Conquistadors vs Aztec - First Encounters

A detachment of Spaniards having landed on the coast with Cortez have been guided by the Totonac tribes inland looking for signs of the Aztec empire. Having burnt their ships on the coast the Conquistadors are here to stay.

When the inlet can no longer be passed by row boat, time to press inland on foot.

The first outing for the Aztec's and an opportunity to give the Spanish some table time using an adapted version of Lion Rampant using David Sullivan's adaption I Live with Cats: Quetzalcoatl Rampant

The Spanish are split between the river and hinterland, somewhere on the table the Aztec are hidden looking to stop the invaders advance. Two units push towards the highway.

Natives appear from the undergrowth throwing slings at the Europeans they are met with a Boom! which sends them heading for cover. 

As a detachment of Conquistadors head for the high ground they are confronted by a units of young warriors. (I am a little lite on foot figures for the Aztecs but the great thing about the Rampant rules is their point values is either 6 or 12 points making the number of figures a mute point.) 

Elsewhere... At the river bank a unit of Sword and Buckler men push forward and are engaged by another group of young warriors, keen to grab a hostage. A Spaniard is captured but the Aztec's are soon beaten back and the captive freed.

In the centre Jaguar warriors rush forward keen to push their advantage.

Taking to the high ground the more Aztec warriors charge forward looking to secure hostages. Their wild charge made their assault a little disjointed.

The Conquistadors stand firm their steel blades hacking down multiple attacks, the Aztecs were unable to defeat the closely packed ranks of Spanish, the Aztec's were nearing breaking point. 

The fire sticks shook the Aztec's morale as they massed for a final attack. They were unable to close with the invaders. The Aztec's fell back into the jungle. The Spanish held the high ground but were nervous to pursue.

A great encounter the curse of freshly painted figures continues. The rules tweaks give the right feel for the period, with the black power weapons impacting the morale of the Aztec's, Their focus on seizing hostages make for an interesting challenge giving the Spaniards a chance to recover their losses.

Looking forward to getting a few more encounters in the coming weeks.

Aztec Jaguar Warriors - Wargames Atlantic.

Next up the last of the Wargames Atlantic box.

I am not sure I will get used to the colour Palette for these Jaguar warriors, lets hope they distract the Spaniards as much on the table top as when I was painting them.....

The Jaguar warriors were an elite military class made up of Aztec nobility and served as shock troops in battle. Their primary mission was not just to kill enemies but to capture them alive for ritual sacrifice.

To become a Jaguar warrior, one had to capture at least four enemies in battle. 

I opted for a mix of colours and will look to add a little more variety on the next batch, perhaps changing the tones to the blues and red's. This is one of the Christmas and Birthday projects when people ask what do you want and you are so difficult to buy for.

You get 10 Jaguar/Eagle Warriors in each box so plenty of choices to make up.

Now to give them a run out on the table using the adapted Lion Rampant rules - Queztacoata Rampant and see how the casualty capture rules work.

It's a good excuse to get the Spanish back on the table, stay tuned for the first run out.....

Spain in the new world - A new project looms.

Welcome to August and a change from the bouncing between the Crusades and the AWI project.

The start of a new (but planned for as very long time) project and Cortez in Mexico. As I start the snipping and gluing of Wargames Atlantic's Aztec's it gave me the opportunity of dusting off these fine looking chaps from Copplestone.

Lacking for enough clothing for the the battle of Tenochtitlan. They will certainly do for some of the encounters as the Spanish push in land and meet jungle tribes.

 

Clothing was minimal although I did give them a sheath just for modesty purposes.

Now to dig out Aguirre: Wrath of God  to give me the nudge to get the others on the table top.