EIRs In All Their Glory!

Good evening,

While I work the photos of today's WMA Historical/Fantasy game EIRs vs Raetian Goblins into some kind of pictorial report, I thought I'd post the completed Early Imperials in all their...numbers...

First up a shot of the lot of them. (Minus Mars - he came out to join the photo shoot a bit later).


From left to right, we have a HOTT Hero element, then Cav generals, a Knight, Light Horse and the rest of the Cav and one of the WMA command elements...


...the Legionaries and Praetorians, along with the second WMA command element...


...Auxilia and the third WMA command element...


...Carroloballistas, Psiloi and my HOTT EIR Tank, the Tortoise!


Consequently, I now have enough elements to create two DBA armies...



...two HOTT armies...



(God, Hero, Blades, Behemoth...



...and Knight, Heroes, Blades, and Artillery - opps, Art cost 3 AP - I'll replace it with a Spear/Auxilia.)

...and one Warmaster Ancients army of 1020 points.

• One Veteran Legionary unit


• Four Legionary units


• Three Auxilia units


• Two Skirmish units


• One Scorpion unit


• Two Heavy Cavalry units


• One General


• Two Sub Generals

Which leaves that third Cav General element actually superfluousness to requirements.

I initially pulled together these EIR figures as part of a planned DBM EIR army, split into three commands, hence the three Cav generals. The army was designed to be 400 AP worth, which was to include an allied command of 7 Sarmatian knights. Which in turn formed the basis of my [complete, but as yet completely unpainted] Sarmatian DBA army, which is next on my hit list.

Once they are complete, I will have the army I ideally planned to take to the 1999 NZ National DBM competition. I took lots of Revell Blades instead...and then got rid of them because they just didn't look the part!

Nick

EIRs Finally Finished!

Good evening,

Finally, after far too long, all of my Early Imperial Romans are painted!

These two were the last...








...well, for the time being! I do plan to swap out the bolt shooters on Mark Ottley's scratch built carroballistas for HaT's ones...

Note, the generals are both conversions - Esci Roman torsos atop (1) HaT Imperial Roman cav legs, and (2) Napoleonic cavalry legs (which are just a little too bow legged!).

Also note, the generals are sitting atop Newline Celt horses (their Roman cav I thought was way too skinny - I've still used them though, I just can't remember for what...oh, hang on, haven't I put them aside for my Sparaticus HOTT army?), with their flanking compatriots being, respectively left to right, Praetorian cav and Auxilia cav, but with Praetorian shields.

On further reflection, I should have used Praetorians for both and swapped over the standard from the Auxilia cav. Ah well.

While I was pottering away with these, I also pottered along with a couple more Gallic Warband elements. Airfix, Esci, Italeri and Revell all mixed up.


To celebrate, I plan to have a follow up WMA game from two years ago, featuring the aforementioned EIRs and my Raetian Goblins.


But this time everything's painted! Wha Hoo!

Nick

Skellie Behemoth Finished

Good afternoon,

Stan came round for a cup of tea (and delivered some bases) and I proudly showed off my painted Skellie Behemoth. He mentioned that this beastie looked like it was chewing on something, and suggested that I give it something to chew on. What a frightfully good idea. And so I did.




It's gnawing on the other half of the poor HaT Numidian 'pony' (they're really too big to be ponies, but there you go) that was left over from the Early German Dragon base.

Hehehehehehe...

Nick

EIR Infantry Finally Finished!

Good afternoon,

Well, I've finally done it. I've finally finished the last of my EIR infantry.











After, stink, 20 years, I've almost got an EIR army that I'm pretty pleased with.

Now just to finish the Cav...and the Art...

Nick

Clearing the Decks...

Good evening,

Over the last couple of days I've been finishing some bits and pieces primarily because they've been bumped out of my "to be painted" box by the EIRs that have to be done to finish painting my EIRs...




Basically, I've run out of room, so something had to go.

First up, we have another Early German Ghost (Horde) element.


Next up we have another Skellie Magician. I'll be using this one as the 2iC in Double HOTT games.




As some point I'd like to get creative and try making some sort of whirlwind out of Green Stuff to put in the centre of this trio.

Speaking of Skellies, here is a Behemoth element that I have finished, but am still waiting for a base to, well, base it.





It is actually a Skellie Dragon that I let get a little too close to the fire. Literally. It started to melt! So I carved off it's wings and, using it's strange new posture as inspiration, thought, "Hey! I can use that as a Behemoth!" And so I have.

I'll also use it as a Stone Giant in WMA should I get me another box of Skellies to make 1000 points worth.

(Incidentally, those white doggie things sitting to the right in my wee "to be done" box are Zombie Dogs from an expansion to the excellent board/tile game Zombies!!! I'll use them as Beasts for HOTT, and a unit of, well, zombie dogs, for Warmaster, the stats of which I guess will be quite similar to light cavalry. Without the shooting.)

Lastly, I have painted up some casualty markers for my WW2 Kiwis.





For Crossfire I'll use them as suppression markers.

They are from two boxes of ESCI WW2 British Soldiers. The guy on his stomach was actually the guy flinging around his rifle but in a menacing fashion.

Right, to start on the last of the EIRs.

Nick

VSF Brits vs. Skellies Part Two

Now, where were we?

Oh that's right, my dragon was about to destroy an enemy flyer. And so it did, quickly moving on to the second flyer waiting in the wings. (Hah! Get it? Flyer! Wings! Ha!)


Unbelievably, it escaped and scooted behind my line. But not for very long.



In the meantime, the rest of the lines came together, and Robin's Artillery started to take pot shots at my Hordes.




Seeing this thin red line coming ever closer, I send the Dragon to pause...


...and then overfly said line...


...with the intention of reeking some havoc of my own behind Robin's line.

Alas, I didn't overfly it enough and got zapped by the enemy magician. Bother!


After that, the slow grind began. First to fall on my left were my knights...




...and then he just kept grinding forward on the left, shooting, shooting, always shooting...



Finally my left broke and all but a few ran.


Too late did I move my line of Hr/Bd/Bd/Sh off the hill on my right into his advancing line of shooters (having earned a rather over cautious respect for shooters, seeing how they had just blown away my left...)...



...only to roll over them on first contact, and break Robin's left.



But it was all a little too little too late. Due to some clever tactical manouvering, Robin kept my Hero busy with his demoralised steam tank (Behemoth) long enough for my said Hero to get surrounded by Artillery and Shooters and, after a couple of brave stands, get chopped to pieces in a hail of lead.








That, and Robin's continual whittling away of my Hordes in the centre, which I brought back but couldn't get into the fight, was the game.


And a good time was had by all. Well done Robin. Nice new mat.

Nick