SAMURAI!

 

Chris' collection of Samurai have to be among the most magnificent figures I have ever seen. Each one beautifully painted, most with a sashimono, and the command stands are just amazing.

Placing as many as we could fit onto Ross' table we had a stoush that was fast, furious and bloody as two Samurai armies smashed away at each other one afternoon.

Chris and Ross took one force and Liam and I took the other. The armies have been painted with particular clans and daimyo represented but we just divided the forces in half so that both sides fielded mounted Samurai, foot Samurai, warrior monks, archers, ronin and ashigaru.

Just the opportunity to use these magnificent figures was a real treat!
My photos don't do them any justice at all.

My commander.....the detail is just amazing.

Elamites and Assyrians....again...round 4!

Well the current score between these two historical opponents currently stands at Elamites (me) 1, Assyrians ( Ross) 1 and a bloody draw...1:1:1.

So in the dying days of 2024, game four was fought on a warm summer night.

I made a significant flaw in my deployment by not concentrating my heavy chariots............

My ring flank. One of my heavy chariots backed up by the three kallipani. Not good in a fight, but they sure can shoot!

 

Assyrian left flank.......

The layout of both armies is obvious in the pictures above.

Carthaginians and Macedonians

Ross called up and threw down the gauntlet. I hadn't played him in an ancients game in a very long time ( nearly a year!!)

His Macedonians under Antigonus One-Eye were itching to fight. I looked over my armies and thought...'Early Carthaginians...why not?'. 

Now, non historical match-ups can be problematic but as these two armies were almost from the same time period we didn't think it was going to be an issue!!

Carthaginian Line

The Macedonians

Greek War of Independence - Using TMWWBK

 

An interesting scenario was played using the TMWWBK rules. A town in the Peloponnese was blockaded by the Ottomans until the arrival of siege guns that were to blast the walls down and allow the Ottoman forces to storm the town.

The besieged stormed out to join the attackers who were able to co-ordinate attacks from two different directions. Their aim was destroy the three siege guns. Casualties were unimportant as the loss of the town would be a huge blow to the rebellion. The guns had been positioned to fire at certain sections of the walls and as long as the Greek forces stayed out of that field of fire, the big guns could not cause casualties.

Three units of defenders prepared to charge out of the main gates as soon as they heard the firing of the relieving force. 

The siege guns were able to fire at the walls each turn rolling two dice per crewman. Hitting on a '6' only - they had to create 10 points of damage...they came very close......

 The Greeks had to neutralise the guns-  and the guns would keep firing until they had breached the walls OR the Greeks were driven off. 

Opening deployment

One of the Ottoman Siege guns

WIP- Vienna 1683.

I have been considering this for a while.
I have the Poles and I have the Ottomans.
And I've added Imperial and Bavarian Foote to play out the relief of Vienna in 1683. Many of my WSS Imperial Cuirassiers will be fine...and I have lots of them!
I need some Saxon Foote and Horse ( I might cheat and use some of my GNW Saxons...but don't tell anyone).

I guess it's one of those battles that all gamers have heard of and many have played, and I think as I have had the Ottomans for so long it's time to give it a crack.

It will mean a table with the Kahlenburg heights...and maybe a section of the walls of Vienna....and a Turkish camp.

Hmm.....time to get started.

The first of my Imperial regiments. ( I have to confess I didn't paint this unit!)