A Hail Caesar Test Drive: Much Bonking and Hacking

This weekend in the old Rectory games room I had a few hours to put all my painted ancients figures on the table and try the Hail Caesar rules from Warlord for the first time.   I used the early German and imperial Roman army lists and had enough figures to field the following:

Roman: 1 18 regular sized and 1 8 small sized unit of Heavy Infantry Auxiliary Infantry w Spears, 1 small unit of slingers, 1 small unit of Auxiliary archers, and 1 regular sized unit of Medium Auxiliary cavalry.

German: 2 32 figure warbands, both Eager Fighters, 1 small unit of 8 javelin skirmishers, 1 small unit of 8 archers, and 1 small unit of skirmish javelin cavalry.

Most of the figures on the table are Victrix plastics, though there are a few Foundry metal figures and some fantasy castings from Thistle and Rose filling out the German ranks.

Here are the forces arrayed at the start of the battle.  I didn't put any terrain down as I simply wanted to learn the core mechanics.   I quickly realized that with infantry movement at 6", cavalry movement at 9", and maximum bow range at 18", you don't want to put the two forces too far apart.  My limited collection meant that I played with one division aside, though HC allows for three divisions per side.

Romans won the initiative, which as I understand HC means that they keep it all through the game.   The command/activiation rules mean that units might get 1, 2, or 3 moves, or none at all, depending on how far they are away from their division commander, so the side that moves second might have a better turn depending on how the activations go. 

In their first turn, all the Roman units got to move, but in subsequent moves things got a bit herky jerky for both sides, so if you don't like activation rolls, this probably isn't the game for you.  The war band on the German right held back, and the Roman cavalry were reluctant to move.   I quickly learned how missile fire worked, and between them the Roman slingers and archers made short work of the German bows.  The German skirmishers and Roman horse exchanged volleys of javelins.  It seems to me that most units in HC have some kind of missile capability, but the real game is decided in hand to hand combat.

Below, a small unit of German skirmish horse is trying to annoy the Roman left, but as they are skirmishers and the Romans are formed, there didn't seem much that they could do, and the Roman archers kept them well at bay.

Proconsul Luigi briefly visited the battlefield and watched as everyone in the centre collided.  He seemed to be planning his next triumph, with my dogs in chains behind his chariot.  I don't have a lot of experience with ancients gaming but it seems that the big scrum in the centre is how most fights are decided.

Giving the Roman archers some love.  They did well in their first fight.  My sabot bases from Warbases take eight figures, and as far as I can tell from HC, eight figures is a small unit, and sixteen would be a regular sized unit, so that's convenient.

So on to the big final scrum.   There are a lot of photos just because it amused me to see all my figures on the table, locked in combat.   One thing about Ancients, the big battles just look darn cool.

The two war bands had an initial advantage.   For their first melee they throw seven D6, hitting on 4-6, but as Eager fighters they get to re-roll misses.   The Roman auxiliary infantry elected to Close Ranks, meaning that they get a plus on on their save rolls, saving on a 4-6, but hitting on a -1.  That seemed a fair trade, and thus the Romans survived the first round with only two hits.  

However, in subsequent rounds, the tide began to shift.   In their subsequent attacks, the war bands only attack with 6 d6, whereas the Romans fight every round with 7d6.  Hits on the Germans began to accumulate faster than they could cause them.  In the third round, the Roman cavalry finally passed an activation roll and joined the battle.  Likewise, the small unit of Roman infantry joined, though how they achieved that was funny.  I rolled a 12 on 2d6 for them to join the fight, which in HC is a blunder, but the blunder table result was an uncontrolled advance into the enemy, which allowed them close the distance and contribute to the final round.

At close of play, the German war band on the left broke thanks to the intervention of the cavalry and was removed from play, while the one on the right was very close to breaking.   The larger of the auxiliary infantry had been forced to retreat in disorder, but the result was still a Roman victory.

It's always interesting to try a set of rules for the first time.  The mechanics were fairly simple to grasp and there was a clear result within six turns, but there were some dynamics that I would like to explore further, particularly how skirmish, open order, and close order units interact.   There was a moment where the Roman slingers fired annoyingly, and then in the next turn the auxiliary infantry advanced through them to seek a resolution, so I felt I was doing that part right, but there feels like more to explore.   

The two sides felt different - the German power lies in their unwieldy war bands, which felt both powerful and fragile, whereas the Romans felt more resilient. Perhaps it would have been a tougher fight if the Romans had been outnumbered.

One thing I felt I might have missed was the influence of commanders on the game.  As far as I could tell, they simply exist as a measuring point to units being given orders - if they are beyond 12" from the commander, it's harder to get them to react.  They didn't seem to have any other rule that I could see. There were rules for commanders becoming casualties, but in my first play through I couldn't see how that worked, but you always miss details the first few times.

As for the activation rules, you either like them or you hate them.   I recall the same sort of activation principle when I once tried Warlord's Black Powder, and they are not unlike Lardie rules in that respect.  

Having all these figures on the table looks grand, but in 28mm, if you use the unit sizes that HC requires, you need a LOT of figures.  Two war bands at 32 figures each exhausted my available figures, so I had to add in some fantasy barbarian figures from Thistle and Rose.  If you look closely you can see them in the back ranks of the war bands.   My friend James suggests just using smaller units, or another set or rules, such as Midgard.  Not bad ideas; Midgard certainly has some interesting roles for commanders and their influence on battles.  Another way to maximize a smaller collection such as mine would be to try playing skirmish games using a set of rules such as TFL's Infamy, Infamy, or Clash of Spears.   Those are both options to explore.  Otherwise one is looking at painting a LOT of figures, which may be what a company that makes minis and rules wants!

So, congratulations to me for trying a new set of rules and getting all my ancients figures on the table.  I'll give Hail Caesar another try down the road.  Next up, the same armies using the Midgard rules from TFL/Reisswitz.

Thanks for reading and blessings to your die rolls!  

MP+

Stinky, Hairy, and Violent Foundry Germanic Warriors

 Here are six recently completed 28mm Foundry Germanic warriors from their Ancients range.  I have a large batch of Foundry Germans in the lead pile, but wanted to see how they took paint and their irregular quality makes a pleasant break from painting a large uniformed regiment.  The shields are hand painted and you probably guessed that they aren't transfers.  :)

Young men doing what they do best, shout, posture, and look for a fight.   The fellow in the centre seems quite comfy wearing his pajama bottoms.

The fellow on the left earned his grey beard the hard way, he was probably a young shirtless buck braying in the front of the war band but he's gotten smarter over the years.  He looks like a tribal leader.

"This envoy bored me and now he's broken.  Send another!"

One thing I've noticed playing a test battle of Hail Caesar yesterday (more on that in the next post) is that if you want to field multiple war bands, you need a lot of figures.   If you use the prescribed figure count in the rules, a war band is 32 figures, and I had two on the table, which meant augmenting my Germanic figures with some fantasy barbarians.  By that point, the quality of the painting needs to bend a bit if one wants to put a lot of figures on the table.    Perhaps I should look at a skirmish game like Infamy, Infamy if I want a smaller figure count?

Thanks for looking and blessings to your brushes!

MP+

Victorian British and Canadian Brigade on Parade

After my last post here, I thought it would be fun to take all my completed Victorian  British and Canadian troops and put them on the table for a group shot.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Perry figures in the foreground, British regulars and behind them a regiment of Canadian militia.

Perry Canadian militia cavalry in the centre.

Perry command figures in the centre.

Two Perry Armstrong Whitworth cannon and crew.

Most recently completed Warlord regiment, British regulars, in the foreground, and a second regiment of Canadian militia behind them.

Flags by Adolfo Ramos.

I found this an encouraging exercise to see the fruits of two years’ work on the table.   Now to dig out my US American Civil War figures and put them to the test.

Cheers and thanks for looking, MP+

Warlord Victorian British Infantry

I recently finished this unit of 28mm Victorian British infantry for my alt-ACW project.  These are metal Warlord sculpts, I think by Paul Hicks, for their Crimean War range.   I am fairly sure that these figures are which are OOP as I couldn’t find them on the Warlord website.  I bough them practically for a song from a very generous friend at last year’s Hot Lead convention.

The figures are painted using Foundry paints and the flag is from Adolfo Ramos.    There was only one banner bearer in the unit, so I opted for the regimental flag rather than the national flag, just because I liked the look.

These figures, added to my existing Perry British Infantry Force figures, give me a small brigade, which I’ll try to get some pics of the next time we have some sunlight.  Hopefully they’ll see some action in defence of Upper Canada soon.

Cheers and thanks for looking.   Blessings to your brushes!

MP+

WIP: British Regulars For My Alt-ACW Project

Hello friends:  

With my new clerical job feeling more under control, and with Twitter becoming more unpleasant and weird, I’m deciding to double down on the Old School and blogging more, so this is a head start on my new year’s resolution.

I’m currently working on a regiment of 28mm British redcoats that were gifted to me by an old friend.  As far as I know, these are Warlord sculpts, I think by Paul Hicks, from their Crimean War range.  I think they’re OOP, the Warlord website shows British Crimean War infantry but in shakos, whereas these fellows wear Kilmarnock pillbox hats so they look the part and are compatible with my Perry figures from their British Intervention Force Range.

About two thirds of the way through the Foundry tri-tone paint method, though the shoulder ruffs and cuffs are done with GW contrast green.  I am not aiming for a specific British regiment, I just liked green.  

Fortunately I’m well equipped with wine corks!

Hoping to have these fellows finished by Christmas.

Cheers and blessings to your brushes!

MP+

Cruel Seas, Crueler Dice: A Look at Warlord Games' Cruel Seas

 One of the benefits of having one’s game club in a hobby store is that the owner tries to sell us on new kit.   Normally I’m not that interested in post-apocalypse dune buggies or Game of Thrones miniature games or whatever he’s flogging of late, but last week Vincent invited us to try Warlord Games’ Cruel Seas, and that seemed worth trying.

Cruel Seas is, of course, that 1/300 scale WW2 games featuring small boats that are all plywood, racing motors, and heavy machine guns, so maybe it is a bit like a post-apocalyptic dune buggy game after all.  In this game, I took two Kriesgmarine E-Boats, because E-Boats always looked big, cruel, and sinister in the Ballantines war books I read as a kid.   Bruce and Stephen each took a pair of plucky little British MTBs, and were tasked with protecting a small tanker that had to cross the game board alive.    I gather that this is the basic intro scenario for the game.

Movement seemed fairly simple, choosing between normal, combat, and insanely fast speed bands, which allow more or fewer turns depending on how fast one is going.   Movement order was determined by dice selection, and since there were five British dice and two German, there was a good chance I would be outmaneuvered.   Ships data and damage is quite simple, and is easily tracked on a little status card given to each boat.

My plan was simple.   Go forward as fast as possible, launch all four of my torpedoes at the tanker, and then get away.  Unfortunately, while one of my E-Boats moved second in the first turn, it then received a critical hit which forced it to move ahead straight with no shooting for one turn.  

 As you can see, my disabled lead boat got swarmed by the pesky British, which cheekily came within spitting distance, pelting me with lead, shells, empty beer cans, etc.  It didn’t end well for these Kriesgmariners.   They sank without getting a torpedo fired.

My surviving E-Boat now gamely raced in at Insanely Fast speed, survived a fusillade or two, and slowed enough to get its two fish in the water.   I WIN!!!!!   Well, not so fast, Padre.   While my fish were the fastest things on the table, the tanker’s dice came up, allowing it to do some adroit dodging like a waitress in a dodgy bar deftly evading an inebriated lout.  My fish sailed by, harmlessly, some Wavy Navy type came up alongside and hosed me with lead, and the next thing I new I was treading water and waiting for an uncomfortable ride to a POW camp in Dorset. 

So, Cruel Seas.  Things I liked:  the models that come in the starter set are cheap and cheerful, and looked sharp even with the hasty paint job Vincent had given them that morning.   The game played quickly and decisively.   Speed and maneuver are quite simple, leaving the player free to think about who to shoot.  Things I didn’t like:  well, getting sunk, for one.  I don’t know enough about what fast boat actions in WW2 were like, but this felt like a particularly fast and lethal game of bumper cars.  The random dice mechanism means that players have ample opportunities to get in close and blast an opponent’s boat at a particularly favourable angle.   In that respect, the game feels a lot like some of the American Civil War ironclad games I’ve played, only much faster.

Cruel Seas seems a lot like Wings of War or X-Wing, only with boats, and without having to worry about altitude or whether some tiresome fellow is going to Immelman on you.   The Warlord rule book is simple and packed with action photos (very nice) and promises exciting fleets - there are some bizarre Soviet boats that look like a T34 turret dropped on a fishing boat, and the idea of doing RN vs Italians in the Med is intriguing.

For me, while I have a soft spot for naval games, I think I will hold my fire on Cruel Seas.  I would rather play with smaller models representing bigger ships at longer ranges.   However, for a few moments, wearing a white turtleneck sweater, a battered cap, and shouting “Torpedo Los!” was good fun.

MP+

Commando Company Coming for Christmas

Well, not a company.  More like an understrength platoon, but that doesn’t alliterate so pleasingly.

With the old year drawing to a close, I can boost my painting totals a bit with twenty 28mm WW2 commandos for my Weird War Two project, a mix of Artizan metal and Warlord plastic sculpts.

The Artizan sculpts comprised my first entry this Thursday for the Analogue Painting Challenge V.  I stayed out of APC IV but decided this would be a good way to motivate myself to get some work done.  The Artizan figures were the first I’ve painted from that company, and were a treat to do.  Very crisp, dynamic figures, with just a touch of cartoony exaggeration.  Perfect for the pulp gaming I have in mind.

Artizan NCOs and Bren gunner.  I used the commando patch and rank stripe decals from the Warlord plastics box, fairly easy to put on.

Artizan riflemen.  Given what’s facing them in the near future, they may wish to fix bayonets.

Practising all-round defence to face unnameable horrors.

I had a Great War Miniatures sniper left over from their British Characters pack, and I figured he would work well as part of this team.

In fact, I rather prefer his stocking cap to the berets that the rest of my commandos are sculpted in.  To my mind the berets and regulation battledress and webbing look a little too late war for my tastes, as opposed to the images of early war commandos that have a desperate, rather improvised look about them.

And here are some of the Warlord figures.  I found it quite a chore to assemble these guys.  There are so many parts that I had trouble visualizing where arms and weapons should be in relation to the torso, so some of them look like they are handling their weapons rather strangely.  I originally assembled them in 2013 before my last military move, and ran into trouble when I was priming them with Army Painter White Spray.  For some reason some of the figures reacted poorly, and the spray went on in globs, obscuring some of the detail.  I even had to discard a few figures, something I almost never do.  So, since I was working on the Artizan figures, I decided I should pull the Warlord guys out and bite the bullet.  They didm’t turn out so badly after all

More Warlord figures.  The chap second from right has a broken rifle - the plastic of the weapons is thin and easily bent/broken.  I shall need to fix or replace it.

Some of the Artizan figures are sculpted with bergens.  The Warlord set gives you the option to add bergens, which I did, so with that rope they look ready to tromp through the mountains and scale a cliff or two.  I realized late in the day that the replica commando bergens I saw online were a dark green with tan straps and sewn edging along the tan flap.  For the most part I was using Vallejo Khaki for the webbing and bergens, but was able to make some a little more green with VJ Russian Uniform.

 

Not that the Warlord figures are terrible.   While the weapons are a little flimsy, they seem a little more accurate than the Artian ones.  In this comparison shot of two Bren gunners, I think the Warlord figure on the left has the more accurate looking weapon.

The Warlord figures also have the merit of allowing you to choose which weapons you’ll kit them out with.  I choose to put a knife in this fellow’s hand for the ever-popular silencing the sentry scene, though it looks more like an American bowie knife than the Fairbairn Sykes commando dagger.

Major Macallan, the Laird of Kinch, welcomes the new lads to S Commando and tells them it’s going to get jolly interesting.   If they think they’re trained and ready now, they’ll soon think again once they go trough the S Commando indoc course. Then he’ll find out how tough this supposedly tough men really are.

 

Class shot of all the figures I’ve completed since 2012 for the Allied contingent of my Weird War Two project.  If you are new to the blog and are curious, check out the Weird War Two labelled postings for the background.  This eclectic group includes a ghost, an undercover agent posing as an Oktoberfest fraulein, a padre, a disgraced Oxford don with a heart of gold, a Canadian cowboy and his cowgirl wife, a ruthless Resistance leader, and assorted other characters.   I predict that we’ll meet more characters in 2015 and maybe even see some gaming, though there is lots to think out still.

 

 

 

Thanks for looking!  Blessings to your brushes!  MP+

These figures bring my 2014 totals to:

28mm Mounted: 13, 28mm Foot: 84, 28mm Artillery: 2; 28mm terrain pieces: 10 (counting that woods base from a recent post).

20mm Foot: 33, 20mm Artillery: 2, 20mm Vehicles: 2, 20mm Terrain Pieces: 2

15mm Vehicles: 5, 15mm Foot: 26, 15mm Terrain Pieces: 3

6mm Foot:  120, 6mm vehicles: 4, 6mm Terrain Pieces: 2

Kilometres Run: 1,086

Thesis Pages Written:  24

Cracking On With Commandos

It’s been a busy few days at the painting table, where I don’t feel like I’m making much progress, but am slowly seeing the fruits of my labours, as my first entry towards the Analogue Painting Challenge V nears completion.  Besides a section of ten Artizan British commandos for my Weird War Two project, which will be the entry, I also took out some half finished Warlord plastic commandos that I gave up on in frustration over a year ago, and am trying to get them up to a level where I’m not ashamed of putting them on the table.  

But there’s no pleasing some people.  Here’s the OC S Commando, the Laird O’Kinch, berating me for deficiencies.  “Come on, Padre, these chaps aren’t based, they need eyes and hair, and their commando patch decals.  What have you been playing at?  You need to do better, old man.  Crack on!  You can sleep when you’re dead.  I NEED these lads NOW!”  

A demanding fellow indeed.  Hopefully they’ll be ready by Thursday, which is my appointed day.  This  Challenge business may be a bridge too far for me.   I’m amazed at how many entrants are already racking up large totals.  This was my face when I realized I had missed the deadline for the first Bonus Round.

 

Oh well, it’s all supposed to be fun, innit? Hopefully they’ll be some time to work on the Commandos tomorrow, though that is a busy day,  as I am planning on making a batch of Dresdener Stollen (Rabbit Man and his lovely wife apparently liked the test batch I made last Friday), and there is always thesis work to be done to make me feel that I’ve earned the time at the painting table.  Speaking of tables, I have an ACW battle ready to go on my gaming table, to test drive the Longstreet rules, if I can ever get to it.

I did make a run to the post office today to pick up this intriguing parcel from Germany, from the fellow who drew my name in Chris Stoesen’s Santa Clause project.  I’ve already written to my benefactor to assure him that it will go under the old Tannenbaum and will not be opened until Christmas day.  Thank you for arranging this, Chris.

Another envelope came through the mail slot yesterday, from all around good chap and plastic model wizard Paul Foster in NZ, and I know what’s in it, but again, it’s going under the Christmas tree.  I’ll thank you properly after Christmas, Paul!

May you enjoy these days of preparation for what I pray will be a joyous Christmas for you and yours.  Until then, blessings to your brushes1

More Weird War Two Good Guys: Major Graham Macallan, MC, The Laird O' Kinch

I've been away in Ottawa these last few days for a wedding and meant to get some background stuff/fluff posted for my Weird War Two project, but internet access was spotty. So here's a chance to show some more pictures of the Commando Characters I recently finished, to lay out some back stories for them (because it amuses me), and to try the character generator mechanism for Savage Worlds, the RPG rules set that I want to use for this project.
Major Graham Macallan is the officer commanding S Commando, the military arm of Project Alice, the Allies' counter to sinister occult forces stirring in the Third Reich. Macallan inherited Kinch, the family estate in the Western Highlands, when his father went missing in the trenches in 1917. By long tradition the Lairds o'Kinch have been soldiers, and Graham was commissioned into the Black Watch in 1937.

While serving with the 1st Black Watch during the German invasion of France, his company was cut off along with the rest of 51st Division at St. Valery and presumed captured. However, Macallan and his company made it through the enemy lines by night and found the last Royal Navy destroyer lying offshore. His debrief was going well untl he mentioned that it was his father who had guided him through the German lines to safety. He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery, but a hero who took direction from his dead father left the Army doubting his sanity and reliability. Fortunately his file found its way to Project Alice and Brigadier McAllister, who has a keen interest in all things supernatural.

Known to his men as "the Mad Major", Macallan has a first rate tactical mind and has an uncanny ability to see opportunities in battle. He is also quite eccentric, obsessed with legends of the Highlands and with a Sir Walter Scott-like code of chivalry. As part of this obsession, he is never comfortable going into battle without his piper at his side. On occasion his men will see him speaking to thin air, as if talking to someone who is not there, but these invisible conversations always seem to leave him with some insight that helps keep them alive, so they trust him.
The "father's ghost" idea came from me looking at a wonderful figure in a Great War miniatures character pack, a British officer in a turtleneck sweater with a shotgun under his arm, and wondering what I would do with it. My plan is that in any action or campaign setting where the Laird o' Kinch is present, he will get so many interactions with his day's ghost, gaining intel on enemy positions, terrain features, etc, which seems in keeping with old stories of Scots having the sight or similar supernatural tendencies.
Major Macallan's Savage World Statistics
Attributes
Agility (d4) = 1
Smarts (d8) = 3
Spirit (d8) = 5
Strength (d6) = 1
Vigor (d8) = 2
Skills
Fighting (d8) = 5
Knowledge of battle (d8) = 7
Notice (d6) = 1
Shooting (d6) = 5
Survival (d4) = 2
Persuasion (d10) = 9
Climbing (d4) = 4
Major Hindrance = Code of Honour
Minor hindrance = quirk - bagpipes in battle, habit - carrying his father's ashplant walking stick
Leadership Edge = Tactician. If he makes his Knowledge of Battle roll, can gain extra action cards and give them to subordinates
Rank / experience: seasoned

Last Figures of 2012: Going Commando (2 of 3)

Well done, RSM, we're first on the objective! Bally shame that Curt chappie won't count us, but the plastic lads are coming and they'll count, and then we'll go give Jerry a damn good hiding. Piper! Let's have "Reeling From the Varnish!"

Three daring Commando heroes, from Warlord Games, and purchased from that excellent emporium, J&M Miniatures. Really nice sculpts to work with. These figures, calling to mind Lord Lovat and his piper of D-Day fame, are perfect for the leadership of "S Commando", the military arm of "Project Alice", Britain's anti-occult effort in my Weird War Two project. I'll post some more photos of these chaps along with some character fluff in the days to come, for those that like that sort of thing.

Last year I mentioned that I was experimenting with white undercoats for larger figures. For these chaps I used Army Painter white spray paint, then gave them a wash of dark brown (GW Devlan Mud) seeing as their primary colour will be brown (Vallejo English Uniform). For other figures, like the reb officer in my previous post, it was a white undercoat with a black wash (Army Painter Dark Tone), and for the Union figures up next, it was white undercoat with a blue wash (GW Asurmen Blue). I am very pleased with the results. The colours seem brigter and it's easier for me to see details that need work while painting. Still using black undercoat for 15mm and 6mm figs.

A brief cautionary note on the Army Painter white undercoat. It works a treat with metal figures, but when I tried it on the plastic Warlord Commandoes currently in process, it was diastrously blobby, destroying so much detail that I had to throw away two of them. Perhaps I used two much. I will be much more careful and more sparing using this product with plastic minis.

Sadly I started these before the Analogue Hobbies Challenge began, so they are not eligible, but next up, some dashing American Unionists that will count.