Planning ahead with my 28mm Ancients

Planning ahead with 28mm Ancients

Last year I collected a hoplite army.  It`s a pretty big one in modern terms, 80 hoplites, 12 Cavalry, 12 Peltasts,  6 slingers.  I wouldn`t be ashamed to field that as a DBM or WRG 6th sized force.  The Warlord Hoplites I used come with shield transfers and are easy to paint.  Nice models, with smaller heads (and more realistic) than the Victrix figures I originally planned to go with. 

When I discovered that hoplite warfare isn`t really floating the boat (who knew?  everyone but me probably)I decided for a sideways trip to Italy.  The Early Roman Latin Allies from Victrix would be my answer to boring hoplite phalanx warfare.   The figures are great, and I`'m coming around to the bigger heads.  They can pose as Samnites, or any Italian hill tribes, as well as Latins. 

Presuming  that the Toofatlardies would extend the Infamy rules to cover the Macedonian and Punic wars in a supplement at some time, the longer term plan is to build on this with one force at a time to cover the Rise of Rome in Italy.  Hopefully, and this is probably wishful thinking but bear with, this means adding a box of figures at a time to add in different opponents.

One Force is already here, those Hoplites are now the Southern Italian Greek city states of Magna Grecia.  They will also be my "Etruscans."  The Latins are now being painted up and are the Inland and hill tribes, borrowing some Greek cavalry as needed.

Next then I have these forces in mind.

• ·         Republican Romans (in chainmail)
• ·         Gauls for the Po Valley Cisalpina tribes.  (Infantry and Cavalry)
• ·         Macedonians for the visit of Pyrrhus of Epirus (I have the pikes already 40 of them in a Warlord Games Box)  I will however need at least a unit of heavy cavalry for these.
• ·         Carthaginian Infantry for a Sicilian adventure

That actually isn't much outlay for a lot of gaming, and the fact is I have some time to get collecting with this before any anticipated supplement appears anyway.  Even if the often experienced Lardy wait for rules then occurs I could either adapt Infamy myself, or use the men of Bronze supplement for the rise of Rome.

There remains an ulterior motive behind the next two forces in this list.  The Victrix Repuplican Roman Infantry in Chainmail are not far removed from the appearance of the Infantry of the Late Republic, and I would certainly be happy using these as the forces of Sulla or Marius, leaving the Triari in the box.  The Gauls would then be used for the wars to subdue Cisalpina and Transalpina even down to the campaigns of the Divine Julius.

So that's a plan.  I better get on with painting those Latins.