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10mm Fantastic Battles - Early (mythical) Macedonians vs Early Imperial (rotten roaming) Romans

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This week Roger and I revisited our quasi-historical-pseudo-mythological 10mm grudge match: Early Macedonians vs Early Imperial Rome. This would be the third clash between these armies.  In their first match, the Macedonians stormed to victory . The rematch saw the Romans put up more resistance, fighting the Macedonians to a bloody standstill.  Once again, we mustered 1,500 point armies and fought over a standard 30x20bw table (120cmx80cm using 40mm base widths.) The Romans deployed with three solid units of formed and drilled foot (auxiliaries, praetorians and legionaries). The centre was supported by two units of slingers, an onager battery, and some harpies. On the Roman right (top left of photo), German foot and Numidian cavalry held the flank, while on the left (top right of photo), German cavalry presented a reserved flank. A unit of minotaurs had been sent on a flank march but were driven back by a stronger enemy flanking force and redeployed behind the German cavalry. The Germa
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Devilry Afoot: Samhain 1624 (part 3) - the Rutland Revenants

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The third and final dispatch from Mark relating events recently transpired in Rutlandshire... The attack on Sir Thomas Bertram’s hunting party at Cottesmore shocked the whole county. Indeed it was a topic of conversation as far afield as Northampton and Leicester. Many communities got together to establish defences in case the Revenants came after them next. One of these was the insignificant village of Frommage, in the SE of the shire, near Fineshade Wood. Sir Barty Hardacre, the local bigwig, was out of town, but the parish men of business, mainly the Reeve (Uriah Heep) and Curate (Obadiah Slope), called a meeting to enlist temporary additional Watchmen. It was felt the standing Watch, comprised mainly of the local wastrels and sturdy poor, and armed mainly with sticks and agricultural tools, wouldn’t be up to the job of fending off the undead fiends without black powder support, and the steadying influence of their social betters. So it was that when the Revenants did make their nex
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Devilry Afoot: Samhain 1624 (part 2) - the Rutland Revenants

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The second in a three-part dispatch from Mark relating events recently transpired in Rutlandshire... It’s two or three weeks after the terrifying news of the ‘orrible murders on the Uppingham road, and things are beginning to calm down. Anyway, this sort of thing was not going to keep the gentry of Rutland from their normal avocations. So we find a party of deer stalkers in the woods on the Cottesmore estate, walking back to the house at dusk after a fine sporting day. It comprised three gentlemen and their men. Sir Thomas Bertram, Bt. Gentleman, Demonologist. Sadist. Sword, Flintlock. Brompton. Follower. Drunkard*. Lantern, Spontoon. Henry Crawford Esq. Gentleman. Secret witch. Sword, Flintlock, Silver shot** Cleeve. Follower. Secret witch. Pole-arm. John Maddox Esq. Gentleman. Flagellant***. Sword, Flintlock. Maury. Follower. Gambler. Lantern, Club. * affected by drink. -1 on all activation & resolve tests for the game. ** Crawford was a cautious man. *** unaffected. In the photo
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Devilry Afoot: Samhain 1624 (part 1) - the Rutland Revenants

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The first in a three-part dispatch from Mark relating events recently transpired in Rutlandshire... The ancient festival of Samhain, celebrated at the end of October in modern reckoning, marks the end of the harvest season and the onset of winter. According to Wikipedia it’s pronounced SAH-wen and is a time when the boundary between the living and the dead becomes liminal, and the spirits of ancestors are honoured and propitiated. So it seems appropriate that Revenants (undead) came into Rutlandshire just at this time. Coincidence? I think not. Writing many years later but drawing on stories he had heard first-hand, the antiquary and gossip John Aubrey recorded the only narrative we have of this terrifying chapter in the history of the East Midlands. I have used his notes (unpublished ms in the Ashmolean) as the basis for these reports. There were two “human” revenants, in the form of ghastly horsemen, said to be dead cavalry soldiers or huntsmen. One wore a red coat and was known as J
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28mm Hail Caesar redux - the account of Nikias, commander of auxiliaries

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This week I was down at Battle Inc in Belfast to take my Seleukids out for a spin at a game of Hail Caesar with the lads from the Irish Historical Wargamers Guild. With a total of seven divisions and six players, two of my divisions were commanded by other players - I retained command only of a division of eastern thureophoroi and Arab auxialiaries. It wasn't necessarily their most glowing performance, as reported below by Nikias, commander of auxiliaries. An account of Nikias of Amphipolis, commander of auxiliaries. Being in command of thureophoroi from Osrhoene, scythed chariots, and various camelry and other Arab tribesmen, I was posted to the far right of the Seleukid line; a position of honour, but also beyond the left flank of the barbarian enemies - an assorted line of Libyans and Romans. At the outset, my speeches fell on deaf ears as the translators struggled to convey my orders from Greek into Aramaic and Arabic. Restless for action, the two companies of scythed chariots
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Galleys & Galleons - The Unfortunate Incident at Xifengwan

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Mark has just sent through the latest dispatch from the East Indies: The annual Goa convoy sailed down the Pearl River estuary. Once out to sea it turned SW to begin the first leg of its thousand league journey. It comprised the old carrack Sa Isabella (Don Manuel Silva), which had been making this annual round trip for many years, and her escorting fragata Sao Martinho (Don Cristobal da Crespo). Here are the profiles - 1 x Carrack (35) Santa Isabella das Indias Q4 C5: High castles, Merchantman, Reinforced hull, Sluggish, Square rigged 1 x Frigate (60) Sao Martinho Q3 C3: Chaser guns, Galleon rigged, Master gunner, Trained guncrew Some time later the topmast lookout on the Sa Isabella reported a group of ships on an approaching course. They turned out to be - 2 x Large merchant junks (20) Ginger Jar, Hainan Trader Q4 C3: Merchantman, Reinforced hull, Square rigged 1 x Small escort junk (50) Bamboo Shoot (easily mistaken for a pirate vessel) Q2 C2: Derring-do, Intimidating, Lateen rigge
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Fantastic Battles Spooktoberfest - 10mm Night Stalkers vs Ghostly Pirates

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This week my Night Stalkers (vampires and their minions) took on Roger's Ghost Pirates in a spooky season-inspired clash of Fantastic Battles .   Although playing 1,000 points, both armies were small but perfectly formed (both had break points of just 9). The Night Stalkers used the Night March strategy, hoping to avoid the powerful shooting of the ghostly pirate shot unit. The Night Stalker necromancer was using the Bless spell, to vivify the army, while both ghost wizards were equipped with Curse.  Despite also having an Igor serving as the army's quartermaster, the Night Stalkers were ravaged by the Mishaps rolls. The poor ghouls were wracked with disease, the succubi were late, and the dire bats overly enthusiastic. Meanwhile, the ghost pirates and their aquatic allies escaped completely unscathed.   The night march followed by a swift start allowed the vampiric forces to close the gap between the lines in the first activation. The impulsive ghouls had the capacity to charg
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