Sorting Out the Spanish

Sunday 10th April 2016

Sorting Out the Spanish:

Looking through my boxes of figures for "Irregular Wars" I came across some 'strays'- painted, but unmarked, Spanish and/or Portuguese elements.  Of course the loose labels didn't match up in numbers or types.  I was forced to ferret out the relevant DBA-RRR box files - sigh!  With v1.21 lists in hand I sat down to try to figure out what was what. 

Turns out that I had built 13 elements of Spanish Colonial 1.41b (1535-1700) and 8 of 1.41a (1524-1534). In addition there were 2 elements of Neapolitan Spanish (list 1.4). Clearly these last had been created to use up 6 of the copious sword-and-buckler men supplied in the Conquistadores box.

First thing to be done - sort out any errors.  Well the most glaring one was that I had mounted the general on a horse (round base) instead of on foot (Bd or Sh). Carefully prying off the Kn, substituting a Bd and repairing the base solved that problem

A more subtle error was the use of Currours as Escopeteros.  Recent research shows they had firearms not spear.  In appearance they were also more like carabins or harquebusiers.  I feel some future arm swapping might be appropriate.  For the time being I will let them be.

List 1.41a needs extra elements: 2 x generals as Bd or Sh (one round base & one standard), 2 x Kn plus one other.  If I can lay my hands on the recent Jinetes boxes (RedBox) I can make up the Kn.  In spite of the famous picture of a Spanish colonial general sitting proudly in full, blackened, armour it is clear that the rest of the horsmen soon abandoned such a panoply in response to the South American climate.

The 2 Neapolitan elements have been split up to provide figures for the various generals - I have also drafted in some flag bearers from the stock tin.

This now leaves a considerable number of figures on a my painting board.  The trouble is that I will likely visit the Halifax model shop next Sunday!!!!!


Monday 11th April 2016

DBM - New Kingdom Egyptian v Makkan.  True to form Andy produced an army of Wb(F), Bw(I) and Cm.  Chris and I faced off these hordes with the usual NKE mixture.  My, left, flank held on pretty well with my bows damaging Andy's right flank Wb.  Unfortunately our centre Bd(F) were run over by the enemy Wb(F) - it didn't help that we set up in bad terrain.  The last throw of the dice saw me killing 2 x Wb elements to make honours even with one broken command per side.  Had the game continued the Makkan would have taken the field.

On the other table - Impetus - two squabbling factions in the Crusades fought each other (rather than the real enemy) in typical fashion.