Hellespont 321 BC - Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

Initial deployment view from
Eumenes' cavalry on the right flank 

Initial deployment view from 
Craterus' cavalry on the right flank 

Pharnabazus's Persian cavalry attack Craterus' cavalry

Side view

Pharnabazus' Persian cavalry lose two
units and are forced to retreat

On Sunday Rick, Gary, Rob and I met down at Vikings Club in Lanyon for the monthly meeting of the Canberra Regional Wargames Group. We played a Successors CCA game, the scenario was the battle of Hellespont in 321 BC, Eumenes versus Craterus. We diced for sides, Rob and I commanded Eumenes’ army and Rick and Gary commanded Craterus’ army. This was a quite an evenly matched scenario, Craterus had the advantage in pike, while Eumenes had the advantage in cavalry. Craterus moved first and had five command cards and Eumenes had six command cards. The only change I made, was the addition of an extra commander, so there was one in each of the three sections - left, centre and right for both sides.

Pharnabazus' Persian cavalry attacked Craterus' cavalry on Eumenes' left flank. This didn't go quite according to plan and two units were destroyed and the remaining unit forced to retreat. In the centre Craterus' light infantry charged Eumenes' auxilia and the pike on both sides moved closer. Pharnabazus' cavalry tried again and charged Craterus' cavalry, killing Craterus and destroying his cavalry. The game was level pegging but would be decided with the pike in the centre. In the end Craterus' pike won a tense and hard fought game with 6-5 victory points.

A Greek priest examines the auguries

Light infantry charge auxilia and the pike close

Pharnabazus' Persian cavalry try again,
Craterus is killed and his cavalry destroyed

Eumenes' cavalry advance

The game is decided with the pike in the centre

Craterus' pike come up trumps with a tense
and hard fought win 6-5 victory points 

Hellenistic Sacrifice

 

Here is the Baueda Hellenistic Sacrifice set which I've just finished painting. The priest is a metal figure and all the other bits are resin parts which can be arranged individually. This is just the ticket to ensure the auguries and dice gods are on your side! I will probably use it as a camp for my Successor or even Republican Roman armies.

Etruscan Cavalry

 

Here are some Etruscan cavalry from the archives that I painted about nine years ago. These are all Aventine Miniatures figures with LBM shield transfers.

Seleucid versus Ptolemaic Successors ADLG Game

 

Armies deployed

Opposite end

Seleucids advance

Seleucid elephant, Agema and pike charge

Last Wednesday afternoon Garry and Craig came over and we played a Seleucid versus Ptolemaic Successor ADLG game inside. It was too hot for the shed, the maximum temperature was 43 degrees centigrade, the curtains were closed and the air conditioning running! The only drawback with this, was the table was a bit small (6 x 4 foot) for the size of the game, our usual 9 x 5 table tennis table is much better and allows manoeuvring on the flanks.


Garry and Craig commanded the Ptolemaic defenders with a sizeable advantage in phalangites, some of these the machimoi, were supposed to fight as mediocre. My later Seleucid army had cataphracts and an armoured elephant but the game was decided by the pike infantry. My elephant, Agema cataphracts, pike and thureophoroi all charged. Multiple rounds of combat saw the Seleucid flanks hold but in the centre the pike were quickly ground down and in tatters.

 

Pike combat in the centre

Seleucid pike break, Thracians
take casualties from shooting

Seleucid cataphracts charge on the left flank

Seleucid centre in tatters

Viking Raiders in Ireland ADLG Game

Viking raiders and Irish allies deployed

Opposite end

Dubgaill attackers advance

Finngaill defenders advance

 After painting more Vikings and Irish recently I thought I’d try a solo ADLG game set in Ireland between rival Viking raiders with Irish allies. The opening chapter of Life in the Viking Great Army; Raiders, Traders and Settlers gives a good background on this:

The written sources record multiple groups of Viking raiders active in Ireland in the 850s and 860s, sometimes working together but often in conflict with each other. For example, the longphuirt at Dublin and Linn Duachaill were attacked by a newly arrived group of raiders described by the Annals of Ulster as the Dubgaill (‘dark foreigners’), who went on to defeat the Finngaill (‘fair foreigners’) the following year at Carlingford Lough. Viking raiders regularly found local allies amidst the complex political situation in Ireland, where over 150 different kingdoms were subject to the authority of six regional overkings of Connaught, Ulster, Munster, Leinster, North Ui Neill and South Ui Neill. Internecine disputes were extensive and ripe for exploitation, while Viking armies could prove useful allies in fighting off other groups of raiders.

Dawn Hadley and Julian Richards, Life in the Viking Great Army; Raiders, Traders and Settlers, Oxford University Press, Oxford , 2025, pp.13-14.

The two sides were very similar with the Dubgaill (‘dark foreigners’) attackers having slightly more Irish infantry in their allied corps while the Finngaill (‘fair foreigners’) had more Viking infantry and two units of Irish light cavalry (just because I had some). The Dubgaill charged in the centre and on their left flank and before long the Irish and Viking allies had also charged in to combat. The Irish slingers and light cavalry spent the whole game faffing around, nothing decisive was achieved there. The rival shieldwalls battered it out and eventually the Dubgaill centre with their huscarls was weakened and the entire army on the verge of breaking.

Dubgaill charge in the centre and on their left flank

Irish and Viking allies close in combat

Rival shieldwalls batter it out

Dubgaill centre is weakened

Dubgaill are on the verge of breaking

Dark Age Irish Warriors

 

Here are some Dark Age or Early Medieval Irish warriors that I've just finished painting. They're a mix of plastic and metal ranges including Gripping Beast, Wargames Atlantic, Footsore Miniatures and Crusader Miniatures. They're all nice figures that mix well, the only oddity is the over size shields the Wargames Atlantic plastic Irish have. Both the GB and WA Irish plastic sets come with a choice of bucklers and shields, for future units I'll be sticking with the GB shields! Shield transfers are by LBM and Wargames Foundry and the banner is by LBM.

Viking Hirdmen

 

Here are some Viking hirdmen that I've just finished painting. These are mainly Gripping Beast plastic figures with two Warlord Games metal figures to make up numbers. Shield transfers are LBM/Victrix. When we visited the Galloway Hoard exhibition at Melbourne Museum last November I picked up a book, The Viking Great Army and the Making of England, by Dawn Hadley and Julian Richards. This is a really interesting book that tracks the movements of the Viking Great army in England between 865 and 878. They have another book Life in the Viking Great Army; Raiders, Traders and Settlers which I have ordered. I also bought a copy of Viking Blood Feud the Lion Rampant supplement that is set in Iceland and deals with the Icelandic sagas, I haven't finished reading it yet but will hopefully get in a game of this soon.

Marton 871 - Command and Colors Medieval Game

 

Vikings deployed

Anglo-Saxons deployed

Vikings advance in the centre

Last Monday afternoon I played a solo Command and Colors Medieval game out in the shed. The scenario was Marton 871 with the Anglo-Saxons of Wessex fighting a Viking force led by Halfdan Ragnurrson. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles:

Aethelred and his brother Alfred fought the force at Maeredun; they were in two groups and they put them both to flight. Long into the day they had the victory, and there was great slaughter on either hand; and the Danes had the power of the battlefield.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles translated and collated by Ann Savage, Book Club Associates, London, 1983.


The Saxons in the scenario have three leaders, Aethelred, Alfred and the Bishop Heahmund, four command cards and two inspired action tokens. The Vikings move first, have a single leader, five command cards and three inspired action tokens. For these Norse Invasions of England scenarios the Boar's Snout foot rules replaces the Mounted Charge Command card. The Vikings advanced in the centre and the Saxons followed suit. Scattered woods meant most of the action in the game was funnelled towards the centre. Multiple combats followed before the Saxons emerged with a hard fought victory 6-4.

Saxons follow suit

Vikings attack 

Action is funnelled towards the centre

Casualties mount

Saxons win a hard fought game 6-4