A collaborative historical project - A discussion

[YellowStreak]

I've avoided posting as my long-term plans in Japan are still up in the air. My suggestion would have been WW1, but since it seems we're past that stage, Sengoku Jidai probably appeals to me the most, followed by Napoleanics and Dark Ages.
Given this is a potentially multi-year project though, feel free to disregard my vote!

[Mike the Pike]

<cough>TOD <cough>

As an aside, I have had my eye on GHQ models for some time.
Damn that bloody TOD and his 6mm Fetish!

The rules seem to be available free here...
http://www.ghqmodels.com/pdf/Game-WWII.pdf

This would be a cool way to do a large scale WW2 project. Kursk or Bagration, El Alamein or Normandy....

I know we voted against it but I wouldn't mind doing this as a seperate project as well.

Just saying....

[Mike the Pike]

Also, just about all the periods we are interested in can be done in 6mm via Baccus for very reasonable prices IMHO.
http://www.baccus6mm.com/catalogue/

Having painted and gamed with one French Army in 6mm recently I can say they are easy to paint (even for prim's eyes) and gives a grand scale that you just can't get in 28mm.

A Hail Caesar game with 2-3 Generals a side could beplayed ona 6x4 table or slightly bigger and represent a pretty huge battle.
Just saying...

[Primarch]

A Hail Caesar game with 2-3 Generals a side could beplayed ona 6x4 table or slightly bigger and represent a pretty huge battle.
Just saying...

So pitch a game then. Which armies, which battle? How much will it cost and why should people go for it over anything else?

[The Other Dave]

<cough>TOD <cough>

As an aside, I have had my eye on GHQ models for some time.
Damn that bloody TOD and his 6mm Fetish!

The rules seem to be available free here...
http://www.ghqmodels.com/pdf/Game-WWII.pdf

This would be a cool way to do a large scale WW2 project. Kursk or Bagration, El Alamein or Normandy....

I know we voted against it but I wouldn't mind doing this as a seperate project as well.

Just saying....

Heh. It is off-topic but yeah, as you know, I've been thinking about WWII in 6mm for a while. I'd probably lean towards throwing some money the Fat Lardies' way and tring Ain't Been Shot, Mum, since I kind of think that most games designed for 15mm would work as well, if not better, in 6. That or Blitzkrieg Comander, which is well-received and uses the tried and tested Warmaster model.

Talk to me about El Alamein in 6mm next time you see me.

But yes, pitch us a game!

[Mike the Pike]

Rather than the Punic wars I'm going to break the 'rules' AND stab TOD in the back by suggesting Caesar's Gallic Wars in 6mm.

While I know a little about the Punic Wars, for me, 'Romans' have always equalled Julius Caesar versus the Gauls and/or Britons. This is probably all Asterix's fault followed closely by the TV series 'Rome'.

So why should we go for the Gallic Wars?

1) It's a very colourful period. While there aren't any Elephants there are all sorts of infantry and cavalry units.

2) 51 pounds will buy you a generous starter army for either faction, especially for HC, which many of us already have, supposedly selected by Rick Priestly himself!

3) Plus all the good points from TOD's pitch (sorry mate )

[YellowStreak]

The Battle of Fulford
Part of the Viking Invasion of England
Wiki: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Fulford

Armies:
Vikings under Harald Hardrada
Vs.
Saxons under the Earls of Northumbria and Mercia

In Mid-September 1066 a large Viking army landed on the North East Coast of England and proceeded to advance on the city of York. The Anglo-saxon army left the city and engaged them at Fulford. While the Vikings had the advantage of numbers, they were not able to deploy their full strength during the battle, feeding troops into the combat as they arrived, so the forces were fairly evenly matched. Historians put the numbers at around 5000 Saxons and 6000 Vikings. The battlefield was open with a river on one side, a marsh on the other and some high ground in the Viking deployment area. The asymmetrical nature of the battle (Saxons begin with a greater force while the Vikings got a steady stream of reinforcements during the fight) should make it interesting.

Using a figure ratio of 1:25, we would need about 200 Saxons and 240 Vikings. In terms of units that's 10 Vs. 12 using 20 model units. Gripping Beast have readily available plastics for both of these armies, with 40+ minis for roughly 20GBP. The boxes also come with extra command figures, so you could get 2 units and a brigade commander for about 3000 yen at current exchange rates if you shop around. I'd recommend getting one box of Saxons/Vikings and one box of the generic Dark Age Warriors for a total of 1 unit of heavy infantry, 2 units of medium infantry and 1 unit of light infantry plus your brigade commander. The Dark Age Warriors set comes with options for skirmishers armed with javelins or slings. If you want archers, they are currently only available in metal. GB do a large range of Dark Age figures in metal as do Foundry and Crusader I believe, so you can add some variety to your force if you want to. I have seen some Warlord Celts being given a simple head and weapon swap and mixed in with Viking units for additional poses. 4ground do a range of Saxon style buildings (I already have a couple) which should help to populate the table.
Ring-tail stock GB minis and 4ground if you don't want to order from the UK.


Painting wise, Dark Age figures are fairly simple with none of the elaborate straps and harnesses of Napoleonics or tiny lacework of Samurai. Chainmail and plain tunics are the order of the day. Shields can be done in a variety of styles, so you can make them as simple or as complex as you like, or just use transfers if you want to spend a little extra cash.

Possible follow-ups would include the Battle of Stamford Bridge and the Battle of Hastings. Neither the Vikings nor the Saxons were particularly unified, so Blue-on-Blue style battles are fine as well. With sabot style basing, you could also use the force for Saga if you were so inclined.

To sum up, Fulford is a nice, compact battle to recreate. It shouldn't break the bank nor take years to achieve. There is potential for expanding the armies in the future and the forces involved are versatile enough to allow for other scenarios. Don't be a bunch of Raven Starvers. Grab your axe and go pillaging!

I do really like the sound of this.

[Primarch]

Anybody else want to pitch a specific battle/scale/model range?

[Mike the Pike]

It seems Warlord are conspiring to get us to Ancients in 28mm...

http://www.warlordgames.com/spring-into ... astic-set/

[Primarch]

It seems Warlord are conspiring to get us to Ancients in 28mm...

http://www.warlordgames.com/spring-into ... astic-set/

It's a good deal for anyone who wants a copy of the rules.