Of all of the reasons for the hostilities between Asteria and Nica, the chief reason was fear. The Nycenaeans were fearful Asteria, with its democracy, would allow men to live freely among them, something repugnant to their Amazon sensibilities. - Menalippe, "The History of the Valkae" Asteria is a land divided by a range… Continue reading Battle for the Southern Pass
Tag: Rally Round the King
Rough Going
For Amazons, pitiless battle and horsemanship and all tasks done by men are a delight from birth. This is obviously why they have always shown a warlike spirit and feel no need for men, because the work of war greatly strengthens their courage and makes their bodies fearless. -- Quintus of Smyrna, "The War at… Continue reading Rough Going
Night Before Battle
The Nycenaean Camp "General Callidora, ma'am," said the young adjutant entering the tent. "Yes, Leto, what do you report?" "The spies have returned from the Asterian camp. They were not expecting us this far south. Their army is smaller than ours, they have fewer heavy infantry and most of it is unarmored. The enemy has… Continue reading Night Before Battle
Painting with the Floozy, Part 2
Progress in Madness Last week after I announced the goal to attempt to paint 275 figures in three weeks, I had a vision. In that vision, a young Robert Duvall sat confidently on a horse across the field from me and he shouted "That's bold talk for a one-eyed fat lady!" Knowing that I won't complete… Continue reading Painting with the Floozy, Part 2
Painting with the Floozy, Part 1
Painting Like a Mad Woman In just three weeks I will play a Rally Round the King (RRtK) game pitting two Amazon armies against one another. It's an opportune time to add a few units to the two armies. So I'm going to spend a little time painting nothing but Amazons. What many of you may not… Continue reading Painting with the Floozy, Part 1
RRtK for Thucydides, Part 4
SLINGERS I've finished the slingers for this project. The metal figures are from Black Tree Designs and the plastic figures are from Victrix. When looking at figures for this period, you discover that not all manufacturers make slingers. I think there are two reasons for this, one may be historical and the other driven by… Continue reading RRtK for Thucydides, Part 4
RRtK for Thucydides, Part 3
Basing and/or Rebasing Before moving deeper into troop types and how to represent them on the table top, I thought I'd take a quick break and show the process I use to base figures and also how I rebase them. Sometimes, rebasing can't be avoided and sometimes new basing materials come along that inspire a… Continue reading RRtK for Thucydides, Part 3
Rally Round the King for Thucydides
"The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage." - Thucydides, 2.43 Rally Round the King from Two Hour Wargames is one of my most favorite games. In my opinion, it is the best game for mass fantasy battles. The magic system does not overpower the game. Powerful elite units and heroes can… Continue reading Rally Round the King for Thucydides
Revolt of the Ant People
According to legend, the ant people, or Mrymidons, are descended from one of the old gods who had taken the form of an ant to enter the bed chamber of a princess. They originally inhabited the southern plain of Nycenae. Two hundred years ago, the Valkae Amazons had subjugated the Mrymidons. The Mrymidons left the… Continue reading Revolt of the Ant People
Civil War Reaches Nica
A gust of cold wind rippled through the formations of women arrayed before the gate. "She must not pass! No matter what happens on the field, she must not pass." shouted Celeste, Queen on Nica, High Queen of the Valkae. She still used the title of "High Queen" even though her hegemony of the Valkae… Continue reading Civil War Reaches Nica