Showing posts with label WOTR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WOTR. Show all posts

Thursday, March 23, 2023

Medieval additions

 Medieval Additions 

A few small pieces off the table, two War of the Roses pieces and a medieval siege machine. The figures are from Perry and the siege machine crew are from foundry, not sure where the trebuchet is from. 





Cheers
Matt

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Test of Resolve Rules review

 Test of Resolve Rules Review

The War of the Roses always has been an interest of mine, but I have not really found a set of Rules that reflect the combat of the period. Recently I had David Knight one of the authors of the new Test of Resolve rules visit and he bought along his rules. We played 8 games over two days plus visited the Mad War chateaux and the battlefield of Saint Aubin du Cormier in Brittany. 

The rules are simple to follow and use a card driven mechanism for your turn, the units have simple formations and act how exactly how they should, archers, levy and MAA, plus mounted MAA options. You can easily build an army if you follow the basing recommended. The games are very rapid and you can easily complete a game in under two hours. The biggest bonus though are the scenario books which have every major conflict during the war, plus the rebellions and baron squabbles after. 

I would highly recommend them for those who are after a rapid war game that plays like a medieval battle. The research is excellent and I think the scenarios books are fabulous. The rules are available on Amazon. 










Monday, January 16, 2023

Marguerite of Anjou

La rose rouge d'Anjou



Marguerite of Anjou, one of the principal figures of the war of the roses. Daughter of Rene of Anjou, (King of Naples). Often named as the spark that started the 30 year War of the Roses.  A 28mm Perry miniature painted for the invasion of England during the War of the Roses to place her son Edward back on the crown . Inspiration for her dress from her portrait in Angers Chateau which we visit regularly.




Cheers
Matt

Monday, August 30, 2021

Edward Woodville the last Knight Errant, Breton Guerre Folle - Mad War

 The Last Knight Errant Edward Woodville 

Possibly the last great knight errant, Edward Woodville fought all over Europe and England, he was a leader in the War of the Roses, the invasion of Scotland, and France, fought as a mercenary captain in Castille War of Succession and crusaded against the Moors of Spain. 

I have written a summary of his last days leading up to the battle of Saint Aubin du Cormier where he died with his whole contingent except a young squire who returned to the Isle of Wight. Again Perry Miniatures based for Impetus.

Edward Woodville Lord scales

English Billmen lead by Edward Woodville

Rear English Billmen


Edward Woodville, known as Lord Scales by both the French and Spanish but he never held the title, tenth child of Richard Woodville 1st Earl Rivers. The Family initially supported the Lancastrians the changed allegiances to the house of York when his sister Elizabeth Woodville married King Edward IV. 

Monday, March 29, 2021

Longbow vs Armour 1418 English Longbow Myth

 English longbow myth busted

As I have long suspected from my reading that the myth of the high poundage longbow piercing quality armour covered with a quilted gambeson has been busted........ 

Reading the historical documents from the late Hundred Years’ War it was not the piercing but the kinetic energy and the morale that done the damage to any charge, multiple hits like hail stones would of been most disconcerting to advancing French, English or Scots, Italians et al under the hail of the longbow fire. Yes exposed parts would of been pierced, but in the majority a well armoured knight needed to put up with the hail of shots that would of caused blunt force trauma rather than actual piercing of the armour. Morale was the big factor and effected the charge more than I think we can possibly imagine. 

I was surprised that Toby Capewell had not done this type of experiment before, especially when it came to the quilted gambesons effectiveness in reducing kinetic energy. I have used one over my armour for 10 years or more, the reduction of a blow from a two handed weapon is worth the extra heat.

Enjoy the video amd let me know what you think 

Video presented by Todds Workshop 

Can arrows defeat armour?





Cheers
Matt



Friday, March 12, 2021

French Bandes d'Infanterie Pike Guerre Folle 1488

 

 French Bandes d'Infanterie Pikemen

As I am basing and completing miniatures this week, I have some more foot this week for my own project for the Guerre Folle, the 1488 campaign in Bretagne. 

The French Bandes d'Infanterie pikemen performed well in the campaign with a number of veterans from the Burgundian wars.  The Bandes d'Infanterie (old Arrière-ban) were to be formed along the Swiss model, but were in some documents were still referred to as Ordonnance still. The units if formed along the old ordonnance structure of one mounted MAA, 3 archers (mounted for transport) and one polearm foot, this gets confusing trying to make the numbers match up for the units, for the battle of Saint-Aubin-du-Cormier. 6000 odd of the Normandy Arrière-ban were raised for the invasion (only 3000 were present at the battle though)

These chaps will be one of 8 French pike double base units (representing 1000 men) for the French army, plus attached crossbow, archers and flanks of halberds, I hope to have them all finished by April this year.  Figures from the Perry plastic mercenaries box, which I think is the best box available.


Normandy Bandes d'Infanterie

"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two



cheers
Matt

Thursday, March 4, 2021

War of the Roses look out for the billhooks 3

 War of the Roses Mounted MAA

Completed some more mounted Perry miniatures, these are such a joy to paint! 














"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two


cheers
Matt

Friday, February 26, 2021

War of the Roses.....look out for the bill hooks 2

 

 War of the Roses Men at Arms

Been a bit quite as I am slogging my way through 204 1/72 Cuirassiers for a customer order, in between I have been painting War of the Roses Men at Arms for another customer and some Gauls for myself.

 Figures are from Perry miniatures metal and plastic range, just lovely figures. Happy with the spirals on my lances, I use a hobby holder that I got on a kick starter that uses soft drink lids that screw on than can rotate on the holder, it makes life simple for these lances that is for sure. 










"walk the battlefield in the morning, wargame in the afternoon"™ 

From Caesar to World War Two


cheers
Matt

Friday, February 12, 2021

War of the Roses.....look out for the billhooks

War of the Roses Cavalry 

Completing a small commission for some Perry 28mm WOTR cavalry for the War of the Roses skirmish game Never Mind The Billhooks. 

First batch of four Perry Miniatures cavalry, which I think are fabulous sculpts.






cheers
Matt

Sunday, February 3, 2019

Liveries of the War of the Roses

 Compiled Liveries of the War of the Roses





I have been putting together liveries of knights and lords that I have come across while researching WOTR, all I have compiled so far.

Edward Neville, Lord Abergavenny [d.1476] – green and white
William Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel [d.1487] – red and white
John Touchet, Lord Audley [d.1490] – yellow and red
John, Viscount Beaumont [d.1460] – white
William, 7th Lord Berkeley [active until at least 1483] – red
John Bouchier, Lord Berners [d.1474] – yellow and green
Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham [d.1460] – black and red
(also Henry Stafford d. of Buckingham, d.1483).
Sir Thomas Burgh/Borough of Gainsborough [d.1496] – blue
George, Duke of Clarence [d.1478] – murrey and blue
Thomas, Lord Clifford [d.1455] – white
Brooke, Lord Cobham [Edward d. 1464, John d. 1515] – black and red
Sir Marmaduke Constable [d. 1518] – red
Sir John Conyers [d.1490?] – white
Sir Richard Croft [d.1509] – white and blue
Randolf/Ranulph Lord Dacre of Gilsland [d.1461] – four stripes barry yellow and blue
Sir Richard Fiennes, Lord Dacre of the South [d.1483] – white
Thomas Courtney, Earl of Devon [1st, d.1458, 2nd d.1461] – red
Digby family – blue
Thomas Grey, Marquis of Dorset [d.1501] – white and dark red [murrey]
(also known as 3rd Lord Grey, 8th Lord Ferrers, Earl of Huntingdon in 1471, Marquis of Dorset in 1475)
Edward, Earl of March/Edward IV [d.1483] – Blue and Murrey
Edward, Prince of Wales [d.1471] – red and black
Henry Bouchier, Earl of Essex [1st d.1483, 2nd d.1529] – black and green
Henry Holland, Duke of Exeter [d.1475] – white and red
William Neville, Lord Fauconberg, Earl of Kent [d.1463] – white and blue
Walter Devereaux, 7th Baron Ferrers [d.1485] – white and red
Sir Edward Grey, 2nd Lord Grey, 7th Lord Ferrers of Groby [d.1461] – green
Sir John Radcliffe, Lord Fitzwalter [d.1461] – blue
William Bourchier, Lord Fitzwaurin or Fitz-Warine [still active 1469] – white and red [?]
Henry Lord Grey of Codnor [d.1496] – red and green
Edmund, Lord Grey of Ruthin and Earl of Kent in 1465 [d.1490] – red
Sir James Harrington [d.after 1497] – black [?]
William, Lord Hastings [d.1483] – dark red [or purple] and blue
Henry VI [d.1471] – white and blue
Henry VII – white and green
William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke [d.1469] – blue and red
John Howard, Duke of Norfolk [d.1485] – red
Thomas Howard [d.1524] – red and white
Thomas Talbot, Viscount Lisle or L'Isle [d.1470] – blue
Robert, 3rd Lord Hungerford and Lord Molynes [d.1464] – red and green
Francis, Viscount Lovell [died after 1487?] – blue and yellow
Thomas Fitzalan, Lord Maltravers, 12th Earl of Arundel in 1487 [d.1524] – black
John Neville, Lord Montague, earl of Northumberland 1464-1470 [d.1471] – red and black
Walter Blount, Lord Mountjoy – blue
John Neville 2nd Earl of Westmoreland [d.1461] – black and red
John Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk [Ist d.1461, 2nd d.1476] – blue and red
Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland [2nd earl d.1455, 3rd earl d.1461, 4th earl d.1489] – red and black
John De Vere, Earl of Oxford [Ist d. 1462, 2nd d. 1512] – orange or orange tawney
John Paston [d.1479] – red
Jasper Tudor, Earl of Pembroke [d.1495] – white and green
Edward Poynings [active in 1485] – red
Richard of Gloucester/Richard III [d.1485] – murrey and blue
Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers and Lord Scales [d.1483] – green [but noted as blue and tawney at a tournament of 1478]
Richard Woodville, Earl Rivers [d.1491] – green
Thomas, Lord Roos [d.1464] – blue and yellow
Edmund, Earl of Rutland [d.1460] – murrey and blue
Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Westmoreland, [d.1460] – red and black
John, Lord Scrope of Bolton [d. 1498] – white
John Talbot, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury [1st d. 1460, 2nd d. 1473] – red and black
Henry Beaufort, Duke of Somerset [d.1464] – white and blue
Thomas, Lord Stanley later Earl of Derby [d.1504] – orange tawney and green
William Stanley [d.1495] – red
John De La Pole, Duke of Suffolk [d.1491] – blue and yellow
Humphrey Talbot [active until at least 1483] – black and white
Rhys Ap Thomas 'The Raven' [active until at least 1485] – white
Richard Tunstall [d.1491] – black and white [?]
Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick [d.1471] – red
Lionel, 6th Lord Welles [d.1461] – black and red?
John, Lord Wenlock [d.1471] – white
Henry Willoughby – blue
Robert, Lord Willoughby [d.1501] – red and white
Richard, Duke of York [d.1460]- blue and white
John, Lord Zouche [d.1526] – black and murrey

Town contingents and militias:
1455 Coventry – green and red
1461 Rye – red


references
Standards, Badges and Livery colours of the wars of the Roses, Pat McGill, Freezy Water publications
Barry Slemmings, Hobilar Magazine, Lance and Longbow society


cheers
Matt

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Heavy Metal WOTR Knights

Off the bench something I have been meaning to do for some time my heavy WOTR knights, I was spurred on to finish these lads when the “Guild Wargamers” had a heavy metal competition.

These fine figures are from the Front Rank Range, and have been sitting around for probably 5 years some party painted (the metal work at least), I got them out on the weekend, after making a decision at Cancon to re-base my WOTR army to impetus. I finished the standard bearer and standard off this afternoon as I am away on business for the rest of the week. The standard belongs to Willam FitzAlan the 16th Earl of Arundel.

Two more Knight units to come, one is on the table at the moment and may get done by the weekend, but they are slotted behind some other medieval figs for my Feudal army. So in the coming months expect a deluge of archers and bills as I re-base each unit. My liveried foot knights and standards especially need some work to be completed. I may even need to buy and paint some more figs to increase my army to 300-350 points at least!











Cheers

Matt

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

More WOTR

Well I have been painting some Crusader and Perry miniatures for Andrew for his FOG/WAB WOTR army and these guys came off the table just after Christmas. I managed to take a selection of pictures of his last four units before I drop them off. I have painted about 120 figures for him in the last two months so I am excited to finish the infantry and get on painting some of my own stuff, although I hear he has some cavalry waiting for me to pick up at Cancon next weekend.

I was very surprised to see that the Crusader WOTR range fit Perry plastics perfectly and are a pleasure to paint, Andrew also used his spare polearms from the perry plastic sets to add to the crusader figures along with some North Star pikes so he has two units of pike and four polearmed units, I am a little disappointed in the Men at Arms figures but added into a mixed plastic and metal Perry unit it will have some more variation.

My favourite sculpts are the unarmoured Pike/polearmed miniatures, as wargamers playing comps etc we really don't represent the majority of troops on the medieval battlefield, something I will add to my next unit for my WOTR army.





cheers
Matt

Monday, May 23, 2011

Sir Christopher Moresby Liveried Archers

Off the table today, another addition to my WOTR collection is a unit of Sir Christopher Moresby Liveried Archers. I plan to add a unit of Liveried Billmen also to his retinune.

A stauch Yorkist, Sir Christopher Moresby of Scaleby and Windermere, Cumberland was knighted at Tewkesbury by Edward the IV, he governed the frontier with Scotland from Scaleby Castle until his death in 1495. I plan to finish my figure for Moresby tonight!




cheers
Matt

Sunday, May 15, 2011

1st St Albans

The GVS members who have WOTR Medieval armies decided to get together to refight the opening stoush of the War of the Roses, the first St Albans. I spent the last week or so doing some research and refurbishing my WOTR troops (still not finished!).

I wanted to capture the main features for our refight of St Albans, so I embarked upon some research of the battle. The main features are the cathedral, the market square with the clock tower and the Great Cross, Hollywell Hill and the church of St Peter. I hunted through my terrain collection and came up with a 20mm Cathedral I use for my Arnhem collection, and I decided to build a tower out of foam card, the rest of the buildings come from my and Greg’s collection. The other main pieces we needed on the table were the three main lanes, Sopwell Lane (London Road), Shropshire (or Butts) Lane (as it lead to the archery butts in Tonman ditch)and New lane all leading off Halliwell street and of course Tonman ditch which was represented by a line of hedges.




















I made up the army lists making sure I included the main characters of the battle for the Lancastrians The King HenryVI, The Duke of Somerset, the Earl of Northumberland, and Lord Clifford, and for the Yorkist’s The Duke of York, and Earls of Warwick and Salisbury.
After the set up of the tables and the troops which took some time (two hours of chatting) we then went to lunch before a dice was rolled!
Greg commanded the Lancastrians and Bruce and myself the Yorkist’s, basically Greg’s troops defended each of the lanes with a unit of men at arms or billmen behind hasty barriers (needing sixes to hit them)and his Archers defending Tonman ditch hedges(also requiring sixes to hit). The opening three turns began with the massed archery of the Yorkist’s, cutting down large numbers of Lancastrian archers, then the Yorkist billmen advanced, finally contact was made, the Yorkist bill block on Sopwell lane had a hard fight with the Lancastrian Men at arms for three turns and finally fell back after failing a morale test, the Yorkist billmen attacked up Shropshire lane fighting for three turns also before fleeing whilst being chased by Lancastrian Men at Arms, this cause four other units around it also to flee! The Yorkist billmen attacking along New lane should of had the better of the shire bill but fled also but were all cut down buy the Lancastrians.

At this stage I thought that the Yorkist cause was lost so I threw the Duke of Yorks Men at Arms with himself leading along with the Earl of Warwick and the Army standard bearer against the Lancastrian Men at Arms holding Sopwell lane. They forced their way through and chasing the Lancastrians up the hill. The Lancastrian Men at Arms on Shropshire lane decided to charge the Yorkist archers who flee leaving the men at arms at close range to another unit of Yorkist archers who promptly cause 5 casualties in one turn!

Last turn, the Lancastrian Men at arms charge the archers again losing another three in the charge leaving only three men and Lord Clifford for the ensuing combat, no archers are killed and the archers manage to kill another Man at arms, Lord Clifford promptly surrenders surrounded by 30 archers! In the streets the Lancastrian Men at Arms rally and charge the Yorkist’s plodding up Halliwell hill, Somerset challenges the Duke of York to single combat both fail to do each other damage, the Yorkist Men at arms do murder though and the Lancastrians again flee, and are all cut down including Somerset, only The King HenryVI, and the Earl of Northumberland remain both surrender.


The game was great fun, we didn’t change the historical outcome but it was a near run thing, this game with a bit of tweaking and some more buildings it would make a great demo game I think. I think it has been at least two years since we had a WOTR game so it was time! I do think plate armour in WAB should be at least a three plus save, the archers done great damage on these heavily armed men who only had a five plus save.


Cheers
Matt