A Tale of Two Cooks

The noise from the crowd rose and fell, following the action on the field. The season was coming to an end, and teams were vying for a spot in the quarter finals. Maeb was working the counter, wearing a large felt red and yellow snail on her head.

"Got to show the home team some love" she said when she caught his look that morning as they opened and began prep. "Punters love it. I'd have worn my team scarf too, but it gets in the fryer."

"That'll be 7 and 6 love." She took money and made change from her apron. "Here you go. Roll Snails!" She laughed as she handed a family, all similarly bedecked in team shirts, scarves and/or hats, their order of teas and snacks. "Roll Snails!" they all shouted happily and moved on.

She was good with the punters, and Clwngher was glad he had talked her into joining him after they had finished their enlistments. The side of her face still bore the scars from a shell that had burst near their field kitchen, but that didn't stop him from staring at her whenever he thought she wasn't looking. He walked with a distinct limp, a souvenir from the same battle, as he moved around the small cook area preparing fried worm sarnies, fried grubs on a stick, urns of tea, and sugared moths.

Using his demob bonus and back pay to set up this Concession Stand at the Sports Field was a good investment. When the Mhudd-Ball season ended there was Cr'kyt and Beetle Jousting. Cr'kyt matches and the Beetle Jousts went on all day, so lots of hungry folks.

Maeb's nephew, Nodlyn, was working with him. He was busy stirring more batter for the grubs. "Hiya Noddy!" came a sing-song voice from the service counter. "Oh hi, Bronny" Nodlyn replied with a note of embarrassment, focusing on his batter. There was a pretty young dyna wearing a yellow and red scarf with her parents buying some sandwiches and tea. "Working today?" she said for the sake of having something to say. "Uh... yeah..." came Nodlyn's reply.

Maeb was smiling to herself watching the interaction. Clwngher watched as the young dyna lingered, trailing behind her parents. Nodlyn watched her go, his snout blushing a deep red.

Clwngher pulled a packet of sugared moths off the rack and handed them to Nodlyn. "I think they bought some of these too, didn't they Maeb?" Maeb nodded. "Oh yes, silly me! Forgot to give it to them!" He looked at the young buck. "Here, you'd better run after and give these to her." Nod stood there stunned. "We've got enough prep done. You can knock off for the day. Go on lad! Go after her!"

Nod quickly got out of his apron and dashed out the door, clutching the sugared moths in his hand. Maeb watched him go. "A' tha'  was nice. Didn't know you was such a soft daftie."

Clwngher stood beside her watching the youth catch up to Bronwyn's family. He looked her in the eyes, his throat full of emotion. "I know what it's like to be a buck in love."

Maeb blushed.

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Culinary Yawdryl P'tryc was ensconced in his sanctum sanctorum. That is, his immense girth was behind the prep counter in the company kitchens where he reigned with an iron ladle and well aimed wooden spoon. All of the Company Cooks in the Princess P'trysha of Collysh's Lifeguards were under his direction and training. He had made dinners for the King, and his Cream Teas were legendary. The Princess always asked that he do her teas with the officers.

But today he had a problem. 

The kind of problem that he liked.

A culinary problem. 

"Never trust a skinny cook!"

His friend, the Quarter-Master Yawdryl, had bounced in yesterday, holding a box and obviously pleased with himself. 

Notice crossed spoon and fork in his bicorne

"Guess what's in the box!"

P'tryc rubbed his snout. "Well, it's not wine or you'd have drunk it all, you old crook!"

The QMY laughed and slid the box across the counter. "Go on! What do you think, eh?"

P'tryc opened the box suspiciously. "Look, mate, I don't need any of your old dyna magazines."

But he opened the box anyway. Inside were about two dozen purple snails trying to climb out.

Spiny purple snails were a delicacy, hard to get, and expensive. He promptly got out his best brandy and poured a generous glass for his friend. 

So today, he sipped at his own glass and pondered the fat, juicy mollusk in front of him, eating salad leaves. The Duke was having the King to dine next week. These snails would be perfect. 

As long as he had the right sauce. He started melting butter in a pan and searched the wine rack for a strong, sweet red. The Dwyfnt 1765 should be just the thing. He needed to get it perfect. 

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A couple of characters for the Quar. It's an odd assortment in the line up so production is slow. But the PPCLI have a Cook in the HQ Squad now. The spiny snails mounted on 15mm mdf bases will be the three rations tokens that can be expended.

The moth cake chef is a Tribe membership bonus figure based on a cartoon from one of the rule books featuring a Crusader Kryndl armoured car stopping to buy moth cakes from a bakery. The Snack Shack was given to me by Rob Hanks at Hotlead. 

Midgard Romans & Goths

There's a bit of a lull in Quar, and picking up the deal on some Wargames Atlantic figures last weekend has me shifting some attention back to Midgard.

My A&A 3rd century Romans are nicely based on washers, so I've made some Midgard bases with thick board and magnets.

But the opposition Goths, and some Warlord Roman auxiliaries, will be based as units of 7 or 8 figures on 120mm x 60mm bases.

Warlord Roman Auxiliaries and Scorpions 

I never liked how the Warlord figures ranked up on 40x40 bases. A bit more elbow room has them looking more dynamic. It also gives me two units, instead of one with 4 figures left over. Only putting 7 on one base leaves the Centurion free to be based as a Hero.

These Goth warriors, that I did for my Rohirrim (and have been used once) have been rebased the same way, giving me 3 more units of warriors (instead of only two units of 12 figures on 40x40 bases). 

And some Heroes on foot.

The Gripping Beast Gothic Noble Cavalry are already based on a mix of 50mm x 50mm and 20mm x 50mm bases. So 5 figures make a unit and no rebasing required!

This nets me four Cavalry units, plus a 2 figure stand for the Army Commander. 

Army Commander 

Two left over cavalry can be heroes. 

I'll start assembling and painting the Wargames Atlantic figures in manageable batches of 8 I think. The 30 figure box will produce 3x units of warriors and 1x unit of skirmishing archers.

KEGSCon 2025 AAR

Well another KEGSCon in Chatham is done.

Fun was had, games were played, friends were caught up with.

Kamal from Centuries Historical Miniatures was there. His pricing is competitive. I got these two sets for Cdn$75 (instead of $110 on line).

So, I guess I've settled what the opponent for my 3rd Century A&A Roman army will be in Midgard. They've been on the table exactly once since I painted them back in 2019, and I'd really like to fix that.

Naturally I brought some Quar. The jungle terrain is great for conventions; looks dramatic and light weight for humping from car to venue.

The mat is some fabric I got on 50% off from a quilt shop. I like that it leaves room around the edges for off table stuff.

I used Quar of Command again, the Toulmorese players caught on quickly and butchered the Gloamers.

Me, in red shirt, explaining things

Some 28mm General d'Armee

In the morning I got to play in Keith's Blucher game. Played French this time. Tense exciting game and we managed to claw our way to a marginal defeat, instead of the decisive defeat that it had been shaping up to be.

Keith pointing dramatically. He's put a lot of work into the aesthetics (dice cups, measuring sticks, unit labels) which is nice.

Indians vs Moghul Persians in the 18th Century using Honours of War

Tanks, developmental and real, clash in 1946 Clash of Steel

IS-7s with 130mm guns... no wonder Western powers spent so much time developing big honking AT guns

Amazonian natives dispute the incursion of white mining interests in The Men Who Would Be Kings

28mm Napoleonic skirmish

54mm Commando raid Where Stens Dare

20mm Chain of Command. French vs Germans in 1940

Cavemen

Friday night Gaslands

I'm the green vehicles, lower right and upper left. Barely got past the first gate.

The monster truck eventually won, by just driving over everything

There was more, obviously. 14 games on Saturday morning and afternoon. About 40 people.

Trenches and Trench Mortars

Blod sat in the dug out, tending the stove, waiting for the tin can that he used as a kettle to boil for the Is-Caerten's tea. Nearby the heavy guns that 8th Company were protecting thumped away rhythmically, their sure steady beat of doom counting towards some uncertain Armageddon. With each bellowing discharge dirt shook loose  and fell in a fine rain on everything in the Command Post. It was a constant struggle to keep his young officer clean and respectable looking here in the trenches,  but he managed. He had a chipped plate and an old ration tin lid covering the Is-Caerten's mug and the tea pot. A cloth that was adjacent to clean covered the plate of fried termites and biscuits he had ready.

Dawn. Ready for a shoot. 

One of the new gun pits

The curtain twitched aside revealing rain outside and Is-Caerten Gwyffyth ap Foldgyhth'wlech, Officer Commanding 8th Company, 22nd Fusiliers stepped inside. "What ho, Blod! Alright me bucko?" he said with his unshakeable cheerfulness as he shook rain from his cape and carefully hung it on a nail.

"A'rright, sir. Tea's nearly up."

Foldgyhth'wlech sat down and removed the cloth. "Biscuits! However do you manage?"

"It's ma Nan's recipe. She taught me as a kit." Blod said, pouring boiled water from the tin into the teapot. 

The Is-Caerten piled some fried termites onto a biscuit and bit in with obvious delight. "Goodness me! Which Ancestor has blessed me that I've got you as my Bootbuck?"

"That'd be the Master-Yawdryl, sir" Blod said, picking up Foldgyhth'wlech's spare tunic, which needed mending.

"How is your Nan, then?" Foldgyhth'wlech said, pressing on with his cheerful assault. 

"With the Ancestors, sir" Blod said quietly, fingers busy with needle and thread.

German trench mortar 

"Oh..." Foldgyhth'wlech suddenly felt like he had farted at dinner, or tracked beetle dung all over mother's Anaryan rug. "Ah..." he continued, flailing for words.

"'s'arright, sir" Blod said quietly. He pointed with his snout to the corner where his pallet was. Above it a small photograph sat on a board nailed to the timbers. A small candle flickered nervously in front of it. "She'd be glad to know you like her biscuits an' all."

A good sized battery 

Foldgyhth'wlech got up with a biscuit from his plate. He placed it in front of the small photograph and bowed, with hands folded in reverence, while he quietly hummed the first bars of the Song of the Ancestors. The words changed with each family and clan, but the opening was the same for everyquar. 

Blod watched all this quietly and choked back a slight sniffle.

"Ta, sir. Means a lot, that."

Close up

"A Nan who taught kits to bake excellent biscuits is a Venerable Ancestor, indeed!"

He continued eating while Blod continued mending.

"When we are in Reserve again, we shall gather flowers for her too," Foldgyhth'wlech pronounced. 

Trench mortar in a trench! Trying the new weapons bay for size.  

Just then, Berk from 3rd Squad hustled in panting. "Yawdryl Hypfrth says your needed a' Trench Mortar right away, sir!" Without waiting, Berk disappeared again.

Is-Caerten Gwyffyth ap Foldgyhth'wlech stood up and put the last biscuit and fried termites in his mouth before reaching for his rain cape. "No rest for the weary, eh?"

At the door he turned with a wink. "Keep the tea warm." Then he was gone up the trench. 

Blod set down the mending and made sure that the Is-Caerten's sword was clean and sharp, and that extra magazines for his pistol were ready. Then he checked the action on his own rhyfle, making sure everything was clean.

Just in case there's more going on than Yawdryl Hypfrth needing a requisition signed for more high explosive bombs. And, he thought to himself, a rhyfler's pride is a clean rhyfle.

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I ordered more trench pieces from Ironclad Miniatures earlier this summer and finally got them painted. I used the same recipe as last time, but there is still variation in the finish.

Three more gun pits, another intersection, another weapons bay, and six zig-zag connecting trench pieces. So I think I've increased my total trenches by about 50%. The three gun pits now means that I can do a proper Brequar Manor layout with four guns to eliminate. The zig-zag pieces will also mean I can do proper zig-zag trenches instead of long straight sections, and hopefully have some interesting fighting along a trench.

I am pondering how to rig camouflage netting over the guns and perhaps some overhead cover for the weapons bays,  so they could have a machine gun.

The Tollyn-Maeryn are lacking support weapons,  so I asked for some German trench mortars to go with them.  I've always liked the look of the squat little trench mortars. I assembled two dismounted from their carriage. But because I like the look of it, one is on it's carriage for some hasty firing.