From the Unicorn to the Palace...

Scenario: The Musketeers: von Messing, Scharfe, Fischer and Hofler, are to escort an incognito VIP from the Unicorn coach house across a market square to one of the palace entrances.

---oXo---

Von Messing is introduced to the VIP...

Von Messing leads off with Scharfe, Fischer and Hofler with and the VIP in the middle ...

Trouble ahead, two swordsmen block their way...

von Messing and Hofler take them on...

and push them back allowing the VIP, Scharfe and Fischer to move towards the market square...

von Messing downs one, while Hofler wounds the other badly....

As they move into the market square they are set upon by three more swordsmen, directing them is the infamous Hook, by his size is Schwerter ( a mercenary with two swords).... Hofler hangs back and keeps and eye on the VIP while the others are busy ....

Scharfe badly wounds one who falls back; von Messing downs one, but Fischer is just holding off the other.; Hofler and the VIP edge into the square

Two more swords arrive to support the Hook, the two Zwilling sisters....

Schwerter moves into the attack and engages von Messing, the musketeers (with the VIP behind) are being pushed back into a corner by some market stalls....

Scharfe finishes off a badly wounded man and then crosses swords with one of the Zwilling sisters; von Messing is only just about holding his own against the 'two sworded' Schwerter ....

The musketeers have the edge,  Scharfe and von Messing fight Schwerter, with Fischer tussling with the other Zwilling sister.

Schwerter is downed....

Scharfe, Fischer and Hofler take on the Zwilling sisters and the Hook; while von Messing leads the VIP through, a wounded swordsmen makes a brave attempt to block the way....

The Hook has had enough and runs off, the Zwilling sisters also withdraw....

von Messing deals with the swordsman who blocked his way easily...

the VIP is passed into the care of the palace guard....mission over

Setting up for a 'Musketeers' game....

Having re-organized a few things, my 40mm 'musketeers' game figures have been moved into a single box.

Before they find their way to a suitable cupboard/shelf for storage, I decided to setup ready for a game to use them...a chance to get the civilians out as well as well as the market stalls.

Cossack Peasants...

 A unit or mob of cossack 'peasants'; or more correctly mostly untrained cossacks,  some with sword and others with a selection of farm implements and a couple of old pole-arms. (farm implements from Bicorne ECW range).

Cossacks - command stands and wagons.....

Three additional command stands completed....

The war wagons finished

There are 6 'war wagons' (plus another 9, not shown, to make up a wagon fort)

 

Cossack Army build - casting complete...

All the casting for the Cossack army is now done (plus a few sundry spares)....

Used the game table to sort the castings into infantry and cavalry units ...

Cossack Army Build begins....

 A tick sheet spreadsheet has been created to record progress for all the planned units ..

I have a few things completed already plus some stuff to paint; a lot of castings need to be produced to provide all the figures I need. Today I got off to a good start, spending time at the casting table in the garage. I have plenty of metal (donated old figures and leftover pouring reservoirs).

Three moulds on the go today to cast cossack infantry figures... 

managed to get about 90 figures cast today, still lots to do....

Cossack Wagons (WIP) update...

 Horse teams for six war wagons cast and prepped ready for painting...

Crew to man the war wagons also ready for painting...