I am Politician material.

 Happy New Year. I had hoped to have a battle report from the campaign in this post but circumstances were not such that I could get the players involved together for the Battle of Woodstock, so hopefully this will be upcoming at a later date.

Why am I now suitable to be a politician you ask, well I already cannot look at myself in the mirror as I am a shadow of my former handsome self but the main reason is that I too am able to do a U-Turn and go back on a promise. No more projects I have shouted over the last few months, maybe one of those miscreants who delve into ones past online utterances could prove it was even longer. I have been brought to such a pass by a Christmas present.

The item in question was a book on the army of Giaus Julius Maximinus Thrax (the Thracian), who led an expedition deep into Germany, far deeper than most historians allowed for prior to the discovery of the Harzhorn battlefield (2008). A Roman victory against the German tribes for which Thrax is the main contender although the exact date and leader cannot be determined for now. I have two Roman armies but have always had a soft spot for the middle period which my troops do not cover, Armorum & Aquila (A&A) Miniatures have ranges which cover the 3rd and 4th Century, I was hooked.

The culprit.

 The illustrations in the book are quite striking, some of the facial expressions are a bit strange and the face looks like it has been trapped in the helmet. The armour detail is exceptional and I doubt you will find this in wargaming figures, these guys as well as looking frightening also looked sharp. As ever the shields draw me in, in nearly every case they are the artists represenatations based on Legion symbols and unless you are good at hand painting you will have to rely on transfers, thankfully Little Big Man Studios do a range which will fit. The book points out that the famous Duro-Europos shield would be useless in combat as it is too thin, part of another decorated shield found in the city is also unsuitable for combat, so again I suspect these were for ceremonial/guard use.

I also have to mention the work of Phil Hendry who ran a blog years ago which detailed his building of a 3rd Century army using A&A figures, the force is simply inspiring and I have never forgot them, I will be using his blog as a starting point for the new army. Phil's troops were based in the East of the empire while I will be concentrating on the Legions of the Rhine and Danube frontiers who more that likely sent vexillations for the expedition into Germany rather than the complete legion. I believe my favourites, Legio XII, were on the Pannonian frontier around this time and if so probably had a presence in the invasion. Further research will follow.

Phil's troops, hope he doesn't mind.

 Will I get these troops on the table, who knows, maybe once in a blue moon but I don't care, well I do, but in the end the research, collecting and painting will keep me sane for the coming year and a bit.

In order to clear the decks I have managed to get another small pike block from out of my lead pimple, this leaves about 20 figures in the tin whose fate will be to remain there forever. I am painting them up as a Papal contingent which includes mercenaries of Ludovico de' Medici. As I am moving on to the Romans these will be the last Italian Wars figures for a long time. While on the subject of the future I am getting an urge to add figures to Cohors I of the Twelfth, I know it should be twice the size of a normal cohort but adding a few more figures will scratch that itch, also I can order them from Aventine when I get the cataphracts for the German invasion, sorted.

Over Christmas I managed to finish my four new buildings, two barns and two houses, nothing spectacular but decent kits, I might add a bit more weathering to the two houses.

The club starts back on Tuesday and I have a game of Bolt Action to kick off the year. I am also going to go to York this year to browse for bits and pieces, mainly scatter terrain, some paints and maybe the odd piece from the Last Valley, I feel the need for some more trees and maybe some smaller hedges.

Parthian Shot: In the new 2025 D&D rule book if you feel your adventurer has met a situation which is inappropriate you can hold out your palm or make a cross with your arms above your head to halt proceedings. The rest have not to discuss why you have called a halt but simply amend the play and move on without prejudice. I might try that the next time my one and only tank is punctured by a strike from an anti-tank gun.