Sir Allen Apsley's Regiment of Foot

Those of you who have read this blog before (for which I thank you) will probably know that I had a demo game of Pike and Shotte at Salute last weekend. I had been looking forward to getting the rules (which I have now had a chance to read) and I have to say that I enjoyed the game immensely. The ECW is another period that I feel drawn to, but unlike the others which interest me most, I don't have such a "personal" attachment to it. My interest in Napoleonics stems from going to a school founded by Old Nosey himself and having busts of the likes of Picton and Uxbridge staring out at me during my school days. The Anglo-Zulu War interests me because when I was a lad, my father was posted to South Africa, and I spent 6 years of my childhood in Jo'burg. But the ECW has a different kind of appeal to me.

You see, I like flags. Lots of them. And nothing gives a gamer a better excuse to go all out with loads of flags on a unit than the TYW and ECW (well, maybe excepting the Italian Wars, but I just couldn't bring myself to paint that many Landsknechts - I'd go mad). It's not a very sensible reason to get involved in a period, but I make no claims to being sensible.

After playing the game I decided to finish off and base one of the many regiments that I have near completion for this period. While I may not be quite as personally involved, I still had to pick the Royalists when I started (I will be providing both sides, as per usual, but you have to start somewhere), as I am a West Country lad, uni in Oxford and now living in Prince Rupert's old stomping ground. Plus I don't have much time for Puritans.

Anyway, I give you Sir Allen Apsley's Regiment of Foot (still missing 2 flags). The figures are mainly Bicorne and Renegade with a smattering of Redoubt and Warlord:

The whole regiment.

The man himself. 

Without the command base.

The pike block. I think I will expand this by two more bases.

Originally the plan was two more command bases for the shot sleeves to be used with the Perfect Captain rules, each of which would have a flag. I think, though, that I may just add two bases to the pike block to widen it, and add the two ensigns to the new rear centre base's front rank. The regimental command base will just be for dressing up the table, as it will play no part under the Pike and Shotte rules.

The "right" shot sleeve. The officer is Redoubt.

The "left" shot sleeve. This time the officer is a Warlord plastic.

My shot are in 4 ranks, too. I know this is not the commonly accepted way to do things, but if you look at contemporary engravings, the shot units are very often portrayed as being as deep as the pike.

Battle of Naseby

It is needlessly more expensive this way, but I like it, and I guess that's all that counts. It also gives me a chance to stick a drummer and a sergeant "dressing the ranks" in the back rank, too. I may also slip a flag into each shot sleeve as well in future.

Now I just have to finish of Hopton's and Talbot's foot, which have been languishing in the half painted pile for ages, and I'll have my first full battalia.

Comments and criticism welcome as usual (as well as any advice on how to learn to use a camera properly - the new one I have is great but I fear the photographer is not).