Auxilia: the project...

I finally managed to finish Anthony Riches "Empire" series of novels following an Auxiliary cohort.  Riches is a historian turned novelist and this series was inspired by the "Tungrian" tablet finds on Hadrian's wall.  The career of a young centurion is at the heart of the series, but it is the cohort itself that is at centre stage.  I thoroughly recommend them.
I have also enjoyed Simon Scarrow's Roman Legion novels, again following a single cohort and the career of two centurion friends.  Both of these series are a real treasure trove of narrative and scenarios 


The scale...
For Men of Bronze Hoplites I was almost forced to go 28mm.  The fact is I just don't like any of the 20mm hoplite plastics available.   When it comes to Early Imperial Romans it's a different matter.  At half the price there are some great 1/72 plastics out there, not least the Zvezda Auxilia.

Since I already have some Auxilia painted up this is really just an ongoing project.  For rules I'm looking at Sword and Spear, or a variant of Men of Bronze.

The plan:

Another planned project for the autumn: to build an Early Imperial Roman Auxiliary Infantry Century, that will represent the Cohort.    After my my discussion with the Club President of the Petains last year I've begun to prefer games where one figure equals one man, so the closer to 1:1 scale I can come the better.  

The Auxilia can be used to represent a single century at 1:1, 80 figures.  This can quite easily  scaled up to represent the cohort.  
I already have one box of Zvezda figures painted up.  They will be the basis for my unit.   They will also give me the core of a second cohort of "Eastern" archers. 

The Zvezda box with 45 figures

27 Auxilia
1 Centurion
1 Standard
1 Horn player

12 Armoured Archers

3 slingers

2 Additional boxes for:

81 Auxilia

36 Archers

3 Centurion 

3 Standard and 

3 Horn player

9 slingers 

I plan to use Newline  Designs metals  to fill any gaps and a Newline Command set for the Mounted and dismounted Prefect.

Finally for a Campaign game, I'm going to need  a Turmae of

Hat Roman Auxiliary cavalry (12)

The 20mm Auxilia vs Gauls

The Celts
I have already painted up a box of 40 Italeri Gallic Warriors as my Celtic tribe.  Clearly then we are talking Britannia as the first posting for my cohort.  A couple of boxes of warriors as well as horsemen and chariots should be enough.  
The Plastic Soldier Review website has allowed me to scheme and plan all of this.  1/72 plastics have changed beyond all recognition since the days of Airfix, and at this small scale I'm norlt fighting huge battles (well maybe small parts of them) but skirmishes and small unit actions.
After Britannia I am thinking of a posting  to Germania with a single box of Germans to make up a savage looking front rank on the Celts... 

After that Dacia, and again a box of Dacian foot to make up a front rank...

If I ever make it to Parthia I will be doing well, and it may cost real money, but I reckon a box of light cavalry would go a long way.

The big man himself.