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Simon MacDowall
Dec 5, 20223 min read
Hereward re-awakes
Leaving aside my Ancient Greeks for a while, I recently found myself embroiled in an attempt to suppress Hereward the Wake’s East Anglian...
111 views3 comments
Simon MacDowall
Nov 16, 20222 min read
Ragging Hoplite Shields
I have been having great fun playing around with different shield designs for my next unit of Greek Hoplites. Most are hand painted but I...
131 views3 comments
Simon MacDowall
Nov 11, 20221 min read
Billhooks Deluxe
Look what arrived in the post today! My advance copy of the magnificent expanded version of Andy Callan's Never Mind the Billhooks rules....
152 views3 comments
Simon MacDowall
Nov 8, 20221 min read
Men of Bronze
I have just finished painting my first Hoplite unit for Alala! and the Society of Ancients Mantinea Battle Day. These are Newline Designs...
111 views4 comments
Simon MacDowall
Nov 1, 20222 min read
Alala! at the Society of Ancients Conference
Last weekend I gave my Alala! Hoplite game its third outing at the Society of Ancients Conference. For me this event is the highlight of...
216 views3 comments
Simon MacDowall
Oct 24, 20223 min read
Theban hamippoi on the painting table
in preparation for the Society of Ancients Mantinea Battle Day, I have been painting up Greek cavalry and light troops to supplement Pete...
144 views3 comments
Simon MacDowall
Oct 20, 20221 min read
More Hoplite Action
Yesterday we managed to get a second test game of Alala! hoplite rules in before the upcoming Society of Ancients Conference. It was...
149 views2 comments
Simon MacDowall
Oct 12, 20222 min read
Alala!
I have been working on some new simple rules for Hoplite battles which I call Alala! — from the ancient Greek war cry. I will use these...
1,127 views4 comments
Simon MacDowall
Sep 12, 20221 min read
Forward back to the past
Second Mantinea (362 BC) will be the next battle featured at the 2023 Society of Ancients Battle Day. This has provided me with my next...
159 views2 comments
Simon MacDowall
Sep 4, 20223 min read
The Battle for Rocroi
It has been 5 years in the making but finally I had painted up all the troops I needed to refight the battle of Rocroi (1643) between the...
836 views2 comments
Simon MacDowall
Aug 12, 20222 min read
The Last Recruits for Rocroi
After a painting pause I have completed all the foot regiments I need to re-fight Rocroi (1643). We will run the game 1 September and I...
117 views4 comments
Simon MacDowall
Aug 11, 20221 min read
New Scenarios
I have been adding various game scenarios to that section of my website. The latest is Pydna -- the classic clash between Roman Legions...
96 views0 comments
Simon MacDowall
Jul 27, 20222 min read
Late Roman costume from the mosaics
A Sicilian highlight for anyone with an interest in the later Roman period is the incredible mosaics at Piazza Armerina. These 4th C AD...
879 views6 comments
Simon MacDowall
Jul 26, 20221 min read
A Sicilian Interlude
I have been absent from both the Wargames and Painting tables for some time due to a variety of factors, one of which was a holiday in...
79 views0 comments
Simon MacDowall
Jun 10, 20223 min read
Life and Death on the Shore of Lake George
The skirmishes of the French and Indian War have long held a fascination for me. The Last of the Mohicans was one of my favourite books...
101 views4 comments
Simon MacDowall
Jun 6, 20221 min read
Cuirassiers with Blackened Armour
I am quite pleased with the way these 17th Century Alsatian cuirassiers have turned out — their blackened armour set off with a limited...
148 views4 comments
Simon MacDowall
Jun 2, 20222 min read
Flags for Rocroi
The wonderful little museum at Rocroi has some interesting illustrations of flags carried by the combatants at the 1643 battle. As I am...
570 views4 comments
Simon MacDowall
May 29, 20221 min read
Cromwell helps the French
The latest scenario uploaded to my website is a prelude to the Battle of the Dunes. Set in 1657 it involves an uneasy alliance between...
127 views2 comments
Simon MacDowall
May 18, 20221 min read
Investigating Rocroi
Preparations for staging the Battle of Rocroi continue despite the fact that I am away from the painting table for a few days in northern...
175 views2 comments
Simon MacDowall
May 15, 20221 min read
The Vandals, now in paperback
I am delighted that my first book in the Conquerors of Rome series — The Vandals, has been reprinted in paperback by Pen & Sword Books. I...
298 views0 comments
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