The cutting of the corners

   Hobby time has been rarer than purple hydra droppings of late, I have however managed to grab a quick half hour to conduct a little experiment.

 First I think a small sprinkle from the shower hose of context may be in order. As all three of my regular readers will know I do like to bodge together my own settings in which to game. One such setting that I keep returning to is that of Olde Albilande. Now I may not have been able to physically hobby lately but the tiny squishy pile of biological matter I call my brain has not been idle oh no, it's returned to this festering isle with some quaint remodeling and ideas for campaigns yet to be played. Now this is a good thing (to me at least) but would require a bucket load of painting to be done. The thing that has always hobbled my plans to make this kind of thing a reality is the volume of miniatures needed. In my normal choice of miniature scale that is...

  But there exists a scale where painting up an army or two in a matter of days is very achievable, a scale in which I have dipped enough toes to have a decent working knowledge of just how wet with possibilities it is. I speak of course of 2mm, where all men are modelled equally (tiny) and impressionism is everything!. My arrival at this decision went like this:

 Brain (B):dooldalbilande,dooldalbilande,dooldalbilande,dooldal...etc

Me: Eh, sorry I wasn't listening.

B: you never do, that's why your life is such an utter pile o...

Me: Shut up or I'll start drinking again, see how you do with even less cells.

B: Bloody charming!. That's why I never talk to you anymore.

Me: did you want something?.

B:Yeah actually, I was saying dooldalbilande,dooldalbilande,dooldalbilande,dooldal...

Me: This again?, Look I can't be bothered to paint 4 whole forces just to play a campaign.

B: 6 forces.

Me: what?

B: 6 forces, I made some changes.

Me: well definitely not then, think on you useless  squidgy tosser!.

B: You never do what I want.

Me: that's because all your ideas are mental, listen to me: I DO NOT WANT TO PAINT FIFTY BASQUILLION MINIS!.

B: You don't  have to I have a good idea.

Me: For once.

B: Piss off, no you can do each army in 1:1 scale in no time.

Me: Have you been drinking?.

B: No just listen for once. What about 2mm?. You can paint loads of them.

Me: You may have a point there... I'll alert the media.

B: oh do fuck off, it's a good idea though isn't it?.

Me: maybe...

And on it went. I did however have some reservations. I can do lots of pretty cheap forces in no time but if I'm doing this I'm doing it in 1:1 scale and I'm taking time to do it to the best of my abilities (which isn't saying much!). 

  I went looking for inspiration and stumbled upon this post on the rather good Roundwood's world about modeling and painting some thirty years war forces. Now this approach to creating bases in 2mm really caught my interest. So the above experiment happened:

Some bases in the Roundwood style. They are ment to be from Old Albilandes early pike and shot period (about 1570 in our time, sort of after the Italian wars but before the Thirty years war)

Two infantry units, a mix of pike and handguns. The first has pike blocks between ranks of shot with two small 'folorn hope' units out front (in Albilande these units are normally made up of the least popular handgunners). The second is more of a loose formation with shot out front and on the wings. 

A unit of 100 Knights (the nobles still insist on charging about on horseback like it's the thirteenth century or something)

  A unit of  reiters in three ranks ready to unload a barrel of caracole on someone.

 I snapped these while the glue was still wet but hope to get them painted up soon. I'm pretty happy with them so far, I think a table full of these could look rather great so long as I manage to paint them effectively. The idea is to do the required forces in this scale to game some big battles then maybe do smaller forces in 10mm (or maybe even 15mm) for in between battle skirmishers.  Well that's the plan anyway...

...'till next time...

From the ground up

  My name is Sprinks and I have had a very stupid idea. If you are a regular reader of this den of douche you will be aware that my focus when it comes to gaming is a bit on the fantasy end of things. I have however lately become interested in more historically based gaming (not completely historical, I still like to make up silly stuff to bung in the gaps). Now the other day I was pondering how best to mesh the historical and the fantasy in a satisfying way, aside from calling it Fastorical or Histasy of course. Sort of a way to explore lots of periods of  military history without worrying about the stuff that seems to put me off, things like the minutiae of history (i like the wide view but am not at all bothered about button counting). So my stupid head came up with the idea to go back to the very start and work forward. How you probably didn't ask?. With a badly drawn map!:

 An as yet unnamed mass of land...drawn badly.

 Why a badly drawn map?, well...

 The idea I have come up with is to start with the above unnamed land masses. I can then use them as a canvas to work through the relevant historical gaming periods fleshing them out as I go, watching the land change and develop as kingdoms spring up, invasions happen, governments are overthrown and so on. So I can start by placing and campaigning with some ancient tribes, through dark age kingdoms into the middle ages and so on. In this way I can explore any period I wish in chronological order and track the actual effect battles have on the social conditions of the land in which they happen.Its fantasy gaming with a recognizable historical frame.  But how will I go about this from a mechanical standpoint?, well I plan to work as i normally do...very loosely!. I have created a few simple tools to help create narrative but they are really prompts to push this in certain directions and create a good amount of uncertainty. I will be needed to put flesh on the bones within the conditions determined by the following stuff:

First step within a new time period will be to roll 1D3+2 giving a number of campaigns to play through before that period will be deemed to be 'complete' as far as the lands history is conserned. I could always add more if needed (or I just fancy a few more). The results of the campaigns will become the history of the world itself.

For each campaign the following table will give a rough idea as to whats going to be happening:

 To help decide where things are happening or to just be able to randomize locatons if needed I have created a gridded version of the above map.

If I get sea I can always re-roll it!.

It also seemed appropriate to make the following to help determine the loose character of any notable leaders or personalities that may be involved to give a quick idea as to how they might react to any given situation:

 The above will be used by rolling 1d8 for each catagory to make a sort of character outline for the individual that will show how they may act under certain situations and pressures. It is ment to be pretty subjective, the idea being that the further towards middle the trait, the more average (or balanced) it is. For example an Influence score in the red may mean they are more likely to use fear and intimidation to garner respect where as if it was green they may be more likely to give people cocessions and grant demands to get their way. A person with red temperament will be quick to anger and  to use force where one in the green will be very laid back and prone to avoid conflict. 

 A campaign will be played using a number of linked games with whatever rules and scenarios i think will work best to create a narrative of the conflict being resolved, the results will be tracked on the map. Also I will use what I know so will lean towards British history to provide a framework to, well create a frame for all this.

  I will also need your help for quite alot of this stuff!. Any thoughts and suggestions in the comments could well be applied and I have the feeling I will be asking for help in determining the next step to take quite often!. In other words feel free to chuck in any ideas!. If you have not yet realized I am making all this up pretty much on the fly so lets build a world together!.

The nest steps are to roll up the number, size and starting locations of a few ancient tribes, Paint up a couple of armies worth of tribesmen and roll for the number of campaigns...

...'till next time...

Rather fantastic battles

   I managed to get the opportunity this morning to test out Fantastic Battles by Nic Wright. 

They are currently available to buy Here.

The rules are designed to be scale and setting agnostic and use multi-based units with no casualty removal. Which sounds right up my street quite frankly. They include some sample army lists for fantasy and ancient forces but encourage you to come up with your own giving full rules for unit generation. 

The rules are really simple and clean mechanically with an easy to follow turn structure. It uses a base of troops as the basic unit that can be formed into groups if you wish. Command sections are separate and key to keeping your army in the fight but they can join units if desired.

 The rules work on a random activation basis with troops outside the influence of the forces commanders often doing exactly what you don't want them to!.

  There are also rules for random objectives, flank marches and pre battle misfortune that can befall your units (which I forgot to use this time like a massive tool).

First impressions are very positive, I might have to put together a few small forces to explore further. I used my 15mm dark age forces  for this game, 4foot troops/ 2 cavalry to a unit. 

 The battlefield ready for battle. Norman' attackers at the top of the picture, Saxons at the bottom.

 

The Norman's center made up of Norman infantry and their  Saxon subjects.

Archers protect their left flank.

  The other flank was held by the flower of the Norman nobility.

  

  For their part the Saxons deployed foresters and spearmen on their right.

  Their center was held by more spears and a unit of mercenary Viking axemen.

The hill on the left was guarded by the Saxon archers who intended to fill the opposing horse with arrows.

An archery duel broke out on the Norman left while the Saxon spears prepared to take the hill.

  The Norman center advances.

Likewise the cavalry who take exception to the rain of pointy sticks coming from the hill.

   Things begin to get bloody  as the Vikings slam into the Norman subjects.

  The Norman spears crest the hill.

   With their commanders out of range the archers take matters into their own hands and charge off the hill to attack the Norman horse!.

  On the central hill opposing shield walls face off.

   During which opposing champions prepare to have at it!.

   

    Which goes better for the Saxon half!.

  Over on the left the archers feel the sharp end of the Norman's swords as Saxon spearmen rush to reinforce them.

   And get there just in time to get charged themselves.

  During the fight the forces general s meet.

   While to hill in the centre turned into a massive scrum.

  The Norman leader is downed by his opposite number, ending the battle in the favour of the Saxon defenders.

  As I said, decent rules that I'm looking forward to using again. Definitely worth a look...

...'till next time...

One down....

Just one of those quick posts to show you what I have been mucking about with. But first (as is customary in these parts):

Is it grunge?, Is it hardcore?, Is it doom?...

First up I finally got my proverbial finger out and finished my 2mm medieval armies for my 

Campaign:

Ridgers and crimpers in perfect harmony (it won't last!)

 Ridgers arrayed to fight for the 'upper crust'!.

Crimpers ready to defend the 'side of crusts everywhere'!.

I have colour coded the armies and units to make them easy to distinguish on the table (they are bloody small). I can tell them apart due to the arrangement of the bases but if I'm doing battle reports I think the coding will help. I will explain all when I write up the first game (soon....honest!).

Also I received a nice new bunch of shiny miniatures for another planned campaign. 

It's a shiny wonderland!!!!

It's a 'small' pile of 10mm Pendracken renaissance miniatures...I may have plans. I decided I could run my pastry based campaign while painting the above so I can seamlessly bounce from the conclusion of one to the start of the next....what could possibly go wrong?. Here's my first attempt at painting some of the above:

The flags are my first attempt at hand painted banners, I think they turned out ok (also you can hide mistakes by rippling them the right way to hide them!). Hopefully I will have some more units done for my next post......

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

How to paint 2mm medievals

I have often seen it said on many forums and suchlike that 2mm minis look like they would be hard to paint. This in fact is not the case at all. 2mm armies are pretty easy to get table ready. I thought I would offer my method for painting them to show how easy it can be. But first:

About time for some pistols!.

Before I start there are a few things I need to clear up. I am no expert painter, I have had a bit of experience with several scales of mini but would class my skill level as 'enthusiastic amature'. Also I don't use miniature paints, instead I use craft paints that I adapt for miniatures (you can see the Method here) so I won't be giving the names of paint colours I have used (so no 'giant death badger grey' or 'demon semen purple' or whatever). I have painted a few 2mm forces so feel I have a decent handle on getting reasonable result with them.

Also the miniatures I am using are from Irregular miniatures 2mm range.

Two of my 2mm 'punk n'shotte' forces.

 2mm medieval units.

Also it's worth pointing out that I find one of these helpful.

It's a magnifying daylight lamp, I find it useful but not essential. I picked mine up for less than £20 on line.

Now the elephant in the room: 'Why use 2mm minis?'. The main reason they work so well for me is threefold. One, they allow you to get truly realistic looking armies on the table. You can actually work in a 1:1 scale if you want!. Secondly they are very affordable, you can get a really large army for under £20!. Thirdly they are quick and simple to prep, paint and get on the table. You can put aside a weekend to produce a whole army!.

So to painting the little blighters!. The main things to remember are that you are painting for mass effect. You are not producing this:

(Picture nicked off Google images. If it's yours please make it known in the comments so I can credit you)

You are making this happen!:

Or maybe this:

Also keep in mind you are not painting minis that will look neat up close. This is about the look of massed units on the table at arms length, if you want to hold them close and inspect them you will be disappointed, once they are based and on the table they look pretty good in my opinion anyway.

 Right now that's covered, on to the prep. Most of the minis will need a quick file to smooth off the underside of the bases and may have some flash and mold lines to deal with. These are pretty easy to file down. Then the minis are bluetacked to a lolly stick ready for undercoating.

I tend to use a dark brown undercoat on my medievals, in this scale I also use the same brown on the bases so it works to create shade even at this early stage.

I brush on my undercoat at this scale, you could use a spray can or air brush but as the miniatures are so small I find brushing is fine.

The miniatures I am painting are going to be used to represent dismounted Knights so my next step is to dry brush them silver. This gives an underlayer of plate armour on each figure but preserves the brown undercoat between each figure giving the shading I mentioned above.

If I was painting troops further down the social scale such as leve troops or archers I would go lighter with the silver dry brush, I would also keep the bottom half brown to give them an impression of wearing less armour.

 Next step is to paint the banners white so when painted they stand out.

Once they are dry I then paint the banners. I am using these troops for a fantasy campaign so my banner designs are made up, it is possible to paint reasonably detailed designs with a steady hand and good point. I then start to paint the Knights by adding dots of colour to the chests and backs to represent sir coats and shields. Keep in mind the minis are really small so dots are the best you are going to get.

 Banners and banner coloured sir coats painted.

I then finish the stage by adding dots of contrasting colours sparingly to make the minis 'pop'.

At this stage all the painting is done. The next stage is to shade them. I use a thin coat of army painter soft tone just to emphasize the space between the figures and slightly tone down the brightest colours. It's important to keep the shade light so you don't loose the tones.

And that's the minis ready.

To base the units I use card bases. Cereal boxes work fine, you don't need thick card at this scale as there is very little weight to the finished units. I do back the card with tape (any kind will work) just to add some strength. The bases I am using for this project are 6cm X 3cm.

The bases are first painted with the same shade of brown used to undercoat the miniatures. Once dry the miniatures are stuck to the base using PVA glue.

To finish the bases I make a mix of green paint, builders sand and PVA. This mix needs to be course to allow you to create textured ground on the base. Brush it on where you want and try to create clumps to give the impression of thick foliage in some places. I like to sprinkle some of the sand on the mix where it's thickest to create some contrast.

The completed unit....and proof I get more paint on my hands than the sodding miniatures!!.

The whole process is really quick. The drying time between stages are minimal due to the size of the miniatures meaning you can create a whole army in the time it takes to paint a unit in 28mm scale. It's also not about precision, the miniatures are more detailed than they have any right to be for the size of them but if you slip with the brush or go outside the lines it's not noticeable on the table and most of the time the ink wash corrects any minor issues anyway.

An army ready for battle. The whole force represents about a days worth of work.

Anyway, hopefully this post has been helpful. If you are looking at using 2mm scale for a project please don't listen to the 'they look hard to paint' brigade. Get a few bits and have a go. You will be pleasantly surprised.




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