Starting at Shadows

I should never have read all the way through Shadows in the Desert, at least not until I had finished  my Medes and Lydians. My mind keeps wandering to my waiting Sassinind Clibinari & levy molds and Hinchliffe elephant kits and campaigning in even more remote and romantic lands in the back of beyond.

As an example of bad timing, RAFM is having a 40% off sales on ancients (see link to left) so while I ordered another pack of arab archers to bring my new unit up to 24, and enough Hellenistic cavalry to make the 1st Lydian cavalry regiment,  there are also a dozen cataphracts and a mix of Scythian and Sarmatians coming to make a unit of 1/2 armoured  Saka nobles. (cleverly able to do double duty). I resisted the temptation to add other things I wouldn't mind having and  instead spent the rest of my unhatched eggs on some definitely early troops, some Rose Nubians to mix into my Ethiopeans to bring them up to 24, a regiment of Garrison 25mm Persians in long robes, not the guard yet, just some Persian tribesmen to fight for the Medes, oh and a dozen Garrison clibinari. Oh dear.

Well, never mind, I have only finishing touches and the first 16 Phrygian spearmen will be ready to take the field with the remaining 8 to follow soon. Rebasing and reorganization of the Medes has also begun. Including recycled Valdurian Royal Guards and various barbarians from the north, but excluding new recruits not yet recieved or cast, I have laid out 10 cavalry regiments in various states of disarray from almost table ready to debating stripping and repainting. 2 of these will be on 1/2 armoured horses, possibly a little pre-mature, 4 will be light and 4 medium/heavy. The OB calls for 6 units at the moment but I'm not sure if I can pawn off any on the Lydians as barbarian mercenaries. Only a few of the regiments are amenable to amalgamation into 18 or 24 man units but perhaps I will go back to the idea of fielding two 12 man squadrons  as a scenario "unit" once they are all complete.

  The question is, can I complete enough troops to make it proper to start a mini-campaign within 3 weeks?