Impetus Gallic army on parade!

This spring, I painted Mid Republican Roman, Pontic and Gallic armies for Impetus.  I finished my Gauls in May and wrapped up the project with a ton of pics.  Unfortunately, the pics turned out to be garbage (arg!) so this post went on the back burner until I could reshoot them. Photography is my least favorite part of this hobby but I finally got them lined up and photographed.  Here's the first and last muster of my Impetus Gauls before they left for a new home.  Boys, we hardly knew ya!

Naked Warriors:  These were easy to paint thanks to the great sculpts by Xyston-clearly a fit and trim bunch.  While sculpting the hills and cliffs with clay was a messy and slow business, the end results were decent!

Light Cavalry:  To my mind, the Impetus method of using one base per unit is genius.  Light horse looks like lights, do they not?  And you have the space to tell a story.

Medium Cavalry:  Looking suitably tough as they descend a hill to loot a camp near you.

Light Chariots:  Xyston doesn't do Gallic chariots so I grabbed these from Splintered Light Miniatures. I was very pleased with them, especially the shaggy ponies. Splintered Light is another top miniature modeler.

Javelinmen Skirmishers:  In Impetus, a skirmisher base is 20 mm x 80 mm. I doubled these up for the visual effect.

Warriors: 10 bases of warriors.  Xyston command packs have some heroic poses and the basing allows these figures to shine.  

While Impetus did not catch fire in our group, I don't regret this project for a moment. This was the most fun I've had painting minis to date.  I love the spacing and opportunity to tell a story on a single base. I love painting each figure with great care, knowing the basing allows the extra efforts to be seen.  I also love the game itself!  The only part I didn't care for was my armies sitting in boxes and not seeing the light of day.  To that end, I put my unused armies up for sale for an end-of-year reset.  Off went my gladiators and all 3 Impetus armies.  The upside is:

• 2 gentlemen in Kansas City will use my Romans and Pontics for a tabletop adaptation of Command and colors.  
• A gentlemen in Wisconsin will use my Gauls in his Roman v. Barbarian slugfests. 
• A gentlemen in Kentucky will surprise his club with my gladiators on game night.
• I'm getting a commission as well, which means I'm not done painting and basing Impetus.  
• Lastly, I have funds for my next project.  On to the next thing!

Gone camping - Gallic and Pontic camps

To finish the Impetus armies I started last spring, I needed a Gallic and Pontic camp plus Pontic command stands. Here are the results!

Gallic Camp: Seeing as how they're on the move, I think the player who deploys this camp should be allowed to move it across the tabletop each turn!  Old Glory driver, Black Hat wagon, Splintered Light dogs and handler, Xyston rider.  

Pontic camp:  Xyston figures and Baueda tent. Bark from the banks of the Mississippi doubling as rocky terrain.   Brent, I'll need a fresh baggie the next time we get together!

Pontic command stands:  Xyston Greek command figures.  

That wraps up my 15mm Impetus projects once and for all.  Next week, I'll explain why all of these fellows moved on to new homes.  

3 Legions ranked up

Every project should start with a good deal of planning. Upstream planning prevents downstream headaches, like discovering your army is too small or the troop mix is not quite what you need.  In case you haven't noticed, I'm lecturing myself.

When I painted up my Mid Republican Romans in January, I went small. I was eager to move on and paint my  Pontics so I quit the Romans early. As my Pontic army grew, I realized I needed to circle back and buff up my Romans so that they could be the equal of the Pontics on the field of battle.  Smack in the middle of my other projects, I stopped to order up and paint Triarii, more Hastati, Pricipes and Velites so I could field 3 large legions in Impetus. The upside is, they do look sharp all massed up!  Corinth, bar the gates.  The boys are back in town!

Firemonkeyboy posted photos of his excellent command stands for his Impetus army.  The rules don't require them but I liked the look enough that I did the same. Like the Romans used to say, in for a Solidus, in for a Denarius!

Roman camp, 3 legions and now command stands...I declare the Roman project finito. And we'll exit to the exquisite harmonies of Cindy Wilson and Kate Pierson singing "Roam." Seriously, there isn't a lot of Roman themed pop music that I could think of so this will have to do.

Pontic Heavy Cavalry

Last unit up are Persian Xystophoroi cavalry, representing the elite Pontic heavy cavalry.  The Impetus Pontic list allows a "Heavy Cavalry" option so you have leeway in choosing figures to represent this unit.  I chose Xyston's Xystophoroi to emphasize Mithridates' Hellenistic bend.

These scupts are phenomenal, packed with so much detail that they tested my painting abilities. I believe they are the best 15mm figures I've painted to date.  I generally find triads in 15mm a time consuming technique that doesn't pay proper dividends but the capes on these fellows are the exception to the rule. Just like new parents can't wait to show off their baby, I can't wait to show off mine!

The Pontics are the Swiss army knife of 88 BC with loads and loads of options!  At the finish line, my Pontic army is:

2 units of Heavy Cavalry
2 units of Rhoxolani Cavalry
2 units of Skythian Light Cavalry
1 unit of Arachosian Light Cavalry
1 Scythed Chariot
3 units of Thureophoroi foot
1 unit of Paphlagonian Javelinmen
2 unit of Bastarnae
4 units of Phalangite Pike
4 units of Galatians
2 Slinger skirmishers
2 Archer skirmishers

I like to close my projects with a musical number.  Mithridates went to war with Rome 3 times in his life so  I leave you with War "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

Hey Now, Scythians Coming!

The Scythians were yet another nomadic tribe that served in the Pontic army. Known for their prowess on horseback and with the bow, they frequently raided the Greek city states on the Black Sea. The Kingdom of Bosphorus requested Pontic intervention to deal with their Scythian neighbors.  Not one to let an opportunity to expand slip by, Mithridates sent his navy, army, and general Diaophantus to subdue them.  The Scythians eventually agreed to become allies of Pontus as did Bosphorus.  With this pacification campaign complete, Mithridates enjoyed "almost inexhaustible supplies of men, grain, gold and raw materials."  Adrienne Mayor, "The Poison King." And  Mithridates would need every bit of it to go toe to toe with Rome.  

Figures by Xyston.  I was liberal with color selection but truthfully, if the Scythians of 88 BC were still dressing like it was 400 BC, I didn't do them justice.  I was working under the assumption that by 88 BC, they'd progressed past their "Liberace" phase.

Last of the Scythians.  Good with a piano, better with a compound bow!

Rhoxolani

The Rhoxolani were a Sarmatian people that migrated toward what is now the Baragan steppes in Romania.  The historian Strabo described them as nomads.  The Rhoxolani were defeated by general Diophantus in Mithradates' Crimean campaign and subsequently came over to fight with the Pontics against Rome.  There is a small mention of 100 Sarmation cavalry distinguishing themselves in the First Mithridatic campaign.      

These horsemen wore scale armor made of metal or horn and fought with a long two-handed lance.  It's worth mentioning that they must have been great horsemen to ride a galloping horse with (a) no hands  leaning over to one side with a two handed lance (b) no stirrups (c) you and the horse each with armor.    They were fierce in combat and impact.  Thus, in Impetus, they're rated as Impetuous and throw 9 dice on impact.  That fistful is almost what you'd throw as later period Knights. 

Figures by Khurasan Miniatures.  I'd gladly buy Khurasan minis again but I've been spoiled by Essex and Old Glory when it comes to horse figures.  These are very lively poses and the scale armor is well done.  After all, scale armor is what it's about when it comes to painting the Rhoxolani!  

Let's wrap up with some artwork for inspiration.  Now, which way do I point the sharp end?  

Thureophoroi, now with more vowels!

Ok, that was a fib but I do like how the word just rolls off of the tongue...Thur-Re-o-Pho-Ronii. I'm pretty sure whenever I speak it out loud, I add, drop or mangle a vowel.  Luckily, I think I've gotten away with it.

Thureophoroi were an all-purpose troop armed with a long thrusting spear, javelins and a sword.  They could form up in loose or close formation and thus, operate in rough terrain.  According to Plutarch, they could fight as skirmishers and then fall back, assume spears and tighten the ranks.

In Impetus, their javelin missile fire is key as is their ability to go into rough terrain.  When pressed, they'll stand and fight in melee as well.  Is there anything these fellows cannot do?

You gotta love the the panache of soldiers who took to the battlefield and fought in capes. Were they the inspiration for a modern Superhero? You be the judge!  

At this point, you're probably asking yourself, when oh when will the Pontic Project end?  Or maybe I'm just projecting.  Well, I've finished the army but I'm taking my sweet time posting the last bits to my blog.  I've got Javelinmen, Roxolani and Xystophoroi queued up and ready to bring it home.  Then it's on to my Gallic army, V 2.0.