PhD Leadhead

New Project! War of Austrian Succession

2012-01-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Hi all

I have begun my WAS project. The pictures below are one each of a Eureka 18mm SYW range Austrian Infantry painted as a Deutchmeister soldier and the other is a Freikorp15 15mm SYW range Austrian Infantry painted as a Diesbach soldier.

Let me give a shout-out for the customer service of both companies. Eureka USA sent the two sample minis I bought in three days.

Freikorp15 did evan better! I emailed Geoff for two samples and he sent me 3 sets of two. For free! Great service and super professionalism!

For the minis

here are comparison shots

Both minis are very nice. Eureka is a tad taller (not really noticeable). Both miniatures have a good amount of detail for 15mm with Freikorp having better pockets and buttons and Eureka better hats (they have the oak leaves while you will have to add them for the Freikorp minis, not a big deal). I believe the Eureka mini has a nicer pose but the Freikorp is not bad at all!

I photographed the Eureka miniature in phases to talk a bit about my painting style

When paining 15mm my pattern is as follows.

1) I lightly clean any flash but not mould lines. These minis are too small to be worth going after mould lines in my opinion. I wash the minis in warm water and dish soap.

2) I then undercoat the miniature black. I always do black for minis smaller then 25mm because it makes it easier to do blacking (keeping small black lines that help details stand out). After the undercoat I apply one or two thin layers of black making sure that no metal areas show.

3) I block paint the base color. For white at this scale I block paint dark grey. When block painting I cover all the are leaving some black at the deeper folds. For red I block paint GW Foundation Paint Mechrite Red. I use a mix of GW and Vallejo colors. I either leave cross belts black or paint then brown.

4) I block paint the highlights. I block paint the white making sure to leave the black at the recesses. I pain the gaiters, shoes and tricorn with dark grey. When you are painting at smaller scales I prefer to keep dark colors a tone lighter then their normal. I paint bright red as the highlight for the mechrite red. Small details like the pom-poms I just directly apply the colors on the black. I paint packs brown and highlight the cartridge box with light gray. I paint the wooden parts of the musket in brown.

5) I paint the face, palms and hair brown. I highlight the packs with light brown. I paint the cross belts and other belts white making sure to leave a line of black on the two sides. I highlight the hair with a lighter shade of brown.

6) To end it I apply a straight flesh to palms and face, make sure the mustache stands out, pick out any black lining required to raise details and paint the oak leaves a straight goblin green. I paint the musket barrel a lighter brown, and the iron parts with silvers making sure to keep black lines to raise the detail. Finally I paint a white line for the tricorn. Once the paint is dry I apply a gloss varnish coat. The final unit will be given a spray of matt varnish.

I did the same for the Freikorp15 miniatures.

I think I will use Freikorp15 for the start of my armies and then expand slowly to Eureka!

Time for a Sale!

2012-01-06T11:57:00.001-08:00

(6)

(5)

(4)

(3)

(2)

(1)

In order to fund mein battalionen for the WAS and rationalize my collection, like a good enlightened despot, I am selling a whole bunch of stuff. Alternatevly I am willing to exchange stuff for 15mm SYW,WAS stuff suitable for Austrians, Spanish ,Neapolitans. Prices do not include postage.

Refer to pictures above by item number

1) A copy of the Warhammer Hisotrical Rules (old version) and Vlad the Impaler Supplement

10$ for both SOLD

2) My Impetus Ruleset and Extra Impetus 2 plus my 6mm Impetus Armies (see them here http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/10/basic-impetus-armies-in-6mm.html ) as well as 7 strips of Parthian Light Horse, 2 strips of cataphract command, and 12 strips of bowmen ( armies come in scale creep minis magnetized white box)

150$ (this is a good deal guys) SOLD

3) Nuts 1944 Rulebook and German Panzer Grenadier + UK Paratrooper squads (pics here http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2009/01/wwii-artisan-desings-on-workbench-and.html)

40$ (again a good deal considering the quality of the paint job)

4) 1/72 Eastern Renassaince Miniatures. These include a fully painted Ottoman Army based of Impetus (18 cavalry, 44 Janissary, the army is easy to rebase since I use white glue), and elements for Polish or Russian Armies ( 7 painted Polish Hussars, 19 Streletz, 22 Cossaks, one painted Cossack gun with crew). Also unpainted a second cossack gun and crew, about 20 streletz, 10 more Polish Hussars and a unopened box of Zvezda Ottoman Cavalry and one of jannisaries ). Based figues will come in a sabot container.

90$

5) Pendraken 10mm Western later medieval (unpainted)

2x guns and 6 crew

8 Crossbowmen

6 Longbowmen

6 Mounted Crossbowmen

4 Hobilars?

56 Haldebiers

11 Spearmen (look Later Roman)

10$ SOLD

6) 28mm Wargame Factory Ceasarian Romans

20x Assembled and Basecoated in Black

10x Painted (http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/search/label/Basic%20Impetus) but not based

5x German auxiliaries, assembled and base-coated in black

10$ SOLD

7) Beneath the Lily Banners Rulebook together with uniformology CDs for Savoyard and Spanish Armies of the War of the League of Augusburg.

30$ (a bargain if you consider that each fo the CDs is 30$)

Exchange Policies

Items worth 10$ = 10 15mm SYW/WAS infantry or cavalry miniatures for Austrians, French, Spanish, or Neapolitans or 1 6pdr gun and 4 crew (unpainted or painted)

Items worth 40$ = 20 Infantry 15mm SYW/WAS infantry or cavalry miniatures (unpainted) 10painted, or 2 6pdr guns and 8 crew

Items worth 90-150$= 80 Infantry SYW/Was or 20 Cuirassiers+ 20 Hussars + 6 dragoons Cavalry (all unpainted), or 40 Infantry and 20 cavalry painted

You can buy the whole collection above (all items 1-6) for 250$

I will cover postage for the items worth 10-50$.

Please email me at ktravlos@yahoo.com if you are interested.

Price Comparisons for WAS M&R

2012-01-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

Here is a price comparison across 28mm to 15mm scale for a sample WAS OOB for an Austro-Morean army . Infantry brigades ar 8 Minis and Cavalry 6 minis

Austro-Morean 1742

(742GAA)

traun great (150/60/50)

Right Wing

1 Hussar Brig Havor (8)

1 Cruisser Brig Miglio(10)

Center

1xAlt-Wallis Inf.Regiment Brig (8)

Roth Infantry Regiment Brig(8)

1xDeutschmeister Inft. Regi Brig(8)

1xTraun Inf. Regi Brig(8)

Cuirassier Regiment Brig(10)

Croatians Brig(7)

Grezners Brig (7)

Heavy Artillery (8)

1 Slavonier Hussar Regiment(8)

1 Croatina Hussar Regiment (8)

1xDeisbach Infantry Regiment Brig(8)

1xPiccolomini Infatry Regiment Brig(8)

(106/44/0)

Morean Army

Duca du Apulia+Latinikon Foreign Brigade (8)

La Rochelle and Keltikon Foreign Brigade (8)

Old Regiment and Vaggaron Territorial (7)

Maniaton and Arakdon Territorial (7)

Dragoon Brigade (6)

6x6=36 Horse Miniatures

10x8=80 Infantry Miniatures

1x2 guns=Artillery Miniatures

2x6 Light Infantry=12 Light Infatry Minis

Cost in 28mm

Crusader Miniatures

Directly Crusader

108$ for 80 Infantry

62$ for 16 Cruissers

16$ for 12 Light Infantry

15$ for a Gun

108$ for 18 Hussars

36$ for 6 Dragoons

18$ For command

363$

by warweb

126$ for 80 Inf.

75.6$ for 16 Cruissers

25.2 for 12 Light Infantry

12.60 for Gun

75.6 for 18 Hussars

25.2 for 6 Dragoons

12.60 for Command

352$

Old Glory 25mm

75$ for 75 Infantry

70$ for 20 Cruissers (use 4 for Command?)

16$ for 12 Light Infantry

12.60$ for 6 Guns

70$ for 20 Hussars

25.2$ for 6 Dragoons

270 $ (to comeplete 80 Inf)

RSM 95

58$ for 72 Infantry

25.80$ for 12 Cruissers

25.2 for 12 Light Infantry

14.60 for two guns

52 for 24 Hussars

25.80 for 12 Dragoons

12.60 for 6 command

214-230$

20MM Miniatures

6x6=36 Horse Miniatures

10x8=80 Infantry Miniatures

1x2 guns=Artillery Miniatures

2x6 Light Infantry=12 Light Infatry Minis

20mm Minaitures

Using Revell and Outpost

40$ for 80 Infantry Miniatures (Revell)

30$ for 15 Cruissers (Outland)

10$ for 12 Light Infantry (Outland)

15$ for 3 Guns (Revell)

40$ for 20 Hussars (Outland)

15$ for 15 Dragoon Miniatures (Revell)

around 150$

Way cheaper then 25/28mm but unfortunelty there seems to be no way to get the outland game miniatures. I can find the Revell packs in Greece in forgotten piles in model stores on Ippocratus. Two armies would probably cost around 300$-400$.

18mm

Eureka Miniatures USA

52$ for 80 Infantry Miniatures

20$ for 12 Cruissers

8$ for 12 Light Infantry

10$ for two guns and crew

24$ for 18 Hussars

8$ for 6 Dragoons

5.15$ for general staff

around 130$

Very good price compared to the previous stuff. Two armies would probably be around 260-300$

15MM

Minifigs from Minifigs UK (since the US site is down)

43-50$ for 80 Infantry Miniatures

13$ for 12 Cruissers

9$ for 14 Light Infantry

14$ for two guns and crew

22$ for 19 Hussars

9$ for 7 Dragoons

4.3$ for 3 generals

121 $

Old Glory 15s From War Web

25$ for 100 Infantry Miniatures

14.40$ for 16 Cruissers

14.40$ for 50 Light Infantry

14.40$ for 6 guns and 24 crews

14.40 for 16 Hussars

14.40 for 16 Dragoons

14.40 for Geneals and Personalities

90-112$ (if I use other scales for the smaller minaiture requirements)

Prices are a little higher from Old Glory 15s itself

Freicorps 15s from QRF

37.5 for 80 Infantry Miniatures

15$ for 16 Cruissers

7.5$ for 16 Light Infantry

7.5$ for 2 guns and 8 crew

18.75 for 20 Hussars

3.75 for 8 Dragoons

3.75 for 3 generals

94$ or 85$ with the 10% sale

This is a very good price range. Two armies would coast about 180$. Not bad not bad.

Essex Minaitures (from Direct)

42.3$ for 80 Infantry Mianitures

17$ for 15 Cruissers

8.5$ for 16 Light Infantry

15$ for two guns and 12 crew

21$ for 19 Hussars

4.22$ for 8 Dragoons

4.22$ for three generals

113$

This may be useful for other players so I am noting them

Just an experiment

2012-01-04T14:37:00.001-08:00

New Years Post! A happy 2012 to all!

2012-01-02T18:15:00.000-08:00

Hello to all!

I hope 2012 finds you all well in health and I hope it is a year of robust health, peace, love, and prosperity for all!

For the inaugural post of 2012 see some pictures of an Iberian Essex DBA army here

http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2012/01/dba-ii39-iberian.html

For 2012 my plans are simple

For starters I intend to paint a 15mm Dynastic Bedouin Army as historical opponents for my Nikiforean Byzantines.

Secondly I will try to update this blog at least once a month.

Third I am entering a new era. Since my dissertation requires me to create a data-set of 18th century warfare I have been "living" in the period between 1715-1816 the last four months. I have gotten the bug and I have decided to enter the era in war-gaming.

For starters I bought Prussia's Glory II . For seconds I have gotten Sam Mustafa's Might and Reason rules. One issue I have always had with entering new eras was the lack of a good ruleset that met my requirements for wargaming (simple rules that give a fast fun game and do not require huge numbers of minis and that give a good guide to army buidling). DBA did it finally for ancients and medievals for me (by way of Basic Impetus). Might and Reason seems to be what I need and I have to say I have enjoyed reading the rules right now. Expect to see me lurking around message boards with questions for suggestions for minaitures etc.

Here is a picture of the nice things I got for 2012 :)

So here's to the age of Lace and Fire! Here's to the New Year and here's to good fun for all!

DBA II/39 (a) Iberian

2012-01-02T18:06:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to all! For the inaugural posting of 2012 here are some pictures of a Iberian army I have painted for a friend. The army is made up of Essex 15mm miniatures.

The army arrayed

The army arrayed from behind

Scutarii

Psiloi

Light Horse & Cavalry (with Chief)

Russian Civil War set

2011-12-28T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hello to all

Wow I have not posted on this blog for a long time. It is the fault of becoming ABD. Yes I do not have to take classes but you would be suprised how much time and energy research and trying to get something published consumes. And it is so frustating when you get rejected (I know I know, I singed up for it. Well I am greek and will whine).

So I did not have a lot of time and energy to sink into my minis. That said I finally did complete the Russian Civil War set for my good and now married friend.

The set is at 25/28mm with am ix of Hinterland, Askari, Copplestone and Battle Honors miniatures. It was a blast to make and the minis were all really nice.

Please have a Happy New Year. I expect to place a couple of posts within the next few months so their should be some activity!

Rhoxolani Samartians (ahistorical) DBA II/26

2011-07-30T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is a Rhoxolani Samartian Army for DBA (II/26). I painted it as a present for a friend. The army came as part of the packadge of free armies I got from Kyoteblue at TMP. I painted the army in the colours of Choas from Warhammer since my friend is not a hisotry buff. I have to confess I speed-painted it due to time constraints. But the final product is nice. I just need to flock the bases next time I come to Greece. The miniatures are Essex and quite nice if a little bland (which is the epitome of Essex).

Summer Update! DBA Gaming galore

2011-07-08T04:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I hope everybodyis having a great summer. I am back home in Greece swiming, disseratating and paitning and playing DBA. I persuaded my good freind Peter (3 times Greek Warhammer 40k Champion) to start DBA and we have been spending a healthy amount of time painting and playing DBA. He is working on a Nikiforean Byzantine Army, a German Medieval Army (abc), and Vikings, while I am working on Ancient Spanish (a) and my Italian Condotta. All in all a good haul. Together we are the Peristeri DBA Club. A force porfunde of two :)

We have palyed 5 games trying to learn the ropes. The first two were Divine Empire (Nikiforean Byzantine) vs. Undead, from my HOTT campaign (find it here http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/12/map-above-represents-fantasy-world-i.html). That went 1:1. We then played Slameian Tribes (Ancient SPanish) vs. Divine Empire (from HOTT), and two Nikiforean Byzantine Civil Wars. The score currently is 2:1 for Peter. Fine below two quick battle reports with pictures from the Slamenian Tribe vs. Divine Empire games, and the Nikiforean civil war I lost. Generally speaking I leraned several things from the game: 1) Make sure to understand the rules. Not fully understanding them puts you at a severe disadvatage 2) I suck at combined arms armies (like my Nikiforeans) 3) I have a tendecy to suffer losses due to recoiling into unomvable objects. 4) My LH in my Nikiforean army has died in every one of the 10 DBA battles I have fought until know. 5) Surprised at how guerrilaish was the battle between the Salmenians (ancient spanish) and Divine Empire( Nikiforeans)-> kudos to DBA for creating a good approximation.

All pictures are clickable for enlarged versions

Battle Report 1

My Salmenian Tribes (Ancient Spanish) vs. Peter's Divine Empire (Nikiforean Byzantines)

With the start of an new Thanatomachia and the dispatch of Imperial forses to the Exarchy of the West, Salmenian Tribes lunched raids into eastern imperial territories. One of the raiding forces was cught while retreating by the local theme army.

The armies arrayed

First Moves

The Salmenian Line holds while the Leader and youths drive up the flank

Measuring for the Charge.

CHARGEE!!!!

1:0

Kn in this battel were truly a fire and forget weapon

1:1 The Auxilia drive forward killing the Lh

2:2

4:2 The BRave auxilia dies while on the flank my Lh is obliterated by his Cav

End score 4:2 for the Impeials

Ienjoyed this fight even though I lost. I really liked the fact that the Slamenian (Spanish) behaved like guerrillas hugging the Bad GOing and the Imperial (Nikiforean) line had to break up into many small melees.

Battle Report 2: Nikliforean Civil War

The Armies Deployed

Peter as Vardas Skelors. Mathematician, 3 times Warhammer 40k Champion and all around an awesome chap

Yours truly as the Basileus

First moves, notice the 13 elements

LH Saved by the cusp of the hill

Manuver

Vanragians in the clash!

The Melee 1:1

Chage of hearts for me, maybe beter at the left flank

2:1

3:1

4:1

End Game

End score 4:1 for the Rebels.

Reasons for defeat: I fought according to his paln, dillidallied with his general, forgot that cavalry quick kills bow, and forgot the danger of recoils. Also bad dice :p

That is it for now. Enjoy yoursleves!

Polemos 6mm French Chaussers

2011-06-02T10:45:00.001-07:00

Here are two more units fomr my 6mm Bacchus Polemos Napoleonic French army

These are chaussers

HOTT.ROTK Undead

2011-06-02T10:35:00.001-07:00

I have completed my Undead Army (earlier post here http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/search/label/Undead%20Army

All figures are Splintered Light Miniatures. The army is for DBA/HOTT/ROTK

DBA: 1xWWG (Gen), 2x3Cav,3x3Bd,5x5Hd,1xEl
Hott: 1xMag(Gen), 2x3Cav, 3x3Bd, 5x5Hd,1xBeh

The Army I

The Army II
The Army III

The Army IV

The Behemoth

The Magician representing the Emperor Gordian IV (a heavily converted Zombie Figure, with DnD skeletal rats or dogs)

Gordian IV again

Zombie Hordes I (the palgue that creates them heralds a Thanatomachia)

Zombie Hordes II

DBA II/33 Polybian Roman

2011-06-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

DBA Army: II/33 Polybian Roman
Manufacturer: Unknown

This is army was part of the gift made to me by a great TMP member. I decided to paint it as a present for a friend of mine. It represents a consular army during the Punic Wars.

The army I

The army II
The army III

Equites

Velites

Hastati

Principes I

Principes II

Triari

Summer Update: Romans, Undead, French

2011-06-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hi All

I passed my qualifying exams, as well as my dissertation prospectus defense which makes me a PhD Candidate! Hurrah!

It also means I had some time to finish some projects.

These are a DBA Polybian Roman Army as a present for a friend, my HOTT Undead Army, and the Chaussers for my French Polemos army.

Please find the Romans Here
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2011/06/dba-army-ii33-polybian-roman.html

The Undead Here
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2011/06/hottrotk-undead.html
The French Here
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2011/06/polemos-6mm-french-chaussers.html

RCW Chess Continued

2011-04-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Here are some pictures of the White Pawns for my RCW Chess set present. The miniatures are Battle Honors 25mm WWI Russians and are painted as colored regiments.

Not "dead" yet. A new Post, RCW Chess

2011-03-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all

It has being a long time since my last post. Qualifying exams, dissertation design, and a PS2 have robbed me of most of my gaming and painting time. Thus I haven't had a chance or the motive to sit down and paint something, and thus no posts. I am well, and over the Spring Break found some time and motivation to start a new project. This is a chess set using 25/28mm miniatures with a Russian Civil War theme. It is a present for a friend and colleague of mine, and I have to say I am looking forward to working on it. Above is pictured the first piece, a Hinterland Miniatures 25mm Female Hussar I painted as the White Russian Queen. Now to be fair this is pretty fantastical for two reasons: a) Russia did not have any hussar regiments by 1918, and b) female regiments in the service of the Provisional Goverment where indistinquishable from male regiments. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women%27s_Battalion . Still this is an awesome miniature and I had great fun paitning it.

With Respect

Konstantinos Travlos

Fantasy Campaing World:Map

2010-12-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

The map above represents the fantasy world I will be using to situate all my ahistorical DBA/RRK and Hott battles. For the time being it has no special name, and the back ground is primarilly in my mind. You can find some backround on the page for the Undead Army.

Generally speaking this is a low magic dark ages tach world. It is primarilly popualted by human, as well as some fantasy races (Dwarves, Elves, Undead, maybe Lizardmen). Every DBA army I will have will have a represantation in the world so I can justify ahistorical games. While teh Dwarves, Undead and maybe Lizardmen will have their own armies, the backstory about elves is that they tend to rule over human vassals that do the fighting for them (Celtic or Nordic humans). So there will be no "elvish armies" but istead armies of their huamn vassals with maybe an element representing their elusive masters.

A list of approxiamtions with armies I have (painted and upainted) is the following

Divine Empire: Nikiforean Byzantine
Kingdom of Varnaz: Western Franks or Later Longbards
Repulbic of Litania: Polybian Republican Roman
Salamenian Tibes: Iberians/ Lusitanians
Western Horse Lords: Goths or Sarmartians
Southern Republics: Later Ottoman Turk( no artillery)

Possible-Suggested approximations
Elf Kings: Celts, Socts-Irish, Viking, Wend, Eastern Ameridian
Mountain Men: Infantry based dark age armies
The Divine Leage: Italin Communal, Greek Hoplite
Lands of the Khalifas: Sassnid Persian, Muslim 1000-1200
Southern Republic Alternative: Indian Republican
Land of Ksariya Kings: Indian armies
The Petty Kings: Sub-roman British
Eastern Hrose Lords: Huns, Mongols etc

HOTT/RRK Undead Army(Apethanatou Basileos Ypiretai)

2010-12-12T13:31:00.000-08:00

Apethanatoi bimatizountes ksana- The Dead Walk Again

This phrase of terror has accompanied the subjects of the Divine Empire for the last 150 years. Ever since the Divine Emperor Gordian IV went mad with power and tried to make him-self a god. The 25th Emperor of the House of Lakid, the royal House that founded the Divine Empire 300 years ago, Gordian may had been the greatest human magician to ever live. But his greatness is the world’s undoing. Driven mad by the tutelages of the renegade Elf Lord Varisharm and his studies of the forbidden lore deep within the ruins of the stepped temples of the Old Ones, the Emperor sought something more then mere immortality. He sought invulnerability. As he went deeper into his dark studies he left the empire without a ruler. The Empire teetered as the Western Horse Lords poured in from beyond Western Mountains and the Northern Exarchy collapsed. In the south Khorvun III led his armies into an invasion of the imperial dominions south of the Gentle Peaks. The empire descended into civil war, as the Exarch of the North Mauricius declared himself a Basileus and allied with some of the Horse Lords to curve out his usurper dominion.

And then the dead walked. At first it was rare sight, furtive whispers of peasants. But slowly the numbers grew. The Imperial Council and the Senate were worried, but the Emperor had locked himself in the Porfyro Palace. The only answer to their entreaties was to let the dead alone. In time armies of the dead were raised and with some otherworldly purpose seemed to attack the enemies of the empire. Khorvun had to cross the Akmaios River at the head of a terror driven army. The dead ravaged the Northern Exarchy trying to break the power of the Usurper King Mauricius. But the people of the empire were afraid. The priests and priestesses of the Triad denounced the emperor’s action only to be attacked by the shambling hordes. The further the undead were from the Imperial Capital of Ekatopylos, the more erratic and destructive their behavior. For three years the people of the empire lived in terror.

The one day the dead started attacking indiscriminately. No one new what happened. When the Imperial Council and the Senate tried to get an audience with the Emperor they found the imperial palace a charnel house. All the servants were dead and reanimated. On the Red Throne sat a hooded, emancipated figure which with skeletal hands ordered the Senators and Councilors to commit suicide so that they could join his undying empire. They fled in terror while the capital cities various neighborhoods tried to fortify themselves. Undead armies were raised throughout the empire massacring the living only so that they too could arise. With the dread legions turned inward, Khorvun and Mauricius launched there attacks anew. Then on the 15th of the month Melachite, the patriarch of the Triad, Augoustinos IX declared that the Emperor had gone mad, that he had let his soul be tainted by the evil legacies of the Old Ones, and that he could no more remain emperor anymore. The patriarch’s brother, Anastasius, Imperial Legate of the Inner Sea Provinces, was declared Emperor by the armies of the Northern Exarchy, and the Inner Sea Navy.

Thus began the first Thanatomachia (from the greek words Thanatos=death and machi=battle). Rallied by Anastasius and the Triadic faith, the people of the empire rose against their Emperor and his infernal legions. Fire and steel ruled from border with the Salamenian Tribes all the way to the start of the Horse Lords Steppes. It took 3 years of hard fighting to reach the imperial capital, a city empty of the living. And rumors are that the First Thanatomachia would never had ended in victory if some unknown hero had not raved the dead filled Ekatopylos to steal from Gordian something important. Gordian fled the fire and steel of the armies of the living going into hiding deep within the gorges, chasms and forbidding forests of the Western Mountains. Anastasius cleansed the Imperial Capital of the dead and refounded the Divine Empire a year later taking the tile of Divine Emperor as Tilemach III. It took him and his successor and son Anastasius I, 20 years of warfare to contain the damage done by Gordian IV, whose name was expunged from Imperial Records and who is now called the Undying Emperor.

But the damage was done. The old Northern Exarchy beyond the Verusian Bay was lost to the Ususrper King Mauricius who founded the Kingdom of Varanz. The lands on the southern shore of the Bay were lost to any imperial authority divided between tens of petty tyrants who styled themselves king and who survived by pitting the Horse Lords against the Varanzian Usurper, against the Empire. Culturally the empire became more religious, the subjects of the emperor less open to new ideas. Cremation replaced burial as the only permitted funeral rite in order to deny the Undying King his bounty.

The most permanent damage was the fact that the Undying Emperor had situated his dominions right next to the empires western border. Over the next 130 years the once fertile western provinces of the empire became blighted. Plagues would herald undead armies that would march mechanically trying to rich Ekatopylos and the rumored vaults that contain the artifact the Undying Emperor lost. These Thanatomachiai have happened seven times until now laying waste to the Western province, with only the hardiest and bravest surviving in heavily fortified cities and towns. The damage was so much that the Divine Emperor had to turn the province to a special military Exarchy ruled essentially as a military dictatorship under the rule of an Exarch appointed by the Emperor. Beyond the forts of the Western Exarchy lie the foreboding and barren of any life but twisted trees lands of the Undying Emperor. No living soul dares tread there, expect from the twisted souls of the fools that try to gain some of his knowledge and power, creating the Thanatofilia secret societies that plague the empires politics.

And the people are always tense waiting to hear the terrible cry, the Dead Walk Again

What you read above is the back-story for my newest army, a 15mm Undead army using Splintered Light Miniatures. The army is almost complete, with 8 elements done. I intend to add a Skeletal Behemoth, a Necromancer element (as a hero, not a magician), and some zombie elements (to represent plague victims). I wanted the army to give a dark ages look since the world I have inside my mind as a backdrop for my fantasy wargaming is one with 1000-1100 AD(CE) technology. The SLM miniatures are perfect for this since few of them wear full plate armor. The army is built for HOTT or Rally Round the King.

It is also a low-magic world. As the back-story points out Gordian’s IV folly was a pretty much major affair but mostly because it coincided with the Horse Lords migration (more on that in the future). As a result I wanted to keep the undead army to mostly skeletons and zombies. No flying beasties, and no ghost, wraiths etc. Only the simplest of undead creatures are part of the army. The army is mostly made up of hordes of mindless skeletons that only know one thing: move towards the direction of the Imperial Capital and hit anything alive in your way. Once unleashed, they will just move forward until destroyed as they have no will of their own and are actually not controllable by even their creator (point about limits of magic). Some of them ride steeds (the two rider elements) but for all purposes behave like the horde skeletons (rule-wise I classify them as riders).

Three of the elements represent Wights. These are skeletons imbued with souls stolen from living people. The magic to create them is very vile, and also very taxing. Few can be created by the Undying Emperor since he has to use a part of his soul to steal the souls of the living. As a result Wights cannot be raised as wights if destroyed, but will be raised as simple skeletons. But thanks to the stolen souls within them, wights are able to fight with more skill (And thus are classified as Blades for HOTT). The impossibility of raising them as wights as well has led to them being more heavily armored then other skeletons.

Here are some pictures from the army. For a map and some information about the fantasy world go http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/12/map-above-represents-fantasy-world-i.html

Skeletal Riders

The Elite: Wights

The Skeletal Hordes

DBA IV/55 (b) Later Ottoman 1362-1449

2010-12-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated my blog for quite a while. Lots of work and very little time. That said I have been painting, and got a chance to play and lose a couple of BI games :)

My newest addition is a Later Ottoman Army for DBA. The army represents the eraly post-refoms Ottoman armies but before the widespread adoption of handguns after the Second Battle fo Kosovo in 1448. Thus it represents the armies of Murat I, Baezid I, Mehmet I and his brothers, and especially Murat II.

The army is made up of 15mm Essex minaitures from their supposed Early Ottoman Army. The set is terrible for an eraly Ottoman army as it contains Janissaries, Balkan Horse, and most importantly Delis, which only started appearing in Ottoman Armies towards the end of the era. As a result I decided to model the army as a Later Ottoman.

Essex miniatures are nice with only one real problem for me. They have terible sclupted miniatures bases, requiring the use of green stuff to make the miniature stay on a element base. This is a mjor issue for me and will probably keep me away from Essex in the future. The psiloi element of the two north african corssbows is Minifigis 15mm. I added quilted horse armor to the general's cavalry element, and I scratchbuilt the gun for the artillery element.

A close up of the cavalry, inifigs Psiloi, Jannisaries and Artillery

Turcoman and Deli Light Cavalry and Christian Sipahis

Some closeups of units

Pailoi

The Yeni-Ceri and scratchbuilt artillery

Turkmen Horse-Arcehrs

The Pasha/Sultan and the Kapi-Quolu

Early Later Ottomans DBA 15mm

2010-10-09T00:27:00.000-07:00

A month ago I bought a ealry ottoman dba pack from my local game store the Dragons Table. The pack was an Essex one. Once I opened it to my dismay I saw that most of the really nice minis were not appropiate for an early Ottoman army. Especialy the presence of Delis made it very problematic. I thus decided to model the army as a Ealry Later Ottoman Army representing the armies from Bayezid Yalederim to the adoption of firearms after Second Belgrade (1444 I think).

I have started the project and here is a small peek at it. The green stuff at the bases is for keeping the terrible Essex miniature bases from tilting over.

Basic Impetus Battle Reports

2010-10-08T23:50:00.000-07:00

Clash in the East!

Finaly got the chance to play a couple of Basic Impetus battles. Lost both of them:) Both battles are Succesor clashes and quite aptly both generals were Greeks :). Here is the battle report of the most recent clash, very condensed on time. The two armies were a augmented Later Selucid Force and a augmeented Greco Bactrian force.

The Seleucid force under my command was made up of 1xAgema CP, 2xTarantine CL,1xEl with escorts, 3xFP phalangites,1xFP elite phalangites,1xFL Thyeroforoi,1xS Cretans, 1xFL Gauls, 1 CGP Scythed Chariot

The Greco-Bactrian force under my opponents command was made up of 2xCP Greek cavalry,2xCP Cataphracts, 2xCL Bactrians Hrose Archers, 2x FP Phalangties, 2xFL Thyeroforoi,1xS Cretans, 1x El without escort.

The first picture has the lay of the land (north is up). I deployed forist. My general plan was to stymie his right flank on the river ford close to the forest in the north with the Elephants supported by the S and Gauls. I would at the same time strike hard at the center with my dense phalanxes, Heavy Calvalry and Schythed Cahriot. The Tarantines would try to flank his center using the gap between the south hill and forest. The Thyeroforoi would guard the south wood and my flank. This was a mistaken plan because it really relied on speed and from the army lists I had the handicap. The reason was his plan.

My opponent went for double envelopement. To the North side he deployed the light calvalry which would ford the river on a non-river crossing area (needs an additional turn to cross) and ride down the gap between the north wood and the river. His Cataphracts and Thyeroforoi would ford the river
at the crossing. His Elephants, Pike phalanx and S would hold the center prefering to defend and in the far south his Greek heavy cavalry,deployed beyond the hill would strike my south flank.

So the game was essentially a competition of speed. If my center crushed into his before he otufloanked me at either side I would win. If my center was too slow then I would get surrounded by his more numerous horse. In another word my plan was already the more risky of the two. But in good devil may care Succesor panache I went with it :)

The battle opened with essetially oen of his Cataphracts clashing with my Elephants at the ford. His elephatns in the center stopped my scythed cahriots in their tracks while those were rushing to hit his phalanx. My phalanx broke in two groups. One going towards the elephants in the cneter and the other towards his pike phalanx in the center.

In the center my chariots lost but his elepants were then destroyed by my phalanx. At the same time in the north my Elepants destroyed the frist unit of cataphracts only to be destroyed in turn by his general and the second unit of cataphracts. At about the same time his Light cavlary was done crossing the fords. My Gauls tried to stymie the coming onsalught but were destroeyd by a unit if thyeroforoi due to my unwilligness to risk a failed charge.
At the south end stupidly I decided to use my Tarantines to attack his phalanx rather then slow down his thundering heavy greek horse. A foolish move as my pikes were nowehre close to engangement with his.

As my north flank was evaporating in the center one of my tarantines made contact with the phalanx and got destroyed while the Heavy Greek calvary was on their heels. My thyeroforoi in the south made a valiant but foolish attempt to stop the greek cavlary and died. But one of my phalances made contact, pushed the enemy back, but then died after a lengthy fight.

What followed then was despearation at my side. My general in good Succesro fashion drove his cavalry into the enemy general unit (Cataphracts). A wild battle ensued which was lost by the Greek heavy calvary of my general. In the center. My second Pike unit made contact with his pikemen and destroyed them, but alas the battle was lost as the enemy calvary surrounded my armies remains. Like good Succesor troops, the Pezaiterhaioi lay down their arms and offered their servicesto the victor.

The battle was fun, but now that I thought about my plan was very very stupid. With how much cavalry he had I should had hunkered down and turned that area in the center between those two forests into a fortress. My army was slower but had more staying power and I did not take adavantage of it. But alas, like a good Greek I prefered the exhilaration of attack :) Still the game was fun and very bloody (something like 7 or 8 lost units for me and 4 for him). I still need to get used to some things about the rules (misread the firing rules and thus the skirmishers in the game ended up being useless). All in all a fun game!

Basic Impetus Armies in 6mm

2010-10-08T23:36:00.001-07:00

I am almost done with my 6mm ancients projects (just a couple minis)
I have enough minis for three all option BI armies: Later Seleucids, Greco-Bactrians, and Parthians. I also belive I probably have enough eleemnts for two Impetus armies. I also have enough Parthians for a DBA 25mm base scale army.

The Later Seleucids

The Greco-Bactrians

The Parthians

Some focused shots on new elements

Parthian horse archers, also masquerading as scythians in hellenistic service

Parthian Cataphracts

Parthian Hrose Arcehrs in Cantabrian Circle

Scythed Chariots!

The Greco-Bactrian Pikes. I based them diffrently from the Seleucid ones. Less pikemen but light infantry escorts. I like it.

Tarantines?

Hellenic Greek Cavalry

Galatians

All in all I am very happy with the results. One piece of advice-> undercoat black. It makes it easier.

PhDleadhead Update: BI 6mm, DBA 15mm

2010-10-08T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Lots of work and reading to do at school with ISA Midwest around the corner and MPSA in 3 months. But I found time to do some wargaming things.

For starters I am almost finished with my 6mm Baccus projects. I now have 3 armies for Basic Impetus: Later Sleucids, Greco-Bactrians and Parthians and enought elements for a Parthian DBA army. But I am ready to move beyond 6mm. This is a great scale for starting a new game as 1) you can quickly paint two armies 2) it looks good 3) it is relatevly cheap. For palyers on a tight budget and tight space 6mm is one of the best options out there.

Find pictures of all armies here

http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/10/basic-impetus-armies-in-6mm.html
Secondly I got the chance to paly a couple of Basic Impetus games. A battle report of the most recent can be found here

http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/10/basic-impetus-battle-reports.html
and finally I am working on my 15mm DBA Early Later Ottomans. Find a small peek here.
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/10/early-later-ottomans-dba-15mm.html

One more thing. I wish to thank Kyoteblue a great TMPer for a major gift he gave me. He approached me and gave me for free four, FOUR, complete 15mm DBA armies (Lusitanians, Republucan Romans, Repulican Romans and Samartians). I really thank him and wish him the best . He is a swell guy. I have decided to gift two of the armies to good friends in honor of his action and vow to paint the other ones to the best possible standards! This also means that I have more then enough painting to last me a year and a half. Thanks Kyoteblue!

Sale from PhDleadhead

2010-09-18T15:32:00.001-07:00

Hi all

I am holding a small sale for minaitures I am not going to be painting, or painted armies I won't be using. The sale will first e posted for a week for blog watchers, and then annanounced on TMP. So take advanatge of the windfall. What is for sale and prices(negotiatable for up to 15%, or for single items)

GNW Minaitures 25/28mm: Unpainted 30 minis, 4 standard bearers, 3 NCOs and Officers, 2 Drummers. Pikes will also be provided. (Dixon and Imperialist)
Price: 20$ (I will cover S&H)

Falmes of War Soviet Tank company 15mm: Painted and unpainted
Painted:6xT-34/42, 6Xt-34/85,2xSU-152(or SU-122),6xTransports, 9xBases of Assult Infantry, 1xComamnd Base.
Upainted: Pack of Heavy Mortars and Crews, 3 bases of Bailed out Groups.
Al will come in Sabot containers and palstic container. (FOW and Old GLory and Battel Honors)
Price: 80$ (I will cover S&H)

War of the Legaue of Aurgsburg Units 15mm:
Painted 2x Units made up of 3 bases each of 7 miniatures each, plus two bases of four pikemen each. Hanpainted Flags.
Unpainted: 8 Packs of Grendiers/ Musketteers and 1 Pack of Hussars.
Will come in Sabot container (Venexia)
Price: 40$ (I cover S&H for Continental US)

Thrity Years War units 25/28mm:
Painted: Pike and Shot Unit made up of 20 Musketteers, 20 Pikemen and command, handpainted flags,10 Cavalry with command.
Unpainted: 6 Dragoons/ Harbequisers and 8 Pikemen and Command (Metal Pikes included but not shown)
Will come in Sabot container (Foundry, Perry, Asult Group, Dixon)
Price: 60$ (I cover S&h)

Payment method of preference is check. Receipts will be provided for all purchases.
If interested please email me at ktravlos@yahoo.com

First DBA Games

2010-08-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Hi All
Got a great chance to play DBA and try my Byzantines with Mike from minigamermike. We played 4 games, from last to first

100 Years War English vs. 1419 Mideval French- I won that thanks to the Englush Knights actually winning a Knight Battle with the French. 3-4
Late Carthigians vs. Nikiforeans-> Lost spectacularly with Cathigians when my Elephants were peppered with arrows from the Byz. infantry and crushed into the Carthigian phalanx. 4-0

War of the Roses English vs. War of the Roses English. I think I lost this one.

WoTR vs. WoTR

Nikiforean Byzantines vs. Normans. Not sure I remember who won.

Four Impetus: BI Vikings

2010-08-15T16:13:00.000-07:00

Finally I finished the Basic Impetus Viking army in 1/72. The army was a joy to paint. The miniatures are Strelets and Zvezda. All in all the cheapest of all Basic Imeptus Armies in the Four Impetus Program (14$). I decided to go for the 15mm basing rather then the 1/72. This a) perimitted the army to be finished faster, and b) gave a DBA feel to army creation. 1/72 with 15mm basing is the cheapest way to create a Basic Imeptus Army. A good way to start the game. A first bunch of pictures below.

Where to from here?

Well Four Impetus is still not finished. I still have the 28mm Marian Roman Army. That said I am not sure I will ever get to finish it, except if I take it with me to Greece when I go for vacation and only work on it. After spending 2 years working on historicals I have gotten unsued to needing to work on buidling the miniatures.

On the painting queqe I have a) sci fi ships b) DBA Early Ottomans c) 15mm Byzantines to start turning the DBA to a BI army. d) Rhino for my 40K Space Marines e) 4 units of 6mm Napoleonic cavalry for Polemos f) finishing off the units to turn the Seleucids BI army to Impetus

Future projects are probably going to be opponents for my compelted historical armies: 1) DBA Early Hungarians for DBA Byzantines 2) BI Andalusians for Vikings 3) Impetus Parthians for Seleucids. I am alos interested in building a pair of HOTT armies or Basic Impetus Fantasy, either Artesian armies, or something GW themed.

Anyway we will see how my interests, motivation and time go.

Basic Barogue Battle

2010-08-08T22:26:00.001-07:00

Game at the Dragons Table in Champaing Illinois

The game was a English Civil War game using Basic Barogue. The miniatures are 10mm and looked great!

The Royalist Deployment
The Parliament Deployment

Parlimentrian White Coats, supporting the Right Cavlary Wing (the cavalry udner my command)

Parliamentarian Center

The Battle on the Left Flank. Red strings donate disordered units

My failed assult on the Monarchists Right.

The centers approach for a push of pike that never came.

Furious battle on the Right

The Parliamntarian Right flank spending it self on assults

The Parliamanterian Left flank doing the same

The approach to the attack

The two armies deployed

The game was fun, but both sides could had afforeded to be more aggressive.

54mm Spanish Bannerbearer 17th century

2010-08-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

From start to finish

Building the Miniature

Ready to prime

Primed

Painted

DBA III/64 Nikiforean Byzantine 963-1042 AD (Divine Empire)

2010-08-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

This army represents the Eastern Roman(Byzantine) armies as they looked in the reigns of emperors Constantine VIII, Zoe, Romanos III, Michael IV, Michael V and Theodora (1025-1042). This army saw a lot of action in Italy against the Longbards and Normans, and in the Middle East against the Egytpian Muslim dynasties (Fatmids and predeccesors) and Great Seljucks. It is a combined arms army with a sold core of cavalry and bow elements. The minaitures are Khurashan.

The Army Arrayed

The 2 Tagmatic Cavalry Units and the Generals Unit

Shield Details

Psiloi, with Varangians behind them and the first two Spear and Bow units

The other Spear and Bow units

The Two Thematic Calvary Units, Cataphracts and the Prokoustoures LH

Back side of Infantry

All in all I enjoyed the painting of the army. This is my first 15mm DBA army after 6 years. My first one was an Essex French 100years war army, which I lost :(. This is a good reentry!

Fantasy Write Up: Divine Empire

Divine Empire

The Divine Empire is the fantasy version of the DBA Army

In Rally Round the King the army is represented by the Sortium Army List

In HOTT the army in 24 points is the following: Knights (General) x1, Paladins (1 Kataphract Base) x1,Riders (Kavallaraoi)x2, Spearkx2, Bowx2, Bladesx1, Cleric x1

The Divine Empire was created more than 450 years before the accession of Aristeri II, current Divine Empress. It was the child of the rich Sunlight Sea (Iliofotos Thallasa). It was the child of human civilizations, the Danai, the Magi, the Arsinovi, that were not touched by the Elf Lords. More then 2000 years ago human tribes from the south and east settled the coasts, valleys, and islands of the southern coast of the Sunlight Sea. They came to fill in the void created by the end of the Sundering Wars between the Old Ones and the Elf Lords. Unlike the human tribes of the north that ended being ruled by ancient elf lords, in return for the trappings of a simple civilization, the peoples living in the warm embrace of the Sunlight Sea forged their civilizations from scratch. Sometimes they would glean some forbidden mysteries from the stepped husks of the pyramid cities of the Old Ones. Sometimes a renegade elf lord would teach them. But most of the time they innovated from scratches. Cities, Kingdoms, Confederations arose and competed between them and with the rising civilizations of the Zoastri. Trade and war was made with the people of the western isle, the dwarves of the Western Mountains, the Steppe Lords, and even the blue skinned and red headed humans that served the reclusive elf lords. Cities, Kings and Hegemons would try to build empires, leagues and confederation only to be crushed in great wars. The Padishas of the Zoastri would invade trying to conquer the northern lands, only to beaten back or getting some tenuous declarations of fealty.

The peoples of the Sunlight Sea worshiped and still do, a bewildering array of sophisticated gods, Not for them the Dour and stern Fire God of the Zoastri. Not for them the abstract nature gods of the humans of the elves. But a vast array of colorful deities only matched by the 1000 of minor and major gods of the Southern Republican Cities and the Ksariya Lords. The Danai had their 24 gods and goddesses, each one different, each with a rich philosophy. The Magi had their one but many faced god, the Arsinovi their hero cults. And they would mix and match their gods and bring in exotic influences from the far south. But no gods were as popular as the Triad. A philosophical dogma started in the city-states of the islands of the Sunlight Sea, it became the basis for the creation of the Divine Empire. The Triadists worshiped and paid homage to all gods as long as those gods proscribed the murder of people. For the Triadists believed that sentient beings had a divine nature made of three important elements, the soul, the body, and the mind. For the world to stand all these had to be taken care of, the body nourished with food and excerise, the soul with grand emotions, and the mind with logic and intellectual pursuit. The Triadists fully believed that the balance of the world depended on the ability of humans to balance those three elements within them. They declared that it was the sacred duty of Kings and Cities, Hegemons and Lords to create the conditions in which every human can as best take care of his tridic divinity. Gods and Godesses whose faith nourished one of the three all of the three elements wee to be honored. Those whose worship destroyed those elements were to be shunned. Poverty and Hunger were to be combatted. Sloth and self-destruction to be abhorred. Torture and senseless killing were to be avoided. The Triadists believed that humans should enjoy life but only to the point that it did not lead to the diminishing of any one of the three elements.

Triadism spread throughout the lands of the Sunlight Sea. Commoners flocked to it because it exhorted the powerful to take care of the weak and considered each and every human a divine being. Kings, aristocrats and city lords used it as a excuse for massive building and infrastructure programs. But one royal family, ruling the largest city state on the islands of the Sunlight Sea took Triadism and used it as the impetus for a career of conquest that cumulated in the Divine Empire. The Lakids declared that for Traidism to be truly met the world had to be united under one rule. Otherwise war would always mar the human being, destroying the balance and undermining the world. They also declared that peacefull preaching was not enough . That dark and evil sects had to be eradicated by sword, and that such actions were to be cleansed by repentance. Since Triadism was more of a philosophical movement, more of a view of life then an organized faith., the Lakid version was not combatted quickly. It also helped that during that era dark cults created from too much search into the mysteries of the Old Ones had risen. That Tyrant of Melos openly ruled with cruelty and inhumanity, declaring tha the world could only be redeemed through pain. At the same time Korvus I, the first Khalifa lunched his great invasion, determined to bring all of the known world under the rule fo the Fiery God.

The Lakids became the center of a huge alliance of kingdoms, cities and hegemons. They defeated the Khalifa and drove him back south of the river. They smashed the Tyrant of Melos. Taking advantage of the still great threat of the Khalifa, and the fear of dark cults, they turned a wartime alliance into a permanent league. The league became an confederation, and the confederation eventually an empire. Triadism became an imperial faith, not intolerant, but still the dogma solidifying an empire.

And a grand empire it was. The Divine Empire was the great center of human ruled civilization. Theater and the arts, as well as gymansitcs and science and thinking were it’s great achievements. It’s civilizational aura affected the human tribes living in the north of the Sunlight Sea, the Latian Tribes in the Southern Isles, and the Salamenian tribes of the mountains and hills in the east. It was also a warrior empire. Fueled by Traidism it attempted many times to conquer the Khalifas land, most of the times failing, but still putting fear in the Fire Gods followers. It helped the Republican cities keep free from the Khalifas rule or the Ksaiya lords. Most importantly four emperors, launched great wars of conquest driving the Elf lords of the north to the sea or to the edges of green land, and brining many human tribes that had lived in primitiveness the benefits of civilization, albeit sometimes at the sword.

There were times of troubles. Civil Wars, the largest one being the 20 year war when Arisionis III faced the rebellion and challenge of the whole east due to a heresy, assassinations, as those of Konstans I and Menelia II, foreign invasions ,from the Khalifa or the Elf Lords , but the empire survived thanks to the Triadic link and also the pride of the empires oldest people in their civilization. Forty-Five Lakid emperors ruled, sometimes with a heavy hand , like Trictus, Arsionis II, Gordian I, Sofia II, sometimes with a cruel one, like Anastasius III, Feon IV, but most of the times with a light but firm hand. All came crushing down with Gordian IV.

The Undying Emperor did great harm to the Divine Empire at the worst time possible. The North was overrun by the Horse Lords, great rider hosts from the East. Treason hit with the rebellion of the Exarch of the North. The South was hit by Korvanus III, the Khalifa. The empire survived wounded, scared. The Brilliance of the previous time seemed dim. The Theater plays took a more tragic look. The Triadic faith became more serious, more militant for there was nothing as negating the central tenets of the faith as the sight of the dead walking. A new dynasty rules, a dynasty of warrior emperors who have been trying for 150 years to reclaim what was lost, and destroy the Undying Emperor. But the eras have changed. In the South the Khalifas look worried to the east were hordes of horsemen raid. The cities of the Southern Isles, once the god-child’s of the Divine Empire , have become militarist societies bent on conquest, invading the lands of the Salamenian tribes and raiding far and wide for slaves and loot. In the North the usurper King is always a threat, as are the Horse Lords. In the west the Elf Lords have used their human pawns more aggressively then before, with fleets of northmen raiders burning and sacking all in their path. It is a gray era. But as the priests and philosophers say to their worried flocks, if this generation mends the broken triad, then the brilliance of past times will come back.

Update: DBA, 54mm

2010-08-08T21:52:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Another summer update.

I finished painting a DBA Byzantine Nikiforean 15mm army, from Khurshan Miniatures
http://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/

A great and fun army to paint, with beautiful miniatures easy to the brush.

Find puctres here
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/08/dba-iii64-nikiforean-byzantine-963-1042.html

I also painted a 54mm Spanish Tercio bannerman of the 17th cnetury. This is a El Viejo Dragon minaiture I think, bought at Athens Miniatures
http://www.athensminiatures.gr/en/index.php

See pictures here
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/08/54mm-spanish-bannerbearer-17th-century.html

Basic Impetus/DBA 15mm Niciphoreans

2010-06-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of the DBA elements of my 15mm Khurashan Byzantine Army that will serve as the foudnation for the BI army. I am almost done with the army which only lacks the 4 BW/SP units to be complete.

Varangians and Psiloi

The Emperor and retinue

Elite Tagmatic Cavalry

Normal Tagamtic Cavalry

Thematic Cavalry

Prokostoures

Cataphracts

Just four elemets to go!

Basic Impetus 6mm Late Selucids

2010-06-28T21:34:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of the finished 6mm Baccus Later Seleucids for Basic Impetus. Excellent miniatures that were a joy to paint. But that said I advise you to prefer the cast pike phalanxes then the open hands one except if you enjoy trying to put small pikes into tiny slots. The army is supposed to represent the force led by Dimitreus III agianst Parthia, the last large Seleucid campaing.

Normal Pike Elements. The one to the left has pikes made from hard brush and the one of the right ffrom paper clips. The former is easier to use.

The elite Argyraspids (Silver Shields) on the left and the specualtive Chrysaspides on the right.

Thyreoforoi and Cretan Archers

The royal agema (used for the 1 CP option in the BI army)

Armored African or Asian Elephants with Escort

The Army Arrayed

This is a great army and looks good on the table-top. The great thing is that I still have enough minis from the Baccus DBA pack it came in to create a Impetus army. All for 45$! A good buy.

Four Impetus Update!

2010-06-28T21:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all

It has been a long time since my last post but this was, like the last one a demanding semester. I passed my second year review and now I am looking towards my August qualifying exams. At the same time research and writing requirements are going up as slowly slowly I am creeping to the end of my long road as a student and at the begining of a hopefully longer one as a member of academia.

I did not stop painting but the Four Impetus project is by defintion a long term project. I am happy to say that the second Four Impetus Army is done! If you remember the first one I finsihed was the 10mm Pendraken Swiss Confedarate Army which was a present for a friend. Well the 6mm Baccus Basic Impetus Later Seleucids Army is done.

Find pictures here
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/06/basic-impetus-6mm-late-selucids.html

On anotehr front I am close to finishing the first stage of the 15mm Four Impetus Project. I decided to start first by building a DBA army and then expanding it to a BI army. Permit me to remind you that the miniatures are 15mm Khurashan Minis and the army the Niciphorean Byzantine (Eastern Roman). The minis are truly a great fun to paint and the results excellent. I have finished every option but the 4 BW/SP elements.

Please check out the pictures here.
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2010/06/basic-impetusdba-15mm-niciphoreans.html

Finally I rebased my 1/72 Vikings from the 25mm base system of BI to the 15mm BI system. This brings me closer to finisheing the army (half of the elements are done) and will eprmit me to prepare a second Viking army as an opponent.

The pictures from the Impetus post

2010-02-28T10:21:00.000-08:00

Here are the pictures from the Basic Impetus post. I am not used to using the blog with IE and thus made some mistakes. Enjoy!

Some more pictures from Greece and Cyprus

2010-02-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

Photos from Thessaloniki

Galerian's Arch of Triumph
The White Tower

Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Iconography at St. Demetrios Cathedral

St. Demetrios (Medieval Icon)

St. Demetrios Cathedral

A small church

Having fun on a hot day

An old Mosque

Central plaza

Photos from Nafplio, the first capital of Greece

Palimidi Fortress

Palimidi interior

A cistren in Palimidi

Towards the sea

Palimidi interior

The old city of Nafplio

The reconstructed gate

Venetian bastion walls

Ottoman sign

The church door in fron t of which the first Governor of indepedent Greece, Ioannis Kapodistrias was assasinated.

View of Nafplio

Old Mosque

Central Plaza

View of Palimidi
Photos from Kefallonia

Interior of Saint George castle

A tower at Saint George Castele

Venetian gun

More photos from Lefkosia

A house on the Green line across fortified Greek-Cypriot positions

Looking down a Turkish fireposition

A Turkish-Cypriot strongpoint is beyond the oil-drums

Old Lefkosia

Venetian Bastion

Greek-Cypriot strongpoint

Old Church

Greek Cypriot guard post

Lydra gate: The gateway between the Republic of Cyprus and the Occupied zones

Update on Four Impetus

2010-02-28T08:46:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Painting and gaming time are on a prenium this semester, and thus my projects are moving forward slowly. But some progress is being done

On the 1/72 front the second Viking Housecarls unit is ready. I am really happy how the shields turned out. Blacking really helps colors stand out. But it can be tedious when trying to do it for the whole miniature. This units contains one fantsy element. The redhair warrior in the center has woad tatoos and a shield with a dragon motif. Obviously his descend is not Nrothman. He is a promise fullfiled to a certain TMPer.

I also bought the miniatures for the last part of the Basic Impetus project. This is a 15mm Nikiphorean Byzantine Army. The big part of the army is Khurashan Miniatures, with some Essex miniatures used for psiloi.

http://khurasanminiatures.tripod.com/

The cost right now is about 80$. Initially I am going to build and paint a DBA Core. Then I will built the Basic Impetus army, and then expand it to a 400pts Imeptus Army. I have bought Extra Impetus 2 which contains the army lists for Middle and Later Byzantine (Roman) armies.

http://www.dadiepiombo.com/extra2e.html

The problem I have right now is to decide if I am going to built the Impetus units using multiple DBA elements or use another way. I am starting to prefer the second option as the first may be too expensive for me. My thought is to sabot the DBA base in the middle of a BI base, on which I have placed some miniatures. Thus I will still get fairly populated bases, but not requiring the double or quadruple number of miniatures of the DBA element. I will keep you posted.

Here is a preview. The Khurashan Miniatures Psiloi element. Really nice figures. There is also an Essex for comparison. I would not mix Essex calvary with Khurashan calvary, excpet if all of them are on Khurashan horses. Infrantry seems to be ok.

Finally I have started painting the forth Seleucid Basic Imeptus unit. This one is the Agema, led by Antiochus the Great or Demetrius III. I am confident that the DBA pack I got from Baccus will give me a 300pts Impetus army.

That is all for today, please have great week and a great month.

With Respect Konstantinos Travlos

Still Alive! Happy New Year (belated)

2010-02-08T15:50:00.001-08:00

A Polemos Napoleonic solo game

Hi all

This is just a post to assure everyone that the blog is still alive. I am just having a hard time finding time to post. I promise though to do so.

I had a excellent winter break (yes I still get to have them :)) back in Greece and Cyprus with family and friends, but the new semester is challenging with my second year review, followed by MPSA, followed by mist first Comprehensive exam. I do not think I have a lot of time to war game, and painting has been limited to the Four Impetus project and only once a week. But I promise to keep everybody posted.

Have a great new year

With Respect
Konstantinos Travlos

A great WH40K game with one of my friends in Athens

At the Acropolis Museum

Seeing the stamp of occupation from Greek-Cypriot Lefkosia

Old Lefkosia by Night

Old fort, new fort. One of the Venetian Bastions of the old city still in use close to the Green Line (you can see the bullet holes on the second story, from the dangerous era of the Cypriot dispute 1975-2000s)

Firsst FOW Game

2009-12-06T18:29:00.000-08:00

I finally got a chance to try FOW. I had a Soviet Tank company painted since 2008 and never a chance to give it a spin. Today I got to do so at the Dragon's Table in Champaing-Urbana, an awesome store where I play most of my games.

My opponent was using a US Armored Company I think. The game was mostly exploratory to learn the rules. I a) mis-deployed b) used really atrociously my meager infantry and c) underestimated how much Centralised Control punishes the Soviet player. So I lost (nothing new here, move along).

The rules though seemed pretty good, and streamlined. It was nice to see all those painted minaiture tanks blow each other up! Artillery and infantry are musts. If you have all tank you won't lose, but you won't win either. I have a bunch of soviet mortars on the painting shelf for more then a year and a half . Time to pay them, and time to get some more infantry, and another SU 152.

Here are some pics from the game

A panoramic view of the battlefield, a crossroads dominated by a ruined village.

Soviet Armored Transporter Platoon

US Fire teams

Soviet T-34/42US Shermans/75mm

More Amis

The US had supernatural help

Soviet Tank Company at the start of the battleThe comapnies edge closer to each other

Murderous US fireEnd of the battle. Only the tanks around the ruined town were left to the Soviets. The Assult Guns did a good job on my side, while the SHermans proved superior to the T 34s/42, AND equal to the T 34s/85.

Baccus Napoleonics

2009-11-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

I hate painting horses. In any scale. This is a realization I came too while trudging away with the mass of cavalry that came in the Baccus Polemos Napoleonic Box. I am ok with easy to paint cataphract calvary, but I hate painting horse flesh. Still the sight of those massed 6mm foramtions is awesome.

Here are pictures of the French clavary 4 bases of Draggons , 2 bases of Hussars. They represent actual units but right know I do not remember which.

And now their staunch opponents 6 bases of Prussian Infantry
I decided to base half of them in lines, and the other half in attach columns.

Massed Prussian Infantry preparing to receive Massed French Calvary My current project, from now to December 16th is to finish painting half the Prussian horse. that is 4 bases of Dragoons and 2 of Uhlans. Here are some pics in progress of the Uhlans

Four Impetus! III

2009-11-29T16:01:00.000-08:00

Here are pics from the progress of the four Impetus project. Remember that the 10mm Swiss Army is done.

1) Seleucids (3 out of 9 units done)

I have a feeling that any Impetus army relying on Hellenistic Light Infantry and Skirmishers will be a quick paint in 6mm :)

2)Late Republican Romans (1 out of 8 units done)

3) Vikings (1 out of 8 units done)I also bought the last part of the Viking force. This was the Strelets Viking box with 48 pictures. Thus 1 Zvezda Vikings and 1 Strelets Viking box are more then enough to build a Basic Impetus Army. The total cost of the army is now 34$ making it the second cheapest army after the 10mm Pendraken Swiss (that cost 15$ but were bought at a sale. Normally they would cost 35$).

Thanksgiving Update

2009-11-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hello all

I hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving. This is an update about any painting or gaming I have done since the last blog update. I am instituting a new policy on updates in order to make them easier for readers. Essentially every update will be made up of main post containing any information, and links to axillary updates on specific topics in the main update. This is an attempt to help people interested on specific stuff to go to them.

First off on the Impetus front I haven't really done a lot of work for reasons to be explained immediately after. I painted two more units for the Seleucid Army, a Phalanx and Cretan Archers, and flocked the painted units for the Viking and Cesarean Army. As you know I finished the 10mm Swiss Confederate Army some time ago (see here http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2009/10/four-impetus-ii.html).

You can see pictures and get more info here
http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2009/11/four-impetus-iii.html

The second part of this post is the why I have gone off the Impetus project. I have thrown myself into paining at least half the Prussian and French Napoleonic 6mm Baccus armies. The French is mine, while the Prussian is a gift. I am glad to say that progress has been satisfactory. Previously I had finished the whole of the French infantry. I now have finished half the cavalry with 4 Dragoon basses and 2 Hussar bases. I also finished 6 Prussian Infantry bases and I am currently working on 4 Draggon bases and two Uhlan bases. This endevour has taught me a basic truth. I do not like to paint horses. This will have an impact on my army painting and army shopping in the future. You can find pictures of the Napoleonics stuff here

http://phdleadhead.blogspot.com/2009/11/baccus-napoleonics.html

Additionally, I got a chance to paly some Battle Fleet Gothic after a long while. This is really a great, fast and fun game wholly unfairly treated by GW. I wil post pictures of my small fleets on a future date.

Fianlly I finished reading J.E. Lendon's "Soldiers and Ghotst". It was a great, fast and easy read with some provocative and interesting arguments. The writer is primarily interested on how the culutral baggage of ancient Greece (in the form of the Illiad and the competitive ethos) and ancient Rome (in the form of the contest between virtus and disciplina) conditioned military innovation. A good read well worth the time you put in it. You can get it here
http://www.amazon.com/Soldiers-Ghosts-History-Classical-Antiquity/dp/0300119798/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1259539581&sr=8-1-spell

I hope you all have a good December.

Four Impetus! II

2009-10-25T10:20:00.000-07:00

Haha! Finished the Swiss Confederates in 10mm Pendraken miniatures.

My estimate was that the army took around 12 hours divided into roughly 3 hour shifts for 4 days to get finished. That is a good time commitment I think for anybody with a busy schedule.
Painting was fairly straightforward. The Pendraken miniatures took the paint well. This army is a present for a friend.

The whole army

With a 1/72 element for comparison of size

Swiss Pikemen

Enfant-Perdues

Lorrainer Men at Arms

Crossbowmen in Skirmishing order

I am going to take a break from Impetus to paint some more Baccus Napoleonics. After that my target is to finish the Viking 1/72 force.

Four Impetus!

2009-10-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

My new huge project for this year is the building of four Basic Impetus Armies. One army for every scale but 15mm (that is a future project). The target is to see which scales are the cheapest and which are the fastest to paint. The reason is that I want to put that info in my translation of Basic Impetus into Greek.

The following armies are going to be made, with the cost up to now:

1) Marian Roman (Brutus and Cassius at Phillipi) 25mm. 4 Legion elements using Wargames Factory (25/28mm) miniatures http://www.wargamesfactory.com/_product_16676/Caesar%27s_Legions_Box_Set -> 13$ (bought on sale), Expected full cost around 60-80$

2) Swiss Confederate in the service of the Duke of Lorraine 10mm using Pendraken miniatures
http://www.pendraken.co.uk/ . The whole army has been bought for 15$ (bought on sale)

3) Vikings using Zvezda and Strelets 1/72 miniatures http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=1205 . The Zvezda miniatures have been bought for 14$. Expected full cost 30$.

4) Later Seleucids (Antiochus III) using the excellent Baccus 6mm miniatures https://www.baccus6mm.com/index.php?content=products . The army has been fully bought for 60$

So the price range for a Basic Imaptus army can rnge from 15$ to 60$ top. 11/72 and 10mm are probably the cheapest scales.

I have also began the painting process.

Here are the results for the first elemetns. I tried to paint to a level that is not the ultra detailed I use for single 25/28mm, but still rich enough to make beutifull armies.

1) Marian Roman Legion

Time to paint (excluding putting together) = 6 hours in two day 3 hour shifts

2) Swiss Confederate Pike unit

Time: 2-3 hours in one day

3) Viking Command Unit

Time: 4 hours in two day 2 hour shifts

4) Seleucid Argyraspids

Time: One three hours shift.

All in all the most fun to paint were the 6mm and 1/72. I expect the Swiss (which are a present) to be finished first.

Warhammer Wood Elf Warhawk Rider

2009-10-11T13:04:00.000-07:00

This is a old present for me from a good friend. I took a long while to paint it because life and other projects intervened. But I got some time free in summer and painted it. Hopefully I did a good job.

In defense of Political Science

2009-10-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

A minor ruckus has erupted in the US when a Republican Senator from Oklahoma, Tom Coburn proposed an amendment to an appropriations bill that would prohibit the National Science Foundation of the United States (one of the most important sources of research funding in the US) from funding Political Science research. Indeed said gentleman form Oklahoma pretty much called for the dissolution of the NSF division responsible for the Political and Social sciences. The chances of it passing are zero. The American Political Science Association mobilized to gather political support against the bill. Professors, like Daniel Drezner and others, as well as pundits rushed to the defense of political science. The most usual response, cautioned to me also by a friend, was not to care. The man is a nut job they say, the bill will not pass they say, this is just politics they say. Even the defense of political science put forward by bloggers seemed a tad watered down. The amount spent on PoliSci research is small. Yes, political science is not “science” but some good results have come from the research. All this mildness is nice and good, all this brushing away is most civilized. But it is not a defense of one’s life work.

The purpose of this essay is to put forward a polemical defense of political science. Since I have a high stake in the fight, it would be hypocritical not to fight at full force. If Coburn’s case was that the US government is without money and the NSF will have to be more selective between scientific research, or a fiscally libertarian call to end all government support for the sciences, the mild defenses might had been adequate. Indeed I am sure some people who are political scientists would find good reasons to support such moves.

But Corburn’s case was not predicated on fiscal conservatism, or libertarianism. His whole case rested on questioning whether Political Science is a science. No, the NSF shouldn’t restrict funding to a science because of the economic crisis. No, that was not the case. The case was that the NSF was wasting, has been wasting ever since its inception, money on something that doesn’t exist, political “science”. This is a deadly challenge to the life work of thousands of scholars in the US. It is not isolated. It is not the work of a lone madman. It is a flare of a seething, ever present current of thought, not only in society, but in academia as well, indeed sometimes inside departments of political science that refuses the possibility that human interaction can be studied scientifically. And the retort was: it’s only 91million dollars.

No it is not about 91million dollars, or even a penny. No it is not about an old man from Oklahoma. It is about the purpose for which one has decided to offer or has offered 5 to 8 years of his/her life. It is about knowing why one does something, and being able to defend it. No challenge is too small to make us reiterate inside us the reasons that led us to sacrifice some of the best years of our lives learning to be political scientists. Not historians, not philosophers, not pundits, and not politicians, but Political Scientists. And I argue that at the core of being a political scientist is a fundamental belief that the political interactions of human beings can be scientificly analyzed, and that reliable predictions can be made. When I was younger, I thought that something like this is impossible. The wonder of an education is too lay to rest such thoughts, and to fortify the mind for the long arduous task of mastering the scientific method.

Political Science is a science as long as you fundamentally believe that human beings can know themselves. As long as you believe in γνώθις αυτών (know thyself), then human beings should be able not to only know themselves but also others. That they should be able to study their interactions, produce hypotheses about them, test them, and come to reliable predictions. That is the base of any science, the belief that the object of its study can be studied. Many say that is impossible, humans are to complex. Well sorry to say this but there is no simple thing in the whole wide universe. The universe is complex, contingent, and interactive. If science simply means the study of simplicity, then simply put not much interesting there. Science is about making sense of a complex world. Science is about unraveling the contingencies, interactions and yes Bayesian updating that are reality. It is philosophy’s and religion’s sacred duty to make sense of this equations. But it is the duty of science to provide them.

Human beings are creature of this world, they are not leprechauns, fairies or devils or angels. And human beings have the capacity to know themselves, to know others, and to express that. If humanity is a mystery it is because we still are very early at the know-ourselves path. But we are on that path. To be a scientist you need to believe this. Otherwise you have no answer to the post-positivist challenge. And we know a lot of things about human political interactions that are very reliable. Kenneth Arrow proved that proportional representation leads to two party systems. Barring one or two cases, this is the empirical truth of the world. War has become rarer in the international system. This is the empirical truth of the world. Human beings learn from actions and update their beliefs and change actions. This is an empirical truth that even most post-positivists accept (otherwise why spend time trying to change those beliefs). Stable Liberal Democracies do not fight one another. Tangible issues are easier to bargain over then intangible issues. If two states fight each other regularly at low levels of conflict, they will sooner or later fight a war. Sooner or later, but they will fight a war.

Political Science is science because human beings can study themselves (γνώθις αυτών-know thyslef), and study their interactions. For political science not be a science, humans must be incapable of studying themselves, incapable of introspective thought and incapable of studying there interactions. This logical antithesis is unavoidable. And if one holds the second view, why is such a person choosing to stay in a political science department. Belief – action instability is not a very promising indicator for any human.

A retort to the above polemical statement would be: so where is your Corpus Christi? Where are the laws of human behavior? Where are the propositions and theorems like those of Mathematics or Biology or Physics? Where are you laws of gravity? Well first of all we are studying one of the more complex parts of the universe. So expectations should be tempered with some humility. Secondly is this a failure of science? Or is it of methodology? A field can fail to procure scientific laws for two reasons. One reason is that the object of study cannot be studied. Astrology or the study of Fate suffer from that malaise. The other is that while the object can be studied, the tools at our disposal, the methods, are inadequate to give us higher levels of predictability. Kinda like astronomy and physics in the 17^th and 18^th centuries.

Political Science faces this problem. Our object of study can be studied. The tools are to an extent inadequate. Here is a secret. We are humans. Humans create tools, find new and better methods. That in a way is part of the essence of being human. In the past political scientists had the hubris of thinking that inadequate tools would provide perfect information. Post-positivism rightfully punished them. But that does not mean that new tools, new methods will not come and upgrade our ability to study better our object of study. Indeed we are at the cusp of an era where the life and social sciences are slowly connecting and piecing together parts of that complex puzzle called human interaction. And even with our problematic tools, if we keep some humility, we have made important discoveries, some of which I referred to above. And the fact that post-positivists still enter political science departments, and struggle to learn the scientific methods in itself says something. If the problem of political science is one of methods, then in the long view of human knowledge, it is a small problem indeed. And what better way to spend NSF research funds the on finding and creating new methods of study!

But another retort might be that science is not just an object of study that can be studied. It is not methods. It is the experiment. Political science cannot possibly conduct the controlled experiments of biology, or physics. If you cannot conduct an experiment, then you cannot be a science. Poor astronomy, geology, and most of biology. Or not. Let us leave to the side the question if a controlled experiment is even possible in the complex world we live in. Let us leave to the side whether a controlled experiment is even good when studying complexity. Why can’t political science conduct experiments? Can’t we just grab a bunch of people, put them in an island and see what happens? We can put another bunch of people on a different climatologically island, and see if the same thing happens? I know I am simplifying the process. But the point is if we wanted we could do it. But we don’t because it is not moral. And it is good, and proper that it is not moral. Science without dignity and morality is no different then life without meaning, action without purpose, a body without a soul. It is giving up to “necessity”, when such a thing is antithetical to human activity, indeed I would say human nature. But it is also something that is imposed on Political Science from without its epistemological border. To strip Political Science of it’s stature as a science for that reason, is to strip astronomy of it’s stature as a science because it cannot experiment on Andromeda. A thing cannot be stripped of its meaning because of reasons emanating outside its meaning. And anyhow in the end this is just a different form of the methods question. Mayhaps we should fund alternatives to experimentation for the Social Sciences.

Another retort would be that the NSF should only fund applied sciences. Applied engineering, mathematics, medical biology. The research must have an objective application for the betterment of human life. A worthy goal ,I do not disagree. But I would ask, aren’t constitutions applied science? Aren’t electoral systems applied science? Aren’t educational systems applied sciences? Aren’t counter terrorism measures applied science? Are not these thinks important for the well-being of humans? Are not these things capable of human life better? Reading some of the comments on the blogs, some of them from people claiming to be hard scientists, some of them claiming to be political scientists, a lot of people do not think so. These are art. You know them or you don’t. Which begs the question why we ever left absolute monarchy? Obviously vulgar interpretations of Platonism are hot among certain sections of the hard sciences and political sciences.

A different retort to all of the above would be that yours is a modernist view. That progress is illusory. That there is no meaning to this world. That all knowledge is but an illusion created by another illusion, to comfort it’s illusion of illusionary safety. Others would say that all meaning to the world is divine meaning. God or gods are the only who know truth and that we cannot know God even if we know ourselves. Thus we can never know the truth; we can never learn anything about the world. All of these objections are valid to a point. But they are not scientific objections. These are normative statements, and science in the end is a normative statement itself. And one normative statement cannot objectively decide the validity of another normative statement. The study of normative statements if Philosophy and Theology. And both are important parts of the human strive for knowledge (for in the end accepting that nothing can be learned is a truth itself). And they should be funded. And scientists ignore them at there peril. Especially now that the life and social sciences are at the cusp of a new era, with huge normative implications. But the NSF doesn’t fund the debate of normative positions. That is the NEH (National Endowment of the Humanities). The NSF funds a specific normative statement-> science. So if Coburn, or all the Coburn’s say Political Science is not science, either because there is no reality, or reality is divine, they can say it but that should be irrelevant to the NSF.

And here I am going to become weird dear reader (yes probably weirder then before). I like to think I am pious person. I believe in the divine. And one of the reasons I believe that Political Science is science is because of the divine. Religions that separate the human and divine are far and few between. Gnosticism, that tried hard to do so, failed. Almost all of the religions in the world (to my incomplete and non-specialist knowledge) mix the human and the divine. So if you believe that humans can know themselves, and that humans and the divine are mixed, then humans can and will know the divine. I believe rationality is divine. And thus by the rational study of ourselves and the cosmos, we are essentially using the divine to study the divine. But see, there is a problem. You need to believe to a divinity that creates, that is knowledge, a divinity whose actions are complex and interrelated. If you believe in a thug for God, obviously knowledge is not a priority or an option. How can one know the world, when one fears it’s creator. All in the end is science, as long as we believe that human and divine are mixed, and that the divine and human can know thyself.

To summarize if you believe that humans can know thyself …

If you believe that they and their interactions can be studied either for reasons of being parts of the natural world or because of divine intervention…

If you believe that the problems of political science are problems of methodology and not of subject matter…

If science is not exhausted in experimentation…

If politics is an application of science….

And that we leave in a complex world that requires careful study…

And that normative questions are the rightful purview of philosophy and theology…

Then political science is science. And you cannot defend it by referring to the cost of pennies.

I will end my polemic here. And I thank you reader if you decided to give me your time. We do live in a world were everyone has an opinion and demands your time. But I hope the fact that this opinion is important for giving meaning to my actions, and that those against whom this opinion is formed question that very meaning, gives you the reader a validation for sitting here and reading these ill-formed and eye-hurting words. Also if you could, please fill up this survey which is part of an NSF grant for the research of why people read Facebook Notes. Kidding.

With Repsect

Konstnatinos Travlos

PS: all of the above views are views held only by the writer and re in no way a representation of the view of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, and the Department of Political Science.

Fatefull Desiscion

2009-09-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well it has come to this. I haven't really updated the Morea story for more then 3 months. Which has led me to realize that I have lost my interest in it. While the concept of imaginations still enchants me, I haven't found the drive to continue my own. This is a pity as the story has been left off at a crucial turning point, and could contact elements of a coming to age story. But I don't have the time and itnerest to say it. The primary culprit is Basic Impetus which has rekindlened my interest in the pre-modern period big time. I have decided to start an ambitious project of starting four BI armies this year (Marian Roman, Seleucid, Viking, Swiss). Alos it has knidled my interest for antiquity and the medieval era whetehr hisotircal or fictional. So I haven't lost my interet in Imaginations per se, but as my wargame iterests are moving towards the past, so a re my ficitonal.

Were does this leave me? I would like it and apprecaite it if someone picked up the Morea story. I would happily give them all the material I have written and gathered for it. I am also going to sell my unpainted WSS and GNW lead. While the 17th and 18th centuries are always of historical interest to me, they are not of wargaming interst. If no one steps up, I will not drop the tale, but it will go into full backburner, which would be a pity. Especially since many other excellent imaginations are tied to Morea it isn't fair for them to wait. So I would ask if anyone in the Imagination Community woud like to take up he story of Morea.

40K Space Marines

2009-08-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my Warhammer 40K Space Marines. This is my second 40K Army and a project on which I offered a lot of time and care. I am very proud of it and consider it my best and favorite work which took 3 years to finish.

ECW: Spanish Shame

2009-08-06T10:36:00.001-07:00

Hello

I finally got a chance to put some of my painted miniatures into a proper game after a long while. The guys over at the Champing Games Club decided to run a ECW battle (Edgehill-using a home variant of Volley and Bayonet) over at the local game store, The Dragons Table http://dragons-table.com/index.html. I decided to pitch in my meticulously painted Spanish Tercio, and a Calvary Regiment. Greg, the excellent gentelman running the game, had a TON of painted ECW miniatures so the two armies looked great! I decided to send my small force of Spaniards as mercenaries on the Royalist side. I was given command by the overall commander Dean, of the left flank. Under my command from Left to Right was a Spanish Regiment of Calvary, a Spanish Tercio, a Redcoat and Greencoat regiment of Foote, a Light Gun, Ruperts Calvary and another Clavary Regiment I can't remember, and another Regiment of Foote (Bluecoats), and a Medium Gun. In front of me was a hill seperating me from the Parliment Right wing. Dean faced the Large Parliment Left Wing across a hill as well. A gap existed between the two hills, were my rightmost forces faced some Parliment foote and artillery.

The game started well enough with both armes dashing for the high ground. Bad coammand allotment though,meant that the forces in front of the gap got bogged down and started recieving artillery fire. On my flank the infatry regiments of both sides reached the summit of the hill at the same time and started blasting each other from close range. Then a bad thing happened. I didn't use my Spanish calvary aggressively enough and it got crushed by Cromwell's Ironsides (happiness for all Protestans eh:)) on the extreme flank. As a result Cromwell and his mates started having a free reing in my rear.

Alarmed I had one of my English regiments about face to cover the rear of the forces fighting on the hill, while the middle gap regiment was starting the torturous process of getting close to command. At the same time becoming, in a sterotypically southern european way:), irritated by the draw on the hill itself, I decided to charge my Spaniards on the Parliment line. SPANISH FURY, SAN SANTIAGO!!! And all that...

Well it failed. My Pike elements failed their morale checks, and thus only the shot charged (primarilly because Capitan Alatriste is a musketeer:)). After a bloody, confused fight, I break one Parliment regiment, but get disordered and lose elements from my regiment. Then I get charged by massed parlmientary horse uphill. They crush my spaniards who fall back and rout my English regiment that was covering Cromwell. The other English regiment gets eradicated by a combination of fire and melee. My whole flank gets eradicated as Cromwell happily kills off routing Anglicans and Catholics.

As this sorry story was happening, Dean was fighting a deadlocked battle at the other flank were the two infatry lines exchanged fire and infatry and calvary charges without a clear winner. Unfortunelty losing the whole left flank of our army pretty much lost us the game :). Or more precisly I lost us the game (sheepish grin).

The game was realistic in that the foot battle was a slogging match, and was won by the clavary turning a flank. Command was punishing, as unites without command were pretty much stationary (as the forces I had in the middle gap). I felt that the God of Games punished me for bringing ahistorical units. Ah well..next time.

The General lay of the Battlefield, with some nice terrain, and my flank being top-left hand side.

My Spanish infatnry in the forground with the light gun, followed by Ruperts horse, my Bluecoats and Dean's command.
Royalist Greencoat,Whitecoat and Yellowcoat regiments in Dean's command.
Whitecoats at the ready!
Some Parlimentary foot.
The arbiter of the battlefield-Calvary.

Baccus Napoleonics

2009-08-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Haha

Finally done with the French infantry of my Baccus Napoleonic Army. They are part of the starter Polemos Set. It took me a roughly a year to finish them (due to other projects running at the same time). They are fast to paint, but take some attention well. I used as painting references the Osprey Bautzen and Leuthen, and Liepzig book, the Haythornthwaite Uniforms of the Retreat rom Moscow in Colour Book, and the http://web2.airmail.net/napoleon/ web.

I painted 4 French Line Infatry Regiments(all 1 battalion strong) in 1813 unifroms, 2 French Light Infatry Regiemnts, 2 Italian Line Regiemnts in 1813 uniforms, and 2 Italian Light Infantry Regiments.

Many innacurancies. The Line infatry regiment uniforms have the parade paraphenilia. The Light Infantry regimetns have drummers(my perception was that they did not). Too many eagles for comfort;) And the the flags of the Italian Light Infatry Regiemnts are completely conjectual (if not oversised).

Still this a re gorgeous miniatures and I like the result. Now I only have to paint the calvary, command and artillery, and my frineds Prussians (which should take less time due to less color variation).

Here are the pictures.

A lone Prussian Regiment prepares to enter history
The French Line with Italian Fanteria Leggere in the front.

Another View with French Light Infatry in the forefront.

Another view of the line.
French Light Infatry #1
French Light Infantry #2
French Line Infantry #1French Line Infantry #2

French Line Infantry #3
French Line Infantry #4
Italian Line Infantry #1
Italian Line Infantry #2
Itlaian Light Infantry #1
Vive Le Emperuer! Vive la Re!

Other projects reaching completion are a basic Polish Force for BLB, and Wood Elf Warhawk rider.

After these are done I am focusing full time on Napoleonics, and a gift army for a friend. After that I will finish the BLB Poles and Ottomans, and bulit a 1/72 Viking, and 6mm Seleucid army for Basic Impetus.

Interesting video on the Parthenon

2009-08-01T09:02:00.001-07:00

This little gem was brought to my attention by a friend of mine. It is a video created by the famous Greek expatriate director Kostas Gravas (Z) for the Parthenon Museum in Athens. It details the history of the Temple. Of note is the fact that the Archbishopric of Greece has requested that it be censored. You will see why.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rFgq7MsRe8

Interesting NYT article on fertility rates

2009-07-13T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a very interesting article in the NYT about fertility rates. It provides a interesting alternative explanation to the usual mainly traditionalist conservative arguments about the demographic problems of Europe. In summary the two contrasting arguments go as follow:

For the traditionlist conservatives plummeting birth rates are the result of modernity, some women rights, alienation from traditional cultures, individuality, and anti-nationalism. To this are added the American conservative arguments on the impact of the welfare state.

For the arguemnt presented in the NYT article is that a capitalist society to keep birthrates high needs to be one or more of three things: generous, felxible, or socially accepting to a cooperative gender roles. Societies that have flexible job markets (like the US) or a social welfare system aimed at faciliating child rearing (Scandinavia) show higher fertility rates then societies that lack either the first or second (Greece, Italy). Also needed though are social nroms that accept the idea of a wroking mother, and pressure fathers to take active part in the running of the house and child rearing (the US is very good at this, and so are some of the Northern European countries).

I tend to side with the second rather the first set of arguemtns, but I think both point to a validation of some "Marxist" scholarship that has streesed the transformative nature of capitalism. Once a country becomes capitalist (whether laissez faire, or social-democractic) the social norms will have to adjust to the new reality, or the society will be destroyed by the gap between economic and social system.

Here is the article
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/29/magazine/29Birth-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

A long overdue Post: Comcast, Pakistan and Miniatures

2009-06-15T11:21:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone

Haven't posted for a long while primarily because it took Comcast 1 month to fix my internet. In this it matches AT&T. Suffice to say I am not impressed by US private providers of Internet. To put it simply their costumer service is less then stellar, at least in my case. Anyhow I finally got my internet back and can update this old blog.

First things first, I am currently translating Basic Impetus into Greek. If you are a greek speaker and want to help contact me. I appreciate any help.

Second, if you can provide some kind of support to the Pakistani people, or the goverement in their fight against the Taleban I implore you to do so (even if it is just a information note). Whatever the sins of Pakistan, as a liberal Pakistani friend told me for the first time the army and people are united against a common enemy, and the army has not overthrown the republic in the name of national security. This is a first in the history of the country, and if the Republic wins this war against primordialists, it may be the foundations for a lasting liberal democratic Pakistan. America has handled the situation well enough until now (both Presidents Bush and Obama). My hope is that it will continue supporting this good fight.

Enough with this. Let us go to the juice. Since the university has closed, and I haven't found yet a summer job, I have had more then enough time to paint. Since the start of the break I finally finished a basic Ottoman Army for Beneath the Lilly Banners. It is made up of three ortas of Jannisaries, and three squadrons of calvary. Pictures below. Minaitures are Zvezda, bought from Michigan Toy Soldeir

Clash in the Steppes, Zvezda Ottomans meet Zvezda Polish WInged Hussars

I also finished the shot elements for my TYW army. I now have a full regiment of calvary and infantry for 1644, and two regiments of foot, and calvary for Vicotry without Quarter. Pictures below. The minis are Perry, Fourndry and Old Glory bought from The War Store or WarWeb.

On the single miniature fornt I painted a Warlord Imperial Roman. I was suprised by how fast it painted, tanking into consideration that it is a 25mm miniature.

Currently I am working on a small Polish force for BLB to fight my Ottomans, and the long term Baccus Napoleonic Porject. Near future are Basic Impetus Vikings (Zvezda 1/72) and Sleucids (Baccus 6mm).

The Morea imagi-nation will be continued as well, although right now I am out of ideas.

Finally a note, the properiator of OldeRivertowne minaitures passed away. He was a great businessman and seems a good person. May he rest in peace.

With Respect
Konstnatinos Travlos (aka PhDLeadhead)

A miniatures update: War of the League of Aurgsburg, Ottomans and Baccus Napoleonics

2009-04-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

I haven't updated this site concerning miniatures for some while. A lot of work at school has resulted in modest painting results.

I did succeed in finishing my second War of LOA regiment. Once more the figures are from the excellent Venexia range and were a true delight to paint. The regiment is supposed to be the Tercio Viejo Mar de Napoles Espagnol, although the flags are speculative. As a painting guide I used this escellent site http://www.geocities.com/ao1617/weapon.html and the "The Spanish Armies in the War of the League of Augsburg" by Ginacarlo Boeri, Jose Luis Mirecki and Jose Palau from On Military Matters.

The project I had strated at the same time, and is not yet complete was two units of Ottoman Cavalry for my Ottoman Beneath the Lilly Banners army. I am using 1/72 Zvezda sculpts, just as I did for the infantry (look through this blog and you will find pictures of it). The painting is almost done, with flocking the bases being the last aprt. As usuall they are based on GW 50mm bases, and two to a base, rather then three as per the BLB rulebook.

My favorite mini is the aga.Finally I got with a friend from Greece Polemos starting pack with French and Prussian Napoleonic Armies from Baccus. 6mm(really 8mm) was not a scale I had much in interest in the past, since I got into wargaming from miniature painting, and the desicion was made primarily by my friend, and willingness from me to try something new.

I was blown away. The figures are really well sculpted and while they will never match my favorite 54mm and 28mm figures in detail and painting complexity, they paint up well, as the following test minis attest.

Which led me to some thinking and a decision. I will be down scaling in the hobby. There three main reasons for this:

1) Price. 1/72, 15mm and 6mm are a lot cheaper compared to 25/28mm when it comes to creating mass armies (which funnily enough was what I wanted out of war - gaming)

2) Time. It has taken me far too much time to get completed projects. Now part of it is my willingness to get distracted to side projects. But that is part of the hobby's allure for me. Still though projects come along very slowly in 28mm. I still haven't completed by TYW army, and I have been working on it for about 2 and 1/2 years. On the other hand it took me just three months to complete two 15mm LOA regiments, and the Baccus army has been fully purchased for a fraction of the cost of a similar army in 25mm and the time to collect it.

I also need to spend more time on work and studying. A PhD is demanding and while I like my hobby, I can't spend the time I used on it. Smaller sclaes will permit me to get the satisfaction I want with less time into it.

3) Purpose. I strated wargaming from historical miniature painting, which I strated because I wanted an outlet for creative energies, that I couldn't do in painting due to prioroties and cost issues. I love painting minaitures and spending time on them. But wargaming is not neccesarilly for that. If you have the time and money it can be, and the results can be damn spectacular (just look at Der Alte Fritz's site..insane). But if you don't you either sacrifice the painting or the gaming element. Smaller scales do this well enough and funnly can still give me my painting kicks. They also permit me to use my space more efficiently and get the mass effect I look for in wargaming.

Does this mean that I will stop using larger scales? No, not by a long shot. I still want to paint 54mm miniatures (and have one waiting for quality time), and all my current 25/28mm projects will be finished. I also will continue painting specific 28mm miniatures I find interesting. And skirmishing projects will be done in 25/28mm or 1/72. But I will not start a new 25/28 mm mass wargaming project for the forseable future (until I have more money and more time, hopefully not in the too distant future). All new projects from now on will be 6mm or 15mm. The current project lineup I have is below

Current Projects working on:

18mm Venexia War of the League of Aurgsburg Savoyard/ Spanish Brigade
2 Regiments of Infantry Ready, 3 more needed, plus three of calvary and altillery.All but the two ready regiments require purchasing. This will propably go into the freezer until the Napoleonics are done.

25mm Perry/TAG/Dixon TYW Spanish Army
2 Regiments of Foote nearly completed, one of calvary completed. Needed 1 regiment of Harquibisers, 1 of Cruissiers , 2 pieces of artillery, command elemetns. Cruissiers, artillery and command reguire purchasing. I will continue this project with projected end date being August 20th.

1/72 Zvezda Ottoman Turkish Army for BLB
2 Units of Infatry ready, 2 unites of clavary almost ready, needed 4 units of infatnry and 2 other units of clavary, plus altillery. All are purchased. Once I am done with the current batch of calvary I am going to freeze it and work on the Napoleonics.

6mm Baccus French and Prussian Army
Minaitures purcahsed requiring painting. This will be the big summer project.

Space Marines: I jsut need to paint one more squad and I am done for ever with them. Will propably push it forward to be done with it. Will be a drive by. When I am tired by a too heavy project, I will take a break and work on this.

Battle Fleet Gothic: I wanna get a couple of more ships (4 more cruisers, and some lighter elemetns). This is a fast project that will not take more then a motnh of work.

Future Projects:

Swiss 10mm Pendraken army for Band of Brothers. I have the miniatures, but right now they are way back on the project que. Probably next year.

1/72 Zvezda Polish Army for BLB. The Ottoman Opponents. I have the miniatures, and will work on them once the Ottoman's are done. Propably next year.

Baccus Ancients: One of the Baccus ancients armies will be bought and done at some point in the next year.

25mm SYW Morean brigade. A very small morean briaged of three regiments, together with a small gun and some calvary to be used in cooperative games. I have 2 regiments perchaused and will paint them either in the summer, or otherwise next year.

Hopefully with good time management, and purchasing discipline I will be able to finish most of the current projects by the end of this year, opening up the space for new and intersting stuff.

That is all and be well.

Konstantinos

A hellish night in Morea

2009-04-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

The last of the revelers had embraced sweet Morpheus. The party had ended several hours ago. Theofilia had kissed good-bye young Basil who left an hour after the party. She had spent some time going over expenses with Anne and Sotiriadis. She then had retired to her bedchambers. Her servants ease her to her nightclothes, while Ahmed the Bektashi sung her a soothing hymn. The day had been long, and the party had not helped. Oh it was a success, but rumors from the absence of the Reich Duke were prelevent. Also Radu had not returned yet. Anafli was searching the city for him. Uh well, not much to do and she shooed everyone out of her bed-chamber. She dimmed the lights and waited for thirty minutes. A light knock and the door opened. The ambassador of Hetzenberg entered in his own nightclothes.

“Come my dear ambassador”, said Theofilia in a sweet voice. “Come and enchant me with your stories and soothing touch”. The ambassador joined her in bed. And the sweetness of lovemaking flooded Theofilia’s thoughts.

Basil and his entourage had been riding for two hours, when he stopped at an inn. He then made known his intention to first ride to the last place the Reich-Duke was and to seek to make amends. Some of his entourage objected. But Basil was not budging and ultimately a king. Most of the entourage would ride towards Kyllini and inform the ship to meet him in Dyrrachio. Basil, and some companion would ride to find the Reich Duke.

Carlo was asleep, filled with happy thoughts from the festivities of the day. It had been a great party. He had been enchanted. He still did not understand why he was here. But his companions had seemed more knowledgeable and scary. Carlo had grown on Venice’s darker and less glittering side. He knew killers and thugs when he saw them, and many of his companions were this. But the dancing, and entertainment had banished such worrisome thoughts. Until a rough hand woke him. “It’s time”

Mystra was asleep. But not all of it’s quests. First one by one, with careful speed through the towns winding streets, then more, they assembled at the predetermined place. They were thirty of them. All chosen men, brave but with dark hearts. Ten of them moved towards the city gates. Another five made it towards the granaries. The final fifteen moved towards the town barracks. The granary guards were taken out fast and sleepy. They were outnumbered and surprised, the result of the town’s garrison regiment “The Old Regiment” having joined the army at Corfu. The city gates were also taken. The few guards were betrayed and overwhelmed. The town gates were opened, and out of the country side small bands of armed men started flocking into the town. They were bandits, and amartoli, about two hundred of them. Among them were Ardit and Kitsos. The barrack guards were more alert, so the ten did not attack. Their job was different they waited. About hour since al the pawns were in place, the granary burst into flames. Bells started sounding and sleepy townsfolk awoke to the terrible sight.

A loud banging came on the door. Theofilia got up startled.

“What is going on!” she asked, as the ambassador started to stir. A voice answered form the door.

“Your Excellency, its Anne, there is a urgent matter, the granary is on fire.”

Theofilia got up and quickly put on her robe, the ambassador also got up. She bode Anne to enter.

“What happened?”

“My lady, no one knows, but about twenty minutes ago the bells of the town started sounding and one of the janissary guards rushed an told the nigh watch head, Mustafa, that a fire had erupted at the granary.”

“Has the town guard awakened?”

“We don’t know, we sent a runner, but my lady there only 50 men left in the garrison. Not enough to police the town and help control the fire. They will need reinforcements. “

Theofilia thought “Send 50 men from the palace guard. I know that will leave only 30 Janissaries inside but it’s the only think we can do. Also send a rider to get Von Grotz back.”

Anne left immediately, while Theofilia together with the ambassador and four guards, went immediately to the throne room.

The fifteen at the barracks waited, as they watched the commotion. The thirty men of the garrison filed out and then started towards the direction of the granary. Everywhere shutters were opened as sleepy towns-folk woke up. The fifteen then overpowered the few guards left in the barracks and took them over. One of them ran to find the bandit groups, while the other wore Morean uniforms.

About thirty minutes later the bandits and martoli attacked the soldiers and janissaries trying to put out the fires. The fifteen started moving towards the castle.

“Was that shots I heard?” Theofilia asked. The Ambassador of Hetzenberg concurred.

“What is going on? Sotiriadis go and check what is happening”. The clerk left with a janissary.

In the throne room were Anne, Theofilia, the ambassador of Hetzenberg and four janissary guards. Another two were outside. There was a knock at the door. One of the janissaries outside opened and exclaimed. “Despotissa some of the Venetian merchants wish to see you. They say it concerns their property.”

Theofilia winced, now is not the time. But she couldn’t refuse them. Her reputation was at stake. “Let them pass”

Carlo was tense. He knew what he had to do, but he was afraid. He now knew the awful truth. These aren’t spies, but assassins. Curse him for taking this job. But he was hungry, hunger is a cruel mistress, it lay’s down human beings to grovel. But now he had no choice. His job was clear. To play a role and no more. May Sain’t Giovanni protect him. He entered the door with five companions. The others waited outside.

The merchants came in and gave small bows.

“Well good sirs, no doubt you have heard that we are having trouble. I don’t have too much time, but I will try to help as best as I can.”

Carlo looked up. He was trembling, speech was coming hard.

“You Excellency…we….we ask…..that…that you help us in sec…securing..our wares”

Theofilia looked quizzicly, “Are you alright good sir?”

His cue was here.

Carlo fell on the floor convulsing. Everybody reacted surprised. One of the Jannisary guards moved as to check what was going on. One of Carlos companions drew a concealed blade and slammed it in the guard’s neck. A fountain of blood exploded.

Theofilia watched, stunned in a trance. The other two merchants attacked here other guards. The first went down surprised a knife in his chest. The other was quicker on his feet, and received the blade thrust in his left hand. He gave a vicious backslap lunching the Venetian backwards. He also shouted the alarm. The ambassador of Hetzenberg was drawing his sword, just as one of the two unoccupied assassins came forward with a lunge of his long knife. The final drew something out of his clothes. A pistol and he took aim. At Theofilia. Almost in slow agonizing steps, Hetzenberg forgot about the attacking assassin, and jumped to shove Theofilia out of the pistol’s range. He got a knife in the back for his efforts. But he shoved Theofilia just enough. The pistol let out a roar of fire and smoke and propelled the bullet forward. Instead of her chest, it buried itself in her harm, tearing sinew and smashing bone.

Theofilia almost fainted by the pain, but she held out. She took the force of the shot and used it to propel herself to the wall to her right. Hetzenberg was dead. So was one of the Janissary guards. The other was alive and with his sword drawn and bloody. One of the assassins lay on the floor a pool of blood, and gasps and painful prayers indicating his final days. The one who killed Hetzenberg was trying to dislodge his knife from the big German’s back. The one with the pistol looked on her with hate, and started drawing a knife. The other two were moving towards the Janissary, carefully circling him, cursing him and taunting him in Italian.

Focus on escape, she thought. She reached the wall, and fumbled for the secret button. She found it and pressed it. The secret revolving panel turned just in time to get her out of the way of the attacking assassin. He tripped surprised and fell. Theofilia looked around. A vase was next to a mirror next to the secret panel. She knocked it over and it crashed on the assassin. It wouldn’t knock him out, but at least it would daze him enough for her to leave the room. She was dizzy and was losing blood. The pain was clouding her thought. Just a little more. She half-run, half staggered to the room’s door, impervious to the other assassin coming from behind. She opened the door and collapsed there.

The assassin gave out a whoop of joy and charged forward. As he was about to exit, a heavy scimitar crushed and tore into his head. Mustafa kicked the body underneath. Allah be praised he was just in time. He ordered two of his soldiers to pick up the Princess, while he looked at the situation. The merchants had overpowered the guards outside the throne room. But he had arrived with ten men, just as they were about to enter it. He didn’t know what was going on, and he didn’t need to. His was coming to inform the Princess that the city was under attack from within. So it seemed was the palace. He felt shame and anger. Security was his responsibility and he had failed. But now was the time for action. Not for doubts. His men had surprised the enemy with a volley. The assassins might had been more, but they were no match to prepared Janissaries. They had been forced into the throne room. Just as he was about to order grenades and reinforcements to be brought, the Princess fell in front of him. Fortuitous luck. He ordered two of his men to get the princess to the Janissary barracks. The other were busy fighting the foe.

They moved fast in the palace, meeting scared servants and quests, as well as more janissaries, and hussars. Mustafa had about thirty stay with him, and send the rest to help the ones fighting at the throne room. Anne and Sotiriadis met with him at one of the intersections. They both were appalled at the sight of the princess, and Sotiriadis left to look for the doctor. Mustafa left the princess with Anne and fifteen guards, armed servants, janissaries, and hussars, while he took another fifteen to see what was going outside. As he was moving towards the courtyard he saw a troop of soldiers in the uniform of the “Old Regiment” enter. Good, reinforcements. He gestured at them, and was about to yell something, when the troop stopped and opened fire. Mustafa was lucky, a shot only grazed him on the shoulder, but it was powerful enough to knock him over. At least ten of his men lay dead or wounded. His head was dazed, what is going on, is this a coup? Focus. He got up just and ordered his remaining men to retreat into the castle. They retreated towards the barracks, followed closely by the enemy. They had no choice but to barricade inside the barracks and hope for the better.

And so it happened. The barracks were put under siege by the invaders. But they themselves were attacked by roving groups of Morean soldiers who wandered the halls. Theofilia was given surgery by the doctor while at the same time, a breath away men were fighting, and killing. This was going on for two hours, when the attackers were themselves surprised from the back by hussars and Hungarian cuirassiers. Von Grotz had returned and took the invaders from behind. Anafli had rallied Morean troops inside the city. The tide had turned, but at a terrible price.

Von Grotz, Mustafa, Anne and Anafli were looking over the parapet. The city below seemed quiet, and the flames had died out. But the scars were evident, and smoke rose from the ruins of the granary, the city barracks and part of the town. It had taken all night to drive out the invaders, and cavalry detachments were hunting them down in the countryside around. The battalion of the “Arkadon” regiment had arrived in the morning from Tripoli and had helped flush out the last of the invaders, restore order to the city and was know offering the garrison for both castle and town. Some lurkers would get smoked out now and then, and a fierce fight would erupt, but these had become rarer since last night. Anafli gave his report to the other three: “

All in all we lost around a hundred men. Sotiriadis and the Chevalier di Monferatto are wounded, the ambassador of Bizercca was killed, and so was Graf Claus von Eckehnheat, the ambassador of Cavenderia. We have killed about hundred and fifty invaders and captured about twenty. “

“Where is Radu when you need him”, exclaimed a tired Anne.

“Here I am” said a weak voice, they all turned to see Radu supported by two soldiers of the “Arkadon” regiment. He was in a terrible shape, and one of his eyes as under a bloody rag.

Von Grotz asked” What happened? Where were you?’

One of the soldiers, a sergeant answered: “We found him in the basement of a house, chained to a wall, half naked and with marks of torture on him. One of his eyes had been gouged out. “

Radu stopped the soldier”These we can talk about later, I need to see the Princess?”

Everyone’s face grimaced. Radu looked puzzled: “What, what is going on? Is she…”

“No”, said Anne, “she is not dead, but she is sleeping heavily, we can’t wake her up yet. She wnet thorugh hell.”

Grotz looked at him” Radu, the Princess lost her arm. We had to amputate it. She is alive, but very week. For the time being affairs of the state are run by us”

Radu looked darkly, and then fainted.

A Short Introduction to Game Theory

2009-03-31T21:35:00.000-07:00

I just finished Ken Binmore's Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction from Oxford Press.

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/Mathematics/Logic/~~/dmlldz11c2EmY2k9OTc4MDE5OTIxODQ2Mg==

I feel that this is a good introductory book for anyone who has no experience with game theory (in reality we all use it all the time. We just don't know it), and want's to get a good first contact that won't scare him off due to the interference of algebra. Game Theory is a deceptivly simple , but powerfull tool for creating and testing for logical consistency theories about almost anything. It's basis is that if we assume some assumptions about the prefrences and context of intercation of some agents, and assume they are acting rationally, we can predict their behaviour. This can then be used to either predict reality, or more often indicate abnormal behaviour requiring expalnation.

Binmore's little book does this very well. He uses almost no math in it but takes the time with clear language to offer a good overview of what game theory is, the most important toy games (like Matching Pennies, Prisoners Dilemma, Give or Take, Stag Hun t e.t.c), the most important findings of game theory (like the Nash Equilibrium). He also looks on the impact of important factors on game theoretic models, like time, convetions, reciprocity, information and looks at some importnat applications of it in auctions, evolutionary biology, and bargaining and coalitions.

All in all a good introduction I feel, either for the curious reader, complete neophyte, or for someone that like me will move on to a more detailed (and scarier) study of game theory. Well worth the time and money.

Morean Chronicles 3

2009-03-20T14:31:00.001-07:00

The hussar panted.

His breathing came heavily. Clam down, calm down he thought.

His black and maroon uniform was dusty and torn, from his flight through the scrubs.

A wetness was expanding on his left thigh. Must stop the bleeding he thought.

He grabbed his saber and used it to cut a strip of cloth from his tunic. He then tied it around his thigh above the bullet wound. He could still walk, so no bone was shattered, but the bleeding was bad. Keep low he thought. Keep low and they won’t find you. Don’t think about what happened, focus on keeping yourself alive.

He took two big breaths and calmed a little. He looked at his surroundings. He was hiding in a bush at the right side slope of the derbeni which the road from Morea to Tripoli crossed. Behind him was the point where the ambush had been set. A hidden ditch that had broken the horses of the first five troopers. Then the shooting had stated, from both sides of the ravine. Esternezy had died first, his head blown by a kariofili round. Only kariofili could shoot straight from the ranges they got attacked from. Kleftes then. But here. What where the amartoli doing!

Damn it, forget this superfluous thoughts. There was a copse somewhere ahead. He had ridden through here in the past. It led to a little stream that passed through the derbeni. It created some heavier foliage. He could hide there and have fresh water. They might seek him. But if these are kleftes they will just run away with the loot.

He started crawling towards the copse. The shooting had stopped, and he could here loud voices speaking in Greek. Laughing and joking, at his and his comrades expense.

Damn them.

His Hungarian heart wanted to fight. Not hide. But he had to live. He had to report back, he had……

The gun-shot echoed the ravine, stopping momentarily the kleftes from looting the corpses. After some tense minutes, down the ravine came a group of men dressed in the traditional Greek and Albanian foustanella.

“Good shot Kitsos! Now I know why you are one of the most feared kleftes of Morea!”

Shouted a burly big man, dressed in a traditional Vlach dress, swords, palas, daggers and pistols stuck in his belt.

“Hahaha, yes yes Ardit. But you and your martoli prepared an excellent ambush spot here.”

The two men, mortal enemies at most times, exchanged the customary embrace of greeting. Ardit took out a pouch that clinked and gave it to Kitsos.

“Here is the payment. Lay low for a couple of days and then march to Mystra. I will keep an eye on traffic here.”

“Can we keep the horses? They are magnificent animals”

“Afraid not. They have the despotal seal on them. We need to kill them, just as the riders.”

“Krima, ah well what can you do, fate is fate. Well then off we are. But I have to ask, aren’t you afraid of the Despotissas wrath?”

“Hehehe, Kitsos don’t worry I don’t stick my head out without a good reason. Wait for news in four days and you will see why.”

With that the kelftes and martoli, looted the dead Hungarian Guard Hussars, burned their uniforms, buried the bodies, and then killed and buried the horses. The job had gone smoothly.

Two days later, a rider coming from Tripoli was passing through the derbeni. He had the livery of a principial messenger. He died from a kariofili shot. Good ,thought Ardit, while patting the shoulder of his best marksman. Know she wouldn’t know what happened.

Two days after that, and four days after the Hungarians had been ambushed, a new rider made the pass. His livery was foreign. Ardit let him pass, even having one of his Amartoli escort him up to Mystra’s entrance. That must be that foreign lord’s man coming to rant at Theofilia for dishonoring his lord. Good.

The preparations for the Duke’s welcoming party where going as planned. Food, beverages and entertainers where flocking to the castro-politeia. The inns of Mystra where full of merchants and would-be revelers, who where going to take advantage of the party to make some money. Dignitaries from all over Mystra, and also some Ottoman officials had arrived as well. Anne Tzannetou was scurrying around trying to organize everything, while Sotiriadis was whining about the dent in the treasury.

Basil had arrived three days after the cavalry escort for the Duke had left. Theofilia was delighted to see her grandson again, and had kept hours listening to his experiences from the naval base. Basil also had some suggestions about changing some things in the navy, although Theofilia decided they where still too immature. But he showed interest which was good. Preparations for his own voyage were being made, while messengers from Kyllini had informed her that Basil’s ship was ready. The letter she had received from the duke talked about first visiting Monte-Christo. Which was fine, as Morea needed to hear Monte-Christan views about the Adriatic situation.

Meanwhile the ambassador of Beerstein, had been a great help in the preparations, pointing out, things the Duke would like or not like. He was also becoming popular in the court. A jovial and good man indeed. At the same time though, matters of state where moving. A day after Basil came, Andritsiotis departed with half the Old Regiment for Kyllini, where he would board transport vessels and go to Corfu, where he would take command of the army there. A day had passed since Andritsiotis departure, when the ambassador of Beerstein requested a special audience. Theofilia knew from guards that a man carrying the livery of the Duke had arrived in Mystra and had demanded to see the ambassador immediately.

What is going on, thought Theofilia tensely. The Duke should had been here by today. Five days had passed since the escort had left, and a week since the Duke had announced his presence at the border. She was in her throne room, with Anafli, Basil and von Gortz. Why is the duke not here? The doors opened and the junior major domo announced the Ambassador of Beerstein and a Captain von Eickweist of the Ducal army. The ambassador was visibly uncomfortable. The soldier had a contemptuous and arrogant look on his face.

“Your Orthodox Serene Excellency, I am sorry to bring this terrible news to you, but my lord, his Excellency Wilhelm, the Duke of Beerstein has revoked my appointment here, and is severing diplomatic ties with Morea.”

Theofilia was stunned. So was everyone else around her. She took a deep breath.

“Pray, good ambassador and tell us how have we wronged your lord, so that we make the proper amends.”

The ambassador looked warily at the soldier: “Captain von Eickweist of the Duke’s entourage has the details.”

Von Eicweist stepped forward, cast an arrogant look and then began in a voice, more belonging to the barracks then a court. “ My lord patiently waited for seven days, in a miserable little border town for your promised escort which never materialized, Furthermore you send no explanation for this delay, even after at his request, the local magnate sent a rider to inform you of his predicament. Is this how Morea treats it’s dignitaries? We were led to assume that this is a civilized place, and that you are a hospitable

lady. But it is obvious that the taint of eastern despotism is hard to wash off. My lord scoffs at your hospitality and admonishes you not to bother him again with your Byzantine plots and intrigues. And he would appreciate if King Basil of the Romans, does not seek to associate himself with the Duke, should they ever meet in their tours.”

Anafli almost drew his saber, but Basil and Gotz put restraining hands on his shoulders. The Hungarian was visibly angry at the German, and would had challenged him to a duel than and there. But in the end he kept his composure.

Theofilia was stunned, almost speechless. All her plans had broken down with just those words. Her whole strategy had been upturned. What had happened? Calm, calm yourself.

“Captain, We do not understand how this could had come to pass. We sent out the cavalry escort. Your ambassador can testify to this.”

“Indeed he says so. But one must question your veracity. You send an escort out. But how do we know that it was going to the Duke. Otherwise the only thing we see, is that you don’t know what is going on in your own realm. Anyhow we do not want your excuses. We wish nothing more to do with you.”

Anafli was visible angry, and the German cast a contemptuous glance at him. “Enough, with this disrespectful cur!” cried Anafli and drew his sword. The captain made for his own.

Theofilia got up and cried. “ Cease this behavior now!!!”

“Anafli surrender your sword to von Grortz. I will not have diplomatic representatives of other countries threatened in my throne room. Janissaries, arrest Loudovic Anafli and keep him detained in his rooms, until latter.”

Everyone was stunned. Anafli stammered a little, while Basil tried to say something, but was silenced by Theofilia’s imperious gaze. Anafli gave his sword to von Grotz, and let the two guard Janissaries take him. Theofilia looked at the captain and her eyes where smoldering coals.

“We are no oriental tyrant, Captain. And we will punish those who sully our honor by threatening our cousins and royal friend’s dignitaries. But to repay an insult, however unintended, with an intended insult can by all people of good stature, be seen as a far worse transgression. Ambassador, I will do all I can at my power to make amends to his Excellency the Reich Duke. He is always welcome in Morea, and I will find who is responsible for these events. Express my deepest apologies to him. But I understand his anger, and Basil will not attempt to co-travel with him. But if they should meet he will try his best to make amends. We also thank you personally for your stay here, and hope sincerely you return. As for you captain, I call you an uncouth cur, and insulting and incompetent man, and if I where a man and not a ruler I would have called you to duel minutes ago. You have insulted us, and we shall not forgive this, until you make amends. You may leave now from Morea in safe passage. But if you ever wish to return here again, you must first atone for your terrible behavior. Otherwise any person in Morea will have the right to call you out to duel and end your life. Now go. I have had enough of your mouth.”

The captain made no comment, as dark and hate-field eyes looked upon him. He now felt extremely vulnerable, with the savage looking janissary guards looking at him with hate. He and the ambassador left, the ambassador making a small bow.

The doors closed.

“Damn him, damn Anafli for his temper, and damn Radu for his information.”

“My lady”, said von Grotz, “ I beseech you not to punish Anafli, it was your honor that he wanted to defend.”

Theofilia looked at Grotz. “I won’t punish him, but his Hungarian boiling blood needs to calm down. I will keep him in his room for this day and then he can come out.”

“Where is Radu? I need him now.”

“He went into the city, for urgent business, yiayia” said Basil “ he should probably be back tonight.”

“Urgent business! He always is away at urgent business! This is urgent business! What happened to those cavalrymen!”

Von Grotz looked at Theofilia “I can’t think of anything. Treason? Where they attacked?”

Basil thought for a moment “ If either had happened, shouldn’t we had heard something from our agents in the country side, perplexed village elders, or martoli?”

Theofilia thought “Yes, and that is what worries me. What do you both suggest we do, about the horseman, the Duke and the party?”

Von Grotz thought for a minute and spoke “We should send a larger cavalry party to scour the countryside for news, rumors or the horseman themselves. Maybe 50 men this time. I will take command. But it worries me, that we have weakened the city guard so much.”

“We have little choice in this my dear General. We will do as you suggest, and hope for the best.”

Basil then talked “We should still hold the party, in maybe my honor, giving an official excuse for the Duke’s absence. Maybe the worrying news of war in Germany? Yiayia let me go and ride after him the day after tomorrow. I will catch up with him and persuade him of our innocence in this matter.”

Theofilia smiled at her grandson “My dear grandson, sometimes you are too innocent. If I did this, everybody would think that we indeed were wrong, and that I am now scurrying to be forgiven. I would like to mend ways with him, but as equals, not as a penitent. No, you will start your grand tour earlier then planned. Should you meet the Duke at a neutral place, then please go ahead and make amends in a honorable fashion. But I cannot have you trail him.”

Basil responded “But is not our honor sullied if we do not immediately make amends. You always taught me that yiayia.”

“Yes Basil, but this only holds if you are just a man and not a ruler. A ruler can lose a lot more honor by actions he takes to correct a mistake, if he is not careful, then a man. More eyes are upon you, and some of those care not about questions of honor, but seek weak points. No Basil you will go on your tour, but you will not go as a penitent. That is why you will also start your trip from Monte-Christo“

Basil did not retort back, and accepted in sullen compliance his grandmother’s judgment.

At that moment the door opened, and Anne came scurrying in with Sotiriadis behind her.

“My lady, we have a situation. A large troop of Venetian merchants arrived into Mystra, and there is no inn left to take them in. They have asked if they could ask for your personal hospitality. They wonder if the lead merchants could stay in the castle for the tow days of the party. “

Sotiriadis also spoke” My lady this would be unwise. It would cost us a small fortune to feed them. Let them camp outside, or settle in one of the smaller villages.”

Theofilia gave out a laugh, “ Hahahah, great. I wonder how those merchants will respond if they know they came for naught. The Duke will not attend the party.”

Anne and Sotiriadis were both stunned. Before they could say anything though, Theofilia stopped them. “I will inform you of what happened later. We will still hold the party in Basils honor. As for the merchants, their leaders and a small number of twenty followers will be given our hospitality for this two days. The rest will have to camp out, but we shall make it worth their time. Also somebody find me Radu.”

Sotiriadis sighed at the thought of another dent in the treasury. He then sat down with Anne to hear the tale of today’s events.

Later that night twenty five Venetian merchants with their entourage entered the castro-politeia of Mystra. Among them was one named Carlo.