The models have been painted with metal colour and then faces painted with dwarf flesh then a face wash applied.  The bases coloured with codex grey and dark brown.  Next a dark tone strong wash applied to the base.  Spear shafts painted black.  

They were quite tricky to put together but hopefully will be worth it.

Mike, Alex, Phil and Darryl played some SHORTER Christmas games.  First up was Nations the dice game.  Mike won but it was actually closer than expected with Darryl just behind and Phil just behind him.  After all that it came down to just one VP.  

Next up was a few rounds of Deception.  Again Mike proved the only murderer to get away through clever unexpected use of Hotel cutlery.

Finally we played a couple of games of Lord of the Rings journey to Mordor the dice game.  Phil won the advanced game with just one half of a Nazgul free Mordor box remaining.  

Lots of fun and Happy Christmas to all.

Completed the Medieval Knights project.  Quite pleased with how they turned out so might get two more another time.

Making progress with Knights and starting a new project.

Mike, Michael and Phil refought our what if version of the famous Battle.  It is 363 AD and Julian and the Romans have crossed the Tigris and are attacking the forces arrayed before Ctesiphon.  However in our version the Persians have support from the advance cavalry guard of the Royal Army.

 

The Romans arrayed for battle.

The Persians.

The Field of Battle. Tigris at far side, woods and villages near side.

Persians deploy behind the high ground.

Romans too with infantry in centre.

The Roman veterans.

The slingers advance into the rough ground as the Light Horse close.

The Left Flank cavalry see a threat forming in the centre, turn to face and then spend the rest of the game failing to move at all towards it.

Did someone say advance?

As the lines close.

The Elephants in the centre smash into the Roman lines .

Still a battle going on?

Treachery. We played until near the end of the Persian deck and found the last few cards that had not been used contained all the Aces! Who shuffled, Michael!?

The Roman infantry near the woods prove hard to defeat but even harder to rally!

Things are opening up in the centre and on the Roman right. Julian himself is moving through to the Persian centre.

The Roman cataphracts on the far right have failed. They failed to defeat the Peasant Levy twice! They got roughed up by Elephants and smashed by the Persian Cataphract Guard Unit. Disastrous.

The Elephants clear a way forward.

Maybe we should turn those reseve cavalry back round now!?

Cataphracts charge Auxilia and will be pushed back!

Nothing can stop these Elephants!

Roman cavalry Guard led by Julian put up a good fight!

The Persian cataphracts clear away the opposition but then become disordered in the confusion (Ace drawn).

The Romans have cleared away the foolhardy Sassanid cavalry who had smashed through the centre to face the reserve unit of archers and cavalry.

The weakened Roman Right Flank.

The view from the left flank. One unit of Auxilia has been lured into the woods and proved unable to ever (difficult) move again. Another unit has finally been destroyed by cataphracts who now face the light horse and the reserve cavalry units on the left.

The Roman centre is pushing forwards as are the right infantry units. However the Persian units on their far left with the Elephants are making progress.

Having driven away the cavalry and archers towards the Persian baseline the heroic roman infantry turn to threaten the flanks of the Peasant Levy and the Elephants who have advanced in support of the Cataphracts. Note the Persian Guard catapract unit having fallen into disorder fell prey to the javelins of the Elite Lanciarri. So the general has had to relocate to the now outflanked Persian infantry Levy Unit!

Some light horse threaten the Auxilias flank as they attempt to hold the left flank whilst the centre advances.

The other Auxilia are trapped in the safety of the woods and refuse to budge.

The slingers still hold the rough ground. Too much happening around them!

 

As night falls the position perhaps is looking a little better for the Romans after rescuing the situation on the right flank.  However the elephants remain undaunted and the VP total of 12 vs 8 counts against them.  So a narrow victory is awarded to the Persians.  They have stalled the Roman advance and will retire now to the City Walls.  For Julian with the Persian Royal army rapidly advancing and no siege equipment of his own to match the high walls he will now have to retire away from the City  in search of his Armenian re-enforcements.

Still slowly working Knights.

Preparations are in place now for the Battle of Ctesiphon in 363 AD.  Julian the sole Emperor of All Rome has prepared retribution for the Persians for years and has now reached sight of the walls of Ctesiphon.  However his cousin has failed to arrive with the expected reinforcements from Armenia.

Facing him is the Army defending the capital deployed for battle ready across the Tigris led by the Spahbod Merena.  Clearly a strong force has been left behind by Shapur II the King of Persia to defend his capital.  Elephants with Howdah’s and fearsome Cataphracts  cause the ground to tremble as they advance, supported by large amounts of the dreaded Persian Cavalrymen in full armour on half-barded horses.  Behind them the Citizen Levy arrayed en-masse with sundry archers add considerable numbers to the force.  Whilst all around clouds of dust and stinging arrows create confusion caused by hordes of light cavalrymen.  All this strikes fear into the hot,  hungry and thirsty Romans who have already fought a long campaign to get thus far only to be daunted by the sight of the high walls and strong defensive position of Ctesiphon.

Julian, fearless as ever realising he needs to seize the moment forces his Romans across the Tigris and gives battle aiming to strike before the King of Persia can arrive with even more  reinforcements.

The Battle is to be fought in 15mm using two strong 270 point armies using the To the Strongest Rules.  Both armies are equally strong.   Julian has the pride of the Imperial army with him including a unit of veteran legionaries.  The Spahbod has clearly received some advance reinforcements from the Royal Army in the form of strong cavalry units for our refight

The Roman Forces

Senior General: Emperor Flavius Claudianus Julianus	General, attached, mounted, Great Leader
Equites Alares Scholae	Cavalry, Javelin, veteran
Equites Alares Scholae	Cavalry, Javelin, veteran
General	General, detached, mounted
Legionarii Palatina	Legionaries, extra bow, shock, veteran
Legionarii	Legionaries, extra bow, shock
Lanciarii	Light infantry, javelin, veteran
Legio Sagittarri	Bowmen, veteran
Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores	Light Infantry archers or slingers
Artillery Ballistarii
Camp
General	General, detached, mounted
Legionarii	Legionaries, extra bow, shock
Legionarii	Legionaries, extra bow, shock
Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores	Light Infantry archers or slingers
Lanciarii	Light infantry, javelin, veteran
Auxiliarii Palatina	Auxiliaries, veteran, extra bow
General	General, detached, mounted
Legionarii	Legionaries, extra bow, shock
Auxiliarii Palatina	Auxiliaries, veteran, extra bow
Auxiliarii Palatina	Auxiliaries, veteran, extra bow
Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores	Light Infantry archers or slingers
Auxiliarii Sagittarii or Funditores	Light Infantry archers or slingers
General	General, detached, mounted
Equites Clibanarri	Cataphracts, Lance, veteran
Equites Clibanarri	Cataphracts, Lance, veteran
Equites	Cavalry, Javelin
Equites Illyricani, Dalmatae or Scutarii	Light Cavalry, Javelin
Equites Sagittarii	Light Cavalry, Bow
General, Prefect of Cavalry	General, attached, mounted, heroic
Equites Contarii	Veteran Cavalry Lance
Equites	Cavalry, Javelin
Equites Illyricani, Dalmatae or Scutarii	Light Cavalry, Javelin
Equites Sagittarii	Light Cavalry, Bow

The Persian Forces

Spahbod Merena	General, Mounted, Attached, Senior
Zhayedan Guard	Cataphracts, veteran
Indian War Elephants	Escorted veteran
Kamandaran	Bowmen
Paighan	Shieldwall, raw, deep, extra bow
Light Infantry Archers	Light Infantry Bow
Camp
General, Papak	General, Mounted, Attached, Heroic
Savaran Guard	Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran
Indian War Elephants	Escorted veteran
Kamandaran	Bowmen
Paighan	Shieldwall, raw, deep, extra bow
Paighan	Shieldwall, raw, deep, extra bow
Light Infantry Archers	Light Infantry Bow
Sassanid Cavalry
General, Peroz, Chief of Cavalry	General, Mounted, Attached, Heroic
Pushtigaban	Cataphracts, lance
Pushtigaban	Cataphracts, lance
Pushtigaban	Cataphracts, lance
Savaran Guard	Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran
Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow
Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow
Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow
Hunnic Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow, veteran
Hunnic Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow, veteran
General Friyek	General, Mounted, Attached, Heroic
Savaran Guard	Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran
Savaran Guard	Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran
Savaran Guard	Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran
Savaran Guard	Cavalry, Lance extra bow, veteran
Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow
Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow
Horse Archers	Light Cavalry, Bow