Barbarossa - The first combats now in Hi Res

These images are each 6MB compared to the previous post images that were 130KB.  The joy is now only limited by screen size (and what Google allows to be saved, displayed, uploaded, downloaded, imaged, orientated, refreshed and generally mucked about with).  Enjoy.

Army Group North

Army Group Centre

Army Group South

Odds and Sods Roman Legion

Some left over/spare figures and a some scrounged/rescued figures go together to make up this base for Impetus.  All painted by me this time.

They look mean enough

There are some Essex figures in there.

But I don't know the brand of the figures with the twin feather plumes.

Huns enter the Punic Wars

I umpired and coached this game which featured some of my Carthaginian figures run by Marc C against Dave's Huns run by Stephen N.

The Huns have out scouted the Carthaginians,

however the Carthaginians have been able to find a good defensive position

and deployed between a lake and a wood.

Light cavalry armies are fast and the Huns waste no time in closing to optimum firing range.

However the Carthaginians have some missile fire as well.

The battle is on for the wings

It has not worked out well for the Hunnic wings

and the Carthaginians keep advancing in the centre

Both sides have taken some losses

but both still have fresh units

that are being fed into the battle

All units are now engaged

 a loss to either side will be the decider

And the Huns go down in a close run affair.

Barbarossa - The first combats

As with most games there are special first turn "invasion rules" and variations to standard play.  This game is no different, made slightly complex as these rules have changed between editions.  Luckily we picked these up before the dice started rolling (and luckily for me it was easy to rectify - in Army Group South only those units near the border could move - the others were still reforming after their return from their trip to Greece).

Army Group North

Army Group Centre

Army Group South

Note: The Romanians are yet to enter the war

Don't Mention The War - Part 29

Well, an extra two fine impulses of July/August 1943 sees the Eastern front holding (just), but the Western front less so.  Vichy has collapsed and Paris is surrounded.

Enjoying a last night out at the Moulin Rouge,

before it's replaced by Mickey Mouse.

The Soviets have their Mickey Mouse tanks

The Imperialists their scary Mickey Mouse infantry

And the Europeans their Mickey Mouse planes

which begs the question,

whose side is Mickey Mouse on?

Middle Imperial Romans versus Huns

This was a game to gather intelligence on the Middle Imperial Romans, an army (and its derivatives) that features frequently as the choice of competitors in the club's Basic Impetus League 2023.

Stephen is getting in some practice with his Huns.  I cobbled together some representative troops to make up the Romans, some of which were having their debut on the table top.

Unsurprisingly the Huns won the scouting,

however the Romans were able to find some good terrain

to protect their flanks.

Both sides advance in order to get within effective bow fire

although for the Romans this just means attempting to close to charge range.

Hun bow fire has broken up the Roman's line,

but they are now nice and close,

although a pre-emptive charge by the Roman cavalry just fell short.

In a major reversal of fortune,

three of the Hun light cavalry units failed to evade (that's three ones in a row).

However the Roman's left wing auxiliaries took a beating,

Disorder reigns (shown by the strength chits being on their red side).

The Roman archers on the right flank, 

spurred on by crude Hunnic comments on their ancestry,

are about to perform sterling service.

While on the left, help is on its way.

With both wings broken, 

the Romans might be in a spot of bother.

But the Huns have taken losses

and are in danger of being driven from the field of battle

The Roman left is in peril,

the mobility and maneuverability of the Hunnic light cavalry 

is about to be demonstrated.

Big gaps exist in the Roman formation for the Huns to exploit.

At this stage things are actually still pretty close,

each side needs to rout one or more enemy units to claim victory.

The Huns are going after the taunted Roman archers.

One Hunnic light cavalry unit has been slaughtered, 

it was forced to fight as flight would have seen it exit.

The Roman archers are feeling picked on,

but there is an interesting contest top left hand corner

(the Hunnic unit is down to one factor and faces a 3 factor unit of stick wielding Romans)

The Roman Velites stick it to the Huns,

while the Roman archers drive off their assailants.

Phew!

A lucky Roman victory.

And now to go search my lead pile to see if I have any proper Roman archers I can paint up.

Nikephorian Byzantines versus Middle Parthians

Not an historical match, but the first game of the club's Basic Impetus League 2023 competition.

Mark B's Parthians bravely decided to take on my Byzantines.  I was confident that it would be a tough army to beat and ultimately I was right, but the Parthians did give me a run for my money.

The Parthians won the scouting; no surprise there. 

The Byzantines were not happy with their deployment.

Wriggling around

The Parthians win the initiative and boldly strike

The Byzantines in the right made a poor showing of it,

but help was at hand.

In a major set back the Byzantine foot,

maddened by some highly effective sticks thrown by the Parthians

charge and do bugger all!

The Byzantines are succeeding on the right wing,

but the Parthians have swept round their left.

However the battle is about to be decided in the centre.

The first charge by the cataphracts has been repulsed 

and the Byzantine foot has been able to reorganise.

Meanwhile the race is on to secure the rear of the army.

The second charge of the cataphracts has been contained.

The threat to the rear has been dissipated.

(Lucky long range shot)

The cataphracts fight desperately but just fail to follow up

(They are down to one die roll, but repeatedly threw sixes)

The Parthians are surrounded.

Game over!