The days of El Cid in 15mm

[OB]

I’ve being doing some Spanish Reconquista stuff using a mixture of newish and very old figures in 15mm.

I opted for the days of El Cid rather than the later period.

If it is of interest here’s the link.

https://youdonotknowthenorth.blogspot.com

OB
http://withob.blogspot.co.uk/

[Tony S]

I’m interested to see how you get on adapting Berbers for Billhooks.  Very interesting period.  (On a slightly related note, I just finished a pack of 15mm Spanish knights to sneak into a Byzantine army of Emperor Manuel I – originally as a very hidden, obscure “They’re from Barcelona” Fawlty Towers joke – but quite honestly, with the style of their shields and armour, they do look very Byzantine for this period).

Your forces look very good indeed!

[OB]

Thanks Tony.  I’ve got  an Alexios/Manuel Army half done.

OB
http://withob.blogspot.co.uk/

[Jim Webster]

OB wrote:

Thanks Tony. I’ve got an Alexios/Manuel Army half done.

Now they’re what I call real Byzantines.
By the time you’ve deployed the Latinikon, the Scythikon, the Turkopouloi, and the Varangians, you don’t really need any actual Byzantines 😉

Actually I’m very fond of my army from this period.

But it’s even more fun if you take it to after 1204

 

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[OB]

That’s a temptation Jim.

The Latinikon needs doing.  The Scythikon, the Turkopouloi, and the Varangians are all done!  I have the Byzantine infantry done but not the cavalry.

OB
http://withob.blogspot.co.uk/

[Jim Webster]

And you can get involved in the Crusades and all sorts of things 🙂

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[OB]

That’s the plan.  On to Antioch!

OB
http://withob.blogspot.co.uk/

[Jim Webster]

Not only that but when you build up the Turkish army, it can do as allies and auxiliaries for your later Byzantines, and you can get 12th and 13th century knights to make a later Latinikon and it would be a shame not to have them as a Crusader army.

That only leaves you Syrians and Egyptians to get (but that with Turks would give you Saladin’s army. Oh look, another saving 😉

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[OB]

Its a old story Jim.  I saved even more money by doing the Armenians too.  They’re not all painted but I have Crusaders, Byzantines, Seljuks, Fatimids, Ayubids and Armenians.

I think of it as the Punic Wars Syndrome.  You start off with Carthaginians and Romans, then you begin to save some money by adding Numidian, Spanish and Gallic armies.

OB
http://withob.blogspot.co.uk/

[Jim Webster]

I built a Numidian army by accident 🙂
Whenever I was at a show and saw some nice 15mm Numidians I’d buy them to replace the old minifigs strip 15mm figures my Carthaginians were using.
Anyway I suddenly discovered how many Numidians I had and with a few spare legionaries I can do them from before Hannibal to Caesar 🙂
I’ve not done that with Spanish but the Gauls are growing

 

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[Tony S]

This is quite eerie.  Or perhaps the Pythonian phrase, “We are all individuals” applies.

A couple of years ago, I raised an Armenian army for a club campaign, which is one of the reasons I started the Byzantine army.   But yes, all the other usual opponents were considered, all for the reasons that you’ve mentioned.  Although I did come very close to buying figures for a Lusignan Cypriot army, but plumped for Comnenans instead.  I think if Legio Heroica were still trading, I’d probably have picked up a Syrian army.  Or Frankish.  Or both.

But I really laughed at the Punic Wars syndrome, and the accidental Numidians.  I blame Victrix for that – I started a Carthaginian army…but that needs Numidians.  And Gauls.  And Spanish.  And elephants.

The elephant kit has figures for Carthaginians of course, but also figures for Numidians.  Then I realized that with all the light horsemen I’d painted for Hannibal, and with the skirmishers included with the Victrix plastics box, that I already had a smallish Numidian force by accident as well!   You certainly can’t buy a pack of a few figures when buying Victrix, so yeah, I’ve arrived at an army fairly accidentally too!

 

[Jim Webster]

There are some armies that lend themselves to this sort of thing.
I have always felt that a true Carthaginian army was what you got when a Carthaginian general swam ashore from his sinking ship, clutching his credit card in his teeth 🙂

https://jimssfnovelsandwargamerules.wordpress.com/

[OotKust]

There are so many words in there I just do not understand, I’m a luddite at this one… ;-(

[Author]

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