ECW Rules

 I'm not completely happy with any of the rule sets for the ECW that I've read . . . so I think that I am going to write my own.

And at least I've decided upon a name for my own version of ECW miniature rules . . . and I've taken a clue from Larry Brom's "The Sword and the Flame" Colonial rules by plucking a phrase from a famous English author.

However the phrase did not come from the English Civil War.  In fact it was written before ECW had even occurred . . . that's right, as a man of the Theatre, I pulled something from Shakespeare.

Almost everything title I liked for the ECW has already been used.  The best that I came up with was "King vs Cromwell" but that really didn't do it for me.  Then I recalled a bit of a speech in Act III, scene iii of Shakespeare's "Richard II": 

“But ere the crown he looks for live in peace,

Ten thousand bloody crowns of mothers' sons
Shall ill become the flower of England's face;
Change the complexion of her maid-pale peace
To scarlet indignation , and be-dew
Her pastures' grass with faithful English blood.”

This seemed to me to be a fair assessment of the situation during the ECW (even though it referred to 1399) . . . so I picked the last three words for the title of my ECW rules:

"Faithful English Blood"

Now all I have to do is write the rules, eh?

-- Jeff

Eyes Better & Figures Ordered

First of all, I'm happy to report that the cataract surgery on my right eye has been successful.  I can see things a lot more clearly now.

And, in celebration (at least that's what I'm pleading) and the fact that WARLORD GAMES is offering free worldwide shipping through July 31st, I have finally ordered some 28mm figures to begin work on my long-time desire to game the English Civil War.

I ordered the "Pike & Shotte Starter Battalia" (note: link is to US site).  With it I will get 90 foot and 24 cavalry for $96.

Yes, I know that they are hard plastic rather than metal but I really don't care . . . I will be able to build them with a lot of options so as to get a good "irregular" look to my ECW units . . . and anyway I use 1/4" MDF for basing my figures so that provides sufficient "heft" even with plastics.

I might even order a second set as well since what one gets for under a hundred bucks is quite a lot . . . but if so it will be a separate order in the hope that both will clear Canadian Customs without getting whacked with duties and an "inspection fee" . . . (ah the joys of getting things shipped across borders).

However please do not expect to see them on the table top soon.  There will be a lot of painting and assembly to accomplish first.  And in the meantime I will be keeping an eye on eBay and Bartertown for deals on Warlord and Perry ECW figures (these being apparently a very good mix -- even in the same unit).

-- Jeff

2nd Eye Surgery on Thursday

I am looking forward to my second cataract surgery in a few hours. 

I had the same surgery on my left eye about a month ago and it made a very significant difference . . . and my left eye had always been my "weak eye" . . . but since the surgery I can see much better out of it than I can with my right eye.

So a similar improvement with this second cataract surgery should make things even better.

-- Jeff

Rant on Rulebooks

I just received my OMM (On Military Matters) product update in my email today . . . and, once again it listed a very large rulebook.

Now when I say "large", I'm not kidding.  A hardback book of over 400 pages and weighing about 5 pounds (costing $99 USD plus shipping).

And while they may very well be excellent rules I personally do not want anything that huge (and presumably complex).  As I've aged (I'm now 65) I find that I very much prefer relatively simple rules.  I do not need the large volumes of extensive rules that so many companies seem to have favored over the past decade or so.

For my Colonial gaming I have gone back to using "The Sword and the Flame", which is around 30 years old now . . . but which still provides a good fun exciting skirmish game.

For my recent 16th century gaming, I'm using Clarence Harrison's "Victory Without Quarter" rules, which only take a handful of pages.

And for my 18th century gaming, I use fairly simple rules that I've written myself . . . which can pretty much be played just from the Quick Reference Sheets.

All of these provide me with enjoyable gaming experiences WITHOUT needing hundreds of pages of rulebook . . . so why would I want a rulebook that weighs 5 pounds?

If YOU want these huge rulebooks for your games, that's fine.  I have no objection to your playing (and even enjoying) such extensive rule tomes . . . but they are not for me.

-- Jeff