The Quivers of Anita Ekberg*

I'm not quite sure how it's happened but I seem to have ended up with dozens of Minifigs Pb range Palmyran archers. I have a feeling I may use them as late Roman auxiliaries, probably to take on a ravening horde of Picts and blue Hurons in some sort of 4th Century Northumbrian skirmish-ish scenario.

These javelin men are the PB125 Roman Light Infantry of the later 2nd, 3rd and early 4th centuries. They are Palmyran in style.

A Palmyran archer converted into a standard bearer.

I've got a few Palmyran cataphracts somewhere too, though sadly the Palmyran camelman figure has thus far eluded my clutches. I wonder if any wargamers ever actually deployed a Palmyran Army? A game against Mark Antony's forces would be colourful.

*Anita Ekberg was cast as Queen Zenobia of Palmyra in late fifties Italian epic Nel Segno Di Roma.

An Unexpected Bonus

Searching through a box of figures yesterday I came across this little chap - an S range mounted gladiator by the look of him. I've stuck him on one of the PB range late Roman horses I had lying around.

Maybe it's just me, but there's something about the gladiators helmet and mask that always puts me in mind of those novelty salt-and-pepper cruets in the shape of men in bowler hats.

Be that as it may, or may not, I've just aquired a copy of the Italian gladiator boardgame/figure game hybrid Gladiatori. When I've figured out the rules I will give it a try with the s-rangers.

A Jumbo Parcel

Well, I finally managed to get my camera back from wherever my daughter had left it (in the bottom of a bowl of avocado dip by the look of it - that's what I'm telling myself the green gunk is anyway, the alternative is too horrible to contemplate) and so we can get going again.

Here is a trumpeting herd of Minifigs PB range Indian pachyderms that arrived via the Royal Mail this morning in a rather festive looking box.

And here is one of the PB three figure Indian crews. The elephant driver seems to be clutching a small axe, possibly to dispose of the beast when it goes mental, though the erudite Mr Elsden reckons it may just be a version of the driver's riding crop that has gone a bit wrong.

I think I have at least 20 Indian elephants now, which may mean it is time to stop. Though I wouldn't bank on it.

Frosty Punics

 

(Foreground: Roman heavy cavalry forms the filling in a sandwich of Carthaginian horse, while in the middleground Hannibal leads his noble cavalry in a charge. Behind them the lines of the Roman legions watch on)

Back in the olden days wargamers didn’t get too hung up about the historical accuracy of their miniatures. When Charles Grant needed Sumerian chariots for his re-fight of Kadesh he used a load of vehicles culled from Celtic, Indian and Persian armies. For his Punic Wars era Battle of the Po, Terry Wise meanwhile opted for Airfix Roman legions, with Hannibal boasting Numidian cavalry from the same firm’s Red Indian set.

The second of our wargame weekend battles was something of a homage to the late and much lamented  Wise (All the gamers round the table had bought figures from the great man over the years), pitting a Carthaginian army against one made up of Garrison 20mm Imperial Roman legion and auxiliaries.

For the purposes of the game all the Romans were counted as Princeps.

 

 

(Carthaginian battle lines)

 

Carthaginians

Leaders:

Hannibal (Plus 2)

Marhabal (Plus 1)

 

3 x Libyan/Phoenician spearmen

2 x Spanish Scutari

 

4 x Gallic warbands

4 x Balearic Slingers

2 x Spanish Javelins

 

1 x Carthaginian Noble Cavalry (elite)

2 x Phoenician Cavalry

1 x Spanish light cavalry

2 x Numidian light cavalry

3 x Elephants

Romans

Leaders

Fabius (plus one)

Convolvulus (plus one)

14 x Roman Legions (elite) – fight as princeps.

2 x Ligurian Archers

2 x Samnian javelins

2 x Roman Heavy Cavalry

2 x Roman Light Cavalry

 

 

(Light Cavalry skirmish, while the elephants rumble forwards)

Action!

With Stephen called away by work commitments the table was expanded to 6x4. Old John and Clive took charge of the North Africans, while Richard and I commanded the home army.

The formations of the two battlelines were predictable (as yet Ancient wargaming has not embraced the equivalent of the total football revolution) with both armies matching up like for like. For the Romans the key to the battle was clearly to fend off the Carthaginians’ superior cavalry for as long as possible, trust that the elephants would prove to be more bluster than substance, and then destroy the enemy centre with their better disciplined and more powerful infantry.

The Carthaginians meanwhile hoped quickly to dispose of the outnumbered Latin horse, and turn in on the flanks of the infantry while it was engaged in beating off the elephants.

The opening rounds of action saw the Roman heavy cavalry charging out to meet the Carthaginian heavy horse in the hope of knocking one unit out of the action and evening up the odds. Sadly the Carthaginian noble horse, commanded by the great man himself, were not amenable to this scheme, and the Romans quickly found themselves engaged in a melee in which they were outnumbered 3:2.

On the opposite flank the Roman light horse rode out to meet their Numidian and Spanish counterparts and then began a slow retreat in front of them, the aim being to keep things on that flank as indecisive as possible for as long as possible.

In the centre the elephants rumbled forwards with Spanish skirmishers protecting them from missile fire and doing their best to disperse the Roman auxiliary lights.

 

(The final moments)

Initially all seemed to be going well for Hannibal. The Roman heavy cavalry was battered and fell back, while the Numidians and Spanish destroyed one unit of light cavalry with ease and now enjoyed a 3:1 advantage over the other.  The outnumbered Roman light troops also took a hammering and soon only one unit remained.

At this point, however, the favour of the dice Gods turned in favour of the Romans. The remaining light cavalry and light infantry held on, despite both teetering on the verge of destruction, while the remaining Roman heavy cavalry unit also refused to give way. In the centre the elephants were now within charge move, but in the morale tests one of the great beasts panicked and charged back towards his own table edge. The Carthaginian commanders had sensibly left a gap behind the elephants for just such and eventuality and no harm was done. The remaining two pachyderms did charge home. The Legion were not awed by their trumpeting however and stood their ground. In the ensuing melee the elephants failed to make any headway and soon, disheartened and bloodied by pila and swords, turned and fled.

If the Romans though victory was now secure they were wrong. For at more or less the same moment as the elephants ran, their own cavalrymen finally gave up and fled, leaving the flanks of the legionaries open to attack.

However, in a masterstroke of strategy the Roman commanders had held four units of Legion in reserve behind the main battle line. These units were now able to move into action against the Carthaginian horsemen.

As the heavy Carthaginian infantry and Gaulish allies crashed into the Romans the outcome was still in the balance. But after several rounds of bloody hand-to-hand fighting the superior discipline of the Legion proved decisive.

 

Hannibal, who had cheated death in a positively Alexander-like manner (The Roman generals were not nearly so lucky) galloped off with the remainder of his cavalry leaving the bloodied field to the Romans.

This was a cracking little battle, which went to the wire, producing much joy and laughter amongst the participants. What more can you ask for?

Eagle In The Snow Part Deux

(Garrison 20mm Imperial Romans in action: auxiliaries to the fore)

For the wargame weekend with Old John and Richard I set up a table with winter terrain on it which could be used for anything from ancients through to Russian Civil War and quickly wrote up three scenarios for the former. My plan was to start with a game in which Alexander, leading a fast moving task force, cornered some Persians in the mountains of Bactria, follow it with a Terry Wise-inspired battle in the Abruzzo involving Hannibal and some unhistorical Roman legions and finish with a more traditional clash between the Imperial Romans and the local Brigantes. Since Friday night also drew Clive and Stephen into the cramped environs of the Longuelade bivouac the table for this first game was small - just four feet by four feet - and for reasons that I can't now recall amongst all the yelling we began with the Celts and Romans.

Richard and Stephen commanded the Imperialist invaders determined to impose their alien way of life on the natives, while Old John and I took charge of the noble freedom fighters. Clive Norman was the war artist/umpire.

The scenario was simple:
The Romans had thrown a pontoon bridge across the Tyne. Some of their army had crossed to the north bank, while the rest would arrive at some point in the future. Celtic opposition was likewise arrived or arriving. All this was determined by dice throws, which - predictably - didn't seem to go well for the Brigantes.

Romans

Leaders

Maximus (plus 2)

Sixtus (plus 1)

8 x Legions (elite)

6 x Auxiliary spearmen

4 x Roman auxiliary slingers

2 x Roman Auxiliary light Cavalry

2 x Bolt throwers

 

 (Stephen points out the error of his ways to Old John)

Brigantes

Leaders:

Venutius (plus 1)

Vellocatus (plus 1)

14 x Close order warbands

4 x Light Javelins

2 x heavy cavalry

6 x chariots

 

(Old John issues directions to an S range chariot as Garrison 20mm Roman slingers attempt to knobble the horses)

 

The ensuing action was confused. Suffice it to say here that the Brigantes chariots capered about the place looking impressive andheroically manly but achieving very little. The Celtic cavalry met with more success and drove the Roman light horsemen back across the bridge. The Roman infantry was made of sterner stuff and easily dealt with the roaring warbands, who retreated back towards what is now Wark.

Wargames Shame

(A totally irrelevant snap of a PBs Dacian warrior with falx)

Sorting through a mountain of paper the other day I came across a photocopy of the rules ammendments and army lists for the Ancient competition at the 1974 National wargames Convention. WRG rules were to be used with a series of amendments including:

"2. No incendiary weapons to be employed".

In the section on army selection I was gratified to note the following:

"The organisers reserve the right to disqualify any army that tends to bring the hobby of wargaming into disrepute".

Strangely no similar stricture was applied to the gamers themselves.

Gaugamela - Part Three, Blood and Scythes.

(Pbs Macedonian successor phlangites)

This was another of our big Christmas battles, fought across a table measuring 13 feet by 6 feet. On this occasion Kevin White and Paul Jackson joined the usual suspects. Along with Stephen they commanded the Macedonians.  Clive and I once again took charge of the forces of the Lord of Asia.

In the two previous large battles – Plataea and the Granicus - I'd felt the Persians had a reasonable chance of success. For this one, however, I was far from confident. The make-up of the Persian force was eccentric and seemed to reflect Darius' mounting desperation. 

In the Baron De Bazancourt’s witty 19^th Century treatise on fencing “Secrets of the Sword”, the author observes that, “A gentleman should always be aware of the fine line that divides those acts which are bold and those that are merely rash”. Boldness – the Baron counsels sagely - is the province of the decisive and the brave, rashness stems at best from a lack of confidence in one’s own abilities, and at worst from cowardice. These words seem particularly applicable when considering the widely differing temperaments of Alexander and Darius. The latter, you feel, is forever leaping erratically forward, sword flailing, eyes firmly shut.

(Persian Cavalry - Pbs Dahae horse archers, S Range Assyrian horse archers and two units of Garrison 20mm heavy cavalry)

In the immediate aftermath of the battle, Stephen gave the following excellent account of the action:

“For our Christmas Ancient's big battle Harry laid on an incredible spectacle of 3 elephants, 20 chariots, 464 cavalry and 686 infantry. Once again he generously let
me, and those who arrived with me, command the Macedonians who had won
every historic engagement we had recreated.

This was perhaps the most convincing display of Macedonian might/luck/destiny so far.

(Garrison 20mm Egyptian cavalry, clash with Greek cavalry from the same maker. In the background is a unit of PBs Thessalians) 

 As Alexander I feared the unknown effects of all the scythed chariots and the elephants because we had not faced them before and I knew that the Persian cavalry were highly manoeuvrable - especially those horse archers.

I gave Kevin White (Army Padre, attached to Royal Artillery, Albermarle Barracks) command of the infantry centre - he had to get the phalangites forward as quickly as he could, use his lights to whittle down the threat from the chariots and elephants, and keep an eye on the baggage behind him!

Paul Jackson (Lecturer in War Studies at Birmingham University) said he enjoyed improvisation, so got the weak left wing whose task was to hang on in there while the battle was won elsewhere - this he did indomitably which probably ruined the
Persians best chance of success.

On the right, which had the elite Companions and Hypaspists, I hoped to stay out of trouble as long as possible and act as a reserve to the big infantry attack in case the Persian gimmick weapons blunted their assault.

 (An overall view of the action. Scythed chariots and Indian elephants rumble forwards, as Greek hoplites preapre to defend the baggage and to the rear Darius looks on with growing nervousness)

This scheme soon had to be abandoned, however, for a plan that was likely more to the historical Alexander’s taste.

Finding himself outflanked by the Persian left wing, Alexander chose to ignore those furthest to his right and attack diagonally through the joint between the left and centre and head straight for Darius.

The Companions' charge proved unstoppable. Suffering barely a casualty they rode through everything in their path, leaving a wake of destruction behind them. They must have appeared to the Persians as invulnerable and invincible. Since they were barely delayed by their opponents those enemy units aiming to catch them in the rear and overwhelm them with weight of numbers simply could not catch up to do so.

(Scythed chariots decide to avoid the spearpoints of the phalanx and swerve off to the side, while in the distance Alexander begins his bold charge towards the Persian king)

The battle was almost a historical recreation. The honourable exception being the behaviour of the heroic - or desperate – Darius. On seeing the Companions getting nearer and nearer, the Great King opted not to flee but to join the nobles in his cavalry and attack the nearest regiment of the phalanx head on. He died a glorious death and his passing signalled the collapse of the Persian army.

It felt less like a wargame and more like a statement by the shade of Alexander himself. The rules, Harry's own, recreated the events of that fateful day from the uselessness of the scythed chariots to the shock and awe of Alexander at the head of the Companions. On previous occasions the Companions have taken a battering and Alexander survived purely by being a jammy so and so, but this time they were simply the proverbial 'hot knife through butter' and butter does the knife little harm.

(The Hand of the Fates! Alexander has cut his way through several Persian cavalry units and now just a phalanx of Greek mercenaries stands between him and his prize - the Persian King)

(Elephants on the rampage. They have broken through a phalanx which has also been hit in the flank by Garrison 20mm Assyrian cavalry. Unfortunately for the Persians the scythed chariots are heading in the wrong direction....)

Apart from Paul's valiant defence on the left the Macedonian generals had little to do than to let their troops get on with it - frustrating all the abilities of the Persian generals' expertise and courage.”

(Pbs Thessalians do their bit to hold up the Persian right wing, in this case some S Range assyrian lancers)

Stephen's account sums up the action very well. As one of the Persian commanders I always felt there was only a vague chance of winning. That would come if we could get a spot of luck with the dice and hold the Companions for a move or two which would have allowed us to make the most of our advantage in numbers. We had managed this in the Granicus refight and gave the Macedonian a severe mauling. This time around we were not so fortunate.

One major problem was the extreme length of our front. At Granicus, on a narrower table, we had been forced to deploy a reserve. This time around we strung out cavalry out along the entire table length. When Alexander drove at the point where the left wing met the centre, he effectively cut a large portion of our army adrift. With the Companions heading straight for Darius, the Persian left, which had designs on enveloping the phalangites, was forced instead to break off from that intention and instead pursue Alexander in a hopeless attempt to save the king, their progress severely hindered by the decimated Persian units the Macedonians left in their wake.

Our other problem was the make-up of our army, which, being nearly all cavalry, had to win the battle before the phalanx could rumble into contact with our puny centre.

As historically the scythed chariots had little impact on events. Most veered off to left or right, avoiding contact with the spear points of the phalanx. The elephants were more effective, doing major damage to one phalanx before running out of steam, but they were too few in numbers to have any major effect.

The re-fight gave me a fresh appreciation of the brilliance of Alexander's troop dispositions - the second line of hoplites effectively preventing any outflanking Persian cavalry from attacking the rear of the advancing phalanx.

(A rare moment of glory for the Persians....Indian elephants smash the phalanx, though the dice indicate they themselves have been severely damaged)

In summary:  a wargame that ranked high in terms of spectacle, but relatively low on the scale of excitement.

Gaugamela Two - Special Rules For The Battle

(A Garrison 20mm Philotas leads forward Garrison 20mm Companions, as the phalanx crunches into Darius' Greek mercenaries)

General

Macedonians move first

Individual command figures add plus one to all charge morale throws and 1D20 to combat dice roles. Alexander adds 2. This may be combined with other Macedonian leaders (for example with Kleitos and Alexander attached the Royal Companions would add 3D20 in melee)

Persian unit movement. All close order cavalry units can move each turn. Other Persian and allied units must throw above the number of hits they have suffered on a D6 in order to move.

Macedonian Baggage

Alexander had to detail some of his force to guard the baggage, this seems to have fallen to the Thracian peltasts who later fought off an incursion by Persian cavalry intent on rescuing the female members of the royal household who had been captured at Issus. Should the Persians get amongst the baggage and remain there for one full turn then all Macedonian units suffer 1 hit (this represents the damage to their morale of seeing all their hard won plunder being ransacked)

(Garrison 20mm figure of Mazaros leads forward some Garrison 20mm Egyptian heavy cavalry, the latter are figures converted and cast by Rob - and very nice they are too)

Darius

Alexander was determined to capture or kill the Persian king. If he succeeds the battle ends at the conclusion of any current melees in a Macedonian victory. If Darius flees the table to avoid Alexander then all Persian units suffer 2 hits immediately.

(Chariots breaking through a unit of Pbs Agrianes)

Scythed Chariots

The tactics with these seems to have been for the charioteer to gallop towards the enemy and then jump off at the last minute. To simulate this:

Move charging chariot to within 4cm of the enemy unit it is charging.

Throw a D6

Score 1 = Chariot halts short of enemy lines. Remove model

Score 2, 3 = Chariot turns 90 degrees to the left

Score 4, 5 = Chariot turns 90 degrees to the right

Score 6 = Chariot continues straight ahead

If a chariot does not halt throw 4 x D6 to see how far it moves. If the chariot makes contact with any close order unit, foe or friend, throw a D20 for hit. Light units simply part to let it pass through.

Normal additions apply, i.e. a chariot charging into a units flank will add 2 x D20

A chariot cuts straight through any unit it contacts and carries on for its full move distance throwing for any other units it contacts as before. Once it completes its move the model is removed.

Any unit contacted by a chariot must halt for one turn whether it has suffered casualties or not.

Chariots may be eliminated by missile fire in the usual way. A score of 10 or more is required to hit. If attacked or charged chariots will countercharge as above.

(Scythed - well you have to imagine the scythes - chariots have passed through the PBs Cretans and approach the phalanx, which is menaced on the flank by S range Assyrian lancers. A mix of metal and plastic vehicles painted by Ray McGarry)

Tomorrow - Action!

Gaugamela - Part One, set up and forces.

(Persian battle lines. PBs Dahae horse archers in the foreground. S range Assyrian horse archers just beyond them)

On an autumn afternoon in AD331, on a featureless plain that had been specially flattened to allow full use of his chariots and cavalry, Darius the Great King awaited the arrival of Alexander and the Macedonians.

Having tired of the pitiful performance of his native foot soldiers, Darius had more or less abandoned infantry altogether, focusing instead on the more reliable and courageous horsemen from the North and East of his Empire. In his battle line were mounted Bactrians, Scythians, Armenians, Cappadocians, Hykranians, Parthians and Indians, to the front of which were arranged hundreds of scythed chariots and a small group of elephants.

A few days before Darius had made one final attempt to bring the war to a peaceful conclusion, offering the Macedonian invader all the land west of the Euphrates, 30,000 gold talents and the hand of one of his daughters in marriage. The offer had been summarily rejected. “Asia can no more support two monarchs, than the earth could survive with two suns,” Alexander had told the Persian envoys. If the king wanted to hold onto his crown, he would have to fight.

(The Macedonian battle lines from Alexander's left. Garrison 20mm Greek light cavalry and PBs mercenary peltasts in the foreground)

When Alexander arrived at the crest of a low hill that looked across to the Persian battle line he may, momentarily, have wondered if he had made the correct decision. The fading sun reflected off thousands of spear points and from the scale armour of horses and men. Darius’ cavalry outnumbered his own by at least 4-to-1.

Instead of launching an immediate attack as he had at the Granicus and Issus, Alexander spent the rest of the day reconnoitring the battlefield, then retired to his tent to draw up his plans….

The exact make-up of the Persian Army is – predictably - open to doubt. I have opted to take Peter Green as my main guide mainly because his interpretation is likely to give the best wargame.

(The Macedonian centre. PBs phalangites with Cretan archers and Agrianina javelins skirmishing ahead. Behind them Garrison 20mm Greek hoplites guard the baggage)
 

Macedonian Army

6 x 40 Phlangites                                 240 figs

2 x 24 Hypaspists                                48 figs

3 x 20 Peltasts                                      60 figs

2 x 12 Cretan archers                           24 figs

1 x 12 Macedonian archers                  12 figs

2 x12 Agrianian javelins                     24 figs

1 x 12 Macedonian Javelins               12 figs

6 x 24 Greek Mercenary Hoplites         144figs

2 x 16 Companions                               32 figs

4 x 16 Greek Light cavalry                   64 figs

1 x 16 Thracian cavalry                        16 figs

Total:   544 infantry

           112 cavalry

(Persian battle lines from Darius' left. The cavalry stretched from one end of the 13 foot long table to the other, though, as we shall see, this long frontage proved problematic for the Persians.)

Persian Army

1 x 40 Immortals                                        40 figs

2 x 24 Mercenary Hoplites                        48 figs

2 x 20 Mardian archers                              40 figs

2 x 12 Light archers                                   24 figs

5 x 16 Horse Archers                                    80 figs

5 x 16 Light Cavalry                                    80 figs

7 x 16 Heavy cavalry                                   112figs

3 x Indian elephants and crew

20 x Scythed chariots and crew                            

Total: 142 Infantry

           352 Cavalry

             20 Chariots

              3 Elephants

(Pbs Indian cavalry and S range Immortals)

Granicus - More Images

While packing I discovered a CD of snaps of The Granicus taken by Persian co-commander Clive Norman.

(Macedonian Phalanx, rear protected by Thracians)

(Pbs Companions clash with Garrison 20mm Persian cavalry on banks of Bellona stream)

(Pbs Thracians with Garrison 20mm Macedonian commander prepare to test the theory that S Range Assyrians "Don't like it up ,em")

(Mass melees. Companions wade into Persian cavalry and hoplites; Persian cavalry clash with phalangites, Thessalians gallop off the edge of the frame and Cretans lurk menacingly)

 (Manfredates, one of the Persians' more astute commanders).

Olfactory Colours

(Original 1968 version of Minifigs S range Hun archer; S Range Pict archer; PBs German warrior)

In the section "Forming an Ancient Army" in WRG Ancient War Game Rules first edition (July 1969) the authors offer the following invaluable painting tip: "Germans mainly blond, shaggy and slightly smelly, and in dull colours, navy blue being popular". Quite how you achieve the odour of ancient German using a paintbrush is, alas, not explained.

What Didn't The Romans Do For Me?

(Minifigs PBs Republican Romans)

To which question the answer is: Inspire me.

(Minifigs S range Imperial Romans. L-R, Legionary, Eagle-Bearer, Praetorium (sic), Auxiliary Javelinman, Auxiliary Slinger. These are the original 1968 figures later they were redesigned and the legionary looked like this...

Over the years I've painted, bought, planned, abandoned and sold a couple of Roman armies at least. I mentioned the EIR version in an earlier post. That actually made it into battle - battering a large army of plastic Germans, as I recall. But for some reason I wasn't taken with it. I think it was the ruthless efficiency that put me off.

The Republican version didn't even get that far. I'd seen them as the final piece of the Ancient jigsaw, able to fight Successors and Carthaginians alike. I imagined a tri-partite camapign on Sicily. I painted the sample figures above in an attempt to goad myself to action (I had two legions, somewhere between 300-350 figures, plus cavalry). It didn't work though. There was just something about them that failed to excite. The Romans were undoubtedly excellent at fighting, but in terms of swashbuckling or eccentric military fashion elan they lag behind - no armoured bactrian camels, scythed chariots, or peephole shields for these guys. In the end I gave up and sold the castings to Uwe from History in 1/72nd to use in the big Pyrrhus diorama. Lately I've been hoarding PBs late-Republican Romans in the hope that they will do the trick and I'll be able to engage in some Pontic War battles. I like the look of them more, and I can use my Spanish and Numidians as auxiliaries, but....

(Minifigs PBs Legionarius of the Civil War)

Thighs of an Elephant! A brief thought on the pachyderm

(A distinctly Grantian elephant picked up on eBay. Airfix elephant (from the Tarzan set?) with balsa howdah, card shields and Airfix Roman archers. The anklet is made of what seems to be blotting paper.)

In the Hannibal in the Alps scenario the Gauls, fearful of the never before seen elephants, were not allowed to come within  six-inches of them. This lead Hannibal to the conclusion that the best way to force the pass was to form elephant square and barge his way through. The result was effective, but, from a gaming perspective, slightly underwhelming. To reverse Bosquet's famous words: It was wargame, but it wasn't magnificent.

(The splendid Minifigs S range amoured elephant, probably based on the Funcken illustration of Pyrrhus, though it lacks the scale armour trunk protection.)

In future I'd be tempted to allow troops who aren't used to elephants to engage them in hand-to-hand combat but at half effectiveness. I imagine that nervous troops would approach the elephants tentatively (cavalrymen would be expending energy controlling their nervous horses that would normally have been used for fighting) attempting to poke at the target from a distance, possibly with their eyes closed - a tactic I often used when batting against the fast bowlers.

 (Minifigs PBs range Sassanid elephant, bought on eBay. The claret and blue paintwork suggests a Persian affinity with Aston Villa or West Ham United. I have often adopted a similar football-kit lead approach when working out colour schemes, though obviously I draw the line at that 1980s brown Coventry City shirt)

On the banks of the Jhelum

Our next big Chrstmas game will be a re-fight of the Hydaspes. Hmm... only need to paint 400 Indian foot, 32 cavalry, 20 chariots and a dozen elephants.

Like the Ram I Retreat Only That I May Butt Harder

Monsieur Longuelade is going off to Ystad in Sweden shortly to test the quality of his maraging French steel against those of assorted grizzled Norsemen, Poles, Germans, Finns and Latvians. He shall return - with grazes on his arms, bruises on his chest and a stomach full of herring and aquavit if previous experience is anything to go by - on Tuesday. Salut, copains!