At Hobs Hill, 1645 (update 29 Jan)

[Alejandro]

Good Job, I like "Old Jim".

[charla51]

Hobs Hill ... Hobs End ... Quatermass ... it's all coming back...

[FramFramson]

This really IS shaping up well. Love the soldiers & townsfolk. 

Also: Is that a sly The Man With No Name reference?

[Steve F]

charla51 - In the BBC version of Quatermass and the Pit, the Martian capsule is found at Hobs Lane.  I thought it would be nice to combine that with the name of the archetypal creepy English village, Devil's End (from the Doctor Who story "The Daemons"), and call my village "Hobs End".  It was only just before making the first post that I remembered that Hammer's film version of Quatermass and the Pit had already used that name.

Still, makes you wonder what could be in that barrow, doesn't it?

FramFramson - Whatever could you mean?

[Steve F]

Captain Christmas.  Gregory Christmas claims to hold the rank of Captain, but no regiment (and no ship) ever seems to have heard of him.  He is a staunch defender of the old customs which, he claims, he remembers from Great Harry's days, impossible though that is.

[Historical note: in the 17th century, there was considerable debate about whether Christmas should be celebrated.  The godly pointed out that it had no Biblical authority, and eventually had its celebration banned, somewhat ineffectually, during the Republic.  In response, pamphleteers and playwrights created characters to embody and defend the good old ways.  There was Lord Christmas, and Old Christmas and Sir Christmas.  There was Father Christmas, who proved more lasting.  And, on a couple of occasions, there was Captain Christmas, whose name I couldn't resist.  His forename, Gregory, comes from Ben Jonson, who probably called him that after Gregory the Great - the Pope who not only got his Angles and Angels muddled, but also favoured tagging a Christian aspect onto existing pagan and secular festivities as a way of pleasing converts.

Holly, ivy and mistletoe were all in use as Christmas decorations at the time, though there is no record of the custom of kissing under the mistletoe until the 18th century.  But perhaps the Captain was a pioneer?]

[anevilgiraffe]

   excellent

[Steve F]

Women and children next!



The Widow Spindle, a virago, isn't letting anyone near her savings.  And as for her daughters,
Long Penny (Penthesilea) isn't letting any boys get away with anything, while
Zenobia and Boadicea aren't letting anyone get away with anything.




The Andrewes sisters of Snakeweed Cottage, but I can't remember which is which (or witch).




Mrs Ambrosia Foxglove prays daily for husband's safe return from the war.  Just not yet, that's all.
Meanwhile their son, young Erasmus, proves that folly isn't always praiseworthy.




Molly Dropwort is no better than she should be.
Maisie Dwale just sells ale and vittels, thank you.
Daisy Cowbane bets you think its milk in those pails.




Sarah Pokeweed will poke you with that rake if you make any more jokes about her name.
Florence Cowbane tells little Zebedee that its "time for bed", which seems the wrong way round, somehow.
Edith Thornapple doesn't want to get involved.
Lizzie Larkspur has plenty more where that came from.

[anevilgiraffe]

great... need to get the g/s stuff that Hasslefree lad myself...

and Penthesilea is great - I love Elvenquest...

[commissarmoody]

This town is geting to be pretty well populated.

[oxiana]

Brilliant. 

With just a line apiece, you're populating Hob's Hill with some real personalities. Fabulous stuff. 

[Steve F]

Thanks, guys.

AEG - I hadn't heard of Elvenquest before.  A bit of Google later and I'm better informed: I must seek it out - cracking cast, if nothing else.

[anevilgiraffe]

AEG - I hadn't heard of Elvenquest before.  A bit of Google later and I'm better informed: I must seek it out - cracking cast, if nothing else.

how odd.... 

it is a good crack... really sends up fantasy well with all the old cliches... on it's 3rd series...

[Steve F]

I hope that the Moderator-General will allow a brief digression into weirdness, especially as it involves a cautionary tale.  Back to the real-ish world next, I promise.

The caution in my tale is this: do not assume that, just because minis are made of plastic, they will offer much by way of conversion potential.  My attempt to create some other-worldly creatures by combining the Warlord plastic Pike and Shotte infantry with bits from (mostly) GW Dark Elves proved highly unsatisfactory.

Not being one to waste even my failures, I gave them a quick, simple and dark paintjob, to hide some of their many faults.

Here then are my Nocturnes or Night Whistlers

[Captain Blood]

They look great!

I hope that the Moderator-General will allow a brief digression into weirdness, especially as it involves a cautionary tale.  Back to the real-ish world next, I promise.

A bit of weirdness is perfectly legit, providing it's swashbuckling-specific weirdness 

Witchfinder-generals, witches, familiars, demons, succubi, ghostly highwaymen, ghouls, changelings, were-folk etc etc are part and parcel of the real and/or imagined worlds of the 16th-18th centuries, so fit plausibly into the swashbuckling milieu...

[anevilgiraffe]

A bit of weirdness is perfectly legit, providing it's swashbuckling-specific weirdness 

looks at his work bench... 

My attempt to create some other-worldly creatures by combining the Warlord plastic Pike and Shotte infantry with bits from (mostly) GW Dark Elves proved highly unsatisfactory.

nice concept, but I'm assuming the GW plastics were massive... Mantic bits are pushing it a little...