The Battle of Bushbury

Jon was unexpectedly available for a game this week and as the ECW armies were still out on the table in GHQ I set about reconfiguring the terrain and forces for a second ECW battle with Pike & Shotte rules.
Following the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Coven Heath Lord Rawnsley has been replaced as commanding general by the king’s order with Lord Walton. Hurrying from his manor near Stafford, Lord Walton assesses the situation quickly. With an inferior forces, he decides to fortify the hamlet of Bushbury and await Obadiah Bykleigh’s response...

Obadiah Bykleigh oversees the deployment of his forces.

Talbot's and the Oxford Foote hurry to their defensive positions under the

eyes of Lord Walton and his entourage.

On his right, Obadiah Bykleigh's attack has stalled - failed Command Rolls

plagued both sides as the game unfolded!

Light Artillery comes up in support of Talbot's Foote.

Royalist Horse impetuously moves forward on Lord Walton's left flank.

The first cavalry melee is indecisive. John Hampden's Foote nervously await

developments.

Astonishingly the Royalist attacks are halted by Parliamentary Horse! For now

anyway.

Sadly the fortunes of war deserted Parliament's Horse! I just knew it could n't

last: the Horse fled, the Foote stalled and the artillery could n't hit a barn door!

A view of the Royalist centre. Dismounted Horse support the Foote lining the

hedgerows.

John Hampden's Foote drawn up in battle.

In two games a total of four Blunder's adversely affected this one unit! It must

be cursed!

Sir Marmeduke Gaylord Robinson's Foot supporting the Royalist Heavy

Artillery. Each side's Heavy guns were limited to three shots in the game.

Fairfax's Foote is all but destroyed by the Royalists before Obadiah Bykleigh's

eyes!

A very satisfied Lord Walton, supported by the Bishop of Lichfield and

guarded by his Lifeguard of Horse, surveys the battlefield. Obadiah's forces

must regroup once more and steel themselves for the next encounter.

All in all a super game which swung back and forth as well as showing us how much of  Pike & Shotte we still have to take on board. During the game I only took the first eight pictures as we got absorbed in the unfolding battle. The remainder are rather atmospheric shots of the action I took before clearing away for the next game later in May, a 1940 game trying Bolt Action with my expanded forces for the period.

Officers of the 45th Foot

The spare mounted General from the Foundry British AWI High Command pack and another spare Officer figure from one of their British Command packs meant I could muster in an other Command stand for the British force in our games. I’ve painted them both in the colours of the 45th Foot, later the Nottinghamshire Regiment - after all, that’s where the figures are from in reality - and also because earlier they were Robinson’s Foot during the SYW!

For the very sharp eyed who will have noticed, I don’t yet have the 45th in my British AWI collection, but they are in the painting queue! After the next Loyalist regiment there is a further Continental regiment to paint before I get to them, but I hope they will muster in sometime in late May at my current rate of progress. We’ll have to see how it goes...

A British High Command base for the AWI

Following on from completing the 2nd Maryland for my AWI expansion project I've completed a High Command base for my British army. It comprises two mounted Generals and two foot figures from a command set, all from Wargames Foundry. The MDF base is, as ever, from Warbases. I'm  pleased with how it turned out myself, but I'm sure you will have an opinion too ~

The remaining mounted general I've paired with another spare figure from a command set and they together will make a Brigade Command set. That will leave me with another Loyalist unit next in the painting queue, the King's Orange Rangers. We'll see how we go after that!

The 2nd Maryland musters in!

I've completed the next unit in my planned AWI expansion project, an American unit to depict the 2nd Maryland. They are comprised  mostly of Perry Miniatures with a leavening of older Foundry figures, also sculpted of course by the Perry twins.
I chose a mixture of firing and loading figures in uniforms and in hunting shirts to give the unit a slightly ragged look. The figures in uniform coats I painted in Foundry Conker Brown Shade, highlighted with the same colour's Light, with red facings after a Don Trioani print. While for the hunting shirts I painted them in Foundry Drab, highlighted with British Uniform Light. The flag is from the earlier free downloads now sold by Warfare Miniatures. They were made originally by Clarence Harrison. As usual now, a picture of the unit here drawn up in a firing line ~

Followed again by a couple of closer photographs to disabuse any passing visitor of the notion my painting is anything other than average ~

I'm off to Matt's for the Easter weekend - it's also Reuben's 4th birthday on Saturday and our 46th wedding anniversary on Easter Sunday, so plenty to celebrate there. On our return the painting table will first be occupied by figures for a British High Command base featuring more  Foundry miniatures, followed by a Brigade Command base with figures from the same manufacturers. Happy Easter!

The Battle of Coven Heath

The latest installment in our efforts to master Pike & Shotte as a rule set saw Phil and I returning to the ECW here in GHQ. As ever Phil commanded the Royalist army, as Sir Marmaduke Gaylord Robinson, while I commanded the Parliamentary army as Obadiah Bykleigh, gentleman. For those interested, Coven Heath is a little north of where I live and seemed an apt name to give our fictitious encounter battle. The objective for both sides is simply to defeat the enemy! As ever, a photomontage to give a sense of the unfolding tussle between tyranny and righteousness ~

The start of the action on the heath. Seen from the rear of the
Parliamentary right flank.

The Parliamentary army advances on the attack in Turn 1.

The Royalist army advances cautiously on the approaching foe!

In Turn 2 the Parliamentarians continue their determined
advance.

Alas, the same cannot be said for the Royalists!

On the Parliamentary left the Foote reach the field boundary.
Not so the supporting Dragoons who 'Blundered' and retired!

Not only the Dragoons proved hesitant: the Folorn Hope who
were tasked with taking the farm proved equally reluctant!

Meanwhile, for the Royalists things were starting to come
together. The foot Cavalry occupied the farm; the Dragoons
lined the hedge; and the Foote secured the field boundary!

In the first cavalry melee in Turn 4 both sides' Heavies were
'Shaken', but the Royalists lost and 'Retired' as a result of their
Morale check!

The Royalist cavalry came on again in Turn 5 but failed to
reach their opponents, giving them a chance to 'Rally' and
reduce a casualty!

Inspired by the steadiness of their Heavies, the Parliamentary
Horse charged the supporting Royalist Cavalry. Not to be
outdone they saw off the enemy in quick time!

On their right flank things are looking solid for the cause of
Righteousness! The Heavies rout their enemy in a bloody
encounter!

It was n't all going their way though as Lord Walton's Foote
waver under fire and finally Rout!

The Horse are finally bested too by a new wave of Royalist
Heavy Cavalry, though their progress is stemmed by a
second regiment of Horse.

It proves but a momentary respite though, the second regiment
soon joins the first in Rout!

Despite the setback, the Heavies dominate their Royalist foe
and secure the right flank.

The centre is consolidated and the exchange of musketry
continues unabated!

Yet another blunder sends Fairfax's Foote to the rear just as
Parliament goes over to the attack in the centre!

However, it proves of little import as by Turn 10 the Royalist
cause is lost, the army is broken and flees the field!

We feel we are getting their with working out the Pike and Shotte rules, though as Phil remarked over the post game coffee and cake, there is probably still an element or two of Black Powder creeping in unnoticed! No game here in GHQ now until mid May due to the flurry of Bank Holiday Mondays hoving into view and a trip to 'Jockshire' to take in Carronade.

A Journey to the Dark Side?

As many of you will know for the duration of 2019 Wargames Illustrated is giving away a free plastic sprue of figures with each month's issue. Most recently this consisted of a sprue from Warlord Games for the Anglo-Zulu War. Thanks to the generosity of friends in the hobby I acquired several sprues for free. As my views on plastic figures are well known to readers that alone probably constitutes a profound shock! That I have assembled them for painting as elements of the Natal Native Contingent probably heralds the end of times in the opinion of many folk ~

Now, being honest with you all, I've no idea when I shall find time to paint them. Probably not until near the year's close, but it represents my first tentative foray into the wicked world of plastic!

Mounted Command figures for the AWI

Still in the flow with my expansion to my AWI armies I've completed three mounted Command figures to make two Command bases, one British and one for the Continental army. The figures are once again from  the Perry Miniatures range for the AWI.
There are two figures in cut down coats and round hats which I've painted and fixed to one base for the British. They seem to me to be in urgent conversation so it seemed appropriate to base them together in this way ~

The third figure, depicted in full dress on a rearing horse I've painted as a Continental General Officer. His pose is suitably aggressive it seems to me for someone in rebellion against his lawful government ~

While I was finishing him off I've made a start on a Continental infantry unit in a mix of regulation uniforms and hunting shirts. They depict a firing line of course. The figures are from a mix of Perry Miniatures and older Foundry Miniatures, but all sculpted by the Perrys of course. When these are completed they will get a post of there own, so if you are interested then keep an eye out.