Old Things Picked Up Again

 Or - the project that would not die.

I've recommenced on an old Landsknechts project this week. The paperboys are having a rest for the next week or so.

I was chatting to a chum about his growing Landsknecht forces when I recalled my own; one thing led to another and we have committed to a battle next year of a particularly school-boy sort where "You bring every thing you've got and I'll bring everything I've got.". And naturally this will be kicking off an arms race, and some good-natured sledging.

So and without any further ado, some pictures of where I am at right now.

First up, the weeks' painting; four preening pike-men.

An enormous movement tray for the pike block that will be eight ranks of eight figures.

And partially populated with the figures I managed to finish basing yesterday.

Yes, I am going large on this project. I am planning 12 and 24 figure cavalry units and at least two units of pike along with sundry artillery, arquebusiers an other riff-raff.

Don't tell my chum this but at least one of the cavalry units will be based plowing through a broken bunch of landsknechts painted to resemble those from one of his own units, so if anyone can tell me what flags he is using...

A Bit of New Years' Painting

The Pikes. Looking for a basing scheme.

 Quite some time ago I bought a small pile both of the old production and the newly mastered Willie Landsknechts. I only painted a handful at the time before drifting off with the next butterfly. However since then I've been re-reading Simon Winder's "Danubia" and the bug has bitten again.

I've been rather inspired by this basing scheme.

Our Sutleress. A great comfort to the troops. Perhaps looking for the Eureka Sutlers' Wagon?

 I think I last saw Helga here on Stokes' blog. Sorry Stokes, I used you as visual reference for painting my own!

Poseurs. 1510.

Finally, a small group to show off the figures. I've been very impressed with how well sculpted and easy to paint these were. Highly recommended.

Weekends' Output

Fifer, Poseur and Spanish Pikeman

Dreadful lighting for photography and thus my apologies.

The collection is building apace. Apart from these, I dug out and renovated a half dozen cavalry. It will be time quite soon to examine the question of basing.

Spanish Lancer

Converted from the Willie mounted Arquebusier that they never seem to supply an arquebus for!

Sword and buckler guy and a few whores and powder monkeys.

From the current 1565 collection, L-R, a sword and buckler man, the baby-eating Bishop af Bath and Wells and Pizzaro.

A few new recruits

Landsknecht Pride Marchers

 Obviously the Herr Obrist has been out shaking the can for the Fähnleins!

Spanish Pike

More on the painting table.

Test Figures

Alzheimer Landsknecht Officers

 I've spent a little time this weekend painting a few test figures. In the inevitable blue are "die Blauen" of Alzheim. All painting has been done with acrylic colour washes on a white, sprayed-on, undercoat. My main inspirations for this method are Richard Marsh's "wash-and-line" technique and the excellent work of Doug Crowther. Everything old is new again!

Spanish Pike

I took a leaf out of the GW playbook for painting large units of non-uniformed troops so they look fairly unified. I chose red and yellow-ochre as a tip of the hat to the Spanish flag. These are likewise Willie Landsknecht figures, but wearing Pluderhosen.

Comments are always welcome.

Setting a First Milestone

As you may have realised, I like to set myself milestones in assembling a collection.

Ross has kindly put forth the germ of a scenario and considering that I know little enough about the period and what may or may not be plausible I have decided to go with it.

Why not?

So then:

Spanish
General
Company of 8 Arquebusiers
Company of 8 Sword and Bucklermen
24 Pike
Troop of 8 Mounted Arquebusiers

Alzheimers
General
Company of 8 Arquebusiers
24 Pike
Troop of 8 Gens d'Armes
1 Cannon and 6 crew

This talk of Spanish troops leads me to thinking about my "Great Siege" collection such as it is. The figures that went into it would feed this project quite nicely and vice versa. Plenty of whores and powder monkeys there for Stokes, too. Monks, bishops, all the usual lovely clutter.

Policy Framework Document

Without adding an extra 16 figures per unit at this stage (notwithstanding a permanently open option on doing so in the future...) I think I have an outline for a "Landsknecht Project".

Something like this:

The Good Duke Sigismund von Alzheim
One 80-strong Landsknecht "Regiment". Die Blauen. For hire. Reasonable rates, satisfaction proffered. Mostly. Looting? Well, if pay is sufficiently in arrears.

The not so Good Freiherr von Herkheim
One 80-strong Landsknecht "Regiment". The Black Band of black-hearted knaves.For hire. Reasonable rates, satisfaction proffered. Under the right circumstances. Looting optional.

Ritter von Gaustadt, a man who enjoys a good time (ein geiler Bock* in the common tongue).
One 24-strong Gens d'Armes Regiment. "die Unaussprechlichen". Ahem.

Franz das Kamel.
Master of the Esoteric Order of the Artillery. A captured town's church bells are his, by ancient right.
An amazing medley of gimcrack cannon of all kinds.


*OK, yes, I did just find a German slang glossary online. Happy days.

UPDATE: Since my last go at this post, I've taken another close look at the Willie Catalogue and it seems to me that the ECW Cuirassier might also do as either a Reiter or as a ... Cuirassier - ie, a chap in 3/4 armour with a fully-enclosed helmet. Also, the Spanish Mounted Arquebusier from the Conquistador range has uses both as a mounted arquebusier and  as a light, lance armed cavalryman. A dozen of each type perhaps? Is that another four units of medium and light horse? Hm. Hm. Hm.

Back-of-the-Envelope-Doodling

Landsknechts:

Let's say we build a regiment of 50 of them. Going on Ross's ratios (sounds pretty official, eh?), that's 5 guys with two-handed swords and halberds; 10 with arquebuses and 35 with pikes. Seems a bit - to borrow a word - fecky to me.

What about 60 figures? 6 with two-handers and halberds, a dozen arquebusiers and 42 pikes. That seems a bit better, especially the arquebusiers. But it could be better for our close-quarter specialists.

Moving into danger territory, now. 80 figures. 8 guys with two-handed swords and halberds, 16 arquebusiers and 56 pikemen.

It might look a little like this:

        PPPPPPPP
        PPPPPPPP
        PPPPPPPP
        HSHSHSHS
        PPCCCCPP
        PPCCCCPP
        PPPPPPPP
        PPPPPPPP

AAAAAAAA AAAAAAAA

P=pike, H=halberd, S= two-handed sword, C="command" and A=arquebus.

Even more dangerously, I'm starting to look at figure poses. Common sense would dictate having the pikes more or less in the vertical position. But then I saw this:



Pinched fron the Tradition of London catalogue.

Life can be just so damned cruel, can't it?

Meanwhile, I've a thought bubble that I'll inflict upon you all. If wargamers strive for realism in their games, do fantasy gamers strive towards (whilst admitting that it's a chimera, a will o' the wisp, even) magical realism?

I'll stop bothering you now.

Landsknechts

I've been redeveloping some interest in my Willie Landsknechts.

I painted up a couple of them ages ago and rediscovered them only yesterday. I think I have the enthusiasm to paint some more when the current mini leadpile of Slovaks dries up over the next few days.

Whether this turns into an army or just an itch scratcher, I don't know. I do recall that Phil Olley had an army made from older GW figures which looked very nice and that's probably my primary inspiration. I would think that a couple of "regiments" and some of the David Wilson "Willie" Gens d'Armes would do as a minimum with some converted pikemen as artillerists. There were a couple of nice looking "Renaissance" guns in the Tradition range, too as I recall.

Now, apart from having the appropriate Osprey, I know nothing about them organisationally. Can one of the more learned members point me in the right direction as to what proportions of figures I ought to get? Pikes, arquebuses, halberds and great swords?