1798 Rebellion Project Part 16: The Halloween Special

 Halloween has always been my favourite time of the year. It's an ancient tradition in Ireland, as Oíche Shamhna ("Samhain Eve"). Such was Samhain's importance that it gave its name to the month of November in the Irish language. Irish myth describes Samhain as a big festival, lasting a week, almost always coinciding with supernatural happenings. The Gaulish Coligny Calendar, dating from the first Century BCE, lists "Samonios" as a month at the end of Summer, evidence that Samhain was a Celtic rather than Irish tradition.

I felt I had to do something wargaming related for Halloween. I decided on some graveyard terrain, as it's particularly suitable for the 1798 Project. At the Battles of Tara, Old Kilcullen and Antrim, the rebels made use of graveyards for cover. Graveyard walls seem to have been the best defence available, especially against artillery.

I did some research on 18th Century Irish headstones, and found some interesting results. Many of them are suitably "gothic"! This website gives information on Donaghmoyline Graveyard in County Fermanagh. It features some unusual round gravestones with skull-and-crossbones motifs, a design found in some parts of Ulster in the 18th century.

All the headstones were made from coffee stirrers and Milliput. 

The two headstones on the right are of the previously mentioned type. They are accompanied by hourglass designs, a grim reminder to the living of their mortality. Scary stuff. 

This is a "box tomb". It was fairly common for gravestones to feature images associated with the crucifixion, and it was easier to add them on a flat surface like this one.

The graveyard itself is just an MDF base with some stone walls made of gravel. I think I might make a few more headstones to fill the empty space. 

        A collapsed section of the wall. 

I've also finished a group of (far less spooky) 60th Rifles for the project. This regiment fought in the American War of Independence before taking part in the 1798 Rebellion. I couldn't find that much information about their involvement in the uprising, but they were present at the Battle of Foulksmills, and fought the guerrillas of the Wicklow Glens. If anyone has further information I'd love to know. Here is one article on the subject. 

The 60th Rifles were among, if not the first British unit to wear shakos and use rifles. They're technically my first ever Napoleonic figures, as they fought in the Peninsular War. You might notice I've painted a certain officer from that conflict to lead them! He's from Tangent Miniatures. 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, Samhain sona daoibh! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 15:

I managed to get a group of French Ligne done this week. They're not the quickest to paint, but fun all the same. I'm quite impressed by the diversity of sculpts that Trent do for the French, only one pose is repeated in this pack. 

The French army of this period wore a mix of uniforms. Painting the stripy trousers was a challenge, but it adds a lot of individuality. I'm looking forward to painting a pack of "scruffy Ligne" who are even more dishevelled!

 

This lad reminds me a bit of Neil Young! 

Next on the painting desk is a group of British 60th Rifles, led by a captain of some notoriety. They'll give my British force a bit more firepower. I wanted to take a break from painting blue, but it won't be too long before I'm back working on the French.

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 14: The French are on the Sea

I was really excited to start working on the French force for this project. These figures are the first I've finished, and I greatly enjoyed painting them. It was a bit of a challenge to paint the uniforms, but I think I've worked out a decent recipe for the blue.

First up, a Status I Leader. Capitane Allard along with his long-suffering drummer.

Next are a group of skirmishers. I love these sculpts, they really do look as if they're firefighting. My favourite has to be the guy holding onto his hat! 

In other blog news, this page now has a header photo and a new name (in keeping with the Instagram page). 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 13: Shock Markers

In Sharp Practice, Groups pick up Shock points as a measure of disorder. I've seen some really nice casualty markers made by other gamers online, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to make some. Trent Miniatures produce suitable casualty figures, and the counters themselves are Warbases' Custom Markers. 

I soon realised that this style of marker has a border that's lower than the central circle. I should have done more research! Warbases standard casualty markers don't have this feature. To lessen the gap between the figures and the marker, I built up the borders with Milliput and pieces of coffee stirrers. It's not perfect, but it is less noticeable from above. 

I found the casualty figures very quick and easy to paint. I thought of adding blood to them, but decided it isn't really in keeping with my painting style. I only added a few spots here and there. After all, Shock does not technically represent dead troops. Instead, I used a purple glaze to create a few black eyes. This will hopefully get across the message of units being "beaten up". 

First up are the Militia:

The United Irishmen :

I've started the next batch of troops for the project. They will be the first Group of French soldiers from the 70th Demi Brigade. I don't suppose I need to say they are really enjoyable to paint. I can't wait to write a post about them! 

I have been thinking about creating a campaign once the French are completed. I'm still very unsure how I will organise it. I'd love to do a campaign which encompasses the entire island of Ireland, but that might be too ambitious. I certainly want to include a naval element. I have been looking into the Tony Bath campaign rules and I really like them. I don't think they'd work for Sharp Practice without a bit of modification, but nothing too drastic is needed. I like the DIY aspect of these rules, in that they encourage modification to better suit time period and location. 

I'm also quite interested in Dawns and Departures, the official campaign supplement for Sharp Practice. It seems to focus on small locations and individual characters, so I don't know if it would work for an all-Ireland game. I'd still love to try it out. 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua!