Elephant Victory 273 BC - Seleucids versus Galatians Command and Colors Ancients Game

 

Galatians deployed on the left, Seleucids on the right

Opposite end

Seleucid elephants attack Galatian warriors

Galatians attack on the left flank...

and on the right.

Last Wednesday afternoon I played a solo Command and Colors Ancients (CCA) game  out in the shed. The scenario was the Elephant Victory of Antiochus I in 273 BC, his Seleucids taking on the invading Galatians. The Seleucids start the game with a mounted attack card that applies only to the elephants. I decided to attack the Galatian warriors rather than the Galatian chariots, which in retrospect was not a great choice. Disaster struck for the Seleucids and all their elephants were killed in the first two turns! The Seleucids never really recovered from the calamitous start and despite counter attacking on the flanks and in the centre were unable to make any headway in the game. In the end it proved to be a very easy and well deserved  6-2 victory for the Galatians. 

Seleucids counter attack on their left...

and their right.

Seleucid pike attack in the centre

Galatians destroy Seleucid light cavalry with a double retreat

Seleucid cavalry attack Galatian light infantry

Galatian light infantry score a hit to seal victory 6-2

Libyan Warriors and Archers

 

Here are more Bronze Age Libyan warriors and archers, that I've just finished painting, for my Libyan Chariots Rampant force. The figures are by Foundry, Warlord/Cutting Edge, Newline and Old Glory. I now have five infantry units painted, three tribal warrior units and two archer units, worth 20 points. Once I've finished the three Libyan chariots I'm working on at the moment, I'll have a 32 point Libyan force to fight against my New Kingdom Egyptians.

Early Imperial Romans versus Britons - First Infamy, Infamy Game

 

Romans deployed on the left, Britons on the right

Britons evade charging Auxiliary cavalry

Legio XX Valeria Victrix step out

Briton Noble Warriors step out 

Earlier today I played a solo Infamy, Infamy game out in the shed. The scenario was a general engagement (Scenario Seven p.29), with a Southern Tribal Briton Warband (105 points) taking on an Early Imperial Roman force the same size. This was my first game with the rules, so it was slow going, and sub-artic weather conditions (it's snowing on the east coast of Australia today) did not help. I'd read the rules and watched all of the TFL's Infamy videos on YouTube, which were very handy. They're quite a detailed set of rules and you tend to play a lot of turns in a game. In the end I ran out of time, the Britons had the upper hand but a result was still a fair way off.

Legionaries throw pila and brace shields

Briton warriors fall short in their charge

Auxilia retire due to shock

Britons have the upper hand

Spanish Scutarii

 

Here are some Spanish Scutarii from the archives. These all Victrix figures with Victrix shield transfers. I have some photos of Victrix Caetrati and other metal Spanish infantry that I will try and dig out as well.

Numidian Command and Cavalry Review

 

Warlord King Juba I figure

Crusader Numidian Prince

A&A Numidian cavalry command

Victrix Numidian cavalry command

I thought I do a review of the Numidian command stands and cavalry I have painted to date. Some of these figures had lost spears and shields while others required some touching up. I still have some Warlord Numidian cavalry to finish painting but have mainly infantry to do for my army now.

Gripping Beast Numidian cavalry

Crusader Numidian cavalry

A&A and Foundry Numidian cavalry

Victrix Numidian cavalry

Libyan Warriors

 

Here are two units of Bronze Age Libyan warriors that I've just finished painting. The figures are a mix of Foundry, Old Glory and Newline. I'll use them for a Libyan Chariots Rampant force to start with but need to finish painting more warriors, archers and chariots. The back drop photo was taken in Egypt in 2009, near the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut in Luxor.

One really annoying thing that happens with Libyans frequently is the ostrich plume(s) in the hair snaps off, either in the mail or even in storage. I have literally dozens of these figures that have lost their plume but found a method that seems to work quite well to repair them. I drill a hole in the top of the head angled back slightly and super glue in a 5-7mm wire off cut from a wire spear (have hundreds of these). I then take some green stuff and fold it around the wire so it is enclosed and then using a sculpting tool (a toothpick would do) mark in the lines of the ostrich plume and leave it to dry. The front rank figure (with tats) on the far right in the photos above and below is the one I repaired.

The Stillman & Tallis WRG book, Armies of the Ancient Near East, 3000 BC to 539 BC, makes the following point (p.116):

This plume was considered very important, and may have indicated tribe or status. The inscriptions of Merneptah record that a defeated Libyan chief was deprived of his plume by his followers as a mark of disgrace.

Hittites versus New Kingdom Egyptians ADLG Game

 

View from the Egyptians' side

View from the Hittites' side

Egyptian chariots charge on the left flank

Egyptian chariots charge on the right flank

On Sunday afternoon out in the shed I played a solo L'Art de La Guerre (ADLG) game with my 15mm New Kingdom Egyptians and Hittites. I haven't played these rules for quite a while but ordered Version 4 from Northstar when it was released recently. It was a small 100 point game, with two corps and commanders a side, the Hittites were the attackers. I was a bit rusty but fortunately the QRS is very good and I didn't have to look up the rules too much, although there are a few changes from Version 3. 

The two forces lined up and got stuck in with the Egyptian chariots charging on both flanks in the first turn. The Hittite infantry charged in the centre with casualties mounting on both sides. The Hittites infantry managed to punch through the Egyptian infantry despite being out numbered. Both Egyptian commanders were killed and the Egyptian army was soon routed. In my opinion one of the big advantages of ADLG is its smaller army sizes, you get more bang for your buck and as it says in the Overview it requires about half the miniatures as most other rule sets.

Hittite infantry charge in the centre

Casualties mount on both sides

View from the Hittite lines

Egyptians rout