Stuck in a Rut

Stuck in a Rut

Seems I can't stop painting Hellenistics / Greeks.

14 - 'Old' Hoplites - Tin Soldier (left), Minifigs (right)

11 - 'New Hoplites - Asgard

I have deliberately left the shields blank.  Unfortunately this means a large order for Veni, Vidi Vici transfers to cover all my hoplites and pikemen.  

Still on my board are 4 x Spartan hoplites, 6 x Tarantines and 4 x Seleucid Companions.  I will get back to those zulus......I hope!

Puzzle of Kn(X)

The Puzzle of Kn(X)

On Monday our Late Judaeans faced a Late Roman army who had  two blocks of Kn(X).

On our left flank one group moved very slowly towards some of our  Irr Bw(I).  Shooting was sufficient to break them up a bit but that was all.  They never got into contact.

The other mob (on our right flank) did virtually nothing.

Now don't get me wrong we went down to a 7:3 defeat with our left flank being obliterated - but it had nothing to do with the Kn(X).  Our demise came from Ax(S) v Ax(O) and Lh(S) v LH(O) match-ups - plus some truly awful dice rolling!

I just wonder - how do you use Kn(X)?  They are horrendously expensive (11/13 ap), move at a snail's pace and are only of use versus enemy foot.

I have employed them in my Chinese Northern & Southern Dynasties army but they hardly ever get into contact.  When they do the enemy has manoeuvred Kn(F) against you (who are faster moving and count you as inferior).

There was a time when I quite fancied raising a Parthian force but I'm glad I held off.  After all who wants an army of lame ducks?  

Hellenistics Review

Hellenistics Review

Well it's March and I still have bare metal in the reserve box (what a surprise!).  On the plus side there has been some recent progress:

4 - pestiferous pachyderms screened by 7 - Agranian (or Rhodian) slingers

16 - Thracian peltasts plus 11 - rhomphaia-armed kinfolk

(couldn't decide what to put on their shields)

So now I have almost filled one tin box and have all the light cavalry in another.  Here's the current (fully-painted) list:

         4 - Elephants                                 7 (x2) - Scythian horse archers

10 (x3) - Reg Kn(F)                               7 (x2) - Thracian light horse (jav/sh)

  4 (x3) - Reg Kn(F) Generals                 5 (x2) - Thracian horse archers

  4 (x3) - Thracian Cavalry                      5 (x2) - Bactrian light horse (jav/bow)

  3 (x3) - Greek Cavalry                          5 (x2) - Greek light horse (jav only)

                                                               5 (x2) - Armenian horse archers

22 (x4) - Reg peltasts                              

  6 (x4) - Cretan Reg Bw(I)                     25 (x2) - Slingers Ps(O)

30 (x4) - Pikemen                                   24 (x2) - Javelinmen Ps(O or S)

  8 (x3) - Lykian peltasts                          17 (x2) - Bow Ps(O)

11 (x3) - Thracian Irr Ax(S)

16 (x3) - Thracian Irr Ax(O)

Also moved some figures to the 'Lydian' box:

4 (x4) - Hoplites                                       5 (x2) - light horse (jav/sh)

6 (x3) - Reg Kn(F)                                   3 (x4) - Reg peltasts

2 (x3) - Irr Ax(O)                                     1 (x2) - Ps(O) jav/sh

Need a break from this era so will finish the hoplites on my board (but not their shields) then move back to the, much neglected, Zulus.