7 AD - somewhere in Germania (upd. 14.06.15 - more Germans)

[Prof.Witchheimer]

So I'm pleased to announce my new project. Though actually we’re here talking about reactivation and not a new beginning. You know (or maybe not) I’ve had a very strong Ancient time in my wargaming career, collecting large armies, playing big games and dreaming of even more armies and of course more games. It was a good time but to be honest I never did manage to paint a complete Ancient army, it was just too much. I can be really enduring and tenacious at painting, though it is nothing what makes happy Mrs. Witchheimer, but I need variety of themes to keep my painting motivation. Painting an army of 300 almost identical models is a torture to me and so it is probably (or surely) the reason why I’ve given up the Ancients for Pulp and other sort of adventure wargaming.

here the proof, I really have some Ancient miniatures:
Greeks, no gaming plans on those at the moment, is just to show off


But nothing is final and it looks like I’m back at Ancient topic. At least for the time being. Thanks god and my former madness, I’ve still have hunderts of various Ancient miniatures like Celts, Germans, Greeks, Thracians, Assyrians, Dacians and several small fractions like Skythians , Nemedians and whatever. Unfortunately I was stupid enough to sell all my Romans, Republican and Middle ones. Really all of them. All gone. No one bloody Roman in my collection. Damn.

Anyway, I’m starting my first adventuring Ancient project. The idea is to use the T&T rules, I hope my friend Driscoles will support me with some ideas for additions to his rules, just to make sure they will work for Ancient time. And I’ve decided to start with Ancient Germans. The good old Copplestone Foundry miniatures are just too good and it would be a pity to let them in the shelves.  Okay, still no Romans but that’s for later.

The idea is to create some gangs, kind of adventuring parties, no rank&file but  different figures with different weapons and let them running on a table for quests, fighting the enemies (need Romans), wild animals, and perhaps other Germans. I will need a village for Germans, a forest for Animals and a camp for Romans.

The timeline - at the beginning of the 1st century AD, before the battle of the Teutoburg Forest, I'd say 7 AD.

My table will be (yes, that’s Grimm in the background, making photos):


my first gang of Germans will be:


These are Foundry Chatti models but in my case they’re supposed to be Cherusci, a tribe coming from the northwestern part of Germany, somewhere around of contemporary Bielefeld, just the corner where our moderators Lt.Hazel and Poliorketes come from. A wild part of country.  No personal hygiene, no usage of  hair care products. A dirty bunch of barbarians. No home, nothing sacred. Btw, they’re not from village, they’re just passing through. The big haary guy in the middle is the chieftain, I will call him Hazelius...
 
The painted models are the old painting jobs made back in those glorius days. The painting is not good at all, so they will be repainted. I think, the whole bunch is a nice mix of different archetypes and weapons. I've just remembered, I will need at least a bowman as well.

That’s all for today, now I’m back to painting desk. Tomorrow I will tell you more about the dwellers of the village, by pure chance they come from the region where now the Prof is living...

[Westfalia Chris]

Something awesome happened on the way to the forum! I can assure you that this will find the favour of the Senatus PopulusQue LAFanum.

Furthermore:

a) now I'm a bit sad that I sold off my EIR army.
b) I'll have to keep strong to resist another ancient project after Hazel and I go off on and return from that Etruscans vs. Hill Tribes tangent.

[Captain Blood]

Something awesome happened on the way to the forum!

Chris, you are hilarious! 
I'm looking forward to you and Bjorn putting out 'Triumph, Tragedy and Togas' 

Alex, that is a wonderful looking project. I am envious.
Those Copplestone Ancient German Tribes from Foundry are the absolute top range, and there are a huge variety of them, but have you seen Steve Saleh's new range for Warlord Games. They do look very good.

http://www.sdean-forum.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=29561&p=343521#p343521

I do wonder what you are going to do about Romans though. It's a shame the Copplestone-sculpted Romans recently marketed by Companion Miniatures seem to have disappeared again, because they would have been a very good fit. Not many great looking Romans out there for this period... Perhaps Lead Adventure Miniatures will have to make some?   

[DFlynSqrl]

Great sounding idea Prof.  I like the idea of the "party" approach to playing ancients.  Makes it seem more manageable... and tempting!  Good luck!  It should be fun to watch.

[Prof.Witchheimer]

Thanks, Richard!

great idea for the name for the Ancient T&T rules, the abbreviation could be T&T&T, now how cool is that..

I've already seen the pics of the Warlord's Germans, they look very nice indeed, Steve did some top notch work, though I wouldn't mix them with Copplestone as the both designs look a bit too different. The Warlord Germans are looking to me more like Marcomanni, I guess Steve did use this Osprey drawing as reference as well:





They would be a great choice for gaming of Marcomannic Wars. Though actually Marcomanni are also Suebis and their top-knot is just another version of the side-one, did by Copplestone, like this:





Not sure it that is a special tribe related thing wearing their knotes either as top or as side version.

Regarding Romans. No idea yet, first some research on the curent market, some Osprey and all that.

LAM making Romans? Don't tell that to my partner  

[aggro84]

Man, this is going to be good!
I can't wait to see more!
I feel like an excited little kid. 

[Mad Doc Morris]

Exciting news, indeed. Really looking forward to your interpretation of the period - and eventually your adaption of the T&T rules. Just as Hazel and myself have settled on these to be used for our participation game at Tactica next month. (No significant mods so far though.)
Good luck with this anyway.

[Captain Blood]

Regarding Romans. No idea yet, first some research on the curent market, some Osprey and all that.

Well, you always have your Asterix Romans to fall back on... 

[meninobesta]

another fine looking project! looks promissing

regarding romans, I think these guys are very good:
http://www.aventineminiatures.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=53_74
and very copplestone like

[v_lazy_dragon]

Really looking forward to seeing how the project progresses

[Keith]

Oh yes ... this could turn out very well indeed, and I like the idea of single-basing them for 'teams'.

[Faber]

Interesting project Prof.
Love those copplestone minis 

[carlos marighela]

They're Chatti? They look rather laconic to me. Could it be that their wives are the chatti ones?  I'm not sure what would be the major  topic of conversation, stuck in the Teutoburger Wald circa 7 AD .

Sigismund: I hear there's an Aldi due to open here in another two thousand years.
Arminius: Really?.... (long pause)  Ok, let's go kill some Italians.

Nice looking project Prof.

[Mad Doc Morris]

another fine looking project! looks promissing

regarding romans, I think these guys are very good:
http://www.aventineminiatures.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=53_74
and very copplestone like

Sadly, me thinks these are a bit late to the party. I'd go for the Foundry Caesarian Romans with a few EIR auxiliaries and centurions in chainmail/scale armour thrown in. However, no segmented armour for me, not convinced by the Kalkriese findings.

On second thought, the warband approach seems very appropriate for Germanic warriors, of course. That said, there might be more work to do for their Roman opponents. Judging from the Teutoburg desaster they were still lacking decent light infantry troops or tactics to counter these. Thus Roman formations should be rather large and tight in order to become effective. Just a suggestion.

[VonMoltke]

The aventine romans are for the a time period from 140 AD - 190 AD.
They wear the lorica typ newstead and the niedermörmter helmet.
Aventine will release end this week helmets variants which allowed to use them from 100 AD.
The romans in the Varus campaign have a mix of the late republican equipment and the early imperial style.
Since some years we know, that, thanks Kalkriese, the first variants of lorica segmentat has been in use.
So legionaries have worn in this time mail, scale, and lorica segmentata and for tribun and legat muscle cuirass.

Helmets would be the very different.
Montefortino
Hagenau/ coolus C
and the first imperial gallic A and may be B

A good book with many illustrations is the new:
http://www.amazon.de/Das-Heer-Varus-Hilfstruppen-Trachtzubeh%C3%B6r/dp/3938447524

and in two months the second book of this subject.