Nikephorian Byzantine Horse Archers and Normans versus Byzantines Lion Rampant Game

 

Above are some plastic Fireforge Games horse archers for my Nikephorian and Komnenan Byzantine armies that I've just finished painting. I will combine these as rear rank archers with the Fireforge Koursores figures as front rank lancers, for Tagmatic Kavallarioi. I have more Gripping Beast metal cavalry figures to paint as well as the Fireforge plastic cataphracts. Newly painted troops often seem to  perform poorly in games and this was the case with this lot, see photos and report below!

On Thursday afternoon Garry came over and we played another Lion Rampant game out in the shed. The scenario was Hold on Tight with the objective a mountain pass. I was the attacker with my Nikephorian Byzantines and Garry, the defender, with the Normans. The Byzantines advanced to the pass and managed to hold it for three turns before multiple charges from the Norman cavalry and shooting from the Norman crossbowmen drove them back. Disaster struck when the Byzantine leader was killed by lucky blows and soon the remaining Byzantine cavalry routed. The Byzantine infantry tried to hold on but retreated battered and soon routed.

Normans deployed on the left, Byzantines on the right

Normans with the pass in sight

Byzantines are within cooee

Byzantine horse archers and foot archers advance

Horse archers are in the pass but can they hold it?

Shooting commences - the Norman
crossbowmen prove very effective

Byzantines charge and Normans counter charge

Byzantine leader is killed and
remaining cavalry soon rout

Byzantines are down to infantry only

Can they hold on?

Norman Milites charge again,
crossbowmen find their mark

Byzantine infantry retreat battered and then rout

Normans are victorious 

Lion Rampant 2nd Edition - Seljuks versus Byzantines

 

Byzantine attackers deployed

Seljuk defenders

Most of the Byzantines advance

Seljuks advance

Byzantine Klibanophoroi catch up

Last Saturday afternoon Craig came over and we played a Seljuks versus Nikephorian Byzantines Lion Rampant game out in the shed. We both had 24 point warbands, using the usual Bloodbath scenario. The Byzantines were the attackers and the Seljuks the defenders. Craig’s Seljuks consisted of two units of heavy cavalry with bows, a unit of light infantry with javelins, a warrior Azerbaijani unit, and a unit of archers and a unit of skirmishers. My Nikephorian Byzantines consisted of a unit of Klibanophoroi (elite cavalry), two units of heavy cavalry with bows, a unit of skutatoi (heavy infantry) and a unit of archers.


This was a practice game as there is a Lion Rampant event on the 8th of July as part of BelCon II (8th and 9th July 2023) at the Raiders’ Club in Kippax. This event has three games with 24 point warbands and the scenarios of Bloodbath, the Convoy and Hold on Tight. If anyone is interested in playing I can bring along a 24 point warband of Early Crusaders or Normans. Some of the other events at BelCon include 15mm Mortem et Gloriam, 28mm Billhooks Italia and 28mm ACW with Pickett’s Charge. Tickets for all these events can still be purchased on the Olympian Games website.


Most of the Byzantines advanced but it took a few turns for the Klibanophoroi to catch up and launch a wild charge into the Azerbaijani who retreated battered. Repeated charges by the Klibanophoroi, drove the Seljuk heavy cavalry back, before they sucumbed to the Seljuk shooting. The Byzantine heavy infantry forced a unit of Seljuk heavy cavalry to retreat battered but then both units of Byzantine heavy cavalry failed their courage tests and routed. In the end it was a bloodbath indeed and only a unit of Byzantine archers and the Seljuk leader with a single cavalryman remained

Byzantine archers and Seljuk heavy cavalry remain

Hittite Spearmen and Sea Peoples

 

Here are some 15mm Hittite spearmen and Sea Peoples that I've just finished painting. Most of them are Red Copper Miniatures figures except for two Essex figures on a Sherden base (far right, second photo down). The resin figures were printed by Proxy Wargaming, a 3D printing service in Sydney, who provide a great service and really detailed figures with minimal clean up required. Their prices have gone up since I bought these and I actually bought most of my Early Hebrew army from Baueda in Italy who have very reasonable overseas postage (12 Euros). 

Below are some comparison shots of the Red Copper Pelset figures with Essex Pelset figures, Red Copper Hittite spearmen with those from Gladiator, Essex and Chariot Miniatures. They're obviously very detailed, as they're available as 28mm figures as well. The Hittite spearmen have no sidearm, like a dagger, axe or sword and one of the figures has a cropped beard (the Hittites were clean shaven). Many of the Sea Peoples figures have bronze forearm guards not something I've seen in any illustrations, reliefs or other 28mm ranges before but were used in early Mycenaean Dendra type armour. I'm working on some Syrian Chariots and a New Kingdom Egyptian camp so will post photos of these when finished.

Pergamene Successors

 

Thorakitai

Companions

Thureophoroi 

Here's a real blast from the past, photos of Nathan Vinson's Pergamene Successor army I played in a WAB comp at the Goulburn Soldiers’ Club, way back in March 2011. Vinnie always has immaculate armies and photos on his Lonely Gamers blog. He doesn't seem to post on blogger anymore but still posts on his Elite Miniatures Australia website, which is always worth checking out:

https://www.eliteminiaturesaustralia.com.au/blog/

Foundry Thracians

Some other Successor game

Thracians again

Warlord Parthian horse archers

Armenians versus Parthians ADLG Game

 

Armies deployed from the Armenian side

Parthian view of the table

 

Armenian left flank

Armenian cataphracts charge

Infantry in the centre

Left flank closes

On Wednesday afternoon Garry came over to my place and we played an Armenians versus Parthians ADLG game out in the shed. We diced for sides, Garry commanded the Parthians and I was Tigranes the Great, the Armenian king, a strategist no less! The armies were similar with cataphracts and horse archers on the flanks and infantry in the centre. The Armenians had better infantry with Seleucid pike and imitation legionaries while most of the Parthian infantry were mediocre Greek militia. In the end it proved to be a bloody and hard fought draw that could have gone either way. The Parthian infantry were mostly destroyed but both Armenian cavalry flanks looked decidedly vulnerable.

Parthian infantry charge in the centre

Parthian cataphracts charge the Armenian
cataphracts on the left

Armenian right flank is very vulnerable 

Parthian infantry destroyed in the centre

Armenian left flank in trouble