Early Successor vs Mid-Republican Roman

This time my Early Successor Greeks commanded by Lysimachus took on a new opponent, Mark and his Mid-Republican Romans.  The terrain was agricultural and my pikemen and hoplites deployed between two fields with the Thracian foot and Elephants on the right with the flanks protected by light infantry and cavalry.  One battle group of Thracians was posted on the left.  I advanced with my skirmishers on both flanks and pushed forward with two battle groups of Thracians supporting the elephants that I was sure were going to be Roman killers.  Eh, no...

The elephants and their supports just couldn’t get an edge and with a small loss the elephants threw the dreaded “1” and lost an element and dissolved.  Their Thracian companions soon joined them.

On the left things went differently with the Greek heavy cavalry running down the Roman lights and the Thracians getting the upper hand on a unit of Roman legionnaires.

Back on the right the Romans broke a unit of Hoplites and the Greek lancers charged desperately to try and stabilise the line.

Meanwhile on the left and centre there was desperate fighting as both sides heavy infantry came into contact.

The Romans started to rollup the Greeks from the right and had a stunning victory over a pike block.  Could the Greek cavalry reverse the situation?

While the Thracians on the left turned to take the Romans in the flank, in the centre the Greek cavalry smashed through the Romans taking them in the flank as they moved in on the final pike block.

It was a close run game with lots of action and seesawing of combats.

Early Successor vs Late Achaemenid Persians

For our next battle Richard and I upped the points to 800.  I was very happy to run more of my Tin Soldier Hellenistic figures that I had collected and painted back in the second half of the 1980s, particularly my Thracians (although I did I have fill their ranks with some “fanatics”).  I chose the Lysimachus option and even ran two elephants.

The Field of Glory rules worked well and it was really pleasing to see just about every unit engaged.  We had some complexity with interception charges, but a careful reading of the rules got us through it okay – basically if your troops have to do anything other than go straight ahead, then they won’t be intercepting.

This is what the Persians saw:

This is some of the Persians that my army could see:

 

 

My right flank was secured by a steep hill and my left by a wood, neither of which featured in the battle. There was some uneven ground to my left centre, although its effect, with hindsight, is best described as "contextual".

 

The Thracians and elephants who formed the centre left of my army pushed forward.

 

 

 

The pikes and hoplites of my centre right were a bit slower moving up.

 

 

Disaster!

 

 

The left hand unit of Thracians got beat up bad and broke, taking their friends, who had begun to waver, with them.  Perhaps the uneven ground had effected their fighting skills after all?  The Persians were aided by their generals and while the Thracians had failed to make an impression, they were not doing that badly (they did something like 2 casualties but received 3).  However when it came to the cohesion tests they failed badly.

 

The right hand Thracians powered through, defeating their opponents with the help of the elephants.  But then real disaster struck as the elephants had to take a death role as they had been checked by the body of cavalry.  Anything but a 1 would have seen them okay, but they lost a base and were removed.

 

Over on the centre right the pikes fought hard, lead by a general this time, but the attack had gone in with the supporting hoplites lagging which gave the Persians a crucial overlap which coupled with a failed cohesion test saw my main body of infantry disrupted and then fragmented before they finally fled.

On the left flank my Thessalian cavalry fought really well, but on my right I was unable to make use of my lancers.

In retrospect I think my army was just too big for the number of generals I had to command it and keep it under control.

 

 

Alexandrian Macedonian vs Late Achaemenid Persian

My 600 point Alexandrian Macedonian army took the field against Richard's Late Achaemenid Persians. The light infantry planned to use the vineyard to help them shield the flank of the two pike phalanxes who were to make a slow advance.  The mercenary Hoplites and the Hypaspists formed my centre and were to push forward to pin the Persians while the cavalry that formed the right was to aggressive engage the enemy.

 

The bulk of the Persian host (with their backs literally to the wall) as they appeared to my army.  They have another two or three units deployed on their right as well – there is a lot of them!  The centre is dominated by the steep hill and there are ploughed fields on both flanks.

The Thracian light cavalry get into trouble and are eventually wiped out, but the Agema and Thessalians are still eventually able to destroy the Persian left flank.

Things also go well in the centre with the Persian cavalry driven back and ultimately destroyed and the Hypaspists getting to grips with the Persian infantry and besting them.

 

This pike block is well screened by the light infantry who were doing a good job in holding up the Persians. 

 

However the pikemen got over confident and charged in. 

 

It was a drawn out fight, but they had taken on too much and even after their general joined them they were still unable to turn things around and were eventually routed, their general dying in the process.  However the other pike block met their enemy and quickly routed them thereby demoralising the Persian army.  My army did have its camp sacked, but that is a small price to pay for victory. 

Vivandieres

These are the first figures I have painted from Fantassin (now War Modelling Miniatures) and they were a pleasure to do.  I did them as a Xmas present for a friend which is why I haven’t based them.  I was a bit late getting them and with the hot weather I haven’t been painting much so they have turned into a late Xmas present.

Vivandière is the French term for these troops and while I don’t recall seeing them in any army list, they certainly should keep the lads’ spirits up.

Cheers!

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivandi%C3%A8re

And for the figures themselves: http://www.warmodellingminiatures.com/index.php?id_product=265&controller=product&id_lang=1



Projects 2013 – Terrain and Miscellaneous

Tree bases, fences, barbed wire and vineyards (and much more) all required for my wargames table.

 

Supply markers, hasty barricades, some random entrenchments and a lone ACW marker.

 

ACW is my fourth period I game in, but I have no projects in hand (only a hankering to play Fire and Fury with the forces I have).

Projects 2013 – WW2

My early war Australian force is in a half completed state with figures painted but not based, figures being painted, figures ready for painting, models to be assembled and painted and even some that I got for Xmas still to be opened.

 

Those are all my 15mm WW2 figures and models, but I still have a heap of 20/25mm WW2 units under various degrees of completion (including rebasing).  This German artillery is the one “on hand” project that I have, but that is not to say I will not get enthused (or distracted) to have a go at something else in this period and scale.

 

Projects 2013 – Ancient

I have been working on my dark ages DBA armies for a long time and still have a few different stands to complete.  I am hoping that the new DBA 3.0 rules will not change the compositions too much.

 

With a few games of FOG completed and more planned I am keen to see if I can get my Burgundian Ordonnance army mustered.  I just need to complete one unit of pike, one of knights and do some commanders.

 

I still have some bases of my Hellenistic army to complete affixing magnetic strips to their bases so they can be transported, but that will happen on an as needs bases and not as a project (yet).

 

Projects 2013 – Napoleonic

For Xmas I received some Fantassin Prussians, mainly grenadiers; so far two done and thirty six to go.  I am thinking of using paper flags for the two units I am building which will be something different and basically a first for me.

 

I am also working on some “deads” (these are Fantassin) and commanders (Old Glory), including the special Blucher command stand(s) for Napoleon’s battles.

 

Along with the “deads” I have been experimenting with some ways of doing unit status markers using some beading materials, but it is still early days.  This is another area where I want to try paper flags – have colour printer, not afraid to use it!

 

There are still three Battle Honours Prussian units underway from 2011.

 

Plus some Old Glory Prussians from last year.

 

Finally there are the 25mm Hinchcliffe French I want to do for skirmish using Songs of Drums and Shakos.