Tuesday 27 September 2011

Rules and more rules.

Over the last few years I have collected a variety of different rules publications. I had used Warhammer Ancients as the staple for quite some time having spent long afternoons and evenings playing the fantasy variant. I have copies of Poleaxed (Lance & Longbow), Bloody Barons (Peter Pig), Warhammer Ancients (Games Workshop), Medieval Warfare (Terry Gore), and finally I picked up a copy of Hail Caesar at Salute earlier this year.

I am currently basing my orbats for the Battle of Bosworth Field on the Medieval Warfare Supplement although with some slight modifications they'll fit nicely into Poleaxed. Of course it will be some time before I have a chance to play them.

Sunday 25 September 2011

The Lead/Plastic Pile

I have listed below the miniatures I have bought for this new project. Virtually all of the miniatures are from the Perry Miniatures war of the Roses range.


24 x WR1 Plastic Wars of the Roses Infantry (bows and bills)   
1 x WR2 Lancastrian mounted high command ( Henry VI, Margret of Anjou, Duke of Buckingham)  
1 x WR3 Yorkist mounted high command ( Edward IV, Lord Fauconberg, Lord Hastings)        
1 x WR4 Lancastrian mounted high command ( Henry VII, Sir William Brandon standard bearer, herald)
1 x WR5 Yorkist mounted high command ( Richard III, Sir Percival Thirwall standard bearer, herald)
4 x WR6 Breach loading field piece, single arc, plus 4 crew firing
4 x WR7 Breach loading field piece, double arc, plus 4 crew loading   
1 x WR8 Mounted high command (Warwick "The Kingmaker", Richard, Duke of York and Salisbury)       
1 x WR9 Mounted Lancastrian command (Somerset, Wenlock and The Prince of Wales)       
2 x WR10 Mounted pages  
23 x WR11 Mounted standard bearers/lance armed Men at Arms  
1 x WR12 Lancastrian command on foot (Henry VI, Prince of Wales, Somerset, Oxford, Buckingham and Longstrother)
1 x WR13 Yorkist command and Warwick on foot (Edward IV, Warwick, Fauconberg, Hastings, Gloucester and Salisbury)       
2 x WR14 Men at Arms/Knights standing with polearms         
2 x WR15 Men at Arms/ Knights attacking with polearms         
2 x WR16 Bombard (includes bombard, mantlet and 6 crew)  
7 x WR17 Scurrers command        
7 x WR18 Scurrers, lance upright            
6 x WR19 Scurrers scouting          
4 x WR20 Plastic 'Mercenaries', European Infantry 1450-1500

2 x Ribaulquin - Redoubt Enterprises
8 x gunners - Front Rank Miniatures

Coming Full Circle

I would like to begin this blog with a piece of text from Shakespeare's Richard III. It is a reminder that history is written by the victor.
    But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks,
    Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass;
    I, that am rudely stamp'd, and want love's majesty
    To strut before a wanton ambling nymph;
    I, that am curtail'd of this fair proportion,
    Cheated of feature by dissembling nature,
    Deformed, unfinish'd, sent before my time
    Into this breathing world, scarce half made up,
    And that so lamely and unfashionable
    That dogs bark at me as I halt by them; 
The purpose of this site is to blog my War of the Roses project and to post interesting links about the War of the Roses and Richard III, a much misaligned king and the last English king to die in battle.
 
I have been fascinated by that period we know as the War of the Roses for much of my wargaming life. As a teenager I got involved in a 15mm medieval  wargame using the old WRG 6th ed. It was entertaining and good fun to play as I remember it. I even went out and bought some Essex 15mm War of the Roses armies. I didn't get very far with the painting. No surprises there. Time moved on. Over the years I involved myself with other periods and scales. 

A couple of years ago I dug out my old 15mm miniatures and began painting them in an attempt to finish the armies. I added to the collection with some of Peter Pig's miniatures. Having doubled what I started with I set about building a Tudor and Yorkist army for the Battle of Bosworth Field. That was until I had a chat with an old wargaming friend. He explained to me that those talented Perry Brothers were going to be producing plastic late medieval models. I managed to resist the urge to buy some of these models as y lead/plastic pile was big enough...and besides I had a growing collection of late medieval models in 15mm. Of course, that all changed.

I am a fan of 28mm miniatures and succumbing to that collector's curse (Oh they look good, I must get those) I have purchased a small mountain of lead and plastic from the Perry Brothers!