When I first started to collect 6mm BCW troops the plan was to play Marston Moor using the Forlorn Hope rules. I don't think I really had a grasp on how large the armies would need to be to do that! The plan stalled for various reasons, but as a result I had a decent number of Scots Covenantors both painted and lurking in the lead pile awaiting attention. I also had a number of Highlander and Irish figures which are now just screaming Montrose at me! That would have the advantage of needing rather less units for the actions from the 1644-45 campaign in Scotland than Marston Moor would require and gives a use for all those Hodden Gray hordes! With that in mind I painted up some of the lead mountain refugees as O'Cahan's and Laghtnans Irish regiments, using some IM Irish pike and shot castings I found in the depths of the lead pile. Yes it's a new rabbit hole to go down folks!
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| Two of the three Irish Brigade regiments plus some Highlanders |
Of course that hasn't stopped me drooling over Marston Moor! I need to organise my troops so I may as well use the Orbat for Marston Moor for that, don't you think? I'm not overreaching honest!
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| Byron's Royalist Cavalry Brigade (poor iPhone image soz) |
I'm working on a rough (very rough if I'm entirely honest) 200 men per full base or 100 for a shot half base (as seen in the Irish Brigade). I'm making no attempt to show proper pike:shot ratios as those differed across the period of the war. Instead I will have a note of the actual number of pike and shot for each unit for use in combat calculations.
The rebasing project has also set me on a path looking for a set of BCW rules that is flexible on unit sizes versus the actual number of men in the original unit. I suppose I could adapt my own set or use 'In Deo Veritas' but my curiosity has been peeked by the 'For King and Parliament' rules and you can never have enough rules; right? Reviews online seem positive but what does the assembled brains trust think of these rules, anyone played them?
