Viking Mercenaries/Gall-Gaedhill from the "1066 and All That" WAB Campaign Weekend

Thank you Google! Yeah, another "I never thought I be muttering such appreciative words about Google" post! 

I've been (painfully) cleaning out files from Google Drive and Gmail as in in order to avoid paying for more email storage space. A few days ago Google, in a vain effort to relieve me of funds, kindly informed me Gmail was about to run out of space. Most of the files were rubbish, stuff sent out to various individuals over the years, but I did find a couple of gems; some nice pictures taken at Warhammer World during the 1066 and All That WAB Campaign Weekend. I even remember the game! I was playing Big Jim Sweeney! (For the record, he won!). 

The pictures were taken with my first digital camera so the files aren't great but it was great to see the, now long gone, unit again!

You can tell they're old as they have obviously been varnished with Testors Dullcote. I would recognise that particular slight sheen on the figures anytime!

Th was hand painted and partially taken from the some of the artwork in the Shieldwall WAB supplement.

The unit was put together using mostly Gripping Beast miniatures from their Hiberno-Norse / Norse Gael (sadly some are no longer available) and Viking ranges as I was putting together a unit of Gall-Gaedhill from the Warhammer Ancient Battles Shieldwall supplement! They could also serve as a unit of Viking mercenaries for my Norman army. There are a few minor conversions, the guy with the big chopper having his foot placed on the casualty and some arm rearrangements so's to add a Dane axe or two (the casualty is from Perry Miniatures Crusades pack CU29 Dead and Wounded). 

The dark brown basing came about after a phone conversation with Darren Harding discussing different soil colours he had noticed while shooting around the country in the Beast's van. From memory, I know the base coat was W&N Galleria Burnt Umber, then a Citadel medium brown (the name completely escapes me but from the early 2000's) and lastly a Citadel orange brown (again, apologies but the name escapes me again).

For those who want to take a closer look, all the images are "clickable".

Here's the unit again after rebasing and going for a grey tone in an attempt to get the ground to contrast with the snow effect. Looking back I would say that this particular attempt at contrasting snow with grey earth failed. I would have been better off sticking with the original basing.... :>)

Gripping Beast Display Game- WAB Age of Arthur Campaign Weekend Warhammer World 2007(?)

One of the things I loved about this display was the sheer array of Gripping Beast models scattered about (the odd Foundry mini too but "shhhhh!". Some from many years ago and long out of production, some of middle age and some newly released to go with the release of the Age of Arthur Warhammer Ancient Battles book penned by James Morris.

Having trawled through all my old laptops I was not able to find any pictures of the games I played over the two days but I expect that I was very busy getting slaughtered! If memory serves I did not come close to winning a single game but I do remember all the faces of my opponents and the many laughs we shared.

Now, onto the truly awesome pictures. All the images are 'clickable' and the files a huge so please, feast your eyes.

Hengist or Horsa?

So, Horsa or Hengist? Or just some Saxon chap stranded on the Saxon Shore?

I have just plucked this picture out of an old laptop which has been a very long ongoing process. I am happy I did as I quite like the cut of his jib.

Next up will be either my first completed Aventine Early Byzantine unit of Extra Heavy Infantry or a unit of Beja. It all depends on how I feel at the moment. Having to 'socially shield' for health reasons has actually prove to be a bit of a bane to my painting output as I had been setting myself targets such as "have enough completed for a demo game at Partizan" etc and knowing that I am going to be in the house for the long haul has had an effect on my modelling morale. Still, I should not really complain as there will be people out there who have been horribly effected by Covid 19. My thoughts go out to anyone who has suffered.

A Return to WAB and Shieldwall

Until last evening it had been many years since I played a game of WAB. I was feeling quite excited having been invited to play in a 'Dark Ages' game using the Shieldwall supplement.  After having played Shieldwall WAB almost continuously for a few years at my old club in Edinburgh at SESWC I had reasoned that it would be like learning to ride a bicycle again and it would all come flooding back. Wrong! At the end of the day I was very rusty indeed.  Luckily Matt Boyd et al were at hand to walk me through the rules again. I was playing the 'mercenary' element on Jim's Norman army. Facing us was a very well equipped and seemingly large Anglo Danish force! The game was really a kind of run through for a display game that Matt, Jim Giles and Martin's Holy Island game that is hopefully due to make it's debut at Partizan in May this year. Fingers crossed for that. In case you had not guessed their display game will not feature Normans but Norse (Vikings). If the terrain they have made is anything to go on this will be one cracking display game.

As I was saying, for many a year, almost weekly, a group of about six or seven of us met at SESWC and battles it out with 2000pts worth of Shieldwall armies. There were Normans, Scots, Carolingians, Thematic Byzantines and Late Saxons. I have happy memories of some absolutely brilliant games, some nail biting some hilarious to the point of virtually rolling around on the floor. The WAB Shieldwall supplement is up there as one of my favourites but I have to say that my preference is for El Cid and Age of Arthur. For me the army lists are the most balanced of all the WAB supplements  without losany of the the flavour that WAB adds to Ancient and Medieval games. Still, Shieldwall is a great supplement and a lot of fun.

Without further ado.....

The Saxons started securely on a slight gradient overlooking the Normans. The skirmishers take time out practice on the of Celtic cross in place of the "hoary apple tree" that once stood in its place.

"Ut! Ut! Ut! Ut!"

"Twang" the Mercenary Serjeants start taking out the Saxon Skirmishers en masse.

A view from the left side of the Saxon flank as the Norman Milites advance at a trot.

Closer.....

The Saxon Huscarls (Toughness 4!! and in Sheildwall!!) prepare their lines of scrimmage as the Normans close with nought but belligerence in mind.

By now nearly all the Saxon skirmishers had been shot to pieces and legged it. A small but necessary measure on the part of the Norman Mercenary Crossbowmen.

With the last of them to be finished off with grim efficiency.

Duke Ivorclub (sorry, best I could do) has his man sound the horn for the charge!

Cruuuunch! The Norman knights clash with the Saxon Huscarls! (Did I mention they were Toughness 4 and in Shieldwall?!?)

The cream of Eangla londe reel from the Norman onslaught but recover and strike back with renewed vigour and malice!

A unit of Huscarls swings around and hit the Norman Milites in the flank; suddenly things start to look ugly for the Gallic speaking Norsmen on their rough cuddies!

Nothing in that rule book can save us now Jim!

All the while, my unit of Devroet had sat on the Saxon flank wondering if they had it in them to do any real damage. 

The Normans beaten to ghastly pulp by the Anglo Danish Huscarls wielding, wait for it..... their large choppers!

Great to see everyone in the other room still making a fist of it. 

Fist Rampant Action again:

Battle of Shrewsbury 1096; Curved Norman Outer Wall III

Yes, the excitement is now tangible as I present to you a section of a Curved Norman Motte and Bailey Outer Wall! I know! It's so exciting!

Seriously though, I've actually had great fun painting up these resins thus far and have some village type buildings ready cleaned and undercoated ready for some action with the brush.

I'm going to start working on the terrain tiles that I have ordered from Panel Systems which I will talk about a little in a future post. To start with I am just going to go for a tile that is very plain; the theory being to build up your skills slowly. Not to jump in feet first as I have been known to do. These will make a nice surface in which to position the buildings on for photography as opposed to my workbench which is kind of, well, a work bench.....

And of course, the now ubiquitous attention to detail!