Second Batch of Assyrian Infantry

Another mixed unit of spearmen and archers - 10mm figures from Newline Designs

North Men

ONE of my best recent charity-shop finds is The Men Of The North, which I bought from Oxfam at Greenwich in November for £4.99.

The subtitle, The Britons Of Southern Scotland, gives a better clue as to the subject.

As most people know, before the arrival of Angles, Jutes, Saxons, etc in what was to become England, most of Britain was occupied by people whose descendants were to be restricted by the Germanic immigrants to Wales and Cornwall.

But what is less well-known is that as well as in Wales and Cornwall, there were petty kingdoms of the 'Welsh' in what is now northwest England and southwest Scotland.

These are The Men Of The North, to be differentiated from the other men of the north in those days, namely the Picts and, in increasing numbers from Ireland, the Scots.

As Tim Clarkson shows in his book, the picture was complicated, the sources are limited and not always reliable, and the archaeological evidence is by no means conclusive.

I knew about the Ancient Britons, as the Celtic tribes are often called, and their kingdom of Strathclyde.

But I really knew very little, and I did not know how intricate the various alliances were, and indeed that there were many petty realms I had never heard of, let alone studied.

I was also not aware, or at least not as aware as I should have been, that much of the fighting was not ethnic - Britons also fought Britons, Scots fought Scots, and proto-English fought proto-English.

Great read

The book has inspired me to hunt down and buy a copy of the famous boardgame Britannia.

I can hardly wait to watch history unfold on my tabletop.

Summing Up Four Go To War

TOWARDS the end it looked like being a nail-biting finish between Richard's Romans and Andy's Persians, but the former were plagued by late revolts, while Andy was able to take advantage of Macedonian weakness to first reach the Mediterranean, and then capture double-scoring AEGYPTUS.

Here are the updated standings (four points for a win, three for coming second, etc).

ANDY
Game One: 4pts (Macedonians)
Game Two: 3.5pts (Persians/Parthians)
Game Three: 3pts (Romans)
Game Four: 2.5pts (Carthaginians)

Game Five: 2pts (Romans)

Game Six: 4pts (Persians)
Total: 19pts

ME

Game One: 3pts (Carthaginians)
Game Two: 3.5pts (Romans)
Game Three: 4pts (Persians)
Game Four: 1pt (Macedonians)

Game Five: 4pts (Persians/Parthians)

Game Six: 2pts (Carthaginians)
Total: 17.5pts

REGULAR OPPONENT
Game One: 1pt (Persians/Parthians)
Game Two: 2pts (Carthaginians)
Game Three: 1pt (Macedonians)
Game Four: 4pts (Romans)

Game Five: 3pts (Carthaginians)

Game Six: 1pt (Macedonians)
Total: 12pts

RICHARD JOHNSON
Game One: 2pts (Romans)
Game Two: 1pt (Macedonians)
Game Three: 2pts (Carthaginians)
Game Four: 2.5pts (Persians/Parthians)

Game Five: 1pt (Macedonians)

Game Six: 3pts (Romans)
Total: 11.5pts

SCORES BY PEOPLES
Persians/Parthians: 19pts

Romans: 17.5pts
Carthaginians: 14.5pts
Macedonians: 9pts

The main points:

*Andy has regained the lead..

*Both my outright wins have come in command of the Persians/Parthians, including game three where Parthia never fell and so my people were Persians throughout.

*Richard's second place in game six is his best score..

*Looking at the peoples' stats, the Persians/Parthians have scored more than twice as many points as the Macedonians.

*Only the Carthaginians have failed to win a game.

Four Go To War - Turn 20 (160-150 BC)

Situation at the end of turn 19

This is the last turn, at the end of which the final victory points will be added.

My Carthaginians have 18 points from the halfway stage, with two to be added if AFRICA is held, meaning Carthage would have 20 points.

Richard's Romans have five points from halftime, with 13 to be potentially added (10 provinces are held, including double-scoring IBERIA and triple-scoring consolidated ITALIA), making a total of 18 points.

Reg's Macedonians have 10 points from halftime, with just two likely to be added, totalling 12.

Andy's Persians have 15 from the halfway stage, with seven likely to be added (six provinces, including double-scoring AEGYPTUS), meaning a total of 22 points.

First the revolt dice land 4-3, but that indicates INDIA, which is already independent.

Richard's Romans attack AFRICA, easily conquering it, bringing their total to 20 points, and reducing Carthage's to 18.

Andy's Persians conquer Armenia, bringing their total to 23 points, and reducing Macedon's to 11.

I fail to free Carthage's AFRICA homeland, but Reg reconquers Armenia, bringing Macedon's total back to 12, and reducing the Persians to 22.

The final picture, with victory points added

Four Go To War - Turn 19 (170-160 BC)

Situation at the end of turn 18

The revolt dice land 2-3, meaning IBERIA throws off Roman rule.

Andy's Persians are drawn first, but he fails in an attack on Macedonian Armenia.

Richard's Romans reconquer IBERIA, but then I roll a 6 to free Carthage's AFRCIA homeland.

Finally, Reg rolls a 5 when trying to free his people's homeland of Macedonia.

Rome's chances have taken heavy blows just as the climax nears

Four Go To War - Turn 18 (180-170 BC)

Situation at the end of turn 17

The revolt dice land, not for the first time, 1-1, but AEGYPTUS is already independent, so there is no effect.

Reg is drawn first, but fails to roll a 6 to free his homeland, and there is more woe for the Macedonians when Richard's Romans conquer 'Asia'.

Andy's Persians conquer AEGYPTUS, and I fail to roll a 6 to free Carthage's homeland of AFRICA.

It is looking more and more like a two-horse race between the Romans and the Persians

Four Go To War - Turn 17 (190-180 BC)

Situation at the end of turn 16

The revolt dice land 5-2, meaning the restless tribesmen of Cisalpina have again won their independence, this time from Roman rule.

I am drawn first, but fail to free AFRICA.

Andy's Persians take Syria, which, if they can hold it, puts them in position to attack AEGYPTUS.

For the rest of the game - there are four turns left, including this one - Rome receives two +1 modifiers: one for having had a great captain no more than five turns ago, and the other for being without a great captain after the halfway mark, ie turns 11-20. Richard attacks Macedonian Thracia, rolling a 3, which is just enough despite a -1 modifier for attacking a controlled province.

The Macedonians no longer have their homeland, nor a connected block of four provinces, so Reg instead tries to free his homeland, but comes agonisingly short by rolling a 5.

It is looking like the fight for imperial domination is between Rome and the Persians, unless I can free Carthage's homeland of AFRICA, and keep it for when victory points are added at the end of turn 20

Four Go To War - Turn 16 (200-190 BC)

Situation at the end of turn 15

The revolt dice land 1-1, meaning Macedon's problems with revolts are spreading as two-point scoring AEGYPTUS becomes independent.

This is the second turn with Rome having Scipio as a great captain. Richard takes IBERIA, Numidia and AFRICA in three campaigns, before turning to independent Graecia, which also falls, followed by Macedonia. Suddenly the Mediterranean is Roman red from the Pillars of Hercules to the home of the Greek gods in Olympus.

Andy's Persians fail to take Syria, which gives Reg a chance to retake AEGYPTUS, but he rolls a 3.

Finally, I fail to roll the 6 necessary to free Carthage's homeland AFRICA.

Red is the dominant colour

Four Go To War - Turn 15 (210-200 BC)

Situation at the end of turn 14

The revolt dice land 5-2, so Cisalpina throws off Carthaginian rule.

This is the first of two turns in which Richard's Romans have Scipio as a great commander.

He starts by conquering Sicilia, but it requires two campaigns to subdue independent Cisalpina, although then both Gallia and IBERIA fall to Roman arms, meaning that for the first time in this game Carthage has no possessions outside of North Africa.

Andy's Persians retake Mesopotamia.

This is the first of five turns in which Carthage benefits from a +1 modifier for having had a great captain no more than five turns ago, and that proves crucial in my reconquering IBERIA.

Finally Reg tries to revive Macedonian rule in Graecia, but rolls a 2.

Rome has woken

Four Go To War - Turn 14 (220-210 BC)

Situation at the end of turn 13

The revolt dice land 1-3, which means Graecia throws off Macedonian rule.

This is the turn in which my Carthaginians get Hannibal as a great captain, so I can launch five campaigns, each with a +2 modifier, and with no -1 for attacking a controlled province (unless it is a homeland). Nevertheless I still suffer a -1 modifier for attacks outside of Carthage's starting empire.

I begin by conquering Cisalpina from the Romans, but then it takes the remaining four campaigns to capture Magna Graecia.

The Macedonians capture Mesopotamia from the Persians when Reg rolls a 6.

Andy fails in a bid to recapture it, and, finally, Richard's Romans easily retake Magna Graecia.

To say the least, Hannibal's impact was a lot less than I hoped