Earl of Oxford's Retinue

Well I have finally got the project under way! I have now built the the retinue for the Earl of Oxford but as yet it is only undercoated. I'll post a picture to accompany the post tomorrow. The retinue consists of four stands of 4 archers, two stands of 4 billmen and two stands of 2 M-A-A. This includes Oxfords stand.

As of yet I haven't decided how I will finish the bases, so I'll keep pondering. If anyone has any bright ideas feel free to comment.

Revised Orbats for Bosworth Field

I have spent the last few nights reviewing the Poleaxed orbats by Lance and Longbow and the orbats from Medieval Warfare. what I like about the Poleaxed rules is that they give a breakdown of the contingent commanders who took the field, not just the lord who commanded the battle. So with that in mind I have kept the contingent commanders and adapted the orbats to use the Hail Caesar ruleset.

I am basing the models on 40mm x 40mm for infantry and 75mm x 50mm for cavalry. So they are usable for 'A Crown of Steel' and Medieval Warfare. Reading the Hail Caesar message board on the Yahoo Group page Rick Priestly played a game a while ago where they used mixed formations of Billmen and Bowmen. To this end I put together standard sized contingents. Anyhow, here are the orbats in a revised form for Hail Caesar;

The Tudor Host

Henry Tudor - 4 x Mtd M-A-A (4 stands)

Jasper Tudor - 1 x Dismtd M-A-A, 3 x Billmen, 4 x Bowmen (8 stands)

John De Vere - 2 x Dismtd M-A-A, 2 x Billmen, 4 x Bowmen (8 stands)

Rhys ap Thomas - 1 x Dismtd M-A-A, 3 x Billmen, 4 x Bowmen (8 stands)

Viscount Welles - 1 x Dismtd M-A-A, 3 x Billmen, 4 x Bowmen (8 stands)

Poynings - 8 x Pike, 4 x Hand Gunners (12 stands)

Guildford - 8 x Pike, 4 x Hand Gunners (12 stands)

 

Savage - 2 x Scurrours (2 stands)

Talbot - 2 x Scurrours (2 stands)

The Yorkist Host

Richard III - 2 x Mtd M-A-A (2 stands)

Robert Percy - 2 x Mtd M-A-A (2 stands)

Duke of Norfolk/Earl of Shrewsbury - 4 x Dismtd M-A-A, 4 Bowmen (8 stands)

Zouch - 4 x Bowmen, 4 x Hand Gunners (8 stands)

Surrey - 2 Mtd M-A-A (2 stands)

Brackenbury/Scrope - 4 x Dismtd M-A-A, 4 Bowmen (8 stands)

Greystoke - 1 x Dismtd M-A-A, 1 x Billmen, 3 x Bowmen (5 stands)

Devereux - 1 x Dismtd M-A-A, 1 x Billmen, 3 x Bowmen (5 stands)

 

Northumberland - 2 x Dismtd M-A-A, 2 x Billmen, 4 x Bowmen (8 stands)

 

Pudsey - 2 x Mtd M-A-A (2 stands)

Manners - 2 x Mtd M-A-A (2 stands)

 

The Treacherous Stanleys

 

Lord Thomas Stanley/Peshall - 2 x Dismtd M-A-A, 2 x Billmen, 4 x Bowmen (8 stands)

Digby - 1 Dismtd M-A-A, 1 x Billmen, 3 x Bowmen (5 stands)

 

Sir William Stanley - 2 x Mtd M-A-A (2 stands)

Legh - 2 x Scurrours (2 stands)

Holford - 2 x Scurrours (2 stands)

 

Depending on how I am set I may up the size of the cavalry regiments. I can only hope that Michael and Alan Perry can get their plastic late medieval knights miniatures out on general release soon.

 

 

A Rather Daunting prospect!

Having finally got back home from my travels I have been sorting through the collection. Here are the plastic boxes in all their glory. I had forgotten just how many boxes I had purchased for this project.

I have also photographed the metal miniatures in their boxes. The picture isn't too clear, however I 'll be opening them up quite soon to starting building the contingents. First up will be John de Vere, the Earl of Oxford and his retainers.

Hudsen and Allen Medieval Buildings

Now that I have returned to the sunny island of Jersey I have been able to take stock of my War of the Roses collection. When I bought the Perry miniatures I bought some Hudsen and Allen buildings at the same time. I must say I am very impressed with the casts. I bought them through Ebob Miniatures. You can find a link to the site on this page.

The Battle of Bosworth Field - Orbats

Well here is the first post of 2012! I have been sifting through some of my info and have found the Poleaxed orbats for Bosworth Field. Poleaxed is a cheap set of rules published by those fellows at the Lance and Longbow Society.

I have also provided some information as to the abbreviations in the orbats.
AC (Army Commander), BC (Battle commander), CC (Contingent Commander), FHC (Fully Harnessed Cavalry), Ac (Armoured cavalry), FHI (Fully Harnessed Infantry), PHI (Partially Harnessed Infantry), AI (Armoured Infantry), AI LBOW (Armoured Infantry with Longbow), UI LBOW (Unarmoured Infantry with Longbow), AI Pike (Armoured Infantry with Pike), HG (Hand Gunners)

Tudor Army
AC - Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond (6 FHC)
CC - Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke (8 PHI, 16 AI, 16 AI LBOW, 6 FHC)

BC - John de Vere, Earl of Oxford (8 FHI, 8 AI, 16 LBOW)
CC - Rhys ap Thomas (8 PHI, 8 AI, 16 LBOW)
CC - Viscount Welles (8 PHI, 8 AI, 16 LBOW)
CC - Poynings (16 AI Pike, 8 HG)
CC - Guildford (16 AI Pike, 8 HG)

CC - Savage (6 Ac)
CC - Talbot (6 Ac)

Yorkist Army
AC - Richard III (6 FHC)
CC - Robert Percy (12 FHC)

BC - Duke of Norfolk (8 FHI)
CC - Earl of Shrewsbury ( 8 PHI, 16 AI LBOW)
CC - Zouch (16 AI LBOW, 8 HG)
CC - Surrey (6 FHC)

BC - Robert Brackenbury (8 FHI)
CC - John, Lord Scrope (8 FHI, 16 AI LBOW)
CC - Lord Greystoke (8 PHI, 16 AI LBOW)
CC - Baron Devereux (8 PHI, 16 AI LBOW)

BC - Northumberland ( 8 FHI)
CC - Henry Percy ( 6 FHC)
CC - Widdrington (8 AI, 16 UI LBOW)

CC - Pudsey (12 FHC)
CC - Manners (12 FHC)

The Stanleys

BC - Thomas, Lord Stanley (8 FHI)
CC - Peshall (8 PHI, 16 AI LBOW)
CC - Digby (8AI, 16 AI LBOW)

BC - Sir William Stanley (6 FHC)
CC - Stanley (6 FHC, 6 Ac)
CC - Legh (12 Ac)
CC - Holford (12 Ac)

Although I have these orbats they do slightly change with the orbats for the wargame rules Medieval Warfare. I think that I will lean heavily on these orbats when making up the minatures.

All I have to do now is to decide which army I am going to start with. My plan is to paint a contingent at a time, that way I can keep a clear track of how I am getting on.

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.

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!