On the Painting Tray: May 2014

Seven elephants with Numidian mahouts, and 80 Caesarean legionaries, all by Companion Miniatures.  The elephants are unadorned, so no fancy blankets, towers or anything like that.  They will be perfect for Hannibal's less than brilliant elephant corps at Zama, although I would need a few more at one point.  The elephant body comes as single cast resin piece, with metal trunk, tail, ears, tusks and rider needing to be glued on to it.  I did have eight, but in their previous incarnation whoever packed the Companion figures I have didn't exercise great quality control, and one of the elephants is so badly mangled I can't use it.  But then I did get them for a very reasonable price, so I'm not complaining.  In fact, it's just as well that I had the extra parts for another elephant because some of those were missing from a few of the otherwise intact models. I hope that the new releases will eventually include these.

 I'm painting the legionaries for use as Gallic auxiliary infantry.  They are dressed in winter gear, with breeches and cloaks, and I'm using gladius-armed guys, the idea being that they have been equipped by the Romans.  There is a variety of headgear and poses, so they won't look uniform.  I will paint the cloaks with Gallic patterns, and I've avoided any pila-armed men so that they can stand in for early auxiliary infantry.  Command bases will be Roman officers with red cloaks.  I will also paint an extra command stand with an eagle so that they can morph into the Alaudae and be used as a legion too.  Shields will be plain red.

Caesar's legions will be a big project, and once it is done I will return to the Numidians so that I have enough for a full North African army for use in our campaign.  I know many players who have sizeable Numidian contingents for their Carthaginian armies, but I've never yet seen an entire army of them in their own right. Having said that, it feels almost reassuring to be painting Roman types again!

Campaign Events: Spring 148 onwards

After the bloody stalemate at Carthage, I rolled for a whole series of campaign events.  This turned into a list of army movements and lots of regrouping by all of the major powers, without a single battle for a considerable period.  Events as follows:

Spring 148 BCE

• The Romans under Scipio Aemilianus march from Iberia into North Africa
• The Romans invade Epirus from Calabria and the Macedonians there retire to Pella
• The Parthians move into Media
• The Ptolemies annexe Libya

Summer 148 BCE

•  Parthia annexes Media
• The Macedonians recall their army from Asia Minor to regroup at Pella against the threat from the west
• Meanwhile, the Romans consolidate their control over Epirus
• The Ptolemies advance into Oasis Magna from Libya
• Scipio Aemilianus arrives in the vicinity of Carthage and is joined by the other Roman forces to the south of the city.  The Carthaginians are no match for the sheer size of this combined army, and retire into the city proper.

Autumn 148 BCE

•  The Romans invest Carthage, and Scipio decides to rest for the winter and let the season take its toll
• The Ptolemies annexe the area round the Great Oasis
• The Parthians move into Elymais
• The Macedonians advance a full army from Pella into Epirus, and the Romans promptly retire back to Calabria

Winter 148 BCE

The various armies all go into winter quarters, and taxes are gathered.  

Spring 147 BCE

• The Macedonians reconsolidate their hold over Epirus
• Reinforcements arrive from Rome in Calabria to take the army there back up to full strength
• Scipio maintains his deathgrip on Carthage
• The Ptolemies decide to try to take advantage of the Macedonian struggle against Rome, and begin a long march to the northern front by moving from Oasis Magna to the Sinai.  They still have a reasonable contingent further forward, an army that was defeated by the Macedonians several years ago and which is slowly recovering its strength
• The Parthians continue to mop up the power vacuum left by the demise of the Seleucid Empire by annexing Elymais

Summer 147 BCE

• The Parthians move into Persis
• The Romans in Calabria cross the Adriatic for the second time to challenge the Macedonian army in Epirus.  

This will be the next battle we play, and it will be interesting to see if the Romans manage to do any better than the last time.  In Africa, Scipio is about to finish off Carthage once and for all.

Carlo Pagano

Welcome, Carlo!  Please let me know if you have a blog yourself, and I'll link back.

Cheers
Paul