The models have been painted with metal colour and then faces painted with dwarf flesh then a face wash applied. The bases coloured with codex grey and dark brown. Next a dark tone strong wash applied to the base. Spear shafts painted black.
Archive for December 2016
Iron dwarves painting update Leave a comment
Painting update: Mordor catapult orcs and troll crew. Leave a comment
Painting update: Iron Hill Dwarves Leave a comment
They were quite tricky to put together but hopefully will be worth it.
Saturday 17th December Leave a comment
Mike, Alex, Phil and Darryl played some SHORTER Christmas games. First up was Nations the dice game. Mike won but it was actually closer than expected with Darryl just behind and Phil just behind him. After all that it came down to just one VP.
Next up was a few rounds of Deception. Again Mike proved the only murderer to get away through clever unexpected use of Hotel cutlery.
Finally we played a couple of games of Lord of the Rings journey to Mordor the dice game. Phil won the advanced game with just one half of a Nazgul free Mordor box remaining.
Lots of fun and Happy Christmas to all.
Painting update: Mordor Troll with Catapult and crew Leave a comment
Painting update : Medieval Knights richly caparisoned! Leave a comment
Completed the Medieval Knights project. Quite pleased with how they turned out so might get two more another time.
Painting update Leave a comment
Making progress with Knights and starting a new project.
The Battle of Ctesiphon: 3rd December 2016; To the Strongest 1 comment
Mike, Michael and Phil refought our what if version of the famous Battle. It is 363 AD and Julian and the Romans have crossed the Tigris and are attacking the forces arrayed before Ctesiphon. However in our version the Persians have support from the advance cavalry guard of the Royal Army.
The Romans arrayed for battle.
The Persians.
The Field of Battle. Tigris at far side, woods and villages near side.
Persians deploy behind the high ground.
Romans too with infantry in centre.
The Roman veterans.
The slingers advance into the rough ground as the Light Horse close.
The Left Flank cavalry see a threat forming in the centre, turn to face and then spend the rest of the game failing to move at all towards it.
Did someone say advance?
As the lines close.
The Elephants in the centre smash into the Roman lines .
Still a battle going on?
Treachery. We played until near the end of the Persian deck and found the last few cards that had not been used contained all the Aces! Who shuffled, Michael!?
The Roman infantry near the woods prove hard to defeat but even harder to rally!
Things are opening up in the centre and on the Roman right. Julian himself is moving through to the Persian centre.
The Roman cataphracts on the far right have failed. They failed to defeat the Peasant Levy twice! They got roughed up by Elephants and smashed by the Persian Cataphract Guard Unit. Disastrous.
The Elephants clear a way forward.
Maybe we should turn those reseve cavalry back round now!?
Cataphracts charge Auxilia and will be pushed back!
Nothing can stop these Elephants!
Roman cavalry Guard led by Julian put up a good fight!
The Persian cataphracts clear away the opposition but then become disordered in the confusion (Ace drawn).
The Romans have cleared away the foolhardy Sassanid cavalry who had smashed through the centre to face the reserve unit of archers and cavalry.
The weakened Roman Right Flank.
The view from the left flank. One unit of Auxilia has been lured into the woods and proved unable to ever (difficult) move again. Another unit has finally been destroyed by cataphracts who now face the light horse and the reserve cavalry units on the left.
The Roman centre is pushing forwards as are the right infantry units. However the Persian units on their far left with the Elephants are making progress.
Having driven away the cavalry and archers towards the Persian baseline the heroic roman infantry turn to threaten the flanks of the Peasant Levy and the Elephants who have advanced in support of the Cataphracts. Note the Persian Guard catapract unit having fallen into disorder fell prey to the javelins of the Elite Lanciarri. So the general has had to relocate to the now outflanked Persian infantry Levy Unit!
Some light horse threaten the Auxilias flank as they attempt to hold the left flank whilst the centre advances.
The other Auxilia are trapped in the safety of the woods and refuse to budge.
The slingers still hold the rough ground. Too much happening around them!
As night falls the position perhaps is looking a little better for the Romans after rescuing the situation on the right flank. However the elephants remain undaunted and the VP total of 12 vs 8 counts against them. So a narrow victory is awarded to the Persians. They have stalled the Roman advance and will retire now to the City Walls. For Julian with the Persian Royal army rapidly advancing and no siege equipment of his own to match the high walls he will now have to retire away from the City in search of his Armenian re-enforcements.
Painting update: Knights Leave a comment
Still slowly working Knights.
Upcoming: The Battle of Ctesiphon 363AD; To the Strongest 1 comment
Preparations are in place now for the Battle of Ctesiphon in 363 AD. Julian the sole Emperor of All Rome has prepared retribution for the Persians for years and has now reached sight of the walls of Ctesiphon. However his cousin has failed to arrive with the expected reinforcements from Armenia.
Facing him is the Army defending the capital deployed for battle ready across the Tigris led by the Spahbod Merena. Clearly a strong force has been left behind by Shapur II the King of Persia to defend his capital. Elephants with Howdah’s and fearsome Cataphracts cause the ground to tremble as they advance, supported by large amounts of the dreaded Persian Cavalrymen in full armour on half-barded horses. Behind them the Citizen Levy arrayed en-masse with sundry archers add considerable numbers to the force. Whilst all around clouds of dust and stinging arrows create confusion caused by hordes of light cavalrymen. All this strikes fear into the hot, hungry and thirsty Romans who have already fought a long campaign to get thus far only to be daunted by the sight of the high walls and strong defensive position of Ctesiphon.
Julian, fearless as ever realising he needs to seize the moment forces his Romans across the Tigris and gives battle aiming to strike before the King of Persia can arrive with even more reinforcements.
The Battle is to be fought in 15mm using two strong 270 point armies using the To the Strongest Rules. Both armies are equally strong. Julian has the pride of the Imperial army with him including a unit of veteran legionaries. The Spahbod has clearly received some advance reinforcements from the Royal Army in the form of strong cavalry units for our refight
The Roman Forces
| Senior General: Emperor Flavius Claudianus Julianus | General, attached, mounted, Great Leader |
| Equites Alares Scholae | Cavalry, Javelin, veteran |
| Equites Alares Scholae | Cavalry, Javelin, veteran |
| General | General, detached, mounted |
| Legionarii Palatina | Legionaries, extra bow, shock, veteran |
| Legionarii | Legionaries, extra bow, shock |
| Lanciarii | Light infantry, javelin, veteran |
| Legio Sagittarri | Bowmen, veteran |
| Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores | Light Infantry archers or slingers |
| Artillery Ballistarii | |
| Camp | |
| General | General, detached, mounted |
| Legionarii | Legionaries, extra bow, shock |
| Legionarii | Legionaries, extra bow, shock |
| Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores | Light Infantry archers or slingers |
| Lanciarii | Light infantry, javelin, veteran |
| Auxiliarii Palatina | Auxiliaries, veteran, extra bow |
| General | General, detached, mounted |
| Legionarii | Legionaries, extra bow, shock |
| Auxiliarii Palatina | Auxiliaries, veteran, extra bow |
| Auxiliarii Palatina | Auxiliaries, veteran, extra bow |
| Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores | Light Infantry archers or slingers |
| Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores | Light Infantry archers or slingers |
| General | General, detached, mounted |
| Equites Clibanarri | Cataphracts, Lance, veteran |
| Equites Clibanarri | Cataphracts, Lance, veteran |
| Equites | Cavalry, Javelin |
| Equites Illyricani, Dalmatae or Scutarii | Light Cavalry, Javelin |
| Equites Sagittarii | Light Cavalry, Bow |
| General, Prefect of Cavalry | General, attached, mounted, heroic |
| Equites Contarii | Veteran Cavalry Lance |
| Equites | Cavalry, Javelin |
| Equites Illyricani, Dalmatae or Scutarii | Light Cavalry, Javelin |
| Equites Sagittarii | Light Cavalry, Bow |
The Persian Forces
| Spahbod Merena | General, Mounted, Attached, Senior |
| Zhayedan Guard | Cataphracts, veteran |
| Indian War Elephants | Escorted veteran |
| Kamandaran | Bowmen |
| Paighan | Shieldwall, raw, deep, extra bow |
| Light Infantry Archers | Light Infantry Bow |
| Camp | |
| General, Papak | General, Mounted, Attached, Heroic |
| Savaran Guard | Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran |
| Indian War Elephants | Escorted veteran |
| Kamandaran | Bowmen |
| Paighan | Shieldwall, raw, deep, extra bow |
| Paighan | Shieldwall, raw, deep, extra bow |
| Light Infantry Archers | Light Infantry Bow |
| Sassanid Cavalry | |
| General, Peroz, Chief of Cavalry | General, Mounted, Attached, Heroic |
| Pushtigaban | Cataphracts, lance |
| Pushtigaban | Cataphracts, lance |
| Pushtigaban | Cataphracts, lance |
| Savaran Guard | Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran |
| Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow |
| Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow |
| Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow |
| Hunnic Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow, veteran |
| Hunnic Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow, veteran |
| General Friyek | General, Mounted, Attached, Heroic |
| Savaran Guard | Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran |
| Savaran Guard | Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran |
| Savaran Guard | Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran |
| Savaran Guard | Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran |
| Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow |
| Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow |
| Horse Archers | Light Cavalry, Bow |
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