Black Dog Thwarting

 In order to thwart the Black Dog I did some basing this afternoon-

Just the thing, little creativity but something useful done. I so like the exuberant animation of these two handed axe men.

As I like the look of thicker bases l had to glue one base upon the top of another prior to adding the figures.

That’s me used up all the bases l have and will therefore need to re order in the coming weeks…

P.S l was sent a very interesting one page set of rules for the syw ( written by Phil Robinson) today . They were written with flats in mind. I very much look forward to adapting, or trying to adapt them , for use with my ancients.

Lurlander armies

 Finished some small forces for my Lurland games using these rules-

Now the armies as they stand-

The West Mark army, vaguely Roman in appearance they are from an Empire that has fallen upon hard times.

The men of Lurland, vaguely Germanic/Scandinavian late Bronze Age. Here you can see the sky disc beloved by Lurlanders - https://www.archaeology.org/issues/337-1905/features/7543-maps-germany-nebra-sky-disc

Warriors of The Tribes with long chopping swords which bend easily in combat and require straightening.

Further progress

 Things in Lurland continue to move forward. Yesterday late afternoon saw me soaking the figures in water ( only up to their ankles ) to remove the cardboard bases. After that I scrapped the remaining static grass and basing material off leaving bare metal bases. Here below you see the figures in the water bath-

Earlier in the day a similar process was completed on the “Romans” but as they had less basing material a quick dip ( rather that immersion for a few minutes) was all that was required prior to scraping.

Later on I was able to stick the “Romans” onto their bases. I glued everything this time with pva which would allow easier removal if that was ever needed. The figures in the top picture are ready for basing and will be based in the coming days…

So far I am pleased with the work undertaken. They figures look good based as multiples rather than on their own. They are easier to handle and will probably be used more as a result. There are lots more to base but l have run out of bases and will have to order some shortly. The “Romans” are partially based on deeper bases which has worked well.

As for further purchases l would like a few chariots ( Celtic) and a couple of elephants and that would probably be sufficient. This is proving to be enjoyable and I am glad I undertook rebasing.

Ace of base etc

 Spent part of Sunday basing my Scandanavian/ Germanic Bronze Age zinnfiguren-

Need another coat or two on the bases upon reflection.

Also found the box I bought April 2020-

I realised part of the reason the project stalled-

I was overwhelmed by the amount of flash on the figures as shown above and below-

What would be the best way to get rid of the flash and with what tool ?I have a horror of tiny bits of metal which probably stems from reading too many posters in scan waiting rooms. 

Base matters in Lurland

 The Warbases arrived today-

I chose 60 x 40 mm and 60 x 30 mm, round cornered and two bases stuck together for height and ease of lifting. I took some photos to try out different numbers of figures on different base sizes-

Three figures on 60x 30

Four figures on 60 x30

Three front facing figures on 60 x 40.

Four figures ( room for five) front facing on 60x 40mm

Five figures on 60x40.

Five figures on 60x30

Finally four “animated” figures on 60 x 30.

So that’s where I am tonight, much to ponder on . As ever I welcome your comments positive and negative.

Return to Lurland

 Contemplating a return to Lurland . Bases ordered and the zinnfiguren looked out for sorting…

Brief encounter in Lurland

 Set up a Lurland game . Light troops in encounter skirmish in the vicinity of a Temple. Rules used will be  Featherstone Close Wars but distances in centimetres to reflect small battlefield. 

A wee ancient game.

 The forces of the West Mark are assembling waiting to begin their attack on the village. Their armour glints in the Spring sun. On the hill beside the forest hornblowers signal the attack. West Mark cavalry advance. On hearing the horns the alarm is raised and the keltic tribesmen grab their weapons and pour forth from the village. Let the game begin...

Return to Lurland.

 A big thank you to Tidders for the amazing Celtic roundhouse he sent me this week, it is splendid! Inspired by it I have got the flats out and set up a game ...

Lurland skirmish

 Last year I created a Tony Bathesque map to run some games in-

http://tradgardland.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-little-light-cartography-etc.html 

and collected some zinnfiguren to use in campaigns based there. The recent purchase of some Roman semi  flats of around 50mm reminded me I had some old and new figures that would work really well for small skirmishes in those imaginary lands.I also found some illustrations from catalogues which helped me identify some of the older figures. The old metal and new plastic work well together.

Trial game

I set up the game. The look of it appeals to me and the small squares don’t affect that. I think a bigger board is in order but that isn’t a priority yet. First thing I noticed was giving everyone javelins made it a quick and bloody first few turns. Note to self - Romans can throw pillium only at much shorter range ( javelins range 12 squares) and perhaps javelins should be restricted in their use.

The photos show the game after two turns. More later...

Basing Flats: some examples

I decided to run with single basing ( more options given by this ) and have been trying out various basing looks. All my examples have been based on card, painted with textured paint and then dry brushed. After that I have added bits and bobs-

They have gravel, tufts and flowers in various combinations except for one of them that merely has green paint on it. I would be interested in your thoughts on these.

Subdivision etc

Yesterday afternoon I subdivided one of my gaming mats with dotted lines. I was reminded of school gym halls with different markings for different sports, if you know what I mean-

The dotted lines now provide 30mm squares and the solid lines 60mm. I wanted also to point to a couple of books-

One is an excellent read about the chap who began the Pendon Museum and the other is a John Curry reprint of  an early pioneer of the hobby. I am interested in his single figure grid based rules from 1967 with a view to trying them out for some Lurland games.