tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32797864725787221372024-03-15T02:55:46.653+00:00Roundwood's WorldSidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.comBlogger324125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-67657678947373370952024-01-29T11:51:00.002+00:002024-01-29T11:51:29.807+00:00"Nobody Likes the Chaya": A villainous faction for 'When the Last Sword is Drawn'<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzhooOLABBtAZjUb3le7f1EvKfYOhMV5HexVVLjn5vEL7Id2w_7KKph7E-GvDtO2WEtpjmFCrZyWgbc72BqVptdikzXyXnqukvHCb5trsKMR2uoInXmVXHvZ_NoZS_FFGnmuyjz9RqYxLe1-e7xJqlG8ntVtzJa3IU2KirC_X4gP-heMrI5b-mUwp9hE_/s3468/DSC_0329.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2725" data-original-width="3468" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdzhooOLABBtAZjUb3le7f1EvKfYOhMV5HexVVLjn5vEL7Id2w_7KKph7E-GvDtO2WEtpjmFCrZyWgbc72BqVptdikzXyXnqukvHCb5trsKMR2uoInXmVXHvZ_NoZS_FFGnmuyjz9RqYxLe1-e7xJqlG8ntVtzJa3IU2KirC_X4gP-heMrI5b-mUwp9hE_/w400-h314/DSC_0329.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Nobody likes the House of Chaya. Their nobility is bought through wealth and their signature is greed.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">They are wealthy, proud and ambitious. Their sharp-elbowed advance along the coast of northern Honshu, gathering lands and castles, has created many enemies. One clan, the Akiyama, has become the most recent victim of Lord Chaya Ichiro’s schemes of aggrandisement. But now, Lord Akiyama is dead.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two days ago, Lord Akiyama was dishonourably killed by Chaya no Irosuke, a notorious samurai of the House of Chaya. Worst of all, Lord Akiyama’s legendary sword was taken from his dead hands and was brought to the Chaya’s ancestral temple to be re-consecrated as a trophy of the Chaya’s conquests</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">."</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;">********</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">Everyone loves a villain. And, as one famous actor has said, “Every villain is a hero in their own mind.”</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">In creating tabletop miniatures games at games days and wargame shows, I always find it helps to try and set the theme. Part of that is describing what the players are fighting for. What are the stakes? Which side are you on? It’s easy with history. Everyone, and I mean everyone, knows it’s OK to punch a Nazi.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">But with games which involve a more alt-history, or a down-right fantasy feel, it’s harder. Of course, sometimes it's made easy by the bad guys wearing black, or carrying a red light-sabre. Other times, it helps for me to tell the players, in as few words as possible, which side they’re fighting on.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">And so to The House of Chaya.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">Put simply, they’re villains. Nobles, for sure. Wealthy, of course. Darkly handsome in a Kylo Ren kind of way? - well, maybe you can make your mind up on that one. But they’re the bad guys? Yes, they are. Because every story needs a villain.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7codtNT66GLFyUF-DlekFwtBW1if0mc5-g_OHgkmgJAhIzCENDGMZjjwzmEmQT5fMVA4NYLZgNLiwqElf3RAa5_gGzx14iv7WSZTXjCp19Gsemdh494nJLhT7kpGP0FNs7_eRlY6u2F36nV1IVmxOJ_CasYUXgBOO3magQ1UlKeQFDKpGcQE6UCkGNZFH/s3925/DSC_0330.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2768" data-original-width="3925" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7codtNT66GLFyUF-DlekFwtBW1if0mc5-g_OHgkmgJAhIzCENDGMZjjwzmEmQT5fMVA4NYLZgNLiwqElf3RAa5_gGzx14iv7WSZTXjCp19Gsemdh494nJLhT7kpGP0FNs7_eRlY6u2F36nV1IVmxOJ_CasYUXgBOO3magQ1UlKeQFDKpGcQE6UCkGNZFH/w400-h283/DSC_0330.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmW99rQ3Ff7rG757sN8FsdHiCZrNf6z1MGg0UYwxFRmxLzctSR31jRAjwRpfYlTY2UpGuJ-17qWuaJ_h3YfesAKFEoCYWYc_tt17S_yfYcuq58MMVZZBsT88RRILtQH4QS6RAzDVHXYkP3GU5Ys0bQvdxb-moXyv1qZHIgxSbH-J4qtDrRPiUpzU2-kKUA/s3196/DSC_0336.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2283" data-original-width="3196" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmW99rQ3Ff7rG757sN8FsdHiCZrNf6z1MGg0UYwxFRmxLzctSR31jRAjwRpfYlTY2UpGuJ-17qWuaJ_h3YfesAKFEoCYWYc_tt17S_yfYcuq58MMVZZBsT88RRILtQH4QS6RAzDVHXYkP3GU5Ys0bQvdxb-moXyv1qZHIgxSbH-J4qtDrRPiUpzU2-kKUA/w400-h286/DSC_0336.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">More seriously, I’ve found that wargames with a smaller footprint (in terms of game size and playing time) need a helping hand. You can have an attractive table, and thematic rules. But the importance of the background story, or the “skinny” as American TV writers might call it, increases as the table shrinks. The figures and the terrain can’t do it all on their own.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">And in that environment, it helps for there to be a villain. Someone you can point to as the bad guys. Maybe they “killed our ‘Pa”. Maybe they burned your farm. Maybe they took your sacred sword.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">Or maybe they did all three.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">It short circuits the long gaming background of where you are and why you’re fighting. Because as Indiana Jones says, it's always OK to punch a Nazi.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">Or clash swords with the Chaya.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXYUvte4je0FlhyphenhyphenPStM3sBBSroPy2hT9PxPxGIgmv13FJ4Y7-xaZVmtE45hXgs6fNNOeHfssb9cFAlgqIetSzqUwVgfuPvtIoO6i2azPGrl-U9HQgFn3KOtjqqsvWPsv2cdFj4nkRI4MM-O2rp1lowDnRGKaD3xAT4ja8DCQvWyJbMcMPDn5Bd3e_gTdW/s2403/DSC_0332.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2292" data-original-width="2403" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXYUvte4je0FlhyphenhyphenPStM3sBBSroPy2hT9PxPxGIgmv13FJ4Y7-xaZVmtE45hXgs6fNNOeHfssb9cFAlgqIetSzqUwVgfuPvtIoO6i2azPGrl-U9HQgFn3KOtjqqsvWPsv2cdFj4nkRI4MM-O2rp1lowDnRGKaD3xAT4ja8DCQvWyJbMcMPDn5Bd3e_gTdW/w400-h381/DSC_0332.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXf1u-9CZbxGZjCfQjZIW2ENA42gLsDtvmp7UmXdycaLO8l9W8UJ05gI-5uoyx6Fsnv9kuIv6uEmVdkDpSZRJxPqQ96LZk9KUZBP3SOkxbCRespaB0TQycmRg7tE4V3heJ5EiVtLC0q9cFjy6UkjWew5bHdwlt-KPQ13u6DyTxILGl540Ci9oO5Wzl3LD/s3045/DSC_0333.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2466" data-original-width="3045" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXf1u-9CZbxGZjCfQjZIW2ENA42gLsDtvmp7UmXdycaLO8l9W8UJ05gI-5uoyx6Fsnv9kuIv6uEmVdkDpSZRJxPqQ96LZk9KUZBP3SOkxbCRespaB0TQycmRg7tE4V3heJ5EiVtLC0q9cFjy6UkjWew5bHdwlt-KPQ13u6DyTxILGl540Ci9oO5Wzl3LD/w400-h324/DSC_0333.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2qDz-fNHYPfShNrM2s7T7wrOKBieN-TGv8PPWYDr5rxNX9KrQNj-2DNx7-z0t_4no87mXWBtTdR47HRwvBX46MuxJeIPuZnEcAZIxtPzk7HigN-j8JRrQpY58uSAlMpuW20k1Ev3VsdXmFytnLrLSKGMDD6S8GgqGD6J5h8PcqGPj8F6z5WiJ7MoQk4_/s3196/DSC_0336.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2283" data-original-width="3196" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2qDz-fNHYPfShNrM2s7T7wrOKBieN-TGv8PPWYDr5rxNX9KrQNj-2DNx7-z0t_4no87mXWBtTdR47HRwvBX46MuxJeIPuZnEcAZIxtPzk7HigN-j8JRrQpY58uSAlMpuW20k1Ev3VsdXmFytnLrLSKGMDD6S8GgqGD6J5h8PcqGPj8F6z5WiJ7MoQk4_/w400-h286/DSC_0336.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRlXpjIMRixhBdffBSL9d0V8S3yqEHdEozII2e_MNv7foSaLSLkrYyrIH3ccmFPAoSn0Q-QnC3E3Gx0tA1zTNN9FN03JLSLhhvs9BbxBmjIYNGdJnxt7yyQRtw7avFFUy2TYtu7kaDsk6UfxJ59tUaglU1NO0tR-g-MT8u_kqKUzXCYWDcMWErAcug-S8/s3382/DSC_0338.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2397" data-original-width="3382" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRlXpjIMRixhBdffBSL9d0V8S3yqEHdEozII2e_MNv7foSaLSLkrYyrIH3ccmFPAoSn0Q-QnC3E3Gx0tA1zTNN9FN03JLSLhhvs9BbxBmjIYNGdJnxt7yyQRtw7avFFUy2TYtu7kaDsk6UfxJ59tUaglU1NO0tR-g-MT8u_kqKUzXCYWDcMWErAcug-S8/w400-h284/DSC_0338.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">I've been carrying the representatives of the House of Chaya up and down the United Kingdom for the past year and a half to serve as the bad guys in our games of "<i><b>When the Last Sword is Drawn</b></i>". These are the latest additions to the usual suspects. Including the heart-throb of the House of Chaya - Chaya no Irosuke.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFK7FIAjHj-1uM5QG_SDz8RZjreiNobDY0489lht7gQ1QHoUeOWMewuhX1rZ2VNUOO1YYud0_bF4SBl-A6qn0_8-iwImg1hsSrUTRJ2jNUZUqAA-b12C-3K_r-LfykuDftU5SQFvbJDfq9Dt8y9l3L52IW3Vx8RcWYvzWbefpNtDnMBAqMcnHNACCua4to/s2865/DSC_0335.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2235" data-original-width="2865" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFK7FIAjHj-1uM5QG_SDz8RZjreiNobDY0489lht7gQ1QHoUeOWMewuhX1rZ2VNUOO1YYud0_bF4SBl-A6qn0_8-iwImg1hsSrUTRJ2jNUZUqAA-b12C-3K_r-LfykuDftU5SQFvbJDfq9Dt8y9l3L52IW3Vx8RcWYvzWbefpNtDnMBAqMcnHNACCua4to/w400-h313/DSC_0335.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">These are some more of the figures from the glorious samurai- and Japan-fixated 1980s. The two fallen fighters are from Dixon Miniatures’ early samurai range. The mounted samurai is from the same range. He’s advertised as a famous samurai commander from the 13th Century.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">But he’s such a lovely figure that it’s a shame to limit him to that period. I strung his bow string with fine wire, and pinned the bow to his hand at the start of painting. I also glued him to his horse. It would, however, have been easier to paint horse, rider and bow separately, and assemble afterwards. It was a hard choice, and I might do it differently next time.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">The remaining figure is a Games Workshop samurai retainer from the 1984 “Oriental Heroes” range. He’s a lovely, flexible, figure who could serve as a retainer, or a samurai without armour. I love the confident pose, the larger than normal (almost comic-book) katana, and the wicker rain cape. He’s got a swagger about him, which the mounted samurai shares. And, after all, who doesn't love a villain with a little bit of sass?</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtmVd4MUrD9GxQleT89PSLN5aLGD71ZdvnbefCyBmMZ44RR7DGJhsGbYT7SylwEIkomL9k3nHrJY2dpW58pWw3Az_KDO0Mi3YJdHFu0djNJF_DfXWkrPc7gBdux_V6jDKD7a1IaQjSPYXhaP-jnvC15IT6tYZd4he1NE-bZFRKH1irPyGvotGa5IMd2zx/s4094/DSC_0331.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2660" data-original-width="4094" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXtmVd4MUrD9GxQleT89PSLN5aLGD71ZdvnbefCyBmMZ44RR7DGJhsGbYT7SylwEIkomL9k3nHrJY2dpW58pWw3Az_KDO0Mi3YJdHFu0djNJF_DfXWkrPc7gBdux_V6jDKD7a1IaQjSPYXhaP-jnvC15IT6tYZd4he1NE-bZFRKH1irPyGvotGa5IMd2zx/w400-h260/DSC_0331.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd-zvoknG78Z4J9bLrng2FjZn3TL-VIbGmllYfN1cqzBzadrewicmcsHdOFlvkIaV7lAeIh15y6gwhu4PdiJmYBVwqVYpMz3wuE6LKLPAKLzGPfzPhyphenhyphengG1y89LUdq06XOnKa_w5vogzcbkUoUB5BhEPyJfHhT3zH-omYHpyVizRIq0j_Pwtb7vtH6L-_B/s3070/DSC_0334.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2432" data-original-width="3070" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisd-zvoknG78Z4J9bLrng2FjZn3TL-VIbGmllYfN1cqzBzadrewicmcsHdOFlvkIaV7lAeIh15y6gwhu4PdiJmYBVwqVYpMz3wuE6LKLPAKLzGPfzPhyphenhyphengG1y89LUdq06XOnKa_w5vogzcbkUoUB5BhEPyJfHhT3zH-omYHpyVizRIq0j_Pwtb7vtH6L-_B/w400-h316/DSC_0334.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">I also felt the Chaya needed a uniting theme. I chose a colour for their House. Green, the colour of confidence, green tea, lush (almost-certainly stolen) farmland, and jealousy. I tried to make it a signature of the House of Chaya. Almost so that you know when to boo when they enter the stage.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">And because all the factions in "<b><i>When the Last Sword is Drawn</i></b>" have some traits and attributes (not all of which are helpful), here's the ones we've been using for the Chaya on the tabletop, updated for some of the new members of the household. And, of course, a ludicrously indulgent character-card for Chaya no Irosuke himself:</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wZu6Yic6k_llItxhWQrSs94NOwobWKbYprggFlo5cPoKDyJ_-RjO3lOoQVRUbpDmBLuqIyB2193HzLHu81FP2Av6Js0HT26UURn8ZcJ6ITrUOG0RVZmxlRQ0hfFbpwanJFSNaF1IMQqtPVV3SmU9mh8FJb3zKHNTSczGxzdtyur0hZRxLNsyC-_GNVkG/s1355/Chaya%204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1355" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wZu6Yic6k_llItxhWQrSs94NOwobWKbYprggFlo5cPoKDyJ_-RjO3lOoQVRUbpDmBLuqIyB2193HzLHu81FP2Av6Js0HT26UURn8ZcJ6ITrUOG0RVZmxlRQ0hfFbpwanJFSNaF1IMQqtPVV3SmU9mh8FJb3zKHNTSczGxzdtyur0hZRxLNsyC-_GNVkG/w400-h236/Chaya%204.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfjGjpRTchsSgGO1zXbVAJeGKv6YIUt1wudd5b2pnIX9w09iQJ_X4Nhs-AhaZj2ptxlEsGHxTF3tzmtZ0Q_YjdHxEgia3BhrIezPIugfVO2S-mOhN-HoGtYq-e2Oo3qdCNzua6WfsxL_ZAPNEi6Xp7gFg72FTq7vMLIMmvmMqBCri0NeYDF6vBE0a-8aY/s825/Chaya%205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="825" data-original-width="637" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfjGjpRTchsSgGO1zXbVAJeGKv6YIUt1wudd5b2pnIX9w09iQJ_X4Nhs-AhaZj2ptxlEsGHxTF3tzmtZ0Q_YjdHxEgia3BhrIezPIugfVO2S-mOhN-HoGtYq-e2Oo3qdCNzua6WfsxL_ZAPNEi6Xp7gFg72FTq7vMLIMmvmMqBCri0NeYDF6vBE0a-8aY/w309-h400/Chaya%205.jpg" width="309" /></b></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">More from the wintry coast of northern Honshu next time, dear readers.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;">********</div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-8892434785421341212024-01-23T10:40:00.000+00:002024-01-23T10:40:29.871+00:00Akiyama Tomoyuki Faces His Demons<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAan1nIBDwxKcNWgYh9x6fzwkrIOI4Df0rYXJ893IEn_pmrXieliHPz_V1x69u9RIiw16G9iE-lfktHhkjzgR75B64f9D0Q7BL9T151WqArq8zpOV6krF9N4QWyefEc23WHmKJMpXPDQnsfBxfCb3yR0ZkJzVEtHppiJsg8mZWXA6BiQhh3jWOI0t3ZuJQ/s4468/DSC_0312.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2905" data-original-width="4468" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAan1nIBDwxKcNWgYh9x6fzwkrIOI4Df0rYXJ893IEn_pmrXieliHPz_V1x69u9RIiw16G9iE-lfktHhkjzgR75B64f9D0Q7BL9T151WqArq8zpOV6krF9N4QWyefEc23WHmKJMpXPDQnsfBxfCb3yR0ZkJzVEtHppiJsg8mZWXA6BiQhh3jWOI0t3ZuJQ/w400-h260/DSC_0312.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">********</div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">There were three of them. No. There were more - four bakemono, and then two larger forms, lumbering through the heavy snowstorm. Huge demonic ogres - Oni - one with a huge sword and the other with a pair of war mallets.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“There…. There they are. There’s six more!” Tomoyuki’s shout in the gale of the snowstorm was urgent and loud. “Give me more arrows”. Even so, the fierce wind stripped away his voice into the void. Tomoyuki’s retainer, Juzo, passed his master another sheaf of needle-pointed arrows: “That’s all we have left, Master”.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tomoyuki looked at the eight arrows in the sheaf. Make every one count, Tomoyuki told himself, notching the first of the black arrows, pulling the bowstring back and focusing on one of the large demonic Oni thrashing forward in the snow. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Behind him was the howl of the kitsune which had followed him and Juzo to the temple earlier in the day. If only he had offered another prayer earlier, he might have been able to persuade the kitsune to help him in the moment of battle. But it was probably too late now.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The arrow was loosed into the storm, but the wind took it wide of the leading Oni. Tomoyuki took another arrow from the sheaf, and finally whispered another sutra. Perhaps the kitsune would hear his prayers this time…?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">********</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfgzafzx9Fg1pzsV86K6U38yBSg6zIjqWS5ivTFSRP6IgyGK5ZeYw_LoFYlvbUBX5BaVkByhtU6wtVGcTUevCaAXWds8AZBq01BjTGQAQACUiZZhrMIKd0UTiqmPc4ZdBKiE6zpXTTdnX3FV7y1Q4XKQkzTc9JVguTz7xy0GTMQsmeTT5LG3u0AKJ8biY/s4378/DSC_0314.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2672" data-original-width="4378" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfgzafzx9Fg1pzsV86K6U38yBSg6zIjqWS5ivTFSRP6IgyGK5ZeYw_LoFYlvbUBX5BaVkByhtU6wtVGcTUevCaAXWds8AZBq01BjTGQAQACUiZZhrMIKd0UTiqmPc4ZdBKiE6zpXTTdnX3FV7y1Q4XKQkzTc9JVguTz7xy0GTMQsmeTT5LG3u0AKJ8biY/w400-h244/DSC_0314.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Over the course of the winter, I've been adding a few more figures inspired by Japanese history and folklore to my collection for "When the Last Sword is Drawn" (or "Bonsai Bonkers" if you prefer). This is the game we've been working on for a year and a half, focused on skirmishes in medieval and Edo-period Japan. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These figures are a little way off the historical track. There’s a selection of Dixon Miniatures bakemono and oni…. Japanese goblins and demons from the "Legends of Nippon" range. They’re lovely figures, sculpted by Mark Copplestone in the 1980s. Gosh, yes, they are that old, but I feel they still stand the passing of years very well as sculpts. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySf7nT4tlF3WJ9Di9JG8Y0jw5DzFkro9Ri-yxiLPmb6C4zsm5toVl6uhM2zmw2ZGB7q9lh7sMzbW0cXenM0DzauhxjX1wafcz92bAJz5tJjoPzdUndhhVp1E0zUITxqP2C4wm5JhTG4_gqkbcwDmt9aQvDKk4AU_o_g67B9WadwGXLK8kQLkeQQ4Xfbvn/s3319/DSC_0326.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2378" data-original-width="3319" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiySf7nT4tlF3WJ9Di9JG8Y0jw5DzFkro9Ri-yxiLPmb6C4zsm5toVl6uhM2zmw2ZGB7q9lh7sMzbW0cXenM0DzauhxjX1wafcz92bAJz5tJjoPzdUndhhVp1E0zUITxqP2C4wm5JhTG4_gqkbcwDmt9aQvDKk4AU_o_g67B9WadwGXLK8kQLkeQQ4Xfbvn/w400-h286/DSC_0326.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROiVPMic-61cKA4eC43mcN8Q1Bl-U9nFQ9M79iS6f71NVkVKqWCX_u1eC-ZasCmGsCgxSIQ3hSX54nznDYwYaGz7JCW3F-JydOdvAbdLVX-DGK9PZ0dIxQHd_Ay0rNpk8orYS59R2NJ4tSDg7KXFnHyMgFJFK89Grbz46P4BFu2xKajkJQYegjGBTQFw8/s3422/DSC_0322.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1945" data-original-width="3422" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgROiVPMic-61cKA4eC43mcN8Q1Bl-U9nFQ9M79iS6f71NVkVKqWCX_u1eC-ZasCmGsCgxSIQ3hSX54nznDYwYaGz7JCW3F-JydOdvAbdLVX-DGK9PZ0dIxQHd_Ay0rNpk8orYS59R2NJ4tSDg7KXFnHyMgFJFK89Grbz46P4BFu2xKajkJQYegjGBTQFw8/w400-h228/DSC_0322.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The samurai is from the same vintage era of Japanese wargaming, being originally a Games Workshop archer sculpted by Aly Morrison in 1984. I do love those older GW sculpts from the 'Oriental Heroes' range, turning back the years with their style and posing taken from Japanese Ukiyo-e era wood-block prints. </div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Wjxv3WXnLNn3oAJmOLdUk0WR-kjylTUbr11mf_Ycg5OAEfQbj_Q53m-HIi0zJ1ib_2IUVvClNJP7qQ8c-Drwa0AJhycqsBDli-Jrpd_NwgHdMDAXlBFEi-adq1BMZ7kwRIfpkCAP5q9b4j49K9-22fOw-U53bK0gvF8qTV2x_sjlBRCW2VoeBisrqu48/s3409/DSC_0317.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2435" data-original-width="3409" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Wjxv3WXnLNn3oAJmOLdUk0WR-kjylTUbr11mf_Ycg5OAEfQbj_Q53m-HIi0zJ1ib_2IUVvClNJP7qQ8c-Drwa0AJhycqsBDli-Jrpd_NwgHdMDAXlBFEi-adq1BMZ7kwRIfpkCAP5q9b4j49K9-22fOw-U53bK0gvF8qTV2x_sjlBRCW2VoeBisrqu48/w400-h286/DSC_0317.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qpCu9layvbHVuFnoXwVkpmobxEjnmPSA4tPSQc3ngUKddU49KZLoo4TOXANdlIt38PZkmY8q878KfY0S5MksmUaz2D__bMPolRjleh6fc4YNFIjhRrFTJBkyvHWjOzeeNEeAepFNtJ3gdLDGUP7VlDv6zuZ6zlkzfaMi0YmCGWLms03FMvuZbfby8-p8/s3792/DSC_0319.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2682" data-original-width="3792" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qpCu9layvbHVuFnoXwVkpmobxEjnmPSA4tPSQc3ngUKddU49KZLoo4TOXANdlIt38PZkmY8q878KfY0S5MksmUaz2D__bMPolRjleh6fc4YNFIjhRrFTJBkyvHWjOzeeNEeAepFNtJ3gdLDGUP7VlDv6zuZ6zlkzfaMi0YmCGWLms03FMvuZbfby8-p8/w400-h283/DSC_0319.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The retainer is from the Perry Miniatures’ range of Sengoku era figures, in the Civilian’s box. The kitsune is a Warbases fox. I removed her tail with a scalpel, and added two new (slightly bushier) ones from green-stuff. Kitsune’s can have up to nine-tails - the more tails indicate the greater powers that the fox-spirit has. Just two here, but enough to weave a little magical stardust into the skirmish.</div></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4sXWbZYVklLZH53blWhrSlsPavWlhpDA84Nhzkua7miyGm7wC_tkFOT7raWtAkN8YI-rJdEwNzr1QMY6_OnXARkALWqHjl0H-s9ZeKO0qd5uWUe2w8zvteXjF5sAhZ3MBcUhslqklZmj9ld345z13lQEYaLUMMx-RKT2726geJnnHe-VW95yry1qMOeP/s2424/DSC_0316.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2424" data-original-width="2407" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX4sXWbZYVklLZH53blWhrSlsPavWlhpDA84Nhzkua7miyGm7wC_tkFOT7raWtAkN8YI-rJdEwNzr1QMY6_OnXARkALWqHjl0H-s9ZeKO0qd5uWUe2w8zvteXjF5sAhZ3MBcUhslqklZmj9ld345z13lQEYaLUMMx-RKT2726geJnnHe-VW95yry1qMOeP/w398-h400/DSC_0316.jpeg" width="398" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5EPEmpGou4zH6j1y5spF7XoayI72jBgkMauUsmEG54U_2r-Ht4YS9fPAUK16pH503ulJReHbn3PKC04eio25jan5Gjm06dhe726Xl5sps-7IBEUakyYMxmA3IcNBxqmRHnBiGOmpfbL9EMQkFUTh5jB8JMT3i7GHVfkON5RkLf7Ukrjgxay5NOAj8JSW/s2686/DSC_0315.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2686" data-original-width="2637" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl5EPEmpGou4zH6j1y5spF7XoayI72jBgkMauUsmEG54U_2r-Ht4YS9fPAUK16pH503ulJReHbn3PKC04eio25jan5Gjm06dhe726Xl5sps-7IBEUakyYMxmA3IcNBxqmRHnBiGOmpfbL9EMQkFUTh5jB8JMT3i7GHVfkON5RkLf7Ukrjgxay5NOAj8JSW/w393-h400/DSC_0315.jpeg" width="393" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BzkezZzeFc2jUCqBWFN2SApmZQIgNEtzFbnsVq7uakS9LIMzk5_7yL2FNHZlnMObkuhnycfchS1pWTFeMtqEOIjtMX8I-n2Ai0K348JHOJHsh7YhbqvMeqf9EXblrWLKvgatuE-qCVpHWm0O4bmUeW-XLAT0ckdIYD9h0pg4OgjyQnSJ3sDh1-6qYTN7/s3721/DSC_0318.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2433" data-original-width="3721" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-BzkezZzeFc2jUCqBWFN2SApmZQIgNEtzFbnsVq7uakS9LIMzk5_7yL2FNHZlnMObkuhnycfchS1pWTFeMtqEOIjtMX8I-n2Ai0K348JHOJHsh7YhbqvMeqf9EXblrWLKvgatuE-qCVpHWm0O4bmUeW-XLAT0ckdIYD9h0pg4OgjyQnSJ3sDh1-6qYTN7/w400-h261/DSC_0318.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The main thing I was trying out with these figures was Citadel contrast paints and shade paints on the bakemono and oni. My great friend, Curt Campbell, persuaded me to give these paints a try last year, but I didn’t get around to it until last month. The contrast paints were used on a white base, and supplemented by GW inks (shades). They certainly look vibrant on the (demonic) flesh, but I wasn’t quite sure I was getting the effect just right with the flow of paints into the creases of flesh. I’d love to experiment a bit more with these paints during the course of this year. Above all, I just thought they were fun, and something which looked very different from green or brown goblins or ogres which I’ve done before. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqQGJdZtkBG_X-LvNJ5SlCbVKrGaUi9OP8FSlN0Owsk4mf1_qfTViavkzUuguGysNDUe07O1njEuOGrDTEIwurCrku7O3bwrfFnDFqWCSDkWO9FGQaJTL5eMlVWchlmxWnZ_p61vfH6lVipkMNQdCssFEhZ_4zeNMf5-6QI9DSxU0AlVhZ0x7YVu3EOCH/s2479/DSC_0323.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2112" data-original-width="2479" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWqQGJdZtkBG_X-LvNJ5SlCbVKrGaUi9OP8FSlN0Owsk4mf1_qfTViavkzUuguGysNDUe07O1njEuOGrDTEIwurCrku7O3bwrfFnDFqWCSDkWO9FGQaJTL5eMlVWchlmxWnZ_p61vfH6lVipkMNQdCssFEhZ_4zeNMf5-6QI9DSxU0AlVhZ0x7YVu3EOCH/w400-h341/DSC_0323.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbS9wbIA_GNV8KUATmCCey4ze8TleJCBTZQB5N7rOTdXE35Y7bMHFHyeP-myiiMP3-cAcd1o4hxzOz-VFnAZVojXCQ8eaj_jlWQo1LZJxxQH59wWZe7l5d6eGAvm7uiHZO5MgOLE2I3gXXwc62JK8FKLPrC4k22JPPhlBwjcUuGieCy7Ous2cYk9liNDH/s2935/DSC_0324.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2273" data-original-width="2935" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtbS9wbIA_GNV8KUATmCCey4ze8TleJCBTZQB5N7rOTdXE35Y7bMHFHyeP-myiiMP3-cAcd1o4hxzOz-VFnAZVojXCQ8eaj_jlWQo1LZJxxQH59wWZe7l5d6eGAvm7uiHZO5MgOLE2I3gXXwc62JK8FKLPrC4k22JPPhlBwjcUuGieCy7Ous2cYk9liNDH/w400-h310/DSC_0324.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The samurai and his retainer and the kitsune were painted a little more conventionally. Over the years, I’ve had this silly obsession with bowstrings. I’ve no idea how I picked that up, but when I see a bow on a figure, I feel I have to string it, as in this case with thin wire. I use my figures at the local wargames club and for participation games at wargames days and shows, so I wanted something more robust than just fishing thread. Its fiddly to string the bow in this way, but hopefully worthwhile.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4XYQJo-JYrVRthX_OhvS05jHPc5sPKvJthnttwxiMbBu8ADQc91sJIsWIIy5YsTSYcuFbZO_4LW0mkvegaLjTQWxCdteY3vFi2fvWK3q4V5zG1ax4Ebg6SuNmNp86Or9lup7zI_oyDnesTVt2JWu2US-jsiT3yhEzxJD87CozmlPT3n8m1mPug3N1br3/s3275/DSC_0327.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2332" data-original-width="3275" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_4XYQJo-JYrVRthX_OhvS05jHPc5sPKvJthnttwxiMbBu8ADQc91sJIsWIIy5YsTSYcuFbZO_4LW0mkvegaLjTQWxCdteY3vFi2fvWK3q4V5zG1ax4Ebg6SuNmNp86Or9lup7zI_oyDnesTVt2JWu2US-jsiT3yhEzxJD87CozmlPT3n8m1mPug3N1br3/w400-h285/DSC_0327.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Finally, there are some scenic items to be scattered over the snowy temple of the game. The terrain items are mainly 3D prints of trees, a smaller shrine, a miniature Buddha and a temple lantern. These are really here to help set the theme, and to give the combatants something to fight around and fall over or bump into at the least convenient times. I made the tiny dōsojin stone shrines with green stuff, carving the tiny stone kami (spirits) on the shrine stones with a nautical theme - hopefully the whale and octopus are just about visible. They were fun to do, and hopefully add that little bit of Japanese ‘feel’ to the tabletop.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I’ve also added a few of my ludicrously indulgent character cards for “When the Last Sword is Drawn”, featuring these figures. Here's the one for Akiyama Tomoyuki:</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3ef-QUGRUkUQRRrBtMPT1gBd6M6ybPr6JCe4s7SCmpJkpABUV3vLvjSlMcypDaTNFLhrg_1GDOYTvttF73G9TiuVKGI4rz68esxu39YcZel2RcLTra1AX-OezjyTX7OAOTOFXmXTywNnuDA1VWLbuKhwS7fsDD1hXewiDrq8jc4BZdpQyYGrIWBu-7EG/s613/Tomoyuki%20-%20card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="613" data-original-width="472" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3ef-QUGRUkUQRRrBtMPT1gBd6M6ybPr6JCe4s7SCmpJkpABUV3vLvjSlMcypDaTNFLhrg_1GDOYTvttF73G9TiuVKGI4rz68esxu39YcZel2RcLTra1AX-OezjyTX7OAOTOFXmXTywNnuDA1VWLbuKhwS7fsDD1hXewiDrq8jc4BZdpQyYGrIWBu-7EG/w308-h400/Tomoyuki%20-%20card.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">More from the snowy mountain fastnesses of fantasy Honshu soon, dear friends. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">********</span></p><div><br /></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-13855435284056600912023-01-21T12:14:00.002+00:002024-01-02T08:30:16.264+00:00The Disciples and Acolytes of "The Celestial Path"<div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OQeKagyuzFZF48fXukAmyVyrClHWNdkU0lh0aTODJhpSK2UDnnfQUIfTBasThTVrbCXEEq6UcHd7z2N5sOagX0bhz5Nffjj0dJrwpJdXS6Urx7_P00Reda4dXf0Rj5FcjYPdSjDmmIKVQs_QiuEsa-WDP4YpaevcVqKZ3KdRDC7c7C6ikBLviK34iA/s3504/DSC_0299.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2740" data-original-width="3504" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OQeKagyuzFZF48fXukAmyVyrClHWNdkU0lh0aTODJhpSK2UDnnfQUIfTBasThTVrbCXEEq6UcHd7z2N5sOagX0bhz5Nffjj0dJrwpJdXS6Urx7_P00Reda4dXf0Rj5FcjYPdSjDmmIKVQs_QiuEsa-WDP4YpaevcVqKZ3KdRDC7c7C6ikBLviK34iA/w400-h313/DSC_0299.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;">********</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">The monk, Makoto, looked at both Lord and Lady Fuchida. Makotos's company of poor ronin, former retainers and impoverished tradesmen had been travelling for several days. The information that Makoto had been given was that both Lord and Lady Fuchida were keen acolytes of "The Celestial Path". <i>Quite</i> the fervent believers, Makoto had been told. Which was good news - as the long journey from Takasaki had sapped some of the high spirits of Makoto's company as they trudged through rain squalls and difficult terrain.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">All that Makoto needed now was additional funds for food and lodging - enough to cross the palms of ferrymen, innkeepers and friendly farmers along the rest of the journey. Of course, a few extra coins would be more than helpful to persuade additional disciples to join the pilgrimage.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Makoto's eyes widened when Lord Fuchida greeted them and passed the heavy coin purse to the monk. "Thank you, my Lord. I can see you are a true believer in The Celestial Path", the monk replied gracefully.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Lord Fuchida Ichiro almost blushed, and bowed, introducing his wife. "This was very much my wife's idea. There are these fishing rights, downstream, which we have long contested are ours.." Lord Fuchida waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the dusty, earthen road leading down the valley. "Maybe", Lord Fuchida added, "..... maybe The Celestial Path can be followed in a direction which guarantees those fishing rights will be returned to the House of Fuchida?"</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Lady Fuchida took one small step to her husband's side, smiled politely, and counted the swords of the disciples of The Celestial Path. There were <i>more</i> than enough weapons in the company to secure the fishing rights that had been stolen from the Fuchida. And maybe 'recover' the woodlands in the valley as well....</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;">********</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDH-QW0UTmC1QSZlQoKyHsMFuDOfhC7uO14_1stLioH-vJnKQRC-kIiOhkzUVrGUI5JOsZcNMo1haLnIg4dKyhYaHEpAsJlm4-drgw8rV_cCpaW4-fTk-I9mLPXhTPwlJWBzmgWEjsiOcEauMj-MhuTHBofwjZ7ry1xMdEW-_KtF5ZFDnNpiS7-56AzQ/s2913/DSC_0304.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2162" data-original-width="2913" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDH-QW0UTmC1QSZlQoKyHsMFuDOfhC7uO14_1stLioH-vJnKQRC-kIiOhkzUVrGUI5JOsZcNMo1haLnIg4dKyhYaHEpAsJlm4-drgw8rV_cCpaW4-fTk-I9mLPXhTPwlJWBzmgWEjsiOcEauMj-MhuTHBofwjZ7ry1xMdEW-_KtF5ZFDnNpiS7-56AzQ/w400-h297/DSC_0304.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I’m very much a historical wargamer. That probably comes through loud and strong on this Blog. In recent years, I’ve loved weaving history together with a narrative which is historically plausible but also allows some creativity. The characters, timeline and precise locations are fictional, but the engagements, skirmishes and battles which the characters fight are consistent with those of their historical contemporaries.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I freely admit that might not be everyone’s cup of green tea, but it works for me - and, I hope, for you. A very good friend of mine said to me the other week that the historical reality Japan of the 16th and 17th centuries was quite different to what we, as wargamers and roleplayers, might understand it to have been. But in a moment of great insight, my friend then also said that it is the “otherness” of Japan which has attracted many roleplayers and wargamers to create <i>that</i> Japan on the tabletop. </span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The legend, the colour and the “otherness” of what we might understand to be Japanese culture and warfare has been the magnet which has drawn people to wargame that setting. For me, as well. I hope that's not disrespectful of the authentic reality of historical Japan. It's certainly not meant to be. If anything, it hopefully has much in common with the <i>Kabuki</i> dramas and U<i>kiyo-e</i> art of the nineteenth centuries, and the work of authors such as Lafcadio Hearn at the turn of the nineteenth century. And this Blog post fits into that dynamic - drawn and entranced by the “otherness” of Japan for a wargamer and roleplayer.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The figures are - with the exception of the female noblewoman - all Dixon Miniatures from Mark Copplestone’s Legends of Japan” range. These were sculpted in the late 1980s, but are still a pleasure to paint. Lady Fuchida is an equally-lovely Perry Miniatures sculpt. They’ll be used in our Japanese skirmish games of “When the Last Sword is Drawn’, set loosely in Tokugawa Japan.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJaJMZuKes77xhWX9T1_qyw4F5Kz-6GxB5uSEv6Y4w2dimJORyO2xg3Se-JyXgMGKs-Qbb9xWrz5zuAvdjepcaMSZTcByggLeGlzs8J4dNm_YW-aeE9dPrZdDpUWWqAX5hpkyDOwI_Fr_-v5cx8dRTrpYfgip8IyXtw_tdaSYrRcCkj27ZoBRZK1cBA/s2331/DSC_0309.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1833" data-original-width="2331" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixJaJMZuKes77xhWX9T1_qyw4F5Kz-6GxB5uSEv6Y4w2dimJORyO2xg3Se-JyXgMGKs-Qbb9xWrz5zuAvdjepcaMSZTcByggLeGlzs8J4dNm_YW-aeE9dPrZdDpUWWqAX5hpkyDOwI_Fr_-v5cx8dRTrpYfgip8IyXtw_tdaSYrRcCkj27ZoBRZK1cBA/s320/DSC_0309.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPWdRpdEsWLQobZu4QCTQJSjTHqMu5ot1TsywFLJmABWpDaj7zhDC0D5g30qqyKBzQW58z48LzEB0f8Seek47G_5K-W1Mbjj1ZJEfegknGG3cm_kMRwMnobR50cqQK4kpU3g-BvtDYntHW18FQve_RluV4cOt4YYRzM72yL9KzhG-7u4TYRTZKrN98g/s1673/DSC_0310.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="1673" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPWdRpdEsWLQobZu4QCTQJSjTHqMu5ot1TsywFLJmABWpDaj7zhDC0D5g30qqyKBzQW58z48LzEB0f8Seek47G_5K-W1Mbjj1ZJEfegknGG3cm_kMRwMnobR50cqQK4kpU3g-BvtDYntHW18FQve_RluV4cOt4YYRzM72yL9KzhG-7u4TYRTZKrN98g/s320/DSC_0310.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I wanted to create a company of adventurers for our skirmish games, themed around a religious purpose. So here we have seven adventurers, including a rural samurai nobleman and a monk and their portable shrine. They are adherents of “The Celestial Path”, a fictional religious group themed around the various collections of religious fanatics wandering Japan both in the <i>Sengoku Jidai </i>(the Age of the Country at War), and afterwards.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I painted the figures with a limited palate. I used Vallejo Sky Grey, Dark Grey, Medium Grey and US Field Drab as the base colours. These themed well together, and were complimentary. I tried to add a splash of suitably-Buddhist orange - even if just an emblem, sash or set of prayer beads - onto each figure. This hopefully brings the company together, along with the colour scheme. I painted the samurai in black - no doubt an expensive cloth, but a sombre colour as befits members of the samurai class following The Celestial Path. I did make sure to add some item of orange clothing or pattern on both of the nobles, just to keep the theme going.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijc2e5XreMLOasbYGmlU4cDZJjzku20W6SsxXAwfvDJlPNBPxydztuEzxhc3Xp__pG-VHZ7581L9T3uW-sn7iIB2LpiVHGJuoZkfafyH6YmxQxHtuDoSFyFgDkMc4g6p29DYYbrmyRx7rbZGDd3VITOdkfwy2LkKWQ7aHJL5L5T1hJ1h6M0K0doIuCKg/s2385/DSC_0308.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1742" data-original-width="2385" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijc2e5XreMLOasbYGmlU4cDZJjzku20W6SsxXAwfvDJlPNBPxydztuEzxhc3Xp__pG-VHZ7581L9T3uW-sn7iIB2LpiVHGJuoZkfafyH6YmxQxHtuDoSFyFgDkMc4g6p29DYYbrmyRx7rbZGDd3VITOdkfwy2LkKWQ7aHJL5L5T1hJ1h6M0K0doIuCKg/w400-h293/DSC_0308.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8L20LDhJKK4RTnS16I4p9q5KI_beyZ0FpWOrM4LoJaJb1yfw5ttkDgm_ewzwi6ULr6Xyw_2yRgUPv4hGHoc4AVlVjezWRDkDkMymsotBWIJ7AfefFxjD8Eg9tYI6i0MA-guG-LqinR7ynKtZMWGa5OrajIjTmnM86hWuq7IrJ9-0KP43uRWIgB3AvA/s2965/DSC_0311.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2474" data-original-width="2965" height="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8L20LDhJKK4RTnS16I4p9q5KI_beyZ0FpWOrM4LoJaJb1yfw5ttkDgm_ewzwi6ULr6Xyw_2yRgUPv4hGHoc4AVlVjezWRDkDkMymsotBWIJ7AfefFxjD8Eg9tYI6i0MA-guG-LqinR7ynKtZMWGa5OrajIjTmnM86hWuq7IrJ9-0KP43uRWIgB3AvA/w400-h334/DSC_0311.jpeg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But what is The Celestial Path I hear you ask? In game background terms, it's a good background for an unusual religious group. Historically, religious groups such as the Ikko-ikki were the inspiration for The Celestial Path. The Ikko-ikki were the product of various populist movements arising in and around the Oni Rebellion. The principles of self-determination taught by the Oni spread widely among the population of central Japan, with the most extreme members of the group insisting that each individual had the right to their own expression of reality. In that regard, maybe the acolytes and disciples of the Celestial Path are seeking their expression of reality in following the stars in the heavens, from adventure to adventure.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-itTJmsn9sbJ0BH8mz8pzCUlCI3nNVsZc4vmyoz8WnpxzEyiVVFSLr-D0gfRHmfkIPhX5IgX9f23zl8bXrnQ_qPlGDcfY9mrl7_A1mg9qJoTLokicGD_mjtCEWHXufECpztinf968vP_tJmpv_pbd-6t0D1iCUUX7LTCGLlLlsXtgbSakPvPAJz0YAg/s2667/DSC_0293.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2667" data-original-width="1799" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-itTJmsn9sbJ0BH8mz8pzCUlCI3nNVsZc4vmyoz8WnpxzEyiVVFSLr-D0gfRHmfkIPhX5IgX9f23zl8bXrnQ_qPlGDcfY9mrl7_A1mg9qJoTLokicGD_mjtCEWHXufECpztinf968vP_tJmpv_pbd-6t0D1iCUUX7LTCGLlLlsXtgbSakPvPAJz0YAg/w270-h400/DSC_0293.jpeg" width="270" /></span></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">And to do this, I needed a ‘Path’ for the acolytes and disciples to follow. In wargaming terms, I wanted this to be a map, with various destinations for the players to follow in a small mini-campaign. Tracing the campaign along a heavily wooded valley - complete with hamlets, a small monastery, several shrines and culminating in a fortified samurai’s house - gave me the ‘Path’ I was looking for. I prepared the map earlier this month and finished it with some watercolours last weekend.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6mW9b9fsLUFcwxm3Hn48ruOeXlmZhgHfcgUMknNqmoeFN8tqeFaGiw6dWRGtlRTM8_kbJCoJ-lRx6Kd9hV0JT0PXtg8Np3ms0a8eJ27NzFWJpr7_z6608WQFuF7ST7s_uDqRZBANhfhg5CCZqgV5Gy8b6-ndeNmj4iOCO8dGzTCjF4DrulNU9kKHLg/s2303/IMG_3961.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1495" data-original-width="2303" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6mW9b9fsLUFcwxm3Hn48ruOeXlmZhgHfcgUMknNqmoeFN8tqeFaGiw6dWRGtlRTM8_kbJCoJ-lRx6Kd9hV0JT0PXtg8Np3ms0a8eJ27NzFWJpr7_z6608WQFuF7ST7s_uDqRZBANhfhg5CCZqgV5Gy8b6-ndeNmj4iOCO8dGzTCjF4DrulNU9kKHLg/w400-h260/IMG_3961.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The circles on the map can serve as encounters for the acolytes and disciples to survive and endure. For those successfully completing the Path, a suitable reward can await them.</span></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X3CqaNeDB4m2q4NYuXwtnmCDnxVjkG1X4WWnXSWqmWdy0qy5_HxjkvV5kvOaHZVyR45nk-JDPnOpPrlfrr60lqrHYgceTGkfjNJExiUIfjUvwXRwXviZSBe-_vrJjenma69oKZmZSdAZx-7LhL51jKE5rQQtgN3GHvfsa-IuWYesL6AooMz96A9fRg/s3571/DSC_0301.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2570" data-original-width="3571" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2X3CqaNeDB4m2q4NYuXwtnmCDnxVjkG1X4WWnXSWqmWdy0qy5_HxjkvV5kvOaHZVyR45nk-JDPnOpPrlfrr60lqrHYgceTGkfjNJExiUIfjUvwXRwXviZSBe-_vrJjenma69oKZmZSdAZx-7LhL51jKE5rQQtgN3GHvfsa-IuWYesL6AooMz96A9fRg/s320/DSC_0301.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I hope to add destinations from The Celestial Path in future posts. So... stay tuned and watch the stars, Dear Readers.</span></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">********</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-26042678-7fff-b0d6-e51a-3318fc96a599"><div><span style="color: #1c1c1c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-42030130070488751562022-12-31T17:46:00.005+00:002022-12-31T21:14:08.705+00:00The Samurai, the Servant and the Demon: A Folklore adversary for "When the Last Sword is Drawn" <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Kjm2bNMj63FQKx3crCO93BIaggHSpTOStvNNRqiryQqPdoaWufud8oaSxVOINDf3s9r60PESTDZHnCi0_2lpJ47ASNMTpmcHelUo3Hbtp5zCrhBbolgRwfUihFKaDHjD8rRQ83R3IIuCs4DBY1YPzD_80OHMYDVACnurDwF4KN03mT86XpRODtoQKw/s3105/Clearing%20Skirmish.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2820" data-original-width="3105" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Kjm2bNMj63FQKx3crCO93BIaggHSpTOStvNNRqiryQqPdoaWufud8oaSxVOINDf3s9r60PESTDZHnCi0_2lpJ47ASNMTpmcHelUo3Hbtp5zCrhBbolgRwfUihFKaDHjD8rRQ83R3IIuCs4DBY1YPzD_80OHMYDVACnurDwF4KN03mT86XpRODtoQKw/w400-h364/Clearing%20Skirmish.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The smoke curled slowly in the still air of the woodland clearing. There was the scent of freshly-caught fish, cooking on an open fire. The samurai’s servant, Akira, turned the freshwater fish on the wooden spit, the fire occasionally crackling and sending a shower of sparks into the evening sky.</span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Across the clearing, the demon eyed the fire, enviously. The demon drew its grey tongue over its lips, salivating at the thought of the feast it might be able to enjoy in just a few minutes. Akira was sure that if his master, Kazuko, lost the duel, the demon would be consuming more than just the huge river-fish which Akira had caught that afternoon.</span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Kazuko levelled his sword at the demon’s throat. His hand was steady and he bent slightly bent forward in a stance long-practised in his family dojo. Despite his skill at sword fighting, Kazuko’s heart was racing. Kazuko watched the demon draw an over-sized, enormous sword with a single, crimson-red, muscled hand. In the demon’s other hand was an immaculately wrought katana - a trophy from another, older duel - but wielded as easily as if the sword was made of fly-wood, like a child’s toy.</span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div></span><span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">As Kazuko circled around the clearing, the dust rose from his bare feet. He was quick on his feet. But was the demon faster</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">?"</span></div></span></blockquote><span><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFudpcrKV7jjXnDak1X0x3yTWhisPOdEfBeC5WaZGd6-xy_8xWG6VWnvtpn-BJRwirbeRtz-D22_JhfjWGEtrJT1B_a60qV5ly_K1SUuMRQchrqHVAS5D9hM3JQZ40k1IAqTpEkXSMy7uC4-PxvHScVz5EgLxG6_y24QeUxgiZ9Artsv0M_rSVzmXRg/s3404/DSC_0272.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2499" data-original-width="3404" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFudpcrKV7jjXnDak1X0x3yTWhisPOdEfBeC5WaZGd6-xy_8xWG6VWnvtpn-BJRwirbeRtz-D22_JhfjWGEtrJT1B_a60qV5ly_K1SUuMRQchrqHVAS5D9hM3JQZ40k1IAqTpEkXSMy7uC4-PxvHScVz5EgLxG6_y24QeUxgiZ9Artsv0M_rSVzmXRg/w400-h294/DSC_0272.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;">*****</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">As I mentioned in my last Blog post, I’ve spent much of my wargaming time this year building up Japanese terrain and painting miniatures for a skirmish ruleset, set in 17th Century Japan.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">We’ve now played about a dozen or more games set in a Japanese historical background, but I wanted to expand the scope to create some games based on historical ukiyo-e prints and the rich tapestry of Japanese myths, folklore and legends. </div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">The Christmas break has given me the chance to do some painting for the <a href="http://thepaintingchallenge.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge</a>, and this has been the first submission I've entered in the Challenge so far.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">In a woodland clearing one evening, a samurai and his servant prepare for a duel against an Oni, a Japanese demon... </div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Oni are depicted in Japanese folklore as being a supernatural form of ogre or demon, known for their fierce and bloodthirsty nature. They have a propensity for murder and brutal behaviour, frequently terrifying the heroes of folk tales and serving as a villain in kabuki drama. Japanese demons even have an appetite for human flesh, although we can guess that the Oni in this blog post might have first been attracted by the scent of cooking fish.</div></span><span><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCivCHiyh-c2hfeI3ZYGA4v2ZOeLeMUeFXWbSGXgjfUsNiVLfI8Qz-FlHrefwHNXRwDAaahDZ2Dn8sLk1duMw5eJUsLKPiHHtNfbum_nMDdL_aETj9jPG4GCxiVRGWb_VyIllAmAKJaCD-bMnV1jSbPfDZawOREhjD4BcaG4_LTQqepvMnuEqd9koGA/s3009/DSC_0274.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2231" data-original-width="3009" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPCivCHiyh-c2hfeI3ZYGA4v2ZOeLeMUeFXWbSGXgjfUsNiVLfI8Qz-FlHrefwHNXRwDAaahDZ2Dn8sLk1duMw5eJUsLKPiHHtNfbum_nMDdL_aETj9jPG4GCxiVRGWb_VyIllAmAKJaCD-bMnV1jSbPfDZawOREhjD4BcaG4_LTQqepvMnuEqd9koGA/w400-h296/DSC_0274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadaGUSTFLTJ8oUAkHTctjppM46sxJ6iFGPlce55DL3YBnEOAu7ntqGQ_BggbwPMwqNBS-sAV6qHwRVojmsJb5zjrW9pQEx98t35x3Uz_mrN_4MsjJQfCuF6C7hwRNMaSJN8zpxUHryIwB0nsRuWOM-GWLeSadTR-FtX8Ipxyp0qyR8G2Q39f1wAgC-Q/s3718/DSC_0275.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2742" data-original-width="3718" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiadaGUSTFLTJ8oUAkHTctjppM46sxJ6iFGPlce55DL3YBnEOAu7ntqGQ_BggbwPMwqNBS-sAV6qHwRVojmsJb5zjrW9pQEx98t35x3Uz_mrN_4MsjJQfCuF6C7hwRNMaSJN8zpxUHryIwB0nsRuWOM-GWLeSadTR-FtX8Ipxyp0qyR8G2Q39f1wAgC-Q/w400-h295/DSC_0275.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">I wanted to equip the Oni with two swords, one a huge (normally two-handed) no-dachi and the other a katana. The Oni and the swords are from the wonderful Dixon Miniatures range of 28mm “<i>Legends of Japan</i>”, sculpted by Mark Copplestone in the late 1980s. Adding the swords into the Oni’s sculpted hands required a bit of brass-rod pinning, really to try and ensure that the swords could be 'held' steady and would not come adrift in hours of gaming.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzL9g5BuYu_-DtgmjzrbtFSaOP6D9ipPWRV5Fobnl7u4e2iARn9c6Tw8yTqfeOgEmjqfEs-ccQ7G4EOzHRH72wytgrK_YhrmekZDCZ5ThDdzCjZhHYJXUS7vC3mVOWT1uphCOtfBoksw8wuWte4vqt84_x03US4tQ5o20gJbuQPaaaWB6bS_OECydbQ/s2883/IMG_3779.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2883" data-original-width="2233" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMzL9g5BuYu_-DtgmjzrbtFSaOP6D9ipPWRV5Fobnl7u4e2iARn9c6Tw8yTqfeOgEmjqfEs-ccQ7G4EOzHRH72wytgrK_YhrmekZDCZ5ThDdzCjZhHYJXUS7vC3mVOWT1uphCOtfBoksw8wuWte4vqt84_x03US4tQ5o20gJbuQPaaaWB6bS_OECydbQ/w310-h400/IMG_3779.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88w9XIhiw3WdCsil-AExyZehtDJiguf57390srLw5BzSy6SKvi2Lzf3w-LNoVdXzxQeR1AIYH1zv393ds7tiSgJgCvLMd-pg8cYQbcS2lP2oIte5eM8kgqTpTcSsiPUIyHNsSPc7qun7nb8NRK28GOo5aElznn314BZ7tJ6tUMzdLoR1mojfiMR2K8A/s2634/IMG_3778.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2634" data-original-width="2354" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg88w9XIhiw3WdCsil-AExyZehtDJiguf57390srLw5BzSy6SKvi2Lzf3w-LNoVdXzxQeR1AIYH1zv393ds7tiSgJgCvLMd-pg8cYQbcS2lP2oIte5eM8kgqTpTcSsiPUIyHNsSPc7qun7nb8NRK28GOo5aElznn314BZ7tJ6tUMzdLoR1mojfiMR2K8A/w358-h400/IMG_3778.HEIC" width="358" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5-6gFTS6MOO7BTPFlWkDQM53i3_KGI0E8SCnBzNLEfdIRyTXiAmXupTxtQZm9VL5JIlS_EHvmtnuqNhvZ9uUIk0Lho4CQnWDW5AjpmOrUzdOWA0ENGapyIRVh1_A5U7X9FO8R2VpV7WRkU2qMzXsH9hifVPqtebuDPSO3ZWxZVDVeV7YV4Jd6Xys0w/s3055/IMG_3782.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3055" data-original-width="2837" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc5-6gFTS6MOO7BTPFlWkDQM53i3_KGI0E8SCnBzNLEfdIRyTXiAmXupTxtQZm9VL5JIlS_EHvmtnuqNhvZ9uUIk0Lho4CQnWDW5AjpmOrUzdOWA0ENGapyIRVh1_A5U7X9FO8R2VpV7WRkU2qMzXsH9hifVPqtebuDPSO3ZWxZVDVeV7YV4Jd6Xys0w/w371-h400/IMG_3782.HEIC" width="371" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCSxUL9rLiBlrC7wNsyjwTPRmQnFCrD8NiA8d1wIkYJ_uUflUPblqw-KzqUj4ugjpryt1za-oO0o4clXvVmVGoE2aJOmKcPaPr2CB7Hkq50Vzx3McFU0X7MWR8mExFv3bvrDyQLNd03jJ9loJEDuzOW0u1YDRL_hes7LIVDHPOgdZep5wNeryoVg9Zg/s1965/IMG_3798.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1965" data-original-width="1170" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCSxUL9rLiBlrC7wNsyjwTPRmQnFCrD8NiA8d1wIkYJ_uUflUPblqw-KzqUj4ugjpryt1za-oO0o4clXvVmVGoE2aJOmKcPaPr2CB7Hkq50Vzx3McFU0X7MWR8mExFv3bvrDyQLNd03jJ9loJEDuzOW0u1YDRL_hes7LIVDHPOgdZep5wNeryoVg9Zg/w239-h400/IMG_3798.PNG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">The samurai is from the former Games Workshop range of Samurai, now sold by Wargames Foundry. I love these sculpts - created by Aly Morrison in 1984. They have, to my mind, stood the test of time very well. I had the great pleasure of chatting to Aly about the figures a few years back. I remember that one of his guides in sculpting the range were the ukiyo-e woodblock prints of artists such as Utamaro, Kunichika, Utagawa and Yoshitoshi. Which makes the range perfectly suited for the ‘feel’ of the game I’m looking to try and create.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD5a-asy3nQwy9wkmoTj8CrdxNO1p6vOEYn_ffpZw-HPYh93s6ufWDJwCQ7VmxSL8O2nKUomlpD4K89Ff0h2mll5k7yN28JwSC8jQf7JlrksI5qXROFzVZVSAcrUh49UARf9Y1w7a6I-66StTIQeIy6DgfIa9fXncK5tUxsrVEMk2rmsQGUYSc4KgSA/s2894/IMG_2348.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1989" data-original-width="2894" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtD5a-asy3nQwy9wkmoTj8CrdxNO1p6vOEYn_ffpZw-HPYh93s6ufWDJwCQ7VmxSL8O2nKUomlpD4K89Ff0h2mll5k7yN28JwSC8jQf7JlrksI5qXROFzVZVSAcrUh49UARf9Y1w7a6I-66StTIQeIy6DgfIa9fXncK5tUxsrVEMk2rmsQGUYSc4KgSA/w400-h275/IMG_2348.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmomrtEQUsrIbUzwk6nemQsLLgSmIVy1j71Rv9K9be3JTBy1yTbspr7xUl93rzPYDNk9rebs_JtPjZDC4n3clG1zCatucxzvQSbzu96UxDrG3cEfe-kPW1N9flHzg6FfLuC__0N3DNNPFqt4QEmxzLRAhiVBfjdAuI6AvhviKPDHFSAlcclSUvKRImBg/s3928/IMG_2377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2058" data-original-width="3928" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmomrtEQUsrIbUzwk6nemQsLLgSmIVy1j71Rv9K9be3JTBy1yTbspr7xUl93rzPYDNk9rebs_JtPjZDC4n3clG1zCatucxzvQSbzu96UxDrG3cEfe-kPW1N9flHzg6FfLuC__0N3DNNPFqt4QEmxzLRAhiVBfjdAuI6AvhviKPDHFSAlcclSUvKRImBg/w400-h210/IMG_2377.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">I didn’t make any changes to the samurai, or his trusty servant (from Perry Miniatures). But I did scratch-build a small campfire on which a large freshwater fish could be cooking. I used a few scraps of wood, and a selection of 3D printed fish, one of which I could skewer on a brass-wire spit over the camp fire. I also added a few spare fish to base of verdant, broad leaves - cut from the meal foil from a wine bottle. A small sprinkle of fiery-painted sand and foam completed the embers and small flames of the smoky fire.</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0WAcYCXWQ0xZQBNO8r-MK3BMtEdZ2Mv6E_Gvgz4NNQeoY80_09lje9YuCM6Lw-9fQfDfm1g5lFL8pAaw0g_NhHjhAJXFIetlBwvr4ypiJF2WevZVoHAm6lAy8UGdlneJgu1Bw8m-rbCQZTsH3PcSiP4fMWnIwL6i1lk-HQTfGy80t7g6KF9kzdRaWQ/s1533/IMG_3857.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1195" data-original-width="1533" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD0WAcYCXWQ0xZQBNO8r-MK3BMtEdZ2Mv6E_Gvgz4NNQeoY80_09lje9YuCM6Lw-9fQfDfm1g5lFL8pAaw0g_NhHjhAJXFIetlBwvr4ypiJF2WevZVoHAm6lAy8UGdlneJgu1Bw8m-rbCQZTsH3PcSiP4fMWnIwL6i1lk-HQTfGy80t7g6KF9kzdRaWQ/w400-h311/IMG_3857.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uxVtFuc_giIZiNXtOFl3x0_cCl_gxoavubkhTJGYGfO1MVodA_lQHHQlYPxPORb0u1wxJouqzC6qHJiXDnIAdm1_QfXsKPz3XWPpHtzlhLOznsTQvz9F6-A-SiDB7vHRsAWtTgmRY05KlknRJ8btIwzjjsOIk7oSunjsb42Ty3a2pxHHtuxJw3QSyg/s1241/IMG_3858.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1241" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uxVtFuc_giIZiNXtOFl3x0_cCl_gxoavubkhTJGYGfO1MVodA_lQHHQlYPxPORb0u1wxJouqzC6qHJiXDnIAdm1_QfXsKPz3XWPpHtzlhLOznsTQvz9F6-A-SiDB7vHRsAWtTgmRY05KlknRJ8btIwzjjsOIk7oSunjsb42Ty3a2pxHHtuxJw3QSyg/w400-h373/IMG_3858.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSeS5VLtYeN2wwY5l0IOX5oZBRkW7F1RQgHNMs7epioOwXZKjD4TDs9r2Gvz_TKlLsyplyPZ77Sj6LB3ng5tpqPcojzek2aONwsXX5q7wQW0xkpD6U9okhMCzLO4wDovuR8WSXJRYHYskVWM_9Ub0IgC-Dw-NHSYehd7t_oHEqzAlWxT26WEymmJ4GA/s1663/IMG_3863.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1663" data-original-width="1468" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKSeS5VLtYeN2wwY5l0IOX5oZBRkW7F1RQgHNMs7epioOwXZKjD4TDs9r2Gvz_TKlLsyplyPZ77Sj6LB3ng5tpqPcojzek2aONwsXX5q7wQW0xkpD6U9okhMCzLO4wDovuR8WSXJRYHYskVWM_9Ub0IgC-Dw-NHSYehd7t_oHEqzAlWxT26WEymmJ4GA/w353-h400/IMG_3863.HEIC" width="353" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-rC_TA7QsRqYhWGSy67mqHBWLWIKaOmVRB3yNTpld2xWWgFsJvTlhKQ4c1-DJpThDm9iwZccSRToyttnbNI5Wr4qFjh_QHHLV6ZbrDTwu87uREVdKpa7odR5DW2TMXWBsFW2ZqlgTYo1oklAByyc8JJd8TyZvvcq9lR_h-fUA2aTu1jV9oP-7pdDLA/s1466/IMG_3868.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="1444" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-rC_TA7QsRqYhWGSy67mqHBWLWIKaOmVRB3yNTpld2xWWgFsJvTlhKQ4c1-DJpThDm9iwZccSRToyttnbNI5Wr4qFjh_QHHLV6ZbrDTwu87uREVdKpa7odR5DW2TMXWBsFW2ZqlgTYo1oklAByyc8JJd8TyZvvcq9lR_h-fUA2aTu1jV9oP-7pdDLA/w394-h400/IMG_3868.HEIC" width="394" /></a></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">My time is a bit restricted for painting at the moment. So wargames which have a low figure count are definitely something which I'm enjoying at the present time. With this in mind, our games of "<i>When the Last Sword is Drawn</i>" have featured duels, smaller engagements, and companies of half a dozen figures or so on each side. Combined with a smaller wargaming table, the emphasis has been on opposing forces which are very easy to assemble and paint. </div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;">The larger trees in the photos for this blog post were plastic bonsai, bought from an aquarium supplier in the 1990s and brushed-up this year to serve in our skirmish games. The smaller trees are some very useful 3d prints - certainly something which we didn't have access to in the 1990s!</div><div style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhGhnmq7AR9FxHFmmN_5rLUCgpWKinX3MiHi-MiqFHFEs1ajNPBqQCth6Q87weXBCtsiciuzjqiu48X9QuMJ3ISviGurvZMRGvZfKds-BUkA1ZHNZt4J6tKOBnQT10nTEdVmUCwCLAifMcmGuNAJf85Wlxcuaq78u9fn4LjnN6F_wQRObZS7dnF8Kmw/s3163/DSC_0278.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2702" data-original-width="3163" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhGhnmq7AR9FxHFmmN_5rLUCgpWKinX3MiHi-MiqFHFEs1ajNPBqQCth6Q87weXBCtsiciuzjqiu48X9QuMJ3ISviGurvZMRGvZfKds-BUkA1ZHNZt4J6tKOBnQT10nTEdVmUCwCLAifMcmGuNAJf85Wlxcuaq78u9fn4LjnN6F_wQRObZS7dnF8Kmw/w400-h341/DSC_0278.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6GPvX-YWJ_wkQSuPPaDuR5FSRnhZnBgKCefUuOkGV4nR6eyJ2xU0Yhh7B-PQZwFfKIL5jpf1koj9OLx02R8iT9zpBFmOsJp9Ha4_9f3CNjxD3A-q9Fvbip9TAGJZnSugjRb7YNPz27ARCk1HOucHFR62OoaYRD5kFpgbo1aupIrl6164ItNfAtGIrw/s3807/DSC_0291.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3055" data-original-width="3807" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK6GPvX-YWJ_wkQSuPPaDuR5FSRnhZnBgKCefUuOkGV4nR6eyJ2xU0Yhh7B-PQZwFfKIL5jpf1koj9OLx02R8iT9zpBFmOsJp9Ha4_9f3CNjxD3A-q9Fvbip9TAGJZnSugjRb7YNPz27ARCk1HOucHFR62OoaYRD5kFpgbo1aupIrl6164ItNfAtGIrw/w400-h321/DSC_0291.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvZqN7BcvLIwzUVsfM1fQiCyBULqzmvqm7obpA41DSeKItXysReWUJ698qZNFjLKHRQtWClNjqVxrhWIbwbWTmti7JtodIYKFKs3WvS7WoBqiMAaYUS6FLiv2izr6DsP1ihIXQOEGsZX-xBeuQfM9rgUEk1RmYXzsjnAbflsArOJ8uUE-tbJPaQXKXw/s1306/Skirmish%20in%20a%20Clearing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1306" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTvZqN7BcvLIwzUVsfM1fQiCyBULqzmvqm7obpA41DSeKItXysReWUJ698qZNFjLKHRQtWClNjqVxrhWIbwbWTmti7JtodIYKFKs3WvS7WoBqiMAaYUS6FLiv2izr6DsP1ihIXQOEGsZX-xBeuQfM9rgUEk1RmYXzsjnAbflsArOJ8uUE-tbJPaQXKXw/w400-h280/Skirmish%20in%20a%20Clearing.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><span><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">And, to follow the character cards I prepared for the "Characters of Laarden" a few years back, here some cards themed around the characters in this blog post but tailored for the rules in "<i>When the Last Sword is Drawn</i>". Hope you enjoy the cards - they're very frivolous, but have proved to be fun in the games we've played. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQglYajRuGSGEi7n0e6c0vBg9cSP8d4jxhclouSmkLp6lX0GtjvQ53ka7adkX7VIUtglkaEXs_dC48ZebhPN6CUyp4FfIi3AwlTTkPdtF7Uz_7sSyD8NnyaGvgvBpk7ze-Ps4vViredS7MhKT1OovPigGGC9pPOysn1dAVMvySX7L39DHu8j8ppqzikw/s741/Oni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="571" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQglYajRuGSGEi7n0e6c0vBg9cSP8d4jxhclouSmkLp6lX0GtjvQ53ka7adkX7VIUtglkaEXs_dC48ZebhPN6CUyp4FfIi3AwlTTkPdtF7Uz_7sSyD8NnyaGvgvBpk7ze-Ps4vViredS7MhKT1OovPigGGC9pPOysn1dAVMvySX7L39DHu8j8ppqzikw/w309-h400/Oni.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xVJ-TgK_BjBuzXuNokBUyf2ShmahidFe84_DO6ZYICmoMEuLauaWFa_toR32eNSF0XvTyhxcR-aPbubHn54lHUz_-6-wYFAwU99shSeLZj68ZVdBAkVIYhWGT7VHk7o485YhjjR-kJp9g4-mtDJtyKXRSexEb1sPAiMKZX6u5ZB7CmaDOTiGLEgTxw/s576/Kazuko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="445" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xVJ-TgK_BjBuzXuNokBUyf2ShmahidFe84_DO6ZYICmoMEuLauaWFa_toR32eNSF0XvTyhxcR-aPbubHn54lHUz_-6-wYFAwU99shSeLZj68ZVdBAkVIYhWGT7VHk7o485YhjjR-kJp9g4-mtDJtyKXRSexEb1sPAiMKZX6u5ZB7CmaDOTiGLEgTxw/w309-h400/Kazuko.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKZKHOlcgbDSzIb6VzAQGWOAnLg2b9WU86X8g28QV37gkmQzTTFsdDwMbWuoo1C9Cbw4xtDA9l-710a6enZ1sbtR4R5EZw4jxBKvxpAySbMLfFZ0aBaeh39yn0taslVi_E-7VZU-U2e-EUYg9-7r1dYzpiIZHDEQR5tgE3W6CvShgVkfik-cwmnhbJw/s823/Akira%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="823" data-original-width="634" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKZKHOlcgbDSzIb6VzAQGWOAnLg2b9WU86X8g28QV37gkmQzTTFsdDwMbWuoo1C9Cbw4xtDA9l-710a6enZ1sbtR4R5EZw4jxBKvxpAySbMLfFZ0aBaeh39yn0taslVi_E-7VZU-U2e-EUYg9-7r1dYzpiIZHDEQR5tgE3W6CvShgVkfik-cwmnhbJw/w309-h400/Akira%20(1).jpg" width="309" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span></span><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And I hope you can join me for more about Japanese skirmish wargames in another blog post in about a week's time.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: helvetica; text-align: center;">********</div></span></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-86835303396518051562022-12-29T22:17:00.005+00:002022-12-31T21:16:46.003+00:00"When the Last Sword is Drawn": a Japanese-themed skirmish wargame<p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PgKzMSTp1ta-NGLaKVuG9-jYtaIEKcwxhX_6J142R8rsoCeGfIlZr1wnsX07pZZLF4tM1326K-BN4ja0rzyJaFHMt-w6uC7LeKEOUm8_3iGlgj6z-jPe5d1UmPGDiBsUjCbqibjjOeRbArUiMLW12kr3iyq-awuxkYzyIBhYzyl1lEy2r19qrMK0UA/s4032/When%20the%20Last%20Sword%20is%20Drawn%20280822_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PgKzMSTp1ta-NGLaKVuG9-jYtaIEKcwxhX_6J142R8rsoCeGfIlZr1wnsX07pZZLF4tM1326K-BN4ja0rzyJaFHMt-w6uC7LeKEOUm8_3iGlgj6z-jPe5d1UmPGDiBsUjCbqibjjOeRbArUiMLW12kr3iyq-awuxkYzyIBhYzyl1lEy2r19qrMK0UA/w400-h300/When%20the%20Last%20Sword%20is%20Drawn%20280822_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Over the past ten months, I’ve been continuing to work on our rules for “...with Flashing Blades”, and also have been exploring a quite different version of those rules which is set in Tokugawa Japan. The rules are tentatively called “When the Last Sword is Drawn” - maybe a bit of a mouthful, but based on a wonderful Japanese movie from 2002.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whatever the rules end up finally being called, the core theme of the skirmish wargame is gaining honour by faithfully serving a Daimyo, Lord or Lady through a series of skirmishes and other conflicts. Other themes have also appeared during the games we have played: deceptive appearances, family obligations, imagined slights and vicious revenge. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusV2BqQvcBbeB6Lc9rEEEEK1LGuEO3M7c9HqDnZJ_kN-j5IjkgNRAa2Ob0Mi7M9k7gZ6NzkN4P4mmXNg2LpACqUOfx1tQEp0ok3s146YU1ZPcdvj1VS1cnyFk5RDBDCQU4Pi1bFgTFanNGgvukOrPQsQXLpW0RiV6Wz4GrcquibXcabIAfmnKZ624vA/s1088/Screenshot%202022-08-29%20at%2012.05.41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1088" data-original-width="826" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusV2BqQvcBbeB6Lc9rEEEEK1LGuEO3M7c9HqDnZJ_kN-j5IjkgNRAa2Ob0Mi7M9k7gZ6NzkN4P4mmXNg2LpACqUOfx1tQEp0ok3s146YU1ZPcdvj1VS1cnyFk5RDBDCQU4Pi1bFgTFanNGgvukOrPQsQXLpW0RiV6Wz4GrcquibXcabIAfmnKZ624vA/w304-h400/Screenshot%202022-08-29%20at%2012.05.41.png" width="304" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5Um3L0StcRB7ajTHZwZXzrx_K23i6URxjVuNA3zu3D9dwvzgWdbfV0LInZPI408Sl5W8hHi7yCJeRqHE_02ABbsQfubqZpr6WP--m3ggX9g49fnErc2zJ6X6yAf_I8rDyTUJI2LduUFFyLosLuynf9w0Liu5ANvHWpTK5BdAr7SLTu_JR64iWMGGcw/s4032/When%20the%20Last%20Sword%20is%20Drawn%20280822_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5Um3L0StcRB7ajTHZwZXzrx_K23i6URxjVuNA3zu3D9dwvzgWdbfV0LInZPI408Sl5W8hHi7yCJeRqHE_02ABbsQfubqZpr6WP--m3ggX9g49fnErc2zJ6X6yAf_I8rDyTUJI2LduUFFyLosLuynf9w0Liu5ANvHWpTK5BdAr7SLTu_JR64iWMGGcw/w400-h300/When%20the%20Last%20Sword%20is%20Drawn%20280822_2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I’ve really enjoyed the journey so far of creating another small-scale game which is a really interesting counterpoint to “...<i>with Flashing Blades</i>”. Certain common rules mechanisms appear in both sets of rules, but the themes are quite distinct and the two games play differently. For example, the swordplay in the Japanese version game is deadlier than “...<i>with Flashing Blades</i>”, which I feel fits the environment in which protagonists are fighting with razor-sharp katanas at close quarters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I’ve also enjoyed rekindling a fascination and love for wargames with a historical and legendary Japanese background. It’s been fifteen years since I last painted up figures for this theme, and returning to paint noble samurai, disgraced ronin and wandering rikishi has been a sheer delight.</div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjDdTwvw0wHpd_FJF61OzTccfuvaiRpWPmcEjUbM64hducYTlyj6EkCLhD5J0R1w9ncxauTan1aJGB4r0OfdpFZeRA_LrCZ82sh6KJHkb1Yw6e2949jae2JQVKkD2AiqewudbPLqHxAp5aEQepp4wiqcxGsJKmwULbpkzA51gMn_xFX-km0UCXtqvLA/s2894/IMG_2348.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1989" data-original-width="2894" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjDdTwvw0wHpd_FJF61OzTccfuvaiRpWPmcEjUbM64hducYTlyj6EkCLhD5J0R1w9ncxauTan1aJGB4r0OfdpFZeRA_LrCZ82sh6KJHkb1Yw6e2949jae2JQVKkD2AiqewudbPLqHxAp5aEQepp4wiqcxGsJKmwULbpkzA51gMn_xFX-km0UCXtqvLA/w400-h275/IMG_2348.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3U52AV4COzxSEmUzBw-IKTyswEcjmC6BXxO5feLoNKdXXFRDjd4qGsVQ1xCAwVtk8Go4xlOsV_4cbEBe5A1j-i56uEAsxU-hnRjte8s8HTA8VZoy6X1QymK0eUMOP2hqkc9Uxa6tHwO3nipo7V5r2gt0FgQ8qwGYllvg_AeGcNGOLCcWs2StrN5I3A/s3334/WTFSiD%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2165" data-original-width="3334" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG3U52AV4COzxSEmUzBw-IKTyswEcjmC6BXxO5feLoNKdXXFRDjd4qGsVQ1xCAwVtk8Go4xlOsV_4cbEBe5A1j-i56uEAsxU-hnRjte8s8HTA8VZoy6X1QymK0eUMOP2hqkc9Uxa6tHwO3nipo7V5r2gt0FgQ8qwGYllvg_AeGcNGOLCcWs2StrN5I3A/w400-h260/WTFSiD%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozxjUkys_B2RrK53MJCf0CmXqGYkynPt6SG_bfGTdOlOUzl_SQv638iT1O7-Wnu94x_VJ1gxEKVHZjmj0zGUp0L6yleSW4P_Tt7BFSQLBqHj1YXvNggowd8dWoey1xkIWSRVSf3bDhegnaqa6_-_huRCV08j_qCGzvFTVZwanpxN-sOZcOa87R5BnXg/s4000/Akiyama%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2849" data-original-width="4000" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhozxjUkys_B2RrK53MJCf0CmXqGYkynPt6SG_bfGTdOlOUzl_SQv638iT1O7-Wnu94x_VJ1gxEKVHZjmj0zGUp0L6yleSW4P_Tt7BFSQLBqHj1YXvNggowd8dWoey1xkIWSRVSf3bDhegnaqa6_-_huRCV08j_qCGzvFTVZwanpxN-sOZcOa87R5BnXg/w400-h285/Akiyama%201.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWsE8K6OwMH1M5N_GW674YgYzeMF05z6jIxTcCj_e4bNs2skDxfpcFIgUiBqzKt79P4dLtT6pCkTx7UY7ClYz6b4vZnIEMkRTfmJPyP6og2k8ka5GaNPXJWjJ3PkLDPiYVhARwfGeS6GRodrqsw2Idn-Mpxu-5ngUuZ9eMPgAxnXR-O0J7rw-LJDa6Q/s2566/Lord%20Chaya.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1923" data-original-width="2566" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNWsE8K6OwMH1M5N_GW674YgYzeMF05z6jIxTcCj_e4bNs2skDxfpcFIgUiBqzKt79P4dLtT6pCkTx7UY7ClYz6b4vZnIEMkRTfmJPyP6og2k8ka5GaNPXJWjJ3PkLDPiYVhARwfGeS6GRodrqsw2Idn-Mpxu-5ngUuZ9eMPgAxnXR-O0J7rw-LJDa6Q/w400-h300/Lord%20Chaya.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I hope to share more images of “When the Last Sword is Drawn” here, on the Blog, in the next few weeks. This blog has been neglected for the last year and a half, mainly as I’ve been been working on “...<i>with Flashing Blades</i>” and “<i>When the Last Sword is Drawn</i>” - painting figures, creating terrain, and also taking the games around to friends’ houses, various games days and smaller wargames shows. However, I have very much missed blogging and sharing ideas here. Although I think Twitter is a useful social media for keeping in touch with wargaming (and other) friends, I do struggle to keep track of older postings. Blogging seems a lot easier in that regard.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, with the New Year around the corner, I’ll leave you all with some images of the figures I've painted and games of “<i>When the Last Sword is Drawn</i>” we enjoyed in 2022.</div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgW7MIJytGQv8cP3jc2R5R-l40dW-RI7BmAovcpxYkm2wjbq4Q8ex2N9FkFsiV41ME7Nw5WuIWtsjGNcibYUQq3X-zH89OmhJFgoaND8NaoTD6l3fbORrGBCyACGPUlirOEiiUoXicB0HC0WNH_MZQufwrdIshvXssVDina12v8BfFWFAN8NGnilIgQ/s2666/304656A4-51E1-4D53-B9A4-2284A0AD8CB8_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2278" data-original-width="2666" height="341" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgW7MIJytGQv8cP3jc2R5R-l40dW-RI7BmAovcpxYkm2wjbq4Q8ex2N9FkFsiV41ME7Nw5WuIWtsjGNcibYUQq3X-zH89OmhJFgoaND8NaoTD6l3fbORrGBCyACGPUlirOEiiUoXicB0HC0WNH_MZQufwrdIshvXssVDina12v8BfFWFAN8NGnilIgQ/w400-h341/304656A4-51E1-4D53-B9A4-2284A0AD8CB8_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5EYZwYQj9iIPY-xgc1_y685e5I8pKsdIpfFnHgY4MXtXY9Xy9HWTl5OpgX0STIS4tQ4XhH5T2255yiIIsEGznHM2Jq9jKhzDS5dB9SR3fLirVMrzWjRmP2hH_vBx3gf2WldSWnJ2YjToQ591rxre6Dq4-fBytm-0sKz9XNU7wB2_zXiHJas2cWZCeg/s2539/IMG_2321.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2352" data-original-width="2539" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5EYZwYQj9iIPY-xgc1_y685e5I8pKsdIpfFnHgY4MXtXY9Xy9HWTl5OpgX0STIS4tQ4XhH5T2255yiIIsEGznHM2Jq9jKhzDS5dB9SR3fLirVMrzWjRmP2hH_vBx3gf2WldSWnJ2YjToQ591rxre6Dq4-fBytm-0sKz9XNU7wB2_zXiHJas2cWZCeg/w400-h370/IMG_2321.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">********</span></div><p></p>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-15411242419112003162021-08-10T11:16:00.003+01:002021-08-10T11:26:25.430+01:00 “With Flashing Blades” – Recommendations for Background Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZSvdJpN9kRAyrXZxzlllZnGSw5zVPs06q5U9cPCyAcZkSJW9yCC8klRY51yRKBzCJ8-6uHvJJwK5q5GLV-FeNUPF6bVe02R8tIBi4NRkJx3w2oDtrnYqwu4K05rSZA5lXdSJByJZ77xR/s3024/IMG_0192.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2624" data-original-width="3024" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZSvdJpN9kRAyrXZxzlllZnGSw5zVPs06q5U9cPCyAcZkSJW9yCC8klRY51yRKBzCJ8-6uHvJJwK5q5GLV-FeNUPF6bVe02R8tIBi4NRkJx3w2oDtrnYqwu4K05rSZA5lXdSJByJZ77xR/w400-h348/IMG_0192.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-6e78d613-7fff-e13e-b245-80b073a88c05"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Since my last Blog post, a couple of people have asked me about reading and viewing material which might accompany the game which Nick, Rich and myself have been working on. I thought it might be fun to mention some of the books I’ve been reading as background and inspiration for “With Flashing Blades”. Like any list, this is not comprehensive. The literature for swordsmanship, duelling and swashbuckling of all kinds is huge, and spans different genres from historical fiction to swords-and-sorcery, and from the supernatural to science fiction. Here, I’ve confined my list to the books which I personally found useful as encouragement for the game.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another couple of small caveats: I’ve not listed any historical sources here. I’ll prepare a Blog post in a week or so on that subject, looking at some of the background to early 17th Century France and also the ‘Schools’ of swords-handling, duelling and fencing which I found really interesting in the context of working on the game. I have also limited this blog to written material. A future Blog post will contain all the film and TV inspiration, including <i><b>that</b></i> theme tune! </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZx4n3ciE-8KjeTQhwbMEicANYZUovmNoqgFPDFHclgnYFZeZsVmjXey6h_GPxKAR5psOxQCRybtO-WIdBVwpRIn1VmkIr1RSH9TU_2m0Im0DO0eoO-fGsJS2527_JaqTpVSGm1kYd4QO/s4032/IMG_0183.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMZx4n3ciE-8KjeTQhwbMEicANYZUovmNoqgFPDFHclgnYFZeZsVmjXey6h_GPxKAR5psOxQCRybtO-WIdBVwpRIn1VmkIr1RSH9TU_2m0Im0DO0eoO-fGsJS2527_JaqTpVSGm1kYd4QO/w300-h400/IMG_0183.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So let’s start with the grand-daddy of them all, “<i>The Three Musketeers</i>” by Alexandre Dumas. I thought I knew this book, but I’d never read it before as a complete novel. As I read it from cover to cover for the first time last month, I was really surprised. It is not the book I thought I was going to read. The actual sword fighting is infrequent in the book, and takes place quickly over very few pages. I’ll not give too much away (just in case you, dear Readers, have not read the book), but it is not one of those novels where there is a sword-fight every twenty pages. What is, however, very much present is intrigue. There are plots, plans, stories, developments and yet more intrigues on top of all that. When you read the novel, all the various plots hang together very well and the central arch of the story is not difficult to follow. This is not “<i>The Name of the Rose</i>” or an Agatha Christie novel – the intrigue, though deep and pernicious, never obscures the story in which the lives of our heroes is unfurled. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And, while we’re speaking of heroes, it surprised me that huge chunks of the book are placed in the in upper echelons of society. We are frequently present in the world of the King, the Queen, the Cardinal and the Duke of Buckingham. Dumas <i>loves</i> to name-drop the titles of Dukes, Counts, Duchesses and nobles generally. The actions of the musketeers frequently revolve around noble and royal characters, not the opposite.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Dumas also loves place-name dropping. Much more familiar to his 19th Century French audience than to me in 2021, there is a litany of French street and place names, including prisons, palaces, market places and execution sites. Some we know (La Bastille), but some are much more unfamiliar. I thought that a map would be helpful in reading the book, and I found myself reaching for a guidebook of Paris in the early chapters. You don’t need to do that, but it’s fun to have alongside you as you read the novel.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Finally, a huge shout-out to one of the Audible audiobooks of the “<i>The Three Musketeers</i>”. I was reading the Penguin Classics version of the book, and chose the accompanying Audible version, narrated by the well-known actor, Paterson Joseph. The narration by Paterson is a total delight. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRdDCcBaPtBNM8HrVcO0nqF-yI74ws2m5QruQ4R9vj5RqEdwHqGXzRpPOZ_-nT7hGjmfP6sHM1D5_iEltBFtBGGDTuyGy3D5ZAk1qyGSGboMRN9amUyG1y2xdeGpu0t0tqVmCFauJa0J9/s2048/Paterson.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="2048" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRdDCcBaPtBNM8HrVcO0nqF-yI74ws2m5QruQ4R9vj5RqEdwHqGXzRpPOZ_-nT7hGjmfP6sHM1D5_iEltBFtBGGDTuyGy3D5ZAk1qyGSGboMRN9amUyG1y2xdeGpu0t0tqVmCFauJa0J9/w400-h250/Paterson.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I love Audible generally, and Mr Joseph’s narration was one of the finest narrations I’ve heard on the site. He has a real ear for French names, and really evoked the sense of place with each of the names of the people and places being pronounced. I was really thrilled to learn (from a Twitter post) that Paterson regarded his work on the Audible narration of "<i>The Three Musketeers</i>" as one of his best pieces of work. I think its amazing and, if you have any interest at all in Dumas’ novel, I would strongly recommend you give Paterson’s Audible narration a try.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHyF0guoFVQDU696lbG33jmi0QVEP-tx0ys1dIDEyH-jPnFNWHE_BIk2ZKKjBOA5g6QplSwUeLkhhaYL7uaf_ZkZhvDNY9oMxblRKgu9vcxKrgjvfNyeB7oYOhUhMrEUSiBAkJLkNgIQV/s3523/IMG_0191.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3523" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhHyF0guoFVQDU696lbG33jmi0QVEP-tx0ys1dIDEyH-jPnFNWHE_BIk2ZKKjBOA5g6QplSwUeLkhhaYL7uaf_ZkZhvDNY9oMxblRKgu9vcxKrgjvfNyeB7oYOhUhMrEUSiBAkJLkNgIQV/w344-h400/IMG_0191.HEIC" width="344" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">From Dumas’ classic, the next suggestion I have on my list is the canon of books by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, featuring Captain Alatriste. I came to these books the long way around. I first read Pérez-Reverte’s books in the 1990s and early 2000s, starting with the complicated (but remarkable) “<i>Club Dumas</i>”. This book, incidentally, has a rich seam of connection to Dumas and “<i>The Three Musketeers</i>” (no spoilers, folks), but that was rather lost on me at the time, as the book is really about the supernatural, or – more accurately – the possibility of the supernatural. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQbmmZN8UfWLdsz8ttJTWvPdarbWgSgAO33sNA95Jz07TDqUJRtxU15618r8yF8U_YwPw2uAbde9hEt5pJqCKc7m3gbPuvZuyFgMoVFgNH-pHvVwNxwwt1OlayQxaZKYbi8C_BiX4MEa-/s3952/IMG_0190.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3952" data-original-width="2740" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoQbmmZN8UfWLdsz8ttJTWvPdarbWgSgAO33sNA95Jz07TDqUJRtxU15618r8yF8U_YwPw2uAbde9hEt5pJqCKc7m3gbPuvZuyFgMoVFgNH-pHvVwNxwwt1OlayQxaZKYbi8C_BiX4MEa-/w278-h400/IMG_0190.HEIC" width="278" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">From there I read Pérez -Reverte’s other books, including the most excellent “<i>The Fencing Master</i>”. Don Jaime, the main character of the book, is one of my literary heroes, especially as I have got older. His sparse, austere and controlled lifestyle in Madrid as a 19th Century fencing master is something I’ve often thought about, particularly as an antidote to the uncontrollable and byzantine mess of my normal family life! I really enjoyed the book when I read it in 2003, and I enjoyed re-eading it last year in the depths of the pandemic. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bjeti7Xi8PLWQ7_2mWqkwGb12kfRvDGeTf7gOOS9tcMydVrEPDtV8VoTZtvVdpMSXrcOVImqg3h_1ublJmskFANEeU9QvFOa5JnvEfxh1zCO9pENoYHidJZHXB7O0U87xrVBMdj2UcLj/s3795/IMG_0185.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3795" data-original-width="2659" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bjeti7Xi8PLWQ7_2mWqkwGb12kfRvDGeTf7gOOS9tcMydVrEPDtV8VoTZtvVdpMSXrcOVImqg3h_1ublJmskFANEeU9QvFOa5JnvEfxh1zCO9pENoYHidJZHXB7O0U87xrVBMdj2UcLj/w280-h400/IMG_0185.HEIC" width="280" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But I digress. All of these books just prepared me for Pérez-Reverte’s “<i>Alatriste</i>” series of books. Several of my friends recommended the “<i>Alatriste</i>” series to me (thank you!), and I have not been disappointed. Captain Alatriste is the hero of the series, being a battle-scarred and indefatigable veteran of Spain’s wars of the early 17th Century. Perhaps inevitably for a literary hero, Alatriste finds that fighting the French and Dutch in Flanders to be less dangerous than navigating the treacherous alleys and squares of Madrid, Seville and Toledo. The books are narrated by a wonderful character, Inigo Balboa, a young companion and sometimes-manservant. Unlike Dom Jaime in “<i>The Fencing Master</i>”, Inigo gives depth and humanity to Captain Alatriste's journeys, and I feel Inigo as a narrator adds to the stories considerably.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMHASYldEfH6-LFWmmZVB0fILm-Lf-JrET9-7jujkagC6J5MAs8u2LZuFC1rW-Uk4SsQxxVG1eZsekloY0WhhqMHwpJKpl3R26cchAjw425woh571CuhovkVZoIDU2mYpgJuCChNTiVWL/s3024/IMG_0192.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2624" data-original-width="3024" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpMHASYldEfH6-LFWmmZVB0fILm-Lf-JrET9-7jujkagC6J5MAs8u2LZuFC1rW-Uk4SsQxxVG1eZsekloY0WhhqMHwpJKpl3R26cchAjw425woh571CuhovkVZoIDU2mYpgJuCChNTiVWL/w400-h348/IMG_0192.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All of the Alatriste books I have read are fun and worthwhile. So far, I’ve really enjoyed “<i>The Purity of Blood</i>” the most, but I have yet to tackle “<i>Pirates of the Levant</i>”. Recommended reading and very much in the right vein for “With Flashing Blades”.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And finally, two left-field inspirations. “With Flashing Blades” is set in Paris, in 1622, a city with a good claim to being the centre, or one of the centres, of the world at that time. Thinking about the 'place' of the city in a game might seem a little bit abstract. While we wanted to make our game of “With Flashing Blades” to be a miniature wargame (and “not a roleplaying game”), I did also want to think about how we could make the idea, and the themes, of a city come to life in a small table-space. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In that context, I’d like to recommend two wonderful books, from very different genres.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMpNuGLMJdZPBQOJRTnInLBCE-w-PTQ0hEkdUV9q-4zQ6XeRKiXFJ3VgSiqEJBFIMlpIGJZvrLLKbxbw_fAUOJ4wKM0j8rJpPkOMX0VpYHYR-f4ppWt7W7fmgj_iz8aaucNw5Tk147pYf/s3839/IMG_0184.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3839" data-original-width="2893" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNMpNuGLMJdZPBQOJRTnInLBCE-w-PTQ0hEkdUV9q-4zQ6XeRKiXFJ3VgSiqEJBFIMlpIGJZvrLLKbxbw_fAUOJ4wKM0j8rJpPkOMX0VpYHYR-f4ppWt7W7fmgj_iz8aaucNw5Tk147pYf/w301-h400/IMG_0184.HEIC" width="301" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">“<i>Invisible Cities</i>” by Italo Calvino is a <i>tour de force</i> about the potential of the city as an experience. Is it literature? Is it philosophy? Is it a mediation? Or perhaps it's a mystery? Who knows? Not me, for sure. But I loved every page and some of the images conjured by Calvino in the novel are simply spell-binding. </span><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px;">“</span><i style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px;">Invisible Cities</i><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px;">” is </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">not the city of “With Flashing Blades”, but it might hopefully help us capture some of the chaotic fun and confusion of setting a game within <i>our</i> chosen city of 1622 Paris.</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWLxO171KRyXVBdsPhNhZ41YQf-I-R1OCBbL9TBIchZep2HPOC0ZVAPtEUpR5So_X-yXVnGbO8LUzDLsrShCIgf-_qsutbLF4eqKniaWk0A23ZUWf-zUuDWx0fAXfnyx_PFqWna4mHthB/s4032/IMG_0187.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidWLxO171KRyXVBdsPhNhZ41YQf-I-R1OCBbL9TBIchZep2HPOC0ZVAPtEUpR5So_X-yXVnGbO8LUzDLsrShCIgf-_qsutbLF4eqKniaWk0A23ZUWf-zUuDWx0fAXfnyx_PFqWna4mHthB/w300-h400/IMG_0187.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And last but never least, is a slim booklet which I bought through Drive Thru-RPG. If you've never come across Chris Kutalik’s “<i>Fever Dreaming Marlinko</i>”, you are missing out. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Chris’s book is small in size (only 68 pages), but it's a masterpiece. “<i>Fever Dreaming Marlinko</i>” is a roleplaying guide to the strange city of Marlinko, and serves as a ‘city adventure supplement’. You don’t need to be a fan of role-playing games, or play the Labyrinth Lord system to be inspired by Chris’ book. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Funny, rude, dramatic and constantly inventive, it’s a terrific example of how to create a city which really feels like it exists as a backdrop to the gaming action. If we can do anything like this in “With Flashing Blades”, we would be very pleased. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithLOP_fK-FDs_de1-MJWjy2SoXUd1JD29IuJ9cHkybcBMQ-U2UTLgWcY95VcFLez0n673M4Ds8NGKaBdbx3zKQUoDzGSDXScZJ8p2wq9MaMDa4JN6g3U7xeztlUXZJKyIZcx7HfZuR3KZ/s3024/IMG_0188.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2932" data-original-width="3024" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEithLOP_fK-FDs_de1-MJWjy2SoXUd1JD29IuJ9cHkybcBMQ-U2UTLgWcY95VcFLez0n673M4Ds8NGKaBdbx3zKQUoDzGSDXScZJ8p2wq9MaMDa4JN6g3U7xeztlUXZJKyIZcx7HfZuR3KZ/s320/IMG_0188.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DL_RP-_0I82pHGCWVyjaP_LsQEuwovhAnRDLDYD21pvKjlLQX_TOV0O38sAN7kOs9UoJBGuvXsGGkR3tA79VqqXhU0qAAKFzrpgUx8x7G4u1QTdtmxSSPzD2wgGJP5pRt2Ejap66b4if/s3147/IMG_0189.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3147" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DL_RP-_0I82pHGCWVyjaP_LsQEuwovhAnRDLDYD21pvKjlLQX_TOV0O38sAN7kOs9UoJBGuvXsGGkR3tA79VqqXhU0qAAKFzrpgUx8x7G4u1QTdtmxSSPzD2wgGJP5pRt2Ejap66b4if/w384-h400/IMG_0189.HEIC" width="384" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">So that's my very personal list of books which have inspired me in playing and helping develop "With Flashing Blades". I am sure Nick and Rich will have their own to add to the list, perhaps in a future episode of the TooFatLardies Oddcast.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I hope you can join me for the next Blog post, when I'll either be posting about converting and painting figures for "With Flashing Blades", or blogging about the films and television inspirations behind the game. Until next time, dear friends!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">******* </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-31312588672612697532021-07-24T21:05:00.001+01:002021-07-25T00:29:18.387+01:00"With Flashing Blades" - Crossing Swords in Paris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGHSoY7EBc0J-TN9NTe6_Q2BdC7C3o6P2JIS2eyprS3Z0gbf0tsuIp12qZgwRPtn_zMopRgDlEpNqh7l8K-7vIq4-bhJlwxoSpbO68qaQ4oYtiCxMdqqY-OZlCRBoqnZh6a4m0h1AE-aO/s2402/1FE15817-9DB3-42D7-ABEC-3F09345D3DA5_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="2402" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcGHSoY7EBc0J-TN9NTe6_Q2BdC7C3o6P2JIS2eyprS3Z0gbf0tsuIp12qZgwRPtn_zMopRgDlEpNqh7l8K-7vIq4-bhJlwxoSpbO68qaQ4oYtiCxMdqqY-OZlCRBoqnZh6a4m0h1AE-aO/w400-h340/1FE15817-9DB3-42D7-ABEC-3F09345D3DA5_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Since May this year, I’ve been working on a discrete project which is a lot smaller than my current Laarden 1688 obsession. It’s far from being a complete project - in fact its barely started - but I thought it was a good time to mention it here on the Blog.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6cIe6yRqqNJqKm7i0ubr9IU8uBoHE3E4x_MgpxRqLl8dNC2B_D70okzNDKuyotAs5l7o72OJ1xmRw2IUUuyQI6SRJUF6dR5TuhXoT4m0KJ7DsEnqjjT1fgYmqJC9vWM31WPn6vKAZSMG/s3358/9EEDE71C-9B13-4031-859E-378EF3586514_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2361" data-original-width="3358" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6cIe6yRqqNJqKm7i0ubr9IU8uBoHE3E4x_MgpxRqLl8dNC2B_D70okzNDKuyotAs5l7o72OJ1xmRw2IUUuyQI6SRJUF6dR5TuhXoT4m0KJ7DsEnqjjT1fgYmqJC9vWM31WPn6vKAZSMG/w400-h281/9EEDE71C-9B13-4031-859E-378EF3586514_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Berkshire Swash"; font-size: x-large;">Paris, 1622 - City of Glitter and Treachery</span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Back in 2019, I talked with my good friend, Nick Skinner, about developing a skirmish game based on the adventures of the “<i>Three Musketeers</i>” from the pages of Alexandre Dumas. We thought that the exploits of Athos, Porthos, Aramis, d’Artagnan, Milady, Rochefort and Cardinal Richelieu were perfect material to be transformed with the treatment of Lard. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">By one of those unexpected coincidences, another good friend of ours, Martin at Warbases, also mentioned about that time he was hoping to find some rules which were suitable for the period to accompany Warbases' fine range of miniatures (which were inspired by one of the excellent, recent TV dramatisations of Alexandre Dumas’ books).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">We've barely started on the rules and play-testing, but it’s an exciting time - stepping out into Paris of the early-seventeenth century to cross swords with a multitude of rivals, enemies, factions and adversaries. We’re hoping for a game which is very portable - with our first play-testing being on a board 18 inches (about 48cm) square - and with a low figure count, possibly only a dozen figures a side.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk2WpJZi_J5DMtx18w8wivxEPFWryV-4tV4ePS2aX-mk5leK-wwB4ticSpp4bam7_fQy34KN_3qhbqeWPIPnboP5jR_t6g1sHwSl7S6nbzMmOSCA-CzsWzziO4Mh3pku7eE2TCq2Xov1K/s3343/A77990C0-3642-456D-84EE-34E840BD86A0_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2484" data-original-width="3343" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGk2WpJZi_J5DMtx18w8wivxEPFWryV-4tV4ePS2aX-mk5leK-wwB4ticSpp4bam7_fQy34KN_3qhbqeWPIPnboP5jR_t6g1sHwSl7S6nbzMmOSCA-CzsWzziO4Mh3pku7eE2TCq2Xov1K/w400-h297/A77990C0-3642-456D-84EE-34E840BD86A0_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hopefully, history will not be forgotten as we travel the dusty roads of Champagne and the Île-de-France. I've been reading through manuals and treatises on the different schools of fencing from the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Hopefully, we can introduce rules for various schools of swordsmanship into our games - whether they are the Italian Schools of Bologna or Venice, the evolving styles of fencing with rapiers, or the styles of fencing practiced in the <i>Salle d’Armes</i> of Paris established by notorious gentlemen of the blade following the examples of François Dancie or Girolamo Cavalcabo.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And, with luck, the single-based figures can also be recruited for use into larger-skirmish games of "In the Buff" or "The Pikeman's Lament".</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92gNADDP0IenWXUOuQ8S1_07xHPKEoR2LKriwjUK7pHU-tTogJAfP7kR2zgYZEj3jkYhFGw185ppreqOiODbG0lFG76OZd8-Or_cygplAEsDVVV0WXcXvx_0sZCyGpGUO0MUr2_o6ZHMb/s2661/8EDE582B-5B74-4D87-84DD-DF4433550190_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2075" data-original-width="2661" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92gNADDP0IenWXUOuQ8S1_07xHPKEoR2LKriwjUK7pHU-tTogJAfP7kR2zgYZEj3jkYhFGw185ppreqOiODbG0lFG76OZd8-Or_cygplAEsDVVV0WXcXvx_0sZCyGpGUO0MUr2_o6ZHMb/w400-h313/8EDE582B-5B74-4D87-84DD-DF4433550190_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE35ZYz92jDR5G2dqaTrjOdol7PnnRwFwt1C_M7TmrWg38I6QOT8fUoiZ__-8sKbaRwK1hjZJ1NGlMIZw3zBMUgebw_SMBpS3-x-Eq6ja0ouRIomQkNyQin81uC440Y49pQzueKbP9kHm/s3096/FCB5F934-B107-4579-806F-AD7EDD4BAC48_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2013" data-original-width="3096" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmE35ZYz92jDR5G2dqaTrjOdol7PnnRwFwt1C_M7TmrWg38I6QOT8fUoiZ__-8sKbaRwK1hjZJ1NGlMIZw3zBMUgebw_SMBpS3-x-Eq6ja0ouRIomQkNyQin81uC440Y49pQzueKbP9kHm/w400-h260/FCB5F934-B107-4579-806F-AD7EDD4BAC48_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As for the figures, I thought 28mm worked best, using a mixture of <i>Les Mousquetaires du Roi</i> and the <i>Garde de Richelieu</i> from Warbases and Brigade Games, with some extra figures from Dixon Miniatures, Wargames Foundry, 1st. Corps and the lovely 1898 Miniatures range. As there'll be fewer figures on the table, it should also allow us the scope to create some fun conversions, vignettes and green-stuff lunacies. Here's two converted figures from a favourite miniature in Dixon Miniatures' wonderful "Grand Alliance" range.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEseULrFW_FUwuiuXmlYtgM1uxGPb4cRPO0u_76oK1Di8ToRoxuxE1BXicE0068NYPr8dYAU9cWHjUihStHS1-jGw1jGw4_scq0nuzoweXptdc6pn9aPWWyuFbrLAn1M9lvOlnOCk4yp5/s2484/143D1F12-0E9D-4D5F-BE1B-2DEF9924350B_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1900" data-original-width="2484" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTEseULrFW_FUwuiuXmlYtgM1uxGPb4cRPO0u_76oK1Di8ToRoxuxE1BXicE0068NYPr8dYAU9cWHjUihStHS1-jGw1jGw4_scq0nuzoweXptdc6pn9aPWWyuFbrLAn1M9lvOlnOCk4yp5/w400-h306/143D1F12-0E9D-4D5F-BE1B-2DEF9924350B_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've experimented in basing the main characters on circular MDF bases of 30mm or 35mm. I think they look good on the slightly larger sized base and it makes them easier to handle. The larger bases can accommodate small blood markers depicting when a character is wounded - something useful to track in a small scale skirmish game. To try and make these characters distinctive, I've swapped the right arms, added green-stuff lace, and created some special casualties for the characters (including silly things like a green-stuff dropped key to the Royal Chambers of the Louvre Palace).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXo6qawJTj-1pGLby5Do8LCQUUPck50nu6c_dKpk-ERcNobb-TTSKzTRiosVOJ60fbfu7ddEvWrKIWRR0Q_rcMbnFsBsTNEOH8Kk8-Jp-aXo-7i9N42wSBeLhhEntlNAYui6aPh8CZBsu/s2613/8307D6C7-91DF-459E-B4E7-FE08B508D9E7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1969" data-original-width="2613" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihXo6qawJTj-1pGLby5Do8LCQUUPck50nu6c_dKpk-ERcNobb-TTSKzTRiosVOJ60fbfu7ddEvWrKIWRR0Q_rcMbnFsBsTNEOH8Kk8-Jp-aXo-7i9N42wSBeLhhEntlNAYui6aPh8CZBsu/w400-h303/8307D6C7-91DF-459E-B4E7-FE08B508D9E7.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div>As we're dealing with a small skirmish, I thought it was worth adding plenty of casualty figures for not only characters, but also the henchmen and ruffians on the tabletop.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJXPnvBeg6wJc0oQoHp-E4QKOGhRlkHt44aKXbdeskNSEvfha3TJkpigyZvWjHAexvysSo2hSqcvo0NBYdtDcukRwIuGshoEIv3_knj1ZRvtkj-9i79xncexlIUtgrQjOwdfYqVrQ4-yj/s2828/6D4FE1BB-204F-4F7D-A901-68F0C064F366_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2172" data-original-width="2828" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJXPnvBeg6wJc0oQoHp-E4QKOGhRlkHt44aKXbdeskNSEvfha3TJkpigyZvWjHAexvysSo2hSqcvo0NBYdtDcukRwIuGshoEIv3_knj1ZRvtkj-9i79xncexlIUtgrQjOwdfYqVrQ4-yj/w400-h308/6D4FE1BB-204F-4F7D-A901-68F0C064F366_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the fighting and duelling, we've been trying out rules for stumbling swordsmen and dropped weapons. No one makes figures or bases for these, so I felt like making my own, together with some figures for prone swordsmen. The two prone swordsmen below were converted form 1st. Corps casualties, with swapped-out Redoubt Miniatures' heads with green-stuff ruffs and cloaks.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKug1vUq9TbV3RzBCDGEatgYNNlThbHuHwNnn6CFSf_MzdhufU3p6EyC1ieZWXItXuEBdc9NB8F-my3raCHoF5rTgOOFzzk_7nfY1LiFXI74_xoFfOmRnPOXkZ0x7YXzCLOhNTfGuYpUT/s3765/97D1A1AC-BAF2-4698-B522-81ACF89E5D2B_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2155" data-original-width="3765" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKug1vUq9TbV3RzBCDGEatgYNNlThbHuHwNnn6CFSf_MzdhufU3p6EyC1ieZWXItXuEBdc9NB8F-my3raCHoF5rTgOOFzzk_7nfY1LiFXI74_xoFfOmRnPOXkZ0x7YXzCLOhNTfGuYpUT/w400-h229/97D1A1AC-BAF2-4698-B522-81ACF89E5D2B_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrphKj-aEpUT2mGJXZ0LozsbX-hFjtbL5linmp2mz6hOffRE2QpZJOAQrFWx-epBsQvx3-UhjswwtAAxgVZNtrGb6P_7T3BXdRxZg0Q8Nr_Zt3Y2lpecybyNeS7tutUzTCpbOCgWVFRc-/s3024/IMG_0034.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2162" data-original-width="3024" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzrphKj-aEpUT2mGJXZ0LozsbX-hFjtbL5linmp2mz6hOffRE2QpZJOAQrFWx-epBsQvx3-UhjswwtAAxgVZNtrGb6P_7T3BXdRxZg0Q8Nr_Zt3Y2lpecybyNeS7tutUzTCpbOCgWVFRc-/w400-h286/IMG_0034.HEIC" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX15j4lencg9QWPfLrcN4gEuVVBsgD2SjRkMmg5NqvYLLYXVctBNBpulZjjd8vdXabG86JUEbhSMiqBzD9io-VWM7N9qi61BdIoT8hRAlFp2vlPq9WIjsgP_VRms_DeXbMuJK4TQ8NYDJt/s2619/BD422272-D6B4-491B-904D-67169B7ADD5D_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2098" data-original-width="2619" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX15j4lencg9QWPfLrcN4gEuVVBsgD2SjRkMmg5NqvYLLYXVctBNBpulZjjd8vdXabG86JUEbhSMiqBzD9io-VWM7N9qi61BdIoT8hRAlFp2vlPq9WIjsgP_VRms_DeXbMuJK4TQ8NYDJt/w400-h320/BD422272-D6B4-491B-904D-67169B7ADD5D_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRHpLrpvzFUl6mXtYYvpiw0YW8K03Y7xK62zm7RuNucSKO6W-YEEz-jGj53Nk592d_cWZMkmGCx4n-fhmYSk8BgTu4EPMqc0SDHvjKeoIBmzUw4CTaw-xGlhp9QA9hEJwfocLotFMeMi4/s2745/C62F6833-3901-435F-84F4-873D2F9BFCA1_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1856" data-original-width="2745" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKRHpLrpvzFUl6mXtYYvpiw0YW8K03Y7xK62zm7RuNucSKO6W-YEEz-jGj53Nk592d_cWZMkmGCx4n-fhmYSk8BgTu4EPMqc0SDHvjKeoIBmzUw4CTaw-xGlhp9QA9hEJwfocLotFMeMi4/w400-h270/C62F6833-3901-435F-84F4-873D2F9BFCA1_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Storing the stumble and dropped weapons bases on a magnetic board makes them easy to bring out for each game.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebedwZmtLMqWle9xKZr8iIvCGPTExmlzheEgGgdp2Q1pDvGUUEqpPPsCJrysvwdP2Oq1ERhzJ43KKCncAHhn236FZnUswoFR_x79EIIbIDeSB2dVrAfIhgucBqkZzAEQtB36MlyNPazqV/s3364/B37C7F60-972F-46DD-8CDB-8B970FB5692D_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2215" data-original-width="3364" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebedwZmtLMqWle9xKZr8iIvCGPTExmlzheEgGgdp2Q1pDvGUUEqpPPsCJrysvwdP2Oq1ERhzJ43KKCncAHhn236FZnUswoFR_x79EIIbIDeSB2dVrAfIhgucBqkZzAEQtB36MlyNPazqV/w400-h264/B37C7F60-972F-46DD-8CDB-8B970FB5692D_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5f8roeRysQLkv30aiDJGTctvGWglVhDN1hsfFszsv9G3G9nkiCqq1XTMCjXAfyu6OrvBPjlzMzQGuICIpuzMwUD23rXIBGUjtVEDYA_kjZ73nrqdfbU6PvyDNNPsz3jbbVyMOp65rqzo/s3410/F76AEECF-73FF-45B4-9FAC-9FDC03EC1380_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2727" data-original-width="3410" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5f8roeRysQLkv30aiDJGTctvGWglVhDN1hsfFszsv9G3G9nkiCqq1XTMCjXAfyu6OrvBPjlzMzQGuICIpuzMwUD23rXIBGUjtVEDYA_kjZ73nrqdfbU6PvyDNNPsz3jbbVyMOp65rqzo/w400-h320/F76AEECF-73FF-45B4-9FAC-9FDC03EC1380_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've added common soldiers, ruffians, henchmen and civilians to the project. I've experimented with adding these to 20mm or 30mm square bases (with rounded corners). These store really nicely in foam trays. The Dumas novels are packed full of intrigue, disguises, spies and agents - so there's plenty of opportunity to assemble a cast of citizens which can fit into any Parisian location.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UrV5IYG47-LV1NQwekJkdti0mz6W_Jh1DO2GW13yLQVYMJdFPTjmAOBEYW7AlGnRKVCw9fgTYDPxvUB7POVg_qdjyE_xSirrGtgI8h7cQH8ykJrBmwLq9YsvjxbVbHvKfKTEwqZiN-7y/s3607/80461E0B-4E1B-4C1A-84A9-815E5035EF43_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2249" data-original-width="3607" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7UrV5IYG47-LV1NQwekJkdti0mz6W_Jh1DO2GW13yLQVYMJdFPTjmAOBEYW7AlGnRKVCw9fgTYDPxvUB7POVg_qdjyE_xSirrGtgI8h7cQH8ykJrBmwLq9YsvjxbVbHvKfKTEwqZiN-7y/w400-h250/80461E0B-4E1B-4C1A-84A9-815E5035EF43_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BKiMZyN12g6TJ0UeIDmJ29LQFlhFD5d7aGZmO2QwRBEYLKeouZnY5FTEA2W1Lctbhva5zx1WonLugOeF9miyXrJllmiQN45sy-lT17nNnAcbFTA0GSS9EQPx8xhjAQXykI95soZfrvz1/s3973/252F0932-D52F-45E7-88EA-F55E22434B7D_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2299" data-original-width="3973" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BKiMZyN12g6TJ0UeIDmJ29LQFlhFD5d7aGZmO2QwRBEYLKeouZnY5FTEA2W1Lctbhva5zx1WonLugOeF9miyXrJllmiQN45sy-lT17nNnAcbFTA0GSS9EQPx8xhjAQXykI95soZfrvz1/w400-h231/252F0932-D52F-45E7-88EA-F55E22434B7D_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The threatening figure of the jailer in the front rank is a lovely Heresy Miniatures figure, which sadly now seems to be unavailable. Somewhere, I have his partner-in-crime wielding a poker ... but I'm not sure in which box it's in....! The other figures, below from left to right, are a Citadel Miniatures ratcatcher (with a Redoubt Miniatures head-swap), a lovely Warbases plague-doctor and a dagger-throwing Midlam Miniatures assassin.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjkGcC-e2Usw2BxGbDISXhpxwPpJ7uYLeQWMBuOt2Ydfq4Vxztl68QzGqngUE9NCBcYxstcv5Grp2GrFKpMS26eK6hjouO5Qj1aMtbF2IoaKA4gx3PY79hCiPXXszcHYe8JlEbyCFwcLz/s2983/A6AC7109-A6EF-4B38-A693-691EB5CA4939_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1995" data-original-width="2983" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLjkGcC-e2Usw2BxGbDISXhpxwPpJ7uYLeQWMBuOt2Ydfq4Vxztl68QzGqngUE9NCBcYxstcv5Grp2GrFKpMS26eK6hjouO5Qj1aMtbF2IoaKA4gx3PY79hCiPXXszcHYe8JlEbyCFwcLz/w400-h268/A6AC7109-A6EF-4B38-A693-691EB5CA4939_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Finally, and with a nod to future games, I could not resist painting up Louis XIII and Anne d'Autriche. These Warbases miniatures painted up beautifully. Any resemblance to Alexandra Dowling and Ryan Gage is ... well, I may have to paint up another pair of figures to get it just right!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuc2NisQLjUkUxrP2VIN4fR-fpKfw5cGu4w1AAIsNDcVQ80aqaEoZd0ENc9z1LW8OXwEvEN64FErqh6ipmv3eWm7q2ow8O8VyHoHAzD6_pB-3IsHNNaF0ka6oqAZhYpvXMlJM4i3Hp_pS/s1662/32260E13-A7D4-45F1-8B44-0B86750828F7_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1662" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhuc2NisQLjUkUxrP2VIN4fR-fpKfw5cGu4w1AAIsNDcVQ80aqaEoZd0ENc9z1LW8OXwEvEN64FErqh6ipmv3eWm7q2ow8O8VyHoHAzD6_pB-3IsHNNaF0ka6oqAZhYpvXMlJM4i3Hp_pS/w400-h326/32260E13-A7D4-45F1-8B44-0B86750828F7_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3OeWzKxzAabvB85Rggt9atfT36PwsrIcVkQYP2Nc4PClcGIyxZlNoCaA5c7yJu7vbJ9AjgeuEzRMOVqbL8wKXYytqrGqnM-vvAin3lASjSdNjvgtJTYRd_8xO362XAfLwPKym5bgfgGJ/s1202/Screenshot+2021-07-24+at+18.47.26.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1198" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ3OeWzKxzAabvB85Rggt9atfT36PwsrIcVkQYP2Nc4PClcGIyxZlNoCaA5c7yJu7vbJ9AjgeuEzRMOVqbL8wKXYytqrGqnM-vvAin3lASjSdNjvgtJTYRd_8xO362XAfLwPKym5bgfgGJ/w399-h400/Screenshot+2021-07-24+at+18.47.26.png" width="399" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'm not at all sure what the final rules will look like, so all this might change... So far we've been experimenting with a few, core characteristics. And, of course, that's a chance for some more very self-indulgent cards to place at the players' disposals.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmyZud-hohT92tme8OLa5agFOK9ZZybwPplPGuW0YBSg_GFu2dwhMwfxODdlimfdtLfZYFVw7QynNcN2ViuZkkKxorYxQHWjnaPQuRtiTKrb9VxZzVcaoPBgIXeEe0lEdQ3cEgaj283Jx/s706/Sorbet+Card.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="557" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmyZud-hohT92tme8OLa5agFOK9ZZybwPplPGuW0YBSg_GFu2dwhMwfxODdlimfdtLfZYFVw7QynNcN2ViuZkkKxorYxQHWjnaPQuRtiTKrb9VxZzVcaoPBgIXeEe0lEdQ3cEgaj283Jx/w315-h400/Sorbet+Card.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYZr-31zrIC-u2UZCvw7xh6jf5UZJMwEVyZI04EvjBSOHxZyL00eBkKOU65Pl64siaDgAZiBpBZDSWcoLzXx4Etq3Brsgm6-0UQrvDixRvO3MmQJ9t63-IIuPNNC0HWcNKcc0pApAUjoW/s708/Grenelles+Crd.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="556" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCYZr-31zrIC-u2UZCvw7xh6jf5UZJMwEVyZI04EvjBSOHxZyL00eBkKOU65Pl64siaDgAZiBpBZDSWcoLzXx4Etq3Brsgm6-0UQrvDixRvO3MmQJ9t63-IIuPNNC0HWcNKcc0pApAUjoW/w314-h400/Grenelles+Crd.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">That's all for now, but hopefully in future posts I can post a few pictures of the games we've been playing, and explore our Paris of 1622 in a little more detail. Hope you can join me for that next time.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>*******</b> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com57tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-84040024952485787632021-05-12T20:19:00.002+01:002021-05-13T20:34:38.185+01:00"Strength & Honor" : Recreating huge battles from Antiquity c107BC - 200AD<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFljTCk8ZQ5rGBdyzk9euFU_sgJol2P_VpPjKeWy3txbmTJ8Hcsl7_JZh0I5FXfjduzOQkznamFDzvlTKIHOgFUKxRYJanfAJLrc6AYeF4L9wxyZdi2UK49uJzVKIvWiZkW3f8LeZUg-R/s2048/IMG_4507.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvFljTCk8ZQ5rGBdyzk9euFU_sgJol2P_VpPjKeWy3txbmTJ8Hcsl7_JZh0I5FXfjduzOQkznamFDzvlTKIHOgFUKxRYJanfAJLrc6AYeF4L9wxyZdi2UK49uJzVKIvWiZkW3f8LeZUg-R/w400-h300/IMG_4507.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One of the sets of wargaming rules I have been enjoying during lockdown - from a reading and playing perspective - has been "Strength & Honour", a ruleset written by my good friend Mark Backhouse and focusing on HUGE ancient battles.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mark's rules use very beautifully created 2mm armies - all hand-crafted - to recreate iconic classical battles. In that micro-scale, famous battles such as Pharsalus, Watling Street or Carrhae are well within the space and expense of any wargamer. I therefore felt very privileged when Mark offered to stage an online battle for me, from one of Julius Caesar's battles in Gaul, over the Bank Holiday weekend in the UK. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXII2_khXAOiW8kXN6DCqft_J6jcjrsdZGBn3hTDIE7GSnfdmX-3HbFZ-S_iwXezLtVyl-aW_-JvY3Pq5zNy1jn4-39a1oB_OMZTF1F1KfApzOayPt7p8khJkxX26-SdvNle3wgFmzN8Vl/s566/Strength+and+Honour+1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="566" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXII2_khXAOiW8kXN6DCqft_J6jcjrsdZGBn3hTDIE7GSnfdmX-3HbFZ-S_iwXezLtVyl-aW_-JvY3Pq5zNy1jn4-39a1oB_OMZTF1F1KfApzOayPt7p8khJkxX26-SdvNle3wgFmzN8Vl/w400-h228/Strength+and+Honour+1.png" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Here's the wargames table before the opposing armies clashed in the main engagement. On the left is the Roman army, of four Legions and a strong force of allied cavalry, which were under my command. On the right are the tribes of the Nervii, the Viromandui and the Atrebates - all Belgic tribes or varying qualities and experience, which Mark took leadership of.</span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The "Strength & Honour" rules have many elements to create the 'feel' of an ancient battle, including the need to deploy your forces carefully, and think about how to match those forces against your adversaries. The deployment phase involves thinking through which units could offer flank and rear support to the front line formations, how they advance on their enemy, which preferred line of march they would take, and where your force would best be concentrated. All of these aspects of the rules felt perfect for the challenge of manoeuvering huge bodies of troops on an battlefield. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And yes, "Strength & Honour" is the world of massed engagements, not skirmishes. And, as such, I think I am allowed at least one reference (.... and maybe more... ) to one of the films every wargamer should have in his or her movie collection, which also involves a huge ancient battle between massed armies. If you've ever imagined yourself commanding the armies in the opening scene of the Ridley Scott film "Gladiator", then "Strength & Honour" might be for you....</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsYNmdlUbOinYRSBVeNgQHdo2RQgBTYW-6eBTQikSp_iT_SrzP5tEKiO1b5g_0l4t1DPyoOMGJKXxChgoFrYerzOzpvB_bKOA1qQ7_l_9CQ8ZlIwSZExdlmbHIT0Zox94MFbue0ofkjmT/s1280/Gladiator+3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="1280" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsYNmdlUbOinYRSBVeNgQHdo2RQgBTYW-6eBTQikSp_iT_SrzP5tEKiO1b5g_0l4t1DPyoOMGJKXxChgoFrYerzOzpvB_bKOA1qQ7_l_9CQ8ZlIwSZExdlmbHIT0Zox94MFbue0ofkjmT/w400-h170/Gladiator+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyZ_GdPTnci8uUQxhL7OyL4dGA2GPMGvfZ3PnOKUAFxBgvjvDzzhsuwu_Y5Exz-lyAoXUDVKrofyuDCzDZxaFgwKleukxYIJCahh2d7FQX5Ha_p1z9Z8KCdBTNRcZHDmGUcox_DwKe6SE/s400/Gladiator+4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="224" data-original-width="400" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyZ_GdPTnci8uUQxhL7OyL4dGA2GPMGvfZ3PnOKUAFxBgvjvDzzhsuwu_Y5Exz-lyAoXUDVKrofyuDCzDZxaFgwKleukxYIJCahh2d7FQX5Ha_p1z9Z8KCdBTNRcZHDmGUcox_DwKe6SE/w400-h224/Gladiator+4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As the commander in "Strength & Honour" - whether King, Emperor or Consul - you're commanding a very large force of anywhere between 10,000 and 100,000 combatants. The rules force you to think about where, and when, your army is best to be placed to make the all-important melee contacts. There's a very fun mechanism in which 'reversal of fortunes' can take place when your luck fails (and the dice-Gods do not smile upon you). Again, all very classically themed, and well thought through.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcZR2NTTd3NoZD6jlaoHsfZsNjnNBFt_wigViDu3JDSHhxkRMjjSq-YHL2lGdOCtEFmRm6z-vLyn5XplMylCldUNVOI8QSpGJu-NMOH_qGyQEwV4dytV-QBioN-h7t-3QmkWMhDJTmWrG/s847/Gladiator+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="847" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcZR2NTTd3NoZD6jlaoHsfZsNjnNBFt_wigViDu3JDSHhxkRMjjSq-YHL2lGdOCtEFmRm6z-vLyn5XplMylCldUNVOI8QSpGJu-NMOH_qGyQEwV4dytV-QBioN-h7t-3QmkWMhDJTmWrG/w400-h195/Gladiator+5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mark mentioned to me that some discussions are on-going regarding 2mm figure blocks being commercially produced for the forces on the tabletop. I think this is a welcome accompaniment to the new rules, but seeing Mark's figure blocks on the table was certainly inspirational. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've made a few similar bases in 2mm for my Thirty Years War collection and I don't think they are too difficult to produce. They take a little bit of practice, but anyone who can paint formation numbers of a 28mm miniatures water-bottle would certainly be able to create the army of Pompey or Crassus given a roll of green-stuff putty and a decent sculpting tool. Parthia, Britannia and Germania, here we come!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJqFYMMOTsWYME9iXp0FlFOinI33jtwnOUdz2NaegzbX6XNQqMs7YVApbKx4XeA3OrsQ-Yh7ra679-9O4TgCJGb8UKNgNJ3pHKJXWYDiqyJ_3oNZYnFljzYbRAIQ0ObyZLa8fTCMJPyet/s2048/IMG_4509.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJqFYMMOTsWYME9iXp0FlFOinI33jtwnOUdz2NaegzbX6XNQqMs7YVApbKx4XeA3OrsQ-Yh7ra679-9O4TgCJGb8UKNgNJ3pHKJXWYDiqyJ_3oNZYnFljzYbRAIQ0ObyZLa8fTCMJPyet/w400-h300/IMG_4509.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One very good idea is placing unit designations on the various bases. Perhaps unsurprisingly, one group of 5,000 tribesmen, or Roman Legion, looks pretty much like another. I've had the same problem in the 2mm scale, and I think the best way to get over the challenge is - as Mark has done - creating small labels for each base. That makes it easy to swap labels to denote units in different ways (different tribes, commanders, and so on), to help you get the best use of the figure blocks once created.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggL1l6Z4blQsOf4YiRtio1CPsYkxGms5Fnk2W4AN7nlQXSO6U8SXrixJD_mQzxUPt4CWvstgD4BSN7vX1YCLVC27SFrvIRr3ZJXDpeODBOqXDKrLIoRjoQPre15ch95Xuc9Gat1sJt0G0O/s2048/IMG_4508.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggL1l6Z4blQsOf4YiRtio1CPsYkxGms5Fnk2W4AN7nlQXSO6U8SXrixJD_mQzxUPt4CWvstgD4BSN7vX1YCLVC27SFrvIRr3ZJXDpeODBOqXDKrLIoRjoQPre15ch95Xuc9Gat1sJt0G0O/w400-h300/IMG_4508.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The "Strength & Honour" rules also feature a role for the camps of the opposing armies. Our game had two fortified camps - one for each side - with additional attractions and challenges for looting and defending. Again, this seemed perfectly in keeping with the ancients theme. During the battle each side accumulates 'set backs' (minor retreats and push-backs) and 'disasters' (units routing, commanders being killed, etc.) - and having your camp raided would certainly fall within the more severe of those events. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A particularly fun rules mechanism is that the 'set backs' and 'disasters' in the wargame are delivered on a set of "Strength & Honour" cards, the value of which is not revealed until one side forces their opponent to total up the various values on the back of the cards. I thought this was a great way of keeping the game unpredictable right until the end of the game. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2lf2ZdpHq1lwFqM8fKUFJvPb3kJSV5PK0SMiCaPYg-DZv3y_lbTgjmqbRLToYh80KQzEgDTm3ww7Pvna4zY8Xkxj4kzn0dw69K-ZmXolotfJ1Aq5_n2wR2sXBe3AqIreugoV8_5jFEEY/s1500/Gladiator+2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1500" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2lf2ZdpHq1lwFqM8fKUFJvPb3kJSV5PK0SMiCaPYg-DZv3y_lbTgjmqbRLToYh80KQzEgDTm3ww7Pvna4zY8Xkxj4kzn0dw69K-ZmXolotfJ1Aq5_n2wR2sXBe3AqIreugoV8_5jFEEY/w400-h166/Gladiator+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Mark has a very active Facebook page where you can find out a lot more of the detail in "Strength & Honour". You can find the Facebook page <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/732138204237007/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">HERE</span></b></a>.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The rules are scheduled for publication later in 2021 from Von Reisswitz Press, the publishing arm of TooFatLardies. I admit openly that Mark is a great friend and long standing chum of mine - so I am totally biased - but that being said, "Strength & Honour" is a really well thought-through set of large-battle ancients wargames rules, which I'd very much recommend. Have a look for them and join in the fun.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And remember, Brothers (and Sisters) - what you do on the wargames table in life, echoes for eternity!</span></div><br /><p></p>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-33900184472679382432021-05-03T20:08:00.002+01:002021-05-03T20:08:53.664+01:00"...nothing but going hunting and dancing in ballets": French Commanders and Royal Favourites from 1688<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"And victory, with little loss, doth play</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Upon the dancing banners of the French"</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">King John, Act 2, Scene 1</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1j3iX1SXQkyTGLwU4Se2kMIu2ld8jp8rk4YjQ-n3eN8HWW-YbXI1RrzzZmvhYNawClt01rnshLdYOffHqz_WRge2-_5u3JYGrid-wsZDA1GrgR-FE63_MD4P8UVDWptlhHp1ewTEjc__6/s3742/DSC_0485.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1998" data-original-width="3742" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1j3iX1SXQkyTGLwU4Se2kMIu2ld8jp8rk4YjQ-n3eN8HWW-YbXI1RrzzZmvhYNawClt01rnshLdYOffHqz_WRge2-_5u3JYGrid-wsZDA1GrgR-FE63_MD4P8UVDWptlhHp1ewTEjc__6/w640-h342/DSC_0485.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">During September last year, I painted up some of the command figures for my French army which will, eventually, take the Field against their Flemish and Spanish adversaries in the 1688 campaign for the (fictional, and deeply self-indulgent) Free-City of Laarden.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Command figures are, frankly, a bit of an indulgence. They take up a disproportionate amount of space on the wargaming battlefield for the commanders concerned - who in the late seventeenth century rarely had a "staff" in a modern sense. Commanders such as these might also be an eye-catching addition on the tabletop - but perhaps they distract from the more prosaic, and perhaps more professional, business of logistics, war finance and the physical geography of the battlefield.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But .... who cares, <i>mes braves</i>? They're French, and fashionable, and ludicrously indulgent. So here, on Roundwood's World, we're spending a Blog post concentrating on pink satin jackets and ostrich feathers. Somehow, I doubt you'll surprised, dear readers.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBt4v9V9h1FWWyTBPNw40MP7_qm2dkqbR_PlVGypWpnIwJiXvhAA6kzygiBavqjU4azwCeP2P-xQ2YercHcxIQb9asgEj1QMlQtxxH-v9ArjpaFuF1HWwerO5U2EuxJp5SzzG7aDV0o1t/s3465/DSC_0486.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2543" data-original-width="3465" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrBt4v9V9h1FWWyTBPNw40MP7_qm2dkqbR_PlVGypWpnIwJiXvhAA6kzygiBavqjU4azwCeP2P-xQ2YercHcxIQb9asgEj1QMlQtxxH-v9ArjpaFuF1HWwerO5U2EuxJp5SzzG7aDV0o1t/w400-h294/DSC_0486.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the centre of the above photograph is the personage of Louis de Crévant, Duke of Humières and Marshal of France. De Crévant is a historical commander, who was granted the Marshal's baton in 1668 after the War of Devolution, and was one of the French commanders in the Nine Years War. Prestigious, wealthy and well-connected, I thought he was an ideal choice for a tabletop commander - less well-known than his rival, the Duc de Luxembourg, but a valid historical commander for us to place into an alt-historical campaign.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As befitted any Marshal of France, de Crévant hailed from an impressive ancestral chateau (at Azay-le-Ferron, in the image below). And tbelow is de Crévant's portrait - as aristocratic a portrait one can hope to find of any French commander, I'm sure you'll agree.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMAC2c64lGYNU4LDgpELCPvrUREENKIe45Fy5y3wM0K7gb7Vg6HaNq7tDwfz9IEkUiLzwpjswuOXwJqEekAP1azBzoBR1gQ2UnrIg-ikMHJVVNmpL4diTbE-68MkkTZgY0L9PtCOilPRC/s1600/Chateau_d%2527Azay-le-Ferron_Facade.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbMAC2c64lGYNU4LDgpELCPvrUREENKIe45Fy5y3wM0K7gb7Vg6HaNq7tDwfz9IEkUiLzwpjswuOXwJqEekAP1azBzoBR1gQ2UnrIg-ikMHJVVNmpL4diTbE-68MkkTZgY0L9PtCOilPRC/w400-h300/Chateau_d%2527Azay-le-Ferron_Facade.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlmrM-jD3dUomdu9CMoryQDDPtLTPD4Xa3GcXm9nEAAD7L7CIhuCUTH4CsAnAUDIE4KAq5Tl0Jy5Fymb668K1rRuv1rwBtJOPrxY-eybDlochgECciw47uoEXedLJrESno1xvWKrosITQ/s606/Louis_de_Crevant%252C_mare_chal_d%2527Humie_res%252C_Grand_Maitre_de_l%2527Artillerie_%25281685-1694%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="498" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlmrM-jD3dUomdu9CMoryQDDPtLTPD4Xa3GcXm9nEAAD7L7CIhuCUTH4CsAnAUDIE4KAq5Tl0Jy5Fymb668K1rRuv1rwBtJOPrxY-eybDlochgECciw47uoEXedLJrESno1xvWKrosITQ/w329-h400/Louis_de_Crevant%252C_mare_chal_d%2527Humie_res%252C_Grand_Maitre_de_l%2527Artillerie_%25281685-1694%2529.jpeg" width="329" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For the figures, I used Wargames Foundry command figures for all of the bases, with a Redoubt Miniatures lance for the standard (of the Gendarmerie) accompanying de Crévant. I tried to stick to either the colours of the Gendarmerie for the troopers accompanying the commands, or the Royal livery - but in the end, I was carried away by the ease of painting more colourful clothing on a couple of the figures.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJ8eCOTK1MM7gQqXy30qCBiFY0Ge_7x7XSH_hANomIFGhT7U025JuXNvs483yYoM8bHkiSF8UYxPJVpzcpxJilfBtC5E7e5cyXdZvc771Tj2GcfGlLEcNMrI7Epk6pehTuG6xegFDQkja/s3116/DSC_0487.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2349" data-original-width="3116" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDJ8eCOTK1MM7gQqXy30qCBiFY0Ge_7x7XSH_hANomIFGhT7U025JuXNvs483yYoM8bHkiSF8UYxPJVpzcpxJilfBtC5E7e5cyXdZvc771Tj2GcfGlLEcNMrI7Epk6pehTuG6xegFDQkja/w400-h301/DSC_0487.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrUTOO6F4Oq5bjliIGx-D2Om0rnVyCR9ZiYVNsdIpFbNI-F3mH_vnD2r6_8CLIskuM7TiO99kacVNWZXWyGWqYgo0oE-ZeQAY1Rxo_0Hpud7whJWDSRVwzZ2JjPSTFXvSooIc1GafUbEI/s2606/DSC_0488.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2606" data-original-width="2551" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrUTOO6F4Oq5bjliIGx-D2Om0rnVyCR9ZiYVNsdIpFbNI-F3mH_vnD2r6_8CLIskuM7TiO99kacVNWZXWyGWqYgo0oE-ZeQAY1Rxo_0Hpud7whJWDSRVwzZ2JjPSTFXvSooIc1GafUbEI/w391-h400/DSC_0488.jpeg" width="391" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The standards are from GMB Designs, and they're printed with great clarity and a joy to use. All I needed to do was glue them (with Bostik, a tack-y but flexible glue), and paint the edges to finish them off. The finials are from Bicorne Miniatures, and the bases were from Warbases.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpC01VgjlgBCWjPbOurWjup500kV0xhgXHhZodRz0zuy7Zqy77ABJEm10ft36wGHqwHZ9pjHWpwBjI0OunYYJA9KB-_nIWtMOYJ10EDkDzb_O9YUe_5Z2opOVZFHRGudqweK-Qwk63Fqhd/s4005/DSC_0490.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4005" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpC01VgjlgBCWjPbOurWjup500kV0xhgXHhZodRz0zuy7Zqy77ABJEm10ft36wGHqwHZ9pjHWpwBjI0OunYYJA9KB-_nIWtMOYJ10EDkDzb_O9YUe_5Z2opOVZFHRGudqweK-Qwk63Fqhd/w400-h306/DSC_0490.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I particularly enjoyed converting and painting one of the brigade commanders. Adding a new arm, and reams of green-stuff lace, ribbons and feathers gets strangely addictive - as you might know from other Blog posts. I intended the figure in pink to be a young, ambitious and arrogant chevalier - the Marquis of Rouen. A fictional character to accompany de Crévant, but one who I thought looked the part and who I could have fun with in creating tabletop scenarios. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">While the Marquis de Rouen may be fictional, his pedigree is most definitely historical. As a historical aside, I enjoyed reading the list of court favourites of Louis XIII in <b>just</b> the years between 1614 and 1617. These favourites are listed in Sharon Kettering's book "Power and Reputation at the Court of Louis XIII", with Dr. Kettering stating that the King often engaged with several court favourites at once. The list of the favourites' names is almost impossible to read without imagining rich velvets, excessive lace and the fine steel rapiers possessed by the highest level of the French nobility:</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> Luynes, Bassompierre, Montpouillan, Courtenvaux, Le Rochefoucauld, La Rocheguyon, La Coudrelle, La Curée, Termes, Vitry and Liancourt. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Those names were behind the type of character I was trying to create in the form of the Marquis de Rouen. Dr. Kettering mentioned in her book that one of the favourites, the important duc de Luynes, was said, according to a contemporary, to have "<i>thought of nothing but going hunting and dancing in ballets</i>". Typically French, I thought when reading that line. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But the joke was on me. Dr Kettering's brilliant book masterfully describes how important such activities were, alongside martial exploits, in the life of a royal favourite of the seventeenth century. I'll try and review Dr Kettering's book in a future blog post - it's a great read if you enjoy fathoming out how royal politics worked in seventeenth century France.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZdVA7Lbxv8clmUXiReBnCQUToxPP4Sz0s0QRe4TEY9rhBmYFFBEzDIsmdYrwtw0WcxD50yAOTGTMKoPgzJoiEfi47_QGR4g_s5fIuMx6q6h93X8IUExMFUOvzo1Mx0yzC7hz5crAhdka/s1371/390B2644-F2CF-4993-9D34-79E23C7F7541_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="1250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZdVA7Lbxv8clmUXiReBnCQUToxPP4Sz0s0QRe4TEY9rhBmYFFBEzDIsmdYrwtw0WcxD50yAOTGTMKoPgzJoiEfi47_QGR4g_s5fIuMx6q6h93X8IUExMFUOvzo1Mx0yzC7hz5crAhdka/w365-h400/390B2644-F2CF-4993-9D34-79E23C7F7541_1_201_a.jpeg" width="365" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwIHUhcWLmjF_z_Pl2Z6I2pK-BAIqIJE0EWR2A-ezYLQYAukfu3BkYCrUIbu2nCVKr-TvvplYKJx6RTYDkqZN_Im7EvHIt3S2MQ9UKo8A1yaaq1IJXB8IQ5C0yWFUHRYOkXjCapAvYeZ2/s602/9780719089985.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZwIHUhcWLmjF_z_Pl2Z6I2pK-BAIqIJE0EWR2A-ezYLQYAukfu3BkYCrUIbu2nCVKr-TvvplYKJx6RTYDkqZN_Im7EvHIt3S2MQ9UKo8A1yaaq1IJXB8IQ5C0yWFUHRYOkXjCapAvYeZ2/w266-h400/9780719089985.jpeg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, they're indulgent, fashionable and French.... and (quite possibly) a stereotypical misrepresentation of the skill and forcefulness of the army of Louis XIV.</span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">All I would say, in my defence, is that in the miniature wargames hobby, sometimes you just have to treat yourself!</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: center;">*******</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><p></p>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-3644757220497008892021-05-01T08:23:00.000+01:002021-05-01T08:23:04.720+01:00Soldiers of Fortune: The Regiment de Kinský, 1688<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Serve I the first, I shall not be repaid;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Serve I the second, I harvest but hate.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Tricked I will be, if I serve still another,</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Serve I the fourth, my conscience will bother.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I know the hero whom we'd serve without pay;</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The one who permits us to steal our own way"</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">A tavern song, sung in Bohemian, in "The Harvest Goose", Laarden, 1688*</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*******</span></i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfQTPj9x429R6vbqfmozbsdnekoY5GB4CK1StmmLrsn9P2R07j_k-7HGu-5udUs0iZdtNlU9EvAWH53B0p-ICcp3t-qHX19VyuwhjsIG7BW_q7NnVrMoJh1-QgNTvfhgRwCtLp99GZFQ/s3193/CCC67E15-06FA-4A27-B64F-AC331FD08156_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2411" data-original-width="3193" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZfQTPj9x429R6vbqfmozbsdnekoY5GB4CK1StmmLrsn9P2R07j_k-7HGu-5udUs0iZdtNlU9EvAWH53B0p-ICcp3t-qHX19VyuwhjsIG7BW_q7NnVrMoJh1-QgNTvfhgRwCtLp99GZFQ/w400-h303/CCC67E15-06FA-4A27-B64F-AC331FD08156_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Among the various Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge entries I prepared earlier this year, I been painting a German mercenary regiment for my late seventeenth century project centred around the fictional Free-Flemish City of Laarden. I wanted a unit of German mercenaries who could easily take to the field on either side - Flemish, or French - and who knows, perhaps be of dubious loyalty to both, or either.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvfoNBt1qcxx8ZXWdulkQNFEyWxXlI_mnTI0f_BvW7S1AwZGrBqcZokIXWwgyRiB_vf3oJ6GsWE1uMZ683R__Yq4_04rTuIqOKgzdUtWaJXFANdg76wMF_Sfeq8rc0Juc7I0gvFGMw_0/s3663/AD12C919-6AD7-43CD-B6CB-0A1D6D07C917_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2375" data-original-width="3663" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigvfoNBt1qcxx8ZXWdulkQNFEyWxXlI_mnTI0f_BvW7S1AwZGrBqcZokIXWwgyRiB_vf3oJ6GsWE1uMZ683R__Yq4_04rTuIqOKgzdUtWaJXFANdg76wMF_Sfeq8rc0Juc7I0gvFGMw_0/w400-h259/AD12C919-6AD7-43CD-B6CB-0A1D6D07C917_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Casting the net to find for mercenary formations in the seventeenth century is not hard. There's a good choice of formations from the Thirty Years War, the Fronde, the Northern Wars and further to the East. </span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I came across the name of Count Wilhelm Kinski, a colleague of Albrecht Wallenstein, the great Imperial military enterpriser and general in the Thirty Years War. Kinski - also spelled as Vilém Kinský or Vchynský - was a Bohemian soldier of fortune whose landed property passed to more reliable Hapsburg supporters after Wallenstein's murder in 1634.</span></p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I've also come across a reference to a regiment of Kinský serving in France in the Fronde in the 1650s, perhaps some distant relation. So, following a theme, I thought it was not unreasonable to place a regiment of the same name in late seventeenth century Flanders, as Bohemian "children of fortune" following the drum.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcRGqPjSSIEyAbMMTOSHeq7UchbpHgVMb825uu43FDRvZ8mk1rUmNBJ3mDcD-ZSO8ahDtVnz1bfycULMRZnB2UdlKdT7YXhTfsC6RN0MWJy9aQcDIARVALDLstgEyLZ0YAjf-eFTuKP8/s3101/0C335686-B317-4CB8-A287-F5C0FAD538E5_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2311" data-original-width="3101" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcRGqPjSSIEyAbMMTOSHeq7UchbpHgVMb825uu43FDRvZ8mk1rUmNBJ3mDcD-ZSO8ahDtVnz1bfycULMRZnB2UdlKdT7YXhTfsC6RN0MWJy9aQcDIARVALDLstgEyLZ0YAjf-eFTuKP8/w400-h297/0C335686-B317-4CB8-A287-F5C0FAD538E5_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq79ysgMi_T3TU4T3pA8eftjuTowBWmGQCVe610a1wgomo33O7jUY2Vez8XNPYabPYuJq9l9-iYQWbNmO2f9wdmTJhtp5EHVnzS_mcXWfIIXX8N4MhgyRCDojlwpWa7LtvYMYE3YlA3mU/s3216/29B4D70F-892E-4B4A-8D1E-6DD40564B903_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="3216" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq79ysgMi_T3TU4T3pA8eftjuTowBWmGQCVe610a1wgomo33O7jUY2Vez8XNPYabPYuJq9l9-iYQWbNmO2f9wdmTJhtp5EHVnzS_mcXWfIIXX8N4MhgyRCDojlwpWa7LtvYMYE3YlA3mU/w400-h319/29B4D70F-892E-4B4A-8D1E-6DD40564B903_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">These 25mm figures are a real mix. I used Dixon Miniatures and Wargames Foundry for the soldiers. The camp followers are from Midlam Miniatures and Colonel Bill's. The cat and the dog (also following the drum, or the food) are from Warbases, and the barrels of beer and apples are from Hovels. The basket of bread is from Irregular Miniatures (and has finally found a base after about 30 years in the spares box).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRzDP-noSPbaYP2ppdw2JKKiYceHxTQ_3Dv0nQ4vMrSxyUWbGbOEO3EDILTpyR5sorFgBoT8ALzJWQqqxvxuP7kKlayfe3HOJ6ZzT7qe2PvwkK6yYrJZrtfZ4BhK307m4KCjJh8rGd0I/s3135/7C9B9C2B-76FE-48C8-A61C-B111080F0A3D_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2281" data-original-width="3135" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTRzDP-noSPbaYP2ppdw2JKKiYceHxTQ_3Dv0nQ4vMrSxyUWbGbOEO3EDILTpyR5sorFgBoT8ALzJWQqqxvxuP7kKlayfe3HOJ6ZzT7qe2PvwkK6yYrJZrtfZ4BhK307m4KCjJh8rGd0I/w400-h291/7C9B9C2B-76FE-48C8-A61C-B111080F0A3D_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I struggled with finding good standards for German regiments which did not feature an Imperial Hapsburg eagle. Most of the German regiments in the Northern Wars between Denmark and Sweden seem to have adopted standards similar to one of the Northern belligerents, rather than something more personal to the colonel of the regiment. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I did come across a couple of standards which featured a pair of duelling knights on horseback, and used that design for the centre-piece of the standards, which I painted myself. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I tried to go for standards which looked sufficiently 'German', but which could also reasonably pass for use in either a French or Flemish or Imperial army in the period. I wanted to get the most use on the wargames table for these "children of fortune" - from Laarden to Tuscany, and from the Palatinate to Muscovy, so to speak.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ5ClpqFOc_MHspIruILg1mMg0jPBoTgIFS2c6o6i9Qsu609-uXSCksorHFh-I6q7sezb18BEUHFNZkk6LI0kPMLgC8iFFA1qZkxIq41moP2WJX7E1MviuOqZUznAd-NIMlSsqzkkiog/s3537/5124FF30-F742-4563-BA71-52E9F83A8DF3_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="3537" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ5ClpqFOc_MHspIruILg1mMg0jPBoTgIFS2c6o6i9Qsu609-uXSCksorHFh-I6q7sezb18BEUHFNZkk6LI0kPMLgC8iFFA1qZkxIq41moP2WJX7E1MviuOqZUznAd-NIMlSsqzkkiog/w400-h348/5124FF30-F742-4563-BA71-52E9F83A8DF3_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3It5GeXXcZ0Eu-fvMNS45bPbGLfkZjMnb4Ij2nwiIrmumgJ2VanpQK42ABtsK9oRazUBULvvFZ1d_hoEuOYo5mE3F2iQ4PAi437yAMyYBBO-w8dV-zRg3pzlYREB3PeXFyByxlUMc4FE/s3724/34F18ECA-CDB2-4C95-8215-A2DCC4937B82_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2888" data-original-width="3724" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3It5GeXXcZ0Eu-fvMNS45bPbGLfkZjMnb4Ij2nwiIrmumgJ2VanpQK42ABtsK9oRazUBULvvFZ1d_hoEuOYo5mE3F2iQ4PAi437yAMyYBBO-w8dV-zRg3pzlYREB3PeXFyByxlUMc4FE/w400-h310/34F18ECA-CDB2-4C95-8215-A2DCC4937B82_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKedmRhrccgRZcEjvTGmixKhZ__rc0MsYBDYrjnWxBKNA3gzqE2phbqX9f261JD_Vxq54W8aWKUj08gNth9g_7YsPa2x85lVFBW6UPqV7KYYamPvU_qft5LfEj6l_klVD60IyVKmhVdA/s526/Kynsky2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="526" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKedmRhrccgRZcEjvTGmixKhZ__rc0MsYBDYrjnWxBKNA3gzqE2phbqX9f261JD_Vxq54W8aWKUj08gNth9g_7YsPa2x85lVFBW6UPqV7KYYamPvU_qft5LfEj6l_klVD60IyVKmhVdA/w400-h340/Kynsky2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnS0VqKlAMxdnkSijUwlvksXq9Gu06sMjvKbIsrSNUb5_fD9iPl-u7svDGwekFtyWEzijnIq6NfBvHq3G0ZbQcBiyL5NRrQt5v-nhSchWOzLyQsEYJZG5qpwhKGx5gp717pjr5l9IXp8E/s3416/4D058D28-B579-41DD-B6C4-4F92E2333BED_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="3416" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnS0VqKlAMxdnkSijUwlvksXq9Gu06sMjvKbIsrSNUb5_fD9iPl-u7svDGwekFtyWEzijnIq6NfBvHq3G0ZbQcBiyL5NRrQt5v-nhSchWOzLyQsEYJZG5qpwhKGx5gp717pjr5l9IXp8E/w400-h360/4D058D28-B579-41DD-B6C4-4F92E2333BED_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As befits professional soldiers of fortune, I didn't bother with lots of green-stuff lace, feathers and ribbons. Such affectations are not for true masters of their craft - we can leave that to the French cavalry, or maybe faux-French-fashion-following Flemish cavaliers (#forthcoming, dear readers). I thought that the beer barrels we possibly more in keeping with the mercenary lifestyle these 'gentlemen' would have enjoyed.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsy1BnjY8FjMzcDxX54CU3qak51UEs-VsjPRTGuG3dqQ_XmDd3ovIJ50GSIs1VSfpuEtWF-ETJSWmPIGc1at98bWySQe6a8l9KN8osFr90HmP_jXkF3oiaB9Pfy7PHwhPBXeNzFVJp8A/s4608/44E18F57-70FE-4E94-977A-6BA57362EFE2_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsy1BnjY8FjMzcDxX54CU3qak51UEs-VsjPRTGuG3dqQ_XmDd3ovIJ50GSIs1VSfpuEtWF-ETJSWmPIGc1at98bWySQe6a8l9KN8osFr90HmP_jXkF3oiaB9Pfy7PHwhPBXeNzFVJp8A/w400-h266/44E18F57-70FE-4E94-977A-6BA57362EFE2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2GM9jf4lx4gaHhxfw6Qp139V13jc-U4sY8DRN6t2QqBAbg6qSQg0RCYqnM_-fN3lbEocKJTJydm6hggR185nAEyUMbCGzrAuHbiE9ugQ1cEzAoxK-avUk487MmO6RRhmFpY0hXxu4oM/s4379/C3C3DD94-DF98-48E6-8D0C-35467651DE0F_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2563" data-original-width="4379" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2GM9jf4lx4gaHhxfw6Qp139V13jc-U4sY8DRN6t2QqBAbg6qSQg0RCYqnM_-fN3lbEocKJTJydm6hggR185nAEyUMbCGzrAuHbiE9ugQ1cEzAoxK-avUk487MmO6RRhmFpY0hXxu4oM/w400-h234/C3C3DD94-DF98-48E6-8D0C-35467651DE0F_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSE01C0wcsKKLdJrzr8JmH1XZz0YyUIpOHfjs5XhKdg7XAsPQ0NnL6szKNV20OtxHAa4W3PBAH6nGuG6z2PzErq6kpzAmFpmzqmYBUMT-oTTJHBnTIdCz1cRZmWPCDVaVwKUJHKhTfm0g/s3498/083BEA2E-B368-4F76-9E32-8C4D6668230D_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2525" data-original-width="3498" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSE01C0wcsKKLdJrzr8JmH1XZz0YyUIpOHfjs5XhKdg7XAsPQ0NnL6szKNV20OtxHAa4W3PBAH6nGuG6z2PzErq6kpzAmFpmzqmYBUMT-oTTJHBnTIdCz1cRZmWPCDVaVwKUJHKhTfm0g/w400-h289/083BEA2E-B368-4F76-9E32-8C4D6668230D_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I fluffed up the bases a bit with tufts from WWS Scenics (which are very nice), and some static grass. I tried to get the 3mm bases (from Warbases) to be as neutral as possible, so went for a burnt umber tone for the edging, instead of black.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7rrz_Iw7MWt07k1SjWq7R9B5BZQRE_yRyWXjSmFODuWDWP9dECT40RTMbepivyYtXdJa0Y79DtQR4OT0Ay969wHAf47BtxaUo51VYQJxV_Mn4uTPxeP50u1vl7KG8vNoV0YtFWmU4VI/s3405/4884CC7C-3609-4E3A-84E1-C241AD0360C9_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2617" data-original-width="3405" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU7rrz_Iw7MWt07k1SjWq7R9B5BZQRE_yRyWXjSmFODuWDWP9dECT40RTMbepivyYtXdJa0Y79DtQR4OT0Ay969wHAf47BtxaUo51VYQJxV_Mn4uTPxeP50u1vl7KG8vNoV0YtFWmU4VI/w400-h308/4884CC7C-3609-4E3A-84E1-C241AD0360C9_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfLxHi-L3Z7Cx9tFCGBVULfuV3l-ldEUDl9EVTRiyTu9caUhR9llLh_9QjDmL9RuSMmYkXdMSfrttwYt37O_h1FIuINvngJpIf6EJlES2owsvAp5ghpIZ8KCaw81fd0usfEIeP0Hivks/s3416/4D058D28-B579-41DD-B6C4-4F92E2333BED_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="3416" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrfLxHi-L3Z7Cx9tFCGBVULfuV3l-ldEUDl9EVTRiyTu9caUhR9llLh_9QjDmL9RuSMmYkXdMSfrttwYt37O_h1FIuINvngJpIf6EJlES2owsvAp5ghpIZ8KCaw81fd0usfEIeP0Hivks/w400-h360/4D058D28-B579-41DD-B6C4-4F92E2333BED_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQCwYwVlC-qczaftnMnp3QVSWcWlJQZ-PP5Vx2fkeqR9Xi5AXniwkANXUArnTWGpZxShnxOOCGJAoO5vLL2OP6t-j_uux-wOsR1OBVwSd0zUL6Y8NxZ9iBq01Mg1cC-_3JuNIeqB0ZSQ/s346/Kynsky1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="346" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOQCwYwVlC-qczaftnMnp3QVSWcWlJQZ-PP5Vx2fkeqR9Xi5AXniwkANXUArnTWGpZxShnxOOCGJAoO5vLL2OP6t-j_uux-wOsR1OBVwSd0zUL6Y8NxZ9iBq01Mg1cC-_3JuNIeqB0ZSQ/w400-h348/Kynsky1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy5rx1oHHK70zI-65vRVeMB_B8e8NEjmpsjZMhgUGYPU24h9bBKafpBD1vptYR-uqMJPIQe52W3rWIKAeZjaSZfIplUfVEeMMXExm0mIWY4EH1VAU2PQ1RF1ED-xsRQfI6-mL8PAkDBk/s3663/AD12C919-6AD7-43CD-B6CB-0A1D6D07C917_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2375" data-original-width="3663" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSy5rx1oHHK70zI-65vRVeMB_B8e8NEjmpsjZMhgUGYPU24h9bBKafpBD1vptYR-uqMJPIQe52W3rWIKAeZjaSZfIplUfVEeMMXExm0mIWY4EH1VAU2PQ1RF1ED-xsRQfI6-mL8PAkDBk/w400-h259/AD12C919-6AD7-43CD-B6CB-0A1D6D07C917_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">And or all the collectors out there, here's the Collectible Character Card for the "<i>Enemies and Allies of Laarden, 1688: The Challenge XI Collection</i>", for Count Kinský and his "children of fortune'.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you see them in the Grote Markt at Laarden, dear friends, just trust me. Walk the other way...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_GEJdFwRZuYyhBA35EonQ0uYEAlx1GF9p2K5J9eRRNqiCTa6RA4_1FIYGC2rpm4nj1y0dmVsGxlLYOlTjOYkdBDfbKNwn8ejqeb50xN3cxqTvWa0UuBBVBZaUWxrA9Vyo8Im6fRLUCg/s666/Kynsky3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="666" data-original-width="526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_GEJdFwRZuYyhBA35EonQ0uYEAlx1GF9p2K5J9eRRNqiCTa6RA4_1FIYGC2rpm4nj1y0dmVsGxlLYOlTjOYkdBDfbKNwn8ejqeb50xN3cxqTvWa0UuBBVBZaUWxrA9Vyo8Im6fRLUCg/w315-h400/Kynsky3.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">(* <span style="font-size: x-small;">I should mention that the chilling Bohemian song isn't mine. The verses are from a Strasburg-published text from 1650, which I took from page 472 of Fritz Redlich's "<i>The German Military Enterpriser and His Workforce</i>" (1964). Dr. Redlich's famous book has everything you'd ever want to know about sixteenth and seventeenth century mercenaries, and is very much recommended if you can find a copy.</span>)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">*******</span></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-46086523653512516172021-04-30T12:34:00.000+01:002021-04-30T12:34:23.897+01:00"The Portents of Laarden" for 2021<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: center;">"<b>And call them meteors, prodigies and signs,</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Abortives, presages and tongues of heaven</b>"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>King John</i>, Act 3, Scene 4</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">As mentioned in my last blog post, I promised to return to some rashly proposed ideas I placed on the blog around this time last year. You might remember, I had mentioned that in 2020 you might, here on the Blog ....</span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">come face to face with the fearsome Gendarmerie of Le Roi Soleil;</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">trudge along the muddy roads of Flanders with a group of straggling soldiers;</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">witness the miracle of Sint Jacobus' golden fishing net;</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">inhabit the shadows of a town in darkness with a man who cannot be seen;</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">trade and negotiate for lucrative tulip contracts on the Laarden bourse;</span></li></ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">discover the strange secret of a Prince of the Blood.</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So how did I do in realising these "Portents of Laarden"?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFP7QPn4USI9ekALaM8APihm8UEDYMrSRdls26Tl2VckItVw9xa0CmTu-d4WfkzHlSrrzcaPzM8nwGD6iVMY1nTotkie2Hg34T-9Yim2sv9UQaR6e8IOakvG2ZQQ2a45kQsvvxJvGz0EM/s1180/Portents+of+Laarden+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="661" data-original-width="1180" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAFP7QPn4USI9ekALaM8APihm8UEDYMrSRdls26Tl2VckItVw9xa0CmTu-d4WfkzHlSrrzcaPzM8nwGD6iVMY1nTotkie2Hg34T-9Yim2sv9UQaR6e8IOakvG2ZQQ2a45kQsvvxJvGz0EM/w640-h358/Portents+of+Laarden+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Well, as you can see, I managed to create half of the portents during 2020, admittedly an unusual year for all kinds of reasons unrelated to the hobby of miniature wargaming.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the early days of the year, the unpleasant, treacherous character of Gerrit Vermuelen crept onto the Blog in his sly, habitual manner. Gerrit, the ratcatcher and spy, is of course the man who "<i>i</i></span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>nhabits the shadows of a town in darkness</i>", and like all of the Laarden underclass is a man who "<i>cannot be seen</i>". "Portent" unlocked!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZN0iX-OvJ9xbRGsejiGwVTDuP1C1qymgJQSjfHcwzjSrhNayET21TCwXBOHy06sQIPGCJdRWzWdd9nSV3vRFSC8W0lejT4YWT18YuTaWvyERg6ZS_6ncoB2YzlKrhUXP4dCbC-7NV8en6/s1072/Gerrit-2+%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1072" height="395" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZN0iX-OvJ9xbRGsejiGwVTDuP1C1qymgJQSjfHcwzjSrhNayET21TCwXBOHy06sQIPGCJdRWzWdd9nSV3vRFSC8W0lejT4YWT18YuTaWvyERg6ZS_6ncoB2YzlKrhUXP4dCbC-7NV8en6/w400-h395/Gerrit-2+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I also in the early part of last year, we "</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>trudged along muddy Flanders roads with a group of straggling soldiers</i>", retreating from another shipwreck of the Flemish armies in the Field.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIS0Hm8fF9Hqsz-KbMoC3ZGEVIwg5rO74V1yzf1L2Gn6zDAd4oaj27EzefaA3a2zdY43Ouhd3JHJ4l1Bof_86gsjMWi3o6c6hediAhpO1rMFyW0gCsOejeOvUt_cnR0bkS2bVWto_Rgrd/s1600/fullsizeoutput_e43+%25281%2529.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="1600" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIS0Hm8fF9Hqsz-KbMoC3ZGEVIwg5rO74V1yzf1L2Gn6zDAd4oaj27EzefaA3a2zdY43Ouhd3JHJ4l1Bof_86gsjMWi3o6c6hediAhpO1rMFyW0gCsOejeOvUt_cnR0bkS2bVWto_Rgrd/w400-h340/fullsizeoutput_e43+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6g8PBU7xoJARH8dsSj-Gj55ZM8Wy2bn5EZLNBz2UaGK754HDeirdIbgRWt74ULvUMek0XYpHllUj_4j9kDobEvq810c2jocEUU7_R3JtME7V1Aj9XWqt66Fzs39g4RVEupuSPDF6EDxAc/s911/Card+Stragglers+%25281%2529.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="725" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6g8PBU7xoJARH8dsSj-Gj55ZM8Wy2bn5EZLNBz2UaGK754HDeirdIbgRWt74ULvUMek0XYpHllUj_4j9kDobEvq810c2jocEUU7_R3JtME7V1Aj9XWqt66Fzs39g4RVEupuSPDF6EDxAc/w319-h400/Card+Stragglers+%25281%2529.png" width="319" /></a></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Another "Portent" unlocked!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I has so much fun painting the group of Flemish stragglers that, in July last year, I painted a ghostly version of the group.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFOKwUNgWU3KEk5DWSfyIaWnU7ko-awOktQh4mR6J8mtTq2Zn6I5dLTurVg4m37YZYRPFIsBpFXRwXOX2LfofpFgvBnaa7wMaf7bp6ZM8Nf8u1kZI6iGnYTJBZWCLM-_LHzKLICNhcQvY/s2048/DSC_0513.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqFOKwUNgWU3KEk5DWSfyIaWnU7ko-awOktQh4mR6J8mtTq2Zn6I5dLTurVg4m37YZYRPFIsBpFXRwXOX2LfofpFgvBnaa7wMaf7bp6ZM8Nf8u1kZI6iGnYTJBZWCLM-_LHzKLICNhcQvY/w400-h266/DSC_0513.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cRq5bZvojvEgXGDvLOM__MD309498dFD9mIjHVRqCKXMdTMcHhKXDMAUR3vVSevcR8Kd7LwwIhVY7sRM44rCHEnuVn9Si6AWaocUKHhfZgIWfo6wQ5PI6LBrL8lEoGI21hyphenhyphenak3NIe6W5/s1947/DSC_0510.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1757" data-original-width="1947" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_cRq5bZvojvEgXGDvLOM__MD309498dFD9mIjHVRqCKXMdTMcHhKXDMAUR3vVSevcR8Kd7LwwIhVY7sRM44rCHEnuVn9Si6AWaocUKHhfZgIWfo6wQ5PI6LBrL8lEoGI21hyphenhyphenak3NIe6W5/w400-h361/DSC_0510.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIayU__6pwF_V9WhulEdVvpTTtaMuarow6ugXwhEKimEsRaspFn56ixUP1dz-CZOkNU7-Lo5SmFGJgYznBCdz0GYWbxUBzoam4lMxolHYxWWW5jaczxjqvx0WXK1LR9ofRYbbTm-QAG6Q/s2048/DSC_0511.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="2048" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCIayU__6pwF_V9WhulEdVvpTTtaMuarow6ugXwhEKimEsRaspFn56ixUP1dz-CZOkNU7-Lo5SmFGJgYznBCdz0GYWbxUBzoam4lMxolHYxWWW5jaczxjqvx0WXK1LR9ofRYbbTm-QAG6Q/w400-h260/DSC_0511.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What's going on here? Wait... these are not sensible historical miniatures! Well, they are.... but..... </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">They're miniatures, but painted as the wraiths from an empty battlefield. I thought they were just something fun to paint. It's been a long lockdown, dear Readers! And they nicely book-end the more sensible, and useful, colourful Flemish stragglers to be used in our "sensible" historical wargames (.... and yes, I am coughing as I type this...). </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">One thing I did find in painting the wraiths, is that painting ghosts is not quite as easy as it first seemed. But I am sure that practice will make perfect...</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqzknvx66w8mHGQAdJpXJY4_6pGN5qnbuqrWAX3pRtA30k8xLyOTu3qUyj6Uf-v9QH70RcEjsmS-3gwVXyGzEBDLEvk9ShwbbQtJMPc_LML_rad8XX_x9WTo6_7_QkvhdxhnoBC3eXB3E/s2048/IMG_2963.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqzknvx66w8mHGQAdJpXJY4_6pGN5qnbuqrWAX3pRtA30k8xLyOTu3qUyj6Uf-v9QH70RcEjsmS-3gwVXyGzEBDLEvk9ShwbbQtJMPc_LML_rad8XX_x9WTo6_7_QkvhdxhnoBC3eXB3E/w400-h300/IMG_2963.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCBqcCudlbsF7gnf76VQJFMa2NVGHQT7tPhhSASrbf4eAjHpSFWVid0mgrDMD03yf6rGW3mVjx1AwKOw9QdZ57Avgm568PPut5Pv0oEmYhxIjxyHMV4ZwYHhdQya2xMzvrsEnpEoUlIL7/s2048/IMG_2965.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCBqcCudlbsF7gnf76VQJFMa2NVGHQT7tPhhSASrbf4eAjHpSFWVid0mgrDMD03yf6rGW3mVjx1AwKOw9QdZ57Avgm568PPut5Pv0oEmYhxIjxyHMV4ZwYHhdQya2xMzvrsEnpEoUlIL7/w400-h400/IMG_2965.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Moving along from that distraction, last year I finally - at last - painted the French Gendarmerie so that you could "</span><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><i>come face to face with the fearsome Gendarmerie of Le Roi Soleil</i>". And yes, they appeared a couple of months back with their fine swords and slightly bad dentistry to unlock another "Portent of Laarden" for 2020. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OY2tQEXMoFaXdDu10HmhjixLXOYJufg48hqje8kUmx1BVipF8jPOXXNL1i1pV_62eVYF9JuM8gu5M9Y5h2plihiDtK-6NSQBPsYwfbGCr5Jp26ebilNrv-Tju3AryHPctQkzUCC1S-Ev/s2048/D355B589-9F0A-4947-9BE1-893BC3A81201_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1644" data-original-width="2048" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6OY2tQEXMoFaXdDu10HmhjixLXOYJufg48hqje8kUmx1BVipF8jPOXXNL1i1pV_62eVYF9JuM8gu5M9Y5h2plihiDtK-6NSQBPsYwfbGCr5Jp26ebilNrv-Tju3AryHPctQkzUCC1S-Ev/w400-h321/D355B589-9F0A-4947-9BE1-893BC3A81201_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, what about the other three, as yet unfulfilled "Portents of Laarden"? When will they ever be completed? Will those strange portents come true?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I can promise you that they will <i>eventually </i>appear like comets in the sky. Hopefully it'll be this year, or at least in the next 12 months. So, keep watching the skies, dear Stargazers. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And as you direct your telescopes to the Heavens, I've added three new "Portents of Laarden" for you to look out for, described in a cryptic style of which Nostradamus would be proud.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UisdzJpLdBxtFW7TEugzcR7lMajMaPs7wagVMs7wVBgNiMW79tGGSEHHxyCkBkR8DvP2tHALo2uIO95R_Rc1HkQoht27NesUf9qwE3NG7kb4F0NxKBHESQ3UmsmO55IMJSsqNT7PILKn/s1513/Portents+2021.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="841" data-original-width="1513" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8UisdzJpLdBxtFW7TEugzcR7lMajMaPs7wagVMs7wVBgNiMW79tGGSEHHxyCkBkR8DvP2tHALo2uIO95R_Rc1HkQoht27NesUf9qwE3NG7kb4F0NxKBHESQ3UmsmO55IMJSsqNT7PILKn/w640-h357/Portents+2021.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Eventually, dear Readers, you will at some point in the next 12 months, be able to:</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><ul><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">ride with Icarus;</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">be horrified at a savage way of fighting; and</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-family: helvetica;">witness the chaos of the Ship of Fools.</span></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And, quite possibly, never again want to read your horoscopes. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><b>*******</b></span></div></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-19380792675735352021-03-27T10:45:00.001+00:002021-03-27T10:45:38.705+00:00The Last Stand of the Regiment de Louvigny, Flanders 1688<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQXo8SAoFakYZsBhIP3A9WfXbLmUYEVXwXftbf3q1eYkDfg9M4kG0NCRq58IeYW_0EoIQdWzZXmWah90x-DAeuf_N_HuGtgiCD0fefBtdbo88Iy-x32bGFksoo3YARCi0lEmxzCYkigc/s2048/318FC670-DD82-47C0-BCFA-A9134DFF4EF2_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQXo8SAoFakYZsBhIP3A9WfXbLmUYEVXwXftbf3q1eYkDfg9M4kG0NCRq58IeYW_0EoIQdWzZXmWah90x-DAeuf_N_HuGtgiCD0fefBtdbo88Iy-x32bGFksoo3YARCi0lEmxzCYkigc/w400-h295/318FC670-DD82-47C0-BCFA-A9134DFF4EF2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>"Sound trumpets! Let our Bloody colours wave!</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>And either victory, or else a grave!"</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henry VI, Part 3 (Act 2, scene 2)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZizS-cV_SQDZlX65_FYbDIL1QdkWxbZapltJlFLU2k9ojEnZPP-U5wpGsamQuJvFBK75GO6wFKteo5kOSGP4aM_L-tgpO-_8pMlPGlY3ADN7D1HpIM_lzsVOOGJ7RIHvMdwbyrPMVdcA/s2048/F81DFFDF-5D60-4DED-A34D-43091461B655_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="2048" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZizS-cV_SQDZlX65_FYbDIL1QdkWxbZapltJlFLU2k9ojEnZPP-U5wpGsamQuJvFBK75GO6wFKteo5kOSGP4aM_L-tgpO-_8pMlPGlY3ADN7D1HpIM_lzsVOOGJ7RIHvMdwbyrPMVdcA/w400-h272/F81DFFDF-5D60-4DED-A34D-43091461B655_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Just about the final submission I painted for the eleventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge was a large single base featuring casualties and a dramatic last stand </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;">of the French Regiment de Louvigny from 1688.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I'd had this collection of figures on a single base in mind for a while. You might remember that a few years back I did some 'flight' bases. These were single stands of units in various stages of complete rout or terminal breakdown. They were quite addictive to covert and paint. Here's a section...</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjrAWQeUlrMGLguG2H3wdKyHo_i9SDf2GjZlH6X75VJ_8_DpRfH8XGPnGcYLy-TkvJAim5aHX8NLA1pJ8I11009TYOk-orqlge_XuR7bx_uES8f1j-T2y8VX-CBAdgNOQtl5p5JyuRqhk/s1600/IMG_1876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1600" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIjrAWQeUlrMGLguG2H3wdKyHo_i9SDf2GjZlH6X75VJ_8_DpRfH8XGPnGcYLy-TkvJAim5aHX8NLA1pJ8I11009TYOk-orqlge_XuR7bx_uES8f1j-T2y8VX-CBAdgNOQtl5p5JyuRqhk/w400-h235/IMG_1876.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr8L4QpPPsy85F1-H1vehA1wDxx_8VwJ487QNH_35310EFhATjaATPIwwWVxpAkgOXJnClvI5QX49RSU_LVjkDsenAoH2aK9cWJELXiiv-6sRVoCx9tJo1769WNRwLmovelhzSQzlL33p/s2048/IMG_6241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjr8L4QpPPsy85F1-H1vehA1wDxx_8VwJ487QNH_35310EFhATjaATPIwwWVxpAkgOXJnClvI5QX49RSU_LVjkDsenAoH2aK9cWJELXiiv-6sRVoCx9tJo1769WNRwLmovelhzSQzlL33p/w400-h300/IMG_6241.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMB1oUumeULYjCx7BF0CHoMq3_-h8zaUN2nNgW9GOT6xATHLWrXgc1CQ1KQWX2GGSrSKHi_rzj0mg8IVyXPMqIzwZXwcd42qCV1H60jihnZzO7QNlTQYPTDCtMPtGQS4yIHME0J6yFFGvg/s2048/IMG_6258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMB1oUumeULYjCx7BF0CHoMq3_-h8zaUN2nNgW9GOT6xATHLWrXgc1CQ1KQWX2GGSrSKHi_rzj0mg8IVyXPMqIzwZXwcd42qCV1H60jihnZzO7QNlTQYPTDCtMPtGQS4yIHME0J6yFFGvg/w400-h300/IMG_6258.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK05UZkcyUW4yrHt5vLRB6SphqPCYDyykfFHgZP607YrjiONS9W8EknhQVmhKxoEtC6j4jVD2SjzGMoHLNq4ncLcKdL8mm504Ujt6XbTvZ-JlDCC0ZymCuSXepBIXvsc05-yN2wgSrPrln/s2048/IMG_6345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK05UZkcyUW4yrHt5vLRB6SphqPCYDyykfFHgZP607YrjiONS9W8EknhQVmhKxoEtC6j4jVD2SjzGMoHLNq4ncLcKdL8mm504Ujt6XbTvZ-JlDCC0ZymCuSXepBIXvsc05-yN2wgSrPrln/w400-h300/IMG_6345.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dOsDq04vCxwJmyobmpGQKTGKH_pkhuQxtSuJLqIE3nyrVNBtD6W9_S_L1Nyd4FxXjkOaViN9GUBNvVF7Zbnsyr3XpS55Ph-s7NKWzF8m0vOK63tf_ZyxovWefD5I0QJ2iCX5Uu1yYQni/s2048/IMG_6491.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1dOsDq04vCxwJmyobmpGQKTGKH_pkhuQxtSuJLqIE3nyrVNBtD6W9_S_L1Nyd4FxXjkOaViN9GUBNvVF7Zbnsyr3XpS55Ph-s7NKWzF8m0vOK63tf_ZyxovWefD5I0QJ2iCX5Uu1yYQni/w400-h300/IMG_6491.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbvkKIxNKCY8HzQpkN6ghzxNbveOVB60UHnqKNN6fjO53OfHrj_CDdACLhJxEwVRW3oMseRku44AL2dGtVpWLai7EpIanpqkNpnteSz0YXY_EH3xAeHChgAkMZZXEerEKk8CM925aCdac/s2048/IMG_6493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBbvkKIxNKCY8HzQpkN6ghzxNbveOVB60UHnqKNN6fjO53OfHrj_CDdACLhJxEwVRW3oMseRku44AL2dGtVpWLai7EpIanpqkNpnteSz0YXY_EH3xAeHChgAkMZZXEerEKk8CM925aCdac/w400-h300/IMG_6493.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAu_2dJz7OGao2_TOlzXLu9RryD5Tr9sn93aNRIj73oE43hJnkllAX0pewKehCMiajSM0WlE9uRmoJe4810oBqM0XjsD2aTnezdKDg_094QxTCuzrwPy9bIaKZhKZfb19loxJ40jykOcE/s2048/IMG_6495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAu_2dJz7OGao2_TOlzXLu9RryD5Tr9sn93aNRIj73oE43hJnkllAX0pewKehCMiajSM0WlE9uRmoJe4810oBqM0XjsD2aTnezdKDg_094QxTCuzrwPy9bIaKZhKZfb19loxJ40jykOcE/w400-h300/IMG_6495.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The idea behind these bases was to clearly reflect, on the wargames tabletop, the changed condition of battlefield units. Instead of viable formations, a player would be faced with terminally damaged units. Or, as Sir James Turner, a veteran of the Thirty Years War would put it - "<i>shipwracked</i>" battalions. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In the Thirty Years War rules I used for 2mm games a few years back, withdrawing terminally damaged units from the Field was important, as victory points were available to an opponent who could shatter such tempting targets. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">But with the last stand of Regiment de Louvigny, I wanted to take a different snapshot in time. Here, I was trying to capture a stage between a viable regiment, and a shattered collection of soldiers. I wanted to recreate the state of order being lost, but where the battalion is still fighting - a last stand, in essence.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHi8AKADs9B2wnAszgUBTG-EiMfpyysx5WCC3ArxfRdWaxNSsTL3xpV2W3iDgY1SDQidwDxVX3kUL_B3WePdDvzaVLpUskxv92nWMoyLOGadi95nP0UtttS3SUaKUZzJ9ubcqJ3XgWmEA/s2048/62354577-E595-426E-BA89-1DA692464FC6_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHi8AKADs9B2wnAszgUBTG-EiMfpyysx5WCC3ArxfRdWaxNSsTL3xpV2W3iDgY1SDQidwDxVX3kUL_B3WePdDvzaVLpUskxv92nWMoyLOGadi95nP0UtttS3SUaKUZzJ9ubcqJ3XgWmEA/w400-h295/62354577-E595-426E-BA89-1DA692464FC6_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I felt I only needed a single base. The order would be lost, with the drill-book delineation of pike and shot broken down. Men would be dead and wounded, <i><b>but</b></i> the colours would still be flaunting the sky. Officers would still be leading. Drums would still be heard above the chaos of battle. The battalion would still have claws and teeth, although no one would know for how much longer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">What I had in mind was a single centrepiece for a large skirmish in which the "<i>shipwrack</i>" of a French battalion could (possibly) be rescued from Flemish, Imperial or Spanish enemy forces by a relieving friendly French brigade. It would suit an evening's narrative wargaming, or perhaps be a smaller table in a day's gaming.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3qR5eU7uF-WTD14o3tpFW_HpECAGUujh_vF9Y26alwoEchkye4RBAxB9gojT5Rijl7ezgRqzWsEbUIuGN1sqT2AvM-RRzxVr-ayFJxssLnAOpSNu2yDjQQzrwpv1P0aWYJQSc1PVyv8/s2048/318FC670-DD82-47C0-BCFA-A9134DFF4EF2_1_201_a.jpeg" style="font-family: Times; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1511" data-original-width="2048" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3qR5eU7uF-WTD14o3tpFW_HpECAGUujh_vF9Y26alwoEchkye4RBAxB9gojT5Rijl7ezgRqzWsEbUIuGN1sqT2AvM-RRzxVr-ayFJxssLnAOpSNu2yDjQQzrwpv1P0aWYJQSc1PVyv8/w400-h295/318FC670-DD82-47C0-BCFA-A9134DFF4EF2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The small "slots" for two micro-dice are there to record casualties and cohesion. As the regiment in its battered state is not really functioning as a working formation, there's no need to identify the pike and shot separately in any normal basing formation. All that is now important is the remaining cohesion of the battalion as an entity - hence the dice marking that. As the casualties, shock and chaos mount, so the dice can tick up, or down, depending on how you like to show such things.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So, rather than just a 'casualty base', I could use the Last Stand as a half-way house between functioning battalion and a mere marker for routed troops. For that reason, it's about twice as large as the 'flight' bases in the photos at the start of this Blog post.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat3jSzbOYniwexto_g83D-pRoYCYP4Xm_3Rsrav76-dhM6gBZ8AQ7jZj8xOFEDdPO8LhMf3rveGMoeB39ATc4zuXOQFLfJW_KU4Yhw2fNzS7tcysO8gaGn6442X6DbaNSEMDThluVWZ0/s2048/D43EC49C-08E4-4087-98A3-7D20D133DFB1_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1498" data-original-width="2048" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjat3jSzbOYniwexto_g83D-pRoYCYP4Xm_3Rsrav76-dhM6gBZ8AQ7jZj8xOFEDdPO8LhMf3rveGMoeB39ATc4zuXOQFLfJW_KU4Yhw2fNzS7tcysO8gaGn6442X6DbaNSEMDThluVWZ0/w400-h293/D43EC49C-08E4-4087-98A3-7D20D133DFB1_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">After deciding on the type of base I wanted, it was really just a case of deciding which figures I wanted. I chose a blend of of pike and shot, officers and soldiers, a drummer, and a blend of dead, wounded and still-healthy troops. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In retrospect, I should have done better in painting the standard, which looks a little too pristine for any 'last stand'. And maybe the casualties could have been a bit more numerous. But I didn't have long to prepare the stand at the end of Challenge XI and I'm hopeful it can pass muster on most tabletops. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The perfect is, of course dear friends, the enemy of the tabletop-standard.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0RFFel7F8KkTXNXJpHpcnsEHNh8jZxuPQCMjjtWLbErAl9Cs5Bjv85kZOG6YQg94zBvxDHXTwg8hHyR9gGVFEvh0YxxBvvHDDycYc0LWh3obGwef4sfmmXnOHmDKuXH_mKmxOTk4nDQ/s2048/BF424FE0-8FC5-4087-A363-258E5C705968_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1439" data-original-width="2048" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu0RFFel7F8KkTXNXJpHpcnsEHNh8jZxuPQCMjjtWLbErAl9Cs5Bjv85kZOG6YQg94zBvxDHXTwg8hHyR9gGVFEvh0YxxBvvHDDycYc0LWh3obGwef4sfmmXnOHmDKuXH_mKmxOTk4nDQ/w400-h281/BF424FE0-8FC5-4087-A363-258E5C705968_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiMkwJdkf0v4jXmtvAjdAhQLfBjHILWLXXKUtXcaDTPhXhyphenhyphenLrVHoOCd9Se-dS_S09_3_mcmipeQBiZu38p1VEltJoPP5e3ATJVks8PA6ivnM0ET81tQ2sBL1IpA3Q101s8kUIh9ODiIo/s2048/BEDF9917-96E5-4187-AF63-646B7EFE7CDB_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1409" data-original-width="2048" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiMkwJdkf0v4jXmtvAjdAhQLfBjHILWLXXKUtXcaDTPhXhyphenhyphenLrVHoOCd9Se-dS_S09_3_mcmipeQBiZu38p1VEltJoPP5e3ATJVks8PA6ivnM0ET81tQ2sBL1IpA3Q101s8kUIh9ODiIo/w400-h275/BEDF9917-96E5-4187-AF63-646B7EFE7CDB_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Regiment de Louvingy is for my late seventeenth century 1688 Flanders collection, so I tried to make the figures fit with the other units and formations by adding green-stuff feathers, lace, ribbons and swapping the Officer's right arm from carrying a standard to more nobly raising his sword towards the Flemish and Spanish Enemies-of-his-Blood. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I took the uniform of the Regiment de Louvigny from Mark Allen's fine book "<i>Armies & Enemies of Louis XIV: Volume 1 - Western Europe 1688-1714</i>" (published by Helion). The real Regiment de Louvigny is a rather forgotten, anonymous regiment - so I felt it was time to bring its soldiers back to the grand stage of European warfare on the wargames table.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tHlzIY_VuUGrs1vhqatRUngWn_EhP-leX4B7GAIwhtKwgX9zJzkmM3u_dfmu66ytGeP79pS6Vd_Exdbufh_Z1TYO-VgGYaI3BQdLMIs3AcmvZJ7PPY8zAOIYYZuJ2MQiRQ-AEC_dF90/s2048/AA2BD031-F34F-4911-947B-16D885DBFBB3_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1418" data-original-width="2048" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5tHlzIY_VuUGrs1vhqatRUngWn_EhP-leX4B7GAIwhtKwgX9zJzkmM3u_dfmu66ytGeP79pS6Vd_Exdbufh_Z1TYO-VgGYaI3BQdLMIs3AcmvZJ7PPY8zAOIYYZuJ2MQiRQ-AEC_dF90/w400-h278/AA2BD031-F34F-4911-947B-16D885DBFBB3_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The figures are a mix of Dixon Miniatures and Wargames Foundry, with a Colonel Bill's casualty figure added at the front. The splendid, and very versatile, gabions are from Frontline Wargaming. The base is a terrain base from Warbases, who also made the micro-dice slots. The tufts are from WSS Scenics.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">No one makes the standard for the Regiment de Louvigny - so I painted it myself. And yes, from the angle below, it really still does look too pristine !</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCXMkbT24aG4uIuygSsPs7WheSl36si1-TVUB_CYJIK66TfEcMEFKYFf9Lk3iVSMa5vJEJocyWwFb20qjvJhNTtmyNqoiUegdGJ9AU08NCfN5CTd-B2Vsi5gUZbZq86TI49ID3jJjnKE/s2048/7979D30B-9739-46C5-A7F9-042D2A5762F6_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1349" data-original-width="2048" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCXMkbT24aG4uIuygSsPs7WheSl36si1-TVUB_CYJIK66TfEcMEFKYFf9Lk3iVSMa5vJEJocyWwFb20qjvJhNTtmyNqoiUegdGJ9AU08NCfN5CTd-B2Vsi5gUZbZq86TI49ID3jJjnKE/w400-h264/7979D30B-9739-46C5-A7F9-042D2A5762F6_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kCOu8Vh2CpPU3mSCBaCOyH6K5c1ArBunBfAM5nCVeF6sV3LcTl1fREK5Up8GzD-TpqXUNTvO-V4mIZ9mbDLOqvH_mBLczyN06JuHJGU7-bY_eW8ZCU1iyX8NlApuL0Ev04pyS98VhYE/s2048/8E4AADCF-4F19-4DBB-BD31-82927F3A8655_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1392" data-original-width="2048" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7kCOu8Vh2CpPU3mSCBaCOyH6K5c1ArBunBfAM5nCVeF6sV3LcTl1fREK5Up8GzD-TpqXUNTvO-V4mIZ9mbDLOqvH_mBLczyN06JuHJGU7-bY_eW8ZCU1iyX8NlApuL0Ev04pyS98VhYE/w400-h272/8E4AADCF-4F19-4DBB-BD31-82927F3A8655_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHBRCoPLYVuxzE04ymuRQOfjPIMpJQr8L_GCluPhyaJqoiaHcptEjxTyOuOxoiJngBvMyymYngD5N4sDgoGJbsSFB2KVefKpzQLy0QIjOJpzvt0kgOHPoisuEMuYKVTM1OO1xmizdLVs/s2048/FC4CEE99-AC86-4614-BE5A-6C6B022FB5F2_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="2048" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHBRCoPLYVuxzE04ymuRQOfjPIMpJQr8L_GCluPhyaJqoiaHcptEjxTyOuOxoiJngBvMyymYngD5N4sDgoGJbsSFB2KVefKpzQLy0QIjOJpzvt0kgOHPoisuEMuYKVTM1OO1xmizdLVs/w400-h270/FC4CEE99-AC86-4614-BE5A-6C6B022FB5F2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfdTwuuX0Brv3H8ENqnffLmI-MKBAIp9rgcjJ5SgahjpWQhEt0WXiKamNHmvwCYoWfpp5UgwUUqRJFSdyhZ5ViV5qlAgcm4VK-TiDInWryTcnjSiBMH0X1oIIEFxPplvU762KmwFdsV0/s956/318FC670-DD82-47C0-BCFA-A9134DFF4EF2_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="956" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfdTwuuX0Brv3H8ENqnffLmI-MKBAIp9rgcjJ5SgahjpWQhEt0WXiKamNHmvwCYoWfpp5UgwUUqRJFSdyhZ5ViV5qlAgcm4VK-TiDInWryTcnjSiBMH0X1oIIEFxPplvU762KmwFdsV0/w400-h396/318FC670-DD82-47C0-BCFA-A9134DFF4EF2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And because this is a submission featuring the ludicrousness of my fictional campaign for the Flemish Free-City of Laarden, in 1688, here's the Challenge XI Collectible Card for the "Last Stand of the Regiment de Louvigny" - another in my 2021 collection of the "Enemies and Adversaries of Laarden, 1688". </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEPXiNR0vrDwZr8w2ReMwg-WBa05kjlrrN1uQ3WIurXcU_lgazrt_n-omRCzRuBYc6ijbv7EQxu-JeI8IqnEs3S8dkOrQHMIF0Q6BmfMPsqa02JZdfvN2iglI9bpY-msxT_5JIfTN-qA/s689/Last+Stand+1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="545" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisEPXiNR0vrDwZr8w2ReMwg-WBa05kjlrrN1uQ3WIurXcU_lgazrt_n-omRCzRuBYc6ijbv7EQxu-JeI8IqnEs3S8dkOrQHMIF0Q6BmfMPsqa02JZdfvN2iglI9bpY-msxT_5JIfTN-qA/w316-h400/Last+Stand+1.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSjMTqqh6fCvZoKcTHj5mWK-oBYq5tmHInEOuKA2HeCNbviGg5NRxwoGnBjLnr1qiNZCRuY8zk-TBH8cug6ckVvlYC3tG9r7uBIPK0V7WEd34oUbaEPCbx7HdrSjSTmFzpa6val_7i_7U/s1457/Enemies+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1457" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOSjMTqqh6fCvZoKcTHj5mWK-oBYq5tmHInEOuKA2HeCNbviGg5NRxwoGnBjLnr1qiNZCRuY8zk-TBH8cug6ckVvlYC3tG9r7uBIPK0V7WEd34oUbaEPCbx7HdrSjSTmFzpa6val_7i_7U/w400-h224/Enemies+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I hope you enjoyed this post from Challenge XI. There's more to come in this vein, but next time up, I'll have my crystal ball and scoresheet out, as we take a look at the "Portents of Laarden". </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Hope you can join me for that, dear readers!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">******* </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-87647251919242985582021-03-23T12:44:00.001+00:002021-03-23T12:44:48.648+00:00Le Roi Soleil, Master of the World - Versailles, 1688<p> <br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hwNPCqVT-JTPfkARsyoeo2c4KmiKIxESW160eIeGozluUNPY4QuWobMTi087zOIkufOrrkgkjmY7hCyePSYqDiheM9fYF-FfJxTdi2Q4anKiM-SPswnZaDSpgoVCLfaO9ntN3599_tcV/s2048/Lapin2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1892" data-original-width="2048" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hwNPCqVT-JTPfkARsyoeo2c4KmiKIxESW160eIeGozluUNPY4QuWobMTi087zOIkufOrrkgkjmY7hCyePSYqDiheM9fYF-FfJxTdi2Q4anKiM-SPswnZaDSpgoVCLfaO9ntN3599_tcV/w400-h370/Lapin2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"He's coming...Yes, of course it's him. Why? Well, everything about him is glittering and golden, so that's a good guess. And, well... he's handsome. And tall. Apollo-esque maybe. No, no... I'm not having second thoughts. Pass the the poison, quickly. Don't drop it! Oh, for the blood of Sint Jacobus.... how on earth did you get recommended to me as an apprentice assassin? Quick, quick - flutter your fan in front of my hands while you pass the poison over. QUICK... Oh...OH! Your Majesty....what a surprise to see you here. We were just taking a stroll in your gardens. Monsieur Le Notre was kind enough to invite us. But you've quite trapped us here, almost as if you had intended it...."</span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i>Louise de Gisoreux, Founder of Le Lapin d'Or, and would-be assassin, 1688</i></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsngqgrZrmkdrbuQXx0nf6ZHpJ0SH8oQxQUCKJtZHtjMjO4jQZzDKRVstngz7p2lL2DhHoQvaX9ROMpz9fAArLC_vqXF6Gsccb3SaPubLr7RRqfKbcz2MGeU0MTicGo_Go80-6wzKRAft/s2048/Lapin+4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1844" data-original-width="2048" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNsngqgrZrmkdrbuQXx0nf6ZHpJ0SH8oQxQUCKJtZHtjMjO4jQZzDKRVstngz7p2lL2DhHoQvaX9ROMpz9fAArLC_vqXF6Gsccb3SaPubLr7RRqfKbcz2MGeU0MTicGo_Go80-6wzKRAft/w400-h360/Lapin+4.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelpPcAvZ0d_901QyciuPUSt5oXXvrsl36qdKKZ6DCij7LpMp4srCuUYvXKnhB_tiYUwHWVQ1OBnPLvgmI6Rae5RFlW28wd0F788HivwUbOia-sNfSsaMsMmlmWerCSwbFJIYnFkB7kA1e/s2048/Lapin+3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1848" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhelpPcAvZ0d_901QyciuPUSt5oXXvrsl36qdKKZ6DCij7LpMp4srCuUYvXKnhB_tiYUwHWVQ1OBnPLvgmI6Rae5RFlW28wd0F788HivwUbOia-sNfSsaMsMmlmWerCSwbFJIYnFkB7kA1e/w361-h400/Lapin+3.jpeg" width="361" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Way back in late December 2020 and over the New Year, I prepared this vignette for the 11th Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. In some ways it bookends the other vignette I made last year featuring the Dauphin of France, although this one is perhaps a bit spikier, I hope!</span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">In this vignette, we are a long way from the smoke-shrouded, war-torn battlefields of Flanders. Instead, cast yourself into the royal gardens of the Palace of Versailles, in 1688.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the things which comes from reading about the courtly intrigues of Versailles, and the politics of Louis XIV's court, is the sheer sense of unease and danger experienced by its residents. Who was in favour, who was living on borrowed time (exile to Brittany being a terrible thing in 1688), and who was currently in the King's eye. A perfect place for traps and snares of all kinds (which was the theme of the relevant "Chamber" in the Painting Challenge).</div></span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bvLJSJb_Q0ImvA82QGv6ehmaqtq-DxJh5Q37GxoZDtGqCRg_TDGpY1K4Ba1v-G0WYMaUkTwza8zZr5vnByO6jVy4hQR6R1F5GcVWrnOFbreIlmLHpaPNQIDHHwu_28xRdxywbfOFWqui/s2048/Lapin+5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1863" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bvLJSJb_Q0ImvA82QGv6ehmaqtq-DxJh5Q37GxoZDtGqCRg_TDGpY1K4Ba1v-G0WYMaUkTwza8zZr5vnByO6jVy4hQR6R1F5GcVWrnOFbreIlmLHpaPNQIDHHwu_28xRdxywbfOFWqui/w364-h400/Lapin+5.jpeg" width="364" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">So here we have a small cabal of would-be assassins, perhaps Flemish sympathisers or unusual allies for the beleaguered Spanish, plotting to ensnare Louis Le Grand in his own courtly gardens.</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The scene is all set, as Louis' roving eye catches the sumptuous fabric of Louise de Gisoreux's dress. A tempting target for the infamous Royal Passion, no doubt. Unknown to the French King, however, the brave Louise de Gisoreux is the founder of the secret society of "<i>Le Lapin d'Or</i>", a league of wealthy nobles who despise the King (and wish to replace him with his easy-going brother, or the Man in the Iron Mask, or... well, almost anyone, really).</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's a scene which is almost foretold by the avaricious King's love of classical mythology; the statue on the plinth depicts the young, amorous Apollo being spurned by the river nymph, Daphne. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Murder is clearly being planned among the slowly-turning, autumn leaves.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaYOPWffP_hA6ruPajEqqxtcMdqHyI2sUp28OKIU7ka5niJwFKoAU5tlbeMku7MWa4pBpg78AnrIpreN46evZC1qoazkLR-_DPjTtcJ53Sdj87dIRI-exTQZrV5gKcNM9R_Pnq-Kg-lVY/s2048/Lapin+6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1942" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZaYOPWffP_hA6ruPajEqqxtcMdqHyI2sUp28OKIU7ka5niJwFKoAU5tlbeMku7MWa4pBpg78AnrIpreN46evZC1qoazkLR-_DPjTtcJ53Sdj87dIRI-exTQZrV5gKcNM9R_Pnq-Kg-lVY/w379-h400/Lapin+6.jpeg" width="379" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BAOrKFweBweShGI3L7_B7CFfNiqdg6bQU_wKX53RLBSTr1Jb_xBkovxVEGG41XDWYK8R3N7uvnnRO4YT9LI0AZVSx0pLmGjd97_77ibgfZeqkkXbzD47qxLfhPi7FU6sL9sqRfewuKMA/s2048/Lapin+7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1846" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2BAOrKFweBweShGI3L7_B7CFfNiqdg6bQU_wKX53RLBSTr1Jb_xBkovxVEGG41XDWYK8R3N7uvnnRO4YT9LI0AZVSx0pLmGjd97_77ibgfZeqkkXbzD47qxLfhPi7FU6sL9sqRfewuKMA/w360-h400/Lapin+7.jpeg" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_uVWkRWC1v0hDd08eGKdgGmmY3yukVkoRfl1psDIn2GBXuvAjhMrI4yZ33qjnZp3ipx39SeLneMMwXPTh_d1AUsStfCIhV7Y_RDF3FolCmJD3cLu6Rhw4_JbIfXlgBXEHbuk3DmmcAqU/s687/Lapin+8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="687" data-original-width="661" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_uVWkRWC1v0hDd08eGKdgGmmY3yukVkoRfl1psDIn2GBXuvAjhMrI4yZ33qjnZp3ipx39SeLneMMwXPTh_d1AUsStfCIhV7Y_RDF3FolCmJD3cLu6Rhw4_JbIfXlgBXEHbuk3DmmcAqU/w385-h400/Lapin+8.jpeg" width="385" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5MB1M72ypaGUIMkPcex9BmYHDW0BrhWFbSH3ehAYPgWAYgbCtLtVrnQMb3mA2mGHbvQEEf4_3IJ3Ry8k5T35zf02Ix5nks5yhnOQCxKHjNklTF8y_CitXESShpnUTtmWUij4n4rzuciv/s795/Lapin+9+.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="795" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5MB1M72ypaGUIMkPcex9BmYHDW0BrhWFbSH3ehAYPgWAYgbCtLtVrnQMb3mA2mGHbvQEEf4_3IJ3Ry8k5T35zf02Ix5nks5yhnOQCxKHjNklTF8y_CitXESShpnUTtmWUij4n4rzuciv/s320/Lapin+9+.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>But wait </b>... just who has snared who in this strange, stately, baroque masque?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYijyIgNSs-h-dtSjr0vyFD31ZaPrvo06dVEwT3QRzrLGTYV5U5-KeTho2RRKt1xImyQU2OF99qPm_QnQ1v_9XrjIBk7SV4Y8-lIioBfR-euwbvNIYCfXZi_2bf5alRCvVMu5cG2wyUx6l/s2048/Lapin+Extra.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1809" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYijyIgNSs-h-dtSjr0vyFD31ZaPrvo06dVEwT3QRzrLGTYV5U5-KeTho2RRKt1xImyQU2OF99qPm_QnQ1v_9XrjIBk7SV4Y8-lIioBfR-euwbvNIYCfXZi_2bf5alRCvVMu5cG2wyUx6l/w354-h400/Lapin+Extra.jpeg" width="354" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Behind the plinth, slyly creeping out of sight, the wily French fox has trapped a golden rabbit in its jaws, and is carrying away it's prize. What treacherous traps and snares does Louis, the Sun King himself, have in store for our brave heroine and her small cabal of (slightly hapless) co-conspirators...?</span></div></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGm3QyhnDVPWq9lqIUTF0zeao_Adwgoo2Jvy-ZDdfXBiEXfq_DgpfLF6q5cHQsWBitrrOgSmBhEtOu6P5ae52GNUpcDSIMMj0oSJKub-CvVp5s1g0QAHFLfgJheK-zk-u5WM8XATh29l4/s821/Lapin+11.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="821" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGm3QyhnDVPWq9lqIUTF0zeao_Adwgoo2Jvy-ZDdfXBiEXfq_DgpfLF6q5cHQsWBitrrOgSmBhEtOu6P5ae52GNUpcDSIMMj0oSJKub-CvVp5s1g0QAHFLfgJheK-zk-u5WM8XATh29l4/w400-h283/Lapin+11.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I've always loved those strange, baroque paintings in art galleries. You know the sort - huge canvases, filled with <i>things</i> happening. Almost like a code, or a message. I'm not sure what my message is here - other than I'm slightly deranged!</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">And, talking of being deranged, I could not resist the temptation to prepare a couple of more of my ludicrous 'character cards' for this vignette - one for each of the competing traps and snares, French or Flemish (depending on whether you like the good guys, or the very bad guy).</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpzY5qmrCnhz9jbye9pAVdOMaeQZoYz60pkmwwvEGtktnJC5z27qarGSw1mAb052AeerLYT4CkJUuk0zF74Q6mvQ-pF1dj_jJNQnaOjS9WcawS0lpVCAhSPjqeK0FNFJsFDksxA29Rl0w/s713/Lapin+12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="713" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpzY5qmrCnhz9jbye9pAVdOMaeQZoYz60pkmwwvEGtktnJC5z27qarGSw1mAb052AeerLYT4CkJUuk0zF74Q6mvQ-pF1dj_jJNQnaOjS9WcawS0lpVCAhSPjqeK0FNFJsFDksxA29Rl0w/w316-h400/Lapin+12.jpeg" width="316" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcmLMoItGRC_hcwfPGx5iLYPAqtLA9UvsH4mzXVbKaDfFdHrk1sEJLKhDbfRKVDjP4Z3k9bsTPcX4ALa0gWWuSfPF-fMc53zRFJcCOkomHfTGsc7e9mkxcneRD81QSsQ5RLQL_qWTJ25E/s712/Lapin+14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="565" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcmLMoItGRC_hcwfPGx5iLYPAqtLA9UvsH4mzXVbKaDfFdHrk1sEJLKhDbfRKVDjP4Z3k9bsTPcX4ALa0gWWuSfPF-fMc53zRFJcCOkomHfTGsc7e9mkxcneRD81QSsQ5RLQL_qWTJ25E/w318-h400/Lapin+14.jpeg" width="318" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">For the figures, they're rather a disparate mixture.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Louis and Louise are from Wargames Foundry, Louise's accomplice is from Redoubt, while the Turkish servant is from Old Glory's Pirates range. The two classical characters on the plinth are a little smaller than 28mm and were really only dry-brushed bronze - 'Apollo' is a lovely Wargames Foundry cherub, and 'Daphne' being a diminutive, beautiful but (these days) politically incorrect Daemonette or Succubus from Games Workshop's range of Chaos Familiars.</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><div style="text-align: justify;">I did some conversion work on Louise de Gisoreux - some extra lace and a silken bow on the back of her dress. The bottles and goblets littering the base of the plinth were from Scotia Grendell. The plinth was scratch-built by me, but the base is from Warbases, as is the fox and unlucky rabbit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I added some autumn leaves to the base of the vignette. Maybe there is also some foreshadowing there, dear readers. There were similar softly turning leaves on the base of the Dauphin's vignette as well. What does that foretell of the portents for the French campaign against the Flemish Free City of Laarden? Or, do they foretell a most distant doom for the House of Bourbon? Or, is it just October?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And here's the growing collection of cards for 2021 (and late 2020), focusing on the "Enemies and Adversaries of Laarden, 1688" (as promised, Andy, in an earlier comments thread). This suite of "<i>Enemies</i>" is marked by a French <i>fleur-de-lis </i>in the top corner, partly to keep track of them! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Stay tuned, dear readers, to collect the whole set of thirteen!!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgArR0S9kHZpcOWehJONJheGOiJpihyphenhyphenDwto7bDFxFDQ9B_YUOTYapntIgTDmOlOb3o09VxP3NWS5IrQzceY7WDrGImkl3xCUqIpL_sXQ3dOJ11RDckmXakXMLnko-qT0csWKWddeBvdCM/s1315/Enemies+of+Laarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="697" data-original-width="1315" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgArR0S9kHZpcOWehJONJheGOiJpihyphenhyphenDwto7bDFxFDQ9B_YUOTYapntIgTDmOlOb3o09VxP3NWS5IrQzceY7WDrGImkl3xCUqIpL_sXQ3dOJ11RDckmXakXMLnko-qT0csWKWddeBvdCM/w400-h213/Enemies+of+Laarden.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">******* </div></span></div><div><p></p></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-36295424608933328072021-03-22T22:51:00.001+00:002021-03-22T22:51:46.503+00:00Gendarmerie de France, Laarden, 1688<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpvo4faUlLKxxsd1G7VImjgzJZ0Os_Ny75yQeAyUjPCL0BQv8llJHzaZQ-Jr66DtethaPepnXilb_AtlNsJ9MBcSGd2CTZwte4B7WAr9v0Hrw3hUE1ZELjZvER1lSp4GX51Wd_QqQxWc/s3828/D355B589-9F0A-4947-9BE1-893BC3A81201_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="3828" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRpvo4faUlLKxxsd1G7VImjgzJZ0Os_Ny75yQeAyUjPCL0BQv8llJHzaZQ-Jr66DtethaPepnXilb_AtlNsJ9MBcSGd2CTZwte4B7WAr9v0Hrw3hUE1ZELjZvER1lSp4GX51Wd_QqQxWc/w400-h321/D355B589-9F0A-4947-9BE1-893BC3A81201_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Printing their proud hoofs in the receiving earth"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Henry V, Act 1, Prologue</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEpKUN7sOvmhAiKSdRfqNjUfDWVaTpU8EwVKtyiB5teF5iF4Si9_qup0Gd3zu0EBoD6SkmZifafQ_Q8C-mn0jVd-sLgIj74mdY1GasXoMciTz-9ggT2JN7cdLaMLP1DQkhZuhqwCQs1U/s3741/D7A9FB82-5389-43CA-908D-01A153855B68_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2769" data-original-width="3741" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEpKUN7sOvmhAiKSdRfqNjUfDWVaTpU8EwVKtyiB5teF5iF4Si9_qup0Gd3zu0EBoD6SkmZifafQ_Q8C-mn0jVd-sLgIj74mdY1GasXoMciTz-9ggT2JN7cdLaMLP1DQkhZuhqwCQs1U/w400-h296/D7A9FB82-5389-43CA-908D-01A153855B68_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">"Liberated from the mud and the damp of a Flanders winter, on firm ground and in good weather, His Majesty's cavalry is unsurpassed. Yet many things can conspire to thwart their time of Glory. For the true art of fighting with cavaliers is not in using them, as much as deploying them where they cause the most distress to His Majesty's enemies."</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><br /></i></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><i><div style="text-align: center;">From the letters and diaries of the Marquis de Montchevreuil, </div><div style="text-align: center;">Grand Écuyer to His Highness The King of France, French Flanders, 1688</div></i></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYJWgrkufQHBCCTz_VIwEli-zR_tcQIvV7SF3QM7KXd7k3VQLXI4ri1KIeSeeDe9sKazv7BDd1F0q-Wr7Z3owzCo44uOV-m23gb1FhSWq2xqcbfWoB4c_3WJctIWmJsI2zlcE8MR7INI/s4379/6C8C68B2-B672-4C81-9031-0A6C40B567F0_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4379" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYJWgrkufQHBCCTz_VIwEli-zR_tcQIvV7SF3QM7KXd7k3VQLXI4ri1KIeSeeDe9sKazv7BDd1F0q-Wr7Z3owzCo44uOV-m23gb1FhSWq2xqcbfWoB4c_3WJctIWmJsI2zlcE8MR7INI/w400-h280/6C8C68B2-B672-4C81-9031-0A6C40B567F0_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">******* </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Welcome back!! It's been a while since I updated the Blog. I've not been idle, though - rather, I've been preparing for, and participating in, the eleventh Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, which has run over the winter months from 20th December 2020 to 21 March - or, yesterday, in fact!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">It's a seasonal mad-rush of chaotic brush-wielding, figure-preparing, terrain-making, plan-re-jigging and dozens of other miniature painting lunacies which has, for all of the Challengers, hallmarked the passing of the last few years.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Now that Challenge XI is completed, I wanted to post some of the figures I've been painting over the winter months, here on the Blog, for everyone to enjoy. Or, for my fellow Challengers, to enjoy all over again.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I thought I'd start with</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> two companies of the <i>Gendarmerie de France</i> - the Gendarmes d'Orleans and the Gendarmes de Berry. The Gendarmerie were the inheritors of the mantle of France's aristocratic noble cavalry of the Hundred Years War and the Italian Wars of the sixteenth century. By 1688, there were sixteen companies of Gendarmes which could be fielded by Louis XIV, comprising an elite cavalry brigade which could either be attached to the Royal Guard, the</span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><i style="font-family: helvetica;">Maison du Roi</i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">, or deployed in their own right. </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGs52pGDRwO7YDtBdXK1Q3Go6IE29pPviAkBtur6FbSjIYw48nHZWnkQOQ5sgYETIwpmsp5RSwNpRpbaIYctT3dQTdxVeUfNo7MnsOGMuPg5xqLDUtxBrJlFxUTX8VRQC2OBgVkNZ8-n8/s3585/9B7C4C8E-589D-4055-A408-586DB1832747_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2096" data-original-width="3585" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGs52pGDRwO7YDtBdXK1Q3Go6IE29pPviAkBtur6FbSjIYw48nHZWnkQOQ5sgYETIwpmsp5RSwNpRpbaIYctT3dQTdxVeUfNo7MnsOGMuPg5xqLDUtxBrJlFxUTX8VRQC2OBgVkNZ8-n8/w400-h234/9B7C4C8E-589D-4055-A408-586DB1832747_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Service as an officer in the Gendarmes was something of a status symbol for young French noblemen. To have a noble family tree was a condition for all officers, and it was helpful for both sergeants and troopers to posses the sniff of nobility when applying to join a company. One historian has written that service in the Gendarmerie was a "refuge of that part of the very numerous nobility that did not have enough [financial] means to buy or upkeep a regiment". In other words, young noblemen, out to prove themselves, desperate for Glory, and prickly about their family provenance and standing. Oh Lord, what can go wrong?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Oh, and these lads are all French. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I mean, someone pass me the popcorn and watch the spectacle unfurl...</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHYo0fkCW8kxdhwWxnsUWbwYmy4wIBisD-WdHeeBCmd_1aU850_wLyf6yHQgpzbyN0jo86r5ZDMrvkwpzZGuPFQ5_61TTS0ETkew0FU9_vNWXQcyTVfS24efbyd20hxmX2mBE3tYSLfg/s3742/0FA083C0-8A41-420C-8B7A-CF6F734A92F9_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1802" data-original-width="3742" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHYo0fkCW8kxdhwWxnsUWbwYmy4wIBisD-WdHeeBCmd_1aU850_wLyf6yHQgpzbyN0jo86r5ZDMrvkwpzZGuPFQ5_61TTS0ETkew0FU9_vNWXQcyTVfS24efbyd20hxmX2mBE3tYSLfg/w400-h193/0FA083C0-8A41-420C-8B7A-CF6F734A92F9_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYCesLo-_XMjF1d4obc_7vwBsubKVVj-lWfuFJnoxkH0qenNH9fkOvsDavxwKaP7LeVQzrjdkGNYRqN2uiIb5qiZ7Qm6TC8MF25F5NfEEtlwa_TaDxDfeyN4z8ZbsHZJrMbiAY98_U6A/s4057/6371435C-BFBC-4881-A652-1E2131B078F2_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2704" data-original-width="4057" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYCesLo-_XMjF1d4obc_7vwBsubKVVj-lWfuFJnoxkH0qenNH9fkOvsDavxwKaP7LeVQzrjdkGNYRqN2uiIb5qiZ7Qm6TC8MF25F5NfEEtlwa_TaDxDfeyN4z8ZbsHZJrMbiAY98_U6A/w400-h266/6371435C-BFBC-4881-A652-1E2131B078F2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I can't wait to get the formations here onto the wargames table and watch the, near inevitable, chaos ensue. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">I painted up the Gendarmes d'Orleans and the Gendarmes de Berry, using the colour prints from Rene Chatrand's volume "<i>The Armies and Wars of the Sun King 1643-1715 (Volume 2: The Cavalry of Louis XIV)</i>". Rene writes at some length about the Gendarmerie (and his book is generally a great read about the Sun King's cavalry), noting their many battlefield triumphs and exemplary bravery. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Other historians, such as Professor David Parrott give a more prosaic appraisal of how difficult the Gendarmerie could be for any general to control. That gives a myriad of possibilities when deploying the Gendarmerie on the wargames table. They might be the glittering nobility of France, fast, effective and much-feared. Or they might be an uncontrollable, over-privileged collection of cavaliers who cause even more of a headache to the French High Command than to their enemies. Best of all, I doubt the French player will ever be sure which Gendarmerie might turn up and take the Field.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRllXlQQ3_IpXhEQ1M9PFV5GQPBLlkLLCZNxxKGvdJIk-OLPvmWow6MyE2P12-k1gLZA-ELhbdqKtPp_XUrtTw_0HO1D1fhHy2mgVE-ez_RlDgGwmqX6asWMC99bhudvZhT4AWmvNJHzc/s3107/835D3D2D-E1AD-4FEC-B931-FABFE4E37036_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2337" data-original-width="3107" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRllXlQQ3_IpXhEQ1M9PFV5GQPBLlkLLCZNxxKGvdJIk-OLPvmWow6MyE2P12-k1gLZA-ELhbdqKtPp_XUrtTw_0HO1D1fhHy2mgVE-ez_RlDgGwmqX6asWMC99bhudvZhT4AWmvNJHzc/w400-h301/835D3D2D-E1AD-4FEC-B931-FABFE4E37036_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY4Q-iOBqGvD3BeMjwK2i8Ohp-UdrSzdJm8TRnGBgg0aSGrdq4fs3En9j_eVcZEhBQoBch79y177PW80HNsvsxtEEMHGOSTfF5WKxk4sfNQ1kvuDmk4E0G43saDmTpCQHuiwjxrx5SAQ/s3080/8C0D5159-3CE9-48BA-AD8D-00474C8A7EB8_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2306" data-original-width="3080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkY4Q-iOBqGvD3BeMjwK2i8Ohp-UdrSzdJm8TRnGBgg0aSGrdq4fs3En9j_eVcZEhBQoBch79y177PW80HNsvsxtEEMHGOSTfF5WKxk4sfNQ1kvuDmk4E0G43saDmTpCQHuiwjxrx5SAQ/w400-h300/8C0D5159-3CE9-48BA-AD8D-00474C8A7EB8_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The figures are 28mm cavalry form Wargames Foundry. I added lots of green-stuff feathers on the hats, and green-stuff lace on almost every shoulder. I swapped the Officers' arms for rather dashing sword arms and added some longer coats on a couple of the figures. So, some conversion work, but not too much.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The flags are from GMB Designs, and the nice finials are from Flags of War (in a splendid f<i>leur-de-lis</i> and cravat fashion, as was accurate for 1688).</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwa8GmIV1JB9LcgFCK01lBd-ECojJpzl9QISDJkveNm8FZbo7wF4-urrlKISR5wELBhY10e8RU7cb8EsTLBh-rm5EKwcedrSOPBHX_2Oa1amTNySAUfO8XvFZJGn-k_lwyjQf5LXwmRQE/s2136/02C1517B-47F3-417E-9D2F-0960C557C3D3_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1827" data-original-width="2136" height="343" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwa8GmIV1JB9LcgFCK01lBd-ECojJpzl9QISDJkveNm8FZbo7wF4-urrlKISR5wELBhY10e8RU7cb8EsTLBh-rm5EKwcedrSOPBHX_2Oa1amTNySAUfO8XvFZJGn-k_lwyjQf5LXwmRQE/w400-h343/02C1517B-47F3-417E-9D2F-0960C557C3D3_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMDAjibOszGBAl3Sf0-t58DUKwUNg5th73IAuHIuas9JzM4NIn94Eg8LrRaYUbu456mW7vEcFAKKPaeEy2QT-943QJMJ2jRG7w1cwVZu7yZqbDKpMZp__Nuxw8VAgodHTm-g2Qwr3GtY/s3523/AF8C9C8A-A00F-4167-9562-DFD2037880CA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2407" data-original-width="3523" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMDAjibOszGBAl3Sf0-t58DUKwUNg5th73IAuHIuas9JzM4NIn94Eg8LrRaYUbu456mW7vEcFAKKPaeEy2QT-943QJMJ2jRG7w1cwVZu7yZqbDKpMZp__Nuxw8VAgodHTm-g2Qwr3GtY/w400-h274/AF8C9C8A-A00F-4167-9562-DFD2037880CA.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Painting noble officers for the late seventeenth century is always "an experience". It's hard to go over the top. On this occasion, I had some fun trying to paint in the officers' slightly dodgy teeth. Being a nobleman, even in the Gendarmerie de France, didn't guarantee perfect dentistry, I'm sure!</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HKp_lFUA_Bc8-AyK_CXQBXYxU4nGNAcIBn8-fR2qYJBA-BAGzeQnMWa8hxum9eZEjFaobHQtkht8xNnC78AVYpfGl7ruEdaD9RMWBN4PX9tCEpwNPaz-Xh8QfwSEWMBmzOhfCyQCBkU/s4608/8054EEB9-E5C7-4199-AD1E-37537BF5DCB2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4608" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5HKp_lFUA_Bc8-AyK_CXQBXYxU4nGNAcIBn8-fR2qYJBA-BAGzeQnMWa8hxum9eZEjFaobHQtkht8xNnC78AVYpfGl7ruEdaD9RMWBN4PX9tCEpwNPaz-Xh8QfwSEWMBmzOhfCyQCBkU/w400-h266/8054EEB9-E5C7-4199-AD1E-37537BF5DCB2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Of course, being destined for service against the enemies of France in my ludicrously self-indulgent alt-historical campaign for the Free-City of Laarden in 1688, I created a Collectible Character Card for the Gendarmeries to add to the set for The Laarden Campaign, 1688.</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5VvEPZa2DItclXEKyb1PdgN-OJkeM5q-yl1hFukFL_0wt4mtIZwjcjVH-Dl1wqVlhVPOxD_gTrY-bY4I4W-5_MT8WnOflbPiOn5YBeU7VEq_Xzxct48o8-EL09Y8U0td5eZdZ6cXLNo/s694/Gendarmes2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="548" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5VvEPZa2DItclXEKyb1PdgN-OJkeM5q-yl1hFukFL_0wt4mtIZwjcjVH-Dl1wqVlhVPOxD_gTrY-bY4I4W-5_MT8WnOflbPiOn5YBeU7VEq_Xzxct48o8-EL09Y8U0td5eZdZ6cXLNo/w316-h400/Gendarmes2.jpg" width="316" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">You'll remember, dear Blog readers, that Collectible Cards for the Laarden Campaign are something I like to <strike>churn out</strike> prepare, working to the figure of 52 cards, plus a couple of jokers. By my reckoning, I think I'm over halfway there, but there's still more to do on that front!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">Eagle-eyed Blog readers will remember that I had planned to get the Gendarmerie painted last year. Fear not, other things were painted instead. I posted a list of things, in January 2020, of things I hoped to get done last year. Notwithstanding the fact that 2020 was far from a normal year, I was hoping to give an account of how much of that got done in the next blog post or so. So, stay tuned for that!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJtcoMXH-QTIY4PEzYr1fv8Imrx8F09TulkULZSFnTNHutYDbmQbRuoUwP4e8K6L73jK19JQpDMhadU48l5GmnHVU2NPiCtffGVLfY-LHtZPQ_3rtvQgjd1NjlBX-x_eZoN819Htgq1vC/s914/Screenshot+2021-03-22+at+22.48.05.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="914" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJtcoMXH-QTIY4PEzYr1fv8Imrx8F09TulkULZSFnTNHutYDbmQbRuoUwP4e8K6L73jK19JQpDMhadU48l5GmnHVU2NPiCtffGVLfY-LHtZPQ_3rtvQgjd1NjlBX-x_eZoN819Htgq1vC/w400-h244/Screenshot+2021-03-22+at+22.48.05.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">******* </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-27508107547206937382020-11-06T20:02:00.001+00:002020-11-10T10:07:15.581+00:00Pre-Crisis Eve - but not in Antwerp<div style="text-align: justify;">Over the last ten years on this Blog, I've posted many times about the excellent "Crisis" wargames show, held every year in the Belgian city of Antwerp. It's my favourite wargames show of the year, with a huge amount of that credit going to the tireless members of the <a href="http://www.tsoa.be/">Tin Soldiers of Antwerp wargaming club</a>, who year after year stage a terrific event. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjcGT3o8L1zd5PtbqOBQ69-gjMmj3jx06vIR1wg1YD3Q9F_d6oXCxHrdgW3A3p3sy90UYTx8FCiE6O8ToJ7PSsVNA-rr_Tah9J8U8X4euOr-ks5eoOv3hnYFCaGJoNcF7qY2w_kamgwTb/s3638/IMG_8674.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="865" data-original-width="3638" height="95" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjcGT3o8L1zd5PtbqOBQ69-gjMmj3jx06vIR1wg1YD3Q9F_d6oXCxHrdgW3A3p3sy90UYTx8FCiE6O8ToJ7PSsVNA-rr_Tah9J8U8X4euOr-ks5eoOv3hnYFCaGJoNcF7qY2w_kamgwTb/w400-h95/IMG_8674.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Yet, this year - 2020 - on an evening when I should be in Antwerp, with friends, enjoying a glass of De Koninck along a fine steak, I'm at home. No doubt like so many of you, Dear Readers, from Alaska to Aukland - and everywhere in between - I'm "locked down", and the Crisis show is cancelled.<div><br /><div><span style="text-align: justify;">But that's no reason to forget the wonderful times we've had in Antwerp at the Crisis show, and to look forward with confidence and anticipation to a time when we'll all be able to travel again to wargames shows in places such as the lovely city of Antwerp.</span></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLIcbbb1yEFaY7ecoDe23DRnZxD6ta4U3mzHd-7EfC3piRIW6qDa6mDGNT4R3GZOgrZq1VxqyxvuLVlaTS7yPILjzrvS0Vf37FSNjRDvIV9UtdCiomZyDx9jx_Mi81XbBXVIwi4mqD11y/s2048/DSC05137.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLIcbbb1yEFaY7ecoDe23DRnZxD6ta4U3mzHd-7EfC3piRIW6qDa6mDGNT4R3GZOgrZq1VxqyxvuLVlaTS7yPILjzrvS0Vf37FSNjRDvIV9UtdCiomZyDx9jx_Mi81XbBXVIwi4mqD11y/w400-h300/DSC05137.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aoOZQ2z31NnMbjA-jxNPptSDLnKcShS4PO2Un1-zuLhoVpOb2SZ8gzQ-B5dLoX-0g98ARTfLAsxk3nRTt7gw3yT6TBv4NzMpYWVBbF9g2_DHBzZlc-095SS4iR_huY4vY3U_6IKzhRwv/s2048/DSC09107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0aoOZQ2z31NnMbjA-jxNPptSDLnKcShS4PO2Un1-zuLhoVpOb2SZ8gzQ-B5dLoX-0g98ARTfLAsxk3nRTt7gw3yT6TBv4NzMpYWVBbF9g2_DHBzZlc-095SS4iR_huY4vY3U_6IKzhRwv/w400-h300/DSC09107.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Crisis is more than just another wargaming convention. It’s a perfect venue for wargamers and hobbyists throughout Europe to meet up and share ideas, experiences, roll some dice, play some games and buy (yet more) figures, terrain, tools, books and just... well, "stuff".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And perhaps the biggest star of the Crisis show is the city of Antwerp itself. Welcoming and friendly, and with a stylish and elegant old town, Antwerp is a great destination for a long weekend of wargaming with friends.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRTLkcTZ7o5LykmSH7NhRWzTDN4kFL7VFiwvu1Jpa9W3uNXY1ZHQ-uqpeD-GCLNgD8dePrdXZsC4YOXmCJS3NYbxfZgOyvlSr5WlnI2nNT0I0gYS6M9W0nhCoq1p20ZYRCbTt0oARbLX-/s2048/DSC00761.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBRTLkcTZ7o5LykmSH7NhRWzTDN4kFL7VFiwvu1Jpa9W3uNXY1ZHQ-uqpeD-GCLNgD8dePrdXZsC4YOXmCJS3NYbxfZgOyvlSr5WlnI2nNT0I0gYS6M9W0nhCoq1p20ZYRCbTt0oARbLX-/w300-h400/DSC00761.jpg" width="300" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkXTMpCm0lN7fH74OdDscZN_jTRuxNHubS7p-p212aMZqMgHMlDzRbyM5XTMFgq6N1Q3xGJTrd4RQIClEO8PX2yk86KV9ACJ8pNe0atpFKzVW6KHEAcF_oy3O_k66vp0J_uW5zcJ8aWKg/s2048/IMG_8619.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWkXTMpCm0lN7fH74OdDscZN_jTRuxNHubS7p-p212aMZqMgHMlDzRbyM5XTMFgq6N1Q3xGJTrd4RQIClEO8PX2yk86KV9ACJ8pNe0atpFKzVW6KHEAcF_oy3O_k66vp0J_uW5zcJ8aWKg/w400-h300/IMG_8619.heic" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pRLIVBREYVvIKpgfTvSnGaXudY1g8OiX764CuG4N5K9z80U6IRMuqAJ-VMd4_zOR_USMTApeEKMpVfa3ea4HUR8x3RG3t6RUATIoCpnEuVe6AccIuh6dYeCjU29UNI5szDHbFxguBxcK/s2048/IMG_5143.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6pRLIVBREYVvIKpgfTvSnGaXudY1g8OiX764CuG4N5K9z80U6IRMuqAJ-VMd4_zOR_USMTApeEKMpVfa3ea4HUR8x3RG3t6RUATIoCpnEuVe6AccIuh6dYeCjU29UNI5szDHbFxguBxcK/w400-h300/IMG_5143.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI9o_acy7PjRfIrG429Fzm9YiaL_H6KXfFqbCPllnxxsVq6-HszELnwUJadmfPcJkqmhswZMgvjTOYVixBPkJOy9Dj4HVvDVgMPz8NsVExIJx1prJ9gwQcgPJ2FQ2l9uyvYGqbGoDPfEO/s3072/DSC00753.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2304" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEI9o_acy7PjRfIrG429Fzm9YiaL_H6KXfFqbCPllnxxsVq6-HszELnwUJadmfPcJkqmhswZMgvjTOYVixBPkJOy9Dj4HVvDVgMPz8NsVExIJx1prJ9gwQcgPJ2FQ2l9uyvYGqbGoDPfEO/w300-h400/DSC00753.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvRr5NnOi5QALBbZjoC9jk8UGvqz0tNtEoCNNSv5mmzXY5MycwdV0lzBfTCVb4QtKYMefOx2n9bXI30QP1UL_Nc2NnF3Q9ewUvzNIsHTGZRPRngIepjj4bqqms4sFT7Qq9uZ1iuxx2akh/s2048/IMG_5376.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnvRr5NnOi5QALBbZjoC9jk8UGvqz0tNtEoCNNSv5mmzXY5MycwdV0lzBfTCVb4QtKYMefOx2n9bXI30QP1UL_Nc2NnF3Q9ewUvzNIsHTGZRPRngIepjj4bqqms4sFT7Qq9uZ1iuxx2akh/w400-h300/IMG_5376.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleF-uZuefSg7jLOdHSeZ3vIm-oHs-4ZRfSOPZxW65eWNMt9Ti7v9pBWaUsswm8Bwp_9IFTXNLpgr9Duv7BEL0PYg3m5YCE_gsygVqTBGfD41T_LHGfGifpyNStf7MPvorg1czv6qcXt6F/s2048/IMG_5356.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleF-uZuefSg7jLOdHSeZ3vIm-oHs-4ZRfSOPZxW65eWNMt9Ti7v9pBWaUsswm8Bwp_9IFTXNLpgr9Duv7BEL0PYg3m5YCE_gsygVqTBGfD41T_LHGfGifpyNStf7MPvorg1czv6qcXt6F/w300-h400/IMG_5356.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVblNFk9ZpiZtn7E8cIqAhDQBptur4gQdqnN0rBRu0w1OPxCmsEc-tcLlDGp6N4SP3fQVccrI4iHUY5cCCbauGwskXqT4kvucCMigqaEEyyskS9D4LY29H86QJGiihVaPWwcH4D2KwEAh/s2048/DSC00872.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVblNFk9ZpiZtn7E8cIqAhDQBptur4gQdqnN0rBRu0w1OPxCmsEc-tcLlDGp6N4SP3fQVccrI4iHUY5cCCbauGwskXqT4kvucCMigqaEEyyskS9D4LY29H86QJGiihVaPWwcH4D2KwEAh/w400-h300/DSC00872.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So, until we can all travel again to shows like Crisis, stay safe, Dear Readers! Enjoy your Crisis-Eve, and Crisis weekend, even if at home. Normal posting (and nonsense) from seventeenth century Flanders will be back in the next Blog post, rest assured.</div></div></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-47539089841612846772020-11-04T21:45:00.001+00:002020-11-04T21:45:47.936+00:00"...tennis balls, my liege..." : Le Grand Dauphin's Campaign against Laarden, 1688<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyC_7_absQzydQS6mgu5tp7Dlchky7s7TTDpU8MDTU2lH1ekCSfF3sgzGvSlArePYw6WpsaPkJZ7WIlANRkzU0cacKKBlTzNmNisU-zh-CZuagUzeEIvOkqKEBSZP5ulU6IcyJHxmAbm7H/s2048/6F52B443-CE5C-4D0E-A5CE-4A82D4478F39_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyC_7_absQzydQS6mgu5tp7Dlchky7s7TTDpU8MDTU2lH1ekCSfF3sgzGvSlArePYw6WpsaPkJZ7WIlANRkzU0cacKKBlTzNmNisU-zh-CZuagUzeEIvOkqKEBSZP5ulU6IcyJHxmAbm7H/w400-h400/6F52B443-CE5C-4D0E-A5CE-4A82D4478F39_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">KING HENRY : What treasure, uncle? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">EXETER : Tennis-balls, my liege. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">KING HENRY : We are glad the Dauphin is so pleasant with us;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>King Henry V, Act 1, Scene 2</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*******</div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the things I’ve enjoyed in this strange year of lockdowns and home-working has been finishing off half-completed figures, and half-baked ideas. Saving time on a long commute has allowed me to work on some things that I never could have hoped to have painted, otherwise.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">One of these was a suitably frivolous, and thoroughly French, figure of <i>Le Grand Dauphin</i> - the eldest son of Louis XIV of France. A flick-through of the pages of French history books will come up fairly blank when it comes to <i>Le Grand Dauphin</i>’s achievements. A quiet, subdued man, he seems to have been over-awed by his remarkable father, and several dominating tutors. But that just serves to provide a perfect blank canvas for the alt-historical Dauphin of France, a character who I was hoping to create for my fictional campaign for the Free Flemish city of Laarden in 1688.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I wanted to model a command stand which was a little bit different for the Dauphin. Something which was very French, slightly whimsical and which echoed the unpleasantly sarcastic and arrogant Dauphin of Shakespeare's <i>Henry V</i>, as opposed to the placid historical heir to the French throne<i>. </i>One of the great scenes from the play is when the Dauphin sends the young King Henry a set of tennis balls as a coronation gift, suggesting Prince Hal's mis-spent youth. Which, naturally enough, gave me the idea of try and represent the Dauphin as a waspish, vain, and pampered tennis-playing prince, complete with a sycophantic courtier. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgselnO3qMBQll5ZWS9eOrDS9Ke2pvnb9XWKXcHKMq7TZD1NWckCoJVlgcZGqsVhbr8wShjbO-7J3KRZxNEv8HrvYlY7Veh-oSqRl-KgTcVlQc35KtNpnZVsUkp7mWZ_X4IX_Xq85x664vx/s2048/B936AB9C-86E2-4492-84B0-01FA708E61D2_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2048" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgselnO3qMBQll5ZWS9eOrDS9Ke2pvnb9XWKXcHKMq7TZD1NWckCoJVlgcZGqsVhbr8wShjbO-7J3KRZxNEv8HrvYlY7Veh-oSqRl-KgTcVlQc35KtNpnZVsUkp7mWZ_X4IX_Xq85x664vx/w400-h378/B936AB9C-86E2-4492-84B0-01FA708E61D2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SFBDBAsZ46AUwkdT-X1HponAZ077rJHLmYZLzTGMtl4VcaJcmQMLkCKCZMPLHvCAe-4ywAwJtpYVU2959n3dCWn25m2qss4f1G4T2hmSUI5A6JRFFbENnWC6VqnOvqTF8fGRF7SHor7_/s2048/2DB538E8-E208-44C4-9C82-78BA9CB248FA_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2033" data-original-width="2048" height="398" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SFBDBAsZ46AUwkdT-X1HponAZ077rJHLmYZLzTGMtl4VcaJcmQMLkCKCZMPLHvCAe-4ywAwJtpYVU2959n3dCWn25m2qss4f1G4T2hmSUI5A6JRFFbENnWC6VqnOvqTF8fGRF7SHor7_/w400-h398/2DB538E8-E208-44C4-9C82-78BA9CB248FA_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know, I know, total and complete nonsense to float our late seventeeth century boats, Dear Readers! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Modelling the figures - essentially non-combatants - is a bit of a challenge in 28mm. I used a very versatile Dixon Miniatures officer for the Dauphin, and a Wargames Foundry civilian for the vacuous courtier. I converted them with the addition of green-stuff lace, elaborate wigs and some Hasslefree tennis racquets, which I 'strung' with some 1/1200th naval ratlines! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtG7wi-5sjoCK5WcvSUoYgiV-e1ZUZoLzx_eFpilvIkCqjXIdIWLNnxJ6tWhp1PPDjfbHmHBK5sz5MyI_rxYW2_fJLaVvO35Ypy83TDuq7GLnOHLmwQ3caeB20sJ_DOw00BlXZfzMirxZY/s2048/1C45D81B-BE2C-465D-8705-FF67B4BE0EA5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtG7wi-5sjoCK5WcvSUoYgiV-e1ZUZoLzx_eFpilvIkCqjXIdIWLNnxJ6tWhp1PPDjfbHmHBK5sz5MyI_rxYW2_fJLaVvO35Ypy83TDuq7GLnOHLmwQ3caeB20sJ_DOw00BlXZfzMirxZY/w300-h400/1C45D81B-BE2C-465D-8705-FF67B4BE0EA5.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZWegh-5zriXHM2jebzFD1jrM0fwqNgN5Pn0d3L7xDz4kpkVIsMG3Sj0Pn2abPTWg7uvY88Zukt5pkWuGyx12YjADzLKYhkyK3jIxSAnFZCBpgH94MHQ8beXmVg8vStm9jkqSvTFWmlzf/s2048/4A82552F-ED72-4FB1-9019-67365FBBF51D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJZWegh-5zriXHM2jebzFD1jrM0fwqNgN5Pn0d3L7xDz4kpkVIsMG3Sj0Pn2abPTWg7uvY88Zukt5pkWuGyx12YjADzLKYhkyK3jIxSAnFZCBpgH94MHQ8beXmVg8vStm9jkqSvTFWmlzf/w300-h400/4A82552F-ED72-4FB1-9019-67365FBBF51D.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWW9skSb0_fhgvBR8NR7n77Tc7FGyUSwpkoojFwst0b6iavfftsFMTvERgfT0L9q2OSNez-dJUCVCHfr6vZR53u0qd2IczRKmxsAnFNHkY2ePu0eCXxbEqavtlXcoZmZ9ricOxfnRDI7wD/s2048/14D30564-90FF-42D9-9F4B-A2E4304FD3EF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWW9skSb0_fhgvBR8NR7n77Tc7FGyUSwpkoojFwst0b6iavfftsFMTvERgfT0L9q2OSNez-dJUCVCHfr6vZR53u0qd2IczRKmxsAnFNHkY2ePu0eCXxbEqavtlXcoZmZ9ricOxfnRDI7wD/w300-h400/14D30564-90FF-42D9-9F4B-A2E4304FD3EF.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The tennis balls were created with green-stuff and dropped around the scene. No doubt, many were lost as a result of the Dauphin's questionable tennis skills. I also made a suitably-baroque bucket to fill with champagne bottles, and added a few goblets by the set of playing cards and the gold Louis d'Or wager on the surface of the drum.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4c7JKsIfL-OgMTn_vnFl7_5eqB5PxeQkv65vs5C5UZSsBkf1GZz3ClmlVWPya1NKxG-beP59dusxjCLpzLPXb-R8QAHWBuqIUo6aZ-ltH33C_z8SEpe7_Hew5pIzaerUU-5cwGt_cmwk4/s2048/8717B4B5-7AC3-4077-9DED-F02A967C4AE5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4c7JKsIfL-OgMTn_vnFl7_5eqB5PxeQkv65vs5C5UZSsBkf1GZz3ClmlVWPya1NKxG-beP59dusxjCLpzLPXb-R8QAHWBuqIUo6aZ-ltH33C_z8SEpe7_Hew5pIzaerUU-5cwGt_cmwk4/w300-h400/8717B4B5-7AC3-4077-9DED-F02A967C4AE5.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVv-9x2Hxf_4B7IAaXnUmiWj0YFgb_v740Vfdp9KNyKtU2l1RPLLzTgN0xc6dLtREF8B4G2as5VdttkyexynrvMQDnJgyedSksLvEIGT-eFgMV98et9YxcC2jqI_X3Pj3CeNHHkH0ve0n/s2048/EFCE27D2-CADC-4A15-88C7-257398FF819D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVv-9x2Hxf_4B7IAaXnUmiWj0YFgb_v740Vfdp9KNyKtU2l1RPLLzTgN0xc6dLtREF8B4G2as5VdttkyexynrvMQDnJgyedSksLvEIGT-eFgMV98et9YxcC2jqI_X3Pj3CeNHHkH0ve0n/w300-h400/EFCE27D2-CADC-4A15-88C7-257398FF819D.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZvfcvNwGQ713IG35572Fi0OxKzfIqF7yijcyOV_jzpWo7cvrlZTVpHmf5xHpTwgmQcsVQGlSclfR1X9Cus6HsLIkwHewTWig8YXCP0sw8m2Ahsn5NO-_sgBeXy9155ivpB9wdG-giVqV/s2048/5E550333-AE70-4AD9-9EDB-042B02CE60C5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeZvfcvNwGQ713IG35572Fi0OxKzfIqF7yijcyOV_jzpWo7cvrlZTVpHmf5xHpTwgmQcsVQGlSclfR1X9Cus6HsLIkwHewTWig8YXCP0sw8m2Ahsn5NO-_sgBeXy9155ivpB9wdG-giVqV/w300-h400/5E550333-AE70-4AD9-9EDB-042B02CE60C5.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also added a scratch-built plinth for a bronze cherub from Wargames Foundry, adding a tiny bit of verdigris to the painting. I'm sure all French (and, maybe, Flemish) chateaus had such classical statues located in their formal gardens in the late seventeenth century. Hmmm... well, they do in my campaigns, anyway.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvvIanucncDEd8lFfe-P4Sy7FbxwpXo_xcc8rF85iUv_EK-yHD8NEV_kB66VJBjG3Fp3mt7DSK5hbXT2MtfiZaItboCmU14HP-245tbyigG7wckFrf7eqbBN_96m8DZcAy-mqlGbTUrVn/s2048/92554938-5494-49CB-9EF5-707CB5FB277F_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1613" data-original-width="2048" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPvvIanucncDEd8lFfe-P4Sy7FbxwpXo_xcc8rF85iUv_EK-yHD8NEV_kB66VJBjG3Fp3mt7DSK5hbXT2MtfiZaItboCmU14HP-245tbyigG7wckFrf7eqbBN_96m8DZcAy-mqlGbTUrVn/w400-h315/92554938-5494-49CB-9EF5-707CB5FB277F_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51KzsY51wL61E7erEebWgKNp6EhHhichcNTUdxmTVaJ7gtANnx9w73z7i0nSkDiGKBhmFROkJ7uA2uva3TuKwKaF5q6Dk4BQIc9pXRS2wXu6vk5V4RiaqDmNV1Kf1T7PbTIWJLf6ZQ19C/s2048/4C38C68C-80FB-4CEF-89D2-7426534C5BDF_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1643" data-original-width="2048" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh51KzsY51wL61E7erEebWgKNp6EhHhichcNTUdxmTVaJ7gtANnx9w73z7i0nSkDiGKBhmFROkJ7uA2uva3TuKwKaF5q6Dk4BQIc9pXRS2wXu6vk5V4RiaqDmNV1Kf1T7PbTIWJLf6ZQ19C/w400-h321/4C38C68C-80FB-4CEF-89D2-7426534C5BDF_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVQDuRpVSkUNy7gOpRMMuni5oj1feVX7vIQn_ZLgdmQlo2yxFQ1RP5fh1PcNbV7V-Bsejzorj3c20kIctDEgB2eRVyy6hI9nlYK8p_tjd1vjAq-KwAxyOnPKrL1jXn3z4FNujwJdY8ftZ/s2048/B936AB9C-86E2-4492-84B0-01FA708E61D2_1_201_a.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="2048" height="378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZVQDuRpVSkUNy7gOpRMMuni5oj1feVX7vIQn_ZLgdmQlo2yxFQ1RP5fh1PcNbV7V-Bsejzorj3c20kIctDEgB2eRVyy6hI9nlYK8p_tjd1vjAq-KwAxyOnPKrL1jXn3z4FNujwJdY8ftZ/w400-h378/B936AB9C-86E2-4492-84B0-01FA708E61D2_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I finished the base with some tufts and some autumn-themed leaf scatter. Maybe a sign of the forthcoming autumn of the royal House of Bourbon in the Laarden campaign, perhaps...? Ah, that would be unlikely, but who know what the fates have in store for the French armies of the Dauphin and his father, Louis XIV?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also added the Dauphin's favourite Dalmatian, sniffing at a stray tennis ball. I had fun finding that Dalmatians as a breed were popular in the seventeenth century among the noble classes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAx52dNTSoGpWIGaUw_cd2PpScACSgffgNgVeGxIIjWUEPnzkwJMeofTfeR9oucNThhjsFQ-gnmfxwmM0Poo4eZgsO0TMfAChGaZSE60MyXXRSfVDBtunsH0vKc4sXTr5Io2ye3DU18BK0/s512/Justus_Sustermans_038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="322" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAx52dNTSoGpWIGaUw_cd2PpScACSgffgNgVeGxIIjWUEPnzkwJMeofTfeR9oucNThhjsFQ-gnmfxwmM0Poo4eZgsO0TMfAChGaZSE60MyXXRSfVDBtunsH0vKc4sXTr5Io2ye3DU18BK0/w251-h400/Justus_Sustermans_038.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">And finally, in the ultimate act of historical sacrilege, I created the first of a new series of Laarden Character cards for the Dauphin. And why not - 2020 has been a challenging year for all of us. What the world clearly needs is a very self-indulgent, history-distorting set of character cards for the "<i><b>Enemies and Adversaries of Laarden, 1688</b></i>". Of which I'll play the Dauphin's card as being the first of the "<i>Enemies</i>" suite of thirteen. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9IgEpGOQ53NEUQPB9y46x5xWLgPCu6Judq0g_u20cAsb2ii31O2EusgNmBlU7gbY_7sRU01Y5YHV61vHJBpNWFcLeaCIJSjBUorK5BpwpqnaWlMsJ53xyjRMczLtyiV_Zv5yL6DIzFi0/s691/Dauphin+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="691" data-original-width="549" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9IgEpGOQ53NEUQPB9y46x5xWLgPCu6Judq0g_u20cAsb2ii31O2EusgNmBlU7gbY_7sRU01Y5YHV61vHJBpNWFcLeaCIJSjBUorK5BpwpqnaWlMsJ53xyjRMczLtyiV_Zv5yL6DIzFi0/w318-h400/Dauphin+Card.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnCX1LltkCwOs9f5GTB35Mfsk8Jpbiw2ogsx8AxaEfxEvuWYWWvcqy_QRd9mF1-4_N9WB9UL1xCuE6BtFxkpZvktfx9PsFP4XrPle7kp3NegN1bUAs6iqLvG1PmtVNj3qim0p6mwBPJUN/s1295/Enemies+of+Laarden+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1295" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnCX1LltkCwOs9f5GTB35Mfsk8Jpbiw2ogsx8AxaEfxEvuWYWWvcqy_QRd9mF1-4_N9WB9UL1xCuE6BtFxkpZvktfx9PsFP4XrPle7kp3NegN1bUAs6iqLvG1PmtVNj3qim0p6mwBPJUN/w400-h260/Enemies+of+Laarden+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Stay tuned for more "<i>Enemies and Adversaries</i>" soon, and collect the others in the pack, Ladies and Gentlemen! And here's a reminder of the first thirteen in the playing card deck...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hyphenhyphen6569Q200ooNo1Ok9UqsNPc06-KLwMnp9sc9x0Bv-siM0GRgonuJ9PZTnVbRQFesJ7YjKnd8rCOxLYrK10ArVLSyL4yG0JOEA-I25qzUylP2mLkd6QM_jp_Ch6-0EOE-p1KOeNHCSQT/s1742/Final+Cards.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="982" data-original-width="1742" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4hyphenhyphen6569Q200ooNo1Ok9UqsNPc06-KLwMnp9sc9x0Bv-siM0GRgonuJ9PZTnVbRQFesJ7YjKnd8rCOxLYrK10ArVLSyL4yG0JOEA-I25qzUylP2mLkd6QM_jp_Ch6-0EOE-p1KOeNHCSQT/w400-h225/Final+Cards.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></span><div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span><br /></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-64362478324938631162020-10-11T20:16:00.005+01:002020-10-12T09:22:51.978+01:00“… as meer Mercenaries, and Hirelings to serve any Arbitrary power whatsoever…”: German Foot, 1688<div><div style="text-align: center;">"<i>And for this cause also was the Army at first raised, formed, and commissionated, namely, for the defence of the just, civil, and religious Rights, Liberties, and Safety of the good people of this Nation; and not as meer Mercenaries, and Hirelings to serve any Arbitrary power whatsoever</i>"</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*******</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">So wrote the author of a pamphlet from 1659, entitled "<i>The Army's plea for their present practice: tendered to the consideration of all ingenuous and impartial men</i>" about the New Model Army, in its final year of chaos before the Restoration brought everything crashing down. "... meer Mercenaries and Hirelings" - it's so gloriously dismissive, isn't it?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsa3E9KJvukWOpK0tVThxUAjjW8m_BQU2SYbT9MbYUlxDWOFDUpU13Z0n46UaFtu34rDQgJPptVGnBZW8mCvgdSrr_UQYp7U56JO_PMydgfa4CFypPo50YnYZglLKVVTudpo9qjNgl9pI/s2048/DSC_0162.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1127" data-original-width="2048" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsa3E9KJvukWOpK0tVThxUAjjW8m_BQU2SYbT9MbYUlxDWOFDUpU13Z0n46UaFtu34rDQgJPptVGnBZW8mCvgdSrr_UQYp7U56JO_PMydgfa4CFypPo50YnYZglLKVVTudpo9qjNgl9pI/w400-h220/DSC_0162.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NUhQkBqwR9GaJqWGb1wa-DWqbCpibRiBnttRq_ssBCpFLARl2MfENMquveYUtS9h667F1vN5bJyt6uIMb33jgk4HHqClxvi-ki0y7PbPFYeSbl93WIj_5lXS_h2GsIMBgJGbPQetEMGV/s2048/DSC_0495.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="2048" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6NUhQkBqwR9GaJqWGb1wa-DWqbCpibRiBnttRq_ssBCpFLARl2MfENMquveYUtS9h667F1vN5bJyt6uIMb33jgk4HHqClxvi-ki0y7PbPFYeSbl93WIj_5lXS_h2GsIMBgJGbPQetEMGV/w400-h310/DSC_0495.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">One of <a href="http://sidneyroundwood.blogspot.com/2016/10/the-sound-of-distant-drum-north-german.html" target="_blank">my favourite blog posts</a> of the past few years, since I went back to the seventeenth century as a wargaming period, was something I wrote about hiring German mercenary foot, recruited by the civic elders and burghers of the (fictitious) Flemish city of Laarden to brace and supplement Laarden's otherwise creaking military capacity. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I wrote that post, I loved thinking through the various restrictions which might be applied to a contract for the supply of mercenary troops. Since then, I've tried to read more concerning what the term "mercenary" soldiers meant in early modern Europe - whether they were "meer Mercenaries, and Hirelings", or whether this term was really just another name for veterans. Men who knew which end of a matchlock musket the powder and ball got rammed into, maybe. Over the years since that post, I've painted the figures I blogged about, and added some more - in the shape of a battalion of Southern German foot. I thought it was about time I added them to the Blog from my photo-backlog.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">First up is the North German foot battalion of Graf Joachim von Bek. Rather than pick an Imperial battalion from the (very) long list of Imperial regiments from the 1680s, I wanted von Bek's foot to be taken from a painting of the period. There <i>was</i> an Imperial regiment of Bek, but what I had in mind was more alt-historical - a battalion which, having served in the Dutch Wars could then have experienced warfare in the Baltic. Pieter Wouvermans' painting of the December 1672 <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Assault_on_Coevorden_in_1672_-_De_bestorming_van_Coevorden,_30_december_1672_(Pieter_Wouwerman).jpg" target="_blank">assault on Coevorden</a> has an amazing variety of both foot and horse in the foreground. I really liked the look of the foot on the right of Wouvermans' painting, with the yellow damask silken standard.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Nhwotne-ovhAY7ctu0sFpnSnCsEC7RRE_Er1YST1FDh1Bldi5oBzxHPghtaROJOj8eoMmYxHkyp5Lm8An6aSpRx_7pFO0BUbAF8xV0QgXT0gBEUVOuPO3s3ZSsyGFLgRrD6NEyx246-/s1474/Assault_on_Coevorden_in_1672_-_De_bestorming_van_Coevorden%252C_30_december_1672_%2528Pieter_Wouwerman%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1474" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT-Nhwotne-ovhAY7ctu0sFpnSnCsEC7RRE_Er1YST1FDh1Bldi5oBzxHPghtaROJOj8eoMmYxHkyp5Lm8An6aSpRx_7pFO0BUbAF8xV0QgXT0gBEUVOuPO3s3ZSsyGFLgRrD6NEyx246-/w400-h326/Assault_on_Coevorden_in_1672_-_De_bestorming_van_Coevorden%252C_30_december_1672_%2528Pieter_Wouwerman%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6hXhLisNxPfJZSBUYHcYnh9hgnEqKu33F6_d9UvVEbtdnaURcvk317SLRDFiidG15CtstfiFaFaepk6_YXMNV8CIZurSWaEgYqwseafxLTNPiKTtW-ZLULeboGsmM7MltL26hrt0OGOU/s385/E3780D88-7645-4AC4-9055-5B0D663DE68B_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="385" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ6hXhLisNxPfJZSBUYHcYnh9hgnEqKu33F6_d9UvVEbtdnaURcvk317SLRDFiidG15CtstfiFaFaepk6_YXMNV8CIZurSWaEgYqwseafxLTNPiKTtW-ZLULeboGsmM7MltL26hrt0OGOU/w400-h380/E3780D88-7645-4AC4-9055-5B0D663DE68B_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I tried to capture some of the grey, ochre, buff and brown figures in the painting in the uniforms for Graf von Bek's Foot. Being mindful of just how many <i>light</i> grey uniforms I've had to paint with Louis XIV's French foot, I was keen to try and find (or justify) German foot with some more varied uniforms. I thought dark grey uniforms would set off the ochre- and buff-coloured stockings and cuffs, while staying true to the soldiery in Wouvermans' fine painting. Also, as I mentioned in the earlier Blog post, I added brass frets of oak-leaves to make the Imperial, or Imperial-subsidised, foot to make them more distinctive on the tabletop battlefield.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBObiyPZqviPCWj8DvgjBdxptQ9VlnG_heLx9IcH18OpMK8plc7_S-776iMmzjGM6irKZAty-Lu64vQeoVnxXKYlJlDX_Jp6Rjv02ZWt6oAy1azoD6b-QKQCCy2yL1UI5lWg2ieuY_woV/s1474/89BF214A-872D-467B-AD22-0B62FB306262_4_5005_c.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="1474" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieBObiyPZqviPCWj8DvgjBdxptQ9VlnG_heLx9IcH18OpMK8plc7_S-776iMmzjGM6irKZAty-Lu64vQeoVnxXKYlJlDX_Jp6Rjv02ZWt6oAy1azoD6b-QKQCCy2yL1UI5lWg2ieuY_woV/w400-h94/89BF214A-872D-467B-AD22-0B62FB306262_4_5005_c.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfEq_SZ0-vaWRaT22tILaJ1NFz-GwNty3yNkD8wJtXUeOgHwjJ5TvsvtJZJs0PmJAZjbBCml9Ift3iyk3jwRRLMbGAPeGO5FJTneQGm2Rz1yQfIUDjtkDPWK31vyjcrrFYAL1WwaqzcAm/s2048/DSC_0165.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1275" data-original-width="2048" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfEq_SZ0-vaWRaT22tILaJ1NFz-GwNty3yNkD8wJtXUeOgHwjJ5TvsvtJZJs0PmJAZjbBCml9Ift3iyk3jwRRLMbGAPeGO5FJTneQGm2Rz1yQfIUDjtkDPWK31vyjcrrFYAL1WwaqzcAm/w400-h249/DSC_0165.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu3WU3DCrqTJ6Cn90iWviiY796IYnYwfJjIluhRKVefJji1DS02K1uLSazRqRykQP6NNbEdhJPUFhUGP8cj5savspb_KyjoHEJDUHrjSlvSK_NVfWrA_5G_yh76TYeST6HMadeql3Nmdw/s2048/DSC_0167.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1890" data-original-width="2048" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdu3WU3DCrqTJ6Cn90iWviiY796IYnYwfJjIluhRKVefJji1DS02K1uLSazRqRykQP6NNbEdhJPUFhUGP8cj5savspb_KyjoHEJDUHrjSlvSK_NVfWrA_5G_yh76TYeST6HMadeql3Nmdw/w400-h369/DSC_0167.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAYMZYDHN8Gzft8YolqL0gAnqGZUIHgFKXXxw5xVLQbayGv7h14jqZq6z10tQ0NDmNNhf-8UvoCphbs3KgyLJJ5aeEbUW0CIvMo3OuG_937LDIrbOxwuLzKYWGoUyXEwHTraGXHuXrc_c/s2048/DSC_0169.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="2048" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQAYMZYDHN8Gzft8YolqL0gAnqGZUIHgFKXXxw5xVLQbayGv7h14jqZq6z10tQ0NDmNNhf-8UvoCphbs3KgyLJJ5aeEbUW0CIvMo3OuG_937LDIrbOxwuLzKYWGoUyXEwHTraGXHuXrc_c/w400-h294/DSC_0169.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The brass fret, from Scale-link, is really nice to use. Easy to cut, and easy to add to the hats of the soldiers with super-glue or expoy, the brass fret just allows an alternative to a hat full of (green-stuffed) ostrich or partridge feathers. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpTm9WFTi0ITQ97zvdwiDQ7XwYp2ZCXVDyxaFQ3ih1oQvoInkS1hZU6h-JslOYPJnASUc5HWR2vk15IuRaj20hLRLFkTWZC5fUSn0Uv-RE5CP-As4yFQen7VgQezZ8KYpQLMgiTtGX8Hz/s1600/IMG_4833.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOpTm9WFTi0ITQ97zvdwiDQ7XwYp2ZCXVDyxaFQ3ih1oQvoInkS1hZU6h-JslOYPJnASUc5HWR2vk15IuRaj20hLRLFkTWZC5fUSn0Uv-RE5CP-As4yFQen7VgQezZ8KYpQLMgiTtGX8Hz/w400-h300/IMG_4833.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w52KbbgHiaLAQOd2UKdXCYIFAUqZvJDWZzClVypOav-icsa8IzKf9g66ip9Dzn8lMTnZgIPq0l6wzOeAkCZSKu6v56K9tGh7GvTwG3bG5OuS5-d2MyPaAMrm6GuZ8x3FuHswsBPaQj82/s1600/IMG_4834.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0w52KbbgHiaLAQOd2UKdXCYIFAUqZvJDWZzClVypOav-icsa8IzKf9g66ip9Dzn8lMTnZgIPq0l6wzOeAkCZSKu6v56K9tGh7GvTwG3bG5OuS5-d2MyPaAMrm6GuZ8x3FuHswsBPaQj82/w400-h300/IMG_4834.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I tried to replicate Wouvermans' standard in the painting on the paper flag. I don't think its my best effort - maybe the yellow damask-silk looks too clean, or not shaded enough. Maybe the shield on the quarter of the flag isn't really shaking enough in the breeze. Anyway, it's done now. Knowing when to stop painting is one of the hardest things to master, sometimes!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I finished the regiment off with some Bicorne finials, 3mm MDF bases from Warbases and some grass tufts from WSS Scenics. I would recommend all of them, just for finishing things up on a wargames unit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVCnQ84HE2IsPqdzD7fUIMutEzzIcKWHLPBxgV0VacYrXHAwynzSxpybR0ssqnVIW7ntdFH1aN8TtnY4gQyh5W1KL8Aif0XWQqPeyQalK2bK_1z_MXnqoCgSXzewv4JuXdpV740kPsv58/s2048/DSC_0169.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="2048" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdVCnQ84HE2IsPqdzD7fUIMutEzzIcKWHLPBxgV0VacYrXHAwynzSxpybR0ssqnVIW7ntdFH1aN8TtnY4gQyh5W1KL8Aif0XWQqPeyQalK2bK_1z_MXnqoCgSXzewv4JuXdpV740kPsv58/w400-h294/DSC_0169.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrRLedqOlEKoTtQ9xkILHzJQTkWhxEBG5x70WnrAB-0Q0jtB2ef1BH4GVw12jelUGxzFvyKvr_6q94T5uathGs8dHJPZp5H6xGXzpqo53wsiAJNrGL5qLBzq56u5PsZtt5fh0DsLErtmZ/s2048/DSC_0170.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1692" data-original-width="2048" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzrRLedqOlEKoTtQ9xkILHzJQTkWhxEBG5x70WnrAB-0Q0jtB2ef1BH4GVw12jelUGxzFvyKvr_6q94T5uathGs8dHJPZp5H6xGXzpqo53wsiAJNrGL5qLBzq56u5PsZtt5fh0DsLErtmZ/w400-h330/DSC_0170.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNc-eOASJDyCQiC6BMaRr7d_vDdL_tvI8jpxlrMqZOzqOXyaDLUkANMr-2_FrxcBqqEpo9521UI6NUC-opEKeHF66rx2RGsVggrBATSAE-TV3bVYyv1NXqQInTi4YQ9tsD2rDUe3p4rY3/s2048/DSC_0168.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="2048" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbNc-eOASJDyCQiC6BMaRr7d_vDdL_tvI8jpxlrMqZOzqOXyaDLUkANMr-2_FrxcBqqEpo9521UI6NUC-opEKeHF66rx2RGsVggrBATSAE-TV3bVYyv1NXqQInTi4YQ9tsD2rDUe3p4rY3/w400-h284/DSC_0168.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unlike the Flemish or French foot in my collection of units for Laarden 1688, I wanted to include a couple of battalion guns for the German foot. Not too many, but just a couple - maybe to test out if they would make a difference on the table. I added this one from Dixon Miniatures, complete with a suitably uniformed gun crew.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uag-UAT2WKSaWIrlZ9vXwF0fyeQCQDnDb2jlRz_pWISYliph2Kw3giL-XxE2uUD3U6f7ppnzmeldvjXl1FFT6tbIuD1FCInzCJ7GdPydEDHYp5TtivxNsdGQHVAAV9Sx3yLHSm794BJW/s2048/DSC_0173.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="2048" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uag-UAT2WKSaWIrlZ9vXwF0fyeQCQDnDb2jlRz_pWISYliph2Kw3giL-XxE2uUD3U6f7ppnzmeldvjXl1FFT6tbIuD1FCInzCJ7GdPydEDHYp5TtivxNsdGQHVAAV9Sx3yLHSm794BJW/w400-h308/DSC_0173.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C-YayTmB2PbaKUVt6c1UIIxyCa5Rdg5OxI8bc_dP9MIg6QohW7KTKVeB90b7UsS7_1nPVAbrw-FBhqDhgBQQ2MFWge1Pqp-4eK8kqpVZ4WpnwUJK9zGmvNX7f6c3YtsGB6g7FiAmw5Xg/s2048/DSC_0175.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1470" data-original-width="2048" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9C-YayTmB2PbaKUVt6c1UIIxyCa5Rdg5OxI8bc_dP9MIg6QohW7KTKVeB90b7UsS7_1nPVAbrw-FBhqDhgBQQ2MFWge1Pqp-4eK8kqpVZ4WpnwUJK9zGmvNX7f6c3YtsGB6g7FiAmw5Xg/w400-h288/DSC_0175.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSt2golJA1EVZTMofDr-bygDkcgozGz09Q5b1fcKDrgngtWQtr4W-Alm7pc07wlr-7aa-Qp4SW2ZvX8gllW6NuQoB0Y6ZrUFHkRPToi4S2-ioO00mmIMu9D5fnUNIQPugp6jXmNljfwXl/s2048/DSC_0176.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2048" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSt2golJA1EVZTMofDr-bygDkcgozGz09Q5b1fcKDrgngtWQtr4W-Alm7pc07wlr-7aa-Qp4SW2ZvX8gllW6NuQoB0Y6ZrUFHkRPToi4S2-ioO00mmIMu9D5fnUNIQPugp6jXmNljfwXl/w400-h400/DSC_0176.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I also had a few Bavarian foot left over from an older project. These came to me from a friend, a long while back. He had kindly sold me the shot, but I needed to add some pikes, add the standards and the bases. As this unit was a little of an after-thought, I'd not purchased any Bavarian chequered standards in advance. Casting around for inspiration, I found the following image on the front of Helion's fine book on the Bavarian army of the Thirty Years War - it looked a lot more practicable than painting Bavarian chequers...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0M7HSJJ1xETfiYGJjscnckOnfL7-KqP8DIwKVz4PaTkVHatUkwO0mCkL9-HSVxMkEAEwCScTF-CruZixfzEeQPnhTRcCpQ8ctUdz8Lj9EQI68uXurRMiw6EDAim6wZRHPVkjszMXJTai/s2048/IMG_1085.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1609" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz0M7HSJJ1xETfiYGJjscnckOnfL7-KqP8DIwKVz4PaTkVHatUkwO0mCkL9-HSVxMkEAEwCScTF-CruZixfzEeQPnhTRcCpQ8ctUdz8Lj9EQI68uXurRMiw6EDAim6wZRHPVkjszMXJTai/w314-h400/IMG_1085.jpeg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QNYKz_Oxh3LGBv4_6dIsMWpOMkYYJhiC_o4H_pCJr3tkaMo2P0oNI1lLfbc0s_TvgPQjvhYLQ_U70iB1YuBBqzW2-DRiAXb3oKSETUge8Rm__xVNtU9f5Kt2xxed3qLdpQ2eYKlm5SH0/s2048/IMG_1084.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1701" data-original-width="2048" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8QNYKz_Oxh3LGBv4_6dIsMWpOMkYYJhiC_o4H_pCJr3tkaMo2P0oNI1lLfbc0s_TvgPQjvhYLQ_U70iB1YuBBqzW2-DRiAXb3oKSETUge8Rm__xVNtU9f5Kt2xxed3qLdpQ2eYKlm5SH0/w400-h333/IMG_1084.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0I5H3sevOVyZi0rNWWrnQYLBPnlKwHDu4agP2soXlfZsDs-04_QY7R6eywX7qB4j3-i4aFj8wJFo_z9oARAgd0Z4cfDNfuKqxwBTicQTNzJTZPNQ5Ms-jpWn6xgmys01sUPIp5edLdiKN/s2048/IMG_1083.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0I5H3sevOVyZi0rNWWrnQYLBPnlKwHDu4agP2soXlfZsDs-04_QY7R6eywX7qB4j3-i4aFj8wJFo_z9oARAgd0Z4cfDNfuKqxwBTicQTNzJTZPNQ5Ms-jpWn6xgmys01sUPIp5edLdiKN/w400-h300/IMG_1083.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Bavarian blue is a lovely colour, which should hopefully look distinctive on the tabletop. Bavarian forces were heavily committed in the later Thirty Years War and in the Nine Years War, so adding the possibility of Bavarians to <i>one</i> of the sides on a later seventeenth century tabletop doesn't seem too outlandish. The regiment I found in Bavarian light blue and yellow ochre was <i>Lützenberg</i> - so the uniform is accurate, even if the (alt-historical) standard is not! Hopefully these are the first of several Bavarians over the next few years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwUwIoVTki0fmK1cJAJwbbixE0sNQgQlDJrr76AK3ZFG0nKypJ8QMCnvMPE3CzMKAVVcOxav8R0BbB_3k-Lmudevi_ACPSV_F7dQwmUR5bZWmALMEcSeas1GwAsdExZDcSiLlIatb_Nxe/s2048/DSC_0492.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1396" data-original-width="2048" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzwUwIoVTki0fmK1cJAJwbbixE0sNQgQlDJrr76AK3ZFG0nKypJ8QMCnvMPE3CzMKAVVcOxav8R0BbB_3k-Lmudevi_ACPSV_F7dQwmUR5bZWmALMEcSeas1GwAsdExZDcSiLlIatb_Nxe/w400-h272/DSC_0492.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZvdyKTicHcwm85cLtOmUUY9DrA16-9jyLNFC_QxYHCcwI4lJo787aI85V-1DBQxmxWzjKtUAIQKMnQ6FTeZZVDrPNFQXJ81f4jYX54AdmMZqgbcE3FYSSpO9GJNArVTh3M-JSZD2FE70/s2048/DSC_0494.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1881" data-original-width="2048" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZvdyKTicHcwm85cLtOmUUY9DrA16-9jyLNFC_QxYHCcwI4lJo787aI85V-1DBQxmxWzjKtUAIQKMnQ6FTeZZVDrPNFQXJ81f4jYX54AdmMZqgbcE3FYSSpO9GJNArVTh3M-JSZD2FE70/w400-h368/DSC_0494.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14R4gX4scBVvtBuuCojF-MWdBMDvl4KgR2GQ3gCNx-n4YNBJBH5Lk9bBBdNjgnVzMCmfNadt4raKoBnxOh0gAsuM_iE8nmOVruRgzTqUzDqABiTSKzrEPpHQFARNpCzbr4Aa0rEB0kVyU/s2048/DSC_0496.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1734" data-original-width="2048" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14R4gX4scBVvtBuuCojF-MWdBMDvl4KgR2GQ3gCNx-n4YNBJBH5Lk9bBBdNjgnVzMCmfNadt4raKoBnxOh0gAsuM_iE8nmOVruRgzTqUzDqABiTSKzrEPpHQFARNpCzbr4Aa0rEB0kVyU/w400-h339/DSC_0496.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxv_05IiwAk0GnVb3FixCsh3BsPUo1egxMjQosJ1WGK9dqg99ENDIy3DmdP6edW_mZNM5o8_Q3ddoFalJYCUAH8oRq_zh_Ht2RXBQTYoaB62CUSHe3QJNselKQKgVTx1g6Es_Ch1sDrl5/s2048/DSC_0497.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="2048" height="351" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgxv_05IiwAk0GnVb3FixCsh3BsPUo1egxMjQosJ1WGK9dqg99ENDIy3DmdP6edW_mZNM5o8_Q3ddoFalJYCUAH8oRq_zh_Ht2RXBQTYoaB62CUSHe3QJNselKQKgVTx1g6Es_Ch1sDrl5/w400-h351/DSC_0497.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And finally, because I enjoy creating nonsense documents as a back-drop to future campaigns, here's a letter from one of my notebooks from an old friend of the Blog, Don Fernando de Torrescusa (Marquess de Girona, Envoy of His Most Catholic Majesty, Carlos the Second, King of Spain, to the Flemish Free City of Laarden in 1688, and so on...), commissioning more forces for the wars in Flanders.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFnoFzeaZCFCJ0npW81K8N1UVNNb7Lli_VJ2pW4DuOEhB0jOmBD47ACXEDZYUkmKb3yyimmNud86mYkOmu50LA2zZw-DlwHCf8WY-PMX5fWOslGzuxhidg26EFYeEqwNCyFFPevDyA7VY/s2048/IMG_3252.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1483" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHFnoFzeaZCFCJ0npW81K8N1UVNNb7Lli_VJ2pW4DuOEhB0jOmBD47ACXEDZYUkmKb3yyimmNud86mYkOmu50LA2zZw-DlwHCf8WY-PMX5fWOslGzuxhidg26EFYeEqwNCyFFPevDyA7VY/w290-h400/IMG_3252.jpeg" width="290" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> *******</div></div></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-82600263677555047192020-10-10T22:45:00.001+01:002020-10-11T08:35:21.377+01:00"Slow, uneasie and troublesome": Tales from the Baggage Trayne<div style="text-align: center;">"The great number of Coaches, Waggons, Carts, and Horses loaded with baggage, the needless numbers of Women and Boys who follow Armies, renders a march, slow, uneasie and troublesome." </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Sir James Turner, Pallas Armata, 1670.</div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjafuRwGStZjNjeIuFZNrdUAnmbx7mOXTPsBXDXEbDyyY3ZVRk2KjTCM98PsXd5D85_Dy4veMY0RvdRLfXlP9Th0otP2zOA20rrVanXT3ZM9LkK2_IkVeAO_mcbV351Ha1PkNVajY42OAd/s2048/E3126EC6-D4C9-4452-8B3E-42767C6736C9_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1443" data-original-width="2048" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjafuRwGStZjNjeIuFZNrdUAnmbx7mOXTPsBXDXEbDyyY3ZVRk2KjTCM98PsXd5D85_Dy4veMY0RvdRLfXlP9Th0otP2zOA20rrVanXT3ZM9LkK2_IkVeAO_mcbV351Ha1PkNVajY42OAd/w400-h281/E3126EC6-D4C9-4452-8B3E-42767C6736C9_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div style="text-align: justify;">Dear Readers, you might remember Sir James Turner, and his magisterial book, "<i>Pallas Armata: Military essayes of the ancient Grecian, Roman, and modern art of war</i>" from other posts here on the Blog. Sir James is the gentleman, experienced in the savage fighting of the Thirty Years War, who failed to write about precisely what happens in the heat of battle, but was capable of writing pages and pages and pages about the minutiae of seventeenth century warfare. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sir James spends three of four pages of "<i>Pallas Armata</i>" devoted to baggage "traynes", "waggons" and provisioning. According to Sir James' account, the number of "waggons", carts and horses accompanying an army in the field could be extremely high. He provides an entertaining scale of different wagon numbers for different armies in the Thirty Years War - Swedish, French, German and Danish - noting that 900 wagons for 6,000 horse and foot was not unusual.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">With this in mind, I thought I'd have a go at creating some suitable baggage for a seventeenth century trayne.<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.4px;"> </span></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErVOmKiORzJUM-p114FDqze68uNmqYQ-PHwuumhp8u6WieT0A9QEWZly1T2tBZLj-UH7UIx-jqQ7uMfPoMdE19Mho7ox5fkDKWBiVDrGg_J2lAFWmYm6h-hbedHq301aYF84UXIrn_sM7/s2048/453DACD6-FE9E-4C29-B81F-29D6BCAAE8CF_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="2048" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiErVOmKiORzJUM-p114FDqze68uNmqYQ-PHwuumhp8u6WieT0A9QEWZly1T2tBZLj-UH7UIx-jqQ7uMfPoMdE19Mho7ox5fkDKWBiVDrGg_J2lAFWmYm6h-hbedHq301aYF84UXIrn_sM7/w400-h261/453DACD6-FE9E-4C29-B81F-29D6BCAAE8CF_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVRbb-NtlJuYM61wRHA2cZKD5drRjuiBSoIw3hrLTb6uIHxVsoqNff-D81NNFDOb_gUbpZP-N9Rhp021q5a92mwx9AyDxGAU8DLUWzqfA0Qsn7Zz3YuBMh585W0Fo0wGTBNqALTimA8zg/s2048/7C52272F-0185-460F-9814-20729E1F0828.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVRbb-NtlJuYM61wRHA2cZKD5drRjuiBSoIw3hrLTb6uIHxVsoqNff-D81NNFDOb_gUbpZP-N9Rhp021q5a92mwx9AyDxGAU8DLUWzqfA0Qsn7Zz3YuBMh585W0Fo0wGTBNqALTimA8zg/w225-h400/7C52272F-0185-460F-9814-20729E1F0828.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I had bought one of "Colonel Bill's" larger wagons, with a Renaissance artillery load, from the Colours show last year. It was a joy to make, fitted perfectly, and painted up easily.. The heavy horses were a little rough-coated, but I quite liked that - being different in look to the sleeker horses of the Horse and Gendarmerie. You get a jumble of bits in the MDF pack, but it comes with some useful instructions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeqquQevjzbI5SEio5ZjM6P8tPsMVwSFQzC-fYfUQ__HXt5EKwuw6cRMMe29e0ZSVwivWg9TP3oe0bfsKyMxqoZrgEhajMNjFT5nhSQGGEKLT3w4gTiLkyhqDgEfQQfakx3VD_NJFhyphenhyphenPy/s2048/795D393D-E66D-4B10-BC48-532C96DEB2CA.jpeg" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijeqquQevjzbI5SEio5ZjM6P8tPsMVwSFQzC-fYfUQ__HXt5EKwuw6cRMMe29e0ZSVwivWg9TP3oe0bfsKyMxqoZrgEhajMNjFT5nhSQGGEKLT3w4gTiLkyhqDgEfQQfakx3VD_NJFhyphenhyphenPy/w225-h400/795D393D-E66D-4B10-BC48-532C96DEB2CA.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDwYoNS4VeHLVR1bm1d2-ZstclunBFD450EOzPuh12fpBUyVspJ8ThShpbqTZcSYq9_YepIkqiS0scVqoOJVFNng4aojN8zoPRO0SD97qVPWcNlbRprx7feKXn_tws2HA9yXLrJGdxpiZ/s2048/33AD0000-CB4E-4D10-A306-A5856ACD963E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIDwYoNS4VeHLVR1bm1d2-ZstclunBFD450EOzPuh12fpBUyVspJ8ThShpbqTZcSYq9_YepIkqiS0scVqoOJVFNng4aojN8zoPRO0SD97qVPWcNlbRprx7feKXn_tws2HA9yXLrJGdxpiZ/w225-h400/33AD0000-CB4E-4D10-A306-A5856ACD963E.jpeg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I added a couple of additional russet-coated musketeers, trudging along with the wagon, and a Wargames Foundry wagoneer, alongside the Colonel Bill's horse-ostler. A Warbases 3mm MDF base completed the wagon, ready to join (or start off) the baggage trayne.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NgG3bifhbsLoe9ewJ13KGJUcmnvQ2KTmr49GrEXqw6B5ifs09vbzO6adYCu3lEGVbsHVMkSat9YvDHaoGGQsuCs7LPmXptkWzBDjy5l918SoIa4vXiwHoHYp9PkIVILWtSq-eNP-dgzq/s2048/40DF7ECB-0175-4F38-B9DB-DD5397215E77_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1246" data-original-width="2048" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4NgG3bifhbsLoe9ewJ13KGJUcmnvQ2KTmr49GrEXqw6B5ifs09vbzO6adYCu3lEGVbsHVMkSat9YvDHaoGGQsuCs7LPmXptkWzBDjy5l918SoIa4vXiwHoHYp9PkIVILWtSq-eNP-dgzq/w400-h244/40DF7ECB-0175-4F38-B9DB-DD5397215E77_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Listeners to the TooFatLardies "Oddcast" might remember that one of the books I mentioned in the Library section a year back was <i>"The Memoirs of James II"</i>. As I mentioned on the "Oddcast", James, Duke of York, was obsessed with .... fodder. Barely a page goes by in the Duke's book without mentioning provisions, baggage, lines of march, fodder, forage, horse-feeding and logistics. It's an amazing read, although one I found I needed to read through with a map or Northern France and Flanders by my desk most of the time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">I wanted to create some wagons in the baggage trayne bringing fodder for an army's horses. One of them I bought from "Blotz" at the Salute show a few years back. The other I scratch-built from bits and pieces on my work-desk - card, some spare wheels and a couple of Wargames Foundry villagers.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_WmMw22nPuTJjJZ5mITMRbjbmvqKsUbhdIEDD0KxKTRCENOkLUY9fra8Q3yTy6HpHu7aYyHvaKtlTAqU5gu5mRZYC1BZM804Rw_-6KWudzvomoSlRw8hkM-oM2n4uzJSXw7mu-zR_43H/s2048/FF28BE77-B257-4D66-BA84-A2E5F6699B87_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="2048" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_WmMw22nPuTJjJZ5mITMRbjbmvqKsUbhdIEDD0KxKTRCENOkLUY9fra8Q3yTy6HpHu7aYyHvaKtlTAqU5gu5mRZYC1BZM804Rw_-6KWudzvomoSlRw8hkM-oM2n4uzJSXw7mu-zR_43H/w400-h254/FF28BE77-B257-4D66-BA84-A2E5F6699B87_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VQoFrg0Koq1RpVTXKwZMdL9e0ynPTq3sc987FUiuDbOboGu19bLuNbTKg9Q6EzxDlMVkv8an0RJBiJgTFPXj0rIKHFggmITl9KckVEgCDr0xHbaQ-Hzr_Q6Yjv7dcD7qLLtwx_NmzXdx/s2048/F3C53351-AFD6-4F6B-8BA3-6E8BF0A4E490_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1820" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1VQoFrg0Koq1RpVTXKwZMdL9e0ynPTq3sc987FUiuDbOboGu19bLuNbTKg9Q6EzxDlMVkv8an0RJBiJgTFPXj0rIKHFggmITl9KckVEgCDr0xHbaQ-Hzr_Q6Yjv7dcD7qLLtwx_NmzXdx/w355-h400/F3C53351-AFD6-4F6B-8BA3-6E8BF0A4E490_1_201_a.jpeg" width="355" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">The hay-fodder was made from a chunk of blue styrofoam, which was covered with a mix of cut up floor mat, sissal-string and small garden twigs. Dry-brushed with some matt emulsion from Dulux called "straw" (no, I'm not joking), I thought they looked the part. I added some loose chains, dry-brushed with Vallejo gunmetal, to complete the models.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">And now, all I need is some rampaging dragoons or Croatian "hussars" to attempt to sack the baggage trayne ... while any defending horsemen make "handsome Sallies". Here's Sir James, again - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYobBfDCPqOeJaE6zOmNhIvKS9VSR_-HL_wssbKWHrltvfYGDqRxw-iwaDaGler-n02goibjrymTjrt0OrkZX5qsSDjERCfrzKLBtNofMGxzeTq3h_h0G2zUllN4VGf421wCYXA-24Znw/s2048/E3126EC6-D4C9-4452-8B3E-42767C6736C9_1_201_a.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1443" data-original-width="2048" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYobBfDCPqOeJaE6zOmNhIvKS9VSR_-HL_wssbKWHrltvfYGDqRxw-iwaDaGler-n02goibjrymTjrt0OrkZX5qsSDjERCfrzKLBtNofMGxzeTq3h_h0G2zUllN4VGf421wCYXA-24Znw/w400-h281/E3126EC6-D4C9-4452-8B3E-42767C6736C9_1_201_a.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">"When Convoys are put to fight for defence of their Charge, as many times they are, (for the desire of booty spurs men to desperate attempts) they should (if conveniently they can) cast themselves within the Waggons and Carts drawn up round for that purpose, from whence Musqueteers may do notable service, and out of which retrenchment the Horse may, as they see occasion, make handsome Sallies."</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">*******</div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-44900735509989274842020-09-04T14:37:00.000+01:002020-09-04T14:37:14.582+01:00In The Cold Season of the Year : A miniature campaign version of Laarden, 1688<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVripv6TYT1m65NSWFyieYF43vsSweR5gOJWvxy81rWsE_INBKyqortn4Gzwejh1L63RJbjjv6H2fPpGQoCK9NAmY-DFaaxMQLYlfDZL92l2-keQGS6Qveif70cA6Q9hWPTV0gPtA8_KUA/s2048/DSC_0479.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1896" data-original-width="2048" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVripv6TYT1m65NSWFyieYF43vsSweR5gOJWvxy81rWsE_INBKyqortn4Gzwejh1L63RJbjjv6H2fPpGQoCK9NAmY-DFaaxMQLYlfDZL92l2-keQGS6Qveif70cA6Q9hWPTV0gPtA8_KUA/w400-h370/DSC_0479.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowl7huimjWiS20PWJD_M7Dw_I-nZ1WGJGXJlyHEZcdkLf078a_nOLTHsduODF5Mr6GTAgGGhYxPvfadf7UIAN74Lzn32z18XBP5t_Y_YrhjQqXck1efMZ0iH-ZFahYiZRIJOK-vDsqXAb/s2048/DSC_0472+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiowl7huimjWiS20PWJD_M7Dw_I-nZ1WGJGXJlyHEZcdkLf078a_nOLTHsduODF5Mr6GTAgGGhYxPvfadf7UIAN74Lzn32z18XBP5t_Y_YrhjQqXck1efMZ0iH-ZFahYiZRIJOK-vDsqXAb/w400-h266/DSC_0472+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">One of the things I've been doing in Lockdown is working through a list of projects I've wanted to finish for some time. This has included creating a very miniature version, of the old Games Workshop "Mighty Empires", set in the cold, winter-bound countryside of 17th Century Flanders.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooj4_7JG8JJV5jkmgq3rQrzXxCanfjVuOT6C1qtSbEQfsl54Bc3zaVkxszpIeTejLcIzjoynbq1UWRtbeV6oAkbDB1kHTVQ8omnUbzLYJ0Xsf8ukh89ix8hjsDYBQwvySiEYivdht5syF/s2048/DSC_0466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjooj4_7JG8JJV5jkmgq3rQrzXxCanfjVuOT6C1qtSbEQfsl54Bc3zaVkxszpIeTejLcIzjoynbq1UWRtbeV6oAkbDB1kHTVQ8omnUbzLYJ0Xsf8ukh89ix8hjsDYBQwvySiEYivdht5syF/w400-h266/DSC_0466.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">I've always been fascinated by games which reduce military campaigning to a manageable, miniature scale. Reading the accounts of soldiers through history, campaigning seems to have been anything but manageable, and 17th Century campaigning was no exception. Yet there is something which really appeals to a world-building wargamer in trying to reduce a messy, chaotic, sprawling experience - moving armies across a potential battlefield - into a coherent, neatly manageable, tabletop experience.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaP8LFVZ74wSGxA1m6pPA1kcLCGYOZE-HygjXXZVVuL87xkvjWrgfmcpJKIQSJ9UWJT9te_B6I34SKxg4BHDi6vTTtnhcA5teoJ1ZcdOHKIjBLUVdYMJs90lUSmHB17nPWm695EPJFnlz/s2048/DSC_0476.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1262" data-original-width="2048" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZaP8LFVZ74wSGxA1m6pPA1kcLCGYOZE-HygjXXZVVuL87xkvjWrgfmcpJKIQSJ9UWJT9te_B6I34SKxg4BHDi6vTTtnhcA5teoJ1ZcdOHKIjBLUVdYMJs90lUSmHB17nPWm695EPJFnlz/w400-h246/DSC_0476.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2nRNVbXjX8VztiIHjLmp75BaP9pJ7q0kUpWe_CGwiodURqVfKy5Xb1Ipbf-AqwLce_dFox7T7mOFZ3rfpg2PH1qSa9cd7T7UXqGpZztz3Oj8GwuLKnQFjjxwk9G49f8Eg_jf8U5Q8xjF/s1086/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3a24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="724" data-original-width="1086" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2nRNVbXjX8VztiIHjLmp75BaP9pJ7q0kUpWe_CGwiodURqVfKy5Xb1Ipbf-AqwLce_dFox7T7mOFZ3rfpg2PH1qSa9cd7T7UXqGpZztz3Oj8GwuLKnQFjjxwk9G49f8Eg_jf8U5Q8xjF/w400-h266/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_3a24.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">“Mighty Empires” had the same feel about it, although the scope of that game was far greater – it created both a campaigning and battle game, as opposed to just a wargames campaigning tool. I wanted to take my inspiration from the look and framework of “Mighty Empires”, but leave the project as a campaign tool only – being an attractive way of setting the scene before the action moves to the wargaming tabletop.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfGlWtGYf-jZaZITD9NzJEnigWSoyPfZ-YnwMNY6YFtCFvMIclVDzOgr4xy31EGLnyEE_Aeks7spi1kvEoxkuzDaPwjyzNUBhLXrAZVy626dyCnnnNv_oTV4ExkyJuuv_lI4zbEWjU8oW/s2048/DSC_0467+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfGlWtGYf-jZaZITD9NzJEnigWSoyPfZ-YnwMNY6YFtCFvMIclVDzOgr4xy31EGLnyEE_Aeks7spi1kvEoxkuzDaPwjyzNUBhLXrAZVy626dyCnnnNv_oTV4ExkyJuuv_lI4zbEWjU8oW/w400-h266/DSC_0467+2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Projects often take some time to come to fruition, and this was no exception. I’d had the 40mm hexagon tiles, in 3mm MDF, from Warbases, for some time. I was also left with a fairly large amount of 2mm terrain pieces from Irregular Miniatures, a surplus from my Thirty Years War project in 2mm a few years back. My first decision was whether to continue the winter-terrain theme from the 2mm Thirty Years War collection, or create something for summer or autumn to match my 28mm Laarden figures. In the end, I went for the former, really because I thought winter campaigning offered some interesting challenges as a game environment.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dSPPO0KRUlHE59ss79B9wJj4QsPzB5isQaylozMf2KpibcjOR-cwyvfkqGfGXzNiyrMxpsjibbPDqimEN7rqoGaqIGpu3FH5DcCVtsCLsjZk1QWC-uB97p-Azodc9Jz-CeLz2S6BkuM5/s2048/DSC_0466.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dSPPO0KRUlHE59ss79B9wJj4QsPzB5isQaylozMf2KpibcjOR-cwyvfkqGfGXzNiyrMxpsjibbPDqimEN7rqoGaqIGpu3FH5DcCVtsCLsjZk1QWC-uB97p-Azodc9Jz-CeLz2S6BkuM5/w400-h266/DSC_0466.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialUXGneMfOE63CUDQZTunrmPg9NBNwrUuXugYISODLU88OKMQYiDiepSO5yJguIZYeZCMM1phjZE12ssxGD4AO7PoOfqqK2WIvNJvhTcy512jtZGSN9AI3qJ-Gl_-eoqzhhaMMJp8mqVW/s2048/fullsizeoutput_f53.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialUXGneMfOE63CUDQZTunrmPg9NBNwrUuXugYISODLU88OKMQYiDiepSO5yJguIZYeZCMM1phjZE12ssxGD4AO7PoOfqqK2WIvNJvhTcy512jtZGSN9AI3qJ-Gl_-eoqzhhaMMJp8mqVW/w400-h301/fullsizeoutput_f53.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Creating the small terrain tiles was quite fun, and not too difficult. I had thirty hexagon tiles, a<span style="text-align: left;">nd I wanted a variety of terrain types, mainly reflecting northern France and Flanders. Woods, low hills, windmills, a river, some bad roads, several small villages and a small walled town all seemed to fit with the theme I wanted. Much of this was scratchbuilt – with hills being scraps of extruded Styrofoam covered with Polyfilla, woods being clump foliage and the river banks being built up with green-stuff putty. The Irregular terrain items made good-looking villages and farms. The town was carved and cut out with a very sharp scalpel, using a stencil, and with Brigade Models’ 2mm buildings adding the ‘look’ of a Flemish town of late-17th Century.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqkCG_G-GCxFrrsXwAbtVLGogpjvwxC9W0G44OV4BGjJSIcbn1rP8kFebUGFbV_TFlTfSBgUqbgFopsiYFQQeA3d_iGsrMCdEXkp0CbZoV9mcetcAnMfETIZHqOynmaQyZ0opx99IwC3b/s2048/IMG_3088.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUqkCG_G-GCxFrrsXwAbtVLGogpjvwxC9W0G44OV4BGjJSIcbn1rP8kFebUGFbV_TFlTfSBgUqbgFopsiYFQQeA3d_iGsrMCdEXkp0CbZoV9mcetcAnMfETIZHqOynmaQyZ0opx99IwC3b/w300-h400/IMG_3088.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhtHRkZeAzf2xfjqUUq5XI__q2pqrQGzw9MzEWJFiEeNYZT55A4z7xM5mLY_bp5cMjmDc1KBlShYVyRmU-LtS-qslnId9bYDgs9jSeUZa3x98CpyfflV_4AsJzMxaS9tE7im-UGLFqljt/s2048/IMG_3078.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhtHRkZeAzf2xfjqUUq5XI__q2pqrQGzw9MzEWJFiEeNYZT55A4z7xM5mLY_bp5cMjmDc1KBlShYVyRmU-LtS-qslnId9bYDgs9jSeUZa3x98CpyfflV_4AsJzMxaS9tE7im-UGLFqljt/w300-h400/IMG_3078.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XUjZ_q8Zb5kfcAtKfJ2z7D-qPwYut16blBHW4nQxCx56juB544LZ5WdEtDXrQXbXvPmHpdKT2AmDzb5VdoWmdjSOu5N4piU7s-RonnuX7NHeKZmnGQvH8UdgnX0N1C9WAJPxZY4Xul9J/s2048/IMG_3080.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1XUjZ_q8Zb5kfcAtKfJ2z7D-qPwYut16blBHW4nQxCx56juB544LZ5WdEtDXrQXbXvPmHpdKT2AmDzb5VdoWmdjSOu5N4piU7s-RonnuX7NHeKZmnGQvH8UdgnX0N1C9WAJPxZY4Xul9J/w300-h400/IMG_3080.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHUelAFrDaBBOiVs4yL9DVQEy1b51kCmnzIs9Eqhn6XBvnqosCA_IzpY1h8Lr6b3MSFLRJ-lFrob7Tn8WTIL02OhGVbtF0oBrwFlukgDMJNg4d_4bdF0lGBaW2kRqKgiJOEhTQ72vGmhO/s2048/IMG_3087.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipHUelAFrDaBBOiVs4yL9DVQEy1b51kCmnzIs9Eqhn6XBvnqosCA_IzpY1h8Lr6b3MSFLRJ-lFrob7Tn8WTIL02OhGVbtF0oBrwFlukgDMJNg4d_4bdF0lGBaW2kRqKgiJOEhTQ72vGmhO/w300-h400/IMG_3087.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div><p style="text-align: justify;">As you can see, most of the items were basically scrap or left-over items from other projects. I always like to try and get some use from leftovers like this, rather than consigning them into a spares-box for a decade or so!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">What I was trying to create was something which looked like a reasonable approximation of a campaign map – showing major features, albeit major features which were somewhat out-of-scale and exaggerated. I wasn’t keen on creating anything like a properly scaled model of a late-17th Century fortified town for the project. Rather, I wanted to create something which had the feel of such a place.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I painted the hex tiles with a light grey emulsion paint, with a dry brush of white emulsion. The woods I soaked in PVA, and then painted them black, and dry brushed brown, then light grey. The cold, slow-running river was painted in a dark blue, with a couple of coats of varnish. And some “1mm snow”, essentially cotton dust, finished the look I was aiming for.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon9lxZX6mHRRRAyl4_TwaBvb7V0-ClHY7DFbGbBylK1g2GSE6A8zpKweQi7-ZKiigUl7-s1QMbgyOwu_teBMe5yH4u8e_czH-LPwRwOupDXHsX7Qt8pa_D2AowsBXvwc421f_ERWkG7qf/s2048/DSC_0468+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="2048" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhon9lxZX6mHRRRAyl4_TwaBvb7V0-ClHY7DFbGbBylK1g2GSE6A8zpKweQi7-ZKiigUl7-s1QMbgyOwu_teBMe5yH4u8e_czH-LPwRwOupDXHsX7Qt8pa_D2AowsBXvwc421f_ERWkG7qf/w400-h244/DSC_0468+2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;">Hopefully this will be a portable, and very versatile, campaigning tool, adaptable not just for the 17th Century, but for just about anything from 1550 to 1815. Maybe it can even fit an earlier period if I add a medieval-walled town instead of the <i>trace italienne</i> version. The tiles should be versatile enough to be picked out by the players at the start of a club night game, or selected before a tabletop battle and turned into a suitable paper map through a few photographs and maybe a little photo-shopping.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I’ll have a look in the next blog post at some possible rules to use with the tiles, again with a grateful nod in the direction of “Mighty Empires”. </p><p style="text-align: justify;">Also, while on the subject of acknowledgements, I’d like to thank fellow-Twitter user, <a href="https://twitter.com/Adam_Clark_">Adam Clark</a>, for his own posts of his “Mighty Empire” tiles from a recent Kickstarter, which were very inspirational and prompted me to rescue this project from the ‘pending’ pile. Thanks Adam!</p><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9s5UU1Gg1CLTScq0CfH0Rg77YtwnteQkofqpmNfuZiTKnm86jSazUbrp14QThmaF3I5n5ZGgrEg6zuCMEwV2mY4p0wfy1sWhmaKMCYI13gB7ehQg4TRDBYYEsvneLY4n3OfjlN_y4r7V/s2048/In+the+Cold+Season+of+the+Year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1896" data-original-width="2048" height="463" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX9s5UU1Gg1CLTScq0CfH0Rg77YtwnteQkofqpmNfuZiTKnm86jSazUbrp14QThmaF3I5n5ZGgrEg6zuCMEwV2mY4p0wfy1sWhmaKMCYI13gB7ehQg4TRDBYYEsvneLY4n3OfjlN_y4r7V/w500-h463/In+the+Cold+Season+of+the+Year.jpg" width="500" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-1378292953922997782020-06-19T22:12:00.000+01:002020-06-19T22:12:03.598+01:00And yet more "Characters of Laarden, 1688"<div style="text-align: justify;">
The final five “Characters of Laarden” were painted in late March and early April 2020. They feature a glittering favourite (who may turn out to be a fraud), a tulip cultivator who may turn out to be a hero, an indecisive but dangerous adversary, two sisters and five Brothers, plus a collection of Laarden chickens. </div>
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So, now is the time to pour yourself a glass of the golden ale from one of Laarden’s breweries, or enjoy a cup of coffee illicitly brought to the city through the French blockade, and drift back to my alt-historical nonsense from the year of 1688….</div>
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******* </div>
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The first of the “Characters” is Hannes van Breughel, Count of Ieper and Lord Commander of Laarden. Hannes is a converted Wargames Foundry figure, with a sword arm swapped for his originally cast-on ineffectually-waving arm, and with some green-stuff feathers and lace added. The trumpeter is Wargames Foundry, with just some added brass fret oak leaves on his hat – which is my field-sign for Imperial troops. <div style="text-align: justify;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwn_lAKVHgL6komBJn_VAn7ovSj1tlYs3LA41o_k4KTvhRdZE6YG8ix4NJKz0jUApqVz18QLhrSNcKPiL-HoK-bdEYfjEwHYzVnRl3iWazSbEoPBj8RLqzznUQ7vZ_5dO4R1qplMuwzpPh/s1600/fullsizeoutput_e7e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1600" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwn_lAKVHgL6komBJn_VAn7ovSj1tlYs3LA41o_k4KTvhRdZE6YG8ix4NJKz0jUApqVz18QLhrSNcKPiL-HoK-bdEYfjEwHYzVnRl3iWazSbEoPBj8RLqzznUQ7vZ_5dO4R1qplMuwzpPh/s400/fullsizeoutput_e7e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The two soldiers are Dixon Miniatures, with more oak field-signs added, and painted in suitably earthy Flemish browns and ochres – to fit the colour scheme of the other Flemish regiments in my Laarden collection. The Imperial standard, in Hapsburg scarlet and yellow, is from Iain at “Flags of War” – whose website and flags I can heartily recommend. The base is 60mm MDF, 3mm depth, from Warbases. </div>
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Here’s the Lord Commander’s Character Card. I had in mind that the Flemish commanders for Laarden would be somewhat untried and untested when faced by an assault of the ferocity of the French army of 1688, led by the Marshals of "Louis Le Grand". So, I tried to conjure something which suggested finery, but tinged with some slight nervousness about the Lord Commander's "credentials" for command in the Field.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtc1r3PL0hgYatSLQA7lcyjMJS8eHvTdtGeeDVmd8q8QmQgOrJ1ZiTtYQW5HZ5eUYa-vlHC-DydhlJqc4FqsWHTp6NphNqpUAgkzlcbGfuTTeDPzGFxbBZHcl4EVxGjy-U42yJHipiWZ8g/s1600/Captain+General.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="559" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtc1r3PL0hgYatSLQA7lcyjMJS8eHvTdtGeeDVmd8q8QmQgOrJ1ZiTtYQW5HZ5eUYa-vlHC-DydhlJqc4FqsWHTp6NphNqpUAgkzlcbGfuTTeDPzGFxbBZHcl4EVxGjy-U42yJHipiWZ8g/s400/Captain+General.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">From one nobleman born to lead (with uncertain abilities but from the right side of the Laarden highway), to another from the other side of the cart-tracks. Every crisis brings unusual heroes to the fore, and allows us all to be astonished by the quiet tales of sacrifice and determination. And this would be true in the alt-historical world of 1688, as well as our own.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD2jPLCN1h-yLClUwxtwe94EVg6o2Aq9uzhIQNJrqDuaX0P9e7CaxYkMWQ4H1Elc9JITTicQ01ny0xvBJl-D-qMzreEjepOMpA4qhw6_FuwGPIWGLg8EVZIkWGXA9abrQvkmODHzNgg9h/s1600/fullsizeoutput_e72.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1493" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoD2jPLCN1h-yLClUwxtwe94EVg6o2Aq9uzhIQNJrqDuaX0P9e7CaxYkMWQ4H1Elc9JITTicQ01ny0xvBJl-D-qMzreEjepOMpA4qhw6_FuwGPIWGLg8EVZIkWGXA9abrQvkmODHzNgg9h/s320/fullsizeoutput_e72.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Much remains to be written of Laarden’s powerful guild-system. To some, it might be a medieval hangover of restrictive trade practices; to others, it might be a reinforcement of community in the face of economic change. Whatever the academics might say, it’s true that the Laarden Guilded Company of Tulip Cultivators contributed significantly to the defence of the city in 1688, not least in the form of Captain Jan de Vroot, one of the redoubtable and irascible Guildsmen who has found his moment to shine as the French army threatens his City.</span><br />
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I tried to depict Jan and his civic militia comrades in earthy browns and ochres, but added a drummer in yellow – a colour which I’ve been using for Laarden drummers and characters since the start of the project a few years back.<br />
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Captain de Vroot is a Wargames Foundry ECW dismounted cavalryman, with a converted arm and green-stuff additions. Other civic militiamen have green-stuffed feathers on their hats, and the standard bearers are carrying more flags from Warbases. The chickens, wandering the Grote Markt, where the Company of Tulip Cultivators is assembling, are from Warbases. The cobblestone groundwork is more brass fret from Scalelink. I bought it a few years back – it’s very expensive, but gives a great depiction of continental European paving. Since then, a couple of companies have produced rollers for green-stuff with the same pattern, so one of those is on my list to purchase. The “straw” is…well, straw from a floor mat. Finials on the standards are from Bicorne Miniatures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvFHCRFSAhySiVXqbQ8OBFBFi1ncq2KawUB_gFR8hBVdIOm3LfRcbDMZV0zuTjv_rkzdCcMg6auEzcf0rASvJWv-WrOkfSRlC1-tHVyWRjKVTap3rslSXrfaTEH9plXBLnkYH60gU3g8r/s1600/fullsizeoutput_e77.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1588" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvFHCRFSAhySiVXqbQ8OBFBFi1ncq2KawUB_gFR8hBVdIOm3LfRcbDMZV0zuTjv_rkzdCcMg6auEzcf0rASvJWv-WrOkfSRlC1-tHVyWRjKVTap3rslSXrfaTEH9plXBLnkYH60gU3g8r/s400/fullsizeoutput_e77.jpg" width="396" /></a></div>
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And, here's Captain de Vroot's card for the collection of the Characters of Laarden:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmBk4HLXoH0YUDspWQPd6n39IUHC61E-pRzA_GPFgdmO7yHeVDgCnPaUi4upxOn10aMwf2OoSFDtIwveWeEEP1EnkqXfWA2luIIg4_S0KxW2uVoWeJytWy9ZtN0Oe1Wm1IprmpaiXPonB/s1600/Civic+Hero.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="707" data-original-width="560" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzmBk4HLXoH0YUDspWQPd6n39IUHC61E-pRzA_GPFgdmO7yHeVDgCnPaUi4upxOn10aMwf2OoSFDtIwveWeEEP1EnkqXfWA2luIIg4_S0KxW2uVoWeJytWy9ZtN0Oe1Wm1IprmpaiXPonB/s400/Civic+Hero.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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And, now for a view of yet more "Adversaries of Laarden", in the form of two French engineers, a French grenadier and a Captain of Engineers - Pierre Duval, "The Mole of Versailles" - steadily advancing a sap towards the walls of one of the fortified villages close to Laarden.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbWKW5ksU70cSOiEO5H6BqcK_-nY6TfAMSOQyTwcWmKH92qJA6ff3UFCxMiMvcV7VvF-HYwyJmWqBNHKhTQqDrTLAnhOKSAYSUY2sEO0OFL3jX9-vf2aCk2DJj6z1-4IQC-FfQvrhS0hw/s1600/fullsizeoutput_e54.jpg"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbWKW5ksU70cSOiEO5H6BqcK_-nY6TfAMSOQyTwcWmKH92qJA6ff3UFCxMiMvcV7VvF-HYwyJmWqBNHKhTQqDrTLAnhOKSAYSUY2sEO0OFL3jX9-vf2aCk2DJj6z1-4IQC-FfQvrhS0hw/s400/fullsizeoutput_e54.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've always had a sneaky love for the spade-wielders of the seventeenth century, either besieging a town with lines of circumvallation or, less commonly, digging defending saps to challenge the besiegers. I think that groups of engineers, miners and sappers always make a great addition to seventeenth century tabletop battles, so often providing the target for an attacking force in the game.</div>
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The figures here are a mix of manufacturers, being Dixon Miniatures and Wargames Foundry. I tried to add some extra greenstuff features to one of the engineers, just to give that soldier a defiant, jaunty look with greenstuff feathers in his hat. For the "Mole of Versailles" himself, I used a Wargames Foundry figure, depicted in robust siege armour, supervising the siege workings.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXYkaO_EYWR4aC-vMR1lF2D_YIPshZFXk7i1X9_fMVmB-DNxnqA4cr0jEZPRqMr2rWU-DOlBIC-n4ptAOMbsrqW1Cy63r4rvuW1tsvIXcbRWEbyEyizUFGdxJWXk2quBaab5PMTd0Ij6R/s1600/fullsizeoutput_e58.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwXYkaO_EYWR4aC-vMR1lF2D_YIPshZFXk7i1X9_fMVmB-DNxnqA4cr0jEZPRqMr2rWU-DOlBIC-n4ptAOMbsrqW1Cy63r4rvuW1tsvIXcbRWEbyEyizUFGdxJWXk2quBaab5PMTd0Ij6R/s400/fullsizeoutput_e58.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The gabions are from Front Line Wargaming and Colonel Bills, and paint up very well in a variety of earthen shades to match the uniform of the engineers. And, since this is part of the set of the "Characters of Laarden", they have their own collectible card to add to your collection!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfniR6wVKlc_s3PF0tzP8Un8zAxuqcMgNjrATdLIBz8cCJDImyRwKZbMpJLi8qu-CjMjipM6_5hzGY4UgHmfVDQol4rapX4ZE7_n1Cu-OvnYPKiuS1-lOWG65oqYCbqmeeCFBOvizVAc_u/s1600/Card+Mole+Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1510" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfniR6wVKlc_s3PF0tzP8Un8zAxuqcMgNjrATdLIBz8cCJDImyRwKZbMpJLi8qu-CjMjipM6_5hzGY4UgHmfVDQol4rapX4ZE7_n1Cu-OvnYPKiuS1-lOWG65oqYCbqmeeCFBOvizVAc_u/s400/Card+Mole+Update.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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As you know, my journey in the hidden bye-ways of 1688 Flanders is not just about the soldiers and commanders. Warfare in the late seventeenth century affected non-combatants, often in surprising ways, as I wrote about here on my blog a couple of years back. I wanted to add a couple of sisters to the collection of Characters. So here are Agnes and Margriete van Rompaey, and their children....</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiR54tpbZTKmN8nuukqyAnnSpM-TWUSzWTw4yofzP_dAZh70rlyJRSbhTk6f7shSVWDWhXoIm5-iuX-giGnWQ6yQS6dIdXfGatReri7aSBHAa3LFbcUSfnI3nUKPzeKB6uy_9kJLGyHE6w/s1600/fullsizeoutput_e8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1302" data-original-width="1600" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiR54tpbZTKmN8nuukqyAnnSpM-TWUSzWTw4yofzP_dAZh70rlyJRSbhTk6f7shSVWDWhXoIm5-iuX-giGnWQ6yQS6dIdXfGatReri7aSBHAa3LFbcUSfnI3nUKPzeKB6uy_9kJLGyHE6w/s400/fullsizeoutput_e8a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I loved painting these old Redoubt sculpts – at least once I’d managed to undercoat them. They’re chunky, look very un-prepossessing out of the plastic bag when they arrived, but painted up really well. You can cover any of the slightly clunky facial casting by a careful paint job, and by adding some basing to take the eyes off the slightly mis-sculpted children’s faces! </div>
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I thought they’d be perfect to grace either the streets of Laarden, or one of the cluster of satellite villages around the city. The chickens are again from Warbases (as is the base) and the geese are (I think) from Magister Militum. </div>
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I experimented with a softer brown edging on the figures - which I thought worked quite well. It's less harsh than the black edging - perhaps more suitable for non-combatants, maybe?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiURNntEW7ko913M6Zo2Ha3OEjjcEPHcnXjtxaBleOTZX4qQ05eZWY8nYZOigTRxo9V7PSF1cQ9ErTVFamStmrSqV0g3Yr9rSkhQA41MyVVek7iLHCRdVDoR1EHSSkFHqwnHjtAQ1iuDrU/s1600/Sisters.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="564" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiURNntEW7ko913M6Zo2Ha3OEjjcEPHcnXjtxaBleOTZX4qQ05eZWY8nYZOigTRxo9V7PSF1cQ9ErTVFamStmrSqV0g3Yr9rSkhQA41MyVVek7iLHCRdVDoR1EHSSkFHqwnHjtAQ1iuDrU/s400/Sisters.png" width="317" /></a></div>
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And finally, as a painting treat for Easter Week 2020, I thought I’d add a small group of monks from the Laarden-based Brotherhood of Sint Jacobus. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoP9PCwKk0ZXbts5r4msue3qeqGadgpvbkfkO4RBajzkUH-KCipBRlHGsPngy3pXx3k7exStFSR9WkBeGZLgjAGSZvAUD_XQPPHwgoab-LC7hxOiT4igU7zL1tI0m0ciyUBOxnzVpV4vQR/s1600/DSC_0437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1267" data-original-width="1600" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoP9PCwKk0ZXbts5r4msue3qeqGadgpvbkfkO4RBajzkUH-KCipBRlHGsPngy3pXx3k7exStFSR9WkBeGZLgjAGSZvAUD_XQPPHwgoab-LC7hxOiT4igU7zL1tI0m0ciyUBOxnzVpV4vQR/s400/DSC_0437.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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More from the Brotherhood of Sint Jacobus in later Blog posts, dear readers. Men and women of religious orders hold a real interest for me, and I think the Blog would benefit from a description of (at least one of) the miracles of Sint Jacobus at some point. </div>
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Anyway, for now, here are the Brothers worshiping and praying. I’m not sure whether their prayers are being offered for the safe delivery of Laarden from the French attackers, or for the safe delivery of this morning’s chicken eggs from the hens in the Abbey gardens – but you’ll have your own views on that, I’m sure.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21GYD3_zCDiVk6E6aSYEkMCE262FovPxIHAb1SBLy3_sHFOJF2joaulut7LUFHc4oxouCb_XVTxITctmQvsTj_tJk9gabQCnphgfjbvvrQgC9B_jkDhF4RwJ03P8PeudmBlCtGVtdvsaZ/s1600/DSC_0442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="990" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21GYD3_zCDiVk6E6aSYEkMCE262FovPxIHAb1SBLy3_sHFOJF2joaulut7LUFHc4oxouCb_XVTxITctmQvsTj_tJk9gabQCnphgfjbvvrQgC9B_jkDhF4RwJ03P8PeudmBlCtGVtdvsaZ/s400/DSC_0442.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ELyPM5BwyYRA03LTDKahoECaOuX_wVNWxeUg0Cp4ND6Sn9LzWg2_z6NS4QeVszMEqNj7U40tnMxMjHosbejEOMMJy5yaMR7IrEhA_7gCZE4gD3pJ3e1SUmsyqzTYjQhR1mWiqHle87-y/s1600/DSC_0440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1600" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ELyPM5BwyYRA03LTDKahoECaOuX_wVNWxeUg0Cp4ND6Sn9LzWg2_z6NS4QeVszMEqNj7U40tnMxMjHosbejEOMMJy5yaMR7IrEhA_7gCZE4gD3pJ3e1SUmsyqzTYjQhR1mWiqHle87-y/s400/DSC_0440.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Brothers are a mix of Redoubt (the brother with the hat) and Perry Miniatures, the latter being from the Perry’s First Crusade range but which make good monks in any period.</div>
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Looking through the lead pile, I seem to have collected far too many monks over the years, so I’m sure that more of the Brothers of Sint Jacobus will appear in Blog posts in the future. Blessed Be!!</div>
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Here’s their Character Card, complete with the Brothers’ cryptic possessions to be explained at a later date…. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9d9RXh3TlOd0_bUq97RpghDxcKcLW82A5uCzIHUJYZYI_qLuI1lvBixTi1kQ7AkUdxn0EN1h5dFw0FrPsAcfvbRZlfsoVnPHydUhZGsuSteyjVNsms0a5sDq5a1Kx6-VY7jeOcgQKyLZ/s1600/Brothers+of+Sint+Jacobus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="658" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9d9RXh3TlOd0_bUq97RpghDxcKcLW82A5uCzIHUJYZYI_qLuI1lvBixTi1kQ7AkUdxn0EN1h5dFw0FrPsAcfvbRZlfsoVnPHydUhZGsuSteyjVNsms0a5sDq5a1Kx6-VY7jeOcgQKyLZ/s400/Brothers+of+Sint+Jacobus.png" width="316" /></a></div>
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And here, finally, is the completed “Characters of Laarden” collectible-collection of cards for Challenge X. Did you get the whole set? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLxvM83_h5iOZB97EPqKZPp5kmYCZ8eyxeGpg2ZQvV51AoMcuQ1jLmIfXAbXnhPXQkPHE5pVYZNSaGSdZk_GG2C1RjFc2tWp2E23ED7HLewULbxER1LKi6cGzufGPGD0GoxrghXgzgvXQ/s1600/Extract+final+cards1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="890" data-original-width="1600" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLxvM83_h5iOZB97EPqKZPp5kmYCZ8eyxeGpg2ZQvV51AoMcuQ1jLmIfXAbXnhPXQkPHE5pVYZNSaGSdZk_GG2C1RjFc2tWp2E23ED7HLewULbxER1LKi6cGzufGPGD0GoxrghXgzgvXQ/s400/Extract+final+cards1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've loved doing them. Totally indulgent, frivolous, and sometimes downright silly. Or, if you prefer, "quintessentially Roundwood", as a good friend once tweeted to me! </div>
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I did, however, enjoy them so much that I’ve thought of doing another set. Perhaps (in Old-School WRG fashion) “<i>Enemies and Adversaries of Laarden</i>”, or maybe “<i>Allies of Laarden</i>”. Let me know what you think. </div>
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I wonder if I could expand the current 13 Collectible Character cards to 26. Or even to 52. What’s that - making a 52 card deck of such nonsense? No… no, surely I’m not THAT frivolous …. hmmm..</div>
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*******</div>
Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-66358770135761000792020-06-18T22:03:00.000+01:002020-06-19T09:37:38.338+01:00More "Characters of Laarden", 1688Yet more of the rather self-indulgent “Characters of Laarden” on the Blog, for your enjoyment today, painted in the first three months of 2020.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8Cj7MJ4zSm30hqLfpQSlB85uYa_oLK3MXb4_ReYYDtteGkYe_wJEgq18O1yLm9L1NpYzFmP-UuinOKuLH0Rly43kbPa8ClsDlfIwqx1cKD2-4TofqFfAhvBG5DAg5B72t7DD-5u02Vgm/s1600/Gerrit-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1072" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv8Cj7MJ4zSm30hqLfpQSlB85uYa_oLK3MXb4_ReYYDtteGkYe_wJEgq18O1yLm9L1NpYzFmP-UuinOKuLH0Rly43kbPa8ClsDlfIwqx1cKD2-4TofqFfAhvBG5DAg5B72t7DD-5u02Vgm/s320/Gerrit-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">First up, we have Gerrit Vermuelen. Every town, regardless of scale and period, needs a rat-catcher, accompanied by a small but vicious dog. He’s the sort of person you would never look too closely at if you saw him across the cobblestones of the </span><i style="text-align: justify;">Grote Markt</i><span style="text-align: justify;">. A man from a class, or a world, beneath yours. Part of the background to the city in which you live, invisible to the eye in daylight and even less noticeable once the evening darkness falls. A man who can see very well, but who cannot be seen. Someone to know things, but not be known. What better background for a French spy?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52G7ugWtJQm36xiphx6V03NTfaxmrlBCcMbTXZESicL-TkEiZhXzS6PjeE8WWPUC2M4SwOWQa2RXtT4DJnzApR-DgMSIiCjTed49fpmha7vt6C70oY-94REk2mqs8Pva8lrNw3R1Eai6W/s1600/Spy-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1529" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg52G7ugWtJQm36xiphx6V03NTfaxmrlBCcMbTXZESicL-TkEiZhXzS6PjeE8WWPUC2M4SwOWQa2RXtT4DJnzApR-DgMSIiCjTed49fpmha7vt6C70oY-94REk2mqs8Pva8lrNw3R1Eai6W/s400/Spy-2.JPG" width="381" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Gerrit is an old sculpt from the famous Citadel C46 Villagers range. He’s been hanging around my spares box for half a lifetime, waiting for a moment to creep out of the shadows and get painted. He had a wonderful medieval-style head cap on, to which a middling-sized rat was clinging. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpMj4gMMQPQsGEvfB5nKTXQ6EEzopw94CzYtM063qraNXWlkJOcgg1N9MfaxeSxyBlPXKNOoyS4HFfQODVcz-CwsITaWQkIMsCcpc6DDw-nP6M-NAlnhiRn_rX_vT26MiSvTPUN9bKnp_/s1600/Screenshot+2020-02-28+at+20.10.20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="709" data-original-width="1600" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijpMj4gMMQPQsGEvfB5nKTXQ6EEzopw94CzYtM063qraNXWlkJOcgg1N9MfaxeSxyBlPXKNOoyS4HFfQODVcz-CwsITaWQkIMsCcpc6DDw-nP6M-NAlnhiRn_rX_vT26MiSvTPUN9bKnp_/s400/Screenshot+2020-02-28+at+20.10.20.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I’ve updated his “look” to the seventeenth century by swapping his head for a Redoubt head with a large but stained and rat-claw-scratched floppy hat. I think that updates him, to the late seventeenth century at least.</div>
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His character card was fun to do. I faded his Character card, mirroring the tainted morality of his treacherous calling.</div>
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For the second "Character", we move from the villainous to the virtuous - in the shape of the villagers of the Flemish hamlet of Sint Vaalben. This small, but strategically useful, Flemish village is on my list to scratch-build later this summer, mainly to give the villagers somewhere to defend!</div>
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The six villagers are Foundry 28mm figures, this time from the Foundry ECW range, equipped with wickedly sharp Bicorne Miniatures farm implements. I’ve no idea how I’ll use these figures. </div>
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Maybe they will be surly, monosyllabic, unwelcoming locals from every traveller’s nightmare, blocking the road north to the Free-City of Laarden? Or maybe they’ll be mercenary enough to see a handsome profit in supplying the highly-entitled French nobility with delicacies such as Hoetveld capons, Ghent eels and local woodland-reared wild boar?</div>
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Who knows, but here’s one of their many possible character cards for the “Characters of Laarden” collection....</div>
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Visitors to this Blog will know that I enjoy trying to recreate the most disastrous episodes of late seventeenth century history. What contemporaries called, somewhat picturesquely, the “shipwreck of our hopes”, being that time when an army starts to fragment, fracture, rout and melt away in clusters of soldiers straggling from the field of battle. </div>
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I felt that a group of such Characters might make a good vignette. So here’s a small collection of defiant, but defeated, Flemish stragglers. They’re leaving the scene of one of the glorious defeats for the army of Laarden, trudging along the dusty summer roads of the Spanish Netherlands away from chasing French horse, dragoons and - Lord help them - Baron von Kroneberg’s rapacious “hussars”.</div>
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I had fun assembling the figures from a variety of manufacturers. There's a mix of Dixon Miniatures, Perry Miniatures, Wargames Foundry, and Colonel Bills - a variety of defiant, wounded, straggling and fallen figures. I made the battle-ragged standard out of some art paper, suitably cut with a scalpel, glued together with Bostik (a very rubbery contact adhesive which is perfect for fixing flags), and fixed in place with a PVA wash. The stragglers are completing a task of heroic defiance, taking the regimental flag away to be repaired and re-embroidered by a Laarden seamstress.</div>
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Here's the Stragglers' collective collectible-card for the “Characters of Laarden” collection:<br />
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One of the things I like about the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge - where these figures first appeared - is the chance to finish off older figures which have been lingering in a box for years. These figures are from Reiver Castings, and I've wanted to do something with them for some time. I had the idea of cutting them in half and painting them up as making a river crossing - or, in the case of the Laarden campaign of 1688, wading through a flooded inundation created by the increasingly desperate Laarden high command.</div>
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At this point, I should offer a huge “hat tip” to Barry Hilton, famed wargamer and member of the League of Augsberg. Barry wrote a great article in Henry Hyde’s (most excellent) “<i>Battlegames</i>” magazine ‘back in the day’ (perhaps 2008) in which Barry carved his way through several figures in a like fashion to make a unit of Danish or Dutch soldiers for his Battle of the Boyne game at one of the big shows. I loved the idea, and resolved to give it a go one day. So, thanks Barry, and thanks Henry for publishing that article. Inspiration - what comes around goes around, I hope!</div>
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I painted the suitably carved up figures as French <i>enfants perdus</i>, leading the line against the obdurate, stubborn Flemish defenders. The Reiver castings looked slightly rough when I got them out of their long forgotten zip-locked bag. The metal was fairly shiny, and the figures looked to be overly-lumpy. I’ve had this experience with a lot of figures over the years. It’s so tempting to just put such figures back in a box for another five years or so. I always think its worth persevering, even if just for a figure or two - just to see how they look when undercoated.</div>
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And, once undercoated, the Reiver Castings started to look a lot better. Their slightly exaggerated style of casting takes paint very nicely indeed, and I thought they looked - as castings - rather good from a distance. They were also very reasonably priced - so a good result all round - perhaps the rest of the 15 figures I bought might find their way into a future Challenge. </div>
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I also created a "Characters of Laarden" card - although identifying them more as a 'Nemesis of Laarden' might be more appropriate:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj48rR_lpZ2mPBudoRorpFsqqS6Oe_ca8ah2GX1CACTo8Evc3pIDi4KUKBCjM6_ACbAEJJAyss20T2RXFwh0UmnSwXVnxDi2tzgx90r93HIAYVaYSrSfJM5jpWvEEZn6QXRhQU309sAxV0/s1600/Card+Enfants+Perdus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="911" data-original-width="729" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj48rR_lpZ2mPBudoRorpFsqqS6Oe_ca8ah2GX1CACTo8Evc3pIDi4KUKBCjM6_ACbAEJJAyss20T2RXFwh0UmnSwXVnxDi2tzgx90r93HIAYVaYSrSfJM5jpWvEEZn6QXRhQU309sAxV0/s400/Card+Enfants+Perdus.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the seventeenth century, "Field Deputies" were Dutch civil representatives appointed to shadow important field commanders on campaign, ensuring - among other things - that the wishes of the Dutch Stadtholder and the States-General were represented in the councils of war. In such positions, the Field Deputies could be a potential brake on aggressive action by allied commanders such as the Duke of Marlborough.</div>
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And here is the Laarden equivalent - two Field Deputies surveying the battlefield, no doubt concerned by any attempt from the commanders of the Laarden forces to counter-attack or challenge the opposing French army in open battle. I rather rushed the painting of these figures, and I admit my mind was not really on the brushwork when I was painting them.</div>
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I painted them in the second week of March, 2020, just after I had started working from home in quarantine - which was a challenging time for all of us. They were a welcome distraction from real-world concerns. I tried to complete them in sombre tones of black, browns and grey. As would, of course, befit gentlemen of probity, caution and (no doubt) property interests. I imagined that the last thing the Field Deputies would welcome would be a destructive war, property damage, and expensive blockades. More from these shadowy movers-and-shakers of seventeenth century Flanders in other Blog posts to come, later this year....</div>
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As for the figures, both Field Deputies are Old Glory 28mm figures, from the pirate range! The accompanying grenadier is from Dixon Miniatures. I swapped the head of one of the Field Deputies for a Bicorne head, making him look "more seventeenth century". For these modest and conservative figures, no greenstuff, or fancy feathers needed to be added.</div>
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I picked up the gabions at Colours, last year. I think they were pointed out by “Wargame, Soldiers and Strategy”-superstar Mark "Peaches" Backhouse. I can't remember the manufacturer I bought the gabions from, but they painted up a treat. The small drum, with accompanying campaigning map is, I think, from Wargames Foundry - rescued from an ECW command set.</div>
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And here's their Character card, placed with the other new cards, in the centre of the "Characters of Laarden" collection, so far.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAyzl-TPJEtlAXFMMHfLtdshyUY6PC_s_vKLYV20lFwPT6kDhAklzP6wqzilcsGyXJ42A8vqX_R3lpCrzvaVGbXiFuCm7vcr1doidAHUN31St2Bweq7V-zXHgmVl8g8pulUBz7zhECn_w/s1600/card+Field+Deputies.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="662" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizAyzl-TPJEtlAXFMMHfLtdshyUY6PC_s_vKLYV20lFwPT6kDhAklzP6wqzilcsGyXJ42A8vqX_R3lpCrzvaVGbXiFuCm7vcr1doidAHUN31St2Bweq7V-zXHgmVl8g8pulUBz7zhECn_w/s400/card+Field+Deputies.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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*******</div>
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<br />Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-49358854132192631192020-06-17T21:19:00.001+01:002020-06-17T21:19:06.043+01:00Characters of Laarden, 1688<div style="text-align: justify;">
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.</div>
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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 "<a href="https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/151165/FeverDreaming-Marlinko?cPath=21312&affiliate_id=35526">Fever-Dreaming Marlinko</a>". A huge thanks to all the creators of those games for hours of pleasure!</div>
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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.</div>
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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I added the 28mm rabbit, no doubt eating some of the village crops, to show just how wide awake, or not, the sentries are.</div>
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And here's the Sentry Card for Laarden Character number one.</div>
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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 "<i><b>The Harvest Goose</b></i>", one of Laarden's most well known, and popular, hostelries.</div>
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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.</div>
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And Laarden Character card number two...</div>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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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!<br />
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And here's the Laarden Character card for Character number three....and all three cards to begin the project.</div>
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OK, so you get the idea. Stay tuned and collect the full set of the "Characters of Laarden" by the end of June .... ! </div>
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Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-12140220176066805242020-04-25T19:05:00.002+01:002020-04-26T00:12:09.393+01:00"Come And Have A Go If You Think You're Lard Enough!"- March 7th, 2020<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: justify;">One of the last days gaming I enjoyed before the (...hopefully, temporary...) end of “normal life” (pre-quarantine/ lockdown) was down in Southampton on the 7th March. This was the second running of “<i>Come And Have A Go If You Think You’re Lard Enough</i>”, the very enjoyable Lard “Games Day” organised by all-round friend of Lard, and great chum, Mark “Peaches” Backhouse. Mark had brought together over 80 wargamers in a day of terrific gaming, featuring games covering the full spread of history from Roman Britain to the Second World War.</span><br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I took part in two great games, the first being a naval game set in the Danish <i>Langelansbælt</i></span><span style="text-align: justify;"> in the Napoleonic Wars, and the second set in the Northwest Frontier of the 1920s. I loved both of the games. Bob’s naval game was a really interesting challenge - balancing two British sloops against nearly a dozen Danish oared gunboats. What the British ships brought in gunpowder and fire-power, they lost in mobility, with the Danish gunboats literally trying to row rings around the British vessels as they sought to negotiate then shifting sandbars and islands of the <i>Langelandsbælt</i>. I was the British commander, and I managed to inflict a fair bit of damage to the Danish gunboats, but only exited one of the British sloops off the table to bring supplies to the British fleet blockading Copenhagen,</span><br />
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In the second game, run by Colin, I helped out with the brave and ferocious religious rebels seeking to discomfort the forces of the British Crown. On a lovely looking table - with some terrific mountainous terrain - we had figured out a cunning plan to try and pin the British down. Well, that plan lasted for about 15 minutes, before defeat seemed to loom into view - at which point we decided to go for “route 1” - or “dusty road 1” - and simply charged everything in sight. That seemed to work a little bit better, but - more to the point - was far, far more fun!</div>
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Both games were so much fun to play in - huge thanks to both Bob and Colin and all my fellow players for a great wargaming experience.</div>
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With Mark’s generous photo-sharing, here’s some other photos from the other great games from the day.</div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">One of my favourite games of the whole day was an excellent kriegspiel run by Derek and Mark, featuring the 1809 campaign at Eckmühl. Although I didn't play, I enjoyed dropping by to see the players' maps and plans, accompanied by some fine 6mm MDF figures which Mark had painted for the game. Talking to the various players, enjoying their reactions ("<i>Where are the French again?</i>"), and watching the state of the players' maps during the course of the day was a really enjoyable sideline for the day. Perhaps just as much as playing a kriegspiel, </span><i style="text-align: justify;">watching kriegspiel</i><span style="text-align: justify;"> with good friends playing is a terrific way of passing the time. Huge kudos to Derek, Mark and Nick for their work on this really fine game.</span></div>
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So that's all from "<i>Lard Enough 2020</i>". it was the first, and sadly (so far) the only show I've attended in 2020 - for obvious reasons. One of the things I've realised in the past seven week is how much I've missed games days and slows like this, and I am sure you feel the same. So, here's to "<i>Come And Have A Go If You Think You're Lard Enough, 2021</i>"!</div>
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Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-76684775957503031172020-04-19T22:56:00.002+01:002020-04-20T09:53:37.694+01:00A Bumper Apple Harvest<br />
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<span style="text-align: justify;">I like tinkering around with bits of terrain and scenery. I always think this is most fun when the items being tinkered with are things you've had hanging around for a while - maybe they're even items you've been using in games and which need to be freshened up a little bit. I've been meaning to try and produce a couple of apple trees in 28mm for some time, and the two small trees I had earmarked for the job (very nicely produced by The Last Valley) have been sitting on a shelf forlornly for at least two years.</span><br />
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One of the things about the current world isolation and lockdown is having the chance to pick up some of the projects we might have placed on the back-burner for some time. I therefore "painted" the trees with very-slightly diluted PVA glue, which really made the trees a lot more solid, added them to a base (from Warbases), did the groundwork, and then started to produce the "apples" from green-stuff.</div>
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Errr..... yes, dear readers, I made the apples from green-stuff. It's not as mad as it seems. (OK, well, it is a little bit mad, but please - don't give up yet). Here's some apples - Bramleys - from the trees in my garden last autumn. Some big, some small, a great many are misshapen, and the colours are definitely non-uniform. </div>
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So, in other words, they're perfect to be re-created in green-stuff. They didn't take long to produce - I did about 50. Put on iPlayer, Netflix or a DVD (I chose the very good "Richard II" in "The Hollow Crown" series) and the time flies.</div>
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Then, when the apples have set, superglue them to the branches. I also did a few windfalls on the ground and also added a couple of green-stuff eggs for some chickens I had painted recently. The eggs are a bit large - as some posters on Twitter correctly noted - but hey, it was Easter and that's the time for all sorts of miracles.</div>
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When the apples are securely glued on, they're easy to paint with a base of light-ish green (Vallejo Lime Green), and a glaze of red (Vallejo Red and Dark Vermillion). I'm enjoying using the Vallejo Glaze Medium - just take Vallejo Red (or Dark Vermillion for some variety), and dilute with the Vallejo glaze medium, and the result is a (hopefully) realistic tone for the apples both on the tree and collected in the apple barrels. The eggs got painted a shade of peachy-ivory. (And a big shout out and thank you to Nick - Moiterei - for suggesting the Vallejo Glaze Medium on the comments on this Blog some months back!)</div>
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And that was it. Hopefully allowing battles to take place in an orchard, and for the Flemish apple harvest to be looted for years to come!</div>
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*******</div>
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Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3279786472578722137.post-50681704240460297932020-04-19T21:56:00.000+01:002020-04-19T21:56:01.906+01:00The Regiment of Horse of the Duc de Luxembourg, 1688<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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“Never allow them to move unthreatened. Always watch their lines of approach. Deny them a direct line to the flanks of your foot, My Lord. Force them to stand. Place them under fire at every opportunity if at all possible. Above all, never lose your sight of their location in the Field. The regiments of Horse of the Sun King are the thin, sharp knife of His army and, unchecked, will cause the shipwreck of all our hopes.”</div>
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<i><b>From the journal of Don Fernando de Torrescusa, Marquess de Girona, Envoy of His Most Catholic Majesty, Carlos the Second, King of Spain, to the Flemish Free City of Laarden in 1688.</b></i></div>
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This has, dear readers and friends, turned out to be an unusual year. I’ve not blogged here as much as I thought I would have done. It’s time to redress that omission, with some of the things I’ve been painting and doing during the first quarter of 2020.</div>
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So, here is the French regiment of Horse, from 1688 of the Duc de Luxembourg. I first blogged these in February as part of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge X – and yes, given the events of this year, that does seem a long time ago! The details of the uniforms are taken from Robert Hall’s book on the armies of the Sun King: "Standards and Uniforms of the French Cavalry Under Louis XIV, 1688-1714" (published by “<i>The Pike & Shot Society</i>”). The extract from the journal of Don Fernando de Torrescusa, Marquess de Girona, is (of course) fictional - but does go some way to reflect how nervous his historical contemporaries may have felt when the French horse took the field in number.</div>
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The figures are 28mm from the older Wargames Foundry range - this is not quite a venerable range of figures, having first come out in 1989, but with a little bit of care I still feel they can still look very fine on the table. They are perhaps more “big 25mm” than "true 28mm", and are a perfect match for Perry Miniatures and 1st Corps and Old Glory figures. They also fit very well with 28mm miniatures from The Assault Group, although the TAG horses are a little larger than the Foundry ones. They each come with a couple of arms so you can chose the pose of the arm, hand and sword. This adds a nice flexibility to the figure but does require a little fiddling with. </div>
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I swapped out the Officer’s arm for a sword - which is more martial than his original hand which seemed to be completing a ducal wave. I also changed a couple of horses around from the ones supplied. As with other French figures I've been painting, I added liberal amounts of green-stuff for feathers, knots of ribbons on shoulders, cravats and some extra hat lace. The French troops were known (like earlier Spanish Tercios) to be fancifully equipped with such non-martial additions to their uniform.</div>
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No doubt this was to help distinguish regiments of different combatants, or maybe to engender pride in a unit formation. Whatever the reason, I think it looks fun. And, also, there is a certain black amusement in being confronted by a six foot angry French cavalier on a ferocious horse charging at you while being festooned in more ribbons, bows and spectacular Pom-Poms than would be stitched onto any Texan cheerleader’s costume.</div>
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The standard finial is from Bicorne and the very fine flag is from GMB Designs.</div>
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I undercoated all the figures in Halfords 'car primer' - sprayed on in a couple of smooth actions. I have no idea why I had such problems with the spray priming about a year ago. These (and other) figures which I primed over Christmas and New Year seemed to prime very easily.</div>
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The paints I used were Vallejo, with the grey coats on the figures being painted with a base of Vallejo VMC Light Grey and washed with a mix of Vallejo inks (Grey mixed with Umber and diluted with some Vallejo Glaze Medium). I tried to keep the horses as simple as possible. I feel I have some work to do in that regard, particularly on the chestnut/roan horses. I might experiment later during this year with horses which are much more basic, ideally to make the mounted figures’ uniforms “pop” a bit more. I’ll let you know how that works out.</div>
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*******</div>
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Sidney Roundwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03440705981976797774noreply@blogger.com17