Warhammer Historical: Age of Arthur is an excellent wargaming resource. Sadly out of print and generally rather expensive second hand. Luckily I managed to get one for around £20 earlier in the year, so worth keeping an eye out for. Dux Brittaniarum by Too Fat Lardies is appearently useful as well and available as a pdf.

Others may pop along for other recommendations, but IMHO these give enough info for us wargamers.

I have Age of arthur book, but is not here where I actually live. So when I went home by christmas I should rescue the book and bring it to North.

By now I am reading few osprays.

Quote from: jchaos79 on 28 November 2014, 04:52:08 PM
but England dark ages always has been confusing for me.

Yep, it confuses most people - hence 'the dark ages'!

Most of what we 'know' comes from archaeology, and a very few written sources (mainly Gildas, and the later plagiarised work by Bede).

Dark Ages? Easy. The Romans left and turned off the light. The people remaining slept in apart from the Welsh who live in a land of perpetual darkness anyway, and so the Welsh stole all the history and rewrote it so that it all happened west of Offa's Dyke. Then a dodgy character called Arthur appeared and gave it large to some innocent Danish tourists. He disliked their annual trips to the country, that they Came-a-lot. His wife Genny was from Essex, so had it away with some French geezer. Or this might just have been bed time reading for the illiterate peasants and their elephants.

Another bloke was also hacked off with Danish tourists - didn't even like the bacon. He was more a cakes sort of guy. Preferred a bit of manor house to a bacon sarnie any day. His name was Alf. Alf Kipling. 

Some more Danes came over. One was a right Cnutter and went for a paddle. Then goody-goodies started writing reports about the goings on. One of these guys at Jarrow was a bit venerable and kept his Bedey eye on what was happening. Anyway, one of the Norwegians, right dozy pillock, was heading for Newcastle, but took a wrong turn at the Orkneys and found Greenland. Was Eric's face red at that one! After that he was known as "Eric the Pillock Who Didn't Turn Left at Scapa".

Then the Normans came with an order for some wall hangings. Harry, who was in charge of the gaff at the time, would have dealt with the matter, but he was too busy watching "900 years until England wins the World Cup". 

Quote from: jchaos79 on 28 November 2014, 04:52:08 PM
I know something about islamic/byzanatine world but England dark ages always has been confusing for me. Since I bought Dux B. I am focusing my reading about in the subject, and is not easy at all.

Hang on!  You can get the Byzantines stuff, but have difficulty with English history? When something is tortuous and complicated they don't say "Well, that's a bit English." 

I repeat - 

I just read more about byzantine and muslim than english history. But I am far from being an expert (in any period)! just a wargamer.

I see you have clear vision of the history of the Island.

Well, England is only half the island. Scottish history of the period is just as interesting. 

FSN I hate to disagree with you, but England is larger than Scotland, and you fail to account for Wales in your equation to.
Plus the country of Berwick.
The Liberty of Norton Follgate.
Sealand

Scotland was united long before England ever got its act together. 

Byzantine history has the incentive of being interesting, and the bonus of armies worth gaming with.

Quote from: mad lemmey on 28 November 2014, 11:22:12 PM
FSN I hate to disagree with you, but England is larger than Scotland, and you fail to account for Wales in your equation to.

Was just pointing out the oft neglected northern portion of these her isles. Was a geographical rather than a mathematical comment. As for Wales, well isn't mentioning that like commenting on a wart on a lady's lip?

Quote from: FierceKitty on 29 November 2014, 01:54:27 AM
Byzantine history has the incentive of being interesting, and the bonus of armies worth gaming with.

Interesting is as interesting does. I find Byzantine history interesting to a point, but all the politics and palace shenanigans gets awfully tedious.

Quote from: fsn on 29 November 2014, 11:07:51 AM
As for Wales, well isn't mentioning that like commenting on a wart on a lady's lip?

Just remember the 'nationality' of the gentleman who makes the wee tanks, Nobby. 
Cheers - Ffill

Quote from: fsn on 29 November 2014, 11:07:51 AM
As for Wales, well isn't mentioning that like commenting on a wart on a lady's lip?

Well, i normally try to avoid this sort of thing, except with our Doughboy cousins across the pond or of course with les grenouilles (but both of those are just affectionate ribbing and banter).

However...i alwyas quite liked Wales.  My maternal grandmother was Welsh.  My wife is part Welsh.

The 4 years ago i went to a friend's wedding in South Wales (he married a Welsh girl).

His house is like a fortress - replete with barbed wire and CCTV - as it is regularly attacked by the local Welsh neighbours.  His car was a wreck - regularly keyed, mirrors bashed off, dented, tyres cut, etc.  Because he's English, he and his partner said in a matter-of-fact way.  'Shocked', didn't cover my feelings on that.

Then at the wedding itself, the small 'English contingent' was ignored by the majority Welsh crowd in a prickly, brooding atmosphere.
At the reception, the snubbing continued, and when the other Welsh locals at the reception venue heard our accents, the trouble started.
The trouble ended with us being physically attacked in the lobby of our hotel.
The police arrived at 2am to 'keep the peace'.  There were no arrests despite our protestations.  A hotel fire door was off its hinges.  There were three black eyes.  The police took details of our vehicles in the carpark.
Two weeks later i received a notice of intention to prosecute from the local Welsh police - for an alleged speeding offence, which i'd apparently committed at 2.10pm, when i was in the church watching the wedding ceremony.  Took quite some time, stress, and effort to get that sorted and the notice dropped.

So my experience of the Welsh, and of Wales is not one i wish to repeat.

I've lived in several countries, in some good and some very rough places too.  I've never felt such visceral hate towards me, just because i'm English.

Hmmm, not great Luddite to say the least . Fingers crossed I've never had any problems with being English in Wales. A former colleague who was Welsh hated it when English people went into the pub and then everyone started to speak only in Welsh. No wonder Bristolians have a great deal of animosity towards the Welsh if they behave like that .

I apologise for the way this thread has deteriorated. I mean no real offence to our Cymric cousins, just a gentle leg-pulling in the full knowledge that our resident putty puller lives in the land of no vowels.

Quote from: Luddite on 29 November 2014, 12:23:27 PM
I've lived in several countries, in some good and some very rough places too.  I've never felt such visceral hate towards me, just because i'm English.

Hae ye no been to Scotland?

Hey gentelmens, any comment about Dux Bellorum or fan list arab/muslim expansion?

I lived in Aberystwyth, probably the most Welsh part of Wales at the time, for about 10 months back in the 70's and never had a problem with the locals, despite a noticeable Yorkshire accent. It seemed to me that problems tended to arise when an Englishman expecting to be snubbed met a Welshman expecting to be patronised and each proceeded to prove the other right.

I am frankly amazed at that. I lived in Manmoel and worked in Oakdale and Newbridge, and was also a member of the Cardiff wargames club (at Taff's Well) for a total of two years and never ever experienced anything like that, in fact completely the opposite. I made many really good Welsh friends and was on the brink of moving there to take up a permanent role at General Dynamics until Gordon Brown's sound-bite fantasy hole in the MoD budget appeared and they were forced to cancel either FRES (GD were working on FRES) or the aircraft carriers.

I also invited English mates down to watch Rugby league challenge cup finals at Milleneum and Rugby League magic weekends in Cardiff mixed in with some Welsh mates and every on got on famously together.

I grew up as a boy from England in Wales. Never came across any animosity, and indeed ended up being able to speak some Welsh and able to pronounce it correctly. I say boy from England as that's where I was born, but I prefer to think of myself as British as my ancestry is predominantly Celtic, with a lot of other stuff thrown in as well. Anyway, as Jchaos says - any more thoughts on Moorish armies in Dux Bellorum?

Quote from: jchaos79 on 29 November 2014, 01:00:03 PM
Hey gentelmens, any comment about Dux Bellorum or fan list arab/muslim expansion?

You're right jc..  back on topic.  Soryy for the threadjack.   

From Warmaster Medieval Armies:

The Almoravid Moors
Hasham Guard Cavalry - Max 1 unit (armed with javelins and shields, employed to guard commanders)
Jinetes - Max 4 units (light cavalry armed with javelins)
Black Guard - Min1/Max 2 units (tasked with guarding the Caliph)
Almoravid Spearmen - Min 4 units (the core of the army)
Almoravid Archers - Cannot have more archers than spearmen (Apparently these were deployed within the spearmen, so maybe you could add a shooting stat to the spearmen units? Alternatively, have the archers deployed in front of the spearmen, and they can retreat through when close combat beckons?)
Skirmishers - (no unit min or max given) Mainly javelin armed with some detached archers for longer range shooting.

Hopefully the above should give you some useful info to come up with a list. I can see the leader being deplyed with the Hasham Cavalry and the Black Guard being elite foot soldiers. The spearmen and archers are your rank and file, with the Jinetes being skirmishing cavalry. The other skirmish units pretty much as per the book.

Hope this helps?