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Miniatures Adventure => Age of Myths, Gods and Empires => Topic started by: Chris Abbey on July 01, 2024, 07:00:02 PM

Title: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 01, 2024, 07:00:02 PM
I have been playing Gangs of Rome and Pulp Alley set in First Century Rome for a while now, and have been slowly building up a collection of suitable terrain.

A month or so ago I had an idea to put together a gaming table based on the multi-occupancy tenement blocks set above shops, workshops and lock ups, which seemed to be the type of accommodation shared by most of Rome's million or so residents at the time.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3804-980x501.jpg)

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3767-1-980x394.jpg)

This thread and linked hobby blog is going to document it's development.
So far I have three shops with one story of apartments above them and some shop interiors for a retail bakery and a Thermopolium.

More photos and details in my hobby blog@ https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: DalyDR on July 01, 2024, 08:37:56 PM
That's some good looking bread!  It's all good, wonderful work.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Hitman on July 01, 2024, 09:33:53 PM
Those look amazing!! The bread looks fresh enough to eat!! 😉

Well done and thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Hitman
😎
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Sunjester on July 02, 2024, 10:46:57 AM
I great looking start, I can't wait to see more.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 02, 2024, 03:06:36 PM
Today I finished the Potters shop, and put the buildings, shop fittings and miniatures on the table to take some photos.

(https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3815-1024x683.jpg)
Here's a general view of the street, four shops with single level of apartments so far.

(https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3810-1024x802.jpg)
Some citizens sharing an amphora of wine and playing some dice outside the Pottery shop.

(https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3813-1024x696.jpg)
Mother & daughter hard at work keeping Rome supplied with bread.

(https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3817-1024x619.jpg)
Unloading supplies from the Ox Cart,

Additional photos on my hobby blog @ https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Pattus Magnus on July 02, 2024, 04:38:09 PM
That looks great! Lots of interesting visual details and it seems like it will be quite playable for games.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Freddy on July 02, 2024, 08:41:04 PM
Great looking terrain and models!
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Altius on July 03, 2024, 03:26:39 AM
That’s gorgeous!
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Too Bo Coo on July 03, 2024, 09:48:31 AM
Great stuff Chris!!
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Basementboy on July 03, 2024, 09:50:57 AM
Awesome terrain! Really impressive stuff :)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: carlos marighela on July 03, 2024, 10:32:13 AM
Fabulous looking set up! :-* :-* :-*
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Mellal on July 03, 2024, 02:56:31 PM
This is indeed very nice !

Where do the furnitures come from It really is splendid to give life to these building and I could use some for my GoR bakery  ;)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 03, 2024, 03:46:37 PM
Hi Mellal, everything is from Sally 4th! The miniatures, furniture, neoprene mat and the buildings are under development and will be available in the next week or so.

Links are in my hobby blog article: https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/)

You can find the furniture and miniatures here: https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/product-category/sally_4th_miniatures/might_of_rome/a-street-of-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/product-category/sally_4th_miniatures/might_of_rome/a-street-of-the-aventine/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Mellal on July 04, 2024, 08:28:30 AM
Thanks ! I did discovered that reading you blog yesterday... I am over seas, on the continent of taxes :')
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: tomrommel1 on July 04, 2024, 08:39:40 AM
This is an outstanding work of art!!!!!!
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: ithoriel on July 04, 2024, 11:28:56 AM
Stunning and inspirational stuff!

I had the same idea of using spectators as seated figures but am struggling to find stools and a table at a price I can afford. Can you tell me where yours came from? They look ideal. TIA!

Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 04, 2024, 04:04:31 PM
Hi Ithoriel,

The tables and stools in the photo were also from Sally 4th. We have a number of metal furnishings and detailing products that we have used ourselves, but never got around to putting on the web site. I have rectified this now and put a pack together of just stools and tables, and a pack with seated Romans sitting on them, like the ones in my photos.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/Rome-Metal-6-scaled.jpg)

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3832-scaled.jpg)

They are now on our 'A Street off the Aventine' page:
https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/product-category/sally_4th_miniatures/might_of_rome/a-street-of-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/product-category/sally_4th_miniatures/might_of_rome/a-street-of-the-aventine/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: ithoriel on July 04, 2024, 06:16:05 PM
Ooooh! Hubba! Hubba! Hubba!

Thanks Chris.

I'm off to depress my bank manager even further.  :D
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: ithoriel on July 04, 2024, 06:42:47 PM
Bought!  :)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 05, 2024, 09:43:47 AM
Thanks, hope you enjoy our Roman range as much as we do.
We have lots and lots more under development. I am afraid since discovering the works of Lindsey Davis and Mary Beard I have become a bit obsessed with First Century Rome which offers so many possibilities for gaming with Pulp Alley, Gangs of Rome and now with a Lovecraft tint with Cohors Cthulhu!

If any one has not yet discovered Lindsey's fictional, but very well researched world of Marcus Didius Falco and then Flavia Albia, they are highly recommended, cracking good reads. Falco is a First Century Gumshoe, a hard nosed private investigator, or 'informer' in the language of the time. He is a Republican by inclination, but more often than he would like drawn in to working for Vespasian on Imperial business. By birth a plebeian, falls in love and marries a senators daughter, Helena with whom he travels the Roman world solving mysteries and attempting to do the right thing. I like him!
Lindsey has a website https://lindseydavis.co.uk/ (https://lindseydavis.co.uk/)
Once a month, on a Tuesday evening she does an hours reading over zoom of one of her books. You can sign up under the 'events' tab on her website. Highly recommended.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 09, 2024, 04:39:57 PM
Over the weekend I did a lot more work on my Roman Insular project.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3876-980x659.jpg)

These building kits will be available from Sally 4th  at the end of the week, next week at the latest.
They are multi-material kits using 3mm & 2mm MDF, Greyboard and cast resin roofs.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3877-980x759.jpg)

They are designed to easily stack, with lots of variety and options. If you want you can embed rare earth magnets in the walls to hold the buildings together into a block.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3878-980x887.jpg)

'How many hands in the fountain?'
Also painted up the cast resin fountain, an essential part of any Roman street scene!

https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: ithoriel on July 09, 2024, 06:50:50 PM
Thanks, hope you enjoy our Roman range as much as we do.
We have lots and lots more under development. I am afraid since discovering the works of Lindsey Davis and Mary Beard I have become a bit obsessed with First Century Rome which offers so many possibilities for gaming with Pulp Alley, Gangs of Rome and now with a Lovecraft tint with Cohors Cthulhu!

If any one has not yet discovered Lindsey's fictional, but very well researched world of Marcus Didius Falco and then Flavia Albia, they are highly recommended, cracking good reads. Falco is a First Century Gumshoe, a hard nosed private investigator, or 'informer' in the language of the time. He is a Republican by inclination, but more often than he would like drawn in to working for Vespasian on Imperial business. By birth a plebeian, falls in love and marries a senators daughter, Helena with whom he travels the Roman world solving mysteries and attempting to do the right thing. I like him!
Lindsey has a website https://lindseydavis.co.uk/ (https://lindseydavis.co.uk/)
Once a month, on a Tuesday evening she does an hours reading over zoom of one of her books. You can sign up under the 'events' tab on her website. Highly recommended.

I wholeheartedly second your praise for the Falco and Flavia Albia series. The major characters are a microcosm of Roman life. Petronius and the Vigiles are particular favourites of mine.


I'm setting my own games in the 1st Century BCE, the era of Clodius, Milo, The Gracchi Brothers and M. L. Crassus' extortioner firemen.

No Vigiles in that era, they are an Imperial invention.
I have, however, discovered the Tresviri Capitales, aka the Tresviri Nocturni, a similar bunch of reprobates acting as night watch and fire brigade.


They had their HQ in the Forum but I am using a little poetic license to posit other outstations in which to stash additional firefighting equipment and perhaps reprobates before onward transmission to the Forum.

I am using Sarissa's Roman Watchtower Dice Tower, even though of a later date, to act as such.
(https://sarissa-precision.com/cdn/shop/products/DT20_Limes_Tower_360x@2x.jpg?v=1663067891)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: cadbren on July 10, 2024, 10:44:17 AM
Over the weekend I did a lot more work on my Roman Insular project.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3876-980x659.jpg)

These building kits will be available from Sally 4th  at the end of the week, next week at the latest.
They are multi-material kits using 3mm & 2mm MDF, Greyboard and cast resin roofs.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3877-980x759.jpg)

They are designed to easily stack, with lots of variety and options. If you want you can embed rare earth magnets in the walls to hold the buildings together into a block.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3878-980x887.jpg)


That looks awesome. Something else you could consider is tile antefixes. On fancier buildings these capped the ends of each row of curved tiles so you couldn't see the gap. They could be cast in strings of five or whatever to match the spaces in your roof.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 16, 2024, 03:17:15 PM
That looks awesome. Something else you could consider is tile antefixes. On fancier buildings these capped the ends of each row of curved tiles so you couldn't see the gap. They could be cast in strings of five or whatever to match the spaces in your roof.

Thanks for that, I will add to the list of Roman things to look into!

Over the weekend I painted up the metal Sally 4th butchers shop accessory set.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3911-1-980x666.jpg)

I had the set on my desk for several weeks but had not done anything with it, as I was unsure how to actually hang the carcasses, legs of ham and game birds. In the end the solution was very simple. I used my pin vice drill to drill small holes in the MDF walls and then unravelled a couple of paperclips to give me some metal for pegs and hanging rails which I painted gunmetal and then superglued into the holes.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3910-980x720.jpg)

The game birds and legs of ham were attached to a hanging rail using fusewire. This was wrapped around object and then around rail before holding in place with a drop of superglue.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/IMG_E3889-980x530.jpg)

Lots more photos, links and details on my hobby blog @ https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Freddy on July 16, 2024, 08:58:59 PM
This is all looking so good!
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Freelancer on July 16, 2024, 10:05:55 PM
Lovely attention to detail. There's even an Ex-leper!
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Mellal on July 17, 2024, 09:25:48 AM
Great new shop, such an inspiration to make our own roman neighbourhood.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Mad Lord Snapcase on July 17, 2024, 10:12:21 AM
Looks superb!   :-*
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Basementboy on July 17, 2024, 09:49:40 PM
Oh, this is amazing! Really nice stuff :)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on July 19, 2024, 10:18:44 AM
(https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Roman-Town-2-780x1024.jpg)

(https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Roman-Town-1-1024x663.jpg)

Last night, as part of our project to build a diorama of first century life in Aldborough, our local Roman town, my cousin Richard sent me this evocative illustrations of buildings and daily life in the market place and forum of a first century provincial town in Britain. I like my terrain to be multi-purpose, so it has got me thinking that if we designed a ground floor large gateway module, our Insula shops and buildings could be reconfigured with the shops and market stalls on the inside to represent a provincial forum.

https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/a-street-off-the-aventine/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: bluewillow on July 25, 2024, 04:21:55 PM
Fantastic detail Chris. An inspiration for us all I think

Cheers
Matt
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on August 03, 2024, 03:56:11 PM
(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/28mm-Roman-Litter-Palanquin-1-980x813.jpg)

This is the latest addition to my 'A Street of the Aventine', First Century Rome gaming project.
A Litter or Palanquin with passenger and four bearers.
I can see this featuring in many games of Gangs of Rome as a scenario objective, as well as in my Falco inspired Pulp Alley campaign.

(https://ik.imagekit.io/1qkndzqt9i/wp-content/uploads/28mm-Roman-Litter-Palanquin-2-1-980x1020.jpg)

https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/product/roman-palanquin/ (https://wargamesbuildings.co.uk/product/roman-palanquin/)
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: ithoriel on August 03, 2024, 04:15:21 PM
Just bought a litter from Iron Gate Scenery today at Claymore, I hope I can do it as much justice as you have done to yours! Lovely looking piece.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Cat on August 03, 2024, 05:25:23 PM
Nice job!
 
And huh, the Roman ones look a lot more comfie than the Japanese boxes.
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: Chris Abbey on August 03, 2024, 05:55:56 PM
Yes, I think the Romans knew how to do things with style!
Title: Re: A street of the Aventine, a table for adventures in First Century Rome
Post by: syrinx0 on August 04, 2024, 05:22:59 AM
Wow. What a really fantastic Rome project!