ESR - Odds and Ends

Reformation areas with dice frames to track fatigue

Limbers

Prussian Force and Formation leaders

French Force and Formation leaders

Russian Force and Formation leaders

Cranking them out now

Eight stands of Poles are now complete. These should be enough for a decent sized division in ESR.

The fusiliers originally had plumes but since  I could find no reference to them with plumes I snipped them off.

Quarantine Painting Progress, the third

Prussian Dragoons are now complete. 

Quarantine Painting Progress, Part the Second

French, Russian and Prussian infantry completed for Et Sans Resultat.

Quarantine Painting Progress

Just a few SYW units primarily based for, “For King or Empress” but could also be used for “Twilight of the Soldier King”

They Couldn't Hit the Broadside of a Barn - Western Han Chinese vs. Goguryeo Korean

Korean pole armed armored halberdiers (Khurasan Miniatures)

In a masterful feat of speed painting, Brian managed to paint an entire 10,500 point Goguryeo Korean army in two months and eight days (or was it five days)?  This army was built in response to my recently completed Han Chinese army which took considerably longer to complete.  So with an open Saturday, we met to initiate the Korean army.  

Here's Brian's list:

And here are my Western Han:

Brian was ably assisted by Lance (he of the Mongol army fame) while I had Mark pushing lead and rolling non-skulls on my side. 

Synopsis of the Battle

Both sides lined up in the classic formation of cavalry on the wings and infantry in the middle. The Koreans lined up their armored horse on their left flank and their bow armed cavalry on their right. The Chinese split their cavalry with two conscript heavy cavalry and two dependent state cavalry on the right and half that number on the left flank. 

The Chinese pushed forward on their right against the armored cavalry but their shoot and charge ability was for naught as the bolts and arrows harmlessly plinked off the armor. The forces charged each other but the strength of the Korean cavalry wore down the Han and quickly the Chinese were down two TuGs.

On the other flank, a stalemate ensued as both sides kept out of missile range until finally they lined up and let loose. In a devastating volley, the Koreans managed five hits on five dice.  Yikes! The Han were soon down three TuGs. 

One unit of Conscript Heavy Cavalry broke off from the missile duel and slammed into the group of poor Korean militia coming to support the fight. Things were looking up for the Chinese who now scored to make it 3-1.

The infantry in the center finally engaged and a bloody scrum ensued. Soon both sides lost two TuGs and the Chinese were on the edge of destruction 5 - 3. 

The final turn saw the Koreans with many chances to break the Han and finally they did so when an armored cavalry TuG slammed into an unprotected, bow armed Dependent State Cavalry unit.

More pics below

A Bad Day to Go Camping - Western Han vs. Mongols

Who stands between the Mongol horde and the Han camp?

The Han overrun the Mongol camp.

By coincidence, the gaming day started with Lance, Andrew and me meeting for lunch at a Chinese buffet/Mongolian BBQ joint a stone’s throw from the FLGS. The day ended with both the Mongol and Han camps being overrun.

This was the first outing of my Western Han since I finished painting them a month ago. I had an idea how to run them and figured they could hold their own against Lance's Mongol army. My plan was to set up my TuGs of combined  close fighters and missile troops, with deployed caltrops, in the center and my dependent state bow armed cavalry and heavy cavalry armed with crossbows and pole arms on either flank. In total I had four TuGs of combined pole arm and cross bow infantry, one TuG of conscript long spear armed infantry, three TuGs of dependent state cavalry and three TuGs of heavy cavalry (10,503 points)

Hordes of Mongols

Lance split his force of nine TuGs, all mounted with a strong force of superior, melee expert cavalry, with four TuGs on his left flank and five TuGs on his right.   (10,500 points). Clearly he intended to avoid my infantry and overwhelm my flanks.

The fight was very close the whole game. The Mongols overran the Han left flank and the Han returned the favor by routing the Mongol left flank.  This meant both camps were left exposed and unprotected. The Mongols hit the Han camp first but failed to destroy in in one turn. The next turn the Han hit the Mongol camp and they too failed to cause the inhabitants to flee. After the game we realized we did the camp combat incorrectly - but at least we were consistent in our inconsistency.

It was very close at the end. On the last turn the Mongols had the initiative and needed to destroy two TuGs (including the camp) while the Han just needed to break the camp to force the Mongol breakpoint. In the end, the Mongols destroyed the Han camp but couldn't put enough hits on an infantry unit to break, allowing the Han to win the day (15 - 10) when they pulled up the Mongol tent pegs.

Shout out to Andrew for leading the successful attack against the Mongol left flank and to Brian for reminding me to take pictures.