DBN - the Eastern Theatre - Russians 1804-12 (Pt.1)

 I was recently offered some unpainted Napoleonics (mostly Russians) at a good price.  My first thought was "opponents for Ian's mainstream DBN forces".  My second thought was "where else were they employed?"  A bit of research found the various scraps against the Ottomans, Persians & Georgians.  

               https://blundersonthedanube.blogspot.com/2011/10/cossacks.html

 

Stage 1 - Identification:

6 x [unknown] Cossacks (riders)
6 x Minifigs 11RC Cossack command
12 x Essex PNR19 Cuirassiers
2 x Essex PNR20 Cuirassier command (riders)
16 x Essex PNR17 Dragoons (riders)
6 x Essex PNR18 Dragoon command (riders)
12 x Minifigs 33RC Dragoons 1802 command
24 x Essex PNR4 Grenadiers
10 x Essex PNR5 Grenadier commands
19 x Essex PNR20 Hussar command (riders)
12 x Essex 29RC Hussars 1802 mirlitons
3 x Essex 32RC Hussars 1802 command
2 x [unknown] Hussars (one-piece castings)
8 x Essex PNR10 Jager firing
8 x Essex PNR11 Jager charging
6 x Essex PNR12  Jager command
7 x Essex PNR21 Lancer
2 x Essex PNR22 Lancer command
26 x Essex PNR6 Lifeguard
4 x [unknown] Lifeguard
15 x Essex PNR1  Line inf at ready
18 x Essex PNR2 Line inf firing
4 x Essex PNR3 Line command
29 x [unknown] Line inf marching, greatcoats
16 x Essex PNR26 Militia in greatcoat
1 x Minifigs 6THA Russian 6h team & driver, bicornes
17 x [unknown] artillery figures
5 x [unknown] artillery pieces
67 x 'loose' horses
6 x [unknown] Mounted Officers (one-piece castings)

I have not started work on the French who, at first glance, seem to be all guard infantry; or the Bavarians (less than 10 of them).

Stage 2 - Compare the DBN lists:

I can certainly make up any or all of the 3 'mainstream' sub-lists.

Stage 3 - What was different about the troops employed in the Caucasus regions?:

This will require some serious research...so here is my current reading list:

(1)  Russo-Persian War 1804-13

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Persian_War_(1804%E2%80%931813)
(2)  Russo-Turkish War 1806-12
     (a)  https://www.balkanhistory.org/russo-turkish-war-1806-12.html
     (b)  https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2016/01/14/russo-turkish-war-1806-1812/
(3)  Russo-Turkish War 1811 

       https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2021/02/21/the-russo-turkish-war-1811/
(4)  Russian-Turkish & Russian-Persian 1812 

       https://weaponsandwarfare.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/1559216295.pdf
(5)  Russian conquest of the Caucasus 

       https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_conquest_of_the_Caucasus

This may take some time......

BARS - What's In a Name?

 

                                                                               Bulgar HC

Whilst checking the requirements for my DBAv3.0 Slav armies my eyes strayed down the page to the Avars and Bulgars.  Much to my surprise (and delight) I could put together these armies, largely, from my Slavs and early Russians.  Of course the figures might be quite different!  Time to consult ADA80.

Illustrations 75 to 80 (pp 95-97) show Slavs (sort of).  Item 78 is actually a Pole and 79 a Hungarian.  However...para 4 says "Their costume is otherwise no different to that current in Western Europe, the Slavs being greatly influenced by foreign fashions of dress."

For the cavalry Fig 85 is an Avar that looks similar to some Sarmatians I have in another tin.

The Bulgars get little mention - only a passing reference to the Volga Bulgar Lh - nothing on the cavalry or infantry.

The 'Slingshot Index 1964-2010' doesn't have anything to contribute (no change there then).

Ospreys:

MAA491 'Armies of the Volga Bulgars & Khanate of Kazan'(I may well acquire this one at Recon);
 MAA333 - 'Armies of Medieval Russia 750–1250' (May be out of date given its number).

So the available information is pretty sketchy.  On-line research found the following:

(a)  'Ethnic Origins of the Bulgars' [interesting discussion]
     - http://archive.worldhistoria.com/ethnic-origins-of-the-bulgars_topic20020_post368084.html

(b)  'noch mehr Bilde & Fakten zu Slawenschlachten' [about the Slavs - if you can read German]
     - http://www.tabletopinzuerich.ch/saga2/slawe2.html  

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15mm Miniatures (if I have missed any please let me know):

(Essex) HSA11 - Avar HC
(Essex) HSA11a - Avar EHC
(Essex) HSA12 - Avar horse archers
(ND) DSC01 - Avar mounted general
(ND) DSC02 - Avar cavalry  [No Picture] - lamellar armour, boots, lance, bow, plumed spangenhelm, buckler
(ND) DSC03 - Avar/Hungarian horse archer - tunic, trousers, boots, firing bow, buckler slung
(ND) DSC04 - Avar [foot] - coat, trousers, spear, bow, fur trimmed hat

(Essex) HSA3 - Bulgar horse archer
(OD) ASC01 - Bulgar horse archer - tunic, fur-edged cap, sh, bow, shooting
(OD) ASC02 - Bulgar horse archer - tunic, fur-edged cap, sh, carrying bow
(OD) ASC03 - Bulgar horse archer - tunic, fur-edged cap, sh, bow in case, carrying jav/lgt sp
(OD) DSC06 - Bulgar cavalry - long coat, sp, bow, helmet, buckler
(OD) DSC07 - Bulgar cavalry - long top coat, waving sabre, bow, fur-trimmed helmet

(Essex) HSA7 - Slav foot archer
(Essex) HSA8 - Slav spearman with axe & shield
(Essex) HSA9 - Slav javelinmen
(Essex) HSA10 - Slav MC
(Irr) V13 - Rus/Slav Archer
(Irr) V14 - Slav javelinmen
(OD) BYC11 - Slav cavalry - spear, almond shield, helmet
(OD) DWC02 - Slav cavalry - tunic, trousers, javelin, buckler

--------------------------------------------------
Key:

ADA80 - Armies of the Dark Ages 600-1066 (2nd Ed) by Ian Heath Pub: WRG 1980
BARS - Bulgars, Avars, Russians & Slavs - one of my tins.
DBA3 - De Bellis Antiquitatis v3.0 by Phil Barker  Pub: WRG
Essex - 15mm Ancient - Asiatic Hordes - https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/collections/15mm-ancient-asiastic-hordes
Irr - Irregular Miniatures - http://irregularminiatures.co.uk/  [Dark Ages range]
ND - 'New Era' Donnington - https://shop.ancient-modern.co.uk/2-donnington-new-era-110-c.asp
OD - 'Original' Donnington - https://shop.ancient-modern.co.uk/1-donnington-originals-1-c.asp
Slingshot Index - 1964 to 2010 version

Painting Miscellany

 I have actually made some progress on the painting front.

A plethora of French Xbow (Dark Ages period) - 2 x 8Bw & 2 x 4Bw - Minifigs that have sat around for years.  The Scythed Chariot has one 'billy-no-mates'.

I received 9 x Tibetan 3Kn cataphracts.  The DBx lists requires 4Kn per element so I had to re-base them.  Minor touch-ups required (nearly all the spears had lost paint).   The final element I slightly re-painted in order to convert them into Khambra nobles (Cv) with bamboo armour. I liked Glenn's original painting so tried to alter it as little as possible.

Working on the other cavalry and the infantry at the moment.  Surprised at just how many figures I could find.  No intention of raising a DBM army though as it is horribly unbalanced.

Chris handed me 14 figures yesterday - the Essex figures were easy to identify:

    8 x  HSA15 - Russ Axemen

    2 x EMED31 - Russian bowmen 

The last 4 are, however, a bit of a mystery (pictured above).  They have solid bases so not Essex.  The pointy hats are similar to other Russian bowmen but the long frock coat is not.  Any ideas anybody?

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September DBx Roundup:

DBA-RRR - 3 games

English Colonial v Portuguese Colonial          4:1 loss

Ottoman Turks v Early Spanish Colonial         4:3 loss

Zaparozhian Cossacks v Safavid Persians        4:2 win

DBA v3.0 -11 games

3.22 Maya v 4.63 Aztecs                              4:2 win

4.81 Incas v 4.12c Polynesian                      4:2 loss

4.11 NW Indian v 4.63 Aztecs                      4:2 win

1.10 Melukkakan v 1.23a Vedic Indian        4:0 loss

1.7a Early Libyan v 1.2a Early Egyptian      4:2 win

1.6b Midianite Arab v 1.51 Later Sargonid Assyrian  4:0 win  (in spite of not getting the terrain)

1.31a Neo-Hittitie v 1.34a Later Hebrew        5:4 loss

1.1b Early Sumerian v 1.11a Akkadian           4:2 loss

1.17b Later Hyksos v 1.7a Early Libyan        4:0 win

2.69a Sassanid Persian v 2.78a Eastern Roman    4:3 win

3.19c North Welsh v 3.78 Scots Isles & Highlands     5:0 win

 DBM - 1 game

Medes v Trojans        Draw    (I struggled to throw above 2 or 3 for movement on my flank) 

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In Search of.....the Tibetans (Pt.2)

 

 

After my last posting on the Tibetans I discovered another figure manufacturer with a small range - Viking Forge - http://www.thevikingforge.net/15mm-da-tibetan.html

MDC30 - Tibetan HC (MH18 horse) - shown above
MDC31 - Tibetan Cataphract (MH06 horse)
MDC36 - Tibetan general (MH06 horse)

I was also contacted by an old friend who had some cataphracts to sell.  

With these new acquisitions I thought my army was nearing completion.  I should have re-read my previous posting.

Looking more closely at this extensive list I determined that I still needed a few more troops:

1 x 3Bd Nepalese swordsmen
1 x 4Sp garrison - listed as Reg Sp(I) in DBMM
1 x 3Cv Nomad nobles - Ch'iang
3 x 2Lh Nomad horse archers - Ch'iang, Sumpa, Aza/T'u-yu-hun
              plus an indeterminate number of dismounted cataphracts

So what did they look like?  More research.....Ho Hum!

(a) Books:
'Armies and Enemies of Ancient China' by John Greer (WRG) - very limited coverage and somewhat out-of-date
'DBMM Army Lists Book 3' by PB (Pub: WRG) - more details and the confusing 'blurb'
Tibetan Civilisation by R Stein                                 } not yet
Tibet - A Political History by T Shakabpa                } acquired

(b) Slingshot:
A Tibetan Wargames Army (88/18-21, Chris Peers) - useful
Under the flag of Yar Lung [Tibetan armies, 7th-9thC] (110/6-18, Phillipe Allard) - useful
A Tibetan Cavalryman (189/35, Karl Heinz Ranitzsch) - my collection only goes up to 182 - can anybody help here ???

(c)  Blogs:
https://tinmountain.blogspot.com/2020/05/15mm-tibetan-army-completed.html - mainly army pics
https://tinmountain.blogspot.com/2020/03/15mm-tibetan-nomadic-allied-cavalry.html - same
http://theminiaturespage.com/workbench/210324/ - army painting
http://theminiaturespage.com/workbench/757264/ - infantry
https://tibet.prm.ox.ac.uk/photo_1998.285.69.2.html - reconstruction
https://dragonsarmory.blogspot.com/2018/01/tibetan-noble-cavalry_20.html - very interesting
https://dragonsarmory.blogspot.com/2018/01/tibetan-royal-guardsman.html - covers a bit of the same ground

Sadly, there will need to be a Part 3.

At the Beam End of the Universe

 

 

 "It's alright for the primping egotists at the centre of the conflict.  They have the best and most up-to-date equipment - and weaponry.  But what about the PBI consigned to border worlds like this that nobody wants?

If we're lucky we get one visit a year from the supplies depot. They bring us the most antiquated gear that has been refused or discarded from everywhere else. The guards strut around with all their shiny guns like they are gods.  

We are the grunts who have fallen out of favour or been used as scapegoats for some cringing senior leader's mistakes.  Boots on ground is what we know about.  Those fancy boys wouldn't last a week.

This jungle world, called by the natives N'tarek, has little in the way of dangerous animals but still holds billions of enemies. Legions of microbes and fungi eat through modern plastics and metals in short order.  Crazily overpowered weapons soon become useless.   Ironically it is only the old supplies that survive on this world.

Our leader still manages to strike a handsome pose for the posters with his chainsaw and blaster.  Like this border war, it is a sham.  The saw is barely holding together and the gun fires only solid pellets. The rest of us have had to make do and mend with both weapons and armour.  A more rag-tag mob you couldn't find.

As for the opposition - such as it is - they are in the same boat.  No surprise then that we have an unofficial truce in place.  They are just as unwilling to lay down their lives as we are.  It's only when some smart Alec amongst the higher ups decides to try to improve his position that there are any real hostilities.

The natives pretty much keep to themselves but if you rile them up expect to see a mass of bladed weapons and shields while being showered by poisoned arrows.  Best to leave a hornet's nest be." 

- Trooper's Letter to his parents.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whilst searching for the Vargan fleet I came across a mess of 40k stuff - figures, equipment and vehicles.  Some of it had been painted up for my 'Beam End' project but most of it is half painted or completely ignored.  Much of it is of no interest to me whatsoever.  

In case you're wondering it was a job lot.  I paid £5 for a load of Citadel paints, fantasy and 40k figures.  Much of it has been sold or simply stored in the loft. I think I know someone who might provide a home for the bulk of the 40k stuff.

Now I'm looking to expand 'Beam End' beyond a mere whim into a proper wargame. The 'bucket of dice' approach of 40k itself does not seem appropriate.  To me their infantry are horrendously overpowered. This leaves me looking for more suitable rules.  Ho hum...more work!

Incidentally, there were a number of remotes that can be kit-bashed into a rival space fleet.  Now all I need to do is find those damn Vargans!

In Search of...but Not Finding

 

 

I went up into the loft in search of my Vargan space fleet.   Rummaging through the 'miscellaneous' pile I found 12 ships/boats of the 'ancients' type. Mostly galleys but a couple that look more like cogs.  No idea where I got them from or when. May be useful for one of my latest projects but there is a slight problem - the plethora of naval scales.  Will have to take them to Gt. Houghton to check compatibility.

The second find was a tin of bits - 40k stuff by the looks of it.  Some I will convert into spaceships but most will be offered at the club for 'kit-bashing'.  All I need to do now is find those damn (fully-painted & based) Vargans!

The third contribution came from an old Sainsburys plastic bag.  In a set of smaller zip-lock bags were 20mm fantasy figures.  More lizardmen, trolls and goblins to pad out my existing (part-painted) armies plus rats, Cimmerians (mounted & foot), dwarves and a few monsters.  Enough there for some serious 'kit-bashing'.  Have a strange feeling that there should be a bag of Amazons kicking about as well.

Now I'm wondering if I should take a break from painting and concentrate on modelling/conversions.  That might just be the way to get my mojo back!

---------------------------------------

Saturday 21st August 2021 - Gt.Houghton - DBA v3.0

1)  3.28  Carolingian v 3.40a                                                  4:1 loss
2)  4.2  Cilician Armenian  v  4.1a  Komnenan Byzantine    4:0 win
3)  3.78  Scots Isles   v 4.58  Medieval Irish                          4:0 loss
4)  3.19b  South Welsh v 4.23  Feudal English                      4:1 loss
5)  2.45c  Spartacus v 2.49  Marian Roman                           4:3 win

Wargaming Ennui

 

Yesterday I played a colonial game that had well painted 25mm figures, a knowledgeable umpire and friendly players.  So why the ennui?  Was it the game or me?

On another table the DBM battlefield looked so confusing - troops everywhere with no clear sense of direction.  In the past I would have taken an active interest.  Now I just look on with indifference.

Getting back into club gaming should fill me with excitement - it doesn't.  So why have I sunk into this malaise?

With all the work I am doing sorting out old armies and painting so much bare metal there should be a positive outcome!  Instead progress is only incremental.

Maybe I need to change direction!  Still looking for some suitable spaceships.  Reading through naval rules (ancient & pre-dreadnought) but not finding anything suitable.

Looking at my part painted 20mm HotT armies may help.  They are colourful and fun to play with.

Guess I will just have to drag myself out of this fug somehow!

-----------------------------------------

Monday 16th August 2021 - WDW

a)  TMWWBK - Sikh Khalsa v Brits - Sikh win (just)
b)  DBM - Early Byzantine v Middle Frankish
c)  Never Mind the Billhooks (WotR) - more 25/28mm figures - looked interesting but the rules seemed too complex to pick up on the fly.
d)  Chain of Command - WW2

Repairs & Re-paints (Part 1)

 

 

Whilst looking for some Avar infantry I found more figures that needed repairing.  "Just add them to the box and leave until later", I thought.  When I got there the box was already full.  This rather forced my hand so I picked out the easiest jobs first.  

The Indians are Minifigs with a number of broken spears. The hands will need to be carefully drilled and brush bristles inserted.

The Chinese are from the late, lamented, Kennington range.  The infantry have also suffered from spear drop.

There must be a special skill in photographing black figures but it's one that I clearly lack.  

Anyway....this motley crew are all 'arabs' except the Numidian Lh.  

The cavalry are Minifigs again (not an unbroken spear in sight). More drill work.  The rest just need re-painting.

------------------------------------------

DBA - Gt. Houghton - Thursday 5.8.21

3.79 Early Russians v 3.47 Pechenegs [Blind General]
     I took along my almost completed Russians.  (4:0 win)
4.44b Post-Mongol Russian v 3.80 Cumans [Blind General]
     Had to borrow 2 elements.  (4:1 win)
2.32a Later Carthaginian v 2.13 Samnites   (4:2 loss)

We also had a round of 'Carcasson'.  Ian had never played before and my introduction had been 3 days earlier.  Ian won by a good margin.

Finally we tried out 'De Bellis Navilibus'.  We were not impressed.  I won 4:0 (by fluke not skill).  Will try again with a different set of rules (maybe 'Corvus' by Richard Lee).

-----------------------------------------

DBA - Gt.Houghton - Saturday 7.8.21

2.22d Characene v 2.37 Parthian [DDBA]  (8:3 win)
2.55b Nobades v 2.78b Eastern Roman [DDBA]  (9:5 win)
1.6c Early Aramaean v 2.7 Later Achaemenid Persian (5:3 loss)
1.46b Kushite Egyptian v 1.51 Later Sargonid Assyrian.  The river was palty which didn't help.  I also missed a crucial opportunity early in the game.

---------------------------------------------  

Horbury(WDW) - Monday 9.8.21

7YW - British v Austrians - 'King of the Battlefield' rules - Austrian victory.  I had one infantry and one gun left at the end.
20C - 1940s German invasion of Britain - boardgame
DBM - Makkan v Assyrian

Русские уже здесь

 The Russians are coming (and the Slavs).

                                                                   EMED27, 76 & 77

Whilst working on my DBA Russians (3.79) I realised that I needed additional figures - mostly armoured horse and the Essex figures looked the part.  In addition one bag of u/a (later) horse are destined for the Post-Mongol Russians (4.44).

For painting information I consulted "Armies of Feudal Europe" by Ian Heath.  Numbers 109 to 114 cover horse and foot.  Also needed to look at the Kazaks - figures 115 to 117.  Nothing too complicated.  Need to do more research on the Russian barding.

In the meantime I will use what I have for the early army.  Only things missing are 1 x 7Hd and 1 x Kn (German).  Can probably 'fudge' them. Must get on with the painting!

In spite of spending the princely sum of £24 I still need more for 4.44b Post-Mongols:

2 x 2Lh Tartar horse archers (may have some suitable ex-Ottomans);
1 x 2Ps Cossack hg or bow (I have some xbow so they would do);
1 x 4Xb Militia (more likely to take the WWg option unless facing enemy Art).

                                                                     HSA8 & 10

The Early Russian list required one element of Ax 'woodsmen'.  Searching through my boxes revealed that I had a number of Slav and Avar foot.  

Beware reader this is a slippery slope.  I added some Slav cavalry and 8 Ax figures to my order (for a bit of variety).  Suppose that the Slav Cv are OK for the 'also rans' but not for a general's element.  The Bulgar HC look much more impressive.....Hmm!

Need to add some odd stuff to my collection in order to field 4.44:

1 x 3Cv general
1 x 3Cv Danish, Old Saxon or Thuringian  (may have these)
1 x 3Kn mercenaries
4 x 4Sp
1 x 3Kn Swabian or Frankish

So, once again, it's the Cv & Kn I am short of.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

No DBA battles to report as Ian was on holiday but.................WDW is back in business:  

4 games of 'Carcasson' and somehow I managed to win the last round (3 tile option).  

TMWWBK Zulu v Imperials - much discussion after the game about the scenario.

A two-handed DBM scrap between French Ordonnance and WotR Tudor.  No result as usual.

The Return of the Aztecs

 

           http://junkyardplanet.blogspot.com/2021/04/mesoamerican-dba-part-2-aztecs.html
               Superbly painted 1/72 figures - also a posting of his Mayas on the site.
 

On Monday Chris returned the remaining Aztecs saying that realistically he was never going to paint them.  The current DBM list is also pretty awful so I was not surprised.  

So what to do with all this dross...well...back to basics.  I originally selected figures for a DBA Aztec army (4.63) then looked at which additional elements I would need to morph into the other 'Americas' armies.  This approach at least restricted the number of figures that I would need to paint.  The down side is that I only have one basic army.  

Given the additional figures I can now expand the Tarascans(4.19) and the  Mixtec/Zapotecs(4.53) to full DBA size.  

Next I need to look at 'The Roads Not Travelled'.  I'm trying to avoid the stereotypical 3Ax/3Bw combination in the process.

3.41a - Proto-Toltec or Proto-Aztec - a mass of 3Ax
3.41b - Chichimec or Pueblo Culture - substitutes 3Bw for the Ax - I have 16 old Minifigs with long spear and shield - unfortunately the Chichimecs did not use shields (and they looked more suitable for a Red Indian morph).
4.70 - Chanca or Canari - a mass of 3Pk - can only find reference to a few shields and of the Inca type.
4.71a - Chimu Imperial - a reasonable mix
4.71b - Coastal Peruvian - very little is known about this civilisation (so the list is speculative at best)
4.72 - Amazonian - 3Bw
4.84a - Araucanians - Pk & Bw - again no shields in use.
4.84b - Other Mapuche - 3Ax & 3Bw  

                           Toltec warrior from the Codex  Magllabechiano (in the public domain)

3.59 - Toltec - possibly the second most unsubtle army (African Vandals are at No.1) - all 4Bd - certainly have enough suitable figures.  Regrettably,  it looks like my best option though!


-----------------------------------

Monday 26th July 2021 - Wrenthorpe - DBM

Early Achaemenid Persians v Mycenaens

For once I was aggressive threatening the enemy right flank.  Making progress when stumps were pulled.  Given more time I think that we would have won.

In Search of....The Tibetans

 

                                                         Khurasan - Tibetan SHC (cataphracts)

A bit of a departure from my normal 'In Search of' postings.  This time it's all about the minnies rather than the history...but I'm getting ahead of myself.  

Rewind the clock to last week when I received some Naismith Tibetan HC via Ebay.  Previous research had shown me that both Naismith and Roundway had gone to the great minnie graveyard (along with Kennington and most of Asgard).  So which other manufacturers produce suitable figures for a DBA army?  This is what my current research found:

(a)  Essex Miniatures

TA11 - T'ang Chinese: Tibetan SHC
TA11a - T'ang Chinese: Tibetan EHC
TA12 - T'ang Chinese: Tibetan Heavy/Medium Cavalry
TA13 - T'ang Chinese: Nepalese Archer

NB These are not in the normal listing (Tang & Sui) so input the codes directly into the search window.

------------------------------------------

(b) Irregular Miniatures

V65 - Tibetan SHC
V66 - Tibetan HC
V67 - Tibetan Medium/Light cavalry
V68 - Tibetan cavalry officer
V69 - Tibetan cavalry standard bearer
V70 - Tibetan infantryman
V71 - Nepalese infantry archer

-----------------------------------------------

(c)  Khurasan Miniatures

KM400 - Tibetan Armoured Cavalry on Armoured Horses
KM401 - Tibetan Nomad Horse Archers (Tuyuhun), Bow
KM402 - Tibetan King and Standardbearer, on Armoured Horses, Plus Two Armoured Cavalry
KM403 - Tibetan General and Standardbearer, on Armoured Horses, Plus Two Armoured Cavalry
KM404 - Tibetan Dismounted Cataphracts, Long Spears
KM405 - Tibetan Dismounted King, Standardbearer and Two Dismounted Armoured Cavalry, Long Spears
KM406 - Tibetan Dismounted General (Depicted as a Normal Dismounted Armoured Cavalryman with Longspear), Standardbearer and Two Dismounted Armoured Cavalry, Long Spears
KM407 - Tibetan Garrison Infantry Spearmen
KM408 - Tibetan Garrison Infantry Archers

Excellent figures but the postage doubles the cost.
--------------------------------------

(d)  Magister Militum

TIB1 - Tibetan Armoured cavalry
TIB2 - Tibetan or Nepalese cavalry
TIB3 - Nomad Cavalry with bow
TIB4 - Tibetan bowman
TIB5 - Javelinmen with shields
TIB6 - Irregular Khambra Noble Cavalry

---------------------------------------------------

Looking at the DBA v3.0 army list (3.15) building all the options is not...well an option!  

Total number = 103

1 x Kn(g); 1 x Sp(g); 35 Kn, 35 Sp, 12 Nepalese Cv; 4 Garrison Sp; 6 Nomad horse archers; 2 Mountain tribal archers; 3 Nepalese swordsmen; 2 Nepalese archers & 3 Nomad Cv.

Clearly this is an army that needs to be approximated then fielded on a trial basis.  I will not be purchasing new troops until I find out exactly what I need for an effective army.

---------------------------------------------------

Saturday 17th July 2021 - Gt.Houghton

'Blind General' with Hordes:

4.81 Inca Imperial v 3.18 Breton  4:2 win
The first win for the Incas (using Hd rather than fast pikes).

4.81 Inca Imperial v 2.45 Spartacus  1:5 loss
The victory went to their heads.

4.19c Tlaxcalan v 4.85 Burgundians  2:4 loss
IT looked promising at one stage but then a hole developed in my line.

1.6a Early Bedouin v 1.12 Sumerian Successor   4:3 win
Another close scrap.

Far too hot today -  but cooler in Ian's cellar.

In Fellahin We Trust

 

 

Saturday 9th July 2021 - Gt. Houghton

Persian horsemen spotted enemy on the horizon. They rushed back to the nearest, small, town to tell the local headman.  Despite the ensuing panic a motley group of 'volunteers' was rounded up to face the invading Ottomans.

Qajar Persian Army List (scratch force)

1 x Persian Armoured cavalry (gen) – lance, bow – LC(f)
2 x Persian LC, bow, fanatical – LC(f) @ 1 ap                    2
1 x Mercenary cavalry – bow or jezzails - LC @ 1 ap        1
1 x Camelry, bow – MI(is) @ 1 ap                                      1
2 x Regular ‘new’ infantry, muskets - Ms @ 1 ap               2
2 x Regular ‘new’ infantry, muskets, militia @ 0.5 ap        1           
2 x Medium gun – 3 crew, militia @ 0.5 ap                        1
2 x Skirmishers, bow, militia – Sk(M)(is) @ 0.5 ap           1
2 x Irregular warriors, matchlocks - Wb(is) @ 0.5 ap        1
2 x Zamberek Camels, light gun, militia – MI(M)(lg) @ 0.5 ap    1           
2 x Irregular bowmen - Ms(M)(is) @ 0.5 ap                      1
---                                                                                        ---
19                                                                                        12 ap

NB:  This list is based on the figures I could find at the time (and manage to shoe-horn into  suitable classifications).  Think of the irregular bowmen as the 'Dad's Army' contribution.

DBN (Eastern) - this time Ian had the Ottomans (list as per the rules).  

I put some of my low quality troops on the hill and awaited the onslaught of the fellahin.  On they came and even managed to reach the hill but 5 out of 6 died.  Unfortunately the follow-up troops were much more effective.

On my left I pushed skirmishers and warband through the wood.  The psiloi fell to enemy musketry but the warband were made of stronger stuff.  

In the centre my troops were decimated by the enemy cannon whereas my gunners were blaming each other for the damp powder.

Ian was happy with the 'fighting fellahin'.  The result was a 7:1 win for the Ottoman raiders.

More work needs to be done on the Qajar (and Georgian) DBN armies.  We experimented with some new classifications:
(is) = Inferior Shooters - those with bows, jezzails, xbow, matchlocks, etc - a -1 when shooting
(lg) = Light Guns - specifically zamurek camels - 4" range
(MI) = Mounted Infantry - 3" movement - can move and fire
(f) = fanatic - treat as Mamelukes

DBA v3.0
 

1.34a Later Hebrew v 1.6b Early Bedouin - 4:3 win
 

3.18 Breton v 3.52 West Frankish - 1:5 loss

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Seems like Galley (naval) warfare might be next.  Meanwhile I'm still looking for a simple Pre-Dreadnought rules set - ho hum!

In the Doldrums

 As I have been crook for the past week there has been no wargaming activity to report.  No DBA or DBM.  

However....I realised  that I hadn't recorded the results of the previous week's games.  So here we go!

Saturday  26th June - Gt.Houghton - DBA  (Collision Course where marked)

3.51 Bagratid Armenian v 3.76 Konstantinian Byzantine (CC) - 4:1 win - BA is a well-balanced army.

4.22 Islamic Persian v 4.69 Albanian (CC) - 4:1 loss - awful movement dice at the start meant that I couldn't develop my pieces before the enemy was on me.

4.43c Later Hungarian v 4.65 Wallachian (CC) - 4:0 loss - I never got into this fight.

4.83a Wars of the Roses v 4.82a French Ordonnance - 4:1 win - solid blades and bow are pretty hard to beat
 

Monday  28th June - Wrenthorpe - DBM

Samurai v Later T'ang Chinese - I  threw a one for my allied command at the first round.  It was on observation watch from then on.  The result was never in doubt..

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Been watching TA & Co using the 'Blind General' variant.  Looks interesting but not to be used in conjunction with CC.

"Cos Breaking Up Is So Very Hard To Do".

 

 

(a)  Breaking Up the Ottomans - Part 4

An entertaining book about the Mongols.  Typical pattern - Break Out - Expand - Conquer - Fight Among Themselves - Fragmentation - Demise.

Now that I have separated out the Ottomans and Turkomans I have the 'rump' to deal with.  Islamic Persians may be a possibility but I would need to purchase models to fill out certain gaps.  

Many Lh and a few Cv are, as yet, unidentified. Looking not too closely at the illustrations in the above book I considered raising a Mongol army.  So what are the requirements?

Cumulative list for 3.44, 4.35, 4.47  & 4.52:

1 x Cv(g);  4 x Cv (Mongol);  1 x Cv (Georgian);
3 x Cv (Uighur, Khitan, Khwarizmian or Chinese);
9 x Lh (Mongol); 4 x Lh (Tartars); 3 x Lh (Cuman);
3 x Lh (Uighur, Kipchak or Turkoman);
1 x 3Bw (Armen); 2 x 3Bw (Bessemeni); 1 x 3Bw Tajik);
1 x 4Xb (Italian); 1 x 3Wb (Siberians); 1 x 7Hd (Tajik);
1 x Art (stone-thrower)

That's a lot of figures [92 + Art]
                30 Cv, 36 Lh, 12 Bw, 4 Xb, 3 Wb, 7 Hd, 1 Art

Interestingly, list 3.44 is exclusively Mongol whereas 4.47 only has 1 x 3Cv.  Perhaps I should give the Golden Horde a miss!

(b)  Breaking Up the Aztecs - Summary

4.19a - Tarascan or Toltec-Chichimec - a/w painting
4.19c - Spanish & Tlaxcalan - ready for use
4.53 - Mixtec, Zapotec or West Mexican - a/w painting
4.63 - Aztecs - a/w shield painting
4.71b - Coastal Peruvians (Tallanes) - a/w painting

Most of the remainder has been swapped.  So that's the end of my old (6th Ed) killer army.  Ho hum - life goes on!

Time to get back on the horse....

 

You know how it is! As a wargaming butterfly I have so many projects on the go all at the same time.  Seems like I need to take stock of the many half-finished jobs (or at least some of them).

Turkomans - I still need to identify many of the 'strays' - take pics - post on Fanaticus and DBA Facebook group.

Americans - sort out the last of them - decide which armies are going to be ignored - Toltec for a start (11 x 4Bd & 1 x Ps).  Paint up the 'additions'.  Dispose of the remainder.

Indians (Asian sub-continent) - haven't really looked at these yet.  Another victim of DBMM army list changes.  Maybe park it for a while (or indefinitely)!

Russians - still on my paint table.  Get on with painting them - check on the shortages - purchase extras where necessary.

HotT - opponent for my 15mm Garden Gnomes.  Put some more paint on the 20mm figures.

Of course I should rationalise all my stocks.  Sell off anything I haven't used for a while.  Throw out all those 'parked' projects (e.g. WW1 East Africa).  Then again I am a wargaming butterfly.
 
Just seen a 3D printed ziggurat on Tony Aguilar's channel...Oh! Pretty!  Pretty!

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DBA v3.0 - Gt.Houghton - Sat 19th June 2021

1)  2.20a Ptolemaic v 1.56a Early Kyrenaean Greek        4:2 loss
2)  2.60  Caledonian v 2.53  Ancient British                    4:1 win
3)  2.48  Mithridatic v 2.37  Parthian                                6:3 loss           

I was 3:2 up at one stage
 

4)  2.64a  Western Roman v 2.65b Tervingi                     4: 0 loss          

My troops were useless - movement was erratic - very poor shooting and fighting dice.  Clearly they hadn't wanted to turn up at all.

A reversal of last week's results

----------------------------------------------------

DBM - Wrenthorpe - Mon 21st June 2021 - COLD

2.32  Later Carthaginians v 2.20 Ptolemaic        Draw        

Loss of all expendables (elephants) but we were starting to turn Al's flank.

We 'pulled stumps' when Chris left.  Not getting a conclusive result is probably my biggest gripe with DBM.

DBx - Bits & Pieces

 

 

(a)  Just a few oddments leaving the painting table:

Left & Centre: Polynesian & Melanesian - 3 x (3Ax/3Wb/3Bd) & 1 x 7Hd.   

Right: Incas - 2 x 5Hd (hopefully these will fare better than my Pk(F)) - originally Naismith Aztecs.

(b)  Stuck in the queue:

Aztecs - all figures need their shields done
Tarascans - slow re-paint job
Russians - a bit of colour on them

Spanish - 1 element - mixed arquebusiers & crossbowmen (to replace the 4 x arq)
              - 1 element - Conquistador knights (to replace the mainland Sp general).
              - 2 elements - Ginetes/Jinetes (Minifigs)
So after all the transfers have taken place I will have 1/3 of a Spanish army (Conquistador period) available.

Mound Builder American - bare metal
Hawai'ian pikes - bare metal

French crossbow - 23 figures part-painted - seem to be dark ages rather than medieval


DBA v3.0 @ Gt Houghton (Sat 12th) - 4 games:

1.6b  Midianite 1500-312 bc v 1.27  Early Hebrew                                  4:3 loss
         I didn't get the terrain - camels are not much use in woods
1.17b  Later Hyksos 1590-1537 bc v 1.7a Early Libyan 3000-1251 bc    4:3 win
1.25a  Middle Assyrian v 1.34a  Later Hebrew                                         4:3 win
1.29b  Later Philistine 1099-600 bc v 1.45  Neo-Assyrian Imperial         4:3 win
           How I scraped a win on this one I will never know.

Every game a 4:3 result - don't think that has ever happened before!
 

DBM @ Wrenthorpe (Mon 14th)

North Welsh v English
Two enemy commands broken for no loss - decisive victory.

Whilst waiting for the host to finish his dinner a couple of new residents came to the garden gate and asked which of us was the owner.  In almost total unison we said "none of us".  Just shows how long we have been wargaming together.

 

Breaking Up The Aztecs - Pt.3

 After painting up the 'Spanish & Tlaxcalan' DBA army I researched other possible morphs:

    4.19a - Tarascan or Toltec-Chicimec - additions required:  20 Bw; 6 shield-bearers
    That's a lot of bow but I have them part-painted.
    Plenty of info - shields and uniforms.

    4.53 - Mixtec, Zapotec or West Mexican - additions required:
    1 x Ax(g); 9 x Ax (suit wearers); 6 x Ax; 6 x sling
    Again I have these in stock
    Less info but still adequate.

   4.71 - Coastal Peruvian - no additions required
    A nice bonus army
Very little available information on the Tallanes - this will have to be the subject of a future 'In Search Of' posting.

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Even after all this work there will still be a 'rump' to be disposed of.  I did consider using the 'Irregular Warfare' rules for my 15mm but I already have plenty of figures in 20mm for that.  Clearly I need to find someone who is familiar with Ebay!

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DBA games - Sat 5th June 2021 (Gt. Houghton)

1)       4.19c Spanish & Tlaxcalan v 4.63 Aztec                                    4:0 win
          A good result for their first outing - the Kn did nothing but observe
 

2)      4.37a Malay v 3.23a    Khmer                                                     4:1 loss

3)      4.40 Siamese v 3.9b  Burmese                                                    4:3 win
 

4)      4.81 Inca Imperial v 4.63  Aztec                                                4:2 loss
         Another Inca failure - on paper it should be a good(ish) army.
         I am now painting up 2 x 5Hd to replace the 2 x 3Pk.

5)      2.1  Republican Indian v 2.15  Alexandrian Imperial                4:3 win
         I thought the game was over when I had lost 3 elements (to 1 kill).  
         The dice gods decided otherwise.

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Sources:

(1)  "Armies of the Sixteenth Century - 2"  Aztecs & Incas
    Foundry Books 1998 - Ian Heath

(2)  FoG - Blood & Gold - the Americas at War - ISBN 978-1-84603-691-0

(3)  FoG - Cities of Gold - Africa and the Americas - ISBN 978-1-84908-235-8

(4)  DBA v3.0 (2014) - by Phil Barker & Sue Laflin-Barker

(5)  DBMM Army Lists (Revised Edition - 2016) - books 3 & 4 - by Phil Barker

(6)  DBR Army Lists (1995) - book 1 - by Phil Barker

(7)  Stevens Balagan (website) - multiple articles on uniforms and compositions of 'American' armies e.g.     https://balagan.info/painting-guide-for-an-aztec-army

(8)  Weapons & Warfare - another website with multiple articles e.g.
     https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2019/04/23/aztecs/

(9)  Meshwesh - army lists for 'Triumph' ancient rules e.g.
     http://meshwesh.wgcwar.com/thematicCategory/5fb1b720e1af060017701946/explore

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More Americans

 

 

Looking through the blue box I discovered a hotch-potch of figures - old Minifigs, Gladiator and...I don't know what else.  So what to extract from this mess?  Turns out that the Tlaxcalans wore similar outfits to the Aztecs with the exception that there were fewer 'suit-wearers'.  The 'common man' also had a plain shield.  Sounded good to me!  Unfortunately, DBA list 4.19c is for a Spanish & Tlaxcalan army.  Nil Desperandum - dig out those Conquistadores that I bought at Phalanx years ago.  The bases need flocking but otherwise that's another DBA force marked off the spreadsheet.

There were some Naismith Incas in the box but not enough.  I ordered the missing troops from Lurkio.  With the new recruits I could put together list 4. 81 Inca Imperial.  Easy enough to paint if you simplify the designs on the uncu and shields.  Two down and many more to go.   

En passant I finished an element of armoured snails for my HotT Garden Gnome army.  Normally I field these as knights but I suppose behemoths would be just as appropriate!  Now if only I could find an opponent for them.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So what's left?  The yellow box contains my WRG 6th Ed Aztec army - all figures are Tin Soldier.  These do not mix well with others (the eagle-eyed could spot a psiloi element amongst the Tlaxcalans).  They have suffered from years of handling and so needed more work than I, at first, thought. Brushes were engaged but work stalled when I realised just how many shield patterns and suit-wearers there were to do.

The non-TS 'rump' has some very simple, but small' (probably Naismith) warriors with spears or blades plus an assortment of 'chiefs' (many manufacturers). Cannot see what I am going to make of them!  What to do with the bulk of the TS Aztecs as well!

Falling Off the Straight and Narrow

 

 

It seems that wargaming is slowly re-starting.  Members of our club (Wakefield & District) have commenced Garden Games followed by Home Hosting.  Later on the church hall may become available. So, real, social interactivity in the future - maybe!  Seems that the Staines club has managed it.

Recent emails with Chris have got me thinking about Post-Lockdown Wargaming and how it might change the status quo.  For me the usual fare of regular DBM games has lost its appeal.  During lockdown DBA v3.0 has been the mainstay of my diet - with some variations: DBN, DBA-HX, DB3H2, DBA-RRR, DBC & HotT.  I have also played Pre-Dreadnought naval (what next?).  

[You will notice that "DB stutter" (as Bob called it) does not feature in the above list.  This is mainly because, for me, it shares too many mechanisms with DBR.]

The 'pastures new' that I am looking at are:

(1)  Spaceships/Starships/Sci-Fi - 'Full Thrust' looks like a good system (plus our own 'home grown rules').  For ground actions maybe the emerging, and free, WTF rules. Also considering adapting 'Wings of War'.

(2)  Pre-Dreadnought naval - tried 'Damn Battleships Again' but was not enamoured.  Need a fairly simple, fast action, set of rules.  Any recommendations?

(3)  Renaissance - have played DBA-RRR for some time now and have over 20 armies available.  Watched another rules set being played at the club (Baroque - I think!) and that seemed to flow OK.

(4)  Rebel & Patriot - plus other sets from the 'Lion Rampant stable'.  Unfortunately LR does seem to get a bit bogged down so, maybe, swerve that one.

How many of us have thought about what we used to do pre-Covid?  Anybody considering going off in a different direction?  Will we be able to persuade others to join in?

I'm somewhat concerned about the prevailing ethos at club level.  Having been a member of well over a dozen clubs since 1975 I have noted certain traits, trends and retrenchments.  

(a)  Fracturing of established rule sets.  At one time there were dominant rules e.g WRG 'Ancients.  Now they are multiple and competing.

(b)  Isolationism - increasingly small islands of players dedicated to one particular set to the exclusion of all others.  Difficult to get into these Brobdignavian enclaves.

(c)  In all my years as a wargamer I have met fewer than 10 female wargamers. They are, however, present at FRP clubs. Is this cultural stereotyping?  Noticed more and more females at conventions but they are usually either accompanying their partners or helping out on demo games.  Maybe we need to ask them why they don't join in!

Anyway...I'm looking forward to re-starting face-to-face gaming again.  Roll on the lifting of restrictions so that we can all recover from this extended 'Annus Horribilis'.

No Wheels & Horses Please…..We're Americans

 The inhabitants of the Americas discovered the wheel outside of the ‘Ancients’ period. It’s a similar story regarding horses.

 Lurkio - Chinantec command

On Saturday I used my, newly painted, Incas against Ian’s Aztecs and got slaughtered. I muttered under my breath that the victorious forces were once mine. When I got home I started looking through my Meso-American boxes again and wondering where I could purchase figures to make up some more armies (It’s the masochist in me).

My researches turned up some manufactures of 15mm figures suitable for DBA armies of North, Central & South America:

Tribe / Nation	DBA	Manufacturers	Notes
Amazonian	4.72	Eureka(1)
American, Eastern Forest	4.9
American, North-Western	4.11
Araucanian	4.84	Khurasan, Lurkio
Aztecs	4.63	Essex, Gladiator(a), Irregular, Tin Soldier
Canari		Lurkio
Chanca or Chinchaysuya	4.70	Irregular
Chichimecs	3.41	Khurasan
Chimor or Chimu	4.71	Irregular, Lurkio
Chinantecs	4.19	Khurasan
Cholula*	4.19		Toltec city-state
Colhuacan*	4.19		Toltec city-state
Conchoco	4.71
Cuilapan (Mixtec)	4.53
Eskimo	4.11	Mick Yarrow	NW American
Huexotingo*	4.19		Toltec city-state
Inca	4.81	Khurasan, Lurkio, Irregular
Inuit	4.11	Mick Yarrow
Iroquois	4.9	Khurasan	EF American
Mapuche	4.84	Khurasan, Lurkio
Mayan	3.22	Gladiator(a)
Mixtec	4.53	Gladiator(a)
Moche		Lurkio	Not in Meshwesh
Mound Builder	4.10	Eureka(2)
Pueblo Cultures	3.41
Tallanes	4.71
Tarascan	4.19
Tlaxcalan*	4.19	Gladiator(a)	Toltec city-state
Tlingit	4.11	Eureka(3)
Toltec	3.59
Toltec-Chichimec	4.19
Tupi	4.29	Gladiator(b), Khurasan
Zapotec	4.53	Gladiator(a)
Zuachila	4.53

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Here are the links:

https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/collections/15mm-medieval-aztec

(1) https://www.eurekaminuk.com/collections/amazonian-indians

(2) https://www.eurekaminuk.com/collections/mound-builder-north-american-indians(3) https://www.eurekaminuk.com/collections/tlingit-north-american-indians

(a) https://fighting15s.com/product-category/gladiator-miniatures/aztecs-and-enemies/?v=79cba1185463

(b) https://fighting15s.com/product-category/gladiator-miniatures/tupi/?v=79cba1185463

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/

https://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/historicalindex.html

http://lurkio.co.uk/lurk10live/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=130

http://lurkio.co.uk/lurk10live/images/chimu/CHBG02_gen.jpg

https://www.magistermilitum.com/fgim52-aztec-temple.html

http://www.spanglefish.com/mickyarrowminiatures/index.asp?pageid=192885

https://tinsoldieruk.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=413_186_195&zenid=d181d23f098f33a6a4224d83ed9eaea4

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Notes:

 Magister Militum has a 15mm Aztec Temple (FGIM52)

Minifigs & Naismith used to produce ranges of suitable figures but they are no longer available (trawling Ebay might help though).

Breaking Up the Ottomans - Part 3

 

Minifigs 150Xc - Sipahis of the Porte

Whilst struggling to identify my 'Ottomans' I checked "Armies of the Middle Ages, volume 2" by Ian Heath.  On page 114, item 23, the following paragraph is more than relevant:

".....virtually identical armour was worn throughout all the Iranian lands during this period, and ....could....equally well be Ilkhanids, Jalayrids, Black Sheep or White Sheep Turks or Timurids."

[Mr Barker would be proud of this one sentence paragraph.]

Whilst not giving me complete carte blanche It does provide some room for manoeuvre.  

The relevant DBA lists are:
 
4.42 - Islamic Persian
4.46 - Ilkhanid
4.67 - Jalayrid
4.75 - Timurid
4.77 - Black or White Sheep Turkomans

The Jalayrid list requires 7 x Mongol horse archers and the Ilkhanid 9. Both would be better considered as Mongol morphs.  

A compound list for 4.42 & 4.75 could be:

1 x Cv(g); 8 x Cv; 1 x Cv (Georgian nobles)
3 x Lh (Turkoman); 1 x Lh (horse archer)
1 x 4Bw (Sabadar); 2 x 3Bw (Persian or Afghan); 2 x Ps bow (Persian or Afghan)
1 x 3Ax (hillmen); 1 x 3Pk (Afghan spearmen); 1 x 7Hd
1 x El (Timurid)

Museum - Arab citizen cavalry

In my 'Arab horse' tin there were 6 cavalry figures (as pictured above) that had been given to me as possible 'chinese'.  Indeed they served as such until more suitable models were found.  At that point they were sent to pad out my Arab cavalry.  Now they will be added to my Islamic Persian DBA force.

Closer inspection of the (Ottoman) box also revealed a few more Museum Persian Cv plus 3 Georgian Cv.

So, what about the Turkomans?  Well, that's a story for the next posting.