Saw saw, Bang, Bang

 One big one down, four little ones to go.

 

This vessel already had a deck before the mast, as will as a small tower over the bow, just large enough for 2 archers. Now it also has a main deck aft the mast and a small quarterdeck.

The main decks each hold 4 warriors. Last of all is a small quarterdeck which has room for 2 or 3 figures, usually including the Captain. 

A raven's eye view.

Last, but not least, the forward deck can be used as a platform for a small catapult instead.

Next up will be the smaller cogs which will hold 8 figures and a leader, with no option for artillery. Then I'll paint the decks and we'll be ready for the fog to lift so there can be a rematch.

Beware of Lea Shores and Fog

Alas and alack! It did not take very many turns before I realized that I needed more work on the ships and the rules. 

When I played the quick 1 on 1 encounter last year, there was a lot of improvising and it was a VERY quick game.

One of the problems was trying to get the figures to stand up on a lumpy ship. Another was that the setting and storyline seemed to need a bit more complexity with so few figures and little maneuvering with only 2 ships.  Various obstacles made it hard to match up opponents, but with so few figures, it was easy to improvise.

A sudden fog began to form and with rocky shoals on one side and a rocky coastline on the other side of the shore, a truce was called and the ships headed out to sea with agreement to meet again and finish the affair 

It didn't take long today for me to realize that I have to modify the ships to have a smoother deck for the figures stand on and make it easier to match opponents, or come up with another approach. The usual committee of 3 has been appointed to look into the matter.

If I get a sudden solution, the battle will start again, if not. I'll adjust the table and do something else.

Helgin's Revenge

Over the winter. Helgin's shipyard was busy and by spring the largest ship that had been seen in these waters was finished. With a new consort, and a balista mounted on the Giant's bow, Helgin was ready for his fleet to go sweep away the Duke's little fleet of one, well it might be two by now but no matter, Bertha would crush them all.

Alas for Helgin, his scouts and spies had not managed to discover that the Duke's shipyard had secretly finished two of the smaller cogs and the fleet of three was now out, seeking the Saxon fleet.

Can the largest naval fight ever seen off this coast be far away? 

....To be continued....
 

The Clans Are Gathering

 One more stand is table ready. The current plan is to have 12 stands of Highlanders in my Scots army. 
This brings me to 9.

1/2 way there for Lennox's Highland levies.

Highlanders, always looking for another angle.....

So Far...

..so good. About 1/2 done.

1/2 Done.
(Is it just me or does the bald but bearded guy bear an eerie resemblance to Graham McTavish in his role of Dougal MacKenzie.)

I have vague memories of another blogger, or maybe a pre-blog webpage, writing about how weakening eyes and increasingly shaky hands was reducing the pleasure of painting miniatures.  Well, over this last year, its begun, a bit at a time. Luckily, I'm fine with simple painting with less detail etc and have found that the reduction in sight also means not noticing the simpler painting style or all but the worst slips or twitches of the brush, or omissions of some detail etc. 

So: "balance in all things". 

While I'm waiting.....

 I decided it would be a good time to paint a few more figures. Since I had recently seen some unpainted 25mm Garrison medieval figures when looking for something else, and there were two votes for the Gathering of Hosts, I decided to dig them out. 

Hmm, not here......Hmm, Hmm, not there, what about in here...  Oh look!  ....I'd forgotten that I still had a dozen of these to paint..... Well, might as well paint a few more of them, and then, maybe a few more, or at least fix a few of the veterans, dropped pikes etc. 

Of course, the new lads will have to see the Woolly Mammoth. (Well, no elephants in Scotland were they?).

40mm resin Highlanders for Rough Wooing/Henry VIII's Wars.
3d Resin figures from Day of Battle , the 40mm option.

  I guess Rough Wooing is up next after all, but north of the border, not across the channel.

https://gameofmonth.blogspot.com/2022/11/cometh-hour.html
A game from 2022, including the first appearance of 3d printed Scots,
(Well, these 2 didn't exactly start as Scots, but, hey! Look! T\hey're flying the Macfarlane arms on their flag.)

For My Next Act......

I'm not quite sure what I want to call to the table next. 

Finish those ships for Prince Michael and have a small fleet battle? Or an amphibious assault?

Back to the hot, humid, West Indies? (Which is what the weather feels like today.)

or.......? 

At times like this, it's just as well to ask the audience  or......to pull one out of my hat.... "Nothing Up My Sleeve...".

Welcome To Faraway. May I See Your Passport Please?

 "No, I thought nought." .... "Bob! Quick! Telegraph Fort Belmont for help!"

A close up shot of a critical point in the battle. 

_______________________

The garrison at Ft Belmont was on the alert and a force under the command of Colonel MacDuff soon appeared to meet the invaders. A quick conference led to a decision for Brigadier Ross to command the artillery and a company each from the Rifles and Infantry on the left with orders to pin down the raiders until they got the order to advance. On the right, a company of the Royal Highlanders and one each from the Fusiliers and Grenadiers, were ordered to turn the enemy's left flank, and drive them off the field of battle.

Initially the infantry firefights were even, but the Origawn artillery was inflicting steady losses on the Dominion forces while their guns had trouble finding the range.

As the Grenadiers deployed and extended the line, the Origawn infantry started a slow retreat, hoping for support from their artillery. 

Once the flanking attack had driven back the enemy's left flank, the order was given for the whole force to advance.

The firefight was prolonged and bloody and the sun was sinking. Who knew if the enemy was expecting reinforcements any moment. 

Finally, the Dominion's numbers were starting to tell. The enemy gun was silenced, and some of their infantry wavered, ignored the orders to "Rally Men!" and then ran! There was only a small rearguard to cover the disorderly retreat but the Dominion soldiers were tired and their commander was under strict orders not to cross the border.   

(It appears that the original report that the invaders had a gun and 4 companies of infantry, was slightly exaggerated as only 3 companies were spotted. Oops! ......but it was close with the attacker being 6 vs 4,
so it might have been the intended ratio.)  

Happy Canada Day to all!

 Even to those who have never gotten closer to Canada than a blog or two! :)

As I was clearing up the ACW game, there was a twitch in my brain and my table has been 'slightly adjusted' again before laying out a simple game for my 54's who haven't been out since last September, and umh..this day last year! If I break out the 54mm Dominion forces on Canada Day next year, it just might become a tradition.

Dominion Forces arrive with orders to drive a bunch of Fenians back over the border.

The actual game will probably get played tomorrow or the day after as the temperature in my room is now up into the 30+Celsius range.  (-30C is easier to deal with!)