Tag Archives: Flintloque

Noble Knight Games now carrying 15mm.co.uk ranges

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Something I had been working on for several weeks a wee while ago has now become public knowledge so I can mention it on the blog!  Below I have lifted the text from 15mm.co.uk as it saves me a bit of typing:

We are proud and pleased to announce that Noble Knight Games, one of America’s foremost suppliers of wargame miniatures, roleplay games, out of print titles and much more, is now stocking 15mm.co.uk and Alternative Armies products. NKG aim to provide a top notch service and with that in mind if you are in North America please go along to their website on the links below and have a look. You can order HOF,HOT, Laserburn, HOTT Armies, Altuos and all Alternative Armies starter sets and rulebooks like HOF Fire-Team and the USE ME Series. All prices in USD and provided locally to American gamers. If you are a fan of Noble Knight Games and of us as too you can now combine both interests in one order!

Additionally if you can’t see one of our products on the NKG website that you would like to order please email them and let them know!

I am very pleased with this new arrangement with Aaron Leeder over at NKG’s as I have watched his work with admiration from afar for years.  Noble Knight often causes referrals to Alternative Armies. When they, NKG, pick up small amounts of stock (Firefight 1.0, Flintloque 1.0, 2.0, Erin and other miniatures) from their sources and sell it on using their webstore.  Their customers then coming to us directly for more.  Back in the 1990’s Alternative Armies product was in most of the thousands of gaming stores in the USA before the big distributors went belly up.  This results in little amounts of treasure popping up all the time.

Once more the peoples of the USA can access the goodness of the Alternative!

You can read more and follow the links by going to 15mm.co.uk now.

GBS

Win the Pin by Creating a Character this Weekend!

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This week I made a posting here about my Flintloque pin badge which I wore for years at demo games all over the world back in the 1990’s.  There has been a lot of interest from members of the Notables Yahoo Group in my offer to let someone win it and I would post it to them.  So after asking for suggestions how to go about choosing a winner the method suggested by Chris Pryme was chosen and that is for me to note down the email addresses of every Notable who makes a posting between Friday 3rd and Monday 6th August HERE.  I will then randomly select the winner and contact them to ship them the pin.

But what Flintloque related subject should be discussed by Notables to get their postings on the group for a chance to win.  While a message on ANY Flintloque or Slaugherloo subject will be entered I want to make it a little more interesting so I offer a second competition within the first!  I want the Notables to suggest a character profile for an as yet unreleased Flintloque miniature!

Who is this fellow?

Above you can see artwork of the miniature and below an image of an assembled master casting in white metal.  The miniature is a high ranking Trolkin Officer mounted on a Muskox.

The prize in this second competition is the miniature in question worth about 8.00GBP and not to be released for several weeks yet.  The terms are that you need to post a message on the Notables Yahoo Group between 3rd and 6th August telling me who this character is, his story, an idea of his Flintloque and or Slaughterloo profiles in play.

I will get you started with his name ‘Colonel Skand Stoyne‘.  About two hundred words will be fine.  It does not have to be super accurate or points based as I will choose a winner and assist in finalising the text and so on for release of the miniature.  You can read the Notables Message on this competition HERE.

So you have the chance not only to win an unreleased miniature but also to name it and in the process the chance to also win my personal pin badge!  Excellent!  Get over to the Notables and post your idea!

GBS

A Pin for a Real Flintloque Fan

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My CCI Demo Team pin badge from the 1990’s!

Funny what a rummage turns up.  I thought I had lost my unique hand painted pin badge back from 1997 when the CCI Demo Team ruled the land and I was the cheery chap touring the globe playing Flintloque.  The pin above went with me to Salute, to Gencon UK, Gencon USA, to Poland and Italy, to many other places too and more stores than I can remember.  That pin depicting the ‘Grand Duck’ or the Colonel of the 105th Rifles Oswold Pebblekettle along with a gun metal grey shirt and the CCI demo set of miniatures graced hundreds of tables.  It was one of the first made, if not the first.  Possibly painted by Pete Knifton who did all of the early artwork for Flintloque in the 1990’s; it was a long time ago.

I am feeling generous though and perhaps might give this away to one REALLY lucky fan of the World of Valon.  I will go over to the Notables Yahoo Group and ask for suggestions on how to do it.

GBS

 

A look at Miniature Wargames magazine No 352

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I got my advertisers copy of this months new Miniature Wargames magazine in the mail on Monday so I have it fairly close to those who line up at WHSmith newsagents at the weekend.  Now that the carnage of the The Thinker’s tenth birthday is over I can do a wee look at this issue.  So without further ado….

Miniature Wargames No 352

Cupola: Andrew Hubback does his editorial commentary as normal and this time he announces or hints at a refreshed design for the layout of MW coming next issue.  I look forward to seeing the rests of his feedback from the readers.  Feedback is vital in all industries and I often feel as if I operate in silence because if the customers who buy my titles and miniatures do not tell me what they think of them or what they would like to see it is really tough to improve!

Letters Page:  Good letters in this month especially one from John Treadaway (ah..fond memories of Full Thrust!) concerning the lack of non-historical materials in the magazine (not just MW but focused on it).  While this can mean Fantasy and Science Fiction it also means ‘what if’ scenarios from history too.  This is an important point to take up.  MW own survey last issue showed how much non-historical gaming there was at Salute 2012 and I commented then about its importance to the future of the industry especially among younger wargamers.

Boxing Clever at Fisticuffs:  Nigel Pell and Gary Mitchell report from the Fisticuffs show in Weymouth (south coast of England).  A good read this and its always good to hear of the joy and suffering that wargamers go through getting to shows.  I have not been to Fisticuffs (it would be a thousand mile round trip from Girvan!) but it looked like a fine event with a lot going on including a large game of GrUnTz put on by the Wessex Wyverns local club plus of course Gary’s own excellent Space Vixens from Mars was there; love that range!

The Attack on Raedykes Camp:  The third article in the series by Peter Hall on re-fighting Mons Graupius with the Hail Caesar wargame rules.  This time a Roman Marching Camp hobby article and run through of two games centred around it.  I studied this campaign at university and Peter does an excellent job in turning it to wargaming.

Apocalypse Vow:  It is going to be the end of the world on December 21st this year if you believe the long vanished Mayans.  This article by Gary Mitchell looks the this prediction along with Mayan warfare and ways to use it on the tabletop.  As to the end of the world…no way…I still got rules to write!

The Osaka Campaign:  Part two, and sadly the final, of Kevin Jones look at the rise of the Tokugawa family and the Japanese feudal wars.  One of my favourite nations and a period I know a lot about and in fact I own almost of the books the author quotes as sources.  An excellent summary with some wargaming notes and ideas too.

Scuffle at Shevardino:  Napoleon’s 1812 campaign and the smaller battle that came just before Borodino written by Chris Hahn.  This is a fine article with a lot of history, maps and wargaming material in it but it did not grab me much.  Perhaps I am not in a mood for Napoleonics just now (I am busy with my preparations for a ‘Martian’  terrain set for 28mm scale but that is another matter) so I read it and passed on.

15mm.co.uk’s advert for Renaissance miniatures..gosh it almost looks like a professional did it!

Don’t Forget Your Tomahawk:  I always look forward to Steve Eardley’s pages in MW because he ranges wide and far for material and always delivers a good read.  This time its an approach to wargaming the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years War if you come from the civilised side of the pond!) followed by a delve into the miniatures that can be had for the conflict.  Four excellent pages!

Wargaming Gettyburg Part Two:  Jon Sutherland offers up the second part of his series on wargaming the biggest battle of the American Civil War.  It is a well delivered and sharp article which is just as well as I am fairly tired of ACW as a period and of that battle in particular.  Good for fans of the period.

France 1940:  World War Two booty for fans of the most recent worldwide conflict.   Mark Freeth presents a report on a battle that recently took place at his Wargames Holiday Centre.  It reads like a plug for the place but hey its a good plug and I for one would love a weekend of Mark’s hospitality!

A Spreading Insurgency:  Mike Haran presents a system for wargaming the action when the recent Arab Spring turns to a cold, cold Arab Winter of war and terrorism.  For me this near future article is the best one in this issue. Presenting a squared grid of the Middle East and surrounding regions along with outcomes allows for massive variety and unknowns in play.  Added to this is a system of unit deployment, spies, situations.  Excellent all around and could be adapted to a sci-fi setting with ease.

Darker Horizons: This time headed up ‘Redundancy’ Gary Mitchell begins my favourite part of the magazine by outlining his potential woes of facing the loss of his teaching post and having to do the ‘trolley shuffle’ so loved by the middle aged all across Britain’s thousands of supermarkets.  I wish him luck and while its not the purpose of this posting or this blog to get political it does make you wonder if teaching children is about experience or being cheap…ah but lets carry on.  Gary crams and I mean crams information into the pages listing all the current happenings of two dozen companies and fifty or more releases.  Black Cat Bases get a feature of their new ‘between scales’ Grey Aliens and Sheep while some other person gets a mention about his ‘amazing sci-fant empire.  I wonder where he finds the time?’…what can I say, not much sleep, fast typing, a strong work ethic and a loving wife.

MOTH and Me get a mention! 

Book Reviews: A collection of reviewers look at Twilight of the Hellanistic World (Pen & Sword), The Fall of English France (Osprey), Austrian Seven Years War Cavalry and Artillery (Ken Trotman Publishing), Napoleons Swiss Troops (Osprey), Forts of the War of 1812 (Osprey), The Eastern Front 1914-20 (Amber Books) and a biography of Georgy Zhukov (Osprey).  Good reviews but all I can say is thank heaven for Osprey eh, otherwise what would the review pages do!  I often think that a wargames magazine should review wargame rules as well as military history books in its pages; after all it is aimed at the wargaming hobby.

All in all a good read and recommended for those of you who can get it.   But then I would say that…I am in it!

GBS

New Blister Backer

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A ‘rough’ of the new Alternative Armies and 15mm.co.uk blister backer card

Some of you might have noticed I have been in a ‘hobbit hole’ for the last two days and have not answered my usual three dozen or more personal mails a day. Well I had been handed a new and urgent task; to replace the current now almost extinct blister backer used by Alternative Armies and 15mm.co.uk.  I had expected to be doing this but due to the placing of a large trade order into the USA last week it was moved up the job list to ‘do it right now!’ status.

Those who purchase their miniatures from stores or at conventions will know what a blister backer is.  A piece of card with all the needed information about the company and about the product which goes inside a blister of miniatures allowing the customer to know what he is looking it along with how much it costs.  These used to form the back of a blister but those were ‘heat sealed’ use once blisters which we have not used for a decade or more.  We use a ‘clam shell’ plastic blister which is more secure but also is reusable and many wargamers use them to transport finished figures too!  So they full fill the same purpose but are no longer the ‘back’ but the name remains much like ‘watching a video’ does despite it being a DVD!

If you click on the image above you can see a low rez rough of the new design. Size wise it is 105mm by 75mm in dimension. It is simple and effective and tells you all you need to know over an attractive mottled blue with the famous Alternative Armies ‘arrowhead’ embedded in it.  The blue is used as it is the best colour behind white metal miniatures to be able to see them properly and the blank white area on the front is for the placement of the ‘product label’ which tells the customer what code he is holding.  This is different for each pack of course.

I will be catching up with the backlog of email soon as I can but this is turning into one hectic week!

GBS

Todoroni Pledge June – Watched with Pleasure

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2o Bellalugosi Line – Mama Mia!

‘Mamma Mia!, Toni has a made a lotta fussa over us’a!’ ‘Whatta we gonna do!’

Well I do not know about the Todoroni but I for one am going to give a round of applause.  Tony Harwood modeller and Flintloque fan has finished his June pledge and very nice they are too.  A set of 56505 Todoroni Militia from Alternative Armies.  You can see the final post in the series on the pledge over on Tony’s blog and from there trace them back to the start.  Check out the image above ‘itsa very nicea’.

Since joining Blogger I have been able to watch this pledge on screen developing from its unpainted origins to finished over a few weeks and it has entertained me; hence this little posting.

GBS

Flintloque Character Calculator v2 by Craig Andrews

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I like to fill out my Section Rosters for Flintloque by hand but then I did in large part create the 3rd edition of the game and have been playing since the early days of the mid nineteen nineties when pencil and paper were all that was to be had.  However these days many players of the game want to fill rosters digitally or virtually on the screen before printing them out or using them as PDF on a mobile device.  So how do you do that then….

Well wonder no more since web guru and general boss level handy man Craig Andrews (he of Orcs in the Webbe and Barking Irons Online fame) has created something awesome with that very purpose in mind.  A spreadsheet programme that allows rosters to be filled on the screen and then used in play.

The virtual roster covers all you will need in a game of Flintloque that must be filled out and shown from experience levels, weapons, modifiers, names down to notes and player name too.

Go along to the article on Barking Irons Online and download it.  I have given it a go and its spot on!

GBS

p.s. Yes, I know this happen a while back but I just got around to it!

Rob Alderman looks at the Londinium Coach kit

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My good buddy Rob Alderman has gotten around to doing a video review of one of the most complex and wonderful sets of miniatures that Alternative Armies has ever created – The Londinium Coach.

His video goes over the contents and ideas of this box set and he is rightly bursting with appreciation for the talents of the designer and the quality of the white metal kit and the booklet that comes with it.  I do not own a Coach at this moment but it is on my wants list and once I have assembled enough Albion Orcs to give the Ferach Elves a right kicking I will be getting myself a set of these sweet wheels.

Oh, and to answer Rob’s question in the video, ‘who designed it’ well I came up with the concept and the structure while Edward Jackson did some rough outlines and then the talented Mark Ricketts sculpted all the parts.  You only needed to read the credits on the inside front of the booklet lad!  🙂

Have a watch.

GBS

The Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley – Review

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Given to me by Steve Young

At Salute 2012 my good friend Steve Young, talented miniature designer and musician, and all around great bloke gave me his copy of  The Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley.  Jolly decent of him eh!

So it has taken me since late April to get to the point of reading it.  I really must take a picture of my ‘inbox’ of books which I swear to myself and all who buy them for me that I will read in the order of reciept.  It is a sight to be seen.  Well, this book broke the order.  Yes, I cheated and put it to the top of the list!  I had to otherwise you would not be hearing about it until Christmas at least.

Steve told me it was a great read and that it would be super material for some scenarios for Flintloque.  Being set in Scotland in the early part of the nineteenth century and featuring detective work along with gruesome action and the Undead as well what was not to like.  So I chewed my way through it at the weekend and the verdict?

The Edinburgh Dead is by an author whose other books I have not read so there was no comparison there.  It is well written and moves at a fast pace, the main characters are well drawn and the plot builds to a tense resolution.  I do not want to give spoilers so I will leave it with this.  A good read and set in a period and place not often used.  It is well worth picking up if you like grim and gritty with a Scottish flavour.

Recommended 🙂

GBS

p.s. see, I can write short posts!

Flintloque special scenarios for the big UK summer 2012 events

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Sharke Rides!

This summer the UK has two big events on the go for 2012.  These are the Olympics and the Queens Diamond Jubilee which take place on the 27th July to 12th August and the 2nd to 5th June with the Jubilee coming first.

I would like to do my part to celebrate these two fantastic events (as I watch them from all the way up here in Scotland) so there will be three brand new free Flintloque scenarios put up on Barking Irons Online.  These will be put up on or around the big days for each event and will be themed to those events.  Here is a little sneak peek at what to expect:

Diamonde Jubliees – The Goblin Queen is celebrating her ascension to the throne of Al-Garvey and her guest Kyng Gorge of Albion, upon visiting her, has given her a gift of diamonds. Now those diamonds are in danger. Can the Blacke Watchit protect two monarchs and the jewels?  A bonkers scenario for two players for Flintloque 3rd edition.

Visting a Kyng – Obidiah Hogswill is a nasty piece of work but sometimes he aids the Army of Albion indirectly by his actions.  The deserter general and his minions have found out that a deposed Elvish princess has become the lover of a Dark Elf noble allied to the Elves of Armorica who is promising to seduce Kyng Gorge III!  This princess is rumoured to have a sizable fortune in jewels among her baggage and Obidiah means to have them…after all Muvver says they is rightfully his!  A trecherous scenario for two players for Flintloque 3rd edition.

Sharke’s Olympnik – Captain Sharke has stolen the box of medals that Marshal Sault plans to give out to his best officers.  Now Sharke and his fellow Orcs must ride like the wind to escape not only a chasing squadron of Elf Lancers but also scattered troops from the Army of Armorica who bar their way.  An exciting two player ‘steeple chase’ moving table scenario for Flintloque 3rd edition.

Each scenario will be a full length and is designed for two players and or solo play too.

GBS