Irregular Wars Wargaming

Zeno is your typical  militiaman from a game of  Song of Shadows and Dust . Zeno (Antiochene militiaman) 39 points Q4 C3 Special Rules Armed, Bludgeon, Steadfast Born and raised in Antioch at the dawn of the first century BC, he is proudly descended from Macedonians ... at least on his father's side. That his mother's father's family come from stock indigenous to Koile Syria is a fact seldom raised in Zeno's presence. Despite his august ancestry, Zeno's family have fallen on bad times of late and, when his father's sausage factory burnt down, he decided to find his own way in the world. Convinced that there was no greater cause that the protection of one's metropolis, Zeno decided to join the Antiochene Civic Militia. He had originally through to sign up as a regular phalangite in one of the royal armies, or even apply for the elite agyraspides, but certain past indiscretions with the recruiting ser

I am pleased to be able to publicly announce my new forthcoming rules set: Song of Shadows and Dust which will be published by Ganesha Games. More astute readers of this blog will have noticed a build up over the course of the year of ancient urban scenery and miniature civilians, thugs, ne'er-do-wells and gladiators. This has all been in preparation for the new stand alone set of historical miniature wargaming rules I have been working on based on the Song of Blades and Heroes fantasy rules by Andrea Sfiligoi. Song of Shadows and Dust ( SSD ) is inspired by the breakdown in civic order which plagued the great cities of the Mediterranean in the first century BC such as Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem or Alexandria. In Rome the long-running feud between the optimates (conservatives) and the populares (popular party) was punctuated with street brawls, bloodshed and assassinations, erupting numerous times into open civil war. In the great metropolises of the East, rival claimants intri

Chapter 4, The Last Battle Unrest reigns across the kingdom. Rival warbands march across the hills while the country folk have fled their homes and taken shelter in the marshlands and the woods. Ten years have passed since Sorviodunum and the affair of the Holy Toe of St Pius. Victorious against their weaker foes, the proven and legitimate rulers of the land had demonstrated their worth and ruled well for three long glorious Summers. That was before the Year of the Rains and the three Years of the Famine which followed close on its heels. In those dark days it was only rumours of the reappearance of an old enemy which filtered through to the prince’s court, brought by travelers  bards, priests and merchants. Then, as the prosperity of the land dimmed, the visitors grew fewer but the rumours continued. Women, children and livestock started to disappear and shadowy figures were seen crossing the fields in moonlight. The Prince of Venta’s prestige faltered as he failed to protect

If a picture tells a thousand words, here are a few enigmatic pages... Please excuse the unfinished nature of everything. One of the highlights of this series of games was when the Boris Johnson-esqe demagogue in the toga took down the bellicose tribal warlord. Pure poetry in motion.

Here is a quick snap showing some of the recently painted citizenry of Antiocheia Mikros - my 15mm scale ancient cityscape. These figures come from a range of different manufacturers but I hope you'll agree they all work perfectly well together. From left to right: three Xyston women from the women and youths camp followers pack, a Xyston Athenian oarsman/rower, a Xyston priest (with sacrificed goat) from the Seleukid command pack, a Donnington Arab merchant and camel, a Donnington Roman senator from the civilian pack, a Corvus Belli Roman scribe from the engineers pack, a Mick Yarrow Assyrian girl carrying a water pot and the Lurkio Moorish javelineer who seems to have snuck into the shot despite already appearing earlier as a potential gladiator...