Keep Your Powder Dry

Baroque, from Dadi & Piombo, are based on the popular Impetus rules for Ancient to Medieval warfare (adapting ancients rules to the renaissance is something that we will see as a recurring trend in future rules reviews). The full colour 53 page rulebook is ring bound (the preferred rulebook binding at Château KeepYourPowderDry as books lie flat on the table). The rules are very well written and easy to understand even if you are completely new to the game, without a guide to help you through the mechanisms. Other rules writers please take note of this, and remember that these rules were originally written in Italian. Admittedly there are a handful of occasions where the translation falls down a little, particularly with acronyms (e.g. base value unit is VBU). On first reading the use of acronyms is a little confusing, but familiarity does away with this. The book is lavishly illustrated with diagrams explaining mechanisms, and lots of 28mm eye candy.  Basing, for those who are inte

The #ECWtravelogue has dipped its toe into Lincolnshire, gateway to the heartlands of the Eastern Association, and the important ports connecting England to the Low Countries. Make yourself a cup of tea and settle back for a story of blue on blue killing, and the use of  human shields. Please note that several entries are private residences with little or no public vantage points - they are included for 'completeness'. Do not trespass or irritate their owners please. At the outbreak of the Wars, Lincolnshire was a divided County, Parliament having slightly more support than the King. Following the 1643 campaign the County was a stronghold of Parliament - not that they had it all their own way. The Royalist strongholds at Newark and Belvoir Castle providing considerable nuisance when the Eastern Association left the County to pursue bigger goals. Gainsborough saw a small, but important, battle on the 28th July 1643; so it was only fitting that I visited on the anniversary of the

The third here's an excuse to post lots of pictures of my armies, post. This time the Army of Montrose takes centre stage. A 'completed' Solemn League Army post has appeared before - but as we all know, armies are never 'finished'. Here they are with all the recent additions - baggage, artillery, extra command. The Solemn League Army consists of: 6 regiments of foot, each 34 men (204 total) 1 regiment of dragoons, 21 men and horses 1 regiment of cuirassiers, 16 men 1 regiment of harquebusiers, 16 men 3 regiments of lancers, each 16 men (48 total) 2 sakers, each with 4 crew (8 total) 2 heavy limbers, each with a drover 1 minion, with 4 crew 1 liight limer, with drover 4 frame guns, each with 4 crew (16 total) 4 frame gun horses, each with a horseholder a priest  3 'commanders' Lord Leven and ensign 1 baggage cart, with 2 figures 2 pack horses with drovers Lord Leven takes centre stage Scottish heavy metal - pure conjecture based on a teeny weeny possibility F

Another set of rules from the pen of Pete Berry. Clearly the rules deserve to win a prize for the name alone. These are now 30 years old, but are still available new from Caliver Books (or OMM if you find yourself, through no fault of your own, on the incorrect side of the Atlantic). The game is designed for 1:1 small scale skirmishes: but it is not a role playing game. Written for 25mm sized figures, players using 15mm simply convert inches to cm. Games are best with about 10 figures a side. Figures can be raw, trained or veteran. It is fast to learn and equally fast to play. Combat is handled by simple dice rolls, so this is not a game for the player who wants a long Hollywood style duel. This is a really simple, fast paced game that is great fun.  There are optional rules for using pike blocks, but I really wouldn't expect pikemen to fight as pikemen (i.e. with their pikes) in such small engagements; grenadoes; and artillery. There are two scenarios to help you get a feel for th