A World Aflame Jarama game

I recently played a solo version of the Jarama scenario for A World Aflame. It was fun, but I wasn't entirely happy. The game felt a bit linear without the use of individually based figures. Sometimes I felt as if the two sides were shooting back and forth until one took too much damage. I think this was partly because of how I deployed the Nationalists. 

There isn't really anything wrong with these rules; they just didn't work quite how I expected. I'll be trying them again in future, maybe with a few more changes. There's a lot to like about them.

I will, however, try out some other rulesets. I had planned to do this anyway, and used a fairly generic basing scheme on the figures. Crossfire has long tempted me, and I think it will be the next game I try. It will give me a chance to make plenty more terrain too! Steven Thomas of the Balagan has created a Crossfire variant for early 20th Century Spain.

Here are the photos of the game! 

       A Heinkel swoops in to engage some International Brigadistas 

The Republican air force wreaks havoc among the Legion

Moroccans and Legion advancing under fire

1798 Rebellion Project Part 4: North Cork Militia

 No 1798 project could be called complete without the presence of the infamous North Cork Militia. This unit committed many acts of terror upon the population of Wexford. They are most well known for their fondness of "pitch capping", a form of torture in which a hat filled with hot tar was used to tear off a victim's scalp.

 They suffered a catastrophic defeat at Oulart Hill, where the rebels achieved their greatest success. 

I started off by painting two packs of six militia. These models are very characterful, with expressive faces. They're quite chunky, in the "heroic 28mm" style. I really enjoy painting this type of figure. The first pack became a group of skirmishers.

Since these militia sculpts come in packs of 6, I was left with almost another full group of 8 Regulars. To these I added two models from the Militia Command bag, a drummer and a Sergeant. They were clearly designed by another sculptor, as they have a more slender appearance than the first Militia. They're a similar style to many of the pikemen. 

Since this is Sharp Practice, I couldn't miss the opportunity to create characters for the drummer and Sergeant, even though they have no game purpose apart from filling the ranks. Fans of Irish music might have encountered them in song before!

Sergeant Napper 

A "little wee drummer"! 

Corporal Vamp stands to the drummer's right. I believe the infamous Arthur McBride and his mysterious cousin are somewhere among the rebels...

The second group was made up of two 4 man militia packs, also from the Trent range. These are all sculpted in the same style as the command figures. They're very detailed models, but I prefer the more cartoon look of the skirmishers. 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 3: Fr. John Murphy

 

A posthumous portrait of John Murphy, painted from a sketch taken during his life. The priest's uniform was added later, around 1898, to emphasise his image as a Catholic rather than Republican leader. 

One of the most famous figures in the rebellion of 1798 is Fr. John Murphy, a Catholic curate of Boolavogue parish, to the North East of Enniscorthy. He became one of the senior leaders of the uprising in the area, and was in command at the famous Battle of Oulart Hill. His actions are preserved in popular memory through the famous ballad "Boolavogue", written in 1898 to mark his centenary. 

Murphy was born around 1753 near Ferns (which was at one point the stronghold of the kings of Leinster and capital of Ireland). As a Catholic living under the Penal laws, he was educated in an illegal "hedge school", and was skilled in Greek and Latin. As seminaries were illegal in Ireland, he received his training as a priest in Seville.

The Catholic Church in Ireland did not support the United Irishmen, despite that organisation's commitment to ending religious discrimination. The Church feared that a rebellion would tarnish its reputation with the British government, which was slowly repealing the Penal Laws at the time. Another reason for the Church's dislike of the United Irishmen was their allegiance to Republican France. 

Murphy seems to have been unsure whether or not to support the United Irishmen. He signed a church document which pledged allegiance to Britain, and refused communion to suspected United Irishmen. However, Murphy became a committed rebel after outbreaks of violence in Kildare and Carlow, and the massacre of United Irishmen at Carnew. His resolve was strengthened by the British burning both his church and the homes of his parishioners. 

He led the force that defeated the feared North Cork Militia at Oulart Hill, and was present at Vinegar Hill. He escaped the British forces in Enniscorthy but was later captured. He was tortured and executed in Tullow, Carlow, around 2nd July 1798. 

This is my representation of Fr. Murphy. He was made from Trent Miniatures' "Mounted United Irish Leader" kit. The head is from another pack, simply because it was the best likeness I could find. In Sharp Practice he is a Status II leader. Maybe that's too high of a rating, but Sharp Practice is a dramatic, romanticised game! 

The flag he is carrying was actually flown by another rebel priest, Fr. Michael Murphy, about whom far less is known. The two Fr. Murphys are sometimes confused, and I've used this to my advantage, simply so I could use this flag! Both priests fought together at Ballyorril Hill. Michael Murphy was killed at Arklow while attacking an artillery battery. 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 2: Skirmishers and Pikes

I started another batch of figures after finishing the first pike group. This time I painted another group of 10 pikes and a group of "Rebel Scouts", skirmishers armed with muskets and blunder busses.

Trent Miniatures seem to vary in style, making me believe that a few different sculptors worked on this range. These skirmishers have a cartoonish look that I think is very charming. I enjoyed adding character to each of the faces in the group.

The rebels often wore ribbons around their hats. Many of these bore slogans such as "Liberty" or "Erin Go Bra" as shown here. "Erin Go Bra" is a corruption of the Irish language phrase "Éireann go Brách", which means "Ireland forever". Few rebels were speakers of the language. 

This one is probably my favourite out of the whole group

As you can probably see, I should have dusted off these models before taking the photos - there's a lot of static grass and dust still on them!

The pack of rebels with firearms contained 8 figures, these two were left over. They'll be mixed into the pike blocks once I have more rebels with guns painted.

This flag was flown at Kilcullen (Co. Kildare). 

            Have you noticed that I quite like                                     painting flags?

Big Spanish Civil War Project Part 10: The Terrain for Spain!

 This week saw the completion of the terrain for the Jarama scenario. I finished off a batch of trees as well as some rough ground. The high ground was made using layers of cardboard, which were glued together and placed under the base cloth to create smooth gradients. They're not very easy to see in the photos, as everything is the one colour, but they add a nice height variation to the battlefield.

The tree-covered plateau is at the centre, while International Brigade troops defend the Casa Blanca on the right. 

The trees were made using florist wire, covered in Milliput. Steel wool and dried tea leaves were used for the foliage!

The dirt roads were made from school uniform, caulk and texturing materials!

One of the rough ground areas. I used rocks from the garden and texture paste. The bushes are steel wool and tea leaves again. 

Another view. 

I have a some days off this week, so I hope to start playing the game. Part 11 of this series is going to be a battle report of the first day of the battle. 

Thanks for reading, 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 1: The First Group of Pike

 In my introduction to this project, I discussed the omnipresence of the 1798 Rebellion in the landscape of Wexford. Just a few days ago I was surprised to find yet another monument to the event while walking to work. This plaque is outside the cemetery on John St, Wexford.

Unfortunately, I can't find any further information on Richard Monaghan using the internet.  If anyone knows of sources on the topic, please send them to me! He could make for a very interesting Sharp Practice leader.

This is the statue of "The Pikeman" in the Bullring, Wexford. It was put in position in 1905, and was sculpted by Oliver Sheppard, who also designed the famous "Death of Cú Chulainn". This area is currently being used for outdoor dining as part of coronavirus restrictions - yet another example of the rebellion 's presence in everyday life here! 

I got started with the land forces for the rebellion by painting up a Group of pikemen. I've never painted a pike block before, so I looked forward to getting them done. My favourite details are the faces, which I used to practice glazing, and the flags, which are made from aluminium drink cans with hand drawn designs.

In the 1798 supplement for Sharp Practice, "pike" groups have firearms mixed in, and therefore can fire using 50% of the usual number of dice. I haven't painted any rebels with guns yet, but I'll scatter a few through the pikes when I do.

I painted the "MWS" flag after seeing it in "The Uniforms of 1798-1803" by F. Glenn Thompson. These initials may have stood for "Murder Without Sin" or "Marksmen of Wexford : Shelmalier".

 Further research after I had finished the unit showed that the flag was flown at the massacre of Wexford Bridge. In this atrocity, 37 local Protestants were murdered after being tried in kangaroo courts. This was solely because of their religion, and based on the assumption that Protestants were inherently anti-Irish. The Republican ideals of the Society of United Irishmen were to unite people of all backgrounds in a sovereign state. This did not always translate into reality, and sectarian acts did occur.

 I think historical wargaming is an act of history, in that it is a representation of the past rather than a recreation of it. My representation of the Republicans will undoubtedly be biased in their favour, as I have always sympathised with them. However, I think it's important that I attempt to be as accurate as possible.

 I considered changing the flag because I felt uneasy about its meaning, and worried it would be disrespectful to the victims. However, I decided to keep it as a contrast to the other portrayals of the United Irishmen I will create. While in the main these portrayals will be positive, I've kept this flag to give a more nuanced view of the period.

I haven't posted anything about the Big Spanish Civil War Project for some time now, but it hasn't fallen by the wayside! I've been building some terrain bits which are very nearly done. They'll be the subject of the next post in the Project, which will hopefully be the final update before the game itself!.