A Game of Shires- 1st battle in a Halfling civil war

A Game of Shires battle with my Hostile Realms/Field of Battle mash up. It is a card driven system derived from Piquet. 

Eager to play, I have unpainted and partially painted units on the table!

After months of wrangling over the proper use of the year’s honey harvest, warring factions have formed to settle the issue. Declaring for the “Honeys”, Wyndham Gurk of Meadowshire formed a small army and marched East. Meanwhile, Conrad Prentis of Cloudshire, riding his pigasus Piccolo, has formed his own force of bannermen from shires supporting the “Meads”. The two small armies met along the road in Loamshire where a small supply depot rests near the shrine to the One God. Battle is at hand, begun the Game of Shires it has.

Looking from the Meads side.

A bold array of Half-folk.

The Honeys arrive, well led, but some troops are arriving late.

A small roadside shrine will make a nice stop for second breakfast.

Gurk aggressively advances his outnumbered troops to contest the shrine. 

Some of his reinforcements begin to arrive through teh mist.

The first clash of the Game of Shires.

Knights vs Sergeants in a slugfest.

Prentis' left flank is roughly handled by the Queenshire Knights

Marketshire Pigriders try to make an impact.

Gayly dressed, but no match for the Knights.

More reinforcements to even the odds.

The battle is fully joined along the whole line now.

The Queenshire Knights break the Cloudshire halaberdiers

Handgonner's poor fire into the Pigriders.

The Queenshire Knights have ridden around to the rear of the Mead's line.

Greatswordsmen from Bathshire join the slaughter in the enemy rear.

Surrounded, Conrad Prentis of Cloudshire asks Wyndham Gurk of Meadowshire for terms. 

The battle did not seem as lopsided as the results showed. The Queenshire Knights were beasts! 

A short armistice has been declared, but will it last past elevensies? 

A Game of Shires- a Halfling Civil War

 

I am working on a 28mm miniature fantasy tabletop wargame. I will assign my already painted units randomly to each side, and add more as I paint them. The majority of the units come from Wargames Atlantic, Titan Forge, Westfalia Fantasy, and MaxMini. They are mostly plastic sets and 3D printed resin figures. It is called A Game of Shires. It is about a Halfling civil war. I have named many shires and will post a follow on list. I will be using several fantasy wargame sets of rules including: Wars of Orcs and Dwarves, and a modified set of Hostile Realms. I am starting the first battle with my Hostile Realms amended rules. As I build my armies, I will assign each unit a shire origin. The background is that the war takes place in the Commonwealth of Shires. This is a constitutional non-hereditary monarchy with a figurehead king and queen and a parliamentary moot. The moot has a sheriff from each shire that elects a High Sheriff as the head of government. When a King or Queen dies, their spouse steps down to join the Council of Elders in the capital of Auldshire as advisors to the next monarchs. The new King and Queen are chosen during the contests, games, competitions,and tournaments held during the next harvest festivals in Kingshire and Queenshire. A lad and lass from each, respectively, are selected and united in an arranged marriage, becoming the new King and Queen. The current monarchs have reigned for twenty five years. A tied election in the moot has resulted in two claimants to be High Sheriff, and a resulting civil war. Each side will also be augmented by local Halfling militia, and various Human mercenaries.The main issue dividing the two sides is how to use honey. One side wants to use more honey to be eaten directly, while the other wants to turn it into mead. They are referred to as the “Honeys” and the “Meads”. After months of wrangling over the proper use of the year’s honey harvest, warring factions have formed to settle the issue. Declaring for the “Honeys”, Wyndham Gurk of Meadowshire formed a small army and marched East. Meanwhile, Conrad Prentis of Cloudshire, riding his pigasus Piccolo, has formed his own force of bannermen from shires supporting the “Meads”. The two small armies met along the road in Loamshire where a small supply depot rests near the shrine to the One God. Battle is at hand, begun the Game of Shires it has. The leader of the Meads:, The Royal Family: King Bertram Goodchild Queen Suri Hornblower Cedric, rumored to want to become the next King Gilbert, rumored to support the Honeys Rosamund, rumored to support the Meads Aligned to the Honeys: Wyndham Gurk of Meadowshire Bernard Brockhouse the Wizard Griffo “One Eye” Oakbottom Bungo Burrowes the Strong Aligned to the Meads: Conrad Prentis of Cloudshire - riding his Pigasus Halfred Hairyfoot the Holy Allowin Goldworthy Theodoric Puddlefoot Unaligned: Billiam Fourwinks, Other major factions: The Grand Church of the Holy One: There is a single major religion in the Commonwealth but the individual parishes in the shires are very independent. There are many Saints and religious orders. The churches are known for their beekeeping. The Academy of Magic in Manashire The Children: The current monarchs had triplets twenty two years ago. Some suggest the nation would be better off with a hereditary monarchy to keep the peace and check the power of the sheriffs. Norish: A viking like Human people from the Northwest. Often raid the Shires and also serve as mercenaries. Empire: A great Human Empire from the East. Wants to subjugate the Shires and destroy the Church of the Holy One. Major Resources: Honey Tobacco The shires so far (add shire to the end of each word). I will add other minor shires to fill in my map as needed.- Sand Hill Sea Ice King Queen Fire Bluff Moor Swamp Aspen Fir Green Meadow Dusk Isle Lake Frost Market Harbor Plain Crag Pine Vale Dale River Creek Stream Prairie Auld (the capital) March Loam Dawn Bath Spring Snow Cloud Willow Stone Hearth Heart Sweet Palm Bracken Oak Falls Rose Thorn Graveshire Hallowshire Hollershire Holyshire Manashire

September 2026

A short month since I am traveling the last 10 days. Still got a bunch done, carried over from August. I also got in another game at home testing my Hostile Realms/Field of battle mash up...and realized I should just use Hostile Realms. Have to try that next with the rules as written.

I 3d printed a whole set of fantasy figures that should carry me through 2027 with some exceptions. Mass producing like this helps with clean up and controlling the resin waste.

Great ECW game at the club, I know so little of that period. 

Over the budget for the year...but still ahead based on what I have sold. I will make a few purchases of supplies and bases that will cover me next year. In 2027, I plan to keep the budget much better under control.

My dog meeting a mantis on his walk. 

ECW

PAINTING 

80 foot x fantasy figures: 80

31 mounted: 62

1 animal: 1

Total: 143

YTD: 864

GAMING 

1 x  ECW

1 x fantasy game at home

YTD: 36

BUDGET

$175: $12 Quar, $163 kickstarter burrows and badgers

YTD:  $3450 (Sold: $3708)  

August 2026

While I worked on shrinking the lead/plastic mountain...now really only a small batch of plastic kit remnants, I could not resist a summer sale on 3d files. I am now working on 9 more fantasy units for "A Game of Shires" project and i just printed off a huge number of additional little fellows that will take over a year to complete. This blew my budget but I am still ahead for the year after the big sell off. 

Blood and Plunder at the club

Misc kit bashed sci fi troops

PAINTING 

39 x misc sci fi figures:39

Total: 39

YTD: 721

GAMING 

1 x  Blood and Plunder at the club

YTD: 34

BUDGET

$ 546: $12 Quar, $122 stl figures, $65 rules, $33 starmada, $266 files, $48 resin

YTD:  $3275 (Sold: $3708)  

July 2026

A big month for miniatures.

Had a great time at Historicon, thanks to all the GMs. I ran a convention game for the first time...it is a lot of work!

In a major milestone, I finished off selling the 15mm collections. Bitter sweet to move on from the original Katzenstein figures, but it does simplify things with one set of terrain. I may revisit the Kingdom in 28mm later. 

Painting focus has been on several smaller catch up items. Quar, some VSF additions, and a batch of kitbashed sci-fi figures in the works.

Continued with tinkering with three sets of home rules. I am also making up up some rocky ground with bark. My big Historicon purchase was a big batch of trees from battlefield Terrain Concepts. Expensive, but they do look great.

ACW with Carnage and Glory

A Very British Civil War with Combat Patrol

Congo

AWI with Blood and Steel

Innsmouth pulp game with Fist Full of Lead

Seminole War with Fist Full of Lead Bigger Battles

War of the Worlds with GASLIGHT

My AVBCW game with Combat Patrol

Ditto

Battle of Brandywine with FOB3

More Quar

VSF tribesmen

VSF militia and pioneers

Mix of figs

PAINTING 

69 various figures: 69

2 x vehicles

Total: 71

YTD: 682

GAMING 

1 x  Quar with Battleground HD

10 x games at Historicon

YTD: 33

BUDGET

$12 Quar, $750 trees and supplies at H'con

YTD:  $2729 (Sold: $3646)  

June 2026

Half way through another year. Kept spending to a minimum, and finished selling off the 15mm fantasy collection. I also have buyers for some books and the HEXON terrain that I will deliver at Historicon. 

I made a batch of roads that came out OK. I will try some rivers next. Tinkering with some homebrew rule sets using AI to help with organization and editing. It is helpful, but sometimes inserts changes that I don't want. 

Blood and Plunder at the club

PAINTING 

120 x 28mm foot figures, Halflings: 120 points

Total: 120

YTD: 557

GAMING 

1 x  Blood and Plunder

1 x Cruel Seas

YTD: 22

BUDGET

$12 Quar

YTD:  $1979 (Sold: $2396) 

Mid-year review:

Plans for 2026

1) VSF:  Plan phase 2 which will focus on more 3D printed additions and some terrain.

---Just started some more figures. 

2) Attend the 3 HMGS conventions again. 

---Attended Cold Wars, registered for Historicon

3) Keep spending <$3000. Consider selling the 15mm fantasy collection and massive 15mm fantasy unpainted stash.

---Spent too much, but still good for the year. Sold off the whole 15mm fantasy collection. 

4) Restart the 6mm sci fi operational level project. Focus on 3D prints. Keep working on the rules.

---1st batch complete. Will work a second batch to make playable forces this year.

5) Host a club AVBCW game and a home AVBCW game.

---Done and done, and I will host a game at Historicon. 

6) Backup small project: add single sprues of 28mm sci fi figures and use my Wargames Atlantic MMF subscription to print 3D figures for kitbashing.

---July will be a tinkering month to do some small batches of figures. 

7) Terrain. It's time to make some improvements now that I have transitioned to almost 90% 28mm vs 15mm collections. 2026 should be the year of terrain. Reduce the painted figure count for the year, but make terrain. Consider selling the hexon terrain and moving to terrain cloths.

---I have made hills, roads, and some other small pieces. HEXON sold.

8) Next batch of Burrows and Badgers figures to keep up to date with the whole collection.

---Nothing released yet.

9) Continue Quar.

---Staying up to date. 

Project Update: 11 projects

6mm Sci Fi Big Battles:

---Last Painted:

---Last Gamed:

Victorian Science Fiction:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2025

---Last Gamed: Dec, 2025

Quar:

---Last Painted: Apr, 2026

---Last Gamed: Apr, 2026

28mm Sci Fi:

---Last Painted: Feb, 2026

---Last Gamed: Dec, 2025

A Very British Civil War:

---Last Painted: Oct, 2024

---Last Gamed: Mar, 2026

28mm Fantasy:

---Last Painted: Jun, 2026

---Last Gamed: Jun, 2026

Pulp:

---Last Painted: Jan, 2023

---Last Gamed: Feb, 2025

Burrows and Badgers:

---Last Painted: Sep, 2024

---Last Gamed: Jan, 2023

Slaughterloo:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2023

---Last Gamed: Apr, 2026

Kingdom of Katzenstein 15mm Imagi-nation:

---Last Painted: Dec, 2018

---Last Gamed: Nov, 2024

Fantasy 15mm: ----------SOLD

---Last Painted: Jul, 2019

---Last Gamed: Jul, 2021

May 2026

Great month of hobby time, despite continuing to spend too much. 

I touched up all my trees, putting them on bigger bases for stability, and matching the ground cover. I also made some very basic movement trays.

Registered for Historicon, including running a game for the first time. 

The expansion of the 28mm fantasy force continues. I completed a big batch of Halflings, with probably two more months of 3D printed figures on hand. 

PAINTING 

37 foot figures: 23 points

32 mounted: 64 points

Total: 87

YTD: 437

GAMING 

1 x  Nemesis miniature board game

1 x fantasy game, Wars of Orcs and Dwarves

YTD: 20

BUDGET

$532: $264 bases and movement trays, $36 varnish, $22 paint and glue, $90 terrain supplies, $20 rules

YTD:  $1967 (Sold: $2269)