Back to the Borgias!

Casting an eye over collections which have not seen much tabletop battlefield action recently I lighted on the early Italian Wars. Discussion with Phil lead to a joint decision to give our small armies a run out. The table as it appeared in the calm before battle was joined~

As a change we would play corner to corner, the Papal army deploying top left as you look into the picture, the Florentine army deploying bottom right. The rules would be Hail Caesar Mk2 and the game length set at twelve turns. I won the Initiative roll and so the Papal army got first move...

...under the watchful eye of Pope Alexander VI, Borgia, enjoying a relaxing summer break in one of his many palazzo.

The Papal army deploys for battle: Condottieri on the right; pike blocks in the centre; shotte on the left.

The Florentines emerge from their camp and deploy for action: Condottieri on their right; pike blocks supported by halbadiers and shotte in the centre and on the right. Let battle be joined!

The Condottieri of the Papal army surge forward on the army's right flank seeking to take the fight to the enemy. The foot on the left flank also advances enthusiastically, more than can be said for their fellows in the centre!

Already there is a dangerous gap opened up in the centre of the Papal army as you can clearly see from behind their position.

Fortunately the Florentine response is piecemeal and lacks urgency. Turn 2 may help the Papal army stabilise its position?

Florentine mounted crossbowmen take up position on their army's far left flank. Their fire, though not devastating, will come to be important as the battle unfolds.

Already though the Papal mounted crossbowmen have taken a casualty from their Florentine opponents first volley of bolts.

The Florentine advance, though steady, has been better coordinated bringing its various divisions into action in a more effective manner.

The arquebusiers on the Florentine right, supported by crossbowmen, have quickly inflicted casualties on the hesitant Papal halbadiers!

The centre division of the Papal army is moving very slowly forward making coordination with the left and right divisions difficult. Their light artillery is finding it hard to get into an effective firing position.

The Condottieri of both armies are now in action with charge and countercharge resulting in losses for the Papal knights.

The victorious Florentine Condottieri follow up their victory  inflicting serious losses on their Papal opponents!

Even the arrival of their leader and his entourage cannot swing the combat back in favour of the Papal Condottieri!

They are swept away by the victorious Florentines along with their leader. The ensuing confusion while a new commander takes charge hands the initiative on that flank to the enemy!

In the centre the first push of pike develops as the Papal army tries to force the issue before its right flank is overwhelmed!

The attack lacks coordination though and heavy casualties result from the combat. Morale wavers, then breaks - two 1's, I ask you!

The mercenary arquebusiers are too late to sway the issue, pretty much the unfolding trend for the Borgias!

It is not all doom and gloom though for the Papal right division as the remaining Condottieri score a needed victory over the tiring Florentine Condottieri to buy time for the remaining pike blocks to turn the battle in the Borgias' favour.

It is all too little and too late! A disastrous defeat for the remaining pike block sees the morale of the Papal army plummet!

The Florentines have carried the day thanks to the steady and coordinated action of all their divisions, contrasting with the piecemeal actions of the Papal army cursed once more by those fickle 'dice gods'!

Just time for the victorious commander to get his latest portrait finished too!

Meanwhile, back in the Heart of Darkness...

 ...I have been wielding the Brush of Doom over the first few figures I bought at 'Ommer'ead from Wargames Foundry, or subsequently from North Star by mail order. First up are some Copplestone Castings female archers. These five figures are destined to join the Maiden Guard of King Bykalaizii m'Tuubi in British South Central East Africa - a lost 'colony' not even recalled today by aging stamp collectors!

I've provisionally decided on mostly round bases of 50, 40 & 30mm for all fighting elements in the collection, in groups of 3, 2, & 1 figures. The figures comprising the Colonial arm are so far fixed to their new bases, which need texturing, washing, dry brushing and vegetaing still! Painting these five figures was a good opportunity to experiment with a different colour palette for the ground work, based on Burnt Sienna as the foundation ~

Alongside these figures I've been working on the first of the Ruga-Ruga figures, which I've chosen from both the Foundry and Copplestone ranges, and a test Foundry male native archer. I expect their fellows will appear in a future blog posting as and when they are done, but in the meantime here are the test figures I just mentioned ~

I've no firm recollection of when I assembled the older parts of this collection, but judging by the mix of figures in comparison with the current blistering it may well have been back in the now sadly lost Golden Age of buying individual castings. While I'm on a roll with the project in question I have cleaned up, assembled and spray undercoated the relevant remaining figures in the Lead Pimple, mostly a mixture of various Warrior types with spear and shield. My plan is to process all of the figures now ready for their passage under the Brush of Doom before returning to the Age of Arthur project. Plans though, we all know what happens to them don't we?

Now, where did I put that old stamp album?

*Stamps & map courtesy of Gemini of course.

 

The Hearthguard...at last!!!!

I mentioned in my last Blog entry that I had finished painting these Hearthguard figures from Gripping Beast last week, I was just waiting on the shield transfers from LBMS/Victrix. They arrived at the end of the week so I had the opportunity to finish off each figure by applying the transfers and then organising them on their base. As with the Post-Romans' Hearthguard they are all mounted on one 80 x 50mm base. Despite that discrepancy in sizes between these on their solitary base and the Warbands of two or three bases I shall count both as Regular units in Hail Caesar Mk2 games, reasoning that their quality makes up for quantity in battle!

I'm fairly confident that these figures predate the modern and much resented blistering of figures with the available poses including charging at the run, advancing, standing and even recoiling back! It makes arranging figures on bases a bit hit and miss to my eye but others may disagree or not even see that as an issue.

I hope to order some more figures to bulk out the Post-Romans after Partizan is done and dusted as I already received the necessary shield transfers from LBMS/Victrix in my last order. I expect these to be a mixture of Crusader Miniatures and Artizan Designs figures via North Star, so I can make use of the Wargames Illustrated discount code to mitigate the postage and package charges. Cheap; me? Well, I am a wargamer!!

Just Champion!

Together with my most recent order to Gripping Beast - figures for the Early Saxon Hearthguard - I also ordered the final outstanding pack of Early Saxon Characters. While two figures from the pack have joined the finished unit of Hearthguard, which are still awaiting shield transfers from LBMS/Victrix, this third figure will function as a Champion or as a minor Warband command base. Again, like the recent 1st Corps Young Warriors, the pose is very static considering the context, though the actual sculpting is fine. It's obviously an aged figure, I can't help but think a contemporary version would have far more motion/life in its composition. I have tried to suggest a dragon/serpent tattoo on his face, not very successfully really. Here he is anyway, make of him what you will ~

For now at least the Age of Arthur project has reached a natural pause, in that I have no more figures in the Lead Pimple for further additions. In this instance going forward to  dice with the Brush of Doom will be some figures for my small Darkest Africa collection in the shape of five female archers {from Copplestone Castings via North Star} destined to join the Maiden Guard of King Bykalaizii m'Tuubi, erstwhile ruler of the P'Doki, an almost mythical fierce warrior tribe inhabiting the little known, and now forgotten even by stamp collectors, British Colony of South Central East Africa. 

A Warband of Young Warriors for the Early Saxons

It seems to me that I started working on these figures for another Early Saxon warband eons ago, progress has seemed so glacial. The figures are from 1st Corps and are sold as Young Warriors. As such they sport almost no armour beyond the occasional helmet and are armed only with spear and shield in the main. They are posed mostly in one of two standing poses, the Command pack figures excepted. All in all they are far from striking figures; not poorly sculpted at all, just bland and disinteresting to my eye. While I'm on a roll, they don't really fit my idea of a 'young' look either, too many beards on show. In their favour though they are cheaper than their Gripping Beast alternatives! Though the latter are much 'younger' looking in my opinion, being clean shaven. Enough of my blathering, judge for yourselves if you would ~

Next to pass under the Brush of Doom are a base of Hearthguard for the Early Saxons. I'm currently waiting on delivery of the buckler transfers from LBMS/Victrix so once they are finished I will be off on a diversion as you've seen, hopefully to rejuvenate an old project and hopefully reinvigorate my flagging mojo for the Arthurian project one at the same time! More on all that in due course...

The Battle of Rutherford's Farm, July 20th 1864

Phil pointed out to me that he and I had not played an ACW game for several months, so time to put that right. The Battle of Rutherford's Farm, fought on 20th July 1864, as a small action during Early's campaign in the Shennandoah Valley is the basis that the following game is rooted in. A quick Internet search has produced these two maps of the battle ~

The Battle of Rutherford's Farm {also known as both Carter's Farm and Stephenson's Depot} was a small engagement between Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Stephen D. Ramseur and Union forces under Brig. Gen. William W. Averell on July 20, 1864, in Frederick County, Virginia as part of Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's Valley Campaign. Taking these as a reference and acknowledging the need to produce a compact tabletop battlefield I came up with the layout pictured below before the troops are placed in their initial positions ~

I set the game length at 10 Turns as despite the action not beginning until 4.00pm I reasoned long summer daylight hours might result in a late finish! Both sides believed they had the advantage over their opponent and so in our game both must attack and we will see what unfolds. If the Union have not broken the Rebs by the end of Turn 10 then they have lost, the Rebs retiring unbeaten. The Confederates enter along the turnpike nearest the camera, the Federals from the far right corner! Phil as Ramseur commanded the Rebs, yours truly as Averell the Union! As is my wont, without any further blathering, on to the annotated photomontage carrying you down into the unfolding drama ~

The Union win the dice off for Initiative and in the first move Averell leads his men cautiously forward. These figures are proxying for his West Virginia and Ohio regiments.

Phil as Ramseur is equally cautious it seems with only two North Carolina regiments advancing along the turnpike! 

Two Union regiments (from Ohio in the battle) are thrown out on the Union left to deny the turnpike to the Rebs and flank their advance. 

The three remaining regiments (from West Virginia in the battle) form into firing lines along the fence line.

As the Ohio boys make heavy going of deployment on the Union left Ramseur sees his North Carolina boys advancing with elan along the turnpike. Can they catch the Federals before they deploy into firing line?

The leading regiments closes with the boys in blue! If they can sweep away the troops on the Union left they can swing inward and roll up the whole line!

It will be a close run action as more Rebs are fastening forward to add weight to the attack.

In their centre though the remaining Rebs are making slow progress along the turnpike as it crosses the run.

The boys from Ohio have shaken out from column into firing line as the Reb advance has slowed. They pour a volley into the hesitant lead regiment!

As the Reb attack on the Union left falters they find themselves flanked by a third Union regiments which boldly advances sensing a real opportunity to destroy the enemy attack. Just in time the second Reb regiment shakes out into firing line behind the fencing along the turnpike.

The remaining West Virginia boys are cautiously holding position on the right hoping for support from their cavalry to smash the Reb left flank.

An overview of the developing situation around Rutherford's Farm shows casualties mounting for both sides as the most forward of the West Virginia regiments finds itself flanked by the Rebs in turn.

The remaining regiments are reluctant to advance on the Rebs, leaving their comrades to face fire on three faces! Surely that can't end well for their now isolated fellows?

Too late they find themselves in turn flanked by more Rebs as they advance on the Reb left. Cavalry arrives, but for the Rebs not for the Union!

In the nick of time the Union cavalry charges down the lane, allowing the exposed Union infantry to draw back.  If they can triumph in the ensuing melees the Reb left will be swept away and victory assured!

Disaster! The North Carolina boys beat off the Union cavalry charging them despite losses. The cavalry's morale collapses as a consequence and they flee in rout!

The second Reb cavalry unit wins its melee with the Union cavalry and force them to fall back in Disorder! This allows the Reb infantry to form firing line across the flank of the now Disordered Union infantry lines.

Momentum is swinging back towards Ramseur's Rebs as the Union advance halts in Disorder as casualties mount.

Things go better for Averell on his left with the Reb infantry attack along the turnpike halted decisively. Ominously though the arrival of Reb cavalry tasked with covering the attack may expose his men to enfilade fire.

Back on the Reb left the cavalry, having seen off their Union opponents, dismount to add their fire to the weight of lead pouring into the exposed Union right flank.

The Union line, having stood as long as it could under the mounting weight of  Reb fire, suddenly finds the centre unit giving way and falling back Disordered! Averell can only look on in dismay!

At last Ramseur sees his artillery deploy to fire along the line of the turnpike to further disrupt the Union left. The tide of fortune is swinging back in his favour.

Their fire disorders one Union regiment which falls back as its Morale wavers. Suddenly the remaining Ohio boys find themselves exposed to fire from the front and flank!

The famed Rebel Yell breaks out as the wavering Union infantry defending Rutherford's Farm find themselves charged by the buoyant Rebs. They are Shaken and give way under the force of the Reb assault!

The coup de grace to Averell's command is delivered by a devastating artillery barrage which breaks the Ohio regiment on the Union left. With his command in tatters he must draw back and save what he can of them. Ramseur has achieved Early's objective of holding up the Union advance allowing stores and the wounded to be evacuated southward.

A fine game we thought, nicely balanced throughout and well served by the usual Black Powder twists and turns. By the end of Turn 8 incase obvious that Averell had lost, so we called a halt just in time for the bacon, brie and cranberry Sue had prepared for lunch!