Beautiful Persian Army

https://landofthelead.blogspot.co.uk/2016/07/my-big-fat-ancient-persian-army-part-2.html?showComment=1469434331673

I especially like the effect on the shields and flag of the Indian infantry. Will definitely be borrowing this one!

Campaign Events: 106 BC

I am still running the Dies Martis campaign as a remote umpire for the guys in Glasgow, and several decision points have been reached. First of all, Marius has consolidated his hold over Numidia while Jugurtha has appeared in Gaetulia and raised an army there. The Germans are continuing their migrations, and the Teutons have appeared in Aquitainia; there will be a battle there between them and the disgruntled locals - a proper war band clash.

I have also decided to rest things at the eastern end of the map. The Indians were no longer on the offensive in this period, so I have assumed that a Parthian army has stayed there for security. Eventually this will rebel and form the basis of the Indo-Parthian state. In the meantime, though, it will allow us to concentrate on matters further west. I know that Gordon at least is champing at the bit about squishing Romans...

Red Legion, Yellow Legion

Or, in this case, a legion with red and yellow shields:

Figs mostly by Companion Miniatures. I have no idea who the officer is at the leftmost position as you look at it - he came with the stuff Roy passed onto me. I really like his (handpainted!) shield, though, so I left it on him.

The other shields came with the figures, one of several embossed types that Companion made. Thanks to Happy Gordon in Newcastle for swapping them! I didn't quite have enough for this legion, so I added in a few plain ones - after all, on campaign one makes do as best one can. All I now have to do for this lot is add in some casualties and a mounted legate. Then it's onto the final legion, for now at least. I then have a cunning plan, or perhaps an insane one - running a three-part mini-campaign based on Philippi for the Society of Ancients conference in October. My running total for 2016 is now 330 foot, 20 mounted and an unfeasibly large Aventine nellie.

What to do!?

Now that I've been in Cheltenham for nine months, I'm taking stock. I have found several games clubs, but they are either all sci-fi and fantasy, or miles away. And distance is a killer when you play with the size of 28mm armies that I like, as is the limited time available at club meetings hereabouts. Gaming is therefore limited to forays out to major events, or as a guest player with a couple of folks I know in Cirencester and Stroud. I haven't done the latter yet because I am still unsettled, renting while waiting for our new house to be finished.

So this is a good moment to think about where to go from here. I am still running the Dies Martis campaign remotely for the guys in Glasgow, but it is slowing down, which is inevitable given distance. My painting has slowed down too, not only because work is really heavy, but because I lack the stimulus of a regular gaming situation. I work best when I have some purpose for what I am painting at any one time. I am now thinking about what to do when I finish my current batch of Marian/Caesarean Romans in the next few months, roughly in time to move into the new place. I do have some 15mm stuff (1812 Russians and Sengoku Jidai Japanese), but I'd need to do a huge amount of work to add enough to those to get any sort of game. So I think I'll stick with the 28mm I really enjoy.

Here are the options:

1: Continue painting for Dies Martis, which means that I will need to choose which army to collect next. The Glasgow boys can usually cope, but they do seem to have problems putting certain games together. They struggle with the Parthians because although one of them has some, it's not enough for a full game - I used to supply the other half. I could remedy this situation by going for it properly. It would then be a case of collecting their opponents beyond that - Indian, perhaps, and Ptolemaic Egyptian. Other options would be the European tribals, probably starting with the Germans.

2: Accept that I am not going to get any regular gaming done, and instead try to reduce the lead mountain. I have two partial armies sitting there: Alexandrian Macedonian and Camillan Roman. If I do those, I will coincidentally have two of the main players for an Empire Campaign of my own. This would mean abandoning Dies Martis at my end, apart from acting as an electronic umpire.

3: Start my long-dormant Greyhawk Wars campaign for solo play, or perhaps occasionally at a club. This is completely mental, as we say where I come from. A long time ago I ran a campaign based on the original Greyhawk Wars boardgame because it allowed me to use my secret stash of fantasy figures as well as my historicals - the idea was that most of the human states were based on historical analogues, exactly like Tony Bath's Hyboria. In other words, a sort of Imagi-Nations setup. I'd like to pick up where the Greyhawk Wars left off, with a resurgent Undead Great Kingdom ruled by Ivid the Insane. I already know which figures to buy (skeletal Roman legions) and who would be their first target - Elves and friends, most of which I already have. If I were to do this I'd paint armies on a rolling basis depending on what is needed, which would include historicals.

So - any comments? Inspiration would be very welcome...

On the painting tray: July 2016

More bloody Romans:

Finishing off a legion and starting another, the final one for the foreseeable future. Never say never, after all.

They are beginning to rank up very nicely, as I hope the second photo shows. Now all I have to do is find somewhere to game...