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The Ford on the Bugaroff Part Two

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Continuing our exciting tale

Looking at the table midway through the battle. The British have formed a line to protect the camp ridge.
The cavalry complete their crossing of the Bugaroff, led by the impetuous but not particularly competent Feodor Dunnovich.
The famous meeting between Verdlunchko and Onegin-Offagin.
V: 'Join with me general! We must attack now. The British flank is weakened and will not survive any more blows. We must not give them time to consolidate.'
O-O: 'Do as you wish, Sir, but my men have done their duty. They have taken the redoubts, and we must now hold them. I cannot waste them on some fool's errand.'
V: 'If this battle is lost, General, then it will be lost here.'
O-O: 'I'm afraid you may be all too right,Sir.'

Verdlunchko presses forward, as do the cavalry.

The rifles fall back into the vineyards where they can continue to snipe at the flanks of the advancing infantry but are out of danger of being charged again.

The Russian attack prepares to go in.
The Norfolks unleash a volley.
The guards pour fire into the lone battalion on the right. The job of this unit is to pin the left of the British line in place while the main attack breaks the other flank.
The Russian cavalry deploy to support the infantry, while the artillery prepares the way..
From their flanking position, the Rifles continue to exact a toll on the advancing Russian wing.
Paddington-Beere leads his men from the front, and is wounded.
The Norfolks repulse Verdluncko's first assault, but the Dragoons charge into the weakened Suffolks, pushing them back. If the Russians can break the Norfolks with another attack then the whole mad charge might succeed. However, the 92nd have deployed into line to try to cover the gap made by the Suffolks.

While the battle rages the last of the Russian column crosses the Bugaroff.
The Russian Dragoons are seen off by the Scots, who at first are driven back, but then unleash a hellish volley. Dunnovich is caught up in the rout.
The Uhlans, in the meantime, true to their orders, form up. Their job is to break the centre.
Gotanich gets his first glimpse of the battle since crossing the river: 'Good God - what is happening?!'
Meanwhile the Coldstream guards have advanced on the British left flank and annihilate the hapless jagers.
In the distance the Uhlans can be seen riding towards the Gordon Highlanders, through a curtain of fire. The British line is thin, but it is holding as the last Russian reserves arrive on the battlefield..
The death ride of the Uhlans.
'That is quite enough of that thank you very much.' Half a unit will be lost for no gain whatsoever.
The newly arrived reserves look to break the British right again.
The Coldstream guards wheel into line and with the Grenadier guards proceed to wipe out the last infantry unit on their flank.
Gotanich himself leads the assault and drives the Norfolks back.
The battlefield at this crucial juncture. The Russians pour everything into breaking the right of the British line, while the Coldstream guards begin a turning movement of their own to recapture the redoubt.
In one of the greatest feats of arms in the whole war, the Coldstream Guards recapture the redoubt. Onegin-Offagin and the first battalion of the Caucasus regiment are expelled.
Now the Suffolks are charged, while Stark-Raven manages to rally the Norfolks. Verdluchko spurs his horse to catch up to the St Petersburg regiment on the far left of the Russian line in order to lead it into combat once more.
The Suffolks are reduced to a handful of men, but are kept in the battle by General Colin Dour-Haggis, the Divisional commander.
Onegin-Offagin gathers the second battalion of the Caucasus regiment for an attempt to retake the redoubt.
The Norfolks are pushed back in hard fighting, but the St.Petersburg regiment is staggered and unable to rally, due to their commander General Verdlunchko, being captured! 
The day can still be won. The Russians roll the last die with an attack on the centre of the British line.
Onegin-Offagin recaptures the redoubt. The dice throws for this particular event have to be seen to be believed.  The Russians reclaim their objective.
The Scots are pushed back in the centre. Is the battle turning the way of the Russians finally?
The hard-pressed Suffolks see off the last Russian attack by Gotanich.
Trumpets sound. The cavalry has arrived to help the hard pressed British!
A final view of the Battlefield reveals that neither army has much left intact. The arrival of the cavalry is the signal for Gotanich to withdraw his battered forces. 
What an epic! I wanted to get all of my toys on the table, and I did that, although it was late and I couldn't be bothered playing out the final few turns with the cavalry and Russian withdrawal. The game was declared a tie. The Russians took one objective (and then retook it) and the British held one objective.
British unit of the match would have to go to the Coldstream Guards for their assault on the redoubt, but to be honest any of the units could have claimed the prize. The Anglian regiments in particular suffered heavily but refused to give in. Had they broken earlier the Russians would undoubtedly have taken both objectives.
Russian unit of the match has to be the Caucasus Brigade. The jagers performed expertly, and the taking of the redoubts was legendary.
General of the match was Onegin-Offagin who did his duty and held his position without any rushes of blood to the head.
At the end of the game yet another guards commander was out of action (Paddington-Beere wounded), but Verdlunchko was captured. One must now debate - was Verdlunchko right to press the assault, or should he have waited for Gotanich to arrive with the rest of the Russian force and co-ordinate it?
I've decided that in the grand scheme of the Bugaroff front, the Russians have held the ford. The British will have to fortify Camp Ridge and remain vigilant.

Nate

Where did January go?

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I can't believe we are almost in the second month of the year! I went back to work 2 and a half weeks ago, but took the last Thursday and Friday of the holidays off to head back to the beach. This week saw the students back in at school and next week we'll be back into it like the holidays had never happened.
Despite January's unreasonable swiftness, progress has been made on a number of wargames fronts. For a start, I now have all the figures for my Great Northern War and Samurai projects, and the majority of the figures for the Great Paraguayan War. I thought I'd do a review of some of these figures.
Mounted Samurai from Outpost Wargames Services. Very nicely detailed with separate swords to be glued on.
Foot Samurai from the same range. I think that the raised detail will make the otherwise daunting Samurai armour much easier to paint.
Overall, I'm really impressed with the Outpost Wargame Services figures. Nicely detailed but not overly so. The plan is that the DBA Samurai will be next on the painting tray.

Russian dragoon in kartuz hat for the Great Northern War. The Irregular figures are good solid wargames figures with a minimum of detail but clear areas to paint. 
A Swedish Dragoon officer in karpus.
A Swedish infantryman. There is very little definition to the face - this will have to be hinted at with the brushwork. Given that I plan to paint these with black line as I did the Crimean War project, it should be simple enough to create an impressionistic face.
Swedish infantry officer. Again, everything is there that needs to be there.
A Swedish pikeman.
I'm quite pleased with the Irregular Miniatures figures for the Great Northern War. After painting up the Crimean War figures that I had which were minimal in detail but were clearly defined, I quite enjoyed the effect of the massed armies using the black-lining technique. I am looking at doing the same with this project, although as there is a variation of quite bright colours I may use two tones here and there. The figures were generally quite easy to clean up, but every now and then there was a howler which was more flash than figure. To my relief I found it very easy to clean, and once removed the figure was fine - none of that problem where the two halves of the mold haven't aligned and your figure looks like Two Face from Batman.

I sold off my Napoleonics - yes that is now 8 times I have bought a Napoleonic army/armies and sold them without painting them, but who is counting - and reinvested the money into Paraguayan figures from QRF's Freikorps 15 range. Having done that I was left contemplating the $200 dollars I'd have to find to put together the Brazilians. Then I remembered that Paul at our club had a whole pile of unpainted Freikorps ACW figures. I went around to visit him, prepared to exchange some 28mm WWII for some 15mm figures if they were suitable. Well, they most certainly were. Amongst the figures he had a pile of infantry in gum blanket:
ACW08 Hat, Gum blanket, marching
A photo of the infantry in gum blanket from the QRF website.
I took one look and shouted 'ponchos'! I mixed them in with other figures in slouch hats for 5 battalions worth of Brazilians and also constructed 3 battalions of kepi-wearing infantry, 4 regiments of cavalry and 4 guns. Now all I need are command figures, artillery crew and a unit of gauchos - about $40, which will be much easier to find. To top it all off Paul said that I didn't need to swap - I could have them! Best priced project ever! Are they perfectly accurate? No, but at 15mm the inaccuracies will pretty much disappear beneath the brightly coloured ponchos!

I finished my fortified camp and today added a chevaux de frise from Irregular miniatures. Hopefully I'll finish that off this weekend.
I'll be using this in just about every period.
On other fronts, I have joined the Continental Wars Society and ordered the CD of back issues of the Foreign Correspondent newsletter from 1 through to 69. As I make my way through them I am consistently inspired to want to try new periods - like the Portuguese Civil War or Garibaldi in Naples, or the Hungarian uprising. The price is incredibly cheap - it cost me the princely sum of 25 NZ pesos to join for a year and order the CD. The expensive part is the constant 'ohhh shiny' moments I am now having. If you have an interest in the area I thoroughly recommend you email Ralph Weaver and join!

Marvel have the rights to the Star Wars universe again, and a new Star Wars series is available. The first issue was really good, and I feel it is worth continuing with. In order to subscribe I had to find the monthly money from somewhere, so I have sacrificed my subscription to Miniature Wargames with Battlegames. I've been contemplating this for sometime as I haven't been finding this magazine of much interest. There is maybe one, or in a good month two articles that I am eager to read, but all too often I find myself skipping through to the end and thinking 'is that it?' I used to love Miniature Wargames because it was the kind of magazine that seemed aimed at the ordinary wargamer (and I always enjoyed Gary Mitchell's columns), and I loved Battlegames because it had some very thoughtful articles (Dan Mersey's DBA campaign system from issue 2 is still a real highlight). But since the merger it feels like it has lost what was special about both.  I'm a bit sad about this, because Henry is a genuinely nice bloke (not that I've met him, apart from on a few forums) and because I would like to support the wargames press. In the end though, choices have to be made with the cash available, so MWwBG has joined Wargames Illustrated in the group of discarded subscriptions. This just leaves Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy which is, without doubt, my favourite magazine and delivers just what I want. The only downside being that it only delivers every two months!

Speaking of hard choices, I've been faced with the decision of whether or not to put my hand up to help out with Peter Jackson's Gallipoli diorama. My first impression on hearing the news was one of excitement, but then I thought about it realistically. How could I commit to paint forty 54mm figures in two months? And the painting guides use GW or Tamiya - but I'm strictly Vallejo. I have painting commission work for Geoff and I have my endless array of projects to work through. Oh yes, and I work and have a family. So in the end I haven't volunteered. I'm sure they will get plenty of other people willing to help out, but for me it just isn't practicable.

Maybe February will be a bit slower...

Nate

Great War figures

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Here are my test paints for my 1914 project - British, French and German 15mm infantry by Lancashire Games.
Tommies advancing and firing.
Tommies advancing and firing from the side
Tommies retreating...
The French proudly march into battle.
The perspective from the German lines.
Closing with the German lines.
Another action shot
These are the same figures as I've posted before, but with better lighting so they don't look pink.
Marching infantry.
Running into battle - probably chasing those Tommies.
I've painted the Germans and the British using the painting guides available from Mark Hargreaves via his blog. The French are painted with Prussian Blue and Dark Prussian Blue (sacrilege!) and brick red highlighted with red. All Vallejo paints apart from the base coat of the Germans which is a Coat d'arms paint.

Nate

PS Captain Arjun over on Cor Blog Me is having a prize giveaway for February. There are no bonuses for pimping his blog, I just thought I'd draw people's attention to it, as at present there are only 3 entries (although I'd really like a copy of Ever Victorious Armies which is now out of print), and it is a blog I enjoy reading.

A good day

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It's been a lovely sunny day here today. The family went for a walk in the bush by some local waterfalls and soaked up the sound of cicadas, after which we got an ice cream in a cone. All very pleasant. I also got my first battalion of Swedes painted.
The Uppland regiment, oddly enough not standing on a hill.
From a different angle. You can see the impressionism I've used on the faces, but at a metre's distance it looks good.
The redoubts were originally designed to hold a whole battalion for this project. Here's how they squeeze in. Although the Swedes don't need no stinking redoubt...
Also today I discovered that Wayne Turner of Battlefront fame has a thing for the GNW and has made PDFs of the flags for Swedish and Russian Infantry that I am going to use. The life colour above is one of his, the company colour is derived from Kronoskaff. I e-mailed Wayne and in no time he had sent me copies. Awesome.

The mailbox also revealed another gem - the Freikorps Paraguayans from QRF arrived. 6 battalions of infantry and 4 of cavalry, plus 4 guns. They are really nice figures - little flash, good detail. So apart from the Brazilian command, WWI Russians and Aztecs and Conquistadores, I have this years line up of unpainted lead pretty much sorted. It is just a matter of whether I do a bit of this and a bit of that or go the whole hog on a single project. At the moment, I feel pretty relaxed about either option.

Nate

Generals for the Samurai armies

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I'm putting together two 15mm DBA-HX style armies for the Sengoku Samurai period, and the plan is that the generals are actually the camp element. Inspired by the tussle over Kawanakajima in the middle of the Sixteenth Century, I've created two rival clans led by indefatigable daimyo. The first is the house of Yumisushi, currently led by Yumisushi Nate:
Nate's mon is a stylised sushi roll with green on the outside and a salmon pink square in the middle. Witness my feeble attempt to produce what is the hardest thing in the world to paint -  freehand concentric circles.
From the back the circle is not evident, but the clans favoured colour is - can you work it out?
Just over the hill from the Yumisushi are their age old nemesis, the Tomuchisake, led by Tomuchisake Dan:
Seated amongst his warriors, the golden horned demon surveys the battlefield. His mon is a golden sake bottle.
I was going to put screens around the base, but I needed to make sure that I left enough room to place a garrison element if necessary.
Dan seen from behind. The Daimyo and standard bearers are from Irregular Miniatures.
A close up of the drummers, from Freikorps 15.
The armies themselves are from Outpost Wargames Service and were featured in an earlier blog post. I'm looking forward to painting them - Samurai in 15mm are much easier than 28mm! Of course, there will have to be a few more random things painted before I get into them. Stay tuned.

Nate



French Artillery

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Latest item off the painting tray - WWI French artillery. 15mm from Lancashire Games.
The gun crew are well animated and look like they are engaging in rapid fire.

Viewed from another direction.
I was lazy and only painted a single red stripe on the trousers rather than the double stripe they actually had. A battlepack contains six of these guns, 4 crew per gun and 6 Machine guns, each with two crew. That's a pretty good deal.

Nate

Scooby Doo and the case of the missing Zulu Wars British

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Zoiks! It's the Scooby Doo gang!
They've been some time in coming but here is my latest bit of painting for Geoff. It consists of a few more Black Tree Designs British infantry for the Zulu Wars and the Scooby gang from Hasslefree Minis. Also included are Kick-ass and a couple of kids in school uniform with rather aggressive attitudes towards zombies.
Superhero in a wetsuit and the two mean munchkins. I was trying to get a school uniform effect on them.
Close up of Velma, Fred and Daphne
Shaggy and Scooby looking for more delicious Scooby snacks.
Geoff wasn't sure about the colours of the gang - in particular Fred's white sweater, but as I started painting them I just felt myself going with the traditional colours rather than the planned more muted shades. I just couldn't stop thinking that I was painting the Scooby gang - anything else just felt wrong! Hopefully he is happy with the result.

Three more British soldiers for the Zulu War
Geoff's converted Sergeant on the left.
All five figures together
Geoff came into possession of a few more Black Tree Zulu Wars British figures. The bayonets were broken and so he converted them up and replaced them with green stuff and plasticard. Unfortunately two broke off in transit. He said just to paint them rather than try to replace them as they would probably just break off again, so that is what I did. He added green stuff NCO stripes to two figures as well and made quite a good job of it.

I took these photos on my phone rather than with the camera. Not sure if I might just go back to the camera as these are not as clear as I would like.

Next on the painting tray - 28mm Samurai civilians and a Russian regiment for the GNW.

Nate

Rostovski regiment

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The first of the Russian regiments for the Great Northern War is finished.
Prepared to defend Mother Russia from the Swedes.
I chose the Rostovski regiment because I wanted to sort out the green that I'm going to use for the Russian regiments, and their kartuz is all green. I also like the look of the yellow cuffs and it also shows off the red/green contrast with their stockings. The figures are Irregular Miniatures.
I also did a little experiment to see what would happen if I based my 15mm Old Glory DBA figures and then painted them.  I did this with the Crieman War figures and it worked fine, but these guys a re a little bulkier.
Hastati advancing past a built up area
Hastati retreating into a built up area.
I don't think that they came out too bad, and painting them wasn't too awkward, so I might base them all up and then paint a whole army.
Now, on to Geoff's Japanese civilians.

Nate

The purple primer rides again

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I'm rather excited, I must say. On Wednesday DBA 3.0 appeared in my letterbox. I've been a bit slow getting around to buying this ruleset. I have to admit to not being sure whether I'd bother, after all, I have DBA 2.2 and I've played a lot of games with that. Then I decided to buy it and it wasn't there. Sold out in fact. Now it is back and I have snapped it up. And it is kid in a candy shop time.
How much better than DBA 2.2 can it be?
A few years back, before he migrated to the West Island of NZ, Dan and I were playing a lot of DBA. Biblical, Punic Wars, Wars of the Roses were the main eras, but at different times I had also purchased Russians and Teutonic Knights, Alexander the Great, 100 Year War etc armies. When Dan left I ended up playing mostly Flames of War with hardly any ancients gaming at all. I sold my painted armies in order to fund new projects.

As I've found myself drifting into playing more solo games in the periods of history that intrigue me (as opposed to simply playing what everyone else is), I've been looking at DBA a bit more. I figured the rules would make a good base for small Samurai and Conquistador campaigns, not that either list was properly covered in DBA 2.2. The Samurai list (IV/59b) included 5 blade and no bow which just didn't seem right to me. Aztecs and their Tlaxcallan adversaries were covered, but what about the Spanish component? So I planned to write my own lists and sacrifice any chance of playing in tournaments with them. I'd also try something a little different and have my camp element being my seated Samurai generals, which would give even more credence to the effect of capturing a camp.

Then I read the new DBA. The Samurai list has reduced blade elements from 5 down to 3 . Archers are included. Ashigaru are represented as fast pike. Best of all there is a new element type - the CP which is a general who functions a bit like blades. The list and the new rules have pretty much done everything that I wanted to do AND I can play the army in a tournament. The only thing I would have liked included was that the blade could be mounted Samurai with the option to dismount.

I had to rebase my commanders from my 5cm x 8cm camp to a 4 x 4cm CP.
'Keep it down back there - who do you think you are? Keith Moon?'
But wait, there's more! List IV/19c is Spanish and Tlaxcallans - there is now an official list for the Conquest of Mexico.

The rules changes are fantastic. No more 'buttocks of death' unless you are in a very tight position. Some element types are divided into 'solid' and 'fast' which can affect combat outcomes and changes movement rates. A whole pile of diagrams runs through situations that may be encountered and make the game feel less geometric. Double based elements now get a combat advantage. Spear support each other to the flank, not the rear and Psiloi support is gone. All in all, positive changes. Then there are the army lists. Needless to say I've been sitting down with these working out how much it would cost to buy armies for a whole variety of periods from various manufacturers. At the moment my lists include Conquest of Mexico IV/19c and IV/63 (who would have guessed?); Egyptians I/22b and Hittites I/24b; Chinese warring states II/4a and II/4e and; the Ghaznavids III/64b and Rajputs III/10b. This is, of course, on top of my 2 Samurai armies IV/59b and Punic Wars armies II/32a (Carthaginians) and II/33 (Romans). Not worked out yet, but the 100 Years War might be calling to me as well.
Here's those popular hastati again, from yet another angle.
Am I mad? Well, yes, but also very, very enthusiastic for the latest iteration of a set of rules that had been old favourites. The first DBA armies will be the Samurai for which I now need to buy a few more figures to match the lists in the book. I now have a bit of a project log-jam, mostly because I'm unsure what I want to do first. The good thing about DBA is that armies don't take that long to paint, so I'll probably sneak them in during other large scale projects like the Great Northern War or WWI just for a change of pace.

If you are considering DBA 3.0 but unsure whether to take the plunge, just do it. It has made me one happy little gamer.

Nate

Eagle Rampant - skirmishing in the Ancient World

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I like the look of the Lion Rampant rules. I also like Romans. Since I first learned about these rules, I've thought about putting the two together. So amidst all of the other things I have going on, I've prepped two armies and tried to construct two army lists for the era of the Roman Conquest of Gaul. I figure that there were plenty of skirmishes going on during the occupation, and that these would involve rather small forces comprised mostly of auxiliaries. That is the premise behind these lists.
The Roman warlord, originally put together when I was going to use SAGA as the basis for my rules, now just a superfluity.
I have only created profiles for the units that I have. These are put together for me to play with, but may form the basis of someone else's conversions if people are interested. My design notes are at the bottom of the page.
The Roman force awaiting paint. One Expert Legionaries, one Legionaries, one Numidian cavalry, one Cretan archers, two Numidian skirmishers equals 24 points
LEGIONARIES
Legionaries form the backbone of the Roman army. Well trained, well equipped and well led they are expensive in points but rock solid on the table. As they are a drilled formation they usually fight in a two-deep line with bases touching together, but this affords them a +1 armour bonus when attacked. When in danger from shooting the legionaries can form a testudo, or tortoise, which gives them extra cover from missile fire. Finally the Legions have a nasty surprise for any would be attackers with their pila.
UNIT NAME
Legionaries
POINTS
5
Attack
6+
Attack Value
5+
Move
5+
Defence Value
4+
Shoot
6+
Shoot Value
5+/6”
Courage
4+
Maximum movement
6”
Armour
3
Special rules
Testudo; Pilum; Drilled
Models per unit: 12
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Testudo:There needs to be 6 or more models to form a Testudo. On a move order form the unit into a three rank formation based around a central model; a Testudo cannot form in Rough terrain or in cover, and it cannot move in this formation. Testudos increase their Armour by 1 point against shooting attacks.
·         Pilum:All legionaries are armed with a pilum that can be thrown as javelins. When attacked the legionary unit may test to throw its pilum just prior to contact as a charge reaction.
·         Drilled:So long as their bases are touching and they are arrayed in a two deep line legionaries gain the benefit of close order training. This enables them to gain a +1 armour advantage in Attacks when defending as the men protect each other with  their shields.
UNIT UPGRADES:
·         Expert @ 1 point per unit. Attack value becomes 4+.
      

NUMIDIAN LIGHT HORSE
The Numidian cavalry are some of the finest skirmishing horsemen in the world. Their ability to evade is legendary, usually on the heels of a hail of javelin throwing.
UNIT NAME
Numidian horsemen
POINTS
5
Attack
7+
Attack Value
5+
Move
5+
Defence Value
6
Shoot
6+
Shoot Value
5+/12”
Courage
5+
Maximum movement
12”
Armour
3
Special rules
Skirmish; Evade
Models per unit: 6
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Skirmish:As an ordered activation, successful on a 5+, the unit may choose to make a half move and Shoot either before or after this movement takes place.
·         Evade:When an enemy has successfully diced to attack this unit, but before it moves, this unit may test to evade at 7+. If it succeeds, it immediately carries out a skirmish action targeting the Attacking unit only, may not move closer to the Attacking unit, and must avoid other units by 3” as usual; casualties inflicted in the skirmish action cause a Courage test or Lucky Blow only at the end of the Attack. The charging unit then moves its full charge distance following the Evading unit; if it makes contact it Attacks with the evading unit reducing its armour to 1, and if it cannot contact it must move as close as possible. If the evade test fails, the unit stands in place and awaits attack without moving or shooting, and its armour drops to 1 during the Attack. Evade cannot be used if the unit is Battered.

NUMIDIAN SKIRMISHERS
Numidians don’t just ride horses. Some of them run around and throw javelins too.
UNIT NAME
Numidian skirmishers
POINTS
2
Attack
7+
Attack Value
6
Move
5+
Defence Value
6
Shoot
7+
Shoot Value
5+/12”
Courage
5+
Maximum movement
8”
Armour
1
Special rules
Hard to target; Skirmish; Evade; Fleet Footed
Models per unit: 6
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Hard to target: Skirmishers count as Armour 2 versus Shooting and may only be targeted within 12”.
·         Skirmish:As an ordered activation, successful on a 7+, the unit may choose to make a half move and Shoot either before or after this movement takes place.
·         Evade:When an enemy has successfully diced to attack this unit, but before it moves, this unit may test to evade at 7+. If it succeeds, it immediately carries out a skirmish action targeting the Attacking unit only, may not move closer to the Attacking unit, and must avoid other units by 3” as usual; casualties inflicted in the skirmish action cause a Courage test or Lucky Blow only at the end of the Attack. The charging unit then moves its full charge distance following the Evading unit; if it makes contact it Attacks with the evading unit reducing its armour to 1, and if it cannot contact it must move as close as possible. If the evade test fails, the unit stands in place and awaits attack without moving or shooting, and its armour drops to 1 during the Attack. Evade cannot be used if the unit is Battered.
·         Fleet Footed: This unit does not halve its movement in Rough terrain.

CRETAN ARCHERS
These men from the island of Crete were used throughout the Roman world as auxiliary support.
UNIT NAME
Cretan Archers
POINTS
4
Attack
7+
Attack Value
6
Move
6+
Defence Value
6
Shoot
6+
Shoot Value
5+/18”
Courage
4+
Maximum movement
6”
Armour
1
Special rules
-
Models per unit: 12
SPECIAL RULES:
·         None
UNIT UPGRADES:
·         Expert @ 1 point per unit. Shoot value becomes 4+.

Design notes.

  • Legionaries are based on foot serjeants. The extra point is in place for the javelins (pila) and the testudo rule. Drilled is basically schiltron. An extra point buys an upgrade to expert, rather than two points. I did this because nothing in Lion rampant is more than 6 points and because it fit with the 24 point army had the figures for. Playtesting will see whether this assumption is borne out. Edit: The pila range was 12", but I originally had 6" and have now corrected this.
  • Numidian cavalry are Mounted Yeomen with a point taken off for being equipped with javelins and 2 points added on to be expert and lose the -1 Shooting penalty. I've snuck in the 5+ order roll for skirmishing as without throwing javelins the Numidians wouldn't be operating in a very historical fashion.
  • Numidian skirmishers are straight forward Bidowers.
  • Cretan Archers are straight forward Archers.

Please be aware that these are not playtested yet, hopefully I get a game in by the end of the week.
Amongst all of the other painting and gaming projects that I have, I think that this may just sneak its way to the front of the list.

I'll post up the Gauls in the next couple of days.

Nate

Eagle Rampant - The Gauls

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After yesterdays lists for the Romans I thought I would try my hand at the Gauls. I'm not too sure about the points as they stand, but only play-testing will determine whether it works.
Even more unpainted figures...

GALLIC LIST

WARRIORS
Gallic warriors love to get into battle where they can hack and slash their way through the enemy and collect a few heads along the way. They are ralatively lightly armoured – some will have chainmail armour but many will simply have their shields.
UNIT NAME
Warriors
POINTS
3
Attack
6+
Attack Value
5+
Move
5+
Defence Value
4+
Shoot
-
Shoot Value
-
Courage
4+
Maximum movement
8”
Armour
2
Special rules
Wild Charge
Models per unit: 12
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Wild Charge: If a unit is within Attack range of an enemy unit, you must test to activate an Attack; this is the only order the unit can be given. Wild Charge may not be used if the unit is Battered.
UNIT UPGRADES:
·         Expert @ 2 points per unit. Attack value becomes 4+.

GAESTATI
These chaps know how to make an impression. Charging wildly butt naked they are a terrifying sight on the battlefield.
UNIT NAME
Gaestati
POINTS
4
Attack
5+
Attack Value
3+
Move
6+
Defence Value
6
Shoot
-
Shoot Value
-
Courage
4+
Maximum movement
8”

Armour

2

Special rules
Ferocious; Wild Charge; Counter-charge versus infantry; Fleet Footed
Models per unit: 12
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Ferocious: This unit uses its normal Attack/Defence profile when fighting in rough terrain. Their Defence value remains 6.
·         Wild Charge: If a unit is within Attack range of an enemy unit, you must test to activate an Attack; this is the only order the unit can be given. Wild Charge may not be used if the unit is Battered.
·         Counter-charge against infantry: When an enemy has successfully diced to Attack this unit, but before it moves, this unit may test for a counter-charge. This is an attack order at 7+. If it succeeds, the two units meet a proportionate movement distance between their start positions, and both count as attacking. If it fails, it stands in place for the enemy’s charge. This rule does not apply versus mounted units. Counter-charge may not be used if the unit is Battered.
·         Fleet Footed: This unit does not halve its movement in Rough terrain.
UNIT UPGRADES:
·         None: all they need is to let it all hang out.

NOBLE CAVALRY
The richer sort of Gaul rides a horse and wears good armour. Even Caesar likes to hire these guys to fight for him, so you know they have to be good.
UNIT NAME
Noble Cavalry
POINTS
4
Attack
5+
Attack Value
4+
Move
5+
Defence Value
5+
Shoot
-
Shoot Value
-
Courage
4+
Maximum movement
10”
Armour
3
Special rules
Wild Charge;
Counter-charge
Models per unit: 6
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Wild Charge: If a unit is within Attack range of an enemy unit, you must test to activate an Attack; this is the only order the unit can be given. Wild Charge may not be used if the unit is Battered.
·         Counter-charge:When an enemy has successfully diced to Attack this unit, but before it moves, this unit may test for a counter-charge. This is an attack order at 7+. If it succeeds, the two units meet a proportionate movement distance between their start positions, and both count as attacking. If it fails, it stands in place for the enemy’s charge.  Counter-charge may not be used if the unit is Battered.
UNIT UPGRADES:
·         None: They’re pretty hard as it is.

LIGHT CAVALRY
These Gauls can afford horses but like to throw javelins from them and harass the enemy rather than charge headlong into them.
UNIT NAME
Light Cavalry
POINTS
4
Attack
7+
Attack Value
5+
Move
5+
Defence Value
6
Shoot
6+
Shoot Value
5+/6”
Courage
5+
Maximum movement
12”
Armour
3
Special rules
Skirmish;
Evade
Models per unit: 6
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Skirmish:As an ordered activation, successful on a 6+, the unit may choose to make a half move and Shoot either before or after this movement takes place. All models in the unit shoot with -1 to their dice scores.
·         Evade:When an enemy has successfully diced to attack this unit, but before it moves, this unit may test to evade at 7+. If it succeeds, it immediately carries out a skirmish action targeting the Attacking unit only, may not move closer to the Attacking unit, and must avoid other units by 3” as usual; casualties inflicted in the skirmish action cause a Courage test or Lucky Blow only at the end of the Attack. The charging unit then moves its full charge distance following the Evading unit; if it makes contact it Attacks with the evading unit reducing its armour to 1, and if it cannot contact it must move as close as possible. If the evade test fails, the unit stands in place and awaits attack without moving or shooting, and its armour drops to 1 during the Attack. Evade cannot be used if the unit is Battered.
UNIT UPGRADES:
·         Expert @ 2 points per unit: Will skirmish without the -1 shooting penalty.

SKIRMISHERS
The Gauls have lost of young warriors who like to use bows, slings, and javelins to harass and harm the enemy. Regardless of armament the range remains the same as Gallic warriors do not like standing off too far from their enemies.
UNIT NAME
Skirmishers
POINTS
2
Attack
7+
Attack Value
6
Move
5+
Defence Value
6
Shoot
7+
Shoot Value
5+/12”
Courage
5+
Maximum movement
8”
Armour
1
Special rules
Hard to target; Skirmish; Evade; Fleet Footed
Models per unit: 6
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Hard to target: Skirmishers count as Armour 2 versus Shooting and may only be targeted within 12”.
·         Skirmish:As an ordered activation, successful on a 7+, the unit may choose to make a half move and Shoot either before or after this movement takes place.
·         Evade:When an enemy has successfully diced to attack this unit, but before it moves, this unit may test to evade at 7+. If it succeeds, it immediately carries out a skirmish action targeting the Attacking unit only, may not move closer to the Attacking unit, and must avoid other units by 3” as usual; casualties inflicted in the skirmish action cause a Courage test or Lucky Blow only at the end of the Attack. The charging unit then moves its full charge distance following the Evading unit; if it makes contact it Attacks with the evading unit reducing its armour to 1, and if it cannot contact it must move as close as possible. If the evade test fails, the unit stands in place and awaits attack without moving or shooting, and its armour drops to 1 during the Attack. Evade cannot be used if the unit is Battered.
·         Fleet Footed: This unit does not halve its movement in Rough terrain.
UNIT UPGRADES:

·         None
   
When I look at this photo it doesn't seem like many figures to paint at all. 1 unit of noble cavalry, 1 unit of light cavalry, 2 units of warriors, 2 units of skirmishers and 1 unit of Gaestati.
  As always, suggestions are more than welcome.

Nate

Eagle Rampant - Updated Legionary stats

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After some feedback here is an updated version of the Roman Legionaries for Eagle Rampant:

LEGIONARIES
Legionaries form the backbone of the Roman army. Well trained, well equipped and well led they are expensive in points but rock solid on the table. As they are a drilled formation they usually fight in a two-deep line with bases touching together, but this affords them a +1 armour bonus when attacked. When in danger from shooting the legionaries can form a testudo, or tortoise, which gives them extra cover from missile fire. Finally the Legions have a nasty surprise for any would be attackers with their pila.
UNIT NAME
Legionaries
POINTS
6
Attack
6+
Attack Value
4+
Move
5+
Defence Value
4+
Shoot
6+
Shoot Value
5+/6”
Courage
4+
Maximum movement
6”
Armour
3
Special rules
Testudo; Pila; Drilled
Models per unit: 12
SPECIAL RULES:
·         Testudo:There needs to be 6 or more models to form a testudo. On a move order form the unit into a three rank formation with equal numbers in each rank or as close to it as you can get. A testudo cannot form in Rough terrain or in cover. Testudos increase their Armour by 1 point against shooting attacks, but decrease their Defence value by -1 if Attacked and contacted by enemy.
·         Pila:All legionaries are armed with two pila that can be thrown at enemy as a shooting order. When Attacked the legionary unit may test to throw its pila just prior to contact as a charge reaction. Pila may be used twice by a unit in a game, after which they are exhausted. Pila may not be used by a unit in testudo formation.
·         Drilled:So long as their bases are touching and they are arrayed in a two deep line legionaries gain the benefit of close order training. This enables them to gain a +1 armour advantage in Attacks when defending as the men protect each other with their shields.
UNIT UPGRADES:

·         None.

Design notes:

  • The unit is back up to 6 points but Attack value is 4+. 
  • Testudos can move, but have a negative modifier if Attacked and a testudo cannot use pila.
  • Pila, which were the most contentious of the rules have been reduced to two shot wonders but kept as a shooting action. This will necessitate some means of keeping track of how many times pila have been used in a game. The range has been confirmed at 6".
This is the list that I will run with when I playtest later this week.

Nate

Eagle Rampant - first playtest

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I posted this battle report over on the Dux Rampant group as well. No point in re-writing everything.
The two legionary units side by side in the centre. Pretty much where they would be when they were surrounded and slaughtered!

So first playtest last night. Full disclosure - the Romans got trounced! We played bloodbath as a chance to try out the lists. There were two areas of rough ground approaching either flank, one closer to the Roman side, one closer to the Gauls and the Romans were attacking. Romans consisted of 2 units of legionaries, 2 units of Numidian skirmishers, 1 unit of Cretan archers and one unit of Numidian horsemen. The Gauls had 1 unit of Noble cavalry, 1 unit of light cavalry, 1 unit of expert warriors, 1 unit of warriors, 1 unit of Gaestati and 2 units of skirmishers.
The Gallic deployment. Hard to tell what is what in their black undercoat stage, but left to right we have: Gallic Noble cavalry, skirmishers, warriors, Gaestati, expert warriors, light cavalry, skirmishers.

Opposite side the Romans. Left to right, Numidian cavalry, skirmishers (in the woods), Legionaries - 2 of them - Cretan archers, Skirmishers.
Poor activation dice for the Gauls meant that the Romans had a couple of turns of manouevring themselves into position. The Numidian cavalry and the Gallic light horse spent some time skirmishing between themselves. The Gallic light horse armour was at 3 but it is going to be put down to 2 from now on. I think this was a bit of an oversight when I was putting the lists together.
Initial light cavalry skirmishing. About this stage my phone ran out of charge, so sorry, no more pictures.
Things heated up on the other flank when the Gallic Noble cav had to wild charge the Numidians in the woods on that flank. The forest was a bit of a leveller, but the superior armour saw the Nobles beat the skirmishers back and eventually out of the woods where they were effectively ridden down. They did end up below half strength, so in a sense the Numidians offered a pretty effective speed bump.
In the centre the Gallic warriors got themselves into a position to Attack the legionaries. Mike (who was playing the Romans) then decided to charge which negated his drilled and pila special rules. It did mean he caught the Gauls on the defensive though, so his 4+ Attack value outdid the 5+ defence value of the Gauls. The Gauls had to retreat. The other legionary unit stood on the defensive and the pila and drilled rules were effective. The Expert Gauls suffered 3 casualties to the Roman's one. This was pretty much as expected, but if this had happened against the other warrior unit with its 2+ armour half the unit would have been wiped out. It has made me think that when it comes to playing with the stats increasing or reducing armour is a potential game changer and risks unbalancing the game. For that reason the pila rule will be changed to reduce the enemy's Attack or Defence value by 1 - with no effect on values that are 6 anyway. The ultimate expression of the power of armoured ratings was when the drilled Romans carved up the Gaestati, who were able to launch a counter-charge but whose lack of armour saw them cut to pieces. These troops usually spearheaded the charge, but they were the last unit to manage to activate. To order a move will therefore go to 5+. I won't be playing around with anything else here, because the Gaestati did have some rather crappy dice throws, but despite failing their courage test and being routed after one combat they did inflict a decent number of casualties on the legionaries. I guess you could call them 'expendables'. 
The Drilled and testudo rules are about right. The combination of Gallic skirmishers hurling their slingshot and the presence of Gallic warriors was an effective combination. The threat of being charged prevented the Romans forming testudo to more effectively resist the slingers. Those sort of combos rewarding good tactics should be kept in play.
The three remaining noble cavalry charged out of the trees into the Cretan archers, who were hardly even an effective speed bump. They did roll snake eyes for their courage test though. Again, this was probably a side effect of moving them too close to the woods where they didn't have a chance to whittle down their enemies prior to contact.
On the other side of the board the the Gallic light cavalry and a unit of skirmishers combined to to whittle down the Numidian horsemen and then the Numidian skirmishers. The short range of javelins seems to be quite a disadvantage when the have such low armour. The slingers stood off and made large holes in them I'm wondering if the Light cavalry also need hard to hit to reflect their hit and run tactics a bit more?
By this stage only the legionaries were left and although depleted the Gauls were surrounding them. Bombarded by slingshot and charged in the rear by the Gallic cavalry - we decided that this meant that the unit would lose their drilled special rule - the Romans were cut down to a man.
The games was quick, brutal and bloody. The legionaries are hard, but few and the auxiliaries that support them are very fragile. I'm thinking that rather than Cretan archers the Romans would be better off supported by some Gallic Noble cavalry. It is hard to know after only one battle, where the vagaries of dice rolling and inexperience in using units means some poor choices at times. The Romans made mincemeat of the core Gallic foot units, it was on the flanks that they fell apart. New tactics might alter this.

Nate

More Samurai civilians

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My latest commission work for Geoff.
Some angry peasants.
More peasants with poor dispositions
Ahh, some gentle townsfolk, including a guy so ugly he has a basket on his head.
Son, did I ever tell you about the time...
Nate

100th follower - Blog Giveaway!

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Welcome to the 100th follower of this blog, Mike of Single Base Wargames, and at the same time the 101st follower, Ubique Matt. I haven't made a habit of welcoming new followers, preferring to follow their blogs and link to them back here, but passing 100 is a bit of a milestone, so thank you to all who follow (and those who don't really follow anymore but who still pop up in the followers list) my rather erratic ramblings as I bounce from project to project.

I've really enjoyed being part of the blogging community of wargamers, and have managed to win a few blog giveaways over the past couple of years. First was Tim Knight's giveaway at Heropress where I won the Icons superhero roleplaying game. Then Dan Mersey's giveaway in January last year where I won three brand new Osprey Adventures books. In July last year I received Warfare in the Ironclad Age through the Canister and Grape blog. Lately I have had the fortune to win Captain Arjun's February giveaway over on Cor Blog Me which consists of some Colonial rulebooks, including Ever Victorious Armies which I had been looking for a while back but is now out of print.

So I've been waiting for an occasion to give something back. Initially I was thinking my first 100,000 views, but at the rate I'm going that could be a couple of years ago. So then I thought, maybe the first 50,000 views. But again, it seems my ramblings are not attractive enough to get me over that line any time soon. So 100 followers was the new benchmark, and here it is!

Now, what to give away?
Foundry Sigurd and Thrudella in poor lighting because I realised I didn't have a picture of them and snapped it in a hurry.
First option - genuine Natholeon hand-painted Sigurd and Thrudella made by Wargames Foundry. Have you ever wanted to own a genuine bit of Natholeon painting but can't find the six figure price tag*? here's your chance.
Nineteenth Century shenanigans
Second option - rules for the Franco-Prussian War. They Died for Glory and La Defense Francaise which was produced by Wargames Foundry.
More Franco-Prussian War? I sense a theme here...
Third option - the very first issue of Practical Wargamer magazine - my favourite wargames mag of all time and a constant source of inspiration. This is a mint copy - if by mint you mean it looks like it could have been used to wrap up some small sweets. But it is all there and holding together pretty well.

What do you need to do? Leave a comment stating which prizes you would like in order of preference. Then I will roll a dice to decide the winner. Given my dice rolling, getting in early so that you are a low number is probably a good plan. As I am a shameless exhibitionist, I will award extra entries to anyone who advertises this on their blog and then links back to here, and then tells me about it in the comments section. I will decide the winners on the Ides of March, because that has always been a pretty lucky day historically speaking.

Nate

* calculated in Zimbabwean dollars c. 2010

Don't Selous out!

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Here are the latest commissions for Geoff - Eureka Miniatures Selous Scouts.
All nine figures

Tracker backed up by some heavy firepower

Making their way through the Rhodesian/Zimbabwean savannah (I'm assuming they have savannah...)

Another bit of heavy firepower.
Aside from not knowing much about the topography of Zimbabwe/Rhodesia, I did quite a bit of research on these guys. My initial plan was to paint half of them as black troops, as there was a high proportion of black soldiers in the unit. Unfortunately none of the figures had the facial features or short curly hair that would make them look authentic, so this is an all white unit. I've got quite a few references from my old War in Peace magazines for the camo scheme and the colours of the singlets and shorts, and these came in handy.
I have to admit one major failure though. The sculpting is so fine on the faces that I couldn't paint the whites into the eyes. I gave it a shot, but they just came out looking like they had gone blind. I hope Geoff can forgive this.

And now that I've posted this, the blog giveaway will have slipped off the top of the screen, so make sure to check it out!

Nate

Seventeenth Century Generals

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And the last of this batch of figures from Geoff is finished. This time it is two 28mm Front Rank generals from their Late Seventeenth Century range. If there was only one range of figures in the world, I would choose Front Rank. Not only do they cater for this period which is one of favourite, but their figures are wonderful to paint. It is strange that I don't own any, but this is my retirement dream -  two late 17th Century 28mm armies made with Front Rank figures. Unsure whether I'd want to do 9 Years War or the Sedgemoor campaign, but I have plenty of time to think about it (another 25 years)!
Anyway, here are the pics:
I realise that I still need to highlight the sword, so I'll get onto that tonight.
The second general holding his baton. I think it may be bent from this shot - I hadn't noticed that.
A view from side and rear for completeness.
I'm not sure whether these are meant to be English or French (or something else) so I haven't painted any ciphers on the saddlecloths yet. I've also matt varnished them since taking this picture so the light won't reflect off them so strikingly.

Nate

Beware the Ides of March...

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...If you want to be in to win in the blog giveaway! The fateful day will be arriving in my neck of the world in approximately 3 hours, and the draw will happen 12 hours hence. Just leave a comment and trust to the luck of the D20.
Natholeon's blog giveaway - better than being stabbed 23 times!
The Imperial palace also took delivery of something eagerly anticipated today:
Primer, paints and playthings!
Hopefully I can paint the figures as nicely as Barks has.

Nate

Giveaway winners

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I assigned each entry a number, including the pimpings on other blogs. My daughter rolled the d20 and the cat acted as scrutineer (and had fun knocking the dice around afterwards) - and we have our winners:
'I really don't care one way or the other - will you just feed me?'
First number rolled was a 4, which was Ray! Yes his luck is unbelievable! His first choice was the Franco-Prussian War rules.
Second number out was a 6, which was Rodger. His first choice was the painted Sigurd and Thrudella.
Third number out was 4 again, but that had gone, so the next roll was - 4! Ray, what dice gods are you praying to? But then a 10 came up, which is Tim Knight. His first choice was gone, but his second choice was the first issue of Practical Wargamer.

Congratulations guys, and thanks to everyone who took part. Since the giveaway we've welcomed another 9 followers and crept tantalising close to that 50,000 hits mark.

If the winners can e-mail me at my hotmail dot com account - Natholeon is the first part @ that address - and I'll get your goodies off to you.

Cheers
Nate

A bit more progress with Eagle Rampant

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With marking 55 assessments and finishing off Geoff's commissions not much has been done on Eagle Rampant since my first playtest. However, last week I managed to finish off my first 2 units, one of Roman Legionaries and one of Upgraded Gallic Warriors.
Legionaries in their 2 deep line in order to claim their drilled bonus.
Typically disorganised Gauls
I'm hoping to get through a solo playtest of a couple of scenarios I've put together this weekend. Joining me in working on Eagle Rampant is Mike from the Single Base Wargames Blog. He is doing Early Imperial Romans, but we are planning on collaborating with playtests and the creation of unit stats. The header picture is his work.

Nate






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