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Wherever wargamers are gathered, at least two of them will quite like Iron Maiden.

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Good looking battle. I was curious about those rules but they’re a little late in the era for the armies I have, unfortunately!

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Well, nine periods is a pretty good collection! Well done 🙂

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I think there’s actually a set of rules for gaming with Lego, isn’t there? One of those things you could do if you had oodles of money to burn!

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Thanks Donald – I admire your dedication to “no new periods”. I’ve tried the same thing myself, but not always had the requisite fortitude!

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That sounds like excellent fun. I think I’ll give it a go tonight. Thank you!

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Very nice all round. Particularly like your C&C:A project.

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Lovely models and a good game by the looks of it. Nice work all round. Wishing you all the best for your recovery, and suggesting that you let your mate win the odd one just to keep him interested 😉

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Those terraces are magnificent!

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Some cool ideas. One thing you notice from reading sources is that it’s not usually expressed as “the gods are smiling upon us today”.  It’s more like “And an eagle was seen to swoop down between the armies and carry off a hare, and the men took heart at the omen” (or were filled with trepidation, as the case may be).

You’ve also got lots of ambiguous omens which a great commander turns to his advantage (Caesar stumbling on the beach in Britannia; Scipio the same in Africa).

So I would go for a similar kind of atmosphere.

1. A flash of light is seen in the sky. Roll d6. 1  the men are filled with fear; 2-5 the men are filled with hope; 6 the men are convinced it is a sign of victory.
2. Bird of ill-omen. Roll d6. 1 the men laugh it off; 2-5 one to four units get a bit antsy; 6 one commander interprets it as an sign of his own death. Whole command is affected.
3. A lucky animal approaches the commander. Roll d6. 1 some idiot shoots it. Enemy rejoices; 2-5 the men are gladdened; 6 the commander is sure of victory. Increase his command level by one.

And so on.

Great idea, and lots of fun to be had, I think.

Cheers,

Aaron

 

 

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Sane Max wrote:

well…. no, he didn’t proscribe anyone, and showed mercy to anyone willing to do as they were told. But saying he ‘tried to work within the constitution as much as he could’ is a bit like saying ‘The Bull tried to work within the confines of the China-shop’.

‘I am marching my army across the Border to defend the constitution’ is a ploy much-loved by dictators and war-mongers

Certainly, after it was war he didn’t hesitate to do as he liked, but before things had got to that point he’d been doing what he could to avert it and to work within the system. I have some sympathy for both sides, but if the optimates had been a little less stubborn things may have turned out differently. We’ll never know of course, but it’s an interesting topic by which to idle away a coffee break…

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An indomitable Gaulish village they say? Could be worth checking out 

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Ah, sorry – for translations, I have the Penguin Classics version, Handford and Gardner. For the Civil War it’s John Carter. My Latin is non-existent, so I couldn’t pretend to tell you how accurate they are, but you can certainly check online for passages you want to scrutinize more closely.

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Thanks for your kind words GF, but no need to sell yourself short! We all love talking about topics close to our wargamer’s hearts, so thank you for providing the opportunity. I didn’t know half of the books mentioned on this thread, so I’m pretty keen to head to amazon or thebookdepository myself. I hope you do pick up Caesar himself though – it’s ancient wargaming gold, and there’s so much to learn from him. A bit of healthy scepticism in the reading is good, but even Cicero thought the writing outstanding, so we’re lucky to have it, and to be able to make up our own minds.

 

 

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I’m also a fan of the Colleen McCullough books, but she’s far better with Marius and Sulla than she is with Caesar, for the reasons that Sane Max mentions. Too many passages in which the great man’s toga barely conceals what lies beneath, etc, and the apologies are way OTT.

I would disagree with the opinion here of Caesar being a bad egg, however. He wasn’t out there proscribing people like various other luminaries before and after did, and he tried to work within the constitution as much as he could. That the system was already broken was not his fault, and the sheer bloodymindedness  of those opposing necessary reforms and denying him due credit as a statesman, successful general and man of good family must have been very trying. His clemency was famous and, I think, genuine. Compare Caesar to Augustus and you see a lion and a snake, though the snake seems to get better press.

But back to the OP: as much as I love reading fiction about Caesar, I think it’s very hard to better his own words. Having copies of the Gallic War and the Civil War around the house is to my mind essential, and his battle descriptions are a constant inspiration as a wargamer.

Cheers,

TLA

 

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That’s inspiring stuff, folks!

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“Game nerd expresses opinion. Other game nerds profess to being troubled by said opinion.”

A situation as rare as hen’s teeth!

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Good to hear!

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Looks like a great way to spend a couple of days! What rules were you using, and how did they handle a battle of this size?

 

 

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Great looking game. Thanks for posting!

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Yes, Martin – me too 🙂 And the tweaking is of course an enjoyable element in those rules as well.

Bill – many thanks for that. I’d forgotten about GBoH. Interesting to see that scenario; I might load it on VASSAL to get a better look.

 

 

 

 

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No. I’m not going to prefer one manufacturer over another simply because they post on forums.

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Nice variety here, both in armies and in scales. Cheers, and am enjoying the comments and pictures!

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Looks like a good day – and a lovely spot, too!

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Thanks to you both. Will put this on the birthday shopping list.

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Cool. How would it play solo, do you think?

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Thanks for presenting your research. Lots to take in there. Cheers!

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All of the above!

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As long as everyone understands and buys into a convention it’s fine. Problems seem to arise when a player is using a convention that the other player is not on-board with. E.g. some people insist on re-rolling cocked dice, and you can get the feeling that such people’s definition of a cocked die might very occasionally – but at important moments – depend on the number that comes up on the dice as much as with where it lands or what it has touched on the way!

Same with relaxed/strict movement. If the convention is usually elastic, but at a crucial point becomes strict (or vice versa), there is potential for hard feelings.

So, like my old man taught us as kids, sometimes it’s better to play to the letter of the law. Not because you want to be a stickler, but because then everyone knows where they stand.

Everyone’s different though, and in some situations (especially with kids or newbies involved) it can be good policy to allow a bit of leeway.

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That’s a massive army, Rob! Would hate to think how many hours of painting you put into those 🙂

And Thaddeus, those dwarves and barbarians are magnificent.

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Thanks OB – Will keep Donnington in mind. I have two 15mm Black Hat 100 Years War armies to do, so sounds like we’re in a similar boat!

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PatG wrote:

A bit paralysed on Ancients at the moment. I have Alexandrians and Marians in 6mm but I can’t seem to commit to a basing standard.

Ah yes, tough one. I reckon 60×30 looks great for 6mm, but there are lots of things to consider. Good luck!

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I paint very averagely, but if you’ve got 400 troops on the table it still makes for a good spectacle. For a skirmish game however, my style would look pretty iffy!

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I know that set up and leave it feeling, Shaun…

Nice figures, OB. I have heaps of Late Romans that I got in a trade. A real mix of Minifigs, Essex, Tabletop (?) and other odds and bods. They are to use with Dux Bellorum when they are finally done, but it’ll probably take me a while to get round to them yet. What figures are you using? I can’t quite place them. Those are grand buildings, too.

John – I’ve not painted a figure since December. Yes, that bad 🙂

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Victoria Dickson wrote:

The figures are in lead, the vehicles in resin plaster, glad you liked them.

I’d probably never cast my own lead, but that resin plaster looks like it would have all kinds of uses. Have followed your blog, and will enjoy seeing that project (and others, no doubt!) as it progresses. Thanks for the info!

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Wow, some good stuff going on from you all. Rod, I’ve got Greeks, Greeks, more Greeks, Greeks, and Macedonians to do (all in 15mm), but have seriously lost my painting mojo this year. Victoria, I love those ‘cute’ tanks and figures on your blog. What are you using to cast them? And War of the Roses definitely counts as Ancients!  OB – I trust there are plenty of the rank and file for the big cheeses to order around as well…?

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Sorry, no, I wasn’t. Just delete the thread if you like.

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Yeah, but if people want to talk about other projects that’s fine too.

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Cool idea and nice report. Might have to ‘retheme’ a few scenarios myself, actually. Thanks!

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Thanks again for the welcome, all. Nice to see a few familiar faces again 🙂

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