Tag Archives: The Hundred Years War

Sometimes The Stars Just Align

Welsh Infantry by Footstore. Really nice figures, but I’m doubtful about the heater shields. I was perplexed about painting them, believing the average Welsh soldier probably wouldn’t have a heraldic symbol on their shield. I divided them between the cross of St. George and the cross of St. David.

After sitting relatively fallow the past ten years, my Hundred Years War project is simply beset with activity. I made up my mind as 2024 was nearing its end that I was going to re-base my singly mounted figures to my preferred 3-3-3-2-1 for Lion Rampant. Why? Fewer figures are falling down in boxes, and it’s faster to move five bases than twelve. Is it a pain? Well, yes, but I have a system that allows me to remount a unit a night if I want to. Typically I don’t, but so far in January I’ve remounted 11 longbow units, so I’m make good progress. Altogether I’ve remounted 262 figures, with many more left to do.

Archers in the “dunk tank” awaiting rebasing. These guys will actually be rebased on round bases for SAGA.

I’ve also had this rash of scenario ideas. Some old and some quite recent that should be fun to play. I think I’ve posted about a game for Blanchetaque Ford in 1346. I probably can’t do that until the remount is finished and I see where I am and what, if any figures I’d need. It is a game that is process driven more than fought. The French are relatively few in number but can drive the English crazy as they try to frantically get their army across the very wide Somme River before the tide comes in.

Recent adds to my bookshelf. Mostly Shrewsbury related, but I’m barely knee-deep in the final Sumption volume which will take weeks to finish.

I’m also really interested in fighting Shrewsbury 1403. Fascinating battle between the royal forces of Henry IV and the rebel forces under Sir Henry Percy (Hotspur). Both sides are blessed with large numbers of longbowmen, and Lion Rampant is quite effective at simulating longbow death. Even though missile fire is a super important feature of Shrewsbury, the battle is decided by armored knights and men-at-arms clubbing each other with large, heavy two handed weapons. Percy died and King Henry did not.

I’ve got a couple more old chestnuts for Lion Rampant, but the even bigger news is that I’ve received the Age of Chivalry expansion for SAGA. I enjoy SAGA. I only have painted armies for the Age of Vikings, but I’m looking forward to doing something a little different. The armies for this volume are really aimed at the Hundred Years War and the later middle ages. The designers really encourage the use of more generic troop types because so many armies use them. Generally I’d spit on that idea, but in this case I get it. Not quite sure how far I’d tread down that path but I’m intrigued. Needless to say, I’m looking at the English army first. I have tons of unpainted figures, but I’m also really interested in looking at the painted figs I might remount for SAGA just to get something on the table. Any way you look at it, we’re just not talking about a lot of figures.

If this isn’t enough, I am also anxiously awaiting the release of Guy Bowers’ new book “A Wargamer’s Guide to the Hundred Years War.” Supposed to have some good stuff for scenarios and building armies for the period. I met Guy at Enfilade a number of years back. Seemed a good fellow and he is a regular contributor to Wargames, Soldier and Strategy, so I’m interested to give it a look. It was supposed to be released in December and I pre-ordered from Blackwells. Alas it was not. Scheduled to come out at the end of this month, but I’ll wait until it’s a for sure deal.

This is the year of the Hundred Years War to be sure, if for no other reason than getting my figures painted and on the table in one form or another. I’m working on it. But not to the exclusion of other things. I’ve also made a little progress on my Cuban Rebellion figures. Well, one unit. Before January is over I also plan to finish my last two units of Rohan cavalry, which will complete my Rohan army for MESBG.

The Hundred Years War and Me

I know, I know, in my last post I laid out my plans for the new year, and honestly I’m not sure they’ve changed a lot in less than two weeks. Santa the gamer was quite kind to me. Actually Missus Kevin was quite kind to me. She rounded up the remaining figures I need to complete my LOTR project, elevating it to a must do wrap up. I’ve finished another unit of Cuban rebels for the The Men Who Would Be Kings. However, my time right now is pretty focused on The Hundred Years War.

I have few project interests in the Old World. No Romans or “ancients” per se. My Dark Ages SAGA stuff for sure. No Seven Years War or Napoleonics. They’re pretty, but a black hole of gaming because I could paint my entire life and never have enough. Nope, most of my interests are in the Western Hemisphere. AWI, Western Expansion, The Mexican War, Maximilian, The Spanish American War and it’s subsidiary effects. But that Hundred Years War thing.

I find it to be a fascinating conflict, incredibly complex, with roots more than a century before its outbreak, even back to 1066. It’s a war with terrific economic stress on both sides throughout the conflict. There are great kings English and French, ineffective kings, mad kings, great leaders, poor leaders, changes in technology, sea battles, great sieges, politics, politics, politics, usurpation, civil wars, civil wars within civil wars, and the emergence of France as the first true nation-state. It’s amazing.

And I have figures. A virtual shit-pile. How many? I have no idea. I am planning to remount them for Lion Rampant. Not a great rules choice for big battles, but I think I can make it work. Daniel Mersey is quite flexible in that way. But just to give an idea of how many figures I may really have, I’ve remounted six units of crossbows plus one unit of mixed missile and melee troops, two units of French local levies, for a total of 108 figures, plus four units of French mounted knights, and a unit of Irish skirmishers for the English. A total of 140 figures. A drop in the bucket. I was looking at my painted longbows last night and they number at least 200. Maybe a few too many. That leaves aside dismounted men at arms and various other wretched infantry, many mounted figures, plus all the unpainted stuff (which will likely be added as SAGA armies for the new Age of Chivalry factions.)

So I’ve got a lot of figures for the period.

What’s changed is that these figures have mostly laid fallow for the past decade, and now I’m super enthused about them. Maybe it is the imminent arrival of Age of Chivalry, maybe it’s the publication of the final volume of Jonathan Sumptions’s history of the Hundred Years War. I’ve also read Dan Jones’ excellent new bio of Henry V and recently ridden the Michael Livingston traveling circus. But something has fired up my interest in revisiting this project

I’ve begun to consider scenario plans to go with it. I would really like to do the Battle at Blanchetaque ford in 1346 just days before the Battle of Crecy. It would be a very different, interesting game. However it would require a lot of playtesting due to the unique nature of the action. I just don’t think there is enough time to do the remount and do enough practice to make a good game at this time. Instead I’m drawn to the Battle of Shrewsbury of 1403. It’s a battle between Englishmen during Henry IV’s contested reign and the sky will be filled with arrows. It should be fun, and I’ll keep you posted dear reader.