Legio Wargames

The Americans prevent the British from breaking out to safety in 1812.

My Gallic contingent for Andy Hawes’ Dux Italica campaign is nearing completion. Primed and ready for painting is the final contingent of Senone nobles. They are a mix of Victrix plastics and Foundry metals. I have finished painting the renowned chieftain Vitalstatistix to lead my Senones. He is raised on a shield proclaiming his status and prowess in battle. I like the linothorax he is wearing. This is probably quite authentic for 4th C BC. Although the Gauls are credited f

Rumour has it that the fearsome warrior Fanatix has led a band of Gaesati over the alps to aid the Senones in their fight against Rome. Fanatix and his standard bearer are 28mm Relic Miniatures. The other figures are a mix of Relic metals and Victrix plastics. They will serve with the Senones in Andy Hawes’ Dux Italica campaign. I decided to go for all black-faced shields with varying patterns. Most have Little Big Man transfers but a few are hand painted. Their hair is stiff

The 2027 Society of Ancients Battle day will feature Bannockburn. So it is time to get painting Robert the Bruce’s retinue. I always use a white undercoat as it brings out the colours better, even with troops who have lots of armour. Then I apply a black ink wash over the armour. See Painting Armour for more detail on my method. Usually I paint from the inside out but when it comes to armour I do this first as my technique tends to spill over onto surrounding areas Next come

There is a villa somewhere in Etruria circa 390 BC. It looks like rich pickings for a marauding band of Romans. Learning of the Roman incursion, the Etruscans march out to stop them. The Etruscans send their slingers forward in front of their force, hoping to pick of a few of the enemy and give time for the close combat troops to deploy. The Roman equites quickly ride them down, scattering them to the four winds. The opposing lines begin to square up. The Roman levy taking a

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking part in a late 17th Century game hosted by Pete O’Toole. This was an attempt by the French to relieve the English/Dutch siege of Maastricht circa 1693— the 9th game in a long running campaign which I had not previously participated in. The game was played on two tables representing the Eastern and Western approaches to Maastricht. We were free to allocate our forces to either table and hold others in reserve to play in later. Bellow

I have just returned from a brief trip to Constantinople (aka Istanbul) mainly re-visiting some of my favourite historical sights and adding a few new ones. Theodosius’ Obelisk (AD 390) stands in the middle of the Hippodrome. At its base is a frieze of the Emperor and Empress watching a chariot race surrounded by Roman notables and flanked by guardsmen. The guards are certainly Germans judging by their neck torques, long hair and clean shaven faces as opposed to the bearded,

The Saxon Aesc has colonised an area of land in the east of Britannia circa AD 500. The border is the River Glein. The British Dux Bellorum Arthur (aka Arthwys or Artorius) is flush from a number of victories elsewhere and decides to attack the Saxons with the aim of destroying their army and enslaving their people. According to Nennius this is the first of Arthur’s twelve battles. This is a test for a game designed by Ernie Fosker which he will stage using Comitatus rules at

Going back to classical Greece we have just refought the Battle of Plataea (479 BC) with Alala! rules along with the Persian amendments developed for Cunaxa (available as a free download here). After a night withdrawal that goes awry, the Greeks turn to face Mardonius’ advancing Persian army that is moving up to catch them. As dawn breaks the Athenians on the Greek left see Mardonius’ Boeotian allies bearing down on them. The hoplites have 2 Disorder Points on each unit repre

With my Sharp Practice War of 1812 campaign moving further to the west, I decided to paint up a troop of the Kentucky Mounted Rifles. They were very active in Michigan which had been under British control since the capture of Detroit in August 1812. Private Orlando Brown, who fought with the Kentucky Rifles, described their dress and accoutrements: "The Government did not equip the Kentucky volunteer in the rifle regiment. He furnished his own gun and his own clothes... Thi

While the Senones are still marshalling their forces, Roman Tribune Marcus Manlius Lupus has established a fortified camp on the border of Etruscan territory. He has been sending out patrols to gain intelligence on Etruscan dispositions and movements. One such patrol, led by Centurion Quintus Licinius, is returning to camp when it is ambushed by the Etruscans. Tribune Lupus leads a rescue force out from the camp to help bring the patrol in to safety. With reinforcements comin

My Senone Warriors are now joined by the elite of Senigallia in their chariots. They are ready to take on the Romans in Andy Hawes’ Dux Italica campaign set in 4th Century BC Italy. They come from the Victrix Celtic Chariots set and I am pretty pleased with how they turned out. You get three chariots in the set, 2 driver options, and a plethora of possible warriors with lots of different heads, weapons and bits and pieces. It is a shame there are only two horse options. A thi

A wagon loaded with tribute and taxes is making its way through Rendlesham forest to Orford castle in Suffolk. Knowing that outlaws are endemic in this region, the Sheriff of Suffolk leads men from the castle to help escort the wagon to safety. The Sheriff’s men at arms are ambushed by Bill Rouge’s ‘Merry Men’. Their longbow volley inflicts significant casualties and the Sheriff himself is wounded. As this is happening, the Hooded Man leads his outlaws through the woods in th

Yesterday found me playing the role of ‘Mad Anthony’ Wayne commanding the forces of Congress in an American War of Independence game set in 1777. Sir William Howe is marching through New Jersey with the aim of capturing the Congressional capital at Philadelphia. The Americans have moved to intercept the Crown Forces and to frustrate their march on to Pennsylvania. Assuming that the Crown forces will advance on the flanks (most probably their left) Wayne deploys a small coveri

In our previous Sharp Practice War of 1812 game the Americans succeeded in throwing back the British counter-attack on Queenston Heights. When more British reinforcements later came up, the position became untenable as further American units were refusing to cross the river. The Americans were able to withdraw back to the US side in relatively good order. The British now want to take the fight to the American side to harass and discomfort the enemy as winter approaches. An A

Having completed the basic Etruscan force for Andy Hawes’ Dux Italica I have been turning my hand to building an Italian Gallic contingent — the Senones who famously sacked Rome in 390 BC. I begin by kit-bashing several figures that have been languishing in my lead pile, supplemented by a recently purchased sprue of Victrix plastics. The Victrix Gauls are wonderful figures. If I did not already have so many unpainted Relic, Warlord and Foundry Gauls I would have been tempted

April 7 th 1862. Today our brave boys utterly routed the blue bellies at Chard Farm. Many unionists were killed and several officers wounded. Confederate casualties were minimal. Celebrations continue well into the night as our boys avail themselves to the ammunition and supplies abandoned by the fleeing Tories. Edward D. Malone reporting for the New Colchester Gazette. In a previous action at Chard Farm the Little Framlingham Militia (LFM) managed to seize a gun and ammu

Another cracking Battle Day put on by the Society of Ancients last weekend. The only downside was that it was held on the Sunday after the clocks went forward! The battle was Cunaxa in which Cyrus, aided by 10,000 Greeks challenged his brother Artaxerxes for the Persian throne. Our game was played with 20mm figures using Alala! rules. We concentrated the action on Cyrus’ right/Artaxerxes’ left given that the other wing saw little or no action in the historical battle. Artaxer

With the preparations for the Society of Ancients Cunaxa Battle Day I have been in a bit of a Greco-Persian mood. With all the units we need for Cunaxa painted and ready, I still have some unpainted Greeks in my lead pile and so decide to get to work on them. I have painted them as Thebans or other Boetians — identifiable as such by the distinctive club of Hercules shield design. At Mantinea some Thebans were also distinguished by white painted helmets. I am planning to tr

Time for one more play-test before we take our Cunaxa game with Alala! to the Society of Ancients Battle Day on 29 March. The game opens with Artaxerxes’ chariots surging forward against Cyrus’ Greek hoplites. The hoplites are unable to open ranks to let the chariots through as they do not hold an open ranks card (more on this later). Proxenus’ hoplites suffer a fair amount of disorder before the enemy chariots crash. Not to be outdone Cyrus sends forward his single chariot a