Impetus Gaming on the Rise

Ken and I played a game of Impetus last night, my Free Company against Chris's borrowed Milanese army. The Italians ran my mercenaries off of the table, and although it was a little too dark to get any good photos, the game put me in the mood to babble about my favourite mass battle rules.

My cavalry getting bashed by the Italians - what an embarrassment!

After a short hiatus, Impetus has made's it way back into strong circulation in the group. Although there haven't been as many photos as of late, Marc and I often play 6mm Roman vs. Parthian games while he prepares to paint his 15mm English army. Chris and I have played 15mm games with me forgetting my camera on a couple of occasions. Furthermore some of you have no doubt noticed that the group is getting started with 28mm Fantasy Impetus as well. It is a good time for Impetus fans!

All the while Chris and I have started the painting ball rolling with our 15mm Dark Age armies and the word on the grapevine is that Stu is asking Santa for a 15mm painted Crusader-era army for Xmas. Just what I need - an excuse to start painting another army. Which leads to probably the only point in this pointless thread...

I really enjoy painting 15mm Impetus units, and here's why:

1. I can select, clean, file, prime, paint, and base the models for a unit in a reasonable time period. When I'm done, as I proudly hold the unit up, I feel a real sense of geekly achievement.
   
   
2. Selecting the models for a unit and planning the diorama fuels my creative drive, so I find that I can finish a unit before the sense of excitement grows stale.
   
   
3. The rules don't tell me how many models I must use per unit, or what type of models, or where they should be positioned on the base, or much else for that matter - I am free to plot and plan with very few limitations.
   
   
4. When the unit is finished, I get to use it on the table by playing a game that I really love. For me, Impetus balances intense game play with a relaxed tea-drinking attitude. Not many rule sets accomplish this symmetry in my experience.

Anyway, I'm currently staring at a couple of primed 28mm Chaos Knights and a unit's worth of 15mm Irish javelinmen . These models lay scattered across a sheet of looseleaf that is scrawled with possible future armies - Fatamids, Marian Romans, Medieval Byzantines... enough typing, the paintbrush is calling me.

Thanks for reading,
JET