Gripping Beast Late Roman Army (Warband)

Finished up all of the shields with LBMS transfers - which I managed to only screw up one of them after forgetting to peel of the plastic layer before wetting the paper backing. Otherwise the transfers are great - they even have the areas for the shield bosses cut out. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the completed project. All of the figures are plastics from a box each of Gripping Beast Late Roman Infantry, Light Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry, and Cataphracts.

All of the shields - except for the ones with the foot unit on the far left - are LBMS transfers.

More than enough infantry for the SAGA games I play in - usually 6 point warbands. However, for something like Hail Caesar (or WAB), more infantry would likely be needed - another box or two of Gripping Beast plastics. The unit in the front can be used as Hearthguard as they wear mail hauberks.

Again, for SAGA, way more cavalry then needed for most games. As the Heavy Cavalry and Cataphracts are classed as Hearthguard, every four figures costs 1 point. I do plan to use the Light Cavalry as Warriors with composite bows for sure though. I like having a mobile missile unit in games.

Thanks again for stopping by and checking out the blog. Best wishes to you all.

Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, Calabria and Sicily

Another Black Tree Design 2d Crusades figure from their command pack. He is depicted as Robert Guiscard, his shield bearing the arms of De Hautville. He was one of twelve sons sired by the Norman lord, Tancred de Hautville during the 11th Century. Most of these sons left Normandy to seek wealth and glory in Italy. Robert was the most successful of these.

The Greek (Byzantine) princess and historian, Anna Comena, described Robert thus:

"This Robert was Norman by birth, of obscure origins, with an overbearing character and a thoroughly villainous mind; he was a brave fighter, very cunning in his assaults on the wealth and power of great men; in achieving his aims absolutely inexorable, diverting criticism by incontrovertible argument. He was a man of immense stature, surpassing even the biggest men; he had a ruddy complexion, fair hair, broad shoulders, eyes that all but shot out sparks of fire. In a well-built man one looks for breadth here and slimness there; in him all was admirably well-proportioned and elegant... Homer remarked of Achilles that when he shouted his hearers had the impression of a multitude in uproar, but Robert’s bellow, so they say, put tens of thousands to flight."

He defeated the Byzantine Emperor Alexios Komnemos at Battle of Dyrrhachium in 1081. In this battle, Normans fought against their kindred serving in the Varangian Guard of the Byzantines. The Byzantines suffered heavy losses, including most the Varangian Guard.

Robert died of fever while on campaign in 1085. His eldest son Bohemond I of Antioch would be a leader of the First Crusade. Robert had several other sons, of whom Roger Borsa was named his heir. Roger ruled Southern Italy until his death in 1111.

How to paint a Dappled Horse - hopefully the following can be of some use - please feel free to contact me (via comments here or otherwise), for any questions:

1) Start with a white undercoat (I used cheap Walmart spray paint).

2) Add washes of thinned down black. In this case I used craft store black mixed with PVA (Elmer's Glue). The PVA slows the drying and allows the color to settle into recesses. This process not only helps for definition and black lining horse furniture, it also "grays" down the horse flesh for the white spots.

3) Use a fairly small/fine tip brush - I use an old 00-Series brush - for the dappling. Add groups of 3 to 5 white dots in a somewhat geometric pattern, staying away from the head, lower legs and underbelly. Try to arrange the groups so they appear separate from other groups. The dots themselves are irregular in size, as well as not too strongly white - I sometimes add a little water to the brush when applying the dots. This gives some dots a bit of transparency - which adds to the irregularity.

4) This last step is optional, but you can also soften the pattern with a very light dry brushing of white. This can blend in areas that may appear too dark in contrast.

5) The rest of the horse, like lower legs, mane and tail are painted like regular colored horses. That is, black can be used for the lower parts of the legs and white markings at the hooves. Tails and manes for dappled horses can be any color - from white to black.

It's a lot simpler then it sounds, I can assure you. Enjoy!

John de Courcy, King of Ulster

Here is a Black Tree Design 2nd Crusades figure painted up as the Anglo-Norman Warlord John de Courcy. He was quite a reputable warrior who conquered much of Ireland in the latter part of the 12th Century.  The De Courcy arms are three red (gules) eagles on a white (argent) field. His helmet is the Phrygian Cap style popular at the time, after the 1st and 2nd Crusades.

De Courcy's actions in Ireland were not sanctioned by King Henry II, who declared De Courcy a traitor. Later, Henry's successor, King John ordered Hugh de Lacy to arrest him. De Courcy was famed for his martial prowess and his capture by Sir Hugh was as much by guile as feat of arms.

Here is an excerpt from the Book of Howth of the capture:
"Sir Hugh de Lacy was commanded to do what he might to apprehend and take Sir John de Courcy, and so devised and conferred with certain of Sir John's own men, how this might be done; and they said it were not possible to take him, since he lived ever in his armour, unless it were a Good Friday and they told that his custom was that on that day he would wear no shield, harness nor weapon, but would be in the church, kneeling at his prayers, after he had gone about the church five times bare-footed. And so they came at him upon the sudden, and he had no shift to make but with the cross pole, and defended him until it was broken and slew thirteen of them before he was taken.

His armor is not much different from those worn at the Battle of Hastings about a hundred years earlier. The wearing of surcoats still not common, and the shield still fairly large. Mail was more fully worn over most of the limbs.

De Courcy was imprisoned after his capture, and later released upon his oath of going on pilgrimage in the Holy Land.

Norman Defeat at Mal Fosse (Evil Ditch) - A Lion Rampant AAR

Just play tested another Lion Rampant game based upon the final actions at the Battle of Hastings. After the death of Harold and most of his army, a remnant force of Saxons held the high ground above Mal Fosse - or "Evil Ditch." The ditch was not apparent to the mounted Normans who charged headlong into the morass. In this scenario the ditch was deemed an obstacle which once reached could be moved out of in the next turn. However, while in the ditch it was considered rough terrain with attendant decreases in Attack value and Armour saves. The Norman force included four units of Mounted Serjeants and one unit of archers. The Saxons were four units of Foot MAA and two units of Bidowers with bows. The game was called after the Normans had lost over half of their forces - only one Mounted Serjeant unit and the Archer unit were left after turn 6. The Norman Archers never reached their missile range. The fighting was brutal in the ditch - mainly for the Normans due to their lowered Attack and Armor values, as well as the Saxon Huscarls' Ferocious rule.

Start of the battle - Saxon Huscarls spread out along the high ground above the ditch, with Bidower bowmen in the woods. Norman forces, mostly mounted charge into the fading sunlight with no knowledge of the dangerous terrain in front of them.

Center of the Saxon battle line with the draco standard still flying proudly. The ditch hidden below them.

Turn 1 has all Norman units successfully activating movement. They have little to fear as they believe this is just a mopping up operation as the main battle had already ended for the Saxons on Senlac Hill.

Turn 2 has all but one of the Norman units, the archers, achieving yet another successful full movement towards the enemy. The Saxons deferred any actions in their first turn. Now the Bidowers will unleash their short ranged arrows with some success.

Turn 3 has the Norman cavalry stuck in the ditch with Saxon Huscarls eagerly engaging them in combat whilst encumbered in the rough terrain.

A unit of Norman cavalry flees after failing their Courage test following taking casualties from Bidower bow fire.

On the Saxon left, Huscarls fail to reach the stranded Norman cavalry. The Norman cavalry roll successfully for a charge on the bidowers. The Bidowers themselves roll successfully for an Evade and perform a nice Skirmish action of firing and movement just out of charge range. The rough terrain no doubt helping them and hindering the Normans.

Bidowers out of charge range after taking out not a few Normans. The Normans subsequently failed their Courage test and fled off the field.

With three of four Norman cavalry wiped out or fled off the battlefield, the Saxons are victorious. No need to learn French!

If I had the appropriate figures, the Saxons would've been limited to only two units of Huscarls (Foot MAA), and several other units of Fyrd classed as either Foot Serjeants or Yeomen. I would have also given the Normans one unit of Foot MAA.  This may have balanced out the game play better. Either way, I really like these rules which not only are adaptable to a wide range of periods, but require only a modest amount of figures for interesting scenarios.

SAGA Refresher Training

A good turn out today at the Game Matrix for some SAGA refresher training. Actually, it's been so long since I last played it, it was like learning new rules again. And to be honest, I had only played it a few times before - over two years ago. Luckily, a very experienced player showed up and provided some timely instruction. I lost both of my games against my buddy Bruce's Jomsvikings (he used Dwarfs to intimidate me even more). They kept getting full of Wrath, so it was inevitable. Plus I impetuously used my Warlord where he was killed in melee in both games. Several other players showed up too, but I was too busy to notice most of their games.

A unit of my Crusader Warriors in melee with a Jomsviking Hearthguard unit.

A unit of Crusader Warriors with crossbows facing off Jomsvikings including their Warlord

The Crusader Warlord advancing

One of the other SAGA games today - Scott M.'s Byzantines vs. Adrian's Normans

It was quite a good session - particularly as I got two games in quicker than a single WAB game. And this with the serious learning curve going on. That all said, I'm looking forward to getting started on Lion Rampant!

SAGA Crescent & the Cross Crusader Warband

Okay, these aren't newly painted figures, but I just rebased them for use as a 1st Crusades Warband. They are on parade awaiting the arrival of their Warlord - just ordered from Black Tree Designs. This 6 Point Warband consists of two Mounted units of Hearthguards, one each Warrior unit of Mounted, Crossbows and Bows; and finally a Mounted unit of Mercenary Warriors.

All of the figures are from Crusader - appropriately enough - except for the the crossbowmen which are Old Glory. The shields have LBMS transfers.

They were originally part of a WAB army, and used extensively in the past. It's nice to have them out of the barracks in anticipation of some SAGA battles.

The last time I played SAGA was a couple of years ago - and had used an all foot Viking Warband. I recall being soundly defeated by a Norman Warband with troops similar to what this Crusader force is. Looking forward to seeing how these guys perform.

Celts/Gauls Rebase and Harold Godwinson

Decided to rebase some Celt/Gaul figures onto Litko bases; infantry three figures per 40mm square, and two cav per 50mm square. They were previously based for WAB - and used in games as Seleucid mercenaries. They are mostly Old Glory figures with a few Gripping Beast command figures. Most of the shields have LBMS transfers; a few of the Gripping Beast shields were hand-painted as the transfers wouldn't fit onto them.

Encouraged by the way the modified Hail Caesar rules played out with the Siege of Haengju game, I plan to use these against the Warlord Games EIR troops that have never seen action as of yet.

To round out the units, I painted up a few more Gripping Beast figures using the method of block painting and Minwax staining - I am still using the remnants of a can that is practically gone save a few drops.

The Harold figure in front is a Crusader Miniatures figure that was used to round out another base of Saxons.

Here is Harold in front of some Old Glory light armored Norman that were also rebased two per on 50mm squares.

I've just about had it with single-based figures and casualty removal for most games, so eventually all my figures will be multi-based. I'm thinking of rebasing my Norman and HYW French knights three-per 80X50mm bases. Another Litko order may be placed soon.

Pyrrhus and Harold Godwinson Command Stands

Yet a couple more command stands for Hail Caesar - Pyrrhus, King of the Molossians and Harold, the Last Anglo-Saxon King of England.

Pyrrhus is a Relic Miniatures figure and his standard bearer a Redoubt figure from their Oscan range. King Harold and his body guard are both Crusader Miniatures figures. All were painted a few years ago.

I highly recommend the grass tufts and flowers from Army Painter - they really make enhancing bases quick and easy. They're also very reasonably priced, and the tufts come in various shades.

Both of these kings met their fate on the battlefield, and were both noteworthy warriors. Unfortunately, both are remembered more for their demise rather than their feats.

Gripping Beast Beserkers

Here is the final unit for my 6 point SAGA Viking Warband - they're a unit of Beserkers which will be interesting to see in combat. My buddy Scott A. gave them to me awhile ago as he had spares - I finally had the motivation to paint them today. Actually I had painted their flesh and given them a wash about a week ago and just had the hardest time picking up a brush.

The wolf skins were fairly easy to paint - mostly dry-brushed; two in grey and two in brown. An old copy of WAB's Shield Wall was a great reference for the coloring.

The shield patterns were also shamelessly lifted from Shield Wall pictures.

Interesting enough, I passed up a chance for some SAGA games today which were hosted by my buddy Dan P. at Drumbeat - the annual game day up in Seattle. I had some family commitments (my youngest son's dental check up, etc.), so used my spare time to finish these guys. Oh well, at least my Viking Warband will be ready for the next opportunity.

Levy Bowmen for SAGA

Painted up some Wargames Factory Numidian Light Infantry as Levy Bowmen for a SAGA Viking Warband. They are pretty much as is from the box, except for the composite bows being straightened and shortened a bit. Most of the bare legs and arms were painted like they had long sleeves and trousers. I had used the other 12 figures as generic Ancient javelin men, and these can be used as generic Dark Age/Medieval bowmen. After a second, and very entertaining, SAGA game this past Saturday, I decided my Viking Warband needed bowmen that looked more the part of levies. I had used mail-clad Norman Bowmen that looked too "Warrior"-like.

Here are the 12 Levy bowmen out in front of the Warlord (w/uncounted musician), a unit of 8 Hearthguard, and two units of 8 Warriors. My buddy is giving me four Beserkers to round out a 6 point Warband. The two-handed axemen are Crusader figures that I've used for a WAB Norman army in the past.

Although I've only played two games of SAGA, I enjoy the rules and find the Battle Board system an ingenious way add a lot of variety to Warband factions. So much so, that my Norman opponent, luckily for me, forgot many of his special rules. My Vikings still got hammered, but it was a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to more SAGA games in the near future.

Here are the bowmen prior to Minwax staining and highlighting. Using the Minwax process, the initial painting is reminiscent of how I painted 1/72nd plastics in days gone by - and fun days they were!

Viking Warlord and Dragon Ship Helmsman

This is a Crusader Miniatures figure from the Harold Godwinson set - he'll serve as a Viking warlord for the Dragon Ship, as well as for SAGA. Yes, I've been a bit taken with these rules along with many of the local crew here in Washington State.

This is the helmsman that came with the Old Glory Viking Ship set. I may add a pin to one of his feet and attach him permanently to the ship - currently he's on a washer.

Here are some close ups of the sail assembly that was scratch-built using a wooden dowel, bamboo stick, cloth and some thread.

Speaking of SAGA, we're having another go at it next weekend. I plan to use some of my existing figures from a Norman army for a Viking warband. The figures are actually Crusader Miniatures Saxons, but they will double as Vikings.

ADDENDUM:
Added a few more photos with the ship based - now all I need to get is more ships and a game mat with 1.5 foot hexes.

WAB Dark Ages Campaign - Game Day #2 - 3/17/12

We had a nice turnout today for our second game day of the Dark Ages Campaign Pat L. is running. We had four games running concurrently in two separate rounds. I showed up with my Thematic Byzantines - two units of combined Elite cavalry and one of combined Elite infantry as we're still at only 1,500 points. My opponent for the first round was Ron with his all-infantry Vikings. His skirmishing archers were doing a pretty good job at whittling down one of my cavalry units. However, my other cavalry unit with their bows was doing some damage to his main infantry. His skirmishers ran off the table and I ended up winning this game on points.

Adrian also had a Thematic Byzantine army - although his cavalry wasn't combined with bows. He also had one cavalry unit as skirmishers. He went against Dan's Vikings in the first round - I believe Dan won both of his games today.

I failed to get a photo of Pat's Thematic Byzantines that fought against Bruce D.'s Arthurians in the first round. I did manage to get a photo of James' Early-Byzantines going against Old Bob's Ostrogoths. I think James won his first round too. Bob braved some early-morning snow to make up all the way from Oregon.

Some of us, like me, who wouldn't be able to attend our next game day went ahead and fought another battle. I won against Adrian at the very end of Turn 6. My single foot unit defeated his cavalry unit along with his Army General - nothing like a clear victory. So far, for the three games I've played, I've won two and tied one - the first game against Pat. Interestingly (or maybe uninterestingly) most of us have either Thematic Byzantine or Russian armies - no one wanted to go with the less sexy-types, I guess. Pat will be posting an update of our standings in the campaign soon on his site, Northwest Historical Wargames.