Keep Your Powder Dry

Edit: regular readers will be thinking I've already read this, wasn't this originally a Parliamentarian specific post? It was, but I have decided that it is more of an overview of my rationale behind my regiments of horse. The Parliamentarian units will be documented more thoroughly in a new post, similar to the Royalist cavalry post. I must confess to having employed a bit of artistic licence with my cavalry units; not as bad as the flouncy cavaliers, and rugby shirt wearing puritans of the 1970 Cromwell film, but enough to have a button counter seeking therapy, or a quiet room in which to rock. For some reason, known only to my inner self my Parliamentarian cavalry all wear helmets, and my Royalists wear hats. Tosh I know, but that is how I have organised them. I've gone for a random mix of sword and pistol wielding figures. I've chosen units of sixteen riders, thirteen troopers, a cornet, a trumpeter and an officer. Based in groups of four on Warbases 30mm x 60...

If you look at orders of battle from the wars, you will notice that there is almost a straight 50/50 split in force numbers between foot and horse. Looking at my Parliamentarian and Royalist armies I have adjusted them to try and represent this 50/50 split, although my division is by unit numbers rather than an actual 50/50 figure split. Currently each English army consists of the following : 18 regiments of foot (34 figures each, 612 total) 3 regiments of firelocks/commanded shot (24 figures each, 72 total) 21 regiments of horse (16 figures each, 336 total) 3 dragoon regiments (21 figures each, 63 total) 6 light guns and limbers 3 medium guns and limber 2 heavy gun and limber 1 assault party (4 petard teams, 1 ladder party, 15 harquebusiers on foot, and 3 grenadoes) 1 siege engineer party (2 armed sentinels, 4 armoured engineers, 4 labourers) 4 commanders with ensigns 21 senior officers baggage train (13 carts, 23 men; 2 drovers...

One of the reasons I started this blog was as a repository for all the scraps of paper that constituted my notes/research for this project. This post is, therefore, a blatant example of a note from me, to me. It is an attempt to save myself having to go and measure bases every time I want to order some more, or having to guess if it is Stirland mud or mire when I go to the shops. Basing is a bugbear of many gamers: rulesets are often very specific as to the number of figures to bases ratios, and base sizes. I can see the point for competition gaming, or gaming against a number of regular opponents. As I don't do any of that sort of nonsense, and provide both sides, as long as I am consistent there isn't really a problem. >>>>>>>>>> All my bases are Warbases premier 2mm thick bases. Sabot/movement trays (2mm top layer) and casualty markers are also from Warbases. Bases are finished using a muddy brown paint/grit mix, I am particularly taken wi...

Dragoons are essential in your army if you are going to game any historical scenarios - they played a very important part at Marston Moor and Naseby. When one thinks of dragoons in the British Civil Wars one immediately thinks of them lining hedgerows at Naseby. But after that, who were they and what did they do? Gervase Markham, writing in 1634: “the last sort of which our Horse troopes are called Dragons, which are a kinde of footman on Horsebacke”. He then goes on to describe their weaponry “dragons are short peeces of 16 inches the Barrell, and full musquet bore”. The horses (usually referred to as 'nags') supplied to dragoons are described as 'ordinary'. Required only for transport, dragoon mounts were more likely to be commandeered cart-horses than what we could call thoroughbreds. The New Model Army budget for a dragoon mount was half that of a cavalry mount. They were in essence an early mobile infantry. Formed into groups of eleven men, ten would dis...

Inspired by Streeter's representation of infantry blocks on his Naseby engraving, I set about planning my regiments of foot. I decided on wings of 8 musketeers, which handily is a pack; a pike block of 12 pikemen (1 1/2 packs); command strip of 4 (1/2 pack), and a couple of halberdiers (1/4 pack). So a regiment was 4 1/4 packs or 34 individuals. Basing - rather than base for a particular ruleset (not important if I am providing both armies) led to the following idea. Base figures  on 15mm × 40mm. This would suit strips of 4 figures, with halberdiers based 1 per 15×40. A couple of blank bases would make everything neat and tidy for a  120mm × 60mm movement tray. This would also give the option of having the command strip at the front or at the back once the roughtie toughtie stuff starts. Here's a couple of views of Colonel Charles Fairfax’s Regiment of Foot to illustrate my infantry organisation. Pretty pleased with how they have come out. Current...