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Post by mthrguth on Oct 14, 2022 23:48:37 GMT
Too many figure ranges disappearing.
Legio Heroica, haven't quite made it back into production, now wonder if it will ever happen.
Allain Touller, also died prematurely, his wife has the molds? She is too heartbroken to part with them?
Corvus Belli-now in plastic, I don't trust the longevity; and the figures don't seem quite as crisp as the old metal figures.
Donnington: the old molds are becoming corrupt.
Falcon figures; Kai Weaver, became ill, and he and the molds disappeared.
Roundway and Naismith: owner became ill and production ceased.
Outpost Miniatures: Owner became ill and production ceased.
Wish I had ordered more when I had the chance. Hope that those who fell ill recover.
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Post by mthrguth on Oct 3, 2022 20:20:32 GMT
Regarding Milanese knights.
Join and pm....
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Post by mthrguth on Sept 21, 2022 12:34:43 GMT
If you've lost two games, there is almost no tournament scoring system that is going to get you 'on the podium'. Play your third or fourth games for fun. You can have secondary prizes, like worst loss, most generals killed, most camps captured, biggest win, opponent's favorite or best sport.
Double elimination gives you a chance to 'get on the podium' even if you've had a game with a string of one's. Its more generous than an 'elimination' format of the world cup, or the MLB wildcard game.
Won Lost is hard to manipulate. Point systems can be abused. A player can tank a game 0-7 or worse to help a friend make a top score.
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Post by mthrguth on Sept 20, 2022 1:10:46 GMT
Scoring tournaments is like the Fedex cup. The NHL and NFL championships are not decided by cumulative points....
Real tournament? Make it double elimination; you lose or draw twice, you're out.
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Post by mthrguth on Jul 19, 2022 12:40:02 GMT
I will purchase the Greeks! Hope no one beat me out.....
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Post by mthrguth on Apr 12, 2022 9:03:20 GMT
Sadly, we have all lost the ability to send payments by paypal to you.
The shields on the Uratu army are gorgeous. I like the snake symbol and the creatures with wings on the chariots.
I am now afraid to write to you directly. We all wish you well.
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Post by mthrguth on Jan 8, 2022 20:16:49 GMT
DBA is fairly dependent on having equal elements per side, lest someone get a guaranteed overlap and then start flanking the enemy line.
Two ways I like to deal with the, in fact, the defeated army could be given a choice.
1. Losses are not replaced until perhaps at the end of a campaign period.
2. After a battle, determine the element differential. For example, if I win 5-4, then one 'permanent loss' accrues to the losing army.
3. An army with less than 11 elements may recruit hordes to build back up to 12 for the next battle. These represent emergency recruitment of local milita and ill trained troops.
4. Alternatively, an army may 'extend the front,'. The accrued 'permanent' lost element(s) return to the army,but fight at a minus one modifier in the next battle.
5. Third alternative. Each army is given a 13-24 element budget. When elements are lost in a battle, they can be bought back at a cost of 1 point per element. The campaign can last several games then until one runs out of money and disasterous mismatches begin to occur.
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Post by mthrguth on Nov 24, 2021 1:40:42 GMT
Robert Luddy was one of my best friends. He introduced me to the WRG 5 and 6 rules, and migrated to DBA with us way back in 1988 or 1989. He ran some of the first ancient events before HMGS was even HMGS. We competed in many tournaments. I remember him almost winning a WRG event with New Kingdom Egyptians; quite a feat against wedge fighting knights and 2HCW Vikings when you only had JLS. In DBA he finished second in an open tournament with Goths, 6 KN and 6 PS. He was always a gentleman over the table.
If you know Bob, and have his email, send him a note. He is fortunate to have 2 fine sons and many loving grandchildren. He was an important member of our early ancient wargaming community.
Mike Guth
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Post by mthrguth on Nov 18, 2021 13:00:21 GMT
Zero DBA activity is the norm. The group which used to do most of the DBA games went from DBA rules as written; to DBA 2.2+, their own modifications, which moved on to their own rules, Triumph. Triumph is similar enough to DBA that a quick read would allow you to play. They state they had about a dozen players for their events at Historicon.
The days of 60 players for Midnight Madness DBA is done.
I held one or two DBA rule events before Covid, and drew 6 players. Bob Beattie held 4 events and drew 2 players. that was sad to me.
Tony Aguilar held more successful DBA events, maybe half a dozen, at Historicon before Covid. I recall about a dozen players for most of the events.
There are many more players doing Art de la Guerre.
What's your location, I'm near DC.
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Post by mthrguth on Mar 10, 2021 1:18:17 GMT
Feeding Mars, John Lynn editor, has great sections on Byzantine and pre Crusade Medieval logistics.
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Post by mthrguth on Mar 8, 2021 21:55:27 GMT
In Barker's Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome, figure 105; p 126, we find a Dark Age Scots Irish warrior of the lower nobility.
His cloak features a rather regular pattern created by 'small tufts.'
Splintered Light and Forged in Battle have followed this example by casting 'tufts,' on many of the Scots-Irish cloaks.
I could not find the original source for this figure.
My research from the internet led me to the following conclusions.
1. Some surviving Scots Irish cloaks are leather or animal skin and not cloth.
This makes sense to me. It can be rainy in Scotland and Ireland. Animal skin=Gortex of the ancient world. Wool equals a soggy mess. One article suggested that this was like wearing your sleeping bag.
2. I could not find any reenactors or modern manufacturers of cloaks with tufts. 3. I found one figure of a renaissance Irish figure with a few tufts on his cloak in red and white; perhaps a national field sign? but much later than the Dark Ages. 4. Could the 'tufts' actually be leather suture used to hold a stiff hide to an underlayer? 5. I cannot find any other 'tufted' Irish on the net.
Would anyone with Scots Irish or Norse Irish expertise like to comment?
I was rather hoping that the tufts would be human scalps. Irish legend does describe taking heads, but not scalps. An Irish Warrior appeared at a village one night and demanded hospitality. He was large and ferocious looking. Around the fire he boasted of his fighting skills. Tired of his bravado, one village soldier said, 'Wait until my brother gets back, he'll show you a thing or two.'
'Oh, don't worry about your brother getting back,' stated the warrior. 'He's already here!' And with that he tossed the brother's head across the fire......
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Post by mthrguth on Sept 7, 2020 1:13:32 GMT
Museum miniatures might fit well with xyston, minimally smaller. I like the unpainted bald archer on their website.
My initial suggestions were wrong. First, there is some advantage to using ranges that are all the same size, and Xyston are almost 20mm! (Don't hate, I spent hours getting 4 Xyston cataphracts on bases).
If you really want a challenge, go to the old Minifigs. Use the Assyrian spearman as your Egyptian spearman, then there are also Egyptian marines with axe. See how you are with replacing spears, and getting older figures to come alive.
But, here is much better advice. Go to Splintered Light Miniatures fantasy 15mm/17mm Egyptian. Skip the sons of Horus, or don't use many of them. I like sons of Anubis much better. Sprinkle some of those in with your Essex 15mm figures for real Egyptian flavor. Maybe a daughter of Bhat as well. Might throw in a few Assyrian deserters, use Old Glory 15mm fantasy men of Ashur. An unsung alternative to all Assyrian figure ranges).
I have both Essex and Xyston figures for this army. The Essex are good if you add a bunch of command figures, and I think there are a couple of poses in the Egyptian spear pack.
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Post by mthrguth on Sept 6, 2020 12:57:19 GMT
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Post by mthrguth on Aug 30, 2020 13:46:16 GMT
Don't try this at home. The problem is that the double based cavalry must move up to 4 BW to attack the next turn. The bows move 1 BW and fire. Picking on a central cavalry unit they will shoot at 4 vs 3-2-1. The odds of a kill are 15/36. A push back is almost certain. Now, to get into combat the mounted need 2 pips if they lost an element, 3 pips if they escaped with a pushback. It is likely that someone is going to be fighting overlapped at 3 vs 4.
I tried it against an Achamaenid Persian army at Historicon and turned a victory into defeat when my general was killed at 4vs2, giving up 3 elements at once (2 for the double mount and 1 for the general).
Cavalry needs to be screened by light infantry to attack bow.
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Post by mthrguth on May 19, 2020 21:21:34 GMT
It would be interesting to put this down on graph paper. My goal would be to plot out a couple of wheels followed by moves, then wheels, and compare where we wind up after the double wheel. With infantry and cavalry.
Guth
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