2011: DBA matches so far ...

Here are the other DBA campaigns/battles so far:

1. Thutmosis III’s campaign for the Levant: a DBA piston campaign

6 battles were fought between Thutmosis III’s New Kingdom Egyptians (I/22 a) and the rebellious Syro-Canaanite (I/20 b) tribes centring on the arable lands around Gaza and Jeppa (maps 5 and 6). The Pharaoh's efforts to subdue the Levant and expand his empire resulted in a series of fierce encounters with significant losses on both sides (particularly amongst chariots and Egyptian heavy infantry). Two of the rebellious Syro-Canaanite generals we killed during these encounters (3 generals killed = victory) but the final rebel general fought the Egyptians to a stand-still. Both sides decided to withdraw and lick their wounds after 3 victories each.

2. Somewhere on the Eurasian Steppe c. 300 CE

The steppes thundered with the hooves of two mighty barbarian cavalry armies – the Sarmatians (II/26) and the Alans (II/58). As the Alan General I took 8 units of knights (8 x 3Kn) and 4 light horse (4 x 2LH). The two armies formed up in two opposing battle lines and pushed into contact. The first clash of the saw the Sarmatian line disordered with the Alan light horse taking a toll on the impetuous knights. The Sarmatians never recovered the cohesion they required to better my Alans and were defeated with 4:1 losses.

3. Khan Kubrat and the Bulgars c. 584 CE - empire postponed!

Khan Kubrat, Early Bulgars (III/14 b - technically not a historical match-up) engaged a force of Later Sarmatians (II/26) knights in hilly country on the edge of the steppe. However, when the forces clashed the Sarmatian knights presented a cohesive battle line and defeated the Bulgars who became seriously disordered on their right flank ultimately with the loss of their Khan. Losses: Sarmatians 2 / Early Bulgars 3 (inc. gen). The Bulgars would have to look to another mighty Khan to unify their kingdom.

4. Battle of Edgecote Moor, 26 July 1469

My Yorkists, led by king Edward IV, were narrowly defeated by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. Both sides struggled to deploy their forces in a battlefield confined by steep hills and woods. The Yorkist left flank (largely archers and skirmishers) sought to advance to woods on the right flank of the Lancastrian line. However, the Flemish mercenaries (pike and auxiliaries) and Neville's heavy infantry pushed back my right flank (knights and heavy infantry) inflicting heavy losses. Losses: Lancastrian 2, Yorkist 4

Middle Imperial Romans (West) vs. Later Sarmatians

A recent encounter saw me field the Middle Imperial Romans (II/64) – the first ever DBA army I put together (and they look like it!) – against the Sarmatian knights. We deployed with a road running down the centre of the board at right angles to our lines. The road bisected some woods in the centre of the battlefield. I had a steep hill on my right flank and the Sarmatians had a similar hill on their left flank.

As I advanced the Roman line (cavalry and auxiliaries on the right flank and legionaries, ballista, and light horse on the left) towards the centre of the board the Sarmatians split their force (their total force was 9 bases of knights, 1 of light horse, and 2 of skirmishers) and charged around both sides of the woods. On my right flank my auxileries took to the relative safety of the woods and my cavalry threatened the Sarmatian's weaker left flank, causing it to withdraw out of contact range.

However, two lines of knights thundered around the wood on my left causing me to hastily form a battle line with my heavy infantry (pictured). This manoeuvring took all the movement pips I had for a few turns, starving my right flank of the ability to pursue its advantage. On my left, the Sarmatians contacted the light horse on my extreme left flank driving it off and subsequently disordered my legionaries. Sarmatian skirmishers harried my ballista rendering them ineffective. From there is was a turkey shoot - with the knights decimating my disordered heavy infantry. Rome succumbed to the barbarian invaders!

The Teutonic Order (DBA IV/30)

At last after months of sitting half painted, the Teutonic Order can take the field.

This army reflects the Order during the Baltic Crusades during the 13th and 14th centuries CE.

Figures are a mix of Museum, Irregular and Khurasan Miniatures (the best of the lot).

While painting this army I played them several times against the Mongols (DBA IV/35) whom the Order encountered in Eastern Europe in the first half of the 13th century CE. My next project is to build up some armies of historical opponents in the Baltic – Prussians, Estonians, Lithuanians, and Russians (for a bit of Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263 CE) action!). The Teutonic Order were defeated by Nevsky at the Battle of Lake Peipus – a battle notable for having been largely fought on the frozen lake.

Much is made of the Order falling though the ice as they charged to engage the Novgorodian force ... some recent research on this battle can be found here.

The Hochmeister (the Grand Master of the Order) and his Brother Knights prepare to Christianise the pagan Baltic tribes.

Knights from the West would volunteer to serve with the Order for a year. Here Sir William de Keynes from Dodford in the English Midlands (red and yellow arms) advances with some fellow Crusaders. These temporary volunteers would fight under the Cross of St George when riding with the Teutonic Order.

The Brother Knights (3Kn) form a line behind crusaders from the West (3Cv), Lithuanian and Turcopole light horse (2LH), and skirmishers (2Ps).

Crossbowmen (4Cb) and the local peasant levy (7Hd) hold a crofter's cottage on the right wing.

Here come the Early Bulgars!

I have finally finished off my Early Bulgars (III/14 b) made up mostly of Essex figures (their DBA army pack). The light horse for the a-list are currently half-painted. The army includes one stand of Irregular Turk/Arab heavy cavalry which will have to do until I can order some more Bulgars from Essex.

The 3Cv unit of Bulgars (Essex) display the trident tamga (arms) of the Dulo Clan on their shields to which belonged the great Kahn Krum:

• Krum was Khan of Bulgaria, from after 796, but before 803, to 814 AD. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains (Wiki).

The Early Bulgars take the field:

Kahn Krum (3Cv - Gen) leads his mounted troops:

Bulgar/Slavic foot troops (4 x 3Ax and 1 x Ps) in bad going:

The army saw my first use of a Magic Wash recipe I found on Fanaticus. Moderately good shading resulted but still needs some fine tuning. Instead of water soluble ink I used Vallejo pigments to colour the floor wax/water mixture.

BUA and camp to come.

They took to the field for the first time recently and gave my old adversary the Alans' a good run for their money but unfortunately the final clash of our mounted troops saw my 3Cv (Gen) destroyed by the Alan knights. Next time for sure.

Some larger pictures of my Picts

Pictish spearmen (detail)

Pictish spearmen

Scratch built Pictish Camp

DBA II/68b Pictish 500–846 CE - first viewing

At last the Picts are ready to take to the field - in fact they have fought (and lost) their first battle already!

I have yet to paint the shields but the figures are largely as I mean to use them apart from that. They have recovered from a near disaster while varnishing them when I applied the Army Painter matt varnish and they came out like they had a layer of frost over them - with much of the painting detail apparently lost.

A quick look at TMP forum and Fanaticus told me that I had sprayed them in conditions of too-high humidity. It was raining when I sprayed them on the porch and then I let them dry in the laundry with a dryer going - what was I thinking! I managed to recover them with a spray of the matt acrylic picture varnish I had always used previously - this seemed to reduced the frosting almost to nil.

This is also my first slap-dash attempt at miniature photography.

The Picts were blooded last week in an encounter with the Late Imperials Romans. I deployed with a steep hill on my left flank, another just forward of my right flank and dead ahead a gentle hill - behind which the legionaries were awaiting me. On my left flank I deployed a body of 3 x spear and 2 x psiloi on the crest of the steep hill. two light horse were positioned in the centre (with LCh general behind) ready to dash up the valleys between the hills and the right flank. The rest of the centre and right flank was made up of the remaining spear and psiloi.

The Romans pushed forward on my left flank with cavalry, knights, and light horse encouraging me to leave the spear and psiloi on the hill while the spear and psiloi on my centre/right advanced towards the gentle hill with light horse to cover their flanks. The legionaries and auxilia facing my centre and right (refused flank) would not be drawn out as I had hoped - ultimately causing me to over-extend my force on the right. Once I separated my two bodies of spear to a degree they could not be quickly reunited, the legionaries fell on me and defeated me 4-0. Many silly mistakes were made but it was an enjoyable encounter.

For my next trick I'll learn how to use photos on this blog!

Attack of the killer-flame-death-robots

My 3-year-old and I decided on a Lego match-up of my killer-flame-robots against his 'weird guys' the other day. I thought it about time to introduce a little of my daytime activities onto the blog. Just for some light relief!

The killer-flame-death-robots began their mechanical advance on a cold winter's morning with flames licking at their steely exterior and the smell of kerosene wafting ahead of them on the relentless southerly wind that has swept up from Antarctica.

Opposing these ruthless automatons were those few remaining veterans of the now depleted ranks of the Weird Guys – the warrior class of a post climate-change society desperately defending their fragile communities on this resource-depelted antipodean isle.