A New Army for ADLG

For a person who does so enjoy 25/28mm wargames in the Eighteenth Century, I have developed an aggressive form of fanaticism about the ancient and medieval rules "Art De La Guerre". I'm not nearly ready to toss out the old collections and cocked hats, but I have found a very much enjoy playing this set of rules and even....<gasp> Tournaments....

Now, do please pick yourselves off the deck, we've not gone so far as to declare Empire (tm) the One True Rules or French Naploenics as the One Religion or anything. 

I do have Standards.... as I define them, anyway.

But it's fair to say that this set of rules and the community of gamers I've played this system with have been the antithesis of WRG 7th that I attempted when I first came into the hobby (well, after 1/72 scale ACW plastics, that is). 

In short order, I've my Golden Horde Mongols (kind of like giving a Lambo to a sixteen-year-old), my Triumvirate Romans, a partially painted Graeco-Bactrian army, a partially painted Italian Condotta army (I'm seeing a trend here...), and I found bits and bobs and "when the heck did I buy that and WHY did I buy that?' which is giving me the starts of a Macedonian army and Early Germans, too. 

My friend Tim, part of the PaWM crowd I game with in NE PA, decided he's having a clearing out and he mentioned to me a couple of months back that he had some ancients he was willing to part with. A few emails later, I was offered his 15mm Palmyran army, originally built for WRG 7th, but perfect in its current state for ADLG. Maybe three seperate mounted officers need to be added, but otherwise fully functional. 

The entire collection....way more camels than I need...

Cataphracts...rather like knights, but not impetuous

Midnight at the Oasis...Medium Camel Bow, Mediocre

I have no idea what makes a Camel "mediocre". It doesn't stink enough? They are bloody great dumb brutes, at lease the ones I've encountered in the Middle East. Although to be fair, they probably think the same about us Pink Hairless Monkeys. 

Bows...many, many bows. Both Light Infantry Bow, like these fellas and Medium Bowmen

Outside of the Cataphracts, it's an army with lots of bows and not much else. The earlier version gets you an option for Romans to provide stabby-stabby power, since they were a client state of Rome. But my flavour of Palmyrene army comes sans Little Gaiuses. 

So, no garum, but lots of big armoured horses and riders, light cavalry with bows, both light and medium crunchies with bows, and only two flipping stands of Medium Camel Bow Mediocre. 

I wondered how these fellas would do on the table. An offer from Phil, our local ADLG Spirit Guide, to come over on Monday and take them on a test drive was too good to pass up. This, despite work being bonkers and working multiple 12 hour days in a row. 

Phil, with his Romans, looking for trouble...

I did not take pictures, as I should have, because I was quite keen to learn from Phil about how to maneuver Cataphracts and Camels and he was looking to try a couple of different things with his Romans. 

The overall game saw my left flank (Cataphracts) go rushing forward to play crunch and munch against his Legions, whilst my middle line of bows held firm, until they decided to advance a bit too early and took a pasting, but ultimately held, against more Legionnaires. On the right, a couple of Light Cavalry Bow and my Camels whacked away at Phil's Heavy Cavalry and Light Cavalry with pool noodles for several turns until finally, they broke and I was able to raid Phil's camp. (located in the picture near his left hand)

It was an interesting game, where we had three or four back and forth rounds. My Cataphracts disengaged at one point to draw back and reload for another run at Phil's Legions and eventually they  managed to break enough units that my Mediocre Camels were able to cause the coup de grace by capturing Phil's camp. 

Mediocre Camels for the win. All two stands of the buggers. 

Whodathunk it? 

An excellent game and I did like the way this army handles. Some interesting terrain choices, a different mix of forces from Mongols, so I'm hooked. 

I don't have enough time to get them ready for Fall-In and the 15mm Open Tournament on Saturday. I'd need another couple of games and I'd like to paint up separate General stands. But I like these guys. 

Now I need to find a Queen Zenobia figure on a Camel. 

Perhaps Herself's camel is not so Mediocre.