Cataphracts Late Roman 1

 Here are five Foundry 28mm cataphracts, lovely figures if a little on the small side by today's standards. They are the start of a Dux Bellorum army to go with my Picts, Irish and pagan Saxons, they're on a 120mm sabot base so I can use them for Impetus, Hail Caesar, To the Strongest or Lion Rampant, all the armies are about the  size of Norms pocket armies  so would need combining or expanding to make a Hail Caesar army, not impossible! Each one is individually based on a Perry plastic base that fits in my homemade balsa and mdf sabot base .

I like the figures, nice to paint and there are some more late Roman units on the paint table so they should be along shortly. For the benefit of Mr Freitag these were purchased 2018/19 from Colours.

And now for something  completely different,Space Wolves! I put this little army in a box and gave up on them when the "new" codex came out in 2009 and decided I'd given up on 40k and GW and haven't bought a 40k figure for myself since then. These won't get used for 40k but Xenos Rampant these were bought from the 20th century onwards. Plastic, metal and some very geriatric scout conversions! Lovely figures to paint, I have to say, lots of axes instead of chainswords as I wanted yo be similar to the cover art of the codex, but couldn't resist a bit of red!

Next up, probably more late Romans, although more elderly sci-fi armies are also trundling along

All the best

 Iain 

French basic impetus army 100 years war 1

 Here is a French basic impetus army from some time ago that I'd almost forgotten about, I mentioned it the other day and got it out from the top shelf of the cabinet and was pleasantly surprised with it. I am in the midst of assembling a French and English army for 1415, entirely Perry and mostly plastic but before that army was the  English army that I raided for archers and this French army that has a few late 1970's citadel archers but otherwise is a product of the 21st century.  Basic impetus was my way back into historical gaming after decades of painting 40k figures and precious little gaming.  Basic impetus at the time was a free set and covered the great Italian wars which I aspired to at the time I had Perry war of the Roses armies, recently painted as did Des so we played Lancastrian versus Yorkists on temporary bases, in the meantime I decided to revamp my citadel figures who mostly seemed English? I therefore decided to create a French 100 years force, more Crecy and Poitiers than Agincourt like the English I already had.  I was a little constrained by cost so the knights and the sandal wearing crossbowmen were ebay purchases, the pavisse carrying crossbow men were mostly citadel.  The spear armed militia were plastic hat reconquista plastic figures with Perry heads and shields, I gave them the emblem of Angers as it is the nearest city to where my sister has lived for over 20 years. The knights heraldry is taken from a Funken book and I spent a happy evening doing them! The bases were my first go at scratch building sabot bases for cavalry and they have been refined in the meantime as has my basing!

Some of the flags came off the Internet, the knights are mostly Essex I think? It's a nice little army, I have started work on their English opponents but I think they might be a while yet. I don't know of anyone around here who plays impetus ( I have bought the new version of Basic impetus) but I think they might be a start for a To the Strongest! army?

No John at the club so I took part in a game of dead mans hand very bloody and duplicitous and great fun, lovely figures and terrain supplied by one of the other Ians at the club.

Here you go Lawrence, waiting for a delivery on site! The start of a dark age Welsh army. 

Next up ? Napoleonics, late Romans, something the Jolly Broom man refers to as Space Nazis? Great Italian wars?I'm not sure! 

All the best

 Iain 

Siege 2 AAR War of three Kingdoms/ ECW 28

 We had another go at a siege game the other night with the Royalists under siege from the Scots Covenanters in role reversal of the last siege.  This time we used pike and shot stats and Valour and Fortitude order, shoot first, shoot or move and also the  more relaxed approach to movement from Valour and Fortitude. 

Because we didn't have too long to play we didn't conceal the strengths of the walls so Des knew where to shoot, he was lucky it was directly in front of his heavy guns, no doubt some double dealing from the Scottish scoutmaster general! First outing for the heavy guns and also for the earthworks which I insisted on using in spite of them affording Des's troops additional cover! The chevaux de fris were also wheeled out for the first time. Essentially Des's guns did well, I sallied forth my mounted battalia too early  as Des hadn't got his troops  moving or even on the table, he also found out Covenanters aren't as good as the New Model Army that he usually plays with! I  lost two units of cavalry but even after smashing through the wall Des didn't have any units anywhere near the breach as I'd shot them up or he didn't want to risk them meaning that by the end of the game he didn't have the two units inside the walls to win it.

A good game, made us enthusiastic about pike and shot again, possibly with additional Valour and Fortitude tweaks? Might even be able to persuade people to get the Great Italian wars figures out again?

I blame Matt Crump, latest purchase. 

All the best 

Iain