Preparing for an Ancients Solo Skirmish this weekend, a tribute game in Stuart Asquith’s memory, using Stuart’s very own old 15mm Peter Laing Roman and Pictish Army.
I bought these figures, which were painted and based by Stuart, from him via an online dealer about two years ago. I have yet to split or alter the beermat bases into individually based skirmish figures.
Before I do this rebasing (which mostly involves simply cutting the multiple figure beermat bases like the archers into two individual bases), I wanted to photograph them all together, under the watchful eye of their old commander for the last time.
The Picts have some attractive swirly body tattoo or body paint, along with some great command figures.
Elsewhere if I want to transform these into Ancient Britons, I have some old Peter Laing 15mm British chariots somewhere and some Assyrian and Egyptian ones – good for chariot racing games.
There are some attractive 15mm Peter Laing Pictish and Roman / German Auxiliary Cavalry and Mounted Archers. There is also a non-Laing Pictish C in C on Horseback
The Roman and Pictish foot soldiers are backed up by these colourful Peter Laing Pictish and Roman Cavalry.
Many of the figures have Stuart’s unit ID notes on the bases, which I will do my best to photograph and preserve as I split up the bases to individual figures bases.
The Peter Laing Romans are superb little figures. 
There are also what I take to be auxiliary troops and some great Roman artillery.
I’m sure my fellow Peter Laing collector colleagues will help me ID with catalogue numbers some of these Ancients figures over the next few months.
I have other Peter Laing 15mm Ancient figures acquired over many years or dual use items from my teenage Middle and Dark Ages Peter Laing figures. Stuart’s Romans can take on (in Ancient future) my Egyptians, Greeks, Sea Peoples and others, even my Zulus. I even have a Peter Laing elephant with howdah somewhere!
I wish I’d asked Stuart for a bit of ‘commander in chief’ advice, as Ancients are a relatively new period for me, aside from playing rough games with my Airfix Romans and Britons many years ago.
I have long wanted to explore the Teutoberg type scenarios and The modern Vietnam style “natives versus more technologically equipped infantry” with milecastle ‘firebases’ etc https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/full-metal-hic-jacet/
However there are his many books to give me some strategy advice.
As well as Stuart’s very simple rules in his books (pictured), there are also simple Ancients rules in Donald Featherstone’s War Games (1962), which also has as an appendix my favourite ‘Close Wars’ Skirmish rules.
So still a little work to do to get my Skirmish game ready for Sunday / Monday in Stuart’s memory.
I have chosen a scenario from the Stuart Asquith book of Solo Wargaming.
The WW1 centenary (2014) ‘soldier’ beer is ready.
Preparation of the game blog post to follow.
Blog posted by Mark, Man of TIN on 15 November 2019
Man of Tin blog 
What lovely figures and what a wonderful thing it is to have his old army. I wish you much of joy of it.
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Ross
They are beautiful figures that came along online when I was looking for a Peter Laing Roman Army and each Army Romans and Picts was a “Buy It Now!”
So I did …
I look forward to gaming with them with Stuart’s blessing as their new Commander. I just hope they don’t grumble that the old Commader would never have done this and won more battles …
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Great collection who fight on under a new yet equally appreciative commander. A fitting tribute game and moving blog post. I look forward to reading about the game,enjoy. I am reminded of my own,long since gone , Roman legion from my late teens/ early twenties. All Peter Laing – nine cohorts of 24 figures and one of 36 figures plus some legionary cavalry. They fought well under wrg 6th edition at the club.
I hope we are going to see more Ancients on the blog. Btw do you have Phil Barkers Armies and Enemies of Imperial Rome? A one stop shop to the period and nostalgia filled.
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A lost Laing Legion to lament! Thanks for the nod to the Phil Barker book, sounds like one to track down through the library service …
How is the Scandi Forest of Death and Blood scenario ? Checked it in Swedish – Dod och blod or Dods-och blodskogen.
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A fabulous collection. Good to see them all displayed like that too. Getting them out and in combat is surely a perfect tribute.
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It was a good stimulus to action but a sad event that triggered all this.
It was good to have had a few emails from Stuart but I often think I could have written more to him about these figures, just as many years later I realised that I could have written to Donald Featherstone as his postal address was in the back of his War Games 1962 book and revisions.
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Yes, it’s sad that the passing of someone so admired is the trigger for re-appreciating what they did. I should imagine at least that the collective response from the world of wargaming over the years would have given Stuart a very good inkling how well appreciated he was.
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It should be a tremendous comfort to his family as seen in Henry Hyde’s blog eulogy https://battlegames.co.uk/a-eulogy-for-stuart-asquith/
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Wow – what a wonderful send off! Lovely to see the pictures of his figures in attendance too.
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