Another Battle

I played another test battle of Blue vs. Red.

Set Up

I decided to play the Seize scenario, which requires both sides to capture something that is in the middle of the battlefield. I chose to make the objective a town comprised of some new buildings.

The Armies

• Red - 1 cavalry, 3 heavy infantry
• Blue - 2 light infantry (on the flanks), 2 heavy infantry

The Battle

The Red and Blue armies both approach the town of Keeno.

Red assaults Blue and pushes them back. Notice the new casualty markers. I designed them to look like trails of blood. The infantry in the town are sideways just so they would fit into the square.

Red's advance destroys a light and a heavy infantry unit.

Blue has lost 2 units so rolls for morale. It fails and must retreat. Victory for Red.

Terrain Experiments

During the battle, I experimented with some terrain. The town of Keeno was made of a couple of new buildings that I got from PicoArmor. Here are some more.

I still have quite a few I haven't painted.

I also played around with the woods. I have just been using a scouring pad. It worked great for 2mm, but the 3mm figures are a bit too tall in comparison, as you can see from this picture.

I had an idea for simple trunks. I cut out a piece of black foam. It is slightly smaller than the scouring pad.

Then I placed the scouring pad on the foam. It got a little off kilter in this photo.

The idea is to raise the "leaves" above the soldiers. Furthermore, the figures can stand under the eaves of the woods instead of standing on top. In practice, it was a bit fiddly. but that was because the tree tops were not attached to the trunks. I kept knocking the top off. I think I'll try gluing them together and seeing how it works.

And here is a test forest that I crafted after the game.

In addition to gluing the two parts together, I used light brown paint to mark tree trunks. I rather like the look and can't wait to try it out in a game.

The Byzantine Path of GADD

In all my wargaming years, I have to say that GADD (Gamer's Attention Deficit Disorder) is rather common occurrence. By GADD, I mean that I am in the middle of one project only to have my interest piqued by another conflict or period. I then go rushing off into a new project, abandoning the old one.

Well, my latest bout of GADD has to do with this:

Basil II Bulgar Slayer

Yes, I'm on a Byzantine kick now. How did that happen?!

It Started with Armor

As COVID vaccines are rolling out, I have been thinking about returning to my favorite hobby - live action roleplaying (LARP). I've posted before about this hobby (here's a post about my kits over the years). Anyway, I began thinking about armor.

Here is my current set. I love the look, but right now my lower torso is exposed, and the cuirass is difficult to put on by myself.

I also have this faux brigandine made of leather and steel rivets. It is easy to put on, but it is a bit heavier than I like.

I began pondering armor because I have a bunch of these lying around. With 4 cats, I tend to order a lot of pet supplies.

It dawned on me that these boxes would work great for making armor templates. I decided to experiment.

My Armor Experiments

I'm interested in making a brigandine coat with plastic plates. I found a simple pattern and set about doing a test version out of a Chewy box and a t-shirt. It faltered, however, when it came to riveting. I began to look for something easier to make.

This led me to lamellar armor. In this type of armor, the plates are laced together (which is a lot easier than riveting). I decided to try it out and began searching for patterns and instructions.

Historically, lamellar armor was not widely used in western Europe. It was more prevalent in Asia (e.g. samurai armor) and eastern Europe. What intrigued me most was references to Byzantine lamellar armor (kind of like what ol' Basil is wearing above). I was disappointed to learn that Byzantine lamellar was riveted to a leather backing. Oh well, I may try to make some Byzantine-inspired lamellar without the backing.

Which Leads To

Anyway, this has now led me into research on Byzantine military equipment, which has led to research into Byzantine military history, which has inspired an interest in gaming some Byzantine battles.

I have another horse & musket battle to post, but don't be surprised to see some Byzantine battles in the near future.

Siege of Falconhoof

Falconhoof Campaign - Part 1

In the kingdom of Freidonia, the ambitious Duke Kullen has revolted against the monarch. Within the duchy, Castle Falconhoof has remained loyal to the crown. Kullen besieges the defenders of the castle.

Notes
I've been itching to try my latest version of MicroBattle for the ancient/medieval era. I also have been holding onto a copy of Wargames Illustrated # 374, which includes a neat little mini-campaign for Lion Rampant. Because I have a long holiday weekend, I thought it would be a perfect time to test out both.

The First Encounter
Lord Lucas, master of Falconhoof, sends out a party to gather supplies for the garrison. Kullen tries to deny supplies to the defenders.
The campaign involves playing 5 random scenarios from Lion Rampant, each representing a small-scale action occurring as part of the siege. The first scenario turned out to be I - A Taxing Afternoon. Except, instead of taxes, the two sides are fighting over supplies.

The opposing forces line up across the fields outside of the castle. Supplies (pennies) are scattered throughout the fields.

There is a mad scramble for supplies. Lord Lucas's mounted sergeants are overwhelmed by a combined attack from enemy crossbowmen and cavalry.

The Duke's horse fights a unit of foot sergeants for control of supplies.

The horse win and ride off with the supplies. The Duke's men are more successful (8 points of supplies vs. 3)

The Second Encounter
Low on supplies, Lord Lucas realizes that he must get aid if the castle is to hold out. He sends a substantial force to escort a messenger to the king.
This scenario is H - The Messenger from Lion Rampant.

With mounted sergeants in the van, the messenger (arrow - one of the horsemen bears a standard) rides for freedom.

The Duke's forces converge

And engage (upper right). Meanwhile, Lord Lucas's forces break some of the enemy's cavalry (lower right).

But the messenger slips by and leaves his pursuers in the dust.

As Lord Lucas watches the fray from his tallest tower, he breathes a sigh of relief. The king shall get notice of his plight and, God willing, shall send help soon.

This evens the campaign at 1 victory apiece. The campaign laurels will go to the side with the most victories. With 3 more encounters to go, it's anyone's ball game. Stay tuned for more reports!