Work in progress... Tricorn Era Female

A work in progress shot of a brigadier - dismounted
 

I now have the ability to post pictures to my blog, as the computer is working again. Here is a photo provided by one of the sculptors of a female brigadier, this will be one of the bonus figures available as part of the kickstarter.

Unicorns, Rainbows, Dux Bell or Britt, and VBCW

So my Computer is working !

I have struggled to catch up on my three thousand unread emails ... and I have one or two problems to update software for.

I have started my final version of the rainbow making unicorn game, and if I had the website working I would upload the playtest copy (so that people could playtest it to see if I have made a worthwhile game)

I will be knocking heads together at the hosting companies tomorrow since I am stressed by the lack of service I have received.

I have put together the forces for Dux Bellorum / Dux Brittaniorum, for me and Gary to play, and they will be going to the painting service in a couple of weeks (hopefully). I am still looking for a couple of ox carts and a driver, and I am picking up some dogs and a priest and a few other bits hopefully at York, plus the Bases and movement trays from Warbases, which provide excellent service with their custom pieces.

I have picked up A World Aflame - with the intent of making a fictional force or five for Very British Civil War, and will be creating the forces for this in accordance with the following rough plan

Forces

Mineworkers Free Militia -3 squads of eight to ten figures, with rifles, and a heavy weapons squad comprising a heavy machine gun (stolen from regular force stores, or supplied by Red allies), and 2 or 3 light machine gun teams. A command team including a mounted messenger, a couple of runners, and buglers from the colliery band, plus an explosives team of demolitionists will round out the force.

Citizen Fascist force - 3 squads of twelve armed citizens, each squad having an smg eqipped NCO and light machine gun. The command will include prominent locals, flag bearer, and a field telephone team, plus runners. (there may also be a delivery truck, and a staff car in the eventual plans. I also expect a mounted infantry unit to be included in this force eventually)

Police and Local Defence Volunteers (Home Guard)
a squad of each under the command of the local senior officer - each squad would be 10 to 12 members strong, and they would all have rifles and pistols, and would probably count as trained or better shots, plus they would have access to additional rounds and spare ammunition. I think they might get a team of mounted police, plus a heavy machine gun (eventually) and they would have contact with "government" forces for assistance with heavy weapons and artillery and air support and such like.

Local army (?)
Possibly a force of reaction to act as needed by the campaign,
probably two or three squads of 8 to 12 men, includes a HMG and a tankette, and a field piece (old 18 pounder or twenty five pounder perhaps, or even a lighter field gun or anti tank model)

Red forces - being an intervention force of internationals under communist command - not sure what or how many yet

Citizens loyal to parliament (?) not sure who or what these would look like - but might include locals who work for local council, and some moderate folks who have not jumped on board with red land propaganda, but who are against the local fascists  or royalists.


I will let you know how this develops.

being a translation of an honest and true account...

over a drink in a snowed in house last week, I tried to justify the presence of females in a marlburian army. I thought long and hard about how and why female troops could be deployed, who or when would they volunteer en masse.

I decided that the first deployment would have to be an accident, a circumstance of self preservation, or a misunderstanding. my feelings were that the first use would be dressing camp followers as soldiers to create a false reinforcements, and them being half threatened and delivering an effective volley leading to enemy units withdrawing  from the field. after this success a nobles wife begs a more active role

the nobles wife pays a bounty and recruits wives, doxies, and other diverse sorts to guard the camp, and seeks permission of the crown to fight, and based on the heroics printed in the daily courant thousands of women volunteer, and soon regiments with a mix of women from the generally lower walks of life are lead by officers, and colonels drawn from nobility, across the whole of Europe.

can anyone give a reason that has more plausibility for this imaginations standby?

plastic figures, war gaming and....

put together another handful of figures, got to glue hats onto the warlord ecw figures that I have done,  then there are some ancient Germans and some Greeks and some conversions and some more conversions that I have got to do.

I have part play tested the rainbow unicorn game, and am now trying to fix a rules question or two and an alternate rule or two. the scoring has been through the mill and back, so I think a final version is still more than a week away.

had trouble yesterday with the hosting of my website, they just do not seem able to let it transfer to the new hosting service, no matter how many times I call I always end up speaking to someone who is in the wrong department to help, and if I use the online help service going to the appropriate page gives me a 404 error.
the phone number that worked before Christmas now connects you with a diet food supply service... and the old website does not help. I wouldn't mind but it is gbbo and they have changed service providers.

computer should be working tomorrow.
should have more snow tomorrow as well.

currently isolated

yes, as a result of a little snow, we are currently unable to contact the outside world.
still struggling with the man flu, but did find time yesterday to assemble seven more figures, do some minor conversions to two or three other figures, and sort out one or two boxes of rubbish for figures that might be usable for a game.

after lunch today I will spend some time assembling the last of the Saxon lighter armed infantry, and the unit of bows and javelins. I am then building one unit of Germanic mercenaries to add to the army for dux Britt or bellorum

my further mercenary forces are going to be built out of some lightly converted other plastics, including some games workshop bits.

I am also building a high fantasy army that will be able to morph into historic wars of roses or Italian wars for a personal game design.

the Amazon army is looking ok, and the painter has done a brilliant job with the figures. the Greeks to fight it are mainly Trojan war era  and will do for both Trojan and Athenians. I will eventually get round to building some more hoplites so the later period can be done, with both Greek and Persian wars and Alexander.

or not....

so the computer not working yet, might have to let it sit a day back at the repairer again.
better news from the business advisor, and we discussed lots of options, so from that advice I will make a better kickstarter.
I do hope that the best options from the sculptors Will be appreciated and supported by kickstarter pledges.

computer may work tomorrow...

so computer is back.. but not plugged in as advised to get new anti surge device.

spending an hour with the business consultant tomorrow with regard to kickstarter and other business aims, and will be discussing whatever free methods and services I can tap into.

unicorn game now looks ok on paper, with all the variables sketched out, but scoring the chains of complete or partially complete rainbows to make it an interesting game still seems to make it difficult. seems to much like a king making situation, but not sure if that will happen if the game is designed right.