Ave Imperator!

I first met Dan (aka "Pasha Dan") many years ago at a Late Empire game he was running at a MIGSCON, when it was still at the Hamilton Holiday Inn, so early 90s I think. He is a professor of classical history and was an enthusiastic play tester for Legion & Empire as well. So Dan and Romans and I are a common theme.

A&A 3rd century "Middle Empire" figures. They were going to be a cohors equitata for Infamy, Infamy! which is why they all have the same shields designs.

When I painted my A&A Severan era (3rd century) Romans in 2019 Dan excitedly called me, proposing that he fight them with his later, more Diocletian era (4th century) Romans. Well, our schedules never let us get together and then Covid ruined everything and I haven't played with Dan since well before the pandemic hit.

He is now available and brought his cohorts and foederati down to play using Lion Rampant last night. Monday being a holiday, we could shift our usual time slot to accommodate people's long weekend availabilities. Patrick and Mikey joined us to pushed lead, roll dice and gently tease each other.

Each army totalled 74 points. Scorpions were counted as crossbows.

Some of Dan's auxilia palatina. Foundry I think

Dan fielded this as a unit of heavy cavalry; the notorious, highly speculative cataphract scythed chariot, which hasn't been on a table since his last WRG Ancients tournament in the 80s. I think "Elite" cavalry, or given the fantastical nature of it, "Greater/Lesser Warbeast" is more appropriate to be honest.

Dan's Gripping Beast Late Roman plastic cavalry. Nice kit. I'm thinking Gondor? Or joining my 3rd cent Romans too.

Dan's auxiliary dromedary unit. I ran these colourfully exotic guys in that first game I had with him. Sadly my other shots of Dan's army were out of focus.

My skirmishing archers explore some aquarium terrain, a ruined aqueduct, that has never been on table before either 

Warlord Romans hold my flank

Close up of A&A Equites

I used these Warlord slave girls to mark my commander

My Rohirrim are wondering where the Orcs are? This was their first game playing their alternative identity of Goths. 

More of Dan's troops

My wing of Gothic auxiliaries are looking pretty beat up. Mikey did a good job keeping Dan's larger wing busy. He put in some good charges and knocked out a few units (that pile of figures to the left of the trees is Dan's dead pile before he started boxing them up), but lost a lot of warriors doing it.

Opposite me, Patrick is starting to crumble under sustained archery and scorpion fire plus a well timed cavalry charge. As he begins failing courage tests I sound the advance 

A good night. It was pretty fun playing a Roman era game again. Dan conceded defeat, but observed: "Do you realize how great it was to be playing with Romans and rolling dice again?"

Of course now I'm thinking about how to expand my Severan era army. There are options for plastic Picts (Gripping Beast), and more Goths, plus a rival Roman force using Aventine, A&A or Wargames Atlantic would be fun too. A biography of Septimus Severus coming in the mail won't help me with that at all I'm sure.

Speedy Swiss

After my game of Lion Rampant 2nd Edition on the 22 August, I got all excited and finally painted and flocked the bases on all my Swiss and rationalized some units (short 4 halberdiers for 1 unit, and had 4 extra pikemen! Helllloooo Bits Box!). 

Converting Essex pikemen with Perry halberds 

I also started looking at how many Swiss I had and did I have enough for 3 players for a convention game next month? I dug out my unpainted Swiss, which included 3 dozen Old Glory that I had assembled and base coated maybe 10 years ago and then lost interest.

Also added 4 handgunners to bring them up to 3x 6 figure units of skirmishers 

3 hours to paint this mob!

These were given to me about 15 years ago, and are supposed to be pikemen. I honestly had enough pikemen, and they're in the early 16th century Italian Wars costume (puffy sleeves, slashed doublets, floppy berets, lots of feathers), not the mid to late 15th century Burgundian Wars look that I wanted (sallets, tight doublets and hose), but oh well, they were a gift. I eventually sourced some halberds from Perry Miniatures and got them assembled and primed and base coated, to sit...

...and sit...

...and sit for 10 (+?) years.

But after the game, I decided to get some paint on them and produce three more units of Warriors (Fierce Foot in old money). If I bring in some Wars of the Roses billmen, I should have a 3rd retinue for the upcoming convention game.

Painting was pretty fast and dirty and the costumes are pretty simple. No facings or equipment etc to worry about like with Napoleonics. The blue and white unit I banged out in a 3 hour paint and chat with Mikey and Patrick last week. Historians aren't really clear just how common the bright cantonal colours were worn, and the more irregular scruffy units could be late 15th century revolting peasants anywhere. Trying to vary the colours slowed things down a bit, but I was in a "Don't fuck about, just paint it!" mood so I got 40 figures painted, based and flocked within one week! 

The command figures are from a bag of Old Glory Wars of the Roses foot command and one random Citadel WotR pikemen who was probably cast back in the 80s.

This is how I do flags. A bit awkward but it works for me. 

While I was at it I painted 4 more schutzen to get me three 6 figure skirmisher groups. Plus those schutzen finally got their schutzfahnlein so the commander can stop waving an empty pole around.

Schutzfahnlein 

The Swiss now muster 4x units of pikemen (Veteran Sergeants/Heavy Foot), 7x halberdiers (Warriors/Fierce Foot) and 3x skirmishers. Plus they can borrow some artillery, knights and more halberdiers and crossbowmen if required.

So there's some more knocked off the Leadpile and an army mostly completed. I won't say it's "complete," but I'm not actively seeking more figures for it.

Now if I could only knock out Napoleonic Russians that quickly. 

Serendipitous Weekday Battle

Wednesday a retired friend from the wargaming circuit messaged me: "Oudinot's Grenadiers are done and looking for a fight." He's been working on this brigade for a while. 

I messaged back "I'm off Friday. Come down in the morning, we'll have lunch and play!"

He lives a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive away, so getting together is complicated. 

But he arrived around 1030 and armed with strong mugs of tea we got started. Although there were some delays as he showed his Danish and Dutch troops first. He's been working on the Danish for some time as well. The top hats are rather stylish I must say.

I lost the roll and set up first. My Prussians were augmented with some Russian uhlans and jaegers.

Reservists and Landwehr 

Prussian center 

Silesians on the left

Oudinot's Grenadiers 

30 or 40 year old dragoons. Hinchcliffe or maybe Minifigs or perhaps something even more obscure. First time in a game! Proud to have been the recipient of their first charge too.

French Chasseurs a Cheval 

French left

Annoyed by skirmishers and artillery, the Chasseurs charge! My infantry deliver steady volleys and drive them back heavily mauled. Chasseur Regiment on the right retreats 1 hit away from dispersing. Chasseur Regt on left has 5 or 6 hits.

My fusiliers recoil from a lot of artillery fire, only 2 hits away from dispersing. French Grenadiers getting closer

French left creeping forward

Landwehr occupy village 

I shifted my cavalry from the far left to support my center.

Grenadiers ready to launch an attack on my left

Imagine a lot of dead horses in front of my Prussians. I neglected to get a picture of the dragoon's mighty charge. The Prussians formed squares and the dragoons recoiled with casualties 

Don was totally unfamiliar with General d'Armee. His favoured rules are the venerable WRG Horse and Musket rules from 40 years ago. But he was game to give G d'A a go and I managed to walk him through it reasonably well I think. Unfortunately all his troops are singly based (as one does with old school WRG rules) and he'd forgotten his movement trays, so his moves took a long time.

Unfortunately we had to call the game at the point in the last couple of pictures with things just coming to grips. 1600 had rolled around and he had to get packed up and on the road. I thought the game was still very much up in the air. Yes I had mauled his cavalry, and IF my cavalry could make a hole in the center then I'd be able to roll up his massed battery and the grenadiers. OR his grenadiers could smash the Silesians on my left too. My comfort with G d'A continues to grow, but I think a division is about all one wants for these rules.

But he got out for a game. His vintage figures finally heard dice rolled in anger, and I deployed all the Prussians painted thus far. Not a bad way to spend a wet vacation Friday.

Never Give Up!

 Way back in 2008, when I was unemployed, and before I had started this blog, I embarked upon The Great Rebasing of my Medieval collection to fix some issues (warped balsa, chipped plaster of Paris, single based pikemen!) and bring it in line with my ideas for a 2nd edition of Blood & Chivalry. Which showed great promise, but got no interest, so I never developed it further.

By November of 2010, I had progressed to having my Burgundians done, and the Swiss started. Which is where the Swiss pike hedgehogs of doom then stalled out for the next 12 years. Never flocked, hardly played with.

Well last Friday the long awaited Lion Rampant 2nd edition arrived in all it's hard covered glory, so Patrick and I had a little game. I went with Swiss vs. Burgundians to try the new pike and handgun rules. A random die roll gave us the "Stampede" scenario; the Attacker drives a herd of cattle into the enemy camp.

I don't have a herd of cattle, so the Swiss were driving a herd of very fierce sheep instead!

Burgundian reinforcements start on table edge

The camp with 2 units. I gave the Burgundians a 4 pt unit of foot to balance out the 4 pts of sheep

My oldest figure leads the Burgundian foot knights

Very fierce sheep drive the Burgundian foot back, but they counterattacked and slaughtered their woolly opponents. 

Swiss advance in their unflocked state.

Close up of the First Figure

Glamour shot of Charles the Bold. I should have taken some cavalry instead to properly test the pike rules

This got me thinking and the following Sunday was rainy and lazy, so I started painting bases and spreading glue and digging out 3 dozen Swiss halberdiers that have been sitting in a box in their brown undercoat for ..... ooooh I hate to think. 6, 7 years?

Maybe these chaps will finally get their banner!

So I've easily got two Swiss retinues. The next 3 dozen figures and borrowing some other figures from my Wars of the Roses troops might bump me up to 3 retinues.

So, it's only taken 12 years, but their bases are done!

Never give up.