This message has not been approved by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban COMPLETED!

    Too lazy to run a game tonight I had spent the evening sipping bourbon and talking politics with the Trunkmonkey and was in a fine, softly buzzed, mood when he left. Not ready for bed, but not really fit for serious work, I began thinking that I needed an earthwork to go with my 15mm TYW figures. I flipped through a couple of books on the period and it occurred to me that they were prone to building some pretty fancy earthworks. Of course this caused me to get out Proxxie and some Styrofoam.........

 

Proxxie in all his low-tech glory!

An Epicurean Thermopylae

          Frantic in their search for allies the Small-Platers of Bordelaise and Poivrade have enlisted the Pirate Captains in their efforts to stop the forces of Louis the Ravenous from gobbling up the Soubise valley and, following that, their cities. The coast road from Pomerol to Soubise creeps along the narrow space betwixt mountain and ocean and the Small-Platers have paid handsomely for the Pirate Captains to block that route. With plenty of time to prepare the pirates have dug in and fortified the narrowest passage and mounted cannon to further deny the roadway. The Freedonian army has been slow to mobilize and move and it looks as if they may be using an inland route for most of their force, the pirates are confident that they can halt anything moving along the coast.

         The forces of Freedonia do not move blindly and have scouted the pirates position. The map below was provided by the Freedonian light troops, two redoubts armed with cannon and a line of earthworks closing the pass. Is it possible to force the position given the strength of the pirates and their fortifications? Would it be wise to defy the will of Louis the Ravenous and choose a different route? Will there be crepes with lunch?  Who knows, but we will soon find out (I hope there are crepes with lunch, I love crepes!)

Rex Mortuus Est, Vivat Rex

HORRIBLE NEWS FROM THE WILD BOOZONIAN COAST!

       The fifth of November 1619A.D. Terrible news has come to our attention; far away on the Boozonian coast in a tiny fishing village near Bowmore and brawl between bands of ruffians has caused the death of an entirely innocent man; Clauz IV de Flamboise. Local citizens having suffered at the hands of the ruffians throughout the night heard a series of armed clashes just after dawn. After the smoke had cleared and the rabble had dispersed the villagers crept out into the sunlight to find dozens of corpses scattered across the fertile countryside. Among those lifeless bodies was the distinguished person of Claus IV, struck dead from a musket shot to the face. Locals gathered his effects including a gold signet ring, fine clothing and a war-horse branded to the royal House of de Flamboise. The local sheriff has verified these facts.

       The identity of the ruffians remains unknown, some claim that it was rival bands of Nordlandzer and Frozonian pirates settling a score or searching for hidden loot, more truthfully others just shrug and say that they don't know.

       A second tragedy has struck the House of de Flamboise in the space of two months, what further sorrows will befall the tearful land of Gluttonia?

 

the once-quiet village of Brineyville, north is to the right

as a small action this game was played out using 28mm figures and Pikemans Lament rules

News on the Freedonian Front The situation as of November 4th, 1619

         After long delays it seems that things are beginning to happen in the West. Rumors are rife that His Most Caloric Majesty has ordered his troops mobilized to "assist" Franz de Flamboise in his journey to Vienee to claim his rightful inheritance.

          Reports that the garrison of Pomeral has begun moving along the coast toward Soubise and that of Malbec is moving toward Marinara. There have been claims that Franz has been seen in the company of the Commander of the Malbec garrison which confirms that the Freedonians are shifting from verbal support to direct military aid.

          Gluttonian Small Plate forces are thin on the ground facing Freedonia and they are frantically seeking a way to counter this threat.  Shocking stories abound that they are even in contact with the Pirate Captains in a bid to secure their help.

 

 Freedonia moves east!

Game this Tuesday 5NOV19

A small affair using Pikemans Lament rules.
Covert operations in the current campaign 7pm, my place

Playing with Proxie.....a 1/100 Starfort UPDATED

      Readers from my main blog will instantly realize that I have gone and done something foolish with blueboard........

 

....they are right, of course

The Scurvy Pirates and their Captains....

 

not a large force, but they are particularly vicious

 
      The godforsaken devils whose ships brought the invaders to Mindoro and started this whole terrible war. The Pirates rarely appear far from saltwater but they are open-minded about sacking a town or two, especially if there is rum or gold to had. They are nimble fighters, used as they are to climbing in rigging all day. They also are a glad-hand with heavy artillery (an aspect that the invaders particularly appreciate as they have no cannon of their own) and will happily blast in your city gates to get at the goods inside. The only good aspect about them is that they can often be bribed to either go away or switch sides.

Staff
            3 x Captains all rank 4

Crewmen
            9 x Shot Companies

Speed   Melee   Shoot   Discipline   Courage   Stamina         Infantry   Cavalry   Salvo   Artillery
     5          4           3             5               4                4                     4              4            4             5
 Weapons;  Musket, Halberds & Greatswords
Special Rules; Light

A Grand Review

 

that is a 6 x4 foot table

      In the process of rebasing my armies I had to take them out of their boxes and reorganize them. I thought that, as long as I had them all out of the boxes, I would snap a picture of the whole lot in one place. Frankly, I didn't think that I had as many as all of this. What really surprised me was that I had painted almost all of them myself, kudos are due to Trunkmonkey (who painted two full Pike & Shot units) Steve Polan (who executed about thirty very nice Horse) and Little John (who painted several dozen of the foot figures mixed into the Shot Companies). As you can see about half of the total still needs to be rebased......sigh.

The Army of the Warlords of Mindoro, Updated with Stats for the troops

     The invaders that were the spark that started the entire conflict. The Epicureans never saw them coming and certainly didn't anticipate the fury of the assault. There were interruptions in trade with the East and rumors drifted through of a vast army that conquered all before it with a savage fury. But, as soon as trade resumed, the Epicureans ignored the rumors and went back to business as usual.

         Even when word had been received that these mystery warriors had joined forces with the Pirate Captains to gain the ability to move by sea nothing was done. Then one sunny day the Dark Fleet sailed in from the East. They made short work of the sleepy garrisons on Mindoro and were soon scouring the Middle Sea for merchant vessels to prey upon.

         The Emperor of Gluttonia, in an effort to recover his lost province, invaded Mindoro and was winning the land campaign when he was struck down during an insignificant skirmish. The resulting succession crisis led to the hasty withdrawal of the Gluttonian troops and the expansion of the invaders realm to include the islands of Kassabalka and Khrotos. This respite has also allowed the invaders to reorganize and settle in as the new masters of Mindoro.

 

the council of four Warlords  and their army

More Troops Mobilized for the Service of the King!

      Of course the question is which King?

      I finally got around to re-basing a bunch of figures, most importantly I now have some bases of dragoons (which appear on more than one army list!).

 

a Tercio Viejo, two Pike & Shot units, a Musketeer Corps,

 a Shott Company, a Melee Company with Halbreds  and four Dragoon units

Special Message to the Count de Veloute

     Your Highness,

                 I hesitate to impose upon your time of grief at the loss of your father, a brave and bold man was he, but crucial bit of information has come to my attention in speaking with soldiers that survived the last battle. The Buorgiugnonner troops were in such a hurry to head on their way after the last fight that they neglected to carry away the cannons that your father had sent to aid in the battle. Reports are that they had only burned the carriages and left the barrels lying on the field.
                A small force of skilled and motivated men could easily enough recover the precious gun barrels and bring them back to the city, providing double service to your Highness; preserving the cannon bought by your father and depriving the enemy of the chance to capture and use them against us later. I would hasten to point out that the Bourgiugnonners are doubtless aware of the valuable items that they left behind as well and are without a doubt planning to recover them as soon as is feasible.
               Speed is of the essence. I would be happy to place myself, and my company of bold soldiers, at your service in the execution  of this vital mission.

                         Your Faithful and Honest Servant,

                                                           Jacques sans-Pantaloons, Captain