TMWWBK: Vikings in the Kybher Pass

 So 'ere's to you, Viking hirdman, at your 'ome in the Northland;
You're a pore benighted 'eathen but a first-class fightin' man;
We gives you your certificate, an' if you want it signed
We'll come an' 'ave a romp with you whenever you're inclined.

What the . . . ?  Okay.  So I am still working on my field forces for The Men Who Would be Kings and I wanted to play test and  . . .  Hmmm, those Gripping Beast Vikings I did for Dux Bellorum and Dragon Rampant could be used as tribal infantry.  And that is exactly what I did.  

 The sentries report Vikings to the southwest. Thousands of them.

We did a play test using half sized units per the Skirmish King rules and by golly it worked!  Use the same rules as the regular game just with no crew served weapons.

Half sized Sikhs.  Regular infantry is normally 12 figures.

Half sized tribal infantry.

The scenario was "A Sigh of Relief" with the Colonel's daughter as the immoveable objective marker.  We did not play to provide a battle report but to get an idea for the rules.  We love these rules.  I won't give a review as there are many on the web but they are fast, furious and fun.  My idea of a game. I'm looking forward to a full sized battle

 The Colonel's daughter behind the Men of Harlech as the immoveable object.

At one hundred yards! Volley fire, present! Aim! Fire!

 We took our chanst among the Khyber 'ills,
The Boers knocked us silly at a mile,
The Burman give us Irriwaddy chills,
An' a Zulu impi dished us up in style:
But all we ever got from such as they
Was pop to what the Viking made us swaller;
We 'eld our bloomin' own, the papers say,
But man for man the Viking knocked us 'oller.

Gordons Then and Gordons Now

One of the great treasures of the digital age for me is to compare how my painting style has changed over the years.  I have painted the Gordon Highlanders several times:  In 15mm for the Napoleonic Wars, in 28mm for the Napoleonic Wars, in 28mm for the Sudan and most recently in 28mm for the Northwest Frontier.  Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of the unit I painted in 15mm as I sold my 15mm Napoleonic Army in the early 2000's but I do have pictures of the others:

The Gordon's I painted for the Napoleonic Wars.  Later I discovered I used the wrong kilt as a pattern.  Oh well. They still fought just as well on the tabletop.  Figures are Wargames Foundry except for the Ensign who is from Front Rank.

After I realized my mistake I renamed them the 79th Cameron Highlanders.  I think I painted these figures in 2004.

The 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders painted for the Sudan.  Figures by Perry Miniatures.

 Figures were painted in March 2014.

 The 1st Battalion, Gordon Highlanders painted for the Northwest Frontier.  Command figures from Perry Miniatures and the rank and file from Artizan Designs.

 Figures were finished in September 2016.

Third Quarter Update and Right on Track, Part 3

Sir,

What follows is the final dispatch on update after the end of the 3rd Quarter for the plan for 2016:

4. The Anglo-Zulu War.  At the beginning of the year I found out that Daniel Mersey's latest set of rules was scheduled for publication in August or September of 2016 and is a set of Colonial rules titled The Men Who Would be Kings. Of course I pre-ordered!  Figures can be mounted individually for casualty removal but fight as a unit. This is perfect for me because I want them to do double duty with In Her Majesty's Name.  Knowing Daniel's track record and the play tests I have read I am going to step out and predict that this will be another success. 

 How can you not have Private Hook in your army?

To get a head start, I decided to start painting units for the Anglo-Zulu War and I am happy to report that I have completed one infantry unit.

My interpretation of the 24th Foot with some Hollywood thrown in for good measure.

Why only one unit?  Well . . . there I was on a business trip and Artizan Design Second Afghan War figures were on sale!  (Some of you will recognize this as the shiny new toy syndrome)  I purchased British officers, Sikhs and Highlanders and decided to modify my plan.  Going forward I'm going to paint four armies: British (Anglo-Zulu War), Zulus, British (Northwest Frontier) and an Afghan/Pathan field force for the NWF.  The major part of my plan for 2017 will be the purchase and painting of these units.

A distraction from the plan but well worth it!  Maxim machine gun from Copplestone Castings.

In reviewing my post about the plan in January I was planning on doing one British infantry unit and one unit of Natal Native Horse.  The Natal Native Horse will probably be the first unit I plan for 2017 based on the Edendale contingent from the Edendale Mission.

The finished Highlander unit for the Northwest Frontier or wherever the Empire needs them!

5. Pleasant Distractions and/or Additions to the plan!  As mentioned earlier, I'm a big fan of Daniel Mersey's rules and I took the plunge and purchased Dragon Rampant. I now have the set of fantasy rules I have always been seeking; extremely adaptable, easy to learn and enjoyable to play.  If you are going to play Dragon Rampant you might as well have a dragon.

The mighty Fred, Dragon Lord of the Skies.

And of course I had to have Conan . . . 

“Hither came Conan, the Cimmerian, black-haired, sullen-eyed, sword in hand, a thief, a reaver, a slayer, with gigantic melancholies and gigantic mirth, to tread the jeweled thrones of the Earth under his sandaled feet.” 

Sir, this concludes the report.  Time to finish Arthur's cavalry.

Third Quarter Update and Right on Track, Part 2

Sir,

Continuing with the update after the end of the 3rd Quarter for the plan for 2016:

2e. I wanted to add some extra characters for In Her Majesty's Name.  Complete!

 Ranjit Singh.

Porters from Reaper Miniatures.

The meeting of Coira Armstrong (L) and Gertrude Bell (R) in the British Museum.

The Doctor and Companion.

Baron Maupertuis is a Sherlock Holmes nemesis.

 You can never do wrong by adding a mummy to the game.

Anne Nightengale, daughter of the famous (and trouble-prone) Professor Nightengale.

Colonel Dugald Armstrong, VC, DSO and his daughter Coira.

3. Dux Bellorum.  I started work on a historical King Arthur Romano-British army based on his role as the Dux Bellorum of Britannia. I needed one more element of cavalry, an element of light cavalry and then I need to finish up two elements of infantry which would complete the army.  I have finished the infantry:

 Ordinary shield wall infantry for Arthur's Army.

Second element of ordinary shield wall infantry for Arthur's Army.

Next is Part 3 about where I am in my plan with the Anglo-Zulu War and The Men Who Would be Kings.

Third Quarter Update and Right on Track, Part 1

Sir,

Here is the update after the end of the 3rd Quarter for the plan for 2016:

1. Finish the English Civil War Project, Phase 3 for the rule set I love, Victory Without Quarter.  Last Foot Regiment complete and two brigade commanders complete!

 Lord Saye and Sale's Regiment

 Oliver Cromwell

 Lord Leven figure filling in as a Irish Brigade commander.

2. In Her Majesty's Name.

     a. Scotland Yard company.  Complete!

Mr. Sherlock Holmes, Dr. John Watson and Scotland Yard's finest constables.

      b. Imperial Chinese Army.  Complete!

Lord Raglan's Imperial Chinese.

     c. Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.  Almost complete. I need to add a tribal chief and some tribal warriors.

Tarzan, Jane, Lt. D'arnot, great ape and Tantor.

     d.  Sikh Rifle Company.  Complete!

The 14th Sikhs with support weapons.