Mid-August, Northamptonshire

A Nice Week Off

Amongst all the hurly-burly, and with a week away (so the best part of two weeks without picking up a brush) it was nice to get back to normal, prep some kit and get a game or two ...

So I painted the Egyptian boat I bought in Kulmbach.  There is some papyrus to come (and it will then be mounted up on a transparent base) - but for now it sits nicely on the Lords of the Nile river bank.

I used an experimental technique, priming in enamel, then rubbing down an oils layer (giving that interesting terracotta effect) before detailing and finishing with acrylics.

(the four main painting stages)

OK, the Nile is a bit blue, but it'll do for now.

I think I'll try an elephant next ...

(click on the images for a bigger picture)

We also tried out Treb's new Sumerians for an evening of Neil Thomas's AMW.

There are a number of things that will need fixing and between Treb, myself and IRL the Biblical expert, there was no absolute agreement over how we thought an ass-powered battlecar would actually work ...

(Summer fun: trying out Trebs new AMW armies from ancient Sumer)

... and we weren't convinced that the big bodyshields offered the minimal protection Neil gives to them ...

(Big Shield infantry - I'm sure there's some sort of 'Barndoors and Battlecars' mileage to be had here ...)

But there's undoubtedly something to enjoy in the period ..

(Battlecar showdown ... Treb uses casualty rings to mark hits) 

And we've also convened a useful session to knock Flodden into shape for an anniversary game next month.

(Flodden: King James sploshing towards the resolute English - Bankinista's Scots)

I'll write the key features up on ECW Battles as this one looks to run best with Renaissance Armati using some of my 17th Century adaptations (though inevitably the game ran much more smoothly once we got rid of separate bow and bill components and created composite Foot units for the English) ...

So a bit of DBA baggage, a pre-Biblical AMW game and an Armati playtest from the end of the period: the run in to the Autumn shows season has started well.

16th-17th February, Burton upon Trent

Burton Doubles

I like this event, and Burton Town Hall is a good venue.  And the parking is free.

I hadn't really enjoyed the new version of FoG at Usk, so having to take charge of the army solo (Chris was on family duty for the Saturday) was a little daunting.   We had chosen a Palmyran army with a balance of troop types (15 Battlegroups: 4 cataphracts, 4 horse archers, 4 Romans and 3 light archers) ...

Fortunately, we got a nice draw ... the amiable Martins in the morning, and seemingly regular opponents Hutchby and Thorne in the afternoon.   Another Palmyran, and some obscure Japanese, respectively.

(two very different Palmyrans ... the enemy were clearly true lackeys, full of Roman infantry)

Palmyran armies vary from predominantly mounted Parthian-style Eastern armies to what are basically Roman frontier armies (Romans with extra cataphracts ....) ... It was one of these latter that Jayne and Andrew had chosen.    But don't expect our game to resolve which might be the better choice.   We lost 4 attrition points a piece (so the the score was 9-11 against us as our's was the smaller army ... more cavalry meaning fewer battlegroups).

(marching out against Chris and Dave's Kofun-Nara Japanese ...)

Against the Japanese we were miss-matched ... separated by 5,000 miles of geography and more than 200 years of history.    The Japanese are a big army of archers which probably could not have downed a middle-eastern cataphract however much they shot - but who knows as the confrontation never happened (so there is no history from which to extrapolate).   Undeterred, and with a game spirit, I advanced rapidly covered by skirmishers, and did succeed in getting the cataphracts into contact with these medium foot in the open.  To no avail - another losing draw.

(squaring up to Warring States Chinese on Sunday morning)  

Sunday saw our team restored to full manning ... and facing more regular Northern Doubles opponents, Andy and Kevin Ellis and more far distant enemies from the time machine ... Warring States Chinese.    It is the topic of quite another article as to why Chinese weaponry and armour is so highly rated compared to western equivalents ... suffice to say that these Chinese would probably have fled on sight of determined western soldiery ...

Thankfully, they did.   Whilst I was grinding through indecisive pulses of skirmish and counter attack on the flank, Chris piled in with a combination of armoured cavalry and armoured infantry against the Chinese centre ... Crossbowmen protected by armoured halberdiers behind field defences.   Fortune favoured the brave (for a change), and the desperate Chinese threw in their Inspired Commander (sun was going down on the game).   He died too, and the wavering centre collapsed.    The game ended before we could mop up ... a very gamely played score draw to us.

(a credible historical battle against Aurelian's Principate Romans)

We were all back on message to finish - entirely back on message ... against an Aurelianic period Roman.    Even so, we fought them in green hills far from Palmyra.   Very impressive thickly painted bed sheet terrain as good as I have seen (courtesy of our opponents, John Hogan and Lee Sanders) ... 

We had played Lee at Usk last year and enjoyed big win, achieved mostly by my Aragonese high rolling late in an otherwise very even game.   This was similar, but they had their revenge ...  And the cataphracts who had performed so well in the morning were clearly tired after a good lunch.   They took a couple of Roman units to the brink but could not finish them off.   Both teams pressed on through the game turns to get a finish and on the game's last turn, the Romans got it.

(now you see him/now you don't: a late swing in the battle against China as their C-in-C falls in combat)

So, in all, a slightly below par outcome from a series of thoroughly enjoyable games.   Although V2 seemed better, I think that was mostly down to us picking an army without spears and pikes in it.   There was still plenty of nonsense playing out around the tables - just less gaminess in our encounters.   

Even so, we are now 8 games into V2 and have 7 draws and one result.   With V1 we generally would expect 50% or better (not saying who would win ... just on the game getting completed within the time limits).

(my modest contribution to our forces ... some Eastern baggage and some Roman infantry) 

Although I do think the game will have more traction in other periods, a 12.5% completion rate for a team that regularly gets results is not a good sign - and the interminably fiddly nature of FoG is entirely unimproved in this new version.   As an example, ranges for skirmishers have been reduced which produces fewer casualties.   I can't see how this improves the game (skirmishers still slow the game down ... they just contribute less to getting a result).  Infantry lines still kink implausibly to produce far-fetched flank opportunities (which consequently deter charges, again slowing the game).

(one unit bounced off, one disrupted and damaged ... but you would still expect the cataphracts to win from here ...)

Nevertheless a weekend full of good things ... nice to catch up with old friends (and make some new ones) and good to see stalwarts like Adrian Garbett back wargaming ... Great terrain in our last game (I'm intending to copy this method), lots of nicely turned-out armies, great organisation as always ... and some predictable and unpredictable winners.

(the winners of the ancients events collect their prizes)

Tim Child and John Hickman (Later Carthaginian) won the DBMM event, Dave Handley and Steve Royle (Classical Indian) the FoG-AM ....  I understand Peter Kershaw won the best army prize with his Slave Revolt DBMM army - but I wasn't 'camera and notebook in hand' as I was on my way back from the stage where I had picked up the best baggage award.   Yay!

Good to see proper Ancients armies picking up all the prizes.

Like many others, I always make an effort at Burton - because they try to encourage and reward people making an effort (there's a clue there for tournament organisers ... and it doesn't require a degree in rocket science!) ...

PALMYRAN BAGGAGE TRAIN

OK,  since you ask ... here's a few more pics ...

(Palmyran camel train 'camp' for FoG-AM)

Since Queen Zenobia first mounted her camel, in the wargamer's mind, dromedaries have been associated with the fabled desert city ...  Add to that Chris's comment on Palmyra ... 'Roman ruins' ... and I had my theme.

The composition recycles several broken or redundant items from my terrain boxes together with a handful of camels from Chariot and Irregular, and a handful of figures - one each from Irregular, Gladiator and New Era Donnington (the Roman lady) and a couple of Middle Imperial soldiers from Chariot.

Plus some cake decoration palm trees.

(click on the images for a bigger picture)  

The nebulous idea is that the army's baggage train is arriving or departing a defended watering hole or urban area well to the rear of the battlefield.   A couple of soldiers guard the archways from the rear, to give the model more than one view point.   I have tried to indicate a bit of Roman style groundwork by glueing on some Warbases bricks and infilling with wood filler and sand.

(Palmyran Camel Train ... from some other view points)  

I'm glad they liked it.

Excellent weekend.   Thanks, Burton.

DBA Special: Anglo Saxons and some baggage.

 

DBA III 24 617 - 700 AD Middle Anglo-Saxon ... Wb Gen + 1xWb; 8x Sp; 1xCv; 1xPs.

I generally post some army profile pictures shortly after the DBA Open.   Although I went with the Gepids at the Open, I used these Angles at Eastern Front and against Ian the other day.  They are mostly Spear with a general and fanatical bodyguard rated as Warband.  This can be a lethal unit in an infantry fight but is very brittle in front of Knights (who'd want to be Anglo-Saxon if there's a Norman army at large?)

8 x Spears; Warband General; 1 x Warband: the Anglo line of battle ...

Figures are New Era Donnington, Gladiator, Essex and Chariot (about evenly matched) with one or two Museum, Tabletop, Two Dragons, Lurkio, A Touller, Outpost, Lancashire and Thistle & Rose mixed in for variety.  Not a bad collection for a 12 element army!

The general and personal retinue: the general's element and splendid standard are all New Era Donnington, the Warband are (L to R) Touller, Gladiator and Two Dragons.

I think the ranges mix well together.  I was particularly concerned that I'd not get away with the Two Dragons figures (which I pretty much bought by mistake) but they just about fit in.

I used 3 figures on the Warband element to make it more obvious alongside the Spears.  The general's element is obvious enough - but as usual I have clipped the back corners off.

 A Cavalry and a Psiloi ... are the eyes, ears, legs and wellies for the army ...

Chariot cavalry, the Psiloi being an Essex and a Gladiator ...

Camp Follower and Barker Marker ...

The Camp Follower is a Donnington model painted as some sort of indigenous painted warrior ('Woad Kill' as the English say ... and the Marker has an obvious mythical significance - the figures beside the rock are a super little vignette, I believe, by Thistle & Rose) ...

I have used my Longship Baggage with this army.   It has seen service right around the Medieval world over the years!

Baggage

Just to complete this 'eye-candy' post, I'd like to share some pictures of two recent baggage projects.

Gothic/Gepid Wagon Laager camp

This is just tidying up the Gladiator Miniatures wagon circle I have been using for some time.  I have put them on size-compliant base, and added a removable Camp Follower (the CF is that splendid little vignette from Essex) .. the left over wagons are available as singles to but up to these when I use the baggage for other games.

Roman Warship camp

 

This is the baggage for my coming Marian Roman army.  It will oppose the Spartacus Slave Revolt army, so plays to the 'who's bought up all the ships?' narrative ...

It is that old Heller model loaded with Irregular Miniatures barrels.  I have put a 10mm figure on the ship, a 15mm youth in the water and 15mm figures on the detachable CF element to try to scale some depth into the vignette.  I am pretty pleased with the resulting illusion.

The base is half MDF, half clear acrylic, and the ship has been pulled up onto the beach.   The shields are scavenged from surplus Chariot Miniatures figures to match the Chariot Romans I have picked for the army, and the other baggage bits are Baueda.

The Marine is Chariot and the wealthy Roman, I think, Steve Barber ...

(viewed from seabord - all pictures enlarge if clicked on ...)

16th September, Norwich

EASTERN FRONT

A beautiful late (Indian) Summer's day saw me driving round in circles in Norwich before bungling into St. Andrews half an hour late.    I found the venue very easily last year, but discovered the penalties of complacency, this: getting straight there last year had been luck not judgement.

(the main hall at Eastern Front)

The wargaming community is nothing if not forgiving and flexible, of course, and we quickly got things back on track (and so the DBA Challenge started at 11.00, not 10.30).

(games and societies at Eastern Front 2012)

Eastern Front is a delightful show in a beautiful regional English city.  The venue is an East Anglian jewel, and you really must visit some time.

(one of the splendid ancient/medieval games at Eastern Front - click on the images to enlarge)

I have appended one of two views of an excellent collection of display and participation games to be found in the main hall - though, inevitably, I spent most of my day in the second hall, Blackfriars, where you would have found the Societies, the DBA and the Bring and Buy.

(what the Society of Ancients was doing at the show)

THE EAST OF ENGLAND DBA CHALLENGE

The DBA Challenge was open to Dark Age armies with a Dux Brittanniae award to the top army which actually fought in England in the 410 to 1066 period.   The duke's award would go to the second placed player if the Champion also qualified.  There was a top newcomer award likewise applied.

(the East of England DBA Challenge)

Sign in and play on the day, we got 7 players involved, which, though modest, I think marks a good starting point and provided us with good natured entertainment all day with comfortable breaks for shopping and lunch.

(Vikings deploying opposite the Anglo-Saxon defenders)

I took along 4 'loaner' armies to back up those who were bringing their own.   Courtesy of the seventh players joining in late on, all these armies got used during the day which was nice.

(my Anglo-Saxons .. New Era Donnington with Gladiator, Chariot, Essex and Lurkio mixed in)

However the main armies used were (III/51) Norman; (III/40) Norse Viking; (II/81) Sub Roman British; (III/24) Middle Anglo Saxon; (II/67) Ostrogothic and (II/71) Gepid.

(Nick's Sub Roman British ... Donnington originals, I believe)

To simplify play and present an authentic challenge we had a choice of fixed boards, with players dicing for sides then rolling aggression to determine the deployment/game start order.   It seemed to work quite well, and meant my felt allergy was not triggered by patches or garish fabric.

(the British are attacked by Norse Viking)

Many of the players were new to tournament play - even relatively new to DBA - so it was a good chance for people to get the rhythms of the game.  As usual when I 'umpire/run' event, I took along the Wadbag bible.   As usual, it wasn't necessary to open it, and the battles went smoothly.

(Generals in personal combat: Duke William takes on the Goths)

Despite a heavy loss to my Anglo-Saxons (Duke William unceremoniously 'mugged' by hard-charging Anglisch spearmen - a 'recoil the support either side and get the guy in the middle' revenge attack for Senlac!) ... the Normans proved the most powerful and versatile army and Richard deservedly won the Challenge.

(two more of the loaner armies I took: Sub-Roma British and Ostrogothic)

A clear Dux Brittanniae title went to Paul's Vikings, just pipping Nick, whose Sub Roman British were the best newcomers.

(those top newcomers consider moving down off their hill)

We reorganised the final round in order to involve a father and son combination in the games and give them a flavour of DBA's quick but engaging take on ancient and medieval warfare. 

(East of England Challenge: Normans clash with British)

Pleasingly, everyone else finished level with one win and one general killed.   Count back would have been 'the game between the players' but with the podium places/special titles awarded, we were happy to leave the remaining players on equal honours.

(Armies arrayed: the Gepids - Essex commanders, mostly Lurkio and Chariot cavalry behind Chariot infantry)

This was a lot of fun, and well worth the effort, I think.   Watch out for news of Norwich next year: if all things stay similar, I would be more than happy to run this again (and with a little more notice and publicity, maybe more of you will want to make the trip east and join in ..)..

(a new Dux Brittanniae 'Barker Marker' I made up for the event)

(I may have to keep this clear of prising fingers: it has an obvious 'sub-text'!)

Society of Ancients UK DBA League Pages

See the Shows North stand next at Derby where we will be running games of Call it Qids, a simple participation game based on Ramesses's exploits at the battle of Kadesh.