In which I blog about my miniature wargaming and whatever else takes my interest!

In which I blog about my miniature wargaming and whatever else takes my interest!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Ancient pictures of ancient battles

I realized the other day that I had some old pictures saved in the Albums section of the Legion & Empire Yahoo Group. The resolution and lighting arent' the greatest, but I'll post some of the better ones here to give you an idea of what my friends and I got up to back when we played a lot more often.

Roman infantry fend off Persian cavalry.

Cavalry wings clash.
Perry Gray of Ottawa and I got together at a MIGSCON one year to put our Roman and Sassanid Persian armies together for a rather big battle with Scott and Don helping. 

This was a game at John's house; Republican Romans vs. Seleucids. We made up the Seleucid army using Scott's Alexandrian pikes supported by Persian cataphracts. I think we had to use blank bases for the scythed chariots. No one had any model that could proxy for those.

Here's a game from Hotlead 2007 that I put on. Sertorius with some Spanish auxiliaries fights Pompey.

Another game at John's house. Spanish tribes ambush a Roman column.

Patrick made a city. So we had to lay siege to it. Legions advance with some siege towers. For the siege towers we used some resin city towers.

A nice view of the city itself.

2 comments:

  1. Great nostalgia value - I remember when I received the first issues of 'Slingshot': it was another century, and a 'lighter' approach to Ancient Wargaming...

    Totally of-topic, I dare to shamelessly hitchhike this thread to ask about your 18th C. Mantovia project ['although I may have a line on some cheap tricorne era minis...']?

    Exciting parts of such an Imagi-Nation project are the elaboration of the OOB (specially to reflect "Provence meets 18th century Bavaria and Piedmont with a bit of Austria thrown in for good measure."
    And the design of original, yet 'historically credible and likely' uniforms to reflect the 'character' of the country.

    Note the chosen colors patterns would also, grosso modo, apply to 19th C. Mantovia: consider the infantry of the major European powers, from 1700 to 1914 (parade dress at least) the *cut* of the uniforms and the headgear changed drastically, but the only changes in the colors patterns were the generalization of white breeches instead of colored ones (2nd half of the 18th C. for Great Britain and others), then the substitution of colored trousers (campaign dress late Revolution - early 19th C., then full dress -1830, for France).)

    But to start with the 18th c. is more convenient since it was justaucorps, breeches and gaiters, tricorns for all armies. I you want to split hairs for 'historical accuracy' sake, all your references are Roman Catholic countries (larger coats, grenadiers in bearskin rather than mitres), but 18th c. minis are rather 'generic' (one of the multiple reason why the 'Lace Wars' are so fertile in Imagi-Nations).

    In the 19th C. things become more complicated, each major power has his own pattern of uniform and, specially, 'hat' in the widest sense: flower pot, stovepipe, frying pan...
    Minor powers thend to follow the fashion of their dominating ally (late Napoleonic Belgians and Spaniards look very 'British') or that of a currently successful (or at least 'impressive') country: despite its eventual defeat, Napoleonic French army had a determining influence on the South American uniforms. Popularity of 'French' types (those 'exotic' zouaves included) raised again after the Crimean War, but the Prussian / German model became quite dominating after the FPW...
    So if you have alreday its colors patterns, the cut of uniform and headgear of the 19th C. Mantovia would depend upon its recent alliances...


    Best regards,
    Jean-Louis

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  2. Exactly. I like the Bavarian Ruppenhelm, but it is rather distinctive. That's the trouble with Napoleonic uniforms.

    I'm still pondering the uniforms for the Duchy in the 18th century. All the main colours are of course already taken. I was thinking yellow coats for the line infantry and purple for the Ducal Guards. But a lighter blue with yellow pants and waistcoat for the musketeers would be attractive as well. The Duchess Isabelle will have a white Hussar Regiment.

    But for now I'm concentrating on the Austrians.

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