Milites Minimus

4th April 2004

Stu Gibson runs Milites Minimus, the Canadian outlet of Baccus figures. Stu is a long-standing gamer in 6mm and has been working on a large Ancients project for some time. Here is his first posting on what is a developing and promising project.

I’ve been planning to write this for two months now and I guess it’s time I got round to it. As I stated in a post on the bulleting board I am planning on building a Republican Legion at 1:1 for two reasons. Firstly as a demonstration of the key benefit of 6mm gaming, that being that armies, look like armies. Secondly I enjoy ancients gaming and I’d like to game large battles from the Punic wars using an as yet to be determined rule set.

I’m happy to say that the project is well underway. The images available so far are from a small hobby show we run here in St. John’s Newfoundland each May and portray a replay of Trebia using Phil Sabin’s Strategos, published by the Society of Ancients.

The Forces completed to date include 1500 Carthaginians and over 1000 Romans. The Carthaginians are painted by the author and the Romans by two friends, Chris Eustace and Keir O’Flaherty. Basing assistance for the Carthaginians from another friend Doug Kemp.

Current Forces

Carthaginian 1600 Figures + 30 El.
30 Elephants on 15 40x40 bases with 6 skirmishers per base as escorts
450 Scutari
350 Citizen Spearmen
400 African Spearmen
about 150 horse
50 Gauls
100 + Caetrati
12 Generals (Gauls)

Romans 1230 Figures
36 bases of 24 Hastati/Principes (3 bases = one century)
10 bases of 16 triarii
2 bases of 24 triarii
12 bases of 5 velites
9 bases of 6 horse
15 Generals

Future plans

I am expanding the Carthaginain forces to 2000 before the show in Ottawa (Cangames May 21-23) and have a friend expanding the Romans to approximately 1500.

The ultimate goal is a Roman Legion at 1;1 or about 4500 figures and an enemy force of Spanish, Gauls, and Carthaginians of about 6000.

Stu