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Saturday 28 December 2013

My Next Unfinished Project is ... ... ECW

My gaming room looks like this:


Underneath and behind the towering boxes I have 12 x 4 gaming table just screaming out to be played upon. Why not you say? I'll tell you why not!

My best friend died last month, my gaming buddy and all that entails. One thing I have decided to do is to help the family do something sensible with his wargaming collections. Forty years in the making or certainly the best part thereof and I now have most of it in my wargames room.

Going through the various bits and pieces brings back great memories of times and games gone bye and one particular selection jumped up and poked me in the eye, almost literally.

I came across these:


Polish Winged Hussars, Pancerni and Lithuanian Cavalry amongst others, all in 15mm.

And these:


Swiss and Spanish Infantry

Some of these:


ECW Cavalry, Roundheads mostly.

And these:


A few guns, medium sized and small.

Lots of these:


Loads of ECW infantry, 6 regiments, loyalties to be confirmed.

And an unpainted selection:


Now, just what can I do with this lot!

Well, there is this set of rules I wrote in 1975.


And there is this more recent set:


And there is this tome for reference.


First task is to clean up the figures and rebase them. The flock on them is (being polite here) biodegrading, it'll have to go. The bases are different sizes so they'll have to be rationalised.

Biggest problem is that my 1975 rules are geared up for infantry units to be at least 90 figures strong, 30 pikes in a block with a sleeve on either flank of 30 muskets as well as a few officers, standard bearers and drummers. Single figure casualty removal is a requirement for my rules.

The unit strengths pictured above are about half that with no drummers. I'll have to compromise somewhere. I would also want the rules to be useable with the Swiss and Spanish units.

The Warlord ruleset will have its own suggested unit sizes, I have yet to read them but I expect them to be similar to other Black Powder rules with small, standard and large units. I would want the units to be useable in both rulesets as I may decide to sell the collection on.

There is then an Unfinished Project to be converted into a Finished project, wish me luck.

9 comments:

  1. Good Luck

    My preferred set of ECW rules was always Forlorn Hope, though I haven't played them in years. They might be difficult to use for other nationalities though.

    Basic Baroque might be worth a look - a free set from the Impetus stable. The full rules are due out in 2014

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    1. Thanks Dave, I'll have a look at Forlorn Hope and Basic Baroque.

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  2. I wish you luck Jim.I am sure your friend would be delighted at this project of yours.
    I have a copy of the rules you wrote at home here.I must look them out for a read over the holiday period...
    best wishes
    Alan

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Alan

      If I thought anyone would have a copy of my rules from that far back it would be you!

      I will have to read over the rules too as it is well over 35 years since I last played them.

      Jim

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  3. A worthy endeavour , I will watch your progress with interest - Tony

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  4. It'll feel good when it hits the table. Good project.

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  5. Another "Forlorn Hope" recommendation here for the ECW. The rules have a variant on their Yahoo group for the 30YW also so you can field the Swedish, Spanish, Poles, etc.

    Bob

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