DBM Baggage Camps

One of the provisos of the DBM ruleset is that you must provide two baggage elements for each command in your army. Typically most armies contain 3-4 commands which means you have been six and eight 40mm x 40mm elements to represent the army's camp. This can be represented by individual baggage pieces but I prefer to construct a small diorama which reflects the army's character.

Included below is a gallery of some of my baggage pieces.

Arab Conquest

Arab camp scene. The camels are Museum, the horseman Essex and Battlezone tents.

Assyrian

Tribute to Assyrian meglamania. Nobody has sacked it yet! The imposing towers and gates are by Steve Barber Models. The figures are Chariot.

Ch'in Chinese

The Emperor's Head Pit. Lord Shang instituted the practice of collecting heads to inspire ferocity in the Ch'in troops. This piece represents the Emperor overseeing the creation of a pit for his enemies' heads. Hopefully over the next few years it will fill to overflow with the heads of the Emperor's foes. The honour of being the first head in the pit fell to Mike Anastasiadis' Alexander. The figures are Essex from the Ch'in range with the convict labourers coming from their Chou range.

Classical Indian

The Maiden Guard protect a statue at the entrance to a temple. The statue is of the god Ganesha. The figurs are Essex, temple floor is part of the Warhammer fortress and the statue I picked up in a shop just outside Noosa in Australia.

Late Muslim Indians

To the victors the spoils. This piece represents a victorious Muslim army transporting the spoils of war home. In this case the plunder is a Hindu statue (Ganesha again) and it is being dragged on a wooden dray by two baggage elephants. The elephants are Irregular Miniatures, the figures Essex and the statue was found in a curio shop in York, UK.

Macedonian

Which way now? A small plasterwork house with table and well from Steve Barber Models. The baggage train of mules and asses are from Essex. The officer is telling them where to go!

Malay

Driving out the non-believers! Before the conversion to Islam of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesian islands, the Hindu religion had a strong foothold. As the Muslims gained the ascendancy Hinduism largely died out. My baggage piece represents a group of Malays desecrating a ruined Hindu temple. The mounted figures and swordsmen are Grumpy's, the porters are Two Dragons, the temple floor is Warhammer Fortress and the Hindu statues were again found in that shop in Noosa.

Medieval French

The Mass before the battle. Apologies for picture quality as it is a photoscan rather than digital image. I sold my Medieval French army mid-1999 and this is one of the images I used. The scene is of a prayer meeting before the battle. A priest (with altar) is mounted on a wagon (Essex's carroccio) and is giving the blessing to the assembled nobles, mercenaries and peasants. The figures are from Essex's medieval range and the two tents are by Battlefront.

Norman

This piece was created by Paul Goldstone and I inherited it when I bought the army. The figures are largely Two Dragons though again it utilises Essex's carroccio.

Ottoman Turk

Battlezone's mosque is the centrepiece. While not up to same quality standard as Battlefront, Battlezone make a number of buildings not produced by other manufacturers. Essex's Qapukulu horsemen are the cavalry figures.

Patrician Roman

Once were Romans (now largely Germanic)! My Patrician baggage is a barbarian village. Surrounded by "toothpick" pallisade, it is made up largely of figures from Irregular Miniatures. These include a pig on a spit, beer barrels, hay wagons, various farm animals as well as villagefolk.

Early Samurai

Samurai march on their stomach.The Minamoto baggage train made up of Two Dragons porters winds its way past a roadside shrine. The shrine and wall are from Irregular's 6mm samurai castle. Two Dragons have a number of human porters carrying packs plus mules carrying rice bales.

Teutonic Order

Burn the heretics! The fires have been prepared in another Paul Goldstone baggage piece. Paul has used Essex figures for his ecclesiastics.

War of the Roses

The weak must be punished! Over 25% of England's nobles died (largely post-battle) during the wars between Lancaster and York and this piece represents the fate of yet another unfortunate. The figures are a mix of Museum and Essex, most of which have been converted.

Early Viking

Rape and pillage is the traditional image of the Vikings. However they were in the main more commercially minded than that. This baggage piece represents the aftermath of a successful raid with the female captives likely to be sold into slavery. The figures are a mix of Essex and Museum, the fortification is Hovels.

   Any suggestions or comments please contact Peter_Dunn@compuserve.com