Monday, January 30, 2012

Three Pike & Shot ECW Photographs

On the 28th of January we had a game using my "antiques" as Rob rightly said. Most of my English Civil War miniatures are three decades old. Game photos won't mean much to viewers I'm thinking but three below might prove appealing or at least diversionary for you.

Parliamentarian Right Flank. The Earl of Essex's Lifeguard is farthest right wearing 3/4 armour. Such accoutered combatants were called Lobsters because of all the armour from head to thigh. These are 25mm Hinchliffes. Within the enclosure is The Tower Hamlet Regiment of Foot of 25mm Miniature Figurines

2nd London Trained Band in the center rear of Parliament's position. Castings are 25mm Miniature Figurines with GMB flags. They are preparing for trouble because....

On Parliament's Extreme Left Flank we see Prince Rupert's Royalist Brigade of Horse. The Cavaliers are reorganizing and reloading pistols after having swept a weaker Parliamentary Brigade of Horse off the field. The nearest unit is Rupert's Regiment of Horse led by Rupert himself with his faithful dog, Boye.

This is a newer unit from about seven years ago made up mostly of 28mm Redoubt Miniatures. Others are Hinchliffe.

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CLOSING REMARKS

1. Pike divisions typically deployed six ranks deep. So....almost eight years under the spell of Warhammer ECW's photos, I changed from 1:20 to 1:10. Most every regiment of foot was increased so it could have a minimum of twenty-four matchlocks and twenty-four pikes. Usually this meant adding eighteen miniatures. This was easy and fast to do although rebasing was needed. This allowed pike miniatures to be in four ranks instead of two. I did not want to do six. Moreover, I could have more than one flag using GMB's lovely products. I thought Warhammer ECW's photos showing this kind of depth appealing and more correct for the era.

2. Colorful period isn't it? Lovely flags and every unit is a different color.

3. Different too because of such tactical nuances as fire by introduction or extroduction, the caracole, Rings (think a round square), matchlocks, pikes and firing pistols in cavalry charges. There is more too....

4. The collection has been sleeping for decades. I hope to get it on the tabletop several more times in 2012.

Thank you for looking in.

Are you for King or Parliament?
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13 comments:

  1. The ECW is a period that I want to do. I've been collecting books (and rules) for it for some time (which is not all that easy in far west Canada).

    I'd really like to use the Sash and Saber 40mm ECW figures . . . but they are simply beyond my budget . . . *sigh* . . . but they are lovely and the size is great.

    So I'll likely end up getting Old Glory 25s when I am finally ready to "pull the trigger" on the period.

    The biggest hangup is finding rules that I like . . . well that and learning more of the history.

    Please continue to share this period with us, sir.

    And, while I know he's foolish, I can't help it, I'm for the King!


    -- Jeff

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  2. Parliament of course, but not those puritans from East Anglia. Honest working folk standing up for their rights.

    Sir William Waller and the Western Association!!

    Except I have a lingering respect for Sir Ralph Hopton and the Cornish Foot.

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  3. Both, though not to the same extent as Sir John Urry . . .

    I agree with Fire at Will: the southern campaigns of Waller vs Hopton and Forth in 1643 and 1644 are the best, though Waller vs the King or Lostwithel is equally good. Charles at his best! I'm working on setting my English Civil War Parlementarians as the Western and Southern Associations (who can resist Hesilrigge's Lobsters?), and my Royalists as Hopton's detachments of the Oxford Army. The Royalist flags there are especially nice, as are Montero caps!

    One knows the Royalists are wrong, but Cromwell and the Interregnum are so unpalatable that it's hard not to root for Chahles!

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  4. Thanks for sharing, Bill. Nice looking units, I too would love to see more.

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  5. Lovely to see the pictures Bill. I had loads of ecw minifigs many,many moons ago...
    King not Parliament by the way-always!
    best wishes
    Alan

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  6. Very nice to see such veterans on the table.

    I'm for Parliament!

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  7. For ye Kinge !

    Nice to see minifigs/hinchcliffe figs in action.

    I use 40mm figs and smaller units (18 foot, 9 - horse). If I had more space I would double the unit sizes - makes the pike stands more realistic

    Gaming is ongoing, in fits and bursts, see http ://cavalierecw.blogspot.com/.


    -- Allan

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  8. Hmmm, so far it is three for the King (yea!) and three for the Parliament (boo!).


    -- Jeff

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  9. Thanky you Everyone,
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    for your interesting remarks, stories and your field signs. We will do more games as the year goes by. The miniatures demand it, you see.
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    There were six players; three per side. I asked if anyone had a preference to be one side or the other. No they said. So I held out three black and three red playing cards. I was last to draw and got red for the King. Happy I was too.
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    Count:
    Parliament: 3
    King: 4
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    My two fellow Royalist players insisted I command Rupert's Brigade of Horse. Another happy thing. I always prefer cavalry to anything else.
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    Tally-Ho!,
    Bill

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  10. Bill, I am wondering if you should create a separate blog for your ECW games . . . they aren't in Germany after all.

    I look forward to more battle reports (and pretty pictures).


    -- Jeff

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  11. Definitely for Parliament here. I'm with Jeff - new blog please! "Campaigns in Barsetshire"

    My ECW are also 30 years old; 15mm - Mikes Models I think. Currently based up for Clarence Hrrison's "Victory Without Quarter" rules which are great fun.

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  12. I'm guessing I would have sided with the Royalists but who knows? Always happy to see "veteran" soldiers get some table time.

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  13. Well, a man who enjoys the theatre, games with dice, celebrating Christmas, dancing and who is married to an actress - I must be for the King and be damned to those canting levelling roundhead swine.

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