So, if you remember yesterday I painted the trousers and hose of my Pikes and ended up getting cramp so had to pack in.
Well I needed to finish three bases out of the nine. Now I thought I had chosen them randomly… Earlier when I went to finish them I came across this conundrum…
One front rank and two back ranks. So was my random actually actually or was there some form of unconscious choice being made.
I am now trying to remember, exactly how I placed them and picked them up.
To avoid wasting paint I got the arqubusiers clothing done too and used up the rest on random stuff off the tray
More clothing looking colourful…
Now because there are only sixteen miniatures their random trousers colours are less than random when compared to the pikes. I suddenly realised there was one colour left to do and not enough miniatures…
Anyway this evening I got the trousers painted on the pike block.
I would have got more done but ended up with both hands cramping up…bloody annoying!
I aim to get more done tomorrow…
These were done with yellow, blue, green and a turquoise. These colours will be used throughout the force, with additions of colour to allow things to sort of match in. Yes they all have a red coat, but I don’t want to do hundreds of different colours.
Wellll I was painting some more of the Florentine Mercenary forces…
That is all of the troops with a red coat.
I suspect we don’t know what they actually wore, but in my mind if you are employing a lot of well paid people to fight your battles then I suppose you want people to know who the money is coming from. Secondly when push comes to shove it is helpful to know who not to poke with a pointy thing and finally in other earlier conflicts the use of a jack or tabard was used to denote allegiance. Not exactly perfect, but they are mine and as the (at the present) Florentine Doge then I have decreed a uniform of sorts.
The trousers are going to be various colours to give a less uniform look… But knowing me I won’t be able to help myself and will sort of make a unified look on the lower body.
Well I got some painting done today whilst doing some online training… It was either that or fall asleep…
Well I based these about two months ago, so thought I had better pull my finger out.
I decided that these are going to have a maroon/red coat. Any bicolour bits are going to be the three feathers on the helmet. I really, really couldn’t be bothered with slashed doublets.
Yes I actually got around to putting a paintbrush to some miniatures this evening.
Sixteen Militia part done. These are very rough and ready but look okay at a distance of about three metres.
I will hopefully carry on tomorrow evening. That will leave another fourteen at the white stage. I actually can’t remember who the manufacture is. Part of me thinks Blue Moon as they come in packs of thirty.
I also got my Florentine troops undercoated. They will be next up I think.
Yes I eventually got enough energy to actually sit down and start working on the Florentine army.
I didn’t get them all done, just the Pikes and gun crews… Yes crews. I was convinced I only ordered one.
Well I checked. I actually ordered two, but got a whole gun crew instead of just the Gun captain.
So yey me! Do I make it into a three gun force….mmmmm interesting conundrum. They were super wealthy and do have a certain Leonardo Da Vinci in the box with them. I am sure he might have some cunning ideas.
So, because I am a twit, I have decided to once again expand the Great Italian Wars Forces. This time with the (kind of) new Florentine forces from the Altuos range.
Not really a super large force, but enough to have a small army. Don’t ask me about points, I haven’t got a clue and honestly I just got what would look good on the table.
Basically pikes, shot, swordsmen etc. oh and a medium artillery piece. Well Florence was rich.
Anyway I decided I needed more Flags. So off to the fabulous Pete’s Flags on eBay. I came across two sheets one a Florentine Mercenary set and the other from the Florentine League at the battle of Anghiari.
They Arrived today and I am very happy… I had a bit of a niggle at the back of my mind about the Florentine League at the battle of Anghiari… Well yeah of course I did. The battle took place in 1440. Giovanni of the Black Band was born nearly 60 years after the battle. So I will have two forces on the table that are basically 75 years apart.
So the options are:
Say sod it, a flag is a flag.
Put one set in a box and only use the standard mercenary flags.
I will let you have a guess which way I might go. Purists may want to look away now.
Well it sort of sounds a bit like an Italian town.
So I popped over to Mike’s today, took my toys to oggle at and discuss various rules sets.
As we had armies painted we decided to have a little try at a battle using Lion Rampant.
My chaps at the top, with his at the bottom. This wasn’t my initial setup. I had just shoved them on the table. My Condottiere were trying to escort the baggage train across the bridge but were stopped by some dastardly enemy.
My activation dice were, frankly crap! His heavy cavalry thundered across the field and through a lucky roll mine managed to counter charge. We hacked and slashed for a good while and then I luckily managed to shrug him off, he retired, battered. His light cavalry (in the background) sensing victory followed with a charge of their own. I once again managed a lucky countercharge and completely destroyed them, but lost half of my heavies over the two combats.
My skirmishers managed to make it into the woods and completely tied up the mounted crossbows. They however never fired once and eventually died to a man. My troops on the right of the cavalry managed to get into the woods to hold them up even more.
There was some further ArgyBargy on the right flank, with his pole arm wielding crazies charging first the stradiots, who took one look at them, chucked a pile of javelins into their faces and legged it. The pole armed chaps were in turn run down by my other heavy cavalry. In the end my horsemen became a bit of a spent round, but they had secured the flank.
My poor Stradiots got charged by a pike block and somehow won the combat and pushed the pike block back. My pike block was charged by the remains of his heavy cavalry and managed to lose. I charged into him and gave him a good kicking. His cavalry were basically broken, but kept hanging on there.
We had to end it there as I had to shoot off.
Lion Rampant seemed to work. When I got home I realised I had bought the second edition which has rules for piles and handguns in it.
Time for a bit of a read through the rules as they also have rules for holy men, banners etc. basically these give you a plus one to the units courage… Luckily my leader brought his religious entourage with him.
Bogenwald 