Just before the final scene....
El Cid is one of my favourite films and it is probably no surprise that I have often contemplated how best to game the period. There are some trulylovely figures available in 28mm his period - 11th century Spain - but given my usual aversion to such things I have managed to avoid getting involved in that particular scale - my painting skills would struggle to do the models justice in any event. Luckily those awfully nice people at Hat have come to the rescue with some 28mm hard plastic figures for the period that are relatively basic detail wise and so well within my modest skills with a brush. I shall be acquiring some tomorrow at Skirmish in Sidcup all being well.
Moors in Spain, Crusades and much more beside....
My curiosity for this period and gaming the same has been picqued by the whole Saga approach - large skirmish level really - especially the part that does not involve huge numbers of models and, via the additional set you see above, covers the era I am particularly interestd in. The new Osprey set - Lion Rampant - are also geared around games of around 40 to 60 figures a side and so are well within my capabilities.
Two such forces could also be used for anything DBA/HOTT related as well as Command and Colours.
The book you see above about El Cid is really good and I also have the title by the same author on Spartacus. I am a sucker for the historical Hollywood approach to epic battles and so my liking for the latter as well should come as no surprise! My holiday reading when In Andalucia was the Moors in Spain by Stanley Lane Poole and that also served to get the creative juices going.
I now own 40 of these shell splashes although surely they indicate misses rather than hits...?
Matters nautical have not been neglected though as I took delievery of some splash markers from Litko in the US. They are rather nice and are posed artfully alongside the German battle cruiser Seydlitz - presumably before her customary battering at the hands of the RN....
6 comments:
Just for future reference, you can also get most of the Litko range from Figures in Comfort in the UK. It might be a bit cheaper and quicker than ordering direct from the US.
Hi tamsin,
Great to hear from you again and I hope all is well. I got these from Ebay but having a UK source will be a whole lot easier so many thanks for the heads up.
All the best,
DC
Like the shell splashes
PS:
I hope to do something naval before Xmas ;)
Hi Geordie,
They look pretty effective so I may get some more for the Jutland game in 2016 - perhaps some larger types as well.
Very curious to see what you have planned naval wise!
All the best,
DC
El Cid book - by Trow
Hi There,
I see you have a nice start on your 'Cid' project.
Can you expand a bit on whether getting Trow's book is worthwhile...does it have battle descriptions of any sort of military or political focus?
Any info you can provide would be appreciated before I buy.
Thanks
Happy Wanderer
Hi Happy,
The best way I can describe the book is being an overview of the Cid - his life in history and fiction, some detail around the making of film and from the context of the times. There are no detailed battle reports or political discussions - it is more like a popular history than a detailed account.
From a wargames perspective it is a great book for getting the 'feel' of the era.
Sorry that is a little vague but in my opinion the book is certainly worth getting for the background and inspirational value.
Hope that helps.
All the best,
DC
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