Ask any of the Rejects and they will tell you that I don't move into a new period on a whim. This has been no different.
After much rumination I have decided to engage with the French Wars of Religion.
St Bartholomew's Day Massacre, 24 August 1572
I have been intrigued by the Thirty Years War for some time, especially after following the progress of Sidney Roundwood's Lutzen project. However, everything I read grabbed me intellectually, but somehow I always lacked the emotional engagement with the period.
Basically my pattern for starting a new period/project is:
- Get excited about something after reading, film or visit etc.
- Do some research.
- Look up rules, troop types and figure manufacturers.
- Continue this for a month or two at least. If the initial enthusiasm to collect etc. has cooled to just an interest, and my constraints remain a barrier, then this is NOT a project for me.
- If I'm still very excited and engaged intellectually and emotionally then I start working out the finer details about armies, rules etc.
As you can see, that to start a new project is NOT an impulsive endeavour!
I guess at the heart of it I have realised that there are certain limitations that are really quite profound and starting a new period/project to then have it gathering dust is disheartening. The main constraints are:
Money, and even more so these days. This also has a real impact on the scale of any project - both in figure scale and in ambition. To put it bluntly, I have to think really, really carefully before doing anything in 28mm... even 15mm is no longer an economic option for army builders.
Time. I am a slow painter of figures and I must factor that in. Do I want to start a project that will take me a demoralising amount of time to complete... if ever!
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| Henry of Navarre at the Battle of Arques |
However, once I started picking up on the French Wars of Religion things felt different. It had the military, political, economic and social "spice" to it that I found compelling and sustaining. There is religious strife, factional politics, interesting (and appalling) characters, fears about overbearing outsiders (Spain and Rome), Europe-wide inflation and economic dislocation and flux, and militarily the armies give different a feel. The royalist/catholic army with the better infantry but less reliable cavalry. Whilst the Huguenots have poorer infantry and more disciplined and newer style cavalry.
There were actually eight wars. Each have their own causes and character. To say that it was all about religion is to ignore the complexity of the time, place and context.
So what next? and what decisions have I made?
There's always more research to do. However, this is what I have decided, and done, so far:
- My aim is to fight battles that look like battles and I'm doing it in 2mm using the figures from Irregular Miniatures.
- I have decided to start the project based around the Battle of Coutras, 20 October 1587, before expanding. I have constructed army lists and bought the figures.
- I have written a rough 1st draft of rules for the wars.
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| Pikes awaiting the lick of paint! |
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| Huguenot cavalry champing at the bit! |
So, that introduces my new project. Hopefully future posts will show how this progresses.
Look forward to seeing your progress on this. Good luck with 2mm figures, my eyes wouldn't cope trying to paint that scale
ReplyDeleteThank you Neil. I may have to revisit the opticians. Would you believe it, those figures do have arms and arquebuses... not that the latter will get painted!
Delete2mm is probably the way to go but my eyes don't do that small nowadays . Looking forward to seeing your progress
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouragement.
DeleteThis will be an exciting project and I'll enjoy following this Richard.Are you planning on doing the landskneckt with brass or silver buttons?
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing your future comments on the projects. Now buttons would be silly... I'll just stick to those slashes on the sleeves, and highlighting the face!
DeleteI will be interested to follow your or ogress Richard....my tastes have been pulling me in the opposite direction....smaller scale actions of 28mm figures....it would not take a lot to convince me to do twenty or thirty 40mm figures for something like Sharpes Practice, to be honest! These 2mm figures look like lumps of metal to me at present but I guess they can be painted up to look more attractive, so that's what I am looking forward to seeing! There can be little argument about the fact you can play much more realistic large scale actions with this size of figure.....
ReplyDeleteYou make a good point. I suppose it is what you want out of the game. I thoroughly enjoy skirmish games, but my real attraction is fighting out the battles. I just don't think I can do that in the larger scales anymore.
DeleteAs for the lumps. Hopefully I can create an illusion!
Very interesting undertaking with an equally interesting choice of scale. Having never seriously contemplated a project in 2mm, I will be watching in with great curiosity. Those 2mm pike blocks are fascinating lumps of lead but I envision battle displays reminiscent of the contemporary woodcuts.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
I will appreciate your future reflections on what I do Jonathan. You are right about the visual effect that is likely to develop.
DeleteReally looking forward to your new venture Richard, it took you long enough to pick a new one, 2 years springs to mind????
ReplyDeleteTwo years? Richard takes the measured approach, for sure. Is he this cautious at the gaming table?
DeleteThanks Ray. You have had the "benefit" of me mulling this over for some time now.
DeleteWell Jonathan... I can't honestly comment. I'll have to leave the answer to this to Ray and other Rejects.
DeleteYour approach is very similar to mine these days Richard, albeit I'm a devoted 10mm gamer for many a year now. This 'scale' works for me now from a visual, space and economic point of view. Hopefully long gone are the impulse purchases for projects that have never and will most likely ever see the light of day.
ReplyDeleteI've tried 2mm blocks before and they look good, but I could never get the terrain for them to work for me, especially roads and rivers. I certainly look forward to seeing more of this project as and when you are able to share.
There is a lot of truth in what you say Steve.
DeleteI do agree with your comments about the terrain. My experience as my scale of armies has reduced from 28mm down through 6mm is that the tabletop terrain increases in significance relative to the decline in figure scale.
" tabletop terrain increases in significance relative to the decline in figure scale."
DeleteInteresting observation. You give me something else to ponder.
Oh sweet Lord, give me the glasses! :)
ReplyDeleteAwesome looking project sir!
Ha ha. I will probably be saying my prayers as I reach for the magnifying glasses.
DeleteTook my time getting to this, but it sounds very interesting. Love the 2mm models and looking forward to seeing this develop. It's always exciting starting a project, there are so many possibilities.
ReplyDelete