David Bickley's Wargames Blog

The occasional ramblings of an average gamer, journeyman painter, indifferent modeller, games designer, sometime writer for Wargames Illustrated and host of games in GHQ.



Tuesday, 8 July 2025

Harald Dubhghaill

The recent spell of hot weather had really not been conducive to spending time laying out complex games here in GHQ,  so our most recent offering from last week is a run out for some of my 1066 & All That collection. The game sees Phillipe de Rawnslie's Anglo-Normans travelling to seize lands in the Emerald Isle. Needless to say, the local Hiberno-Norse ruler, Harald Dubhghaill, is far from pleased...

A view of the battlefield from behind the Great Hall of Harald Dubhghaill: Hiberno-Norse in the centre, Irish levy on either flank ~ Welsh/Saxons pretending of course!
Norman mounted knights waste no time getting stuck in to the local peasants!
As do the Anglo-Norman infantry!
Waves of Norman knights sweep forward across the battlefield, their thundering hooves shaking the resolve of Harald Dubhghaill's host!
As can clearly be seen in this shot of the oh, so typical combat dice...
...resulting in mounting losses for the home side despite the encouraging presence of the minor nobility!
Time for Harald Dubhghaill to lead his Household forward in support of the local sword fodder, some of whom have had enough for one day...
...finding an urgent need to beat a hasty retreat,  perhaps farming is not so dull after all?
Not that there's much chance of imminent agricultural diversion, nor of a decent crop this summer, as both sides clash on the rich farmland!
De Rawnslie is having his own problems though,  with his centre apparently disorganised or at least lacking in resolve to close up on the enemy!
Not that his opponent has manages his affairs much more successfully, with his lightly armed skirmishers already forced to flee!
What combat there is on his left of centre sees his knights forced to meet the threat from two directions. Neither side here gives ground though losses are steadily mounting!
Irish peasants levy fight bravely against heavy Norman knights,  though the outcome seems obvious to onlookers!
Perhaps no-one told the knights though...
Despite the unexpected success, the unexpected turn of events only serves to delay the inevitable as more Norman knights crash into the victors!
Some of whom, despite the heroic presence of minor nobility, have clearly more important things to attend to in the rear!
With the Anglo-Normans in the ascendancy across the battlefield Harald Dubhghaill's forces are finally shattered, peasants levy being no match for Norman knights in the final analysis!
The Hiberno-Norse army broke in Turn 9 as losses reached crisis point. Despite some successes on the left and dour defence on the right their centre never really got to grips with the heavy Norman knights! A grand game though played out in the best of spirits! No game here though this week, Phil being AWOL in Inis Mon! More time then for painting my Wars of the Roses figures!


Monday, 7 July 2025

Third Retinue musters.

 The third Retinue for my Lancastrian force has been finished and mustered in to GHQ, where it will be awaiting some opponents in due course! It is of course that of Sir George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury,  whose Bows and Retinue Command have already featured here. The base of Bills completed this retinue ~

The figures are all from the Perry Miniatures metals range ~ the Billmen pack supplemented by a casualty, the Warwick figure, a Standard Bearer, and a standing MAA. 
The completed Retinue displayed ready for action! Next up will be the small artillery piece and crew, followed by the fourth Retinue for my Lancastrians. More on this as and when as you'd surely expect..


Saturday, 5 July 2025

Sir George Talbot...

...Earl of Shrewsbury joins with his Retinue's Bow and Bill to stiffen their resolve! Four figures from Perry Miniatures - metals and plaaaaastic- and Steel Fist Miniatures body with added head and arms! The standard is from Pete's Flags and the base from Warbases as usual ~

Not a great deal more I can say about them right now, other than that the base of his Billmen is well underway and will hopefully join his Retinue before err long.

After the base of Bill has been completed an artillery piece and crew are next in line, as I really do need a short break from painting bigger units! After that's completed there's one last Lancastrian Retinue glowering at me from the painting queue...

Thursday, 3 July 2025

"Fight, bold yeomen! Draw, archers; draw your arrows to the head."

Another appropriate text lifted from the Bard gives this entry its hook, from his Richard III of course. I've been working either side of our weekend away on my third Retinue, that of Sir George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury.  So far the base of Bow are done and I thought you might like to see them and form your own conclusions in respect of the mix of Eureka MiniaturesPerry Miniatures and Athena Miniatures which populate the base. Some different angles to help you judge ~

The rear rank are made up of Eureka Miniatures figures whilst the four archers in the act of loosing their arrows towards their foe are Athena, with the casualty being from Perry Miniatures, with an added Eureka arrow bag. There can't be much doubt that the styles and heft differ but to my eye the base has a unity you might not expect when first seeing the bare metal castings. Anyway, I await your feedback with interest while pressing on with the next group of figures for the Retinue Command base. 













Tuesday, 1 July 2025

Meeting my Waterloo....

 ...at Brecon Wargames Club! While we were down in Herefordshire visiting Matt and family I was a guest of Brecon Wargames Club - Matt and Reuben being members. The chaps were great company, formidable opponents; competitive of course, but in a gentle and friendly way. If you live in the area and are looking for a club to join I'd recommend getting in touch!

The chaps playing in the Waterloo big game pose for a group picture before friendly hostilities commenced {from the left: Paul, Owen, Brendan, Reuben, Matthew and Stuart} with the arrival, or not, of the French centre - the very first of our dice rolls for Command being a Blunder! Our centre retired two moves! Merde!
That left General de Division Byklié rather hung out to dry in the attack on the Chateau de Hougomont on the British right.
The chateau is a splendid scratch build by Brendan, any wargamer would be proud to have that in his collection! It was [too] gallantly defended by my opponent, Paul, with many of his excellently painted British infantry and cavalry supporting the beleaguered garrison. Our fight became rather detached from the ebb and flow of the battle as my chaps replete with élan, but sadly unsuccessfully, tried to break into the chateau! 
The French centre belatedly arrives and advances on the ridge bristling with British guns and muskets! "En Avant, mes braves! Vive L'Empereur!"
While in the distance, from my perspective at least, the French attack develops carefully against the British left ably marshalled by Stuart, a fellow Walsall FC fan! Probably the only thing I have missed since leaving wargame clubs for GHQ has been the big day games. I'd forgotten though how tough they can be for old chaps and how difficult it is to keep up with "what's occurring" elsewhere in the battle.
A second of Brendan's very fine scratch built structures, the farm of La Haye Sainte  anchored the British left.
Meanwhile the fight for the chateau continues on the French left. My gallant garçons were full of élan, but little else, as a desoltary firefight over the garden walls produced no significant advantage for either side.
Sensing a chance to attack the French in the flank as they were Disordered Paul's stout defenders sallied forth, colours unfurled and drums beating!
Meanwhile in the centre the French columns hurl themselves repeatedly against the thin red line of British infantry, only to be driven back time and again!
On our right a sharp cavalry action is developing although the French look to have the advantage at this point in the affair.
The French centre regroup and goes again, encouraged by the arrival of L'Empereur [ably played by Reuben] and La Garde!
An impasse develops on the British right where although the French infantry are forced into square by the Light Cavalry their guns can do little execution on my brave fellows. The pinning of Paul's infantry on the ridge contributing to the general stalling in our sector.
Enfin though, the French defeat one of the two British infantry regiments debouching from the chateau and halt the second with a sharp volley. All too late in the day though on our flank as the clock runs down on our game time.
Napoleon's Garde are unleashed on the weakened centre as the climax of the action is reached. By now Paul and I had reached an amicable draw in our sector of the battlefield and were mere supporters for our colleagues striving for victory!
La Garde smash into and through the British line in the final twist of the game! Was it enough for victory? Well, Stuart, Reuben, Matthew and I certainly thought so. The British so ably lead by Paul, Owen and Brendan might have a different view of course...
At the conclusion I must confess to being very tired,  I certainly slept well on Saturday night! But, it was a splendid day's wargaming with the most convivial of company and lovely toys in quantity.  Would I go again if invited, of course I would. It was a great advert for our hobby of wargaming and for the members of Brecon Wargames Club in particular!



 


Sunday, 29 June 2025

"I hear their drums: let's set our men in order, And issue forth and bid them battle straight."

 With my sincere apologies to the Bard there! Now I'm back home, just a short blog entry today. As promised the base of Men At Arms to represent the King and his Household fighting on foot, having sent their horses to the rear, and ready to mix it down and dirty with the nobility and the rank and file. The base comprises six figures from Athena Miniatures 'MAA Attacking' pack, supplemented by a Perry Miniatures standard bearer and a Steel Fist Miniatures' body with plastic arms and head from the Perry Miniatures' Command frame. The Royal Banner {of Henry VI} is from Pete's Flags of course and the base from the ever reliable Warbases ~

These are the first figures I've painted for the project from Athena so I have a few thoughts on them to share with any interested reader. The posing and sculpting is a bit mixed, some figures being taller or bulkier than others, while not all meet my idea of 'attacking' poses. One figure was missing its sword scabard and one or two had some flash to deal with. They seem taller to the eye than Perry Miniatures figures but not so important on this base as the standard raises the smaller figure it seems. I'm currently working on a base of Bow for my third Retinue using Athena, Perry and Eureka figures and the height and bulk issues are more noticeable, especially in respect to the Eureka figures. Having said that, once painted and in action on the tabletop battlefield at playing distance I'm confident no one would even notice.

Friday, 27 June 2025

Away Day in Hay-on-Wye...

...Book Town extraordinaire! Sue and I popped into Hay on our way to Matt and Sarah's for a weekend visit. I scored two books in the Hay Cinema Bookshop ~

I spent £16 in all, including £3.00 on the tote bag just for fun! I might have easily bought a couple of others but surprisingly in the circumstances I showed unusual restraint...I know, most unlike me. The choice of the two books I bought were really driven by the current Wars of the Roses project ~
As you can see an Osprey Campaign on the Battle of Towton, 1461 and the much more venerable Wargames Research Group publication by Ian Heath, Armies of the Middle Ages, Volume 1. Phil tells me that it comes up on Ebay from time to time at anything between £40 -£60. So my purchase at £8 must surely qualify as a bargain find. Sadly in my second favourite second hand book shop...
...I failed to find any others relevant to the project. There were several ACW titles I might have bought in years gone by but at 75 that boat has largely sailed for me now. Nevertheless, a good visit and in the sunshine to boot! What's not to like? Well, the lunatic Welsh 20mph speed limits for starters. Politicians the world over, neither use nor ornament!