First Go With Pikeman's Lament

[Wirelizard]

First full size (24pt a side) game of Pikeman's Lament.

Joel pulled his TAG Ottoman Turks out for this and we threw together a PL list for them. As I recall, it was 2x Shot (Jannissaries), 1x Gallopers w/ his Officer, 1 x Gun, 1x Commanded Shot, and 1x Forlorn Hope.

My English had 2x Shot, 1x Pike with my Officer, 1x Galloper with a special character, and 1x Forlorn Hope.



Somewhere near the start of the game, looking across the table toward Joel's Turks from behind my forces.

He wind up winning fairly handily; my Pike served mostly as target practice for his Field Gun and his Jannissaries out-shot my Shot! My Forlorn Hope shot his FH up then lost their nerve under cannon fire; my Gallopers rode down his Commanded Shot and his damn Gun then got flattened by his Horse, and it was all over bar the running away!

Great game, anyway, and I'm looking forward to more.

[flatpack]

Glad you enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to our first game this coming Sunday.

[DintheDin]

Nice table set-up and, as you described it, you had fun. I like TPL rules, they produce smoothly flowing games. Two weeks ago, we played the King's Chest scenario between two ECW forces, 24 pts, 2 players vs 2 and we much enjoyed it! When you will start trying the scenarios, you'll get addicted!

[Wirelizard]

Nice table set-up and, as you described it, you had fun. I like TPL rules, they produce smoothly flowing games. Two weeks ago, we played the King's Chest scenario between two ECW forces, 24 pts, 2 players vs 2 and we much enjoyed it! When you will start trying the scenarios, you'll get addicted!

I like the look of the scenarios, especially the King's Chest one, and really want to try them out.

We just did the straight attack "Ga Pa" scenario to start; I did find it a bit odd that the end conditions (less than 5 units left on the table) seem to be so strict - that wound up meaning our game ended only when my final unit was destroyed, as we didn't drop below five units on the table until then!

I was also having terrible luck at actually doing any injury to the Turks, though...

[Wirelizard]

Haven't had another game in, but I have gotten eight movement trays done to go along with my ECW Pikeman's Lament forces.

Six six-base skirmish trays and a pair of twelve-base regiment trays, all from Warbases. I rounded off the top edges and corners with my Dremel, the added sand, paint, and flock.

They turned out really nicely, I'll definitely be adding some more of the six-base skirmish trays to my collection, and possibly talking to Warbases about some custom bases for my cavalry and artillery to have the entire force based (trayed?) consistently!



More including a bunch more photos over on the blog: http://www.warbard.ca/2017/06/28/warbases-skirmish-movement-trays/

[vodkafan]

I like the chap with the large blue brolly he looks like he is dancing. 

[flatpack]

Well done, those warlord figures are coming out well.

[has.been]

Not 'dancing', but preparing to 'flourish the colours' (wave the flag abhart a bit)
There was one manoeuvre that involved fluttering the flag just above the grass. This meant 'come & step on it, if you think you're
hard enough!'

[Wirelizard]

Not 'dancing', but preparing to 'flourish the colours' (wave the flag abhart a bit)
There was one manoeuvre that involved fluttering the flag just above the grass. This meant 'come & step on it, if you think you're
hard enough!'

So, heavily-armed cheerleading routines? 

I've wondered about that figure for a while now; aside from being a method of avoiding having to model an entire banner in plastic it seemed like an odd pose!

[has.been]

Having had the honour, on two separate Sealed Knot (E.C.W. re-enactment) musters of being an Ensign, I can tell you that when the breeze picks up it is a very good way to hold the flag, it helps stop you (embarrassingly) flying away in front of the regiment.

[Kamandi]

Is there any reason PmL could not be tweaked for Napoleonic era games? It seems to have most of the essential unit types.

[DintheDin]

Having had the honour, on two separate Sealed Knot (E.C.W. re-enactment) musters of being an Ensign, I can tell you that when the breeze picks up it is a very good way to hold the flag, it helps stop you (embarrassingly) flying away in front of the regiment.

It is funny to imagine that there could be an enemy regiment capturing the colors this way 
Being serious now, I have seen this movement but didn't know its meaning, thank you for sharing!
Is it in some way linked with the ceremonial gestures we see in Italian or Swiss cities?
 http://www.fioredeiliberi.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=13181
For instance, here they are teaching lessons for flag flourishing!

[has.been]

Flourishing the colours is a way of:-
sticking up two fingers at the enemy; giving him the Bird; winding him up or generally taunting him.
It also helps build up your own units morale (surprised it is not included in more rule sets) as well as telling you that, at the moment, the unit is NOT about to fight, however when the officer issues the order, 'Retire the colours' you know it is soon to
 'kick off'.   

[DintheDin]

Flourishing the colours is a way of:-
sticking up two fingers at the enemy; giving him the Bird; winding him up or generally taunting him.
It also helps build up your own units morale (surprised it is not included in more rule sets) as well as telling you that, at the moment, the unit is NOT about to fight, however when the officer issues the order, 'Retire the colours' you know it is soon to
 'kick off'.   

This is the strength of this forum, learning all the time small details I didn't know!
Yes, I agree with you, the probable loss of the colors is very rarely included in any rules... I imagine how blissful you were having the honor to be chosen as an ensign!

[Wirelizard]

Is there any reason PmL could not be tweaked for Napoleonic era games? It seems to have most of the essential unit types.

If you want PmL-level skirmish for the Napoleonic era, I'd go with Sharpe's Practice from TooFatLardies. Very similar "big skirmish" scale (30-100 figures, say) and a definite Nap flavour. Troop types aren't the same, either, even if they are similar.

Honestly, TooFatLardies has been teasing an ECW set of rules (provisionally titled "In The Buff") for years and I'll buy it the instant it's available, I really like TFL's rules. Pikeman's Lament is a fine system too, mind you!

Having had the honour, on two separate Sealed Knot (E.C.W. re-enactment) musters of being an Ensign, I can tell you that when the breeze picks up it is a very good way to hold the flag, it helps stop you (embarrassingly) flying away in front of the regiment.

That's awesome, and makes a lot of sense as a flag management technique. I'm now amused at the thought of a "flying Ensign" sailing away in front of his astonished regiment!

Various slow progress on the figures over the last few days; I was away camping for our Canada Day long weekend but did a bit of painting last night after we returned.

No new photo, but the mounted commander is nearly done and looks awesome. Black horse with black harness and a black coat and hat on the guy (oh, and black hair), and it all looks pretty damn good and differentiated, ie not just one massive blob of black. It'll probably be hard as heck to take good photos of, but I'll do my best once he's finished.

Two units of pike, one of shot, and the mustard-yellow unit of firelocks all meandering toward completion; they're all in that assembly-line phase where I go through and do a bunch of leather equipment, then a bunch of hair, then the pike shafts, and so on and so forth. Doesn't make for exciting painting (or interesting photos to share), but they are progressing!

I've also started assembly of the first unit of six cuirassiers (Elite Gallopers, in PmL terms), for some different options in force building. Onward!