Argonauts

Most of this week I spent painting 15mm Goums for Chris, but I also managed to finish off some heroes for Mortal Gods Mythic. These aren't the official figures, which are lovely, but some Black Tree Figures I had lying around. A bit of a different paint job and they became my Argonauts.

The Argonauts, with Hylas at the front

I painted this hero as an old guy, but I might do a bit of conversion work and turn him into Orpheus.

And this is Jason in his white cloak.

 I had some leftover transfers from the Successors so put them on some of the shields. Unfortunately, the Black Tree shields are pretty much oval, and the transfers didn't entirely fir, so they have been painted to take up the whole shield. One Argonaut group has their shields entirely painted - the ones with the tridents.

Supply dump

I also painted up this supply dump for Marlburian and 30 Years War games. Can never have enough terrain!

Nate

Sorting some shade for the Spartans

These Persians are no pussies! Just because they dress like colour blind residents of Carnaby St c.1966 does not make them any less deadly. Their arrows can block out the sun... hence the title of this post.

The force features some cavalry, which will be an interesting addition to the Mortal Gods gaming experience.

A bit of a closer look with the Persian Chief of Warriors in the foreground.

 The miniatures are a mix. The cavalry are Warlord Games, the rank and file Crusaders Miniatures, and the heroes are from Footsore Miniatures. A pack of Crusader Spearmen and one of Archers gave me the figures to assemble 2 bases of Sparabara, 2 of Archers and 1 of Spearmen.

The best view of the Persians is from the side so that you can see all of the stripes, zig-zags and dots on them.

More close ups

An army of fashion victims - but hopefully not Hoplite victims.

I really like the Persians. They get a bad rap due to them being the bad guys in the Western tradition, but we are lucky enough to live in times where the historic record is being seen with a bit more balance. I'm awed by Cyrus (the Great, not Billy Ray or Miley), and I wish we knew more about him.
I'm just waiting on the Persian Cards to be back in stock at Footsore, so I can order them and get these guys into battle.

On the painting tray at the moment are a mix of Ancients - some generals for Craig's Successor army, some casualties and vignettes, and some Skeleton warriors for Mortal Gods Mythic.

Nate

More plain plastic brought to life (or undeath)

She's been working on them for a while now. She initially started last year, and the time it has taken is more about adolescent procrastination than any desire for perfection. But finally my 12 year old daughter painted her first unit:

close up of the 'command' element. (there isn't any such thing, I just gave it that name.)

 I told her the colours to use, gave her a quick example of how to do it, and she did the rest. I've never painted old bronze with its green tinge before so I mixed up the paint for her. It looks quite grey to me, but I think it still does the trick.

In all their bony glory!

These skeletons are going towards her Hades inspired force for Mortal Gods Mythic when it finally releases. She isn't a goth, but she definitely likes the idea of Hades and an undead warband much more than the other options. I finally think I have converted one of my children into playing little toy soldiers with me - when she isn't busy on her phone.

The other thing that I got finished today was my French dragoons. These are the Bouville Regiment that served in Spain, and I'm pretty sure that I've got there colours as correct as they are going to get.

All in their stocking caps.

Slight change in angle

These are all Warlord Games plastics, but I used some green stuff to convert their caps to the correct dragoon shape.

Next on the conveyor belt are some Star Wars Legion Rebel Commandos. Hopefully they will be up here this weekend.

Nate

Spartans strike back!

With the daughter enjoying her first game of Mortal Gods and giving her old man a bit of a hiding, it was time for a rematch. This time I allowed her to pick her force from the cards, and she surprised me with a large quantity of light troops. Would this be another Sphacteria? We would see, because I went for a hoplite heavy Spartan force.

The scenario involved securing an objective and having it in hand at the end of turn 5. We randomly decided deployment and ended up in opposing triangles with the apex on the objective. Things looked ready to become a nasty killing zone in the centre.

The two sides deployed. The Athenians right next to the objective, the Spartans one charge move away!

Seen from the Athenian side of the table, this should have been a simple snatch and run, with missile troops providing cover.

Athenian Peripoloi prepare to pick up the objective.

By the end of the first turn we have a pile in situation. The Athenian Lochagos is trapped behind his own troops, and sits idle as the Spartan heroes deal death.

Seen from the perspective of the relatively unengaged Athenian light troops, it is hard to fathom who is winning in the temple ruins.

By the end of turn 2 the Athenian hoplites have been evicted, the peripoloi are defeated and their lochagos has been sent to Hades. The Spartan rolling in this turn was exceptional

The Spartan Helot Akontistai have suffered badly, but have occupied the attention of the Athenian Promachos.

By the end of Turn four the Athenians are in real trouble, and the Spartan promachos is making off with the objective.

'Catch me if you can!'

The Aiodos did pretty much nothing all game...

The Spartan hoplites suffered a couple of hits which an early omen card was able to shake off for them.

The end of turn 5 sees the Athenians barely holding on and no chance of capturing the objective.

'Molon labe!'

So the Spartans gained their revenge for their previous defeat. Talking about it afterwards I said that it was probably always going to be a tough ask for a light infantry force to win with this objective and this deployment, but getting the Athenian Lochagos trapped was also a bit of a mistake that didn't help.
Another battle is on the cards soon.

Nate

Mortal Gods AAR - the daughter of Hades strikes!

I set up a game of Mortal Gods today, mostly just to put my newly painted scenery out. Craig bought me the Mediterranean farm set from Sarissa Precision for my birthday, and I've been happily whipping it into shape. The farmhouse is painted, although I have a lot of little details I plan to add to it, so  it is in no way finished, yet is in an OK state to be played with.
My eldest daughter has an interest in Greek mythology (thanks Rick Riordan) and I thought she might enjoy playing a game, so I roped her into it. This was actually my first non-solo game of MG.
We rolled dice for the set up and scenario, and it worked perfectly, with one side (the Athenians deploying in the centre of the board - in the farmhouse. The Spartans got the corners and chose to deploy in just two of them. The mission would see an objective pop up in turn three which might be in the farmhouse, or on either side of it. Cassie chose Athenians, because they're smart, which was a smart choice, as my Spartans weren't...

Initial set up. Please excuse the lighting - the garage windows are behind me as I took photos. Cassie deployed in the farm, with my lights in the closest corner and my heavies at the other end of the board.

Turn one was a disaster for the Spartans. The first omen card I drew saw my heroes take damage every time they activated, and they were seriously weakened by the time they made it into combat range. Cassie's Promachos killed my Promachos quickly and effectively. 

There he is, the poor old bugger. Got in one whole hit before it was lights out. 

By the end of turn two I had seriosusly weakened a unit of Periopoloi, but my Akontistai were in charge range, and about to have pain rained down on them. At about this stage my lochagos also departed this world. Too late I remembered about injuries for heroes, but we'd moved on too far by then...

Turn three and the objective turned up on the far side of the farmhouse, perfectly covered by the Athenian Toxotoi in the top room.

My Akontistai and Peripoloi fought a desperate action to absorb Cassie's inattention, but she moved her Akontistai to get them to the objective.

The situation in the final turn - my hoplites have come around the corner, but they can't reach the range to contest the objective.  Spartan defeat!

This was the first wargame Cassie has ever played with me, and she won. I'm hopeful that means that she will play again, as it was nice having an opponent, even if she did beat me. Then again, if I hadn't drawn that damn omen card..!

The Persians are all undercoated and ready to be painted for Mortal Gods, but I have a few things in the queue before them. I'm also waiting on Mortal Gods Mythic as I'm sure the daughter will be very keen on that.

Nate

Men with long pointy sticks and other stuff that should have been posted last month

Here is the first phalangite unit for Craig's Successor army. 32 figures, using Little Big Men decals. I've finally got the hang of getting these onto the shields, although decal softener may be an idea for future investment as they tend to get crinkles on the concave surface.

Lot's of sticks with pointy bits on the ends.

Despite the crinkles, the shields give a good effect.

Another shot just for the hell of it.

And facing their enemies - the legions of Roma.

The gregarious Greeks are not the only chaps to see the paintbrush in the last couple of weeks. A further Marlburian unit has been added to the slowly growing collection.

Starhemberg's Austrian regiment

The command figures for this unit come from Ebor miniatures.

Close-up of the hand-painted colours.

A couple of weeks ago I also completed the state troopers for the Bush Rangers project:

The troopers

Plain clothes police and/or civilian helpers

And this was followed by sorting some scenery for Aussie - notably using the Perry 'American' farmhouse and store. Perfect for Oz too.

The store with the OK corral used as part of the scenery.

The farmhouse with a resin thunderbox.

The full battlefield including sheep.

 I also started a Persian Sataba for Mortal Gods using the cards that have been published on the Footsore Website. My Warlord cavalry turned up early, so they were the first to get the paint. The infantry from Crusader Minis are currently on the painting tray.

So many colours, so much fun to paint!

Finally, and this goes back some way, the first unit of skeleton warriors for the fantasy project. The Undead will be the next army to feel the love of the paintbrush, but they will have to wait until next year as the Ancients and Marlburians are my current priority.

Shambling and decaying

But nevertheless quite animated!

Nate

Mortal Gods - Tear it down!

My third game of Mortal Gods made use of my nifty new objective markers, and allowed for quite a different feel to my previous two 'body count' scenarios.
I roll a D12 to determine table set up and scenario, because I believe that such things should be left to the will of the gods, and the result was the first set up and the sixth scenario - Tear it Down! This requires each side to advance into their opponents territory and pillage and burn 2 objectives. Well, obviously there was more pillage than burning involved, as it is a bit pointless setting recovered arms on fire...

The tabletop setup

Objective markers around the farm.

The forces arrayed against each other - some happy sheep graze in between.

On their left the Spartans guard the difficult going with their light troops.

I didn't take any more photos until the end of Turn One, and that was a mistake. Things happen so swiftly that within a single turn their can be a whole pile of outcomes. Above sees the aftermath of a battle in the valley where both sides have suffered heavily. Only one Athenian akontistai is left from his group,  the same with one of the Athenian peripoloi (light hoplites), while the Spartan peripoloi have been forced back. Both Lochagoi (commadners) are heavily involved in the action.

On the far side Spartan light units tie up Athenian Peripoloi and a Promachus (hero).

The situation at the overall end of turn one.

At the start of Turn two the Spartan lochagos forces back the Athenians.

He then orders some of his troops forward into the gap.

The Athenian Lochagos meanwhile helps out his remaining Peripolos.

One of the Spartan Akontistai are shattered and driven back.

The hill is looking very clear now - only the Athenian Lochagos holding the centre.

The Spartans begin to move around the flank of the farm. Athenians move closer to the objectives to contest them.

The Athenian Lochagos secures the first objective.

 (I should note here that I played the objectives wrong. I removed them if they were held by a figure within 3" at the end of the turn. I believe that I was meant to leave them in place and try to contest them, which would have made things much harder for the Athenians).

Spartan Peripoloi secure the first objective.

The crazy Akontistes rushes forward and pelts the Athenian Lochagos with javelins - to no effect.

The Spartan Lochagosbusrts through the chickens in the yard and drives off the defending Athenians.

Rather than waste time dealing with the javelin throwing nuisance, the Athenian Lochagos goes to seize another objective. (If I'd been playing it correctly, he really should have tried to take the akontistes out)

Omens were coming into this game. The Athenian promachos had spent much of his time inspiring his troops, but when they were wiped out by the Spartan promachos and some pretty devastating javelin throwing, he went straight into battle. Unfortunately he had to charge the nearest enemy - the akontistai in cover, and not his counterpart, due to the omen in play at that stage.

Spartans have all the objectives, and the Athenians are being driven away from the farm.

The Athenian Lochagos secures the last objective, but if we imagine them still being there, then the Promachos is contesting the last one. Incidentally, that pesky javelin throwing akontistes managed to get 4 wounds on the Athenian Lochagos! Never underestimate your opponent!

Athenian Promachos slicing up light troops, for no good reason...

Between the akontistes and Spartan Promachos, the Athenian leader is removed from the game.

The surviving full Spartan Peripoloi unit tries to remove the Toxotai (archers) who have just been taking a wound off people here and there throughout the game. The archers drive them off!

The battlefield at the end of the game. 

So the Spartans won, hands down. They held all of their objectives uncontested, while the lonely Athenian Lochagos went down in a blaze of glory. The Athenians also suffered more casualties, which is a change from the first two games where the Spartans lost on the body count scenarios.

The game took six turns and lasted 2 and a half hours. I'm referring very little to the book now, most of what happens is quite intuitive. Terrain rules are simple, but tend to be the thing that I look up as they are not constantly in play. I probably should have read the objective rules a little more clearly the first time, but it didn't affect the outcome.

Mortal Gods continues to be an awesome game to play.

Nate