Ptomelaic vs. Thessalians

Ryan is testing out several armies to help him decide on his first army purchase.  He wants a cavalry heavy force supported by heavy foot (Spears or Blades).  We used elements from other armies to pit the Later Thessalians (II/5d) against the Ptolemaic (II/20c) army.  This was also the first time I had played the recently painted Blades in my Morph Collection.

The Thessalians went on the defense, and Ryan placed a minimum amount of terrain.

Initial Deployment

I used the road to move my Pikes up faster, deploying them into double rows in Turn 2.  In Turn 3, my Light Horse faced off against two Cavalry.

 I lost the fight, and the Thessalians scored an early kill.  After this fight, his cavalry advanced and engaged my General Knight.  I recoiled, luckily, and then moved backward out of his ZOC, shifting my other Knight over to support.  Instead of pressing the attack, Ryan moved his Cavalry back to support the main line.

Lines prepare to Clash

One Cavalry element flanked the Pike as the battle lines engaged.  The lead Pike was destroyed, but the rest of the fights went in the favor of the Ptolemaic army in general.  The Elephant destroyed a spear (QK) as did a Blade element.

Main Battle - first Bout

 I rolled low PIPs, but I was able to close on both Cavalry with my Knights in the next turn, and move most of the main line back into contact, providing several overlaps.  The first mounted battle resulted in a Thessalian Cav recoil, but my General destroyed his opponent.  The supported Pikes also destroyed a Spear element, ending the game.

Final Losses:  Thessalians 4 (Cv, 3-Sp) & Ptolemaic 2 (LH, Pk)

We plan to mock up a T'ang Dynasty army, Mings, and Trojans in the near future for more testing.  Meanwhile, I have started work on my DBN elements again.  It will be a few months before I finish up enough Austrians and French for a game, but I am looking forward to it.

Morph Gallery II

Finishing up my posts on the Macedonian Morph Army collection, here are shots of more elements:

Scythed Chariots

In it debut battle, the Seleucid Scythed Chariot hasn't made an impact, other than worrying my opponent for a few moments.  I may repaint one of the chariots for a Persian army eventually. I have the beginnings of a Persian force in the wait queue until the DBA 3.0 lists emerge.

Warbands

These left over Galatians allowed me to field Warbands for the Morph army.

Auxilia

The Auxilia elements are a mix of figures painted in the summer and in my recent effort to finish the project.  Here is a sample of my auxilia.

Illyrians

Eastern Peltasts

Tarentines

Agranians & Tarentines

More Phalangites

I painted two elements as Leukaspides (White Shields) for the Antigonid Macedonian Phalanx.

Originally, I bought these Hypaspists with plans to mount them as Auxilia, since there is some evidence that Alexander's guard fought in this style early in his wars.  However, I ended up mounting them as Pikes based on additional reading and feedback from the DBA Yahoo Group.

This army collection should keep me busy playing for years.  The numerous armies that can be deployed will provide a lot of diversity in fielding a Pike heavy army.  

My interest in DBA was piqued by the ability to play with only a 12 element army.  In little more than a year, I have painted up Spartans, Galatians, Kappadokians and 58 Macedonian elements.  Half of a Persian army is primed and ready for painting, and I have some Greek Hoplites in the lead pile....I also plan on fielding a Polybian Roman army at some point.  I have passed the 12 element milestone multiple times already!

Morph Gallery I

I have taken some photos of the Macedonian/Successor Morph collection, particularly the newly painted elements. I posted pics of the initial element set back in the summer.   Let's start with a shot of the entire collection.

Macedonian/Successor Morph Army

For the Psiloi, I used Greek and Scythian Slingers.  In hindsight, I wished I had mixed in some javelin and archers, but this troop of 12 Psiloi will serve my needs for several armies.

I experimented with different washes on the Psiloi, as explained in an earlier post.

I have two elephant types.  For the first type, one of the head armor was missing a piece, so I puttied in the gap.  I used "green stuff" and super glue to assemble the elements, along with some use of modeling putty to fill in small seams.  I used Seleucid shield designs on one and a classic Macedonian star on the other.

Here are the other two Elephants.  For all of the recently painted elements, I used a Games Workshop wash.  It worked out great on the Elephant skin.  I did notice that it softened my acrylic paints, which are not GW brand.  There might have been a chemical difference. I have read about similar problems with mixing brands in scale model magazines.  Any pressure on the paint would smear it off until it dried.

 For the first batch of elements, I used paint colors expected for the Alexandrian armies - lots of purples.  For this batch, I used a Seleucid theme, incorporating more yellows, reds, and beiges into the color scheme.  The historical reference material for these armies is rather scarce, which can be a bit of a challenge in some ways.  For the mounted troops, I used a mixture of figures for the command stand.  The Seleucids include my first camel element - a fun change of pace.

Four Pike elements, comprised of Essex miniatures, were painted with the Seleucid color scheme.  I used shield decals for the designs. The figures had a mix of shield types, and the convex shield without the rim was a challenge in terms of the decal.  I ended up cutting small lines around the decal to help them lay down.

I also learned that Micro-Sol, used to apply decals on plastic models, results in the paint softening too much. I ended up creating one rippled area in the shield paint when using my hobby knife to position the decal.

 Another fun set of elements - imitation legionnaires (Bd) for the Ptolemaic and Seleucid lists.  I used artistic license on the shield designs.

I will finish tonight's post with a shot of the Greek allies (Sp) with hand painted shield designs.  They need to move out of the way of the artillery....

Morph Matrix

I essentially completed my Macedonian Morph Collection today, applying the last shield decals.  Once the weather warms, I will seal the final batch of figures  and deem the project 99 percent complete.  I need a Warwagon (Tower) to finish this project to 100 percent, but I am not in a rush to do so.

Coin of Demetrios I
Source: Wikimedia Commons

I started playing DBA after the 2.2 rules were out of print, but I stumbled about the Fanaticus site and WADBAG guide, prompting me to join the Yahoo Group.  Several Fanaticus links mentioned the concept of a Morph collection as a way to expand the play value of an army.  Using the draft DBA 3.0 lists, I have been working on the elements for the last nine months or so.

My goal was to field two Successor/Hellenistic armies, considering that many of their enemies were other Successor states.

My Inventory

When I first planned out the Morph army, I intended to include Hellenistic Greek armies in the mix.  I have since changed my mind given the differences in army composition and uniform design.  With any Morph collection, you must make some compromises in terms of the accuracy and uniqueness of the painting and shield designs.  However, I decided halfway through the project to limit the scope to the various Successor armies.  I also realized that the way in which I planned the original purchases (and painting) was too coarse.  I essentially identified the maximum elements for each type and doubled the amount.  As a result, I have some overages in a few areas.  I also bought additional Pikes in order to model the Hypaspists, knowing the figures would take me over the total needed for two armies.

Element Count - 58
Knights & Cavalry - 7
Light Horse - 2
Elephant - 4
Camelry - 1
Scythed Chariot - 2
Pike - 14
Psiloi - 12
Auxilia - 10
Warband - 2
Blade - 2
Spear - 2

As DBA 3.0 changed, the draft lists have become unreliable, so I have fallen back on the 2.2 lists until 3.0 is published.  Hopefully, the army lists will not differ too much.

Opponent Matrix

In order to assess my inventory, I built an opponent matrix to map out the fights between the armies.  I found this format to be an easy way to visualize the match-ups.  Note the Civil War fights between Seleucid (19b & 19d) and Ptolemaic (20d) armies.

Successor Opponent Matrix

DBA 2.2

ARMY

16a

16b

16c

16d

17

18a

18b

18c

18d

18e

19a

19b

19c

19d

20a

20b

20c

20d

27a

27b

16a

16b

16c

16d

17

18a

18b

18c

18d

18e

19a

19b

19c

19d

20a

20b

20c

20d

27a

27b

I can also field the Alexandrian lists with this collection.

Matchup Analysis

I also created an spreadsheet listing the element totals for each match-up and compared the results.  There are 30 historical match-ups between the armies. With my current elements, I can field all options for 17 of the battles.  If the players accept limitations on some options, I can fight 28 of the battles. 

Overages

I ended up with MANY extra Psiloi slingers (6), but I will put them to good use in other armies.  I think one of the Hellenistic Greek armies contained a lot of Psiloi elements, and I painted this batch before changing my mind.  I also have extras in the following areas: 2 Pike, 2 Auxilia, 1 Cavalry, 1 Artillery, and 1 Elephant.  One of the Cavalry elements is a Thessalian force, so I plan to match it and a Psiloi piece up with my Early Spartan army, letting me field a Late Spartan force, too.

Gaps

War Wagon (Tower)

The Demetrios army list (Asiatic Early Successor II/16b) has a Warwagon (Tower) as an option.  I can field sufficient elements for a Demetrios army without it, but I would like to complete this unique element eventually.  I think scratchbuilding will be required. 

Spears

I have painted up two Spear elements for the set.  Five match-ups require more Spears than this, but only one fight (Demetrios vs. Pyrrhic (27a)) is impossible since I have other options.

Warband

To fight the Ptolemaic civil war match-up (20d vs. 20d), I need four more Warbands.  I would borrow elements from my Galatian army in a pinch...

Blades

Three later lists include imitation Legionnaires.  I painted up two stands, using Essex "Assorted Hoplites with Pilum" figures.  Two match-ups require more than this (Ptolemaic vs. Seleucid and Ptolemaic Civil War).

DBM, FOG, or DBMM?

Given the collection size, I'm tempted to see if I possess enough figures for games requiring larger forces.  Of course, I might end up painting more if I check this out, and I have other projects underway. Frankly, I need a break from painting Macedonians at this point.

Photos Coming Soon

I will post photos of the collection in the near future.