The Is-Caerten's Bootbuck

Young Blodwyn is given instruction by a Yawdryl

Blod was sitting on his bunk, buffing his leather belts and humming a marching song. He dipped his rag, made from some worn underpants into his tin of wax and vigorously rubbed the wax into the equipment until it gleamed. Satisfied, he hung the belts up beside his tunic, where the buttons already shone brightly. 

A good rhyfler kept his buttons polished. Polished buttons meant clean and tidy gear. Polished buttons, each embossed with the "22" of the 22nd Fusilier Regiment, were a rhyfler's pride.

Rhyflers

Lots of shiny buttons

He reached down to pick up his boots which were next. Clean, shiny boots, boots that you could march in for eight hours, were also a rhyfler's pride.

"Heyup Bloddie, me ol' china!" Nobbie called form his bunk, where he was playing a hand of Trees and Pykpyks with Pod and Brych, and from the look of things, losing. "Kin you clean my kit, mate? 'elp a squaddie out, eh?"

Blod spread the boot wax and began bulling the toe of the boot with his bush. "Oh aye? An' what's innit for me then?"

"I'll pay. 'arf a crown an' all."

The others laughed. "You'd need to win back some of what you owe us first, Nobs!"

Just then Master-Yawdryl Paerwyn strode in. Everyone stopped lounging and tried to look suddenly busy, lest some previously unknown fatigue fall upon them. He stopped in front of Blod's bunk. Blod kept his snout down, polishing his boot, doing small circles with another piece of worn underpants to bring the mirror shine up. He could see the Master-Yawdryl's face faintly in the reflected surface.

Milwers pointing

Yawdryls with big SMGs and also pointing

"Rhyfler '076 Blodwyn" the Master-Yawdryl announced. 

Blod jumped to attention, boot in one hand, underpants in the other. "Yes Master-Yawdryl!"

"At ease, Blodwyn." Blod stood to Parade Rest.

"You're a good rhyfler, Blod."

"I do my best, Master-Yawdryl."

Master-Yawdryl Paerwyn prowled around Blod's bunk space, inspecting his kit, all clean and neatly hung, or folded and stored in the regulation manner. "Button's always polished. Kit always clean."

"Yes, Master-Yawdryl." Blod kept staring straight ahead. Everyone else in the barracks was trying very hard to look in other directions.

"You are now part of Headquarters Squad as the Commander's Bootbuck."

"Master-Yawdryl?"

"Six A.M. tomorrow, you will report to our new Is-Caerten. You" the Master-Yawdryl emphasized this with all five fingers aimed at his chest like a blade "...are now responsible that our new Is-Caerten is always well turned out; shiny buttons, polished boots, gleaming leather, cleaned, pressed, and..." Paerwyn sighed slightly "chipper. Bring him his tea, fetch his pipe, everything a pampered young scion of the First Families doesn't know how to do for himself. Leave his mind free for the responsibilities of command." And bothering me with new-fangled ideas, Paerwyn thought to himself.

Blod stood up straighter. "Yes, Master-Yawdryl! I'm honoured Master-Yawdryl!"

Paerwyn laughed. "We'll see if you still feel honoured after you've humped His Nibs' pack plus your own for a few days. For this honourable burden, you will be paid an extra two Crowns a week."

Blod caught Nobbie's eye and smirked slightly.

****************************************

A big batch of the First World War German flavoured Tollyn-Mearyn finished. This gives me two more Yawdryls, two pointing Milwers, and 13 more Rhyflers. So the 8th Company of the 22nd Fusiliers now has three good sized squads and a small Command Squad of Officer, Master-Yawdryl, Cook, Officer's Bootbuck (Batman in human English), and Squirrel Handler. 

They're still awaiting some Veteran and Female rhyflers and their squad light machine guns which still need to be printed. Once all four squads are filled out, I can put extras in the HQ Squad for defense and to act as runners, or extras for the trench mortar and field gun crews.

Again a few of the Rhyflers are looking pretty casual with shouldered arms and the other hand holding a pipe or cigar. I made the pipes from greenstuff and wire to give a sensible reason for the left hand to be in the position it was in, without faffing about cutting wrists and rotating hands.

Cigar and pipe

Teapot and pipes

I only had a right arm with a teapot and nothing to put in the left, so I gave him a pipe as well, to continue my casual vibe with this army, and the tea drinking for all of my Quar. I decided while writing this story that he's going to be the officer's batman or Bootbuck, (I tried 'Batquar' and it just didn't sound right), and become part of the HQ squad. After I had painted him, and started basing, I decided that he really needed to be laden down with gear, so I retrofitted the pack, bedroll, and Coftyran ration tube from spare plastic bits and then very carefully painted them.

I discovered that the Crusader backpacks looked very similar, so I used some of them to put more packs on the rhyflers. Crusader pack on left, 'official' Tollyn-Maeryn pack on the right. Bootbuck Blod in the middle has Crusader small pack, backpack and bedroll, plus Coftyran ration tube on top of pack.

By naming them the 22nd Fusiliers, I'm giving a nod to another distinguished Canadian Army regiment, the Van Doos, from the French Vingt-duex, because they were formed from French Canadian recruits in 1914 as the 22nd Canadian Expeditionary Force battalion. 

Faelvor armoured wagons. Painted a few months ago. Somehow I didn't get these on the blog.

The Tollyn-Maeryn, Quar Army number 7, now number 30 Rhyflers and NCOs, a small HQ of Is-Caerten, Master-Yawdryl, Cook, Squirrel Handler, and Bootbuck, 2 Faelvor armoured wagons, and 16 artillery crew to man a battery of big howitzers.

When you get Dr. Seuss to design your armoured fighting vehicles

Beetle Jousting

Ok, OK, hear me out... 

Quar beetle jousting!

I was watching Mogsymakes dive into the new game from Osprey, Hairfoot Jousting.

Hairfoot Jousting cover. 

And thought "This looks fun."

Then I immediately thought "This would be really fun with Quar!"

Creevin Trench Watch cavalry are coming along. It might be easy enough to put them on assorted large bugs. And as long as the uniform doesn't change too much with the plastic release, these could work nicely:

Creevin trench watch. 

The cavalry wear the same uniform. Now just put them on a variety of mounts and replace rhyfles with lances. 

Gruuk the Watch Beetle and Farmer Bayglen from the Zombiesmith store

Prebyg bug from Zombiesmith MyMiniFactory 

Ganga beast -from Zombiesmith MyMiniFactory 

A couple still on their cadiers would be fun too. Hopefully the Creevin cavalry come in a box of 6. Two teams of 3 is all you need for the game. 

So... there's a new project. Sigh.

Russian Jaegers (and Other Green Things)

While waiting for the next group of Quar to be assembled, primed and undercoated, I pushed on with some Russian Jaegers that had been waiting patiently for ... well a long time. I started trying to use contrast paints and didn't like it and got frustrated, so they were put aside.

I think these are Warlord, I'm not sure to be honest. I got them second hand already assembled without any command group. Turning them into Jaegers seemed appropriate since Jaegers shouldn't be carrying flags in the field, and the Russians fielded entire divisions of Jaegers.

This brings my Russian army up to 7 battalions for General d'Armee; 2 Jaeger, 3 Grenadier, and 2 Musketeer. All based on 4 figure stands so I can make 8 figure groups for Sharp Practice. 

While slapping around green paint I did some markers for the mines, traps and IEDs that Gloam-Hyyn trappers are allowed to deploy. I just used spare artillery shells, packs, tank stowage boxes and things that looked vaguely like mines glued to mdf disks.

I'll put numbers on the bottoms and the player can secretly designate which is an anti-tractor mine, booby-trap, or dummy.

I also got these lovely resin Supply objective markers/Jump Off Points from Ironclad Miniatures by way of apology for getting my order out late. A neutral green-grey and khaki drab paint scheme will make them nice things for Quar Trench Raiders to try and blow up.

Bungle in the Jungle

Had Pasha Dan and Wierdy-Beardy over last night to inflict my concept of a plan for a game for KEGSCon next month.

The scenario was pretty basic; Gloam-Hyyn and Toulmorese combat teams bumping in the jungle using The Patrol scenario from Chain of Command.

I walked Pasha Dan and Wierdy-Beardy through the Patrol phase, which they found a bit odd. Pre-setting the JOPs in a convention setting would speed things along I guess. But I'm hoping to have my cute little moth patrol markers by then. And the Patrol Phase lets you try and do some things like develop a flank, or secure a position.

The jungle!

Felts delineate heavy cover. But maybe they should be light cover around the heavy cover of the stands?

I was pleased to be able to cover a 4 foot section of table. This leaves me with a foot on either side for undeployed figures, casualties, cheat sheets and Force Morale Trackers.

Gloam-Hyyn. 5 squads, plus 4 Tracker teams. I've added helpful labels for special things LMGs, leaders etc). The blank disks are markers for the booby traps, mines and IEDs the Trackers can deploy.

Toulmorese. 3 squads, plus tractor, gun, light mortars and LMG teams

Gloamyquar advancing

Gun and H11 firing down an open lane in the brush, stopping my advance in the center

Gloamies seize the ancient building

Toulmore 1st squad engage the ancient building in a protracted firefight

Tracker team trying to sneak around the right flank

Holding the line at a stream

Tracker team tries close assaulting the tractor. I treated the tractor like an M5 with armour 4, the Trackers had an AP value of 3. They put a couple points of shock on it. But the Trackers have mines etc. That should count for something I think.

Trying to develop my left flank

50mm mortar team

Lessons learned:

• We switched activation mid-game. The dice weren't working, and so we went to the cards. 
• Formalize what the Trackers can do (close combat with Sarf-Cyn, setting traps etc)
• Revise QRS specifically for Toulmore and Gloam-Hyyn
• Spell out better what Cooks, Medics, Musicians, and Squirrel Handlers can do when activated.
• Create objectives that force maneuvering, so that everyquar doesn't just hunker down in the bush and blast away.

Still, fun was had. Dice were rolled and new toys got played with. Pasha Dan loved the terrain, which honestly, he inspired.

Phase 6B Complete

Welcome to the Jungle!

After a few days with a hot glue gun in one hand and a few piles of plastic foliage in front of me, and I've made some fast and cheap terrain for the jungle themed Gloam-Hyyn and Toulmorese to fight in. Of course I had previously prepped the project by laying in supplies: wooden bases and more plastic foliage during a trip to the dollar store and buying several bags of palm trees from Model Builder Supply last Hotlead. Then I took advantage of some spare time and decent weather a few months back to spray paint the bases brown. So months of prep to just finally have a frenzy of hot glue and tea leaves.

It's rather like how all my terrain projects go. Months or years of kicking ideas about and stockpiling materials and until the creative urge takes over and I shout "Quit faffing about and just do it!" and it gets done.

Flocking with cheap dollar store, undrinkable really, tea and coloured saw dust. Honestly, I'm doing the tea a favour by giving it a decent use.

About 1/6th of my table covered (note Quar in front of building for scale). I think if I add some marshes, streams, and my bag of lichen I could cover a full third. Space things out a bit more and probably half the table.

Pasha Dan gifted me a resin aquarium building for colonial games. Could be on Alwyd too.

Rhyfler Tym checking things out

Note cake decorating palm tree on poker chip

The Jungle Green fatigues work very well. 

These were made in the same way as my smaller jungle pieces. I just added palm trees from Model Builder Supply and bigger bases. I spent about $3 or $4 on plastic foliage and $3 on a couple of packs of bigger wooden bases from the dollar store, so the trees were probably 75% to 80% of the cost of the project. I also did some small oval and tear drop shaped bases with wooden craft shapes I already had on hand.

I've also added to the assortment some old cake decorating palm trees glued to poker chips I did for my colonial games many years ago. They will add a bit of variety to the heights.

I think the 3d printed moths I've asked Don to produce for me will look really smashing as Patrol Markers in this for games of Quar of Command.