All Brushes Lead to Rome

If you're painting ancients you have to paint Romans at some point.  So why not give in to the dark side and paint them first? This Mid Republic Roman army is from West Wind's new War and Empire range.  At the finish line, it's a whopping 60 cavalry and 532 foot. So, what do we have here?

Velites: With the extra room on the bases, the skirmishers get a chance to shine! The wolf cloaks are well modeled and a nice touch.

Hastati:  The hastati were the first up in the Legion and not as well-kitted as the principes or triarii behind them.  There are 192 figures here, making it a bit of a challenge to shoot in one go. Somehow, I only got a group photo of them walking away.  West Wing puts command figures in every bag, allowing you to sprinkle them throughout as I did here and still save some for the command stands.

Principes:  When the hastati wore down or couldn't get it done, the principe went to the front. These are modeled in chain mail and yes, it's another 192 figures.

Triarii.  When all else fails, these tough bastards were the last and best hope for the Legion.

All ranked up and ready to conquer the world!

Roman cavalry.  Roman cavalry wasn't particularly good in this era.  At times they dismounted and fought on foot.

Commanders.  There is a wide variety of command figures in this army, with old baldy being my favorite of the bunch!

Now I'm on to Numidians, then Spanish and lastly, Carthaginians. All these figures are destined for Historicon and the Battle of Zama. I wish I could see it in person but that's looking like a long shot.  

I can't really complain though because I made it out to the Big Show at Adepticon.  You're probably wondering, was it fun?  Oh yea! Here's me hanging with Stephen the Viking from Kansas City. Fabulous players, hosts, tournament, armies and terrain.  If I could use only one word to describe the event, it would be 'epic.'  I'll try to use more than one word to describe the event in another post. Until then, skol!  

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.

Triarii

I put my Mid Republican Roman project on the back burner when I got my Pontic figures.  It's been  gnawing at  me that I have a MRR army without Triarii so when I put in another order of Xyston figs from Brookhurst Hobbies, I added these and got them painted in short order.

I've belatedly concluded that while I can run my MRR army without Triarii, their A discipline makes them essential by allowing them good odds for  double and triple moves. Like their historical counterparts, I plan to hold these boys in reserve until a crucial moment in the battle. With a little bit of luck, they'll move out in double or triple time to smash their opponent in the mouth or better yet, the flank.  At least that's the way I imagine it in my head. Reality is often different on the tabletop.

Roman camp

Baggage/camp for my Impetus Mid-Republican Romans.  It was fairly boring until I added the dogs.  It's true what you've heard...dogs make everything better, including camps!  Hopefully, they'll help keep the barbarian hordes away from the  Roman baggage.  Tents by Baueda, figures by Xyston.

Cretan Archers and Balearic Slingers are queued up for painting next.  As mercenaries, these units are very portable and appear on many of the Mediterranean  army lists during this period. The 5 legions I've painted for Impetus plus velites and cavalry put me across the line for a 300 point MRR army.  Before I build the Roman list out any further, I'm going to paint another 300 point army for Impetus. So for now, I pronounce the Roman project finito!

Visuals are an important aspect of tabletop gaming.  Part of what drew me to Impetus is the visual aspect.  I wanted to see what a 15mm Impetus based army looked like on the tabletop compared to my Field of Glory based armies.  I put these guys out against my Carthaginians and I have to say, I'm pleased with the results!  Velites in the 1st line, Hastati in the 2nd and Principes in the 3rd line.  All in all, I think this is a fair representation of what Legions drawn up for battle might have looked like during the Punic Wars.

Next week, I'll start posting on my 28mm Gladiator Project!

Roman Cavalry and Velites, Impetus style

Progress on my Impetus-based Mid-Republican Romans (MRR) came to a screeching halt when I discovered I didn't have enough bases for the figures I painted up. Trips to 2 local gaming stores failed to turn up what I needed so I turned to the net and put in an order with Litko Game Accessories.  And waited.  And waited.  I love their product but I hate the 3-4 week wait.

Roman Medium Cavalry:  During this era, Roman cavalry was generally "not the equal" of their opponents. I'm trying to mince words because I don't want to jinx my first and only Roman cavalry unit!  Essentially, these boys will be fodder on the battlefield.  

Velites:  If you know how to properly pronounce velites, congratulations!  You're the rare bird who's had the benefit of a classical education that includes Latin. As the skirmishing arm of the Roman legions, velites were composed of the youngest and poorest soldiers, armed with a short sword, javelins and a wooden shield.

For the photograph, I stacked all 5 units of Velites together.  In a game of Impetus, each base operates independently.  As a painter, I appreciate that 4 figures represents an entire skirmishing unit!

You've probably noticed that velites wear an animal's head or a bit of fur in lieu of a helmet.  I did tell you these guys were poor, right?  Before you comment on their fashion sensibilities, everyone on THIS side of the Atlantic should remember that American frontiersmen were also in the habit of wearing animal hats, bits and fur on their heads as well.  I propose that Davy Crockett was not just King of the Wild Frontier, he was also the penultimate velite!

Up next will be my Roman baggage.  In Impetus, armies are accompanied by a baggage train which is represented by a rectangular base on the battlefield.  On the base, you can create a small diorama of a camp.  Loss of the baggage costs you 3 points, which is a step towards your army breaking.  While somewhat predictable, I'm creating a fortified Roman camp to represent my Roman baggage.  After that, I basically have a playable MRR army!

Method Painting

You're probably familiar with the term "method acting." In case you are not, method acting is a technique used by actors to immerse themselves in a character so deeply that they'll sometimes continue to portray them even when offstage or off-camera.  I've been utilizing "method painting" lately while painting my Romans.  In my version, I immerse myself in the era and army which I'm painting so deeply that I can forget what period I'm inhabiting! Method painting is the first step to creating the Perfect Gaming Trifecta:

Step 1.  Immerse yourself in the era and army.
Step 2.  Paint the army.
Step 3.  Bring it all home by fielding the army on a tabletop!

The great thing about method painting Romans is the enormous amount of material available to immerse yourself in. I'm going to give a Top 3 recommendation for my favorite sources of inspiration for painting Romans this month.  If you sample any of these, don't be surprised if you get sucked in and discover a Roman army project has appearred on your plate. The list please!

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History podcast, Shows 34-39 "Death Throes of the Roman Republic."  Dan's 5 shows give you a thrilling 13 hour ride through the end times of the Roman Republic. I was so smitten with this excellent series that I've become a subscriber to Carlin's podcasts. He is off the charts good and I'm working my way through all of his podcasts.  I like to listen to them while I paint and I'll listen two or three times through just to make sure that I catch everything. Did I mention that his current shows are free?

Greece and Rome at War by Peter Connolly:  This is a superbly illustrated study of a tactics, soldiers, equipment and campaigns of both the Greek and Roman armies. Connolly is an excellent illustrator and his art is an inspiration for any hobbyist or historian.   This book serves as an excellent reference source and inspiration.  As a painter, you can never have too many reference books and this one earns an A.

Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic by Tom Holland: This book is a riveting narrative of the final years of the Roman Republic. It is full of larger-than-life characters like Marius, Caesar, Pompey, Mark Anthony, and the Poison King, Mithridates, just to name a few.   To give you just a small taste of what's in store,  here is a quote directly from the book:

"The mines that Rome had annexed from Carthage more than a century previously had been handed over to the publicani, who proceeded to exploit them with their customary gusto. A single network of tunnels might spread for more than hundred square miles, and provide upwards of 40,000 slaves with a living death. Over the pockmarked landscape there would invariably hang a pall of smog, belched out of the smelting furnaces through giant chimneys, and so heavy with chemicals that it burned the naked skin and turned it white. Birds would die if they flew through the fumes. As Roman power spread, the gas clouds were never far behind."

Wow!  So there you have it.  3 recommendations that'll put you knee-deep in the Roman era.  I confess that I just discovered a downside to method painting.   Today, I went down to the kitchen in my purple trimmed toga expecting a breakfast fit for a Caesar.  Instead, it seems I interrupted my wife and two children conspiring against me in whispered tones. I think they've read "Rubicon" too and now they know how Caesar meets his end.  I've only got until March 15th to figure out which of them is Brutus!

Mid Republican Romans-Impetus style

After my first game of Impetus, I decided to use my Xyston Mid Republican Romans (Christmas present!) to create my first Impetus army.  Despite the obvious hazards of embarking on a solo project like this, I had good reasons to do so.  First, I really wanted to try the modelling and diorama aspect of Impetus, with each unit set on a single large base with less figures.  Second, Impetus has intriguing rules for Mid Republican Romans.  Hastati and Principes get pilum prior to melee as long as they're not disordered and Hastati and Principes from the same legion can swap places (Line Relief) in some circumstances.  Also, the Roman versus Gaul match-up looks excellent with the Gauls having a chance to win.  I have a huge Gallic army that is sitting and gathering dust so Romans will give them a chance to get back on the tabletop. Did I mention that Impetus is fun?  Oh, yea, that too!

So, how did it turn out?  I'll let you be the judge with a spoiler pic of the finished product and then we'll work backwards...kind of like a movie where the end is played out in the first minutes of the film!

The first step of MRR project was to decide how many figures to put on a 80mm x 40mm base to represent the Hastati and Principes units.  The authors' suggest that Heavy Infantry should be depicted in close ranks.  Other than that, the number of figures is left up to the player.  I started with a minimalist option.

I posted this picture at The Miniatures Pages and asked Impetus players for their input. Could 6 figures represent a unit of Hastati?  Nope, it was unanimously voted down.  The consensus was that 9-10 figures looked about right for heavy infantry.  It was also suggested that I get away from putting every figure in a neat and perfect line to make the unit look more alive and vibrant.  Check.    

Having cracked the code on basing, I moved on to painting. Like many hobbyists, I sometimes get compulsive, even obsessive, about painting. Once I pitched in, I went after it with a vengeance.  In 8 days, I painted, based and flocked 5 units of Hastati and 5 of Principes.  For the folks keeping track at home, that's 100 figures total. I've never pulled so many hours of painting in such a short window of time.  The thing is, once I started, I just HAD to know how the finished product would look and the only way to satisfy my curiosity/obsession was to push to the finish as quickly as possible.  I'm very pleased with how these turned out!  

The front rank units are Hastati in red and white tunics.  The second line is Principes in chainmail.  I put commanders and standards on only two of the units, both Principes, because in Impetus, the commander can be with a unit and the visual representation tells your opponent where your commander is.

Before I wrap up, I want to make a few comments about Xyston Miniatures for anyone who is thinking of painting up an army of their figures.  Much of life is about managing expectations and fair or not, my expectations were sky high for these figures as I'd read Xyston has some of the best sculpts in 15mm. My enthusiasm was initially dampened when I had to use a pin drill to drill out the hands on 100 figures to glue a spear or pilum.  Then I glued on 100 shields.  There was a quite a bit of flash on the figures but after two nights of cleaning flash, drilling and gluing, the fun began.  These are excellent figures with great detail and that made painting them a joy. Prep work aside, I plan to buy more Xyston armies and  I highly recommend their 50mm wire spears.  They're a very nice upgrade over the wire spears I was using.  I also really love all of the extras they sell such as casualty figures, extra shields, swords and even dogs.  Up next, 5 units of Velites.

Last but not least, I had a package today all the way from Italy.  Mailing was 17 Euros and at that price, I suspect the Impetus rules and supplement came over on their own container ship!