Spanish units join the Tullus cause (campaign 33)

Three unhappy Cohorts slip away from the army of Secundus at night. And make their way through Gaul to join the forces of Tullus, stationed along the Tarraconensis border.
In game terms, 600pts worth.

Disaster for Secundus (campaign 32)

The month of August started well for Secundus also, with the descovery of a silver mine in Upper Brittania. Store houses were also constructed in the provice of Belgica so supplies could be gathered from the homeland.
With his own force still grumbling about pay, Secundus started to enlist fresh units from the German XXI Legion and soon a sizable vexillation had been recruited. These men were a ragged bunch and looked more like the Barbarians they had been fighting than Roman soldiers, But Secundus knew they were some of the best troops in the Empire.
However, this last insault was to much for the British legions and on the 12th September three whole Cohorts of Auxillaries ( mostly spainish) defected to the army of Tullus stationed in Tarraconensis. Secundus managed to stem the flow and quickly put the other units into road building to fill up their days, but the fact still remained he had lost a third of his invasion force to the enemy. Curse the Gods!

Blood in the sand (campaign 31)

The month of August seemed to go smoothly for Tullus and started well, with his scouts capturing a baggage train belonging to Secundus. He fortified the town in Lustitania and built another in Holdrianus, the Tullus war machine looked unstoppable. With his feet firmly planted in Africa, Tullus set his sights on the city state of Carthage with it's mighty port and prepared to invade Mauretania Caesariensis. To sweeten the process of invasion, Tullus paid a bribe to the Governor, who greedily snapped it up and opened the gates to the town. However, the local tribes and their chiefs were not so easily bought and Tullus's advance force was badly mauled on entering the province. This was the first setback Tullus had come up against in his bid for the throne.

The legend of Tullus grows (campaign 30)

It was while in Africa, that the story of Tullus's failed assassination attempt started to circulate amongst the men. Tullus had killed two assassins while in Hispania single handed, this figure now rose to eight with Roman propaganda. With the story bounding around the camps, Tullus's popularity grew and his men loved him all the more for it. Here was a man truely favoured by the Gods.

In game terms, Tullus is now classed as a 'good General' and receives a +1 on certain tables, this plus is also applied to his stats on the game board.

Tullus lands in north Africa (campaign 29)

Tullus lands on the beach of Mauretania Tingitana and claims the province unopposed. With this province rich in income and olive oil comes the chance to enlist the dreaded Numidian light cavalry. Now with Tullus's beach head secure, the rest of Africa lies open for the taking.

Game map and abit about the rules

Here is the game map after two turns each, which in game terms is equal to about six months. Tullus has split his army and fortified the border with gaul, whereas Secundus has kept his entire army together and invaded Lower Germany. Although Tullus's area may look more impressive, it brings in the same Denarii as Secundus's.
A province is worth 100 denarii, with 100 denarii for a city, 50 denarii for a town and 20 denarii for a small town each per turn.
After the income for a turn has been calculated there is the 'table of the Gods' to roll on. 'The table of the Gods' is a table with 1oo events both good and bad that may effect the turns income e.g troops mutiny over pay loose 285Denarii.
After this the player may choose a province to invade. For this he rolls on a table which is effected by factors depending on the situation. If the roll is successful the province comes over, if not he can either leave it or attack it. If he takes the province by force he rolls to see just how much damage was caused in the assault, again certain factors add or subtract before the result is reached.
The rules are alittle more complex than this of course, with resources that can be bought and that increase a provinces output each turn, but this is just to give you a rough idea of how the game works. After three normal 'campaign' turns the fourth is an off season turn. With Winter setting in, there is another D100 table to roll on and all provinces output is halved. The off season table can be quite harsh and it is a time of mostly spending out large amounts for repair etc.
Where there is a legionary base, new armies can be raised by spending your Denarii/points to buy the new armies. A field army is about 2000pts in Warhammer terms but can be split to make smaller units of 1000pts (vexillation). 1000pts worth of troops is the smallest unit that can be fielded on the map. And a player cannot use an army until it has reached at least the 1000pt mark.
Ports work by subtracting Denarii/points from the expense of sea travel. A section of sea costs 200 Denarii to cross, for every port owned a hundred Denarii is subtracted from the total cost. So with two ports, small crossings will basically be free due to the amount of ships available to the player.
I don't want to bore you so i'll leave it at that, just sit back and enjoy the cartoons if nothing else, and if anyone is interested I will try my best to answer any questions. These are still early days and the rules are still being added to and changed, but they appear to be working quite well and i'm pleased with them. Lastly, when big battles do arise they will be decided on the game board using the figures you may recognize from the Blog.

Lower Germany (campaign 28)

A tired Secundus receives the Legate of the XXI Rapax for talks.......and a small bribe or two.

A red dawn (campaign 27)

After the mutiny, Secundus was not in the mood for knock backs, so when the province of Lower Germany refused to receive him he ordered a full scale attack. This was a risky thing to do for the province housed the XXI Rapax Legion and it could of gone very badly for Secundus. However with all these new Emperors running around the XXI were unwilling to commit to one side or the other and so stayed out of the action. This meant that Secundus was able to take the border defences with minimal losses. He now owned a province with a legion to recruit from, although that would take time and money to buy their loyalty.

Mutiny in camp (campaign 26)

With the lack of spoils and the bad wheather it wasn't long before the mood of the men turned ugly. When the troop's pay was stopped to save for the campaign, rioting broke out in two of the three camps. And Secundus's treasury was drained to keep the men in order, Secundus was livid, but helpless to refuse. A general is not a general without an army to command.

Tullus digs in (campaign 25)

May, saw the construction of miles of earthworks and defences along Hispania's border with Gaul, as Tullus dug in to protect his provinces from invasion. Tullus's trust in Lucius Silius Famia had been well founded and the new Legate was showing his worth.

Tullus down in Baetica still was having run of good luck. After a failed assassination attempt on his life, he strode on to cross the Mediterranean and take Mauretania Tingitana, with not a drop of Roman blood being spilt. And in July, he started the construction of a port on the coast of Baetica. The Gods were indeed in his favour.......for now at least.

Secundus takes Belgica (campaign 24)

With the the bad wheather dampening everyones spirits, morale was lifted by the province of Belgica, who flocked to the Secundus cause gladly (with a small bribe to sweeten the deal). Belgica had been unhappy for some time and they jumped at a chance to change their fortunes. However, the currupt governor, Titus Vedius back in Britannia had diverted alot of the army's pay into his own estate and properties, this was a minor setback for Secundus and one that saw the Governor on the end of a sword by the months end. With the Britannia free of her armies, he wouldn't be the only one who saw their chance to make it rich quick. Secundus didn't know it at the time but Vedius actions were to have grave repercussions two months later.

Tullus strikes south (campaign 23)

With Secundus now marching through Gaul, Tullus Holdrianus Hispanus decided to make his own bid for the power. In the march of 200 AD Tullus split his army into two Vexillations, taking one of them south into Baetica, which offered no resistance and welcomed the new Emperor with opened gates. It was in this month however that his progress was slowed slightly by bad supply lines and Tullus stayed in Baetica for another two months improving roads and supply routes.

The other half of his army was now given over to an old comrade of Tullus's, Legate Lucius Silius Famia. Stationed in Tarraconensis, Famia was to watch the border and organize troops in the area. Hispania had turned from a back water province to one of frantic activity in the space of three months. Tullus was on the move.

Gaul (campaign 22)

Centurion Manius Valgus Celer of the 2nd wasn't shy of using his vine staff on the march. The men joked that it was to beat out his own frustration at being scared of this new land. Still the men were glad to have him at their front, for his nickname of 'Celer the bull' was well earned.

Stuba Bowmonica's Samation horse can be seen here scouting out in the wake of the army.

Gaul (campaign 21)

With the rain dropping away at last, travelling becomes easier for the men of the 2nd.
A shot of the heavy armoured legionaries with their re-enforced helmets and arm guards.
As the sun finally breaks through the clouds, it reveals a man with alot on his mind.

The II Augusta trudges through Gaul (campaign 20)

After the Auxillary Cohorts came the main force, the 2nd Augusta with it's black shields glimmering in the rain and the clank of it's armour echoing off the forested walls of the valleys.

Even though the rain was bad, Pollus was still glad to be back.

Secundus marches on Gaul (Campaign 19)

The heavy rain has made movement by roads almost impossible, here the lead elements of Secundus's guard forge their way through the Gaulish countryside.
So much for good wheather...ever since the march began the heavens have thrown every thing at us. The Gods are very unhappy about something and alot of the old veterans are grumbling about bad omens. Still, I'm glad somethings are constant.

On to Gaul! (campaign 18)

Finally the troops are moving, for months they have sat around doing nothing and growing fat...now, they are off to war. Morale is at an all time high for the promise of plunder and spoils has made the men eager to get started. Pollus, for one, is glad to be leaving this cold, wet little island behind, with the thought of seeing his homeland again.

Cohort after cohort prepares to board the transports that will take them to Gaul and victory. The ground seems to shake under the weight of thousands of hob-nailed sandels. And the air rings with the blast of the hundreds of cornicens. Victory must follow such an army as this, surely?

Secundus takes the plunge (campaign 17)

With the campaign season almost at an end, Secundus decides that he has waited long enough. On the 8th of September 200AD Secundus gives the order to invade Gaul. Some of his older generals warn him of the bad wheather to be expected in marching so late in the season, but Secundus has made up his mind. If war will not come to the coasts of Britannia, then he will take it to them and cross the channel. All he needs is a little wind and alot of luck.

Aulus Proctavius Alanicus of the East (campaign 16)

This dust stained, weatherworn general is Aulus Proctavius Alanicus. He won his toga fighting against the Parthians and the Jews, in and around Syrria. He also fought in a number of battles to put a Roman on the Armenian throne, It was during these campaigns that Aulus won the reputation as a stern and unrelenting soldier, who pushed his men to their limits. He became a master of organization and deployment and although he was a hard taskmaster, he got results and his men loved him for it. It was after yet another sweeping victory that to his supprise, his men hailed him as Emperor. A title that sat on him rather well, he thought.

ALA V Hispania

Here the dreaded cavalry of Tullus form for action in Gaul. I like these figures alot because they have a very distinct look all of their own...very spainish. They are from the Foundry 'Caeserian' range and so are alittle early for my Imperial era, so to bring them up to date I gave them an oval shield and a green tunic 'uniform' of sorts.
This piccie shows the cloak in detail of the commander, I have lots of this figure in all my cavalry units and wanted to make this guy alittle spacial, so I cloaked him.

Painting made easy

So here we are at last...all sorted out and organized. Already it has made such a difference and makes me want to paint more, which can't be a bad thing for a couple of hours work. Now I have all the shades of colour in their own compartments with a colour chart on the front of the drawer so I know where they all are. Oh well...It only took me twenty years of painting to get here...not bad really.

Getting sorted

With over a hundred paints to choose from, finding the right pot in a sea of masses took for ever, so I decided to sort it out! I had seen photos of another painters workbench on the internet and noted his clever drawer system and thought to myself I've got some drawers like that. Also I use the Foundry paint system, where each colour comes in a shade, a mid tone and a highlight colour for speeding up the shading process and finding these three tones in a box of white lids took hours. So I decided to sub-divide the drawers into compartments that could hold six pots, to make my life alot easier and alot tidier too. Excuse the blurred photos I had my 'making' head on.

Release the boar!

More pictures of those out of control Celts as the sweep their way down hill towards the Roman lines. I have great fun coming up with all the different shield designs and colours, but to add real detail I have used some transfers from the Little Bigman Studios. By just adding one or two of these in a warband, they can help take the eye away from those not so detailed.

Celts! hordes of 'em

I love painting Celts, they are so much fun to do. Every single one of them is different, this effect can be heightened by giving them various shields and different weapons. With the added joy of blue war paint and painting the different patterned clothes, Celts are one of my favourites to work on without a doubt. A mass of swirling, uncontrolled colour, is how I would describe them.

The Gaul of it!

"The trouble with these Celts is.....they never know when to give up!"

The unstoppable Pannonians

Again these shots show the cloak conversions and abit of Photoshop work I've been playing with. You can almost feel the ground shake as these heavy horse thunder by.

The mighty Stuba Bowmonica

Stuba rides at the head of his heavy Sarmation cavalry. For his character I used the Maximus figure from 1st corps. It seemed to have the look of a tough, well seasoned veteran I was looking for.

This shot shows the cloaks I made for the Sarmations which helps to add variety to the unit, which otherwise would of all looked the same.

Tullus Holdrianus Hispanus

Tullus takes the fight to Gaul, fighting with his personalized cavalry spatha he leads his Legion to war. Tom had fallen in love with this figure ever since he had first seen him and so it made sense to make it Tullus. Unlike my other Generals, Tullus always prefers to fight on foot. Another sign of his rising though the ranks, a fact he is very proud of as he still wares his Centurion's harness and dacorations to prove it.

The fighting bulls of Hispania

To help give the white shields a Spainish feel, I gave them bull standards. All Legions raised in Spain were given the bull as their emblem in Caesar's day and although the VII was raised much later, I thought it would be a nice touch.

The VII Gemina

The 7th Legion forms for battle.

Secundus takes to the field

I couldn't believe my luck when I found this figure from Gripping Beast, he looked just like me!. So he had to become Secundus and lead the armies of Britannia against the East....and victory.