cavalry unit, one heavy cavalry units, two heavy infantry units, and one veteran archer unit.

With these warbands, I designed a small game for our Thursday "Old Guys" Group.  It pitted three loyal warbands against three rebel warbands using the "Bloodbath" scenario from the rule book.  Each warband was 'balanced' with one heavy cavalry unit, one heavy infantry unit, and one missile unit.  It was an interesting game with all the players either getting introduced or re-introduced to the rules.

The Warband from the Free City of Haven was successful in repulsing the Warband of Cove Hold from taking a rolling hill on one end of the battlefield.  The Cove Hold heavy cavalry and heavy infantry were singularly unsuccessful in driving the Havenites from the hill and suffered tremendous casualties.

An overview of the entire battlefield towards the end of the action.  There was much bloodshed, several leaders were killed in challenge duels, and the rebels persevered over the loyalists.

I have a larger game scheduled for my wargaming group on Saturday.

Saracen Leaders, Arab & Numidian Infantry, and Asiatic Horse Archers

The last 15mm painting for a short while includes two new Saracen mounted leaders, a unit of Arab infantry and one of Numidian infantry, and another unit of Asiatic horse archers.

First the two leaders.  These are both Miniature Figurines ZC-332, Saracen cavalry with sword and shield.  Although these figures are listed as being later than my period (900-1100 AD), their armor and weaponry doesn't put them too much out of time.

They are mounted on horses from an unknown manufacturer but are suitable for "noble" leaders by having a chest protector.  The one of the left is of metal scale while the one on the right is of horn scale.  These two were given a terrain treatment on the bases consisting of a grass tuft, some rocks and some earth-tone scatter.  They are the first ones with which I have done this.  I think it looks good and will most likely retrofit at least all of my mounted leaders this way.

The Arab infantry unit is all Miniature Figurines figures and also features a "made up" banner.

They are wearing light blue clothing with different colored head wraps.

The Numidian infantry unit is also all Miniature Figurines figures and features a "made-up" banner.

I made their shields dark to resemble animal hide such as rhinoceros or elephant.

And finally we have a unit of Asiatic horse archers.  They are Miniature Figurines ZC-350, Mongol light cavalry firing bow.  These are really out of my time period but as far as I'm concerned, an Asiatic horse archer is an Asiatic horse archer.  Many styles of dress didn't change that much from century to century.

I'm trying something new with this unit, basing the figures as if they are swirling around loosing arrows at various targets.  I think this gives a feel for the type of tactics used by Asiatic horse archers.

Well, this will be all the 15mm figures I'll be painting for a short while, taking a break from the little guys to paint some 25/28mm figures and guns for my 18th and 19th Century forces.

Khorasanian Horse Archers and More Arab Infantry

As I continue painting my way towards a break from 15mm Dark Ages/Early medieval figures, I added four newly purchased horse archers to four I had painted many years ago to make an eight figure unit of light bow cavalry.  These figures are from Alternative Armies' Dark Age Isarus line, the Arab ARC-8, Khorasanian horse archers.  I originally had twelve of these figures but when I got the GMT "Commands & Colors - Medieval" game, eight of them were quickly grouped into a unit of light bow cavalry.

These differ from the other unit only with their red skull caps.  The other unit, although wearing shades of red tunics, have light blue skull caps.

And I've added to my Arab infantry with two more 12-figure units.  These units can be used as medium infantry, warrior infantry, or auxilia infantry, which gives me plenty of latitude in deploying them in various Middle Eastern armies.

This "red" shield unit has nine assorted Miniature Figurines Middle Eastern infantry figures and three unknown manufacturer Middle Eastern figures.  The unit standard is just a "made-up" one using a geometric design.

This "dark" shield unit has the same composition.  The unit standard is also "made-up."

This post was delayed a number of weeks due to forgetfulness on my part.  But now it is up and the next post will catch us up to date with my 15mm early Medieval forces.

Khazar Heavy Cavalry and Moslem Infantry

Although these were started in May, I didn't complete them until now.

First, a unit of Khazar heavy cavalry (Essex Miniatures, Asiatic Hordes, #HA6a) have joined the Byzantine forces as foederati.  They are armed with lances, swords, and bows, giving them a multi-level means of attack and defense.

The Khazar unit of 12 heavy heavy cavalry

Close-up of a stand depicting the hand-painted "S" design on the shield.

And now the first of five units of Moslem infantry.  This particular unit has four 15mm Miniature Figurines figures (rectangular bases) and eight others from an unknown manufacturer.  These can be used as warriors, medium infantry, or auxiliaries.

The MiniFigs are rather "static" sculpts while the others are more animated.
But they both seem to work well together.

The command stand showing the leader brandishing his sword and another view of the flag from the Warflag web site .  Although dating from the Victorian colonial era (1880s), it works OK for me back in the circa 1000 era.

Next up are four Khorasanian mounted archers to complete a unit to 8 figures, followed by two more units of Moslem infantry.

Rebasing the Normans - Part 1

I spent a couple of days over the weekend beginning to rebase my Norman troops, starting with the mounted figures.  My Normans are a mix of vintage Miniature Figurines and Table Top Games castings from the "good old" lead figures days.  I painted all of the MiniFigs and a few of the TTG figures.  The rest of the TTG figures were purchased already painted.

Please click on each image to get a larger picture.

The Norman command groups.
Front center is the senior leader with his two main subordinate leaders to either side.
Across the back are four junior leader.
I use circular bases to distinguish my leaders from the combat troops, who are mounted on 'standard' 40mm x 30mm steel bases.

Norman mounted knights -- The Green Knights
These, as well as all the others, are mounted on 85mm x 65mm foamcore movement bases that have magnetic material on top and a piece of flex steel on the bottom.  The thickness of the foamcore makes it easy to pick up the whole base.

Norman mounted knights -- The Blue Knights

Norman mounted knights -- The Red Knights

Norman allied heavy cavalry, unit 1

Norman allied heavy cavalry, unit 2

Norman medium (unarmored) cavalry, unit 1

Norman medium (unarmored) cavalry, unit 2 

And I'm also taking this opportunity to show my 'jury-rigged' photo set-up.

It is made from three pieces of foamcore covered with a sheet of light blue poster board.  The small light on the left is an Ott Light while the one on the right is a standard clamp-on desk task light.  Between the two there is enough light cast for taking most pictures without having to use a flash.  I store the "booth" and the tripod (front center) atop my storage cabinet in another corner of the room.  

Just above the task light is a framed picture of three Franco-Prussian War soldiers, a bequest from the late Larry Brom, author of "The Sword and the Flame" and "Chassepot and Needlegun" rules, and a good friend.

Still working on painting more troops -- a unit of Khazar heavy bow cavalry is next in line followed by five units of Arab medium/warrior infantry.

A Third Byzantine Heavy Cavalry Unit

I just added a third Byzantine heavy cavalry (cataphract) unit to my Medieval forces.  This unit joins two others that I had painted many years ago.  The figures are from Alternative Armies Dark Ages Isarus range, numbers BYC-1 and BYC-2.  Please click on the picture to get a larger image.

Their primary color is "terra cotta" (or orange).  Their compatriots are in red or blue.  These three units will form a core of veteran cataphracts for my Byzantine forces.  They will eventually be joined by a unit of Khazar mercenary heavy cavalry using some Essex figures I have on hand and on order.

Work continues on my Medieval forces -- remounting Norman heavy and medium cavalry.

And More Arab Medium Cavalry

My first unit for May's painting is another unit of Arab medium cavalry.  This time they are Alternative Armies' Dark Age Isarus (old Table Top Games) Arabs line -- 11 ARC-1 Arab medium cavalry with the standard bearer from the ARC-13 Arab mounted command pack.  They should see their first action soon.

The 3-figure command stand was painting many years ago while the other nine were added just recently.

This unit can be used in a variety of armies from allies of either the Byzantines or Sassanids to riding to spread Islam throughout the Middle East and North Africa to fighting the Crusaders in the Levant.

Next in the queue is another Byzantine heavy cavalry unit.

Arab Allied Medium Cavalry

Both the Byzantines and the Sassanid Persians used allied Arab cavalry in many of their campaigns in the Middle East.  This unit was put together from various vintage Miniature Figurines castings.  They represent an amalgamation of different, but related, Arab tribal forces.

This unit shares a standard color scheme for the shields.

And here is how they look in an extended battle line.  You can really see all the different figures I used for this unit.

Another Arab medium cavalry unit and a Byzantine heavy cavalry unit are in the works for the near future.

And Some Mounted Leaders

Taking a short break from painting cavalry units, I turn some excess mounted figures into leader stands and paint some of the Old Glory 15s Hun command pack as an Attila command stand.  Please click on each image for an enlarged view.

First up is a spare Byzantine mounted extra heavy horse archer.  The figure is a vintage Table Top Games (now manufactured by Alternative Armies) BYC-2, Byzantine EHC with bow.

The dark rectangle is a small piece of magnetic material
to which the leader's nametag will be adhered for games.

Next are two spare super heavy cavalry figures from the Old Glory ES-3 Sassanid cataphracts pack.  They have been painted to match the colors of the two Sassanid cataphract units currently in my order of battle.

Both have copper metallic face masks which was a common addition to the cataphracts armor.
The "red" leader has a gold gilded helmet while the "yellow" leader has a silver gilded helmet.

And finally, Attila himself, along with his standard bearer and a mounted drummer.  Attila's color scheme is based on the Angus McBride rendition of the leader in the Osprey Attila and the Nomad Hordes (Elite #30).

Attila's horse harness is heavily decorated with gold ornamentation and, although not visible from this view, he has his golden gilded bow in his bowcase.

Work continues on additional cavalry units.

And Even More Cavalry

As I prepare my 15mm miniatures to be used with the "Commands & Colors - Medieval" gaming system, I have discovered that I had much more infantry than cavalry for this period (6th & 7th Centuries AD).  So with few exceptions, all I've been doing is painting cavalry.  And I've added two more units.

First is a unit of Byzantine medium cavalry, using Table Top Games figures now produced by Alternative Armies of Scotland in their "Dark Age and Ancients Isarus" range.  The figures used are BYC-3, Byzantine Heavy Cavalry with lance and BYC-4, Byzantine heavy cavalry with bow, along with two command figures from BYC-8, Byzantine cavalry command.  These are one-piece castings and are very well done (for the most part).

I used various shades of red as their distinguishing color.  Each stand has two melee cavalrymen and one mounted archer denoting that this unit is "Medium Bow Cavalry" in the "C&C-Medieval" system.

The second unit I added was a conglomeration of various Miniature Figurines Middle Eastern light cavalry figures.  These were acquired already painted in several different purchases over the past several years.  Eventually I will replace the missing and broken weapons but as I will be needing them shortly, that can wait.  This is a very rag-tag unit, but what can you expect from 'mercenary' light cavalry?

Finally I took two spare medium cavalry figures that were left over after a previous reorganization and made them into mounted leaders.  They are, I believe, Miniature Figurines, but I do not know from what 'country' they come.  I needed them to replace two of the above light cavalry figures as mounted leaders.  To distinguish the two, I'll probably redo the shield, crest, and cloak on one of them.

The dark pieces on the bases are magnetic and are used to attach the leader's name during battles.

And even more cavalry is in the painting queue and will be featured shortly.

The Huns Have Arrived!

First, let me correct an error.  In three previous posts I misidentified some Miniature Figurines horse archers as Huns when really they are Cumans.  My apologies to the Cuman nation.

But now the Huns have actually arrived!  Part of an order from Essex Miniatures have been completed, 8 Hun horse archers from packs HU-1 and HU-6.

They will eventually be joined by another 8-figure unit and some heavier Hun cavalry.

Next in the painting queue is a unit of Byzantine medium cavalry and some assorted leaders, followed by a unit of Byzantine heavy cavalry and a unit of Sassanid medium cavalry.  This will complete the forces needed to fight the three-phase Battle of Decimum (533 AD) from the "Commands & Colors - Medieval" scenarios.

Byzantine Super Heavy Cavalry Unit #3

The third of three required Byzantine super heavy cavalry units was completed last week and fought in its first battles on Thursday. These klibanophoroi are completely armored riders on completely armored horses and can be some tough 'cookies' to kill. They are Old Glory 15s BZ-22 11th-13th Century klibanophoroi. Even though they are some 500 years or so after the milieu of the Commands & Colors - Medieval first iteration, I will also use them in other actions featuring the Byzantines.

Next up are some more Asiatic horse archers - Huns from Essex Miniatures, followed by Byzantine medium cavalry from Table Top Games.

More Cavalry and Infantry

I recently completed an Asiatic light bow cavalry unit and a generic Middle Eastern auxilia infantry unit for my Commands & Colors - Medieval forces. Please click on the photos for a larger image.

These Asiatic horse archers are from the vintage Table Top Games line still manufactured by Alternative Armies in Scotland.  I ordered them, along with some other figures, in late January and got them about three weeks later.  Pretty good service in this day and time.  These figures will be in my Sassanid Persian army but I have a earlier painted unit of the same figures in my Byzantine army.  One of these days they'll probably be on the same side.
They are BYC7 Byzantine Asiatic cavalry.

I don't know the manufacturer of these lads since I obtained them as part of a lot of Medieval figures several years ago.  They are unarmored javelin equipped figures who are serving as auxilia infantry for my Sassanid Persian army.  They are generic enough that they can be used for any force fighting in the Middle East. The shield design was hand drawn with a fine tip black ink pen.

The next in the painting queue is a Byzantine super heavy cavalry unit from the Old Glory 15s.  the casting is the BZ-22 11th-13th Century Byzantine klibanophorus.  Although several hundred years after the period for the initial C&C - Medieval game, they will be especially useful in the "Crusades" timeframe which is to be the next expansion.

And Some More Cavalry

First off, I've "updated" my second unit of Byzantine heavy cavalry courtesy of my good wargaming buddy Lord Sterling.  If you'll recall from a previous post, I was missing a figure and had four regular heavy cavalry figures in the unit.  Now I have the missing rider and four "new" super heavy cavalrymen on fully armored horses.  Please click on the image for a larger view.

The new rider is on the right of the front left stand, carrying a red banner with a silver cross.  He's a slightly smaller vintage MiniFig.
The four new figures are on the right front stand.  They are also vintage MiniFigs and a little smaller than all the others but seem to look OK.

I also added an Arabic style light cavalry unit to my Sassanid forces.  They are Essex Miniatures Arab Conquest light cavalry, #AEA-4.  I've given them a "desert" base color.

I haven't done much this past week due to the unusual inclement weather we've had here in Mississippi.  See my two previous posts for some details.  When we get water pressure back, I'm sure I'll feel more like painting figures.  I have some Asiatic horse archers and Sassanid auxilia infantry ready to be undercoated and paintted.

Sassanid Persian Super Heavy Cavalry Unit

Yesterday I completed the second of two Sassanid Persian super heavy cavalry (i.e., cataphract) units for my Commands  & Colors - Medieval forces.  This unit is composed entirely of Old Glory 15s ES3 Sassanid cataphracts.  They were fairly straightforward to paint.  The lances were separate pieces of mild steel wire that I had to cut into two equal lengths.  A pair of wire snips made quick work of that task.  Please click on the photos for a larger image.

Here they are before I glued them to their movement stands.

And here's the unit ready for the miniature battlefield.

Sine the first unit is predominately red, I decided to make this one's color yellow.  I used Folkart yellow ocher for the helmet and horse plumes, horse reins, and riders cloaks.

Next in line are a unit of Middle Eastern light cavalry and a unit of Asiatic horse archers, both for the Sassanid army.  After them will be a unit of Byzantine super heavy cataphracts, which complete the forces needed for the Satala (530 AD) scenario.

Stay safe!

Byzantine Super Heavy Cavalry Unit #2

Right at the beginning of February I completed a final fourth stand for a Byzantine super heavy cavalry unit (AKA cataphract/klibanophoroi) unit for my Commands & Colors - Medieval forces.  This unit is a hodge-podge of figures representing a hastily thrown together command.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

First, the entire 16-figure unit.

As you can see, a mix of four different types of figures.

And now, each stand by itself:

On the front right are four Old Glory 15s Byzantine 11th-13th century klibanophoroi

Next to them on the front left are four vintage MiniFig "Armenian" super heavy cavalry

On the left rear are 3 Essex Byzantine klibanophoroi (I only was able to get three riders in the group of figures I purchased on-line)

And finally on the right rear are four Old glory 15s Byzantine kataphractoi on half-armored horses.  These will probably be replaced by some figures from my good wargaming buddy.

So there it is.  Mismatched figures, but super heavy cavalry are super heavy cavalry!

Next up, a 16-figure unit of Old Glory 15s Sassanid cataphracts super heavy cavalry.

More Cavalry for my Commands & Colors - Medieval Forces

I completed two more cavalry units for my growing Commands & Colors - Medieval forces.

The Byzantines added a second unit of light bow cavalry.  These are vintage Miniature Figurines Byzantine Cuman mercenary cavalry, D-373.

Their paint scheme is different from the first unit, being various grays.

And the Sassanids have added a unit of heavy cavalry using some of the Essex Asiatic horde figures.

I experimented with painting their body and horse armor, going for a reddish-orange hue using Delta Ceramcoat's red iron oxide paint.  I think it is rather striking, especially when paired with the red shields and reddened horse leathers.

Next up are four Byzantine super heavy cavalry figures to complete a unit and a another unit of sixteen Sassanid super heavy cavalry.