Basically, I sculpted myself a fleet of 1/2400 scale triremes. The range is now available from Irregular miniatures. So far it includes:

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- 4 triremes;

- 2 undecked triremes;

- 2 Phoenician triremes;

- a pentekonter;

- 2 freighters (one large, one small);

- a floating trireme hull;

- a stand of 3mm hoplite infantry (this is not available yet).

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It all started with a trip to the Cyclades in summer 2019, which renewed the hellenophilia I developed by dancing and drinking in Exarchia's cheapest taverns as a young Erasmus student. The silent  rocky  islands, the dark blue sea, the breeze, the Mediterranean horizon…  I came back home determined to wargame classical Greek naval battles. I am such a romantic.

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It was easy to find the rules. I found the freely available and very promising “Delos" by W.L. Greene, and D. Manley was so kind as to provide me a copy of his old “Greek fire and roman fury” rules (now re-published as "He hemetera thalassa - Mare nostrum"). In the end, of course, I had to draft my own rules. You can find the latest iteration in the page Oi Navarcoi. It is still a work in progress, but  I feel like I am definitely getting close to the end. If you try it, write me your feedback!

 

It was more difficult with the models. I had some 1/1200s (too large). I evaluated Outpost 1/3600s (too small). I was not aware about Tumbling Dice's 1/2400 models - when I did find out, I was already committed. in the end, I started using Navwar's liburnians in 1/1200 as a proxy, as they were the right size for me.

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However, my obsessive side was not at all happy about using one ship for another, and frankly I was not very happy with the look of the liburnians themselves (sorry!). They are so rough, I tought, I could have sculpted them myself… and then I said, why, let's sculpt them myself! and then let's have them moulded and printed! I am going to have my very own line of naval minis, and I am calling it Alkedo, Seagull, like the roman ship at the ancient ships museum in Pisa. I have never sculpted a thing in my life, but I think is going to be easy!!

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So, here they are, the range is complete as far as classical Greek naval warfare is concerned. But I am surely going ahead to later eras and to more western waters (yes, I am talking Punic wars...). This blog is to testify my trip and to help me keep the motivation. And to warn you, the casual reader: do not attempt anything like this, ever.