I've been considering the options for Lion Rampant and have decided that 15mm is the way forward. I could expand my SAGA Normans by twenty figures or so to create a retinue in 28mm but this doesn't appeal to me at the moment, although it's not entirely off the radar. I'm already shifting my focus for skirmish games to 15mm, so have been rumaging in the boxes for some suitable medieval figures.
I initially thought of an old 15mm Feudal French army pack that I bought years ago from Essex Miniatures, when you could get change from £20 for such a thing. The figures are really quite nice and the mounted knights have lots of variety, but the foot are in limited poses and just don't look the part for a skirmish game. I have enough figures for a retinue, however, so it's a Plan B option if Plan A doesn't work out.
The Plan A alternative is to use part of my Peter Pig War of the Roses army as a basis for two retinues, one Lancastrian and one Yorkist, with plenty of bells and whistles attached for a bit of variety. I have masses of figure packs in the leadpile, which are destined for Impetus one day, so I can easily syphon off a few for Lion Rampant and have plenty to choose from. The War of the Roses is perfect for skirmish gaming too!
The figures are really great and there are a wide variety of foot and mounted types, with multiple poses in each set. There are some really splendid character and leader figures which would be perfect for a wide range of scenario specific roles including messengers, tax collectors, looters or whatever you could think of. I can easily imagine kitting out a couple of retinues with sufficient variety in the figures to make them look the part. They've even got a bloke stealing a pig!
It's also a no-brainer cost wise, even when you consider the plastic option in 28mm, as I already have more figures than I could possibly want. This will enable me to create different types of unit with a particular focus on their use on specific scenarios e.g. raids, ambushes, foraging and so on. I can also save a lot of time and money on the terrain side of things, which is a big bonus, not to mention the figure painting itself, which is my personal love/hate part of the wargaming equation.
...makes a lot of sense to me?
Great idea Jim - Combines some lovely figures with an excellent ruleset and loads of room for variable troop types! What's not to like!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, Jim. I'm thinking about something very similar for the late 13th/ early 14th century period in Scotland. If I do it, it would be in either 10mm or 15mm - portable, inexpensive and with great figures available for a modest outlay. So I thik your reasoning makes perfect sense!
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff. Given how good 15mm and even 10mm figures are these days Sidney's right in that you can build up a nice collection for relatively little outlay. Not that I need another period right now. Seriously. No. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look at Peter Pig's listings...
ReplyDelete:O)
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking of moving from 28mm to 15mm to reduce my table size.
ReplyDeleteCan you tell me what size table you use for 15mm skirmish, please?