My house army lists and rule changes for TtS Crusades games. TtS Even Longer.

Following the lengthy reply I made in comments relating the last Crusades post, I thought it might be useful if I posted these. They are the army lists and quick reference sheets that I'll use here for TtS Crusades games. They have all of the house rule amendments included (at least I'm pretty sure they do), and the sheets over ride the rules as originally published.

Obviously, the lists reflect what's in my collection. The rule changes have been made purely to add an extra layer of depth to give my Crusades games more period characterisation - this is especially the case when it comes to missile weapon technology. 

I've added a new formation called whirling mass specifically to reflect the tactics of Turcoman horse archers. Unlike settled Seljuk Turks and Arab troops, who used shower shooting whilst stationary, Turcomans were constantly on the move when shooting. Turcomans used, what I can only describe simply as, 'shooting by tribal caracole': That is sweeping in in large groups, before shooting, then retiring, the process constantly being repeated by more groups behind. This whirling, dust raising multi-unit tactic is a difficult thing to model, so I've come up with whirling mass. (see notes under Turcomans in the lists below).

I've also added a couple of simple rule changes for impetuous troops who often charged without orders, and made a simple change to the way artillery works. 

Possibly the most radical change I've made is to dispense with ammunition chits altogether because so much in the Crusades shoots; having stacks of chits everywhere isn't great; I frequently forget to expend them on shooting (or worse put them into the replenishment stack); it is a needless complication that slows the game down. Units do still go out of ammunition (and such units are marked with a counter) but, they do so following activation to shoot, on drawing a 1 (ace) chit when determining if there is a hit or not (javelins are treated slightly differently - see QRF). Ammunition is replenished in the usual way except that on a single replenishment the unit counts as 'loaded' until it draws a 1 (ace) chit again. I do something similar for lances. I do not have separate lance and ammunition chits, they amount to the same thing and have been termed 'replenishment chits'.

I'll stick my neck out here and say that Simon M. will not mind me publishing this as I think the official TtS army lists and QRF are free to download from his site, and he's quite open to new ideas. He calls his amendments TtS Even Stronger; I call my amendments TtS Even Longer.

EDIT: Since originally posting I have edited the tables and reposted them here. Some people are not getting the tables in the right format. If you are experiencing difficulties, drop me an email (see my contact details in the sidebar), and I'll send you the original MS Word doc.

Syrian
Unit		Description	#	Save	Cost
Generals & heroes		Mounted, attached general	1 - 3	2+	5
		Upgrade to heroic	Any	3+	+1
		Upgrade to senior general	0 - 1	-	+1
		Mounted, Turcoman tribal leader ¹	0 - 1	2+	5
		Heroes	4 - 8	-	1
Askari or Ghulams		Cavalry lance, veteran	1 - 3	6+	11
		Upgrade by adding composite bow	Any	-	+2
Other Syrian or Kurdish cavalry		Cavalry lance	1 - 6	7+	9
		Upgrade to veteran	Up to 1/2	6+	+2
Bedouin cavalry		Light cavalry lance or javelin, raw	0 - 4	8+	4
		Upgrade from raw	Any	7+	+1
		Reform two units into tribal mass ²	Any	-	-1
Turcomans		Light cavalry composite bow	4 - 8	8+	5
		Reform two units into whirling mass ³	Up to 1/2	-	0
		Upgrade to impetuous ⁴	Any	-	-1
Ah’dath		Shieldwall, raw	0 - 5	8+	5
		Upgrade spearmen to glaiveman (2HCW)	Up to 2	-	+1
Muttatawwia		Warriors, deep, impetuous	0 - 2	7+	10
		Upgrade to warriors, fanatics, deep, impetuous ⁴, added hero	0 - 2	8+	+1
Kurds or Daylami foot		Javelinmen, veteran	0 - 2	6+	7
Crossbowmen		Light infantry, crossbow	0 - 2	8+	4
Al-ashair		Light infantry, composite bow, raw	0 - 5	9+	3
Naffatun		Small light infantry unit, hand hurled ITW weapon ⁵	0 - 2	8+	3
Artillery		Small artillery unit.	0 - 2	7+	7
1	Notes Must command at least at least four tribal units; may not command other troops.
2	·         A tribal mass is represented by placing one unit directly behind the other with the same facing. ·         A tribal mass has two hits; it is disordered after receiving a first hit, lost after receiving the second. ·         A tribal mass is not required to evade when charged; it may, however, choose to evade. ·         A tribal mass may charge disordered formed troops frontally. ·         A tribal mass cannot share a box with any other troops. ·         A tribal mass is treated as light troops in all other respects.
3	·         A whirling mass is represented by placing the stands in a circle running clockwise with the command stands arranged so that the facing of the formation is clear. ·         A whirling mass has two hits; it is disordered after receiving the first, lost after receiving the second. ·         A whirling mass can shoot twice on the same activation unless it is disordered, in rough terrain, or it is partially OOA (partially OOA with one OOA marker, totally OOA with two) when it can shoot only once. ·         A whirling mass never presents a flank to shooters but always presents a flank to chargers. ·         A whirling mass cannot share a box with any other troops. ·         A whirling mass is treated as light troops in all other respects.
4	A failed activation on a 1 will cause impetuous troops to charge the nearest enemy unit within reach and remain impetuous until successfully activated again. Whilst impetuous light troops may not evade. Impetuous troops always hit on 6+ in the first round of combat.
5	If Naffatun turn a 1 when activating to shoot (throw) their fire pot incendiary terror weapons (ITW), someone drops a pot and the unit must make a save or be lost.

 

 

 

Seljuk
Unit		Description	#	Save	Cost
Generals & heroes		Mounted, attached general	1 - 3	2+	5
		Upgrade to heroic	Any	3+	+1
		Upgrade to senior general	0 - 1	-	+1
		Mounted, Turcoman tribal leader ¹	0 - 2	2+	5
		Heroes	3 - 6	-	1
Ghulams		Cavalry, lance, composite bow	2 - 5	7+	11
		Upgrade to veteran	Any	6+	+2
Seljuk horse archers		Cavalry, composite bow	2 - 5	8+	9
		Upgrade to veteran	Up to 1/2	7+	11
Turcomans		Light cavalry composite bow	6 - 12	8+	5
		Reform two units into whirling mass ²	Up to 1/2	-	0
		Upgrade to impetuous ³	Any	-	-1
Armenian knights		Cavalry, lance	0 - 2	7+	9
Armenian light cavalry		Light cavalry lance or javelin	0 - 2	8+	5
Syrian cavalry		Cavalry, lance, veteran	0 - 1	6+	11
Bedouin cavalry		Light cavalry lance or javelin, raw	0 - 1	8+	4
Turkish or Armenian foot.		Javelinmen	0 - 5	7+	7
Turkish or Armenian archers.		Light infantry, composite bow	0 - 5	8+	4
Kurds or Daylami foot		Javelinmen, veteran	0 - 2	6+	9
Adhath		Shieldwall, raw	0 - 2	8+	5
Crossbowmen		Light infantry, crossbow	0 - 2	8+	4
Naffatun		Small light infantry unit, hand hurled ITW ⁴	0 - 2	8+	3
Artillery		Small artillery unit.	0 - 2	7+	7
1	Notes Must command at least at least four tribal units; may not command other troops.
2	·         A whirling mass is represented by placing the stands in a ‘circle’, running clockwise, with the command stands arranged so that the facing of the formation is clear. ·         A whirling mass has two hits; it is disordered after receiving the first, lost after receiving the second. ·         A whirling mass can shoot twice on the same activation unless it is disordered, in rough terrain, or it is partially OOA (partially OOA with one OOA marker, totally OOA with two) when it can shoot only once. ·         A whirling mass never presents a flank to shooters; it always presents a flank to chargers. ·         A whirling mass cannot share a box with any other troops. ·         A whirling mass is treated as light troops in all other respects.
3	A failed activation on a 1 will cause impetuous troops to charge the nearest enemy unit within reach and remain impetuous until successfully activated again. Whilst impetuous light troops may not evade. Impetuous troops always hit on 6+ in the first round of contact.
4	If Naffatun turn a 1 when activating to shoot (throw) their fire pot incendiary terror weapons (ITW), someone drops a pot and the unit must make a save or be lost.
Other Notes ·         Danishmend armies can also include Syrian cavalry and Adhath. ·         Great Seljuk armies can include everything except Armenians. ·         Following the First Crusade, Seljuk armies did, on occasion, field allied contingents of Franks.

 

 

Crusader (Frankish)
Unit		Description	#	Save	Cost
Generals & heroes		Mounted, attached, heroic general	1 - 4	3+	6
		Upgrade to senior general	0 - 1	-	+1
		Upgrade senior general to ‘Great’ as Bohemund ¹	0 - 1	3+	+4
		Upgrade to mounted, attached, heroic Military Order general ²	0 - 1	3+	0
		Mounted, attached, Armenian ally general ³	0 - 1	2+	5
		Heroes	4 - 8	-	+1
Army standard		True Cross or Holy Lance of Antioch, attached ⁴	0 - 1	-	4
Knights		Knights, lance	2 - 6	6+	11
		Upgrade to veteran	Up to 1/2	5+	+2
		Upgrade veteran knights to Brother Knights, fanatics, plus added hero	0 - 1	5+	+2
Turcopoles		Light cavalry, lance, composite bow	0 - 4	7+	6
Armenian knights		Cavalry, lance	0 - 2	7+	9
Armenian cavalry		Light cavalry, javelin	0 - 2	7+	5
Bedouin cavalry		Light cavalry lance or javelin, raw	0 - 1	8+	4
Foot Sergeants		Armoured foot with integral bow or crossbow support	0 - 8	6+	10
		Upgrade as bolstered by foot knights (2HCW) ⁵	0 - 4	5+	+2
		Upgrade as veteran Brother Sergeants	0 - 1	5+	+2
Arriere-ban or pilgrim soldiers		Shield wall, raw	0 - 3	8+	6
Crossbowmen		Armoured light infantry, crossbow	0 - 2	7+	4
Archers / slingers		Light infantry, simple bow or sling	0 - 3	8+	4
Pilgrims		1st Crusade, civilian mass, IPW ⁶	0 - 5	9+	4
		Upgrade to Mob, deep, IPW as pilgrim militia	0 - 2	8+	+3
Armenian foot		Javelinmen	0 - 3	7+	7
Armenian archers		Light infantry, composite bow	0 - 3	8+	4
Syrian archers		Light infantry, composite bow, raw	0 - 3	9+	3
Maronite archers		Bowmen, composite bow	0 - 1	8+	7
Artillery		Small artillery unit.	0 - 2	7+	7
1	Notes Bohemund may play two replacement ‘activation chits’, or ‘to hit chits’, or a combination of both, in a single turn rather than the usual one. When testing for injury he always picks the lower of two chits.
2	General must attach to Military Order knights; he may only command knights, sergeants, crossbowmen and turcopoles. Military Order knights require a military order general.
3	An Armenian ally General is needed if more than four units of Armenians are used.
4	Add three extra VP medals to the army’s total; lose three VP medals if it is lost. Count as a hero for any unit within 1 box range. Units in the same box, or adjacent boxes, never test for routing units.
5	The number of available mounted knight units must be reduced by one for every bolstered foot sergeant unit fielded.
6	Civilian mass are 1st Crusade pilgrims ‘on the road’ rather than an armed mob. They have two hits (to reduce staying power). They do not count as deep for box occupation. Upgraded mobs are as per the standard rules and include campaigning pilgrim militias. Both count as deep formations for movement.
Other notes ·         Military Order Brother Knights and Brother Sergeants are only available after 1128. The save of Brother Knights is not downgraded for being fanatic due to their discipline, hence 2 points extra. ·         Armenians are only available to the armies of Antioch and Eddessa. ·         Maronite archers are only available to Tripoli. ·         Knights did not regularly dismount to fight. During the last year of the 1st Crusade (1098 -99) half the total number of knights fielded must fight on foot due to a lack of horses. German knights dismounted to fight in the difficult terrain, “as was their Teutonic fashion”, outside Damascus in 1147. ·         Frankish armies sometimes included larger Islamic contingents than listed. E.g. Bedouin tribesmen under their own chieftain, large numbers of Turcoman mercenaries, or the army of an allied Islamic state.

 

Easy Activations
Move or Charge one box straight ahead, or two boxes straight ahead if mounted.
Move and Shoot one box straight ahead (light troops armed with javelins only).
Shoot and Move backwards, facing in same or opposite direction (light troops armed with bows only).
Replenish units that are out of ammunition (OOA), or replenish ‘broken lances’.
Rally.
Difficult Activations (Light troops ignore all difficulty)
Move or Charge one box diagonally ahead, maintaining facing; mounted units may move or charge one further box straight ahead thereafter.
Move one box sideways, maintaining facing.
Move backwards one box, or two if mounted, facing in the same or opposite direction.
Change facing, or exchange places within their box. After this, mounted may move one box straight ahead.
Move or charge into, through, or out of rough terrain.
Save Modifiers
Type	Circumstance	Mod
Melee	Light infantry in rough terrain, except when charged by light infantry.	+2
	Foot when charged across fortifications.	+2
	Any hit by improvised peasant weapons (IPW).	+2
	Foot when charged uphill.	+1
	Foot in rough terrain charged by mounted.	+1
	Any, defending against a charge across a stream, bridge, shoreline or stakes.	+1
	Foot (except light infantry), who are not disordered, receiving a frontal mounted charge.	+1
	Charged by foot wielding two handed cutting weapons (2HCW).	-1
	Light infantry charged by mounted in the open.	-1
Shooting	Units hit at three boxes range by composite bows.	+2
	Any hit by improvised peasant weapons (IPW).	+2
	Units hit, at any range, by simple bows or slings.	+1
	Foot behind field fortifications, except versus artillery or incendiary terror weapons.	+2
	Shieldwall, or any units behind cover, except versus artillery or incendiary terror weapons.	+1
	Light infantry, light cavalry or artillery, except versus artillery or incendiary terror weapons.	+1
	Units hit from behind a flank or rear, except versus artillery or incendiary terror weapons.	-1
Rally	A general is present in the box.	+1
	For each unit in a position from which it could charge the testing unit.	-1
Special Saves
All units in a targeted box, hit by artillery (artillery targets a box, not a unit) regardless of circumstances.		7+
Any unit hit by incendiary terror weapons (ITW).		9+
Useful Reminders
Shooting	Target priority is always the nearest target, with diagonals measured as 1.5 boxes. All hit on 8+.
	Range: Javelins, IPW and ITW: 1 box. Simple bows, crossbows & slings: 2 boxes. Composite bows: 3 boxes (save bonus applies at 3 boxes range). Artillery: 4 boxes.
	Bowmen, veteran Ghulams, veteran Askaris, and double strength Turcomans in whirling mass, may shoot twice except when disordered or in rough terrain.
Melee	All hit on 6+, except disordered and light troops, bowmen, artillery, civilian mass and mobs who require an 8+.
	Note: Fanatic troops always hit on 6+. Impetuous troops always hit on 6+ in the first round of combat.
Evade	3+ if mounted in the open evading foot, or foot evading any in rough terrain.
	5+ if mounted in the open evading mounted, or foot in the open evading foot.
	7+ if foot in the open evading mounted, or mounted evading any in rough terrain.
Injury to Generals	Generals must save each time the unit is hit. Generals failing to save draw a second chit to determine the effect: 9-10= Killed; 6-8 = Seriously wounded must retire from battle; 1-5 = Lightly wounded, no effect, a second light wound is a serious wound. A general surviving attached unit loss automatically joins another of his command.
Difficult Activations & Out of command	Difficult activations are 1 activation point harder to achieve than normal; all difficulty is cumulative. Deep units and civilian mass find difficult activations ‘doubly difficult’ (e.g. 2 levels of difficulty is 4 points harder).
	If the command’s general is dead or has left the field; the general is more than 2 boxes away, or 3 boxes away if the unit is light troops, difficulty will always be 1 point harder. Not cumulative.
Replenish OOA & Lances	Any bows or crossbows, artillery, ITW, or IPW go out of ammunition (OOA) after turning a 1 to hit.
	Light troops with javelin go OOA after turning a 1-5 to hit; others with javelin go OOA automatically.
	Lances need replenishing after turning a 1 to hit.

 

Cutlery

My wargame room's back wall has a new look. I've moved some pictures around and hung up some recently acquired cutlery. 

The question is, do we still allow Peter J. to stand on that side of the table in any game involving dice?

Only the sword bayonet is original; the others are historically accurate 'museum quality' replicas, whatever that means  - does it mean they can sell them in the museum shop? They are all, according to their blurb, hand forged EN45 high carbon spring steel with a full tang.

Cutlery, left to right: 

• French chasseurs sword bayonet, dated 1849. My dad was given this in lieu of payment for a cheeky plumbing job he did in the late 50s. Given that he found it in the attic of a house in Bradford whilst doing the job, and the old boy there had lived in the house for 50 years not knowing of  its existence, I suspect it had been brought back from the Crimean War as a souvenir, put in the attic, and forgotten about.
• Medieval broadsword, 12th century. Having obtained this sword I know a lot more about 11th and 12th century sword pommels than I did before. I'd be careful about asking me about them.
• English short sword, 1660. Rapiers were found to be too long and cumbersome for general everyday wear so, by the reign of Charles II, gentlemen tended to carry shorter swords like this one about the place, as macho fashion items as much as for defence (blade length is 33") .
• French Musketeer's (as per "The Three...") swept hilt rapier, 1590. You have a reach of over six feet with this thing and, considering its length, it is remarkably well balanced. It's basically a stiletto dagger with a 40" blade: Its effective stroke is the thrust.
• English swept hilt rapier, 1640. This sword is very heavy. It has the same blade length as the earlier French version but the blade is a third wider and less tapered towards the point. Apparently, by the time of the ECW, English rapiers had become much heavier and robust to make them better for cutting strokes, and to cope with the general rigours of war. In any event, you would need to be built like an ox to wield it effectively - it's a real muscle burner.

Reorganising and rebasing my Crusades collection

Grid based miniatures games are not everyone's cup of tea but, no one can argue that grid based games don't usually have the clearest rules. This is because the ambiguities thrown up by more conventional 'free moving' table-top rules are eradicated by the simple imposition of the grid. Such games also seem to play faster, possibly because measuring distances can be done by just counting squares or hexes, any question regarding 'angles' is always clearly defined, and possibly because a 'board game grid' always feels user friendly (could the reason be that simple). 

On the downside, the strict adherence to the grid can sometimes detract visually. Not because of the grid pattern on the table (which can be made almost invisible by just marking square intersections) but because units can sometimes seem to be facing in an unrealistic direction when carrying out actions. However, the fun that can be had from elegant grid based games, especially those that come with a lot of important decision making opportunities and subtlety, far outweigh this downside and it is soon forgotten. 

Two grid games we regularly play using miniatures are Commands and Colors (which uses a hex based grid), and To The Strongest (which uses a square based grid).

Of the two, To the Strongest (TtS) by Simon Miller is probably the most favoured here - we definitely count as fans. We have used them for all manner of ancient and medieval games, both here and at Graham H's place. Most recently we have used them for battles set during the Crusades. However, my Crusades unit organisation didn't work well for TtS because my four stand units were to big to fit into 20cm grid squares.

A 'To the Strongest' Crusades battle prior to mass reorganisation and rebasing using cobbled together 3 stand units. 
Each terrain tile is divided into nine 20 x 20 cm squares marked only at their intersections - see 'em? 

For the last TtS Crusades games we played I had cobbled together three stand units. Following these battles, I  decided to reorganise the collection, and re-base where necessary. Then Covid 19 got in the way and the games stopped - no longer any need for urgent progress with that idea. However, work has continued very slowly, in fits and starts, and half finished jobs. Frankly (no pun intended), it's been a chore but the results have been pleasing.

So, job done, it's time, Roll Call!

First up, The Forces of Islam. This force was built so it can make up an army for the Seljuks of Rum or a Syrian City State. It is quite a small force but it still covers most of the bases for evening long games. I'd like to add half a dozen more units of infantry, including two units of Daylami, to make it a more versatile collection.

The entire force. 
It comprises 277 mounted figures including a single camel rider, and 218 foot figures of all kinds. 
Quite small really - it's the cavalry that give it a footprint.

Twelve units of Turcoman light cavalry horse archers, each 7 figures.

Perry Miniatures.

Three units of Bedouin light cavalry each 7 strong (probably one too many units but the Franks can also use one or two).

Perry Miniatures.

Five units of Seljuk horse archers each 10 figures strong. 

Under TtS these count as 'cavalry' rather than 'light cavalry' which works very well IMHO.

Perry Miniatures.

Five units of Ghulam / Askari lance / bow armed heavy cavalry, each 12 figures strong (one is 13 strong). 

These normally form the bodyguard units of generals. I have decided to mark units as having a general rather than have separate 'command figure' stands. This helps to get the three stand units into the boxes (and the five 3 figure general stands I had helped to fill out the ranks of these cavalry and the Arab cavalry below).

Perry Miniatures.

Five units of Arab / Kurdish lance armed heavy cavalry, each 12 figures strong.

Perry miniatures.

One unit of Mattatawia, 33 figures strong. 

It is a TtS 'deep unit'. I'd like another of these.

Perry miniatures.

Three units of Adhath city militia, each 22 figures strong. I'd like to add one more with glaives instead of spears.

Perry miniatures.

Five units of Arab light infantry archers, each 9 figures strong.

Footsore Miniatures: Armies of the Caliphates range.

Three units of Turkish foot, each 23 figures strong.

Perry miniatures.

Two units of Turkish light infantry archers, each 9 figures strong. I'd like to add one more unit.

Perry miniatures.

A 'carvan' of four stands of pack camels. Each has three camels plus attendants. They don't really have a fixed unit organisation. 

The camels are 'Beja camel warrior' camels (riders not used) with home made Milliput, balsa wood, and bits and pieces baggage loads.

Perry miniatures.

Naffatun fire pot throwers. I generally field these as one stand units. I'd like two stands more so I can field them as two stand units.

Perry miniatures.

The 'band stand'. 

This allows a senior general in the same square (TtS box) to reissue a failed order to a unit / box up to 3 squares away, once per turn (a house rule). 

It reflects the Islamic practice of using musicians to instantly transmit simple orders over long distances. They also used large flags (think semaphore), sometimes from camelback howdahs, to do the same - that would make a good stand too. It counter-balances the effect of the Frankish True Cross / Holy Lance.

Perry miniatures.

The entire Frankish force, plus allies. 
It comprises 116 mounted figures including a single donkey rider, and 408 foot figures of all kinds, plus various animals.

Next up, the Franks and their Allies. This force was built up to represent armies of the First Crusade and early Kingdom of Jerusalem period up to, and including at a pinch, the second Crusade; after that date the knights are all wrong. 

I would like to add a few more units to this force, including three unarmoured 'pilgrim soldiers' / Arriere Ban spearmen only units, plus a few others, mostly Armenians (detailed below).

There are five units of knights, three of 12 figures and two of 11 figures. (Only one pictured).

Perry Miniatures.

There is a single unit of Hospitaler knights, 12 figures strong.

These are probably more suited to the period immediately after the one I collected for but, knights of a Military Order are so useful for one off scenarios and always add a bit of colour - not to mention highly motivated oomph.

Perry Miniatures.

Three units of Turcopole light cavalry, each seven figures strong. (Only one pictured).

The Franks never seem to have enough of these useful chaps.

Perry Miniatures.

Three units of foot sergeants, armed with simple spears and bows in a mixed unit, each 22 figures strong.

Perry Miniatures.

Five units of foot sergeants, armed with spears and crossbows in a mixed unit, each 21 - 22 figures strong (108 figures total).

For the First Crusade this is proportionally wrong. There were probably far more simple bows in evidence than crossbows. I don't get hung up on this because I only give early crossbows the same range as bows - they are just simple bows with a stock in this period.

Perry Miniatures.

A unit of light infantry archers with bows, 10 figures strong, and a unit of light infantry slingers, 9 figures strong.

I will add another unit of archers to fight with the Arriere Ban I'll eventually purchase.

Perry Miniatures.

Two units of light infantry crossbowmen, each 10 figures strong.

Perry Miniatures.

Three units of pilgrims (all in TtS deep formation), each of 29- 30 figures and animals. 

Note that I based all of these units with 'abled bodied men' at the front so that they don't look completely hapless and helpless. 

Pilgrims are an absolute must for the First Crusade. In fact, you need so many of them that I did baggage stands to mix in (see below) to save a bit of money and painting time (giving a possible five units overall). They have been used in more games than I care to remember so, although of dubious military quality, the gaming value has been well worth the investment.

There is a right old mix of figures here (I threw the sink at them) but, mostly they are Perry and Gripping Beast.

 

Six stands of baggage, to be used as such or to mix in with the pilgrims to build them up to five units. All told the baggage comprises 12 figures, 3 wagons and 16 animals.

Over the years I've come to love baggage elements.

Another hotchpotch of figures. The wagons are built out of Irregular Miniatures bits and pieces - real one offs. The cattle are Foundry. I can't remember who makes the pack animals.

Two stands of artillery and a True Cross stand.

True Cross by Perry Miniatures. Artillery by Gripping Beast.

Two units of Maronite Christians (from Mount Lebanon?), 23 figures strong.

This is a very versatile unit for the Franks, it could also be used for representing a contingent of Assassins.

Footsore Miniatures: Armies of the Caliphates range.

Two units of Armenian infantry, each 21 figures strong. (Only one pictured).

I will add another unit of these.

Armenians are very versatile figures because they can fight for both sides. They were employed by the Franks, the Seljuks of Rum and the Islamic states of northern Syria.

Perry Miniatures. Note that I've changed the arm position on a lot of the Armenians from above shoulder to below shoulder - they look quite static otherwise. Normally, I would say that Perry are the best figures out there but, the one pose spearmen in the Armenian spearmen packs (armoured & unarmoured) are weak in comparison to the rest of the range.

Two units of Armenian light infantry archers, each 9 figures strong. (Only one pictured).

I will add another unit of these.

 Perry Miniatures.

A unit of Armenian 'knights', 14 figures strong, and a unit of Armenian light cavalry, 7 figures strong.

I will add another unit of knights. 

 Perry Miniatures.

So that's it. That's the collection in a nutshell, and a note of the additional units I'd like to add to complete it. 

Total (on the shelf) collection is: 393 mounted figures, 626 foot figures and a bunch of pack animals, wagons and so forth. 

Although this is my smallest collection, it is one of my favourites. Sometimes, medieval games can seem a bit of a slog but, I assure you the Crusades are a period apart. The Crusades are different because they offer forces that fight using totally different tactical styles. Also the armies are not as 'fixed' by religion as one would first believe; there is at least one case of two Christian armies, both with Muslim allies, having a ding-dong. It's the clash of military cultures that sets these games apart, and I just love them. 

One day, when suitable metal figures become available (mainly Sudanese ghulam foot archers, Abyssinian swordsmen, etc.), I plan to add Fatimids to the mix. That will enable me to not only to fight Fatimids Vs Franks but, Seljuk Sunnis Vs Egyptian Shiites, the latter again using forces with different tactical styles - massed foot bows Vs massed horse archers, both with heavy cavalry to pack their punch. I can't wait!

21/06/24 EDIT: Since this was posted I've added the following units:

Turcopoles x1; Dismounted knights (small units of 11 figs on one 90x60 stand) x2; Armenian spearmen x2; Armenian archers x2; Armenian knights x1; Adhath glaivemen x2; Turcoman horse archers x2; Muttatawia x1. Lastly I've rethought the Naffatun and done them as small units of 4 figs on one 90x60 stand, I have x3.

Planning ahead - The Spanish Army - First Thoughts

With the French army project finished, and the completion of the Anglo-Portuguese army within spitting distance, my thoughts are turning to what I should do next. My choice is to do a full Spanish army, or a large Spanish contingent to fight along side Anglo-Portuguese, or to switch tack entirely and plumb for the Sudan to add a colonial period to my gaming choices. 

I'd really like to go for the Sudan but, I know that if I do I may never return to do the Spanish any kind of justice. I will have become side tracked.

Consequently, I've decided to bite the bullet and go for a full Spanish army. By that I mean collecting thirty or so units plus artillery, command, etc. That will be enough to fight a good sized battle, and there will be enough variation to do a wargame campaign. It will not be quite as large as the other two armies but it will be large enough to do a job. This will be a big commitment for me, in time and cash.

What follows is my thought process on what my army will look like. Many of you will probably know a lot more about Spanish armies than I do, so if I'm wrong on any point please feel free to chip in and correct me. Also, if you know of any good online resources that might fill gaps in my knowledge, please point me to them. 

Unlike the French and Anglo-Portuguese, collecting a Spanish army poses lots of problems. This is especially the case regarding infantry units.

My first problem is the limited amount of books I own on Spanish armies. 

The second is the thoroughly disorganised state of the supply of uniforms in the period 1809 - 1812. It seems that, unless you want to do 1808 - 1809, or post the supply of a new national uniform by the British from 1812, uniform information on specific Spanish units is often very hard to pin down. More anon...

The third problem is one of dating the army. Generally speaking, units in a French or Anglo-Portuguse army can fight right through the war. With the Spanish, this is not the case. One look at the uniform a Spanish soldier is wearing will generally put him into one of three roughly dated periods: 1808 - 1809, 1810 - 1812, and post 1812. As far as a generic wargame army is concerned, I suppose this is only a problem of aesthetics but, if you go too eclectic date wise, the army will require some imagination to believe when fighting in any of the historical sub-periods. 

When it comes to the evolution of Spanish uniforms in the Napoleonic Wars, and how it will effect the building of a wargame army, I think of the history like this:

Although, in the first year of the war, Spanish patriotism and daring do had a certain charm, Spanish armies dated this early usually left a lot to be desired. This is especially true when they were called upon to fight in the open field - and, let's face it, on a wargame table that is what they will most often need to do. 

In the early period there are a lot of newly raised, short lived volunteer units, only partly uniformed and of dubious battle-worthiness. Their durability as wargame units is limited; those that went on into the war soon became uniformed and more regularised, so I must ask myself how useful partly uniformed units would be in the long run. 

The advantage of the early period lies in the 'old regime' regular army units. In their white coats with regimental facing colours and bicorne hats, they are well documented and always look very Spanish to me. As a painter, the definite information on these early units is fantastic. However, most of the white uniforms had worn out by 1809 and, as far as I can see, were replaced by simpler less well documented uniforms in a variety of colours, many supplied by Britain. Information can be scant when it comes to this uniform transition. You find references to some units but not all. The more units you are planning to collect the more this becomes a problem. 

As the years rolled on, through the latter part of 1809 to 1812, units were issued new uniforms in an array of styles and colours.  I have plenty of plates showing these but, on the whole, not many give specific units names and this is proving to be a bit of a riddle. This is also the time that the volunteer units were disbanded or regularised, often with several being rolled into one, renamed and given a new uniform - riddles within riddles. 

Few uniforms seem to have been produced domestically; most uniforms seem to have been imported from Britain or Portugal. As alluded to earlier, there was little attempt at standardisation and I have more information on where the uniforms were unloaded than which units got them.  Coats, often a simple coatee, came in brown, dark and light blue, grey, red, and green with collars and cuffs, sometimes with lapels too, in a facing colour (most often red, light blue or yellow). There were units in shakos (bell topped and conical), top hats, and even Tarleton style helmets. Bicornes, outside those worn by officers, seem to have disappeared at this point. This is the 'uniform sub-period' I'm most attracted to because of its diverse nature; it is what my imagination conjours up when I think of Napoleonic Spanish armies. Unfortunately, it is the most confusing of the three uniform sub-periods.

Post 1812, largely supported by British imports, a national uniform had begun to emerge out of the chaos. From this point on, Spanish armies begin to look more homogeneous: Coats largely become dark or light blue, often with red collars and cuffs, and shakos predominate. By 1814 most units have attained a definitive uniform and these become well documented again. This is definitely the easiest uniform sub-period to collect. Unfortunately, as far as I'm concerned, it is the most boring: The Spanish army has become just one more shako wearing Napoleonic army and most of the quirkiness and romance has gone.

All in all, my problems are made harder by the number of infantry units I'm going to collect. My aim, at present, is to amass an army comprising twenty four infantry units. 

So, what to do? 

Given that the information I have, though growing, is limited, I'm going to go for a generic Spanish army dated 1809 - 1812. Indeed, the only criteria I'm going to apply to the units I will collect will be that they must have existed between 1809 and mid 1812 in the uniform I will paint them in. 

I will retain license to do four old regular regimental units (two regiments of two battalions each) in white coats with coloured facings and bicornes. Plus, I'll also do Irlanda and Reding (Swiss) in bicornes. 

If push comes to shove and I can't find enough information to do another eighteen different uniforms (perhaps less if I do two battalions of some) I might also do a few units in the 1812 uniform - most probably the units of cacadores. 

When it comes to lacking information, except in a minority of cases, I'm totally in the dark when it comes to deciding which flags a unit will carry. Flags are proving to be a headache, full stop. In the catalogues (GMB and Adolfo Ramos), most flags are described by the regional coats of arms they bear. Were all units recruited in a particular region given the same flag? Are these flags based on those that were assigned to the well documented 'old regime' regiments that existed when the war started? To me, this is a very basic question but, I can't find the answer anywhere. Is this question fudged by most collectors? Another question I have is to do with the number of flags a battalion would carry. Somewhere, I've read that most battalions only carried one of their flags into battle (I think each battalion actually had Colonel's colour and Regimental colour and unused flags were stored in churches). I think two flags, especially where they look quite different, looks better - is giving a unit two flags a big no no? 

The cavalry (seven units) and guns (six), due to lower unit count, aren't proving so difficult. I think it will be a case of picking the prettiest when it comes to the cavalry, and guns are just guns.

Looking at my problems, this is all going to take some time to sort out.

In my next Spanish Peninsular Project post, I'll give you what I've come up with and list of the web links I've used. There are some useful ones out there.

French Army Project Finished: Roll Call

Long time no post - I've been busy!

I have chosen the title for this post with some thought. The project is finished, my lead pile is no more but, the army isn't quite finished. I will need to add a unit of Chasseurs a Cheval and I still have room on the French shelves for four more units of infantry - probably two units of line and two of legere. However, given the existing infantry footprint, the extra infantry would almost certainly be surplus to requirements.  

Having got that off my chest, let's get on to the review the army on parade. I'll just put my painting arm inside the front of my coat and....

Here are the French, all painted and based. In total there are thirty eight units. It's the first time I've had them all out together and, to be frank, I was surprised by their footprint. Paraded on a frontage of just short of six feet, they take up a pretty big area. There are more than enough figures to play with on a table the size of mine.

All figures are Front Rank

There are eight units of cavalry comprising four regiments of dragoons (4th, 8th, 15th & 20th) two chasseurs a cheval (7th &22nd), a unit of hussars (1st) and a unit lancers (Vistula).

Each unit is 12 figures strong based on six 45mm x 60mm stands. 

There are four batteries of two guns (three foot and one horse).  There are four limbers, one per battery.

This, given that a division was normally allotted only one battery, is more than enough guns for Peninsular games. When playing multiple division games at a scale of one infantry unit per 1000 men, one gun is nearer to the correct frontage than two guns so, again this is more than enough artillery. 

Here are the eighteen units of line infantry. 

There are 12 battalions of French infantry and six battalions of foreign infantry. Each unit is twenty four figures strong on four stands, and each unit has an additional two stands of two skirmishers on round bases. All basing is 45mm x 45mm or 45mm diameter.

The French line units comprise two battalions each of the 27th, 36th, 39th, 50th, 1st Paris Municipal Guard (in white coats) and two units of reserve grenadiers. I'm counting the grenadiers as line units because, in extremis, they could stand in as such. 

The foreign line units comprise two battalions each of 4th Swiss, 4th Vistula and 2nd Nassau. This mix was chosen for colour alone and it's a decision I'm more than happy with.

There are eight units of light infantry; five are French and three are foreign. These units are based as per the line infantry except that each has an extra stand of skirmishers (30 figures each in total) and those posed in firing line are on bases 60mm deep to prevent 'figure clash'.

The French legere comprise three battalions of the 2nd and two of the 4th (the latter in firing line pose).

The foreign legere, again chosen for colour, comprise one battalion each of the Legion Du Midi, Regiment Irlandais and Legion Hannovrienne.

Also pictured here are the army's C-in-C stand, eight 'divisional' command stands, and a singly based officer of engineers (for scenarios requiring one - bridge demolition, pontoon bridge ops, etc.). The C-in-C is based on a 120mm x 75mm pill box shape; the others are 60mm diameter.  

Of the four new cavalry units present are the 20th Dragoons with their yellow facings (and behind them the 15th with pink facings) which look very fetching. 

Among the new command stands there are these resplendent fellows.

Among the eight new units of infantry figures are these of the 4th legere. If I were buying again, I would not go for the firing line poses. I much prefer the square basing of the marching line units.

The Swiss look fantastic in their red coats with sky blue facings, and the elite company distinctions are excellent. The 4th regiment's grenadier bearskins did not have brass front plates so I had to cover them over with Milliput prior to painting.

Blue and yellow is also one of my favourite combinations of colours. That being the case Poles of the Vistula legion were a must. 

There were many variations of uniform description in the available sources for this unit. I went with the most striking: The white epaulettes on the grenadier uniforms only appeared in pictures but looked too distinctive to miss out on.

These are of the 4th Vistula Regiment. 

Gonsalvo's blog was very useful here.

Units of converged grenadier companies appear in quite a few notable OOB and for that reason I chose to include two units in mine. As well as looking brightly coloured, with plumes galore, they can serve as ordinary line infantry if I run out of genuine line units. 

There was much debate on the inclusion of grenadier skirmish stands but, in the end, I did them so they could double up as line infantry units. 

Although the horse artillery isn't a new unit, this is a picture of them fully based up and they look even better now. Again, the colour of them is splendid.

Finally, a picture of the newest artillery unit with its caisson. French artillery caissons are fantastic (this one modelled with an open 'pinned lid') as the front is a Gribeauval limber. The caisson is not glued on so it can be taken off, leaving the front wheeled limber section, to be used as a normal limber if the guns need to move. 

If I had thought about this before purchasing my limbers I would have bought two as they can also be used as baggage train elements - anything that counts as a wargaming 'double bubble' gets my vote! 

So, what is the total head count? It's this:

• 778 foot figures
• 124 mounted figures
• 8 guns
• 4 limbers (inc. 1 caisson)
• 8 riderless horses
• TOTAL PIECES: 922

All in all I'm very happy with this lot but, I'm glad they are done and behind me now. I still have fourteen units of British left to do to finish the other half of the Peninsular project. I suppose I'll get onto them next but not for a while, I have a shed load of commissions to plough through first.

Two new additions and a spot of basing

Over past few months I've managed to paint quite a few new units for my Peninsular collection but, I haven't based any of them beyond sticking the figures onto their stands. Nor had I finished the whole collection's skirmisher stands, which I had pulled off square bases and glued to round bases at the very start of the Covid lock down. 

At the weekend, looking at the growing number of new units plus all of the skirmisher bases, and realising that until they were done the collection was unplayable, I finally decided to bite the basing bullet and get myself up to date and 'table ready'. 

The collection, now standing at 52 units plus commanders, is ready to fight again. 

Including the two horse artillery batteries, here are the 14 virgin units (seven a side) and two 'C-in-C' stands that have been added to the collection since the start of lock down. They, along with the aforementioned re-based skirmish stands (not pictured), are now completely finished and ready to take to the table. 

Amongst the units above are two previously un-posted additions. 

These are two battalions of the 4th Vistula.

Yellow and blue is always a nice combination of colours, especially when mixed with a good quantity of black and white to set them off. 

Thanks to Peter (aka Gonsalvo) for posting uniform information on his blog.

Figures are Front Rank, flags are GMB designs. Painted by yours truly using Humbrol enamels.

Next up, two battalions of 4th Swiss - which I'll base as soon as they are painted. That will be another milestone as it leaves less than 10 units in the French lead pile: It's the final countdown - cue Europe.