DBA Special: II/5c Later Hoplite Greek (Theban)

I've telegraphed the coming of this army for some time now so here it is ...

DBA V3 Book II ... 5c Theban Hoplite ...

This is the army of the great generals Epaminondas and Pagondas - it is the army that broke the Spartan hegemony and which introduced the deep tactics which DBA represents with the Theban elite troops being on double bases (8Sp) ... it gives them a combat bonus against infantry.  It gives the Theban general one of the highest factors in the game.

This is something of a 'prize army' ... the basic hoplite army I won as a prize in the Alton Pairs a few years ago, the baggage cart as part of the 'best baggage' award in the Burton Doubles (also some time back).  The first element finished was a while back, and was the camp, which I entered in little competition on TMP.  I wanted to make sure there was something 'ancients' and 'historical' in it, so put it altogether and took some pics.  Actually there were few entries and so it won the prize.

It has taken some time for the soldiers to catch up with the cart ... in truth, hand painting those shields has taken a while (just doing a few every now and then, when the brush is flowing nicely) - but the completion of the Galatians (for which the Thebans are a pairing enemy) has prompted the final dabs and tidyings.

(Later Theban Hoplite General)

The army (per the original prize) is almost entirely Chariot Miniatures, although the general is from the Gladiator Hellenistic Command pack and there are some Xyston hoplites in the front rank (as I needed a few extra figures for the double elements).  They mix in well don't they?

(Theban Hoplites)

I haven't covered any options with this army - actually there aren't many variables and it sort of selects itself.

That adds up to ...

Around the periphery ...

(Theban cavalry)

I had a go at that flamboyant Italian thing, riding one of the horsemen up onto a rock outcrop ... it sort of works I think ... 

And finally ...

Then there's the aforementioned camp.  I wanted to get some height into it, and use that Ox cart ... so took a hammer to a tourist souvenir and made a bit of citadel with the suggestion of a road winding up to it ...

(DBA camp - Later Hoplite Greek)

The cart is New Donnington, the figures following it (some of which detach as a CF element) are adapted Chariot figures.  To give a depth illusion, the figures on the Citadel are 10mm (Steve Barber models, I think) ...

So that's my Prize Hoplite army ... it pairs with Galatian.