The only painting I've been able to finish this week is a rogue for my 10mm Wyld elf force. The figure is another 3D printed blade dancer from Excellent Miniature's 'elves of the wood' range. The sculpt is so dynamic that I wanted to use her as a character, so I glued her to a spare tree to use as a rogue. I can't explain it, and I don't know where the thought has come from, but everytime I see her I hear a wee voice calling out "Ca-caw ca-caw! You thought I was a tree!" followed by maniacal laughter. It's been a tough week...
Sunday, 30 August 2020
Saturday, 29 August 2020
l'Art de la Guerre - Parthians vs the Kushan

The Parthians deployed the same army as last time with a large command of medium and light horse archers commanded by a strategist, a command of seven cataphracts, and a micro-command consisting of two units of light horse archers. Opposite them, my Kushan were feeling very symetrical. The centre consisted of two elephants flanking two mediocre pike units screened by light infantry archers; the commander was embedded in the right flank elephant unit. On either flank were four catepharacts and four light cavalry - Maues the Indo-Skythian king commanded the right where two of the catephract units were elite.

While I was expecting the small command to be on a flank march, it actually sprang out of ambush in the field to the right (come to think of it, can light horse be place in ambush in fields?) in turn one, came off second best in an exchange of horse-archery, and then sped off down the flank enroute for the Kushan camp.
Across the rest of the battlefield, limited command pips meant that progress was slow. The Parthian centre gradually crossed the central field and the Kushan centre tried to advance to defeat them in detail. The Kushan commander of the left dispatched two units of javalin armed light cavalry to slow down the encircling Parthian light horse archers.
Tuesday, 25 August 2020
10mm Wyld Elf rangers
Monday, 24 August 2020
Seleukids vs Parthians - 6mm l'Art de la Guerre
The Seleukid army deployed between a number of fields and a plantation, with a wide gully to their front. The left flank command consisted of all three of the pike-armed units, two units of Asiatic archers, two units of Bedouin camelry and two skirmishing units of slingers hidden in the village. The central command consisted of two units of elephants flanked by two units of armoured thorakitai, and screened by two units of elite Cretan archers. Both the left and central commanders were rather ordinary. On the right, Antiochos – a strategist – commanded four units of lancers (two elite), two units of Skythian horse archers, and another unit of Asiatic light horse.
The Parthian army only deployed to commands. The brilliant Parthian commander took control of four units of light horse archers, and eight units of medium horse archers – throwing the lights forward on the flank to screen the village. The other Parthian commander held back seven units of mail-clad cataphracts, four of them elite.
In the opening move, the Parthian commander swarmed forward towards the village on the tell, uncovering the Seleukid slingers in ambush. The Seleukids advanced across the board. On the left, the Bedouin camelry were sent to pass around the far side of the village, while the phalanx advanced to fill the gap between the tell and the gully. The Asiatic archers moved easily through the gully to form up on its edge, ready to fire on the out-ranged Parthian horse archers. The central and right commands advanced steadily towards the Parthian cataphracts who also advanced cautiously. Antiochos made use of a surplus of command points to send his Skythian horse archers wide of the Parthian line, angling to threaten their flanks and/or the Parthian camp.
While the Parthian commander pulled back his horse archers out of foot-bow range, the noble in command of the cataphracts dispatched one unit to see off the Skythian horse archers. Seeing an easy win, Antiochos sent his two units of line cavalry supported by the Asiatic horse to surround and destroy the isolated Parthian unit.
The Parthians then sent their entire cataphract line forward to engage with the now outnumbered isolated Seleukid line cavalry. The Parthian light horse archers went to screen the Bedouin trying to pass around the flank of the village, while their medium horse came forward at an angle, attempting to inhibit the formation of thorakitai and elephants in the Seleukid centre, while not getting shot by the Seleukid archers in the gully.
Antiochos rode to the defence of his stranded cavalry, sending in his elite agema and companion horse, and ordering the Skythians to ride along behind the line of cataphracts. An unfortunate gap still existed in the Seleukid line between the ordinary and the elite heavy cavalry, but it was better than piecemeal destruction.
The Seleukid elephants also angled towards the cataphracts, while the slingers in the village rained a very light but telling fire down on the horse archers below. Off to the Seleukid left, a dust cloud announced the imminent arrival of Parthian reinforcements and the Seleukid commander drew back his camelry to await the incoming flank march.
The Parthian flanking force, when it did arrive, proved something of an underwhelming force; only two units of light horse archers. Never-the-less, they were able to disrupt the Seleukid plans on the flank, and were swift enough to skirt the Seleukid forces heading directly for the Seleukid camp filled with delectable camp followers and rather a lot of gold.
The Bedouin, free from having to worry about a large flanking force, and too far away to save their camp, charged back into the Parthian light horse who had now come around the village. In what should have been a one-sided combat, the Bedouin defied the odds and got the worst of it. The Seleukid pike charged at the massed horse archers before them and broke up the Parthian line as the nearest units evaded. Over on the right, the cataphracts managed to break one unit of Seleukid heavy cavalry before getting charged in the front by the elephants, and in the rear by the Skythian horse archers. The Asiatic light cavalry moved off towards the Parthian camp, full of equally delectable camp followers and unsurprisingly large quantities of gold.
While part of the Parthian wall of horse archers pulled away from the charging pikemen, the other end stayed put, pinned in place by the Seleukid Thorakitai. In what, again, should have been fairly one sided, the Seleukid armoured spearmen came off second best against the horse archers. In melee…
In the massed cavalry melee on the Seleukid right, the last of the Seleukid line cavalry broke, just as the elephants started to collapse the opposite end of the cataphract line. At the crucial juncture where the Parthians needed to start turning the Seleukid flanks, the ordinary Parthian commander only managed a single command point which was used to try to rally the unit he was attached to.
Behind the village on the tell, the once-cocky Bedouin regained some composure after their loses and saw of the light horse to their front with the assistance of some slingers from the garrison.
Despite what had felt like a myriad of Seleukid set backs up to this point the Parthians were suffering just as badly. Hoping to secure the necessary cohesion loses to break the Seleukids through archery, the remaining Parthians on the Seleukid left pulled back, only to be charged by the irate camelry.
In the centre, the Seleukid thorakitai were slowly making headway and managed to turn the end of the Parthian line of medium horse archers. Among the cataphracts, the arrival of the elephants on their flank and the inability of the Parthian line to react – partly caused by the death of their commander in battle – foreshadowed defeat for the invaders.
This was the first battle where I have faced an entirely mounted army, and Andrew’s first time commanding one. Given the experimental nature of our respective approaches, I’d say he did very well, and I was forced – on the whole – to react to his moves. Throughout, I was hampered by some poor combat rolls and Andrew suffered mediocre command rolls. Shooting was pretty dire for both of us.
The final break-points were 19/22 for the Seleukids, and a mighty 25/21 for the Parthians (the final round of combat was bloody and one-sided). A respectable victory for Antiochos. He might have to strike a commemorative coin or adopt a new title of something after this…
Saturday, 22 August 2020
The Trollbrige War - trialling campaign rules for Fantastic Battles
As part of the playtesting process, five foolish players set
out to play several years of a campaign, combining battles with diplomacy,
recruitment and logistical challenges. The following post chronicles the opening
year in the Trollbridge War.
The sprawling city of Trollbridge controls the only crossing of the River Essence between where it rises in the Watershed Downs north of Duncreggae, and where it empties into the broad marshlands south of Barrowfield. A vital node in the trade route inland from the bay of Byzernium, Trollbridge maintains a precarious neutrality between it’s the human neighbours in Balquhidder and Byzernium. To the west, beyond the ancient Wyldwood, lies the small halfling principality of Hearthshire, while stories of fur-covered shadows in the night and the distant chink of thousands of bony feet on the march heralds an emerging terror in the east.
Year 1 – Starting positions, diplomacy and army musters
Balquhidder: The human Kingdom of Balquhidder starts
in control of Balquidder City and the mountain stronghold of Gryphonbeak. It
allies with Byzernium and Hearthshire, and musters a 500 point army.
Byzernium: The human city-state of Byzernium starts
in control of Byzernium and the outlying fort at Dunreiseri. It allies with
Balquhidder and Hearthshire, and musters a 500 point army.
Hearthshire: The halfling principality of Hearthshire
starts in league with the denizens of the Wyldwood. It allies with Balquhhider
and Byzernium and musters a 500 point militia.
Kopek: The necromancer-lord of Kopek starts in
control of Kopek and exercises control over Pandinus. He allies with
Verminblight and summons a 500 point horde of undead minions.
Verminblight: The ratkin empire of Verminblight
starts in control of Verminblight and the Undernest. It allies with Kopek and
breeds a 500 point swarm of ratkin.
Year 1 – Spring
Balquhidder: The army of Balquhidder marches on Eastmarch
and quickly brings it in within the borders of the kingdom.
Byzernium: The army of Byzernium arrives at
Dunlofskoraki and the fort opens its gates to admit a Byzernian garrison.
Hearthshire: Hearthshire’s militia approach Northmoor
and open negotiations with the folk there. No decisions are reached, but the
tea is good.
Kopek: The undead horde attack Barrowfields but the
brave defenders hold out, hoping for assistance.
Verminblight: The ratkin swarm towards the ruined
remains of the Fallen Dun and encounter pockets of resistance holding out among
the destruction.
Year 1 – Summer
Balquhidder: The army of Balquhidder continues on its
circuit to Vale which eagerly joins in the human confederacy.
Byzernium: The army of Byzernium Approaches Duncreggae
and secures it as another strongpoint for the southern humans.
Hearthshire: Hearthshire’s militia move into
aggressive negotiations at Northmoor with a smoked cheese dish served with
chilled cider. No decisions are reached.
Kopek: Barrowfields falls to the undead horde and its
defenders are ‘enrolled’ in the undead legions of the mighty Sekra the Great.
Verminblight: A ratkin colony is established at the Fallen
Dun as the last resistance is extinguished.
Year 1 – Autumn
Balquhidder: The army of Balquhidder passes from Vale
to Trollbridge. After intense negotiations and the promise of some serious tax
exemptions, the city joins with Balquhidder as bulwark of the North.
Byzernium: The army of Byzernium returns to Dunlofoskoraki
to inhibit further ratkin expansion in the area.
Hearthshire: Hearthshire convinces Northmoor of the
benefits of coalition and great celebrations are organised including three
consecutive evenings of 36 course degustation menus.
Kopek: The undead minions march on the Skeleton
Wastes and find many more willing recruits as marshland falls to Kopek.
Verminblight: The swarm return east to the Vermin Wastes, establishing another colony and creating a link with their allies in Kopek.
So, no battles in Year 1 of the campaign, but all but one of the
regions are now under the control of one of the five powers. Watershed Downs
retains its independence for now, but any state looking to seriously expand will
need to invade lands controlled by another player.
The stage is set for a clash of empires in Year 2.
****
Balquhidder: Balquhidder renews its alliance with
Byzernium and Hearthshire, and musters an 800 point army.
Byzernium: Byzernium renews its alliance with
Balquhidder and Hearthshire, and musters a 700 point army.
Hearthshire: renews its alliance with Balquhhider and
Byzernium and musters a 600 point militia.
Kopek: Kopek continues its alliance with Verminblight
and summons a 700 point horde of undead minions.
Verminblight: Verminblight continues its alliance
with Kopek and breeds a 700 point swarm of ratkin.
Year 2 – Spring
Balquhidder: Revolution! The people of Balquhidder’s
rise up and topple the governing elite. The provinces re-establish their
autonomy as Balquhidder’s empire collapses.
Byzernium: The army of Byzernium returns from
Byzernium to Dunlofoskoraki and then advances as far as the Fallen Dun in an
attempt to return the region to its historic Byzernian control.
Hearthshire: The Hearthshire militia marches on
Watershed Down and, after a rabbit stew established Hearthshire’s suzerainty
over the region.
Kopek: The minions of Kopek shamble to war, passing
through Pandinus to invade Eastmarch. The regions recently gained autonomy is
shortlived as the undead establish control.
Verminblight: The ratkin army surges from
Verminblight west to struggle with the Byzernians at the Fallen Dun.
Year 2 – Summer
Byzernium: Having been forced back to Dunlofoskoraki,
the army of Byzernium returns to the Fallen Dun to meet the ratkin a second
time.
Hearthshire: The halfling militia approaches
Gryphonbeak which opens its gates, welcoming a steady suzerain following the
collapse of Balquhidder. The eagle egg omelettes served at the celebration add
a touch of class.
Kopek: The undead horde continues its advance and
marches on Vale. Deprived of centralised government, the city quickly succumbs.
Verminblight: The ratkin swarm remain at the Fallen
Dun to repel the human invaders.
***
Thursday, 20 August 2020
Tuesday, 18 August 2020
10mm Wyld Elf ... allies ... friends... pets?
More 10mm printed miniatures from Excellent Miniatures to join my small force of Wyld Elves. This time, a couple of non-elves.
This figure is a forest wraith hero, but I'll be using her as a huldra (forest-wife) magic-user with an entangle and a bless spell. I wasn't sure which way to go with the 'skin' parts of her; flesh coloured, woody, or green all seemed valid, but in the end I opted for olive. I'm pleased with the result, but can't help feeling that this is what the daughter of Gamora and Groot might look like...
And what self-respecting wood elf army would be complete without a little air support in the form of a giant eagle?
Monday, 17 August 2020
10mm Wyld Elf Stag-riders
Sunday, 9 August 2020
Fantastic Battles - Ziggurat Dwarves vs the Ratkin of Vermantide
This week’s Fantastic Battles pairing saw Andrew’s ratkin of
the Vermintide deploy opposite my Ziggurat Dwarves. The Mishaps roll following
deployment was surprisingly inobtrusive as you can see in the photo. Only the
two-company unit of ratkin assassins on the extreme right of the ratkin line (top
left of photo) were delayed and forced to deploy further back. In the dwarvern
ranks, all appeared equally calm – at least on the surface. The large battery
of ballistae on the crest of the hill were badly hit by disease, and dissent in
the ranks caused an entire company of the redshield shieldwall on the dwarvern right
to desert the night before the battle.
The opening phases of the battle saw plentiful artillery
fire – there were two companies of ratkin jezails and four batteries of
dwarvern ballistae so missiles were firing thick and fast. The jezails concentrated
their fire on an isolated ballistae battery on the right of the dwarvern line,
while the ballistae spread their shots between one of the heavingly large
four-company units of ratkin rabble in the centre and the avatar of the great
horned rat-god who let the army.
The ratkin Verminguard and a unit of assassins pushed
forward on the ratkin left flank leaving the great rat wheel and the horned rat
in reserve. To a large extent, the damage caused by the dwarvern ballistae fire
was mitigated by inspired rallying attempts from the ratkin leadership.
The dwarvern line was much shorter (no pun intended, but
happily acknowledged) than their foes, so the dwarf warlord tried to reserve
the right flank, threaten with the left flank, and lose all restraint with an
all-out charge in the centre, send forward the elite axe-wielding Ziggurat
Guard.
On the left, the dwarvern blueshields found themselves in
the worst possible situation – trudging slowly through a ploughed field facing a
smaller unit of skirmishers. The ratkin gas globardiers opposite them proved
incapable of causing any damage, but the very expensive and highly trained dwarves
were badly mired. What the globadiers were able to do was scatter the unit of
dwarvern flying carpet-riders, eliminating the only supports available to the
blueshields. In the centre, while the ratkin rabble stood idle, the ratkin
flame-belchers turned to pour rather devastating flame into the flanks of the Ziggurat
Guard. It was about this time that the jezails managed to break the ballistae
battery they’d been concentrating on and started to pepper away at other
targets.
On the far side of the Ziggurat Guard, the ratkin wheel made
moves to threaten the unit’s other flank and the Verminguard and assassins continued
to advance towards the reserved units on the dwarvern right. In a stroke of
madness, the captain leading the assassins decided to abandon his post and ran
to take a ride in/on the great wheel. This left the assassins on the ratkin
left flank out of command and was to prove rather disastrous.
First impact occurred in the centre of the line where the
wheel (with captain attached) crunched into the flank of the Ziggurat Guard axemen
before they could make contact with the rabble. The wheel was, in turn, charged
in the flank by the dwarvern warlord on his Lamassu. At the same time, the
Verminguard charged the (very lonely) djinn.
Over on the left, the dwarvern blueshields – still struggling
with the difficult terrain – made expedient use of a haste spell to change
formation and charge straight into the flanks of the unwary ratkin assassins
who had been steadily advancing past them up the flank.
Back in the centre, the rat-god charged into the flank of
the dwarvern Lamassu, only to be blinked right back out of combat again by the
djinn. One unit of ratkin rabble then charged forward, hoping to further pin
the Ziggurat Guard.
On the dwarvern left, the blueshields reformed to bring
their full weight to bear on the ratkin assassins, while just on the right of
the photo the dwarvern redshields finally made their move. The ratkin assassins
who had been threatening the extreme end of that flank rolled poorly on their
impetuous action chart (the danger of leaving them out of command) and started
to fall back. This gave the redshields the breathing space they needed to muck
in against the flanks of the Verminguard.
By this stage, the dwarvern axemen of the Ziggurat Guard had
managed to scatter both the ratkin rabble to their front (causing a pretty devastating
ripple of Resolve loss through the nearby rat units) and the big wheel. They
were badly bloodied themselves, but they are a super hard nut to crack and
still had a lot of fight left.
On the dwarvern left, the blueshields scattered the
assassins and were feeling pretty good – except that they were now on the far
end of the line, still in rough terrain, facing the wrong direction, and many (so
many!) turns of movement away from another potential combat.
Back in the centre, the second large unit of ratkin rabble
now hurled themselves down the hill to attack the weakened Ziggurat Guard. The
rat-god also sprung into action, battering into the exposed right flank of the
unit while the ratkin magic-user riding the Bell of Vermintide crashed into the
left flank.
The dwarvern warlord on his Lamassu had already ridden to
the assistance of the djinn and the dwarves holding up the Verminguard elites.
Thankfully, the ratkin assassins on this flank were still struggling with
command issues. While they were no longer running away from the table, neither
were they in a position to attack the rear of the redshields.
The battle was teetering on the edge as the elite dwarves of the Zigguratguard finally succumbed to their enemies. As they fell, the rabble ratkin facing them also broke and scattered. The dwarves were three companies away from their breakpoint, and the ratkin were only one company away from their own. The dwarves had several units with low resolve which the rat-god sought to capitalise on by charging into the rear of the dwarvern Lamassu. If he could kill the dwarvern warlord it might spread enough panic to break the Zigurrat formations.
The remaining dwarvern ballisatae fired into and destroyed
the ratkin flame-belchers meaning the rats would break at the end of the turn
regardless. Everything came down to the final combat around the beleaguered Verminguard
to see whether the ratkin would pull a draw/mutual destruction from the jaws of
defeat. But it was not to be. The dice gods were angry and the melee results
were mediocre at best. Despite the best effforts of both the rot-god and the
rogue leading the Verminguard, the dwarvern warlord remained alive and the Vermintide
hordes melted away to the gathering darkness.