Return of the Syldavian Chronicles!

 Great to see this blog active once more-

http://syldavianchronicle.blogspot.com/2024/10/ten-years-since-post-and-syldavian.html#more

Apologies for not leaving a comment to welcome you back but Google isn’t allowing it!

Welcome back anyway and I look forward to reading more…

Succumbed

 I am a fan of Vendel Miniatures, now known as Bloody Day, which are available only , these days, from across the Pond. I have a number of their fantasy Middle Earth figures which are hefty and charming. Many moons ago l got some sent across to me but I am wary about the price this would involve now. I am not paying an obscene amount to the Post Office etc , end of story.

Anyway last week l was browsing on EBay and I found there were some Vendel 16th century figures, unpainted, for sale. I was tempted as I have been thinking on and off for ages about getting a wee ( dining room sized army , not too small, not too big, just right) Scottish army to oppose the English 28mm army l was using on Friday. So I sent in an offer and won. These then arrived-

Infantry and cavalry bagged, arrived and enthusiastically opened.

Some painted over the weekend ready for basing.

A couple of good reads from the Ducal Library, well worth a look if you haven’t seen them.

My 16th Century forces each have a different character. The Old Irish with lots of skirmishers, fierce warriors backed up by kern snipers and mail clad, axe armed Gallowglass. The English with bow, shot and  bill . Finally now the Scots with loads of pikes, some artillery in field fortifications, a few highland warriors and some  light cavalry from the Scottish Borders. The Scots will be Pinkie rather than Flodden , 1540s rather than 15teens. 

Weekend

 Friday saw the Old Irish out for another game-

Sadly one of the players had to go home as they were feeling unwell. Game abandoned.

Saturday saw me in Edinburgh to go on a tour of the Phoebe Traquair murals in song school at St Mary’s Cathedral. I have long wanted to see these and they certainly lived up to expectations-

An old friend…

 Been weeding out the Ducal Library this week. Came across this old favourite from 1979. It will definitely be staying on the Ducal shelves. I return to this again and again.

John Blanche, Ian Miller etc . A beautiful book well worth tracking down if you don’t have it it already.

Glasgow

 In Glasgow yesterday for my class, as ever a pleasant walk from bus station to university. 

Cinema in Sauchiehall street being demolished rather than refurbished. I particularly recall going to see “ Purple Rain  “ circa 1983 in here when it came out. I remember thinking that “Party like it’s 1999” seemed to refer to a date unbelievably far in the future.

Looking up at these splendid classically inspired statues l was reminded of what an interesting place Glasgow is in terms of architecture.

The military museum , also on Sauchiehall Street which I keep meaning to visit but never get round to…

Autumn begins once again…

Moving

 Whilst I was off volunteering this morning a neighbour, who is moving soon, dropped off some box files of figures surplus to his needs for me. He is a fellow wargamer. This was all unexpected so l opened the boxes with mounting expectations. Here they are, comments please re gaming system they are based for etc. I am out of my comfort zone-

First box WW2 ships ? Scale ? Rules? Plus lots of dice…

Box number two- 28mm American infantry and tanks etc.

There were also 1/200 scale ? Shermans and infantry.

Box three 1/300 scale vehicles and infantry etc based on square bases.

The bases close up and beside a cm ruler for scale. Rules?

Finally 15mm French Napoleonic troops.

Not sure what to do with this all, might keep or not , hmmmmm.

Elizabethan English v Old Irish

 Yesterday friends came over and I laid on a renaissance game- 28mm, sixteenth century using DBR rules. I umpired, made coffee and generally supported whilst they played. Here are the armies set out for their respective commanders-

Firstly the English with lots of bows and shot. They are commanded by one general.

Secondly the Old Irish, lots of skirmishing kern ,warband bonnachts and mail clad gallowglasses amongst others. They had two generals representing two allied chieftains. 

Although there were a variety of figures from various manufacturers , some I have had for years, the majority were from Hoka Hey Wargaming- https://timelineminiatures.uk/product-category/28mm-figures/border-reivers/

They produce border reivers too. The figures are full of character and have a pleasing solidity to them. Any way a few pictures of the game-

The initial set up by the two commanders, with bogs and woods separating the armies.

Kern, bonnacht and gallowglass advance. I like the way these rules allow skirmisher marksmen to shoot.

English pike with kern ahead traversing the bog.

Wild boar are frightened off by advancing Irish troops, just a bit of set dressing btw.

A view of one of the Irish Chieftains with his chaplain and piper accompanying him on the same base.

Bonnacht warband advancing through the woods.

Gallowglass with murderous axes advance only to be cut down by withering musket fire.

All it all it was an interesting and fun game. The players enjoyed using armies new to them, l enjoyed umpiring the game and the figures seemed  pleased to be out on the table for the first time since rebasing and for their first time being used in a non solo game. One could almost imagine sounds of carousing emanating from their box file camps…