Punic Wars archers

The latest figures to endure their spell under the Brush of Doom and muster into winter quarters in GHQ are a dozen Aventine Miniatures archers from three different packs: Command figures, archers wearing hats and bareheaded archers. They are a really useful addition to the collection as they can mix with the existing bases and serve in the forces of either Coronus Cunctator or Haztrubal Bicca! Versatile you might say! Like all Aventine Miniatures figures they are cleanly sculpted and cast and thus seem to love the paint and scrub up nicely with very little difficulty ~

On the down side its taken me the best part of a week to get these done due to my persistent hand issues! Next in the queue now are three mounted figures for the Wars of the Roses project, from Aly's latest Red Cross parcel, Henry Tudor, his Standard Bearer and a second mounted knight for my Lancastrians. They are underway, so I'd hope to share them with you in not too long...

Denique Triumphus Haztrubal Bicca!

Phil came over on Tuesday for our usual weekly tabletop battlefield run out. This week he'd requested a Hail Caesar game and we settled on a Punic Wars encounter between Coronus Cunctator and Haztrubal Bicca. It turned out to be a brisk encounter over 5 Turns in about an hour and a half.  Brisk even by our standards of late! Phil took on Coronus Cunctator and yours truly Haztrubal Bicca. As you've come to expect now, a photomontage carrying you down into the action, though a rather brief offering by our usual standard ~

The view from behind the Carthaginian starting line. Haztrubal has deployed his Veteran Lybian infantry in his centre with his elephants to the fore accompanied by Light Infantry skirmishers. His Spanish are to his right and his Celtiberians to his left.

Coronus has the Legio VI and the Allied Etruscan Legion in his centre, clearly intending to push through Haztrubals centre one the Velites have dispensed with the elephant threat. His left has all his Roman cavalry screened by Cretan archers and Balieric slingers. His right has mainly Light Infantry and cavalry stiffened by a Celtic warband.

With the initiative in his hand Coronus pushes Legio VI forward to engage the elephants while his left wing skirmishes with Haztrubal's Spanish. The Etruscans don't move, perhaps intimidated by all the pachyderns. 

Despite the Etruscan's lethargy Legio VI press confidently forward to close with the enemy. Surely the Velites will make short work of those lumbering beasts and their supports?

On Coronus's left the Roman cavalry drive back their Spanish foe causing much disorder in the accompanying Infantry. This is compounded by the fire of his slingers and archers.

The elephants stamp all over the Velites and crash into the Principes. A short and bloody fight transpires and the remnants of the Principes flee!

Amazingly on Haztrubal's right his Spanish cavalry survive the Roman's onslaught and begin to push the enemy back.

Legio VI are broken by the battle-mad elephants and the survivors flee the field! Suddenly Haztrubal senses the fates may have decided in his favour!

The Elephants are free to turn in on the flank of the embattled Etruscan Allied Legion, pinned as they are by Haztrubal's Southern Italian Allied hoplites.

On Coronus's right it has all gone to pot! The Celtiberian cavalry smash into and over his lightl Infantry skirmishers and drive back his Numidian cavalry!

It's all up for Coronus in Turn 5 as the Etruscans are first driven back and then destroyed by the hoplites supported by the Lybian veteran Infantry. 

A first win for Haztrubal and the Carthaginian army since they were brought into being during Lockdown. The game was short and brutal, for which I must truthfully praise the 'dice gods who smote Phil's dice most delightfully!!!! Still great fun followed by a bacon sarni, coffee and fruit cake. After all, we all surely remember the old maxim: an army marches on its stomach!!!

Celtiberian Warband

Sometime last year I ordered a few packs of figures from Gripping Beast down in Evesham,  along with the Late Roman shield transfers I needed while LBMS was not trading. They have languished unloved in the Lead Pimple since then but have finally had their moments under the brush! Not the best of figures really, nor the best of my modest painting efforts either, but nevertheless here they are. Brace yourselves now!

I had no shield transfers in hand so I ordered up two sheets. I didn't use the shields provided by the Beast as I would have needed four different sheets! Instead I used some A&A shields in had in stock and just ordered two! If I sound disappointed now, well I am. Not only have I had to cut out the space for the shield boss metalwork but I also discovered that the shields and transfers were a poor fit for each other, especially the elongated oval shapes, being too long and too narrow. I do think 'Designed to fit...' might be better replaced by 'For use with...' in this instance. The elongated hexagonal shapes were a much better match.

Making good use of the fine weather of late I have now spray undercoated all of my Wars of the Roses figures and started to research the Retinue colours for the nobles I have chosen. I'm quite sure that none will feature before the middle of next month as the next couple of weeks look busy on all fronts, but you never know...

Things can only get better?

For the first post of 2025 I find myself needing to report on the last game played here in GHQ in 2024, a Punic War three hander with William and Phil leading the Republican Romans and the Allied Etruscans respectively, leaving me to lead the Carthaginian army once again. A few pictures I managed to take during the hurly burley of the battle which hope will give a sense of how the game played out. Rules were Hail Caesar of course! On to the action ~

Viewing the field of battle from behind the Roman lines, Republican Romans on the left, Allied Etruscans on the right, Carthaginians in the distance.

The Carthaginian centre comprised the elephants, Celtiberian warbands, Numidian skirmishers backed by Haztrubal Bicca's veteran Heavy Infantry.

On the Roman left flank Billius Secundus deployed his Medium Cavalry screened by many Small Units of Cretan archers.

The Roman centre comprised two Legions with their Velites ready to skirmish with the elephants and their screening Numidian Light Infantry.

Both armies hurried to close with each other. Velites and Numidians exchanged volleys of javelins and casualties mounted along with Disorder on the Carthaginians.

Spanish Light and Medium Cavalry on Haztrubal's left find themselves facing a storm of arrows and slingshot from the Allied Etruscans' right.

On Haztrubal's right his Celtiberian Heavy Cavalry clash with Secundus's Mediums and come off second best.

Loosing the Hand-to-Hand combat results in a Morale Test. With two 1's the result, they Break!

The second group of Celtiberian Heavy Cavalry fare better in the early exchanges, the Romans are Shaken but survive to fight on!

The Numidian Light Cavalry supporting the struggling Celtiberians are thrown forward against the victorious Romans. Haztrubal's attack is coming unravelled all too quickly.

The Numidians suffer the same fate as the Celtiberians at the hands of the Roman Medium Cavalry! Haztrubal's right is Broken and his centre is stalled by widespread Disorder. 

The Spanish Cavalry on Haztrubal's left are Broken by missile fire and an Etruscan cavalry charge. The victorious Romans sweep behind his centre and take the Allied Greek infantry in the flank! It's all up for Haztrubal's cause, again! He can only watch the destruction from alongside his veterans who Blundered off the table in Turn 2 and struggled to get back in time.

Billius Secundus enjoying his victory over Grandad Haztrubal Bicca!

You may have noticed that Phil has made some very Old School movement and range sticks. In practice so much less fuss to use than a tape measure twinned with Arkwright's Till!

I can only trust that in the coming year those capricious 'dice gods' will show some favour on my dice throws. They most definitely didn't favour me in this game at all! Next week, Lurgi permitting, we are planning a SYW game here in GHQ.

Haztrubal Triumphans!

For this week's game here in GHQ Phil and I had already agreed previously on a refight of our Second Punic War battle - see two posts previous. Phil chose to once more take on the mantle of Coronus Cunctator, leaving me to take the persona of Haztrubal Bicca. Rather than a description of the action via the usual annotated photomontage I thought you'd just like to see a few pictures of the toys on the tabletop battlefield ~

The field of battle at the conclusion of the game with two of Coronus Cunctator's divisions broken and Haztrubal's army in the ascendancy.

We had both, though especially Phil, spent time reading more of the rules with respect to recreating the Republican Roman maniple formations. We think we interpreted it correctly in this game, though we are prepared to accept we may be in error. Having said that we seem to have forgotten the Pila and Long Spear rules in the heat of battle! It must be our age...

"Haztrubal Ad Portas!"

 

Well, I can but hope at any rate! Once again Phil journeyed from the depths of 'Darkest Rawnsley', bravely defying the latest round of roadworks, for our weekly game here in GHQ. We had settled last week on the 2nd Punic War as our next game, making use we hoped of the new A5 size rule book so recently received here from Warlord Games. Phil would take on the Republican Romans under Coronus Cunctator ~

While I would lead the Carthaginians under Haztrubal Bicca ~

As ever now, on with the annotated photomontage hopefully carrying you down into the unfolding action ~

The might of Rome! Cretan Archers, Equites Romanii, Legio VI, Etruscan 'Allies'.

Carthage on Tour! Celtiberians, Elephants, Libyan Veterans, Cisalpine Gauls, Numidians, Southern Italian Allies.

Numidian Light Infantry occupy the walled garden flanked by the Warbands formed by Cisalpine Gauls, supported by Haztrubal's Southern Italian Allies.

The Carthaginian centre moves forward cautiously. {My Command Dice rolls going as usual of late!}

The Equites Romanii, screened by Cretan Archers and flanked by Legio VI, advance equally cautiously!

Perhaps wary of Haztrubal's elephants Legio VI deploy their Velites forward to harass the approaching threat.

The Etruscan 'Allies' meanwhile do... nothing! Perhaps that foretold what was to come...?

The Equites Romanii surge forward hoping the smash the piecemeal units opposing them, already softened up by the Cretan Archers' galling fire. 

Meanwhile, Haztrubal's centre makes better progress and the cavalry on his right prepare to clash with the enemy!

Celtiberian cavalry smash their Equites Romanii opponents, helped by those capricious 'dice gods' damning Phil's dice for once!!!

In the centre the Velites of Legio VI have fallen back and Haztrubal's elephant and supporting Light infantry smash into the Disordered Principes of the Legion, who were quickly supported by the Hastatii.

The remaining Equites Romanii are smashed and Haztrubal's cavalry sweep around the shattered remnants to attack the flank of Legio VI!

Coronus can only contemplate the upcoming disaster with the destruction of the Equites Romanii and the enemy in his flank and rear in numbers!

Legio VI will be destroyed and the path to the Eternal City laid open to Haztrubal if Coronus continues his resistance. Thinking it better to live to fight another day rather than fall on his sword, Coronus orders a withdrawal covered by his immobile Etruscan 'Allies'. What awaits the Romans will be revealed in the next episode...

In the intervening days Coronus Cunctator attempts to appease those pesky 'dice gods'!