Tuesday 4 July 2023

Of Galleys and Hoplites


A later version of the classic Warfleets of Antiquity by Richard Nelson which also includes a copy of his Fleet Action Rules 1000 BC to 500 AD, elements of which featured in the book below.


One of my favourite wargames books - I really need to get a copy of the title that features Waterloo!

The Greek and Persian War that culminated in the naval battles of Salamis and the Greek victory at Plataea via Thermopylae and the 300 Spartans is something I have had a soft spot for many years. I even got as far as getting 15mm DBA armies organised for the two sides although like many good ideas it kind of withered on the vine. At the time I think I was going through a cavalry phase and so an army of Hoplites did not really appeal and with the Persians having plenty of mounted troops but much lighter infantry - I like my cavalry to have a solid core of something heavy to support them - it never really stood much of a chance of being turned into anything tangible. At that point I had never even thought about the naval side.

I remember playing the Avalon Hill game Trireme many years ago and enjoying but again, I never really progressed with the idea of actually gaming ancient galley battles using models.

Fast forward to the present day and now an almighty itch needs scratching - fighting the naval battles set during the Greek and Persian Wars. 

But how? I wanted to use models but to be honest did not really fancy anything commercially available despite there being some lovely ranges about. So what to do? A few years ago at a toy soldier show in Sidcup, Kent a club was putting an an ancient naval game using a version of Command and Colours and galleys built from bamboo barbecue skewers. It looked fantastic and so the seed was planted.

Fighting an ancient naval battle

Salamis has exercised a peculiar fascination for me for a variety of reasons and Richard Nelson’s book, despite being published some forty eight years ago, has really served to ‘stoke the obsession’. I would happily use the rules included in his book although they are incomplete - the missing parts can be found in his fleet action rules - but this has not proven to be a major issue to fix and yes, I have.

The rules are hex based - always a plus in my opinion - and are designed with one aim in mind - refighting the battle of Salamis with a notional scale of one model ship equalling around a dozen real ones. There is but a single ship type represented - the trireme - although there are variations as to type employed depending on the contingent being used. 

So I need a trireme, one that does not have a mast and that would be suitable for use by all the main combatants. It also needed to be able to fit in a single hex. Ideally I would like to use hexes that are two inches (50mm to all you metric types) across the flat sides which means that the model should be around 40mm long. After some assorted scribblings I finally managed to get the following design produced by Warbases and needless to say, I am hugely excited about this!


The six parts that make up the model - the central hull, the oar section, two outriggers and two screen sections which are optional.


A side view of the completed model - note the card screens on the outriggers designed to protect the oarsmen


The view from the business end


The view from the stern


A bird’s eye view - the square grid you see is a spare floor tile from our wet room! 

My plan with the models - I will need around sixty of them - is to leave the oar section in its natural colour  and to paint the rest of the model. The bow and stern sections will be painted in bright colours - usually based on the contingent - with the command ships having some extra bling as befits their status. You will notice that there are no masts. This was a deliberate choice as masts were typically removed prior to action but should the need arise it would be easy to add something.

I will need a hexed cloth with 2” hexes and some elements of terrain. A piece of whimsy would be to incorporate a Greek temple - scratch built naturally - just for the sheer hell of it but we shall see.

As far as the land side is concerned I am thinking about something 3mm related so watch this space!


23 comments:

Steve J. said...

I love the elegant simplicity of the mdf model David, just my sort of thing! Looking forward to seeing one painted up:).

David Crook said...

Hi Steve J,

I wanted something that would be simple looking but with some flexibility and am really pleased with how Warbases have translated my rather vague scribblings into the model you see above.

Next step will be to think about the colours involved.

All the best,

DC

Jonathan Freitag said...

This looks pretty good!

Archduke Piccolo said...

I nice simple and elegant design - wish I'd thought of that myself! Incidentally, though I would probably have included masts, it would be preferable to have them removable. I gather who went into battle with masts up was (in effect) signalling to all and sundry he intended to run away.

You might like this little item from my blog many aeons ago. Please check out the following item as well... Unfortunately, any ideas I have had of expanding the collection have been awarded a very low priority number...
Cheers,
Ion

Donnie McGibbon said...

I really like the little MDF model, such a simple idea but works really well, they should look really good when painted up and a whole board of them will be stunning. 3mm is a good way to go for the land side of it and Magister Militum do some great figures in that size. A very interesting project and one that will be fun to follow.

Mark Cordone said...

Looks like a lovely little model, I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Maudlin Jack Tar said...

Great little model! Warbases do make exceedingly good stuff.

Martin Rapier said...

That is very ingenious Dave. Having done the design, are Warbases selling these to everyone now? I was always rather taken with Captain Kobolds home made Triremes, but they looked rather fiddly to make.

nobby said...

"A piece of whimsy would be to incorporate a Greek temple.."
Whimsey is always good. A few blogs seem to thrive on it. Tradgardland, for instance :0)
Well done.

David Crook said...

Hi Steve J,

The design needs a very slight tweak but I am delighted with it as a proof of concept though. I will get the minor revision tackled and then go to print as it were. The sixty models I need includes an excess which I shall be experimenting with in terms of painting etc.

This idea is designed with one campaign in mind so I am not looking at he later galley wars until this is tackled.

My good lady wife described the model as being ‘cute’….

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Jonathan,

Thank you kindly old chap! It needs some minor refining but nothing major. Once I have that in place I can order the sixty ships I will need, organise a 2” hexed cloth and some terrain and away we go!

That is the plan anyway…. :-)

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Ion,

I have a cunning plan re sails….

Did you mean to include a link? I would be interested to see what you came up with!

Kaptain Kobold’s models are lovely but I was determined to see what I could come up using MDF with a model that is 4cms long. The end result may offend the purist but since I have been doing that since 1972 it is probably too late to worry about now….:-)

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Donnie,

Cheers old chap! I wanted something that was generic looking and given that the campaign that culminated in the battle of Salamis was dominated by the Trireme it was pretty straightforward to design. Warbases did the rest and whilst there is one tiny amendment I want to make it is pretty much there or thereabouts. En masse I hope they look suitably epic in a Hollywood kind of way!

3mm will be the way to go and I have a couple of ideas for this.

I also need to make a temple….

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Mark,

Thanks you kindly sir! Mob handed galleys are a lot of fun in an anarchic kind of way and if this works out how I hope I could look at the Roman period as well but that is for later methinks!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Maudlin Jack Tar,

Martin at Warbases is a top bloke especially as he the uncanny ability to be able to translate my rather crude designs into something that does the job on the table top. I am rather pleased with how this turned out and once the tiny revision is in place it will be full steam ahead or rather ramming speed ahead….

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Martin,

There are moves afoot to have this available from Warbases but I need to finalise the design and then it will be up to Martin. I mooted the idea of a battle pack complete with rules but being as this is quite limited in scope - Greek and Persian only - it may only have limited appeal.

As a stylised and generic model I am really pleased with it and the inspiration came from of all things a cheap elastic band driven aircraft.

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hi Nobby,

You are quite right and yes, tradgardmastare is well known for his bouts of whimsy!

I could buy a Greek temple but it would be more fun making one and would suit the stylised nature of the models better - rather like the ACW fort and the ships built previously.

All the best,

DC

david in suffolk said...

The model looks great, it will be really interesting to see 60-odd of them in action! Reminds me of Tony Bath and Donald Featherstones' galley battles, I think their rules are probably in Don's 'Naval War Games' book.

Kaptain Kobold said...

" I was always rather taken with Captain Kobolds home made Triremes, but they looked rather fiddly to make."

They aren't that fiddly, now I've finally settled on a design :)

Kaptain Kobold said...

It is a very lovely model. If I might be allowed one teeny criticism, the oars look just a little bit too swept back. I would have opted for a shallower angle, but maybe that's just me.

Looking forward to seeing some painted up and in action!

David Crook said...

Hello there Mr Barnes,

This is very much an old school project and I am looking forward to the whole Salamis thing in due course. I just need to tweak the final design and then get the order in and get cracking!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hello there Kaptain K,

All of your models are exquisite and certainly bang on the money in terms of the look! I have followed your designs and you have finally nailed down what works most effectively. All I have gone for is an MDF solution as an alternative because I was certainly looking at mirroring your techniques!

Horses for courses and all that!

All the best,

DC

David Crook said...

Hello there again Kaptain K,

Thanks you kindly sir!

The minor tweak I have been referring to is exactly what you mentioned - the sweep at 45 degrees is a little intense so I am dialling it back to 60 degrees instead. That should look rather less ‘warp factor 6’ like!

Very excited to get this project running!

All the best,

DC