Game On!

A great start to this year…

Andy came over for a game of Wars of the Roses (Never Mind the Billhooks) last weekend. It was, in my view, the best game we've had yet which probably reflects the fact that our experience with the rules is growing (in Andy's case, a lot; in my case, a little!)

Anyway, here are a few snaps from the game. My army is the Warwick contingent (red with white 'Bear and Ragged Staff' livery in the main), whilst Andy's is Lancastrians.

Above: one of my Wards is commanded by the fictional Mortimer of Arden and his retinue is dressed in a fictional livery... any resemblance to a certain midlands football team is purely accidental, honest. 

It was a ding-dong affair, with the vagaries of the dice causing amusement and consternation in equal measure. Andy is tactically very good with these rules now and I learned a lot... which is to say that, after a good six turns, Andy came out on top, with a swing in his favour in the final turn. Most important, it was good fun, looked pretty, and was played in the right spirit in great company.

I have added a new Geek Villain mat to the growing collection which I am happy with as a representation of a sort of muddy moorland look.

Some other things to note in the photos...

The Italian cavalry on my side are simply proxies while I complete the Warwick forces. I am pleased with the progress on this Billhooks Warwick army… just one unit to do (some light cavalry) … and that’s it completed. 

Here's the army laid out, without the Italian cavalry unit... I can't wait to post a picture of the finished force.

It has been a productive month at the painting desk. In addition to painting a couple of units for the Warwick army seen in the photos above, I also added plenty of tabletop paraphernalia as well.

At the start of the year, jotting in my hobby journal one night, I created a “Terrain and Vignettes Bits n Bobs” list, for all projects. It included all those items that I’ve picked up at wargames shows but that I haven’t finished yet - Renedra fencing, for example, and sundry other things. So, I’m gradually working through lots of that stuff and it will be appearing on the table throughout the year, and beyond.

I have been working on a few tokens and other items of table extras to enhance the games too. 

Some might see this as a Token Effort, or even Counter Productive, or at worst a Counter Offensive… how ya likin’ these puns?

But... Hark… these Heralds represent order counters… a level three commander has three Heralds to initiate orders each turn, and so on.

Andy’s favourite item is the rudimentary medieval latrines I created to go with the camp as an area in which to place captured enemy morale counters. Seems appropriate.

I also picked up a couple of building kits – the cottage and barn you can see in the photos of the game. Easy to make and paint. And I think useful for games involving the Wars of the Roses armies, and right through the ECW and beyond.

The New Year brought with it the usual sense of fresh beginnings, and for us wargamers that spells new projects (or, “trouble”). I spent a fair amount of time jotting notes in my hobby journal about the state of play of various ongoing projects and concluded that this coming year I will focus back on a couple of old ones and ‘finish them off’. We’ll see.

Meantime, hope you had an equally hobby-filled start to 2025.

 

Bloody Christmas!

The final unit of the year ...probably. Although I have some bits of Wars of the Roses stuff to do before the next Billhooks game on 30th December at Andy's...

However, here is a slight 'departure'; I couldn't resist the Bloody Miniatures, and although they are most often seen in skirmish groups, I decided to add a few Renegade and Bicorne chaps I had lying around to create the regiment of Sir Allen Apsley's Foote... stout Royalists all, and here to stop that damned Cromwell fellow from cancelling Christmas!

With compliments of the season to all readers and visitors to Warcabinet this year. Merry Christmas, one and all!

Best wishes

Phil

Billhookery

The past couple of months have seen me dive into a fresh army for Never Mind the Billhooks (NMTB), and last weekend they got their first outing on the table.

Being a Warwickshire lad, it had to be...

I added a twist to the army in the form of one of the Ward commanders being the fictitious "Mortimer of Arden", sporting a variation on the red livery by adding some light blue and a golden lion (ok, so you will have already guessed the football reference, I'm sure).

There are a few more units to complete for the army, hopefully in the next two months.

Andy and John visited last weekend (Steve being unable to join us due to lurgy, flu, and general pestilence). We had a 180 points a side game in which my 'half' army joined up with Andy's almost complete Lancastrians to face around 180 points of John's Yorkists. The benefit of doing a Warwick army is that they can legitimately be used on either side, of course.

Anyway, here are some snaps of the action...

It was a keenly fought affair, with plenty of laughs, and all three of us putting in performances worthy of the infamous Old Berks Wooden Spoon...
My own dice rolling for the Bonus card draw was atrocious; one of Andy's companies changed sides mid-battle courtesy of John playing the Treachery card; and John's own army collapse was precipitated by a series of about four consecutive dice rolls of 4 (on 2d6) which saw a general rout along the line, just at the point when he was about to deliver a potentially devastating blow to our centre.

An enjoyable way to spend the day.

You will notice the use of my latest terrain acquisition in the form of a Geek Villain mat. The lads liked it, but for me it seems a little 'fussy' and the jury is still out on it. Not sure. Comments welcome!

Other news... it has been a 'mixed' few months... Lisa's brother sadly passed away, and shortly afterwards my Dad passed on too. But, the sadness has been tempered with a desire to do more with the time that is given to us (as a wizard once said), hence the painting and gaming has come to the fore. This was made even more acute when I learned of the passing of a long-standing wargaming friend of well over 30+ years, Peter Nicholson, who many will know as one half of The Iron Brigade who put on such splendid games at shows in Scotland and frequently at Partizan too. Peter will be sadly missed on the hobby circuit, that's for sure, and my condolences go out to Kevin (his hobby partner) and to Dawn and Peter's family, and to all who knew him. 

As for 2024 as a whole, and looking ahead to 2025, I have to say, I am inspired by the number of projects and periods which currently appeal, and the myriad rules sets that are coming out to bring zest to the hobby... Billhooks, yes, but also NMT Matchlocks (more of which soon), and Midgard - the latest fashion, and deservedly so.

It's looking like a bright festive period, and a positive 2025.

Three month Sabbatical

 As is evident, it's been a while.

I have had a bit of a Hobby Sabbatical for the past few months, with some thinking, reflecting, and planning time.

I've also been catching up on some reading, with everything from the 1809 campaign in Bavaria, through to the Thirty Years War, and other 17C material, getting some attention.

Talking of the TYW, I did do a little painting in the past few weeks, just on a whim.

I have lots of  special conversion figures that Brian Rigelsford made for me about 15 years ago for the Thirty Years' War project that have been calling to me for some paint, and so I pottered around with them for a while.

The first was a piece titled "Please look after him, Sir":

Then I added just a small command group, and decided to make them French, for some reason.

Then I buckled to the temptation of the 1898 Miniatures TYW French and Spanish range, producing a French infantry unit:

This could have been something to do with a number of Helion books on Rocroi and the French and Spanish armies of the period arriving!

So, it's not all been a totally idle sabbatical, but it has been very 'easy-going' on the painting front. Some would say that's exactly what a hobby should be like. Of course. 

And then there comes a moment when a fresh, structured hobby project plan emerges...

More on that at some point soon...