Greetings…
Yesterday I attended the Helion Tudor Warfare Conference…
And very enjoyable it was too…
One of the reasons I wanted to go to this was to find out more about a period that keeps itching…And might one day need a good scratch.
There other was that my friend Ninya Mikhaila was doing a talk.
There was also the added bonus that Simon Miller (To the Strongest) was also taking part.
All of the presentations were interesting… But quite naturally I liked Ninya’s best 😁
I thought everything was very well paced and there were breaks for refreshments and a Buffet Lunch.
So did I buy a book on Tudor Warfare…
No I didn’t…
I bought two…
And maybe a couple of others…
I know…
But you have to consider that I was trapped in a room filled with persuasive historians and books…I am sure they must have used advanced indoctrination techniques because the next thing I knew I was saying ooo! I will have these as well please… Honest.
I have spent this evening having a look through them…They all look splendid and the only difficulty I see is deciding which one to read first.
Next time there will be some toys soldiers…
All the best Aly
Aly, you had no chance at resistance! You were caught in a clever marketing ploy. The conference sounded quite interesting.
ReplyDeleteYou are of course correct…
DeleteI was doooomed!…😂
All the best. Aly
When in doubt, chronological order.
ReplyDelete.....I really wish you hadn't shown that first one though.....
Yes I could go by historical order or by publication date… Or I could go for my tried and tested… Choose the prettiest 😁
DeleteTemptation loves a crowd 😂
All the best. Aly
Lol....your Scottish genes have weakened more than mine Aly...I am still tight fisted enough to withstand almost any temptation to part with my gelt!
ReplyDeleteThat said, the books all look very interesting!
I think being single with a paid up mortgage and no family staying at home makes it easier to go against my Scots genetics…😁
DeleteAll the best. Aly
You have bought FIVE books from Helion? Did you win the Lottery on the sly? Way too expensive for this poor pensioner...👴🏻
ReplyDeleteWhen I paid off my mortgage I set up a little savings account (before I got used to the extra money coming in) specifically for moments like this.
DeleteI think I may still have enough for a few well chosen treats at Partizan…😁
All the best. Aly
You were well and truly booked there. Happy reading.
ReplyDeleteYes they were definitely ready for me…
DeleteAll the best. Aly
I would like to know what was said about the Enfants Perdu during the French Wars of Religion - it's a period that I think deserving of far more attention but the earlier Italian Wars seem to have sucked up all the gaming interest before they get started. I have the Helion 'One Faith, One Law, One King' and the two Tudor titles - in fact it was their sudden announcement that they would stretch the series to three books that first made me aware of the conference. The Tudor books are worth having as almost all Tudor historians seem obsessed with English court life to exclusion of all else, ignoring many fascinating conflicts (except of course one of the many Armadas). That said they do suffer from the perennial flaw in Tudor history books; the insertion of large chunks of contemporary correspondence! On some pages there are only a few lines actually written by the author. As I find the period writing style deadly dull and often just an exercise in self-promotion and blame-shifting I tend to drift off and take in very little from these passages and it spoils my enjoyment of what otherwise I think are excellent books - just wish they were hardbacks (I hate their softback format).
ReplyDeleteThe authors main thrust was that the Enfants Perdu were a precursor to the light infantry that became more popular in later centuries… He demonstrated this by using period illustrations showing groups of arquebusiers skirmishing, mixing in between cavalry units and guarding artillery.
DeleteIt was a fairly basic introduction…They only had half an hour or so to speak…
The idea of course is to tickle your fancy and get you to buy the books… I quite naturally didn’t fall for that 🤣.
I must admit that I like the contemporary correspondence… But I am also very interested in the development of the English language.
I am also a lot more interested in the Wars of Religion than I am in the Italian Wars.
All the best. Aly
Is your butterfly actually lodging a flight-plan to the FWoR? Is it tempted, like mine, by the stunning Khurasan range? I fancied using the 'Sans Peur et Sans Reproche' rules as published in Henry Hyde's Battlegames magazine - that way units can be mini-dioramas of any sort provided they fit into a hex. This approach would nicely echo the period prints of the battles where the units are in neat discrete 'squares'.
DeleteIt’s very tempting…
DeleteThe Khurasan range is very nice indeed and the idea of moving little dioramas around is also very tempting… Although I also like the idea of using Pikeman’s Lament…The problem with that is …No one does a complete suitable range.
All the best. Aly
Pikeman's Lament doesn't seem right for the FWoR with their many thousand strong pike blocks... BUT ideal for the Nine Years War in Ireland where even the 'battles' are more like big skirmishes... AND there are pretty good 28mm ranges to covering the war. Torn between the two... Aaaarrrgh! Get these butterflies off me!
DeleteYou just had to add another blossom for the butterfly to head too…
DeleteWe are doomed 😂
Of course there is always The Marian Civil War 1568-1573…😁
DeleteI have the 2nd Tudor book...and it is good. You've been warned.
ReplyDeleteI will take care when reading it… One never knows what can happen…
DeleteAll the best. Aly
Yeah, I've got the two Tudor books and they are cracking. Helion are evil book pushers!
ReplyDeleteIt is really good to see a publisher bringing out so many new books… and often on more left of field subjects.
DeleteAll the best. Aly
Aly
ReplyDeleteyou’ve reinforced my decisions not to attend these conferences, I couldn’t afford the temptation of more books which would indeed lead to more figures. Having said that my recent readings on Flodden, Solway Moss and Pinkie have a distinct Tudor feel about them 🤦🏼 I’m busy checking the piggy bank for Partizan, hope to see you there
I like you idea of avoiding temptation by going to Partizan… It’s sure to work perfectly 🤣.
DeleteI will see you there…
All the best. Aly
Vol 1 is excellent. It's prompted me to return to the Tudor rebellions, particularly the Prayer Book Rebellion in Cornwall which first caught my attention in Andy Callan's article way back in Miniature Wargames 13. My minifigs longbowmen look a bit old these days but I think it merely grants them 'veteran' status.
ReplyDeleteI think using Minifigs longbowmen it the one true path… which in my opinion could only be topped if you were using Minifigs ‘strip’ 15 mm…
DeleteAll the best. Aly
It just gets worse! Really nice looking books, I can understand your crumbling resistance, I'm like that myself!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
I remember people say the time of the printed book was passed…
DeleteI don’t think so…😁
All the best. Aly
I always love these opportunities to attend conferences as well Aly as they really are incredibly informative and interesting, especially in periods we dabble in wargaming in. I’ve attended a few as well as a brilliant symposium on Alexander’s Successors where I was the only person in the room without Latin or Greek. Once they found out I was there out of pure fascination they made a fuss out of me and I felt quite special. Bosworth, Champion, Haeckel etc. brilliant.
ReplyDeleteIt’s the first time I have been to a conference like this… I will definitely go to another.
DeleteI am glad you lack of ancient language skills did not lead to you being ostracised 😁
All the best. Aly