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Eastern Renaissance... "With Fire and Sword"

featuring pictures from the display presented at Partizan, Newark, September 2007

 

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Eastern Renaissance

Flamboyant Polish Winged Hussars, dashing Cossacks, wily Tatars, and the power of the Turks... who can resist it? Well, I certainly can't!

Knowing how difficult it can be to get useable pictures while at a show, I set my display up in my games room before Partizan, but these shots are exactly as seen at the show itself...

I was delighted with the reception the game received, and it was great to meet many people who regularly visit the site.

The notes at the foot of the page are those taken from the handout on the day. The now "famous" Windmill seemed to get a lot of attention! The video at the bottom of the page is only short, but an experiment.

 

Various shots from the game...

The attack begins 1.jpg (297056 bytes) The attack begins 2.jpg (227599 bytes) Attack on the wheatfields 1.jpg (345106 bytes) table overview 1.jpg (491522 bytes)
Attack on the wheatfields 2.jpg (241379 bytes) Hussars arrive 1.jpg (251765 bytes) wheatfields defence 1.jpg (291387 bytes) wheatfields defence 2.jpg (349311 bytes)

The Windmill seen in some of the shots is scratch built, and I have put a motor inside, with a switch, which means the sails do turn. I was delighted that on the day at the show, the sails turned for a full 6 hours without need of a battery change! The fact that the sails clear the top of the attendant yokel's head by a mere millimetre is accidental, but will bring back many happy memories for "Windy Miller" fans!

There is a short video at the bottom of this page... I hope it works!

 

Polish forces:

Hussars on the charge 1.jpg (365910 bytes)

Hussars arriving

 Winged Hussars 15 July 2007.3.jpg (314379 bytes) Winged_Hussars_1.jpg (260814 bytes)

unit 1

 Winged_Hussars_2.jpg (182565 bytes)

unit 1 command

 Winged_Hussars_close_up_1.jpg (266554 bytes)

unit 1 close up
Winged_Hussars_close_up_2.jpg (293311 bytes)

unit 1 close up again

 Winged Hussars unit 2 1.jpg (111171 bytes)

unit 2

 Winged Hussars unit 2 2.jpg (102897 bytes)

unit 2

 Winged Hussars unit 2 3.jpg (111742 bytes)

unit 2

 Winged Hussars unit 2 4.jpg (130850 bytes)

unit 2 close up
Hussars unit 3 2.jpg (147729 bytes)

unit 3

 Hussars unit 3 1.jpg (98175 bytes)

unit 3 command

 Hussar unit 4 2.jpg (106827 bytes)

unit 4

 Hussars unit 4 1.jpg (101300 bytes)

unit 4 command

 Hussars unit 5 1.jpg (132442 bytes)

unit 5 (single wing)
Hussars unit 5 2.jpg (63436 bytes)

unit 5 close up

 Pancerni_close_up_1.jpg (307292 bytes)

Pancerni

 Polish_command.jpg (215000 bytes)

Polish command

 Polish_Command_2.jpg (303909 bytes)

Polish command

 Trumpeter vignette 1.jpg (197769 bytes)

Fresh orders arrive
Polish defenders 1.jpg (231546 bytes)

Defence of the town

 Polish defenders 2.jpg (248473 bytes)

The defence lines

 Polish artillery 1.jpg (150104 bytes)

Artillery position

 Hadjuks 1.jpg (99715 bytes)

Hadjuks

 Hadjuks 2.jpg (82641 bytes)

Hadjuks

Cossack forces:

Cossack command vignette 1.jpg (124272 bytes)

Cossack Hetman

 Cossack_command_2.jpg (283792 bytes)

Cossack cavalry command

 Cossack_command_1.jpg (255914 bytes)

Cossack cavalry command

 Cossack_unit_1.jpg (253692 bytes)

Cossack cavalry

 Cossack_snipers_1.jpg (237942 bytes)

Cossack snipers
Cossack inf unit 1.jpg (104087 bytes)

Cossack infantry

 Cossack inf unit close up.jpg (118569 bytes)

Cossack infantry close up

 C0ossack priest vignette 1.jpg (107155 bytes)

Cossack priest, and drunk!

 Sich drum 1.jpg (134695 bytes)

Sich war drum

-scratch built

 storming parties 1.jpg (124569 bytes)

Cossack storming parties- with scratch-built mantlets
Cossack cav troop 1.jpg (110562 bytes)

Rebel "registered Cossack" troop

 Cossack inf troop 1.jpg (103020 bytes)

Rebel "registered Cossack" troop on foot

 Tatars with torches 1.jpg (85838 bytes)

Tatar looters

 seige tower 4.jpg (132649 bytes)

Seige tower

 seige tower 3.jpg (140141 bytes)
seige tower 2.jpg (201842 bytes) Seige tower 1.jpg (257952 bytes)

Seige tower and Sich drum

      

 

note... the main force of Tatars, allies of the Cossacks, can be seen in more detail on the Ancients section of this site... they are actually Mongols, manufactured by Curtey's Miniatures... and make perfect Tatars!

 

Cossack Rebellion, 1648

 Background:

In 1648, the Cossacks of the Ukraine , Bohdan Khmelnytsky at their head, rose up against their Polish landlords and Ukrainian nobles. The Cossacks, with Tatar allies under the command of Tugay Bey, won a number of victories against Polish regional forces.

The display presented today is a fictional action, with a Cossack/ Tatar force laying siege to a provincial town, and a Polish relief force arriving on the field.

 Figures:

25-28mm in size, drawn from a number of manufacturers: Foundry, Essex , Hinchliffe, Curtey's, The Assault Group (TAG), and a number of unique conversions.

All are painted using acrylic paints.

Flags: many of these are made from linen, and hand-painted using acrylic paints. The designs are conjectural, but are typical of those carried during the period.


Terrain, Buildings, etc:

Mostly scratch-built.

The “working” windmill is scratch-built, powered by a small motor, battery pack and switch, arranged in series.

The Sich war drum is scratch built. The figures are made from top halves of GW Kislevites with legs added (wire armatures and miliput). 

The Seige tower is from Games Workshop. I have added Cossack crews (Essex, Foundry, and TAG figures).

 

Rules:

There are a number of sets available for the “Eastern renaissance” period. I began with “1644” which was originally designed as a set of rules for the English Civil War, and with some house amendments can be easily translated for any 17th century based game. This rules set has recently been re-released.

“Husaria” rules, available from The Pike and Shot Society, is a specific set for the Eastern Renaissance.

My own adaptation draws ideas from both these sets, and incorporates some systems from other rules (such as WAB, even!).

 

Resources:

The film: “With Fire and Sword” directed by Jerzy Hoffman, is part of a trilogy of historical adventures based on the books by Henryk Sienjiewicz. At the time of its release, this historical epic was the most expensive Polish film ever made.

 

HH pic of Cossacks 1.jpg (831869 bytes) HH pic of windmill 1.jpg (453813 bytes) HH pic of Polish Hussars 1.jpg (1101974 bytes)
HH pic of Polish Hussars 2.jpg (743819 bytes) HH pic of seige tower 1.jpg (661657 bytes) HH pic of Sich drum 1.jpg (405109 bytes)
HH pic of Tatars 1.jpg (565419 bytes) HH pic of whole table 1.jpg (1000801 bytes) HH pic of Pancerni 1.jpg (343550 bytes)

Pictures above… With Fire and Sword Display Game at Partizan 2, September 2007. Courtesy of Battlegames editor, Henry Hyde. (Click on individual thumbnails to enlarge).

One by-stander described the game as “unique and innovative… taking wargaming into new territory” (a reference to the working windmill, the burning wheatfields, and other such on-table “gimmickry”!). I was flattered, I can tell you.

   

 

 

 

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