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Caledonian, Irish, Scots and Pictish

Historical Overview Section

This list covers three separate but related armies and nations

The Caledonians were the enemies of the Roman Empire, which was then occupying most of Britain as the Roman province Britannia, who lived in what is now Southern Scotland. Caledonian is the name used by the Romans - bizzarrely we do not know how the Caledonians referred to themselves - or indeed if they were meaningfully different to the Ancients British list or the more northerly tribes who appear here as the Picts.

In AD 180 Caledonian tribes took part in an invasion of Britannia, breached Hadrian's Wall and were not brought under control for several years, eventually signing peace treaties with the governor Ulpius Marcellus. In 197 AD Dio Cassius records that Caledonians aided in a further attack on the Roman frontier being led by the Maeatae and the Brigantes and probably inspired by the removal of garrisons on Hadrian's Wall by Clodius Albin. Caledonians are next mentioned in 209, when they are said to have surrendered to the emperor Septimius Severus after he personally led a military expedition north of Hadrian's Wall. By 210 however Caledonians had re-formed their alliance with the Maeatae and joined their fresh offensive.

The Scots or Irish migrated from Ireland & settled in lowland and central Scotland and parts of Wales becoming another part of the tapestry of tribes beyond the Roman border. The origins of the Picts - more northerly tribes - is even more obscure. One school of thought sees the Picts as a confederacy or amalgamation of various tribes including the Caledones and Maeatae (and Attecoti) - a 7th century Irish source refers to the 7 kingdoms of the Picts, perhaps backing this theory up.

Using the army in ADLG

  • This is three entirely separate lists, so should be considered as such
  • The Caledonaisn are essentially Ancient Beritish and use the same troops and tactics, although with the Atecotti as a cutting edge
  • The Scots/Irish have least going for them as an army list, but large numbers of non-impetuous swordsmen can swamp an enemy in the right terrain, and a lot of LF Javelin and compulsary Difficult terrain options makes a good combination for making life difficult for many more conventionally arrayed enemies
  • The Picts major on Medium Spear, and as such taking all of them as Supported is kinda mandatory as it gives this often unloved troop type the chance to benefit from its huge numbers and be surprisingly effective even against (non impact) mounted opponents

User-contributed links about this army. Add links in this format:

as an example

  • The Picts background and painting ideas from Wargames Foundry

Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
Podcast Picts
Ordinary Included
2 light chariots light chariot elite
2 pictish horsemen light cavalry javelin ------
==
Brilliant
4 atecotti warriors medium swordsmen impetuous elite
8 pictish warriors Medium spearmen missile support ------
1 pictish horsemen light cavalry javelin ------
2 light infantry light infantry javelin ----
1 light infantry light infantry sling ------
==
Saxon Ordinary Ally
2 saxon warriors heavy swordsmen impetuous elite
3 saxon warriors heavy swordsmen impetuous ------
2 light foot light infantry javelin ----

(In the Pod the team discussed moving a few Spearmen to the first command, making the Saxon ally Included and the commander of the first command non-included)

Scots Podcast
Competent
4 Attecotti
4 Scots Med Sword
2 LF Javelin
1 LF Sling
==
Competent
8 Scots Med Sword
2 LF Javelin
1 LF Sling
==
Ordinary Included
2 saxons HF Impetuous Sword
1 Monks Levy Expendable
2 LF Javelin
1 LF Sling
2 Medium Swordsmen
1 Light Chariot Elite General
5 Fortifications
(the third command can use the fortifications to hide behind, delaying the enemy while hopefully using sheer width to exploit numbers on some terrain filled areas of the table)


200 Points

  • 3 of these
  • 4 of these
  • etc
  • etc

15mm Manufacturers supplying figures for this army


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