Characters of Laarden, 1688

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And Laarden Character card number two...

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

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

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

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

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

OK, so you get the idea.  Stay tuned and collect the full set of the "Characters of Laarden" by the end of June .... !  

"Come And Have A Go If You Think You're Lard Enough!"- March 7th, 2020

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 “Come And Have A Go If You Think You’re Lard Enough”, 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.

I took part in two great games, the first being a naval game set in the Danish Langelansbælt 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 Langelandsbælt.  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,

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!

 

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.

With Mark’s generous photo-sharing, here’s some other photos from the other great games from the day.

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 ("Where are the French again?"), 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, watching kriegspiel 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.

So that's all from "Lard Enough 2020".  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 "Come And Have A Go If You Think You're Lard Enough, 2021"!