The adventures of Captain Innocent Stryker

Long time without a post here I know, but no this project is not dead.  In fact, it is now confirmed to be on track to go into high gear in early 2016.  Excitement and purchases continue (though no actually modelling yet).    Hopefully the upcoming Hoby Challenge will see some brushes get dusted off, eh Alan?

Anyway, in the meantime I have been keeping my toe in the ECW period with a bit of fiction set during the war.  Namely, the adventures of Captain Innocent Stryker.

Captain Stryker is the creation of author Michael Arnold.  A reluctant Royalist Officer, he and his sidekick Sergeant are grizzled veterans of the continental campaigns of the Thirty Years War.  As such, they have a much more jaded view of the war and what it will do eventually to their homeland.  He is frequently compared to Bernard Cornwell's Richard Sharpe - in fact this comparison is done with monotonous regularity by reviewers but notwithstanding this is a pretty accurate.

The series of books takes the main cast of characters through the opening battles of the ECW with an interesting plot line running throughout all the different books.  Though I think the first couple were the best, I quite enjoyed all of them.  They gave a really interesting perspective to the lifestyles and language of the period, as well as how the skirmishing and fighting tactics of the period worked.  While there is also a good measure of artistic license, it also gives a good perspective of how the command chains of both armies worked, the impacts of suffering from poor logistics processes, and the impact of certain personalities.


Overall, if you are an ECW aficionado and want some entertaining reading to immerse yourself in the period, then this series is for you!  But be warned, it will have you hankering to play some Pike and Musket skirmish gaming, which is the level that most of the books' actions is set.

The author's webpage also has some interesting resources which are worth checking out.
http://www.michael-arnold.net

I'm up to the sixth instalment now, which covers the Battle for Marston Moor. It will be interesting to see how the author tackles that engagement and what he will do with the series once this climatic event is done.

Any recommendations for other ECW era fiction?


[EDIT] Steve the Warmer has just posted a review of Marsten Moor at his blog here:
 http://steve-the-wargamer.blogspot.com/2015/10/marston-moor-review.html

New Pike & Shot rules under way!

The Pikeman's Lament, a new addition to the expanding Osprey war-games rules series by Dan Mersey (of Lion Rampart fame and others).  While this will be of limited use to our micro scale gaming, this promises to rejuvenate a bit of interest in the period which is always a good thing!

http://merseybooks.blogspot.com/2015/08/new-pike-shot-rules-under-way.html

An idle resort to war

A veritable dearth of activity on the ECW project this month as my real life academic requirements piled up, and Alan rightly prioritised getting some Dark Ages figures completed for a campaign he has going.  Nevertheless, I did achieve some interesting acquisitions for the library - 2 gaming and 2 non fiction titles which will form part of my summer reading.  Reviews to follow in due course.

Matchlock Rifle

This week I came across some ECW artefacts at the NRA museum in Virginia which was very interesting:

Matchlock Rifle:

 Ammunition bandoleer:

 Note that the projectile is embedded in the lid:

Rifle rest

Yes...MORE Figures!

Who doesn't like coming home to such a package...

OK, we really should stop buying lead for a bit now...but I snagged a bulk deal from a nice chap at Bartertown (Hi Dave!) which included not only a full Army Pack but also more dragoons, heavy guns, some tumbrils and carts, and 10 old OOP Baccus buildings with thatched roofs and tudor style walls.

So many goodies...

This brings our collection to 5 full Army packs plus some extras - enough Alan thinks to do Marston Moor.  I may also take some of the foot figs and base them specifically to defend a city in ditches and so on, rather than in normal battlefield order.  Then we can play a siege game or two, maybe even recreate the Battles for Arnescote Castle from the series 'By the Sword Divided' :-)

The lead piles grows, the boys are happy and somewhere the God of Wargaming smiles!

Contemplating ECW Terrain

I've started to cast my eye about for appropriate 6mm terrain - another lovely excuse to spend Hobby money! So what do I think we need? Enough terrain for a 4 x 4 or so sized table, including a river, a few roads, some bridges, and a town or two. First up, Baccus (whose lovely figures we are using) is an easy starting place with this nice village set https://www.baccus6mm.com/catalogue/ScenicItems/BritishBuildings/

Here are some other manufacturers of 6mm Terrain that I've come across:
http://www.scalecreep.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=3723_1504_3289
http://www.levenminiatures.co.uk/general.htm    
Some painted up nicely here:
http://walladvantage2.blogspot.com.au/search/label/6mm%20ECW http://www.timecastmodels.co.uk/ http://www.jrmini.com/shop/jrmini.php http://www.totalbattleminiatures.com/bigbattalions/6mm/pikeandshotte.html    
Curt's nicely painted up granary set here: http://analogue-hobbies.blogspot.com/2013/03/product-review-total-battle-miniatures.html

Curt's lovely granary terrain set (Total Battle Miniatures)

While its listed in their Napoleonic rage, Leven Miniatures make a nice fortified Manor House that would do nicely as a Royalist stronghold

Leven's NAP06 - Fortified Manor House from here

Leven also make these fine Tudor Style buildings - can't have an English village without a pub now can we!

GEN11 - Tudor Style Public House

HOU14 - Detached Tudor style house

Dungeon Castings make this nice "House with Tower" as an alternative Manor House (DC-D0118) http://www.dungeoncastings.co.uk/shop/shop.php?action=full&id=531

Total Battle Miniatures also do this fantastic walled town set - very pretty but not sure if I need to drop 65 pounds on it at this stage and instead of buying more functional terrain.  Very shiny though!  Would make a great centrepiece for a Campaign.

The unpainted pics show what you get in better detail I think:

And finally, what kind of Royalist would I be without a good keep or castle to fall back on?  However, my quick look around didn't provide me with the ample options I expected.  I thought for sure there would be many examples of big '5 star' castles like Conwy, Raglan or Caernarfon.  What I'd really like is a nice tower like Donnington (where the battle of Newbury was fought in 1644). 

JR Miniatures' "European Siege Castle"

And finally, some inspiration for baggage/camp elements here (all made with Baccus figures): http://www.tinytintroops.co.uk/Galleries/New_Style/New_Page_02_camp&bag.htm

If you other suggestions or recommendations for us I'd love to hear them!

This disturbing and rebellious quote is posted to celebrate Alan's successful completion of the 5th Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge and his great placing in 8th position.  Well done mate!

Oliver Cromwell at the Battle of Marston Moor, 1644

I had rather have a plain russet-coated captain that knows what he fights for and loves what he knows, than that which you call a gentleman and is nothing else. I honour a gentleman that is so indeed. 

Taken from a Letter from Colonel Cromwell to Sir William Spring, Earl of Manchester, Sept. 1643.

Tinker Fox ECW Campaign

An interesting and wonderfully FREE campaign system for the ECW:

"Tinker Fox - an English Civil War campaign game of garrison warfare in the England, Scotland and Ireland, 1642-1652, using the BATTLEFINDER card system (also for use with Very Civile Actions)"
http://perfectcaptain.50megs.com/tfox.html

Tinker Fox uses an interesting strategic movement system which abstracts the area into key areas.  This allows you to do away with detailed map movements (and get on the with the business of dispatching those rebellious Roundheads!).

Pretty neat.  I would also consider going further and 'cut' some of the linkages between sections (for deep river etc) to make strategic chokepoints.

One can see this interesting system (with tactical games resolves with a C&C variant).  Very interesting with some nice ideas for Campaigning

http://prometheusinaspic.blogspot.com/search/label/ECW%20Campaign?updated-max=2014-12-30T20:59:00Z&max-results=20&start=8&by-date=false

Alternatively, the Napoleonic rules "Blucher" include a short campaign system which would also give an interesting game with less preparation required:

SCHARNHORST: The Campaign System

Blücher includes a campaign system called Scharnhorst which acts as a pre-game. Players plot the movement of their columns along roads and across the countryside. They must make the difficult decisions about spreading out their forces to control key points, while remaining within supporting distance in order to mass for a battle once the enemy has been located.

Of course your opponent may not let you fight on the field of your choice, with all the forces you would like. Was it wise to have sent so much of your cavalry on reconnaissance now that they arrive late and fatigued for the battle? Did you neglect to secure a key road or town in the rear of your position, forcing you to fight at a disadvantage?

Scharnhorst does away with the traditional wargame roles of “attacker and defender.” The players script the battle with their own choices of maneuver and objectives, and the fortunes of the campaign may change dramatically once the fighting is underway.

http://www.sammustafa.com/honour/downloads/

This War without an Enemy

Came across this classic quote this week. It really struck a cord with me and I wanted to share it.

Parliamentarian General Sir William Waller (pictured above) writing to his close friend General Sir Ralph Hopton of the Royalist Army (pictured below). Sir William and Sir Ralph were opposing Army commanders in the campaign for southwest England.

'Certainly my affections to you are so unchangeable that hostility itself cannot violate my friendship with your person.  But I must be true to the course I serve... The great God who is the searcher of my heart knows with what a perfect hatred I detest this war without an enemy; but I look upon it as sent from God, and that is enough to silence all passion within me... We are both upon the stage, and must act such parts as are assigned to us in this tragedy.  Let us do it in a way of honour and without personal animosities.'

Book Review: Featherstone's Pike and Shot

OOP 'classic' edition

This is the second John Curry reprint that I bought recently, to go with Wesencraft's excellent "Pike and Musket" volume (which I reviewed here).  As much as I have enjoyed many other Featherstone tomes over the years, in my opinion this one is inferior to Wesencraft's book on the topic.

Reprint available from Amazon here

To be fair, I wanted this book for its information in regard to the ECW and thats not what it is.  Its a book on the entire age of warfare in the 16th and 17th centuries.  It details 15 different battles in great detail (up to 8 pages each, including  full page map) but only 3 are from the ECWs - Rocroi, Cropredy Bridge, and Auldearn.

The book is rounded out with some typically Featherstonesque rules and some references and reading lists in the back.



If you are after information about the whole period this may be of interest to you.  If you are after ECW material in particular, stick with Wesencraft's "Pike and Musket' instead.