Plastic Pirates

Clash campaign report: A battle of attrition

2023-03-13T18:13:00.006-04:00

A wall of Carthaginian shields and spears!

Juba sat astride his horse, stretching without dismounting. For three days and three nights he and his Numidians had been almost constantly in the saddle, shadowing a force of Greek mercenaries. His orders from Malchus had been simple - herd them to a place where we can fight them, and destroy them.

The Greeks were wily, and had not allowed themselves to be caught in a disadvantageous position. Nevertheless, Juba's riders had found the occasional opportunity to throw a few javelins their way, just to remind them they were being watched.

The Numidian's mounts afforded them a level of mobility denied to the Greeks. Juba had a detachment of his horsemen trailing the Greeks, looking for openings to attack their baggage. He also had riders out in front, scouting the terrain.

One of them galloped up to him now, reining in his horse at the last moment. "Agellid (chief)," he said, "There is a farmstead ahead about a half day's ride. The Greeks are headed directly for it."

That's what Juba had been waiting for. A place, and a plan. "Excellent," he replied, turning to another rider, this one on a fresher mount. "Ride to Malchus, quickly, and tell him where the trap can be sprung. We will meet him there, and bring the Greeks to heel."

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Turn 3 of the Clash campaign is upon us! After a very busy February work-wise, I was finally able to get a game in against Sean and his Greeks. Without further ado, here's what happened...

Sean and I rolled for choice of scenario, and he won - so much for choosing the recon scenario. Knowing that his armored Greeks would have an advantage when getting stuck in, Sean opted for "This is my Land."

Deployment went well for me, as my lighter troops and cavalry could push forward, locking Sean's units a little further from the objectives than my own troops. Alas, this slight advantage would not mean much during the game itself.

Initial troop positions.

Sean's javelin throwers get comfortable in the woods.

Sean's line.

Libyan javelin men move into a field.

Two units of Numidian horsemen on my right flank.

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Malchus glared across the battlefield at his foe. That damned Greek gold-grubbing bastard! He had faced him before and been bested by him. But this time would be different!

The opposing forces faced each other across a small farm, with copses of palms and some scattered buildings. Malchus' light, mostly skirmishing troops were at a disadvantage against the Greeks in a stand-up battle. He had tried to catch them on the move, when they would be ill-prepared, but that had not happened.

Nevertheless, he gave his lieutenants and prepared to face the foe.

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Turn 1 saw fairly routine advances on both flanks. My cavalry was massed on the left, and my infantry ion the right. Sean had a more balanced line, with missile troops flanking and supporting his infantry.

Sean's spearmen advance towards the center.

More javelin men advance into the woods.

Turn 2 began with my cavalry tossing some pointy sticks at Sean's troops, doing some damage, but not enough. On the right side, the heavier infantry positioned themselves for a fight!

Positions at start of Turn 2.

Numidians begin their charge.

First blood, though a trickle, to me!

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Thus far, Malchus could see that his strategy was working. He had massed light troops on one flank, hoping to whittle down the enemy without engaging full-on. On his right, under Bostar's watchful eyes, he had placed his two heavy infantry units where they could support each other as they advanced.

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I think Turn 3 is when we got seriously involved in a heavy infantry fight on the right flank. Charge, counter-charge, and defend reactions saw both sides slightly bloodied and little change in overall position.

Carthaginian spearmen charge Greek hoplites.

First round of combat was indecisive.

Charge and countercharge begins.

More Clashing of spears.

Turn 4 is when Carthaginian blood started to flow in earnest. Sean was able to flank charge my spearmen, who had just finished charging Sean's hoplites. The charge into the flank wiped the unit out. In the center, my javelin unit had peaked out to toss some of their missiles, to little effect. They lost some men to Sean's counterfire. This, combined with the fatigue that had been accumulated, left them as easy pickings for Aristarchus, who charged in, wiped out the skirmishers, and then bravely advanced rearward back towards his own lines.

Sean's hoplites take advantage of the Carthaginian disorder to flank charge,

The weakened unit is wiped out.

My Romanized veterans are now heavily outnumbered.

Aristarchus charges, wiping out the fatigued javelin men.

Sean's hoplites hold off the cavalry's vain final attempts.

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Damn, those Greeks were tough bastards indeed! Malchus swore, and swore again as he saw his elite infantry cut down. Despite having the advantage, and initially pushing the Greeks back, his men's weapons could not seem to penetrate the Greek shield wall.

The foe was wily, being willing to give ground and wait for an opening. And Bostar, in his haste to push the Greeks from the battlefield, had given him one. The Greek spearmen charged into the flank of his spearmen, scattering them. Curses! His veterans were exhausted from the constant back and forth, and were unable to seize the chance to charge the Greeks in turn. As his fatigued men watched, the Greeks re-formed their impenetrable shield wall.

Suddenly he saw the Greek commander for the first time, charging into the center of the fray, on horseback. He had been hanging back until now, content to send his men into harm's way while staying safely out of danger. Malchus saw that the Greek had noticed an opportunity to burnish his reputation with little danger. The son of a whore charged the remains of a unit of javelin men, scattering them. As soon as they had dispersed, he rode back behind his lines to safety before he could be endangered.

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Turn 5 saw my right flank completely fall apart. My cavalry unit which had redeployed to that side was down to three horsemen. My heavy hitters, the Romanized veterans, had been steadily accumulating fatigue in vain attacks on Sean's line. Aristarchus again bravely charge a weakened unit, wiping them out.

Aristarchus again chooses his target wisely.

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Bostar tried vainly to re-form his men into a line, but it was a futile effort. There were too few remaining, and those that still stood were exhausted. The Greek commander again charged a depleted unit, sending the troops running. And again, before Bostar could challenge him directly, the craven fled back behind his men.

"Malákas!" Bostar yelled, "Come back and face me, coward!" But to no avail, the Greek was safe, protected by a wall of hoplites, and Bostar could do nothing but rage.

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At this point, dusk had fallen across the battlefield. While both objectives were technically still contested, I stood at three breakpoints to Sean's two. He had wiped out both of my heavy infantry units and a unit of javelin men, while I had wiped out a unit of slingers and killed the odd trooper here and there.

This gave Sean a minor victory!

Final troop positions.

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As dusk settled on the farm, Malchus reluctantly gave the order to withdraw. His men, though bloodied and weary, retired in good order. How it galled him to cede the field to that Greek coin counter!

They had hurt the Greeks, that was sure, but not enough. And his own troops had suffered more.

As he walked alongside his men, Malchus and Bostar discussed the skirmish, and its outcome. Malchus analyzed every aspect, looking for a weakness that he had failed to exploit in the moment, but that he could use the next time they faced this Greek scum. They would face him again, he was sure of it. Sicilia was not that large an island. And next time he would be ready. "Juba," he called out to the leader of his cavalry, "I have a new mission for you. Find me a horse!"

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Points of interest:

I love cavalry and will keep using them, but slingers are my bane, handing them light casualties but enough fatigue to render the unit ineffective in the late stages of the game. I had several units fail to activate in the final turn. While this may not have changed the outcome, it certainly didn't help.

My dice seem to roll better when I need sixes. My rolls were decidedly average when needing fours or fives. But on several rolls when needing sixes the dice came up big. Unfortunately, since Sean's elite troops were usually defending, this did not result in as many casualties as I would have wished.

I think that finding Malchus a mount for next turn will be a priority. The ability of Sean's commander to ride up, dispatch a weakened unit, and then slink behind enemy lines was a huge factor in the game. Aristarchus himself dispatched one break point worth of troops, which was the difference in the game.

Sean's javelin men on the right flank got a good view of the battle and a day's rest, not moving once from their initial position. Their jeering and catcalls, I believe, are what turned the tide of battle against me.

Look familiar? Sean's javelin men haven't moved.

As always, a tight game against Sean, and one in which some things went right, some went wrong, some went really wrong, and I was unable to score enough kills to pull out the draw. In short, it was your typical nail-biter fun Clash of Spears game!

'Til next time!

(I am including a link to a totally biased, unfactual, skewed version of events from Aristarchus' point of view on Sean's blog. In all seriousness, it is an excellent representation of what happened, and you know what they say about the victors writing history.)

Making tokens for The Barons' War

2023-01-20T09:57:00.000-05:00

As readers of this blog already know, I am getting started with The Barons' War from Footsore. I am at the point where my next step is to actually assemble and paint a retinue. But, as is so often the case, I got slightly sidetracked by an ancillary project.

In addition to the usual stuff (figures, terrain, dice, etc.), the game requires the use of tokens to keep track of actions taken and the status of the troops.

The tokens are available as a free download from Footsore at Warhost Online. You can also buy them pre-printed on MDF.

Because I am a firm believer in "simpler is better," I decided to modify the tokens slightly for my own use.

The modification consists simply of writing on each token what action or status it represents. I know, for most people just seeing the color or the image on the token is enough. But for me, at least initially as I become comfortable with the game, it will be tremendously helpful to have it literally spelled out on the token itself.

The other change I am making is to the size of the token. While a necessary evil in many wargames, I don't like the look of a bunch of tokens besides painted troops and terrain. That is a pet peeve of mine, so I decided to make the tokens just a little smaller (and to match the punch I will use).

The punch I use for bases for 15mm and smaller figures is 3/4" in diameter (I also have a 1" punch I use for bases for 28mm figures). Using Photoshop, I added the text and sized the tokens appropriately. You will notice that I also extended the background colors so that they would look good even if the punch was not lined up perfectly.

Once printed on a sheet of cardstock, all that's left is to punch them out and assemble the tokens.

The printed token sheet and the hole punch.

I punched the printed tokens out, but I felt they were too thin. I glued a pair of them back to back to make two-sided tokens - still too thin. So, I punched out some thicker cardboard circles.

The tokens and the cardboard filler.

Using a regular glue stick, I pasted the tokens on either side of the cardboard. Perfect! This is tedious, and for many it won't be worth the effort. But I believe that if you're going to do something, you should try to do it right.

Glue stick to the rescue!

Now I have tokens that clearly indicate what they represent, are a bit smaller than the official tokens, and are thick enough to have just a little heft.

Tokens next to a Fireforge sergeant.

Now, I seriously have some figure assembling and painting to get to before I get sidetracked again.

'Til next time!

Introducing Willan Dourant, my leader for a Barons' War retinue

2023-01-19T11:26:00.000-05:00

As mentioned in a previous post, I am learning about and building forces for a new game (new to me at least): The Barons' War by Footsore Miniatures.

Those of you who read my blog (thank you both!), already know that narrative and storytelling is a huge part of the experience for me in terms of wargaming. So it should come as no surprise that I am in the process of creating characters for this game and writing their histories and backgrounds.

I admittedly do not know too much about that era of English history. I am doing a little research and listening to a few podcasts.

I don't want a baron that is historically accurate, just what I call "historically plausible." As long as he and his background are not too outrageous or unbelievable, I will be content.

So far, this is what I have come up with:

Willan and his brother, Charles, are sons of Henri Dourant. The elder Dourant was a knight from Gascony in the service of Richard. He fought with him in the rebellion against Henry II, and escaped with him from Saintes.

After he became king, Richard granted Pevensey Castle in Sussex to Henri.

Willan and Charles both took the cross alongside Richard, and both men joined him during the Third Crusade. Willan in particular distinguished himself at the Battle of Arsuf.

While on crusade, Charles joined the Knights of St. John.

Upon their return, they learned that Henri had died while they were in the Holy Land.

Willan, as the eldest, became lord of the castle. Charles was named Knight Preceptor of Poling Preceptory.

Willan joined the rebellious barons fighting against King John. After John's death, Willan swore fealty to Henry III and fought against Louis.

I think this will let me field various different types of retinues, and still stay true to the background I have created.

I can add monks or even some Knights Hospitaller, to Willan's retinue to represent the assistance from his brother. I know that the Hospitallers did not actively engage in the fighting of the First or Second Barons' Wars, but I can see Charles lending his support, and at times small numbers of troops, to his brother. Again, I am not looking for strictly accurate, but rather "plausible."

Eventually, once I get the Outremer rules (I just missed the Kickstarter), I can even build retinues to represent the brothers and their men fighting in the Holy Land.

Based on the above, I have designed a shield for Willan. Charles when he appears will be in Hospitaller colors, so that's easy to sort.

Below are some other ideas I worked on before deciding on this final design and colors.

If you see anywhere that I have gone completely off the rails, or have written something that directly contradicts history, please don't hesitate to comment below or contact me directly. I am always willing to learn from those that have more knowledge than I do.

For a starting retinue I think I will go with the Beginner's Retinue by Phillip Druvins on the Footsore website, at least until I'm more familiar with how the game mechanics function together and what kind of retinue will fit my playing style.

The retinue consists of:

4 mounted knights - this includes a veteran lord with sword and shield, a bannerman, and two other knights

6 foot sergeants armed with falchions and shields

8 bowmen

8 spearmen

That's a very manageable four mounted figures and 22 infantry. I'll be converting the sergeants to be armed with falchions, but the rest should consist simply of assembling the models as intended.

In addition, those seem like a pretty decent core of troops around which to build my overall army. I can substitute out some units for specific tasks, or add more units as I play higher-point games.

Now that I've got my list sorted, it's time to assemble and paint the troops.

'Til next time!

Making a falchion using broom bristles

2023-01-18T15:56:00.005-05:00

Following up on my post from yesterday, I am now using the broom bristles not to repair a weapon, but rather to make a completely new one.

There were several comments, here and in social media, about using the bristles to repair swords as well as spears.

Right now, I am in the process of building a retinue for The Barons' War using plastic figures from Fireforge. I like the figures quite a bit, but I noticed one omission. Falchions are very useful weapons to have in your baronial retinue, but the Fireforge models do not come with them.

A falchion is a single-edged sword, rather than the typical double-edged sword more commonly found on medieval models. In The Barons' War rules, the falchion has a special ability whereby defending units in lighter armor have a penalty to their defense due to the slashing nature of the attack.

I did a little quick internet research, and discovered that Durham Cathedral has a surviving falchion in its collection.

The Conyers Falchion

Looking at the shape of the blade I felt that I could replicate it, or at least get close, using the broom bristles.

Step 1: Flatten a portion of a synthetic broom bristle with the flat pliers.

Sword arm, and flattened bristle.

Step 2: Carefully cut the sword blade off of the arm, leaving the hilt, and drill a hole into the hand for the new blade.

Hole drilled for new blade.

Making sure the hole was centered is crucial.

Step 3: Trim the falchion blade to shape and clip it, leaving a small stub of round bristle to fit into the hole.

Arm and blade ready to be attached.

Step 4: Glue the blade into the hole. Once this was done I took the flat pliers and flattened the bristle all the way down to the hilt.

Falchion blade inserted into hole in sword arm.

Step 5: Assemble the rest of the figure as normal. That's it, that is all there is to it.

The proud owner of a new falchion.

The new blade is clearly distinct from the regular sword.

That should enable you to clearly identify the troops armed with falchions from those armed with normal swords. Now, all that I have to do is repeat the process seven or more times to equip the entire unit.

'Til next time!

Unbreakable spears and javelins for wargaming

2023-01-17T16:04:00.002-05:00

On Saturday I played, and won, another game in our Clash of Spears campaign.

Unfortunately, though victorious, I did suffer some losses. Among them was a pair of broken javelins on my Victrix models.

I absolutely love the detail of the Victrix figures, and they are some of my favorite figures to build and paint. The only drawback is that often the spears and javelins are quite thin. While this looks great (I hate seeing troops with spears like tree trunks), it does make them rather fragile.

A while back I happened upon a Youtube video about making spears from synthetic brush bristles. On a recent trip to the Dollar Tree, I picked up a $1.25 brush head with that type of bristle in silver to see if I could make it work. The bristles are flexible, yet snap back perfectly straight!

Look at all those spears, err, bristles!

The brush has hundreds, if not thousands, of bristles (I didn't count!), and each one can make several spears and javelins, or even a long pike.

Each bristle will make several weapons.

As mentioned, the bristles are very flexible. They do have a point at which you can bend a crease into them, but I do not think that will ever be an issue in this application.

Flexibility!

When released, the bristles snap back to their original straight glory.

And resilience!

After initially cutting a bristle from the cheap brush, I decided to see if there might be other options. I went to the local Walmart, and discovered that yes, indeed, I had choices. I found a pair of brooms with thicker bristles. These cost a bit more (around $11 to $13) but remember that they will likely provide enough spears to last a lifetime.

I removed a bristle from each brush for comparison:

Detail of the various diameters of bristles I found.

To make the pointed tip of the spear, I started by using a pair of small pliers to crush a flat section into the bristle.

The flat section is at center.

Close-up of the flat section.

I used a regular pair of nippers to cut a wedge shape into the flat section to represent the point. I know the new spears will not have the same level of detail as the originals, but I think their sturdiness will outweigh that fact. Additionally, at tabletop distances I'd be willing to bet most people won't even notice.

Spears cur from the various thickness of bristles.

I think that in most cases, the middle bristles will be the best. They are just a tiny bit thicker than the Victrix javelins, and just about perfect for the spears. I think, though I will need to experiment, that I can use the thicker bristles to fashion sword blades and repair those in the same way, if needed.

Medium bristle compared to a Victrix spear.

So with bristles in hand, I set off to work on one of my unfortunate casualties. This Numidian lost part of his javelin during Malchus's victory over Marcos and his Greeks last weekend.

Broken javelin? I can fix that!

Once I clipped the remaining portion of the javelin and drilled a small hole in the horseman's fist, it was a simple matter to insert the new javelin and secure it with a drop of glue.

New bendy javelin in place.

The javelin man is no longer just a man, he has a new javelin as well!

After a quick touch of paint, they are good to go. And, bonus, since the bristles are silver I didn't paint the spear tips.

Sorted.

Note, that I do not plan on being proactive about changing out all my javelins and spears. I will replace them when and if they break. Doing this for ALL my figures would be a nightmare for me.

I think this method will be most useful for longer-shafted weapons such as pikes, but it works great for shorter javelins and spears.

I hope you find this information useful.

'Til next time!

Vengeance tastes sweet (Malchus wins another battle, barely)

2023-01-16T18:13:00.004-05:00

That's a good-looking army.

Last Saturday I was able to get in a game for our Clash of Spears campaign. I'd already played a couple of games this turn, and fortunately won both, so I did not really need another. But Marcos had not yet played his Turn 2 game, so I accepted his challenge.

Despite my disadvantage of "impetuous," which results in a penalty during the roll to choose the scenario, I won and of course selected "Pre-battle scouting." My cavalry would give me the edge tactically in this scenario, and I would need every advantage I could get against Marcos and his Greeks.

Having determined the scenario, we set up the terrain, and the battle commenced!

The initial deployment, with the Carthaginians towards the bottom.

The Greek archers hide in the woods.

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The sun was still overhead but had begun its descent towards the horizon as Malchus trotted alongside his troops.

They were advancing on a small settlement, seeking any sign of enemy activity. Hannibal Gisco, the overall Carthaginian commander, had been impressed with Malchus' success in the last scouting mission, and had ordered him to the front once again.

And once again, Malchus had sought reassurances from his seer, Menestar. And, as expected, the signs had again been cryptic.

"Time to face another foe,

but take care, lest he bring you woe.

Familiar he is, you've clashed before,

Pain he caused, and he seeks more.

Temper your anger, control your rage,

do not recklessly seek to engage.

Win or lose, life or death,

are yours to decide with every breath."

Malchus was annoyed at the vagaries of the prediction, but so far Menestar had been accurate in his visions. And after the battles his ramblings had made perfect sense. The challenge was to decipher them before the combat, so he could take advantage of their wisdom.

"My lord," Juba shouted as he rode up. He had been scouting ahead of the column with his Numidian cavalry. "We have sighted the enemy. They have taken positions along that line of trees behind the buildings."

Malchus strained to see. He could just make out the copse of palms that Juba had described. And yes, he saw movement among the trees.

"Whom do we face? Have you identified them yet?" Malchus asked his scout.

"Oh yes, my lord," Juba replied with a wicked grin. "Greeks, the same ones you fought at Messana!"

Malchus looked at Juba before responding with the same expression. "Excellent," he said, "Now we can teach those bastards a lesson."

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Marcos deployed his forces conservatively, in a line along a stand of forest behind the houses. From there it would be difficult for him to break past and accomplish the scouting objectives. Meanwhile, my Numidians should be able to score at least one scouting marker. Assuming then that I could withstand Marco's attacks and keep my army from breaking, that should be enough for the win.

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Malchus strode along the line behind his spearmen, He had countered the Greek's deployment with a conservative formation of his own. Apart from his Numidians, his men were in a line with the spearmen screened by the javelin men.

Juba and the Numidians had their orders. They were to race around the flanks to scout the rear, and then return. He had been absolutely clear on that. He would not allow a repeat of the last scouting mission, where the Numidians, in their overconfidence and exuberance, had allowed themselves to be picked off by the enemy missile troops. Juba knew that a repeat of that fiasco would result in dire consequences.

Speaking of missile troops, he could see a unit of archers, some slingers, and some peltasts armed with javelins. Damn. Malchus' spearmen were formidable once they got into close combat, but the would suffer losses as they advanced.

So be it, he thought. We are in Rasap's hands. Now it's time to shed some blood.

Troop positions after Turn 1. Marcos's troops are still mostly in the shadow of the woods, while the Numidians make a run for the opposite table edge.

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My Numidians accomplished their task with ease. They were threatened by the slingers, but were able to react to the enemy's activation and move out of range, forcing the slingers to use another action to close before shooting. One cavalryman fell to the stones, but no more.

At the end of the turn, the Numidians were still within range of the slingers. I definitely did not want Marcos to win initiative, knowing that he would attack them again. So I bid two command points on the initiative roll to improve my chances of winning, and it worked.

Thus, with the scouting token in hand, the horsemen raced back behind the Carthaginian lines.

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On his left, Malchus could see the Numidians make their run for the opposite side of the battlefield. Though the enemy slingers tried to stop them, the bulk of his horsemen survived and turned to race back with their prize: valuable information on the enemy deployment.

Despite losing a man, the Numidians skirt back past the slingers to safety.

The cavalry safely back behind their lines.

In the center, the enemy commander seemed content to wait and allow Malchus to make the first move. Knowing that he had the advantage since none of the enemy troops had gotten past his own lines, Malchus was content to try and wait out the foe.

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In turns two and three, Marcos passed early on, hoping I think to draw me in and then use his remaining command points to attack me when I would not be able to react. I called his bluff and passed as well, ending turns 2 and 3 very quickly.

At this point, Marcos realized that I had the advantage since I had a scouting token, and he began to move his troops forward some.

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Finally, movement ahead! Malchus could see the enemy start to stir.

"Bostar! Send in the javelin men," he called out.

"Yes, sir, right away," Bostar responded instantly.

The Libyan tribesmen began to move forward and started launching their missiles. They had little effect on the enemy, many of whom were still in the shadows of the woods. A few of the damned archers fell, but not enough, dammit, not enough!

The foe accepted the challenge, and the Greeek archers and hoplites responded. The javelin men were soon chased away by their Greek counterparts, fleeing back towards the Carthaginian lines.

On the left, he saw Juba.

"Numidians!" Malchus cried out. "Kill those damned slingers!"

Immediately Juba ordered the horseman to attack. Time after time they threw their javelins, causing some casualties, but not enough to break the enemy unit

He'd watched enough! Malchus ordered his spearmen to advance in close order, shields forming a wall against the enemy missiles.

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I misplayed the last two turns. Marcos has an affinity for missile-armed troops. Apart from two small units of hoplites (six men each), all of his troops have missiles of some sort. The slingers and archers in particular, with their longer range, are a special threat.

I tried to engage his missile troops with my own, but I was woefully outclassed. The better range of the archers, coupled with the better shooting score of the peltasts, meant that I took a lot of casualties. Both javelin men units quickly were routed.

In my mind, I see skirmish units as ranging ahead of the main line of troops, engaging and weakening the enemy before fading back.

Perhaps it is best to keep them behind the shield wall, wait until the spearmen have (hopefully) disrupted the enemy line, and then attack with them to finish off the foe. I may have to try that next time to see how it works.

But for now, onto Turn 5...

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With their screening skirmishers gone, the spearman advance in ordered ranks.

One unit of spearmen charges into the peltasts, breaking formation. They did not kill enough Greeks to break the enemy unit.

With their screening skirmishers gone, the spearmen moved ahead. Despite their heavier armor, the spearmen on the left were unable to break the peltasts. Charged in turn by the hoplites, they broke as well, running past Malchus as they fled.

"Dogs! Curs! Bastard sons of bastard fathers!"

Despite his curses, the men would not stand and fight.

One detachment of spearmen remained to hold the rapidly disintegrating Carthaginian line, and the Numidians still posed some threat on the left. But, by the gods, things looked grim.

The sun was low in the sky at this point, the tall trees casting even longer shadows across the field. Visibility was worsening, it was obvious that despite his successes, the Greek commander had no stomach for further bloodshed.

Accepting the respite, Malchus ordered his remaining troops to fall back. Victory, no matter by how slim a margin, was sweet. Especially against a foe that had bested him in their last encounter.

More importantly, the intelligence on enemy troop dispositions would be valuable, and Hannibal Gisco would be grateful. Malchus began to ponder how he could capitalize on that gratitude.

The Numidians taunt the enemy. They only got away with it because the game ended!

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With my army falling apart at the seams, I failed my break test at the end of Turn 5. Thanks to my Zeal asset, I automatically pass the first test of the game despite the actual roll. But another turn would almost certainly cost me the game. The outcome of this game would literally rest on the end of game roll...

Marcos rolled a 6, and I rolled a 1... an odd total, so the game ended!

Troop positions at the end of the game.

Despite having accumulated more break points (3 to Marcos's 2), I achieved a minor victory because I held a scouting token.

Marcos and I each made mistakes during the game. He played very conservatively the first few turns, content to sit back. This allowed me to secure the scouting token and then keep passing, advancing the game turns towards a conclusion. A conclusion that benefited me since I held a token.

I should have not attacked his slingers with my Numidians. I got away with it, because Marcos fixated on my javelin men and spearmen and used his hoplites to attack them. Had he sent them into my Numidians, they likely would have routed, costing me the scouting token that was the key to victory.

In the center, as mentioned, I misplayed my combination of troops. I played them the way I envisioned them working, and not the way they actually work in the game. Large concentrations of enemy missile troops are a very tough nut to crack, in my opinion.

All of Marcos's missile troops consist of nine models, so he only has a dozen hoplites without a ranged attack. And 18 of those troops have a range of 12" or greater. That's a well-designed force that thrives on causing casualties at a distance and weakening the enemy for the coup de grace by the heavy hoplites.

Once he began to attack, Marcos started beating me. As I said, I doubt I could have withstood another turn of combat.

Sometimes it really is better to be lucky than good.

'Til next time!

Getting started in "The Barons' War"

2023-01-14T09:38:00.001-05:00

Lately I've been reading a lot of online buzz about a game from Footsore Miniatures called "The Barons' War." The game has been out for a while now, and there have been, I think, four very successful Kickstarters for it.

I became more intrigued recently after seeing some posts on Facebook. The basic "retinue," which is what a force is called, can run from about 25 to 50 figures depending on the point level of the game. That's right in my comfort zone in terms of number of figures.

I don't know too much about the time period covered by the game, apart from having watched several iterations of "Robin Hood." But that can be remedied with a few good books.

There is a main rulebook for the game, The Barons' War, that contains the basic rules for playing out battles, creating your retinue, etc.

There are also a pair of supplements, Death & Taxes and Outremer. The first contains a campaign and rules for outlaw bands. The latter, of course, deals with the Crusades. Outremer has just released, so I've not yet had a chance to read it. I have always wanted a Hospitaller force, so I'll be looking to pick this up soon.

Footsore has also produced four mini campaign books along with accompanying figures of the main characters in each. These look like a lot of fun, though I've not yet gotten my hands on any.

Footsore produces a line of figures for the game, of course, and they are beautiful. They come as individual figures for the characters, or packs of four for the troops. You can also get a whole basic retinue.

You can use any figures you wish, however, and there are some other good options. Fireforge produces a line of plastic figures that are suitable, and more economical.

There are also some 3D print designers that have models appropriate to this era. You can spend as much or as little as you wish.

For myself, I will probably mix and match from several sources to complete my retinues.

In order to "get my feet wet" with this game, I picked up a box of Fireforge Foot Sergeants at Gigabytes. At $50 for 48 figures it's about as inexpensive as you can get, per figure.

Each of the six sprues contains eight bodies and an assortment of weapons. There are six hand weapons (two swords, two axes, two maces), six spears, and four crossbows on each sprue. You also get a selection of heads and shields.

Sergeants seem to be a fairly basic building block in most retinues I've seen. I've decided to start by assembling four figures with hand weapons. That's enough to experiment on and try to get a paint scheme that I like.

I'm sure that as I read and become familiar with the rules I'll figure out how best to equip them to have a decent core of troops. I'll be looking to add some knights, mounted and on foot, to add some punch, as well as some more common folk to bulk up the numbers.

I have always been fond of skirmishing cavalry armed with missile weapons. I am not sure which troops best fit that role in The Barons' War (perhaps mounted Sergeants with crossbows?) but I am sure I will figure it out.

As I've mentioned, I don't really know much about this time and place in history. Heraldry is a mystery to me so I don't really know in which direction to go. Because I'm generally not a stickler for strict accuracy, I'll probably invent my own character to lead the retinue and just design a heraldry and color combination that looks decent. From my reading, I'll try to come up with a background that makes sense.

Here are the first four figures I assembled, awaiting basing and priming:

Hopefully they'll have some color to them for my next post on The Barons' War.

Don't worry though, fans of Malchus, despite a holiday- and COVID-induced hiatus, the Clash of Spears campaign is still in full swing, and your favorite intrepid Carthaginian madman will be back with more adventures soon!

'Til next time!

A close-run thing (or, how Malchus finally beat Fabio)

2022-12-22T12:02:00.000-05:00

A crucial moment in the battle during turn 3 - read on for details!

Bryan and I met to fight the second battle for each of us this campaign turn. As such, it is what the campaign calls a "pressed battle." That means that rewards and risks are minimized from the first battle of each turn. But, since I am not doing this for the glory, but rather as an excuse to play games with friends, that is more than enough incentive for me.

Bryan won the scenario selection roll, and chose "This is my land!" For us older guys, I call it "Get off my lawn!"

I was really hoping to win the roll so I could select pre-battle scouting, in which my cavalry would have a tremendous advantage. However, I rolled poorly and having the "impetuous" disadvantage didn't help.

For variety, we chose to use diagonal deployment zones. Our warbands wouldn't fit within the deployment area, so we used the engagement phase rules for deployment.

This was going to be a slugfest, not the type of engagement my warband was necessarily built to excel at. But my lighter units did give me an advantage in that I was able to push them up quickly, "locking" Bryan's unit further from the objectives than I was. The trick would be to hold him off long enough to win...

______________________________________

Malchus surveyed the farmland before him. This miserable little Sicilian farm held little value, other than its location. It sat close by a ford on the Assinus River south of Messana. Many troops headed to the city to contain the Romans, or Roman troops seeking to break out south into the island, would find the ford useful, and Hanno had ordered Malchus's band to seize and hold the farm until he arrived with greater numbers of troops.

His Numidian scouts had returned earlier that morning and reported the presence of Greek soldiers advancing on the farm from the north. They had gotten a close look at the enemy, and remarked on the beauty of the Greek commander!

"Yes," Malchus thought. "Rasap be praised." It had to be that gorgeous Greek bastard that had already bested him twice. This would be his chance to avenge himself upon the Greek (he hadn't learned his name, though Malchus's men were calling him "Fabio" - he didn't know why) and settle the score!

Malchus had ordered his men to advance quickly and close on the central area of the farm. This was where the battle would be decided, and he chose to risk tiring his men in order to get there first.

On the left flank, his Numidians sat astride their mounts. The horses whickered and pranced, eager to run. They would get their chance. In the center, he had formed a line of alternating spearmen and tribesmen. He hoped the volleys of javelins would weaken the enemy as they approached, so he could order his disciplined spearmen into the fray to finish them off. At least, that was the plan...

Unit positions at the end of the engagement phase.

The Carthaginian line faces its Greek foes.

I was pretty pleased with my deployment. I had pushed my lighter troops with five and six moves, even though it meant they would start the game with a fatigue, in order to freeze Bryan's troops as far as possible from the objectives. Of course, that meant I would have to test to activate those units, so we would see if my gamble paid off.

____________________________________

The Greeks moved forward in an orderly fashion, their own javelin-armed troops covering the ranks of more heavily-armed soldiers. On the left, Malchus could see pikemen. And behind them, damn their eyes, slingers! Slingers had hurt his cavalry badly in the last engagement, and he hoped history would not repeat itself.

In the center, Bostar led the advance. The ranks of spearmen flanked his veteran javelin men. On the right, the newly recruited Libyan tribesmen ran ahead into a stand of palms from which they taunted the advancing Greeks.

Unit positions at the end of turn 1.

Malchus's view.

The Numidian horsemen wait for their opportunity.

Juba commands the right flank.

The new recruits taunt the enemy.

Turn 1 was uneventful, as Bryan and I both maneuvered our troops into position for when combat would actually be joined. The Numidians were my wild card. I was hoping to be able to use them aggressively as I had in the last game.

________________________________

The Numidian horsemen charged out from behind the building that had shielded them from the slingers and threw there javelins. Despite their flimsy armor, only two slingers fell.

The junior Greek commander (Malchus did not recognize the younger man, he was not the same as had been present at the earlier encounters) responded quickly. The Greek pikemen moved up to shield the vulnerable slingers before they suffered more casualties.

The Numidians make their move.

The javelin men on the right charged and threw their missiles, with little effect on the enemy. Rather than retreat back into the palms, they stood their ground and threw again. Once more, few foes fell to their missiles.

There was little other contact with the enemy, as both commanders maneuvered their troops, seeking a decisive advantage when combat was finally joined in earnest.

The tribesmen throw their javelins.

Unit positions at the end of turn 2.

Turn 2 saw our troops finally engage. There was no melee combat, though a lot of javelin-throwing. My tribesmen were singularly ineffective against Bryan's hoplites, though my Numidians saw limited success against the slingers. Bryan's pezhetairoi scored just enough hits to disorder my spearmen on the right.

________________________________________________

Malchus was concerned that his green tribesmen on the right had overextended themselves. They could not withstand a charge from a formed unit of heavy infantry. He wondered about his cavalry on the left flank. Apart from a desultory charge, they had been quiet.

Nevertheless, he was mostly content with his formation thus far. His troops held most of the open space before the farm's lone small building.

The Greek javelin units peppered his formations of spearmen with incoming missiles, causing few casualties, but breaking up their formation. His javelin men responded, killing some of the opposing troops among the palms.

Malchus ordered his spearmen into the trees, hoping to crush the enemy decisively. The rough terrain forced his men to break their ranks, and the attack was less successful than he had planned. In fact, the advance of the spearmen had left them vulnerable to a flank attack by the Greek pikemen!

Fortunately, his men's armor protected them from the brunt of the attacks and their discipline held.

Meanwhile, on the far right, the javelin men were suffering at the hands of the Greek spearmen and were falling back into the trees.

And on the left, there was no sign of his cavalry. He would have words with Juba when this was over.

Malchus's line holds firm.

Tribesmen clad only in tunics face the pride of the Greek infantry.

A volley of incoming javelins does little damage, but breaks up the formation of the spearmen.

The Greek infantry charges!

Javelin men cause some casualties among the Greeks in the palms.

The spearmen charge into the trees...

... and are in turn charged by the pikemen.

Unit positions at the end of turn 3.

Overview of the center of the battlefield.

Turn 3 was when things got "real." Bryan's hoplites engaged my exposed javelin men and did heavy damage. In the center, the highlight was the charge of my spearmen and their ability to withstand Bryan's counter-charge by the pikemen.

My Numidians failed their activation test, and so just sat this turn. I was also hampered by having fewer command points than normal. I had really wanted initiative this turn, so I had bid two command points. I won, but I felt it when it was time to give my troops orders as I was limited in actions and reactions.

______________________________

On the left, Malchus finally saw some signs of life from the Numidians. They charged forward, hitting the pikemen in the rear with javelins. He could see some of the enemy fall from the missile attack.

However, before they could strike again, the slingers turned their attention to the horsemen, knocking one from his mount.

This seemed to disorient the Numidians. They wheeled their horses and fled behind the cover of the farm building! Oh yes, Malchus would need to "discuss" this failure with Juba. But first, there was still a battle to be won.

On the right, The Greek hoplites had made short work of the remaining javelin men, and the Libyans had fled, fading into the palms. Rather than press their advantage immediately, they chose to re-form their ranks, presenting a solid front of shields and spears to their Liby-Phoenician counterparts.

While his Greek opponent concentrated on the right, Malchus turned his attention to the center. Bostar had noticed the disarray of the pikemen and ordered the veteran javelineers to unleash volley after volley against them. The casualties they suffered, combined with their fatigue from the earlier charge against the spearmen, saw the unit of pikes dissolve and flee the battlefield.

The ineffective charge of the Numidians.

Having dispatched the javelin men, the Greek spearmen turn their attention to their Libyan counterparts.

The veteran Libyan tribesmen unleash a volley against the pikemen.

At the end of turn 4, Malchus's men hold the left center, though the right is still disputed.

The Numidians charged out, did little damage, and lost a rider when the slingers countered. They failed the two morale tests and stalled.

The javelin men on the far right were destroyed, but with his unit already fatigued, Bryan chose to re-form ranks rather than attack again into my spearmen. They would do so next turn. but I feel that Bryan lose some momentum in not pressing the attack.

The Libyan tribesmen in the center were deadly! Bryan's pikemen last turn had used three actions, so they did not recover any fatigue. The Numidian attack did add a little more, so when the javelins hit and did just enough damage to kill a couple of pikemen, the unit dissolved. Bryan considered using a fate point to re-roll the results, but with the odds stacked against him because of fatigue modifiers, he chose to let the rolls stand.

As an aside. earlier in the game I cleverly used my fate point to turn two hits on the enemy into just one. Enough said about that.

_________________________________

This was the decisive moment! All of Malchus's plans and counter plans were for naught as the battle was to be decided by vicious combat. At this point, no quarter would be given or taken, as the climax of the battle raged!

The re-formed hoplites charged the remnants of the Libyan spearmen, and the already weakened unit broke and fled, leaving Malchus's right flank dangerously exposed.

The wily Greek ordered his petzhetairoi into the scrum, and they engaged the remaining unit of spearmen. Malchus could see that they had little effect on the disciplined troops.

As the Greek javelin troops advanced, Bostar commanded his tribesmen to once again launch their missiles. Though weary, the Libyans responded. The javelins struck the pezhetairoi with devastating effect. The Greeks fell before the onslaught of missiles, and the few survivors ran.

At this point, with his line dissolving and Malchus's troops firmly in control of the left side of the field, "Fabio" ordered his troops to withdraw.

Malchus smiled grimly. It had been bloody, and a very close-run thing, but it was a victory!

The Libyans again launch missiles against the Greeks.

Unit positions at the end of turn 5.

At this point, the battle was still very much up for grabs. Bryan's hoplites did indeed charge into my spearmen and saw them off with little effort or drama. Fortunately, the surrounding units were not affected by their disintegration.

Bryan's pezhetairoi attacked with javelins and did not do much damage. But the counterattack by my javelin men was brutal and Bryan's unit was destroyed.

On the left, knowing that I could not afford to lose the Numidians like I did last game, I was perhaps overly cautious and chose to keep them safe rather than charge wildly to glory. With a range of 12 inches, slingers are a huge deterrent to unarmored cavalry in my mind and I was concerned that they would be able to do much damage to my horses. The possibility of having the unity stall within range of the slingers led me to keep them behind cover.

When Bryan failed his force break test, the victory was mine!

This battle had huge swings of momentum. In the middle turns, it seemed like I could not activate my units at all. As mentioned, in turn 3 I bid two command points and hampered my ability to command my warband.

So, in turns 4 and 5 I bid zero and kept all my command points. Combined with having fewer surviving units, this meant I had enough to buff my activation rolls in the crucial moments. For example, when ordering the javelin men to launch that last fatal volley against the pezhetairoi, I need a 6 to activate them. I used a command point to roll an extra die, and fortunately one of the three came up with a "6!"

This was indeed a very close affair. In the end, it came down to a couple of clutch dice rolls at just the right time. Had they gone differently, the outcome could have been a Greek victory. Bryan and I always seem to be evenly matched, and our battles seem to come down to one or two crucial moments.

In this case, I was victorious. Malchus is on a roll!

'Til next time!

Villa rural Romana en 3D

2022-12-18T18:14:00.000-05:00

La casa en la mesa de juego (Foto/Beren)

En una publicación anterior, escribí sobre algunas ideas que tuve para construir una selección de estructuras rurales para representar una villa o granja romana. A diferencia de los edificios de la ciudad, quería algo más pequeño y modesto.

El propósito del terreno, en un juego típico de Clash of Spears, es simplemente crear interés escénico y táctico al darles a las tropas algo a tener en cuenta mientras maniobran y atacan.

Beren vio mi publicación y diseñó un modelo 3D imprimible basado en uno de mis diseños. ¡Creo que hizo un trabajo estupendo! Y lo que es mejor, ¡ha puesto los archivos a disposición de cualquiera que desee usarlos de forma gratuita!

El edificio en 3d (Foto/Beren)

Los archivos están disponibles en mi unidad de Google en este enlace.

Lo único que pido es que si descargas e imprimes el edificio, me envíes una foto de él en uso.

El edificio en la mesa de juego (Foto/Beren)

¡Gracias Beren, por darle vida a mi boceto! No puedo esperar para tener mi propia versión de esto en la mesa de juego.

¡Hasta la próxima!

3D Small Roman Rural Villa

2022-12-18T18:11:00.004-05:00

The printed villa on the tabletop. (Photo/Beren)

In a previous post, I wrote about some ideas I had to build a selection of rural structures to represent a Roman villa or farm. As opposed to city buildings, I wanted something smaller and more modest.

The purpose of the terrain, in a typical Clash of Spears game, is simply to create scenic and tactical interest by giving the troops something to take into account as they maneuver and attack.

Beren saw my post, and designed a printable 3D model based on one of my designs. I think he did a terrific job! And what is better, he has made the files available for free to anyone who wishes to use them!

3d render (Photo/Beren)

The files are available on my Google drive at this link.

The only thing I ask is that if you download and print the building, you please send me a photo of it in use.

The printed villa on the tabletop. (Photo/Beren)

Thank you Beren, for bringing to life my sketch! I can't wait to get my own version of this on the gaming table.

'Til next time!

¿Cuáles griegos? Eligiendo mi próxima facción para Clash of Spears

2022-12-13T22:27:00.002-05:00

Si han leído mis publicaciones anteriores, ya saben que hasta ahora en la campaña de Clash of Spears no me está yendo muy bien, al menos en términos de victorias.

No me malinterpreten, lo estoy disfrutando mucho y me ha dado una razón para reunirme con personas con las que amo pasar el rato (¡ya saben quienes son!). He jugado más juegos en el último mes que en los 10 anteriores combinados. Y la campaña me motiva a construir y pintar tropas.

Para mí, esos factores por sí solos me llevan a la columna de victorias en la campaña, independiente de los resultados del combate.

Para mí la narrativa es todo. Juego ante todo para tener una experiencia agradable. Y eso generalmente depende de contra quién estoy jugando. Tengo la suerte de que hay muy pocas personas en la tienda local con las que no me gusta jugar.

Pero también tengo un lado competitivo. Esa es, después de todo, la razón por la cual juego.

Disfruto la camaradería, la pintura y el modelado, y la investigación que implica crear un ejército. Pero es bueno ver a mi ejército (generalmente) completamente pintado, históricamente preciso (o al menos históricamente plausible) disfrutar del éxito en el campo de batalla. Y últimamente, eso me ha estado eludiendo.

A medida que aprenda más sobre Clash y las matemáticas detrás del juego, estoy seguro de que esas victorias llegarán. Pero, ¿puedo ayudar en ese proceso mirando más allá de la "regla de la genialidad" y haciendo elecciones de ejército y tropas basadas no solo en lo que me gusta, sino en lo que es más efectivo? Creo que puedo, mientras que al mismo tiempo no pierdo lo que más me atrae al  juego.

Por ejemplo, prefiero las tropas de escaramuzas con misiles en lugar de las tropas de "formación". Solo una preferencia personal. Prefiero sangrarte de mil cortes que molerte bajo los pies.

En Clash, el rasgo de especialista en escaramuzas te permite tener una reacción libre cuando el enemigo te carga, por lo que es posible correr dentro del rango de tiro de un enemigo, lanzar una andanada de jabalinas y estar listo para huir cuando el enemigo lo ataque en su turno.

Las posibilidades de activar la unidad se basan en su determinación (básicamente liderazgo). Las tropas especialistas en escaramuzas con una determinación de 5 son baratas, pero en el futuro busco construir ejércitos alrededor de hostigadores con una determinación de 4. Menos miniaturas para los puntos, pero una probabilidad mucho mayor de reaccionar cuando quiero que lo hagan, así que sospecho que serán mucho más efectivos en general.

(Descanso matemático: el especialista en escaramuzas te permite intentar una reacción gratuita, lanzar un dado y necesitar obtener tu determinación o más. Para determinación 5, eso es, por supuesto, una probabilidad del 33 %. Si gastas un punto de mando, obtienes dos dados y se necesita un solo éxito de 5 o más. Esa es una probabilidad del 55 %. Para los escaramuzadores con valor 4, esas posibilidades aumentan al 50 % y al 75 % si gastas un punto de mando y tiras dos dados. Ese es un aumento estadístico significativo. En mi opinión, vale la pena el costo adicional. Las tropas adicionales son buenas, pero si no se activan de manera confiable cuando las necesitas, son inútiles. Y, al menos con mi suerte, mis escaramuzadores tienden a acercarse demasiado y luego ser masacrados cuando no reaccionan y se retiran.

Eso significa mirar las listas de ejército y darme cuenta de que los cartagineses que he elegido, si bien son mi preferencia histórica y de modelado, posiblemente no se adapten mejor a mi estilo de juego. Los únicos hostigadores que tienen que son civis (tropas comunes) son determinación 5.

La fuerza griega pírrica que iba a construir a continuación (porque quiero elefantes) tiene el mismo problema. Pero mirando las listas, la lista de los griegos de Magna Graecia incluye una opción para los escaramuzadores de determinación 4 (peltastas) que cuestan solo 13 puntos en comparación con los 8 de los hombres de jabalina de determinación 5 (psiloi). Además, vienen con un escudo que los hace más resistentes a las bajas en combate.

Por eso, voy a cambiar mis planes y construir una fuerza de griegos de la ciudad de Taras. Afortunadamente, todas las tropas griegas de Victrix que adquirí recientemente se adaptarán a un ejército de Magna Graecia, así como a uno pírrico.

Los escaramuzadores los armaré como peltastas en lugar de jabalineros. Los honderos y arqueros (tanto regulares como cretenses) están cubiertos. Los diversos hoplitas serán todos útiles.

Me gustan las unidades de caballería por su versatilidad y movilidad. Un inconveniente de la lista de griegos en Italia es que puedo desplegar caballería con armadura pesada o caballería sin armadura, pero no ambas al mismo tiempo. Puedo trabajar con eso. Ah, pero sin elefantes. (¡No se preocupen, mis cartagineses aún pueden usar elefantes!)

Ahora estoy investigando la historia, las costumbres y las armas de los griegos en Italia. Y me enteré de que esos griegos en realidad se aliaron con Pyrrhus, por lo que aún podría incluir algunos hoplitas epirotas en mi ejército...

No tengo prisa. Todavía tengo que completar las unidades que necesito para la fuerza cartaginesa que estoy desplegando en la campaña. También tengo el resto de mis celtíberos para pintar. Así que no esperen ver publicaciones de griegos pintados inmediatamente.

Solo estoy pensando en mi próximo proyecto y compartiendo un poco del proceso de pensamiento que usé en su selección. Quizás construya los griegos de Taras para la próxima campaña o torneo de Clash. ¡Hasta la próxima!

Which Greeks? Choosing my next Clash of Spears faction

2022-12-13T10:55:00.002-05:00

If you’ve read my previous posts, you already know that so far the Clash of Spears campaign isn’t going very well for me, at least in terms of victories.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying it very much and it’s given me a reason to get together with people I love hanging out with (you know who you are!). I’ve done more gaming in the past month than in the previous 10 combined. And the campaign motivates me to build and paint troops.

To me, those factors alone move me into the win column in the campaign, regardless of the combat results.

You see, I’m all about the narrative. I game first and foremost to have an enjoyable experience. And that’s usually dependent on who I’m playing against. I’m fortunate that there are very few people at the local shop that I don’t enjoy playing against.

But there is a competitive side to me as well. That is, after all, why I play games.

I enjoy the camaraderie, the painting and modeling, and the research that goes into creating an army. But it’s nice to see my (usually) fully-painted, historically accurate (or at least historically plausible) army enjoy success on the field of battle. And lately, that’s been eluding me.

As I learn more about Clash and the math behind the game, I’m sure those victories will come. But, can I help that process along by looking beyond just the “rule of cool” and making army and troop choices based not just on what I like, but what is most effective? I think I can, while at the same time not losing what appeals to me most about gaming.

For example, I prefer skirmishing missile troops rather than “formation” troops. Just a personal preference. I’d rather bleed you from a thousand cuts than grind you underfoot.

In Clash, the skirmish specialist trait allows you the potential to have a free reaction when charged by the enemy, so it is possible to rush to within throwing range of an enemy, launch a volley of javelins, and be ready to scamper away when the foes charge on their turn.

The chances to activate the unit are based on its grit value (basically leadership). Skirmish specialist troops with a grit of 5 are cheap, but going forward I’m looking to build armies around skirmishers with a grit of 4. Fewer models for the points, but a much greater chance of reacting when I want them to, so I suspect they’ll be much more effective overall.

(Math break: Skirmish specialist lets you attempt a free reaction, rolling one die and needing to score your grit or higher. For grit 5, that is of course a 33% chance. If you spend a command point, you get to roll two dice and only one success of 5+ is needed. That is a 55% chance. For skirmishers with grit 4, those chances increase to 50% and 75% if you spend a command point and roll two dice. That is a significant statistical increase and, in my opinion, is well worth the additional cost. Extra troops are nice, but if they don't reliably activate when you need them to they are useless. And, at least with my luck, my skirmishers tend to charge too close and then get butchered when they fail to react and withdraw.)

That means looking at the army lists, and realizing that the Carthaginians I’ve chosen, while being my historical and modeling preference, possibly aren’t best suited to my style of play. The only skirmishers they have that are civis (common troops) are grit 5.

The Pyrrhic Greek force I was going to build next (because elephants) has the same issue. But looking at the lists, the Greeks of Magna Graecia list includes an option for grit 4 skirmishers (peltasts) that cost only 13 points compared to 8 for the grit 5 javelin men (psiloi). In addition, they come with a shield which makes them more resistant to casualties in combat.

Because of that, I'm going to pivot and build a force of Greeks from the city of Taras. Fortunately, all of the Victrix Greek troops I recently acquired will fit a Magna Graecia army as well as a Pyrrhic one.

The skirmishers will be assembled as peltasts instead of javelin men. Slingers and archers (both regular and Cretan) are covered. The various hoplites will all be useful.

I like cavalry units for their versatility and mobility. One drawback to the Greeks in Italy list is that I can field either heavily armored cavalry or unarmored cavalry, but not both at the same time. I can work with that. Oh, and no elephants. Sigh. (No real worries, my Carthaginians can still use elephants!)

Now I am researching the history, customs, and arms of the Greeks in Italy. And, I learned that those Greeks actually allied with Pyrrhus so I might still include some Epirote hoplites in my army…

I'm not in a hurry. I have yet to complete the units that I need for the Carthaginian force I am fielding in the campaign. I also have the rest of my Celt-Iberians to paint. So don't expect to see posts of painted Greeks here immediately.

I'm just thinking ahead to my next project, and sharing a little of the thought process I used in its selection. Perhaps I'll build the Greeks of Taras for the next Clash campaign or tournament.

'Til next time!

Victory (Or, how Malchus finally beat the winless blues!)

2022-12-12T16:50:00.002-05:00

Numidian cavalry ride unopposed across the farm.

With Campaign Turn 1 (finally) over, it is time to begin Clashing in Turn 2. My first match-up of the new season was against Chris and his Gauls.

The last time we met, we fought (and were defeated) side-by-side against Greek traitors in the streets of Messana. This time, whether because of treachery, confusion, or the cruel and fickle hand of fate, we would be facing each other across a small farm estate in the Sicilian countryside.

We determined the scenario (Pre-Battle Scouting), set up the terrain and deployed our troops.

It was time to Clash!

_________________________________

In his tent, Malchus faced the courier across the table. "Very well," he said, "Tell Hannibal Gisco that it will be done."

Malchus followed the man outside, where his lieutenants curiously awaited news of the meeting. The messenger mounted his horse and immediately set off in the direction of the main body of the Carthaginian army.

"The siege is not going well," Malchus began.

"Tell us something new," Bostar muttered, but he quieted immediately under the glare of his commander.

"The siege," Malchus repeated himself, "is not going well. Messana holds out despite Hannibal's efforts. Recently there have been instances of Roman sorties breaking out and wreaking havoc among our lines. One such raiding force has been reported in the area of Catanna, and since we are the closest detachment, we've been ordered to scout the town and confirm the enemy's presence."

"Scouting? That will be a perfect test for our new cavalry," Bostar said, looking at Juba.

"And we are ready!" Juba replied.

"Gather the Libyans and the Numidians," Malchus continued as if he had not been interrupted. "Make sure they are fed. We leave within the hour."

As his deputies left to see to their men, Malchus walked over to Menestar's tent. This would be a test for the seer as well. Malchus would ask for a reading, and woe be to the wretch if he turned out to be false.

_____________________

Malchus was thoughtful. The grumbling among the men had ceased with the prospect of imminent action. Even the normally taciturn javelin men seemed to be in better spirits.

His troops had traveled throughout the afternoon yesterday and camped near a small farm within a short march of Catanna in the evening. An hour before first light, Malchus had given the order to rouse the men and advance on the farm.

Malchus himself had not slept. Thinking on Menestar's words had kept him up. Malchus could make no sense of them, struggling to understand the augur's ramblings:

"Friend or foe, fickle they be,

With care approach, 'til you can see;

Joy for the riders that leads to doom,

For one glory, the rest a tomb;

Fortune comes and fortune goes,

An end will come, to earthly woes."

Malchus pondered the final phrase the priest had uttered. The end of "earthly woes?" That could easily be prophesying his death. No matter, death came for all, at some point. The important thing was not that one died, but how one died. He would die as he had lived, a disciple of Rasap, seeking glory for his god and his homeland.

As his troops advanced, they could see movement on the horizon behind the copses and fields. Enemy or not, Malchus did not know, but it was his mission to find out.

_______________________

Malchus stood among his officers looking over the farm. One of his Numidian horsemen had identified the troops across the fields as Gauls. They very same Gauls, in fact, that he had fought alongside in Messana.

They were not behaving as allies, however, arraying themselves as if for battle. He could see the tribesmen and warriors formed up across the estate, working themselves into a frenzy. Even if he had not been able to see them, waving spears and clashing their swords against their shields, he would have been able to identify them from their yells.

The Carthaginian deployment. I should have put my cavalry on the far left flank, but it was easily corrected. (Apologies for the unpainted figures - I did not get a chance to fully paint the new units before the start of Turn 2. This will be corrected before the next battle.)

A very compact line of Gauls.

Typical, he thought. Their allegiance was only reserved for whoever paid them last.

"Friend or foe, indeed," he thought, reflecting on to Menestar's prophecy.

It was clear that the Gauls were there to keep him from scouting the area beyond the steading. Indeed, this would be a good test for his cavalrymen.

Malchuis looked to Juba. "You know your part in this, and there are none better suited for the task than you and your men. Go. We will hold the line here until you return."

"As you command." The words were hardly out of his mouth before Juba was already turning and running towards where a Numidian stood holding his and his leader's horses. With a leap and a yell, Juba mounted and galloped off to see to his men.

"As for us, we will hold, as I have said," Malchus now addressed Bostar. "Not one Gaul get past us. Is that clear?"

"Perfectly, my lord. We will not break."

Initial set-up.

_______________________________________

Though early in the battle, Malchus's deployment seemed to be holding. His heavy spearmen held the center, flanked by the Libyan tribesmen. Juba and his Numidians were already gone, riding hard to get past the Gallic line and scout the area behind them.

Ahead of him, Malchus noted the Gauls advancing slowly, almost methodically. This was not what he had expected from their leader, Teutomatus. Looking closely, he did not see the tall Gaul among the commanders leading their men. For a second, he wondered if he had perhaps been injured or slain in another engagement. That would be no more than the fickle bastard deserved, he thought. He dismissed Teutomatus from his thoughts. No time for idle wondering, there was a battle to win.

Troop positions at the end of Turn 1. So far, my plan was working. I had a strong line of defense, while the cavalry was free to ride.

_______________________________________

Turn 2 saw little action, as we positioned our troops to counter the enemy movement. Chris advanced methodically, as I maintained a steady line and sent my cavalry raiding.

Troop positions at the end of Turn 2. My center line is holding firm, and the cavalry has many options for movement and attack. But on my right, there is a gap that Chris might exploit to get around my line.

The javelin men advance into the fields.

The spearmen stand by, forming their wall.

___________________________________

Malchus was confused. He had expected much more aggressive action from the Gauls. On the far right, they were advancing in strength. But in the center, their movement seemed to lack urgency. And on the left, there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Malchus thanked Baal that he had ordered Juba to race around the left flank with the Numidians. From what he could see, they would meet no opposition and would be able to accomplish their mission without difficulty.

"Bostar! Harass those Gauls in the woods!" Malchus called out. "Do not let them get any further!"

"As you command," Bostar replied as he ran off to direct the javelin men on the right.

They knew their task though, veterans of many such skirmishes as they were. The tribesmen ran up, taunting the Gauls as they loosed their javelins. The cover of the woods protected the enemy from the worst of it, but there were one or two screams as missiles found their targets.

The Numidians can exert their threat over a large part of the battlefield.

The Gauls continue their cautious advance.

The javelin men move to intercept the Gauls on the right, launching several volleys of javelins.

________________________________________

Troop positions end of Turn 3. The center still holds, the cavalry still poses a threat, and the javelin men have moved to stall the Gallic advance on the left.

Ranks of disciplined spearmen hold the center.

Malchus saw some movement in the field of hay before him. Quickly he ordered the javelin men on his left to advance and engage the enemy. He needed to slow them down.

The volley of javelins was ineffective, and the inexperienced tribesmen were caught in the countercharge by the Gauls. The Gallic warriors made short work of the Libyans, sending the survivors fleeing back towards their own lines.

Fortunately, his spearmen stood stoically, not reacting to the loss of the screening troops.

"Advance!" Malchus yelled, watching exuberantly as his men attacked the Gauls.

This was more like it, he thought. The disciplined spearmen were not the easy kills that the javelin men had been. The combat was inconclusive, however, as despite the losses both sides held firm in their resolve. The spearmen fell back to catch their breath before their next attack.

Libyan spearmen move into the field to attack the Gallic warriors.

The combat is inconclusive, and the spearmen fall back to regroup.

_______________________________________

Malchus wondered how the Numidians fared. Their independence and ability to range far and wide across the battlefield meant that he did not have to manage them as closely, but it also kept him ignorant of their status...

He needn't have worried, however. The Numidians, with Juba giving them orders, had already scouted the enemy camp and had ridden hard to get back into the fray.

They feinted a charge between the farm buildings, drawing a reaction from the Gauls, before wheeling and attacking a unit of tribesmen that had been left isolated in the rear. Their javelins flew true, causing grievous wounds among the Gauls and sending the survivors fleeing as the unit dissolved!

The Numidians threaten a charge between the buildings into the thick of the Gallic line.

But then wheel to the other side of the building and attack the tribesmen instead, eliminating the unit.

________________________________________

On the right, the Gauls made one last attempt to break past Malchus's line, as the heavily armored nobles charged out of the woods at the javelin men. Malchus looked on, concerned, hoping Bostar had learned the lesson from prior engagements and did not wait too long to pull back the javelin men.

Bostar had indeed learned from the mistakes of the past, and as soon as he saw the Gauls break through the tree line he ordered the Libyans to fall back. But they resisted, wanting to engage the foe.

Damn them! Bostar yelled at them again, and even grabbed one of the stragglers by the arm, spinning him around and shoving him toward the rear. At last, the tribesmen reacted to Bostar's urging and gave ground, though grudgingly, ahead of the Gallic advance.

The javelin men fall back before the Gallic charge. They failed their first attempt, but I used a fate point to re-roll, and they succeeded in reacting.

Now! That was the moment Bostar was waiting for. He ordered the second unit of spearmen to move up, threatening to flank the Gauls if they continued their charge.

The Libyan spearmen move to close the gap. The Gauls wanted nothing to do with the formation.

For their part, the Gaul saw the object of their fury retreating ahead of them. With an immovable wall of spears and shields advancing from their right, they chose discretion over valor and fell back, fading once more into the woods.

Troop positions end of Turn 4. The javelin men have fallen back before the charge of the Gauls as spearmen move to support them. Meanwhile the Numidians continue to threaten the enemy rear.

The javelin men taunt the retreating Gauls, after being supported by the spearmen on the left.

On the left flank, after dispatching the warriors, the Numidian riders turned their attention to a unit of enemy slingers. The foe fared better than their comrades however, and few of them fell to the cavalry's missiles.

The Numidians javelin were ineffective against the slingers.

At this point, the Numidians' exuberance turned into fatal overconfidence. They charged past the slingers toward the other side of the battlefield, hoping to complete their scouting.

The slingers did not waste the opportunity, and their stones felled many riders. In the end, only one of the Numidians survived, but that was enough for the mission to be a success.

The Numidians charge forward, overextending themselves and leaving themselves as easy pickings for the surviving slingers.

All across the field of battle, the Gauls began to pull back, breaking contact and heading back to their camp. They dragged their dead and wounded with them, yet maintained discipline in their retreat. This was an orderly withdrawal, done at the command of their cautious leaders, not a rout.

But it was a victory! Malchus exulted as he saw the Gauls disappearing into the fields and woods.

Bostar approached. "My lord," he asked, "Shall we pursue?"

"No," Malchus replied. "We have the information we sought and need to get to back to Hanno as soon as we are able. Let's form up and return to camp. But stay alert, I do not trust these Gauls not to attempt to deceive us."

"As you command," Bostar said, adding with a smile, "and congratulations, sir."

Troop positions at the end of Turn 5, when the game ended. The Gauls were falling back across the field, and the Carthaginians had done just enough for a minor victory.

________________________________

Late that night, Malchus sat beside the burning coals of the fire. He could hear the sounds of the camp around him. The snores of some as they slept, the laughter of others as they shared one last drink before retiring, the exchange of countersign as the sentries made their rounds.

He could not help thinking about Menestar. Could the priest really speak the words of the gods?

Their foes had been Gauls with whom they had previously been allied. Certainly this could be the "fickle friend or foe" from the prophecy.

And Juba had told Malchus of the ride of the Numidians, and their deadly mistake. He wondered, could this be what the seer had referred to when he spoke of joyful yet doomed riders?

Malchus took another swig from the amphora of wine some of his men had "liberated" from the farm before their return. He was exhausted from the exertions of the day, and had no more patience to dwell on obscure pronouncements.

Menestar had seemed to foretell the events of the day accurately, although cryptically. As he nodded off, Malchus decided that the seer had earned another day of life. He would wait and see what the future would bring before determining Menestar's final fate.

________________________________________________

At last, a victory for Malchus, albeit a minor one. I believe I won this battle with the scenario selection roll. Knowing I would have an advantage in mobility with my cavalry, I chose a scenario where that advantage would be maximized.

With six command points and six units, Chris had to advance slowly and somewhat methodically, or risk leaving units out of command range which would make them vulnerable. Not at all the wild, headlong charge I expected from a Gallic horde!

In the after-battle phase, Malchus and Bostar each earned an experience point, which means they are eligible to level up for turn three. Juba earned one, and I chose to give him the extra so that he can also advance. I should have plenty of leadership options next turn, as long as everyone survives this one.

Next up, to see if Malchus can maintain momentum and continue to win. I'll have to ask Menestar what he predicts.

'Til next time!

Re-thinking my warband - Clash of Spear campaign interlude - end of turn 1

2022-11-30T12:54:00.001-05:00

Malchus leads his men through drills.

With the first campaign turn ended, and my record at a frustrating 0-4, it is time to regroup, reorganize, and re-think the situation. But rather than just tell you what changes I have made, I think I'll let Malchus do it...

_____________________________________________

Malchus stalked through the camp. He had been in a foul mood of late, but this morning he was more out of sorts than usual. He had slept poorly, plagued by evil dreams of which he had no memory upon waking apart from a general feeling of doom.

His sandals rubbed uncomfortably on a bruise he had suffered in the last skirmish. A rock had hit him in the ankle, not hard enough to wound, but enough to raise a welt. Of course, the sandal strap lay right alongside it and the friction kept it from healing. The irritation added to his dark temper.

And if that weren't enough, he was hungry. Food was getting scarce and this morning’s scant offering of stale bread and overripe fruit did nothing to help his mood.

To the left of the camp, in an open field, he could see the newly recruited Numidian horsemen. They rode for pure joy and seemed more comfortable on their steeds than upon their own legs. He could hear their leader, Juba, shouting encouragement and exhortation as his riders wheeled and charged, putting themselves and their mounts through their paces.

He had heard of their prowess and been overjoyed when Juba had ridden up to the camp the week before and offered his troops' service. They would be a welcome addition to his company, giving him a more mobile element with which to react to the enemy's moves.

Of course, especially of late, resources were more limited than usual so some sacrifices needed to be made to accommodate the newcomers. That sacrifice had been the citizen spearmen - literally.

Malchus squatted in the shade of the crosses upon which the bodies of the unfortunate citizens still hung and watched as one of his lieutenants, Syphon, led the Libyan spearmen through their drills. The spearmen were the heart of his band, though their performance in battle lately had been inconsistent. Syphon was doing well, learning to lead. Soon he would be ready to join him in the field.

Malchus thought that seeing the citizen's fate would motivate the troops, though he knew that his second-in-command, Bostar, disagreed. While Malchus commanded with absolute authority, he respected the younger man and listened when he spoke, even if he then disregarded the advice.

As if the thought of Bostar had summoned the officer, Malchus heard him walk up behind him.

“Sir,” Bostar began, “there is someone here for you to meet.”

Malchus turned his head without rising. Beside the tall, proud Bostar stood a withered little man. He was dressed in an ill-fitting, filthy robe and smelled worse than he looked. His face was so ugly as to be nearly deformed, and as he opened his mouth to speak Malchus saw the rotted teeth within.

“Silence!” bellowed Malchus, now rising to his feet. He turned to his second. “Bostar, what is the meaning of this? We barely have enough supplies left to feed ourselves and you bring me this...," Malchus paused to examine the wretched man, "... this beggar?”

Bostar, sensing his commander’s mood and knowing the danger of further angering him, stared straight ahead as he answered.

“No, my lord Malchus,” he said formally. “At your command, I’ve traveled to the nearby cities and towns in search of a priest. I inquired at the shrine of Baal in Segesta. None of the fat priests there were willing to leave their positions to join us on campaign, which I count as no great misfortune. But, as I was leaving, a local merchant approached and asked me to visit his home. When I asked why, he would only say, 'It has been foretold.' Curious, I went with him and he introduced me to Menestar, whom you see before you.”

Malchus grunted noncommittally, “Continue.”

"It seems that Menestar had been expelled from the temple recently for certain of his divinations that cast a poor light on the activities of the high priest and his cronies. Since that time he had been wandering the city, offering fortunes for food.

“The merchant had taken pity on him and had been feeding him and allowing him to sleep in the lot behind his home.”

Malchus lowered his tone menacingly, "And you thought it would be a good idea to bring me this disgraced priest?”

“No sir, not initially. But as I turned to depart the merchant's home, Menestar spoke.

'Dark have been your days of late, defeat by Greeks has been your fate.

By sons of the she-wolf you've been bested, the pride of Carthage sorely tested.

The plans of gods have yet to bear fruit, for you and the riders that you recruit.

All is not lost despite the pain, victory is possible and with it much gain.'”

Malchus’s anger had faded, now he was intrigued. “He said that? Surely he or the merchant overheard you speaking to the priests about our situation.”

“At first I thought that as well, my lord, but I did not mention the Numidians at the temple, and surely those are the ‘riders’ to which he refers? I believe him to be genuine. Despite his appearance, he has an air about him.”

“Well, he certainly does have an ‘air’ but that can be remedied with a dunk in the stream,” Malchus chuckled.

The fact that Bostar had been impressed by this unlikely character interested Malchus. He knew that his second-in-command didn’t place much stock in omens and such. That Bostar would vouch for this seer was enough for Malchus not to have him summarily executed.

He turned to face the priest. “Well, do you speak?”

“Not well, my lord Malchus, except when the gods choose to speak through me.” The priest’s voice was deeper and more resonant than Malchus had expected from his appearance.

“You say you speak for the gods?” Malchus’s tone turned serious.

“My lord, at times the words I say and the things I see do not come from within myself. I believe they do come from the gods.”

"That is a bold claim, little man," Malchus replied, coming to a decision, "And it is one we shall put to the test."

Malchus turned to Bostar, “Very well. Get him cleaned up and situated. Then gather Syphon and meet me in my tent. We have much to discuss.”

He turned once more to the seer. “As for you, we shall see if it is as you say. I have no patience for tricksters or frauds.” He inclined his head to indicate the crosses. “And as you see, failure comes with a high price.”

As Bostar led Menestar away, Malchus began to walk toward the mounted Africans. Their first mission would be to scout westwards and find either food or foe. To Malchus, either would do just as well.

_____________________________

For turn 2 of the campaign, we can build warbands of 800 points, an increase from turn 1's 600 points.

Because of my lackluster efforts in turn 1, neither of my leaders was able to level up, so I am still at five command points (CP) for my army, unless I add a third leader.

Adding a fifth unit with the extra 200 points without increasing my available CP doesn't make much sense to me. If I stay at five CP, then having five units will leave no margin for attempting reactions or even activating my leaders themselves. Adding a third leader (another level 2) then is a must.

But what to do with the points I have left?

I'm definitely replacing one unit (dropping the underperforming Punic citizens in favor of Numidian cavalry).

With what's left I think I'm going to add a second unit of javelin men and a soothsayer, putting me at 798 points. If my soothsayer model comes in before the start of the turn I can save 5 points, but I don't think it'll get here in time.

Syphon leads a unit of spearmen.

I believe the Numidians and additional javelin men will give me the maneuverability and ranged attacks that were missing with the Punic citizens.

I will, of course, report back with the results of the first battle. Hopefully, I will get to write about a victorious Malchus. If not, well, he's running out of crosses and men...

'Til next time!

(Edit: I don't place my trust in the "gods," regardless of what Malchus believes, but rather in cold steel. So I'm dropping the soothsayer in exchange for an extra spearman. With the tweaks, my list comes in right at 800 points.)

Building a provincial Roman villa for Clash of Spears

2022-11-28T20:32:00.001-05:00

I really enjoy making terrain, as should be evident from this blog. Since starting the Clash of Spears campaign I've assembled and painted figures, fought battles, and written stories and reports. But I've not yet made any terrain.

That's about to change.

I've decided that a provincial Roman villa is a great place to start. Sarissa makes one, and I've based my initial sketches on their design.

It's a pretty basic construction of a two-story U-shaped structure with a pair of covered porches at the entrances.

I also found some other images on the Internet showing different variations, though all seem to share certain common characteristics, such as the sloped roof and covered entryways.

Based on that research, I went back to my sketchpad to see if I could design something that wasn't an exact duplicate of the Sarissa model.

After some more doodling, I decided on making a couple of variations. One would consist of separate buildings that could be arranged in various configurations, so it could be different every time.

The other would be a little smaller than the Sarissa design, and keep some features from it as well as incorporate some from the other reference images I found. It will have a fixed footprint.

And, by using all the structures I plan to build on the same table, I can represent the central villa and various outbuildings of a more prosperous estate.

The next decision is whether or not to make the interiors playable, this is, to make the roofs fixed or removable. In basic Clash of Spears, buildings are impassable terrain so there's no need to worry about being able to place figures inside the structure.

Though I've generally leaned towards removable roofs in the past for versatility, in this instance I think I'll make the buildings one piece. This will be much easier, will make the structures stronger, and make them look better. In any case, the roofs are the last parts to finish so I've got plenty of time to change my mind.

'Til next time!

'We need a victory!' (A Clash of Spears campaign battle report)

2022-11-25T18:18:00.007-05:00

Roman "ghosts" hold the hill against Carrthage's finest.

Malchus stalked his way back to his tent, Bostar at his side. “Dammit, man,” he growled, “The men looked like crap at drill today.”

“Sir, yes sir,” Bostar agreed. There wasn’t much else he could say. The soldiers had lost their will to fight. Their exercise was listless. Lack of food, plunder, and success was taking its toll.

“Time to motivate them,“ Malchus went on. “Erect six crosses in the center of camp. Don’t say anything about them, just let the men see them, and wonder.”

“As you command,” Bostar replied. Inwardly he groaned. The sight of those dreaded implements of torture would not improve the morale situation.

Malchus raised his voice. “And get me another damned seer! After the fiasco with the last one, the men have gotten spooked. We need good omens.”

And better results, Bostar thought, but he was careful to keep that thought to himself as well. Winning was the only thing that would truly raise the men's spirits.

___________________________________________

Brett and I met to play another campaign game for Clash of Spears. This would be my fourth game of the turn, and I desperately sought a victory for Rasap and his acolyte Malchus. We rolled up the "This is my land!" scenario, which is basically just a contest over two central objectives.

We decided on easy deployment, set up our troops, and the battle commenced!

_____________________________________________

After the initial, tentative advances, this was the situation at the beginning of turn 2.

Across the field, Malchus could barely make out the shapes of enemy soldiers. They looked ghostly in the distant haze, and he wondered what his men would be facing. Hopefully not more of those damned Greeks!

As the ranks closed, he could make out their uniforms and crests. Romans! Rasap was truly smiling on him today.

Malchus directs the javelin men and spearmen on the left flank.

On the right, the Punic citizens and more spearmen hold formation. Little do the citizens know this will be their last battle...

"Onward!" Malchus bellowed at his spearmen as he pushed them forward to the objective. So far, the battle plan was holding. On the left a strong advance by his javelin men and spearmen held the objective. And on the right, the combined formations of more spearmen and the useless citizens made a strong push toward the second objective.

Yes, Malchus thought to himself, that was it! The citizens had a chance to redeem themselves in his eyes, and so far they were making the most of it.

Libyans hold the left objective.

Libyans hold the right objective.

Malchus and Bostar survey the field.

Malchus squinted as he tried to ascertain the positions of all his units. The bright sun glinted fiercely off helmets and spearpoints, and he could feel Rasap's favor upon him. He could taste victory!

The pinpoints of light faded as a cloud scudded across the sky, obstructing the sun. Malchus hoped that wasn't a bad omen...

Javelinmen score four hits on the formed-up hastati, but only two die.

On the right, the Punic citizens charge headlong into the velites, who fail their reaction check and take the brunt of the charge.

On his right, Malchus could make out the Punic citizens as they stormed up a small rise to engage the Roman velites. They would succeed in making a name for themselves or die trying. Despite their best efforts, only one enemy combatant fell, though the foe was driven back.

Malchus's pride turned to fury as the citizens were in turn charged by the Roman elite hastati.

The hastati make short work of the Punic citizens. They would not achieve glory in their final combat.

In their turn, the Libyan spearmen charged headlong into the hastati, raining blow after blow upon them. Alas, it was to little effect as the Romans were able to parry or deflect almost all of them.

The spearmen score multiple hits on the Romans, but to very little effect.

Malchus had no more time to spare for the fight on the right hill. All his attention was now taken up by the fierce battle in front of him. His javalineers threw volley after volley into the enemy spearmen, who seemed impervious to the missiles.

Malchus orders his men to launch another wave of javelins at the enemy.

Meanwhile, his vaunted spearmen broke formation as the enemy rained spears down upon them. That made them vulnerable...

The Libyans suffer hits and lose their close order.

Back on the right, Bostar, who had been left behind by the wild advance of the Carthaginian troops, watched helplessly as the spearmen, now unsupported, launched a last-ditch charge into the hastati. By Baal, they were magnificent! The wretched Romans didn't have a chance in Hades of standing up to their fury.

But, as the dust settled Hanno could see the foe regroup, and take the fight to the spearmen. Bostar wept bitter tears as he saw the heroic warriors fall one by one until the unit was gone.

The spearmen "all-out attack," scoring four hits on the Romans and wiping out the unit.

But they, in turn, suffer attacks from the Roman commander and the velites, breaking their formation and destroying them.

On the left flank, Malchus looked on in disbelief as his spearmen were routed there as well. The hastati were fearsome and seemingly unstoppable. They were swarmed by the javelin men and themselves wiped out.

But, as his fortune faded with the dying light, Malchus's last remaining unit was in turn attacked and defeated by the enemy.

Malchus fell back, collecting Bostar and returning to camp with the weary and battered survivors of this encounter.

The javelineers wipe out the fatigued hastati, before being eliminated themselves.

That night at the camp, Malchus lay in his bed, staring at the tent's ceiling. Try as he might, he could not shake the feeling that Rasap had abandoned him. What other explanation was there? Certainly, his men had fought hard enough to win, with one notable exception. He and his commanders had led them ably and made the right choices.

Malchus was tired, and needed rest. In the morning, refreshed and renewed, he would face the issues head-on and start to fix the problems. He had already made contact with the leader of a Numidian cavalry troop, and perhaps he could persuade them to join his force, if he played down their lack of success.

But to make room in the camp and be able to feed and pay the Numidians, something, or more properly, someone, several someones in fact, had to go. Malchus had made that decision earlier in the day. As the dying moans from the crucified citizens filled the camp, Malchus rolled over, and slept.

________________________________________

After four games in the first campaign turn, and four losses, it really is time to self-evaluate. It is clear that there is something about the “game” of Clash that I am missing. Whether it is troop selection, tactics or something else, I don’t know.

For Clash, I have purposefully chosen forces that I enjoy reading about and modeling. Maybe not selecting my faction based on troop availability and traits, but rather on what I thought would be fun, was a mistake. But the truth is I am a modeler/painter/amateur historian first and a gamer second, and always have been. That’s not going to change.

Maybe it is the mechanics behind the tactical decisions that I need to concentrate one. Again, I usually order my troops to do what “feels’ right or seems reasonable for soldiers in their position to do. Perhaps I should pay more attention to the math behind the tactical options. But, again, I play to the rule of cool. As Gimli says in the movie version of LotR, “Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?” Go big, or go home, usually in a box.

I am not a “super gamer,” but I usually do a bit better than average at games. So, something needs to change in order for me to succeed. But at the same time, I do absolutely realize that I need to have fun while playing the game, win or lose. Winning games that I don’t enjoy for whatever reason is not a solution.

For turn two, I’ll start by adjusting my troop selection. The Carthage warband that I selected suffers from a distinct lack of missile weapons. That will be remedied with the addition of Numidian cavalry and the expulsion of Punic citizen infantry. What other changes I make will depend on the final tally of assets and resources available to me in the campaign.

The first game of turn two is, to me, a must-win. The campaign is structured so that the advantages gained by winning to the first battle of the turn are very difficult to replicate by winning succeeding battles. And, the more battles you fight, while there are diminished chances for gain, also potentially incur further losses. So, getting off on the right foot in a turn is crucial to success.

Will Malchus succeed in his quest for glory? Will Bostar one day see his boss Malchus himself on a cross? Only time will tell. On to turn two!

‘Til next time!

"Pork. It's what for dinner", hopefully! (A Foraging Scenario Battle Report)

2022-11-24T00:25:00.002-05:00

Libyan spearmen at the ready.

Today I fought another engagement in our ongoing Sicily campaign for Clash of Spears. Again, my opponents were the darned Greeks, this time Bryan's force of Pyrrhic warriors.

______________________________________________

Malchus stared into the rising sun and surveyed the idyllic scene before him, the small building and livestock arrayed peacefully about the valley. The scouts he had sent out yesterday had returned with news of the farm, and his men's hunger had spurred him into investigating with his full force.

When he'd learned of the pig herds gathered here, he had immediately ordered a night march. He hadn't even spared the time to consult the gods. That would have been tough anyway, since he'd had the last priest put to death, perhaps a tad prematurely.

No matter, there weren't many problems a full belly couldn't fix, and from the look of the fattened pigs before him, that should no longer be an issue.

As he began to advance on the farm, his eyes caught a faint glint in the distance. It could easily be the dawn's light reflecting off enemy arms and armor, or just as easily be nothing at all. Warily, he arranged his line and his men moved forward cautiously, alert to the possibility of an enemy presence...

Initial positions after the deployment phase. Carthaginians are on the left.

By the gods! It was an enemy after all. And not just any enemy. He recognized the shield design of the same Greek bastard that had fought off Malchus's men in Messana. Today he meant to kill him once and for all - it would be a shame, as beautiful as he was, but a blood feud cared little for appearances.

The Punic citizens were able to advance almost to the pig herd on the left flank. Unfortunately that was as close as they would get...

From behind the Greek lines you can appreciate the perfectly formed ranks of spearmen and the flanking skirmishers.

Malchus was pleased with his deployment thus far.

He'd put his useless Punic citizens (Baal Haamon alone knew what he was thinking when he offered them a place in his company. So far they had been worse than useless. And there were more of them on the way from Carthage to join him.) along out on the left flank with simple orders. Get. The Pigs. Truly, he thought, that should be simple enough for even them to accomplish.

On his right, his experienced Libyan spearmen were a formidable obstacle, standing in firm ranks.

But, in the center of the enemy line he spotted the hoplites. Those were the only opposing troops he had concerns about. Their weapons and armor were a match for his best spearmen. He noticed his javelin men milling about, and had an idea.

"Bostar!" Malchus called. "Have the tribesmen draw out the hoplites. If they fail to entice a charge, I'll have their skins!"

Greek hoplites advance on Libyan javelin men.

The Carthaginian line maintains its rigid formation.

Greek Pezhetairoi advance on the pigs, menacing the Punic citizens.

The Greek slingers began to rain stones down upon the central spearmen unit. The rocks flew past them, buzzing like insects. Damn them, but it was like death from a thousand stings. Some of the spearmen fell, and their ranks became disordered.

Supported by accurate missile fire from the slingers, the pezhetairoi advance on the far right.

At the end of the first turn, either play could be cooking BBQ at the end.

There! That was the break he was waiting for. Prodded by the throws javelins which had felled one of their number, the Greek hoplites charged the tribesmen. "Quickly now, Bostar, order them to withdraw!" But either Bostar was too slow, or the javelineers' blood was up. They stood their ground and faced the onrushing Greek spears.

The javelin men successfully taunt the hoplites into a charge...

... but are unable to scamper away and take the full brunt of the enemy attack!

Malchus could not believe what he was seeing! Despite being at the mercy of the foe, the javelin men had adopted a defensive posture and were able to parry every incoming blow. They would get an extra portion of pork tonight!

Despite successfully defending against all the attacks, the tribesmen are forced to fall back.

Meanwhile, on the left, the citizens were proving themselves to be unable to complete even one simple task. After launching a barrage of javelins, the pezhetairoi charged into the laggards, wiping them out with scant loss to themselves.

______________________________________________

I must not know how to use these guys properly. Their poor armor and need to get in close to score hits makes them vulnerable to missile attacks at range before they are able to get to melee distance. In three battles, this was the first time they'd killed any enemy, and they were still eliminated themselves.

______________________________________________

Trying to look at the positive, Malchus realized that at least that combat was on the far side of the battle, and none of his other troops seemed to have noticed. Plus, he thought, there would be more meat to share among the surviving soldiers.

Pezhetairoi charge...

Pezhetaroi kill.

Situation after turn 2.

The hoplites realize they may have overextended themselves in their eagerness.

On the right, the situation, though fluid, still seemed to favor Malchus. Though one of his spearmen units was down to half strength, the other was doing well. They had driven the herd of pigs into the pezhetairoi, disrupting them and making them vulnerable. They had died well, taking three of the spearmen, but they had died nonetheless.

He could make out the pezhetairoi on the other side making off with some of the pigs. Swine! In order to feed his men tonight, he would have to act decisively. "Men of Carthage! Do you want to live forever? Attack!"

After seeing off the pezhetairoi, the spearmen set their sights on the slingers.

Spearmen vs slingers. What could possibly go wrong?

Attack after attack came up empty against the stubborn rock throwers!

What by the god's fickle blessings had happened? Despite having an unopposed charge into the slingers, the spearmen had come up empty! Malchus sighed, once again, any chance of salvaging victory would fall on his own shoulders. So be it!

Setting his sights on the unit of hoplites before him, he knew that he would have to break them in order to win the battle. Though they outnumbered him seven to one, they were fatigued, while he was still fresh.

With a deafening roar of defiance, he allowed the bloodlust to fall upon him and he charged!

Malchus charges the hoplites with an all-out attack...

And rolls double sixes - scoring FOUR hits!

The hoplites, weary as they were, could not match Malchus' fury. Several fell, and the rest fled before him, aware that they were facing not a man, but the incarnation of war!

Malchus stands alone after decimating the hoplites.

But alas, as it was in Messana, Malchus's singular effort was to no avail. The losses his company had suffered were too much to overcome. Fatigued and despondent, Malchus ordered his remaining troops to withdraw.

There was no meat simmering on the cooking fires this night, just more tubers. Malchus sat with his men. They were beginning to lose faith in him. Yes, his fighting prowess had yet to be matched, but none of the combats had gone their way. And the issue with the slain augur weighed on them as well. He could hear their muttering, though they tried to hide it when he was nearby. They were beginning to believe the gods had abandoned him, and them.

He would have to remedy that, he thought. First he needed to find a new priest. And then, he had to find that gorgeous Greek again, and kill him. Nothing less would do.

______________________________________________

As the first campaign turn nears it's end, it is time to evaluate Malchus's warband. With three battles and three losses, Malchus is not getting off on the right foot. The losses mean he is at a huge disadvantage in terms of renown, but more importantly in terms of assets, which will determine what type of force he is able to field for turn two.

In the upcoming turn, he can add 200 more points of troops, and I am leaning towards Numidian cavalry. And I am discarding the Punic spearmen. Perhaps in larger engagements they may serve a purpose, or perhaps in time I will learn to command them effectively. But for now, they are a waste of points and they need to go.

'Til next time!

"Money, money, money!" - Campaign game vs Sean's Greeks

2022-11-18T23:36:00.006-05:00

Malchus' Carthaginians face off against Sean;'s Greek mercenaries.

Tonight, Sean and I played another Clash of Spears game as part of our ongoing campaign in Sicily during the First Punic War. It was the second battle of the month for each of us, and so counted as a "pressed" battle, meaning rewards and assets would be hard to come by...

___________________________________________________

Malchus sat on the stool in his camp tent and stared at the bedraggled figure before him. The scrawny, mostly bald, seer wore a threadbare robe covered in blood, and stank of sweat and offal.

“Well,” Malchus asked, “what do the gods say? Will our raid of the farm be successful?”

“Oh, mighty one, favored of Rasap. I see blood, I see violence and rage. I see death!” The final word rattled as it left his throat.

“Hmmm,” Malchus said in a low voice. “I am a man of war and you prophecy death and violence in my future?”

Noticing the warning sign, the augur stammered. “Ye-ee-es, my lord.”

“Do you take me for an idiot, you charlatan?” he roared.

“Ye-es, my lord, ummm, no, I mean no-oo my lord.”

“Very well,” the warlord sighed, “wait outside and my aide will see to your payment.”

As the little man scuttled out of the tent, Malchus called for his assistant. “Bostar! Get in here!”

The tent flap opened again immediately and Bostar appeared. He knew better than to delay when Malchus was in a mood.

“Sir.”

“Take the ‘seer’ to the center of the camp and crucify him. He’s a fraud.”

“It will be done.” Bostar saluted and exited the tent. Of course he’s a liar, he thought. They all are. No one can tell what the gods will do except the gods themselves. To believe otherwise is madness.

A short while later, as the screams from the dying prophet filtered through the tent, Malchus smiled for the first time that day.

(Initial deployment marker final locations.)

The scouts had been correct. The farmer had confirmed to them, under persuasion, that the family idols were hidden in one of three locations on the property. Unfortunately, Malchus’s troops weren’t the only ones looking for it.

(Javelin men advance to the woods.)

(Initial unit placement - start of turn 1.)

Across the field, coming around from behind the farmhouse, he could see the thrice-damned Greeks advancing. By Tanit, he hated the Greeks. It seemed that was all there was to fight on this accursed island.

(Greeks everywhere!)

He ordered his spearmen to advance in the center, and they did so in perfect order. On the left, the Libyan tribesmen scampered into the marsh, while on the right the Punic citizens move forward cautiously.

(If only they had fought as good as they look.)

(I think I still haven't learned how to use these guys - so far their points have been kind of wasted.)

Meanwhile, he could see the Greek slingers digging in one of the possible locations. From the yells of consternation, he could tell they had found nothing of value. Only two possibilities left.

(Greek slinger started right next to one of the objective markers.)

(Unit positions - start of turn 2.)

(Javelin men move into the marsh to support the spearmen.)

(The Greek line is more spread out.)

His spearmen quickly advanced to the central hiding place, a shallow hole beneath a small flagstone. Yes, he could hear them cheer, they had secured the treasure.

By Rasap, they were blessed today, that misbegotten little lying seer be damned.

And that’s when things started to go very wrong…

(Hoplites and spearmen clash in the center.)

(Spearmen fall back after barely losing the combat.)

(Battlefield overview - turn 2.)

The spearmen suffered the charge of not one, but two units of their Greek counterparts and held. But the third charge broke them.

(Bostar orders the spearmen to hold!)

(The spearmen are charged in the flank.)

(Their formation is broken and they fall back!)

(The spearmen are attacked again, and this time the unit is destroyed.)

Though they dropped the leather bag containing the idols, Bostar was able to pick it up and he started to head back toward their own lines.

(Bostar has gotten the bag and heads for home!)

(Rumblin', stumblin', bumblin' - Bostar could go - all - the - way!)

Perhaps, thought Malchus, they might still have a chance.

(Unit positions - start of turn 4.)

(The hoplites have smashed the Libyan tribesmen.)

Seeing their valuable treasure getting further away, the money-mad Greek mercenaries went into a rage.

Their spearmen finished off the second unit of Libyans, while the other charged the tribesmen. The wild-eyed savages held their ground and flung their javelins at the onrushing Greeks! What by Baal’s hairy arse, were they thinking?

They must have been consumed with madness to not just flee the more heavily armored troops. One of the Greeks stumbled and fell as the javelins hit home. But it was not nearly enough. The hoplites swept the tribesmen away like chaff before a storm.

At that point, it was clear the engagement was lost.

(Bostar was only 4" from the edge when the Carthaginians broke, So close!)

As he fled the field with his surviving troops, Malchus couldn’t help but wonder. Maybe that weird little seer had been telling the truth after all.

It was too late to worry about that now. No, now he had to find another soothsayer. Another honest one. That would not be easy…

______________________________________________________

Sean earned a major victory - meaning that he did earn some rewards and experience. I was lucky not to lose any. I need to re-think my strategy, in particular how to use the Punic citizens.

'Til next time!

(Just a detail photo of some of Sean's beautiful brushwork on the shields - each one is a masterpiece!)

Upcoming Kickstarter preview: Fjord Serpents - Vikings at War

2022-11-18T09:45:00.004-05:00

A friend (thanks a lot Bryan!) recently made me aware of a new miniatures wargaming coming soon to Kickstarter - Fjord Serpents, subtitled Vikings at War.

Two fully painted ships and their crews.

As any of you who have read my blog previously may know, Dark Ages combat and Vikings in particular are a passion of mine. So, all it took was a mild nudge by the aforementioned Bryan and I was compelled to explore further.

The game will be published by Hammer of the North, a company with which I am admittedly unfamiliar. I’ve taken the liberty of using images from their promotional videos to illustrate my thoughts.

The first thing that struck me is the scale. This is not a 28mm wargame such as I normally play. The figures are 10mm scale, so they are tiny by comparison. With my aging eyesight, painting them may be a bit more difficult than I’m used to. That said, I’ve painted smaller figures before (15mm Bolt Action), and I think that painting in a smaller scale can sometimes be more forgiving. Hopefully that will cancel out the vision issue and painting them will be quick and painless.

A fully crewed Viking ship that fits in the palm of your hand!

Two Karvi Longships sail off in search of plunder and adventure upon the Fjords

The second thing that jumped out at me is that this will not be your run-of-the-mill land combat game, where Viking ships are terrain props at best. It appears the ships will be integral to gameplay as ship-to-ship boarding actions and combat are specifically mentioned in the videos.

That’s a great feature in my opinion, since it accurately reflects Viking history. Combat between Viking fleets was not the ram-or-be-rammed affair of earlier ages. Nor was it a matter of standing off and peppering the foe with artillery. It was brutal, get in close, board the enemy and fight face-to-face combat. When large fleets fought, large groups of ships were often tied together and the battle surged across them - basically land warfare at sea.

The ships themselves were the next thing I noticed. The renders and samples shown are just plain beautiful. They look to be an excellent compromise between realism and playability. The ships have deck inserts that can be removed and replaced with stands of various troop types to reflect their crew. They can also change masts to show whether they are under oar or using wind power. And last, but certainly not least from a modeling standpoint, the ships will come with interchangeable figureheads and optional shield rails.

The Karvi and Snekkja Longships from the Kickstarter box set.

Detail of the deck cutouts for placing troops aboard the ships.

Some of the figurehead options from the preview.

Hammer of the North has revealed two ships so far, the Karvi and Snekkja longships. The Karvi is the smaller of the two, coming in at around a little more than six inches. The Snekkja measures right at eight inches or so. In one video, it is mentioned that there will be an option for a third, larger ship - the Drakkar. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing that!

The troop stands look fantastic. There are a variety of levy-type troops (leidang) with various weapons - spears, bows and javelins are mentioned. The more elite troops are more heavily armored and can use swords or huge axes. Special troops are also available, including traditional berserkers and Ulfhednar. The number of troops per stand is determined by the type of unit - eight for common warriors and six for elite fighters. Your jarl is a single figure and looks quite imposing for one so small!

Bondi and levy-type troops come eight per stand.

Hirdmen with swords or axes come six per stand.

Berserkers and Ulfhednar also come in sixes.

Leadership is solitary, the jarl stands alone.

Not having seen the rules, I can’t really discuss gameplay. The video does mention that turn initiative is a two-stage event. If you win initiative, you can decide to either go first in the ship movement phase or in the combat phase. But, your opponent will have first crack at the other. That’s a neat little twist that will make tactical decisions challenging and keep players on their toes. I’m very eager to see more of the mechanics as Hammer of the North gets closer to launch.

The Kickstarter teaser image shows the boxed set that will be available. According to Hammer of the North it will be enough for two players, or can be the start of a large fleet for one player. The box will contain two of each of the ships (Karvi and Snekkja), enough troops to man them all and more, the rules, dice, tokens, accessories and some card terrain. (I’m already planning on making my own, surprise, surprise!)

The box set and its components, Fjord Serpents – Vikings at War

Without knowing the cost yet, it’s hard to know what kind of value this is. There will be a pledge level that includes two boxes sets, to split with a friend (or foe) or kick your individual quest for Scandinavian domination into high gear.

Using this game in conjunction with other Dark Ages games such as Saga or (hopefully) next year's Clash of Spear Dark Ages supplement could result in really wonderful campaigns. For example, the amount of troops available for a land battle could be determined by the results of a massive engagement at sea.

To say I’m intrigued would be a major understatement. I will be following future reveals from Hammer of the North closely. My ultimate participation in the Kickstarter will be determined by when it goes live and cost (budgets being what they are currently). I don’t really need another game (who does?) to further divide my limited time and money, but I can quite easily see myself jumping in on this one!

In fact, I've already begun to think about Jarl Halvar and the crew of his flagship, the Dragon's breath!

'Til next time!

Campaigning Carthaginians!

2022-11-08T18:22:00.001-05:00

600 pts of Carthaginians for Clash of Spears!

This fall/winter the gentlemen that I game with and I are running a campaign for the Clash of Spears wargaming rules. (You can read about the start of the campaign here.)

The Clash rules are by far my favorite rules for the Ancient period - they are fast, intuitive, very interactive as you can interrupt your opponent's turn with reactions, and do not require thousands of painted miniatures.

In fact, I just completed painting my starting 600-point force for the campaign - a grand total of 33 figures. As the campaign progresses I will add figures and units and hopefully, by the end, I will have a grand Carthaginian army.

But I am a notoriously slow painter (unless I have a reason to really concentrate, such as the start of a new campaign!) so even a modest force is an accomplishment for me. That said, this is the second 600-point Clash force I have completed this year - a personal record - since I also painted up some Celt-Iberians for a Clash tournament.

Without further ado - the images of my painted Carthaginians:

Liby-Phoenician spearmen awaiting some color after priming.

Punic citizens in progress. Contrast paints (and others like them) are an amazing tool that really speed up the painting process for me.

Libyan javelin men - I used two coats on their flesh to get them a little darker than the other troops.

The completed troops:

Punic citizen levies - in a variety of tunic colors.

Libyan javelin men.

I painted some of the spearmen with red tunics to differentiate them from the other unit.

The second unit has tan tunics, and I added an officer figure.

And finally an image of the force leader, Malchus. He is the character described in my previous post.

Malchus gives commands.

I'll post updates and additions to the force as the campaign progresses.

'Til next time.

Clash of Spears - The battle for Sicily begins!

2022-10-31T12:23:00.003-04:00

Malchus knelt before the small altar in his campaign tent, head bowed. In front of him, vapors from incense burners snaked around a golden idol of Rasap, the lord of war.

His meditations were interrupted as a soldier entered his tent.

"Sir, the enemy approaches,” was all the trooper said.

Immediately, Malchus rose and turned towards the open flap. Rasap would understand. It was time to fight.

___________________

As he entered the city square, Malchus surveyed the area. To his left, a detachment of Gallic allies moved up alongside his troops. Damn, but they smelled, he thought, as the breeze brought their scent to him. Never mind, though, because they fought like the very wild beasts whose odor they carried.

He could see their leader, Teutomatus, he remembered, whipping his warriors into a killing frenzy.

Across the square, he made out the tips of pikes as the opposing force, they appeared to be Greeks, matched his own advance. His orders were to slow them down, allowing the rest of the Carthaginian force to escape the city as the Romans and their degenerate Greek allies took control.

Damn the Greeks, damn them to the lowest hell. This was their fault. If they had been able to control their Mamertine mercenaries, he and his men would be raiding in North Africa, taking slaves and plunder from the tribesmen there, instead of on this miserable island.

But that no longer mattered, all that mattered was the fighting.

He ordered his javelin men to rush forward on the left, in support of the Gallic tribesmen’s advance into the market proper. Meanwhile, his steady, solid spearmen formations moved ahead in the center.

Soon, the blood would flow…

___________________

Malchus was confused by the Greeks' tactics.

On his left, in the face of the Gauls, the Greeks advanced headlong, attempting to control the central market area. The fighting there was fierce and deadly, with no quarter asked or given. Already the ranks of tribesmen were being seriously depleted. In fact, he had sent his javelin men to that flank in support of the barbarians.

On the right, the Greek leader seemed much more cautious, or maybe lacking in fortitude. The formed ranks of Greek hoplites matched that of Malchus' own troops, slow and steady. He would not commit them until he saw what the damned Greek was up to...

He left Bostar, his junior officer, in charge of the right. So far the younger man was doing well, or at least, he had not yet committed any major errors of command.

___________________

Damn, these Greeks! On the left, they fought like wild animals. The situation had degenerated into a full brawl, with bodies piling up on both sides.

On the right, the Greek advance was relentless and merciless. They were letting their brethren on the left suffer the heaviest toll, while they continued their plodding advance, refusing to commit. Damn them, he was tired of waiting. He would swing to the left and see if he could make an impact in the fighting on that side.

___________________

Through the tumult and confusion of battle, Malchus could see that he had left it too late to commit his spearmen. On the left, his javelin men had been routed, as had most of the Gallic warriors. And on the right, the disciplined ranks of Greeks had taken apart his Libyans. For today, at least, it seemed their gods had prevailed.

He turned to his left as he heard a wild, ululating scream, like that of a wild animal about to devour its prey. His mouth wide open in a primal yell, one of the Gaul chieftains, the younger he thought, lost all sense of restraint and charged a squad of Greek javelin men. His fury led him to his death, and Malchus watched as he was cut down. By the gods, these barbarians knew how to die!

The day was lost, that was clear. But Malchus could not let the Gallic chief outshine him in his battle fervor. That would not do for an acolyte of Rasap. And if he were to die today, it would be surrounded by the bodies of his foes, not with his sword unblooded. The Greek javelin men would pay, or they would celebrate victory over two leaders.

Malchus' charge was as different from his Gallic counterpart's as the raging rapids are from an unstoppable tide. Where the Gaul attacked with fire, fury, and abandonment to the joy of battle, Malchus advanced coldly, calculatingly, considering each sword strike, parry, and counterstrike. The javelin men were skilled, but Malchus was more skilled. And the javelin men were tired from their exertions, while Malchus was fresh. They could not stop him, and he cut them down, like wheat before the scythe, one after another until the few remaining soldiers fled.

Malchus stood among the bodies, covered in blood, some of it his own, and surveyed the field. The outcome was evident, and he gave the order for the few remaining men to abandon the market area and make their way out of the city to regroup.

Yes, the taste of defeat was bitter on his tongue, but it was tinged with sweetness. He had tested himself in battle and had received Rasap's blessing. Though the day was lost, he lived. And by the bloody fury of Rasap, he would learn from this and make the Greeks pay the next time they met. Oh yes, they would pay...

___________________

The above narrative comes from the opening games of the Clash of Spears Fall/Winter 2022/23 Campaign that we are running. It is a beta test of new campaign rules for Clash, that allow players to craft their own character's story while competing with others for glory and renown.

The kick-off event was a huge 2400-point 4v4 game pitting the Romans and their allies against the Carthaginians and their allies. For ease of play, the game was broken down into two 2v2 battles.

Bryan, Marcos, Simeon, and Brett showed up to defend the glory of Rome...

while I joined Noah, Cody, and Chris in a vain attempt to uphold Carthage's honor.

Great fun was had, dice were rolled, blood (figuratively) was shed, etc. In the end, the Roman side scored a resounding victory over the forces of Carthage.

No worries, though, as this will be a long campaign (5 or 6 months) and there will be plenty of time for revenge this winter. And as we all know, revenge is a dish best served cold...

'Til next time.

The awesomeness of history: Vikings vs. Moors - Yes, it really happened!

2022-10-17T19:49:00.005-04:00

I love wargaming. And I love history.

So when I stumble upon a little nugget of history that would make for great wargaming, well, the inner geek in me totally loses his mind.

That happened yesterday, and I am really excited to see where this leads.

Along with building a Carthaginian Army for the 2022/2023 Clash of Spears campaign (more on that in later posts!), I am currently researching the Reconquista - the "reconquering" of Spain by the northern Christian kingdoms from the Moors who invaded the peninsula in 711 AD. There is an informal group of gamers looking to create a beta for Clash of Spears set during the time of the Crusades, including the conflict in Spain.

As part of my research I am reading books (both history and fiction), delving into the epic of El Cid (and finding out what parts might be real and which are just legend), listening to podcasts about the era, etc.

And yesterday I learned about one of those events that makes the history geek and the wargaming geek in me both go weak at the knees - the Viking raid on Išbīliya (Moorish Seville) in Al-Andalus in 844 AD.

The Vikings had apparently landed in northern Iberia and plundered the kingdom of Asturias, but suffered heavy losses in battle with the forces of Ramiro I. They then moved around the coast of the Iberian peninsula, heading south, until they reached the Guadalquivir River, which they navigated up to Seville.

Map showing the Viking raids

Long story short, the Vikings attacked Seville, were victorious, and looted and plundered for many days. The Emir of Cordoba, Abd al-Rahman II, dispatched an army to deal with the Vikings, and several other Muslim leaders sent forces to assist despite their rivalry with al-Rahman. They could see the threat posed by the raging Northerners, and united to defeat a common foe.

Musa ibn Musa al-Qasi, one of the Muslim commanders who fought the Vikings.

In the days after the arrival of the Moor army there were many clashes, with varying outcomes. Eventually, however, the Muslims won a major victory over the (more recent) invaders. Accounts say the Moors used Greek fire and cavalry to great effect, and sent the Vikings fleeing.

As I read and listened to the details about this battle, I had two thoughts. First, how had I not learned about this sooner! And second, how can I recreate this battle on the tabletop.

Saga currently has rules for both Viking and Spanish Moors in different supplements. I am not sure if the forces are balanced across the game, or just with other factions in the same supplement.

The other option is to use Clash of Spears. I know that the Dark Ages supplement for Clash is due sometime in 2023, and as previously mentioned there is a fan-led effort to put together a Reconquista Clash. That would give me time to build and paint my forces (I am notoriously slow at getting models ready to game). I do currently have some Vikings for my Saga army that are painted and ready, but I have not yet started my Reconquista Moors (or Christian forces either for that matter).

Regardless, the prospect of fighting a Moors vs Vikings battle that is historically accurate (!) has me salivating. So now, in addition to the plethora of other projects that I am in the middle of, I am adding one more. What else is new?

'Til next time!

Four-way Clash of Spears battle! Celt-Iberian and Gallic confederation versus a Greco-Roman alliance

2022-09-06T18:30:00.002-04:00

On Labor Day I was able to gather with some gaming friends at Giga Bites Cafe in Marietta for some more Clash of Spears action.

There were four of us, and we decided to fight a four-player battle, with each player bringing 900 points of troops. Each leader would only be able to activate units from their own warband, but initiative bidding would be handled per team. The active team could choose one of its units to activate, then the other team, etc. In that way, the two warlords would have to confer and work together to decide which of their units to activate and when, but once the decision was made, the owning player would direct their own troops.

With our choices of warbands determined, the teams actually formed up quite nicely.

A combined force of Greeks (under Bryan) and Romans (led by Brett) would try and subjugate the noble tribe of Gauls (with Noah leading), with my Celt-Iberians coming to their aid. With that settled, battle was joined!

At the end of the engagement phase, the tokens are ready to be revealed. Both armies advanced fairly uniformly across the front. The mules served to mark the objectives.

On the right flank of the tribesmen's line, the Gallic force massed in strength.

The left flank (held by the Celt-Iberians) faces Bryan's beautifully painted Greeks, while Noah's Gauls would square off against Brett's Romans.

Combat began towards the center, where the Celt-Iberian slingers drew first blood, whittling down the opposing Greek slingers.

The brave Celt-Iberians can barely see the tops of the enemy spears, indicating the presence of cowardly Greeks hiding behind the hill.

Not too much else happened that turn, as the forces worked to position themselves for the next round of combat. (Note however, Noah's cunningly placed cavalry unit. They were about to ride into glory and history!)

Note the arrows that indicate the path of the Gallic charge into legend!

Stage 1 of the charge led the horses straight into a unit of Greek spearmen. The charging cavalry win the combat, forcing the few surviving spearmen to fall back.

The second part of the charge took the cavalry into the side of a second Greek unit. In the ensuing combat, the Greek spearmen were routed and destroyed.

The surviving slingers, as well as the spearmen who made it unscathed through the cavalry's initial attack, lost their nerve and fled. Alas, the brave Gallic horsemen were themselves destroyed - their courageous charge having taken its toll on their fatigue.

Meanwhile, on the left flank, the unit of Celt-Iberian nobles manage to catch the vile Greek leader poking his head out too far from behind a building and unleash a barrage of javelins!

I don't normally post photos of my dice rolls, but come on, this is a thing of beauty. The Greek leader failed saves meant he suffered enough wounds to kill him, but he called on his gods and they answered. After rolling again, he survived, albeit with only one wound remaining.

At the end of turn 2, the effects of the Gallic cavalry charge can be seen, as the lighter Greek screening troops have been chased from the battlefield.

Another end of turn 2 shot, showing more of the right flank, where the Gallic infantry was facing very tough Roman opposition.

Having been caught out after attacking the Greek leader, the Celt-Iberian nobles face the wrath of the opposing cavalry, losing half their number.

Again on the left, the hill would be site of many a bloody combat. In this instance the Greek spearmen were able to score some kills on the caetrati, forcing them back.

Turning our attention back to the right flank, the well-armored Gallic nobles advance against the Roman legionnaires.

Hoping to replicate the efforts of their mounted comrades, Gallic warriors charge into the fray! Unfortunately, it was not to be, as they were defeated by the disciplined Roman formation.

Not wanting to seem cowardly in front of his men, the Gallic chieftain himself charges the Roman line. His attacks have some effect, but the unit survives mostly intact.

Not to be outdone by his ally, the Celt-Iberian leader charges around the field, catching his wounded Greek counterpart and challenging him to battle!

Another view of the leader duel, just because it was a great cinematic moment in the game between two really nicely painted models (if I do say so myself).

This time, the Greek's fickle gods abandoned him, and he was defeated!

Celt-Iberian scutarii and Greek spearmen face off trying to claim the mule.

The scutarii are repulsed, leaving the hill to their enemies.

By the end of the turn, the Greeks had successfully pushed back the Celt-Iberian advance, but the fighting had taken its toll and they broke. On the right, the Gauls had suffered at the hands of the Romans, but still hung tough for the moment.

The Roman line having finally broken, they were more vulnerable to stones fired by the slingers and took some casualties.

The caetrati also targeted the disordered Romans, destroying the unit.

At the end of turn four, the Gauls failed their force break test - unable to bear more punishment at the hands of the Romans they flee. The Romans passed their break test, but their commander saw the writing on the wall and conceded the field to the tribesmen.

The Greek (Bryan on the left) and Roman (Brett on the right) commanders after the battle. Wait! Why are they so happy? They lost! Do they know something I don't know?

The victorious chieftains! The leaders of the Gallic warriors (Noah on the left) and Celt-Iberians (vacation-mode Santa on the right) after their hard-won victory.

Another great day of Clash of Spears is in the books. We all had a great time and enjoyed the fellowship and friendly, mostly, competition. For me, personally, it was really nice to game with Bryan again after a too-long hiatus, and to make new gaming friends in Brett and Noah. I am really looking forward to playing with them again as we continue to Clash!

'Til next time!

Painting Celtiberians for Clash of Spears

2022-08-30T17:44:00.004-04:00

When Clash of Spears was announced, it really was a simple choice for me to dive in! The Kickstarter in late 2019 was the perfect opportunity for me to explore ancient wargaming at what I thought would be a manageable scale.

Plus, with the setting being the days of the Roman Republic, I could gather an Iberian force. That appealed to me greatly, because there is a very good chance that my ancestors fought in that region of Spain and in that timeframe. In fact, based on one of the areas to which I can trace my lineage back to 800AD, I can even pinpoint what I believe to be the most likely tribes that I am descended from.

The likelihood is that my family is descended from the Arevaci or the Pellendones, two tribes that operated in the northern part of the province of Soria, and the southern part of La Rioja.

I had always steered clear of wargaming in ancient times because of the sheer number of figures needed. I did not have the time or patience to paint 500 or so models.

But Clash can be fought with between 35 and 60 models, a very comfortable number of figures for me to paint in a reasonable amount of time, or so I thought.

Before even receiving the Kickstarter armies, I bought some packages of Victrix Iberian warriors, on foot and mounted, to start building my forces.

I began assembling them, focusing on a unit of caetrati (skirmishers who carry a small round shield, the caetra from which they get their name) and some cavalry. I started by painting the horses, using them to test the Citadel Contrast Paints which were growing in popularity at the time. And then, I stopped.

It was a combination of life circumstances that are not worth getting into now, but suffice to say that the partially assembled and painted figures sat... and sat... and sat.

Fast forward nearly two and a half years, and my friend Alvaro (co-designer of Clash of Spears with his brother Francisco) organized a tournament to be held at the local wargaming store, Giga Bites Cafe. (Details of the tournament itself can be seen in this post.)

Circumstances being much different now, and much more conducive to having some free time for gaming, I decided to dust off the partial army and get a warband ready for the tournament. Of course, things got a little unexpectedly complicated, and I wasn't able to really dig in to the project until the week before the tournament. This would be a challenging task - to complete a 44-figure army in under a week!

The army list I built consists of 46 figures:

2 leaders, one on horseback

8 slingers (6 of which were already painted)

20 caetrati (12 of which were already painted, but none of them had shields)

6 noble cavalry riders (all six horses were finished, but none of the riders)

10 veteran scutarii (none painted)

So, the clock was ticking and the race was on - paint 21 infantry figures plus seven riders and one horse, and complete shields for all of them. While that may not sound tough, and for many people it's all in a day's work, for me it would be a feat.

The unpainted portion of the warband, after priming.

The scutarii, so called because they carry a large shield, or scutum, had originally been mounted on round bases. In Clash of Spears, certain troops that carry the large shields can form up into shield walls, an action that troops with smaller shields cannot carry out. In order to keep straight which troops could, and which ones could not, form a shield wall, I decided to switch bases on the scutarii to square bases. That way, when formed into a wall they would be in a nice straight line and look great doing it!

The scutarii. I removed these figures from the round bases they were on and moved them to the square bases.

Shields, so many shields.

The first figure I painted was the leader's horse. Since it was the only animal this time around, I felt it made sense to knock it out quickly before beginning the assembly-line work on the remaining figures.

A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!

At that point, work began in earnest! I started by painting the flesh tone on all the figures. This would be followed by tunics, footwear, accessories such as belts, scabbards, etc., and finally the weapons. By working on one color or area at a time I could speed up the process.

Painted flesh on all the figures.

A moment to discuss my painting equipment.

Though I am loathe to admit it, my eyes are not as good as they once were. Nowadays I need a little help painting these little guys. So, some time back, I bought myself some illuminated magnifiers.

Besides the added bonus of making me look like a dwarf miner, the magnification provided by the lenses makes it possible for me to pick out the tiniest details. And the light on the visor means that the miniature is never in shadow, even with my fat head bent over it for painting!

Ahhhhh! What is that?

This is what I see with the visor, though the photo doesn't really do the visors justice.

Tunics, belt and footwear completed.

At this point, I turned my attention to the shields. Because I use transfers from Little Big Men Studios for the shield designs, I leave the shield faces white. On the back of all of them, I used Citadel Wyldwood Contrast paint, which leaves a nice, rich, wood color. I made sure to leave the streaks as obvious as possible to simulate wood grain.

Now it was time for another time-saving trick: use a Sharpie to color the shield bosses and edges. I grabbed my metallic marker and started coloring. When I was done, I did give the shiny silver areas a quick wash of Nuln Oil to tone down the brightness and make it look more like steel.

Shield backs painted (the finished shield at left was one on which I tested my methods first).

Cutting out and applying the transfers.

Job's a good 'un! Shields completed and ready for their owners.

By this point, I was getting a little nervous. I was down to the last few days, and I knew from experience that when I did the bases I would have to leave them to dry for many hours. Ideally, I like to leave them to dry overnight, but that would not be possible this time around.

Once all the base colors were painted, it was time for a wash. The Citadel Contrast paints really don't require a wash, since they are already formulated to accumulate in the recess, giving a natural highlight. But many of the paints I used were the old-fashioned kind, that require a little help to look really good.

Citadel Seraphim Sepia is my friend here, and I splashed it liberally across the areas that needed it. Even after all these years, I am still amazed at the huge difference a wash makes in the overall appearance of the model!

The unwashed massed (top) and the washed.

Once the final wash was completely dry, I completed the bases. This post details my basing process. By this time it was Friday afternoon and the tournament was scheduled for Saturday morning. I let the bases dry as long as I felt I could get away with, then dry brushed on some detail and added tufts of grass.

All that was left were the finishing touches. I glued the shields in place and gave the miniatures a sealing coat of Testors Dullcote, then set them aside to dry overnight.

Phew! Done, and not a moment too soon. When I showed up at the tournament, I did so with a completely painted 46-figure warband.

I present to you my painted 900-point Celtiberian warband for Clash of Spears!

The warband. I use sheet magnets on the bases and a metal bottom glued to the carrying box to keep the figures from sliding around and getting damaged in transit. The spears in particular are prone to breakage.

The Celtiberian nobles charge!

This is why we work so hard to paint our troops. There is nothing like the appearance of a nicely painted army on a well-decorated tabletop.

This picture from one of my games shows the cavalry charging into a formation of Roman troops.

The scutarii obey their leader's order to form a wall of shields. (This is why I changed their bases to square.)

By the way, the people that say a fully painted army gets better dice rolls are lying to you. You can read about just how good my dice-rolling skills were here.

The next challenge for me is to add some more units to the Celtiberians so I can have some flexibility when selecting a force. The standard Clash of Spears game is 900 points, and that is exactly what I have painted, so I do not have any room to make changes in troop selection.

After adding a few units, I hope to knock out some smaller painting projects, which I will share here, for a variety of other games.

Then, I will tackle a Carthaginian army, including at least one elephant! Go big or go home, right?

'Til next time!

Clash of Spears - Summer 2022 Georgia Tournament!

2022-08-29T16:09:00.001-04:00

I gathered this past Saturday, Aug. 27, with a group of wargamers to participate in the Clash of Spears Summer 2022 tournament at Giga-Bites Cafe in Marietta.

The tournament was hosted by my friends Alvaro and Francisco Erize - the amazing duo of brothers at the heart of Fighting Hedgehog and authors of the award-winning Clash of Spears rules.

Due to life circumstances, I've not been able to game in a long, long, time. But now that things have changed for the better, when I heard about the tournament I was eager to attend. I just needed to finish painting an army - so I stepped up and did what I usually do: I waited until the last moment and worked like mad to get a Celtiberian force painted up in time. Fortunately, I succeeded and showed up on the day with a fully-painted 900-point Celtiberian warband! (I will write on the painting saga in a later post.)

There were about nine other warlords vying for the famed Clash gladius, though that number would vary throughout the day as some had to leave early.

My tournament after-action report will be told mostly in pictures and descriptions, rather than a boring, dry verbal account.

Once I arrived and the tables were set up (which I have to say, were beautiful), it was time to fight! Just my luck, I was paired against Alvaro in the first game - great. My first foray back into wargaming in many years, and I was faced with one of the game's designers! I did not expect this game to be easy, and I was right.

My deployment, and my first mistake. With two leaders, I should not have split my forces into three divisions. That meant my Lvl 4 leader would have to try and stay centered all battle in order to be able to give orders to two formations.

The right side, my left, of the Roman line. A nice. strong, compact formation.

The left, my right, of the Roman army. Light troops flanking the shield wall.

My Celtiberian nobles and a Lvl 3 leader form up on the flank.

Overview of the initial deployment. Observant players will already see that I am going to have trouble concentrating enough force to break the enemy line.

On my right, the caetrati and slingers face a well-drilled Roman formation. They would eventually see off the caetrati and assault into the slingers.

The scutarii look on as a unit of caetrati advances to contest the objective.

Clash of Spear measurement gauges come in very handy when making sure your troops stop just outside of enemy missile range,

On my left, top in this picture, Alvaro's Romans have advanced steadily towards the objective while maintaining a strong formation. At the bottom, the enemy eye each other earily over the second objective.

I took advantage of an opportunity to charge with my nobles, doing very little damage, before riding away back to a safe distance.

The Roman troops, having dispatched the caetrati, secure the objective by charging into and pushing back the slingers.

At this point, the Romans held both objectives. Combined with heavy losses among my caetrati, this was enough to force a break test which I failed, conceding the field of battle to the Romans.

At the left objective, I still had enough force to cause some damage, had the leaders not decided that discretion is the better part of valor and fled!

The outcome was never in doubt, and my Celtiberians abandoned the field to Alvaro's Romans, awarding him a major victory. I managed to salvage a single victory point - not an auspicious start to the campaign.

The second game would be a skirmish between similar forces as my Celtiberians took on Kenny's Iberians in an internecine peninsular clash.

Kenny and I, right, prior to our match. Pardon the lunch detritus in the foreground, but Clashing makes one hungry.

The Celtiberian line, a much more compact formation than the previous battle.

Initial deployment, with the objective markers (the top objective is hidden in the structure). This was the retrieval scenario, with the hidden object in one of the randomly selected objectives. Until we knew which, we'd have to contest them all.

On the right, the caetrati advance towards the objective.

Slingers start peppering the enemy, caught in the open, with stones, diminishing their ranks.

State of the opposing forces after the first turn. My line is still holding together well.

A solid line of Celtiberians.

The slngers, having devastated one unit of enemy troops, turn their attention to the one securing the center objective, which, as the fates would have it, contained the hidden valuable. The enemy gains the advantage.

On the left, the caetrati soften up the opposing cavalry before being charged and taking some losses. Still, their javelins took their toll.

The weakened cavalry was no match for the charge of the scutarii, who decimated them!

At this point, though the enemy had possession of the treasure, the Celtiberians were solidly in control of the field. Due to their losses, the Iberians were forced to take a break test and fled, abandoning the sacred item that had cost them so much in sweat and blood.

This game went much more my way, with the Celtiberians gaining a major victory! The nine points from this battle got me to 10 total points, firmly in the middle but still with an outside shot at the champion's gladius if things went well in the third game.

For that crucial game, I faced off against Brett and his heavily armored Romans - this would be a tough test indeed.

Once again, the Celtiberians face a heavily armored, compact formation of Romans.

Apart from a unit of velites on the hill, the Romans were all heavily armored with big shields to absorb missile attacks.

The wild Celtiberian caetrati rush screaming from the woods. Perhaps next time, quietly staying in cover would be more effective...

The one real tactical mistake I can point to that my opponent made - his cavalry charged unsupported and were caught alone and in the open.

Not one to pass up an opportunity, the leader orders the scutarii to break formation and throw their spears, impaling the the horses and riders under a storm of sharp steel. The eerie cries of dying horses could be heard across the battlefield.

Emboldened by the success of the scutarii, the caetrati charge a wall of Roman shields - with little effect other than to die upon Roman spearpoints.

Don't let the apparently disordered Roman line fool you - at this point they are still in a very strong defensive position keeping my troops away from the objective.

After butchering the caetrati, and the scutarii next, the Romans command the center.

I managed to salvage some respectability by charging my cavalry into the enemy deployment zone, but it was too little, too late. I failed the break test convincingly, handing Brett a major victory.

In the end, the might of Rome prevailed again as the Celtiberians really weren't able to score enough damaging hits, while getting punished in return. Brett's major victory was a crushing defeat for my troops, and the two victory points I was able to salvage left me with 11 total - tied for fifth in the overall standings, firmly and solidly mediocre.

My impressions on the day:

First, Alvaro and Francisco put on a terrific tournament. Each and every table had beautiful well-placed scenery that truly enhanced the gaming experience. And the brothers were gracious hosts, moving from table to table to answer the myriad of rules questions and comment on the ebbs and flows of the games.

Secondly, the level of good sportsmanship was tremendously high. The competition was fierce, but there was no sense of the uber-competitive, win-at-all-costs, attitude I have sometimes seen at other events. Yes, everyone was out to win, but all of my opponents were fair and kind. Moves and countermoves were discussed before decisions were made, and rules queries were addressed politely.

It was a pleasure to compete and enjoy a day of fellowship with such a great group of guys. Despite the thrashing my army took at the hands of the Romans, I am eager to send them back into the fray.

I am planning on adding some units with heavier armor, but that will mean fewer skirmishers... or smaller units... or different leaders...

Choices, choices.

I have decided on one thing - next time, the gladius will be mine! Oh yes, my precious, it will be mine!

'Til next time.