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

Neo-Elamite Kallapani

 

Happy New Year for 2026!

Here is a four mule Neo-Elamite Kallapani cart that I've just finished painting. There's a comparison shot with a two mule cart I painted earlier. The figures are all Eureka Miniatures.These carts were mobile shooting platforms with a crew of a driver and kneeling, massed archers who could dismount as archers on foot. They were drawn by two or four mules or small horses. I wanted some with four mules for variety so bought some extra Eureka mules and added bridle and harness by gluing strips of paper on with PVA. Each cart will have a unit of foot archers to deploy as dismounted troops.