Irregular Wars Wargaming

With a work and other projects keeping me off the gaming table for a while, my wife was good enough to suggest we try out her new SBH warband of warrior nuns in a couple of games last week. After setting up the table I set about waiting for out wee lad to fall asleep. Meanwhile, something dark and evil was encroaching on the battlefield...

Finally I present the third in the series of 'ship studies', the Dutch jacht ( reconnaissance /privateering vessel) Duyfken - on in English, the Little Dove. Built in 1595, the small vessel was used extensively by the VOC ( Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie)  in the East Indies until her abandonment in 1608. In 1606, she was the first European vessel to reach the shores of Australia. The full scale replica was built at Freemantle WA in 1999. Particulars: Displacement - 110 tons burthen Length - 19.9m Beam - 6.0m Draft - 2.4m Speed - 7 knots Armament - 8 small cannons The Duyfken at sea: The Duyfken docked at Coffs Harbour in 2006: The following timeline was opportunistically appropriated from  www.duyfken.com , I can claim no credit or responsibility for any of the content. CE 1595 Duyfken  is built about 1595 in the Netherlands. A fast, lightly-armed ship probably intended for small valuable cargoes or privateering. CE 16...

Last night I played two great games against the Lowland Scots of Alanus Dux Homunculorum ( check out his excellent blog here ).  Disclaimer : Please note that all nationalistic jibing and slander expressed throughout this post have been added for gaming flavour only. They do not reflect the beliefs of any of the players involved with the games - not even Mr Hotspur himself.... In the first engagement, the Honourable Harry Hotspur led his men north in the name of good Queen Bes to put a halt to Scottish opportunistic depredations. He managed to recruit two companies of demi-lancers, a company of border horse, two of billmen and one each of longbowmen, militia pikemen and plantation militia (obviously home from the Dublin Pale for the holidays!?). He was opposed by some Scottish laird whose name has already been forgotten by the court chroniclers. The mangy northerners managed to put together four companies of border horse, two companies of targeteers, one company each of ...

Introducing the third of my warbands for Ganesha Games' Song of Blades and Heroes - The Shaman of the North. This band of northern wanderers have come south to match their savage power and arcane knowledge against the civilised (black powder wielding) folk of Ballybogside and the Grand Duchy of Cheddar.  Sycorax (crazed and lame shaman) Points: 93 Q:2 C:2 Special rules: magic-user, short move, terror Loosely inspired by Shakespeare's  "blew eye’d hag"  ( The Tempest  1.2.269), my Sycorax model is the lame Celtic witch by the same name produced by Gorgon miniatures. Her reputation as a crazed witch warrants the application of magic user and terror special rules while her physical ailment slows her down to short movement.  Sabre-toothed Tiger Points: 70 Q:3 C:5 Special rules: animal, big, dashing, opportunistic, stealth The Sabre-toothed tiger ( smilodon fatalis ) combines the ambu...

Having recently finished watching the Hiberno-Canadian series of The Tudors (2007-2010),  I thought I'd post a few pictures of Henry VIII and his wives as a bit of light relief. For all that the four seasons of the show treated history as a malleable, plastic art form, it can't be denied that it was visually stunning and vibrant; it certainly attracted (and held) the viewer's attention. Henry VIII 1491-1547 Henry VIII - Jonathon Rhys Meyers Catherine of Aragon, 1485-1536 (divorced for not giving birth to a son) Catherine of Aragon - Maria Doyle Kennedy Anne Boleyn, 1500(?)-1536 (beheaded) Anne Boleyn - Natalie Dormer Jane Seymour, 1509-1537 (died following birth of the future Edward VI) Jane Seymour - Annabelle Wallis Anne of Cleves, 1515-1547 (divorced on account of her looks) Anne of Cleves - Joss Stone Kathryn Howard, 1521-1542 (beheaded) Kathryn Howard - Tamzin Merchant Katherine Parr, 1512-1548 (survived to marry Thomas Seymour)...