Pictober (1)

It's Pictober again - and I'm determined to get the whole army ready for Midgard which is out next month.

So first up some shaggy pony riders.

Very nice Gripping Beast models. 

Up close the heavy use of Contrast Paints makes them look a little rough, but at gaming distance they're fine and the Contrast/Speed Paints mean I'm actually getting them finished.

More Picts

 Metal Gripping Beast command models (need to make a standard to go on the pole) and some more from the company of thieves and charlatans we shall not name. Buy your stuff from Gripping Beast, kids.

That pretty much finishes off the core infantry for the Picts - need to paint some cavalry and a single hearthguard unit plus a few characters and we're Midgard Ready!

El Cid cavalry

 The horses for these have been painted for years.But getting the collection out for the Crusades game recently inspired me to finish off the riders

Midgard March (6)

 Another dozen of the Gripping Beast plastic Picts - with one or two Westwind metal heads added for variety

There are some metals to base up now and a few more in the painting queue.

Two games of 'Mead Price'

After a gaming drought approaching a whole month Martin and I got together to push soldiers around and roll dice. Neither of us had much appetite for anything requiring a great deal of brain capacity so Martin suggested we give chum James'  two page 'Mead Price' rules a go. James wrote these for playing quick and dirty Dark Age games at Sutton Hoo recently. I was hoping to go but COVID put paid to me travelling, but you can read all James adventures here.

The rukes are very simple - rather like the two people deciding to play them and can be downloaded for free here.

We both had Late Roman/Roman British forces - Martin's mostly from the excellent Gripping Beast range, mine mostly Footsore.

My King and his hearthguard held the centre

With warriors and skirmishers on both flamks

Likewise the usurper was in the centre of Martin's line.

It's not a game that encourages much in the way of hanging about, so we both raced forward.

My line became rather fractured and although I was pressing home aggressively my Reputation was suffering.

 

The Warlords were going at it toe to toe, but the random event cards meant I was throwing more dice and whittling the enemy away.

Eventually my Warlord cut down the usurper and his hearthguard and I escaped with victory - just!

It was fun and brutal and quite quick, so we lined 'em up and had at it again.

This time I placed my Warlord on my right flank.

Again both sides pushed up.

Though my Warlord was slow off the mark.

Devastating shooting by Martin's skirmishers saw both of my skirmisher units dead on the first turn!

His cavalry pushed home behind the lines.

A ryn of further bad luck, including an event that cost me more reputation saw my goblet emty all too quickly and I was routed from the field!

Two games played in less than two hours. You wouldn't want to play something this simple all the time, but as a change of pace and a chance to push some pretty soldiers around it was just what we needed.

We did add a few "house rules" as we went through. We decided skirmishers could move in any direction (not just straight forward or back) and could shoot as well even if they changed facing. We shuffled the deck whenever the random event card came up (we used cards instead of tokens) which meant not every unit got to move each turn. Finally we gave a charging unit 1 extra dice to roll in combat - just because it felt right.

Project Pict (3)

 24 Picts all done and ready for basing

A muted colour palette of various browns and greens and ochres. A few borders just for variation.

Planning to mix a basing gloop from filler, sand, paint and PVA as I think the thin plastic square bases and the relatively thick integral model bases need a bit of blending together.

Also need to decide if I'm doing transfers for the shields, or (probably) keeping them plain. There's a unit leader and a chap with a longer spear who will eventually have a standard. No musician 0 the 25th morel from the set is waiting for a right arm with a horn.

Trying to decide if I can wait until Partizan to pick up some more, or if I should just order another set while the momentum is still with me.

Project Pict (2)

Started some quick and dirty work on the Picts.

First, spray. I used the three Halfords matt Camouflage colours (khaki, dark brown and green plus Army Painter Leather Brown). The round bases are temporary for painting - they'll later get mixed on to the multi bases.

Next block in the base colours. I've gone for a pretty limited palette of brown, greens, off whites and ochres. I've added a few brightly coloured edges to robes and capes in some cases. I *may* add some checks in to later models (though tartan is of course a much later Scottish thing). I'm wanting a simple, humble (and easy to paint) effect. Characters will probably get fancier clothing if we ever get there.

Base colours finished, it's an all over wash of Vallejo Sepia. This batch seems to be drying shinier than I remember, I'm sure it's usually lovely and matt. Just slapped it all over everything.

Then a tidy up by highlighting with all the base colours.

Bish, Bash and very much, Bosh!

I may go back and give another highlight to faces - or possibly not. They're not going to win any prizes, but it's a pretty quick process. But given that I'll need four or five units of 24 for an army (plus some cavalry, skirmishers and an elite unit or two) quick and dirty is what's needed. Nice bases and shields plus a decent flag will do much to lift the finished unit. 

Project Pict (1)

I've long had a fascination with the Picts. Inspired at least in part by an old Scottish folk tale in a book I was given by my grandmother that described the last of the Picts hurling themselves to their death rather than reveal the secret of their mysterious and much desired Heather Ale to the conquering Scottish king.

I wanted to do an army of them for WAB but never got started and the price of metal meant such a thought became rather too expensive. And then Gripping Beast bought out some plastics, and then Lord S. of GB had a birthday sale and so I ended up with a box.

I am, truth to be told, not a huge fan of the GB plastics - but at £16 for 25 I thought it to be worth a punt.

They are not the greatest models, but they're not terrible - the heads are oversized, but the poses are more dynamic than the Vikings and less compromised/weird than the Arab Spearmen.

So I stuck 'em together.

There are only five torsos and only eight heads, though three of those eight are suitably Pictish looking hoods. There's also some cloaks and a few (though not enough for the whole unit) square and H shaped Pictish shields. There's also no "command" as such - there's a sword arm and a couple of helmeted heads and you can use a spear as a flag, but no horn is a bit irritating.

I decided I wanted them all to have spears but there's not enough on the sprue to do that either, so I had to do a bit of fettling with left over Viking and Arab spears.

Then I started basing them on Renadra 20mm squares. I debated using 1 p coins, but I want to make anactual rank and flank "army" not just use them for skirmishing, so went with the squares in the end.

Next up I split the 24 into 4 groups of six. I've left one with a missing right arm for later while I try and source a horn. Then I sprayed them with three different brown colours and one batch with green. I'll mix them up in batches for painting and then when they all get mixed up on bases I should have a suitably disparate bunch.

I did much of the assembly while away on my hols. and decided to order up some research material to help maintain momentum. Which duly arrived this morning.

We'll see if my enthusiasm survives the painting. If so I can see myself getting another box or three (or possibly some of the other GB Dark Age boxes to mix and match a bit).

I may well also add some metals as command and heroes and the like. I can also see myself getting some additional Pictish shields in metal and possibly some of the Westwind separate heads to provide variety

Cavalry - the obvious (cheap) choice is the GB Dark age cavalry and use assorted Pictish heads and cloaks, but I do have rather a soft spot for the GB metal cavalry which are riding appropriately tiny, shaggy little ponies. But that's a decision for much later. 

Gripping Beast Plastic Vikings

Eight more of these fellows. 

Shields by LBMS, though the amount of overpainting required to get them to blend does make me question the wisdom of using them...