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Author Topic: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso  (Read 3156 times)

Offline Leman

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My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« on: May 24, 2019, 03:23:38 PM »
Many Moons ago I started an Italian Wars project for Impetus when it was first published. I had many good games, but only ever completed a Venetian Army. My opponents could field French and HRE armies, but only by combining DBR bases. After a few years I moved on to other periods and rule systems as Impetus added more and more amendments.

At the end of last year I discovered Alternative Armies’ Furioso rules and supplement for the Italian Wars. These rules do not take themselves too seriously as they include all sorts of period surprises like Papal blessings, disgruntled and unco-0perative Swiss, Mercenaries deciding to do their own thing, not to mention the option of including some of Leonardo’s more imaginative inventions.

This reawakened my interest in the period, as it was the unpredictability of the troops and the move from medieval to modern warfare that had first intrigued me. However there was one important problem to be tackled first. Furioso has been designed to be played using DBR style bases, but my only complete army was based up for Impetus (i.e. one Impetus base = 4 DBR bases). Counting an Impetus base as four was going to be a bit of a nuisance, but counting it as two would not, after all, it is base frontage which is important. Furthermore the frontage of some of the Furioso units is bigger than Impetus units. The simplest way to deal with this was to create some Impetus half bases. So, I will be adding two half bases of gendarmes to an Impetus base to create a Furioso four base frontage, one base to light cavalry to make a three base unit, etc.

Three base mounted arquebusiers



Eight base Romandiole pike block - three Impetus bases with two half bases making the fourth rank.

« Last Edit: June 01, 2019, 04:32:38 PM by Leman »
If it’s too hard, I can’t do it

Offline MGH

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #1 on: May 24, 2019, 04:00:55 PM »
Cool project. I have 18mm Great Italian wars figs - French v.s. Hapsburgs with various Italians on both sides. I did try out Furiouso and while I really liked some of the concepts, my buddy and I found the rules are too slow. I was looking for something to finish in a four hour period at least for convention play so I went back to Pike and Shotte. Heavily modified at that.

Looking forward to following your project though with interest. It is a great period.

Offline Leman

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #2 on: May 24, 2019, 07:17:59 PM »
I would like to play it as a solo campaign, which is covered in the rules. I can set up a table at home and leave it there as long as I like. this is a really personal project rather than something for the club, so time is not an issue for me.

Offline Leman

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #3 on: May 24, 2019, 08:12:39 PM »
I started this project with a camp as I know that once you start army building things like camps become an afterthought:



tent by Magister Militum, landsknecht guard by Museum Miniatures, drunken landsknechts by Jacobite, everything else by Ancient and Modern (Donnington}. The dismounting knight was modified with a bit of green stuff to give him a skirted tunic more in keeping with the early 1500s.

Offline von Lucky

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #4 on: May 24, 2019, 11:36:33 PM »
Lovely looking project. Good to see you being able to use some previously painted miniatures with not too much effort.
- Karsten

"Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Blog: Donner und Blitzen

Offline Leman

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  • Posts: 208
Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #5 on: May 26, 2019, 06:52:18 AM »
One of the results of this project is the opportunity to revive some now defunct Peter Pig figures that I have had since Impetus first appeared, but never got round to painting. I discovered in my lead pile six of these guns and crews so started to paint them up. As they were fresh I put them on the 40mm frontage bases. If I want to use them for Basic Impetus 2 I can simply put two bases together:


Offline fred

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    • Miniature Gaming
Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #6 on: May 26, 2019, 07:31:52 AM »
Nice work. Good to see you are able to use most of your existing figures (and basing) with some new additions

Offline Leman

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #7 on: May 26, 2019, 09:27:01 AM »
Thanks; a bit more old and new here. A commander for Milan from one of the command packs bought from Gladiator Games many moons ago, and a second camp featuring a new tent from Donnington but a mix of older figures taken from an original camp scene I did about 15 years ago, including the old Peter Pig renaissance baggage wagon, again no longer available:









My painting technique has been inspired by Javier Gomez from Spain, in his book Painting Wargaming Figures, and from the website of Fat Wally in the UK.

Offline Arrigo

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #8 on: May 26, 2019, 11:33:09 AM »
Quote
Papal blessings, disgruntled and unco-0perative Swiss

well, Papal blessing were a feature of the period (as excommunications...) and the Swiss cause their own share of problems (an example, the French defeat at Bicocca was cause in large part by Swiss 'quirks' ). So they look quite spot on, more than the usual blanket rules we tend to use for medieval and renaissance warfare.
"Put Grant straight in"

for pretty tanks and troops: http://forwardhq.blogspot.com

Offline Leman

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #9 on: May 26, 2019, 12:25:22 PM »
 :) Quite so; this was very much the appeal for me.

Offline Leman

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  • Posts: 208
Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #10 on: May 27, 2019, 02:05:03 PM »
Fat Wally suggests that it is an idea to produce some command stands before launching into units, so here’s some I prepared earlier. First up a couple of French monarchs:

Charles VIII


Charles VIII unhorsed


Louis XII


The Swiss


Colonna discussing war machines with Leonardo

Offline boywundyrx

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #11 on: May 27, 2019, 02:32:15 PM »
Very cool to see, thanks for sharing.  I'm looking at some 15mm IW gaming at a smaller game scale, using the Lords and Servants rules, with the revived Venexia figures from Lancashire, supplemented with Mirliton.

Chris

Offline archiduque

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #12 on: May 27, 2019, 04:01:25 PM »
Excellent stuff!!! ;)

Offline Leman

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  • Posts: 208
Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #13 on: May 27, 2019, 07:29:43 PM »
Hi Chris, I have bought in some extra Venexia from Lancashire Games to add to those I’ve had for some time and to boost the Impetus units I originally did for my Venetian army. I am just about to base up the old Rank and File gendarmes for Milan. Back in the previous century I bought an army pack at a show. There were only four lighter cavalry in the pack, so I have added them to the gendarmes to act as outriders. I have given four of the gendarmes skirts from green stuff just so they look a little more early C16th.

Archiduque - many thanks for the positive comments.

Offline Friends of General Haig

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Re: My 15mm Italian Wars project for Furioso
« Reply #14 on: May 27, 2019, 10:07:35 PM »
Beautiful command bases!  I am sure your rank and file troops will be happy to follow them to glory  :D