With Lockdown preventing any chance of more gaming I have had to rely on painting and modelling to keep me entertained. However, without a game looming my painting tends to lack direction and I flitter about between several projects. So in an attempt to give myself some direction I tried to narrow my options down to just three projects: 28mm Wars of the Roses for 'Never Mind the Billhooks', 10mm Fantasy for 'Fantastic Battles' and 28mm skirmish figures for 'Fistful of Lead, all new rules to me and which I am keen to try. Plenty of variety to keep my painting fresh too.
My 'Billhooks' project has taken up a lot of my enthusiasm recently with steady progress being made. Lord Clifford and his retinue bowmen have just been completed and I am just a couple of units short of a basic force now. Clifford's retinue billmen are currently on the painting table.
'Fistful of Lead' (FFOL) is a card activated skirmish game where each player controls just a handful of figures but the rules have adaptations for all sorts of era's. Chris and I are keen to get the Fantasy version due out next year, in the meantime we are planning some games based around a Game of Thrones which we are both re-reading. So far I have painted up Jon Snow and his dire wolf Ghost and a few wildlings (Frostgrave Barbarians) for some action north of the wall. After all, 'Winter is coming!' I am also keen to try the cowboy version of the rules which may see a return to painting and modelling the Wild West at some point.
Fantastic Battles was not a set of rules I had initially expected to buy, but the more I read about them, the more I liked the sound of them. Aimed primarily at smaller scale figures I decided they would be perfect for my 10mm Elves and Barbarians. I am now most of the way through re-basing the elves and have added a few new units. My 10mm Barbarians will be re-based and expanded next as I like to collect armies in pairs so that I can provide both sides.
I tried a small solo game of Fantastic Battles using my 15mm Greek and Persians and it was great fun with an easy, quick play feel to the rules. They are a very flexible set of rules and easy to understand which is an increasing must for me. These are a highly recommended set of rules, good for historical as well as 'fantastic' battles!
So no games (apart from solo) this month, but plenty of to look forward to and plenty of hobby activities to keep me busy.
