The League of Augsburg
Every bullet...
I was keeping my head down and quietly getting on with this but now it is out there I guess it's OK to mention it here.
I am working on a book for Helion which is a guide to wargaming the period from the 2nd Anglo Dutch War through to the Nine Years War. It is not a beginner's guide. It is an enthusiast's guide. I have tried to distill 30 years of digging in this patch of earth into something which...
Gone live - 7 4PLAY scenarios now available in the LoA online store
After some final UAT modifications the first seven scenario packs in the 4PLAY series are noe commercially available in the LoA onlone store. Click on each in the shop to get a description of content. All contain 16-17 full colour pages
All are priced at £3. Use the pdf postage charge which is 1p.
001 1667 Medway campaign (land and sea)
002 1689 Scotland (land and sea)
003 1689 Western Ireland (land...
MIA? Ma - ma!
I may have appeared missing in action over the last few days... not so. I have been using every spare hour to set up, play and photograph small games for a series of pdfs I hope to release within the next 3-4 weeks. This has already involved nine x 90 minute games since Sunday last, with each of them having to be written up as a scenario, photographed and AAR completed. All are based on research I...
The perfection of military discipline by Mark Shearwood
I was delighted to open a package from Helion delivered by our trusty postal service this lunchtime because, I knew what it would be:
The perfection of military discipline: The plug bayonet and the English Army 1660-1705
The book is written by Mark Shearwood, friend of this blog, good friend of mine, wargamer and modeller extraordinaire and most significantly of all, an authority on 17th century...
Ottoman cavalry update
I have been slowly but surely painting Ottoman cavalry in between other projects and am just about to base the first units.
I had to get at least one of each figure done in the six packs for the shop and seeing them all together demonstrates how nice this range has turned out.
Recent reading and referenceto source material has reassured me that these figures will be usable for the north African...
Nest of Vipers: Tripoli, July 2nd 1666
Visitors to the blog may remember Sir Jeremy Smith's failed attempt to convoy merchantmen into Tangier past Berber Corsairs:
Weather beaten? Smith at Tangier
Here, Smith attempts to root them out in their home port....
Weather beaten? Smith at Tangier
Here, Smith attempts to root them out in their home port....
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| Looking out from Tripoli at Smith's 'Tangier Squadron' |
The humiliation suffered within sight of Tangier on March 5thso enraged the King and the Navy Board that Sir Jeremy Smith was...
Just like the Elves....
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| OTC01 Ottoman cavalry officers |
No! Don't turn away, I am NOT blogging about Fantasy models!
Just like Santa's elves I have been hidden away in my man cave working away on painting projects which required a bit of attention.
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| OTC04 Ottoman Sipahis with right arm variants |
So, here are some more of the completed Ottoman cavalry. I am starting with some finished code shots and a feature on the officer...
Ottoman cavalry available to pre order
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| mixed codes |
The variants require a bit of explaining.
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| Three of the horses |
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| Three more of the horses |
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| Seventh horse is on the far left here |
There are seven horse variants. A random selection from the seven will be included in each...
Ottoman mounted archers OTC02
The figures were a joy to paint and the sense of movement is tangible. These will be useful for a very wide period of the time from the 1400s to the...
Terrain and something out of nothing
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| A rough mock up of a North African harbour. Stuff just placed on for effect nuthin' fancy. |
There is nothing more boring than a plain blue cloth for naval gaming. As many Age of Sail fights took place very close to shore, I wanted to model terrain for coasts from Ireland to the Tropics.
I have made a fair old stab at it over the last week and by accident discovered a very useful purpose for what...
Weather beaten? Part 1 intro : Tangier... but not as we know it Jim!
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| A representation of Tangier harbour in 1666. The shape is roughly that of the modern port as seen on various pictures |
I have gazumped that project with an extension of my Dutch Wars naval adventure. As I always do, I try and stretch any project...
I painted them thar Ottermans
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| Code OT07 Tufeckci firing |
I know, several months late. C minus on report card and detention for me. Nevertheless, painting these thirty models in five days was not as onerous a chore as it may at first sound.
They were really fun to do. The sculpting is wonderful and the poses interesting and natural.
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| Code OT12 Bosniaks/Irregulars loading |
I used the following speedy method:
1. Hand brushed white...