Happy St Andrew’s Day

 

 

Happy St Andrew’s Day to one and all! Coincidentally I am playing a Jacobite game in a few hours, more about it anon..

Advent calendars

 Put up the Advent calendars today-

Sunday

 Was up late, for me anyway, last night due to some family stuff. Whilst I waited for a phone call to finish l watched an old favourite on tv “Pacific Rim” perhaps not the best movie ever made but most enjoyable. I awoke early, made myself go back to sleep and woke up to snow some hours later!

 

Small is beautiful

 Inspired by this post- https://brushandbattle.blogspot.com/2021/11/defense-of-wellsley-estate.html

I decided to set up a wee game to play in the coming days. Back of a postage stamp rules carried in my head and some dice, looking forward to it. Norwegians v Swedes in the snow using mainly figures painted by Jim Duncan. 

Finally something that should not work but unbelievably does-

War of 1808

https://youtu.be/kbboGe1yvwI 

Follow the link above to hear a song in Swedish about 1808 and reenactors in action.

In Edinburgh on a cold but lovely day

 I was in Edinburgh to do some Christmas shopping and to collect a camera my daughter had put in for a service. Alighting at West End I was delighted to see the mechanical clock on what was Binns working again. Music plays and highland soldiers march round the clock. Great to see an iconic part of the City restored-

The camera was in a shop in Morningside and really enjoyed a walk there past some of my favourite buildings-

Firstly Art Deco offices, now flats, with illustrative decorations, worth zooming in to look at. Secondly the Barclay Church, a confection of exotica wonderful to see and finally an Art Deco delight and Edinburgh stalwart the Dominion Cinema. A great and successful trip down memory lane as well as gifts got too.

Additions before the game

 Light cavalry painted by me , artillery and a command element ( not pictured) by Phil Olley. A random picture of part of my Scandinavian book collection and few other ones-

Fifteenth Century Swedes in 28mm

 These figures were painted and finished by me during Lockdown and sent to my regular opponent on 15/7/20 by mail. They arrived safely and were meant to be used in Zoom dba games. Alas they were never used and returned to me in person recently as he wanted to free some space up.They have never fired a quarrel in anger ! So l thought l would get them out of the shed and allow them a chance to fight in a Swedish civil war today using tabletop battles. Better photos as the game progresses…

So cluttered, so so cluttered…

 Task for today is to clear this to allow a game to be set up. It has become a dumping ground/shelf/ library etc but now it needs to be cleared for action…

Bothersome Blogger

 The Blogger gremlins are at it again. I can’t leave comments on folk’s pages, comes up a whoops error message, and I can’t get onto a second page of my reading list. Is it only me? Better news is that my daughter is moving forward very well health wise.

Sitrep

 My plans for the the rest of the week have changed greatly . I was due to travel today to London for the weekend with my eldest. We were due to visit a number of exhibitions over the weekend and I was off to a Church day conference on Saturday. However Zoe’s asthma has flared badly , she is now rattling with with the amount of steroids and antibiotics taken! She is unable to travel and the trip has been postponed until next year. I am administering TLC and coffees etc. Thankfully she is moving forward but taking it very easy.

As a result l have had some unexpected hobby time. This has been put to good use starting an 1808 Norwegian unit for The Silver Bayonet, painting some wolves etc and starting on some splendid old school figures from Broadsword Miniatures-

http://broadswordsandbeasts.blogspot.com/p/broadsword-miniatures.html 

Do pop over via the link above, you will be very tempted. He has a link to photos of the whole range there too. Lastly a ski troop photo, to start your day seasonally-

Book etc

 The day began well with an excellent charity shop purchase in the shape of a history book for a pound.Later the Black Dog made an appearance and has continued to sniff around for the rest of the day. I have been enjoying reading the Silver Bayonet which looks like it will deliver a most enjoyable solo gaming experience. Last night I selected figures for French unit from amongst those I got with the Northstarter. However in my attempt to find obscure uniforms for my French l have been utterly overwhelmed by the detail out there and ended up deciding upon absolutely nothing! Finally I have put the  North Star figures ( top row) beside Perry and Eagle ( bottom row) to show the size of them. Lovely sculpts but need suggestions of a range that is size compatible.

Silver Bayonet arrived

 The postman brought my copy of the Silver Bayonet yesterday with figures for it. I am impressed with the look of the rules especially the cover and faux marbled end papers. I have not had time to do the rules justice with a detailed read through yet but what I have read impresses me. I was particularly keen to see the solo rules and the bestiary , both live up to my expectations. A potential for lots of interesting opponents and scenario creation. The North Star figures are full of character and charm and will look great on a tabletop when painted. All in all I am very pleased with my purchase and anticipate enjoyable skirmishes ahead. 

ACW regimental rules suggestions for 28mm

 Just back from my friend’s from our first acw game in years. The Foundry rules didn’t work for us- Bull run to Gettyberg. We got them in 2011 and hadn’t used them much . The figure collection of my friend has grown a lot since then.

His collection is in 28mm, forty mm  square bases of four figures, twenty figures in a unit. This is for a regiment. Looking for suggestions for rules, can you help?

11/11/21

 I had occasion this morning,  to attend the funeral of a former school chaplain of the school I retired from. It was in a village nearby. I was early, went for a walk and took these photos-

Hessians v Jacobites

 Thought I would set out all the figures I have for my Hessians v Jacobites set up. Here are the resulting pictures-

The Jacobite invasion of 1764: Tradgardland goes to war…

 A little known episode in Scottish history is the expedition from the Duchy of Tradgardland to reclaim the the throne for Prince Charles Edward Stuart. The expedition was commanded by Colonel Aeneas Ingmar Bergman  ( Scottish pro Jacobite mother and Tradgardlander father) and compromised two ships “Wild Strawberries “ and “The sixth Seal” . On landing some highland clans rallied to the banner but not in great numbers. Muskets and a light gun were made available to the clans . The invasion was easily defeated and some of the Tradgardlanders eventually found their way home. This was the last attempted Jacobite invasion. A small ceramic plaque in a Scottish suburban garden marks the spot of the final skirmish.

Blue Tuesday or A Blue Letter Day

 Just back from getting my Booster and Flu Jab, feeling very grateful.

Jacobites

 My Jacobites marched into the Duchy this afternoon having been to the painter. I am very pleased with them. They will be based soon and will be ready for action…

Sitrep

 I thought l would post a wee sitrep regarding things here. Firstly l have succumbed to another coldy/fluey thing and had to cancel both social and volunteering events in my diary. I seem to go from cold event to cold event with hardly a pause…

Hobby wise things are apace. I have long wanted to do an opponent for my friend’s Burgundian Army of Charles the Bold. By long I mean years and years. The lure of the late fifteenth century calls Siren like. So l have bit the bullet and begun the French. The army will be formed of 99% Perry Plastic figures. The boxes are on their way currently. I have been very pleased with the way my light cavalry have turned out . The plan is to complete this army by Candlemas 2022 or 2/2/22 or before. Polystyrene cement has really helped although l find it hard to keep the fine metal needle unblocked.

On other fronts l have had the chance to buy second hand a gaming mat of 4 inch hexes thirteen by nine. This will be used with gridded games like the Portable Wargame and Tabletop Battles. It will work with both my 25mm stuff and my 54mm and allow bigger games to be set up on the dining room table. My Jacobite figures will arrive from the painter next week and will be based on felt & mdf as before. I have also got some 54mm syw/imagination figures on order. More on these anon. 

Finally l have bought into the Silver Bayonet -

As the wars of Napoleon ravage Europe, chaos and fear reign and the darkness that once clung to the shadows has been emboldened. Supernatural creatures – vampires, werewolves, ghouls, and worse take advantage of the havoc, striking out at isolated farms, villages, and even military units. Whether they are pursuing some master plan or simply revelling in their newfound freedom is unknown. Most people dismiss reports of these slaughters as the rantings of madmen or the lies of deserters, but a few know better...

The Silver Bayonet is a skirmish wargame of gothic horror set during the Napoleonic Wars. Each player forms an elite band of monster hunters drawn from the ranks of one of the great powers. Riflemen, swordsmen, and engineers fight side-by-side with mystics, occultists, and even those few supernatural creatures that can be controlled or reasoned with enough to make common cause. The game can be played solo, co-operatively, or competitively, with players progressing through a series of interlinked adventures with their soldiers gaining experience and suffering grievous wounds, and their units triumphing... or falling in the face of the shadows. It is a game of action and adventure, where musket and sabre meet tooth and claw.

A picture is worth.

 We all try and get into the past by way of our figures and researching the periods we play. I used to support a reenactment group ( late fifteenth century Burgundian) called The Company of St George by subscribing to their journal The Dragon. I used to get letters about my subscription when it was to be renewed  from John Howe . Friendly letters of thanks for my support. I never new he was the wonderful illustrator who is so famous today…. 

The group was set up by Gerry Embleton the illustrator probably known to most of you. As I have been painting my figures this week I got out his book here featured for ideas for livery colours. It has always been one of my favourites, packed with great illustrations and photos bringing the past to life. Well worth buying if medieval is your thing and if not, it might surprise you.