PlaymoFriends
General => Collector's Corner => Topic started by: Macruran on November 16, 2014, 17:10:26
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Thanks to GrahamB I've completed my cohort of archers, so now my legion stands pretty complete. The only thing now will be adding more legionaries as I feel like it, or until it seems disproportional. Sorry for the poor quality photos, I'll try to get some better ones soon.
LEG. XXIII LUD.
(http://i.imgur.com/yygO1We.jpg) (http://imgur.com/yygO1We)
Legio vigesima tertia ludensis, the Twenty Third "Playful" Legion, was stationed in the tiny, almost forgotten province of Dysprosia Ulterior, far distant from Rome and on the very frontiers of the empire. Based near the chief harbour Portus Proficiendum, the Twenty Third would regularly campaign on the borders of the province, in both the cold mountains of the north and the hot deserts of the south. Barbarians, religious zealots, and foreign empires - all enemies of the Playroman Empire faced and fell to the swords of the Twenty Third.
(http://i.imgur.com/5GiZnj3.jpg) (http://imgur.com/5GiZnj3)
In addition to the main body of legionaries, the Twenty Third boasted a cohort of Grahambian archers, drawn from a Middle Eastern province halfway across the empire.
(http://i.imgur.com/hac11UQ.jpg) (http://imgur.com/hac11UQ)
(Note that I've substituted the Egyptian style daggers for the medieval style ones that come with the archers. They seem much more Roman. I don't know why PM, who otherwise did such a great job with the Roman theme, missed this trick.)
There was also a unit of engineering and artillery troops, and a wing of cavalry.
(http://i.imgur.com/5Hjc61U.jpg) (http://imgur.com/5Hjc61U)
Finally, here is a picture of the officer corps, with the legatus legionis riding in front on his pitch black steed Nivellius ("Snowy"). The names of the various officers and leaders have not as yet been revealed by archaeology.
In the back, by the command tent, you can see the emperor himself, surrounded by a bodyguard of Praetorians. This particular emperor had a special fondness for Dysprosia Ulterior, and would summer there when he could, indulging in the (to him) trivial local intrigues as a respite from the stressful politicking of Rome.
(http://i.imgur.com/wWqvelQ.jpg) (http://imgur.com/wWqvelQ)
That's all for now. We have yet to meet some of the civilian citizens of Dysprosia, not to mention the restive tribes and hostile powers. The conflicts and connections among all these people is the very stuff of playhistory!
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:love:
Those are great! (and informative too :) ) Thanks for sharing.
Looking forward to more!
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Those are great! I also like your simple-but-effective use of cloth for grass/water and the backdrop! :)
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I'm pleased that you like them, tahra and Salamander.
The cloth idea came to me in a flash and I'm very happy with the way it turned out! Two drawbacks: 1) The clouds run the wrong way. I'm not sure if I'll bother to fix that, I like the convenience of having one single piece. 2) I should have brought a tree baseplate and matched the cloth color to that. The one I do have has a nice mottled grassy look but when I put trees on it their bases stand out too much. I might fix that for battle scenes.
Two eight foot lengths of cloth totalled about $50, purchased at Fabric Depot in Portland, OR.
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Great looking legion. I like the use of the bear head and skin on the trumpeter. Joann Fabrics carries a nice flannel mottled green, and tan as well, you might want to check for some time.
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Using the bear head on the chainmail was someone else's idea, I forget who, I borrowed it shamelessly. And I wanted grey, for the wolf look, but I couldn't find a head and a neck piece that matched.
I might try JoAnn next. I'll definitely be getting some desert colored stuff, I'll match that with the Egyptian and African baseplates. Maybe some winter too. And a lighter green.
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Love the Romans and you've got a very impressive looking legion with a nice variety of different soldiers they all look very nice and it's cool that the Emperor likes to spend his summers there. I also enjyoed your descirpition of the Legion :love: :roman:
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Great collection! <*)
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Wow, that's an impressive army. I love the names for the regions and legions, though I'm not sure about Grahambians! :-[
We are legion!
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Great diorama of one of my all time favourite themes! Maybe I'll borrow your idea of the trumpeteer! The Roman officer without helmet is wearing a cape with -what's its name- gasp? I thought those only came in red and blue, not the darker blue Preatorian style. Which set is that one from? It suits perfect a Preatorian officer!
Many thanks for sharing!
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Superb !!!! reminds i need to set my romans one day , never done it , all together !!!
Great photos and army !!! :love:
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That's awesome!
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I realized I have enough of the chainmail legionaries to make up a cohort of light infantry with clipei shields. I think I'll rearrange the whole thing.
The Roman officer without helmet is wearing a cape with -what's its name- gasp? I thought those only came in red and blue, not the darker blue Preatorian style. Which set is that one from? It suits perfect a Preatorian officer!
You mean the officer with the gold headband? That guy is from the much-coveted Commander's Tent 4273, which contains TWO Roman clicii (klickies) that appeared in no other sets. (The orange accented legionary that I am using as engineering troops is the other one.) (Oh and just to brag I own TWO unopened 4273s.)
His cape and belt are actually dark purple, not the dark blue of the Praetorians. That cape style came in black too, making four available colours, though unfortunately not white. Also note that his cingulum (the groin-protecting thing) was unique until it reappeared on the first Roman officer Figure, seen on the far left in this image:
(http://i.imgur.com/CXph7ev.jpg) (http://imgur.com/CXph7ev)
In Dysprosia, Purple guy will be one of the emperor's two sons, the favored one who actually campaigns. The other son will be the guy in purple tunic and white toga, a profligate hedonist who nevertheless has designs on power.
Figure guy will be a grizzled campaigner.
The blue officer will be captain of the Praetorians. Red is the commander of the XXIII. Black is the officer from the ship, he came with a blue cape but I think he looks much better with a black one. He'll still be in charge of the naval detachment. Blue red and black will be peers - sort of like airforce, army and navy chief officers.
I've just realized I want to put a black belt on navy man. Anyone got a spare?
The guy with the undecorated armor is a junior tribune. I really wish they'd made a white Roman-style cape.
Black-and-red is cavalry officer, I think. Mean Eyebrows on the right hasn't got an identity yet.
All will have names.
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Looking good! And accurate as well.
Great that you'll be naming them all. I hope there's a story in there somewhere too 8-)
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Having watched 'Life of Brian' (about 100 times) I find it hard to think about Romans without remembering such immortal lines as 'Romanii Eunt Domus' or 'It's a joke name sir, like Sillius Sodus or Bigus Di--us' or 'What have the Romans ever done for us?' or 'He -anks as high as anyone in Wome' or 'He promised me the known world.. as much Gold as I could eat..' or 'Wonderful race, the Romans' and many many more....
But the Roman Empire was pretty inspiring for more sober and historically accurate reasons,a s Macruaran has shown us!
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Great that you'll be naming them all. I hope there's a story in there somewhere too 8-)
There will be. I'm still sketching out the rudiments of the narrative in my mind. The current main holdup, apart from procrastination, is that I'm waiting to get my hands on a Nativity III, which will give me more civilians. I recently got the Saint Martin set which gave me one great civilian. Martin himself looks too gaudy to be a real Roman officer.
I've also got some Celts, Playgyptians, and "Jihadis" (grave robbers), as opponents.
Having watched 'Life of Brian' (about 100 times) I find it hard to think about Romans without remembering such immortal lines as 'Romanii Eunt Domus' or 'It's a joke name sir, like Sillius Sodus or Bigus Di--us' or 'What have the Romans ever done for us?' or 'He -anks as high as anyone in Wome' or 'He promised me the known world.. as much Gold as I could eat..' or 'Wonderful race, the Romans' and many many more....
But the Roman Empire was pretty inspiring for more sober and historically accurate reasons,a s Macruaran has shown us!
Life of Brian, what a masterpiece. I think that will be my Christmas movie this year. I do hope to weave some humour into my little worldlet. For example, the name of the province, Dysprosia Ulterior, is from the element dysprosium, which means..."hard to find". Ulterior = farther away. And Portus Proficiendum means "port forwarding", a little computer joke. I won't top the Pythons though! And unfortunately I can't use "Biggus D" as I want to keep this child-safe! :D
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I can't use "Biggus D"
And that sort of thing is very puerile. But it still makes me laugh! Schoolboy humour. Your humour is much more refined and genteel, clever too.
He has a wife you know, Incontinentia...
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Palin's facial expressions in that scene just slay me every time.