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Post by goragrad on Jan 6, 2021 22:40:02 GMT
Alternative order arrived yesterday - one figure short on one code, but a couple of extras for two other codes so, on balance ahead.
Got some replacements for the mules that were sent by mistake on the last order.
And as I had requested, got some 15mm minis instead of the free 28mm offered as a bonus. Ended up with 4 of the MEC4 13th C Frankish knights.
Good service.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 28, 2020 7:22:15 GMT
Well, kaiphranos, that vase is bad enough, might not want to let her see this picture of a rather 'Scythian' looking 'Trojan' archer - www.ancient-origins.net/sites/default/files/Trojan-archer.jpg?itok=JlFDTtxuThose aren't 'polka dots' but small images of horses and riders and what appear to be cats. And then there are those those multi-colored geometric designs... P.S. While reasonably colorful, my Skyths are quite subdued in comparison.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 28, 2020 7:09:49 GMT
Have still been (intermittently) working my way thru 'The Art of War in Italy 1494-1529.'
Interesting to see battle descriptions from the Italian Wars describing the advancing and redeploying of artillery during the course of battles. One had the impression from (somewhat limited) reading of the Thirty Years War that artillery thru that period was static once initially emplaced.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 28, 2020 6:12:33 GMT
More nice work on those Armenians paul, and a belated Merry Christmas as well.
A few days ago I finished painting and glued to base an Allince/Tabletop Games Stone Throwing Engine with three crew (Alternative Armies EQ3, although Alternative only supplies two crew).
Also repainted the kontoses(?) and repainted some of the armor on a dozen Essex RO-42 Roman/Palmayran Cataphracts that I got already painted - too monochrome - to make 3 elements of clibanarii for my Eastern LIR BBDBA army. Only one element glued to bases as two of the horses require some epoxy - rear legs broken.
And 3 Roundway RKF-06 Mounted Handgunners painted and glued to bases as an element of CV (petardiers) for the Medieval German 'c' list - Book IV French army lists don't include mounted handgunners and besides having three of the figures made a CV element the logical choice.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 28, 2020 5:47:10 GMT
Interesting site - a good find. Would be nice to have more depth in some of the areas/nations, but then there are so many arms that are documented (if at all) in obscure and hard to access references. I am very curios about what the charge on this shield is - wappenwiki.org/images/3/39/Kornicz.svgAnd when it dates to...
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Post by goragrad on Dec 28, 2020 5:25:51 GMT
Goragrad,The field signs, such as the Cross of St. George, St. Denis, St. Andrew and the crossed staves made recognition of friend from foe easier, but its display had not yet become standard. I have found illustrations with signs displayed across the chest or to one side or on the shoulder or even on their breeches. But that is what makes the field signs so interesting - the lack of uniformity in position and evne in some cases color adds to the visual variety of the elements. Uniform colors and devices on Dark Age, Feudal, Medieval, and even Renaissance troops can be very nice to look at, but are ahistorical. Frankly even my Romans and Byzantines have variations in shade (at least) in tunic and harness colors. By the way, while on Luke Ueda-Sarson's website looking at his notes on the Notitia Dignitatum, I side-tracked to view his DBM pages from 2004 and noted his commentary on morphing his collection of four or five armies (late Book III and aarly Book IV) into a dozen by using removable banners. Nothing new under the sun... Looking forward to the AARs and some shots of the Landsknechts.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 28, 2020 5:04:02 GMT
Nice AAR and photos!
Apparently the Carthaginians can win without jiggering CVs.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 16, 2020 20:31:17 GMT
Nice looking Hungarians.
Definitely agree with the 'Stretching the Collection' concept.
Have been painting the majority of my later Book IV figures 'generically' in later Medieval/Early Renaissance clothing colors to allow for fielding more armies (it was interesting to note in 'The Art of War in Italy 1494 – 1529,' that 'uniform' clothing for infantry was apparently only introduced after the development of massed arquebusers). Armor and clothing styles were mixed enough that they could not be used to distinguish between forces to any extent - witness the use of crosses of various colors and styles by the English, French, Swiss, and Burgundians added to armor or clothing to aid in battlefield identification. And once the Swiss started hiring out to everyone who could pay...
Removable flags are a first rate idea (although down the road there will probably be some more army specific command elements).
The later Book III and earlier Book IV armies also can use the concept as the mail hauberk, kite shield, and acorn helmet were common throughout European armies of the time.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 16, 2020 19:55:26 GMT
Nice work on the Byzantines and that engine, paul!
As I added a few elements to the later Book IV pool recently, I decided to bump some ART that had been languishing (dithering about whether to get more colorful on the carriages, didn't) in the queue to the front.
So finished painting and glued to bases 5 elements of ART - three elements of Minifig 483XA Organ/Light/Battery guns with mixed crews of ZA604 and ZA701 Artillery Crew and tow elements of OG15/Rank & File RMO-14 Heavy Wheeled Guns. The couple of Rank & File artillerists that I had weren't enough for a crew (particularly with the poses available) and didn't mix well with the OG15 crew, so I went with just the OG15s.
As I had finally gotten wheels and epoxied them on, I also glued to a base and added crew to the second Magister Militum HDC-13 Stone Throwing Engine. The engine comes with a three man crew, but as it is a rope pulled engine I added a couple more 'convict' figures to beef that up. Would have added a few more if there was more room on the base. At some point I will run some 'ropes' from the beam to the hands of the crewmen.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 16, 2020 19:27:44 GMT
Why, in 2), does the LH have to move its full move distance? Or did I misread? Ave martin - as I understand that rule, the LH element may use some or all of its move distance. The stipulation is that however far it moves that the move is restricted to being to a point directly to the elements original rear. No turns or other deviation in direction are allowed. Hopefully that is correct and clearer than mud...
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Post by goragrad on Dec 7, 2020 23:30:52 GMT
I don’t think that even Essex is consistent across its ranges. Some of their Byzantine horse are quite a bit smaller than others - definitely different modellers made their masters. However, I generally find Museum to be on the large side bordering on the unusably large. Certainly all the packets I have bought from them remain in my unpainted lead pile - however I haven’t bought their Z range yet. Definitely a disparity in size with Essex even in the same sequence on occasion. The old Tabletop lines from Alternative may be the most consistent I have seen.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 7, 2020 23:26:00 GMT
War waggons, organ guns and pavises for me. I'd have to look at the war waggons - been a while since I picked them up and they are still in the lead pile. However as I recall they are a skosh long for a 40mm base, although might woek on one on the diagonal. Have three of the organ guns which are decent if a bit large, although not as bad as the OG15 Rank and File which look like they might need a 50mm deep base... I just ordered three organ guns from Alternative to have consistency when deploying 2 ART for some later Book IV armies. On the other hand the Alternative war waggons are a major construction project - lots of pieces. Sides, ends, and bottom all separate...
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Post by goragrad on Dec 7, 2020 23:03:22 GMT
Nice find, barritus!
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Post by goragrad on Dec 7, 2020 23:01:11 GMT
Two PS elements of Essex MID64 Javenlinmen with round shields for the earlier Book IV pool painted and glued to bases. Or the Book III Spanish.
Also 3 AX elements of Essex XMED7 Almughavar Javelinmen. They look nice, but are a bit more 'active' than I prefer - harder to base such that other elements can make edge to edge contact due to the overhang on their spears.
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Post by goragrad on Dec 6, 2020 0:21:24 GMT
As noted in the video, it wasn't just the skill of the archers or power of their bows that won the Mongols their empire. They used their strategic mobility to avoid battles where they didn't like to conditions, they butchered the populations of cities to intimidate other cities into capitulation, they ravaged countrysides to deprive the defenders of resources, etc. The Mongols were feared as much for their use of butchery/terror tactics as their fighting ability.
Additionally many of their successes came when their opponents were distracted/weakened by civil war or other distractions.
Hard to reflect those on the tabletop.
Besides, several European armies developed their own tactics to deal with Mongol style tactics (Tartars) - Hungarians, Poles, and later Russians. There are also the Koreans who (with the aid of mountainous terrain) also eventually stopped the Mongols. And then there are the later Chinese armies which also dealt with the Mongols successors.
And while I don't consider the longbow to be a super weapon, it would have been of interest to see how the Mongols would have fared against a HYW English army.
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