Best pop your glasses on!.

Hello all, i have managed to completely miss the fun and games of Orctober, many fellow bloggers have done a stirling job of feasting our collective eyes with some wonderful greenies ( see Philotep, Paul and Sceavus to name but three) i have managed to get some other stuff done in the month (lummie!!) since my last post.......but first......

                                                            SSSLLLLAYYYYEEEERRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   So what have i been up to that's not blogging when im all at 'ome an' that?. Well, i have finished my first two 2mm armies for my upcoming campaign, observe:

The majestic army of Royal Crivenshire!.

The reet 'ard Bastards of grimm old Tuttinghammeshire!.

  As was mentioned in a previous post i will be revisiting a former almost fleshed out setting of Olde Albilande to finally play out the

 stuff. However i have switched to a far smaller scale to allow for MASSIVE games (oooh theres irony) and to let me expand on the setting by making it more of a pike and shotte meets steampunk type effort that i envisioned when starting the project last time out but was unable to complete in the previous 1/72 scale i was using. I will be......errr...... nicking the format of the campaign from Peter over on his blog (don't worry i asked if it was ok), with the odd change here and there to allow for my general laziness. 

  Most (ok all) of the campaigns i have started have floundered after the first few battles so this one will give me a chance to try a different approach. I think most of the issue has been my lack of prep, relying on getting minis, narrative and terrain together as and when required which i think left me feeling too 'busy' to be bothered to continue, other projects would creep in seeming more simple and fun or just as a quick break which i never came back from. This time i will prep before hand meaning rules for the campaign and game mechanics need to be clear before i start, armies need to be ready before i get going (although some things will only be available later in the campaign so will be done later leaving me safe in the knowledge that the hard work is out the way). I have also got ahead with terrain having made a board for the games, rivers, roads, forests and hills to be getting on with (nothing special, just things that work well enough, i can do better quality bits and bobs later as and when feel like it):

This stuff 'ere.

 I will have to crack on with working on the changes I want to make to the background, namely some fleshing out and name changes and some such, no major changes but important enough to get done. I also have to get the campaign map finished (almost there) to get hostilities underway.

 While I get on with that here are some more photos of the finished bits. Most of the minis are from the irregular miniatures 2mm range with some kallistra 12mm scale stuff as giants and some dystopian wars tanks chucked in.

Tuttinghammeshire armour supports the advancing cavalry wing.

Wazzockshire Brute Hounds rush to counter the brave men of the elite Storm Badgers division.

A Crivenshire combined armour and cavalry strike force advance.

And heres a scale comparison shot to show off just how small these 2mm minis actually are:

From the left: 28mm Perry(ish) knight, 20mm A call to arms ecw bloke, 12mm Kallistra command stand, 2mm Irregular pike and shot block.

 They are bloody small but in most cases you can make out rather a lot of detail, individuals are clearly defined on the pike and shot pieces and crew for artillary are clearly there on the mini. They are also nice to paint, they require the 'paint the unit not the man' approach, you kind of paint in lines rather than picking out details, although i have been finding the standard base coat, wash, highlight method is worth doing to bring out the sense of depth on the minis. Its about the grand sweep of the game as a whole when dealing with 2mm, which is something i find very appealing. I will be cracking on with the background stuff and the map next then tackling the 3 other major forces for the campaign, although the idea is they may join either of the two shires covered here rather than working as another side so no immediate rush there.

 Also while im here (it could be another month knowing me!) i wanted to point you in the direction of this post by WargamingPastor over on his deathzap blog. What a brilliant idea and a great way to use up the odd few minis you always have floating around after finishing a project!. I may have to explore this in the future!.........

.......'till next time.....

welcome to Daubishire!

Someone trusted me with a paintbrush again!....but first:

Audio Marmite agogo!! (my love for this band is only equaled by Mrs Sprinks hatred for them!!, i think its important to have balance in a marriage!)

  So as i mentioned above more paint has been thrown at little metal and plastic blokes resulting first in these:

Black Rats beware!.

  The above is the start of an opposition force to my £30 challenge army, they are yet to be named but the foot troops are made from the other half of the kallistra 12mm Scottish Pikemen packs used to make the Black Rats 'shafters'. As i'm sure you will attest they have been speed painted to be table ready only (not even a wash!) and are supposed to represent a more 'rabble like' force, maybe part trained village militia or some such. Leading them is a commander yet to be named and his banner waving mate!.

Another shot of the rabble.

 And another of the command stand.

'Come Sir Something, this way yonder to glory.....or just some more bloody felt.!'

  This will be another £30 force to take on the Black Rats when complete!. I have also been working on my small 1/72 forces for 'warhammerish' Blood, Guts and Severed Heads i am to use with the kids over the hols, this force is almost done, just some leaders and a centerpiece (guesses to which 'iconic' imperial thingy it will be in the comments!) to do and the force is ready!:

 'Empireish' 'orse!.

 Imperial knights ready to punch some chaotic types!.

 Pistoliers!!.

  I was very apprehensive about painting these as they are some of my favorite 1/72 minis ever produced, Revells' Swedish cav from the 30 years war. I think a few of the minis i have are the crappy Mars reproductions (i got mine in an ebay job lot) as some of the details are far less 'crisp' on a couple of the riders and the plastic is notably thinner, but even so i could not do an 'Imperial' army without some of these.

The force as it stands.

You can see i am going for small skermishy type forces to make sure i dont get fed up painting hundreds of the same thing!.

 Well thats whats been going on 'round these parts recently, i hope to have more soon....

.....'till next time.....

Challenge complete!.

                                                                                    'bout time we had some Maiden!.


 Yep the title of the post is actually representative of what i am about to cover, my force for the:

 
  .....thing is painted!. This is a bit of a milestone for me as not only is it my first completely painted force since i relapsed back into daubing earlier on in the year but it is the first fully painted army ever!!!!. I feel almost proud of myself!. Here are the last two units for the army:

The Forces heavy cavalry made up of C.C. Bathions' illegitimate sons known affectionately as 'the Rat Bastards'.

Their reputation for cruelty in battle is well known and often its the Bastards presence that sways the choice to hire the Black Rats over other merc companies.

The Black Rat himself leads out his Bastard sons with the dirty rats lending support!.

 The forces 2nd in command and the leader of the rabble Sgt Christophe 'the cleaver' Grunel, the hardest, coldest officer to ever drive the fear of god into a gaggle of fresh recruits!. To say the Sarge rules the ranks by fear is the understatement of the millennia!.

'OW MANY NECKS DO I 'AVE TO BREAK TO GET YOU SCUM TA 'OLD THIS BLOODY LINE?!!'

 So yeah, with them done the force is complete:

The Black Rats mercenary company arrayed!.

The force comprises of : 2x command bases, 3x units of spearmen, 1x unit of Bowmen, 2x units of Skirmishers, 1x unit of Knights, 1x unit of Light horse and 1x unit of Ogers.

 Not too bad for 2 months worth of work and rather gratifying to see in a group photo regardless of the imperfections contained within!.

  Also to reflect on the challenge as a whole it has been great to explore the idea of building an army on a tight budget and to prove that the Games Workshop (and others) pricing structure is not representative of the entire industry. Its also been great to see a few others take up the gauntlet and have a go using other scales and mediums to build some great looking forces, pretty much all cheeper than the force above!. Check out Peters paper forces in action here, Mr Maudlin Jack Tars old school 10mm Bretonians here and Springinsfelds' fine rabble of plastic orcs over here. Great work Sirs!, if anyone else is having a crack at the challenge please feel free to let me know in the comments and i will link to it, it will be great see what you have been up to.

  On the subject of the price limit the total cost of the force is as follows:

1.5 packs of kallistra 12mm Scottish pike @ £9.00,

1 Pack of Kallistra 12mm 100 years war bowmen @ £6.00,

0.5 Pack of Kallistra 12mm 100 years war mounted men at arms @ £3.00,

0.5 Pack of Kallistra 12mm 100 years war Hobilars @ £3.00

4x Alliance 1/72 Army of the dead @ 80p

1x Kallistra 12mm 100 years war foot command @ 60p

1x Kallistra 12mm 100 years war mounted command @ free samples!.

                                                                                         Total cost = £22.40!.

 I also learned to mix my own Low cost paint set during the course of the task which was fun and highly recommended!.

As well as finishing that lot I have also been working on some 20mm stuff this week, namely these chaps:

What do you get if you mix Pike.....

....and shot?.....

Pike and Shot of course!!.

 The above are all A Call to Arms ECW minis which i have to say are a pleasure to paint. They are the start of a summer hols gaming project with the Sprinklings loosely based on old(ish)hammer forces in the best scale known to man or beast using my Blood, Guts and severed heads simple rules. The above are the foot sloggers for the 'empireish' force. More on this to follow soon!.

  All that remains for today is to welcome this blogs latest vict...err, follower, Mr Stephen Beales, a hearty welcome to you sir!. I f you have a blog of your own please pop a link in the comments so us rabble over here can have a peek (we will remove our shoes and wash our hands have no fear!). 

........'till next time......

Filthy types on 'orseback!

 Phew things have been busy about these 'ere parts, mostly due to my annual reviews and competency assessments at work (last one monday thank the holy badgers of congrimmitt!), turns out they regularly check us meter monkeys are doing our jobs right!...good to know!. I have managed some painting in the too few periods of down time, but first:

Therapy? live at Castle Donington '94. A fresh faced 15 year old me was down the front with a massive poo eating grin on my face for the whole set!.

 Now on to the latest 'chimp with a brush' style painting:

 The 'Filthy Rats' foraging and ambush collective, the light horse of the Black Rats merc co.

 They are more 12mm minis from kallistra and were pretty fun to paint once i got my head round how best to tackle them!.

They are also my first go at horses for blinking years (about the same time as i was at the above gig in fact!). In the end i used the minis small size to my advantage and simply undercoated the whole mini dark brown and followed with a dark brown wash. I then picked out the manes and tails with black.  I toyed with the idea of  painting the tack but in the end chickened out!. 

 The Black Rats so far . Just a unit of Knights and maybe a foot command stand and i will be calling them done!. I will give a full breakdown of the cost of them for the £30 army thing next time out. 

Speaking of which 2 good folk have already finished some rather spiffing forces for the above mentioned challenge, check out The Maudilin ones brilliant Bretonians here and The noble Peters not one but two fantastic forces of Dark age goodness here and over here. Great work fellas!. If anyone else is joining in the challenge let us know how you are getting on in the comments below!.

......and heres a sneek peek at some more bits i have been painting with a view to a 1/72 fantasy project......more to follow.......i hope!......

.......'till next time.....

The Battle of Phelt-Underfoote

    'He stared through the morning mist at the generic enemy force arrayed before him, those Fossestershire dogs, they dare to meet us in open battle!. Well, he thought i will soon put paid to that notion. I shall give them such a test, such a lesson in the rules of warfare that they shall return north from whence they marched knowing once and for all how warfare should work. He strode to the crest of 'booksundercloth' hill to get a closer look at the foe. Yes he thought to himself, soon they will understand the system, scenario or no they will know how strong the rules of war truly are!. 'Sargent!' he barked over his shoulder, 'Fetch the ruler and the dice, its time to give these dogs what for!!'.

     As you may have gathered from the paragraph of bollocks above i have played another test game of my much changed rules for the 'absolutely not the thirty years English civil wars of religion' period i have been tinkering with. The result so far is designed to be simple and quick to play as gaming time is very limited at the mo but still retaining a tactical edge and most importantly being really FUN to play!!. The system is not unlike my Blood,guts and rampant hex system, just missing the hex board and with more 'period' (i use that term loosely) features such as troops having to reload as an action and running the risk of being out of ammo for example.

   For this game i decided not to link it to the ongoing campaign (just in case the rules were crap!) and thew together two armies from my newly re-re-re-based forces (now on single stands per unit) for a generic dust up!. I placed a basic lay out on the table, deployed and got stuck in!. So without further prattle we (thats myself and the ever present Wronghammer plastic re-enactment society) present to you:

               THE GENERIC TABLETOP BATTLE OF PHELT-UNDERFOOTE AND BOOKSUNDERCLOTH HILL!!

(a scenario-less dust up of dice, minis and the spirit of lineemupfornoapparentreason gaming!!!)

The view from Booksundercloth hill of the battlefield.

The armies of Fossestershire (to the north on grey/white bases) and Crivenshire (southwards on blue/white) array for no apparent reason!. Note the smaller playing area for these rules.

 The Fossestershire right of Irregulars and K.E.S riders

Over on the left is the strike force of Knights and the dreaded Wazzockshire Red riders on their giant carnivorous and rather grumpy goats!. Skirmishers lurk near the woods.

 For their part Crivenshire form a strong center of Kings Regulars flanked by sponsored Irregulars, Jarkin royal guards stand in reserve.

cannon stand watch on Booksundercloth hill screened by skirmishers.

The battle begins as the Fossestershire irregulars advance toward the Crivenshire guns, who waste little time firing a volley of lead across their ranks as the Skirmishers advance to take the scrub to the flank!.

The rest of the Fossestershire force advances using the tree line for cover.

A detachment of irregulars are ordered to stem the advance!.

 The Crivenshire skirmishers in the scrub are targeted by the Fossestershire irregulars who pepper them with close range musket fire!.

Forcing the skirmishers to flee the field!.

 On the other side of the field the Red riders slam into the irregulars who are too surprised to get off a volley before they close!, the Jarkin move up in support of their smaller kin.

The K.E.S rider squadron fly over the trees to attack the Royal Regulars, who stand in the face of the charge.

The same cant be said for the Irregulars who beat an orderly retreat from the rabid goats!.

 As the irregulars of both sides engage in a bitter fire fight the cannons roar!.

Sending one enemy unit running in panic!.

 On the Crivenshire left the Jarkin charge the Fossestershire knights!

 Only for the Reds to plunge into their flank!.

The combined onslaught proving too much for the Royal troops who turn and run!.

 Things are going better in the center for the forces of Crivenshire as the Regulars repel the K.E.S. riders.

Which causes the last unit of irregulars to panic and flee!.

 The Crivenshire center has done its job!

However so has the strike force on the Fossestershire left while skirmishers still lurk in the woods unnoticed!.

The skirmishers prove their worth with a volley from the trees sending the regulars running!.

The remaining Crivenshire forces form up in a defensive position but their nerve breaks!. They throw down their weapons and surrender before the inevitable charge hits home.

   So a victory for the north!, but thats not really the point of all this. I am finally at a point where the rules are feeling right. Nice and simple, combat is never a foregone conclusion even if some troops excel at it and the pike and shot troops have to weigh up the odds between sniping at a distance or advancing to close range under fire where their shooting is far more deadly. Add to that the fact that they have to reload the turn after firing the need for that 'optimal' volley adds another tactical edge. The game also has an army nerve system so at any point an army may quit the field if things go badly for them.

All in all i'm a happy little camper!........'till next time!.