Never Give Up!

 Way back in 2008, when I was unemployed, and before I had started this blog, I embarked upon The Great Rebasing of my Medieval collection to fix some issues (warped balsa, chipped plaster of Paris, single based pikemen!) and bring it in line with my ideas for a 2nd edition of Blood & Chivalry. Which showed great promise, but got no interest, so I never developed it further.

By November of 2010, I had progressed to having my Burgundians done, and the Swiss started. Which is where the Swiss pike hedgehogs of doom then stalled out for the next 12 years. Never flocked, hardly played with.

Well last Friday the long awaited Lion Rampant 2nd edition arrived in all it's hard covered glory, so Patrick and I had a little game. I went with Swiss vs. Burgundians to try the new pike and handgun rules. A random die roll gave us the "Stampede" scenario; the Attacker drives a herd of cattle into the enemy camp.

I don't have a herd of cattle, so the Swiss were driving a herd of very fierce sheep instead!

Burgundian reinforcements start on table edge

The camp with 2 units. I gave the Burgundians a 4 pt unit of foot to balance out the 4 pts of sheep

My oldest figure leads the Burgundian foot knights

Very fierce sheep drive the Burgundian foot back, but they counterattacked and slaughtered their woolly opponents. 

Swiss advance in their unflocked state.

Close up of the First Figure

Glamour shot of Charles the Bold. I should have taken some cavalry instead to properly test the pike rules

This got me thinking and the following Sunday was rainy and lazy, so I started painting bases and spreading glue and digging out 3 dozen Swiss halberdiers that have been sitting in a box in their brown undercoat for ..... ooooh I hate to think. 6, 7 years?

Maybe these chaps will finally get their banner!

So I've easily got two Swiss retinues. The next 3 dozen figures and borrowing some other figures from my Wars of the Roses troops might bump me up to 3 retinues.

So, it's only taken 12 years, but their bases are done!

Never give up.