Перед стенами Севастополя

'Before the walls of Sebastapol' for the non Roosian speakers amongst us! It will though require a good stretch of your imagination to bring this table to the Crimea. The Vauban walls will I hope stand in if you squint a tad! 

The Allies are risking a first assault on the walls, lead by the Guards Brigade supported by the Highland regiments. The Light Brigade are on hand to hopefully counter the indeterminate number of Roosian cavalry thought to be in the vicinity. Hopefully supporting their allies are a Division of French foot, comprising a Line Battalion and a Guard Light Battalion. The Allies have deployed as many heavy guns as they can to support their attack, even bringing the 64lb guns from HMS Pinafore ashore! On to the action then...

The walls of Sebastapol if you will bristle with Roosian guns and the glinting of many Bayonets catching the sun's rays...

Never mind the cossacks! Business is business after all, a few roubles to be made today.

The garrison of this section, a regiment of Jaegers, assembles awaiting its orders. One Battalion is already on its way.

Roosian gunners anxiously await the order to open fire!

The British army's encampment is a hive of activity. The Guards Brigade moves out smartly while gunners open fire on the distant walls.

The Heavy Mortar maned by the Royal Artillery is tasked with harassing the Roosian gunners.the 

The Jolly Jack Tars of HMS Pinafore prepare their 64lb guns hoping to batter down the walls.

The Rifle Brigade moves forward, hoping their fire will take a toll on the Roosian gunners.

The Roosian gunners don't seem over concerned by the fire though!

The Guards' Brigade make a splendid sight advancing with drums beating and colours bravely flying in the breeze.

The Roosian Commander, Grand Duke Byklovic, has sent forward the 4th Battalion to flanknthe Guards' advance.

Greek Volunteers and Cossack Scouts and artillery skirmish with elements of the Rifle Brigade and the Shore Party of HMS Pinafore. 

Roosian fire has disrupted the Guards' approach to the assault. Despite this, the Guards prepare to assault the walls!

No significant of the French yet, despite the assurances of D'Merde! They must hurry as the British assault faltering. 

The French! And just in time! A Brigade of Guard Lights hurls itself forward, the very embodiment of élan!

At last the heavy mortar of the Royal Artillery finds its range! Gun and gunners are blown to eternity, just as the Guards' assault goes in too.

The French are here in numbers now and advance boldly despite the rumours of Cossacks on their flank.

They press forward on the outnumbered Jaegers who are only too aware of their fellows fleeing past their flank!

Despite bold Roosian deployment the British assault has gained momentum. The guns are Disordered by constant bombardment and the defence falls on the Third Jaeger Battalion. 

The Guards raise their colours on the ramparts of Sebastopol! It was premature though to celebrate victory, as a determined counter charge bybthe Second Jaeger Battalion drove them back off the walls.

The walls of Sebastapol are back in the hands of the Roosians! Who are also deploying rapidly on the plain to counter the French. Those Cossacks are really needed though right now!

Despite the failure of the British assault, the French (out of shot) have driven off the Roosian Jaegers sent to block their attack on the gates. Confusion reigns in the Roosian Command and a hasty withdrawal hands the Allies are victory.

The elderly Lord Rawnsley with his Staff receive news of the victory from Captain Nolan.

We had a few problems with the scenario along the way,  mainly trying to combine the Black Powder rules for defending/attacking obstacles and buildings. We got it sorted in the end, though the French victory decided the outcome before a final assault was needed.

The 'Cossack Fear' rule worked well in delaying the French. Cossacks 'appeared' randomly on a Command roll of <7 but needed to pass a second roll in the subsequent Turn to charge any available enemy flank. This only happened once! The threat though did delay and confuse the French wonderfully!

It was all over in Turn 7, another really Gripping Black Powder game full of the unexpected.

"Then strike up drums: God and Saint George for us!"

Still hanging these posts on the Bard's suitable quotations when I can you'll have noticed! The latest Retinue to muster into GHQ having passed under the brush of doom is that of William Neville,  Lord Fauconberg. The figures are a mixture of Eureka Miniatures, Perry Miniatures- both metals and plaaaaastics - and hybrids based on Steel Fist Miniatures bodies. The Standard and Banners are from Pete's Flags and the bases from Warbases, who else  ~

The Billmen are largely from the Perrys' European range, rather more active than the metals in their Wars of the Roses range to my mind.

A plaaaaastic banner bearer joining his metal companions on the Retinue Command base.

Spot the plaaaaastic figure?

Eureka Miniatures bowmen. It seems to take me forever to get through these figures, it must be all the fiddly details.

Two Retinues completed for my Yorkists, two more to go! Next up though a unit of billmen and MAA in the service of Sir John Savage.  Somewhat of a C15th Dad's Army unit! Today though, a Crimean War game here in GHQ to blood my small French force of two infantry Brigades.

"Look on my forces with a gracious eye!" ~ Richmond's prayer before Bosworth

Well now, the Bard's suitable quotations are not yet quite exhausted, so another to hang the latest post on, featuring the Retinue of Lord Zouche of Harringworth {in Northamptonshire}. Another personality, chosen from the list of Pete's Flags on Ebay UK, who can legitimately turn out for either the Red Rose or the White. The figures are a mixture of Athena Miniatures, Perry Miniatures and Eureka Miniatures,  melding together to give, to my eye at least, a suitable medieval appearance. Waffling aside, here they are mustered for your inspection ~

When I started collecting the figures for the Wars of the Roses project I had in my mind the look of the units I hoped to field, so I spent a considerable time searching the net for inspiration. I'd painted a good few Foundry and Front Rank figures for our Italian Wars armies, so I wanted to search out different ranges. The result so far is a mixture of Eureka Miniatures, Perry Miniatures - both metals and, may I be forgiven, plaaaaastics,  Athena Miniatures, Crusader Miniatures with some Foundry figures waiting their turn in the Lead Pimple! 

When you handle the bare metal castings differences in size, heft, sculpting style, animation and level of detail are all too readily apparent.  Strangely though you might think but once painted and based up in my preferred style the differences seem to melt away. At 'gaming distance' on the tabletop battlefield in GHQ I doubt anyone would notice. Painting units of mixed manufacturer in the same batch though is a bit of a challenge I've discovered, involving constantly adjusting how you approach the sequence and application of colours to achieve the desired look. Of course the uniform basing style also plays a major role in deceiving the eye! 

Currently I'm coming towards completing another Retinue, that of William Neville,  Lord Fauconberg, with just a few Billmen and MAA to complete the job. More on them as and when. Meantime here in GHQ attention must switch from the Wars of the Roses to preparing for next week's Crimean War game. It's all go, but it keeps me young...well, youngish perhaps!

Only just in the 'Nick of Time'...

 ...the Norman unarmoured medium cavalry were handed to me by Phil on Tuesday, so there was just time for me to get them based in order that they might muster into GHQ in time for Thursday's prearranged photoshoot with Dan, the owner/editor of Wargames Illustrated. The resulting photos will appear in support of a piece I've submitted discussing my long drawn out 1066 &All That project.  Given magazine lead in times that should appear probably be at the end of August or September, all things being equal that is. In the meantime I thought that you might like a sneak preview ~

They are Crusader Miniatures figures I bought from Colonel Bill’s, before he made the ridiculous decision to stop attending wargames shows and become a web only business! Just my opinion you understand.

The figures make a nice group I think.

They found their place in the line of battle on the tabletop battlefield in GHQ...

...just in time for Dan to start the hard work involved in photographing the collection, leaving yours truly holding up the sky, a role I thought had become obsolete ~

Shows what I know about it!

Philippé-Jean d'Eddner's Ford

Some of you may recognise the figure below as a 'freebie' from one of the recent Partizan shows, '23 or '24, I can't recall just now? Phil has painted it for me alongside the Norman unarmoured cavalry I had passed on to him ~

I've based him up as a Leader or Champion for my 1066 & All That collection just in time for Dan's visit for a photo session which will be utilised in illustrating a piece I've submitted in a forthcoming issue of Wargames Illustrated. I believe the mounted unarmoured Norman cavalry are not too far behind him now, so keep an eye out later... Meanwhile, back in GHQ I have to lay out the tabletop battlefield and the 1066 & All That collection for Dan's visit! One of life's quiet pleasures.

More Burgundian Handgunners

The second base of five figures completes the addition of Burgundian handgunners to my Wars of the Roses project. Two views of the completed base ~

The four handgunners are from Crusader Miniatures,  via North Star, while the command figure is a Perry Miniatures plaaaaastic figure from the MAA sprue I bought early on while building up figures for the project in the Lead Pimple. {The two bases will be able to function as one Regular Unit or two Small Units in Black Powder.} 

You can see them as one Regular Unit in the picture above, or two Small Units in the picture below, which also shows the whole project completed so far!

Next up for their ordeal under my painting ministrations are another Retinue, that of Lord Zouche of Harringworth, yet another noble who could turn out for either the White Rose or the Red.

"Advance your standards; draw your willing swords."

The Bard's prose once again doing duty as a hook to hang this latest blog post from, which is featuring  Sir John Wenlock's Retinue. Taking full advantage of Phil being AWOL in Yns Mon/Anglesey and Paul away in Devon I've been pressing on as well as hand and eye allow with a fourth retinue for my Wars of the Roses forces, this time with the men of Sir John Wenlock. The figures on the Bow and Bill bases are mostly from the small Crusader Miniatures range, as is Sir John himself, the whole supplemented by a few Perry Miniatures figures - both metals and plaaaaastic.  The Crusader Miniatures figures are quite slight, with the Perry Miniatures figures fitting in alongside them nicely in my view. As usual the flags are from Pete's Flags and the base from Warbases,  who else ~

The Retinue of Sir John Wenlock drawn up to give battle ~

Next in line for their time under the brush are 5 figures for a second base of Burgundian handgunners, to round out  the Lancastrians at least for the time being. In the meantime, the growing force ~

Time to get started on the Yorkists then with their first Retinue, that of Lord Zouche of Harringworth. Not that the present heatwave is conducive to much activity...