Return to ancients ...

I have found myself recently returning to an old gaming fave .. ancients, with two different rules sets. First a return to DBA with DBA 3.0. Having tried a few games with Keith, I signed up for a tournament, and then recently hosted three others for an evening of three games each, all played using medieval armies (Book IV). All the games were played using 15mm armies. A few photos ...

Then last night I caught up with Adrian again for a couple of games using Armati, fielding Egyptians and Hittites.

As you'd expect, each rules set gives a different game, but all equally enjoyable. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the period, the armies, and the games.

WWW1 Rider creations.... some free form creative kit bashing

While I have several projects 'snapping at my heels', so to speak, I am trying to make progress on the 72 point HotT Weird World War 1 army. The army needed some riders, but I didn't want to go for traditional horsed cavalry, even though my original creative vision had been for horses wearing gas masks, in the same way that many of the non re-animated infantry are.

The concept of 'riders' seemed to speak to me of interesting. weird, oddball vehicle creations, not all human crewed. I spent a lot of time rifling through the traditional spares box (the modeller's 'pandora's box)  looking for bits, but more importantly looking for inspiration. I had a mental picture of what I wanted, but individually none of the eventual creations look much like that at all. However collectively I like the look of the 'unit'. In the best gestalt psychology tradition, the whole is more than the sum of the parts.

I had some spare 'Airfix Tiger 1' road wheels, and kept coming back to these, along with a series of crew from the Airfix WW1 RHA 13/18pdr gun sets (the figures riding on the limber).

The Tiger 1 wheels were the basis for all three riders.

The three rider bases seen together

This first vehicle is mostly scratch built from card and bits, with a couple of kit set spares added in.

The second was an attempt at a different look, but again one that didn't quite meet my expectations. I guess it might be a remote controlled vehicle rider? The body was shaped from a block of balsa wood, with detail added from the spares box again.

For the third attempt, I was attracted to the spare cab from an Airfix Scammell tank transporter. I think it was the delightful relief rivet detail that captured my eye. The cab was attacked with a razor saw. The Tiger road wheels are positioned at the front, and I found some spare rubberised tank track (no idea what it came from) that became the track units for either side.

So, three riders that hopefully will look the part when seen amidst the army as a whole.

That means I have 56 of those 72 points. There is still the Be2 airboat to build, which leaves 13 points to find/create... from somewhere/something.

Weird World War 1 behemoth

It has been a while since I've paid any attention to the Weird World War 1 British army. However, finally another leap forward, with the MkIV behemoth completed. The kit was an Emhar Mk IV female tank. The pose is necessary to try to keep the model within the parameters of the behemoth base size.

Here are some of the stands completed so far: the behemoth flanked by a pair of shooters, the magician, and hero to the front, the God to the left, and a re-animated 1914 horde unit to the right, with the Sopwith Camel aerial hero to the right rear.

So the army now stands at 50 points completed.. this is going to be a 72 point army ready for Big Battle HotT. There is a BE2c airboat to be built, and then, well we'll see.

A time of heroes: French napoleonic in HotT

And with a roaring 'boom', the napoleonic HotT army is basically done.. well the fighting core of it, to 72 points. Not wanting to spend too much time painting figures (this was, after all, an exercise in making use of surplus figures otherwise consigned to sit in a box unused), I decided to make double use of the French artillery based for Volley and Bayonet. As they will need to continue to serve in that context, I made a couple of simple sabot bases to give the guns the correct HotT frontage when in use in the HotT environment.

The French artillery

Sabot bases

So this is the army basically completed to 72 points. Well, actually there is more than that, dependent on how many columns/behemoths I choose to use.

Swiss allies

And some Irish line infantry as well

Those Grenadier a cheval of the guard/knights

Hero General.. Bonaparte himself

And some of the infantry bases configured as columns/behemoth

The army doesn't have as may heroes as it may, and I will await the right inspiration to create some napoleonic steam punk type flyers and an airboat. That's all about spotting the right 'thing' to use, or the right opportunity. I have a plan in my mind that involves table tennis balls and mesh to create balloon flyers... we'll see.

For now, it's back to the Weird World War 1 British, and then a couple of 15mm DBA armies that have sat unpainted in the box for 6-8 years...

Re-discovered figures. an army build quick win

Prompted by Andy's quick fire Napoleonic HotT army, I re-discovered a pile of surplus figures left over from a wonderful Gerard Davey gift (his own surplus figures IIRC). The bulk of the figures created a large Volley and Bayonet army, but there were some figures left over. What better idea than a heroic napoleonic French army. So, here is the first phase of the project completed. There are still more figures to go, and plans for some more 'fantasy' elements yet to come.

The army so far

Old Guard - blades

Two line infantry columns - behemoths

Hero General-- the 'ultimate hero'?

Riders on the left, knights on the right

Shooters at the front.. 'legeres'

Hordes.. conscripts.

My question on the HotT Yahoo group about classification of French line infantry prompted a great discussion, with a range of ideas. Our intention is NOT to fight napoleonic era battles. We use Volley and bayonet for that. But it seems that using French line infantry as spears, or behemoths, could do the business.

Our aim is to fight fantasy battles. This is an era of heroes with weird (almost .. but not quite .. steam punk) devices. The devices are yet to come.

I suspect the plan is clear.. another Big battle HotT army, but a 'quick win because the figures are pretty much all painted already. Just some sorting of bases, a wash to give some depth and job done.

A "quick win" in army building - a French Napoleonic army ...

Hmm, Andy sprung a surprise on me, with his re-purposing of some painted British napoleonic figures for HotT.

It made me realise that I have a heap of painted napoleonics which I'd thought surplus to requirements, having built the VnB armies I now use. So here are some of the figures.

Already based, and deserving of some TLC on the bases, and with the application of some washes, will be eight bases of blades. Ah, those French columns.

Then there are the Legeres which will do as shooters.

And soem Gendarmes of the Guards as knights (there are some Cuirass as well, but they ned horses painted) and soem knights as riders.

I have a spare figures of Napoleon which I'll rebase as a hero, and maybe a spare artillery gun.
And the infantry in greatcoats will suffice as hordes. So, this might be a quick win HotT army to match Andy's British napoleonics. A very colourful combo.

I'll post some photos of the finished product. In the meantime, progress on the Weird World War 1 British has been suspended..  I really am a wargaming butterfly, or a goldfish .. or .. well, you get the idea...

More Spearhead, notionally in France 1940

Our experiments in playing Spearhead with 20mm figures and models continues. In Spearhead everything should be based on bases 1.25" square. This creates more accurate combat frontages, and troop densities.  The issue is the size of vehicles. Vehicles in 1/72 obviously don't fit on bases 1.25" square. This means that individual models, representing troops of 3-5, vehicles occupy a disproportionately large area on the table surface.

In our last game we played with a scale multiplier of 1.5X. This meant that vehicles were closer to the right densities, although correspondingly infantry on the standard 1.25" bases occupied too small an area. Even though we played on a larger table area, it wasn't 1.5x the standard 6'x4' area that we usually use. Therefore troops moved further, action was joined much sooner, weapon ranges were longer and so more of the table area could be dominated by fire, and the opportunity to develop the game more fully with manoeuvre disappeared as you were on your enemy far too soon.

This time we played with the standard ground scale (this is what we do normally with our 20mm Great War Spearhead armies anyway).

The game was set in 1940, probably in France. Jim defended with a British infantry division defend list, two infantry battalions supported by A13s drawn from an Independent Armoured Brigade, and the divisional artillery. He also had a battery of the Corp 4.5" for counter battery work. Andy and I attacked with two Motorised infantry battalions from the Schutzen Brigade, and tanks from an armoured regiment, all from a Panzer Division. They were supported by divisional 105mm guns, with some 150mm for counter battery work.

The British left flank in defence.

The British right, with three A13s occupying a small piece of high ground

 Jim had taken the opportunity to keep three stands hidden (an option for the defender in the scenario generation system). What were they, and where did he have them deployed?

Andy opted for a heavy armoured thrust on the German right, with a Schutzen battalion in the centre

He gave me an infantry heavy battalion  with the medium tank company cross attached. I had to take the town on our right!!!

Ambush fire claimed one of the Pz IV platoons

The Schutzen battalion in the centre is engaged early by the British armour, supported by a battery of 25pdrs

I try to push the attack on the German right

The 2pdr AT platoon in support of the British left destroys a second Pz IV platoon

The 25pdrs come down hard on the Schutzen battalion in the centre, with lots of suppressions, but fortunately not too many losses

 There is a vicious counter battery battle going on too, with Royal Artillery, and German field artillery, all taking casualties.

The armour supporting the German right is completely neutralised, and the German attack stalled. I start to withdraw after heavy casualties.

Jim's hidden stands were three A13 troops, deployed behind the dominant ridge in the centre. They move forward and threaten both German flanks.

The battle in the centre continues

I continue the firefight on the right, using a battery of 105mm guns, and the battalion;'s 75mm IG to bring pressure to bear on the British

Jim pushes his previously hidden armour forward in support of a company of his centre infantry battalion

Andy manages to change orders for his armour heavy battalion (with a company of infantry cross attached) and swings them around into the flank of Jim's defence

The Panzers put pressure on the British defence with their threat to the British flank

More pressure

The action appears to pivot almost 180 degrees. My forces on the German right are too weak to threaten the British counter attack through the centre

Even with my losses I am still pressuring Jim's left, using my supporting artillery and the infantry gun section

The British counter attack reaches it's high tide. The German flanking movement has become too strong and the British have little choice but to withdraw

Another great game. We agreed that reverting to the standard ground scale allowed the game to develop. There was more tactical nuance for both sides.

Our conclusion is that despite the outsized vehicles, the standard ground scale gives a better game.