Roman Seas Has Arrived

Got my order yesterday. Already went to Staples this morning & have the Roman Navy ships printed to 60lb paper. Eric recommends 67-80lb paper, but Staples only had 60 & 100lb. I could glue it to regular paper which is 20lb. I may do this for the deck. I had the PDF rules printed & spiral bound with protective covers. Also, had the QRS sheets laminated.
I've read over the construction for the ships and it seems pretty straight forward. Just need to get a good cutting surface. My normal mat for painting has a lot of crud on it - like dried paint & glue that would likely screw up any straight-edge cutting. After I glue the ships together, I'll go to Joann's or Micheal's for card matting to use as bases.

The mat I ordered uses 5" hexes; that's what Eric recommends for 1:300 scale; and the size he used at Enfilade. I'll probably get another 6' X 4' mat; one seems so small compared to the three Eric used at Enfilade. However, I don't have a table large enough for two right now.

I will try to post a Work-in-Progress, as this project moves along.

Trojan War Casualties

I finally got around to finishing these guys. These figures were among other Redoubt Trojan War figures I won off of ebay several years ago. They're a little too big to put on the chariot bases I use, so they'll be individually mounted. I'll probably just place them on the battlefield for looks.

Roman Seas Rules Released

Wow - I was just surfing the 'net and wanted to see what was new on Eric Hotz' Roman Seas, and lo and behold, his rules have been released.

Here's the description of the rules: Roman Seas is a fast-paced, dynamic, multi-player miniatures game designed for use with 6mm (1/300th) scale ship models and miniatures, and played on a hex grid game board. Roman Seas is designed to allow each player to control a squadron of two to ten ships. Players will be able to recreate small naval actions from the start of the first Punic War when Rome constructed its first major fleets (264 BC), to Actium (31 BC), to the effective end of the Roman Navy (400 AD).

Here's the cover of the book (the illustration is also in the old National Geographic book "Greece and Rome").
Here's a page from the rules (available hard copy now; PDF version should be available soon).
I was fortunate enough to get to in on a game at Enfilade this past May. When asked about his rules, I recall Eric saying it was in the works. To me, it sounded like it was a ways off - which disappointed me, as I really enjoyed the game. I liked the mechanics, as well as the great-looking ships and terrain. As most folks know, the ships and gaming aids are printed on card stock and have crisp, clean detail. He also had 6mm figures on the decks, which are a perfect match and only add to appeal of the game.

I already plan to order the PDF version with CD, Roman Navy set, and hex mat. The CD includes files of all the gaming aids - ship rosters (pre-filled & blank), markers, counters, etc. I also plan to get some 6mm Baccus Republican Romans to man the decks. This is what I envision gaming Actium will look like:

Museum of Flight 10/17/09

Dan & I hosted a Sharp Practice game this afternoon at the Museum of Flight up on Seattle. We represented the Puyallup (War)gamers, along with other NHMGS members. There were some DBA games, a Wings of War aerial combat game, Kevin Smyth's air race game, and a Micro Armor WW2 game - besides our game. This was my first time at the museum, and it is a very nice and interesting place. The NHMGS have been able to host games there for several years, and I believe they always get to set up under the SR71 Blackbird.
Since I was fairly busy GMing the game, along with Dan, I was only able to take a few photos. As you can tell, the set up is pretty much the way we've play-tested the game. Basically, the French in garrison and the British coming on the table via blinds. We decided on minimal terrain to allow the two sides to engage as soon as possible. We did manage to get all the basic rules gamed - that is, movement, firing, and a few rounds of fisticuffs. Although this was the first Sharp Practice game for the players, their previous gaming experience really helped out, as they pointed out a few items which Dan & I hadn't tried out before. One was the tests to see if Big Men were hit while attached to formations. All in all, it was a good time and time well-spent.

Aggressive opening moves by the French right - the British were later spotted & blinds removed.
French commander of the garrison at the church ponders the use of his voltigeurs and other troops.
The French and British on this end of the battlefield were both very aggressive and quickly formed groups into formation and advanced to close range. Admittedly, both sides had poor marksmanship (er, dice rolls) and ended up giving each other plenty of shock points, but very few kills.
This was the first round of fisticuffs initiated by the French. A couple more rounds led from either side followed. Which resulted in a few more kills and shock points. As stated previously, these guys weren't afraid to cross bayonets.

Thracian Peltasts - Crusader Minis

I painted these figures yesterday - actually off-and-on until late into the night. Excellently sculpted and very rugged for the gaming table. Again, these are pretty much wargame standard - no eyes painted. I'm looking forward to using them with my Macedonian army. I also have a unit of late-Thracian javelin men with oval shields to work on - also from Crusader. Looking at the pictures, I realized I forgot to paint the metal cloak pins - they're painted now.
I based the designs on the tunics and cloaks from what I found on the internet - such as this one:
The shields designs were also based on known patterns. I used LBM transfers which I had left-over from an earlier project for some of the shields.

Crusader Norman Bowmen

Here are some Norman Bowmen from Crusader. Nice sculpts and fairly easy to paint since they're wearing mail hauberks with only a few areas of exposed clothing. I actually managed to finish them in a few hours yesterday & finished flocking their bases this morning. The mail is well detailed & only needs a light dry-brushing of silver over the black undercoat. The faces & hands were give a light flesh coat and wash of Vallejo ink/stain. I don't paint eyes anymore for figures intended primarily for gaming - which speeds up the work tremendously.

These guys will be a welcome addition to my Norman army, which up till now had only crossbowmen and two-handed axemen as infantry. The crossbowmen usually perform well, but since they can't move & fire, these regular bowmen will be a nice complement. I also plan to use them in my next army - an Early-Feudal/Clerical German army.

Old Glory 12th (13th) Cent. Infantry - Finished

Just finished the shields for these guys who will be core infantry for a Feudal WAB army. They are in heavy armor with large shields and have thrusting spears. The two units are mixed-ordered formation with crossbowmen. I already have crossbowmen which I use in my Norman and French HYW armies.
I suppose I should get some banners for the combat bonus. I'll probably work on the light cavalry unit next, and save the mounted knights for last.

1st Corps Spartan Lochagos

This is a 1st Corps Spartan Hoplite leader that I thought was too short. So, I sawed him in half at the top of his greaves & then added pins to increase his height. I also added some ancillary armor to his right arm, thighs, and groin - using Green Stuff.
Here's an image of a hoplite wearing additional armor:
There are statuettes showing this type of armor worn, as well as actual surviving pieces in museums - even armor for the foot and ankles. It is believed these items were worn in the Archaic period - probably not worn by the time of the Persian Wars. However, maybe some leaders still wore it on occasion. I recall an Alexandrian Successor general wore double armor in battle.

Feudal German Shields

I did some tests to see if I could paint shields designs approximating those in this picture:
I used a pencil for a rough outline & then just dabbed on some paint. It seems to be do-able - if a bit rough, but I didn't spend too much time on them. My wife was sitting next to me on the computer & I was squeezing in next to her trying to paint these - my computer is next to my paint table. They should look a little better after I go back & clean them up.

Old Glory 12th (13th) Cent. Infantry

Since I'm waiting on some Perry & Victrix Napoleonics ordered thru The Game Matrix, I figured I might as well work on some Old Glory stuff I've had laying around.

I decided to do a work in progress on the 12th Century Infantry from their Mongols in Europe range. They actually appear to be armored a bit later; more 13th Century by the full mail and kettle helmets they're wearing. Which is why they will be part of an Early Feudal army of the 13th Century. These guys were already given a black undercoat & mounted on Wargames Accessories metal bases. Some of them are on 40 X 20mm (two per base), and some singles on 20 X 20mm - which I had to cut.

This photo shows the mail in the process of Vallejo Natural Steel mixed with a little Vallejo Silver being dry-brushed on. The hauberks are getting the same treatment with a mixture of Vallejo Yellow, Saddle-Brown, & White. For the flesh, Vallejo Medium Flesh lightened with White were used. I wanted the leather and flesh in lighter colors as I will then give them a wash of Vallejo inks.
This photo shows them just having received a wash of inks. The skin was given a wash of Vallejo Game Ink Dark Flesh and the hauberks were given a wash of a mixture of Vallejo Game Ink Dark Flesh & Black. There are several 1st Corps Greek Hoplites in the back - since there was left over wash, and I hate wasting stuff. When you use washes, you want to have a good base coat several shades lighter than what you want the finished product to look like, as washes tend to stain and darken.
Here's an image of what I want these guys to look like - at least in spirit.
I just finished these guys - only need to spray seal & flock the bases. I have movement trays already for these guys to be in two units - 15 spearmen & 5 crossbowmen each.
And ranked up:
Not bad, only took about a day and a half to paint them - wargame standard of course. I also got to watch Sharp's Waterloo today too. Oh, I just remembered, I still need to paint their shields - I plan to use geometric patterns, similar to these:
The shields for these figures aren't as tall as these kite shields, but larger than heaters.

Victrix Eagle Bearers

Here are three eagle bears representing the 8th, 27th, and 45th Regiments of the Line. These regiments served in the Peninsular and Waterloo, as well as many other famous campaigns and battles. The Victrix French Line Infantry set comes with eight different regimental flags. The others are the 2nd, 36th, 47th, 70th, and 105th Regiments of the Line.
The officer on the far right in the the actual figure type for the bearer, as he comes with the cross belt with for the standard. However, the other two are officer types and I've seen pictures of eagle bearers dressed similar to them - i.e. with greatcoat over their shoulders. The intent is to have different flags for different regiments for historical scenarios. In actuality, you really have to look hard to make out the numbers on the flags. Also, I should be able to use them for a set of Perry French Infantry which comes with the later tri-colors; in case I want them to appear in an earlier period.

With the completion of the two figures on the left, I have now finished all 60 figures that came in the one box. Not a bad deal at all - the figures costs about $0.50 each.

Another Round of Sharp Practice

Today, 9/20/09, played another game of Sharp Practice. This time Adrian came over & played the British. Dan & I played the French. Sort of the same scenario as last week. British attacking the French in garrison. Adrian used six blinds, four of which were dummy blinds.

I played the French left, and the Voltigeurs once again were the first to engage the British. Pretty much with the same result, as I can never bring up supporting units in time. The British being larger than the small group of Voltigeurs always end up breaking my Voltigeurs to excessive shock points - they never really get killed off that bad, though.
As Adrian had the British come up through the center and French left, Dan was on the other end trying to reach the battle in time. He never really got into the action by the time we called it quits.
I think we did learn a bit more about movement and firing, and the use of Big Men with groups and formations. The game actually brought up more questions than answers that we could find in the rules. I think they will be willing to try it out again - maybe. I'm willing to, but will also take a look at some home-made rules from Wes R. I'm still looking forward to painting up a few more boxes of Napoleonics - a set of Victrix Highlanders and a set of Perry French.

Addendum: The FAQs on the Two Fat Lardies site answered a lot of the questions we had. Ready for round 3, although I suspect Dan wants to try out his Foundry Napoleon rules.