Pack Trains and Herds

I’m continuing the slow slog of upgrading my favorite DBA armies for Triumph!. After determining which elements need to be added or rebased, I then engage in one of my favorite hobby pursuits – researching and purchasing figures – after which I generally avoid my least favorite aspect of the hobby by shipping them off to Paul Potter for painting.

One of the neat aspects of Triumph! is that the army-specific Battle Cards include several variants to the traditional DBA-style camp logistical element in the form of Fortified Camps, Pack Trains and Herds, Standard Wagons (like the Italian carroccio)  or even No Camps at all. 

Pack Trains and Herds are placed along with troops during deployment and have fewer limitations on where they can be placed, but remain immobile in the battle. Pack Trains and Herds are among the most common of the Battle Card camp alternatives, and so I set about knocking a few out.

The first is for my updated Triumph! Ramesside New Kingdom Egyptians, and features a train of supply-laden donkeys led by two Egyptians from Museum Miniatures new Z-range (15/BAE03 – Pack Donkeys). I added a spare Museum chariot wheel to the burden of one donkey. The base is a vinyl tile sample from Home Depot, which is adhered to some chipboard cut to shape to give it some grip able height. I didn’t flock the entire base, only some sand around the figure bases to help them blend in.

The second Pack Train or Herd camp is a supply wagon for my Ancient Brits/Early Germans, scavenged from my spare figure box, which is made up with a two walled ox cart, with sacks repurposed from a OG-Blue Moon Napoleonic supply wagon, and figures (including the wagon) that I believe came from a now unavailable pack of Celtic civilians by Corvus Belli complimented by a Old Glory 15s Dark Age capture figure on ox-back.   Appreciate the feedback confirming these attributions.

All figures, of course, are painted by Paul Potter.

For a generic herd element for my Dark Ages/medieval armies, here is a flock of sheep along their shepherd. The shepherd with crook is from a medieval peasants pack from a forgotten manufacturer and the sheep are from Forged in Battle. They are expensive, but at least you get 12 of them (along with 12 goats). I thought about adding a herding dog, but only had Irish wolfhounds in the pile o’ shame, and didn’t want to spend $6+ for a sole canine. Peter Pig has some good ones though. The painting is nothing to brag about, but I think washing the white wool with a watered down light gray gave it a more realistic coloring.

I have several more Pack and Train elements to go, including a Bronze Age wagon complete with solid wooden wheels (Museum Z-range), a flock of goats to follow my Hoplite armies around (Forged in Battle) and another Dark Age cart element (Old Glory) suitable for my Scots-Irish, Isles & Highlands, Picts and Pre-Feudal Scots.

Hope you like them and welcome any suggestions.