Angus Konstam's Edinburgh Wargames
Medieval
Proving that chivalry isn't dead
I could never really call this a period of mine. However, while I was never really enthused by Ancient wargaming, I always had a soft spot fir the Medieval period. I once had a Burgundian wargame army - a love affair which was kindled when as a teenager I accidentally arrived in the Swiss town of Murten during the 400th anniversary celebrations of the battle there. The Swiss comprehensively stuffed poor Charles the Bold's Burgundians in 1476, and as far as I can see have been repeating the achievement every time the two sides meet on a wargame table.
Medieval wargaming enjoys a small but enthusiastic following in the Edinburgh wargame club, and while I no longer retain a stake in building my own army, I'm more than happy to play with lead belonging to friends. Here's what they're into:
The Crusades
For some reason the Crusades are popular here, and there was even talk of a campaign. However, I've still to see a game played with a rules set other than Warhammer Ancient Battles (WAB). You can see why people like this period - just look at these stunning Muslim figures from Bill at Musketeer Miniatures:
Of course these days anything involving a clash between East and West, Muslim and Christian, Arab and Settler is just inviting controversy. It invites becoming a target for fundamentalist religious zealots of either religion, who are too screwed up to realise that the lead simply looks really good! As a period its also a great clash between two very different military doctrines, and the battles were fought in terrain which represents something of a modelling challenge - from the deserts of the Sinai to the rugged mountains of Anatolia.
The Crusading crowd in Edinburgh are still dithering over rules - some still play WAB, while others favour a set called Shattered Lances, available from Outpost. Others prefer Ironbow, produced by the Perfect Captain, and available online as a free download. I like the way this set encourages players to fight their armies using historical tactics, the Westerners dominant in the charge and in melee, while the Easterners excel at shooting and manoeuvre. The The Perfect Captain also produces a "Handbook" on their Yahoo site, which is a bit like one of those old WRG "Armies and Enemies" books, giving information on the armies, their organisation and their tactics. All in all its a pretty swish product - and won't cost you a bean! Once we've tried out the rules I'll report back.
As I said earlier, a few potential Crusaders use Warhammer Ancient Battles. While I'm no great admirer of WAB, at least it encourages people to build up 25mm armies and to take some care over getting them right. That in itself sets itself apart from the herd-like DBM crowd. However, their popularity in Edinburgh leaves non-WAB players with a problem. Some would prefer to use "element" bases - the ones found in Field of Glory, Ironbow or the dreadful DBM, but this isn't compatible with the basing used by the WAB fellas. That means reaching a compromise where bases of two cavalry, or four foot (40x40mm) becomes an "element". OK, so the base sizes aren't the same, but given the size of the units we expect to field we all reckon we can live with that.
Dougie
Trail's Crusaders
The Hundred Years War / Medieval Italy
I was sorely tempted after a recent holiday in Tuscany, during which I read a biography of Sir John Hawkwood. I even went as far as painting a unit of Condottiere knights, and there was talk of different people raising condottas and city militias for various city states, such as Florence, Pisa, Siena and Lucca. However, it ran out of steam as fast as my holiday tan faded. However, others - including the very talented lead painter Darrell Hinley - favour the Hundred Years War, with its feast of heraldry, longbows and national pride. I suppose I'm really too Scottish to be enthused about English longbows, or French knights for that matter, but at least I can see the visual appeal of the period.
This means that while I won't field games of my own, I'll post updates on how the Club's medieval project/s develop, and I'll post pictures of games if and when they take place. Then again, I still won't rule out being tempted into the fray once I see how pretty the games are...
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