LEGO Jousting!

The miniature and I were left to our own devices a couple of weekends back while the other half had a night out with her sisters.  As well as introducing her to Star Wars (she wisely agreed that ‘Empire’ was the best, good girl!), I snuck in some gaming while she wasn’t looking. 

(I’ll confess I built the castle in my 20’s, when old enough to know better, it has a detailed interior and everything!)

For the joust I wanted to introduce a bit of decision making, so borrowed the scoring from the English Heritage jousts that we go to each year as a family, as she’s familiar with it.  We had three knights each - I was the ‘Lion shields’ and she took the Eagles.  Before each run, we chose one of the following:

• Head - 3 points; roll 1die
• Shield- 2 points; roll 2 dice
• Body - 1 point; roll 3 dice

If any dice rolled 4+ the relevant points were scored.  If we each got one success and rolled the same, it was a ‘barricade’ (crossed lances - no points, but it added some fun and flavour, and she remembered the concept from the jousts we've seen).

As you’d expect, she completely trounced my team!

The crowd were very impressed…

Archery next.  A similar system was used, but she was allowed a couple of extra dice as her character was Robin Hood in (a rather thin) disguise!

(Excuse the mess!)

Of course by the end, Robin was unmasked, and had to make a run for the forest, chased by knights - a series of events that were… less rules based, shall we say.  But a good time was had overall!

Robin Hood, Robin Hood (and a rock)

The miniature is very into stories about England's most famous quasi historical outlaw, Robin Hood.  I'm not sure quite how it started.  Possibly the other half reading her some stories.  Definitely nothing to do with living within a short distance of Nottingham and Sherwood Forest.

Whatever the reason, she has just absorbed the stories.  We've watched the Disney version with the foxes, read children's stories, done Tony Robinson's excellent Maid Marion and Her Merry Men.  She's sat through the whole of the 1938 Errol Flyn movie 'The Adventures of Robin Hood' (she calls that "Daddy's Robin Hood") and I've even read her bits of Robert Pyle's 'The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood', which is written in an incredibly dense 19th century take on 'Ye Olde Englishe' (but there seems to be something about the rhythm of the words that settles her down).  I've dug out my old Lego Robin Hood sets, and it would be fair to say that I have also had to play Little John to her Robin Hood on quite a few walks to and from school, avoiding imaginary sheriff's men as we cross the fields between our house and school!

Whatever the reason, I somehow found myself with the (partly self-imposed) task of putting together some miniatures for a Robin Hood game (and writing some rules a 6-7 year old can follow).  Finding suitable miniatures isn't quite as easy as you might think, but I managed to source some from a couple of manufacturers.

Completed first were a nice trio of heroes and villains from Studio Miniatures Medieval Mayhem range.  First up are an excellent Robin and Friar Tuck, very much in the Errol Flynn mode.

 

  

(Tuck definitely having some un-Christian thoughts here)

 

 I've kept the colours pretty close to the original, apart from blonder hair for contrast.

 

Now, I know I've sort of done Friar Tuck once already (here) but: (a) he came in the same pack as Robin Hood; (b) he is such a well done version of Eugene Pallet's iconic performance as the rather martial friar; that I just couldn't resist.  I will admit that I was particularly pleased with how my shading and highlighting of his habit came out.

Time for a villain (boo, hiss!).  And who better than the dastardly Sheriff of Nottingham!  The sculpting is clearly based on a certain scenery chewing performance from the 1990s (not sculpted with a spoon, but definitely looks as if he would be into merciful beheadings).  I decided not to go with the film's overall black outfit though, as I felt it would just be a bit too much, and out of kilter with Robin, so I went with a more opulent look. Highlighting on the blue is a bit too scrappy and the blue wash for shade is still too shiny.  Might see what a coat of matt varnish could do for him, but I like the overall effect.

I have a few more on the go - Maid Marion, Little John and Will Scarlett as done by Footsore Miniatures, and a few more from Studio who can stand in as 'extras'.

Finally, I also made use of the Miniature's other hobby, filling my pockets on walks with rocks, to do a quick scenery piece.  No paint at all on the rock, just left as found, and turned into a mysterious standing stone!