Russo-Turkish War 1877

Finally, a chance to play a Volley and Bayonet game with Adrian's latest period and armies: the Russo-Turkish war of 1877. The armies are 15mm and as always beautifully painted. Adrian took the time to fit the armaments of the two armies into the VnB framework, with Turks equipped with better artillery than the Russians, and also better advanced cartridge rifles. This gave a different feel to the more normal mFranco Prussian sub period we might play, yet another example of the amazing flexibility of the rules set. From what little I know of the war, the outcomes were quite nicely historic too - perhaps the best sign of a good rules set.

No AAR this time, just a small selection of photos of the beautiful figures.

Mycenaean demise ....

Another most excellent evening of DBA 3.0 games with Keith and Jim. My first game saw my Mycenaeans up against Keith's Hoplite Greeks.

The Greeks were defending and, being Littoral, had the obligatory 'waterway', along with a village, a piece of rough going, and a road.

Deployment

The Greek shield wall up close

I flanked the Mycenaean pike with heavy chariots.. looking for the big punch

The first attack was pushed back for all except one of the pike blocks

Attempts to daly with the Greek left on my right didn't end well

The auxilia defending the right flank of the heavy chariots were flanked, while the chariots were repulsed again

The pike were flanked in their turn ..

The right flank, with the auxilia destroyed

The pike block fends off the hoplites to front and flank, still trying for the breakthrough with pike and chariot

The heavy chariots on the right in their turn are now taken in their flank

The battle still rages around the Mycenaean pike

However the right flank heavy chariots are destroyed, the battle is lost

But what a great game. The second for the evening saw my Ottomans versus Jim's Poles. The Ottomans nearly had the game, being up 3 to 1, when I threw '1' on the PIP die leaving me very exposed. Jim followed this with a 6 in his turn, allowing the Poles to 'get all over the Ottomans'... but what a great game. A real cliff hangar.

The magic of DBA!!!!

I love a challenge

Hmm, so .. Okay.. here's a wee challenge.

These figures are some of the remnants of my very first ancients army, those Airfix Romans. They are pretty much painted up, have nice shields that need re-attachment, and include some Roman light cavalry that were converted from Airfix ACW cavalry, with Roman head swaps. There are even some ACW conversions that were meant to be Gothic cavalry.

They need no longer do service in the historical/DBA scene, so what can I make of them in HotT?

Initial thinking and discussion suggests maybe Roman gladiators/Blade, with wolf God, and circus animals as beasts .. Lions and all that.

It seems such a waste to do nothing with them. Other suggestions are welcome.

Dumnorix sallies south

Pushing past the Turkish forces had been easy. Evading rather than confronting the Turkish (and British) forces had been easier than he'd believed, and so here he was entering the land of the Egyptian, a land of great necromancers, a land purportedly raised up by mysterious visitors from the skies. Here was a chance to create legends, a chance to carve eternity into the legends of the peoples of the north.

And so Dumnorix surveyed the scene as his forces arrayed against the armed might of the mystical Egyptians.

Andy and I managed a Big Battle HotT army ...  it must be summer holidays.

Initial deployment, Semi historical Egyptian forces  on the left face up to the intruders, the Barbarian hordes from the north.

Egyptian blade backed up by their knight general

Egyptian archers, with their alien commander in mysterious flying saucer, supported by smaller flyers

Huge feline behemoth supports the Egyptian blade

Dumnorix' warband warriors supported by Mammoth behemoth, and riders from the east

The stomp of giant trolls made the very ground shake

Another troll, supporting knights from the north

The alien presence overflies the barbarian line as the forces advance to contact

Dumnorix' left, only intended to hold. Dumnorix had decided not to contest the woods ion the centre

The centres

Dumnorix had managed to concentrate significant force on his right, against a weakened Egyptian left, knights supported by riders and trolls

The centres clash, lines of warband charge in against Egyptian spear

On Dumnorix' left

Dumnorix himself detaches from his line and attacks the alien CnC

However Dumnorix is bested... his bodyguard destroyed. Where is Dumnorix? Will he survive?

Dumnorix' left is whittled down, the warband falling to the Egyptian blade!!

On the right, Dumnorix has the Egyptians outmanoeuvred and outnumbered ... but the command is starved of PIPs

The aline CnC attacks Dumnorix' right flank from the rear

There is much pushing and shoving in the centre, warband vs spear

The centre/right is fully engaged

Dumnorix' left is bested

And in the centre the 'argy bargy' continues

The alien CnC is eliminated buy the hero general commanding Dumnorix' right

Who then also eliminates one of the supporting flyers

The centre still pushing and shoving... please, where are your manners? Less pushing and shoving ..

But Dumnorix' riders and knights are not fairing well on his right

Trolls and knights begin to get stuck in to the Egyptian spear centre

But there's not much left of the demoralised barbarian left

Finally the Barbarian God appears on the left, but too little, too late

Still going in the centre

More casualties on the barbarian right

It's still all on, in the centre

But there is little left of the demoralised command on the left

The Barbarians are making progress in the centre

The right is fraught..

But finally Dumnorix' hordes, missing their great leader who had been escorted from the battlefield sorely pressed, fled the field. The army had taken 50% casualties, and more than the Egyptians. This was not to be the time for creating new legends for Dumnorix... but that time would still come.

This was a great Big Battle HotT game in which my Barbarians had faced off against Andy's Semi Historical Egyptians...

The armies are all 20/25mm figures, from a range of manufacturers.