Spanish Jinetes for SAGA

Locally, we're starting a Crescent and Cross campaign and I don't have time to paint a new warband. I painted these fellows to help proxy my mounted Normans as a Spanish warband until can I paint up another 24 mounted warriors.  They're also my submission for The Tapestry's SAGA painting competition.

These Gripping Beast figures pull double duty as Bretons and Norman warriors.  Make that triple duty now that they're greenstuffed for a reconquista look. To offset the limited poses, I bent some arms.  Now that I think about it, I could have greenstuffed tassles on the shields.  Maybe next batch!

My photos turned out a bit better than usual thanks to a new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7. It gets great marks for its controls and low light pictures (read: gaming hall or table). I'm quite happy with it the first time out.  

That's it for my SAGA painting until I finish the monster Punic Wars project.  The ancient Spanish army is well under way and then lastly come the Carthaginians.  If you have a minute, click over to The Tapestry and have a look at all the lovely SAGA painting in their forum. It's tucked under the thread "SAGA painting competition 2015."  A poll for voting will be posted after 5:00 tonight.  And now for me, back to the painting table!

I ride a light horse...

Out of the corral today ride the Numidians.  To pop off of the brown basing and horses, I went with a lighter skin tone that what I suspect the ancient Berbers had.  If I've learned one thing painting 15mm, it's that you can't be subtle.

These West Wind figs get a big thumbs up for the variety of poses.  The hair is nicely modeled with a look that could be described as proto-dreadlock. Big shields are a plus for scratch shieldwork.

I'm reaching into the Way  Back machine for this, all the way back to my very first blog post.  In it, I adapted Woody Guthrie's classic, “I Ride an Old Paint”  to the ancient battlefield.  

I ride a light horse, 

I lead a fast pack, 

I’m heading round the flank,  

I got a camp to sack,

We feed on stragglers,

We water in the draws, 

Our tails are all matted, 

Our opponents are raw,

Old man Giso, 

He had two sons, 

One joined the cavalry,

and the other went wrong, 

his boy, he died on the plains of Cannae, 

but still he keeps singing all of the day

Ride around light horse, 

ride around real fast, 

hold the enemy by the nose and 

kick 'em in the ass

Below are the Numidians  who couldn't afford a pony.  These skirmishers have plenty of variety as well.  Now I'm onto the Spanish and then Carthaginians to finish out the project!

I've had a great run of luck at The Miniatures Page lately. Last week, I scored an unpainted 28mm Gallic army by Foundry.  8 chariots, 150 foot and 30ish cavalry = a BIG fall/winter project. I'd like to paint and base them for Impetus. I'm thrilled that I get to paint Foundry and ancients in 28mm for the first time.  Finally!

This week, I've been painting to the superb audiobook Lost to the West by Lars Brownworth.  As Fortuna would have it, I also found a large unpainted Thematic Byzantine army by Gripping Beast. Even though I don't have a solid plan for them, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity.  With this, I can now muscle up to the painters bar, hold my head up high and brag about my lead hill!  

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!  

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.