I have finally completed re-basing and re-touching my old Nikephorian Byzantine army for Field of Glory. Moving house unexpectedly and debilitating RSI didn’t help the process, but it’s satisfying to finish a project. This is a 600pt starter army with Georgian Allies. I wanted to explore using an all cavalry option. An infantry based option will follow shortly, but when the army was used in 7th edition I enjoyed the flexibility and speed of an all cavalry force.

The Georgian Allies: Knights (superior cavalry), LH retainers and LF bow. I wanted to use my Norman cavalry figures in this army and although there is considerable evidence to suggest that Norman contingents served with the Byzantines before 1042 the current lists do not allow for this. Taking Georgian allies was my way of introducing them into the army. This allows me to field both a western and eastern army as Georgians allied with the Byzantines under their King Bagrat III and his successors; they were given the title of Kouropalates by the Byzantine Emperor.

Georgian or Norman knights: Superior, Armoured, Cavalry, Undrilled, Lancers, Swordsmen.

The light troops of the army consisted of LF bow, and LH Bow retainers from the Georgians. The Byzantines also fielded drilled outflankers. These light horsemen were detachments drawn from the field regiments. In the lists they are described as LH, Protected, Average, Drilled, Bow, Swordsmen. I have depicted them with lightly armed lancers in the front rank which were previously trapezotoi from the 7th edition lists. I wanted to reuse these figures because of their dynamic pose and it also reminds opponents that the LH are protected which is rare in other lists.

The Tagmatic regiments are the core of the Nikephorian Byzantine army and were the inheritors of the military tradition of the Roman Empire. The Western regiments remained in service even after the fateful battle of Manzikert in 1071.

There were a number of Tagmatic regiments: the Scholai, Exkoubitoi, Vigla, Hikanatoi and Athanatoi. They are the best and most expensive troops in this list.

Kataphracts (Klibanophoroi) were introduced by the Emperor Nikephoros II Phocas to penetrate and break open the enemy line. They are Elite troops, but are somewhat brittle if outnumbered and unsupported, however, they look too good to exclude from the army!

The next step is to re-base the infantry and consider whether it is worth painting up some elements of Varangians!