Swords of Central Genertela

[Brootse]

21 minutes ago, M Helsdon said:

Sketch reworked.

Have now found space for this by deleting an image that wasn't mine.

As the document is pretty much full, decided to take a break as feel the most recent are getting stale. May aim to do one a week. (And today, recent real world events caught up with me and I didn't have the energy to proofread my, or anyone else's text).

Now have to think on my next project.

Whilst hopefully am familiar with the arms and armor of the West (which are partially covered due to the presence of the Carmanians and Western mercenaries in central Genertela) don't have access to sufficient material to populate more than a few pages. Similarly, an Eastern expansion is unlikely, and I lack sufficient knowledge of Chinese or Japanese armies to try to make assumptions (must have several hundred books on ancient Europe, north Africa and the Near East, but only read a dozen or so on warfare in the Far East).

Thanks, damn nice work!

[M Helsdon]

Real world issues are limiting my time and energy to do anything Gloranthan. Other than tidying up a sentence about the manufacture of bronze swords did this as an experiment:

[M Helsdon]

Well, it's done. Final fixes made (though bugs undoubtedly remain) and document complete.

[M Helsdon]

Thought I'd group my Orlanthi together. Four or five distinct cultures here.

[soltakss]

Ah, Sable riding Orlanthi, uncommon but not unexpected.

[M Helsdon]

4 hours ago, soltakss said:

Ah, Sable riding Orlanthi, uncommon but not unexpected.

Here's one by Jan Pospisil. Sartarite use of Praxian riding animals is not uncommon.

[M Helsdon]

Probably no room in the text for the full-sized sketch.

[M Helsdon]

Found a home for the latest as a filler at the end of the Army Lists chapter. Now roughing out the next...

Have received a suggestion that most of these sketches might be collected together on a poster, with the figures about 8cm high. Obviously it would make sense to group them by nation/cultures.

A question? Should the annotations identifying pieces of armor be retained or removed?

[Rob Darvall]

17 hours ago, M Helsdon said:

A question? Should the annotations identifying pieces of armor be retained or removed?

Retained IMHO. Purely from a selfish persepective being able to point a piece of armour out to an eight YO without delay is worth its weight in doughnoughts.

[M Helsdon]

7 hours ago, Rob Darvall said:

Retained IMHO. Purely from a selfish persepective being able to point a piece of armour out to an eight YO without delay is worth its weight in doughnoughts.

90% of sketches in the book are fully annotated. 10% like this latest are not (either because it seemed unnecessary, or because they seemed too cluttered). For posters it might be possible to create one with annotation, and one without.

Arthritis playing up, so not much fine work in this one, which may be the last for a while.

 

Edited September 11, 2019 by M Helsdon

[Sir_Godspeed]

If possible, making the text vector-based would help with avoiding graphical artifacting for a potential poster - but I know dick all about graphical design, so I wouldn't know how to do that, or even if I'm correct.

Anyway, that dude looks pretty good for a "pittance" conscript. What the background on them?

[M Helsdon]

1 hour ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

Anyway, that dude looks pretty good for a "pittance" conscript. What the background on them?

After the Dara Happan revolt of the First Wane, the Lunars disbanded many Dara Happan regiments.

Each of the Tripolis cities are now required to maintain a Pittance Regiment, which are made up of conscripts from the lower classes. He has a second-hand sword, is lucky enough to have an open helmet, and has a self bow.

1 hour ago, Sir_Godspeed said:

If possible, making the text vector-based would help with avoiding graphical artifacting for a potential poster - but I know dick all about graphical design, so I wouldn't know how to do that, or even if I'm correct.

I have, perhaps foolishly, embedded the text in the sketches.

[M Helsdon]

Here's all 92.

[M Helsdon]

Managed to fit in the sketch of the Pittance conscript (not a DX battalion) and found that there might be room for one more, but am sketched out at present.

[M Helsdon]

Latest (used as a filler). The attendant-servant is armed and armored (have assumed a combat veteran) to protect the mage whilst she is in a trance, calling down chunks of the Red Moon.

Now no white space. Room for more thumbnails in the Army Lists perhaps.

Edited September 20, 2019 by M Helsdon

[Brootse]

That umberella must be quite sturdy to protect against the falling moon rocks.

[M Helsdon]

9 hours ago, Brootse said:

That umberella must be quite sturdy to protect against the falling moon rocks.

Makes note not to employ Brootse as an artillery spotter... 9-)

                                                                                                                  

There's probably not room for the annotated version in the book without ruining the pagination...

This is one of the less classifiable Lunar Army units, perhaps a relic of the very early days when the realm of the Red Goddess consisted of Torang and a few surrounding towns. If I had to classify it, it would probably be as a 'heavy peltast' with more armour than a standard peltast. His helmet design may be Carmanian in origin. In old wargaming terms, he's Medium Infantry.

I have chosen to diverge from canon by giving him a full instead of closed helmet, because those are not practical for light infantry, as they seriously reduce sight and hearing - two senses essential for a light infantryman.

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by M Helsdon

[Qizilbashwoman]

5 hours ago, M Helsdon said:

with more armour than a standard peltast

why his pteruges no cover his junk and thigh

[Mirza]

2 hours ago, Qizilbashwoman said:

why his pteruges no cover his junk and thigh

The forces that Torang put together after the Red Goddesses birth were not some greatly armed groups, they were mercenaries, local militias, and essentially whoever Torang could get to hold a weapon. This ramshackle army did win the day, but by no means was well equipped with weapons and armor, but under the Goddesses guidance they invested magic into their regiments (if you could call them that) to try and make up for it, and in doing so won.

But by investing their magic in such a way the battle magic of the regiment was well formed, and to most it was formed to a paupers regiment. For the specific regiment in the drawing, pteruges weren't allowed on the line peltast/infantrys armor since the original regiments needed to save costs around the edge, and so too was the line leaders pteruges restricted to a short length, and their battle magic formed around this and made these restrictions necessary for them to use their regimental magic.

Some of the Lunar Regiments that formed their magic during this victory have managed to lessen burdens of their original restrictions for regimental magic, some have disbanded their original regiment to create a new more effective one once they could.

But this is not the way of our pteruges lessened regiment, they would never scorn the magic that was given to them by the Goddess, and such momentous magic it is that perhaps they are right, shortened/no pteruges might be worth it for they are the First Victors, and there is magic from such a title.

[Brootse]

We played the Cradle scenario's Battle of Corflu during the last weekend. This time the players were commanding a Wolf Pirate Penteconter that helped the Cradle to pass the Delta. Would you happen to have pics of the Marble Phalanx soldiers or the marines in Corflu?

[M Helsdon]

10 hours ago, Qizilbashwoman said:

why his pteruges no cover his junk and thigh

Because not all pteruges were, in terrestrial history, worn long, but only to defend the lower stomach. As this soldier is classified as light infantry, I chose to make some items of equipment 'light', so his abdomen is covered by his tunic and trousers. Will consider making the second set longer digitally...

3 hours ago, Brootse said:

We played the Cradle scenario's Battle of Corflu during the last weekend. This time the players were commanding a Wolf Pirate Penteconter that helped the Cradle to pass the Delta. Would you happen to have pics of the Marble Phalanx soldiers or the marines in Corflu?

I have a sketch of the Marble Phalanx, but no information about Lunar marines; at Corflu the Cradle was met by a force of hoplites, priests, wyvern riders, snakes and the Watchdog.

To my surprise, I can insert the latest annotated sketch into the text, but there's no room for the thumbnail in the Army Lists.

This makes a total of 144 sketches, diagrams and maps in the document, but about twenty pieces I haven't created, in a 379 page document.

Edited September 24, 2019 by M Helsdon

[Qizilbashwoman]

1 hour ago, M Helsdon said:

Because not all pteruges were, in terrestrial history, worn long, but only to defend the lower stomach. As this soldier is classified as light infantry, I chose to make some items of equipment 'light', so his abdomen is covered by his tunic and trousers. Will consider making the second set longer digitally...

thanks! i didn't know that about pteruges. i know a little about historical armor from books over the years, but a lot of my practical facts about Greek and Hellenistic armor honestly comes from playing Assassin's Creed: Origins and Odyssey. I learned all sorts of words! And then I started learning pre-Christian Alexandrian Koine Greek!

[M Helsdon]

5 hours ago, Qizilbashwoman said:

thanks! i didn't know that about pteruges. i know a little about historical armor from books over the years, but a lot of my practical facts about Greek and Hellenistic armor honestly comes from playing Assassin's Creed: Origins and Odyssey. I learned all sorts of words! And then I started learning pre-Christian Alexandrian Koine Greek!

Eeek!

Here's a reworking of the sketch with longer pteruges. [Drew and shaded replacements and edited the two images together using... Paint].

Edited September 24, 2019 by M Helsdon

[M Helsdon]

Well, my fan book is (again) full, with only room for a few thumbnails.

I believe that 144 illustrations (sketches, maps, diagrams, images) is fairly respectable for a 379 page book on Gloranthan warfare - at least there aren't huge blocks of unbroken text, and most of the sketches are annotated regarding regiment/culture and the individual pieces of armor. Due to circumstances beyond my control, there won't be any more sketches this week, so next week am going to have to think about where to go from here.

[M Helsdon]

Latest. Have wanted to draw a phalangite with a sarissa for some time - but these pikes were so long (this is towards the shorter variety) that it would take up too much space (so the sketches of the other phalangites have the pike cut off at head level). Realized I could create a 'back cover' (wording not final).

Probably need another figure on the back cover... Possibly a female Wolf Pirate...

Edited September 28, 2019 by M Helsdon