Proletarians, To Horse!

Here is the second unit for my Roundway Down game at Partizan. This is the fourth of four regiments of Parliamentarian horse, each consisting of three troops of nine men. The London Lobsters, the subject of a future post, will have four troops, so there will be 144 riders in all. You can click for a close-up.

These are mostly Bicorne miniatures, although a Warlord rider has somehow managed to join them (front right). I always use static horse poses for the "Dutch" style units, which, being a megalomaniac,  I draw up in three ranks (completely unnecessary but looks good). In For King and Parliament "Dutch" units usually stand to receive a charge from their feistier Royalist "Swedish" peers. They bristle with pistols and carbines.

All of these were beautifully painted by Shaun McTague last year- I highlighted and varnished. Chum Ian flocked the bases and I tufted. The flags are Flags of War- I have taken to snipping the edges into a fringe, and painting them gold for extra bling. A shout out to David Imrie who gave me some great advice on how to get the best out of my camera!

Now I'm working on the command stands for the battle, including Waller and Wilmot, images to follow in a week or so.

To Horse, you Gallant Princes!

It has been far to long since I posted on this blog! With preparations underway for a big Roundway Down game at Partizan in May, I find I need to base more generals, more guns but, most of all, more ECW cavalry. Here's the first of three new new units. This is a Royalist regiment- I like them to be a little more dynamic than their sober Puritan peers, also they carry Royalist cornets. You can click on the image for a closeup.

These are what Andrew and I describe as "Swedish" horse in our For King and Parliament rules- more aggressive than their adversaries who often fought in defensive "Dutch" formations, at least in the first year or so of the war. Most of these miniatures are the excellent Bicornes, intermixed with a few Renegades. Many came from an eBay purchase but others were beautifully painted by Shaun McTague. By the end of May I will have 18 regiments of horse and some independent troops- I only need 14 for Roundway, so I can leave out recognisable units that weren't present at the battle.

A sensible battalia

Here's a departure for me; a battalia for FK&P that is, for once, a sensible size. This unit is 19cm wide, with 22 minis, and designed(to fit in a 20cm grid.  This is the format in which I anticipate many 28mm players will game the rules- quick to paint and you could game on a 6' x 4' table (although 8' by 4' would be better). 6 pike are flanked by 12 shot and led by 4 command minis. Photo is clickable.

All the miniatures are Bicornes painted for me by Shaun McTague; flags are Flags of War. The bases are new ECW batbases that aren't yet in the shop; they are just over 6cm square. You'll see some of the shot, moonlighting in another unit that is designed for the larger grid, tomorrow...