28mm Ancient Greek Army part 3 - The Commanders

 Good Morning

A few months back I shared some pictures of my growing Greek Army in 28mm...at last count I could field 32 units each with 32 figures over 1000 figures. At that point the project stalled. I still had to finish the basing on over 250 stands plus all the additional units needed assembling, painting etc.

More pictures of the Hoplites can be seen HERE

Over the last six weeks I have hit a purple batch of painting and the army is slowly coming towards a successful completion.

Up first are the Commanders - these are all based on round bases to differentiate them from the rank and file. The figures are predominantly plastic but I have utilised the metal command stands supplied in the Warlord Games Hoplite boxes. 

To date I have completed 9 command stands - 7 large and two small

As opposed to random shields I have opted on a singular colour scheme for each command stand with the same design on each Hoplon.

Small Spartan Command Stand

Athenians

Larger Spartan Stand

Side view of above

The bases are my standard sand, grit, pva and emulsion base, then drybrushed yellow ochre followed by cream. On top of that I have added static grass (2mm spring mix) and some flowery tufts.

Another Athenian General

Up next the Greek Light Cavalry....which can now be seen HERE

More Soon

Battle of Mons Graupius - A 28mm Ancient Roman Wargame

 Afternoon All

A few years back myself and a good friend put together a project focussing on the Roman Invasion of Britannia in glorious 28mm. Between us we managed to put together two Legions alongside hundreds of auxiliaries (archers, cavalry and infantry). Facing this mighty force were over 2000 Ancient Britons and Celts. Sadly these chaps frequent the table on a rare occasion so we felt this ought to change and over the last couple of Monday nights we have tried to recreate the Roman Invasion of Caledonia (Scotlands) and the lesser known battle of Mons Graupius. 

17ft table looking across the slopes of Mons Graupius

The Roman Army

Roman Cavalry

This post talks about out attempts to bring this game to the table, the orders of battle and stats for the units involved plus our two games. Suffice to say that the honours were even with each protagonists winning one engagement.

The forces edge forward

Background

What we know about this battle comes from the Roman writer Tacitus. We know it was fought in Scotland (most likely the North East coastal plain) in either 83AD or 84AD. Having successfully conquered Wales and Northern Britain the Roman Governor Julius Agricola marched north into Scotland to complete the invasion of Britannia. Facing him were the warring tribes of the highlands loosely allied to face this Roman threat. The Caledonii as known were lead by King Calgacus.

Before engagement...

Charge !!!

For some weeks Calgacus refused to give the Romans the pitched battle they craved, his strategy was to harass and generally avoid meeting the strong invader head on in the belief that they might just go away. However when the Romans were beginning to force the point and began to threaten the natives winter grain supplies his hand was forced.

Fierce fighting across the front

The two sides were soon drawn into combat . Arrayed across the slopes of Mons Graupius the locals held the advantageous terrain. The two sides were evenly matched in numbers with each side reported to field 30,000 men (if true this could well be the largest ever battle fought on British soil)

Skirmishing on the slopes

Generals debate their orders

The Romans deployed with their auxiliaries (mostly likely German/Batavian units) to the front, flanked by their armoured cavalry. The Legion was drawn up as a tactical reserve. Rumour has it that Agricola was keen not to sill Roman blood on these worthless natives.

As the Romans advanced the Britons charged forward en masse. The result was a massacre, according to Tacitus a third of the Caledoni were killed with the remaining routed, all for the cost of only 360 auxiliary soldiers. 

Despite winning the day The Romans never fully conquered the highlands as there attempts were hindered by political issues of the day and the need to draw troops from Briton to other parts of the empire.

One final point according to Tacitus the Caledoni Calgucus addressed the tribes on the eve of battle with the following words.....which sounds very similar to the words used by Mel Gibson in Braveheart

“You have mustered to a man, and to a man you are free.”

Celtic Light horse chase down the Romans

In both games we used the Hail Caesar ruleset and the stats for most of the units were drawn from the Britannia supplement. Note we did alter the Caledonian forces in the second game to create a more balanced game.

Holding the line against the horde

Orders of Battle

Romans

9 x Cohorts of Regular Roman Infantry (Testudo, Drilled) - Stamina 6

1 x Large Primus Cohort - Veteran Romans (Testudo, Drilled, Tough Fighters, Elite 4+ - Stamina 8

5 x Auxiliary Infantry (standard units) - stamina 6

5 x Auxiliary Archers (standard) - Stamina 6

7 x Scorpions (light Artillery)

5 x Medium Auxilliary Cavalry - Stamina 6

The Romans were given 9 commanders (all rated 9) and could use these to command any unit - we wanted the Roman forces to have complete flexibility on the table. 

The Roman infantry were deployed in the centre as the players saw fit - our first game saw the auxiliaries lead the line (not a good idea) but in the real battle they did all the hard work. The Cavalry were split and lined the flanks.

Trying to break the line

Caledoni

24 x Large Warbands of Warriors - Stamina 8. In the first game they were given armour of 5+ plus tough fighter trait. The second game saw the removal of the trait and armour modified to 6+. These were brigaded into 4 brigade across the centre. Each Brigade had a commander rated 8

6 x Light Cavalry - stamina 6 - Split into two brigades each with its own commander rated 8

6 x Small units of chariots  - Stamina 4 - In the first game they had the standard 4+ save, this was modified to 5+ in the second game. In addition the second game saw each chariot unit as its own command with a rating of 7. 

8 x small units of skirmishers armed with slings and bows (stamina - 4) . Two units Attached to each warband brigade

Finally the Caledonii were given a further three 'generals' (rating 8) who could command any unit - we decided only these could issue 'follow me commands'

The Game (s)

As mentioned earlier we fought this game over two separate Monday sessions. In both cases the objectives of both sides were to break the opponents army (ie they had to rout or break 50% of the opposition). In both games we ran out of time but the results were conclusive and we probably only missed out on an hour of play.

In our first game the Scots swarmed across the field and sensibly targeted the weaker Roman units. Given the Roman cavalry was strung out on the flanks and the leading line was manned by the lesser armoured Auxiliaries there life was made much easier. They also had better armour themselves. The result a Roman defeat by some margin. Trying to develop a scenario that is both balanced and fun to play is a juggling act. Our first game was definitely exciting but it just felt too easy for the Celtic tribes. 

In the second game we allowed the Romans to deploy as they saw fit and we reduced the armour values of the Scots. These two tweaks turned the game into a much closer affair. Ultimately the Romans just won because of their superior command roles, the mutual support each cohort could offer each other and their better armour/morale saves.

In conclusion 

• the game needs about 4 hours to play out to a successful conclusion
• deploying the heavy infantry (albeit historically incorrect) is the right way for the Romans to survive the massive number of attacks coming their way from the big warbands
• the light troops/skirmish units are a greaty way to screen the larger units and generally be a nuisance on the field
• The Romans need to protect their weaker units (archers and horse in particular) - the loss of these severely impacts their chance to winning the game.
• The large warbands (stamina 8) are great one shot charge weapons but extremely brittle against heavily armoured troops. They need plenty of supports in action.

Shed Wars features in a Podcast

Evening All

Just a short post tonight. Delighted to report that a few weeks ago I spent an enjoyable afternoon discussing all things wargaming, the Shed and my new venture The Shed wars Experience with the Yarkshire Gamer. If interested in listening in to this conversation please click onto the link below

The Yarkshire Gamer Podcast

Ken, the Yarkshire Gamer has done a raft of fascinating interviews and so if you are not interested in hearing all about my exploits please do check out his other illustrious guests. I feel honoured to share their company.

Happy listening

Eric the Shed

Battle of Talavera 28mm wargame

Good Morning All & a Happy New Year !!

Its been three weeks since I last posted and with Christmas and the New Years festivities out of the way it was time to get back to the serious business of gaming in the shed. The first couple of weeks of the year saw a few boardgames being played and an annual outing of my Predators game - all good fun. However one of my shed warriors, Vince, was keen to put together a large Peninsular battle based on the battle of Talavera. 

How could I resist? In an upcoming post I'll detail the orders of battle, objectives and how we translated this battle to the tabletop. However the game has been fought and with over 2000 figures on the table I was keen to show off the display.

Using Black Powder with six players we were able to almost complete this game in a three and a half hour session. A fairly momentous game that rattled along at a fair pace with some splendid cavalry charges, British squares and lots of French columns.

A few things to consider - our take on this battle only reflected the British centre and left flank from the real battle, secondly we had to use our Portuguese troops as Spanish units ., and finally despite having over 50 battalions of French Infantry on the table we still didn't have enough so had to recycle a few units.  

The action started with the British deploying on the rear side of the river that cut across the field. The river/stream did not hinder movement but would remove the charge bonus for attackers forcing their way across.

The British had several brigades marching forward and then the French appeared. All cavalry on both sides were off table at present.

The full extent of the 17ft table - British to the left. Apologies most of the photos were taken from the British side . I commanded the Allied centre, with Vince and John as my flank generals. Facing us were Mark, David and Sven.

The massed British line were looking forward to showing their prowess on the battlefield. Over 30 line battalions.

Just off the centre the British deployed on the hill facing into the valley...

The first French attack against the British centre. Four French columns massed forward. A violent battle ensued with honours approximately even. Special mention to the small rifle company who held back the facing column with some stunning dice rolls.

The French second attack on the hill. This came a cropper as an entire division was held and then pushed back.

The French continued to try and force the hill with no luck. The British redcoats held firm albeit slightly bruised.

The third French attack against the Allied left wing - quickly seizing the artillery redoubt they surged forward.

The Allied centre held forcing back another French brigade

The attack on the hill was faltering....

Over on the extreme left Flank the Spanish conscript troops were holding their own against Sven's French forces.

The battle on the left wing would ebb and flow and despite the Allied fears that the left flank would disintegrate under the pressure they held firm for the rest of the evening

The French launched a third and final assault on the hill. Again the red line held.

As the battle progressed horses from both sides entered the field. The French Lancers targetting the British centre

What to do, a combined arms assault by the French on the centre was our worst nightmare/

The British had no choice but to go into square and take the brunt of the French attack.

An entire brigade in square but fortunately good fire was disrupting the attack.

The French started to close in on the gaps of the British centre but time was running out. 

Fearing more French horse might pour into the lines behind the formed troops British heavies charged their opposite numbers and breaking the French brigade only to be ambushed the following turn by a well lead Chasseur unit.

The French had run out of steam and units on the Allied left. The Hill had held and beaten back a sizeable portion of the French Army

The Allied centre was shot to bits but sufficient forces remained to plug the gaps.

All that remained was the final french attack on the right wing. A dozen columns up against Johns lines of redcoats

Unfortunately for the French they failed to get their orders as the clock hit finishing time. What might have been?

The French may well have succeeded here but across the field the other parts of their army had fared less well and a it was agreed to grant the Allies a minor victory

A cracking and close game - one which will be refought later in the year. A big thank you to Vince for organising.

More soon...