Tales of the Dragon Kings - Palace Guards

The good guy's wear White....

Having painted up Black Hat Miniatures Black Guard I figured they needed an opponent so painted up a couple of packs of the Palace Guard.

Full of character and ruddy great clubs and glaves.

Really not sure how they fit into the "Sung" project - but that's half the fun.......

Tsuba Miniatures Japanese Cavalry

The long awaited release of Tsuba Miniatures Japanese cavalry and heavy machine gun has appeared in the Empress store - A little to late for OML3 but the perfect addition to the RJW Project.

 

 

Some many projects so little painting time.....

OML 3 - "The Lardest Day" - 6th June

3 weeks to go before the Wyverners host the 3rd Lardy Day and the scenario planning is well under way.

A couple of odds and end need to be finished for the table but other than that we are good to go, good job as I have a dry run of the RJW Scenario using Mud & Blood this Sunday.

OML 3 will be offering 10 games this time.

Rich Clarke will be showcasing his soon-to-be-released "Fighting Season" rules for modern warfare.

We have Sharpe Practice variants from the War of the Roses, Sudan and Napoleonic Peninsular.
Nick Overland is hosting his as yet un-published IABNM variant, Mike Whitaker's is back for more Normandy action with IABSM.

A couple of Chain of Command outings including Ade's Gallipoli outing and a game or two of Dux.

34 gamers, Tea, Cakes and Curry what better way to spend a Saturday.

3 weeks and counting.

Black Hat - Tales of the Dragon Kings review

With the village largely complete I thought I would keep the Chinese theme going.

Having plumbed for the Sung Dynasty's rise and fall I thought I would mix in a little Chinese mythology to keep things interesting, I spotted several fantastic castings on the Black Hat miniatures site and figured they would be a great compliment to those already on the paint table.

This nasty bunch is from their Dragon Kings Range - The Black Guard, packed full of detail, well cast and very little flash. The exaggerated weopons make them a step up from the regular troops.

Not to sure how they will fit within the wider project they might yet appear as troops belonging to the evil "Kao Chiu" of Water Margin fame.  

Chinese Village - Part 5

Having pulled an all nighter on Election night the final building for the Chinese village is complete.

The walling and stable is from John Jenkins Designs and are full of detail perfect for the run down look I was looking for.

The front of the house allows me to add the building to any main street, but can be used as a stand alone farm. The main house is from the guys @ Curtney's miniatures and is interchangable depending on scenario's. 

The compound is large enough to house a couple of sections with an open enterance at the front and small door at the rear.

After much deliberation I opted for straw scatter in the barn, I figured it brought the piece to life a little better matching it to the painted base of the compound. 

 

The rear of the compund contains a small door and 3 firing ports, which should make for some fun encounters.

The side of the compound with two small windows, better guard these or enemy troops might sneak in, I moved the building aside so you can see how easily the different buildings can be swapped around.

I also finished a couple of packs of carts from 4 Ground from their Samurai range I finished them off with the same straw effect, these can be used as scatter or barricades in the village.

I have a scenario in mind for the Lardie Day all dayer in June which will bring into play the full village and barricades so things are finally coming together. 

The Song Dynasty - A another distraction.

Inspiration for a new project can come from a  number of sources..... not just the fumes from the undercoat spray..... 
Whilst waiting for paint to dry on the latest compound for the Chinese village I got to think about what other periods it could be used for.

I have played quite a few games of Dux Britanniarum and Songs of Blades and Heroes recently which has given me a taste for all all things sword, shield and bow..... Why not combine all three?

Having purchased a selection of buildings from Curtney's Miniatures I tempted myself with a few packs from their Ancient Chinese range - bad mistake......

A new Project is born.....

Why the Song Dynasty?
Until now I really knew little about Ancient Chinese history, the basic facts gives a rich background for any wargamer.

The Song Dynasty had emerged from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and fairly rapidly subdued the majority of China. They entered a protracted war with the Liao Dynasty that was to last for over 20 years neither side striking a major blow in the protracted war.

In the Song court the warring faction thought that the Liao could have been defeated but the peace party prevailed and the policy of a further invasions was dropped. The policy divided opinion within the court. The lack of offensive military action resulted in a military decline which would make future defence more difficult.

The Liao became increasingly settled and unaggressive, so that when their subjects, the Jurchen, revolted the Liao armies crumbled. The Song tried to take advantage by occupying the land they had previously claimed but this led to war with the Jurchen. This time, the Song lost all of their northern territories. The period before this is therefore known as the Northern Song, the period after as the Southern Song.

The Jurchen estabished a  new dynasty known as the Chin or Jin. There were a number of wars between Song and Jin including a massive waterbourne assault by the Jurchen across the Yangtze. 

Having repelled the Jin. The Song faced the first of numerous Mongol incursions.

Facing constant wars on its borders the local government officals implimented a series of unpopular taxes on the population which resulted in numerous clashes between warring factions and government troops..... 

Perfect to sneak in a little bit of 1970's nostalgia for the Water Margin.

A Chinese classic novel detailing the trials and tribulations of 108 outlaws heroes dedicated to fighting tyranny in feudal China and their leader Lin Chung and his clashes with the local government official Kao Chiu. 

Plenty to get my teeth into over the coming months....

So while I wait for paint to dry on the latest Chinese terrain piece a bunch of Song Infantry to hold back the invaders and keep the population in their place.

Song dynasty Armoured Swordsmen and Halberdiers from Curteys Miniatures.

Early research suggests that their was little in the way of formal uniforms so I went with a yellow and light brown theme to give them a sense of uniformity and separate them from the civilian levy.

More to follow.

Chinese Village - Part 4

Real life seems to have gotten in the way recently, far to many early starts, late nights and crappy hotel rooms, no Salute and very little time on the brushes, however finally managed to grab a few hours this evening to finish off a number of the buildings for the Chinese village.

The original buildings pnce painted and shaded still lacked a certain something so a quick image search for some external banners or wall art seemed to do the trick, I just have to hope that it's not something ridiculous or offensive......

The door matting gives a rural feel to the pieces, I may well pick up the tiled bases to give me a more urban option but for now these give me the effect I was looking for.
With a bank holiday looming a great chance to finish the main compound.