"15mm Spartan army help" Topic

Hey guys, I am building a 15mm Spartan army and I know I need some Thracian Peltasts. I have seen a variety of figure types, I prefer a Thracian with a crescent shield and Corinthian style helmet…but is that a correct option for the Spartans? Also, are they considered Light Med…mtd on a 20 x 40 and if so, 3 or 4 to a stand…been a very long time since I painted Ancients.

Garb,arms and armour varies through the period but a Corinthian helm would restrict vision and hearing too much for a lighter auxiliary type.

If you are worried about strict historical accuracy I would suggest your choice of Thracians would be more appropriate for the period after Leuctra. Sparta made use of Thracians during Brasidas' northern campaigns in the 420s against Athenian colonies and aggression in the Chalcidice. I would have the majority bareheaded or in furs with a few better equipped with helmets sprinkled in. Crescent shields would be common. Also, as far as I know, there are no references to support the use of the rhomphia during the period when Sparta employed Thracians in their forces.

BTW, Xyston does a lovely Thracian for both the Classical and Hellanistic periods. Hope that helps. However, at the end of the day, they are your toys, use whatever makes you happy.

thank you Alcibiades and Tarantella! should these be mounted 3 or 4 to a stand assuming 20 x 40 for a DBA/DBM type system?

I believe 3 to a stand would be correct, they are irregular rather than the regular Greek peltast.

Definitely 3 per base for DBX basing. What rules are you planning on using ?

I used Xyston for Thracians for my Spartan army too. Their Spartan hoplites are equally excellent, long hair and shaved upper lips and all.

Marshal Mark, as to the rules, unsure yet…this all started when I started buying a certain figure at least 15 years ago…every time I went to a convention, I bought Viking Forge's Spartan Hoplite with the crescent helmet attacking…love this figure. The other day I was in a gaming store and someone had almost 100 of these in a clearance bin, bought them! Now after years of collecting, I am actually painting them. So, I will build an army because of that figure. Silly I know but it is what we gamers do…lol.

Frankly the Viking Forge javelin man would do as the early psiloi. DBA 3 at least has reassessed most of the earlier peltasts and lists them as psiloi at 2 per base.

In the later Hellenistic Period they become thureophoroi at 4 per base.

As far as Thracians, OG15s has the Battle Honors line with Thessalian psiloi and early Thracian peltasts. No pictures on the site, but you can see the figures on the AB Figures website. Haven't pulled them out and stood them next to my VF hoplites, but thy aren't any bigger than Xyston. Frankly, some of the Xyston psiloi make their hoplites look a bit small.