Sunday, January 29, 2012

Pre-Feudal Scots Warband and Army Marker


A few more elements for my Pre-Feudal Scots – now half finished!

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


These are the Warband elements for my Pre-Feudal Scots DBA army.


The stand with the flag and horn blower is the Warband General option (the other option for the general being the Cavalry General - which I’ve already completed)


All the figures are from Old Glory.


This is an Army Marker for the Pre-Feudal Scots army.


For the campaign(s) I’m running I’ll have a map (like this one I used for a previous HOTT campaign) and I'll use these markers to indicate where each kingdom's field army is at.


These figures are also all from Old Glory.


This is just another odd Black Tree Design Viking Berserker I happened to finish up around the same time…


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I spent Saturday manufacturing and assembling some spears and lances for the Spear elements in Pre-Feudal Scots and the Norman/West Frank Knight. Unfortunately I ran out of paperclips before I could finish the lances for the knights. Those that got done got primed this morning. I also have six stands of Anglo Saxon Spear assembled, primed and ready to go… Hard to say which I'll get going on first...

I’ve been very tempted to paint some elements for some HOTT armies… and some more Great War stuff… and some War of 1812 stuff… even some 20mm WW2 stuff for Blitzkrieg Commander!? But so far I have managed to stay on target with the Dark Age stuff. Hope I can keep that up for the next four weeks!! (LESS THAN four weeks!)

I've also been looking at the Test Version of DBA3.0 and considering using that for the camapaign - along with 4'x4' battle fields... I'd need to make some new playing surfaces and terrain... we shall see...

Saturday, January 28, 2012

HOTT Vikings vs. Normans


Yesterday our young neighbor was over to play games – we usually play Savage Worlds on Fridays, but I didn’t have much of an adventure prepared so we were done early and I thought maybe we’d introduce Christopher to Hordes of the Things.

We let Christopher decide which army to play and he thought it’d be cool to play Vikings. When I explained the different troop types he decided that his Vikings would all be “Warband”.

Whether Finnegan was being cagey and picked them knowing they’d utterly DESTROY the Vikings… or he just happened to have it in his mind that he wanted to play them, he chose the Normans…

Now it’s always been my policy that whenever introducing someone to a new game I really don’t try too hard. I’m not saying I totally throw games (well, sometimes I do…), but I generally like them to feel like it’s a game they could do well enough at and that it’s a fun, challenging game.

Normans utterly destroy Vikings. Always. I probably should have just said; “pick another army, Finnegan.” But for some reason I let him play it… but I warned Christopher that it would probably be a totally military disaster for the Vikings…


FORCES

Normans
1x Knight General
7x Knight
1x Spear
2x Bow
1x Rider

Vikings
1x Warband General
11x Warband

THE GAME(S)

We ended up playing two games. I knew the first one would be very short…

GAME ONE

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


General Christopher Axe-Breaker arrays his Viking forces. Despite my attempts to explain that simply lining everyone up in a single line was the best plan, he insisted on breaking the army up into three groups and left the general at the back…


The Viking Horde surges forward.


Christopher Axe-Breaker moves his warbands forward some more.


Almost there.


The Normans ended up the defenders and Finnegan simply passed every turn holding his army in a line just before the gates of his stronghold.

At this point he decided to chrage!


They didn’t have far to charge… barely enough room to get up to a good gallop – they crashed into the Viking line with a fearsome crash and sent Norsemen flying hither and thither.


In the first bound of combat the Normans destroyed FIVE of the Vikings stands! Four fell before the might of the Knight’s charge up the center of the line.


…and one unlucky band of Vikings fled as the Norman archers darkened the skies above them!

Now in DBA that would have been the end of the game… But they were playing HOTT so The Vikings had to lose ONE MORE stand to be lost.


One the second bound the remiaing Viking tried to surge forward into the fray only to lose another three warbands… for a total of EIGHT stands… 2/3 of the army…. Yeesh.

It didn’t help that Christopher rolled a startling number of ones!? So even when he was fighting stuff that didn’t Quick-Kill (The Bow/Shooters and Light Horse/Riders) they were easily doubled and destroyed just the same…

Anyway… I then made them switch sides so Finnegan could get a sense of how utterly hopeless the game was. In retrospect I probably should have gotten out some different, more evenly matched armies so Christopher could see that it’s not ALWAYS so one-sided. That this was a particularly bad match-up – Or allowed him to defend and set up some terrain – because warband vs knights isn’t so gbad if you can throw out a pile of bad-going to hid in/ambush from …

GAME TWO


So this time we have Duke Christophe of Normandy defending against the Hairy Hordes of Finnegan the Short.


The Hairy Hordes of Finnegan the Short begin their long slow march across the battlefield.


Steadily onward…


GARF! One for One – Norman Knights ride down a Viking Warband – while another Viking warband beats down the flanking riders!?


In the center the Norman Knights rode down two more Viking Warbands, but the third, overlapped on both sides and fighting the Norman Knight General (+4 vs. +1) beat bacck the general breaking up the line!!


Their success didn’t last long the following bound the Knight General trompled them into the dust…

At this point we had to call it as Christopher had to head home. A victory for Duke Christophe’s Normans – but not the stinging defeat Finnegan had laid on him in Game One. Despite all that he seemed in good spirits about the whole affair and will likely be back for more!

Huzzah!

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

This afternoon I manufactured some spears and lances and got seven stands worth of Scottish Spear and five stands worth of West Frank Knights finally assembled (they now just need to be primed). They join six stands worth of Anglo-Saxon Spear currently occupying the painting desk. Which will I get to first…? Probably one of the batches of Spear, as either will finish off an army…. Although the Knights would probably paint up quicker… Hmmmm…

Before that I’ll be posting the Pre-Feudal Scots Warband elements I finished up this morning along with an Army Marker for the same.

Perhaps before I finish the batches of Spear I might have a game report up. This next Wednesday is the first Wednesday of the month and that’s game night. I think we’re going to be playing some DBA to get primed for the Dark Age DBA Campaign Weekend. Maybe I should see if I could get one of the batches of Spear done for that!

Thursday, January 26, 2012

A Few More Scots (and a Welsh Army Marker)

…and a Norman, and a Viking…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


These are the Psiloi for my Pre-Feudal Scots army.


The figures are a mix of Gripping Beast and Old Glory.




This is an Army Marker for the the Welsh DBA army (for marking the movements of the armies on the campaign map).


Again, the figures are a mix of Gripping Beast and Old Glory and, I think, Wargames Foundry….?


Another Crusader Miniatures Norman, and a Viking Berserk from Black Tree Design.


These last two really aren’t helping me towards my goal… but they’re fun, so…


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Next up will be a big batch of four Pre-Feudal Scots Warband elements (Including the Warband General option)

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Pre-Feudal Scots Cavalry

The beginning of my Pre-Feudal Scots DBA army...

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


I’m pretty sure some of these are Gripping Beast, and others may be Old Glory


This is the Cavalry General option and the Light Horse stand of a Pre-Feudal Scots DBA army.



Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Should have some more of the Pre-Feudal Scots up tomorrow (The Psiloi), an Army Marker for the Welsh, as well as a few individual figures (Norman and Viking). After that... I've got all the Warband elements for the Scots underway - that may take a day or two... Hopefully on the weekend i'll get to manufacturing some spears and drilling hands by the dozen!

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Vikings & Victims


More Dark Age DBA stuff… The last stand I needed to complete a Norse Viking army. Now those of you paying attention will probably be wondering; “what do you mean ‘finish’? I thought You HAD a complete Viking army!?” Well, I do… It’s a long explanation but the short version is I actually have enough figures for THREE Viking armies… and I’ve completed a few stands for the other two and have been borrowing stands from said other armies to be able to field one complete Norse Viking army… As I said there’s a much longer explanation that would probably make a bit more sense (at least a little bit more) but I’d rather get back to painting…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


This stand of Norse Viking BLADE is made up of some really old Citadel miniatures and some not-quite-so-old Old Glory figures.


The old ones I’ve owned for about 20 years… they were previously painted – but, as with many of the “oldies, but goodies” I’ve been giving them Pinesol baths and stripping the old paint off and repainting them…




Some of the Vikings potential victims – These are Old Glory…



Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I finished up two stands of Pre-Feudal Scots yesterday - the Cavalry General option and the Light Horse. I'll post them up tomorrow. Last night I was working on the Pre-Feudal Scots Psiloi and an army marker for the Welsh. I should finish them up today and then I'll get started on either the Warband Elements for the Scots, and/or the army markers for the Scots and Irish, or The stands of Anglo-Saxon spear I need to do - all of these are more or less primed and ready to go. The rest need some amount of prep work and assembly - mostly manufacturing of spears, drilling, gluing and priming...

Monday, January 23, 2012

More Normans

Well... MOSTLY More Normans (West Franks)...

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


These are some Bow-Armed Psiloi .


As with the last couple batches of Normans (or West Franks), these figures are all 28mm Crusader Miniatures


Foot Knights and archers for skirmishin’ (also Crusader Minis)





And this piece of work is a Celtic woman from Warlord Games


I used the same figure in a stand of Celtic Warrior Wymin for Amanda’s “HOTT Chick” army a while back (you can see it HERE) I think it works much better as part of a stand that can be made into a bit of a vignette.


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

As previously mentioned I should have some Vikings and Victims to post here shortly, along with some mounted Pre-Feudal Scottish - Cavalry General and Light Horse stands.

After that even MORE Dark Age shenanigans! Anglos, Saxons and Normans (West Franks) – OH MY!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Norman Spear

(or “West Frank”)

I finished up a few more stands for my new Norman/West Frank DBA army. All the figures here are 28mm Crusader Miniatures

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


Two stands of Spear.


The General for the army is actually a Knight, so this “command stand” is really “just for show”. I have enough Spear for two more stands - so perhaps I’ll paint those up someday and they could all be formed up together to make a big unit for… well… some other game?




A couple of Spare Crossbowmen.




Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

I finished up some more Normans yesterday. Two stands of bow-armed Psiloi and some individually based foot knights and archers. You can see them over at Analogue Hobbies - I'll post them here tomorrow.

This morning I’m just finished up some Vikings and Victims. That sounds like a spin off Role-playing game from the 1980s… Dungeons & Dragons… Tunnels & Trolls… Burrows & Bunnies…. Vikings & Victims…?

After that? More Dark Age stuff. I have some of the Scots primed and ready to go…? Or some Anglo-Saxons…

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Dark Age DBA Campaign Weekend

As I may have mentioned I'm hosting a Dark Age DBA Campaign Weekend on Saturday, February 25th of this year (my birthday, actually)! It is currently full up and there's a bit of a wait list in case anyone bails....

It looks like we're going to have nine players. There will be two English, two Norse/Viking, Welsh, Scots, Irish, Normans and West Franks.

I've been slacking off on my painting of Dark Age stuff and so I took stock of what I need to finish up earlier this evening... In the next five weeks (35 days) before the campaign I have 35 stands I need to finish up (to have complete - all options - armies). That's a stand per day... Seems a bit daunting, but I'm pretty sure I can pull it off... some of them are Psiloi with only three figures per stand, a bunch are Mounted - again three figures per stand (plus horses). In total it adds up to 109 foot and 37 mounted.

I have some norman Spear I just finished up earlier this evening (not counted in the 25 stands)... What will I do this evening (after I finish basing the Spear)? Maybe I'll knock off a couple stands of Psiloi - so I'm "ahead of the game"!

Unfortunately a number of the stands require some assembly yet - including the manufacture of a great number of spears.... Hopefully I'll be able to convince Amanda to let me paint all day for a couple of the Saturdays... Maybe that will be my job for this saturday - manufacture spears, drill hands and glue... maybe even do some priming.

Anyway, stay tuned to see Dark Age warriors painted at a rather frenetic pace!

Norman Crossbowmen

Finally getting back to the Dark Ages stuff. I have five weeks until the Dark Ages DBA campaign and two armies to finish up. So it’s going to be all Dark Ages all the time from now until them…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)



These are Norman crossbowmen from Crusader Miniatures.


I like them. They’re nice to paint.


The photos aren’t great because I had to take it indoors. Normally I’d take pics outside – so much better light. But It’s been a little chilly here and even I have my limits..


At one point in the day it actually dropped to -49°C with the windchill.... no fun.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Normans/West Franks… Scotts... a few Anglo-Saxons and Vikings…