Perry Medieval Mounted

The Perry Medieval rollout continues- started to put together some figures from the Mounted Knights box. I have virtually decided these will actually represent the Scots at the siege of Orleans 1428-29 as the armour is virtually unchanged, and I can use the DBA Wars of the Roses list, plus there are some good illustrations here.

The first covers 'Currours' or 'Prickers, and will be two to a base. I tried to find parts combinations that looked less 'knightly'. The gentleman on the left will be a junior knight, accompanied by a sergeant.

The second - much more 'Knightly' - I intend to do this as Douglas, accompanied by Melvill, but I am also tempted to make the mace carrying noble Bishop Carmichael. There is a huge selection of parts here, I have at least 8 heads, 5 lances and 7 or 8 spare arms left over. 

 Nice figures, though looking at the close-up I need to do some filing :-)    Foot Knights and rank and file to follow.

Perry Medievals

So we got together, and the War and Peace Games Wars of the Roses special deal looked good. 5 Packs of the Perry Miniatures plastics for $190.

These will end up for me, being used for skirmish games such as 'Lion Rampant' or 'Affray' - and I am also intending to make up a DBA army.

This was the first go at building them up. So far, these are four command figures from the 'Wars of the Roses' infantry, plus a single sprue from the 'Mercenaries' pack. You can make up crossbow, pike command figures and hand-gunners. If I want to put these on the 'standard' 28mm DBA base sizes (60mm frontage) then I won't fit more than three to a base.

From the sprue I managed 6 pikemen (enough for two bases), 3 crossbow (one base), plus 4 handgunners (enough for two bases). For a DBA army, that's five bases from twelve already.

Above, a slightly better lit picture after black undercoat... 

Just a quick French

S-Model Hotchkiss 35 with an AB crewman.

Bouvines 1214 Refight

So six players from the Canberra Games Society including yours truly got together to fight one of our series of historical refights - this year using battles ending in '14. This time, Bouvines, 1214, with the French taking on the might of the Holy Roman Empire.

The battle was refought using DBMM version 2 from WRG. Still our favourite ancients big battle rules. Six players were available, Dave, Michael, Jon, John and Me. Peter was held up by family commitments, but as one of the Imperial contingents was represented by a 'Delayed Command' (in DBMM a group of elements or bases that is off table when the battle starts, arriving later). In DBMM terms this was a big battle, armies are normally fielded at between 350 - 450 Army Points (AP) - in recreating the historical order of battle, the French fielded just over 500 points, and the Imperials about 600. The troop density meant there was little manoeuvre on an open and flat battlefield.

I took the French left - with my main strikeforce a group of French feudal knights. In DBMM terms these were 'Irregular' Knights graded as 'Superior' (or at least with a real confidence in their own superiority...) supported by a motley bunch of Spearmen, crossbowmen, peasant scum and some sergeants. All the French commands (in DBMM each army is split into 2-4 'commands' that are each under a single general) were broadly similar. Opposing me was John with a slightly larger number of 'Ordinary' Knights supported by a large number of badly equipped and motivated pikemen.

In the centre - Our French Commander in Chief was Dave, opposed by Michael with two commands of Imperials, and on the French left Jon was facing thin air as the last of the Imperial commands had not yet arrived.

So to battle! - in each of the big battle games it has been interesting how you get tunnel vision for your own part of the battlefield, and often the game can be won or lost elsewhere while you are narrowly focused on your own struggle. It's quite revealing of how armies failed to coordinate or missed opportunities. So I apologise in advance for focusing on the French right where I was.

Table viewed from the French right. French are on the left. In the distance - the French left is aiming at thin air.  The French right wing commander (me) has rolled low command dice (1) - and the French knights have advanced through their own infantry.

 

View from behind the Imperial right, the Imperial centre has echeloned back to prevent being flanked before their right wing command arrives.

The French right. Knights clash, and while my general has been pushed back into his own infantry, the Imperial Knights have lost three of their number, including the general, and are in trouble. Some gallant Heerban horde now stand in the gap in front of the rampant French. Poor French command PIPs prevent me form taking full advantage though, and the French cannot swing round to attack the neighbouring Imperials in the rear.

The hand of God - or Michael - the centre sees another confused knight melee while the infantry trade a few arrows and crossbow bolts, but are largely onlookers. Here again, the French superiority in troop gradings has kicked in, and the 'Ordinary' Imperial knights have come off badly. 

The Imperial CinC is isolated and the casualties are building...

Two Imperial generals, trying to count up whether their losses have now disheartened or broken their commands.

French centre, with the infantry throwing handbags at each other...

The Imperial army breaks in their own bound. For fun we rolled the dice to see what would have happened if the French had one more turn. Unlike his historical counterpart, who fled the field, our little lead Emperor was caught flank and rear by the French and suffered fatal consequences.

Been a While - new WIP & a Score!

For various reasons, I haven't posted in a while. But I have been keeping up my gaming projects. On the workbench at the moment:

- ESCI Matilda II - (the original 1976 release) - this will join my BEF forces, once I figure out what I can use for the infantry. The Zvezda plastics look best for the BEF but so few poses...  might have to look at metals say EWM for this.
- Trumpeter Char 1Bis - very nice model, easy to build, now under-coated and ready for the paint job.
- Trumpeter Stug IIIB - another lovely model, very simple build that went together well, just needs the tracks sorted out, (they are rubber and while they fit beautifully, are currently resisting my attempts to glue them..). This one is set to join my early war and Barbarossa Germans.
- ESCI M12 155mm self propelled artillery - another original ESCI release, gorgeous model, all assembled and waiting paint. No idea what use this would be in Chain of Command other than as an objective but it's a lovely model.
- ESCI Jagdtiger - undercoated but still awaiting some real paint. Looking forward to this one.

I also managed to play a game of DBMM2 down at the club with Peter last week. Great fun as Polybian Roman took on Later Hellenistic Greek - fortified Built up Areas, sneaky flank marches and dleayed commands, Inert generals, flaming pigs, unusual troops stratagem.This one had it all.

Finally, back in the office today - and here's the little bundle of joy to greet me..  including the rare and OOP M-8 Greyhound

The wrapper on top contains Russians...  'Urra'!

Big Cats - King Tiger next to JagdTiger

As I think I said before, I am no panzer groupie, and when I look at what I have been painting I have way more medium and light armour than the heavy stuff (as it should be). But the Chain of Command rules are designed so that most engagements will have at most one AFV.. very occasionally perhaps two lighter ones. I had lots of early and mid-war armour, and decided that as the Revell King Tiger kit was a good one, I should do that. Then Jason had a spare JagdTiger kit, so that went into the stash as well. The upshot..  two big cats.

I intend to do the JagdTiger in a very late war 'Gotterdammerung' style red oxide and hasty camouflage. Should be at least a bit different and interesting.

Wintercon Report - Pic Heavy

So at the weekend we played 6 games of DBMM at Wintercon, 240 AP, in a tightly themed Greek and Roman competition, I ran Aquitanian Gauls with Spanish allies, and the ambush strategy - which worked very well. and I took some pictures...

Vs Lawrence, who was running Galatians I believe. In the end, I lost my Spanish ally, but my Warband beat his, and my Chariots sacked his baggage - an 18-7 I think

Vs Lawrence  the flank.

Vs Anton who was running Ancient Spanish. A very tough matchup, and Anton is a formidable opponent. Timed out just as I thought I was slowly gaining the upper hand.

Anton again.

Vs Anton - a good view of the game progresssing

My Spanish vs his. I lost this command. Game timed out, I think a 13-12 in my favour.

Anton vs Lawrence - a huge struggle.

Lawrence vs Karl, another huge struggle

Carthaginian Civil War - Karl vs John

Vs Dave, running Camillan Roman. He was hampered with only two commands, and I was able to compress him to where I could take out his commands in succession. 25-0 to me I think.

Vs Dave again, running round him and angling my big block of warband to his Blades. The Spanish screen massacred his Psiloi giving him a 3 ME penalty even before the main lines clashed.

Vs John Garvey with Later Carthaginian. I hit his Spear with a big block of warband and he rolled very badly - 5 x 1 in 5 combats, while my Spanish mugged his Numidians. - 25-0

Vs John again

Vs Karl with Later Carthaginian I sprang an ambush that basically pinned his elephants and Hannibal, in desperation he had to attack uphill Psiloi in bad going with old One-eye..  not a good outcome. 22-3 I think.

 

Michael vs Jon