One from the "Memory Box": A Roman School Project

This was a school project my youngest son did when he was seven (or at most eight), it still amazes me as to how good he got it (see below, two of the most glorious Roman shields I have ever seen): 

Then, on his own initiative, his little inventive mind came up with this game based on the idea of "Escape from Pompeii" (see below, an old Soduku board turned into the streets of Pompeii complete with erupting Volcano in the centre!): 

The volcano action starts and the lava starts flowing, you are a legionnaire who has been tasked by his Centurion to go and rescue his family and take then down to a ship in the harbour to escape. Meanwhile, he (the Centurion) in stoic Roman fashion will steadfastly attend to his duties to the last (see below, the yellow counters are dangerous but passable lava):

Unexpected dangers await, such as escaped armed slaves from Ancient Briton that have to be dealt with in the traditional Roman Army way (see below, 28mm Warlord Games classic figures come to blows as the city disintegrates): 

The hand-to-hand battle continues apace as the lava flows (see below, this could be a classic lose-lose situation as the winner if he took too long would be covered in lava - nice! Note: The yellow lava can be circumnavigated by a "one time use of a shield" as a temporary stepping stone):  

A close up of the fist-i-cuff action (see below, figures two 28mm classics from Warlord Games, the Early Imperial Roman Legionary and an Ancient Briton - don't ask what the Briton is doing in Pompeii): 

Things are getting serious as the red lava (totally unpassable) starts cutting off the escape routes (see below. the legionnaire is about to lose a shield in a desperate attempt to escape):  

Success, the loyal Legionnaire finds his beloved Centurion's family cowering in a house, scared out of their wits. Heart-broken and tear-stained they hear of his fate but they are ushered to safety by the Centurion's trusted man who risked his life for them (see below, one of Rome's finest thanks the gods for favouring him as they board the boat [etched on the cardboard] underneath heading out of the harbour): 

Good family fun!

"Nero" Board Game

Over Xmas I picked up a copy of this interesting board game called Nero (or rather post Emperor Nero mess with four warring Roman factions) in "The Works" shop for a tenner. It looks a simple enough game in itself to play but the contents seem to be perfect to set up as a campaign system for a Early Imperial Roman "Civil War" (DBA?) campaign. Not sure if this will be feasible with my 15mm Roman collection or serve as the inspiration I need to paint up my 28mm plastics gathering dust in a box in the loft (see below):

This was the first of two games I saw (and acquired), the other (Latin) has a much wider timescale and looks far more complex (hundreds of counters) - more of that later!

Might even be a case of getting some 6mm Roman armies ;)

Early Imperial Romans WIP Update

Early Imperial Romans don't look Roman until you give them their shields (see below, the first stage):

The plan is to paint up these nine Romans and have them fight a hoard of Ancient Britons who come at them individually. This mini-game can be one of his summer-term school projects. It is quite inspiring to see my youngster get interested in Roman stuff. His preferred shield design is quite complicated so I might just slip on the Warlord Games decals when he is not looking (see below):

Again to me, 28mm Early Imperial Romans (Warlord Games or Wargames Foundry) are one of those iconic wargaming musts that need to be in your collection .. it goes without saying they need Celts, Gauls or Ancient Britons to fight too. It dates to circa 200610 in my wargame diary, so I am only a decade late. I figured I better do this bucket list item before I run out of decades ;)

Friends, Romans (in Warloard Games 28mm hard plastic) and Countryman .. are calling me!

Yes I remember these now classic figures first from a plastic giveaway by Warlord Games. I remember them taking the wargame world by storm, being the first of the 28mm plastic revolution. The sexy Early Imperial Roman Legionary was literally given away "in the early part of this century" attached to a Wargames magazine (Wargames Illustrated I think). I painted it. It nearly killed me (tortured perhaps is a better word) but I finished it (see below, I was happy!):

You see I was mostly a WWII man at that time, my Greek ancients were metal and in 15mm - so what use had I for this 28mm giant? But it had a certain beguile about, a charm. I knew it was a wargame classic. Everybody else seemed to be painting hoards of 28mm plastic ancients; Early Imperial Romans fought Ancient Britons across the tabletop terrain in every club .. Warhammer Historical and then Impetus if I remember correctly, even DBA/DBM (or DBMM). Some day I said to myself, me too. A 'decade' later I picked up these Early Imperial Roman warriors (Starter Set) on eBay for a song, then paid as much as again for half the number of 'other' figures (cavalry and slingers) from Warlord Games in metal to finish off the required types (and I am still missing a Scorpion)! So back to the roots of things and the painting guide at the back of the Warhammer Historical Ancient Battles rules (see below):

"The Guide and my current Bible" to painting an Early Imperial Roman Legionary:

Following the instructions in the Warhammer Historical painting guidelines the figures were first undercoated white and then blocked in base colours - which I describe as "my teenager level of painting" just put some colour on the figures as a basic starting point, with no concept of needing layers (see below, my "tester sample of eight" alongside my original and its hand painted shied):

The white undercoat (from my healthy stock of Airfix Acrylic 34, from my many an Airfix starter kit [as yet unmade but their paints and brushes plundered], as I still have been unable to find a supply of Airfix 01 Grey Acrylic primer in the hobby stores I frequent) certainly does make the applied colours brighter, but I personally don't like the way is shows up "the bits you missed", unlike black or dark brown (see below): 

Okay I am thinking I could fall into a brainless "Factory System" here, which is a good thing. My first eight of the sixty basic legion in the starter box. I am still unsure how I am going to base them. Single sabots (suitable for Warhammer Ancient Battles or Hail Caesar) or fixed to a diorama base (Impetus) or blocks of four (for DBA or DBM/DBMM - the latter is highly unlikely)?

Next: The Legion awaits a "brown" and a "black" wash on different parts of their bodies ;)     

Gone to the Wall .. Hadrian's that is ;)

Back from a family holiday up North to "The Wall" (but not that of Game of Thrones ilk with the army of the dead behind it) but the one that Uncle Hadrian built to keep the Pict tribes out (see below):

Don't let those smiling faces in the sunshine on the cover deceive you, at Birdoswald it was blooming cold and by the staff's confession not unusually so! I pity the Numidian auxiliary that got posted here! However I am pleased to report that it has stirred my blood to get back to painting that 28mm Warlord Games Imperial Roman Army starter set (plus the metal extras I bought, shush!). I also have a host of Roman history books to read. To remind me of this 'pledge to Rome' I bought a "cup" in the English Heritage sale (see below):

Amongst my holiday travels in Keswick I found a toy shop having a sale. I managed to pick this little GW Sci-Fi item up for £9.(see below, it was 'almost cheap' at half the recommended retail price):

I have always wanted to beef up the Space Marines on Space Crusade so an Ultra Marine Terminator (I knew I was going to get one someday) comes in handy. (See below, an 'old school' model, the skull with a bullet hole through it for the 'base' was a nice touch though): 

The Marine on Bike is just table dressing or paper weight as I don't do the full 40K tabletop thing, opting for more atmospheric 'deep space' Space Crusade RPG narrative! (see below, and the brush and paints were a bonus - the wife is amazed how I can sniff these shops out! Although the words "amazed" might be replaced by a more harsher alternative phrase):

There were some more 'sensible' items in the sale, so I picked up some 'modern' German Paratroopers and British Infantry (20mm) for five quid each. These will be perfect for my Modern Chain of Command games planned (see below):

Fun for the future!

Feeling hard-core with my 28mm Metal Romans from Warlord Games

I knew the time would come when the lure of 28mm metal Ancients woudl get me and that time has come. To supplement the eBay (infantry) plastics I purchased the necessary "all arms" (Cavalry - Medium/Light and some Slingers) to complete the Impetus Order of Battle (see below):  

That should see me busy for the rest of the year!

The (Early Imperial) Romans are coming ... in 28mm

For a while now (well it seems to have been about ten years actually) I have continually found myself "humming and 'arring" about moving up to 28mm for certain ranges of figures. My thoughts ...

For ECW and Renaissance is sensible in 25mm/28mm to me (so I have collected some Warlord Games, a pack here and a pack there od Scottish ECW to honour a Scottish connection in the family but .. ahem, sadly without painting them .. er yet - but hang on I did paint up some Wargames Foundry metal Landschneckts, a herd (12) Redoubt Miniatures Mounted Men-At-Arms and some old Games Workshop Warhammer Empire figures to great applause).

Napoleonic's (as in big battles) were traditionally 15mm (but I painted them so, so slowly), but then the likes of Sharp Practice gave an excuse for 28mm and likewise, and I should say recently AWI "skirmish" gave me the excuse to unashamedly buy a box of Perry's AWI British Infantry (of which I have fully painted one out of the thirty odd to date, head hangs in shame) as well as collect a pack here and a pack there of various Napoleonics.

Ancients though were always thought of as safely 15mm for me, particularly because of my painful obsession with collecting DBM armies starting with the Greek City States. Just as that seemed to be going out of fashion Xyston miniatures (perhaps briefly) breathed life back into in and bring it into fashion IMHO. Their hoplites "stole my breath away" Top Gun style but I fear ruined my ageing eyes, I will still paint my Thracian tribes. To be fair this was fun as I did paint a fair few hoplites (and true I still have a fair few still to do). But then the Romans a dilemma ...  but I had time. I had read lots of Greek history and I would naturally have to do the same for Rome. There is a lot to read.

I made a small 15mm DBA army (Early Roman Imperial actually .. that's one of the reasons I still need the Thracians) but stalled, it didn't feel right. I knew it all started with "Foundry" and how their 28mm figures looked so beautiful when well painted. Republican, Caesarian and Early Imperial  .. but the lead was horribly expensive (though Xyston was not cheap for anything beyond DBA into DBM or DBMM territory) .. so I held back for fear of financial ruin and then came the plastic 28mm revolution, so it went back on the list "of wargaming things to do before you die", the Warlord Games Early Roman Imperial starter set became a "must".  I must have passed one by half a dozen times but held back as my attention was on "other matters of import". Then they went "out of stock" ... argh ... then they restocked, but I saw this bargain advertised on eBay and the deed was finally done (see below, 80% percent of the figures already put together [cleanly] but painting not started):  

The "defence" rests its case and I throw myself at the mercy of the court! The Army Painter method (aka dip) will be applied this year methinks. Note: They will also be very useful for my "Roman Fantasy" .. "Lost Legions" from Osprey Wargame Rules and perhaps a run out with "FrostGrave" game nights!

That's my plan or excuse anyway ;)

Footnote: WW2 is 20mm (a huge assortment collected over the past 25 years, lots unpainted) and 1/200 (a sensible early war collection) or 1/300 (a lot of donated and aquired lead in the form suitable for a proto 1944 German Panzer diviusion) anything else is madness .. so don't ask me why I have a large box of unpainted 15mm in the loft and why on earth I have a pack of Perry's 28mm 8th Army and DAK in the "should be a simple Project Box". Naval and Air will have to be dealt with elsewhere dear reader ;)

Early Xmas present for Santa's list ... Perhaps

Psst ... Under the guise of a 'garden ornament' I want one of these ...

"It's a bit like a Roman 'bird table' dear" he said, stretching the bounds of credulity ...

Except until you see a Gaul or Celt ... when you can "unleash hell" ...

Boy can those things fly when they cranked up the torsion (originally a Greek idea that the Romans copied) and they only showed us a third of its potential power... Just think 54/55/56 of these (depending on who you talked to on the day) to a Legion. I think the Romans defined the concept of what "hard rain" really is ...

Somehow even if I am very, very good boy I don't think I'll get one ( but I really enjoyed the "Roman Weekend" at Hardwick Park, near Sedgefield [UK] this year :) A++, fun for all the family! 

Note to self: 15mm Early Imperial Roman Painting Scheme

These Romans were painted a couple plus years ago, though if my memory serves me right, definitely not longer than five. It seems like yesterday but if truth be told I am not a fast painter and this is rather a a few DBA armies back down the production line. The point of this meandering is that the paints I used were from Games Workshop, chosen on the basis that the only other paint manufacturer I was really familiar with was Tamiaya. They were good for WW2 camouflages but rather limited in the Ancient era, I should clarify, one seeking a painting by numbers scheme.

The route my army took was as follows:

Preparation: A two stage undercoat:
Undercoated: Chaos Black
Experimentally wet/dry brushed with Codex Grey leaving lots of dark recesses.

Shade Colours:
Tunic and Shield: Scarab Red
Metal chain/segmenta/other metals: BoltGun
Flesh: Dark Flesh
Gold Trimmings: Tin Bits or Dwarf Bronze (TBC)
Wood: Scorched Brown

Highlight Colours:
Tunic and Shield: Scarab Red mixed with Blood Red (as I did not have the intermediate Gore Red to hand)
Metal chain/segmenta/other metals: Chainmail
Flesh: Dwarf Flesh and dabs of Elf Flesh
Gold Trimmings: Shiny Gold
Wood: Bestial Brown and a tad of Snakebite Leather

Shield Design:
Gold Trimmings and Red (as above)
Shield Design (all hand painted with feather technique, reducing the lighter shades to live inside areas of darker shade): Bubobic Brown, Golden Yellow, Golden Yellow + touch of Skull White
Note: I had to retouch the shield's red after shield's design had been painted.

Basing:
Base was textured Milliput (stippled with an old toothbrush)
Painted: (A watery) Chaos Black
(Shade) Dry/Wet brushed: Snakebite Yellow
(Base) Dry/Wet brushed: Snakebite Yellow + some Fortress Gery
(Slightest of Highlight) Dry brush: Fortress Grey
Static Grass then PVA'ed on.

Now there they stand waiting to defend or expand the Empire. If only I would paint those Thracians or buy some Gauls I could solo game with them ;)