The Dark Age Falais Gap

This is how the game was described to me, although I have to be honest I dont know the actual battle it was based on.

Chris had threated to put on a Barbarians vs Romans game for a little while so I was looking for to this. The game had been played just a few days before by a different larger group, so the terrain was the same but the forces slightly smaller.

Rich Croisdale and I would be Romans defending a gap in steep escarpment, Andy, Chris Charlton and Steve would be Barbarians trying to break through.

The escarpment could only be accessed by light troops so the main fighting would be in the relatively small gap, the Barbarians needed to break though our lines, we needed to stop them. Simples!

Chris's collection is fantastic and you can tell I enjoyed this by the lack of photos, I was too busy battling!

We deployed all our heavy and medium infantry in the middle with a smattering of medium cavalry on the edges and most of our skirmishers on each ridge to keep the sneaky barbarians off our flanks.

We were not keen to give the Barbarians all the advantages of deployment, so, although we deployed first, we kept a division of our best troops off table to try have a strategic reserve to deploy where it could do most damage.

Not surprisingly the Germans deployed their heavy stuff in the middle to try pucnh through our lines under Steve, Mike had their right with a mix of tribal infantry and light cavalry, whilst Any had a horde of light and medium cavalry on their left, with the lights on the extreme left where they could try and swarm my branch of the ridge and the mediums nearer the middle where they could cover his flank from my medium horse.

A sound strategy.

After a couple of moves we were soon to grips in the middle with blocks of spearmen pushing and stabbing at each other and honours fairly even.

However this is where our strategic reserve came in, pushing the medium and heavy cavalry out to attack Andy's lights and replacing them with our off table  good quality Cataphracts and horse archers allowed us to pick on inferior quality troops, a couple of bad movement throws by Andy allowed me to get my troops into position to both block the ridge from him and then launch charges into the light cavalry.

My heavy cavalry made short work of Andy's medium and lights to break through and start to roll up the flank of the Germanic horde.

My right flank mediums eventually destroyed Andys lights, helped by some particularly spectacular dice throwing, spectacularly bad from Andy and on occasion spectacularly good from me. Unusual and very welcome I have to say.

Steves heavy and medium cavalry in the centre gave Rich some real headaches and almost broke through but he was able to hold....just.

Andy mustered two units of medium cavalry to challenge my Cataphracts, it was not nearly enough and the mediums were brushed aside.

The centre had just about held and both flanks were secure, on our right flank my cavalry had all but destroyed Andy's and was now well into the flank and even the rear of the Germanic foot. The day had gone to the Romans.

A fabulous game perhaps enjoyed by Andy ever so slightly less than me, sorry Andy!

Thanks to our host Chris Flowers and the rest of the gamers, great day all around.

Transylvania and Romania

 We just got back from a fabulous break in Romania, in particular the province of Transylvania.

I thought I might share the photos that Wargamers might find useful so here is a bit of a photo dump with the odd bit of narrative.

First of all Bram Castle.

Mrs C very disappointed as she expected a huge gothic palace out of the Dracula movies but for me it was a lovely fortress.

Vlad himself adorned one room, I was much more impressed with the reconstruction of the fabric of the Castle.

My impression is that almost all the forts and Castle had plastered and painted walls rather than exposed stonework.

This view might be more familiar from the outside.

Viscri, a "Saxon" village or small town with its own fortified Church.

My uploading is a bit haywire so two shot of Fagaras fort, newly renovated have crept into Viscris.

Back to Viscris.

Fagaras with a big old moat, draw bridge and scarp.

And Viscri again.

Most of the Transylvanian churches are fortified to a greater or lesser extent, this one is particularly nice. Each neighbour hood being responsible for its own tower mirroring the larger cities where each workers guild was responsible for a tower or gateway.

Sighisoura, the Old town with its walls and Germanic buildings around a town square was lovely, the feeling that you could be almost anywhere in Germany, Austria or Czech republic was strong.

Each tower was manned and managed by one of the local city guilds, so the Drapers may have one tower and the copper workers another.

Folk Museum outside Sibiu, this was a number of groups of rural village buildings across a couple of miles of countryside and gives a really nice idea of rural buildings in Eastern Europe for those historical battlefield.

So their you go a whistle stop tour of Romanian architecture, hopefully of use to someone. Beautiful country and well worth a visit.

Thanks for stopping by.

Review of Mexican Plans and Progress

So I am still making really good progress with the Mexican Project despite a lay off due to gut injury.

I thought it perhaps worth sharing what the project plan looks like and how far I have progressed as well as some of the latest figures.

The French is the most progressed, I planned originally 6 battalions of foot, I have enough figures for 7.

Two Legion Battalions finished, One Metropolitan Battalion finished, One Turco Battalion finished, one Zouave battalion started, one Chasseurs a pied battalion not started, the spare figures would give me another battalion of Zouaves. 

Supported by one 12 pounder and crew.

I plan at least 4 squadrons of cavalry, two Chasseurs D'Afrique are finished, one of Chassuers and another third Chasseurs D'Afrique unpainted.

The Imperial Mexicans will be 4 battalions of foot (possibly 5) of which 2 are completed. 3-4 squadrons of cavalry of which one is completed. All very colourful, with two battalions for example in red coats and green trousers with white gaiters.

The least progressed is the European Imperial Troops, I plan 2 battalions of Belgians and one of Austrians with a light gun. Just 7 Belgians painted.

For the Republicans my plan is less fixed, although broadly there in my head, I want to have a similar number of troops but the mix of troops is still to be finalised.

 5 battalions of National Guard/ militia at least, of these 4 are pretty much complete. Peon clothes, straw sombreros, mix of old muskets and machette.

Then 5 of regulars or uniformed National Guard, only one of these is currently completed. I will have a specific unit that had a red shirt and havelock which will be nice, I will also have two units of Gringo 40's in white uniforms with mainly sombreros. At least one unit in white uniform and blue kepi. The Republicans will look suitably scruffy I think.

Most of these will be in white although the regular battalion completed is in Blue. So far I have enough for 11 battalions.

I also have a whole stack of dismounted irregular cavalry. These dont fit so well for me as formed regiments of foot. I think rather they can be used as skirmishers. Even a whole regiment in skirmish order perhaps. 24 figures gives me to small battalions or 4 very small skirmish units.

For the Cavalry I want 4 squadrons of irregulars, one of Regulare's and at least two regular units. these are barely started with just four cavalrymen painted.

In terms of support just the one field gun.

On the upside Chris has at least 4 battalions with a squadron of cavalry and 2 guns to bump this up for some games. All of that is finished and ready to go.

So in infantry alone thats 25-30 battalions of which 11 are finished.

The latest figures painted are below.

A Perry plastic recycled Zouave and a Foundry Mexican, these came out OK.

The Perry metal Zouaves are coming out much nicer and a very colourful unit.

And a few more.

These two Bandidos from Knuckleduster will finish my first irregular cavalry unit. 

I am not that keen on the guy clinging to his Sombrero but I can hide him at the back of a unit. Both Foundry Camerone Range Militia types.

Lastly three more Zouaves, the left figure is Perry plastic with a Steve Barber head swap (I only had turbaned Zouave heads) the other two are Perry plastics. That's the Zouaves half done now.

So plenty more to do but happy with my progress.

Thanks for stopping by.