Batavian Officer

The defeated General

There is no such thing as failure in the Roman army, every General knows that...

Batavians in progress

In the end I went for Brown Ink wash rather than dipping in stain, It proved a quicker drying time and allowed me to get on with the shields. Seeing the Batavians illustrated in the latest Osprey book proved too much for me and I decided I had put them to one side for long enough. I also chose the shield design that I have seen used by many illustrators and re-enactment groups alike, as Batavian.

Batavian Auxiliaries

I've finally started to paint again after a few weeks away and thought I would tackle my old fav's the Batavians. To give them a more Irregular look, I'm going to use some trousered Celts from Gripping Beast. As well as figures from Foundry and Warlord Games. I should have some results soon, although I do plan to paint and dip the whole unit in one go.

Kneel and kiss the ring of Rome!

Centurions and Officers

Centurion Paulus meets up with his old friends, Centurion kirkius Maximus and Centurion Barricus to cast an eye over the new recruits.
This is chart I draw up to add some extra character to the Centurions and officers with in the(WAB)Roman Campaign. It really worked and made the battles even more enjoyable. As Centurions had to earn their rank, their options on the table are advantages. However, The officers rank was often down to family connections or Political advancement, so some of their options on the table are less favourable. There's nothing like having a bad Officer in charge of your Army...It makes for a great Campaign story. After a long break the time to start up the Roman Campaign has come around again, so you may see a lot more Romans on the Blog.

Behind every great Centurion there's a great Optio

Roman Buildings

" Can we try it over by the entrance again, I think it catches the light better there"

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Roman Buildings

Roman building

A couple of details of Paul's amazing work. I love the fact that each model is slightly different with it's doors and windows.

Roman Buildings from 'Touching History'

Today I received a big box of excellent models built for me by Paul Darnell of Touching History. I knew they would be good as I've seen Paul's work before, but the quality blow me away when I unwrapped them. Amazing stuff. As well as the two Greek/Roman farms I also ordered a Large Roman building and a 18Th Century type farm. The latter can easily pass as Roman and should fit in nicely to create a small settlement for the table top.

Celtic Cavalry

The head jobs done using the Warlord Games plastics worked a treat.

Celtic Host

Shields painted up and ready for flocking.

Fashion tips in 28mm

One little trick that I tried out was a quick way of getting the really small checked pattern you see in all the books. I normally paint crossing lines on the clothes but by dotting down the trousers and tunics the impression of tiny checks can be achieved. I stumbled across this while colouring up my illustrations but It works just as well on the figures themselves. They may look a little rough under the Macro lens, but to the naked eye they really work. Tip of the day.

Celtic Cavalry ready for the dip

I do like using this Army painter and love the way I can get through a whole unit in a matter of days. Being a painter at heart though, I do add like things here and there to improve the result. I like to add my highlights before the dip is used and try to put in as much detail as I can before the big plunge. However the secret is still keep it quick and enjoyable, 40 cavalry figures is a mountain of lead.

Working in groups of six figures at a time can be confusing when it comes to drying time, so I make a note of when the batch will be dry for each one. I have learnt my lesson the hard way and now I make sure I leave them the recommended 24 hours before matt varnishing and retouching.

Celtic Cavalry

Attention all WAB Heads

For my money the best WAB rules I've ever come across aren't actually in the rule set, they were designed by a clever chap who's name is lost to history. A few years back my gaming buddy down loaded this alliterative set from the Inter-net and we loved them straight away. They are basically the same of course only that a little more detail has been put into the troop types and for playing a Roman civil war, this was fantastic.

The three rules which are for my money the best in any game I've played, are the different options for Roman fighting styles.They are about three quarters down the page (Gladius Hispaniensis) and give the Roman player the choice to go on the defencive or attack or fight in relay. These three simple choices give an immense feeling of character to the game and allow you to meet threats head on or to attack when the time is right. Really great stuff and for me the most fun element in the battle. The rest of the rules are pretty similar but these three I recommend you incorporate.

They soon disappeared off the Inter-net after we found them and I thought they must be being written into the new rules, but they weren't, so I thought it the least I could do is to post them up and give other players the same enjoyment I get from playing. "Commanding a Cohort has never been so much fun" THE TIMES.

Celtic Skirmishers

Celtic slinger

Awwwwww that's a keeper!

Celtic skirmishers gather shot before running forward to screen the warbands.