Marlburian and League of Augsburg uniforms in Carribeans

[Fjodin]

I want to paint some british forces for my Pirate game. It sets in ealy 18 century, so uniforms should be from Marlburian range. But my question is can I also use 1 unit of League of Augsburg uniforms? These uniforms are very similar with minor differences (major difference is hat).

Its like carribean are far away land, uniform just changed, and not all units in carribeans recived new uniform.

[warrenpeace]

Fjodin, I don't see any problem with mixing in some Monmouth Rebellion, League of Augsberg (aka Grand Alliance, aka Nine Years War) figures with your British for early 18th Century.  Probably the Spanish had a harder time clothing and equiping their new world garrisons at the beginning of the 18th Century, but then the Spanish were distracted by the War of Spanish Succession.  But the Carribean was probably low priority for the British too.

And you can always include earlier styles in the town militia.

How big will your pirate games be?  One thing that might be cool is to develop a little story line that involves two or three generations of pirates ranging from about 1675 though 1725.  Then collecting figures from a little before and after 1700 can give you the flexibility to have episodes in the story line, as with episodes of Star Wars.

One British type figure that would be very useful, both a little before and a little after 1700 is the grenadier/fusilier type with the low cloth cap instead of tricorn or floppy hat.  British marines used a similar hat. It was more practical on board ship, and when throwing grenades.

The tricorn hat was not in universal use in 1700.  It took the first few years of the War of Spanish Succession for the style to catch on.  The style caught on from about 1700 through 1707.  And some of the early tricorn hats did not hold their shape well during campaigning.  So having some hats with a floppy look is not unrealistic.

Also, it is not a bad idea to give your British a few pikemen.  While people know that the pike was used by the Russians and Swedes for several years into the 18th Century, few know that the British kept using pikes in Flanders until after Ramilles in 1706. (But did not take them to Portugal and Spain earlier.) And pikes were useful in fights over fortifications. So having a few around a British town or fort would be totally reasonable.

[Fjodin]

WOW! I like the idea about 3 generations. It reminds me siggle player campaign from Age of Empires 3!

Thanx for replying!

[warrenpeace]

Fjodin, let me amplify that idea of multiple generations at bit.  You could outline for yourself a set of rival English families, both aristocrats and non-aristocrats, perhaps from a certain county such as Cornwall or Devon (good sources for pirates and privateers), whose rivalries go back as far in time as you like.  You wouldn't even need to figure out how far back you would want to go, as you could always add a prequel here and a sequel there to keep stretching it further before and after 1700.

Buildings wouldn't need to change much.  You could use some of the same buildings for a town in the south of England as are used in someplace like Jamaica, with the same look over decades.  The same is true with some Spanish towns that your rival English factions raid.

The Tudor period, with it's developing religious conflict, and with the sea dogs like Drake and Hawkins could provide one early episode or period of conflict. The Foundry Sea Dogs are good figures for that.  The establishment and loss to Spain of the wierd puritanical English pirating community of Old Providence in the Carribean in the early 1600's could be another episode of conflict. The English Civil War, Cromwell's dictatorship, and the Restoration is another great period for a conflict between rival English families.  And figures are widely available for that from several makers.  The Monmouth Rebellion and Glorious Revolution are also great backdrops to a conflict between rival seafaring English families. That was used as a jumping off point by the recent Robinson Crusoe series.  And there was a lot of political conflict in the times of William and Mary, and later of Queen Anne, between Tories and Whigs and with the Churchills (Marlborough).

Basically, all this leads up to that classic Hollywood pirating period in the 1700's, and could give the adventures depth, as the rival families would be like gangs whose fortunes rise and fall with the wars and politics of the times.

[Fjodin]

Thank you for inspirational ideas. Really useful!