Mega-phalanx 2

A hastily snatched shot of Thebans forming up for Sunday-week's mega phalanx. Here are the 70-odd hoplites (Lucid Eye, Foundry and Victrix) that will constitute the 6-deep formation. They are all in active poses - I want the finished unit to have a send of mass and momentum. The minis were all painted by Shaun McTague but I'm in the process of adding some detailing, ink and varnish. I'm getting back on schedule by dint of some rare, daytime painting.

Athenians for SELWG

I've been a busy boy for the last week or so with very little time left over for blogging, but here's a shot of my painting tray, where I've just based up two units of Athenian hoplites that I bought earlier this year mostly from Steve Jones and Steve Marshall.  I'm really pleased with them- a couple of Steve Jones's freehand shields (the crab and red running S shield) are absolutely stunning.  I still need to flock them and perhaps add a couple more transfers. After SELWG I'll add a third rank.

I'll be running a participation game at SELWG at Crystal Palace on Sunday- if you are attending please say hello and turn a few cards, if you have time! This will be a modest game by my standards but quite a pretty one, featuring Spartans and Athenians slogging it out on a pair of my new gridded Deep-Cut mats. I won't be selling any TtS products at SELWG but if you want to order anything in advance you can collect and save postage.

...and finally, in other news, I've just published three new To the Strongest! El Cid-related lists which can be downloaded for free in the Early Medieval booklet. I'm looking forward to some El Cid gaming in Peterborough on Sunday 1st November with James Morris and Scrivs.  

Athenians

At Partizan Steve Jones very kindly sold me his WAB-based Greek army, and I'm around 70% of the way through rebasing them as an Athenian force to fight my Spartans. It is just too hot to take proper photos today, but here are the fruits of my labours, so far; the first seven units.

I have based all of the light infantry on my new large 18cm wide bases. This is fast becoming my personal standard for use with "To the Strongest!". They look great on such bases, and are really easy to move around the table. I have far too many lights compared to hoplites. I think this is partly due to Foundry selling a high ratio of lights to hoplites, and partly because the lights are so much easier to paint! The hoplites are based 12 to a stand.

Steve did a stunning job painting these including tunic borders and shield designs. I'll show photos of the individual units during the course of this week.

A random Greek hero

I am clearing a few odds and end of the paintint tray to make room for Raphia.

Although almost all of my minis are based in elements, I do find it useful to have some singles and diorama figures for battlefield dressing, and as markers.  This chap is a Foundry Argonaut, converted with a spare head with pilos in order to make him useful as a later-era figure.  I do love his scale cuirass...

Hoplites

I’ve finished basing the hoplites in my recent post, and rebased my existing Foundry “Athenian” hoplites onto larger bases, so that most are now in 8’s.  I boosted the total numbers by repainting my old Lunar Blue Dragoons (the minis with the tall crests), and mixing them in; they scrubbed up OK.  Economical, neh?  Upgraded the tuftage, too, to my 2013 standard.  'Ave a click.

I took the opportunity to very roughly split out the later hoplites with helms with separate cheeek flaps and Pilos, from those with the earlier Corinthian and Chalcidian helmets, and put them on separate bases.  The above unit has mostly earlier, and the below mostly later helmets, although purists will quail...  Later, I’ll build distinct units with corresponding shield designs, which became simpler and more abstract over time.

In a few weeks I plan to paint up 8 more Spartans.  That’ll give me 5 units of 36 hoplites, and two of 24, which will have to do for the time being, because I urgently need to start painting minis with rather longer pointy sticks.

Hoplites

Just so you don't think I've gone off and left you, a quick and somewhat blurry WIP shot of the 32 Foundry hoplites I've just finished (pre-varnish and basing).

I hope to get to grips with them, tonight...  because other projects beckon, of which more, anon.

FleaBay Greeks

Following my recent game against Wabby George’s Greeks, I decided to refurbish and slightly expand my own, smallish, hoplite collection.  I plan to expand and reorganise to 6 units of 36 warriors, formed in 3 ranks.  Three of these will be Spartans, one Tegean allies, and two of other Greeks.

This particular unit originally consisted of 16 Greek hoplites in attacking poses, most of whom are repaints of a cheap but tatty eBay purchase.  The helmet styles are an eclectic mix of Corinthian, Chalcidian and Attic.  I’ve painted 8 more to match, tarted up some of the shields and rebased them into 3 double-elements of 8.  When time permits, I’ll add a rear rank of 12 and they will be done!

One hundred Spartans (and some Greeks)

Last night we had another play test of the ancient rule set I've been working on.  We pitted Wabby George's newly restored Thessalian army, against my own Spartans, generalled by Ian as King Agis.  All the below pictures are clickable.

Above, Wabby George, the Thessalian Hegemon, looks rather nervously across the table towards the elite Spartiates on the right wing of the Spartan host (as well he might!).  Below is the Spartan army, with 3 mora of allies in the foreground and two of Spartans, beyond them.

The Spartans and their allies advanced quickly (above).  The allied hoplites, left foreground, suffered heavy losses from accurate (lucky!) fire from the Thessalian psiloi.  The Spartan hoplites inclined to the right in an attempt to run down the Thessalian cavalry, and a gap opened in the line, between the Spartans and allies, through which a unit of Thessalian psiloi penetrated.  The psiloi outflanked the rightmost mora of allied hoplites, and peppered it from two sides with slingshot and javelins, until it was on the very edge of disintegration (below).

The Spartan situation, above, became desperate as a succession of melees went badly, and all 3 of the allied units were on the verge of flight. 

On the Spartan right, however, things were going better.  Rather than tackle the Spartiates frontally, the Thessalian cavalry fled from the table.  The right hand Spartan unit had a good deal of trouble passing a movement test to turn through 90 degrees...

...but eventually they, and the neighbouring unit, managed to re-align and they were able to start to roll up the enemy line (as in the battle of Coronea), enabling the Spartans to snatch a (rather expensive) victory from the jaws of defeat.

The game was good natured and very enjoyable.  I took away a few actions to adjust the rules, which I've done, and I hope to be able to play another test game in a week or so.  It was great to see George's new troops, and I'm now resisting the impulse to add a bunch of hoplites to the burgeoning painting queue...

Surplus Hoplites

These chaps are Foundry Hoplites (plus 1 Essex miniature) that served as Blue Dragoons in my Hordes of the Things Lunar army.  I'm planning to repaint them, shortly, for use as regular hoplites...

Hoplites

I've added another 8 hoplites to my phalanx.  One day I hope I'll have enough of them to challenge my  rather more numerous Spartans!

The two new elements are front right (photo is clickable).  Six of the eight were mostly painted, and IIRC I picked them up in a figure exchange; painted to a better standard than I manage!  I have painted rather less than half the minis in the unit.  Shields are a mixture of LBMS, VVV transfers and hand painted designs.  All the figures in the unit are Foundry, except one Crusader mini (front, 4th from right).  The Crusader isn't nearly as nice as the Foundry's. IMHO ; he has a wimpy little helmet crest and his forearms are a bit short.

I find hoplites very slow to paint, I think it is the individuality of their equipment.  Give me Romans any day...