Ayyubid goodbye . . .

 

 . . . but I bid hello?

Okay, a bit of a stretch, I'll warrant, but these are strange days, and I figure one should find one's cheap laughs wherever they might be found.  Bit of a mish mash today, a combination of an update on the Ayyubid DBx project, and a few shots from a small game of Flames of War I got in with the Cub, before he went back to his mom's for the school year.

What's been done so far, some rebased, some newly completed

The Ghulams are the same figs I've had kicking around for years, but rebased for DBx.  The plan is that post-plague, these guys can go up against Jura's Eurotrash kniggits in a real-live face to face game.  

Mamluk Ghulam general

More Ghulams

I also knocked out some Kurdish Javelinment (3Ax in DBA).

Kurd Javelinmen

And some Quaraghulam lancers.  

Quaraghulam lancers

There's a fair ways to go on this, and not a huge rush, but I've been picking away at it fairly consistently - there's a unit of Turkik archers in the painting queue as I write this.

In addition, the Cub has been busily painting a platoon of Finnish commandos he picked up back at the end of summer, and we managed to sneak in a small game of FoW; it was pretty much everything I had painted vs. everything he had painted.

Finn Commandos top, Heroes of the Soviet Union bottom

The finn commandos are some of the best infantry in the game, whereas the Soviets, even in the relatively veteran form I'm taking, are on the good side of mediocre at best.  Very much a quality vs. quantity match-up.

The Finnish commander reviews his troops

In the end, quantity took it; Cub was attacking into some big blobs of soviet infantry, and as it was his first game, hadn't really got the hang of coordinating attacks.  That said, he pushed pretty hard, and on the last turn had put himself in a position to win, holding key objectives.  If the Soviets hadn't regained control, he would have taken the game.

Soviets dig in.

.

I'm pretty sure he had fun, as he's been talking about getting some more Finns.  We might stop in at the game shop as part of an apple-picking excursion over the next couple weeks.  In the meantime, my soviet tanks have arrived, and I've been busily assembling T-34s.  I'll probably do a post on the PSC kits soonish.  Until then, stay safe.

The Maw. Also yet another Crusade.

Hi all,

As anyone who follows this blog is aware, I'm a bit of a hobby magpie (more than a bit, if we're being honest).  As I've been involved in this hobby for something like 30-odd years, this means I've any number of projects going at any given time, usually more than I can realistically manage.  Today's a bit of a twofer, covering both a GW side project I've had running for a while, and a historical project that has been languishing in the drawers of shame.



I've had a soft spot for the GW ogor range for a long time, but for all the usual reasons (time, money, the chaos of life), had never really gotten around to doing much about it.  About a year and a half ago, I picked up a box on a whim, and started painting them - even got in a game or two.  Between other projects, Covid, and life, they've never really become a key focus for me, but they're something to which I keep coming back, and the horde is slowly growing.





They've kind of become my reward / treat / break project.  When the other things I'm working on start to feel like work, or when I just can't face painting more red things (given how much Khorne I play), I break out an ogor, and have some fun with it.  It's a very different process of painting, and feels different as a task than the painting I do with a "gaming" project, even my historicals.





More than anything else, these guys are the ones I paint to relax, and just enjoy the process of painting.  While they're unlikely to be a focus any time soon, I suspect they'll be part of the rotation for some time.

In contrast, these guys have been sitting around in the drawers of shame for something like 7 years.



Waaaaay back in Toronto, when Impetus was my main game, a few of us planned to start up a campaign around the Crusades.  Much planning, and some buying ensued, resulting in me picking up the start of an Ayyubid force, for which I painted a single stand (which has since been given a flag).



As sometimes happens, however, the project kind of petered out.  I don't remember that anyone else actually got as far as getting stuff painted up, I was playing other games, and the whole thing just became less of a priority.

Lately, however, I've been corresponding with one of the local historical players, and we've been kicking around ideas for a) remote gaming, and b) post-Covid gaming.  Both of us have an interest in trying out Art de la Guerre (which seems to be the new historical hotness), but building armies on that scale is a fairly large (and hence longer-term) commitment.  Given, however, that AdlG armies use a variant of DBA basing, and DBA is both a manageable project, and relatively easy to execute (and hence suitable for remote gaming), and we figure we're on to something.



I've played DBA before, a long, long time ago when living in Newfoundland, but it's one of those games I've kept up with.  The rule book, with it's endless lists of obscure armies, remains a source of fascination to me.  As it turns out, Jura (my prospective opponent) has a backlog of mid-crusade appropriate 15mm "Franks", so our plan is to start with DBA lists, and then build towards AdlG armies from there.

The stuff I picked up for Basic Impetus looks to pretty much cover me for the DBA list; I think I'm short one stand of arab cavalry, or something like that.  Should be fudgeable with a house rule, or I can run a sabot until I pick up the needful.  In the meantime, it's a reason to get these guys painted, and a way to try out both the new version of DBA, and eventually AdlG, without having to engage in a massive rebase (just the one stand).  Sounds like a plan to me.

FMB

Ghulam Command

Hi,

Finished up the first base for the BI Ayyubid project, the general's stand of Ghulam / Mamluk cavalry.




Impetus Unit Type:  CP
Base Size 8cm x 6cm
Manufacturer:  Legio Heroica 15mm

As I said in my earlier review, these figures really are gorgeous.  Now that the unit's complete, I'm feeling much better about them.  Based up, I think they look pretty good, and I'm actually looking forward to painting some more once I get a few things out of the way.



I'm doing this army a little differently than the Antigonids, in that I'm only going to integrate command figures onto command bases.  I still need a flag for these guys; I'm hoping to be able to print off a few samples and then see what works best.



One of the stumbling blocks I encountered with this army was that the BI list (which we're using for the club event) is comprised mainly of high-VBU bow-armed cavalry.  These units, while entirely appropriate for the period, are a nightmare for forces lacking in a hard counter (as I discovered with my Anitgonids).  The solution I came up with was to use the list as written, but in terms of built / painted units, sub in two units of lancers.  As I'll be playing these with the full game outside of the event, this gives me a starter force that has enough bow to be historically appropriate, but which hopefully won't be as frustrating for opponents.



With this base finished, I'm going to paint up a couple of test figures for Muskets and Tomahawks, and then play it by ear.  I've got a few things primed up and waiting, but I'm trying not to overplan the painting queue.  Warmahordes is scheduled for Wednesday, and then likely Maurice and Impetus in the weeks following.  In the meantime, I'm reading through a biography of Catherine the Great by Robert Massie that's proving interesting.  My Christmas books arrived this week as well, so I've plenty to keep me occupied.

FMB

WiP, reviews, booty.

Hi,

I've made a bit of progress over the last couple nights, once the kids are in bed.  Horses for the first (Mamluk command) base of the Ayyubids are finished, though I might pick out the manes and tails a bit more.  I'll do skin and mail on these next, and then have some fun with the scarves etc. and tack.



I've also snatched some time to read through The Last Argument of Kings, and part way through Black Powder (backwards, I know), and am enjoying both, not only as rules, but also as an engaging read, something I've rarely said about wargames rules.

LAoK serves as a broad survey of the major European conflicts of the 18th century, including the European colonial conflicts.  It begins with a few general modifications to the basic rules to reinforce the linearity of the period tactics, and a discussion of some of the developments of the period, but the real meat of the book lies in the later chapters.  Each of these focuses on a particular conflict, and generally consist of a brief history, and then profiles of key personalities and their associated nation and army.

In the section on the War of the Spanish Succession, for example, we have a brief survey on the causes and events of the war, a profile (and accompanying game-relevant crunchy bits) on Maurice de Saxe, and the profile for the French army in the 18th c., including both a historical sketch of the army, and broad guidelines in game terms.  These include stats for various units, guides to building an army (in both percentiles and absolutes for rarer units), and tweaks to the army at different points in the period covered.  Grognards may balk at the idea of a single list for the entire 18th c,. but it fits in well with the overall logic of the BP approach, which seems to be "here's a framework that works for us, it's plenty to get you started, muck around with it as you will".

In addition, I've dropped a bit of Christmas gold (filthy lucre anyway; frankincense and myrrh never seem to make it under the tree) on some reading material.  First up were a couple books I've heard about on TMP over and over again, "Swords Around a Throne" by John Elting, and "Carthage Must be Destroyed" by Richard Miles.

Whenever anyone on TMP asks about where to start reading on the Napoleonic wars, or more specifically the Grand Armee, Elting's book gets mentioned.  It seems to be wargamer-standard reading.  Miles' book generally comes up as a history of both Carthage and the Punic wars, but one that's a little less Romano-centric, to the extent that's possible.  As someone who's perilously tired by most things Roman, this comes as a welcome respite.  Throw in the fact that I've been fascinated by both Hannibal and Carthage since I was a kid, and I'm really looking forward to the public transit commute in the forthcoming weeks.

Last, my Beloved found me a terrific score on a trip downtown today, at BMV, the discount book store.  We had taken the kids down for a tramp down Yonge St., and stopped in for a poke-about.  What she came across were two half-price volumes of the bound library edition of Hellboy.

I'm a latecomer to both Mignola and Hellboy, but have become something of a rabid fanboy, maybe to make up for lost time.  Have nice, solid, bookish editions of the big red guy makes me feel all tingly, and now that I know they're out there, I'm going to have to track down the rest in the series.  Apparently there are editions for the BPRD as well.  Yummy.  As an aside, there's apparently a Dr. Doom / Dr. Strange graphic novel out there penciled by Mignola, the existence of which I discovered just the other day.  Going to have to find that as well.

FMB

Christmas wishes.

Hi,

A last post before Christmas, I think, as I'll be spending the next week or so with family and friends, and will have little time for geeking and posting.  With Hexeris out of the way, I've had a few minutes to sit down with my latest acquisitions, 15mm Ayyubids from Legio Heroica, and 15mm Natives and Compagnie de la Marine from Blue Moon.  I snapped a few pics of each, and thought I'd give some first impressions.

Sudanese Archers

The Legio Heroica figures are frankly lovely.  My favorites are the Sudanese and Arab /  Beduin figures.  The sculpting of the robes in particular is fine.  There's a fairly distinct style here - the figures are noticeably different from others I've seen in this scale.

Ghulam Lancers

There's lots of fine detail, well carved - lining under the mail peeking out, etc.  Flash is a little heavy, but the metal files easily, and I've had no difficulties cleaning up a few test models.  On the plus side, I've yet to have one of those awkwardly placed mold lines that are almost impossible to get rid of effectively, something I've come across with other manufacturers' ranges.

Arab / Syrian Lancers

Horses are nicely proportioned, with lots of animation.  Figures come with shields and spears, though I might substitute plastic for the latter, as the casting metal is a little soft; the down side of easy prep / cleaning.

I should make a final comment about customer service, which was excellent. Giuseppe was helpful, friendly, and extremely prompt with communication, despite the barrage of questions I sent him, and the relatively small size of the initial order.  The figures arrived well-packed, and quickly, especially coming from Europe.  Once this lot is painted up, I'll be doing business with him again, and would recommend LH to anyone interested in their ranges.

On Wednesday, I picked up my Blue Moon 15mm  Marines and Natives from marke, who'd been kind enough to organise a group order, and so far, have been very impressed.  Aside from a bit of chunky flash on a couple poses, the figures are very clean, come a remarkable variety of poses, and are full of character.

Natives.  A good mix of muskets with ccw and a few bows.

Nick the Lemming, over at Glory Eagles de l'Empereur, has done a pretty thorough review of these I'd recommend reading over, but it can't hurt to give my own impressions.

Value for money, I think these are some of the best figs I've seen in 15mm.  The sculpting style seems somewhere between Essex and old Old Glory.  Lots of smooth, curving planes, but with the "sharpness" I associate with the OG figs I've used.

Officers.  If they are going to die, they are going to die well-dressed.

Detail is there, down to the coat buttons, and very crisp.  The figs show splendid animation. and some figs, officer types especially, have loads of character.

Compagnie de la Marine Franche.  Toughest SOBs in the war.

I can't speak to service on these, as marke handled the order, but I'm very impressed by the figures themselves, to the point that I'm seriously considering using Blue Moon for other projects.  With an expanding ancients line, I've begun eyeing their Gauls thoughtfully, and their Napoleonics are tempting as well.

To those of you out there who take the time to read my rambling, I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, to you and your families.  2012 has been a very good year for me, and I hope you all have been as fortunate and blessed as I feel.

Can you tell the little ones helped?  Charlie Brown, eat your heart out.

FMB