After completing the Qin forces recently I was inspired to push on and finish the Chu as an opponent to them. The Chu were the largest and amongst the most powerful of the Warring States and would be the last to fall to the Qin conquest. When Qin Shi Huang, the first Qin Emperor died … Continue reading Chu on this Chinese
One of the projects followers of my recent updates will recognise is the Chinese ancients I've been working on. I've now completed one of the armies in this project, the Qin. This serves as my October update as my hobby supplies were all packed away for most of the month due to selling the house. … Continue reading Qin Up Chinese
The Sengoku Jidai, or the Japanese Age of Warring States, has long captured my attention and interest. The turbulent history and larger than life figures have offered prime material for any number of games, books, films, series, and more and I've always had an interest in the exceptionalism of Japanese history, how it rocked between … Continue reading Rules for the Sengoku Jidai
When last we left our intrepid Crusaders they had just marched out from Nicaea after driving off an initial attack by the Turks. Numerous as they were, to march all down the same route would have been impossible so the army split into two parts. The vanguard, led by Bohemond of Taranto, his nephew Tancred, … Continue reading A Flippant History of the Crusades – The First Crusade – Dorylaeum down to rest.
It's been quite a while since I've played a game and even longer since I played a game of TtS so since I have recently finished a slew of crusades forces it seemed a good time to get a game on the table. This game fit nicely on the kitchen table with a 12x8 grid … Continue reading Battle Report – Crusaders and Saracens with TtS!
In the last post, we looked at some of the key players in the First Crusade on both sides and how the various Christian leaders made their way to Constantinople (Byzantium). A brief summary of where we are so far: The Byzantine Emperor Alexios sent a request to the Pope to put out a call … Continue reading A Flippant History of the Crusades – The First Crusade – Naughty or Nicea?
In the last post we looked a little at the background of the Crusades and the state of the (relevant) world before the launch of the First Crusade. We also looked at the less than stellar performance of the People's Crusade, sometimes known as the Peasants Crusade, Crusade Zero, or a huge mob of mislead … Continue reading A Flippant History of the Crusades – The First Crusade – The Road to Constantinople
Last week I was able to roll out some of the 2D armies for some games. I'd put together forces for the Boyne, Culloden and Gettysburg and got a chance to play a couple of games with my father. Culloden didn't get onto the table, though as it was the one I was least interested … Continue reading Paper Wars in Action
As promised, I've rolled out the new 2D armies to try out the Bloody Big Battles ruleset. This let me put together a game to play the rules out despite the fact I don't have a proper miniatures army. The scenario I picked was the Battle of The Alma from the Crimean War. The French, … Continue reading Remember the Alma…
Taking a break from the ECW for a bit, I decided to tidy up some of the bits of the Crusaders backlog along with one or two other things I found to do. First up, after listening my way through Dan Jones excellent narrative history "The Templars", I've learned that the Knights of the Temple … Continue reading Crusades progress update
narratives and journals from roleplaying game sessions
Random painting and terrain making.
Food Photography & Recipes
Developing a more wholesome way of eating
Historical Wargaming - Boardgames & Miniatures
Life, Golf, Miniatures, & Other Distractions
Collecting, modelling, painting and wargaming in 28mm
Wargaming the Sengoku Jidai in the age of Nobunaga
Wisely lead... without a head! 