Roundwood's World: Characters of Laarden, 1688

To catch up the Blog (apologies for being so slow in that regard), I thought it was about time I posted some of the things I've been painting and making during the first few months of 2020, and during quarantine. When I looked back at the Blog this week, I realised that a few of the figures from January and February haven't yet made it over here yet.

Way back in December, before Christmas, I decided I wanted to create a series of "Characters from Laarden". The idea behind these was to add some colour and fun to the fictional town of Laarden in the year of 1688. Much of the inspiration comes from other games, and many friends, including "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay", "Top Trumps", "Mordheim", and the sublime roleplaying supplements of Chris Kutalik - in particular the wonderful "Fever-Dreaming Marlinko". A huge thanks to all the creators of those games for hours of pleasure!

As a bit of fun, I've created a "character card" for each character, or set of characters. I'm hoping that when these characters get used in games, the cards might come in useful in setting the theme. Using cards in wargames to add extra information isn't new, of course. However, when I used cards in this way a few years back - with various games set in the Great War - I felt I added too much text on the cards. So I've limited the text on these cards to what is, hopefully, the essential items.

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The first Characters of Laarden to arrive in the Blog, at an appropriately sedate and slow pace it has to be admitted, are two Flemish sentries, guarding one of the many small villages clustering in the shadows of the spires of the City of Laarden.

I wanted to give the idea of a couple of figures which looked vigilant in their own, slightly complacent, way. Both are 28mm Wargames Foundry figures.

I added the 28mm rabbit, no doubt eating some of the village crops, to show just how wide awake, or not, the sentries are.

And here's the Sentry Card for Laarden Character number one.

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Next up, there's a small group of figures for any tavern, all in 28mm from Midlam Miniatures. These are lovely figures, in old-style 28mm, with no flash or casting-lines. I've set these characters in "The Harvest Goose", one of Laarden's most well known, and popular, hostelries.

I swapped out the head of the tavern keeper (adding a Redoubt head, which looked more Flemish), and gave Roosje, the tavern lass, longer hair (an unruly mass of auburn curls) and a demure cloth headscarf. Both the extra hair and headscarf were green-stuffed onto the figures. I liked the idea that the tavern lass has added the headscarf while her arms are resolutely uncovered - some form of youth rebellion going on there, no doubt, even in 1688.

And Laarden Character card number two...

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Finally, I wanted to add something vaguely menacing and French to this group of Characters, and came up with the idea of a Herald of France. I've always liked the idea of an army sending forward a herald to parley and negotiate with an enemy force, either in the field or prior to a siege. The French diplomacy employed before the 1672 Dutch War was skilful, subtle and, at times, aggressive - the perfect environment for a herald to thrive in.

In the slightly loopy world of the 1688 Laarden campaign, I wanted to add a French character who might weave comparable diplomatic triumphs as the French forces take to the field.

And, obviously, being French and from Versailles, the noble entrusted to be the Herald of Le Roi Soleil looks - well, anything but martial. And so - enter François de Herville, Baron de Morlaix, and Herald of the King of France.

The figure is from Dixon Miniatures, in 28mm, with lots of greenstuff added for an over-elaborate wig, clusters of shoulder lace, shoe-ribbons and a large cravat. I added the Warbases cockerel because .... preening, French, etc. I'm sorry - I know, not subtle, but fun!

And here's the Laarden Character card for Character number three....and all three cards to begin the project.