REIKSMARSHALL'S LOG. Tuesday, February 27, in the 2007th year of our Lord Sigmar. 24 days until the "B.I.G. March Tournament".Damn this 28 day month business. I'm all like, it's still February, it's all good, and then all of a sudden it disappears under my feet! We are not panicking yet. I placed an order on the weekend for a battalion box, a soldiers box and the kickin' new general kit, which should be here early next week I think.
Inspired by another thread, I thought I might do a quick tally of my position:
CompletedMounted Warrior Priest (wants a new head so he's less Luthor Huss-ish)
22 Pikes (needs banner)
8 Swords (detachment, needs a couple of final highlights and shields finished)
6 Reiksguard (banner half finished - a risky move in the game but it looks cool)
Brace of Cannon
In Progress22 Pikes (about half highlighted, probably an afternoon's work to finish)
16 Greatswords (largely done, need rebasing to make them all swinging/walking in basically the same direction)
6 Pistoliers (getting new horses, but otherwise pretty much all metal and hence quick)
10 Huntsmen (5 are nearly done, the balance still to be built for 7th ed)
Still to startArch-Lector on horse
BSB on horse
2 x 8 Handgunners (can use the old ones in a pinch)
2 x 8 Swordsmen
6 Reiksguard (converted three then ran out of bits, waiting for more in the mail)
Some kind of Volley Gun or Rocket Battery or substitute for same (need to playtest both)
I estimate that each of the part-finished units can be brought up to strength in an afternoon. I painted all of my armoured pikes first, and intend to spread them across both units in the front ranks, as was the way in real armies. As such, those that remain can have a little less time on them. The greatswords are getting a banner and BSB, so will be mostly obscured anyway, and the huntsmen are quite dark so maybe I can get all this stuff done in about three days.
I can do a detachment in an afternoon/evening, with assembly that's about 4 days work just there, however. As they're standalone small units, they all have to be done to a pretty good standard.
The Reiksguard are a time eater, at least a day plus assembly time. Likewise, the Pistoliers' horses will take ages to do well.
At this stage an army display board is not an option - what's more, I'd like to really spend some serious time on it and do it properly.
In an example of nerdish cross-pollination, I have actually just used iCal (the MacOS calendar program) to make a schedule for myself with a painting task for each day until the competition. This will work as long as I am not too far out in my estimates. The current plan actually leaves most of a week spare, for practice games and projects that run over. I have allowed some time for work and uni, but maybe not enough I fear.
Anyway, just as a mental process, this has done me a lot of good, and I highly recommend it. I like my computerised planner for ease of moving stuff around, and the ability to set alert messages, but a paper calendar/diary would do just as well.
As for what I've done in the last few days, not much, between starting the university year, a Court of Appeal matter at work, and vague attempts to have a social life. Cool ideas I've had/started working on include a double-barreled siege mortar as a stand-in for the Rocket Battery, nicknamed the "Twin-Tailed Comet". I also want to base my Lector on this painting of Cardinal Richelieu, but on horseback and no hat. Probably carrying a slender and ornate mace/hammer:
I absolutely cannot find a better resolution pic online unfortunately. More tomorrow, now that the site seems to be going again!
Cheers,
Eden
I wonder what's Reikspiel for "raison d'etat"...
