Long Night using HOTT

They don't teach generalship in Westeros.

After sneering my way through every setpiece battle of season 7 I really feel I have to solo the Long Night, AKA battle of Winterfell.

These lists and special rules are the result of three attempts at it. This is as playable a compromise as I could want.

Army lists

Army of the Night King
1. Night King riding the undead dragon, as Aerial Hero, special rule 1. Cost 6.
2. White Walkers as cleric, special rule 2. Cost 3.
3. Summoned storm as Airboat, special rule 3. Cost 3.
4. Undead as Horde, special rules 4 and 5. Cost 12.

Special rules for attackers
1. Only the death of the Night King ends the attack.
2. White Walkers act as the Night King's proxy for exerting command. So long as they are in base to base contact with the horde group commanded, no extra PIPs are needed regardless of the Night King's distance.
3. The storm front behaves the same as an airboat element, but cannot be attacked by enemy, and flees off the board if it loses.
4. Undead never recoil, they can only be destroyed by doubling or by being defeated and not doubled, while atop a flame trench. If the latter, the trench is also removed.
5. Undead can be sacrificed to automatically win against lurking flame trench, and for converting fortification to uphill slope. These are cumulative so that two elements are needed to "pave the way" over a flame trench and field fortification.

Allied armies
1. Jon Snow with various other key characters, as Hero. Cost 4.
2. Daenerys with her dragons, as Dragon. Cost 4.
3. Artillery based in Winterfell, special rule 2. Cost 3.
4. Dothraki as 1xriders. Cost 2.
5. Unsullied as 1xspears. Cost 2.
6. Northern forces as 1xwarband. Cost 2.
7. Three base widths field fortifications, special rule 3. Cost 3.
8. Four base widths flame trenches, special rule 4. Cost 4.

Special rules for defenders
1. Only the loss of the Stronghold (representing Bran being taken) ends the defence.
2. Artillery have a range of 500p from the Stronghold, but may not support elements in melee. Other artillery rules all apply.
3. Field fortifications may be of two types, a chevaux-de-frise that creates the bad going condition for elements attempting to cross it, or a rampart that does the same but also prevents melee support. Ditches, pot-holes, rope-tangles and so forth are assumed to form part of these defences.
4. Flame trenches are essentially passive lurkers. They may be summoned adjacent to defending elements, field fortifications, or the Stronghold. They act in support of active defenders. See attacker special rule 4. If no land opponent remains within 600p the flame trench is removed.

An account of the battle
The cost for bringing up reinforcements, moving himself and using the ice storm was a great puzzle for the Night King. The defenders juggled around a little, trying to set the Hero to best use, whittling away hordes with artillery, and keeping the last flame trench as a surprise. Eventually the Hero Jon Snow stalked close enough to the Night King to try the single combat, and with a 6:1 victory was gained!

II5c Thebans

I've been quietly working on this army since New Year. Except for the three Ps elements all minis are straight out of the HaT (Coates & Shine) box. I enjoyed the Cv - and as an aside there's enough in the box to provide for my Syracusan LH as well - but the foot were a chore. The poses are OK for Sp elements I guess, just uninspiring. The plastic is the softer type, so a very sharp knife was needed to trim them out.

In terms of painting I used whatever shortcut I thought I could get away with. E.g. the base varnish is also the base colour and the outliner - mix the clear varnish with burnt sienna or equivalent, then paint "black basecoat" style so the dark base is the outline. For bronze, just highlight over the base. Use flesh wash so as not to be too detailed on skin, and soft tone to pick out the skirt armour detail after clumsily using white.

It is a generous box of minis, though missing skirmishers. There's still enough "spear, standing" left to add another element, which I may do at some point. For the skirmishers I went to trusty old "Alexander's Light" and grabbed six.

Italian options - the end?

Here we see the massed morph armies of:
II/8a Bruttian: lacking 2xHd peasants.
II/b Campanian: complete
II/9 Syracusan: lacking a distinct CvGen, 1x3Ax sikels. Must not include a cv option if facing Campanians.
II/13 Samnite: complete. Must have AxGen if facing Campanians.

In a pinch I can import Athenian CvGen for the Syracusans, or even Carthaginian.

Syracusan spears complete

The three elements to left are the final 12 minis. Now for the gloating, and to decide how attached I am to a CvGen.

All done by Christmas?

I feel as though I'm finally, finally nearing the end of my Italian project. The base-coated lads are the last 12 spearmen for Syracusans.

Italiate update

Since it's been over a month since I last posted, here's an update!

1. Goals: Syracusans, Samnites
Although Samnites aren't a given, my plan is to work towards the (a) field army for Syracusans, and (with previous 4Ax) at least 10 x 4Ax, which is the minimum for a Samnite army.

2. Kits: HaT Thebans, HaT Italian Allies - foot; and a couple of others
Syracusans are a kind of ethnic blend of Italianate and Hellenistic, and freely use mercenaries and the like. I'm using some Thebans from the big HaT kit, who will be believable Syracusan hoplites; and a couple of HaT Theban horse with shield added as Tarentine LH; and a couple of HaT slingers from the Iberians.

3. Force composition: Syracusans' (a) field army utilises all kinds of forces, none of which are Italianate 4Ax. On the other hand Samnites use 4Ax with a couple of skirmish options. So I may find I'm working in two different directions and it just won't work.

4. Progress: I already have a bolt-shooter element for the Syracusans, and could potentially use 2xCv and 4x4Sp (of Italianate style) from a couple of armies I already have. In present work I just have the two elements above for Syracusans. On the Samnite front I have 4x4Ax newly constructed, and I can add 3x4Ax from Bruttians.

In summary chugging along rather too ambitiously and very slowly!

Back to Italian Ally Italy - Samnites?

Having re-motivated myself with the Punic period solos - and a hint of Spring in the air - I unearthed that extra box of Italiot foot and a Coates&Shine Theban box and started working on more elements of 4Ax. My aim is to expand my Italiot Realms to include an option of fielding Samnites (who require up to 12 x 4Ax!) and Syracusans (who are a blend of not-hoplites and Italiate plus allies).