Oh Deer

Still not much going on as I struggle to get any enthusiasm to get anything done. I've spent some time mulling over why I can seem to focus on anything and I think it boils down to simple fatigue. I've been on the same project for a while, Barons War and with a display game ready for Border Reiver and I think I really need a change. With nothing new on the horizon I ordered some chariots for the Trojan war, I may try and get back into this and give them a go using Midgard. I may also dig out the 15mm Punic Wars stuff I still need to get painted.

In the meantime I did manage to get a couple of things done, some wildlife for the Border Reiver game to be hidden in the woods. These are some deer and wild boar from Warbases.

These were quick and easy to do and will help bring the table to life. There are also a pair of foxes that I need to get finished. The only other figures I managed to paint were some extra Welsh warriors. 2 from Footsore, the other 3 are plastic Gripping beast dark age welsh with various head and shield swap. They look like they will mix in.

So nearly 2 months in and my output is well down, normally I'd have around 2-300 figures done by now. I'm currently at about 25%. I'm hoping things pick up soon.

A little progress

In preparation for our game at Border Reiver I needed a few more trees. These are a little different to the others as I was looking for a solution to hold the flock better. The last batch had shed quite a bit. These have slightly thicker flock, which was actually worse. I then decided to brush on some watered down paint like I did for the 15mm hedges I did for Marston Moor. It sort of worked a bit, but they were too bright. Finally I gave them a spray coat of grass green, which seems to be working. I think I'll always lose a little flock through usage.

I think I'll go back over the other 7 and give them a quick spray. The other item I did was another small field. This was my last base from Warbase and some left over coir mat and Renedra fencing. Took about 10 minutes to put together and only slightly longer to paint up.

I did actually manage to complete another 5 more figures, They are still taking too long to get anything done. Hopefully when the rain actually stops this year I may get some enthusiasm back. There are 3 more Welsh spearmen and a couple of extra archers.

On Thursday night at the club, we gave the scenario another run through, no pictures as Thom brought along the Keep that he had finished for the game. It is superb and it is modular. He even has the STLs to add extra walls and towers.

Additional scenery

While I still have no real enthusiasm for painting miniatures, I muster up a bit of energy for a few scenic bases. I decided on these just to give me a few options to change the layout of the table. First up was a pair of outbuildings from Renedra, the crates and barrels are from the plastic Wargames Atlantic sprue. Once again a simple paint scheme, just simple dry-brushing for a nice rustic effect.

I was also provided with a coir mat from Andy to allow me to make a couple of fields. I just used a couple of off cuts added to bases from Warbase. For one of them I added some spare pieces of wattle fencing and a piece of hedging.

I think I should have enough options now for creating villages. Robbo has picked up some various animals from Warbase to add some character to wooded areas, such as deer and wild boar. I hope to try and get them painted up.

Another practice run

So in an attempt to re-gain my mojo and prepare for Border Reiver, we had a second run out of the scenario. This time I made a few amendments. In the layout the Church was moved to the other end of the table, its original location will be covered by a Norman keep/ (currently a proxy on the table). Thom reckons the keep will be ready to use next week. The wooded areas were also combined and no more than 3 units could be hidden in each. This was to stop the outlaws simply overwhelming their opponents. I also changed the deployment zones for the 'Lady' who is now in the centre of the table and the 'lover' who will deploy along the southern short edge of the table.

No battle report as such as the game was more around getting the rules right and making sure that it runs smoothly. We got through about 5 turns in a couple of hours and will complete the game next week. So far no faction has managed to achieve any victory points and the 'lover' has not been so rash this time.

The 'Lady' and her escort

'The lover' sends forward his serjeants and bowmen

First outlaws appear

Loosing a volley into the escort

More outlaws up to no good

The 'Lord' sends forward his mounted serjeants

A clash of steel, the escort are heavily beaten and break

Commander of the escort holding the crossroads

Mounted troops closing in on the escort

More outlaws appear, eyeing up the chickens

Outlaws trying to set fire to one of the buildings

More outlaws appear along  the edge of the woods

Heavy fighting in the village

It's been a fun game, even with 1 new player being unfamiliar with the rules, it ran smoothly, he even commented on how the basic rules are easy to pick up which is a good sign. We'll see how it all unfolds next week.

The struggle continues

So I finally managed to push through and complete another 6 figures for my Welsh faction. It's taken nearly 3 weeks to get these done. Nowhere near my best work, but good enough to get on the table, a shame as they are nice figures. I still need to add some tufts to the bases once they arrive.

The shields could definitely do with a bit more work, but will do for now. The padded jerkins came out a bit too grey, but will help differentiate them from the English. The only other thing I worked on was a simple log pile, which will come in handy as battlefield clutter. They are simple modelling sticks cut down to about 2-3 cm. I may try and make a few more as nice and easy to do.

The logs were coated in a light brown wash with some bits of flock added to look like a bit of moss.