Legio Wargames

New Colchester Gazette January 6, 1862. Today the good citizens of New Colchester rejoice. A convoy of guns and ammunition has arrived safely in the town defying an attempt by the Yankees to capture it. Edward D. Malone reporting, photography by Mr Jay Cloth. Colonel Sanders, Commanding Officer of the New Colchester Volunteers (NCV), has obtained a section of 6 pounder guns and ammunition. Having been commissioned into the Light Artillery in the War of 1812 this pleases him n

Etruscan society was highly stratified. Citizens of wealth and rank ( hoi dynatotatoi ) provided the hoplite phalanx backed up by their vassals ( penestes ).  The Etruscans were loath to arm the lower orders of society. When such men were called up they were lightly armoured with oval/rectangular shields and heavy javelins — forerunners of the Roman scuta and pila. Dionysius of Halicarnassus wrote that some Etruscan cities used mercenaries to swell their ranks and I have dec

In 838 the Abbasid Caliphate invaded Anatolia. Emperor Theophilos led the Byzantine field army, reinforced by Khurrami Persians, to attack Prince Afshin’s Arabs, Turks and Armenians at Dasymon. The Emperor attacked at dawn when many of Afshin’s Turks were away foraging. His intent — to destroy the Arab army before the Turks can come to their aid. This game is another play-test for my revision of Comitatus rules which will be published in the new year. Most of the Byzantine f

My Etruscan 1 st  class citizen hoplites ( Rasenna  as they called themselves) are now ready for battle, joining the 2 nd  class hoplites previously painted . These are proper citizens of wealth, good standing, and refined tastes — not the hoi polloi fielded by the Romans and other lesser mortals with their dangerously radical republican ideas. The Rasenna can afford full hoplite panoply and decorate their shields, armour and helmets to display their wealth and prestige. The

The next chapter of our Dux Britanniarum campaign sees the wild painted men of the north landing in their small boats on the coast of Caer Colun (East Anglia). The Romano-British of Denningtonum have been finding it hard enough to fend off the Saxons and now it seems they must secure their homes and wealth against the Picti. The Saxons are also concerned as they have no wish to share the fertile lands of Caer Colun with another group of migrants. So they call their warriors t

My latest project is to paint up a force of Etruscans for Andy Hawes’ Dux Italica  rules — an adaptation of Dux Britanniarum for the early stages of Rome’s conquest of Italy 4 th  C BC which is still work in progress. I start by kit-bashing miniatures from a wide variety of manufacturers including Footsore metals (including their separate Etruscan and Italian heads), Agema Roman Republican plastics, Victrix Greek and Italian plastics. These men will eventually become 2 nd  Cl

It is early morning 13 Oct 1812 and the US army is crossing the Niagara River to invade Canada. Their intent is to capture Queenston village to use as a base of operations. Queenston is only lightly held by Capt Dennis’ Grenadier Company of the 49 th  Foot supported by the 5 th  Lincoln Militia and a heavy gun battery on the heights. The main British/Canadian forces are at Ft George to the North and Ft Chippawa close to Niagara Falls to the south. The Battle of Question Heigh

Fresh off the painting table is a unit of Armenian cavalry These men will see action when I refight Dasymon (AD 838) as part of my play-testing for the 2026 revision of Comitatus rules . They can also see service in Byzantine, Crusader, or even Turkish and Arab armies. As usual I kept to a limited colour palette -- in this case various shades of red, white and yellow. This gives coherence to a unit of non-uniformed men. The figures are all 28 mm Perry Armenians from their c

New Colchester Gazette November 4, 1861. Today at Longhorn Ranch our brave boys gave the lop-eared Tories another good drubbing. Eyewitnesses say the enemy commander Col. Rusty Ringpiece was killed and his men routed in fierce hand to hand combat led by the gallant Maj. Frenchie Simmons. Wounded in the attack, Simmons brushed off his injuries as a small price to pay to ensure the rights and freedoms of the great State of Missouri. Mr & Mrs Stye at The Piggery were most impres

I am staging another play test for my revision of Comitatus Rules in December. This unit, just off the painting table, will be the Comitatus of Sembat the Armenian leading the Arab cavalry at the Battle of Dasymon (aka Anzen) AD 838. I kept to a simple green and yellow colour palette to give a sense of coherence to an otherwise un-uniformed group of men. I am particulary pleased with how the banner turned out -- a golden pheasant and cresent moon. It was actually much easie

Coracles have been seen off the coast near Southwold! Will the wild, painted Picti from the North ally with the Saxons or are they on their own mission of plunder? I have been busy painting a Pict contingent for our ongoing Dux Britanniarum campaign set in Caer Colun. The archers are old Irregular and Minifigs 25mil. They bring to mind Rosemary Sutcliff’s description of the wee dark folk: "Long before the Epidii came following their white horse out of the sunrise, long befor

The troops painted, it is time to play-test the Persian amendments for Alala! in preparation for the Society of Ancients Cunaxa Battle...

The British had a heavy gun batterry on the heights above Queenston Village in the 1812 battle. This battery disrupted the American...

In between painting Persians I have been returning to my 1812 Queenston Heights project. This unit will represent a company of the 6 th...

In a few weeks I will stage a play-test of Alala! with Persians in preparation for the Society of Ancients Cunaxa Battle Day. The...

In 772, fed up with Saxon raids, Charlemagne launches an invasion of Saxon territory to bring them to heel. Charlemagne’s first target is...

It is July 1702. King Charles XII of Sweden has advanced into Poland aiming to crush the army of Augustus, Elector of Saxony and King of...

Yet another War of 1812 Canadian unit just off the painting table. These men will represent Capt John Chisholm’s flank company of the 2...

Large numbers of militia were fielded by both the Canadians and Americans in the War of 1812. In both cases they outnumbered the regular...

I have never really been tempted to delve much into Napoleonic wargames. That said, I have long had an interest in the War of 1812 —...