A few more Ancient Germans

This week I got a few blisters of Crusader Miniatures Ancient Germans to finish off my Impetvs Germans- archers and heavy cavalry. I've a couple more bases of archers to go.

This week Kent and I should be playing a game of flames of War as we lead up to next month's Southcon. I'll be running my Cossacks and Kent will be taking his Fallschrimjager. We'll play one of the new missions that we haven't tried yet.

Impetvs- Germans vs Romans 400pts

We got a game of Impetvs in tonight, Kent and Stephen using the Romans vs Barrry and me and the ancient Germans.

Simon had come up with a cunning plan to help the germans- more commands! Unfortunatley hee was not there to help us to run them.

We had 4 commands:

• 3x Cav
• 2x large (elite) warband, 2x macemen & 2x javelins (skirmishers)
•  2x large (elite) warband, 2x warband &1x javelins (skirmishers)
• 2x large warband, 1x 1x javelins (skirmishers)

Kent and Stephen had tow command with approximately:

• 1x light horse
• 6x legionnaires
• 4x auxillia
• 3x Gallic warband
• 2x bows
• 2x skirmishers (bow)
• 2x skirmishers (slingers)

Our plan was simple- hold everything we could on opportunity and see what happened- well not much of a plan.

The Romans deploy.

 Macemen and my large elite command, screen by cavalry, then Barry's elite warband and the small command on our right flank.

 Our only move on turn 1- the German cavalry advance.

 Stephen advances his auxillia and skirmishers on our far rigth whilst we hold back all our warband for another turn.

And on turn 2 pin the only light cav the Romans have against a wood- preventing them from evading. Alas we "stuck."

The next turn the medium cavalry destroys the Roman light cav. First blood to the Germans.

 Meanwhile on our right falnk Barry (the Batavian) unleashes his warband at the auxillia.

 The warband seem to have the upper hand, forcing back the auxillia, and bows.

Kent's troops continue their advance against our centre.In the distance my own Cav have just run over an auxillia and are about to be charged in the flank (and destroyed).

 On the right the warband get the better of Stephen's auxllia and legionnaires- not hard when you keep rolling like this! Barry had a great night of dice rolling and this helped him chew through Stephen's troops.

The warband appear to be unstoppable.

 The final turn- Barry's elite warband are about to crush the auxillia while my cav are lining up the legionnaires.

 The macemen are also thrown in and the combat sticks.

Final result:
A a marginal victory to the Germans due to lack of time- Kent's command was in serious trouble and nearly broken, Stephen's was a bit fresher but still things were not looking good for the Romans.

The four commands worked really well and gave us lots of flexibility when it came to moving- and fighting. Keeping the Germans in check as long as possible also worked in our favour and allowed us to throw troops at where the Roman line looked weaker or was not deployed properly.


A fun game and one which showed that there is some hope for the 'Erman's "Airy  'Ordes.

Craig

Ancient Germans- Almost finished

I have a stand of macemen and another 2 stands of skirmishers to paint up this week but apart from that the Ancient Germans are done and ready for action. I really like the Black Tree Design figures and intend to add some more.

At present the army consists of:

6x large units of warband (elite)- the rear rank have 4 figs per base to help me identify them easier)
4x regular warband
1x macemen
4x skirmishers (javelins)
2x Medium Cavalry

While away on holiday I painted up the Spanish Scutari (4 bases), Carthaginian Cavalry (2 bases) and Spanish light Cavalry (3 bases) for the Carthaginian army but they are not based up yet and I'm awating some LBM Studio transfers for the shields to finish them off.

My Aventine Republican Roman's have turned up so they may be the next project- the figures look outstanding. Kent too is starting Carthaginans and Republican Romans as his next project so sometime in the near future we''ll have them done and get some battles in.

FoW
Next Sunday is Tempest in CHCH, its earlier this year than in the past (it's usually been held in July) and includes a one day, 4 round FoW comp- 1100pts midwar. Most players seem to be focusing on some form of light tanks. I was temtped to take  a Carri company but don't have enough carri for a wole company so have decided to take a Soviet Conscript Tankovy - with T70s and T34s. I'm just deciding between some Valentines or SU 122s as my final support choice. This force will also be the core for me Southcon force-although I'm seriously tempted to take the Cossacks I ran in 2008 updated to the new Ostfront format- we will see closer to the time which way I end up going. Bedecon this year is themed on the Ostfront in the winter of '44 with 30 players confirmed (and it isn't until October!) I'm down as a Soviet player and decided at the last one I was going to run my cossacks so taking them to Southcon would be a good opportunity to get used to the new rules- but that's a long way down the track.  

Tempest should be a lot of fun next weekend. I've been meaning to get some games of 3E in but just haven't had time (and I've ben having too much fun with Impetvs) so I'll be using the weekend as an opportunity to learn the new rules (and unlearn the old ones).

Craig

Ancient German Update

A bit of a misson to get these done last night- the first three bases of Germans. Each base has 4x Black Tree Design Ancient Germans and  2 of the Warlord Games plastics. The rest will be done over the week and hopefully I'll get a game on ANZAC Day with them.

 

Craig

Black Tree Design Germans

Last weekend I decided to order some metal Germans to make my horde well, more Germanic looking. I wanted more variety than the Warlord Games plastics give, and also a few hairer figures so with some trepidation I ordered some Black Tree Design Ancient Germans. Why the trepidadation? I've ordered some BTD Muslims before but they are just too big compared to the Perry's to use in my Crusades armies so I was a bit concerned that I would have the same problem with the WG Germans. Also, on TMP it seems that  some people have had issues in the past with orders arriving in a timely fashion. Despite this I decided too order some figures last Satruday or Sunday (Easter), The order was sent on Monday or Tuesday and arrived here in rural NZ today- can't complaint about that.

The figures are as well detailed as I'd hoped they would be, nice moulds, and plenty of variety. They also fit in well with the WGs figures both is size and sculpting style so no need to worry there either. Painted up they should make an excellent addition to the horde.

I hope that these photos give a good comparision between the two ranges.

 Craig

If you go down to the woods today...

Impetvs: Ancient Germans vs Imperial Romans, 400 pts.

69AD. The Roman Empire is (once again) wracked by turmoil and so the Batavi decide it is time to exert their rights not to wash, drink beer (and not girly wine ) and cede from the union, or to put it more bluntly tell the Romans to bugger off back south of the Alps. Independence and all that.

Local Roman commmander Kent Galpinius and his side kick Stephanus Malonius  thought it was time to show those upstart Germans a thing or too about aquaducts, law and order, not to mention the benefits of a good forward defence- never mind that the Romans hadn't even heard of cricket (but then again neither had the Germans).

Simon and I hatched  sneaky scheme to throw off the yoke of Roman oppression and once again claim our mud huts, and swamps, as our own. Simon was to take the cavalry wing of our brave army, I'd command the rest of the rabble. We have had maybe 6 games of Celts or Germans vs Imperial Romans and the warband forces have yet to win- would this be their day in the sun?

Simon's Command:
4x cavalry
2x large warband
2x javelin skirmishers

I took the rest of our force
3x elite warband
2x large warband
2x warband
2x macemen
4x skirmishers (javelins)

My plan (plan? what plan) was to attack in depth. Skirmishers screening then the macemen and small warband in the second rank to try and wear down the legonniares and and finally the triarii- er I mean elite warband, leading from the rear in a rather unGermanic fashion to polish them off. Nothing else had worked for us so time to try new tactics! Meanwile Simon would take one of the flanks and turn it. A doddle really.

The Romans had
6x legions
4x auxillia (2 in ambush)
2x bows
2x slingers
2x light horse

I deploy in a  bunch but intend to spread out as I advance. Simon's (camera shy) command is in the distance.

 The Romans (single command) deploy in a corner- scared they was!

 Boo hiss!

 Turn 1 the Roman light troops advance.

 My brave troops move forward- and start to spread out. My aim to get 5 movement units between each wave- never happpened  though as we saw the enemy and started chagring towards them (rather impetuously really).

 Simons' cavalry advance and his warband head for the woods to clear it of any Roman interlopers.

 Suddenly auxilia spring out of ambush and crash into Simon's large warband.Boo!

 When your dice are hot, they are hot. In the first few turns of combat Simon's dice run hot- for example in this round he rolled 6 dice, 4 hits!

 Soon the auxilia regret their picnic in the woods and we have unhinged the Roman flank-this should be a doodle (well at least I didn't keep saying "inconcievable"). The German cavalry destroy another auxilia.

 My own hordes continue to advance towards the Roman centre while the exchange continues in the woods.Simn's javelin armed skirmishers heading over to see what all the fuss is about- and finishing off any badly damaged units in the process.

 The clash in the woods continues.

Simon sends the cavalry to exploit the hole in the Roman lines. While Stephenus sends his reserve legions to counter the threat- reserves? Since when have we used reserves?

 And still the clash in the woods continues- but we are winning it.

 My warband are getting closer and are still almost entirely intact (and not yet disordered)! I think my plan is working.

Te legionniares brace for the onslaught.

 We charge into two units of bows and the wheels start to fall off. We manage to kill one but the other somehow manages to see off three or four frenzied attacks, and destroy 2-3 warband in the process.

 Kentus sends forward some legionnaires to help the beleagured bows- not that they need any help the way they roll dice in combat.

We regroup for another crack- but realise Simon's command is now in trouble- he's lsot all his warband ( a single badly damaged auxilia seeing them off) and so only needs to lose a single unit of cavalry to reach his brreak point. 

 The game is falling from our grasp. Death or Glory! Simon throws in his fresh German cavalry vs the three units of legionnaires blocking our path. The combats are fierce but in the end we lose all of them and after much tooing and froing Simon loses two units of cavalry and his command breaks.

 The legionnaires are driven back by the cavalry charges but none are destroyed!

 Seeng my stalwart comrade's troops retreating in dissary I throw my troops in for one last chance to kill the 2 units we need to ensure victory- or at least gain an honourable stalemate, but once again the bow unit refuses to die and although we do some damage to the legionnaires not enough to count.

Decisive victory to the Romans (again)- maybe 13 pts to 30

Thoughts
Our warband units have yet to gain a victory over the Roman but it was a hell of a fun game, and closer than the final result suggested. Kent had originally taken two commands but decided to unify them under a single commander and this worked in his favour as we rippedd to pieces what would have been his "Non legionnaire" command (he had put the legionnaires under one command, everything else in another) and the non legionnaire commmand would have been well and truely broken from our initial successes.

Once again the battle see-sawed and both sides were in with a chance to the very end, but again the dice- or luck- deserted us. Kent's dice were woeful in the beginning (my skirmishers accounted for both his light cav units when they imploded by rollings 6s on cohesion tests), Simon's dice ran hot, then cold, while Stephen's dice started average and ran hot in the last round of desperate fighting vs the cavalry and my warbands.

The layered attack almost paid off and meant our heavy hitting units got into combat fresh but alas bounced off the stubborn bows that refused to die. I feel the tactic was sound, just the dice didn't go our way at the end. We had a good mix of harder troops (large warband) and seveal small manouvre units as well, probably next time I'd look at having all our foot in one command and the cavalry + a couple of units of skirmishers in the other (metagaming to get the commands VD to 13 or 14 meaning they' have to lose 3 cav to fail a break test).

Great fun though and I really enjoyed the crazy, no subtlety approach of the Germans.

We'll be back.