Basing conundrums again …

Every so often I go through the need to consider my best options for basing my fantasy miniatures for various games. 

Having the chat with the chap running the Lion Rampant game with 12 figures on a single base - which looked really nice - sort of mini dioramas. The multi base means you avoid the very “lined up” look from the sabot bases. 

DK had picked up a copy of the De Bellis Fantasiae DBF rules - a cross between DBM/HotT rules which I really liked back in the day - although I did have a bit of an issue the single rank basing - I have also been mulling over Midgard rules and was considering picking up Hobgoblin rules - both of which work off approx 120mm frontages … which is roughly the frontage for Kings of War (well 100/120/125 mm if you are being pedantic) … so my little brain got thinking and has come up with 60mm squares has the solution to my basing needs - using the figure number ish from DBF as a guide.

Trialling with some of my elves to represent.

So for Regular (solid) Spears - 6 figures (5 for fast) - 2 of these bases would make a regiment for KoW or Dragon Rampant.

The same for blades

 

I think the double rank makes the element in DBF/HotT look like a unit

For Bows - solid 4 figures 

Fast 3 figures - 4 need for Dragon Rampant 

Knights/Cavalry will be 2 or 3, regardless of if they are solid or fast - just because they need to look right on the base. 

As these Elf knights demonstrate - it would be tough to get 3 on a base.

Light horse would be 2 to a base - but not so lined up - see below.

Artillery - well that is straight forward. 

Warbands and Auxilia will be either 5/4 Solid/Fast or 4/3 Solid fast. 

Skirmishers - currently thinking 2/3 on a 60mm square base or possibly 2 on a 60x30 base …

For Ogres and Trolls - possibly 2 on a 60mm square or do they stay on the 40mm squares they are currently on.

This sort of thing is never as simple as it should be …

Morts

Greek Hoplite Army - Showcase

There will be another on of these sometime, as I have another Hoplite army … which was painted years ago with some really nice hand painted shields. This is the army currently on eBay, which to be fair is where most of this one came from - the bulk of the Hoplites are just repainted figures which I picked up as a bargain.

The army arrayed for the photo shoot. 

The first line of Hoplites - mainly Essex miniatures, which a few Black Tree Designs in there.

I used a very simple paint scheme with 3v transfers for the shields.

The light cavalry - I have enjoyed painting Essex horses over the years. 

The slingers - I think most of these are repaints from an eBay win. 

The Greek camp - with a little fire pit.  

A nice little army - I think I was a little jaded painting Essex Hoplites (I still have some unpainted Foundry ones to do …) by the time I got to these - I got these as a extra army for the planned and almost realised Mediterranean mini campaign involving Greeks (both in Italy and Greece), Macedonians, Romans, Persians, Thracians and the unpainted Celts and Carthaginians … oh well never mind. 

An this isn’t the first Hoplite army that I have sold off - long ago there was a 1st Corps/Navigator/Foundry one (but they were a tad short and slight to play with the Essex and Renegade stuff) - I don’t think there is a picture of them anywhere now … sad times. 

Morts

Macedonian Army - Showcase

The bulk of this army was picked up years ago when DK and I went to Colours in Reading … it was before he had “mind tricked” me in buy some Confrontation miniatures, but that is another story - in I think part of the reason for going was so that he and Pete could enter the painting competition for a Confrontation event that they hadn’t entered … anyway in the deep and distant past now. I picked some Foundry and Newline phalangites at the show … left then for a while an the decided to go with Newline because they were cheaper…

The army fully arrayed - not for battle, but so they can fit in a picture.

The General (a Foundry mini) and his companions. 

The mighty Phalanx - nice!

The elite Hypaspist - I think auxiliaries in DBA 

The prodromoi light cavalry. 

Light troops - slingers and javelin mean by 1st Corps miniatures. 

The elephant (this is an Foundry model I picked up in a bring and buy somewhere) - I think it could be used for Macedonian or Carthaginian - scale wise it fitted in with the Newline figures rather than the Renegade ones. 

A nice little army - the Newline stuff was easy to paint if lacking in movement a bit. 

Morts

Republican Roman Army - Showcase

I picked up this Republican Roman unpainted from Renegade Miniatures a few years ago - I also pick up a Carthaginian and Celt armies which I haven’t got around to painting (I will be keeping the Celts, they will be used for barbarians in Kings of War or Dragon Rampant).

The whole army arrayed.

The legion - in its three lines, on the top and the hastati on the bottom.

The second line of the Principes and the Triarii below.

The legion command element - never used in a game due to the standard being a tad delicate. 

The cavalry and general elements - and a legate an extra command figure that Renegade did. At the bottom the Velites light infantry 

Below the rather nice (in my humble opinion) Roman camp - a resin tent from Battleground I think and some other bits and bobs. 

I did enjoy painting these Romans - I think everyone should have painted a few. Due to the size of the Renegade models they were on larger bases than recommended for DBA. I also swapped out the horses for Essex ones as the Renegade ones were rather large. 

A couple more DBA armies to post before they go…

Morts 

Thracian Army - Showcase

This little lot have been around for a while - my second DBA army painted as they were able to fight lots of different Greek city states. 

The whole army - when I painted these I was not aware of the sort of colours and patterns the Thracians wore - but they came out nice. 

The General and an element of light horse. 

Two more elements of light horse - with shields, because why not …

The first 2 elements of peltasts - such a useful type of soldier the Greeks copied them (as I understand it). 

Another 4 elements of peltasts. 

Finally the light troops - I believe that these should be javelin men or slingers, but I got archers because I prefer them. 

This lot have thought a few battles and been auxiliaries in Greek and Roman forces in DBA3 - but time for them to move on. Sad times …

More to come. 

Morts

Persian Army - Showcase and Selling

 After much bimbling around I have started the great DBA army sell off and to coincide showcase the armies I painted up for the great but never realised DBA campaign that DK and I envisaged (a bit like the Lords of the Rings HotT campaigns). 

I will first present the Persians (all of these figures are by 1st Corps - most came via eBay, but I had to get a few extra to be able to complete the army). 

The full army arrayed for battle.

The king or local Satrap, with some booty.

The scythed chariot - which was rather underwhelming in the few battles I fought with this army. 

The mounted force, the top line shows the cavalry with a possible General element in the centre. The bottom line shows the light horse. 

The Persian infantry - 4 elements of Auxiliaries in DBA term on the right and I think an element of spears on the left (probably should have been mercenary hoplites but I had enough Persians), the bottom shows the light infantry. 

I have to say I quite enjoyed painting this back in the day - but I need to clear space, so these and a few other armies had to go. A bit of de-cluttering had to happen … so I can justify other mission creep …

Morts

First post of 2023

It has been a busy couple of weeks since the new year - no paint brush picked up yet - possibly because I need to do some remedial work on some hobgoblins I thought I had finished before Christmas - no pictures here so they can’t be quite “right”. Work has been intense - short staffed so extra cover to do on top of getting back into routines. 

The weekend just gone saw a wander around the moor - very wet and some low cloud.

CW from top left: Hare Tor, Sharp Tor from Hare Tor, Meldon reservoir and dam.

I have managed to assemble my Phobos Kill Team - this was originally the 1st edition set of Reivers, but I have added a few infiltrator models for the 2nd Ed team - got a bit of green stuff to do. I got some Space Wolf pauldrons to make them look swish. I might see if I can get hold of a couple more bodies so that I can have another knife man for this team, and a carbine man for my Argonauts chapter (6 marines needed for a 2nd ed Kill Team - they only have 5 reivers). 

After the game with Steedo I had a little look at the Blooded - Traitor Guard list and picked up the enforcer (commissar) and ogryn. The team will be a little light on specialists as GW changed some of the minis from Blackstone Fortress to the Kill Team versions of the traitor guard - but it is another team to get to the table. 

The last pictures are of what will be part of a clear out - but sad to sad I will be parting company with most of the 25/8mm DBA armies (Greek Hoplite, Persian, Macedonian and Thracian) - storage is an issue and they have not been touched since the first lockdown in 2020 … and if I checked the blog a while before then. I will do some nice pictures of the armies for the blog and selling - sad times. There is also an unpainted Carthaginian army by Renegade miniatures to sell. My biggest issue is timing the sales on eBay with when I can get stuff to the post).

Also Onus kickstarter than Steedo and I went halves on should be turning up soon and I don’t need the duplication.

Saturday should see an epic Twilight Imperium game down at Snake-eyes place. New factions and set up some should be interesting.

Morts

A virtual DBA game

Steedo and I got together via the wonders of WhatsApp to try a virtual game. We played via texts effectively rather than video calling. I think this might give a better representation of giving orders and seeing how they are implemented by the people on the ground (in this case me).
All the dice rolling was done by me - important rolls were then send to Steedo!

The battle saw Steedo, with the Dooric Greeks (cause they were on the Door side of the table) consisting of 6 bases of hoplite spears, 2 cavalry, 2 light horse and 2 psiloi ("caveman" as Steedo put it)/ I commanded the Ikearian Greeks (on the Ikea cupboard side of the table), made up of 8 hoplites, 2 light horse and 2 psiloi.

Initial deployment (Steedo's forces on the left).

Opening advance by the Ikearians!

Steedo pushes forward too!

A mounted clash on the flank! I force a recoil on the cavalry, but lose one of my light horse!

A second fight forces my light horse back and Steedo is pushing his psiloi forward to back up the cavalry on the right flank. He is also moving his cavalry on the left flank around the woods there, causing me to break up my battle lines to meet the more mobile threats.

Steedo's right flank cavalry finishing off the last of my light horse, just before my psiloi make a ill judged attack from the woods on Steedo's cavalry over there! 3 nil to Steedo at this point!

A view from the front line so to speak.

A desperate move sees the my hoplites kill off some of Steedo's cavalry in an against the odd ploy!
Steedo sends in his psiloi to counter.

The hoplites line up for a tussle around the broken ground in the centre of the table (I shouldn't have put that there - d'Oh!). The psiloi are in!

The attack is fought off and some of Steedo's psiloi flee! Just in picture on the right.

Then the remaining psiloi go the flank of the hoplites in front of the broken ground .....this could get messy as they turn to face!

Initially repelled - but Steedo's cavalry are making mischief in the rear of my lines near the camp!

In they go again - this time Steedo flanks my hoplites with his across the broken ground! And he might also have killed another of my hoplites on the left of the broken ground.

So a convincing win for Steedo 4 or 5 to 2. I know I made some rules errors, but as I was running both sides this was not really a problem. What I was keen to do was make sure that moves were done quick and get outcome pictures to Steedo as soon as possible. DBA seemed to work for this type of game (it would have been good if Steedo knew the rules a bit better). I might have given some sense of command - "you men over there attack!" .... and forgetting or more likely not being able to see troops (the cavalry my psiloi attacked stayed by the woods - in fact I'm not sure they are in any of the pictures on here). Although all the pictures are from Steedo's side of the table so to speak.

This sort of gaming might work well for WW2 era games as you can't see what is happening in every place - pity I don't have any tanks ..... 

An enjoyable experience which we might have to try again ....

Morts