After a holiday in Sicily last year and anticipating the Bayeux Tapestry at the BM later this year, I've been enthused to paint Normans. Here are the latest, ready for a forthcoming Midgard game. The four in the centre have shield transfers from the LBMS banner sheet, which are particularly good.

Classic orc v. Dwarf game of Midgard at the Wycombe Warband club last night. It was an introductory game for Steve, who had clearly done a lot of homework reading the rules. I think he's another convert 🙂.

Kikuchiyo from @northstarfigs.bsky.social Seven Samurai set. The article by Kevin Dallimore in the North Star magazine nstarmagazine.com/RONIN_1_12.htm really helped with the clothing design!

Finished! I'm calling these Orcs of the Misty Mountains 🙂.

I don't usually post WIP pics, but here's today's work. My orc army has been without a decent command stand, so I'm painting this for the coming Thursday's game. Vendel Miniatures from Thistle and Rose. Flag and base to be finished tomorrow.

Another group of Norman infantry completed. My Midgard force is currently a little cavalry-heavy, so these should give me a more adaptable warband. Lovely figures from Crusader Miniatures.

I enjoy I'm really enjoying playing Ruckus at the moment, but I've been very tempted by Billhooks in the past. So these nine billmen can be added to the three I originally painted to make a unit of twelve for Billhooks. There are more on the painting table....

Apologies - posting again to correct the date. Graham Harrison has organised a Midgard game day in Aylesbury on Saturday 19th SEPTEMBER. He's planning a number of hosted games and probably a pub evening afterwards. Please sign up and spread the word. Cost is £11 and Graham is at [email protected]

Graham Harrison has organised a Midgard game day in Aylesbury on Saturday 19th August. He's planning a number of hosted games and probably a curry or pub evening afterwards. Please sign up and do spread the word. Cost is £11 and Graham is at [email protected]

We played a classic orc v. elf game of Midgard Heroic Battles on Thursday. It was a difficult game for the elves - at one point I replenished my reputation above zero with a successful charge against wolf riders. But only after David failed his command roll to evade three times in succession!

A big 'kind of' Minden game today using Black Powder rules. Great to get these old figures out - the Prussians on the near side of the table were painted when I was still using gloss varnish! We didn't finish, but play will continue on Friday.

A cavalry-heavy game of Midgard Heroic Battles at the Wycombe Warband club this evening. Jon's Kievan Rus against my Normans. It was a quick and devastating victory for the the Normans. The scenario we played - Take the High Ground - requires careful thought with these armies!

Just finished some Vendel Miniatures orcs. I fancied a bit of a change. Back to Normans next...

A friend brought over a Peninsular skirmish game on Saturday - Forager - which I'd not played before. I had some appropriate background music on the shelf 🙂!

Last bit of painting for 2025. Three more archers finished this morning give me a second Ruckus retinue, plus a couple of extras which may be required depending on the turn of the cards.

Members of the Wycombe Warband played a big Midgard game of Mons Graupius this afternoon - 600 pts per side. It finished up with a very narrow Roman win: -4 tokens to the Caledonians' -5 on the last turn! Was very satisfying to play such a close game!

The Lead Mountain Boys held their annual Slay Ride game last night. Essentially a race across the table, gaining points for rescuing frozen cantinières or the eagle, or slaying wolves or cossacks, with double points if l'empereur happens to be looking your way at the time! All great seasonal fun 😀❄️

Played Ruckus at the Wycombe Warband club on Thursday and introduced a couple of new players. It was a good game, but I definitely need to have more scenery on the table next time. Of course I would say that as my opponent's bowmen had clearly been attending regular Sunday practice at the butts!

I might have found figures that are even easier to paint than early medievals 😀. I can't have spent more than half an hour on this sample.

I'm pleased my wife takes an interest in my hobby, but she has high standards! She was horrified by the ill-fitting stamina loss marker on the elf cavalry in the photo of a game back in April. Hopefully these larger versions will satisfy. Finished in time for a first game with Normans on Thursday.

Couple more photos of this afternoon's Anglo-Sikh Wars game. We played using Black Powder rules and the game ended up as a draw, with two broken brigades each. Highlight for me was the Sikh Akalis finally (after 20 years' service!) doing what they're meant to do and charging fanatically!

Setting up for a big Anglo-Sikh Wars game.

There's been a wave of interest in Ruckus at the Wycombe Warband club recently. Here's my first retinue. First time painting WotR figures and they are a bit more demanding than the 13th century medievals and Normans I've been doing recently. More to come as I have aspirations towards Billhooks!

A friend gave me a lot of painted Napoleonics some time ago and I agreed to paint these lovely Steve Barber Models houses for him (he doesn't like painting scenery). I'm afraid I've had them on the shelf for 2-3 years (🫢) but they're finally finished. The inn sign is magnetised for easy storage.

Another unit of Normans finished. Just the command figures to go now and I should be able to have a 300 pt Midgard army ready for a game next week.

Sixty-something-year-old men reverting to their twelve-year-old selves at the Wycombe Warband club this evening with Escape from Colditz. A bottle of Tizer and a few Curly Wurlies would have added to the 70s vibe!

More lovely Crusader Miniatures Normans finished. A group of eight spearmen next up, then some command figures, and that's a basic 300 pt Midgard army. It hasn't taken too many figures to increase my Saga warband to Midgard size 🙂. First outing planned at the Wycombe Warband club for Thursday 23rd.

I finished Ian Ross's Battle Song on the commute this morning. An excellent introduction to the second Barons' War and a really gripping read! It was a recommendation on here or Facebook from @mogsymakes.bsky.social ,so thanks James for the tip 👍

Few photos of this afternoon's Midgard game. Playing an ambush scenario from the forthcoming campaign pack. I (left side) ended up with enemy units behind my left flank and on my right side, but still managed to pull off a +7/-1 win 🙂. It's a challenging and fun scenario!

Six Norman knights done. And another six next up in the painting queue. I'm enjoying these Crusader Miniatures! I used to really enjoy applying the LBMS shield transfers, but after swearing with a scalpel to cut out the bosses for these I invested in a punch. Arrived today and seems good so far 👍

Cretan bull leapers entertain the army before the battle. Just about to start a Midgard Heroic Battles game set in the Bronze Age at the Wycombe Warband club.

I haven't had so much time for painting over the last week or two, but managed to finish some more Normans yesterday. Lovely figures from Crusader. Mounted knights undercoated and next in the queue!

When did LBMS stop punching out the holes for shield bosses on their transfers 😠? That seems like a disappointing development. Perhaps when Victrix took over supply 🤷

A couple of years ago a number of friends contributed to a very generous 60th birthday present. I'm embarrassed that it's taken so long to get round to it (well it's a big project 🤷) but here's some progress. This is about a quarter of it, but all is now based/sprayed. Quite pleased with it so far.

No club for me last night as my back was playing up and I didn't fancy bending over a table all evening. However my brother has just cheered me up by bringing over a box of figures from our teenage years. I'm looking forward to going through this properly 😀

Punic Wars game of #Midgardheroicbattles at the Wycombe Warband club last night. Most of my figures come from my twenty-something years old WAB army, while David's Romans are newly painted.

Some photos of the this afternoon's Midgard game. The scenario creates a really confusing battlefield, particularly when both sides look the same! I managed to hang on for a slender 5:2 victory.

The action hots up in Turn 2.

Table ready - awaiting my opponent for a Midgard game. We're playing one of the ambush scenarios from the forthcoming campaign pack.

Samurai action at the Wycombe Warband club last night. Another Test of Honour game, in which I was soundly beaten! Great fun though, with lots of action.

Small gift for a friend at the club - reputation tokens for his Egyptian #Midgardheroicbattles army

Too busy with the action to take more photos, but we had an enjoyable game of Test of Honour at the Wycombe Warband club last night. A bit of a teaching game for Jon who has only played once or twice before. Clever use of Jon's missile troops resulted in a bloody draw at the end of turn 5.

Normans. Inspired by my holiday in Sicily earlier in the year. I'm a bit of a fan of Crusader Miniatures in general, but their Norman range is outstandingly good!

Austrian divisional general for Soldiers of Napoleon. Not my best paint job unfortunately. I'm trying out a new flesh triad from Army Painter after using Foundry for many years and I don't think I've got it quite right yet.

I'm reading this for the first time since 2007. Pearson's account seemed quite recognisable to me then, but I'm now struck by how dated it seems. Whether this is to do with the way my own hobby has changed or whether it's bigger changes in wargaming, it now seems to be describing a lost era.

Currently at Sutton Hoo tea room taking a break from the table. And a photo to confirm that a married couple from both sides of the divide can live in scone harmony...

A bit of silliness at the Wycombe Warband club this evening as three of us played Half Tilt. Three good fun games!

And now for something completely different: two new recruits for the team for Thursday's visit to the tiltyard.

These Austrian artillerymen were undercoated at the start of 2024, but then leap frogged by my Bronze Age project. It's been enjoyable to return to the horse and musket era for a change. And I've still a few more undercoated figures to do before I return to Biblical times.

Terrific Bronze Age game of Midgard Heroic Battles at the Wycombe Warband club last night. After much bloody fighting a single combat between the Egyptian general and a chariot-mounted hero settled things and the sea-borne raiders were repulsed.