Ancients - the Bits that I Like

That could have been more gracefully phrased. Nonetheless - there is stands. The current state of play on my ongoing struggle with wargaming butterflies:

I'm still really like the look of the various Garrison ranges. Looking around on Ross's blog it seems to me that they are all broadly compatible. With one eye closed and with a following wind. Garrison service (ie, delivery time, unexpected extras, friendly comms and so on) is very good indeed. I note that the 20mm Ancient Phrygians I have are actually about 23-4mm to the eye, yet they still seem not out of place next to the 30mm (nominally) Rose "Heritage" Greeks that I now have 24 of.

I could easily go down the Greeks/Achaemenid Persian/Macedonian road.

I also rather like the RAFM Hellenistic ranges. There is also plenty you could pull in from the Ral Partha range. Quite pricey at $2.50 per figure, but there are bargains to be had on eBay. I would put the Macedonian/Successor period as my number one preference at the moment as you can pull in so much other cool stuff. Again, the Garrison Successors are cool with plenty of variety.

I've been having a seried of "ooo, pretty" moments this week at the Mirliton website. Especially after noting you can get 10% off your order if you buy 100 figures. Their Republican Romans, Etruscans , Apulians and others are very, very attractive. Especially after just reading in Charles Grants Ancient Scenarios book that he thought you could do a reasonable job at a legion with 60 figures.

Did I mention also the stash of Xyston1:600 galleys I found in my desk drawer a couple of days back> Probably not. And that's another tangent in itself.

The trick is how to do all these things (and, let's face it, buy at least 1500 wargames figures. At least.) and somehow tie them altogether.

Desert Island Blogs

Imagine...

A hot dry wind blows...

A post-apocalyptic wasteland...

All the whiskey is gone and the beer and wine are running low...

Cheesy biscuits are in short supply...

Your laptop battery has been saying 15% for the past 2 months now, however long you have it on charge...

All the blogs in the world have been wiped out...


Excepting the half a dozen you managed to save...

I'm thinking:

http://gatheringofhosts.blogspot.com.au/
http://parumpugna.blogspot.com.au/
http://vintagewargaming.blogspot.com.au/
http://unfashionablyshiny.blogspot.com.au/
http://steve-the-wargamer-teasers.blogspot.com.au/
 and

http://flanderkin.blogspot.com.au/

If only Google Chrome would stop eating Mr P's posts.

Says more about where my fickle head is at rather than the absence of anyone on the list. Stokes, I am looking directly at you! Stop daydreaming about that pair of brogues you're peeping at on eBay.

When butterflies attack

I should stay away from the internet.

This:
http://gatheringofhosts.blogspot.com.au/
plus this:
http://parumpugna.blogspot.com.au/
Equals this:
http://www.garrisonminiatures.com/
and:
http://www.rafm.com/

Hopefully this will serve as a small butterfly smackdown kind of arrangement.

Aba Island 1881

The first battle of the Mahdiyyah was fought on Aba Island in 1881.

200 Egyptian troops disembarked from the steamer Ismailiya with an artillery piece in tow early in the morning of 11th August. The two officers in charge had been told that he who took the Muhammed Ahmad would win a promotion. Their two groups of troops formed up then blundered their way inland.

The Mahdi's followers, some 300 Ansar were armed with melee weapons only, yet as they broke upon the Egyptians in the dimness of the dawn, only a dozen fell to the ill-aimed scatter of Remington shots.

One hundred and twenty of the Egyptian troops failed to scramble back aboard the steamer.

Aba Island is a long, thin body, some 14 km long and about one wide, on the White Nile. It lies about 200 km to the South of Khartoum. At the time it was heavily wooded and was indeed a centre of boat-building activity.

That's all I have! Now to turn it into a war-game.

First the rules - the Sword and the Flame will suffice.

Second the Order of Battle.

I think two units of Egyptians (40 figures) and three of Ansar (60) will do.

The terrain will be heavily wooded. There will be a village some way back from the shore. There will be a landing stage. The river banks are very steep - no gently-shelving beach.

Painting Challenges in the Soodan

Another fine mess you got me into Maleesh!

 What better way of keeping oneself motivated to paint, and paint and paint other than to engage with a few far-flung chums in a painting competition.

I decided to kick off with a bang and go for the top with the Willie Chinese Gordon. Clearly drawn from the famous painting and a quick and easy job. I made sure his hair was white as the stress of events has clearly taken it's toll of him.

Grass roof detail scribed with a fork into gap filler.

 Next out were some lavatory paper roll and cereal packet cone native huts. I drew my inspiration for these from the Hovels offering. The patterning is purely made up, but does add a little interest. It's my intention to write an inscription into the little ochre cartouche on the left-hand hut.

Onward! Peter Gilder made me!

Next, an experiment with basing. A 40mm disc from Renedra with a Perry Standard Bearer and a Conoisseur Emir. A bit of a tight fit, so back to the drawing board there.

Not Charlton Heston.

 WIP - another Gordon because I had to.

Jihadiyya Rifles.

 Another experiment with the Renedra bases which I think works for the riflemen. 40mm for the pairs and 20mm for the singletons.

 

Ack! Here they come Maleesh!

Yet another experiment with basing. I am thinking of using the bigger bases to hold 7-8 figures (representing 10) with a mounted leader and bannerman on every third - a unit would be three bases with a scattering of singles for the look of it. This layout above is 25 figures plus one mounted representing 30. Looks good to my eye, but now I need to make it work against singly mounted opponents for Fire and Melee purposes in a convention setting! 

Current painting challenge total - 38 figures and three buildings.