A Taste of Victory

Hot off the presses and straight through my letter box came this latest tome from the League of Augsburg, A Taste of Victory.

Penned as ever by Mr Barry Hilton this is a scenario book for Beneath the Lilly Banners third edition (though I'm sure could be used for any rules set covering the late seventeenth century).

Its my birthday this weekend (I'm not going to say which one) and I have a couple of days off work. That should provide an opportunity to curl up on the sofa with a good cup of tea and let Mr Hilton's battle plans fire the imagination.

The book can be found for sale on The League of Augsburg website.

Dumfries October 2017 - part 2

Previously on Khaki Drab...

In the first game at the League of Augsburg Dumfries October 2017 weekender, a motley group of Pirates, Natives and Huguenots attacked and destroyed the rum production facility on the Honey River.

But this was a feint and the main attack took place a few months later.

Except it really wasn't really an attack more of a Tarantino-esque saga  of double dealing, betrayal and mild violence that if filmed would no doubt be entitled "Kill Kirke".



The initial set up, Mr Barry Hilton organiser extraordinaire in the background

The protagonists were:
Attackers:

• An expeditionary force of noble Huguenots exiled from their homeland and searching for a new home and a peaceful life(I typed that with a straight font),
• perfidious English supporters of the pretender James (the Huguenot allies);

Huguenots advance!

• pirates with their own agenda which had something to do with picks and shovels;
• natives who were tired of the Bourbon yoke and dreamed of nothing more than their own rum soaked republic in the sun.

Natives defend a mill

Defenders:

• The colonial forces of the treacherous Bourbon king Louis led by a former Huguenot.

Unknown:

• Mysterious British force whose commander had revenge in mind.

The game started and that's where the complexity kicked in. I'll try and summarise though obviously my viewpoint is through Huguenot tainted glasses.

• The Huguenots not trusting Kirk's English forces posted Huguenot officers with their trusted English allies;
• Various accidents then occurred with both English and Huguenot officers falling down cliffs, bathing with crocodiles etc.
• The French and Huguenot's came to an arrangement not to attack each other;

A lot of marching... not a lot of shooting

• After taking a fort from the French the natives joined this entente cordiale;
• Unfortunately, the natives had lost all the forces attacking the fort which the Huguenots then sauntered into and refused to give back;

One fort, fully supplied with excellent views of the sea

• The natives took exception to this and started sniping at the Huguenots;
• Percy Kirke appeared on the field and this galvanised all the other players;

That's a familiar standard

• Despite the best efforts of at least three of the players (my Huguenots were strangely ambivalent) Kirke escapes to betray another day;

Kirke's last stand?

• The other protagonists decide to set up a joint venture with their target Jamaica... but that's another story.

Will Kirke return to fight again?
Will the new Caribbean Republic flourish?
Will the Huguenots actually discharge their muskets or will the new hobby of Peace-gaming catch on?

To be continued (if the organisers choose to do so) at the next League of Augsburg weekend.

Dumfries October 2017 - part 1

This was a continuation of the 1692/3 campaign that had been played out at the previous two  League of Augsburg campaigns.

The valiant Huguenots  were still in the Caribbean enjoying the sun, sea and yellow fever. For this weekend they had teamed up with the infamous Percy Kirke , some pirates and locals to have a go at wresting parts of Haiti away from the French.

First up was a raid on some sugary refineries and a rum factory.

The rum factory on the Honey River

As well as setting fire to the sugar refineries and rum repository there were a number of carts to get off table

The Colonel's company awaits the French

The French approach

Carts start to make their way off table

A final stand off

The raid was successful and the Huguenot's and their piratical allies made off with half the carts and left a trail of destruction behind them.

There are a lot more photos and information on the League of Augsburg blog.

Dumfries March 2017 - Part 2

With the next weekender coming up, I realised that I hadn't posted all my photos from the last one! I'd like to come up with an excuse other than work and the twinnage but, alas, I'm not that imaginative.

So here's a few shots of the Caribbean expedition. Watch out for photographic evidence of the first BLB unit ever to be routed by the local fauna (my die rolling as ever knew no shame).

 

 

 



And meanwhile back in not so Merry England...

Dumfries March 2017 Part 1

 

Another weekend of mayhem, musketry and in my case catastrophic die rolling. This time  Barry and Bob of the League of Augsburg had a little vacation in mind for my Huguenots. It was time to pack the sun screen and get those yellow fever shots - Jamaica was the destination.

The first game was a short affair that didn't go very well for the Huguenot's or their Dutch West Indies Company allies. Against them were some Jacobite forces lead by the infamous Kirke.



Time for a nice walk in the jungle

The Governor's forces await the Williamite onslaught

The long and winding road

The Dutch West Indies Company encounter some hungry locals

Not all the fauna were quite as interactive

There was only one cavalry detachment on the board and although of dubious quality proved highly effective

The Huguenots fail to take their objective and are reduced to trading volleys

This was just the warm-up engagement, there was more to come with heroism, treachery and Haitian pygmy death cults...

Dumfries 2016 - The Main Battles

The second part of the weekend was split into two large battles, the first set at Ripon in northern England where MacKay, Hamilton and Ruvigny faced the Jacobite forces led by St Ruhe, Waunchope and Dundee.

Jacobite start point at Ripon

 

Some mean clansmen!

My Huguenots had a great view of this one. In fact they spent nearly the entire engagement sat on a hill watching the Irish and Scots massacre each other over a small piece of England.

St Ruhe played by Les Rumble was following the same strategy as the Huguenot's watching his Irish allies martyr themselves on the resilient Williamite lines.

The French seemed reluctant to get involved

As ever with war games some amusing results came up, the most incongruous being when the elite clansmen of Lochaber were seen off by the military equivalent of three shepherdesses and a goat herder.

The brave lads of Shropshire

The cunning machinations of Mr Bill Robertson (MacKay) saw first the troops of Bonnie Dundee (Jim Wallace wearing that particular bonnet) agree to no longer engage the Williamites (through the time honoured ancient communication method of SMS) but also for the Jacobite right flank to retire by simply pointing out that they potentially faced encirclement.

The French finally engage



A picture says a thousand words, Dundee and St Ruhe

A victory then to the noble forces of William.

Proof (if blurry) that the Huguenots did come part way down the hill

On the other table things did not go so well for the Williamites, which is good old fashioned understatement for they were absolutely mollicated at what has become known as the battle of Badon Hill. Big political machinations in this one with betrayal by the perfidious Kirk leading to a complete collapse of the Willliamite cause.

Jacobite lines at Badon

The Williamite lines

Williamite cannon

Things get complicated

And messy...

This is a rushed dispatch, I say rushed but what I mean is since these battles were fought another weekender has taken place. Unlike other events the April 2017 one was a direct follow on to this one with many of the same shady characters resuming their roles as even shadier characters. More of which later...

February Progress

Two months into the new regime and I find myself behind already. I'm going to put the blame wholly on Games Workshop for suddenly producing some interesting Warhammer 40K miniatures and a dwarf team for the re-launched Blood Bowl (I have a sentimental attachment to those vertically challenged, spike infested, homicidal maniacs).

So February count:

Painted:
7 BLB miniatures.
4 Warlord WWII miniatures (Guarding the Chateau set)

Purchased:
3 Warhammer 40K (Elder Triumvirate of Ynnead)
12 Blood Bowl dwarves

Monthly Trend: -4
Yearly Trend: -4

Back to the Lily Banners

After the trip to Dumfries I got the 1690s bug again. But what to paint, after all I'd very much exhausted the Huguenots. Fortunately Mr Hilton of League of Augsburg fame had furnished me with a number of options over the two days of the engagement.

So, simply copying the order of battle from that weekend I have started on the Danish regiment Funen, which are in a fetching green; makes a change from the drab grey of my other troops.

 

These troops are in sabot bases so they can be used for Donnybrook too.

All figures are Warfare Miniatures