Later Achaemenid Persians (II/7)

I have finished a DBA Later Persian army in time for a final game day with Jeff before he returns to the States.  We are meeting today, and we should have six players in total.  It will be the first time in awhile that I haven't used a Macedonian army.

Later Persian Army (II/7)

I tried a few new techniques and materials for this army.  Jeff uses wood filler for his bases instead of the glue and sand method that I have been using.  I gave that a shot, and I do like the results.  I also used Gale Force 9 static grass for the ground cover.   My painting approach remains the same - basic block painting with a wash for shading purposes.  I didn't get the wash on as well as I would have liked in some areas.

Darius - LCh General and Scythed Chariot

Two Cavalry and two Light Horse

Two Psiloi and Extra Bow

Kardakes Spear

The Later Persian list includes two Light Chariots, two Cavalry, two Light Horse, two Psiloi, and the option of either Spear or Auxilia for the remaining elements.  I had leftover archers, so I created a Bow stand as well.  I'll use it later for an Early Persian list, which is chock full of Bows.

Two of four Auxilia

Phoenician Marines (Spear)

1/72 Ruled Out

I had the chance to see several 1/72 figure sets and vehicles today, ruling the scale out for Bolt Action. Although I suspect Plastic Soldier Co figures are better quality than the brands seen, the size and details of 28mm figures are a more appealing contrast to 15mm figures that I model in other eras.  Plus, 28mm figures will increase the chances of gaming with others in these rules. Those factors are more important than cost in the case of this platoon-scale game.

Drop Zone Games

I am in Maryland for work, so I had the chance to visit Drop Zone Games in Glen Burnie today. The store carries Warlord Games Bolt Action figures, so I had a chance to see the figs in person. The sculpts are very nice, and seeing the figures increases my interest in 28mm over 20mm, despite the cost difference.

I believe Laurel, MD has a model store that carries 20mm figures. I will check it out later this week.

1/72 Bolt Action?

I'm toying with the idea of playing Bolt Action in 1/72 scale, instead of the recommended 28mm scale.  I may end up buying test figures in both scales as a comparison.

28mm Pros

• If I ever play at conventions or tournaments, this will be the standard size.
• Larger figures will be a nice change from 15mm.
• Larger scale is visually appealing.

1/72 (20mm) Pros

• Significantly less expensive than 28mm.
• Figures have less of a heroic figure.
• Will look better, visually, on my smaller table here in Korea.
• May be able to use for Blitzkrieg Commander or other WW II rulesets, too.

In an earlier post, I laid out the cost differences for various 28mm armies.  A 1000 point German Wehrmacht veteran force consisting of three squads, two support units, a Hanomag halftrack, and a Panzer IV would run $82.  Downgrading the infantry to regular training would allow be to throw in a second Hanomag, costing $104, and keeping the force around 1000 points.

Going with the Plastic Soldier Company's 1/72 figures, I could purchase one infantry box, one heavy weapons box, three Hanomags, and three Panzer IVs for $70.  This set would allow me to easily field the same 1000 point force.  In fact, I could field two full platoons with three halftracks and two tanks, as listed below, with figures remaining.

Wehrmacht German Force (Regular Rating)
1st Platoon (Motorized)			2nd Platoon
	1st Lt			1st Lt
	Medic			Medic
	Forward Observer			Forward Observer
Three Infantry Squads			Three Infantry Squads
each with	NCO w/SMG		each with	NCO w/SMG
	Soldier with SMG			4 Riflemen
	3 Riflemen			LMG Team
	2 Panzer Faust
	LMG Team
Weapons Squad			Weapons Squad
	MMG Team			MMG Team
	120mm Mortar			80mm Mortar
	Panzerschreck			Panzerschreck
Transport			Transport
	3 Hanomag			None
Armor			Armor
	Panzer IV			Panzer IV
Total Points Value				1964

Armor Platoon Comparisons

Warlord Games recently provided a new rule for Bolt Action on their website, allowing you to fight with Armoured Platoons.  The basic platoon is three tanks.  For any infantry or weapons support, you must provide transports for all elements.  The rule supplement can be found at the following link:

http://www.warlordgames.com/32598/bolt-action-armoured-platoon-selectors/

Let's compare a 28mm and 1/72 platoon, assuming I purchased the basic infantry platoon in 28mm (described in earlier post) and added more vehicles and elements.

Panzer Platoon		Points
Armoured Platoon
Command Tank	Panzer IV	260
	Panzer IV	235
	Panzer IV	235
One Infantry Squad		106
	NCO w/SMG
	Soldier with SMG
	3 Riflemen
	2 Panzer Faust
	LMG Team
Weapons Squad		195
	MMG Team
	120mm Mortar
	Panzerschreck
Transport
	2 Hanomag	168
Total Points Value		1199
1/72 Total Cost		$70
28mm Total Cost		$212

I have some more thinking to do.  I'm almost finished with my DBA Later Persian army basing, and I am tackling a terrain project afterward.  I'll probably purchase my first batch of WW II figures in the summer, starting with samples in both scales.

DBA Game Day

Our DBA group played a few games last weekend.  The following armies battled:

• Seleucid (Jeff)
• New Kingdom Egyptians (Rob)
• Ptolemaic (II/20d) (me)
• Kappadokian and Arab Conquest (Ryan)

Ryan and I played first. He used the Kappadokians for his first two matches, playing Arab Conquest once against Jeff's newly painted Seleucids.  Ryan had a pretty good winning streak, but he lost all his games today.  He ended up playing the attacker all three times when defense would have suited his force more.  

Ptolemaic vs. Kappadokian

I didn't take too many photos this time, but I did manage a shot of the final fight of our first match.  The Kappadokians had no rough to use to their advantage, and the battle turned into a slugging match.

Elephants force Kappadokian General to Recoil with no room

 My Ptolemaic force is littoral, but I ended up with the water to my back on two occasions.  My bout with the New Kingdom Egyptians featured two amphibious landings, with two Egyptian elements going after my camp.  I finally killed them both, beating the Egyptians 5 to 1.

The fight against Seleucids was very intense, with fights on both flanks and a Scythed Chariot that refused to die for many turns.  Jeff showed his tactical skill again, winning 5 to 1. You can see more photos of the army on his blog: http://littlehordes.blogspot.kr

Final Fight - Seleucids vs Ptolemaic

Of the numerous Successor states, I must say that I like the way the Ptolemaic list plays.  The combination of four Pikes and two Blades, plus an Elephant and some mounted, works pretty well.

Final Tally:

Army	Wins	Losses
New Kingdom Egyptians	1	2
Ptolemaic	2	1
Kappadokian	0	2
Seleucids	3	0
Arab Conquest	0	1

Thessalians Vs. Aitolians

Looking for a historical match-up, Ryan and I tried out Thessalians vs. Aitolians (DBA Army II/5e) again.  The Later Hoplite Greek Aitolian army in DBA 2.2 is very light - seven Psilois, four Spear, and one Light Horse. The army defends in Hilly terrain, which would prove challenging for the Thessalian horse.  Unfortunately, the Aitolians ended up attacking, and Ryan placed minimum terrain...

The Aitolians deployed in two groups. One group of four Psiloi on the left flank, near or on a hill.  The main force was on the right.  Ryan swiftly engaged the main force with his Cavalry.  He quick killed a Psiloi and pushed back my Light Horse.  I later flanked and killed one Cavalry unit in this fight.

When he advanced other Cavalry, including his General, to the center, I pulled the left flank back on the hill and used my Spear to ZOC his mounted elements.

Although supported by Psiloi, the hoplites eventually lost to the mounted forces.

Final Result was Thessalians: 4 (defeated two Spear and two Psiloi) and Aitolians: 1 (defeated one Cav). Rough but fun game.  I didn't have many good choices in this match...

Seleucids Vs. Thessalians

Set-up - Seleucids defending

Ryan and I played a few games of DBA last weekend, having missed Jeff's gaming session.  I'm still trying to learn how to handle Seleucids.  Ryan mocked up Later Greek Thessalians, using his painted elements and substitutes from my Spartan and Macedonian armies.

Ryan advanced his cavalry forward early, while I tried to patiently move my line forward.  I supported the scythed chariot with my light horse and a psiloi, moving the light force on the right flank

Macedonian Knight on Left/Stand-in Thessalian Cav (Gen) on right

Ryan's calvary General advance managed to pull one Knight out of the line, in an attempt to push the mounted back and protect a psiloi from a quick kill.  The elements locked, and the other Thessalian cavalry still managed a kill on the Psiloi.

The Knight was eventually flanked and killed by other cavalry that advanced across the front.  Meanwhile, my main line was essentially squeezed out of play.

The Seleucid scythed chariot finally managed a kill - a spear element - after five or six games.  The light house provided an overlap, helping with the odds. A turn later, the light horse hooked behind the spear.  Unfortunately, I learned an important lesson the hard way: never place your light horse in a position that could cause it to flee off the board.  It did.

Ryan continued to use his cavalry to good effect, but I was able to flank and kill one cavalry element with Pike.  Of course, this broke up my main effort even more. 

I was able to clean up the ranks and advance.  My Knight General pushed back a cavalry, and I was hoping to pin it against the Thessalian spear line.  I also resumed my forward march, hoping to get the Elephants into play against the horse

BUT, the Thessalian cavalry attacked my unprotected pike flank, ending the game.

This was a close game. Thessalians killed four elements, and Seleucids killed two.  I'm slowly getting the hang of this heavy army.  For a change, we matched up Ryan's Thessalians against Later Hoplite Aitolians for the second game.  More on that wacky game in a later posting.