I am a big fan of Commands and Colors Ancients and while I enjoy the published scenarios I also like to play my own. For historical armies I like to put twelve unit armies together using DBA lists and it works very well. I use five cards for each side and the first to five banners is the winner. Each army is given two leaders.
I was reading Donald Featherstone's War Games the other week and particularly enjoying the chapter featuring Tony Bath's battle of Trimsos set in the Hyborian Age. Mr. Bath used flat figures from many ancient armies in his battles. I refought Trimsos using Commands and Colors and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Being lucky enough to use all the expansions means I have loads of blocks to build my armies and I decided to set my battles some generations before the sullen eyed Conan starts trampling jewelled thrones beneath his sandaled feet!.
I made a wee map on Inkarnate.
My first encounter in this "age undreamed of" is a war between the Shemite city states and the kingdom of Koth.
The battle takes place by the gates of Khorshemish.
The Kothian army is in brown blocks deployed in front of their capital city.
After squandering their cavalry the Kothians try to hold off the Shemite Asshuri heavy infantry.
But the Kothian centre is shattered and the battle lost five banners to nil.
The Kothians now pay tribute to Shem and the Shemites are now emboldened and eyeing up further conquest.
Paul,
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff! I have been planning to build 28mm ancient armies on unit bases of around 80mm specifically for Commands & Colors (having been inspired by Tim Gow of Megablitz fame).
I too happened to have been perusing Donald Featherstone's Wargames and Trimsos when the penny dropped that the figures and C&C could be combined with Hyboria in the manner of Tony Bath for a huge campaign.
A project for the future.
There's a Trimsos scenario on the C&C website.
https://www.commandsandcolors.net JB16 Trimos River
Neil
Thanks Neil, great minds think alike, eh?. I often use my 15mm collection for Commands and Colors on 90mm hexes which fits on my 4x3 board but this time I fancied the blocks for ease and a certain vagueness of historical identity.
DeleteI would love to see you do a 28mm Hyborian project, I'll keep an eye on your blog.
Thanks for the link, I never thought to look on the CCA site, very interesting!.
Thanks again,
Paul.
Paul,
DeleteYes great minds (or fools seldom differ in my case! ☺)
I may very well emulate using blocks as it sadly may well be a long time before I get them painted; I'm hoping to perfect a fast painting method using Contrast paints and washes to hurry this along.
There are a few blogs which have used flats for Hyborian battles, including Tony Bath and Phil Barker's figures which are very inspiring. I've also reread all the Tony Bath articles from Military Modelling and Battle. They have been scanned and can be downloaded. There are rumours that John Curry will be publishing a lot of material never previously seen. Worth waiting for!
Neil
Yes, I like those flats Neil, I often wish someone would make affordable cardboard flats in the same vein as Tony Bath's figures. I looked at and considered the Paperboys paper flats by Peter Dennis but I couldn't cut them out well enough. They would look crap if I did them!, I reckon I'll stick with the blocks.
DeleteI loved those articles in Battle and Military Modelling, we had a campaign running at that time. I had a massive master map drawn on big sheets of graph paper that covered half of my bedroom wall. At 1mm to the mile all the armies moved around it marked with map pins, the countries had incomes and budgets. The whole thing went by a "Year of the Antelope" and what have you calendar and messages went back and forth between the participants, it was ridiculous really and couldn't be done properly. Maybe if we had had the internet back then, eh?.
I didn't know about John Curry publishing unseen stuff, I'll have to keep my eyes peeled.
It will be interesting to see how the campaign progresses and whether the Shemite conquest continues.
ReplyDeleteThe next post is ready and coming soon Peter, be sure to tune in for the next thrilling instalment!.
DeleteHi Paul, I found these "Commands and Colors in the Hyborian Age" very interesting, thanks for sharing. How do you decide the terrain configuration?
ReplyDeleteHello Cesar, I simply made up a nice looking battlefield then set up on it, dicing for who set up first. Whoever set up first got the first turn, dead easy and no-one to please but myself.
DeleteThe "campaign" itself was the same with me deciding who would attack who. It was fun deciding what might occur next, I loosely used the old DBA rules on allies and tributaries but did not bother with losses as each battle only represented the final climactic battle of a war.
That´s a very good method Paul. Thanks for your reply.
DeleteYou are most welcome Cesar, it is always nice to hear from you.
DeleteAlso, I think these articles could be of your interest. They are some variants to CC:A https://www.commandsandcolors.net/ancients/the-game/main/variants/37-army-list-scenario-x.html https://www.commandsandcolors.net/ancients/the-game/main/variants/103-point-buy-system.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Cesar, interesting stuff, take care.
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