As may be gathered from the title post, the focus on completion has been the Gauls painted previously who have been based and put in the storage boxes (which are becoming quite full!)
However, I have not been totally idle, as other things necessary for the campaign have been cleaned up and prepped ready for painting. This includes Roman baggage, Tribunes, more Celtic cavalry (as used by Romans in Gaul) and.........ships!
The game allows for both sides to receive ships as reinforcements - for the Romans 2 fleets and 1 each for the Gauls (Venetti) and British. While DBA doesn't allow for naval elements, DBM and DBMM does, so rules can easily be created. Models are more problematic. As hinted in the previous post, I'd looked at how you could fit a model on a 40mm x 80mm base - it requires some kind of "bathtubbing" with regards scales. I was very fortunate as I stumbled on the Museum Miniatures range (which I didn't know existed) - some reduced price remnants at Keep Wargaming and some on sale at Museum itself which made it affordable. So some galleys and Roman merchant ships have been added - some for Civil Wars, in particular Egypt which involved lots of naval and land action.
The Celts were more difficult. No-one makes anything suitable, apart from some coracles (which I cannot see getting across the Channel!) I tuned to Essex Miniatures who have a limited range of reduced size ships and crews. The Venetti used large solid sailing ships. The British? In the end, I gambled and it seems to have paid off. I have discovered that a few Bronze and Iron age ships have been found in Britain which seem to have been cross-Channel trading vessels in the form of large oar powered boats.
I had bought a Viking longship and some Biblical era "slave" crew and after some thought a Medieval Cog and some suitable crew figures. With lots of hacking and cutting and filing, some Greenstuff and a bit of mix and match, I have a boat with rowers and stored mast and a large solid sail powered ship which is taller than the Roman galleys.
I have looked at the remaining Celts - I seem to lack baggage, camp followers and command elements so may not need to paint many more. I need to review what I have. Some will definitely become Galatian mercenaries - those in Greek equipment in particular, and many intended for skirmishers will become part of warbands.
There are more Germans, Roman cavalry as well as various camps to paint and sort - I have most of what I need. I have also been contemplating my uncompleted "Known World" campaign. I reviewed the lists of armies I'd prepared and some were not listed DBA armies when I worked on it; since then DBA lists have appeared. A quick review of what I have, what's changed and what is missing, had me hunting through boxes to identify suitable models. Gaps have been filled by selective purchases (some of them cheap) or by figures already purchased - always satisfying.
Anyway, onto the completed Celts.
Cavalry
The Minifigs and Essex figures
Donnington and Irregular (and a lone Minifigs)
Freikorps 15 old and new
Fanatics in the nip!
"Solid"
"Fast"
Skirmishers
Gauls often fought in dense "warbands," they typically require more figures (about 50-150 depending which rules are used) than professional armies like the Romans.....Great painting on the Gauls! cheers!
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil. I know Phil Barker differentiates between those that formed up with interlocking shields and those that were from more densely wooded areas; I think someone pointed out that by that logic, the Germans should be "loose order"......
ReplyDeleteI've come to the conclusion it is probably all artificial; the keenest may well have been able to keep a tight formation, but others were probably looser and some unwilling hordes!
As this is aiming at a Gallic war campaign, solid, fast and horde warbands will all be in the same army and tweaks will be made to DBA3 to better reflect Caesar's Commentaries.
Neil
You’re not wrong, If terrain dictated loose order, then yes, groups like the Germans who often fought in forested regions should always be loose......Likewise “barbarian” armies could and did form dense masses when it suited them...
DeleteIn DBA 3.0, Germanic tribes are often classified as Warband (Wb) or Auxilia (Ax), typically with the "Fast" (S) or "Solid" (F) distinction to denote their tactical flexibility
Loose Order (Fast): Represents warriors who relied on individual prowess, move quickly in difficult terrain, and rapid charges.
Solid Order: Represents the "shield wall" capacity the ability of veteran or highly motivated warriors to stand shoulder-to-shoulder...... cheers!
Superb work on these - I may copy the style and colours for my plastics :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Darren. I went back to Armies & Enemies of Imperial Rome WRG. It suggested cloaks were most popular in black, red and blue, yellow tunics were common. I added in some brown and green for natural dyes then painted the same figures differently, red, blues, black and white common for shields. Once the main colours were on I did the odd stripey trouser (good old Asterix blue and white!) and selected cloaks got checks or stripes. Then shields in contrasting colours. I wish now I'd done more patterns as seen in the books ( curly ended lines).
DeleteNeil
Quite a colorful bunch of wildmen, Neil! Your shieldwork is impressive. I like the variety a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks Jonathan. As above I really should have looked at the books and done more loops or swirly circles or the odd animal. Still plenty to do, so I'll aim for that with the others.
DeleteNeil