Something new (AGAIN!!!)

Greetings from an English Summer!

I picked up a copy of August's issue of "Wargames Illustrated" a few days ago and, flicking through as I do when I first purchase any magazine, I came across the "Wargaming News" section on page 4 and there was the advert for the "The Men Who Would Be Kings" (TMWWBK) rules from Osprey, newly published and penned by Daniel Mersey, who did such a good job on things such as "Lion Rampant" amongst others.

I have enjoyed the Osprey rules in the main and have most of them to date, but I have never been interested in Colonial games, preferring to match various European armies against each other, whatever the historical time period. So, why the interest?

1. Daniel Mersey's offerings are uniformly very good in my opinion and I firmly believe this will be no exception.
2. These rules were previewed in an earlier issue of "WI" and I loved the idea, even hoping I could get an early copy at Barrage last month.
3. They fit in with my current niche of painting large (-ish) skirmish forces, as I have for SAGA, am doing for "Sharp Practice 2/ Muskets & Tomahawks" and intend to do with some Peninsular War figures again for SP2.

I cannot see myself charging hordes of Zulus/ Mahdists/ Mutineers/ Matabele/ Pathans/ Other at a line of sundry Europeans (with or without red coats), but I can see myself running some small scale actions in various far-flung parts of the Empire. (Queen Victoria, God Bless Her!)

Actually, I can see myself defending a pa from Forest Rangers in New Zealand or fighting Boxers with Schutztruppen, which is rather different from the classic red line (and I still dislike painting red, hence my dearth of "British" troops in my entire figure collection).

But, everyone has to start somewhere, and I had these lying around after my "Malta" project. I used the more Arab-looking figures in Perry's Mahdist box for Corsairs/ North Africans, but still had some less well-dressed bodies and a horde of Fuzzy-Wuzzy heads, so here are my fledgling Beja/ Bija figures for "TMWWBK".

I may even paint them at some point and build myself a quick Sudan set-up, but I am mindful that I have no desert terrain at all, so it would be a bigger project than originally anticipated. Then again, I have a liking for Empress Miniatures' Maoris and Tiger Miniatures' Schutztruppen, as well as Redoubt's Boxers...

The absence of a large show project is greatly assisting the fulfilment of these mini-projects!

G

A full combat unit of sixteen irregulars, armed in traditional manner. These figures were very easy to make from the figures in the set.

I only had enough remaining figures for four riflemen, but I think there should be sixteen in the unit. Looks like I will have to buy another box then!