Etruscans versus Camillan Romans Midgard Game

 

Armies deployed from the Etruscan side

From the Roman side

A tribune and equites on the Roman left flank

Etruscan cavalry on the right flank

Equites on the Roman right flank

Last Sunday Rick, Gary and I met down at the Vikings Club for the Canberra Regional Wargame Group's monthly meeting. We played an Etruscans versus Camillan Romans Midgard game, with Rick and Gary the Roman attackers and I was the Etruscan defenders. It was pretty quiet at the club, as a lot of people were away playing comps, in the two day Anzac Cup event at the Australian Defence Force Academy. Allan and Rodger came over and watched our game and provided much needed advice/instruction on the rules. The two sides were fairly evenly matched and we wasted no time getting down to brass tacks. 

Cavalry combat on both flanks went the way of the Etruscans. A tribune was killed and both Roman equites were destroyed, the bonus reputation tokens earned by the Romans for first charges were quickly gone. The infantry combat in the centre would decide the game as usual. The Roman infantry charged but Gary had his usual bad luck with dice and the Etruscan infantry were able to route several units. The Etruscan army commander was killed and several Etruscan infantry units were at half strength. On the left flank the Etruscan infantry with an attached commander charged a Roman leves unit and they were able to finish the leves off to end the game.

Etruscan cavalry left flank

Equites are destroyed

Charge and countercharge on the Etruscan left

Roman infantry charge 

Action on the Roman left flank 

Roman leves are destroyed, Etruscans win the game

Etruscan Axemen and Roman Leves

 

Here are some Etruscan axemen and Roman leves that I've just finished painting. We've got an Etruscan versus Camillan Roman game lined up at the club tomorrow, so the Roman leves will see action then but not the axemen. The axemen are mainly Agema Miniatures figures with a single Aventine Miniatures standard bearer, that is a Volsci figure with the boar standard. The leves are all Victrix Miniatures. 

According to Gabriele Esposito in his book Armies of Ancient Italy 753-218 BC the axemen formed part of the fourth class along with skirmishers, as there was no fifth class in Etruscan armies, according to the sources. Speaking of the axemen he says: 'the latter were a real peculiarity of the Etruscans: equipped with double-edged axes, they had a very precise tactical function on the battlefield, the breaking of the shield wall of the enemy phalanxes by using their two-handed weapons' (p.124.).

Etruscan Fourth Class Infantry

 

Here are some Etruscan infantry of the fourth class - javelinmen and slingers that I've just finished painting. The javelinmen are all Victrix and the slingers are a mix of Agema Miniatures and Victrix. I'm working on some Etruscan two handed axemen but probably won't finish these in time for our game at the club next Sunday. Anyway I hope everyone is enjoying the Easter break!

Etruscan First Class Infantry

 

Here are some Etruscan first class infantry that I've finally finished painting. The figures are by Aventine Miniatures with LBM shield transfers. I still have quite a few more 1st class infantry or hoplites to paint for my Etruscans, mainly by Agema Miniatures and also have some of their guard axemen that I've started painting. We've got a Midgard game lined up at the club after Easter with the Etruscans fighting Camillan Romans, so they will see action then.

Neo-Assyrians versus Neo-Babylonians Midgard Game

 

Neo-Assyrians deployed

Neo-Babylonians deployed

Neo-Elamite allied cavalry and infantry
on the Neo-Babylonian left flank

Neo-Babylonian infantry and
Chaldean archers in the centre

Arab camel riders, Neo-Elamite kallapani
and skirmishers on the right flank

Neo-Assyrian cavalry, chariots and
Sab Sharri auxiliaries

Neo-Assyrian infantry, guard cavalry and skirmishers

Arab camel riders are keen to get in bow range!

Neo-Elamite cavalry advance

Earlier today I played a solo Neo-Assyrians versus Neo-Babylonians Midgard game out in the shed. I already had the army lists and armies organised, it was going to be a wet day, so it was just a matter of getting the figures, table, mat and terrain out. I added a dismounted trait for the Neo-Elamite kallapani so they could dismount as formed archers in one move. Every single unit in the game was armed with missiles. Most of the infantry were mixed spear and bow, the Neo Assyrian infantry were more heavily armoured than the Neo-Babylonian infantry, who were only armour two rather than three.

The Neo-Babylonians were the attackers and advanced, eager to get in bow range. The Neo-Assyrians also advanced and destroyed a unit of Arab camel riders with withering bow fire. The Neo-Elamite kallapani dismounted and on their right flank the Neo-Assyrian chariots and cavalry charged the Neo-Elamite cavalry. Back on the Neo-Assyrian left flank the guard cavalry charged the Neo-Elamite kallapani who were eventually destroyed. In the centre the Neo-Babylonian infantry charged the Neo-Assyrian infantry. The Neo-Assyrian chariots and cavalry were destroyed by the Neo-Elamite cavalry but in the centre the Neo-Assyrian infantry won the combat to narrowly win the game. 

Side view

Cavalry are in mounted bow range

Neo-Elamite kallapani dismount as foot archers

Neo-Assyrian chariots and cavalry charge

Neo-Assyrian guard cavalry charge
the Neo-Elamite kallapani

Cavalry and chariots slog it out

Neo-Assyrian chariots and cavalry are destroyed

Neo-Assyrian guard infantry (Qurubuti)
win the combat in the centre, Neo-Babylonians
lose their final reputation token

Gastraphetes - Bellybow

 

Above are gastraphetes or bellybow (plural is gastraphetai) that I’ve just finished painting. These figures are by Warlord Games and part of a very nice metal range that they’ve just released for their Pyrrhic Wars Hail Caesar supplement. This range includes mounted and foot command figures, Hellenistic artillery and crew and Illyrian warriors. I actually picked up some gastraphetes and kestros or kestrospendone (type of Macedonian slinger) figures before as part of a kickstarter, two fairly obscure troop types, both of which are now available on the Checkpoint Miniatures site.

There is an illustration of bellybow men in action along side other bow-machines (p.50.) in Duncan B Campbell’s excellent Osprey book Besieged: Siege Warfare in the Ancient  World. The old WRG book by Richard Nelson, Armies of the Greek and Persian Wars 500 to 350 BC, has three separate illustrations on the operation of the bellybow (p.43.) and he says this about it (p.42.):

While powerful and accurate, the bellybow was quite impossible to use in the field. When modified, however, by the addition of a rest or stand, and a winch to the sliding stock back, it became a formidable piece of artillery, capable of considerable development.

I've done two e-mtb rides recently with the cooler autumn weather here and below are a few pics. The first was from the Mt Clear campground in Namadgi National Park down the Naas Valley fire trail through to Naas. We crossed the Naas Creek/River about a dozen times and the water was quite high up to calf level on some of the crossings. My battery on my e-mtb actually got wet and just cut out. We removed it and tried to dry it out but no dice, so I had to ride the last seven km or so back to Naas, with no power fortunately it was pretty flat!

The second ride was in the Brindabellas from Mt Creek Road near Uriarra up Two Sticks Road, the Baldy Range fire trail, then down to the Doctors Flat Road. Gavin got a flat tyre on the descent so we spent a bit of time fixing that. This road was in really good nick, quite a bit of it was surfaced with gravel. Towards the end of the valley my battery died and my legs started cramping. Fortunately for me, John and Gavin took turns riding my bike back to Wee Jasper while I took turns on their still full powered e-mtbs. We all enjoyed lunch at the Wee Jasper Distillery.

Peter at Horse Gully Hut on the Naas Valley ride

Lunch spot on the Naas River

End of the Namadgi National Park part
of the ride, farm roads only to Naas 

A dead tortoise on the side of
the Caloola Farm Road

John starting out on Two Sticks Road

Gavin and John riding up to the
Baldy Range fire trail turn off

View from the top of Baldy Range fire trail

Fixing Gavin's flat tyre

Lunch at the Wee Jasper Distillery