Implementation progressing, Planning to Follow

Did I mention the "Irregular B" aspect of my nature? (For those not up on the old 3rd ed WRG Ancients they are the impetuous barbarian noble types, Frankish knights and so on, liable to charge without orders.) Well exploration of the feasibility of  moving Prince Michael and my Rough Wooing forces to my fantasy setting is proceeding but not quite as expected. I have figured out how to place and explain the transition without disowning the 25mm games or disallowing them to continue and without disrupting the Adventures of Prince Michael, I have rediscovered the size/style issue that has left so many unpainted Elastolin, Merten and Perry figures in the cupboard and I've discovered that there were a couple more unpainted figures than I remembered, about 100 or so more.

Fresh off the painting table.
A Midlish Knight and archers of the 3rd Age.
Elastolin Gensdarme, Merten Archers

The last issue is the easiest. If I assign almost all the existing big clunky figures to the Empire that will give them some 60 stands of troops, somewhat more than the standard 35 but then the Empire rarely fights and the figures are the travelling portion of my Rough Wooing armies so its really just a place holder for them in case I want to use a few while the other armies are building over the next few years.

I hadn't completely forgotten the size/style issue but had suppressed it and forgotten why I hadn't finished so many of the smaller figures. The Meisterzinn figures aren't all big and tall, the semiflat ones are nicely sized and proportioned but some are big and many of the full round ones have HUGE heads. The 2 handed swordsman is probably the tallest of the lot, I chose one of them to make a Galloglach from 15 years ago. There are a few Elastolins and Perries etc mixed in with the bigger figures in my Rough Wooing armies and in a crowd they don't stand out but when there are whole armies of different sizes in a Fantasy setting or when disproportionate individuals meet in a duel well...... 

Prince Michael takes on Angus Mor, a Hill Giant from the West.
Elastolin vs a Meisterzinn conversion

There are enough unpainted Elastolin vikings left along with the Prince August Vikings to let me build the men of the west from Dearg Mor's "Picts" and "Helgin's "Saxons" (aka Elastolin vikings) and Prince August Vikings backed up by Great Beasts, witches, flying things and a few Giants and the like. The schiltrons have apparently disappeared under the increasing influence of the Men of the Sea.

The Midlands will get all the late Medieval types including Swiss pikemen to replace the Scots spearmen. Fashions change but it will be the same balanced mix of heavy cavalry backed by a few lights, infantry and archers.

To the East the Sultan who has replaced the Great King of Kings may encourage some of his wilder subjects to raid over the border, a few lizard men and the like, perhaps accompanied by some of the wilder brigands but it will be a while yet before his Spahis, Jannisaries, great cannon and masses of volunteers are ready to march.

That leaves the north. According to the Adventures of Prince Michael in the Days of King Arthur, the Prince hails from Valdur in the North. I have been portraying it as being in northern Britain (southern Scotland), from just beyond the wall but the name Valdur is the name of my old fantasy Kingdom. So be it. The wall was built in the Northwest then, to hold back the Picts or Westmen and the sea raiders and King Arthur obviously sits on the throne of the Midlands making the North and the Midlands as some sort of semi-allies at the moment. I had been planning the 25mm Northern armies as horsemen, including horse archers (Garrison Hyrkanians) and armoured lancers (Minfig and Heritage Rohirrim)  backed by peasant infantry (Garrison Fyrd and Prince August). I was about to reassign the Elastolin  Huns to the East but in his adventures, Prince Michael often fights beside Preisages the Sarmatian  so it looks like the Huns and remaining Elastolin Roman and early medieval troops will all be part of the Northern Confederation giving them their 35 stands once the cavalry kits and a few more infantry are finished.  

I have yet to write the details of the history anywhere but shortly after the last Ambush game and the return home of the Master of Secrets (released from captivity by the Witch Queen of the West), the King of the Midlands suddenly fell ill and while he did not die for another 20 years, the Kingdom fell into civil war after civil war. Twenty years after his death the Falcon of Light appeared with a young boy whom he proclaimed to be the son of the late King, conceived just before his death and raised in secrecy .....(OK not original but it just happens to fit the established story line). 

Our story now resumes 20 years after that or roughly 60 years later and 15mm taller than the last game.