Update 12/04/23 - Ottomans added at the bottomQuite some years ago a ruleset called Irregular Wars - Conflict at the World's End came into being, and having acquired a copy from Vexillia at the time (and since then acquired the 2nd edition), I spent a long time waiting for the 'right' range of C16th English to appear, so I could fulfil my desire to do a what-if 1588 campaign.
Eventually, I heard whispers that Khurasan would be releasing C16th English to go alongside their existing Spanish and Irish, resulting in, just over two years ago, a reasonably-sized parcel arriving from Khurasan. Huzzah!
So, after about two years (I'm a slow painter and there has been the odd hiatus!), and two further Khurasan orders, I finally finished painting English, Irish, Spanish and the start of an Imperialist force.
(All of which is a very long-winded way of saying I painted some figures, but given how rarely I actually stick to a project I have to say I'm rather pleased)
Being stuck indoors despite the lovely sunny day here, it is at least a good opportunity to take some photographs and offer a few thoughts on the figures. My photography isn't great, so trust me that the figures are terrific and better than I make them look!
The English
Bows, bills and pikes; a recurring theme amongst the figures is that I replaced the pikes supplied with the figures with steel wire spears; they do look slightly less pike-like with the flattened heads, but the only thing I didn't like about the Khurasan range is the softness of the metal for polearms, lances etc, and their thickness relative to the figures' hands so where I was able to I used steel wire instead. It's a very minor thing though (especially considering that at least Khurasan
do provide pikes with their pikemen!
Musketeers, Calivermen, and war dogs. The dogs are not Khurasan but I can't remember where I got them from, possibly Xyston (?); they are not technically in the lists for Royal English in the IW rules, but for Ireland or Border Reivers I included them.
English Demilancers and light cavalry. The Demilancers are terrific figures, really enjoyed painting them - although I do have to be really careful handling them as their lances are very prone to bending at even a gentle touch. They weren't cast in, but I couldn't find a harder-metal version of appropriate lances. As said, though, that is a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. In the background behind the light-horse there are also some light horse for Ireland.
The Irish
The Irish actually ended up being my favourite of the four forces to paint, I don't know whether they had a different sculptor or whether it was just a slightly different style, but they took paint very nicely. Again, photographs are not quite doing them justice though!
Irish arquebusiers and pikes, and gallowglass and redshanks; a good mixture of more ordered troops and wild charging types. The 'command' bases are not strictly required for IW, but one can't have a C16th army without some flags, and they'll also be good as returning Irish exiles supporting the Spanish invasion efforts. The flags are virtually all Pete's Flags, with the exception of those for the Imperialists.
Irish Kern, with another command stand a priest behind them, and Irish horse. The total number of bases for my Irish is smaller than I have for the English, but bear in mind for IW all those English bases would not be in the force on the tabletop, I bought additional English to give me the option of some Border Reiver actions, or put together more of an army for larger battles for which I was thinking of adapting Sword and Spear.
The Spanish
A lot of the pikes featured in the most recent LPL, it was a good incentive to get on and finish them when I was stagnating a bit. The Spanish force is centred around the well-trained pike and shot, with the expectation of limited light cavalry support - going up against the massed English militia...
Spanish arquebusiers, backed up by a command base with another excellent Pete's Flags flag, and some Venexia sword-and-buckler. Behind them you can just about make four bases of mixed infantry chaps - these are European volunteers, ships' crews, that sort of hodgepodge of additional infantry. On the right are Spanish musketeers.
Spanish pikes (with more flags) and on the right some limited cavalry support - mounted arquebusiers, with some mounted generals and standards defending the rear...
I have to admit to 'cheating' a bit; the Imperialists (below) will lend some troops to the Spanish, for example the cuirassiers, should there be a need for additions or for a larger battle against the English, and likewise my Spanish pike (well, the ones without the flags) are going to double up as assorted pikemen for the Imperialists when I get on and acquire some Ottomans for them to go up against. it is an advantage of the period that one can get away with such things!
The Imperialists
These I bought really to support the Spanish, and frankly because I fancied painting some landsknecht types at the time too. My intent next though is to flesh out the Imperial force and then acquire some of the Khurasan Ottomans to put them up against (which look like terrific figures, but I'm going to have to work up to painting them well enough to do them justice, especially the cavalry)
Imperial arquebusiers, backed up by mounted arquebusiers (look familiar?
They are actually separate figures - there were enough for the Spanish and Imperialists to have three bases each, but of course they can combine as required). On the right is the field artillery, suitably neutrally-painted that they are employed also by the English and the Spanish.
Landsknecht pike, Imperial cuirassiers, and more pikes. The cuirassiers, as mentioned, can double up into the Spanish force if I think they managed to get heavy horse onto England's shores. Very nice figures, and I was quite pleased with the dark armour although it doesn't really show on the photograph too well.
Doesn't seem like an awful lot for 2 years' painting, but it's one of the few things I have seen through, and depending on what the rest of the bank holiday weekend looks like and if I can find the space, I may even get the terrain out and through some of these chaps against each other in a skirmish or two. If I can find where I put my print-out of the rules that is...
If you want to see bigger pictures they're stored here
https://talesoftheblackcrane.blogspot.com/p/irregular-wars-conflict-at-worlds-end.htmlI've started and given up on doing a bog many times, so now it's just a repository to store photos when I post them here.
I have some buildings to put together as the next part of the project, that will definitely be in slower time as I need a break from the C16th right now, but the next stages will be terrain, Ottomans, more imperialists, and then onto the French for the Wars of Religion.
Thanks for looking/wading through!
Rob
30 October 2008, 02:57:41 PM