Slitherine

I have some Skythian Heavy Cavalry from Donnington that I am in the middle of painting, but I have a dilemma as to how to base them. Most are armoured lancers, although they do make an armoured archer. The horses are a mix of unarmoured or fully armoured, cataphract style. I would like to be able to cover the early and late heavy cavalry options (bow / swordsman or lancer / swordsman).
The options I am considering are :
A) mix the armoured and unarmoured horses
B) have the armoured horses together and use these as Saka cataphracts
C) mix lancers and armored bowmen so I can use them as early or late armoured cavalry

Any opinions or other options ? Is option C going to be confusing - would people prefer Lancers to all have lances and Bow cavalry to all be shooting bows ?

What other manufacturers should I be considering for Skythian Heavy Cavalry ?

If all the cavalry/cataphracts have to be the same in the army it doesn't really matter.

However if you can have Bow/sword and lance/sword in the same army it will cause confusion to your opponent, and probably you, if they look the same but have different capabilities. Even though they may have looked very much the same and just acted differently.

Historically - fully armoured horses only appear towards the end of the period in Scythian armies (though some city contingents, Sodgians etc might have had them a little earlier).

For gaming purposes make up some obvious 'cataphract' units and use a few armoured horses in cavalry/light horse bases to represent wealthy individuals.

Old Glory are fine and Alain Touller skythians look great (with a larger range).

I am doing up some to fill the role of both Assyrian and Parthian allies. In the time of the Assyrians the heavies are armoured Bow Sword instead of armoured lancers.

Polkovnik wrote:I have some Skythian Heavy Cavalry from Donnington that I am in the middle of painting, but I have a dilemma as to how to base them. Most are armoured lancers, although they do make an armoured archer. The horses are a mix of unarmoured or fully armoured, cataphract style. I would like to be able to cover the early and late heavy cavalry options (bow / swordsman or lancer / swordsman).
The options I am considering are :
A) mix the armoured and unarmoured horses
B) have the armoured horses together and use these as Saka cataphracts
C) mix lancers and armored bowmen so I can use them as early or late armoured cavalry

Any opinions or other options ? Is option C going to be confusing - would people prefer Lancers to all have lances and Bow cavalry to all be shooting bows ?

What other manufacturers should I be considering for Skythian Heavy Cavalry ?

Polkovnik wrote:I have some Skythian Heavy Cavalry from Donnington that I am in the middle of painting, but I have a dilemma as to how to base them. Most are armoured lancers, although they do make an armoured archer. The horses are a mix of unarmoured or fully armoured, cataphract style. I would like to be able to cover the early and late heavy cavalry options (bow / swordsman or lancer / swordsman).
The options I am considering are :
A) mix the armoured and unarmoured horses
B) have the armoured horses together and use these as Saka cataphracts
C) mix lancers and armored bowmen so I can use them as early or late armoured cavalry

Any opinions or other options ? Is option C going to be confusing - would people prefer Lancers to all have lances and Bow cavalry to all be shooting bows ?

What other manufacturers should I be considering for Skythian Heavy Cavalry ?

Personally, I would have them in units with the armoured guys at the front and the unarmoured guys at the rear. If they happen to be Cataphracts in the game you're playing they are cataphracts. Next week they might be Armoured cavarly. Who cares that much. If anyone gives you grief tell them to get stuffed. They will be fairly clear on what they are.

Ian

I was thinking of something like that. I might do 4 bases on armoured horses and 4 on unarmoured. I can use these as 4 catafracts and 4 armoured cav, or mix them up to use as 2 BGs of 4 armoured cav.

Khurasan's Kushans (new range I think) would be suitable for later (Eastern) Saka/Scythians...straight out of Gorelik's book.

I'm in the UK so all the suggested figure ranges (Khurasan, Old Glory, Alain Touller) and out due to cost. Are there no Skythian Heavy cavalry from UK manufacturers ?

Peter Pig do Parthians that will be ok for the heavier types, real nice figures but can look small when mixed with some other makes.

Falcon used to do some nice Skythians. I don't know if they are still available though

Polkovnik wrote:I'm in the UK so all the suggested figure ranges (Khurasan, Old Glory, Alain Touller) and out due to cost. Are there no Skythian Heavy cavalry from UK manufacturers ?

Theres a full list of everyone I coudl find with Skythian ranges here.

http://www.madaxeman.com/wiki2/tiki-ind ... an+or+Saka

Also have a look at the pages for similar armies for more choice if you are prepared to be a bit broader in your figure selection

Tim

hammy wrote:Falcon used to do some nice Skythians. I don't know if they are still available though

...only from America I believe