Here are some Anglo-Saxon Ceorls that I've just finished painting. These are all old Gripping Beast metal figures. I don't think they're still available but I really like the shield wall poses they are in. Their shields are a mix of LBM transfers and hand painted. As ceorls they're more likely to be part of the Great Fyrd rather than the Select Fyrd who were usually armoured thegns.
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| View of the table from the Carthaginian side |
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| From the Roman side |
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| Side view |
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| Carthaginian left flank |
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| Carthaginian centre |
Last Tuesday afternoon Craig came over and we played a Second Punic War game set in Spain out in the shed. Craig commanded the Roman defenders with Celtiberian allies and I commanded the Carthaginian attackers also with Celtiberian allies. The Carthaginians advanced and attacked while the Romans held back. There was a marsh near the river on the Carthaginian left flank which hindered movement and prevented the Carthaginians from exploiting their cavalry advantage.
Both flanks and the centre of the two armies were engaged in combat and slowly but surely the Romans ground the Carthaginian forces down as usual. On the Carthaginian right flank a single unit of Roman allied Iberian cavalry tied up three units of Carthaginian Gallic cavalry and routed two of them. However the infantry combat on this flank went the way of the Carthaginians with the Spanish Scutarii out performing their Celtiberian rivals. In the centre and on the Carthaginian left flank combat favoured the Romans. In the end both sides were still a fair way from breaking but the Romans had the best of the encounter to claim a minor victory.
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| Carthaginian right flank |
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| Roman commander |
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| Carthaginian commander |
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| Combat in the centre |
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| Combat on the Carthaginian right flank |
Here's Scipio Africanus with an attendant releasing a dove. Another Warlord Games resin figure from their monthly Soldier of Fortune series. We have a Second Punic War ADLG game set in Spain next Tuesday afternoon, so both he and Hannibal may see action then!
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| View of the table from the Royalists' side |
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| From the Parliamentarians' side |
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| Parliamentarian right flank |
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| Parliamentarian left flank |
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| Royalist left flank |
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| Royalist right flank |
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| Side view of the forces |
Last Tuesday afternoon Craig came over with his lovely Peter Pig 15mm ECW armies and we played a small ECW ADLG Renaissance (ADLG-R) game out in the shed. This was our first ADLG-R game, so we were not sure about some things, but the QRS was very good and it proved to be a fun game. Craig commanded the Parliamentarians, who were the attackers and had an advantage in infantry and artillery. I commanded the Royalists who had a big advantage in cavalry.
The armies closed and after some artillery and musket fire, there was cavalry combat on the flanks and infantry combat in the centre. The Parliamentarian cavalry were routed but their infantry had the best of the combat in the centre. The Royalist cavalry were able to roll up the Parliamentarian infantry on their flanks but in the end both sides were broken in the same turn for a draw.
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| Armies close |
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| Cavalry combat Royalist left flank |
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| Cavalry combat on both flanks, shooting in the centre |
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| Parliamentarian infantry charge |
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| Parliamentarian infantry are rolled up on their right flank by Royalist cavalry |
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| Both sides break in the same turn for a draw |
Here's an Irish chieftain, some galloglass and light horse that I've just painted. The figures are by Redoubt Enterprises, except for four Perry Galloglass. A big thanks to Andy Grubb, the owner of Redoubt who included seven free additional figures with my order! They're excellent figures and I will definitely be ordering more as I paint up my Irish armies.
Two excellent new books on this subject have been published this year, both are beautifully illustrated and worth getting. The first is Of Kern and Gallowglasses Irish Armies of the 16th Century 1487-1587 by Robert Gresh published by Helion and Company. The second Galloglas From the Western Isles to Ireland by Dave Swift, Maximilian Bunk and Hagen Seehase published by Zeughaus Verlag.
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| Crusaders and Byzantines deployed in the foreground |
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| Syrians and Seljuks deployed |
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| Crusaders and Byzantines attackers advance |
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| Syrians and Seljuks advance |
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| Byzantine horse archers cop a hammering |
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| Azerbaijani warrior infantry charge the Byzantine horse archers |
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| Battered units retreat in the centre |
Last Friday afternoon Craig and Robert came over and we played a Lion Rampant Crusader States game out in the shed. Craig commanded the Syrians and Seljuks with two 24 point warbands, one an all cavalry force and the other an all infantry force. Robert commanded a 24 point Crusader force and I commanded a 24 point Byzantine force. The scenario was the usual Bloodbath, the game proved to be fast and frenetic and very bloody indeed for both sides.
The Seljuk horse archers quickly found their mark and almost destroyed the Byzantine horse archers in the first couple of turns. It was only a matter of time before both Byzantine units routed. The Crusaders did most of the fighting and only the Byzantine klibanophoroi (elite cavalry) really contributed. Casualties for both sides were very high, the entire Syrian and Seljuk cavalry force was eventually wiped out and both Crusader and Byzantine leaders were killed. In the end the Syrians and Seljuks just managed to hold on for a very brutal and bloody draw.
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| Most of the fighting is on the Crusaders' flank |
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| Byzantine klibanophoroi line up a wild charge |
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| Heavy cavalry casualties for both sides |
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| Crusader knights charge again |
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| Only Syrian and Seljuk foot remain |
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| Game ends in a brutal and bloody draw |
Achaean attackers on the left, Trojan defenders in the centre, guarding the well Opposite side Achaean raiders with two heroes and their c...
