Dux Bellorum: Kitchen Table Edition (updated 21st March 2024)

[Old Hob]

Hi folks. This one's been a bit of a slow burner. Essentially, I'm a bit pushed for space at home, so if I want to play a massed battle game at 28mm I need to drive over to my mate's (which does have the advantage of him also owning loads of lovely scenery). So the object here is to paint up a couple of early medieval armies at a smaller scale that will be able to duke it out on a rather long but quite narrow kitchen table.

The obvious solution would have been DBA-style basing, but 3-4 guys stood in a line just doesn't do it for me. I thought maybe I could fill up a 40x20mm base with 10mm minis instead to get that 'warband' look, but having bought some packs of the lovely Pendraken Late Romans I realised my eyes just couldn't take it. Damn!

Plan B was to increase the base size and go with 15mm. 60x30mm bases is definitely the upper limit of what will work in the space I have, but at least I'd be able to cram the minis in. I bought a couple of packs of the Forged in Battle Saxons to get me started: WE-GX01 noble infantry, who look suitable for late C4th feoderati types onwards, and WE-GX05 armoured raiders, who are a fair bit heftier than the nobles and look useful for C6th-C8th. I painted the base on the left around December 2021 and then instantly got sidetracked kit-bashing goblins for the next 12 months. I finally got around to painting the base on the right over Xmas 2022.



As I hadn't left room for a die holder, I painted up the lad with the draco to use as a cohesion marker for one of the bases.



Now that I was clearly on a roll I could totally justify picking up a sample pack of Wiglaf minis. I really like the FiB minis, but the Wiglaf sculpts are just incredible. I'm not sure I'll ever fully do them justice. The banner is from LBM. I half wondered if the design might be a bit anachronistic for the C7th (I honestly don't know), but as the Sutton Hoo and Staffordshire horde gear is covered in squiggly beasts I'm happy that it's at least plausible.





The issue I have now is that the 18mm Wiglaf chaps are noticeably larger than the FiB lads. I'd like to say that I'm going to split them up into two separate armies, using FiB as Early Saxons. That's certainly the plan, but given the rate of progress to date we'll have to see how we go.



Next up will be some more Wiglafs: unarmoured/ordinary warriors. Hopefully before next winter...
As ever, advice, top tips and constructive criticism are most welcome.

[Major_Gilbear]

Really beautiful work there! It's seeing 10-15mm miniatures like these that got me into buying 15mm Ancients in the first place (all from FiB). Thank you for sharing, and I hope we more soon! 

[macmod]

Excellent work 👍🏽

[OSHIROmodels]

They look great 

[David H]

Very nicely done 

[LouieN]

I first doubted those were 15mm, but 28mm.  Very well done. 

[Atheling]

Class. A great idea too. I just wish my eyes would be as enthusiastic as my brain!

[DivisMal]

Brilliant work on those Late Antiquity/Migration period battle lines!

I started with 10mm some years ago under the same spatial pressures as you and then after a couple of years upgraded to 15mm. The extra half centimeter or so is a lot and make painting individual models much easier.

60x30 is a nice size for the bases. And taking more than a base for a unit you can basically play what you want: Lion Rampant, Warhammer Ancient Battles etc. will all work nicely when you switch inches to cm.

Suddenly a normal Ikea kitchen table of ideally 120cm by 120cm (or if you must also 90cm x 90cm) will become an enormous battlefield for your warriors with space to maneuver and outflank opponents!

[Captain Blood]

These look really nice. Great collection coming together, and with quality figures and painting like this, who needs 28mm? 

[OB]

Good work, I like what you have done with them.  They look the part.  I have some yet to be painted.

[Old Hob]

Cheers lads. I'm really chuffed that you like them and really appreciate the encouragement. Thank you.

Suddenly a normal Ikea kitchen table of ideally 120cm by 120cm (or if you must also 90cm x 90cm) will become an enormous battlefield for your warriors with space to maneuver and outflank opponents!

We inherited the table from my wife's family. While it's 6' long, it's only 28" wide (about 71cm). Using 6cm base widths for movement I reckon every man and his dog will be getting stuck in by turn 3. Kitchen battles look set to be short and bloody affairs. Mind you, that does feel pretty accurate. 

[Devilcane]

Looking forward to getting my own force painted up and getting stuck into the kitchen battles!

[mellis1644]

They look great. Keep up the work - the kitchen table game will look great

[DivisMal]

Cheers lads. I'm really chuffed that you like them and really appreciate the encouragement. Thank you.

We inherited the table from my wife's family. While it's 6' long, it's only 28" wide (about 71cm). Using 6cm base widths for movement I reckon every man and his dog will be getting stuck in by turn 3. Kitchen battles look set to be short and bloody affairs. Mind you, that does feel pretty accurate. 

So true!!! 

[Major_Gilbear]

We inherited the table from my wife's family. While it's 6' long, it's only 28" wide (about 71cm). Using 6cm base widths for movement I reckon every man and his dog will be getting stuck in by turn 3. Kitchen battles look set to be short and bloody affairs. Mind you, that does feel pretty accurate. 

You don't have to play along/across the table; you could have oblique deployment areas instead, with a suitable distance between armies?