Sieges: Casting and Further Tinkering

 Slowly heading towards the Siege of Liverpool sometime next week, today I've been smartening up the town a bit, and also doing some casting, as in "recruiting characters to take part". Still a lot of hand-polishing of rules needed, but then testing is the main point of the exercise.

What you see is what you get...

 

Uncomfortably posed photo of the Royalist forces. Rupert had a very big army, but much of it was detached to go and sort out Lathom House, and raise more troops for the march on York. This is the force which will take part in the siege, and even then half the infantry will be off-table, available only as extra forces to take part in an assault. Rupert has 2 Demi-cannons (24pdr siege guns), three field guns (approx 12pdrs, including two long-barrelled Demi-culverins) and one of my new Old Glory mortars. Note that regiments of foot appear in this game without their pikes, which means my first-aid team can probably stand down.

 

 

Gratuitous drone shot 

Prince Rupert (with dog) and Lord John Byron (with map) have a look at the state of things from up by the windmills on Everton Hill

Here's the remodelled town, with Rosworm's new earth walls, and the Parliament artillery already in position - that's five field guns - they have more emplacements than guns

 

Rosworm has also managed a nifty hornwork, not recorded in history, which looks OK, but it is worth remembering that the turf walls are 3 times as difficult as masonry to knock down with cannon-fire...

 

 

Sir John Moore, the town's Governor, has three units of musketeers available - these fellows are his own regiment, plus "volunteers" from his tenants, some Scottish chaps seconded to the garrison by the Parliamentarian big-wigs, and some lads ferried over from the Wirral to help out. For the nerds, I must point out that, though not exactly beautiful, these figures are handy for garrison duty since they are mounted on 3-figure stands, and can therefore perch on walls and ledges, and are well suited to take part in Trench Raids (of which you may well hear more). The figures themselves are of some interest, since these are from the early Les Higgins "subscription" series from the 1960s, which were gravity-cast and sold in small numbers. I believe I bought this lot from Harry Pearson - the painting is mostly his, with a clean-up and fresh varnish. Compliments, Harry.

 

And finally a quick squint in the box with the cast of extras - these chaps will variously take the roles of sappers, extra gunners, named officers and any other necessary odd-bods. Such has been the rush for recruitment that some of these still have name tags from last year's re-run of the Battle of Kilsyth - all will be sorted by next week.