An Unexpected Bonus

Searching through a box of figures yesterday I came across this little chap - an S range mounted gladiator by the look of him. I've stuck him on one of the PB range late Roman horses I had lying around.

Maybe it's just me, but there's something about the gladiators helmet and mask that always puts me in mind of those novelty salt-and-pepper cruets in the shape of men in bowler hats.

Be that as it may, or may not, I've just aquired a copy of the Italian gladiator boardgame/figure game hybrid Gladiatori. When I've figured out the rules I will give it a try with the s-rangers.

Beastly Hun

More snaps kindly supplied by Rob. These show Minifigs S range one-piece castings (or "Onesies" as we should probably call them nowadays) of a Hun archer and a Byzantine lancer. The Garrison 20mm cavalryman (still available from Garrison, hurry, hurry) is in for scale.

Minifigs S Range Ancient Listing

 

 

(Two versions of AGr7s Greek Peltast (Medium Infantry) Charging. Original version on the right. Slimmer remodel on the left)

 

Ancient Period Infantry
AA 1s Assyrian Officer
AA 2s Assyrian Standard Bearer
AA 4s Assyrian Heavy Archer Firing Bow
AA 6s Assyrian Heavy Slinger
AA 7s Assyrian Light Spearman with Shield Advancing
AA 12s Assyrian Heavy Spearman Charging
AA 13s Assyrian charioteer
AA 15s Assyrian Medium Archer
AA 16s Assyrian Javelinman
AA 17s Assyrian Wicker Shield

AP 1s Persian Officer
AP 2s Persian Standard Bearer
AP 3s Persian Immortal
AP 6s Persian Light Archer
AP 7s Persian Medium Spearman
AP 10s Mede Spearman
AP 11s Mede Archer

 

(L-R Later remodel of AR4s and earlier version of AR5s. I'm not really sure why the former is characterised as "Late Roman")

AR 1s Roman Tribune
AR 2s Roman Centurian
AR 3s Roman Eaglebearer
AR 4s Late Roman Infantryman Throwing Pila
AR 5s Roman Legionary Advancing
AR 6s Late Roman Infantryman with Spear Advancing
AR 7s Roman Auxillary Javelinman
AR 8s Roman Auxillary Archer Firing
AR 9s Roman Auxillary Slinger
AR 10s Late Roman Praetorium Spearman Advancing
AR 11s Praetorium, Sword and Cloak
AR 12s Late Roman Auxillary Slinger
AR 13s Late Roman Auxillary Archer
AR 14s Palatine Auxillary Spearman
AR 15s Roman Musican (Large Horn)
AR 20s Roman Artilleryman pulling Lever
AR 21s Roman Artilleryman holding Bolt

(L-R Later version of AR7s and earlier version of AR9s)

AM 1s Macedonian Officer
AM 2s Macedonian Spearman Advancing
AM 3s Macedonian Standard Bearer
AM 4s Macedonian Archer Firing

AE 1s Egyptian Noble Firing Bow
AE 2s Egyptian Standard Bearer
AE 3s Egyptian Medium Spearman
AE 4s Egyptian Light Spearman
AE 5s Egyptian Light Archer
AE 6s Egyptian charioteer
AE 7s Egyptian Medium Archer
AE 8s Egyptian Guard Spearman
AE 9s Egyptian Light Slinger
AE 10s Sudanese Archer

(AGr4s with characteristic thick pike. Quite how he is "receiving cavalry" is hard to fathom, unless Pegasus is involved)

AG 1s Gaul Heavy Spearman Advancing
AG 2s Standard Bearer
AG 9s Celtic spearman
AG 10s Hun Archer
AG 11s Gaul heavy Spearman
AG 12s Gaul Axeman
AG 13s Gaul Spearman. (Ancient Briton)

APh 1s Philistine Spearman
APh 2s Philistine Archer
APh 3s Philistine Officer

AC 1s Carthaginian Spearman
AC 2s Carthaginian Archer
AC 3s Carthaginian Officer

APt 1s Pict Spearman Advancing
APt 2s Pict Archer Kneeling Firing

AGr 1s Greek Officer
AGr 2s Greek Standard Bearer
AGr 4s Greek Phalanx Spearman Receiving Cavalry
AGr 5s Greek Light Archer Firing Bow
AGr 6s Macedonian Phalangite
AGr 7s Greek Peltast (Medium Infantry) Charging
AGr 8s Spartan Hoplite Spearman
AGr 9s Greek Slinger with Shield

(L-R AR14s and AB1s)

AS 1s Sassanid Levy Spearman
AS 2s Sassanid Levy Archer.

AB 1s Byzantine Heavy Spearman
AB 2s Byzantine Dragoon Standard Bearer
AB 3s Byzantine Officer
AB 5s Byzantine Light Archer
AB 6s Byzantine Javelinman
AB 7s Byzantine archer

AF 1s Frank Axeman Advancing

AV 1s Viking Swordsman Advancing

(L-R Earlier and later versions of AR13s)

Ancient Period Cavalry APac 1s Parthian horse archer

APhC 1s Philistine Lancer
APhC 2s Philistine Ox Chariot

APlc 1s Palmyran light cavalry

AEC 1s Egyptian Mounted Archer
AEC 2s Egyptian Chariot

AMdC 1s Macedonian Cavalryman

ARC 1s Roman Cavalryman
ARC 2s Late Roman heavy cavalry
ARC 3s Late Roman light cavalry

ABC 1s Byzantine Heavy Cavalryman. with Kontos
ABC 2s Byzantine Light Cavalryman (Bow) or Hun

APC 1s Persian Lancer
APC 2s Persian Horse Archer
APC 3s Persian Chariot

 

(AEC1s)

AAC 1s Assyrian Lancer
AAC 2s Assyrian Horse Archer
AAC 3s Assyrian Cataphract
AAC 4s Assyrian Chariot

AGC 1s Gaul Lancer
AGC 2s Gaul Javelinman
AGC 3s Gaul or Hun Horse Archer
AGC 4s Gallic Chariot

AGrC 1s Greek Cavalryman

AMC 1s Macedonian cavalryman

SMC 1s Sassanid Cataphract with Kontos
SMC 2s Sarmatian Cataphract
SMC 3s Cataphract
SMC 4s Persian Cataphract

APtC 1s Pict Lancer

Ancient Period Horses ACH 1s HalfArmoured Cavalry Horse
ACH 2s Fully Armoured Cataphract Horse
ACH 3s Ancient Briton Chariot Horse
ACH 4s Egyptian Chariot Horse
ACH 5s Ancient Cavalry Horse Trotting
ACH 6s Ancient Cavalry Horse Cantering
ACH 7s Ancient Cavalry Horse Galloping
ACH 8s Half Armoured Cataphract Horse for Sassanid
ACH 9s Chariot horse

Camels Camel 1s Dromedary Trotting
Camel 2s Bactrian Trotting
Camel 3s Armoured Dromedary

Elephants Elephant 1s Armoured Elephant with Howdah
Elephant 2s Indian Elephant

 

(Return of the LSD Elephant or Elephant 2s as the catalogue styled it)

Philistian Dog!

 

Or so I recall Victor "Samson" Mature snarling at his captors in Cecil B De Mille's overheated epic. Anyroad, here is a Philistine officer converted from the standard Minifigs S range spearman by the judicious wielding of an X-acto knife

Over the next few days I'm going to post up Minfigs S Range and Minifigs PBs listings. Vintage20Mil has been unavailable - except via various cached sites  - for some while now and besides it seems a good idea to have all the listings of OOP vintage ancients available in one place.

A load of Bullocks

Here is the Minifigs S range Philistine ox chariot with flanking guard of spearmen and archers. The chariot is a pretty fair copy of the one in Funcken. Modern historians incline to the view that the chariot was not used in combat but was merely a transport. What a boring bunch of cardigans they are. My own oxen are made of more martial stuff and will - I hope - trundle into action spitting death at some point in the not too distant future.

For fans of farm livestock here is one of the oxen unencumbered.

Love and Hate - Two Horns On The Same Goat

Well, that's what Eileen Way as Kitala claims in The Vikings anyroad. Here we have a Minifigs S range Viking, code V1. The Vikings were included in the Ancient range and I'm not sure if there ever was a V2 (and just as well probably given the connotations). As you can see he doesn't actually have a horned helmet, but one with wings on. I will bundle him in with the Celts alongside the Frankish axemen and the Germans.

Frosty Punics

 

(Foreground: Roman heavy cavalry forms the filling in a sandwich of Carthaginian horse, while in the middleground Hannibal leads his noble cavalry in a charge. Behind them the lines of the Roman legions watch on)

Back in the olden days wargamers didn’t get too hung up about the historical accuracy of their miniatures. When Charles Grant needed Sumerian chariots for his re-fight of Kadesh he used a load of vehicles culled from Celtic, Indian and Persian armies. For his Punic Wars era Battle of the Po, Terry Wise meanwhile opted for Airfix Roman legions, with Hannibal boasting Numidian cavalry from the same firm’s Red Indian set.

The second of our wargame weekend battles was something of a homage to the late and much lamented  Wise (All the gamers round the table had bought figures from the great man over the years), pitting a Carthaginian army against one made up of Garrison 20mm Imperial Roman legion and auxiliaries.

For the purposes of the game all the Romans were counted as Princeps.

 

 

(Carthaginian battle lines)

 

Carthaginians

Leaders:

Hannibal (Plus 2)

Marhabal (Plus 1)

 

3 x Libyan/Phoenician spearmen

2 x Spanish Scutari

 

4 x Gallic warbands

4 x Balearic Slingers

2 x Spanish Javelins

 

1 x Carthaginian Noble Cavalry (elite)

2 x Phoenician Cavalry

1 x Spanish light cavalry

2 x Numidian light cavalry

3 x Elephants

Romans

Leaders

Fabius (plus one)

Convolvulus (plus one)

14 x Roman Legions (elite) – fight as princeps.

2 x Ligurian Archers

2 x Samnian javelins

2 x Roman Heavy Cavalry

2 x Roman Light Cavalry

 

 

(Light Cavalry skirmish, while the elephants rumble forwards)

Action!

With Stephen called away by work commitments the table was expanded to 6x4. Old John and Clive took charge of the North Africans, while Richard and I commanded the home army.

The formations of the two battlelines were predictable (as yet Ancient wargaming has not embraced the equivalent of the total football revolution) with both armies matching up like for like. For the Romans the key to the battle was clearly to fend off the Carthaginians’ superior cavalry for as long as possible, trust that the elephants would prove to be more bluster than substance, and then destroy the enemy centre with their better disciplined and more powerful infantry.

The Carthaginians meanwhile hoped quickly to dispose of the outnumbered Latin horse, and turn in on the flanks of the infantry while it was engaged in beating off the elephants.

The opening rounds of action saw the Roman heavy cavalry charging out to meet the Carthaginian heavy horse in the hope of knocking one unit out of the action and evening up the odds. Sadly the Carthaginian noble horse, commanded by the great man himself, were not amenable to this scheme, and the Romans quickly found themselves engaged in a melee in which they were outnumbered 3:2.

On the opposite flank the Roman light horse rode out to meet their Numidian and Spanish counterparts and then began a slow retreat in front of them, the aim being to keep things on that flank as indecisive as possible for as long as possible.

In the centre the elephants rumbled forwards with Spanish skirmishers protecting them from missile fire and doing their best to disperse the Roman auxiliary lights.

 

(The final moments)

Initially all seemed to be going well for Hannibal. The Roman heavy cavalry was battered and fell back, while the Numidians and Spanish destroyed one unit of light cavalry with ease and now enjoyed a 3:1 advantage over the other.  The outnumbered Roman light troops also took a hammering and soon only one unit remained.

At this point, however, the favour of the dice Gods turned in favour of the Romans. The remaining light cavalry and light infantry held on, despite both teetering on the verge of destruction, while the remaining Roman heavy cavalry unit also refused to give way. In the centre the elephants were now within charge move, but in the morale tests one of the great beasts panicked and charged back towards his own table edge. The Carthaginian commanders had sensibly left a gap behind the elephants for just such and eventuality and no harm was done. The remaining two pachyderms did charge home. The Legion were not awed by their trumpeting however and stood their ground. In the ensuing melee the elephants failed to make any headway and soon, disheartened and bloodied by pila and swords, turned and fled.

If the Romans though victory was now secure they were wrong. For at more or less the same moment as the elephants ran, their own cavalrymen finally gave up and fled, leaving the flanks of the legionaries open to attack.

However, in a masterstroke of strategy the Roman commanders had held four units of Legion in reserve behind the main battle line. These units were now able to move into action against the Carthaginian horsemen.

As the heavy Carthaginian infantry and Gaulish allies crashed into the Romans the outcome was still in the balance. But after several rounds of bloody hand-to-hand fighting the superior discipline of the Legion proved decisive.

 

Hannibal, who had cheated death in a positively Alexander-like manner (The Roman generals were not nearly so lucky) galloped off with the remainder of his cavalry leaving the bloodied field to the Romans.

This was a cracking little battle, which went to the wire, producing much joy and laughter amongst the participants. What more can you ask for?

Eagle In The Snow Part Deux

(Garrison 20mm Imperial Romans in action: auxiliaries to the fore)

For the wargame weekend with Old John and Richard I set up a table with winter terrain on it which could be used for anything from ancients through to Russian Civil War and quickly wrote up three scenarios for the former. My plan was to start with a game in which Alexander, leading a fast moving task force, cornered some Persians in the mountains of Bactria, follow it with a Terry Wise-inspired battle in the Abruzzo involving Hannibal and some unhistorical Roman legions and finish with a more traditional clash between the Imperial Romans and the local Brigantes. Since Friday night also drew Clive and Stephen into the cramped environs of the Longuelade bivouac the table for this first game was small - just four feet by four feet - and for reasons that I can't now recall amongst all the yelling we began with the Celts and Romans.

Richard and Stephen commanded the Imperialist invaders determined to impose their alien way of life on the natives, while Old John and I took charge of the noble freedom fighters. Clive Norman was the war artist/umpire.

The scenario was simple:
The Romans had thrown a pontoon bridge across the Tyne. Some of their army had crossed to the north bank, while the rest would arrive at some point in the future. Celtic opposition was likewise arrived or arriving. All this was determined by dice throws, which - predictably - didn't seem to go well for the Brigantes.

Romans

Leaders

Maximus (plus 2)

Sixtus (plus 1)

8 x Legions (elite)

6 x Auxiliary spearmen

4 x Roman auxiliary slingers

2 x Roman Auxiliary light Cavalry

2 x Bolt throwers

 

 (Stephen points out the error of his ways to Old John)

Brigantes

Leaders:

Venutius (plus 1)

Vellocatus (plus 1)

14 x Close order warbands

4 x Light Javelins

2 x heavy cavalry

6 x chariots

 

(Old John issues directions to an S range chariot as Garrison 20mm Roman slingers attempt to knobble the horses)

 

The ensuing action was confused. Suffice it to say here that the Brigantes chariots capered about the place looking impressive andheroically manly but achieving very little. The Celtic cavalry met with more success and drove the Roman light horsemen back across the bridge. The Roman infantry was made of sterner stuff and easily dealt with the roaring warbands, who retreated back towards what is now Wark.

In Off The Post (One)

Today the postman brought these rather splendid Minifigs S Range one piece castings: AGC3s Gaul or Hun Horse Archers. They aren't for me, they're for a friend. No, really...

Mind The Gap, Please! - Action in the Hills of Bogi

                                                   Battle of Figment Gap

(Assyrian commander, Sha'ol Shamanisar - S range chariot with Garrison 20mm and S range crew- behind Garrison 20mm Assyrian infantry. S Range Assyrian medium infantry to the left, heavy archers from the same source on the right)

Originally I had been intending to fight this action with Stephen, but he was unable to take part due to work commitments and so I played it as a solo game instead. The Assyrian posture was a defensive one, so that seemed a straightforward enough, especially since my right hand rarely knows what my left is doing in any circumstance.

In my dual role as commander of both armies I set the Assyrians up first, a strong line of heavy infantry, interspersed with the close order archers occupied the centre, the slingers and javelins were placed on both flanks, on the hillsides above the Gap with the Lancers - potentially the Host of Ashur's most potent weapon on the left behind a screen of skirmishers. The Assyrian general attached himself to his central infantry regiment, Margash. It was decsion that was to have dramatic consequences.

(Buzzard cam view of the Assyrian battle lines, heavy troops occupying the Figment gap)

Tuckekhamen meanwhile arranged his battle line much as he had at the Apocryphal Well with chariots and skirmishers on both flanks. The centre was also screened by skirmishers, with the horse archers of Koth in the middle. Close order missile units formed to the left and right of centre. Mindful that his own melee troops were inferior to those of the enemy Tuckekahmen intended to wear them down with missile fire before launching his main assault. The general himself had attached himself to the red-uniformed Set infantry, held in reserve to deal with any breakthrough by the Assyrian cavalry.

(And did these feet in ancient times...The Egyptian battle lines - with Converse Jack Purcell's to the rear)

 

Since the Assyrians were cast as the defenders, the Egyptians moved first. The entire line advanced,  the horse archers of Koth trotting forward within bow range and letting loose a long range volley of arrows at Shalmaniser and the Margash infantry. Unsurprisingly no damage was done and behind their vast shields and even vaster beards the Assyrians guffawed uproariously at the puny ponies and weedy arrows of their foe.                                                                                                                   

(Egyptian battle lines. S range close order infantry and PB range archers)

In response to the Egyptian move the Arvad archers fired back at the Koth cavalry causing two hits to the novice horsemen.

(The horse archers. Such newbies to the wargames table they didn't even have bases, they were, nevertheless, to play a fateful part in proceedings)

On move two the Egyptian advance continued the horse archers now moving boldly into close range of the Assyrian lines to add an extra dice in their firing roll. With the general attached it required 16 or more to score a hit on the armoured infantry. The dice were cast: 9, 11, 17, 18. Two hits. "Now," I said to myself as I went to draw the card to see if the general had been harmed, "Wouldn't it be unfortunate if he died this early in the battle". The card was flipped. Jack of Hearts. Shalmanisar followed his predecessor in returning to the bosom of Anu, having issued just one order to one unit.

In previous battles the death of the commander would have been unfortunate but only a little debilitating. However, with the Army Funk Revelator in operation the gauge immediately moved 4 places against the Assyrians. With the Egytian chariots now in range and peppering the javelinmen on both flanks, and the Egyptians skirmishing archers also letting ,the rearguard were already wobbling.

The return fire of the Kish slingers did something to restore Assyrian equilibrium - they had a 100% success rate against the Nubian bowmen, inflicting four hits on the leaopardskin-sporting Africans

 

                                                                        

                                                                         

(Another one bites the dust...The card draw that saw one more Assyrian commander fatally skewered by Egyptian arrows. The horse archers who dealt the blow can be seen at the top of the picture.)

On move three the Egyptian chariots came fully into the action, and along with the fire of the skirmishing archers dealt a fearful revenge pasting to the slingers of Kish who took six hits during the turn. The horse archers of Koth, who had been severely mauled withdrew to the right rear of the line to avoid destruction.



The Assyrian response - driven perhaps by grief and panic - was misjudged. Sensing that the battle was slipping from their grasp the Arbela Lancers charged down from the hill at the Egyptian slingers. A charge morale test saw the slingers taking a hit, but scampering away out of range. Unfortunately for the horsemen, when the tape measure was brought out it revealed that even with their charge bonus they would fall 3cms short of their second target - the close order Hathor archers. This left them isolated and exposed. All around them the Egyptian missile troops flexed their bows and slipped stones into their slings.

On move four hell broke loose for the forces of Pelmaneser. With the horse archers of Koth circling to their flank, the lancers were subjected to a wave of missile attacks. The horse archers fired first. No hits. The slingers fired next. One hit. Next the Amuket archers unleashed a volley. Two hits. The Assyrian horsemen crossed their fingers. There was just one unit left to fire - the bowmen of Hathor. If they could survive then it would be their turn to wreak the sort of  havoc their brethren had inflicted earlier in the campaign. The Egyptians took aim. At close range they were rolling five dice. They needed scores of 16 or more to hit. The D20s rumbled across the desert sand, stopped. 13, 17, 19,17, 19. The lancers were galled beyond endurance. They turned tale and fled. A great cheer went up from the Egyptian ranks, for now the Revelator moved another three places against the Assyrians inflicting a hit on every unit in their army. This proved too much for the slingers of Kish - already on six hits - and they joined the horsemen in running off to the north. The Revelator slid another two places. And the Egyptian fire has not finished yet. On the far right of the Assyrian line the Lullabi javelins took more than they could stand and broke. The Revelator moved up to ten. Another hit inflicted on the Assyrian line. Units all along it were now in a parlous condition. A dramatic response was needed. Brilliant archery from the bowmen of Calah, who struck home with five hits on the Osiris chariot squadron, showed the spirit required, but the other Assyrian units could not repeat their success. The move ended with Egypt ascendant.

(Chariots in operation between the rival battle lines. They have taken a fair hammering, but for the Assyrians it was all too little too late.)

Since it is only move five, Tuckekahmen is aware that all he need do now to ensure victory is withdraw his battered units, and send forward the fresher missile troops to unpick the Assyrian line at leisure. He therefore calls on the enemy to lay down their weapons. A dice is thrown to see how they respond. An unquivocable "No".

Alas the bloodshed that follows is too predictable to be detailed here.

Figment Gap

(S range Assyrian slingers go through their warm-ups)

The Scene

Falling back before the victorious forces of King Horemhabib, the army of Assyria have left a rearguard of heaily armoured infantry at that vital pass in the rocky Hills of Bogi,  Figment Gap. Commanded by King Pelmanesar's trusted lieutenant, Sha'ol Shalmaniser, their mission is a simple one: to delay the enemy from sunrise to sunset.

The Pharaoh's army is commanded by the great and victorious Tuckekahmen and comprises some elements he commanded at the Apocryphal Well. His task is to force the pass by nightfall. To win he must get at least one of his close order infantry or two mounted units off the northern table edge via the Figment Gap by the end of the day.

Based on what happened in the previous battle, and the smaller table, a day will last for 12 turns.

Tuckekahmen's inspiring victory has earned him an upgrade to a "two pip" general. He will add two dice to the combat dice of any unit he is attached to, and two to the dice score needed to hit them. He remains as vulnerable to being killed as any other general, however.

Rule Ammendments

From now on skirmishers in melee will battle with just one dice instead of two.
The Longuelade Army Funk Revelator will be used as per description in the post headed "To Paraphrase Napoleon".

(S Range Assyrian heavy infantry with officer. There's supposed to be a standrad bearer too, but neither I nor anybody I know has ever seen one...)
Assyrian Army

Commander: Sha'ol Shalmaniser

Close Order Infantry
(Bite-size units of ten figures)

More heavily armoured than  the Egyptians they have a "to hit" number of 14 and fight with 5 dice

Nimrud Infantry
Margash Infantry
Karkar Infantry
Sippar Infantry

Close Order Missile Troops
(In fives)

All wearing mail armour they have a "to hit" number of 14 and fight with 4 dice when firing and 2 when in melee.

Calah Archers
Arvad Archers
Gozan Slingers
Kish Slingers

Skirmishers
(In threes)

To hit score of 12. Battle with two dice when firing, 1 in melee.

Subartu Javelins
Lullubi Javelins

Cavalry
(In fours)

To hit score of 15, fight with six dice.

Arbela Lancers.

( S range Assyrian heavy cavalry screened by javelinmen)
The Egyptians

Commander: Tuckekahmen

Chariot Squadrons
(one vehicle)/ To hit score of 16, battle with four dice when firing, 2 in melee.

Osiris
Isis
Amun
Anubis

Horse Archers of Koth

Very lightly armoured and mounted on small ponies. A to hit score of 12. They battle with 3 dice when firing, 1 in melee.

Close Order Infantry

To hit figure of 13, battle with 5 dice

Senekht Spearmen
Kuk Infantry
Geb Infantry
Bes Infantry
Mut Infantry
Set Infantry

Close Order Archers

To hit figure of 13. battle with 4 dice when firing and 2 in melee

Sobek Archers
Tetnut Archers
Hathor Archers
Anuket Archers

Skirmishers

To hit figure of 12. Battle with 2 dice when firing, 1 in melee

Nubian archers
Ethiopian archers
Kush archers
Damot archers
Malkaht slingers

(S range Egyptian infantry bought from John T Tuckey, flanked by Tuckekahmen the great Egyptian commander).

Parum Pugna: Bite-Size

(On the dance floor of the Nile Delta's most fashionable nitespot, Egyptian Troops throw a few shapes to celebrate the victory at the Apocryphal Well)

The Longuelades' new headquarters are small but perfectly formed - the exact opposite of the master of the house, in fact. Alas this means that though visitors may coo at the antique door fittings and the choice of National Trust paint colours used on the woodwork (My mind is clouded but I believe a Farrow & Ball's eggshell oil  Housemaid's Knee White may have been used) there is precious little space for what one might call a "proper wargames table". In my younger days I would happily have crammed something temporarily into the smaller of the two sittings rooms, even if it meant moving all the furniture into the garden and the generals having to crawl underneath the playing surface to get to the lavatory.

Nowadays, however such antics are beneath my dignity, and beyond my knee joints. So, we shall have to make do with pressing a couple of table together to make a surface that is slightly over four feet square. This does not leave much room for the size of units I normally deal in. Luckily the basing means that all are easily chopped into quarters. On Saturday afternoon I propose to fight an action using these smaller units (Close order infantry in 10s, Close order missile troops in 5s, skirmishers in 3s, Cavalry in 4s and chariots in 1 vehicle squadrons). It will be a follow up to the Apocryphal Well in which the now retreating Assyrians attempt to hold up the Pharoah's forces at the narrow defile of Figment Gap.

The battle will also give me a chance to test out the army morale chart outlined last week. I am thinking of taking a leaf out of the great Charles Wesencraft's books and calling it The Longueglade Army Funk Revelator.

 (S range Egyptian Archers currently on the painting table. I'm finishing off a unit of the Tuckey figures. The original is on the right.)

Nectanebo Points

 

Old John from 20mm Nostalgic Revival and Richard from Vintage 20Mil are coming up for a wargames weekend in early September. Hopefully we'll get to fight a couple of large battles. The first will be the clash between Antigonus and Eumenes at Paraetecene in 317BC. Pondering what the second will be has occupied many hours of dog walking.

Initially I had thought of some equivalent of Grant's Mandubian Hills scenario in which Germans were replaced by Galatians, Romans by Seleucids. I imagined the latter force being made up of mercenary hoplites and peltasts, supplemented by Persian cavalry and Syrian archers. Such a scheme would have meant diverting from my attempts to finish the Egyptian Army, however, and turning instead to painting Gaulish chariots. Since one thing tends to lead to another when it comes to painting figures I could foresee that such a step would mean not getting back to the Egyptians until 2022, probably with the Franco-Austrian War in between.

It was fortunate then, that the other day, I picked my copy of HW Parke's Greek Mercenary Soldiers (1933) off the shelf with a view to looking up something else entirely, and found myself reading the details of - or rather lack of them - Artaxerxes Ochus' ill-fated first attempt to reconquer Egypt, a campaign that occurred some time around 350BC. The fighting apprently went on for a year and culminated in a crushing Persian defeat, but - Diodorus being reticent on the topic - not much is known about what actually happened.

Parke surmises the following:-

a) That the Egyptian Army of King Nectanebo II featured a large number of Greek mercenaries, including contingents commanded by Diophantus of Athens, Lamias the Spartan and Mentor of Rhodes

b) That the Persian Army in all likelihood did not include Greeks - Artaxerxes having attempted to secure his position as Emperor by disbanding the Greek mercenary contingents of his satraps to minimise the potential for revolt.

This is not much to go on, which from my point of view is a distinct advantage. I propose a battle in which the Egyptian Army of the 30th Dynasty supplemented by Greek mercenary hoplites, takes on an army of Persians, Medes and assorted satrapies on the banks of the Nile.

Any suggestions for the troop types employed in the Egyptian Army of this period gratefully recived - though only if they are something I already have, obviously.

See yonder! The dust clouds of an approaching army!

Not long now to the long promised refight of Grant's Apocryphal Well scenario. Due to the difference in unit sizes I have had to tinker about a bit with the armies the Great Man deployed, but it's worked out more or less the same in the figure totals. Hopefully the slight drop in Assyrian cavalry numbers will be balanced by the fact that they have a unit of horse archers instead of the javelin armed lights in the original.

I've also done a bit of fiddling with the "to hit" numbers to reflect the superior Assyrian armour of some of Ashur's troops, and done something similar with the Egyptian chariots to reflect their elite status.

 (S range Chariot and crew. I'm recycling photos a bit at the moment. My daughter took my camera to the High School prom and as yet I haven't been able to locate which of the myriad handbags she has hidden it in. Still, only another 17 to search...)

The Battle of the Apocryphal Well.

Assyrian

Under the command of  Seena-Kadi

Unit                                                      Size       Combat Dice    To Hit

Eshura Heavy Cavalry                        16                6                       15

Zarzi Horse Archers                           16                3                        15

Tutub Heavy Infantry                         40                6                        14

Tarbissa Medium Infantry                  40                5                        13

Akulate heavy archers                         20               4/2*                   13

Hassuna medium archers                    20                4/2*                   13

Repiquum Light javelins (A)              12                2                        12

Nimrud Light Javelins (B)                  12                2                        12

144 foot

32 cavalry

Egyptian

Under the command of Tuckekahmen

Royal Chariot Squadron (A)               4 v                 4                           16

Royal Chariot Squadron (B)               4 v                 4                           16

Ptah Infantry                                       40                  5                            13

Ra Infantry                                          40                  5                            13

Senekht Infantry                                  40                  5                            13

Kushite archers                                    12                   2                            12

Nubian archers                                     12                   2                            12

Ethiopian archers                                 12                   2                            12

Aswan archers                                     12                   2                            12

Malkata slingers                                  12                   2                            12

Lacish javelins                                     12                    2                            12

Amarna javelins                                   12                    2                            12

Foot: 204

Chariots: 8

* When firing bow/When in melee