Everything's Coming Up Ravens

This week, I'm off to Adepticon for my first big tournament.  It's been great fun building a list, brainstorming scenarios and hoisting beers over practice games.  Adepticon shared a picture of our Grand Melee swag and its sweet!  To wear all the Dark Age T-shirts I packed for this trip, I'll need to change after each round of the tournament. Is there an award for "Most Costume Changes?"

I told my buddies this magical raven T-shirt only works with Norse warbands. My friend John replied that any warband fighting under the raven T-shirt is destined to win but the bearer is doomed to die.  It's this kind of banter that makes our SAGA group shine! Despite John's warning, I added a raven war banner to my Norse-Gaels list.  Banner bearers, beware!

My friend Hugh is painting a Carthaginian army in 15mm and we've traded emails on how I paint in this scale.  He's kindly edited them into a "How To..." painting guide.  I'll share it once I figure out a form or format for that.

I've got some work in progress shots of Mid Republic Roman army I'm painting. West Wind's War and Empire range goes live in mid-April for the UK and mid-May for everybody else. If you're an ancients gamer, take a look at these for your next army.  They've got lots of armies and the excellent sculpting makes them easy to paint up.  As a painter and player, I'm thrilled to have another superb choice.  These are the days, my friends!

Celtic swirls for SAGA

Scrounging for something quick to paint, I found these resin casts I bough for SAGA's Sacred Ground scenario.  The Fenris Games casts are clearly inspired by Celtic triple swirl rock carvings. The casts are not glued down so I can move them around.  They'll pull double duty as rocky ground or Sacred Ground as needed.   

Tower Games is host a SAGA tournament today and I'm going to run a Strathclyde Welsh warband. I scrounged up a Strathclyde warlord to lead the boys.  My buddy said this would make a great gift for his eldest daughter.  All kidding aside, its a nice bit of sculpting from Gripping Beast and he does have a throwback look.  

I pulled my Norse-Gaels warband out for a head count and group shot. Since I can only field 6 points (about 41 figures) at the SAGA Grand Melee in Chicago, nearly half of these lads will be cheering from the sidelines. As much as I've enjoyed them, I'm ready to play a new faction. I'm thinking of posting these up for sale after the tournament.  I'll also share tips and observations for playing the Norse-Gaels once Adepticon is over.  I've found them a tricky faction to play but once you get on a roll, they can really rip it up.  

You may have noticed my blogging and commenting is getting spotty. That's because I've got a 1,200+ figure West Wind Punic War commission under way. The upside is the new figures are a joy to paint.  The downside is I won't be able to paint and blog with a project this big. To fill the gap, I set up a Twitter account -  Monty Luhmann@TwinCitiesGamer. New to the Twittersphere, I need peeps to follow and to follow me. 

I hope your staying warm and surviving winter.  I am but just barely thanks to my paintbrushes.  

Mustering Sertorius' Lusitanians

Rebel Roman general Quintus Sertorius is one of my ancient world favorites.  He waged a brilliant six year guerrilla war against Rome, at times driving them out of Hispania.  Badly outnumbered, he inflicted stinging defeats on the Romans and nearly captured Pompey. After reading Philip Matyszak's superb Sertorius and the Struggle for Spain, I was primed to paint the Spanish again. Without further ado, here's Sertorius' Lusitanians, version 2.

Lusitanian Scutarii: In L'art de la Guerra, the Sertorius option allows scutarii to be upgraded from impetuous swordsmen (not too good) to impact swordsmen (better!). That reflects Sertorius turning the Lusitanians into a well-drilled army.  In game, the scutarii are better in terrain and fight even at impact with legionaries.  They don't have equal staying power in melee as medium foot have less cohesion to lose than heavy foot. And of course, legionaries armor helps in melee as well.

Large Shield Cavalry: Spanish medium cavalry that can be taken as elite.

Small Shield Cavalry:  Light horse are a nuisance in ADLG, just as in Field of Glory.  Having had my camp sacked by light horse twice in my first two games, I'll field my own as a counter.

Caetrati: Light foot javelinmen have a role in this army.  They'll challenge in terrain, skirmish and then make way for the main battle line.

Burning Carts:  In ADLG, the Spanish can take burning carts, which are treated as Scythed Chariots in combat.  I couldn't fit a cart & team on a 40mm x 40mm base so I used a light chariot instead.  The fire is a bit supersized, making it hard to miss on the tabletop.  I'll field burning carts because they're cheap, look cool and might annoy my opponent.

Commanders:  No ancient army is complete without command stands.  I HAD to sneak a priestess on one of the stands.

Camp: The challenge with a camp is telling a story in a 120mm x 80mm footprint. Over the years, I've gone from dreading camps to having fun with them. Sertorius was famous for hitting the Romans when they least expected it. The fabulous variety of Corvus Belli figures and tree bark made the whole thing go.

The last piece of this army is Sertorius' legionaries.  I'm painting a Late Republican Roman army as a foil and I'll port some of the legionaries over to Sertorius when I'm finished.

If you'd like a quick read on Sertorius, take a look at an old post I wrote here.  If you want a deep dive, I highly recommend Philip Matyszak's Sertorius and the Struggle for Spain.