The Persians

I was going to title this post The Persian Gift or Off To A Good Home, but couldn't decide so I went with simple. 

This army was received from Peter Linacre as an add on to a purchase of an army that I am saving till Xmas. It just needs some spears straightened, a bit of touching up chipped paint and some minor repairs to a few figures and it's good to go.  

Best of all a good home has been found for them and they are off to York.

Great Battles With Basic Impetus - Alexandrian Macedonian versus Polybian Roman in 6mm

At the Club's November Games Day, Mark Woods organised a multiplayer game using his magnificent 6mm figures.  Michael and I went Roman while Mark with Olivier and Drew were Macedonian.  We were one player down, but Micheal and I took turns commanding in true Roman Consul fashion.

This was the first time using the Great Battles rules in Basic Impetus 2.0.  They worked well, except perhaps that we had used army lists from Second Edition Impetus.  Most noticeable this had the pike blocks being three units when they should have been just two.  As it was and as you can see, the armies filled the 6x4 table nicely.

There are three areas of broken ground and one wood.

Turn 1 and the Romans move to their right.

This causes disorder (marked by the red dots),

but they figure they have time.

Their left wing advances as does the skirmishers.

The Cretan archers in Roman employ get the first hit.

Turn 2 and the Romans have recovered their order.

Macedonian cavalry engages the Roman left with significant success.

On the Roman right the Macedonian cavalry is not so successful.

Turn 4 and the Roman success on the right continues.

While on the left the engagement has grown.

Turn 5 and the Macedonian centre starts to turn to their right.

The Roman left is making slow if steady progress.

That is Alexander locked in combat.

Turn 6 and forces are starting to be more fully engaged on the Roman right.

The left is bloody, but Roman numbers seem to be winning the day.

The Macedonian centre is still grinding forward.

Turn 7 and the Roman right is holding against the enemy peltasts.

On the left Alexander has been dispatched,

but at some cost.

Finally the Macedonians contact the Roman centre.

However, not much happens.

We played one more turn which saw the collapse of the Macedonian right and little progress by them in the centre or against the Roman right.  Time was running out, the writing was on the wall, game over.

I still need to fully understand the interpenetration rules as well as the multiple combat rules, but these only arise in complex situations and so are mostly not an issue.

Very happy how the game played and will have to try again using standard Basic Impetus 2.0 armies. 

294 grams of Soviets

Passed the quarter kilo with this batch.

There are two SU76i, a BA10, a SU76, a T34/76 and a T34/85.

The dry brush works wonders.  The crew figures just add that little bit extra to brings these models alive.  Still lots more to do.

My First Unit of Austrian Uhlans

Uhlan Regiment No. 1 Merveldt.  These were part of a windfall, impromptu purchase from Stan.  They required a bit of assembly, basing and repairing of a few paint chips, but I did little more than that (okay, I did change the sheepskin colour and painted the saddle cloth trim and did a little bit of work on the Czapka.  These Essex figures are a challenge to fit on the Napoleon's Battles bases, but they are now ready for action.

With flash.

Without flash.

2nd Punic War Carthaginians versus Danish and Swedish

My Byzantines had fought Dave's Danes before, now it was the turn of my Carthaginians.

I won the scouting and was able to set up to my advantage.

However the advantage was sleight as most of my troops are disadvantaged facing long spear.

All the Danes have long spear, back by crossbow.

This could be unpleasant.

Turn 1 - Advance!

Turn 2 - Advance some more!!

Turn 3 - Can we see the whites of their eyes yet?

Turn 4 - All hell breaks loose.

My general with the cavalry is in trouble,

but just watch the elephants.

Turn 5 - we're taking casualties, but continuing to advance.

Poor general is not looking happy.

Turn 6 - Elephants win the day.

The skirmishers had performed extremely well,

shielding enemy fire and delaying their attacks.