The influence for my wild west skirmish games are a range of westerns including my all-time favourite "Silverado" as well as many of the John Wayne and Clint Eastwood flicks. I tend to use The Rules With No Name for this, mainly because when I'd finished buying the figures I had no money left for a set of rules - these came free, straight off the 'net.
My choice of figures, Foundry and Dixon, was heavily influenced by a visit to Salute, a London wargaming show. The former because I was able to get an excellent deal on their otherwise high prices and the latter because the miniatures exhibit so much character. Dixon also do a range vignette figures like photographers and painters, as well as baggage, camp fires, wagons and even a stagecoach!
The first two DBA/Warhammer armies owe much to the screening of the film "Braveheart". Although I'm originally from the Galloway/Borders region of Scotland and fully aware of the gross historical inaccuracies in the film I was entranced by the story and the battles. Wallace, the son of Sir Malcolm Wallace, was hardly of the poor farming stock as represented in the film. He was tried and executed in August 1305 whilst Edward I died in July on his way to continue the war with Scotland - not, as suggested by the film, listening to the execution crowds! Less unforgivable is the fact that Edward II wasn't married to Eleanor of Castile until January 1308 - which kind of makes her involvement and "tupping" by Wallace rather unlikely.
However, if you accept that the film is pure Hollywood, you can be swept up in the atmosphere, the majestic imagery of the countryside and the "Scots wae hae" of the battle scenes. Just imagine a wargaming table with Scots schiltrons lined up against massed English knights. Further possibilities were suggested by the film "Joan of Arc". And with the addition of some Feudal French figures I am also able to fight the early stages of the Hundred Years War!
Go To Page: 1 2
