Irregular Wars Wargaming

Hmmmm, slightly out of focus, but here are the two 15mm mummies available through Ral Partha Europe. The one on the left is wearing a nemes crown and looks a bit pharaonic. The mummy on the right is carrying an unfurled scroll and a ball of flame, and with long hair, I figured it looked more like a priestess. You can see that Omar and Miss Emily are not too happy to see them! The three bases of green stuff scarab swarms turned out alright as well. I particularly like the one pushing the dung ball. 

We played another couple of games of Dux Bellorum: Hoplomachia this week, including a run through of the 'Hold the pass' scenario we have been working on. I led an invading force of 5th century Macedonians, while Lee blocked my path with a much smaller force of city-state Greeks. The Macedonians had overwhelming numbers and a flanking force off-table, with a neat mechanic used to determine when they would make it through the mountain passes to emerge behind the Greek lines. The Greeks had better quality soldiers, but in fewer numbers. They had the advantage of a geographic choke point where there was the potential for quality to successfully rebuff quantity. The Macedonian approach was to send their Illyrian mercenaries through the rough and wooded lower slopes of the mountain to take the Greek line in the flank. Meanwhile, the Macedonian skirmishers would attempt to disorder the hoplites opposite while the fairly mediocre Macedonian infantry slowly made their way forw...

My first spot of painting in a couple of months has been directed at my 15mm archaeologists/adventurers for use with the Palaeo Diet: Pulp expansion I am working on. The three figures on the right are the Rebel Miniatures that I excited posted about receiving last week. The chap on the right is a WWI Turkish officer from Eureka Miniatures. I have converted him slightly to change his pistol into a tommy gun. I haven't decided yet, but I might use some green stuff to put a tassel on his fez too. Taken together, the four figures represent each of the four gun options in the game, from left to right: SMG, shotgun, pistol and rifle. As is the way of things, each will have its own strengths and it is up to the player to decide which suites their play style best. Speaking of green stuff... I also sculpted a wee cat. This kitty sits about 5-6mm tall to the eyes. He's not a total success, but not an unmitigated failure either and not bad for my first 100% sculpt. My assistant...

Imperator Andrew and I clashed recently for the fourth of our L'Art de la Guerre battles over control of late Hellenistic Asia. This time his Triumvirate Romans attacked my Late Seleukids on the road to Damascus. Each of the Roman flank commands consisted of four legionary units (heavy swordsmen, impact, armoured), a group of gladiators (elite heavy swordsmen) and some medium cavalry. His centre was made up of four elite legion units and a couple of skirmishers.  The Seleukid left consisted of two units each of mediocre medium Arab camelry, skirmishing archers, Thracian medium swordsmen with two handed rhomphaiai, and mediocre elephants. The centre was made up of four pike phalanxes, two units of reformed legionaries and two scythed chariots. The right was held by four units of cataphracts (two of them elite) and a single unit of horse archers. The command also included two units of elite Cretan archers hiding in an ambush in the field to the far right. The Romans adva...

I can quietly acknowledge that a pulp expansion for  Palaeo Diet: Eat or Be Eaten  is once more on the cards. The game will introduce early 20th century adventurers with new traits and trappings, as well as a number of suitably pulp beasties such as dinosaurs and mummies and a few thematic scenarios. As I already have a 15mm city suitable for a desert setting, I decided to embark on testing in that scale. To begin with, I have picked up three pulp heroes from Rebel Miniatures. Here we see test pieces wielding three of the four gun options - pistols, a shotgun and a rifle. I have three more adventurers en route.  For my mummies I've gone with Ral Partha Europe's offering - a pharaoh and a priestess. And playing around with real 'green stuff' for the first time, I've put together three three little swarms of scarab beetles. It might not be clear in the photo, by the middle base there has a scarab at the back pushing a wee dung ball. Bless. This is ...