The Didadochi

 

Mounted Pyrrhus of Epirus

Foot Pyrrhus

Here are some Successor command figures that I’ve just finished painting. The figures are by Warlord Games, part of the range they released for their Hail Caesar supplement, The Pyrrhic Wars. Above are mounted and foot figures of Pyrrhus of Epirus. The foot figure is the freebie you get when you order a hard copy of the supplement. Below is Antigonus Monopthalmus (the One-Eyed) and his son Demetrius Poliorcetes (the Besieger) with an attendant. The next figure is Lysimachus with his faithful hound Hyrcanus. According to Pliny the Elder ' a dog, the name of which Duris gives as Hyrcanus when King Lysimachus' pyre was set alight threw itself into the flame'. Pliny, Natural History 8(b) 61.143 attalus.org  The final figure is Ptolemy I Soter (Saviour).

Antigonus Monopthalmus

Demetrius Poliorcetes with an attendant

Lysimachus with his
faithful hound Hyrcanus

Ptolemy I Soter (Saviour)

Samnites versus Etruscans Midgard Game

 

Deployment from the Etruscan side

From the Samnite side

Etruscan right flank and centre

Etruscan left flank and centre

Samnite left flank and centre

Samnite right flank and centre

Etruscan cavalry charge on their left flank,
Samnite cavalry countercharge

Same thing on the Etruscan right flank

On Monday afternoon I played a solo Samnites versus Etruscans Midgard game out in the shed. The two sides were very similar, the Samnites were the attackers and the Etruscans the defenders. The Etruscan cavalry charged on both flanks and the Samnites countercharged. The Samnite cavalry eventually destroyed both Etruscan cavalry units but one of the remaining Samnite cavalry units at half strength was then destroyed by missile fire from Etruscan slingers. Once the infantry closed in combat the game became even more hard fought with no clear advantage to either side. In the end I called time as a draw with the Samnites on three remaining reputation tokens and the Etruscans four.

Samnite cavalry are victorious on their right flank

Combat continues on the Etruscan right flank

Etruscan slingers destroy the Samnite cavalry

Etruscan cavalry are at half strength

Samnite and Etruscan infantry slog it out

Game ends as a hard fought draw

Late Etruscan Infantry Command

 

Here are two late Etruscan infantry command stands that I've just finished painting. The figures are by Aventine Miniatures with LBM shield transfers. I hope to play a solo Etruscans versus Samnites Midgard game out in the shed soon, but have been sick with Covid recently and have just been taking it easy.

Thracians

 

Here are some pics of various Thracians I've acquired and painted over the years. First up are some Thracian noble heavy cavalry that I've just finished painting. The figures are by Old Glory Miniatures. The Thracian light cavalry are also Old Glory with the exception of a single Minifigs figure on a Hinchliffe horse that I painted years ago. All of the Old Glory Thracian light cavalry and infantry were painted by Adam Stone, part of an Old Glory Macedonian army I bought from him. The infantry are in photo order, later Hellenistic peltasts with rhomphaia, javelins and thureoi shields and earlier peltasts with javelins and peltai shields. 

The earlier peltasts are a mix of Old Glory and Wargames Foundry figures. The Wargames Foundry second hand figures are beautifully painted by the Dragon Painting Service in Hong Kong. They're much better than anything I could manage but the colours are a bit lurid for my taste, I prefer more muted tones! Most ancient armies would be covered head to toe in dust anyway. Collecting Thracians it is hard to avoid having two armies with the earlier peltasts and later Hellenistic ones. I have many more units to add to these armies with Old Glory, Minifigs, Tin Soldier, Essex, Foundry, Crusader and Aventine figures.

Etruscans versus Tullian Romans Midgard Game

 

Etruscans on the left, Romans on the right

Opposite end

Forces advance

Cavalry combat Roman right flank

On Thursday afternoon Garry came over and we played an Etruscan versus Tullian Roman Midgard game out in the shed. The two sides were essentially Etruscan armies of the sixth century BC, while both of our armies are really Later Etruscan. Servius Tullius was the legendary sixth king of Rome, its second Etruscan king who ruled from 578 to 535 BC, and is credited with extending the voting rights of the plebs, which also incorporated military reforms of the five classes. The Etruscans were the attackers and both sides advanced eager for combat. Cavalry combat on the Roman right and then left flank was a protracted struggle. In the centre skirmishers exchanged missile fire and the first, second and third class infantry positioned themselves for what they hoped would be a devastating charge.

The Roman cavalry routed but the surviving Etruscan cavalry were below half strength and down to their last stamina point. One of these cavalry units charged some slingers who were destroyed but scored enough hits in combat to knock off the cavalry as well. The Roman infantry charged the Etruscan infantry but the devastating charge failed to materialise and they were soon retreating with quite a few units reduced to half strength. In the end the Etruscans ground the Romans down until they were victorious. It was a fun and satisfying game that was reasonably close.

This was our first game with the four new fold up tables bought from Bunnings which give a twelve foot by five foot playing surface which worked well, though the mat we used was only nine by five foot.  My old rickety table tennis table has been retired after fifteen years and probably hundreds of games, my partner really hated it and has been plotting its demise for years! I also picked up second hand from Abebooks, this Italian language book on Etruscan armies by Ivo Fossati, published in 1987 it's obviously not as recent as the Osprey Etruscan book but it is has many photos, some colour and is nicely illustrated with English language captions and introduction as well as Italian.

Cavalry combat Roman left flank

Protracted cavalry combat on both flanks

Roman infantry charge, their cavalry rout

Etruscan victory 

Kublai Khan

 

Here is a Kublai Khan command stand for my Mongol army. Figures are by Curteys Miniatures from 1st Corps Miniatures. They have an excellent Mongol range, the figures really have a lot of character. Below is the famous painting of Kublai Khan Hunting painted in 1280 by Liu Guando. One of the attendants, in the middle at the bottom of the painting, has a leopard or cheetah on the back of his horse with a leash and muzzle. I thought it would be more likely to be a snow leopard but it does look like a cheetah in the painting.

Liu Guandao, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons