I designed these 100 point forces for quickness. 1 or 2, or A & B from the same side can fight each other.
French Franks.
Knight General on Barded horse =11
Knights on Barded horses 4x6p =24
Cavalry 6x4p =24
Snail Dragon =20
Great Beast Ogres 3x5 =15
Skirmishers 2x3 =6
15 bases @ 100
French Franks. 2
Pike General in Heavy Armour =11
Pike 12x 4p =48
Upgrade Pike to Elite 12x2 =24
Artillery 2x5 =10
2 Frog Beasts 4 =8
16 bases @ 101
French Franks. A
Knight General on Barded horse =11
Knights on Barded horses 4x6p =24
Pike 6x 4p =24
Upgrade Pike to Elite 6x2 =12
Cavalry 3x4p =12
Skirmishers 3x3 =9
2 Frog Beasts 4 =8
18 bases @ 100
French Franks. B
Pike General in Heavy Armour =11
Pike 6x 4p =24
Upgrade Pike to Elite 6x2 =12
Cavalry 2x4p =8
Great Beast Ogres 3x5 =15
Snail Dragon =20
Artillery 2x5 =10
14 bases @ 100
Italian 1 17 bases 101
Borgia Heroic General on Barded Horse 21
Pike 8x 4p 32
Knights on Barded horse 7x6p 42
Skirmishers/light cavalry 2x3 6
Italian 2 20 bases 101
Pike General in Heavy Armour =11
Pike 10x 4p 40
Leonardo as Light Mounted Mage 13
2 turtle cars 8 =16
Light cavalry 3x3p 9
Skirmishers 4x3 12
Italian 3 19 Bases @ 98
General on Barded Horse 11
Knights on Barded horse 2x6p 12
Light cavalry/skirmishers 3x3p 9
Pike 10x 4p 40
Artillery 2x5 10
2 turtle cars 8 =16
Italian A 19 bases 102
Borgia Heroic General on Barded Horse 20
Knights on Barded horse 8x6p 48
Light cavalry 6x3p 18
Skirmishers 5x3 12
Italian B 18 bases 100
Pike General in Heavy Armour =11
Pike 8x 4p 32
Leonardo as Light Mounted Mage 13
Turtle cars 4x 8 =32
Skirmishers/light cavalry 4x3 12
Italian C 19 Bases @ 100
General on Barded Horse 10
Knights on Barded horse 2x6p 12
Pike 13x 4p 52
Artillery 2x5 10
2 turtle cars 8 =16
The prep work!
So - new ideas, new techniques, lets see what I can do with this lot!Day1 Sorting.
For those interested-. I used a whole tube of Hard as Nails, that's £1. If I'd used my cover base then add figures, rather than initially spot- I'd have used about another 1/4 of a tube so pushing the bill up to £1.25!
One and a bit tubes of cheap superglue. About 35p.
Black liquidex Gesso. This goes on so smooth! Using it for the base and grey drybrush I used up another 50p!
Use This Product! Liquitex 5320251 Professional Black Gesso Surface Prep Medium, 237 ml
Wash used half a bottle of Daler & Rowney burnt umber. £3.05
Day 2 Getting everything based.
Day 3.5 Used up all the hard as nails. Primed black, drybrushed grey then ink wash burnt umber. Finally a wash over the bases.
Leonardo base standing out nicely.
Hard as nails, thin scrape then wash. Good base.
Day 4 Today I've mostly been painting green and brown.
Day 5. Dassit! Time to pack up! Tried to pick out Generals, mages and specials. Finished off brown-.
On the Day! I did get a small number of specials dabbed with flesh. I artilleryman and 1 knight casualty for superglue first aid.
All Italians.French.
I bough some more bits, big hedges to make woods - they don't fall over and get in the way.
Bit of rough and a larger field.
I'd bought this tower from e bay or etsy. Does a job of any BUA.
Game 1 I had the French and Easton the Italians.
For such small figures it used up a lot of room!
I got defend and I chose "arable" as the most suitable. 3 hills and the compulsory BUA (or 2 fields) Gone is the old "if in deployment area etc". I lost 1 hill as it didn't fit.
Ah the Dragon. 20% of my force and needed 6 pips to bring on. I rolled one 6 in all 3 games--.
In the first turn light cavalry get a 0 point move. 'ees threatening my knights! Turtle cars block any advance by my skirmishers to the hill. The measure shows range.
My knights present front to the light cavalry. Cavalry get disrupted by artillery and the great beasts lumber.
Knights charge and "see orf" my skirmishers.
Looks like a battle-.
2 run off the board.
Pike line up-- artillery moves. Yes, we kept saying it.
Dammit, giant beast clobbered by artillery.
I rolled low pikes move in.
Skirmishers soak up a lot of artillery.Push and shove.
Cavalry gone.
I don't think this is right. One great beast routed by car, the other by artillery. Still, no harm done.
My losses grow. Artillery is Queen.
I forgot that half units - but, I lost!Game 2 Easton has fallen in love with the first Italian selection and used it throughout. Didn't have the heart--.
Defending again, got 3 low hills. I was planning on making proper hills from these, using cardboard & packing from our move. On reflection I rather like this modular approach and may paint & flock each side.
The brute uses his free move then another to attack my artillery! I roll crap - he rolls well and surrounds & slaughters!!!
Another 1 - my frogs are hopping mad!
Pike pushed back by artillery and cars. Guns to the left o them, guns to the right!
A frog 'n a pike croak it. Pesky fellows yer light cavalry.
With pike it's a numbers game. Being elite made no difference but 6 more would have made the difference. Easier to keep a row back to help fingers--.
At last a half decent roll!
Les sarnie d'froggie! Mange toot!Look a 6! They Do exist!
So with that happy event I'm at half strength so broken.
Game 3 French Me & Tony, Italian Easton and Matt.
Defending again! I went for a city BUA (Placed more or less correctly by accident) a rugged hill and a wood. Look, I'd brought & bought and was going to get some use out of them!
Matt adapted this list, so all 4 turtle cars! Heavy Metal Thunder!
Italian B 18 bases 100
Pike General in Heavy Armour =11
Pike 8x 4p 32
Leonardo as Light Mounted Mage 13
Turtle cars 4x 8 =32
Skirmishers/light cavalry 4x3 12
That's 200 a side filling the table.
Tony can roll a 6! I made a stupid error, cavalry too close to the great beasts---.
His light cavalry hits my flank. I got one skirmisher into the city and another was sent fleeing by artillery.
Leonardo starts a duel with my artillery. I get him in the end!
A one. Took the opportunity to move the cavalry back, but not far enough.
Frogs look to plug the gap and reserve pike shuffle up.
Artillery effect.
Cavalry flee from frogs, frog gets artilleried. My bad, only 1 base in a city allowed.
Infernal machines controversy 1. They cannot go into contact.
Cavalry caught by pikes. Got to look at the table size - not the most cavalry heavy armies but feels cramped. And this is 200 points, not 300.
Pike general comes under mass shooting and sucks it up. Infernal machine & dragon controversy. These are side by side, so cannot shoot each other.
Dragon note. Yes I bought the big snail dragon, put it in its box in a crate to keep safe-. I'll find it when I move!
Attack on the city, defenders seen orf.
Dragon on rear of pike. Despite all the pluses, only a push back, so getting them to go in the direction they want to go.
My force is broken, having taken half losses. The pikes are in combat so stay (at -1) I roll a massive , so save the pike block next to them, rest flee.
Quick overview. Matt and I had played DBA & Hordes. Tony had played both years ago-. Easton had never played but has tried some of its, um, succesors.
There's a couple of bits needing clarification. An infernal machine, I could have made the turtle cars behemoths, but the IM classification seems tailor made-.
Magic, I may have got it completely wrong - so next time I'll emphasise the 2 types and give 'em a good go.
Remember, we are using a playtest version NOT the final polished product! Now to reread and seek clarification.
Matt Hay had this copy of the original that seems to have been "decanonised".
A couple of the army lists:
