Category: Carolingians

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1/72 scale figures 20/25/28mm figures anglo saxons basing Carolingians lance and longbow society life metal miniatures Mid 19th Century Wargaming natural world normans in the south wargame rules wargaming

That was 2020!

Well we are at the end of a year that will become notorious.

A year when humanity staggered from the blows of a simple virus. It is perhaps a reminder that nature always has the upper hand no matter how sophisticated our societies have become.

I guess there are plenty of historical parallels to this type of massive societal correction. Not in the same vein but I read recently about how the particularly bad 9th century weather or should I say mini climate change dealt the Carolingians numerous bad harvests damaging their always vunerable Empire. Except even if it were decisive, the roaring vikings is a much more exciting concept of Empire destruction.

Yet right now the Dark Ages have become just that – the Dark Ages as in a box with a lid on it! Right now it is the 19th Century that dominates Wargames in the mind of Norber the Wargaming Erratic.

Before we go and embark on another year there is just enough time to reflect on the fact that 2020 has proven to be rather a good year for my wargaming.

The year got going with a trip to Vapnartak, notable for the fact that it proved to be my one and only show of 2020.

Lithuanian Knights gather to charge the Teutons – figures by WillWarWeb I believe

Playing (LIVE) the Lance and Longbow Society game of Tannenberg 1410 made it all the more important as it turned out. It was my last face to face gaming of 2020.

I was into Carolingians at the time of Vapnartak.

The scary plastic soldier review horses of Carolingia!

so which soldiers marched across my painting table in 2020?

well in 2018 I had managed zero painting while in 2019 I painted and based 32 “normans in the south infantry” and 11 “normans in the south” archers.

in 2020 I managed

  • 12 Carolingians including the man himself – comprising the much maligned (by plastic soldier review) horses which actually give my bases some nice dynamics – in my humble view
  • 10 Anglo Norman archers
  • 24 Normans in the South (NITS – I can’t resist an abbreviation) Cavalry
  • 21 Ottonian foot which look very much like anglo danes or could pass for NITS foot soldiers
  • 43 Anglo Danes were my biggest effort
A fine array of some Anglo Saxons, Anglo Danes and Ottonians
  • I finished the year with 4 slavs posing as Picts in my “to be” great army of Danes, Scots, Northumbrians and Norsemen which would fight Athelstan again at Brunanburh

And then the proverbial wheels came off the Dark Ages cart.

Right now the painting table has plastic Union Infantry posing as Piedmont Line Infantry along with some venerable Warrior Miniatures French Dragoons posing as – well French Dragoons. And they are metal!!!

Piedmontese in frock coats – shame about the squished stove pipe hats

I must say I had a good year with basing – finally getting a look for my mediterranean NITS – ok Normans in the South project.

Vikings aka Ottonians aka Anglo Danes aka NITS – the beauty of dark ages

In fact I have decided it will work for pretty much everything dark ages.

On the gaming front I started solo gaming with an unexpected purchase. Neil Shuck had recommended War & Conquest shortly before jumping ship with another ancients ruleset.

One of the many offspring writers/thinkers that Games Workshop brought to our wargames world.
Sea peoples and desert tribes close in on Libyian bowmen

I gave it a go with my bronze age one hour wargame figures based using my hybrid impetus basing of 80mm x 60mm for 1/72 plastics. Ever awkward – probably just as well I don’t need to satisfy a live opponent. I rather liked the feel of the rules even though the play through was so limited.

And then with Covid19 lock down in full swing and some fine weather I had other distractions including lots of gardening .

I really like simple flowers with a few petals
The colours are just fantastic

INTERMISSION

Intermission even surprised me – that was not in the plan

INTERMISSION

And of course there is always some track laying to do……………..

Eventually the dark ages gaming started in late August with numerous shieldwall rule tests – I did really enjoy them all. The biggest surprise was playing gridded wargames using Mike Smith’s Table Top Battles.

My lst shieldwall battle took place in late October and many games and rulesets later was swiftly followed by a thoroughly enjoyable game of Dux Britanniarum by Too Fat Lardies.

My vintage Garrison Vikings got a run out.

I fleshed out some campaign plans as per the rules advice and then…………nothing. I was just starting some Pictish Warriors when I read the wrong article.

On the way the renaissance troll introduced me to Faux Napoleonics for fantasy – here is my own 1970’s era Faux Fantasy Orc veering towards napoleonics?

Next minute it is baggy pants Zoaves, Spikey helms and far too much rifling. OK so it is still rather pedestrian Piedmontese – these proto Italians are quite conservative chaps – very un Napoleonic.

Will they really look like Piedmontese or just Union men on the wrong continent?

And since then two battles have been fought – one with Practical Wargaming by Charles Wesencraft and the other using 19th Century Wargames by Neil Thomas.

Whats in the container? – rescued from a dim corner of the erratic’s tardis store………
Warrior Miniatures – yes they are metal and yes the brown paint was administered back around 1975!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats a long time on the paint table – 45 years ish. But probably not a record.

And so I wish you all a graceful end to the year 2020 and hope that 2021 brings you all that you hope for.

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Book Reviews Carolingians Military History

I like Maps

I like maps. They add to the richness of my historical reading. For my wargaming interests they have been essential.

I had cause to dig out this gem to show the interaction of the islamic world, carolingian and what was happening in england at that time.

There is something about the restricted colour palette used.

The style and publication is typical of its print date of 1961.

I picked this copy up in a charity bookshop and it is either an export that never made it to the USA or someone brought it back to the UK.

It is a book I often use despite having access to the colossal digital mapping online.

In a few dozen pages you can flick over one thousand years of history and still absorb what your seeing. A case of not too much information.

There you go – for some of us the feel of “parchment” is part of the reading process we cannot and do not want to surrender.

Thank you Penguin.

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1/72 scale figures 20/25/28mm figures anglo saxons Carolingians wargame rules wargaming

AMW Road Test: Shieldwall and Cavalry

The Frankish Army List in AMW comprises

Nobles (Heavy Cavalry, heavy armour, Elite) 3-6 units

Retainers (Light Cavalry (javelin), light armour, Average) 1-3 units

Spearmen (Dark Age Infantry, light armour, Average) 1-4 units

Archers (Light Infantry (bow), light armour, Levy) 0-2 units

Special Rules

Spearmen can be equipped with medium armour

Norman Nobles get one extra dice per base in first round of combat

Crossbowmen permitted 1000AD onwards

Retainers shown as light cavalry can be equipped as Heavy Cavalry.

I only used the medium spearmen not permitting the Norman Cavalry ferocity of charge benefit, nor crossbowmen or retainers becoming heavy cavalry

About the 1/72 plastic Figures

Although the shieldwall are trusty Strelets normans and anglo saxons the cavalry include both Norman and closest to the camera some Carolingians whose horses look more like their in the Grand National! however I do like the mixed poses Strelets boxed sets give you. The Earl Beorthelm though is a pair of Hat El Cid cavalry, one being given a new head and lance. Earl Toki is from Strelets very big Stamford Bridge Battle set which is great value.

Narrative Story

I decided to link the three battles with a narrative.

Having defeated the Kings men sent against him Earl Toki, a Dane by origin, continued his march through Wessex. So The King now sent Earl Beorthelm to deal with the annoying Rebel. By chance he had with him some horseman from Flanders, good Frankish Cavalry.

With just these men and a few spearmen and archers he rode to intercept Earl Toki.

Earl Beorthelm had the following force

5 units of Elite Nobles heavily armoured

1 unit of Average Retainers in light armour armed with javelins

1 unit of Average Spearmen in medium armour

1 unit of Levy Archers in light armour armed with bows

The two armies meet on a small plain and aligned their roughly equal frontages. Again the two leaders fought their adjacent neighbours. Earl Beorthelm led his horsemen in a swift charge against the Shield wall Rebels. In the process he left behind his Archers and Spearmen (his reserve) while his Retainers peeled away to take care of some archers on the rebel left wing

It became apparent that the spearmen left the horse slightly outnumbered on the Kings Right wing where the Retainers had already incurred casualities from some rather effective rebel archers

The right hand cavalry unit did not charge in for fear of being outflanked by the shield wall
The spearmen were a reserve yet just too far behind the action……….
The Retainers crash into the archers
but lose the fight due to archery losses then combat loses and finally morale collapsing – this double damage in AMW triggers rapid breakdown of the line. Visually unrealistic? maybe but good for a quick game
With the Kings men Retainers crumbling the spearmen begin to advance in that direction to bolster the remaining heavy cavalry who remain on that flank
meanwhile the Kings Nobles make little impact on the solid shieldwall
And the first Noble Cavalry decide to retire
Ominously the spearmen continue to march towards the empty Kings right wing while in the centre the shield wall breaks out to envelope the now static Kings horsemen
These Nobles soon retire
On the kings right flank the isolated Nobles are being overun by a unit of rebel spearmen and those very effective archers. In the centre the spearmen hesitate while the Earl Beorthelm struggles to keep his nobles in the fray. On the Earls left flank another noble cavalry unit retires
Having defeated the archers the right flank Noble Cavalry bravely fight the rebel spearmen
On the left flank the Kings archers belatedly inflict some casualities on the spermen opposite them. The right flank Kings spearmen attempt to retire in the face of overwhelming odds
Earl Beorthelm is swept away by his nobles as they decide this is not to be their day. Even now there is some small success as the Kings Archers defeat their opponents on Earl Beorthelms left flank
Earl Beorthelms spearmen are caught by the rebel spearmen who have had little to do
The remnants of Earl Beorthelms force continue to hold on
Quickly the Earl Beorthelm’s spearmen are worn down

However the last Noble cavalry on the Earl Beorthelm’s right flank fight on despite the defeat of the Kings spearmen that ends the battle. They had done well to almost defeat these spearmen although had they done so Earl Toki was on hand with men to spare.

Commentary on the Rules

These are one off games so do not remove the effect of bad or good dice throwing. The use of simple forces shows that for AMW a well set up shieldwall attacked by noble cavalry could win.

The piecemeal cavalry led attack resulted in local losses on the flanks which dictated the reserve would not support the centre.

You could say the rules demand that your forces – only 8 units need to work as a group as once isolated and outnumbered the relative strength of a unit becomes less important.

The archer units seem to have some power and at the very least dilute some unit strength which can make all the difference in subsequent combats.

The next battle is now fought with a different set of rules!

Earl Toki now puts his faith in Dux Bellorum by Daniel Mersey

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Carolingians

Carolingians complete

So I will complete my Carolingian cavalry with my Mediterranean style basing

I use gloss partly because it gives protection as these figures are to be handled and partly because at 3 feet away on a game table it lifts the colours

The budgie grit bases will get a 3 stage paint job and some tufted plants!So that’s it for these chaps, next up are some strelets normans

Despite a bad plastic soldier review which I follow avidly Charlie and his guard have a decent look about them
I am quite pleased with my light cavalry unit
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Carolingians

Carolingian cavalry started

So next up on the painting table are some Carolingian cavalry. Plastic soldier review (http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com) slated the horses but beggars can’t be choosers as they say. Carolingian cavalry are less loved than the infantry and even those have to be nicked off your Saxons somehow.

Here are my primer choices again persisting with PVA versus VJ grey primer on soap washed and scrubbed 1/72 strelets medium plastic.

These Carolingians will double up as Franks as well. I also painted a few Normans (on the left above) into the bargain, again Strelets 1/72, being from some of their original sets.

As you can see the VJ primer shows up the detail straight away which I like.

So first I cleaned the flash – not too bad and then matched the figures as per the photo on the box art, pinning and gluing the horsemen to the horses. After priming and white undercoating, I painted the horses with coat d’arms horse colours – looking good already – followed by blacking out the metallics.