1066 Pocket Armies - the green shoots

The above graphic is a completed 88 piece jigsaw from the Hero’s and Heroins series by the Lagoon Group, covering the iconic Ladybird Books Adventure from History series.

 

One of my five front burner Pocket Army projects is the 1066 Norman / Anglo - Saxon combo, but with so much in front of me to do, I suspected that this would not get even started until some time next year …… However!

A couple of ‘events’ have brought some command figures into my immediate possession and for one reason or another, these are likely to hit the painting sticks early and signal the project as started!

This post is just going to look at those nice command figures and discuss the plotting of the way forward. Please use the ‘read more’ tab for the rest of this post.

A gem of a book for Dark Ages

Many years ago, as a young teenager, I went with my parents into town and one of the stops was the book shop. I was just looking aimlessly at the indoor games section (chess and all that) to kill time, when by chance I came across a Don Featherstone title about wargaming.

The chance discovery was made, the book was bought and lifetime passion followed. It was a golden moment really.

Anyway, my mind was immediately thrown back to that time, when today I visited a book shop, not really looking for anything and I just browsed the military shelf .... which NEVER has wargaming material.

But ..... today and I really did have to do a double take, as I couldn't believe my luck, the book spine said The Wargamers Guide to DARK AGE BRITAIN by Marin Hackett and published by Amberley.

This has a publication date of 2013 and had completely passed me by.

With my 1066 project up and running, this just has to be the best running mate that chance could have brought me. 

At 284 pages, it has a wargame set of rules, information about the period and then each Dark Age battle is given 2 or 3 pages with a schematic diagram of the essential elements of terrain and troop deployment.

Here are some chapter headings;
Dark Age Warfare
Dark Age Armies
Britons Alone
The Saxon Kingdoms' Struggle for England
The Saxons Plateau and the Heathens Arrive
The Making of England
1066: The Year of Three Kings and Three Battles
Rebellion 1066 to 1070

Not only will there be a treasure trove for me to mine here, but I was conscious that my two Hastings armies were unlikely to get a lot of use outside of the 1066 time frame. However, by adding a Viking army, which I would want to do anyway at some point from Stamford Bridge 1066, the door opens on a wide variety of battles that the figures from the three armies could be deployed to, with just a small amount of proxy assistance.

Anyway a really enjoyable find.

RESOURCE SECTION
First update post on the 1066 project LINK

http://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/1066-hastings-initial-project-update.html

1066 Hastings, an initial project update

It was in March 2017 that I first mentioned an intention to start a 1066 figure project for a Hastings game, fully expecting it to be up and running by now. This was to be a ‘from scratch’ project, but to date there has been too much thinking and not enough painting, so it becomes the main project for 2018 and is now getting the sort of attention needed if a game is to hit the table.

Norman Cavalry

As things get jacked up to make a more determined approach, this post takes a look at the basic plans of getting this game together, including discussion on the army structures and the needed terrain. So here begins the gentle ramblings, direction, misdirection and re-direction of a project manager, designer, recruiter, painter and modeller - ah yes, the simple wargamer!

Please use the ‘read more’ tab for the rest of this post.

1066 Project

1066 Project (leading to the Battle of Hastings).

Though I have been thinking about doing this project for some time, it is meant to be on the slow burner, while I focus attention on ACW 12mm armies and my home brew rules for a hexed battlefield ........ but, the 1066 distraction is growing.

 

The 1066 project is not intended to start before late June this year, however, I have just painted up one blister pack of Norman heavy spear and so a sense of enthusiasm encourages me to do an   introductory post now. 

The following is just a ramble that outlines the planed path that will ultimately lead to a Hastings game later this year.

Please use the 'read more' tab for the rest of this post.