From AlanD - Gallic Cavalry (55 points)

Pompey's army for To the Strongest! continues to grow this week with a unit of Gallic cavalry.

Figures are from Wargames Factory (donated by Paul OG - thanks!) They aren't too bad, although the detail is very soft in places.

Shields are hand painted, which was fun, but did not make me want to paint a whole army of Gauls!

From Millsy: Absolutely wonderful brushwork mate! There's so much to like about these, especially the plaid and the basing but the shields are the real show stopper. I've painted enough checks myself over the years to know how frustrating it can be but the results speak for themselves. Bloody beautiful and worth another point apiece I reckon.

From AlanD - Pompey the Great's Hubris [Death Star] (30 points)

 Paul OG and I have been working for a while on a Roman Civil War project for Infamy! Infamy!, set around the lead up to the battle of Pharsalus in 48BC. Paul has been working on the hard-bitten veterans of Julius Caesar, while my army is the colourful, multi-cultural and not terribly good force led by Pompey the Great.

Inspired by the 'Hubris' theme of the Death Star, I finally painted the man himself, from the Warlord pack containing Pompey and Crassus.

Pompey certainly fits the definition of hubris, despite the dominant tradition amongst ancient authors to depict him as some sort of noble victim of treachery. The guy was a monster, earning the nickname of 'the teenage butcher' when he first used military force to gain the attention of Sulla in his civil war with the Marians. As a great example of his hubris, Pompey pushed Sulla to grant him a triumph in 79BC, meeting Sulla's objections that he was way too young with the comment that 'more people worship the rising sun than the setting'. He even attempted to use elephants to draw his chariot in the triumph, but they didn't fit through the gate into Rome. I would have liked to have seen that.

The Pompey here is older, paying the consequences of his hubris in underestimating Caesar and embroiled in a civil war that will cost him his life. 

Nice work, Dux, with your usual lovely basing. I've always wanted to know more about the Roman Civil War and have been enjoying the Cicero series of novels by Robert Harris. I get the impression neither Pompey or Caesar were likeable...

Barks