Patrol Duty - check the farm ....

Another play-test of my Simple Combat rules, this time gauls 'without potion'....

---oXo---

A Roman patrol on the return leg of their route...

The roman patrol is being watched....

The patrol halts and takes up a defensive position as a detachment is sent to check out a nearby farm 

the detachment reaches the farm ...

the gallic commander orders the signal to attack

the gauls rush in to attack the romans 

the romans hold their ground.....

with fighting going on in the farm, another detachment is prepared  ....

as the fighting continues ...

the second detachment approaches the farm...

the romans finally get to grips with the gauls, starting to cut them down ....

the remaining gauls run for it ....

the farm is set alight and the romans withdraw, 

---oXo---

Result:

Romans: 1 legionary - single wound

Gauls: 4 dead, 1 warrior with 2 wounds. 

The rules worked well in the play test; the un-armoured gallic warriors eventually got cut up by the romans as expected, even when they scored a hit it was difficult to wound the romans due to their armour. The armoured gallic warrior was an even match for a roman.

Three Belligerent Gauls ...

A play-test of my simple combat rules applied to a Gauls V Romans scenario. I added a new skill level to the rules - Hero; plus a special +3 attack  bonus for those gauls who take a drink of  the magic fighting potion (with 10 moves of fighting before effects of potion run out). 

So time for the gauls to take it to the romans, 2 heroes and a warrior versus 28 romans ....

---oXo---

The patrol continues on its way back to the border fort ... they've strayed to close to a particular village

they have been spotted, the druid decides to test the latest batch of fighting potion ...

a little later, the patrol find their way blocked by three belligerent gauls, the romans advance confidently ....

The gauls wade in .....

the heros bash and knock the romans about severely ...

and proceed to beat up the entire patrol ....

picking their opponents with impunity ....

the roman casualties mount up ....

feeling a little tired the gauls disengage and leave, (before the effect of the potion runs out...)

the romans reform and hobble back to base as best they can ....

---oXo---

result:

gauls - no casualties

romans - 4 men disabled (3 wounds), 4 with 2 wounds, 12 with 1 wound,  8 bruised & shaken.

the rules worked well, the ordinary gallic warrior + potion was a match for a roman; the heroes made short work of up to three opponents at a time.  Gauls had 10 moves before the effects of the potion an out - they used up 8 moves to beat up the patrol.

Roman Testudo (completed)

The legionaries at practice drill - testudo ...

Roman Testudo WIP (2) - trial assembly

Having managed to cut enough Call-To-Arms romans in half for the legs to go with my testudo I tried a trial assembly on a base to see how it looked...

from side, looking good ....

 the back view, some work needed to make it look more realistic, suitable arms for the rear rank at least

Roman Testudo - work in progress

I've started work on my testudo.   The scheme is going to be very basic, enough to represent one on the gaming table. For an idea of what I was aiming for I printed off the image of the Warlord Games 28mm testudo.

• The front and side shields are fixed to a card frame, as are those for the top.
• The men in the testudo are represented by heads visible in between the top and sides, with legs fixed underneath. The back 4 men will be full figures, holding up the rear top shields.
• When all is painted up, the shields will have their designs stuck on.

The components for my model, coming together slowly .....

Roman catapult and crew completed

The catapult and crew now finished, ready for action ...

Next project in the works is making a testudo using Call-To-Arms romans, already have the figures - currently working out how to convert them etc...

Roman catapult crew (WIP) ....

Dug out my stock of Timpo Toyway romans and selected some suitable ones for the crew. Made a appropriate alterations - removed shields, altered head positions and changed a couple of the standing figures arms. The crouching legionary, has had a new torso fitted and some green stuff work. Officer unchanged ...

A catapult for the romans .....

I managed to get a reasonably priced Britains medieval catapult on Ebay; its suitable for use with my Romans

a little work to do on it and also some crew to be sorted out and painted (I have some Toyway romans to utilise )

Playing with forts (4) .... stone roman fort and ditch

I thought it would be useful to be able to represent the roman fort/town with stone wall having a ditch as well. I made a simple causeway pice and also a ramp to bring a road up to the right level.

The rear of the roman wall, a bit bare inside the fort - I can use some basic buildings I have to fill in for roof age (I may make a couple of small barrack buildings)

 the ditch is represented by the gap between a straight table riser section and hill sections; the small causeway is made from cardboard and stone effect paper.

 the ramp made using same materials as the causeway piece and gets the road up to the right level...

Thats all for now on forts :)

Playing with forts (2) ... Roman Style Wooden fort

Dressed up a straight ditch configuration for the romans with the wooden palisade sections; looks reasonable..

From the inside.....

The ditch, with a new causeway piece ... (yep those backdrops are too low - OK for general gaming though)

 a look down the table, perhaps what a gaul may see if looking at it having climbed up a small tree....

Still working on a more curvy look to provide something for the Gauls.

Roman Civilians (the market etc)..

The roman civilians are now all painted up and ready for use in story lines etc. Shown below with improvised backdrop buildings (not roman in style but close enough).

The market stalls set up ....

The seated figures with an attendant (one of the market stall holders)

I'll have the larks tongues and my wife will have the snails..

forever wading ....

roman patrol cross a small river...

Roman civilians and market stalls - WIP

Nearly finished the two wading roman infantry; have delved into my rather small hill of lead to get at my roman civilians and market stalls. These have been primed and I've started work on them ....

Roman auxiliaries wading - WIP

Made up a couple of trial figures for some wading roman auxiliaries (used up all my spare bits for them). One leaning forward and the other off balance ....

I'll do a bit of green stuff work on them and then see how they paint up.

The Roman Army ...

the roman army assembled on the table ..... nice to see it all together ....