Going away

Just a quick post to ask if anyone knows of any wargames clubs/shops in the Southampton area. I'm going over there next weekend to see my brother and, although i know that there is a Gameswork Shop there, it doesn't sell historical figures :(

Any help would be appreciated!

Militia done and dusted

100th post and the white coated militia are finished!

All is finished, bases and all. I like how they came out.

In total, they number 12 pole armed men and 4 archers.

The fully harnessed man is not part of the militia, but is a test for my next retinue (Walkers).

Pictures aren't great as it's a bit dull here :(

And look what came in the post for me today!

Some battle pics

Volia some photos of a battle played between me and my sister. We were testing out some rules, By arrow, bill and sword, written by Silent Invader over on the Lead Adventure forum for mass skirmishs (link to rules), with modifications for 6 sided dice. It didn't work as well, so i'm thinking it over.

The game was fun though.

My force below. Men of Warwick, Hanbury, the militia and some French mercenaries.

My sister's force, Stafford, and the German and Danish mercenaries.

We played a meeting engagement, with both forces wanting to move through a village. No factions here just a noble feud.

My men advancing to the village, archers in front.

The few militia archers prepare a 'volley'.

The Germans marching up the road to greet Warwick's men.

Although outnumbered and suffering losses, my men held on fierecly and wore the mercs down.

On the other side of the houses, a small archery duel breaks out, as Stafford's men advance.

Charge!

Meanwhile, the militia are cheerfully cut down in a melee including militia, French and Danish mercenaries and some archers. My French men at arms also begin chopping into the German handgunners.

After a hard fough 2 hours we stopped, me gaining a slight victory (yey!)

It was good to get almost all the painted men on the table, but the rules need changing. I'm thinking of just changing the Dux Britanniarum rules, using Silver Whistles mods for Sharpes Practice as a starting point.

The militia are now finished, and waiting for bases to be painted and grassed. That's for the next post, post number 100...

A medieval renaissance

Finished three more militia men.

I think it's all the inspiration, with the discovery of Richard III and Battle Royale III on the Lead Adventure Forum that made me break out the brushes and continue the 28's.

A bill man, the banner bearer and a chain mail armoured soldier (miliput conversion). I might add a buckler later.

Below, the band so far. Only a one man and perhaps 2 archers to make to archer group 6 men.

I also made some more Danes, with one conversion inspired by the gun commander below (taken from je-lay-emprins blog, a very nice blog and a must for medieval lovers). The commander has a plakart over his doublet, which i copied. 

My result, a Dane crossbow leader. He is accompanied by some mercenary handgunners and, with the leader in the crossbow group and one man with the handgunners, will give me all the Danes i need. That's 10 men in total.

Speaking of Battle Royale on the Lead Adventure forum, i wondered if i could have a force that big. A quick count up revealed i have 240 foot and 36 cavalry, either painted, plastic or waiting on sprues. So when i'm finally done i will almost have BOTH forces! But that's in a long time yet.

First attack

   We counted the dead; thirteen. Not a lucky number.
   With wounded men and empty arrow bags we returned to our base, the small castle on the border. Yesterday we had left here confident of an easy victory, but the wheel of fortune turns and God was not with us and Steffan's speech was less than inspiring. Even the drink did not help us and only made our aim worse.
   We had gone north, attacking into a lightly defended estate protected only by a manor house. The French knew we were coming and had marched out to meet us, and we, confident in victory, went to meet them. The French waited in a good position; with their crossbowmen on a hill and some fields to their front. We lined up opposite them with our tight on some houses. I was with the archers and John on the right, while Steffan and Charles held the center to face the enemy men at arms.
   Steffan tried to raise our spirits with a speech, but it did the opposite to the men. A priest was called to bless us and even then God turned away for the priest spilled the holy water and hurried the rest of the blessings. We eventually passed round the ale and the men took up their weapons, hoping the French were even more scared than we were.
   They weren't, and they advanced with confidence. Their crossbowmen rained fire on our men at arms and killed one, while we the archers aimed at the handgunners that took shots at us. One hit my neighbour  Nicolas, straight in the face, broke his nose and teeth and went through the back of his helmet. I put an arrow on my string, aimed at a smoke cloud and let loose, and when the smoke cleared i saw a crawling Frenchman with an arrow in his chest.
   The men at arms then got to grips, and to my horror our men we being pushed back. Not many were dying but the French were brave and eager, while we were nervous and more soldiers came towards us through the wheat fields. We loosed volleys at them, some of our shots going wildly wide while some found their mark and the French soldiers began to waver. Our men at arms fell back and before us five French lay dead or wounded by our arrows.
   Urged by their success, the crossbowmen approached along their hill, raining fire if our men at arms pulled back too far, and i saw our horse holders coming up. Steffan was planning on retreat. I saw four of our scouts behind the enemy and they chased off the handgunners and turned on some spear men, who suprised them and killed their horses with their spears. They dispatched the riders and we returned the favour with a volley.
   The men at arms managed to hold off the French long enough to force them to stop, and then in a sudden mounted up and galloped away. Steffan shouted at us to follow, and we stepped back, loosed a final volley and ran back to our horses too. John grumbled that the battle was far from lost and that Steffan was a coward, but he decided to follow us when we retreated.

   Back at the castle, John began to argue with Steffan and he called me over to translate. He could speak French but when he was angry he spoke English and he asked me to translate for i spoke French better than any of the other archers.
   John did not bother to argue long and instead strode away shouting at the archers and kicked a loose helmet.
   "He has no control over his anger." Steffan told me quietly. "I won't how he became a captain."
   "Luck, lord." I replied.
   "Or gold."
   "Perhaps, lord."
   "He is a rogue," Steffan continued after a pause, "but he brings men, so i need him, even if i don't like him. If we loose again i imagine he'll leave us, taking you with him."
   "I would stay, lord." Steffan looked at me surprised. I liked John, but liked Steffan even more for he was kind as well as stern and he could be generous with plunder. John was a good soldier while Steffan was a better leader.
   "We shall stay here until we get more men. I want you Thomas to scout to the west. Take three men with you and report what you find."
   "Yes lord."

No photos of the battle, sorry.

The Anglo-Burgundians were defeated. It didn't start well, with their morale plunging from 8 to 5, but some over indulging brought it back up. The French were in a better mood and evidently God was on their side.

The French lost men, but only Light losses while Steffan lost thirteen, Moderate losses. Alain cannot become a Knight yet but, if he needs to, he can hire some mercenaries for the next battle. For now the harvest shall be gathered without worry of raids and the fighting shall continue in September.

The shortest Dux game ever?

First off, the characters for my sort of Historical campaign in France.

The heroes of France:

Left, Perrin Ledoux. Son of a Doyen (esquire), Perrin is 25 and is out to make a name for himself. He is Devout and is of Average build. He leads the militia crossbowmen.

Centre, Sir Alain Le Grande. Alain is 21 years old, tall with the Constitution of an Ox and good looks. He is the younger son of a noble family with no inheritance and for the time being has been left on his brother's estates while he fights elsewhere against the Burgundians. Now is Alain's chance to shine.

Right, Robin Vallet. A professional soldier, he is 30, short and a Master of Arms after years of fighting. He leads Alain's soldiers.

The Burgundian raiders.

Left, Charles. He is noble, but now he has nothing and has been forced to become a mercenary to live. He is short and a heavy drinker, and he hopes he can take some land worthy of his ancestors. He is 23.

Centre, Steffan Vogel. Son of the gentry, Steffan is 26, tall, a Devout Christian and ambitious. He fights for Burgundy and Marie and leads the mounted men at arms to battle.

Right, John Stafford. An English mercenary, John is Gentleborn of the rough sort. He is Lustful and has a Lust for Power (-3 loyalty!), and is tall and strong. He wants gold and land and leads a band of English archers just as rough as he is.

The forces i 'm using in this campaign are slight modifications of the normal lists (thanks to Jim for the lists he made). The French can assemble: 6 men at arms, 12 soldiers, 6 militia and another 12 militia armed with crossbows. Alain also has 4 skirmishing handgunners.

The Anglo-Burgundians have 12 men at arms, 6 soldiers, 12 English archers and 4 light horsemen (replaces missile troops).

March, one year in the 15th century (i'll think of one some time soon)

Alain has received good news; Robin is returning with some men to support him against the routiers some of the farmers had spoke about. These raiders have been seen scouting the border lands and Alain has assembled the militia and his few men at arms at a tower, both to watch out for the Burgundians and wait for Robin's return.

A sentry spots Robin and his men and Alain goes out to meet him. (The brown strip is a river, i need to cut out some blue fabric to make a proper one!)

Robin and his men, glad to be home.

What's that? A glint of metal? A whine of a horse? Robin forms up his men against the threat.

There is a mighty war cry, and suddenly twelve mounted men at arms burst from cover, lead by Sir Vogel himself.

Ahhhh! Unpainted men!

Robin and his men are caught unawares and half the men fall wounded or dead. Robin himself is wounded.

Not even the cover of the fence can saw them as some cavalry rides around the house and kills another 4 men. Robin and the wounded surrender. Alain watches in disbelief from the stream.

Steffan ransoms the men back for a Soldier's Pay and puts the French out of action for 2 months. They could have contested but down on 10 men Alain would not risk it. Instead Steffan amasses much plunder and by June has an eye to capture a manor close to the border...

Two turns. The Burgundian lord was the last to activate on the first turn and the first on the second, effectivly giving him a double go. His cavalry, aided by cards, devastated the French soldiers. In these changes, men at arms can mount and dismount so we keep them at 6 man strength, which also makes them very hard on the charge.

Steffan, after 2 months raiding, is now promoted to a Knight and can commence battles (yes, already!) So we all know what's coming next...

Beginnings

   We all jeered in truimph as we let our captive go and the gold was given to us. It was a good start to a promising year, and the men were smiling and happy. They were money makers, loot hunters and they were getting what they came for. The French pulled back to their tower and we rode away, leaving the dead to be buried by the vanquished.

   Perhaps i should introduce myself. My name is Thomas. You might think i am a lord or noble, at least a one of the gentry, but i am only an archer. My father was a free man farmer who owned a small portion of land, and like many others i had to practice with the bow from young age. I began to enjoy it, and decided to become a soldier, for our times are troubled and there is a constant need of good fighters. There had been a good amount of feuding and strife in England, but in my time we were at peace. I saw my chance when our King Edward decided to invade France.

   Alas, my hoping was in vain, for after marching to and fro we had neither loot nore enemies, and when i learnt our king had settled for a truce, i parted with a group of men who were going east to fight for Burgundy, who was in need of fighters i heard.

   It was in their pay i killed my first French man, and i was in the company of a man named John Stafford. He was from a town near my village and he was kind to me, as i turned out to be an excellent shot with the bow, but he was known for being a womanizer, loving the company of married women, and he also wanted money and power well above his birth. He was a good rogue, i thought, and i think we did too.

   After perhaps a year, we were attatched to the company of a Burgundian named Steffen Vogel, or Sir Vogel i should say. He was a tall, good looking man and he was brave and a good Christian. He was planning to attack France, not an invasion but several over border raids, and he hoped to take some land from the less well defended places. We went south, i can't say where, and set up our base in some old castle. Some said we were in the south of France, but i had no real idea and nore did i care.

   We scouted the French lands and discovered that many of the fighters were away fighting elsewhere, and the plunder was ripe for the taking. Steffan, smart as well as brave, heard of a column of soldiers returning from the Burgundian wars elsewhere and was returning to protect the estates from raiders. We set up an ambush near a look out tower and waited.

   I did not see the skirmish, but it was quick. Sir Vogel and his men at arms, mounted on horses, galloped from their cover and quickly cut down some of the French men. The others, including their leader, took cover behind a fence but some of the men at arms surrounded them and, after killing more of them, they surrendered. I followed on foot, bow strung, and i saw more men coming to help them. They lost heart when they saw us and Steffan held us back from attacking, not wanting to loose men and also seeing a band of crossbow men in the tower. Instead, he called their leader forward and, after some talk, decided to ransom back our prisoners and went to find the gold. I think they took it from a church for they were quick, and we returned to our castle unmolestered.

   If the French thought we had gone, they were wrong, for during April and May we raided them. They did not seek battle and so we rode freely through their lands and after one raid Steffan rewarded us more than normal. He promised land and more gold if we fought well, and so, in June, we marched out to take the French lands.

This is the started for a campaign i am running, where a Anglo-Burgundian force is trying to fight off the French. It is away from the main fighting of the Bugundian War of Succession and is instead in a far flung part of France, where the defence lies on the militia boosted by some professionals. The first game (only lasting 2 turns!) gave the Anglo-Burgundians two months uncontested raiding and Steffan was promoted to a Chevalier.

I'm using a mix of Jim's modifications, and images and more info will come in the next post, with pictures of the first raid.

Making a start

Made a start on my new 15s and painted up two of them. They went quickly and they might not win any painting competitions but i'm looking for a full force, more impressive en masse. Just the bases to do and click for more detail.

I did a little conversion on the spear man, turning the hand and clipping a hole in the spear. I did add a little axe head in plasticard but it fell off so he's a spearman. I kept highlights to a minimum, mainly on the armour and the crossbowman's surcoat.

I've also made a start on a hall and two houses for my campaigns in Runissia and the Kaliad Shore. I'm aiming for a mix of Saxon/Viking buildings for the poorer and rural buildings with later medieval manor houses and towers/keeps for the richer and fashionable men.

Figures to show the size.

The hall's big, but it has to be! I won't stick the roof on so men can go inside.

I plan on doing a tower, like the one i have already in 28mm but perhaps in stone this time, as well as some more farmers houses and a barn and smithy. That was i can have a village, a manor around the hall or a motte and bailey castle around the tower. I'll make a circular palisade from plastic sprue too. Hmmm, plenty to do!

Sample is here

Got my sample pack of Legio Heroica in the post today!

I asked for some Feudal and crusaders, and a Swiss pike man to create some Runissians and Kaliads for Norvarje, my fantasy world.

Here they are. I also have three shields and spears for all, but they don't make for good pictures.

I need to clear them of some mold lines and flash, then i can get miliputing. I plan to add boots to some, and convert a spear man to carry a pole arm in both hands. I thought about creating a feudal force for a moment but decided to stay focused, as if i don't make Runissians now i don't think i ever will.

Below is a quite comparison. Legio Herorica in the center, Museum Miniatures on the left and Warrior Miniatures on the right.