En Garde! - The Blue Crew

 Back to rhyming and not alliterating.. I couldn't call them the Blue Bunch, as I already called another group the Brown Bunch...

This is the last of the miniatures I'd bought to use with En Garde! The Swashbuckling Skirmish Wargames Rules from Osprey Games which I bought EIGHT YEARS AGO when it first came out (both the game and these miniatures...) 

I did not design the gangs based on points or anything... just put them into groups that I thought looked good and went with that!? 

This last bunch, I'd only ever finished two of them, and these other six were just finished up last night! 

The Whole Blue Crew. 

(I really need better names for the gangs...)

Unlike the last few, I didn't bother to try and cost them out with point values and try to cram them all into 100 points for a basic starting warband... Honestly, as I've been finishing them up, I've been thinking of using them with OTHER rules!? Mostly Flashing Steel... but also maybe Devilry Afoot...? 

I did name them all, though... 

François Boullogne - the leader of this band 

Claude Blanche

Marc Rigaud

Jean Lorrain

Pierre Boucher

Edgar Mignard

Henri Le Brun

Édourad Grandon

And... that's all of them... 

Will I get to PLAYING En Garde!? I have no idea. I do have some other games I do want to try out that may or may not involve some of these swashbucklers... 

Work-in-Progress Wendesday - 25 September 2024

My painting station is usually a bit of a mess. But every wednesday for the last bit, I've tried to take a moment and tidy things up and take pictures of things I've been working on this week. Maybe have a hard think about what should really STAY on the workbench and what should maybe be shifted off, to the side... into a box... onto the shelf... 

I don't know what it is this week, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by it all and just can't be arsed.. 

Maybe it's because I'm sick (AGAIN!?).

Maybe it's because I brought on a few too many side projects... and they're ALL SO CLOSE to being done I don't want to remove any... but at the same time there are just too many ON the workbench to get anything I really want to do done... which is EVERYTHING?!

This is the main part of the workbench and generally what it looks like from day to day... 

Off to the right, storage for some bigger bottles of stuff I use on the regular... and other stuff I've litterally just shoved off to the side because I don't currently have the mental capacity to make any decisions about what to do with them for now... 

Off to the left, lights and MORE stuff that has literally been shoved off to the side... 

The whole workstation... 

Zooming in on the left side of the main workbench - closest to the lights and the stuff that is MOST CURRENTLY been worked on... There are a number of re-basing projects on the go. Some more Greeks, more swashbucklers, even some warriors for Frostgrave warbands... and the Sylvaneth I REALLY want to get done for Sunday.

More re-basing projects and the Saviours of Cinderfall and stuff literally piled up on top of each other... 

Trying to finish up a little terrain project I started YEARS ago, but suddenly have a use for NOW!! I had completed one, but I don't think I ever posted any pictures of it... probably because I thought I'd finish up these other three and post pictures of all of them at the same time... and that was at least six years ago...? 

It might have been around the time I was making the Regina Trench terrain... or maybe when I was making movement trays...? Or when I was making more Ruined City terrain...? Probably Regina Trench or Ruined city... which would put this closer to 8 years ago... 

I DO want to get the Sylvaneth ready for Sunday, though... So I'm probably going to have to go back downstairs and shift a BUNCH of stuff off of that workbench and make space to just work on those... regardless of how close ALL THE OTHER THINGS are to completion, they're going to have to wait.. 

(though maybe I'll keep the slit trenches on the table, as they can be done on the side and I will likely make use of them BEFORE Sunday, carrying on with the Paras in Normandy Campaign I started yesterday... 

WHAT'S EVERYONE ELSE WORKING ON THIS WEEK!!?

En Garde! - The Red Warband Re-Based!

I looked it up, groups in teh game are called "Warbands" and I do like using the proper terminology used in games... 

As with the GREEN TEAM posted a few days ago, the Red Warband had ONE minature that was not, for some reason painted... (Why just ONE in both warbands!?) The Brown Warband, on the other hand is completely finished, and the Blue Warband is a little over half done...? 

Some of these aren't really all that RED... they're more of the "Warm Hues" Warband... 

So I finished up this one guy with a pike... Maybe that was supposed to be a standard bearer. 

And here is the rest of the Warband freshly rebased! 

I started flipping through the rules and realized/remembered that I bought these without any knowledge of the rules and just split up all the miniatures, more or less, at random (or... just what looked to me like a good - or interesting? - warband) without ever actually figuring out - points-wise - if ANY of these actually worked... 

So I started looking some more and had the hardest time trying to find how many you actually NEED for a game. I had a brief panic when I cam across the WHAT YOU NEED FOR A GAME section and it listed about 20 miniatures!! Then I realized they probably meant for the complete game - like, the total miniatures required for both sides!). Eventually I found there ISN'T any hard and fast rule about how many to use. 

I found a section that reference the suggested size of battlefield for a 100 point game and discussion of sizes to use for larger games... So I guessed the expected starting place was 100 points... but then had another panic when I saw that a Rank 5 Leader (the very best of the best) was 26 points, but the Rank 1 and Rank 2 fighters - which the majority of the warband is meant to be comprised of are only 4 and 9 points, respectively... but to this are added more points for weapons (basic ones - dagger, sword, etc - are free though)

So I thought I might cost out this warband to see if I have enough!

Leonardo di Lodovico - Rank 4, Medium Armour, Sword - 26 points

Raphaello di Lodovico (the rakish younger brother of Leonardo) - Rank 3, Sword, dagger - 15 points

Andrea da Vinci (Leonardo's trusted lieutenant) - Rank 3, Sword - 15 points

Tommasso da Caravaggio - Rank 2, Sword - 9 points

Piero Bellini - Rank 2, Blunderbuss, Dagger - 11 points

Giorgio Botticelli - Rank 2, Pike, Sword - 11 points

Giovanni Alberti - Rank 1, Matchlock Musket, Dagger - 7 points

Fillipo Gentileschi - Rank 1, Halberd - 7 points

Dammit... that comes to 101 points. I guess I could make someone's initiative less great for -1 point...? 

Initially I'd made Leonardo Rank 5, and Andrea Rank 4 and Giovanni Rank 3 or 4...? And gave anyone with a helmet "Light Armour" (there is no clear definition, that I could find, that differentiates what exactly is "Light", "Medium" and "Heavy" armour!?) and all that very quickly added up to more than 100 before I even added in the weapons! 

Yeah, I gave them all names... 

afterwards I realized I should have saved Leonardo and Raphaello for the Green Gang... 

Oooh... maybe I need alliterative names... the Green Gang... the Red Retinue... the... uh... Blue... Band..? The Brown Brigade...? 

I also got it in my head that I could cost out the warband for Flashing Steel - the swashbuckling game based on Song of Blades and Heroes. 

Unfortunately, unlike EVERY OTHER GAME based on Song of Blades and Heroes... there aren't really "army lists". All the other games will have a list of pre-made characters or fighters with their Quality, Combat, and any Special Rules, and a point value, that you can quickly use to come up with a warband - or, at least, gives you a place to start and then adjust as necessary... 

But there is NOTHING like that in Flashing Steel - just a list of famous pirates through the ages and what their stats point costs would be (ranging from about 70 points to 120)!? 

So I'd have to make every fighter from the ground up and that just seemed like too much work for today... (but possibly a fun exercise for a future day - because I DO LOVE the Song of Blades and Heroes system - though it has been YEARS since I've actually PLAYED it!?) 

So I have two complete warbands... Maybe I do need to figure out the En Garde rules and play a game... (or spend some time to work out the costs of a handful of Swashbucklers in Flashing Steel!) 

Odd and Sundry Items: Wizard, Swashbuckler, etc.

A small group of odd items rolling on the workbench this weekend…. I’m kind of all over the place, torn between finishing up fantasy units for Dragon Rampant, Frostgrave, and A Song of Blades and Heroes and swashbucklers for En Garde!… and other stuff…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):

Two fantasy figures from Reaper Miniatures. the Wizard is for myself (and I need to find an apprentice for him!) and the Barbarian woman is another addition to John’s Cheesecake Warband  for Frostgrave.

Two English Civil War figures from Wargames Foundry; a clubman and a general.

A woman with a Kalishikov assault rifle of some sort – also form Wargames Foundry.

An old, old Dark Elf and a Skeleton casualty marker made from a Games Workshop figure.

Finally another member of the Green Gang for En Garde! – also form Wargames Foundry.

In other news, En Garde! arrived on Friday and it’s pretty much exactly what I expected (which is good!). I am very pleased to see how flexible it is and designed to be used in many theatres throughout the renaissance. I hope I can find some time to try it out sometime this week!

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Swashbuckling Renaissance types… More Fantasy Warriors and Wizards… and hopefully an En Garde! game report! 

Swashbucklers!

Back to working on a few more Swashbucklers in anticipation of the immanent arrival of En Garde! (I just hope I can make a gang out of these lots for the game somehow!?)

I had previously mentioned I was painting the newly arrived swashbucklers in similar coloured clothes to easily identify to which band or gang they belonged. This latest batch is the complete grey/brown gang…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):

All these figures are from Wargames Foundry.

Now to finish up the Green, Blue and Red gangs and then eagerly await the arrive of En Garde! (and hope they will all be useable gangs in the game!)

I got to thinking it might be fun to organize a campaign in the kingdom of Florin during the reign of Prince (and later King!) Humperdink… I would have to convert a figure to add a sixth figure for Count Rugen.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Swashbucklers…? Or more fantasy stuff for Dragon Rampant… 

More Swashbucklers

Here are some more swashbucklers I hope will be useful for En Garde!. I really know nothing about the game, but I’m working under the assumption that it will involve gangs or some sort of team similar to theBuntai in Ronin – Skirmish Wargames in the Age of the Samurai with an average or 6-8 guys per side - maybe a bit more, maybe a bit less, depending on quality and such… I’ve started to organize these new figures into 4 teams or gangs in similarly coloured clothes.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):

The most recent batch. Figures are from Wargames Foundry

(Dang, did I miss painting a pupil on that guy in red!? AARRRRRG!?)

Team Green so far (or The Green Gang?)

Team Red/The Red Gang so far (Ugh, that eye… and I think I missed the bit of lace tucked into his glove!? I’m slipping… but I’ll have that fixed before I post the completed gang!)

The Blue Boys – feeling a bit lonely by comparison – but I have more almost done! 

In other news…

I got to play a game of Firefly with the family on Saunday afternoon. We played the easy (and shorter) “First Time in the Captain’s Chair” goals – as we haven’t played for a while and this was more or less just to refamiliarize ourselves with the rules.

The Girl totally trashed us all – AND she did it all doing legal/moral jobs!? The game seemed so short we kept on playing to see how many more turns it would take the rest of us to complete the three goals.

I came in second, but only because earlier in the game when Amanda had the chance to tip off the Alliance cruiser that I was sliding through Alliance space with a shipload of contraband (and gain herself $500 in the process) she elected not to (bless her socks!). She probably did this because she was also running not-so-legal jobs and had herself a ship full of fugitives and wanted crew and at some point someone else might draw that same nav card…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Swashbucklers and some medieval peasants. 

Imperial Guard and Swashbucklers

Well now that I’m all done with reminiscing over the past year and planning this coming year, it’s time to get back to painting toys and playing games!

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):

With realease of  En Garde! just around the corner I ordered some swashbucklers from Wargames Foundry  during their 20% off xmas sale. They finally arrived this past week and here are the first few to roll off  the workbench!

At the same time I ordered a few more English Civil War miniatures – figuring they could also be used for swashbuckling adventures! 

Here is a gen-u-ine Games Workshop Imperial Guard rocket launcher team. This is one I got off ebay and the prevous owner decided to remove the bipod on this launcher unit…?

I was feeling there was a lack of female troopers in my Imperial guard units – and as Games Workshop makes startlingly few of their own, I ordered these women from Copplestone Castings and replaced their firearms with GW Lasguns.

I also kitted them out with some other spare GW Imperial Guard equipment I had kicking around – canteen, ammo pouch, fighting knife and scabbard…

They fit in pretty good with the one other genuine GW Female Catachan jungle fighter I have…

But I’m not sure any of them quite fit in with the ridiculously overly muscular men of the unit… ah well…

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

More Swashbucklers…? More Guardsmen…?