January 2007 in review

Glacial would be the best word to describe the speed of my progress this month, but some items on the list received attention... The last miniature for my Tau army has been assembled and primed. This is actually quite a landmark for me, for rarely have I come this close to closure on a project. Most of my other projects have been open-ended, with minis being constantly added to the mix, leaving me with a pile of unpainted minis.

The Renaissance project is starting to actually take shape. Now, I just need to inject some funding into the works. Much of that will come from the sell-off of my unwanted gaming materials, on eBay or through other contacts. I'm waiting to re-start the sell-off until we are finished with the move (the move is getting closer also, once again just waiting on funding [sigh] ).

I have also decided to try and keep track of the books I've read during the year. I am currently reading Taylor's The Art of War in Italy 1494-1529. Earlier this month I picked up an interesting book by Eric Flint, 1632 link It is not bad if you are a fan of alternate history; a good page-turner even if the outcome is predictable. It is piquing my curiosity about the 30 Year's War, with a stirring description of the battle of Breitenfeld. Is it an accurate description? I don't know but I'll check on it.


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The Renaissance Project, part 1

I've been talking and thinking about my Renaissance project for quite a while. I have yet to make much progress, but here is what I have.

First off, I actually do have a plan! I need to work on four different aspects:

1. Research

2. Rules

3. Miniatures

4. Gaming

I have made some progress through the Research bit. I have a small but growing collection of books on the subject. These include Ospreys (doesn't every gamer have at least a dozen?) and some more scholarly works. Here is the list so far:

Osprey MAA # 58: The Landsknechts link
Osprey MAA # 94: The Swiss at War link
Osprey Campaign # 43: Fornovo 1495 link
Osprey Campaign # 44: Pavia 1525 link

These Ospreys have been in my collection for five years or so, and have been looked through extensively. They are an excellent way to whet one's appetite for more substantial reading material, and the color plates are helpful for painting.


The Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529 (Taylor) link
The Renaissance at War (Arnold) link
Artists and Warfare in the Renaissance (Hale) link

These volumes are more recent additions, with Taylor's book being a Christmas gift from my wife (yay!). Arnold's book is a very concise overview of the 16th century, being a part of the Cassell History of War series. I have yet to read Hale's book, but it is filled with illustrations and woodcuts by period artists.

Of course, I want to purchase more books. These will be added slowly, worked in with the schedule for miniatures purchases.


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What's on the table...

Happy New Year everybody!

Here is a pic on my miniatures workspace, which unfortunately does not look very different from the previous pic...



No Landsknechts on that table yet. That will happen later, in the spring.


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