New campaign for the new year

[Chef du Whip]

The chaps I game with have taken on the idea of setting up an iNation campaign to run next year based around the mid 18th C. Hess-Kassoulet will not be directly involved as the Erzherzog is warily watching the comings and going of his neighbours to the north in Handover. That's my excuse anyway, of course the ulterior motive is a spur to paint and organise the Tittanmuff forces who will have to bare the brunt of the fighting. We will be using a stew of Charge and The War Game for our rules and are in the very early stages of of cherry picking the various mechanics from both rulesets for our brew, updates will follow in the rules section.

One of our number, von Goutstricken who lurks about the forum has been gathering his troops and clearly a military build up is taking place but why, what is going on, why have our spies and diplomats not reported the reason for this sudden change? No doubt the darstardly Wholly Roaming Empire is operating behind the scenes that is one thing that can be counted on.

Metrelonge

The Erzherzogin has issued orders to the Raugraviate's militia forces to gather to their depots for training and new issues of uniforms are being planned, the commander of her regular forces the elderly but somewhat competent Feldmarschall von Obelsik has been notified and orders issued to double patrols in the border regions and he has sent for the Erzherzogins sister, Prinzessin Jurlique, to return from her mountainous summer retreat. In addition the world famous Court Artist Francios Metrelonge has been sent to von Goutstrickens Court to paint the Counts portrait as a gesture of friendship.

von Obelisk

[Chef du Whip]

von Goutstricken's troops drill for the upcoming campaign.

Sensing that diplomatic talks may fail at any moment von Gout stricken has been furiously drilling his troops. misstress of Hesse-Kassoulet's famed spy agency IKEA Prinzess Jurlique von Hessiansacken smuggled out sketches of proceedings.

[Herzog von Constantine]

Now this looks like Fun

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaa umm err well done old chap

[Ion.A.Dowman]

Are each of those 8-figure blocks battalions or companies? They look very good so far, although an inexperienced spy (i.e. not Jochen von der Blozeven) might think he's looking at two different armies... And who is that handsome devil in the background of the 5th of those pictures: the horseman? There is one whose 'dexterity in the courts of Venus' is clearly well established - that smirk is a dead giveaway, sir! But has he the 'skill in the sterner fields of Mars' to match? Aye. That's the test... (My apologies to the memories of Brig Young and Lt-Col Lawford.)

[VonGoutstricken]

My dear Sirs,

Let me assure you that the rumours of any so called 'military build up' are unfounded and with all propriety, may I say as being utterly preposterous.
It is purely right and proper that men are engaged in the manner of their employ, to do otherwise is to foster idleness and as my great father once declared,'the devil finds work for idle hands and those hands won't turn a good beer'.
I am currently engaging my home guard in peaceful joint training manouveurs with troops from my eastern cousin. These are solely to familarise my fellows in the more modern military arts. Surely company movement cannot be construed as aggressive overtures.

Yours in Peace
Scherbet Von Goutstricken
Prince Grand Duke Winesberg-Reisling.

Troops are on company bases, each base to occupy 8 figures in 2 ranks but with space for 3rd rank (third rank to be occupied by 'hit'figures)

[Chef du Whip]

They might very well be company manouvres Goutstricken but with your Eastern neighbours! The Raugraviate will be watching comings and goings in the Winesberg-Reisling region very carefully. Our benevolent Highness Erzherzogin Viktoria Ellen Raugraffin von ze Tittanmuff asks for a meeting of our diplomats to prove your sincerity as a peaceful neighbour.

Obedient Servant of the Raugraffin
Feldmarschall Haunch von Obelisk





These are the 8 man Companies I mentioned Ion, when I get off of my bulging backside I will jot down the basics of the rules we are going to employ, a bit of Charge, a lot of The War Game, some of the Maurice cards .....what we need is a great big melting pot, big enough big enough big enough to take the world and all it's..... sorry there seems to be a song for every situation in my world

[abdul666lw]

Yet these images are so mouth-watering that we are all looking eagerly forward to discover and learn more about your brilliant -if peaceful- regiments.

'I'm not waging war, I'm enforcing peace'

[Chef du Whip]

With the arrival of Metrelong this morning and Prinzessin Jurlique and Baron Frederick von der Trenck last night a council has been called to work through matters in relationship to Winesburg-Reisling and their recent, and somewhat hastily organised, training manouvres and drill. Reports via official channels of the military machinations of von Goutstrickens have been woefully understated (diplomatic license no doubt) and reports of cavalry drills being conducted have been confirmed. Von der Trenck, in the guise of a live stock courier transporting a pair of mares to Dimitry IV of the Principality of Velikye Byelgorodniya, was able to pass close by and confirmed that although the troopers were dressed as civilians they were indeed from Winesburg-Reisling's cavalry regiments. The fools, they had forgotten to change the saddle cloth's, pistol holders and accoutrement, all monogrammed with the preposterously ostentatious seal of Winesburg. A classic mistake and so unlike von Goutstricken, he is usually as shrew as a scheiße-haus ratte, why did he make such a simple mistake, is he yanking our chain or is someone yanking his?

Nazere Celeste prepares a personal horoscope chart for the unsuspecting	Baron Frederick von der Trenck disguised as a livestock agent	Prinzessin Jurlique von Hessiansacken the mastermind behind IKEA, the Hessiansacken spy network

Whilst the council were dining on a fine lunch of freshly caught pike from the Cider Sea, Hesse Kassoulets largest lake, a message arrived from Signora Nazera Celeste the finest seductress, spy and astrologer ever to check the ascendancy of your moon, 69% accuracy from my experience! Whilst preparing a "very personal" chart for Herzog Mikhail Johnann von Hollerenschaut IV of Saxe-Coburn und Buchholz he let slip that the news coming out of the Bishopric of Egghünt was most distressing.

It is believed that his Eminence the Elector Bishop has eventually succumbed to the Syphallus and other manner of poxes kept within and he has only a month or two at most to live. At last the pieces are starting to fall into place. It appears all claimmants and family links to the title of Elector Bishop Egghünt have been exthausted and it is widely believed the Wholy Roman Emperor wishes that, on the death of the Bishop and therefore dissolution of the title of Elector Bishop of Egghunt, the Bishopric become absorbed as part of Riesling lands. The Winseburg rulers would be in full agreement and very unwilling to share the fate of His Eminence Bishop Rolo Hershey before the handover is mis en oeuvre and neither would their Master and his Cataholic lackeys.

The Wholly Roman Emperor is behind this I'll wager

Of course the reason why this has been kept so very secret is the fact that, by the treaty of Westfailure, those Hugenose's and their issue who sought assylum in Peterburg, Hesse-Kassoulet and the Tittanmuff during their exodus from Fronsay persecution, "are promised to them a titled ruler to be elected on extinguishment of the Hersey line and safe haven within a land of their own", namely Egghünt! The Wholy Roaming Emperor and the Papersee, instead of having a nominally Cataholic ally, would be faced with a wholly Prosterident thorn in the side, or is that lance in the side? Of course no one could have guessed at the time of the Treaty of Westfailure that the current Elector Bishop would not sire any children, nor any of his siblings either.........

His eminence Bishop Elect of Egghunt Rolo Hershy in better days, a man riddled with the poxes and yet no issue to show for his time in, only a discharge!

[Herzog von Constantine]

Yummy excellent read, and just in time because I have run out of good books to read, so keep it up and get to work.

[abdul666lw]

Fascinating news -'interesting times' ahead for sure.
Then, since Monte-Cristo is always eager to serve the cause of peace, we have in the Presipality a foreign cardinal who, as a pious exercise of mortification, is staying locked in our (women) jail. Since he emphatically does not wish to return to the Ruler who sent him in errand years ago, and now that the visiting Elector Spiritual of the Pangaean Germanische Reich has suggested other, more constructive, forms of penance, we could certainly persuade Cardinal Maximilian von Roskilde to apply for the succession of His Eminence the Bishop Elect of Egghunt.