Sunday 2 January 2011

January Is... Ancients Month!

Trying to bring a little focus and order to my projects I have decided that my primary efforts each month will be dedicated to one specific project in order to progress it and shift some lead/plastic. This doesn't mean I won't tinker with some odd bits and pieces (I have two Tactical Nuclear Penguins and a Dwarf War Golem in an almost finished state on the workbench), but the bulk of my efforts will be dedicated to the particular month's project, and this month it is ancients, specifically focusing on my Romans v Celts project.

Now I will confess I am not expert on this period and my haphazard approach will no doubt have more dedicated ancients gamers pulling out their beards but I'm giving it a go. I'm not sure what rules I'll end up using, probably WAB to start (I have v 1.0 somewhere) but am looking forward to seeing the Black Powder inspired ancients game later this year as well as others (possibly Phil Hendry's). Whatever, I am basing figures as I do for WHFB, individually and using movement trays.

I am also trying a new approach to painting by painting the least interesting/most effort/larger force first as I have identified this as a possible reason for projects remaining unfinished. Accordingly I am not starting with the interesting, uniform, small unit Romans but with the Celts.

Counting my boxes I have 186 foot, I'm not 100% sure how large my Celt warbands should be, kinda assuming 28 or 35 (ranked 7 x 4 or 7 x 5). Anyway the first effort has been to convert some into sling and javelin armed skirmishers and eight of each are now in various states of painting/dipping at present (so only another 170 to go!). Hopefully pictures in the next day or so.

To help improve my ignorance of the period I have picked up and started reading Stephen Dando-Collins' Caesar's Legion: The Epic Saga of Julius Caesar's Elite Tenth Legion, which may not be 100% accurate judging from the reviews but is eminently readable.

Celt painted running total:
0/186 infantry
0/3 chariots
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3 comments:

  1. Monty2 January 2011 at 23:28

    My whole strategy for 2011 will be small games with minimal numbers of figures on small bases fighting on minimalist tables; otherwise I, too, never finish anything completely (with the exception of Ambush Alley)...
    Oh, well...:)
    Have a good New Year mate,
    Monty

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  2. Steve2 January 2011 at 23:38

    @Monty - I'm relying on the power of the dip for this one! :-)

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  3. Little Odo3 January 2011 at 11:10

    I'll second/third that. I never seem to finish anything either - that dip stuff has worked wonders for me over the last couple of years and brought me closer to completion tha ever before, but still a way to go. Themed months I think are a good idea. Thanks for the tip and keep up the good work!

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