Time Flies When You're Busy

So I've been AWOL for uhhhh two weeks? or thereabouts. Apologies, mea culpa, etc etc. Life happened, as it often does, and I had a combination of small holidays (a long weekend in Ynys Mon, and another around Abertawe) as well as various Stuff that meant I didn't get any painting done really. On the plus side, I popped into the Games Workshop in Abertawe, and got some paints to help me with the ECW Parliamentarian cavalry commission, which I started to do again. Today I looked at the rather folorn Song of Ice and Fire Here's The Ruckus warband that I'd been doing what seems like years ago, and started working on Ser Geraint Blondel's retainers. These fellows are interesting in that the billmen aren't wearing livery coats, so the only model with the House livery on is the longbowman. I might put some little badges on the billmen though.

The billmen look rather uniform, don't they? I quite like it

I also took some time to use a nice new Contrast paint (Aggaros Dunes) on the second regiment of ECW horse:

24 of the 36 cavalry troopers have had their buff coats and gloves done now

The ECW commission has a deadline (October) so I'm really going to try to focus on them as much as I can over the next few weeks. I'd like to get them done and sent back to the commissioner as soon as I can now that it's cooled down enough to paint again.

In other news I also spent a little money and got some Really Useful Boxes, Warmag sticky-backed ferrous sheet, and several hundred 5x2mm magnets which will be arriving on Saturday - I sense a few pleasant hours gluing magnets to bases in order to safely store an army or two. If this works the way I hope it will, I'll be doing that to everything, painted or not, so that I can have a properly, safely, sensibly, stored collection.

Loyalty Above All

House Brock is a minor House in the Westerlands, owing fealty to House Lannister. As a result, Ser Aldway Brock brings his retainers to King Joffrey's army, in the process following his House's words. There are some who say he does so more from fear of Lannister reprisal rather than any semblance of actual honour or loyalty - but they, of course, are scurrilous rumourmongers.

The levies of House Brock traditionally all paint their helmets, partly to protect from rust and partly for better recognition on the field

I deliberately highlighted the blues differently to illustrate that the helmets are painted metal, while the cloth is, well, cloth

I really enjoy coming up with names... and really hate painting brigandines

Just like the blues, the whites are different - this time because I used a grey base on the helmets and a cream base on the cloth

Ser Aldway Brock (centre) with his retainers. Ser Brock and Harlow the Red wear their plate "in the white", which is to say without any livery coats over the armour

I've also been reading through the free rules for Never Mind The Billhooks and am thinking of re-basing my old Earl of Warwick's force that I painted up many years ago for A Crown Of Paper, A Coat Of Steel from the Perfect Captain - that's a system I've never played, sadly, but I definitely have opponents for Never Mind The Billhooks. A little maths means I have a company of 12 longbowmen (12 points), a band of six skirmishing archers (6 points), and a company of 12 men-at-arms (24 points) as well as the Earl of Warwick, Richard Neville (5 points), commanding - with a little painting - another company of 12 men-at-arms (24 points). That's 71 points minimum, and, if I upgrade the companies to veterans, that takes it up to 80. Which would mean I'd only need to spend another 20 points to get a full 100 point army - not sure on what, though. Anyway that's for another day.

Painting Points:
Today: 3
This Week: 8
2025: 389 

For The King! No, Not That One - Or That One - No, Not Him Either...

When there's five kings in circulation, sometimes your battle cries can get a bit confusing. Today I worked on the Joffrey-aligned Retinue, cracking out the standard bearer and one of the three characters before doing some basic work on some of the retainers. The standard bearer has a bigger, but similar, banner to House Chulain - but with the addition of the coat of arms of Joffrey I Baratheon. These guys are loyalists, you see, owing fealty to House Lannister.

The banner of House Brock, with their words: "Fidelitas Ante Omnis", or "Loyalty Above All"

The sigil of House Brock is, as you would expect, a badger. Note that both men are carrying war axes - a brutal weapon with the ability to spin it round and use the hammer edge to cave in armour plate

Dexter Hill, a noble bastard, who is a mercenary commander bringing his Free Spear to the service of the king for gold and the promise of knighthood, and House Brock's master-at-arms Harlow the Red, named after his hair colour

The Lannister lion and the Baratheon stag joined by marriage, stamping their domination on Westeros

Retainers from House Brock - the one on the left actually has half-plate on his legs which I didn't notice, so I'm going to have to go over that! I decided to give them all painted helmets just for style points

I have definitely got "the bug" as they say, and have been eyeing up the Perry Miniatures' range of late 15th Century Irish to make an Iron Islander raiding force, and the early 15th Century stuff to make a bunch of Northmen - they're referred to in the books as generally poorer and slightly less well equipped, so it makes sense for them to be wearing earlier styles of armour. That would cover four of the five kings - King Renly, King Joffrey, King in the North Robb and King Balon of the Isles and the North - leaving only King Stannis needing representation. Stannis is an interesting one because his core supporter's forces would probably look quite similar to those of his brother Renly and nephew Joffrey, but his army is largely drawn from the Stormlands, which are - particularly in the south - influenced by the Dornish, and bolstered by Lyseni pirates and mercenaries so I might use a mix of Italian and Swiss figures for the Stannis Retinue.

Painting Points:
Today: 2
This Week: 5
2025: 386 

Somewhere In Clan Jade Falcon Space...

Tonight P and I went to visit our friend C and his wife L, and C and I took advantage of being in the same place as each other for the first time in a while played a game of Battletech: Alpha Strike. A 500 point game saw a company of his Davion Guards go up against a binary of my Jade Falcon Falcon Guards. We actually played a scenario from the Alpha Strike Commander's Edition rulebook - Hold The Line. I ended up as defender, and had to stop his mechs from exiting my board edge. It turned out to be quite a challenging mission for me, and his two Hunchback -4SPs were absolute monsters. 

Deployment: C about to move his Assault Lance up towards the Jade Falcon defensive line.

End of Turn 1: The Davions have lost a Nightstar and a Phoenix Hawk, while the Falcons have lost a Turkina (with the Skill 2 Star Colonel in it!) thanks to the Assault Lance and the Kingfisher thanks to the Hunchbacks

End Turn 2: the survivors of the Command Star have spread out but the Dire Wolf fell victim to the Hunchbacks while the Kit Fox fell to the Falcon Ebon Jaguar. Damage was scattered around the Thunderbolt, a Thunderhawk, and one of the Phoenix Hawks

End Turn 3: The Command Star has been utterly destroyed, while the Fire Star has lost its Mist Lynx. The Adder has begun to demonstrate its charmed life, with all the shots going towards it missing. In return the Falcons have downed a Thunderhawk, the Thunderbolt, and a second Phoenix Hawk

End Turn 4: The writing is on the wall for the Falcon Guards - they have been reduced to just the Ebon Jaguar and the now armourless Adder! But perhaps one more turn is in order before they concede

End Turn 5, End Game: The losses have been brutal on both sides. The last gasp of the Falcons sees them destroy the Ceasar for the loss of the Ebon Jaguar. The Adder, in what can only be the result of sheer good fortune, remains standing! Only five of the Davion machines remain, but the ratio of 7 IS mechs to 9 Clan is not a good one - dezgra!

 Strictly speaking the result was a draw - C got 500 VP for the surviving machines, and I got 500 VP for reducing his force below half strength - but that's just a technicality. I got my behind well and truly handed to me, and I have a newfound healthy respect for the Hunchback. Especially when they have Speed Demon and are moving at 10" a turn! Overall I think that the scenario didn't favour me - I had an advantage at range, but couldn't make use of it: we were in short range by turn 1 and never fired a long range shot all game. However I have to hand it to C, he played well and exploited success. Next time, spheroids!

The Sun Shines On Us!

One of the things I'm enjoying about this little Ruckus project in the Song of Ice and Fire setting is coming up with all the House Words - "Aim True", "Green Grows The Wood" and now "The Sun Shines On Us". House Merryweather (properly Chulain-Merryweather) has an interesting and quite colourful coat of arms which was an interesting challenge to put on the longbowman, but I think the end result is quite solid. 

Emmaline Merryweather (second from right) with her retainers - the longbowman's coat is a less fancy version of hers, with only one each of the sigils

This angle shows you the green colour of Merryweather...

...and this angle shows you the red and black of House Chulain

I couldn't fit Emmaline's whole name on her base, so Merryweather it is!

With the completion of Merryweather and her retainers, the whole Renly-aligned retinue of Ser Chulain is complete:

Left to right - House Chulain-Merryweather, House Chulain, House Greenwood. Five longbowmen, four billmen, three minor nobles, a standard bearer and a herald

 Next up, of course, are the dastardly Lannister/Baratheon forces loyal to King Joffrey I Baratheon:

These were originally being painted by an old friend of mine many years ago, so I'll be painting over a bunch of this I think. I don't have a herald for the loyalists, but I do have a standard bearer so I might do a banner that combines Joffrey's arms with the arm of the captain's House Banefort. 

Painting Points:
Today: 3
This Week: 3
2025: 384 

 

 

Green Grows The Wood

Ha! I wasn't sure for a while today that I'd manage to do it, but I sat down and got the Greenwood men finished. I'm quite pleased with them, although the metal studs on the brigandine worn by one of the halberdiers proved a bit of a pain and don't look quite right (primarily because I didn't go through the rigamarole of painting the ones on the yellow half black first).

The helmet on the left-hand billman has a little tree painted on it which I like the look of. The billman on the right doesn't have a tree, because the brigandine doesn't really suit one...

The yellow is because they are a house linked to Baratheon, the black because it looks good next to yellow

Poor old Arnold. He probably doesn't deserve that nickname, but he knows what he did

The metal studs on the yellow really don't stand out - I might have to go back in and fix that one day

With that, I just have to do the Merryweather men next, and then that's the whole Ruckus band done and I can move onto the Lannister force (or the commissions).

 

Painting Points:
Today: 3
This Week: 12
2025: 381 

The Cousin's Men

 Medieval (and fantasy medieval) family trees can get quite labyrinthine. In my little Baratheon-aligned band there are two distinct Houses - Greenwood and Chulain - and a third, which has a coat of arms that combines Chulain with another, that of Merryweather. The Chulain-Merryweather family is represented by a cousin of Ser Padraig, Emmaline Merryweather. Emmaline is a calm and well-respected soldier, whose father is Padraig's uncle. She is an educated woman who is the only heir to the Chulain-Merryweather family, but also the only person able enough to fight and represent her family in the field in Renly's army.

On the left, the Chulain-Merryweather levy; on the right, the Greenwood levy

Like Ser Boros, Emmaline has a small retinue of a longbowman and two billmen, all wearing the quite intricate red, black, and green colours of her family. Unlike Ser Boros, she has a full suit of plate with a full-face helm and sabatons, and uses a sword to great effect alongside her men-at-arms. 

Emmaline Merryweather (who I painted years ago): I'm really quite proud of that surcoat!

Still not quite finished yet but I am getting there - a push tomorrow should see the Greenwood trio done, and then I reckon I can get the other levy sorted by Monday.

 

Ser Greenwood And His Men

Ser Boros Greenwood is the younger brother of Ser Jona Greenwood, lord of House Greenwood, and retainer of House Chulain. Ser Boros has come, with some of his levy, to fight alongside House Chulain in the army of Renly I Baratheon, rightful King of the Andals &c &c.

Ser Boros (second from left) and his immediate retinue

Ser Boros's retinue consists of a longbowman and two billmen, giving a little ranged capacity and some close quarters punch to back him up. He himself wears a suit of plate armour, although, because his House is poorer than most, he lacks sabatons and has a cheaper open-face helm. He favours a warhammer - it is blunt and unsophisticated, like him. 

The yellow is an interesting challenge to paint, and I'm not totally sure the yellow and black brigandine is entirely accurate - it would probably be a plain leather colour - but sod it, I want them to be recognisably part of Ser Boros' little band on the tabletop, and that's as good a method as any.

Loose!

Today I had every intention to paint Parliamentarian cavalrymen. 

Then I sat down and painted Song of Ice and Fire longbowmen and a herald, because uhhhh they were mostly done and it was easy and it's very hot in the office where I paint and... um... anyway here, some longbowmen (and a herald):

These are all Perry Miniatures WR1 plastics

The sigil on the herald's trumpet is that of House Baratheon of Storm's End; it's Renly's badge

I gave them the sorts of names that people have when you don't have surnames or family names

Painting those damn prancing stags on the flag really tested my freehand capacity

Together with the lord - Ser Padraig Chulain - and the standard bearer, Sally Strongarm, this little block of six figures is the first chunk of the Baratheon-aligned Ruckus warband:

 

House Chulain, a minor noble house, is famed for its longbowmen, seen in the family words, "Aim True"

 

So I guess I'm on a sudden medieval fantasy kick. I really need to pick up a couple of contrast paints and some more Agrax Earthshade I think, in order to do the New Model Army cavalry justice. So I'll try and grab those this week - I really really want to try and get those horse done this month.

 

Painting Points:
Today: 4
This Week: 9

2025: 378 

What A Ruckus

I am nothing if not a massive hobby butterfly. It took about 2.3 seconds of a group chat with my friends C, D, and H, to become convinced to repurpose figures linked to my old attempt at making a conversion for Games Workshop's Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game to play games set in the A Song Of Ice And Fire world (based much more on the books and the Wars of the Roses than the TV series) for the relatively new skirmish game from Mike Peters, Never Mind The Billhooks: Here's The Ruckus (for which there's a lot of free downloads on the Wargames Illustrated website).

A quick rummage in my Pile of Opportunity turned up enough Perry Miniatures' plastics (and a couple of metals) to create a Baratheon-aligned warband and a Lannister-aligned one. The Baratheon-aligned force is meant to represent troops whose lord has backed Renly Baratheon for the Iron Throne, so there's less yellow than one might think. 

A slightly larger than necessary Ruckus warband - the standard bearer and herald/musician is probably entirely un-necessary, but looks very cool

That photo's a bit misleading - the standard bearer was painted today! The others were all either finished already or had their metalwork done today. And speaking of the standard bearer, Sally Strongarm:

Perry Miniatures plastic (wo)man-at-arms with a paper flag

House Chulain's words, 'Verum Petere' - 'Aim True'. It still needs the edges touching up, but it looks really good!

The effect of full harness is quite striking - that's a lot of shiny metal! 

Another view of the banner and the stripy stick

 
The banner started out as me drawing a traditional paper flag, then I remember I was sitting next to my partner, P, who is an illustrator and artist and uses Clip Studio Paint and other strange and arcane tools to do good drawing stuff... which resulted in this:

 

The original version can be seen in the bottom left - everything else is me showing P what I wanted!

And this is the end result! It's so good!

This should - I hope - be a nice quick project, which I can do alongside the ECW cavalry and the spaceship commissions. The end result should be two small Ruckus warbands, one aligned to Renly Baratheon and one aligned to his nephew, Joffrey Baratheon. Ahh medieval civil wars...

Painting Points:
Today: 1
This Week: 5
2025: 374