I’ve been slaving away at the work bench for a couple of weeks now (in between getting my ass handed to me in a couple of remote zoom games) but project Wiglaf is now finally complete.
Well as finished as any project ever is…
All the miniatures I need for two opposing forces (the curse of the solo gamer) are painted and based…and the unusual off set square playing area has been cobbled together from foam board and off cuts of old battle mat (waste not want not).
The figures are part of a range created by Daniel Mersey in 18mm and they depict warriors from the warring factions in 7th century Britain. I’ve gone with Christian Northumbrians versus Pagan Mercians.
The rules that go with them seem like a cross between Dux Belorum and Saga, (but without the quirky special attributes or funky dice of Saga) and they are novel enough to have really caught my interest.
 |
| Something that I threw together over the weekend. Like you do. Shame I couldn’t be arsed to move the sea cloth from under it. Lazy is as lazy does. |
I suspect that I’ll have a quick go at playing this next week, so a batrep will be forthcoming shortly. Ironically I seem to recall giving up on this project because I felt I wouldn’t have enough room to play it, though it transpires that with 12cm squares it would fit nicely on anyone’s kitchen table. lol.
 |
| « All your base are belong to us » Apologies to readers over 65 or younger than 50 who won’t get the reference, but for those with an inquiring mind it’s an early internet meme. As you can see I might be 61 but I’m still down with the kidz. Apparently the internet is on computers now! |
The next post will be the second battle in my naval campaign - but the planning and research for an Indian mutiny collection in 28mm have now begun in earnest - since The Current Mrs Broom claims to have spent a large chunk of my grandchildren’s inheritance on a metric ton of Empress Miniatures as an Xmas prezzie.
Woo hoo!
Miles better than some socks and a bottle of Old Spice I reckon.
I hope Santa doesn’t bend their bayonets coming down the chimney.
Anywhoo…
Tarrarabit arr kid - as they used to say in Brum.
Now then. This has sprung up very quickly. I think you have been hiding your light under a bushel. Nice to see the sea on the Northumbrians’ left. As it would be if they headed south to smite the Mercians.
ReplyDeleteWhat rules are these?
And that Current Mrs Broom sounds like a keeper. And I don’t mean Gordon Banks.
Tadaa fer now.
Chris from Grimsby
Hey Chris - this project has only borne fruit because retirement and an autumnal reduction in gardening has given me the time to dick around all day with toy soldiers. I think the rules are called Age of Penda. TCMB has been another long term project - 40 yrs married today! She buys me minis and can talk with authority about dark age weapons and armour. Definitely a keeper.
DeleteCongratulations on 40 years married! That’s marvellous.
DeleteIs TCMB the Lady of Mercia by chance?
Chris
Cheers mate. Yes she is. In every sense of the word!
DeleteVery nicely done, Mark! Figures and table both look fab. Now! The arrival of a metric ton of Empress lead will be a sight to behold. I can hardly wait. Grandchildren would squander their inheritance anyway...
ReplyDeleteThanks Jon. I hope the postman doesn’t get a hernia carrying them up the path. I’m sure the grandchildren will sell the minis on eBay as soon as I’ve snuffed it and make more money than I’d have left them anyway. lol.
DeleteGreat looking collection you have put together in not a lot of time, JBM, and as Chris notes, TCMB sounds to be a well-above-average member of the female species!
ReplyDeleteHi Keith. I can continue to add to this collection over time but I sense the Indian Mutiny stuff will absorb the majority of my hobby cash for the foreseeable. TCMB is the only bird I know who could list the pros and cons of lamellar armour. Definitely a keeper!
DeleteVery nice and compact setup. Are the rules called “ Age of Penda: Battle Games in Seventh Century Britain”?
ReplyDeleteHello Peter, yeah those are the rules - I should have mentioned that in the post, soz.
DeleteThe Wiglaf figures look grand and the table set up is really interesting. Looking forward to a report on how these rules will play. Lucky man getting a load of Empress figures from Mrs. Santa, they are lovely miniatures, really well done.
ReplyDeleteThanks Donnie, I’m looking forward to getting in a couple of games with this setup too. The Empress stuff deserves some top notch painting so it’s going to be a slow burn long term project thing I think. Plus I’ve only one decent kidney to sell if I want to buy more of them.
DeleteNice looking game!
ReplyDeleteCheers Steve!
DeleteA fine set up there Mark and one that doesn't take up much room, nor significant figure investment. I've not heard of these rules before, but I like most of Dan's rules, so may take a look at some point...
ReplyDeleteHappy 40th wedding anniversary BTW! Our 30th is next year and SWMBO tolerates most of my purchases, or at least I think she does;).
Hey Steve, it definitely ticks the small space gaming requirement but it’s capable of major expansion size wise too. Dan Mersey is a rules writing God in my eyes which is why I bought into this set in the first place. I don’t think I’ll be disappointed.
DeleteGreat looking figures and board JBM. Although I have to admit that the sea cloth underneath makes it look like a sea invasion. 😂
ReplyDeleteWell done on Mrs. JBM buying all those figures for you. You know you will need to get them all painted and based before she buys you any more!
Goddamit Ben - way to pile on the pressure! I’m a bit nervous about painting them tbh, there’s sooooomuch détail. If it takes me a whole day to paint 4 x 18mm figures then Lord knows when I’ll ever get finished 60 x 28mm. I’ll still have a brush in my hand when I’m in an old folks home, lol.
DeleteLooking very nice. Cranked out the remaining figures quite quickly. Hope the rules are fun as they don’t seem to have caught on as his DR series. 😀
ReplyDeleteI’m sure Santa is very experienced with miniatures and chimneys. 😀
Thanks for the reassurance on the Santa front Stew. However if he damages them I’ll be waiting for him with a sock full of billiard balls next year. You are correct about the rules not really taking off - but they are something a bit unusual and perhaps a bit «gamey » for the purists out there. I had a bit of a test this afternoon and it certainly requires a different way of thinking if you want to get the best out of your units. I’m used to a unit activating and performing a single action, but the rules allow units to be far more flexible than that. In the worst case scenario I can still use the minis for other rule sets.
DeleteA lovely little set up JBM…
ReplyDeleteThe figures are very attractive… Sculpted by Mark Copplestone so full of character and relatively easy to paint.
I look forward to seeing them do battle.
Toy soldiers for Xmas….It looks like Santa and Krampus have decided that you were a good boy this year 😁
All the best. Aly
Hi Aly, I have indeed been a verrrrrry good boy this year. As to the copplestone figures they are really very nice and as you say not that demanding to paint (even for me). The range could do with expanding a bit - but I guess that depends on sales. If I hadn’t been moving to 28mm I’d have got hold of the cavalry pack too. So many figures to buy…but so little cash :-(
DeleteThey look great, Anglo-Saxon period and Mr Mersey's Wiglaf range very tempting (if only there was time for everything...) I love the idea of a time when England/Britain was divided into a bunch of small scrapping kingdoms, waiting for Alfred to bring it all together.. with commentary by Prof. Michael Wood of course!
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile you are moving on to 1857 already!
Hi mate, yeah I’m moving on to mutiny pretty quickly, but the idea is to have several projects on the go at the same time which I hope will ease the grind of painting because of a greater diversity in scale and topic. Age of Penda is going to take a lot of mastering for what seems on the surface such a simple game. I hope the next post will cover this in more detail.
DeleteA top paint job, they are beaut looking figures. I thought that it was cool that they were fighting on some kind of river boat, until I read your caption...!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I'm a '65 drop but missed that one. Still, I have never been down with the kids!
Regards, James
Hi James, I really did fall for the figures and having painted a couple felt really bad for leaving them in the pile of shame for 2 years. Still that’s remedied now so my conscience is clear, finally. Odd how weird the photos look with that sea cloth in view isn’t it! Congrats by the way, your comment didn’t get stuck in the blog filter this time. Blogger can be bloody weird sometimes, can’t it!
DeleteI am now classified as an 'honourable man' by blogger then? Or at least not a bot!
DeleteYes, you are indeed “real” according to bloggers algorithm.
DeleteSplendid looking figures rapidly completed, I like Dux Bellorum for all it's faults and was thinking of Age of Penda but then Midgard has just come out which is like a fixed Dux Bellorum ( not by Dan Mersey) it's a fantasy and or dark age rule set so could be fun, I look forward to your mutiny figures in glorious 28mm technicolor!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain caveadsum1471
Hi Iain, I haven’t seen Midgard so I’d best go take a look see. Your not the only one looking forward to my 28’s arriving!
DeleteI'm outside your target meme age range but am often heard to say to the dog "all your tennis balls are belong to us". A life spent gaming does tend to give some unusual or should that be unique, memories! Nice to see some early medieval action on the table. I really should resurrect my Dark Ages campaign, this may just spur me on. As for the books the only one I didn't spot was the one that got me into the period, In search of the Dark Ages. That book and the TV documentary series that it accompanied was ground breaking for the late 1970's and early 1980's.
ReplyDelete