Wargames Illustrated

This is just a boring update, no game or army to show off. Just excited to say I just bought about 150 Wargames Illustrated back issues yesterday from the Last Square off of The Miniature Page (TMP). 

I bought issues from 1989-1997 and 2001-2007 and 2010. I already had some from 1988 and 1998-2001. A very great deal for $2 an issue, that is almost like a $800 savings off the retail, roughly. I did the same thing years back on Miniature Wargames issues from a business called Crusader29. So I decided during the week since I am no longer painting and seem to be hovering while I wait to play on the weekends, I can read. My weekdays are hectic with 2 daughters and stuff...and it is great to just relax...so I will just start reading my 300 plus wargames mags I have sitting around. I am sure that I will get tons of scenarios that way or at least tons of terrain set up ideas.

But I am running out of shelf space!!!! 

This is my current collection of Wargames Illustrated and Miniature Wargames Magazines.

I am not sure how many issues combined I have but its close to over 100. So I am adding about the same size amount if not more to my shelf. It is not easy being so obsessive. Again the obsessions of a wargamer showing.

 Meanwhile I am planing my next game...not sure but probably some where in Mesopotamia and an Assyrian Empire battle. I am staying in the desert for awhile.

As I am mostly a fantasy wargamer using historical armies and historical events, it is fun to take actual ancient battles and use them in a fantasy environment or what if scenario if you will. But I think I will change the names of the battles or slightly move them over in geography to not confuse historical wargamers and respect to the actual battle. For example I want to play the Battle of Issus using Macedonia vs. Assyrian instead of Persia (even though I have a few subjugated Persians in the Assyrian army). So I will use the same battle plan just use a different river and rename it something else in a vally close by. I also play historical (like I am playing currently) that just go with my campaign.  So what I did was collect and paint the world powers I wanted to be in my gaming what if world. If you follow all of this, that is great, because I can loose a lot of people talking about this. Fantasy gaming allows me to not be limited. 

Here is an example of the type of map I am using to figure out my 28mm Assyrian campaign battles. Eventually the Macedonian Empire invades the Assyrian Empire. I do not plan to plan games in any order of time, I can jump foward or backwards. For some reason I just can not stand Persians and I thing the Assyrians are just so over looked. So I chose them to be the dominating power in the middle east. Eventually they will attack Troy in my world. The Scenarios are endless and that is what I like.

Happy Holidays!!!

28mm Roman Auxilia

I bought a large amount of Early Roman Auxiliary troops from Black Tree Design. Plan on buying some Praetorian Romans soon from Black Tree Design, but not until next summer. 

The total count was about 528 foot and 60 Cavalry. I plan on buying half of that for the Praetorian Romans.

28mm Osgilith Ruins

Here is my city of Osgilith made by Art of War Terrain that I picked up from a ebay member after a gaming convention. I believe it was like 4 sets. I played a 15mm game with it at the time of the photos, but it is in 28mm scale. 

http://www.artofwarterrain.com/

28mm Assyrian Army

Here is some pictures of my Assyrian Army that I have painted in the past few years. Eventually I will be painting again....but I have to play 52 wargames before I pick up the brush again, since I have painted for almost 7 years without playing a game. Now I game and blog and relax. I also use this army as my Haradrim and Southrons in my LOTR games.

I know that Black Tree Design Assyrian Cavalry are not the prettiest thing in the world, but they are cheap and are an ok miniature, I have 80 cavalry.

The Immortal Miniature Assyrians are up front and the Irregular Miniature Assyrians are in the back with the bigger shields.

Black Tree Design Assyrian Cavalry. I wanted to get the Immortal Miniature Assyrian Cavalry, but the minis are like true 25mm scale and not 28mm, so I stuck to using Black Tree Design Assyrian Cavalry. The Immortal Miniature Assyrians were on the small side, but I made them work. The Irregular Miniature Assyrians are big, but I cut all the bases off of them, and they became more in scale with the Immortal Miniature Assyrians. But the Immortal Miniatures horses are like ponies...way too small for my tastes, but very detailed. They are more in scale with Crusader Miniatures.

An Irregular / Eureka Miniature Chariot.

My entire Assyrian army

I have a 8 Assyrian chariots, 80 Cavalry and roughly 250 Foot.

My Assyrian army consist of mostly Immortal Miniatures aka Warlord Games now and Irregular Miniatures. The Cavalry are from Black Tree Design. The Chariots are also from Irregular Miniatures but are also sold at Eureka Miniatures.

 http://www.warlordgames.com/

http://www.blacktreedesign.com/home.html 

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/ 

http://www.eurekamin.com.au/ 

A Grand Manner Assyrian Siege ram that I put together and painted.

http://www.grandmanner.co.uk/ 

An Assyrian Archer Siege tower from Grand Manner, superb detail.

Siege of Thebes 663 BC (Assyrian-Egyptian War)

In 667 BC King Ashurbanipal of Assyria went to smash a revolution in Egypt, where an Egyptian King named Taharqa had invaded the Nile Delta. A swift and powerful Assyrian military action forced King Taharqa to withdrawal, and Ashurbanipal appointed local princes supported by Assyrian garrisons to rule the Nile Delta.  Keeping to his plan to have native administrators, Ashurbanipal chose Necho I as supreme ruler of the delta and made a treaty with him. Further pressure from Taharqa’s successor, Tanutamon led to another Assyrian intervention in 664–663, when the Assyrians seized control of the city of Memphis and sacked the city of Thebes. 

Wargod of Aegyptus rules are to be used with this game. This is a historical battle but part of the fantasy world of Aegytpus long after the tribes of the Children of the Gods have been long forgotten. 

Thebes Egypt Capital of Upper Egypt

The Assyrian Right Wing facing off against the Egyptian forces of Thebes

Egyptian archers on the walls of Thebes

Egyptian ships on the Nile

The Assyrian Left Wing

The Egyptians face off against an overwhelming Assyrian army

An Assyrian archer siege tower makes its way towards the Northwest wall

The Egyptian miniatures are a mix of Black Tree Design and Vendel miniatures aka Sgt Major miniatures now. The Egyptian chariots are a mix of Black Tree Design and Ral Partha Chariots using Black Tree Design horses, as well as some bits from some Wargods of Aegyptus stuff from Crocodile Games. The Assyrians are a mix of Eureka Miniatures and Immortal Miniatures aka Warlord Games now. The Chariots are from Irregular miniatures that are also sold at Eureka Miniatures. The Babylonians are from New Line Design and the Persians that I am using on this battle (remember its a fantasy game as well) are from Vendel Miniatures aka Sgt Major Miniatures now. The Babylonians are being used as auxiliary troops. 

http://www.blacktreedesign.com/home.html
http://www.eurekamin.com.au/
http://www.warlordgames.com/
http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/
http://newlinedesigns.co.uk/
http://www.sgmm.biz/
http://www.crocodilegames.com/

The desert mountains are made by Battlefield Architect and the pyramids are bought from Ebay. I also made some of the terrain using Styrofoam and house paint, the ones that have the temples on top of them, that I realize now are not in any pictures. 

http://www.battlefieldarchitect.com/

The Fortress walls and some of the buildings are made by Philip Viverito. The more white looking buildings are made by Art of War terrain.

http://www.artofwarterrain.com/

The siege towers are made by Grand Manner and the Egyptian temples are made from Hirst Molds.

http://www.grandmanner.co.uk/
http://www.hirstarts.com/

Turn 1 of the Battle of Thebes

Both wings of the Egyptian army sent chariots against the Assyrian chariots and cavalry. The Assyrian chariots won the day while the Egyptian chariot assault collapsed in total defeat on both wings. The Assyrian Infantry on the left wing charged the Egyptian right ring causing a rout of the entire Egyptian right wing. The Egyptian left wing have pulled back to the outside of the city walls in hopes of coming under protection of archers on the walls. The NE side of the city has been breach by scaling of ladders by the auxilia  troops with support from an Assyrian archer tower. The NW side of the city is being hit with a siege ram and currently has not been breached.

An Assyrian siege ram is almost on fire from archers on the city walls, but has almost breached the wall.

The Assyrian left wing advances forward after routing the Egyptian right wing.

The Egyptian left wing pulls back towards the city walls. Their right flank is now totally exposed.

The Assyrian right wing approaching the Egyptian left wing.

Turns out I used a lot of the rules from Warmaster Ancients rules, they are 10-15mm rules but they work wonderfully for solo gaming. But I also used Warhammer Siege and Conquest rules for the siege engines. Tricky game to do both at once, but fun. I am a solo gamer but can game against opponents as well, since I read the rules a lot. My only weakness which I need to correct is the Warhammer Fantasy rules, only because I have briefly went over them only once or twice. I have not played a Warhammer Fantasy Battle to this date, but that will change soon.

Battle Report Turn 2

The Egyptian army retreated back toward the city gates and have repulsed to attacks from the Assyrian army. The Egyptian archers along the wall have destroyed two flank attacks by Assyrian cavalry from the left wing. The Assyrian infantry from the left wing was sent into disorder. However the Egyptian army is backed up against the city walls and if they are sent into disorder that would spell disaster. One siege unit on the NW side of the city has finally breached the city wall with scaling ladders, but do not have a large force on the wall currently. 

The Assyrian army pushed back and the Assyrian left wing is put in disorder temporarily.

Battle Report Turn 3

The Assyrians have now breached the NE part of the city. The siege ram has penetrated the walls and a force of axillary troops are now attacking the Egyptians on the walls. The Egyptian army that is protecting the main gate of the city has split into two forces and have begun attacking the Assyrian lines with archer support from the walls, but without the archer support from the city walls they would have probably already been routed or destroyed. The Assyrians have failed to do any combined attacks with their cavalry forces which are very lethal, they have been forced to pull back due to heavy archer fire from the city walls. 

The Egyptians try to exploit a weakening disordered Assyrian Left flank.

Assyrian auxiliary forces move in after siege ram breached a wall in the NE part of Thebes.

The Egyptians forces attack the disordered  left flank of the Assyrian forces. The Assyrian cavalry on the left flank have held back their attacks due to lethal archer fire on the walls.

Battle Report Turn 4

The Egyptian forces advanced upon the Assyrian forces driving the back only to be driven back and half their forces became disordered. The Assyrians now await to charge and destroy the Egyptian army. The NE part of the city is now taken and the NW section of the city is still being fought over. It is not looking good for the Egyptian rebels. If the Egyptians can rally and push back the Assyrians and put them in disorder, there maybe hope.

The Egyptian forces charge the Assyrian right flank but are pushed back

The Assyrian left flank is met with a failed charge from the Egyptian forces.

The Assyrian army charges both flanks at the Egyptian army and pushes them back sending half of their forces in to disorder back towards the city walls.

If the left flank of the Egyptian army is routed, this would spell doom for Thebes. The northeast part of the city is already in flames.