Friday 26 March 2021

DBM v3.4 Changes

DBM v3.4 Updates

With the lockdown ongoing in the UK the time was used to sort out a few minor niggles still ongoing with DBM v3.3 including fixing a error that happened under v3.2

Ancient Spanish Cavalry


DBM 3.4 Amendments

DBM 3.4

This is a further set of minor amendments voted on by players in 2020.  Of 33 suggestions put forward, the following were accepted.

Page 11

Change Points Values:

Camelry(S) from 11 to 10 AP

Camelry(X) from 9 to 5 AP

Regular Bow(S) from 7 to 6.5 AP

Irregular Bow(S) from 5 to 5.5 AP

Add a line to “Adjust for all grades if:”

C-in-C’s or sub-general’s element, if there is only one other non-allied Regular General in the army  -5

 

Page 12

Terrain Choosing

In numbered paragraph 2, change:

One WW, and only if none is already present and (if the army list book allows a BUA to his army) he positions a BUA in contact with it. Unless it is compulsory, he can only include a WW in his terrain selection if he dices and scores 5 or 6. A different option can be chosen if dicing is unsuccessful.

to

One WW, and only if none is already present and (if the army list book allows a BUA to his army) he positions a BUA in contact with it. He can only include a WW in his terrain selection if he dices and scores 4, 5 or 6 if a WW is compulsory, otherwise 5 or 6. A different option can be chosen if dicing is unsuccessful.

 

Page 19

Spontaneous Advance

Add at end of section:

The first spontaneously advancing element must if possible be one which will either end in legal contact with an enemy element, end in a position that provides rear or overlap support for a friendly element, or make a full move without interpenetrating another friendly element. The second and each subsequent spontaneously moving element must be selected according to the same criteria, until there are no more which meet those criteria.  Any subsequently selected must be the nearest to the targeted enemy

 

Page 24

Change “Recoiling Elements” to:

RECOILING ELEMENTS

A recoiling element moves back its base depth to its rear without turning, or a base width if this is less.  If it meets friends facing the same direction, it may pass through to their rear if of a type allowed to do so (and must do so if it is psiloi), otherwise if naval it pushes back naval, if land troops any but elephants, war wagons, baggage or naval.  If it meets skirmishers facing any other way, it pushes them back directly to its own rear unless their front edge is in contact with enemy. Other troops not facing the same direction cannot be recoiled through or pushed back.  Elements that would be passed through or pushed back by recoiling elephants instead flee.  An element recoiling from distant shooting only by enemy entirely behind an imaginary line extending its rear base edge, first turns 180ยบ.  Land troops on a bridge recoiling from naval turn and flee back to land.

 

An element pushed back behind a recoiling element does not itself count as recoiling.  If it meets friends it passes through them or pushes them back in the same circumstances as if it was recoiling.

 

A recoiling element is destroyed if it starts or ends its recoil with an enemy element’s front edge in contact with its flank or rear;  or if it cannot complete its recoil move because either: its rear corner only or rear edge meets any of; or an element that it pushes back has its path blocked by any of:

 

¨       Enemy (other than psiloi contacted on a side or rear edge or rear corner, who immediately flee).  Unless the recoiling or pushed back element that meets enemy is psiloi, this enemy is also destroyed if contacted on a rear corner only or a rear edge by the recoiling or pushed back element’s rear edge, or on a rear or side edge by its rear corner only.  It does not then count as having been destroyed in close combat.

 

¨        Friends it cannot pass through and cannot push back sufficiently for the recoiling element to complete its recoil move.

 

¨     Terrain it cannot cross.  (Landing troops can re-embark.  A boat recoiling on a river follows its curves.)

 

¨        A PF parapet or TF, except from inside an enemy TF or unopposed at a gateway.

In each such case any pushed back element (unless itself destroyed – see DESTROYED ELEMENTS above) is moved back as far as the obstruction.

The pushed back element is lost if it is pushed even partly off the table edge.  The recoiling element is only lost if it also crosses the table edge.

Note: this is not a rule change but a clarification.

 

Various alternatives were suggested for depicting foot elements required to be double-based with cavalry elements in DBMM army lists.  The option with the most favourable votes was retaining these elements as Psiloi(I), as recommended in the DBM adaptation notes in the DBMM army list books.

 

A line was accidentally omitted from DBM 3.2 and 3.3 under “Exchanging mounted and foot elements” on page 9.  The following should be added after the “Regular Cavalry” line:

Irregular Cavalry or Camelry – if (S) or (O) as Warband (S), if (I) as Auxilia (I)

 

JGL 1.11.2020

 


Wednesday 24 March 2021

15mm Chinese Part 19 - Sung Generals & Militia Drummers

15mm Chinese Part 19 - Sung Generals & Militia Drummers

Having been working on Chinese figures almost constantly since June 2020 I am starting to become a bit tired of painting them. I still have 6 batches of figures left to do so I am finally getting to the end of the Great Wall of China. Its been an interesting project to do during lockdown as its an series of armies I had never thought I would ever own. 

This blog entry is a sort of Heinz 57 Varieties write up as I ended up using most of my left over infantry oddment figures to create some essential missing elements. The end results are quite nice and I am impressed on how they turned out. I did have to sacrifice a single Reg Bd O Element to give me the armoured swordsmen. I had only recently created it from four spare Outpost castings I had left over! I painted every casting in these pictures except for the four Outpost Wargames Swordsmen.

Four Evil Gong infantry with a Khurasan War Drum with Drummer, these are Irr WWg I or DBE Bge






Three Outpost infantry, one Essex Peasant & a Khurasan War Drum with Drummer






Three Essex Infantry, a Khurasan War Drum with Drummer & homemade flag.






One Outpost Warrior, two Essex Infantry, a Khurasan War Drum with Drummer & homemade flag.






Three Khurasan Warriors & nine Essex infantry as Sung Infantry Command Reg Bd O





Museum Miniatures Naphtha Throwers left over from two IE18 elephants Reg Ps X





I had to have a break today so quickly based up some more British Napoleonic infantry but even this didn't end the monotony of endless Chinese troops.

Friday 12 March 2021

15mm Chinese Part 18 - Handgunners & Rocketeers

15mm Chinese - Part 18 Handgunners & Rocketeers

I am working through the tail end pieces of my Chinese project. I am still missing Black Powder Artillery elements which I have yet to purchase but this blog entry concentrates on Handgunners and Handheld Rocket Artillery.

Essex Miniatures make a nice generic Chinese Handgunner pack see https://www.essexminiatures.co.uk/products/cho18a-generic-chinese-infantry-early-handgunners?_pos=3&_sid=d8f981362&_ss=r

Essex CHO18A Generic Chinese Handgunners

I quickly realised that they could also double up for Handheld Rocketeers in the army lists. There are two poses in this figure code so I used the ones with helmets for my handgunners.

The later lists require four elements of Reg Ps S Handgunners so I devised a suitable looking uniform for them, nothing specific so they can be used in any of the armies that need Handgunners.

Essex CHO18A Generic Handgunners





The Handheld Rocketeers are classed as Reg Art I & the rules recommend 1-2 models per base. This means that the bases would be virtually empty because that would just be a pair of foot figures. Having test mounted the figures I realised that the optimum number of infantry on the base would be five which I factored to mean that would allow for fire by rotation whilst they reloaded their handheld rockets. I had a bag of spare Outpost Wargames shields left over from my Regular Auxilia which allowed me to use as a defensive shield wall for the hand gunners. It wont make any difference to how well they fight or shoot but is there for purely cosmetic looks.

Essex CHO18A Generic Handgunners with Outpost shields





I had three leftover castings plus more shields so I created another element in the same colours as the Handgunners which I am going to sell on.





Last thing in this blog was I noticed that the Three Kingdoms list required three Light Horse elements with Halberdiers. I had a four bases of elderly Mikes Models figures that I had previously rebased as Cavalry as blogged under Part 3. So out with the knife, off with the bases & on with the glue gun. they look the part and are a quick win figure wise.






Sunday 7 March 2021

15mm Chinese Part 17 - Mongols

More Chinese Part 17 - Mongol Allies For The Yuan From EBay

The Yuan Chinese are in fact a Mongol Chinese Dynasty founded by Kublai Khan. The army consisted of a mix of native Chinese troops as well as Mongol troops brought to China by the Khan. 

The Yuan army has the ability to field lots of Mongol light horse & cavalry and I needed to create these for the army in due course. The main army can field up to 24 Mongol light horse elements, up to half of which may optionally be fielded as cavalry as an optional regrade. In addition to this they can field a Tammachi Mongol contingent under its own reliable subsidiary general. This command consists of a Reg LH S Generals element & up to 16 more Reg LH S elements. This gives the army the rare option of taking four Regular generals. I cannot see me fielding such a large Tammachi command but I did realise I needed to sort out the figures in due course.

I had been looking at EBay for a couple of weeks to see if any unpainted figures turned up during lockdown when I say a listing for 45 painted Mongol cavalry consisting of 15 cavalry & 30 light horse. The listing was for £75 but it didn't sell & was relisted again & opened for offers. I decided to put in what I thought was a reasonable bid of £60 & it was accepted. I messaged the seller that I intended to rebase the cavalry general into a light horse element to command my Tammachi contingent & asked him about how he had based them so I could match it once it arrived. He informed me how he had based up the figures & I assumed that I would have to sort out matching the basing in due course.

Anyway yesterday morning the figures arrived. The figures were not magnetic based, two of the LH javelins were detached & a few riders had come off their horses but otherwise none of the figures were damaged. The painting was of a very good wargames standard. First thing I noticed was a piece of paper with a note inside the box. It read "I thought you might find this useful", inside was a piece of card that he had used to mount the figures on along with two plastic bags containing sand & static grass. To say I was surprised was an understatement & I cannot recommend Magpiesmagic highly enough as a result.

I spent yesterday rebasing the Generals element, adding magnetic basing under the card, painting the edges & varnished spray sealed them all this morning. I luckily found an almost perfect match for the paint he used called Coffeebean from my artists paints. Can you notice any difference? The picture on EBay didnt show up the basing colours very well as you will see in the comparison picture at the end.

I think the castings are quite old & look like they might be Asgard Figures. I sorted out the various castings into groups & ended up with 4 x Cv, 7 x armoured LH S inc General, 6 x unarmoured horse archers & 2 x unarmoured LH with javelins elements with one spare figure left over.

Here are the pictures of the completed figures.

The Generals base is an almost perfect match to the rest.















How they looked on EBay