Comitatus is Go!

Please head on over to the other blog to read a batrep of my first solo game of of the Comitatus late antiquity rules. Click the link under the header, or here

Once I get the hang of the rules, you'll see a lot more batreps appearing there, as I tempt others away from the Napoleonic period for a brief holiday!

Treading Water

Not much happening on the Rosbif front lately, Napoleonics-wise. With Borodino done and dusted I've sort of let things slide with Napoleonic painting.

Currently, I've got 3 projects I'm considering:

• Continue with my long-delayed Italians from Piave 1809

• Finish my long-delayed British 2nd Corps c.1812

• or, start a Wurttemberg division c.1809

Meanwhile, I haven't been totally inactive. Some of you who have been following the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge will know that I've been busy with my late antiquity project. Those of you who haven't, feel free to pop over to my other blog, Romani in Tenebris to check out what I've been up to of late.

Another reason I haven't been active of late is that some little toe-rag stole our car a few weeks ago, so I've been unable to attend any of the club sessions in the last few weeks. After wrestling with the insurance company and getting little to no information from the Victoria Police (whose customer service, I suspect, is more geared towards the non-law abiding citizens of our community), we finally had the car written off and bought a replacement. You really don't know how much you rely on wheels until you don't have any!

To protect our precious new car we've installed this state-of-the-art, revolutionary anti-theft system. It's worked well so far....

Choices, Choices...What to Paint Next?

I have picked up the gauntlet thrown down by Curt over at Analogue Hobbies and entered his 3rd Annual Painting Challenge! In an innovation on past challenges, Curt's asked all competitors to estimate how many points they expect to accomplish as a goal to reach or exceed, so that everyone has a goal, rather than just all the kudos going to the highest achiever (not looking at anyone, Ray!). There have already been a few ambitious targets set by other participants!

As this is my first entry in the challenge and the fact that painting in the antipodean summer can be challenging, to say the least, I have nominated the modest total of 660 points. I aim to knock off the Soviets Jim gave me to paint around this time last year(!), the majority of infantry and artillery I'll need for the Borodino project (and possibly the cavalry, too, though the Bavarian Chevaux Leger are still proving difficult to source. I think I may have found a solution, but it'll probably have to wait til after the challenge is finished). Also, I intend to kickstart my Late Antiquity project with a few more stand of Roman and Germanic infantry, cavalry and command stands, if time permits.

Jim's Soviet's will be a priority!

There'll be plenty of these for Borodino...

...and another battalion of these painted as Velites of the Guard... 

...and more of these for Legere and Conscripts of the Guard.

The metal Schilling Figuren French infantry in Bardin uniforms will get a look-in, too, now that If got the elite figures as well.
(image from Schilling Figuren website)

These will be painted up as the Italian Rgt. Regina...

...and some of these will appear as Italian artillery.

If I can squeeze them in, I'll also crack on with my Late Antiquity project (and be able to update my other blog, too!). All these will feature if I can find time in between my Soviet and Napoleonic priorities.

Roman foot command
(image from Newline Designs website)

Roman infantry
(image from Newline Designs website)

And what are these? One of these will be  the entry price for  participation....But which one?
Stay tuned....
(image from Eureka website)

New Blog!

I've just published my first post on my new blog Romani in Tenebri. Go and take a look!

It's a work in progress dedicated to my Late Roman project. I thought that since this one is supposed to be mainly Napoleonic, I should not contaminate it too much with plans for other periods.

I always thought I'd be a one period kind of gamer, but as you may be aware, I've felt the siren call of late antiquity. In order to do justice to this blog, I thought it only fair to start a new one. Whether or not it goes anywhere, time will tell.

Scratching My Roman Itch

My Roman diversion has progressed beyond just reading and listening about the period and has finally produced figures! Namely HaT's new Late Roman Medium Cavalry set. 

This is the first figure from that set, with the shield painted roughly the same as that on the box art. I am yet to find a proper display of the shields from the Notitia Dignitatum so as to paint particular legions. Indeed I don't even know if it contains cavalry patterns. This is just a start, however, and I'm not even sure if I'm going to take it any further than painting up a few figures.

I'd like to paint up some infantry too, but what's on offer isn't much chop in this scale. I might buy some and use them to experiment with drastic conversions and sculpting to see what I can come up with. 

For the moment, though, I'm pleased with how this chap turned out. I'll base him up shortly and display him for your viewing pleasure.

If I was to take this Roman tangent further and game the period, what rules would you recommend? It seems Impetus is fairly popular, but then there's also FoG, Hail Caesar, DBA etc. etc. I'd like to get the opinion of those of you who game the ancient period as to your favourite ancient rules and why.