Jehoshophat!

So on the weekend (Sunday), I played in David Lawrence's 'Landwaster' DBA 2.2 competition. I was lucky enough to pick up 3rd place with my Ottomans. And coincidentally, David had a whole bunch of Essex army packs there, and with my 50% off voucher, I decided to add to the lead pile at bargain prices. The variety wasn't great, with a variety of Latin, Campanian and other Early Roman types, Carthaginians, and Knights of St John (KoStJ). There were also a few Hellenistic types, but I have the Tin Soldier Macedonians in the painting queue already, and they would be completely incompatible.

I didn't fancy the Early Latin types, all Blades and Spear, and looked at the KoStJ - but Essex had done one of their mix and match jobs, and the packs inside were from a 2-3 Century range, everything from c1200 Crusaders, 14th Century caparisoned horses, to Late 15th Century fully plate armoured dismounted knights. One to avoid I think. Anyway, I spotted a Later Hebrew pack - the I/34b List in DBA with 2-horse chariots, loads of Auxilia, (medium infantry that fight well in bad going, and are targets for everyone in the open), a couple of Psiloi (light infantry skirmishers) and a single element of Spearmen.

3Ax - Loads of them

Not world-beaters, but interesting. They have an aggression of '1' (it ranges from 0-4) so have a very good chance of being the defender, and have 'Hilly' as their home terrain. This is a bit of a two edged sword. Hilly terrain is likely to have a good amount of bad going, which is all good for the Auxilia, but the disadvantage of hills is that they block visibility, which affects the General's command range. As Auxilia have few combat advantages, they rely heavily on movement to isolate, surround and destroy enemy. That all takes PIPs - which is where the problem arises. If the General can't see his troops, then it is very difficult to manoeuvre.

4Ax - and 4Sp in the background

So I am trying a slightly different tack on the painting for these little guys. Monday night, they were cleaned up, spare shields and weapons added, then glued onto bases. Tonight, I used a commercial 'Mocha' tone enamel spray as a base, then a heavy wash of GW Badab Black. I figure with bronze, flesh and white, with a few blue touches, they will be very quick to finish.

Jehoshophat in the background...

Oh, and of course, in period..   968 CE - 800 BC, the best name for a King of Judah is Jehoshophat.  Right  - now off to check the books for some inspiration.