Owner: Rob Brennan
DBM List: Book 2, list number 36
This list represents the kingdom of the Bactrian Greeks which broke away from the Seleucid empire around 250BC. It is generally considered a powerful and flexible DBM list but not quite in the same league as the absolute "top" lists. This is to a large extent due to the eight mandatory Pike elements. The army is basically a DBM Knight and Light Horse army with sufficient cheap infantry to act as filler or hold bad going.
The punch of the army is Iranian lancers who may be either Irr Kn(F) or Reg Kn(X) in DBM terms. You can see the Irr Kn(F) ones in the picture above with my Regular Kn(F) commander in chief. The figures are all Essex but most of them are conversions to give a nice irregular look. I also wanted some figures holding their kontos 2-handed as is often illustrated but its hard to find figures cast that way. The CinC is an Essex mounted Greek general with a head swapped from a Crusades-era peasant to give the nice floppy hat that you often see on Bactrian coins. Most people say he looks like a Bishop!
I also painted up several stands of Iranian lancer Kn(X) to use for the post 150BC version of the list, but I haven't actually used them yet. These are Essex figures again. I used a mix of Parthian, Armenian and Seleucid cataphracts and replaced all the long kontos spears with wire to prevent "spaghetti spear" syndrome.
In addition to the Iranians there are a couple of elements of Reg Kn(F) Greek Bodyguard cavalry allowed. These can be useful for easing the PIP drain due to having irregular knights. In the picture above they are being lead by one of my sub-generals. Click here for a close-up of him. These are a mix of Essex Graeco-Bactrian Bodyguard heavy cavalry and Companions. Again there are a few conversions.
The core of the light horse contingent in this army is bunch of Arachosian light horse which are Irr LH(O). This is a mix of Essex Hippakontistai light cavalry, some converted Parthians and a Museum Classical cavalryman of some sort. These are useful troops and can be used in a number of army lists. These ones started life as part of my Later Achaemenid Persian army.
More light horse, this time its the Bactrian light cavalry. These are graded as Irr LH(S) which aren't such good value as skirmishers but in this army they are bulked out by LH(O) Arachosians and LH(F) Saka which can make them very effective. The figures are Essex Bactrians and Persians with a couple of Lancashire Bactrians and Persians on the rear right hand side element. Most of these bows are in fact small lengths of bent wire as most manufacturers cast Bactrians holding javelins. I like to put one archer and one javelinman on a LH(S) base to make them easy to distinguish from LH(F) and LH(O).
Finally here are some of the supporting troops, Mountain Indian auxilia and archers. The archers are in fact Classical Indians rather than Mountain Indians but I'm not sure where I can get really suitable figures so these will have to do for the moment. The Auxilia (X) spearmen are conversions of Essex Picts and Irish! Duncan Head suggested this when I enquired on the DBM list about suitable figures. They should probably be shieldless but I think those cowhide shields help to make them more Indian looking!
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