A Fistful of Maori

You might have been wondering about how my Maori conversions http://withob.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/im-not-doing-maori-here-they-are.html were going.  Not too bad I think.  

The raw figures are Irregular Natal Native infantry with guns and Dahomey warriors from the same stable.  That means I have some Dahomey ‘Amazons’ so I can have some Maori women with guns too.  This is all to the good.

The discrepancy in size between the Dahomey and the Natal’ers means my first unit will be a very plausible one of men, women and youths.  Maori women were not at all averse to firing a gun in a good cause.

Anyhow four of the conversions have had their initial block coat of paint including tattoos.

Once I’ve done the first 12 I’ll post them here and then put them away and revisit the whole concept this time next year.

The fifth is still a work in progress-his sword will eventually become a shotgun.  He seems to have got a British officer's cap from some where.

A Tudor Retinue For 1513 Lion Rampant

King Henry VIII was a very uneasy fellow, what with the Cornish  and the Northern English and the Old English and Irish and the Scots and the French. He didn't get on with the wives either.  I think of him when anyone says 'Uneasy the head that wears a Crown'.   That said he had an interesting army so let’s have a Tudor parade.

The royal cronies better known as the elite King’s Spears-formidable.  These are all 15mm Roundway Miniatures conversions.

The Demi Lancers who tended to do much of the heavy fighting.

Border Horse, light cavalry-dangerous when they want to be.

Two unit of Archers for the Twilight of the Longbow.

 A unit of Bill Men led by Algernon Percy.

Irish Kern for raiding and skirmishing and costing the King wages for each warrior and pay for a servant for every two of them.  Fetching and carrying? Us? No,no,no...You want something burned down, some new cows? just say the word!

Here are some of the conversions together. 

Finally the whole Retinue ready for mischief. 

The one group of native English, or Welsh, soldiers I’ve not shown so far are the mounted archers.  I do have some but they are not painted yet.  Also, as aficionados of Lion Rampant know there is no specific category to reflect their dragoon like abilities.  

I’m minded to have them move as Mounted Yeoman and shoot with six dice.  In melee, they fight with the full 12 dice as Mounted Yeoman.  I’ll represent them as a mix of mounted and foot figures on the same bases.  So fast and handy troops but don’t expect miracles from them.

The French Mounted Archers will get similar treatment but they will move and melee as Sergeants as they are better armoured.  They were also used to supporting the charge of the Gendarmes.

A reasonable balance in game terms I think. The English are faster but the French are slower but tougher in melee. 

As for shooting the six dice represent the arsing about of dismounting, allocating horse holders, remounting and whatever.

Hopefully on the table both sets of lads will be handy for seizing ground or delaying the enemy but certainly not proto tanks.  This may or may not work-we will see.