Wargames Illustrated - WI354 April 2017

Anyone who dislikes ‘personal trumpet blowing’ and /or shameless self-promotion may wish to skip this post.

Wargames Illustrated - WI354 April 2017

I was reading an article, in the latest copy of Wargames Illustrated, about The Pikeman’s Lament rules and noticed in the photographs the Covenanter musketeers and an artillery piece looking pretty familiar. On closer inspection, I realised that some were pieces I painted for Warlord several years ago. It’s nice to know that they are in John (owner of Warlord Games) Stallard’s personal collection and that they are still being played with.

Dodgy photographs of the same figures can be found here [Scots Covenanters].

I remember receiving a reply from Warlord implying that the uniforms weren't the correct shade of Hodden grey and the colour for the Scots Saker cannon carriage was too bright and not authentic. This last part made me chuckle because I got the information about it from someone who I later discovered was an expert on civil war artillery and a founder of the English Civil War Society. I don’t think I have a particularly distinctive painting style so it probably the colour of the carriage that helped me to recognise them.

If you want to purchase a copy of the magazine for yourself, you can do so from here [Wargames Illustrated] And no I’m not on commission, in case you were wondering.

I buy my copy from a local gaming store [Asgard GamesUK].

Speaking of which, I seem to be quite fortunate in that there is also a WHSmith store near to where I live where all three of the usual wargaming magazines are normally on sale. Although there is an obvious push towards electronic versions at least having a physical copy in front of you enables you to be able to flick through the mag to see if that issue is worth buying. I think publishers realise this as more and more of them seem to offer online glimpses into the online/PDF versions.

As an aside, another one thing I did notice was that via a combination of blogs, forums, newsletters, Facebook and podcasts I already know or recognised most of the content. Unfortunately, I believe, this doesn’t bode well for the hard (paper) copy versions of magazines given that online versions seem to offer more content. I still prefer to have the ‘real’ thing at hand to read but this may be a generational thing as I also rarely see anyone young (i.e. in their 20’s) reading a newspaper, for instance.

'The Pikeman's Lament' arrives

In today’s post I received a familiar shaped cardboard package. It was, as I hoped, the latest release from Osprey Publishing, ‘The Pikeman's Lament’. This is the most recent addition to the Lion Rampant family of rules, following on from ‘Dragon Rampant’ and ‘The Men Who Would Be Kings’. This particular book was co-written by Dan Mersey and Michael Leck.

Obligatory poor quality photo courtesy of me.

Regular readers of the blog may know I was involved in a small degree playtesting of the rules and as a sign of gratitude I received a free copy of the rules from the authors and the publishers.

The quality of the publishing is what we have come to expect from this Osprey ‘Blue Book’ series. Lots of top quality painted figures and illustrations from Osprey’s impressive back catalogue. 

I’ll leave to others to review the rules as I’m obviously biased. However I will say that they are probably my favourite set of skirmish rules. Anyone familiar with the Lion Rampant rules will already know the basics. I also suspect some may use them (with a few alterations) to play late medieval (Wars of the Roses etc.). This new book contains a clever officer generation and a simple campaign system which could also be used with the Lion Rampant rules.

I will be sitting down over the weekend to read through the book to see if anything has changed or rules I’ve been playing incorrectly over the past year or so.

The rules are officially released on the 26th January 2017 (from Osprey Publishing) although I know some people have already received copies (even before the authors apparently)

The Pikeman's Lament - Playtesting January 2016

I looking around my blog when I noticed these pictures from a couple of games played a year ago which, from some reason, I never got round to posting at the time. With the immenient release of the new 17th century skirmish game The Pikeman's Lament (from Osprey) I thought it might be an appropriate time to post now.

As far as I remember the games, played at Asgard Games in Walsall, involved having to rescue/guard a VIP (a captured general?) but represented here by a D10 as I didn’t have any spare single figures on my at the time.

In the first game my opponent Mark (Parliament orange movement) was the attacking force where I was defending (Royalist red movement). General D10 was held in central building defended by a limited number of units. Other units could be bought on with a successful activation.

Mark split his forces in a pincer movement sending a cavalry towards my right flank. There was a major clash on my left flank with Mark’s cavalry and a unit of musketeers. Mark’s cavalry took heavy casualties but advanced to intercept my units that were desperately trying to reach the building to defend hold onto General D10.

There was a clash of horseflesh with both mounted units being knocked out of play. Meanwhile my supporting(?) unit of musket units carried on in an attempt to reach the building in time.

Meanwhile Mark’s musket and pike units easily pushed back my defenders and snatched General D10.

Mark's force then quickly retraced their steps, with General D10 in tow, seeing off any attempts by myself. A group of Mark's musketeers advanced into an ambush position just to make sure I'd get any closer, all of which rounded off a resounding victory for Mark.

The following pictures are of the next game where the roles were reversed. In my excitement of actually doing well I forgot to take enough photographs and the ones I did take were blurred.

The game ended with my brave troops making a mad dash off the table (very) closely followed by Mark's cavarly. A narrow victory for me this time.

The Pikeman's Lament is officially due out 26th January.

Modified Dragoons, (Warlord) - Part 6 of 6

This final model as I wanted an alternative to the drummer available in other sets. The figure is as usual the plastic firelock figure from Warlord. The trumpet is taken from the Warlord cavalry set, all the detail was removed leaving just the instrument itself.

WIP

The musket was taken from another spare Warlord set with the other hand cut away. The cuff and the strap for the musket were made from added using greenstuff.

This is the final figure for my dragoon group. I wanted an alternative to the drummer available in other sets. The figure is as usual the plastic firelock figure from Warlord. The trumpet is taken from the Warlord cavalry set, all the detail was removed leaving just the instrument itself. Due to my heavy handed efforts I managed to break off the mouthpiece. I decided it wasn't worth the time to repair it so left it as it appears here. 

This is the final figure for my dragoon group. Now, eagle-eyed smarty pants readers may have spotted an apparent oddity with my figures from this mini-series Players of Lion Rampant will know that the units consist of either six or twelve figures and Pikeman's Lament follows the same numbering system. However if you add up the number of figures in this group there are actually seven figures in total. Now this is either because it's easier to transport infantry figures rather than a large bulky cavalry group to play at the local store or I wasn't playing attention and made too many. I'll let you decide is more likely. 

I do have another ECW project on the go at the moment but I'm making (very) slow progress with it. I currently have more than enough figures (for myself and an opponent) to play a standard 24 point game of The Pikeman's Lament so I'm under no particular pressure to get these done.

Modified Dragoons, (Warlord) - Part 5 of 6

Although dragoons are normally only depicted with muskets they could also be armed with pikes (see the link in the original post). To represent this figure is portrayed as a pikeman using the ubiquitous plastic firelock figure from Warlord.

The arms were taken from a Perry plastics set (WoTR I think). Gaps in the shoulders were filled in with greenstuff. Using the same material the sleeve cuffs were also added. 

WIP

Looking at the figure in the state show above I kept on thinking that something didn't quite seem right. As the figure represents a pikeman I realised I had to extend the shaft. To do this I used a spare polearm.

Little tip: whenever you have to join two rods/bars of plastic together cut the shaft at a diagonal angle (45 degrees if you can, using the lines on your cutting board as a guide). this increases the surface area and helps form a stronger bond than the usual perpendicular cut.

Modified Dragoons, (Warlord) - Part 4 of 6

This set was inspired by accounts and paintings [seen here] of the Battle of Waterloo where Scottish infantry latched onto cavalry to help them speed into action.

WIP

Rider - Left hand made from greenstuff as the previous hand was too low.

The musket was taken from a spare Warlord figure. The powder box and strap were added using greenstuff. Sharp eyed viewers may notice that I had forgotten to remove the sword hilt from the mounted figure, this was done later, as can be seen in the painted version.

Runner - The right arm was taken from a Perry miniature WoTR set with the left arm and the staff of the pole arm removed.

WIP

The powder horn, strap and both straps for the muskets were made from strips of greenstuff.

WIP

WIP

I'm not entirely happy with this specific set (and I'm not fishing for compliments here). I've since had an idea how to make a similar composition of a running figure more realistic but that will have to wait unit I can find a suitable base (yes I do need to get out more). Once this is done I may then retire this particular pair.

Modified Dragoons, (Warlord) - Part 3 of 6

This group was inspired after reading part of Osprey's book Pike and Shot Tactics 1590-1660.

"it was common to support ... with Shots – provided either by dragoons or by infantry temporarily mounted or riding double behind cavalrymen."

This seemingly simple comment provided me with the most difficult challenge while trying to make this look halfway realistic or natural. I thought I may be able to model two men on one horse. This was easier said than done and involved a lot of cutting and carving of the horse's back and rump (as well as a fair dose of industrial language which I find always helps).

WIP

With the first/forward most rider I removed the tassets from the thighs to facilitate moving the body of the figure forward towards the horse's head. I cut away some areas from his back so the two figures would fit closer together. The musket was taken from a spare regular figure. The powder box and strap were added using greenstuff.

WIP

The second/rear rider's right arm taken from the cavalry set which was originally holding a flagpole. After reading the article about dragoons, rather than using a short carbine model, I used a part taken, as usual, from a Warlord's Firelock figure. Just to make things awkward for myself I also removed his sash. I'm not entirely sure this was worth the time and effort to achieve the unique look of this set but as it's a one off for this project I'm unlikely to ever repeat the process. Well that's what I told myself as I was cursing the general lack of any form of co-operation from the figures.

WIP

The sash, baldric, sword handle and the straps for both muskets were made from strips of greenstuff. Yes, you've read that correctly, I added details to the figure after cutting the original one away (will I never learn? no..probably not).

Modified Dragoons, (Warlord) - Part 2 of 6

During the long preparation (it turned out to be a rather long thinking process) of these models I considered various options of how to make these figures represent dragoons. Fortunately I eventually recalled the autobiography of Phillipp von Boeselager, a German officer who served on the Russian front during WWII and was involved in the closest attempt to assassinate Hitler, the book is titled Valkyrie: The Plot To Kill Hitler (you'll have to bear with me on this one). He was one of the very few who survived the executions that followed the failed coup d'etat. Although the modern perception of the German army during WWII is often that of large armoured columns attacking across all fronts, vast numbers of horses were still used for transport and haulage.

In his book von Boeselager describes combat experiences which, for to me at least, closely resembled those of dragoons during the ECW. During reconnaissance or defence actions soldiers, under von Boeselager command, would dismount leaving one man holding the reins of anywhere between four and ten horses. This single man would then ride away a short distance to a safer area. This soldier could quickly return to the others troops if and when needed. With this in mind I thought I would try to replicate this using these models

This group depicts one rider holding the reins of three other horses. There are four horses in total simply because that's how many would neatly fit onto the base (from Warbases). The single rider is a bog standard figure straight out the box. I cut away the moulded plastic reins and remade the connecting new ones using lengths of greenstuff. Again using greenstuff I built up the saddles on the riderless horses. This are perhaps the easiest modification of the entire set. Don't worry, the other modification caused me a lot more grief - all for your viewing entertainment.

Modified Dragoons, (Warlord) - Part 1 of 6

The models detailed in the next half dozen posts have been modified to depict dragoons during the English Civil Wars (ECW). Drgoons were mounted, mobile infantry. A very interesting article about their use during the conflict can be seen [Here be Dragoons]. The name itself may derive from the weapon, a dragon, that this type of mounted infantry originally carried or possibly be derived from the Dutch word meaning mounted infantry.

Unit of Dragoons for The Pikeman's Lament

Although the famous Streeter map of the Battle of Naseby shows the dragoons dismounted and an individual holding the reins of half a dozen horses I preferred to depict a more dramatic look for these models based on the experiences of a WWII soldier. More of this in a latter post.

View from the Parliamentarian positions looking diagonally across the Naseby battlefield towards the Royalist right wing. Colonel John Okey's dismounted dragoons attacked Prince Rupert's cavalry using the cover of the hedges approximately along the far left of the photo above.

For this particular project I also wanted to attempt a slightly different basing method to the one I normally use and make these particular figures instantly recognisable as dragoons and not regular cavalry.

The upcoming (January 2017) The Pikeman's Lament rules recommend using a mix of mounted and dismounted models to represent dragoons and there are six models per unit for this particular type. 

To my logic this would consist of three mounted and three regular infantry figures fixed on round bases (although typically I didn't stick to my own rules). The use of round bases aren't required by the rules, it is just to make it immediately obvious when playing a game to differentiate which models are proper cavalry and which models represented dragoons. I'm playing fast and loose with the basing system here as the Pikeman's Lament rules are flexible enough as to which basing method you prefer (already use) isn't particularly important. Individual figures probably give a better impression on the tabletop of a skirmish game. Multiple based figure just require a method of recording the casualty numbers. I simply use a single die to keep track of a unit's casualties and then remove bases as and when necessary.

The next few posts will detail the models themselves and the modifciations made to them.

Mortar and crew, Bicorne Miniatures

I picked up this pack (Code: BIC-ECWG018 - Mortar & 3 crew) at the Alumwell show (WMMS) earlier in the year, it consists of the mortar and three crew but not the barrel. The set is nicely cast and is easy to paint up.

The plastic barrel is from Renedra. The slightly dodgy joint lines which I've tried to cover over with greenstuff. g greenstuff I made the leather bag from greenstuff.

Roaring Meg

I had assumed the model was based on the only surviving large period mortar, know as Roaring Meg, which is currently on display inside Goodrich Castle. I now think it is based on the cover of Osprey's 'English Civil War Artillery 1642-1651' book and that the illustration was based on the original piece. The figures look very similar to the Oprey book.

The Pikeman's Lament - Rescue Mission

These photos were taken at a recent demo game of The Pikeman's Lament (TPL) held at my friendly little game store, [Asgard Games Uk] in sunny Walsall. 

We were both had, more or less identical, companies: two units of pike, two shot, two units of mounted troops. Sam chose to try a units of dragoons and Gallopers whilst I had two units of Gallopers.

As I happened to have a spare figure I decided to play out the 'Rescue Mission' scenario. I rolled the higher die thus becoming the attacker in this game.

The scenario was to rescue Sir Marmaduke Quondam, the daring garrison commander of Bescot Hall, who has somehow managed to get himself captured. Sir Marmaduke was being held in the local priory ruins awaiting transfer to higher authorities and is being guarded by ruthless units of pike and shot under the command of equally ruthless Lady Samantha de Bermingham (a.k.a. Sam who was playing her first game of any of the Lion Rampant variants).

As this was Sam's first ever game I didn't want to overwhelm her with the full version and so agreed to just concentrate on the gaming principles and mechanics. Therefore we didn't create the commanding officer's character nor background or use the Honour Special Orders (the equivalent of Boast points in the original game).

Being the best defensive troops Sam (units marked blue) set up two units of pike and one of shot amongst the ruins to guard Sir Marmaduke (circled in yellow). 

My tactic was to simply try and dash in with a single cavalry and use the rest of the company (marked red) to try and block or hinder Sam's defending units.

The scenario dictates that the defender (Lady Sam in this case) had to have half her company guarding the prisoner while the other half were off patrolling the area to the north. These units could try to move onto the table at Turn 2. 

Charging in to engage the enemy.
"Hang on Sir Marmaduke, we're coming!"

The gallant forces of continental dandy Lieutenant-Colonel Eduard Van Verloren Wapen, (a.k.a. me) supported by his loyal Scottish infantry, coming to the rescue. These came charging in across the river from the south-east. His task was to make contact with Sir Marmaduke and ride off into the sunset together (these continental types are very...well... continental).

Sam was fortunate that she activated her other forces quite quickly. Her dragoons came in blazing over the bridge to bolster the guards. She was less lucky when she rolled a double one during her activation phase followed by another equally low die. This resulted in her losing a whole unit of infantry just after they had entered the field. This is a new concept in the Lion Rampant family rule set where double six rolls equals a reward and double one means you suffer a penalty to various degrees. This new feature is probably my favourite addition to the rules if only because it creates the funniest reactions - either good or bad depending on the results and how it affects the game. 

Congestion - 17th century style

My right wing cavalry unit charged in early and were lucky and managed to push the defending pike unit back. This pike block were forced to retreat and I initially thought this game would be over pretty quickly. How wrong was I!.

My other, left wing, unit of cavalry got completed battered by first Sam's unit of shot and then by the dragoons. They eventually somehow managing to scarper back out of range. Equally my two units of shot got decimated with one breaking and leaving the field. Fortunately both of my pike units held. 

"Don't panic men, we can still retreat..oh dear..cavalry."

Sam sent a unit of Gallopers (regular cavalry) sweeping around the back of my forces which was quite sneaky, I thought. This would force me to engage them in order to succeed in the mission. 

"Charge boys, they're gaining on us!"

Having repeatedly charging pike units (not the best tactic) my cavalry unit made contact with Sir Marmaduke, turned tail and tried to make their escape. Again I thought the game would soon be over as I left the pike units to try and block and delay Sam's company from trying to recapture Sir Marmaduke. Sam's units quickly began their aggressive counter-attack.

Sir Marmaduke (circled in yellow) sees his chance for freedom as my brave pike blocks try and fend of Sam's attack.

What I hadn't taken into account was how tough and deadly Sam's remaining units would be. The Gallopers that had swept round the back of my company slammed into the rescue party and wiped themselves and my unit out leaving Sir Marmaduke sucking his thumb on the edge of the field. Sam was unlucky again as she failed to activate her units thus prevented them from closing in on their prey.

I just about managed to get a unit of pike to contact Sir Marmaduke before Sam did, meaning he could finally escape.

Technically it was a victory for my company but a Pyrrhic one at that. At least we both had fun (I hope) playing the game. Sam played a good game and used clever tactics (better than mine) but she was let down by her unlucky dice rolls which prevented her being able to activate units when she needed them.

It is pretty typical of the kind of games Pikeman's Lament generates. The units are balanced, without one particular type being unbeatable. The tide of battle swings back and forth so we are never quite sure what is going to happen even towards the very end of a game.

Sir Marmaduke rides into the sunset.
"Thanks lads, I'm off."

As usual I was having too much fun playing that I forgot to take enough photographs but hopefully the images will give you a favour of the action.

Regular readers will know that I've never produced a batrep for this blog before (I didn't even know what AAR meant until I looking it up). I don't want to give away too much info about the rules and spoil the fun for anyone in the future, so I've deliberately left the game mechanics vague. Plus I think it would seriously annoy the writers and the game isn't due for release until early 2017 anyway. Nearer to release I may discuss more games and detail a few more of the new aspects of the rules but I'll see what the reactions are like to this post first.

C16th & C17th Army Covered Supply Cart and Horse, 4Ground & Colonel Bills

As the title indicates these are a combination of models bought from Wargamer show held in Halesowen back in December. The draught horse is from Colonel Bills. Their website can be seen [Colonel Bills]. The cart is from 4Ground (Code: 28-CAW-309). Their website can be seen [4ground carts].

The model cart doesn't come with any covering but I thought this looked a bit odd. I had considered using tissue paper or kitchen roll but quickly realised this was either too thin or patterned. 

The owner, Vince, of the local gaming store [AsgardGamesUk] suggested using a wet wipe after seeing it mentioned by Mel [TheTerrainTutor] on YouTube. This proved to be perfect. The material is not too thick and so look out of scale but is strong enough to hold its shape after being painted. He even provided me with one to try.

After letting it dry out I placed the wipe over the model and marked the basic pattern out, remembering to allow enough extra material to allow it the droop between the ribs. 

The (dry)wipe was then superglued into position and then 'painted' with watered down PVA glue. Once dry the wipe/covering was painted to represent dirty, weathered canvas. I sanded the two shafts to knock off the sharp edges.

Since these photos were taken I've painted black straps onto the shafts to indicate that they are attached to the harness rather than just appearing to float as seen here. 

I've deliberately left off any figures so that I can use the set for different periods. I tend to use this set with The Pikeman's Lament rules. Scenarios involving protecting or raiding supply wagons are generally quite fun, especially if you can set 'fire' to them. I may even use it in a sneaky fashion in future games. Even if they are not used in play they still improve the look of the tabletop.