Here are some mounted Border Reivers that I've just finished painting. Five are by Flags of War and three by Colonel Bills (the big chunkier figures). Flags of War have just released more Border Reiver figures through a Kickstarter, their entire Border Wars range are fantastic detailed figures. I will use these for their Border Wars skirmish rules as well as Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe.
 |
| Yorkists deployed on the northern edge of the table |
 |
| Royalists on the southern edge |
 |
| German skirmishers head for the woods |
 |
| German pike reinforcements arrive |
 |
| Light horse on the Royalists' left flank |
On Thursday afternoon Rick and Garry came over and we played a Billhooks Deluxe game out in the shed. The scenario by Andy Callan was in an old issue of Wargames Illustrated and involved a preliminary skirmish before Stoke Field with small Royalist and Yorkist scouting forces advancing down Fosse Way and attempting to gain an advantage. Both sides received 24 points of reinforcements some time after turn two and started the game with 90 point of troops and three commanders a side. Garry and I were the Yorkists and Rick commanded the Royalists. We were all pretty rusty with the rules, as we haven’t played for a while.
The scenario was played on the long table edges from north to south, so the manoeuvre phase of the game lasted quite a long time before the forces came within firing range of each other. A unit of Kern skirmishers were wiped out by bow fire and the Galloglass charged in the centre before they suffered the same fate. Three rounds of combat later they retired in disarray. While reinforcements for both sides arrived on the table, they failed to have an impact. We ran out of time, the game was a draw, the Royalists had the best of it to that point.
 |
| Yorkist Kern, Galloglass, bowmen and billmen advance down Fosse Way |
 |
| Royalist light horse reinforcements arrive |
 |
| Shooting commences |
 |
| Galloglass charge in the centre |
 |
| Casualties mount |
 |
| Galloglass retreat in disarray |
 |
| Yorkists deployed on the left, Lancastrians on the right |
 |
| Opposite end |
 |
| Yorkists advance |
Last Thursday afternoon Craig came over and we played a 130 point Billhooks Deluxe, War of the Roses game out in the shed. Craig commanded the Lancastrians and I had the Yorkists. This was a practice game as Craig is playing in the Billhooks Italia and Albion comp at BelCon which will be held at the Raiders Club in Kippax over the weekend of 21-22 October 2023. This BelCon has a number of other events/comps, including 15mm MeG and 28mm Black Powder and Bolt Action. Tickets for entry to the events can be purchased on the Olympian Games website.
Craig tried some archers with stakes in his force while I had more men-at-arms, billmen and skirmishers. As the attacker I tried to advance as quickly as possible before losing casualties to the inevitable arrow storm. My men-at arms on the left flank charged the Lancastrian billmen, after two rounds of combat the billmen retreated daunted with both commanders wounded and reduced to dolt/single command level. My men-at arms were wiped out but the supporting billmen were still in tact. In the centre my other unit of men-at-arms charged his billmen and his Commander in Chief was killed in a duel with mine. End of a fun, if chaotic game!
 |
| Skirmishers and artillery fire |
 |
| Lancastrian archers double shoot |
 |
| Yorkist men-at-arms charge Lancastrian billmen |
 |
| Lancastrian Commander-in-Chief is killed in a duel |
 |
| Yorkists (foreground) and Lancastrians deployed |
 |
| Skirmishers are the early casualties |
 |
| Handgunners evade depleted Kerns |
 |
| Skirmishers evade and archers shoot |
 |
| Lancastrian archers advance within short range |
Last Wednesday night I went over to Rick's place for a War of the Roses Billhooks Deluxe game. It was a small game of 120 points, to introduce Gary to the rules, and was fought at a crossroads. Rick and Gary commanded the Lancastrians and I had the Yorkists. The forces were similar, the main difference being, a unit of pike on the Lancastrian side and veteran bow and billmen on the Yorkist side. We were pretty rusty with the rules as we haven't played for a while but were soon working through the play deck cards and rolling dice. Early casualties were the skirmishers, followed by the usual shooting with the bowmen once in range. A prolonged and bloody combat at the crossroads saw casualties mount on both sides. In the end the Lancastrian centre and left flank collapsed to hand the Yorkists a hard fought victory.
 |
| Yorkist men-at-arms attack pikemen |
 |
| Lancastrian pike rout and men-at-arms attack |
 |
| Combat is level pegging |
 |
| A second round of melee |
 |
| Prolonged and bloody combat |
 |
| Lancastrian centre and left flank collapses |
 |
| Forces deployed from the Yorkist side |
 |
| From the Lancastrian side |
 |
| Forces advance |
 |
| Early cards and shooting favours the Lancastrians |
 |
| Lancastrian archers find their mark |
 |
| Shooting casualties mount |
Last Thursday afternoon Craig came over to my place and we played another War of the Roses, Never Mind the Billhooks Deluxe game, out in the shed. Craig commanded the Lancastrians and I had the Yorkists. We both had a 130 points a side with three leaders and wards each. I was keen to use the Irish kerns I'd just painted and had three skirmisher units of these as well as a formed unit from the Hibernia list. Craig had more archer units on his side and the early cards and shooting certainly favoured the Lancastrians. My depleted formed kerns charged into combat with a Lancastrian archer unit in the centre and were promptly routed.
Every morale crisis test in the game I seemed to roll at least a single 1, if not snake eyes! While this gave a reroll for veteran units for a single 1, it meant my archers and kern on the left flank were soon routing as well. My billmen on the left charged and both billmen units were in disarray and eventually routed. The men-at-arms in the centre fought it out and eventually the Yorkists and their leader were routed after a flank charge. The Lancastrian left flank was in tatters but it was all over. It was a bloody and brutal game, that was surprisingly close at times. It was fun to use the kerns but I think more veteran archers and billmen would have been better value for the points.
 |
| Yorkist archers and kerns on the left flank rout |
 |
| Yorkist billmen on the left flank charge |
 |
| Both billmen units are in disarray |
 |
| Men-at-Arms fight it out in the centre |
 |
| Lancastrian archers evade Yorkist billmen on the right |
 |
| Yorkist men-at-arms & leader rout from flank charge |
 |
| Antideluvian and Vendel Miniatures Galloglass |
 |
| Vendel Galloglass |
 |
| Vendel Kern |
Here are some Galloglass and Kern, the start of a small Irish force, for Never Mind the Billhooks. I've just finished painting most of these but the Vendel Galloglass I painted quite a few years ago. The Antideluvian Miniatures figures were actually Claymore Castings figures when I bought them a while ago. The back drop photo was taken in the Orkney Islands in 2011.
 |
| Antideluvian and Perry Miniatures Kern Skirmishers |
Here are some more armoured Thracian noble cavalry and two Thracian infantry command stands that I've finally finished painting. The c...
