Saturday 11 March 2023

Diversionary Tactics

 David Crook recently posted on his excellent A Wargaming Odyssey blog,  about his list of current projects, to which my response was I suspect that often just after such a list is written, something completely different pops up and overtakes all the things one has carefully listed!  And so it proves.  I have been trying to concentrate my somewhat inadequate hobby efforts on Eighteenth Century,  WW2 in Italy, and Thirty Years' War periods - plenty of reading, organising, painting and gaming to be getting on with on each of them, and not enough actually being done.  But then the other morning I strolled into an Oxfam charity bookshop, made a habitual scan of the Military History shelf, and spotted this: 

 


Blimey, that's a little specialised for a charity shop! Phil Barker and Ian Heath's Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome, 4th Edition ( 1981 ).  In pretty  good condition, and fairly priced, I thought  - I couldn't leave it there, could I?  Indeed not - money changed hands and I took the book home.  It joins a small collection of books acquired fairly recently, on an 'Ancients' theme, because I've been having certain thoughts..

Charity shops started it, really, because I found a couple of vintage volumes by Peter Connolly : The Greek Armies ( 1977) and Greece and Rome at War ( 1981/2012 ). 

 

The former covers the period from the Trojan War  to Alexander The Great, and is actually a children's educational book, but none the worse for that - the writing style is clear and simple, but not in the least patronising.  Both volumes have plentiful and rather lovely illustrations. I've always had a hankering to investigate the Ancient Greek world - and the second book adds an account of Rome, up to 450AD. So, I think I've got a good set of introductory texts to work with. 

 



If this is going to lead to any gaming, then rules will be needed, and I have some options there too. Sometime in 1990 or soon after, I spent the princely sum of £2  at Leisure Games in Finchley for a copy of the latest thing in Ancient Wargaming - the first edition of  De Bellis Antiquitatis,  known to us all as DBA. For whatever reason, I never actually played it, but I kept the booklet - 'it might be useful one day'. More recently, what with certain ideas being mulled over and various special offers coming up, I have also picked up  Graham Evans/Trebian's Spartans and Successors, which are billed as Simple Tabletop Wargames Rules for the Classical Ancient Period in the Golden Age of Greece and Macedon. 

  

And finally, Neil Thomas' well-regarded Ancient and Medieval Wargaming.   Plenty of options and ideas between those three volumes, I reckon. 

Hmmm... if this is going anywhere, some armies will be needed. Although today's find is obviously all about Rome, I admit that the Greek/Persian/Macedonian wars have interested me most so far ( though of course using DBA could allow multiple armies covering various periods to be mobilised quite easily and relatively cheaply ), the triumverate of Greeks/Macedonians, Persians and Indians seems to have all sorts of possibilities and variations. 

But  this is the dilemma - what scale to choose?  Again, if going down the DBA route,  pretty much any scale could be used, for example a 25/28mm DBA force would not involve a large number of figures, and should therefore be fairly quick and cheap to recruit, while smaller scales would give a 'mass' look to the units ( which must be good if deploying Roman Legions or Greek Phalanxes ) while also being relatively inexpensive. Plastic 20mm figures are perhaps  another 'budget' option.  I could do any of  25/28mm,  1:72/20mm, 15mm, 10mm and 6mm - maybe even 2mm, though I have some reservations about those.  I admit I was sorely tempted to try buying  a few nice old-style Lamming  Greeks and Persians, but my timing is not good it seems, as their website says that they are going to stop taking orders for a couple of months due to illness. Sorry to hear that, I wish them a swift recovery and return.

So, I will have to mull over the possibilities of different scales and makes, and we'll see what if anything, comes out of that.  I'd welcome any thoughts from readers who have been down this track themselves.  At the very least, I have some pleasant and interesting  reading options to browse. Here is a bit of inspiration, courtesy of Peter Connolly : 

Also in the next few days the paintbrushes and glue really have to come out - the lead/plastic piles of 7YW, 30YW or WW2 need to be adressed!  Meanwhile, keep well, everyone.  

  

21 comments:

  1. The Hunt is on! When you bring Graham's S&S to the table, I am interested in reading what you think of them. Really, I think much of the hobby is all about diversionary tactics.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Jon, I was interested by Graham's rules, they look like a good alternative to DBA with a similar 'quick and simple' spirit. I see he mentions your name among those who helped with feedback ( and playtesting perhaps?).
      And indeed, what are we doing if not 'diverting' ourselves with this, or any other, hobby?

      Delete
    2. On S&S, I may have offered a few suggestions but I vaguely recall only playing the game exactly one time. Does that count as playtesting? Maybe. I vaguely recall winning that game too!

      Delete
  2. Ah ancients!
    There are many alternatives for both rules and figures which I have acquired over the years. I had 25mm armies for WRG 5th and 6th editions but got read of them many many years ago...
    I came back to the period with DBA (same as the 1st version as you have) and 15mm. I built up many armies and played DBA for many years but must not have played a game for 20 years now.
    I have come back to it more recently and have recruited many 28mm armies for either "To the Strongest" and Commands & Colors ancients (boardgame but converted to figures).
    The world is your oyster if starting afresh......
    For cheapness, 15mm or 20mm plastic or 28mm plastics are all relatively inexpensive, as would older 25mm acquired from the likes of eBay....
    What I would suggest is looking at around 12 to 15 "bases" or "units" for each army; this can be anything from 2-4 figures to a single base of any number of figures. I'm working on 4-12 figures on an 80mm wide base with varying depth. This will allow them to work as either elements for DBA or units for Thomas's AMW. If using 15mm they can either use double the number of figures OR use 40mm wide bases so reducing table size. I prefer the larger base and Impetus style basing...
    Neil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Playing C&C Ancients with figures is terrific and I highly endorse it. Like Neil, I prefer single element, large bases ala Impetvs. Impetvs provides a pretty solid game engine too so don't discount going down that route. If you are interested "trying before you buy" I can set up a game.

      Delete
    2. Thanks Neil, I am indeed spoiled for choice! It looks very 'do-able' , as you say one can get started with perhaps only a dozen 'bases' per side and still have an interesting game setup. As it happens, I do also have C&C Ancients, so that is another possibility. I am slightly torn between larger figures in a 'toy soldier' look, and smaller scales with the mass effect. I am having a think..

      Delete
    3. And thanks again Jon, I agree about C&C Ancients - and I know that 'Basic Impetus' is a free download, which could be useful! The trick is, of course, to base in such a way as to be able to use various rules..

      Delete
  3. Good finds. One could say, serendipitous. The fates are giving you a nudge and it sounds like you are quite happy to be nudged.
    I've long been tempted by Ancients. Ever since seeing the 300 Spartans as a small by. So it's got to involve hoplites for me - trouble is hoplite v hoplite is about as interesting as a rugby scrum, unless something like the Hoplomachia rules are used.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Chris, and yes indeed I think the oracle has spoken..
      Sounds like if you were to go for it, then Greek Hoplites vs. Persian Immortals at Marathon etc could be a good choice!

      Delete
  4. An interesting diversion. I also purchased the DBA rule booklet back in the early 1990’s and put it away as being useful one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Peter, I'm glad I hung on to that little booklet, and I think it will make a nice 'starter set', no need to paint and base hundreds of figures!

      Delete
  5. A most kind gesture giving these a new home! Great project coming. Perhaps use the Portable Wargame Ancient rules? Maybe retro figures too…
    Alan Tradgardland

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Alan, Portable Wargame Ancients is another good possibility. Retro figures are very tempting - shame about Lamming being on a hiatus.

      Delete
  6. Hello there old chap,

    That is an excellent find and dangerously inspiring! Definitely my go to volume when I was playing WRG 6th edition although I also had a fondness for the Macedonian and Punic Wars. DBA would be a good shout if only because you only need a few figures for an army.

    Glad I was able to, ahem, help…. :-)

    All the best,

    DC

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks David, you have indeed helped! I would quite like to find the 'Armies of the Macedonian and Punic Wars' book too. I agree, DBA has a major advantage in requiring only small numbers of figures/bases, hence easy to dip a toe in the water..

      Delete
  7. That devil on the shoulder is always whispering temptation! Don't dismiss 2mm. This is a scale that can really show off the look of formations, say a phalanx or a number of elephants instead of a couple in a larger scale. So much coice. Good luck.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. thanks Richard, yes there is always temptation! I agree about the small scales and the look of mass formations - a whole load of elephants could be quite impressive! I think the tricky bit might be to make them colourful - you have set a good example with your 16th Century French. So many possibilities...

      Delete
  8. Good hunting!

    25mm Ancients were my main focus for learning, painting, playing, etc for my first 20 years of wargaming but then I slowly diversified until I was "doing" more 'periods' (and sizes) than I could play ( including 54mm Ancients as a break from 25mm ones....) and finally I let them the ancients go, unless you consider Prince Valiant as ancient, or old 25mm medieval/fantasy....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Ross, sounds like Ancients were your apprenticeship..
      I think I'd count Prince Valiant as an Ancients 'imagi-nation' - shades of Hyboria?

      Delete
  9. Several good books there, of which I have several. I have been moving over to 6mm armies for some years, not that I've sold the 25mm. I just duplicated some and raised others. In DBA, using the smaller bases would keep costs down.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Khusru, clearly you have the best of both worlds! I do like the 'mass effect' that smaller scale figures can bring. Equally I don't mind the idea of using just a couple of dozen or so larger figures for a DBA 'army' - you have to recognise that they are simply gaming pieces, in the same way as chess men are..

      Delete