The Accidental Warband

I gave the Ango-Danes a try in Saga and fell in love with their battleboard the first time out. I played them slow, loading my opponent up with fatigue. My opponent loaded his board and went all in for a knockout punch. I not only survived, I also swept his fatigued units right off table. Predictably, I was hooked!

So whats the accidental part? I just put the Ango-Danes together last week and they were supposed to sit and wait their turn.  Then, my wife and I streamed the fabulous Vikings series on The History Channel.  I could fill a post with the reasons I loved the series.  The short version is it fired my imagination and I couldn't let these figures sit with such good inspiration.  So I'm rushing the warband to the finish line.

8 Huscarls: Tough looking hombres with a nice mix of shields. I've started using Tajimal Miniautres tufts as a changeup from the silflor tufts I usually use.  Excellent product and if you buy 4 or more packs, shipping is free!

8 Huscarls with Dane axes:  These fellows get a +1 to hit due to the 2 handed axe and suffer a 1- to their armor value due to no shield.  They'll be the heavy hitters in my A-D warband.

Prime black, drybrush silver, block in, wash, add highlights and you're to the finish line. You'll notice that I traded my paint pots for glass. I like how I can put a drop of water down and work my paint into it for just the right consistency. Colors mix easily in this setup as well so I think it's a keeper.

So, whats today's takeaway?  That I'm easily distracted?  No. That I don't have a life away from the painting table?  Close, but still no.  The takeaway is you must watch the Vikings series. Check out the Season 2 trailer HERE with a Viking on Viking scrum. If you're not already knee-deep in the Dark Ages, you will be after this series. And maybe, just maybe, Saga will call out to you as well.  Don't say I didn't warn you!

Shieldwalls, axes, intrigue and something for the ladies...

Jomsvikings DONE!

One of the great things about Saga is painting an entire warband in just a few weeks.  Here's the warlord and his right hand killer.  And then the whole warband crowded in for a shot too.  If only my minis could take selfies, the quality of photos on my blog would surely improve!

Thanks to a touch of OCD, I usually finish one project before starting another.  Lately though, I've pitched that so I can work like the rest of you.  With the Joms done, here's what's on my table.

Old West: I've got a commission for 28 Great Escape old west figs including Desperadoes, Cowboys, Outlaws and Lawmen.  I'm looking forward to a demo game once I'm finished.  Back in the day, I spent many, many hours playing the old RPG Boot Hill so I'm really looking forward to this.

Anglo-danish:  I gave this warband a spin in Saga over the summer and won my first time out. If that's not reason enough to buy a new warband, I also enjoyed their battleboard.  If you already have a Viking warband, then Anglo-danes are an easy lift as you can port figures between the two warbands.

Dailami: Technically, they're not so much on the painting table as they are near it.  FoG has slipped off our schedules of late, dampening my motivation here.  Sorry fellows, you're on ice until I run out of things to paint.  As summer winds down, I'm happy to report my painting table is double-plus-full.

Jomsvikings, pt. 3

As I was posing these, I though "I  MUST upgrade my 28mm terrain!"  I only have two 28mm huts in my collection, so each new warband I paint is forced to raid the same huts over and over again. This is fairly demoralizing for the wee fellows as once a hut is looted, there's no payout for the next band of marauders.

I really like the stylish balloon pants on these figs as they're a nice space for putting down color. And it's official; the Jomsvikings are my favorite Gripping Beast figures to date.  All that's left for this warband is a warlord and a standout figure.

Right...this one's been looted! 

Searching the woods for leprechauns...is that what this raid is down to?

Over the weekend, I drove my son to the IU Jacobs School of Music. He was all smiles as we set him up in the dorm and very quickly, he was making new friends.  Grant's dorm is all music students and I told my daughter "Just think, this building holds 400 Grants!" To which she replied, "Get me out of here!"

At registration, he discovered he'd finished enough general education requirements in High School that he could do a composition major with a conducting minor and an oboe concentration.  He conducted his first big piece at 14 so he's thrilled to add conducting to his plate.

Sweet freedom!

My wife and I choked up as we said our goodbyes. To keep the return drive from turning gloomy, I spent  it reminiscing about our college days, friends, and adventures at the University of Arizona. Good luck and godspeed, son. I can't wait to hear your stories, and perhaps trade a few of my own!

Jomsvikings, pt. 2

I'm a bit rushed this week as we get ready for the Big Move.  No, I'm not moving, sadly.  My son is soon off to the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and there is much to be done before we load up the minivan to drop him off.  My wife is taking it quite hard.  All of a sudden, I am too.  I was cleaning the minivan for the long drive when it really hit me. When I think of all of the fantastic opportunities that await him, I feel much better.  I'll concentrate on that.

I was telling Grant that back in my day, I lived in the cheapest dorm on campus and we had one payphone for the whole wing.  Thank goodness for Skype and FaceTime!

So, back to the Joms.  These hearthguard are Gripping Beast. Once again, they're great figures to paint and the Joms may be my favorite GB models ever!

For those readers who are playing Saga and thinking about a Joms warband, here's a link to 4 pages of discussion on tactics for running Jomsvinkings. Enjoy!

Jomsvikings warband, Pt 1

The Jomsvikings were a possibly fictional company of Viking mercenaries who'd fight for anyone who paid their substantial fee. The Joms were highly selective in deciding whom to admit to their order. Membership was restricted to men who proved themselves with a feat of strength, often taking the form of a duel. Once admitted, the Joms required adherence to a strict code of conduct to instill military discipline. Any violation of these rules could be punished with expulsion from the order. 

Members were bound to defend their brothers, and avenge their deaths if necessary.  Jomsvikings were forbidden to show fear or to flee in the face of an enemy of equal or inferior strength, though orderly retreat in the face of outnumbering forces appears to have been acceptable. Spoils of battle were equally distributed. No Jomsviking was permitted to be absent from their stronghold, Jomsborg, for more than 3 days without the permission of the brotherhood. No women or children were allowed within the fortress walls, and none were to be taken captive.  No women?  No wonder this mercenary order disappeared!  

While their existence is a matter of debate,  I became convinced they were real once I received a batch of them to paint on commission.  I'll leave it to our Swedish bloggers and experts to offer an proper opinion.

First up are 8 hearthguard with Dane axes.  These Crusader figs mix well with the Gripping Beast figs that'll make up the rest of this warband. In Saga, they'll get a +1 bonus to their attack roles due to the Dane axe but they'll suffer a -1 penalty to their armor values due to the lack of a shield. In Saga, these fellows will be stone cold killers.

Danish lumberjacks

Knock, knock!  

The helmets are done in Vallejo gunmetal and washed with P3 armor wash.  Chainmail is done with a black undercoat drybrushed with Vallejo gunmetal.  The chainmail got a wash and then a very light drybrush of a brighter silver for the highlights.

It's good to be back painting 28mm for Saga.  The thing I'm loving about the Joms is that you can come at them with a brighter palette than an ordinary Viking warband. So, look for more high fashion and color in this fabulous Dark Ages warband!

Commanders, camp & the whole Gallic army

At the finish line, I realized I didn't have any naked Gallic commanders so I put in an order for Xyston Gaesati.  The Xyston figs are a touch bigger than the Old Glorys but they seem to mix well enough. I love painting Xyston and considered doing this army with their figs, but .75 a figure is spendy for a large 15mm army.  If I were to paint Gauls again, I'd use the Blue Moon line.

Now, about the fellows with clothes.  Other than Lady Godiva, horseback riding and nudity don't mix well. It's also possible that the fellows with pants suffer from a condition known as "never-nude."  Lastly, the historical accounts of Galatians fighting naked says "all but the tribal leaders generally fought naked." There you have the truth of it.  Even in 250BC, management preached from the "Do as I say, not as I do" gospel. Some things haven't changed in 2,000 years!

The Gallic camp is composed of an Essex cart, Old Glory civilians, a Splintered Light dog and a Xyston Gaul.  It was a full-on sweep of my shrinking ancients pile.  

I can't wait to bring the Gauls down to The Source for a game.  I don't expect to win but I do hope there'll be a good amount of walk-up traffic and comments.  When I'm losing badly, those visits can be the best part of a game. To put it another way, my friend Klay once said, "Monty loses a lot but his armies always look great running away!"    

Saturday is the local ReCon in Coon Rapids.  I plan on going early and staying late for a full day of gaming. Last time I went, a fellow introduced himself by saying, "Aren't you the guy who keeps the Twin Cities Gamer blog?"  I almost fell over from surprise to meet someone reading my blog AND recognizing me from my avatar. If you're a local reader and you're going to be at ReCon, look for me at the Saga tables. And game on!  

128 Gauls streak across the finish line!

With a bit of fortitude, I managed to push an additional 32 bases of heavy foot warriors across the finish line for my Gallic army. Multicolored pants and shirts didn't hold me back but the 2-tone shields with 2 - 4 squiggles each were quite trying. It was more work than pleasure to finish this bunch.  As Vercingetorix is my witness, this is the last time I paint Gauls in 15mm!

While I can run these fellows as any Gallic tribe in Field of Glory, they're especially suited to be Galatians. I'll let Philip Matyszak explain why from his great book, Mithridates the Great:

“It appears that the Galatians still fought in the traditional Gallic style. Though skilled metalworkers, all but the tribal leaders generally fought naked.  The Gauls made excellent shock troops, as it took experienced opponents to stand firm against headlong charge by hundreds of large sword wielding warriors who were nothing but spiky line hairstyles and ferocious expressions. The bad news was that the Galatians had only a rudimentary grasp of military discipline and tended to regard setbacks as an invitation to go home.”

The bonus in running them as Galatians in Field of Glory is that they're all rated as superior heavy foot. This plus their impact bonus I'll have a fighting chance IF I can win on impact.  That's really all I'm looking for in a game. I'm a sucker for the "Lost Causes" of history.  As I told my friend Mark last week, when I run Gauls, it is indeed a lost cause.

Here's all 48 bases of heavy foot ranked up. I kept the palette a bit tight by repeating color combos. I think it achieved an irregular look without being hard on the eyes. Front or back, they provide an interesting view! While they were a trial to paint, I'm happy with the look of them all massed up.

Once I finish the Gallic camp and 4 command stands, the Gallic/Galatian army is done! And then, finally, back to Saga.

English Knights for Hundred Years War

Quick post up of the last of my HYW figs before I hit the road. These are Perry metals from their Agincourt line. Did I mention that Perrys come in small black boxes, with the figures swathed in cotton?  No? Unpacking them felt a bit elegant so I did it with my pinkies raised.  Seriously thought, it's a nice touch that sets them apart from the crowd.

The heraldry was sourced from the Joan of Arc's Companion in Arms website.  In this round, I cut the AP dip with mineral spirits to keep the knights a step brighter than the foot levy.

Two historical bits for you.  As a huge fan of ancient history, and Roman history in particular, I was fascinated to discover that Vegetius' De Re Militari and Frontinus' Strategemata (Roman classics on military strategy and tactics) were widely read and discussed by knights during the HYW.

Also, men-at-arms fought on foot as often as on horseback. Sometimes, it was due to the loss of a mount but often it was a tactical choice. English armies were generally horsed during the HYW but as a tactical choice, knights and men-at-arms generally dismounted for battle.  

The fellow I'm painting HYW for is a hardcore medieval reenactor.  In a meetup in France this year, three fellows were knocked out cold and had to be revived with smelling salts.  Even a metal helmet can't save you from a hard knock upside the head! Helms off to the crazy fellows entertaining the crowds here.  

Two peas in a pod - Pavisiers and Crossbows

My Hundred Years War commission is moving along!  First up are 12 French pavisiers.  A pavisier is a spearman carrying a large convex shield called (surprise!) a pavise.  These fellows were a feudal militia raised by a French nobleman, city or place.  The heraldry on the shields reflects they were raised in the cities of Paris, Lyon and Soissons. Crossbowmen typically operated behind the protection of the pavisiers, with the large shields providing them cover during the long reloads.  

These are Perry metals paired with the superb LBMS transfers.  They're done in a dark and dirty style befitting their low position in life.  I brought the red and blue shield colors into the livery on some figures to tie the unit together just a bit.

Pity the poor French crossbowmen.  These fellows suffered in head-to-head matchups with the English longbowmen.  Crossbows had a rate of fire of 1–2 shots per minute while the longbow could manage 5-6 or arrows in the same time with superior range. Insult to injury, crossbowmen were also known to suffer at the hands of their own side.  At Courtrai and Crecy, French knights rode down their crossbowmen, first because they feared they'd take all of the glory and in the second instance because the crossbowmen performed poorly. Able to kill the greatest knight with a single bolt, crossbowmen could expect no mercy if they fell into enemy hands.  

These Perrys were painted and dipped to be dark and dirty.  That just might describe their tenuous existence on the battlefield!  

I've got a stack of knights to finish out the HYW commission and then its back to Saga painting. We're hitting 90 degrees lately, turning my painting room into a painting sauna.  If you pop by for a visit, knock before entering as I'm likely stripped down to my skivvies. I might need to put up a sign that says "No shoes, shirt, pants...No Problem!"

Matthias Corvinus & his Black Army commanders

4 command stands for my Later Hungarian army command and with this, my Later Hungarian army is finished!  All 15mm Essex figs.  King Corvinus turned out quite nicely, thanks in large part to the great sculpting.

My Later Hungarian army started with great promise, only to go cold out of the gate.  Our Field of Glory group is small and we've been unable to add any new players for some time.  With a Maurice campaign and Saga under way, it's a rare weekend that we get together for Field of Glory.  I'm quite jealous of those of you who get together for weekly games!

I paint a lot of figures but I've avoided becoming a collector.  When the stacks of armies in my closet gets  too high, I'm compelled to move 1 or 2 out. If I can't get these fellows onto a tabletop, they'll be off to the market as well.  I'm fairly careful about choosing my projects so I have to ask, what was I thinking when I decided to paint up the Later Hungarians for a 2nd time?  That's right, I got a bit caught up in redoing them in a darker style.  They are different than my first version but not all that different.  Ah well...

Jonathan of the excellent The Inevitable Spark  posted on the science of painting horses some months ago.  In his post, he shared a link to the Guide to Horse Colors and Patterns.   I have books on horse colors but  it's hard to put them to use with a wet paintbrush.  I did some digging and found the Guide in poster form HERE.  I've had it up on the wall next to my painting table for months now and it's a great reference.  THANKS Jonathan!