Pigg's Eye Land

The Oily Roaming Empire

2009-11-18T18:46:00.000-08:00

In considering that this is basically a Dark Ages fantasy universe, the juxtaposition of wildly anachronistic elements must be assumed. So I may used legionary figures to fill out the forces of the Oily Roaming Empire and similar uncouth moves which the hysterical war gaming community abhors.

One point, in this “universe” I admit only one force with hand gunnes. That would be Brain’s Barony. Brian McArthy was a very dear friend of ours who died from complications from his diabetes. He was an advid railroad buff (as his step father had been a station master for the Southern Railroad), a civil war re-enactor, a good fighter in the SCA, and ran a D&D campaign where the primary rule was to make the Game Master (Brian) laugh! When he gamed, he often played dwarves, and I often allowed his dwarves first access to gunpowder.
In the Pigg’s Eyeland set up, however, it is plausible for other forces to have bombards, rockets, and mine explosions. On the whole, I hope to keep that to a minimum.

The Oily Roaming Empire has the advantage of the most stable base of resources, and thus claims to be the true ruler of whatever happens to be there. In actual fact, however, its only stable core would be the large units of very heavy infantry, who are loyal to their current paymaster. The mounted elements are usually volunteer noble units or mercenary foreigners. Missile troops and irregular infantry can be obtained either by forced levies or by obtaining more mercenaries. Thus a peasant horde is always around to use as a “soak off” unit by the Imperial legate on the scene.
Most legates, however, tend to be very cautious commanders ... if they’re rash and wind up losing big, they get publically executed; if they’re bold and talented, they get privately assassinated; and if another legate is under the command, that legate is bound to be unreliable!
(Luagh).
One effect of this is that there is a big factor of disunity and parochialism in the Empire. So often, the “Emperor” of the week doesn’t have the capacity to really punch out some fringe problem. The standard response is then to “outlaw” the sector. Under this, brigandage, rapine, etc. etc. are not crimes but patriotic acts. Given the very taxing nature of the Empire, most regions at one time or another are Out Law districts ....

Which of course gives me many scenarios in which to deploy my little toys!

:)
A

Religions in Pigg's Eye Land

2009-11-18T18:45:00.000-08:00

Religions:
Phos (dreived from a series by Turnbull)
Skotos
The Holy Aurea:
Cathar:
The Four Prophets: (not only the Videsssos cycle, but also the Sikhs).

Divii Urbivm:
other "idol" cults

The Great Attractor:
The Golden Fire:
The Beneficent One:
The Life Force:
Hagia Sophia:
The Great Mother:
Almighty Dollah (an important God in one of the first D&D games I ever played).
Zen Hooey (Zip-ee Doo-Dah)
Cuthullu
The Gods of Ifni:
Tanj
Tanstaafl
Maxwell's Demon
Entropy
Random
Vesche (from “Hellspark”)
The Forces

Cults:
St. Alice of the Spear
St. James the teacher
St. Phielia the Nurse
St. Towxy the Doctor
The Angels
The GrandParents
The Faery Cult
St. Noxious of the Grave Demeanor
St. Dismas the thief
St. Cecilia the Singer
St. Vegas (patron of travelers and gamblers)

Scenario forming

2009-11-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

Since I've begun pulling together some scattered plastics (given the massive damage to my leads a couple of years ago), I've got enough for some small scenarios ...
One which is gelling right now (still need to finish some knights mounted for it):

Dame Edith's Defense ...
This will be a multi encounter scenario, as Dame Edith initially will be primarily concerned with husbanding her resources against the incursion of the Oily Roaming Empire under Luscious LXIX and his large companies of very heavy infantry ...

One, village evacuation;
two, Small castle defense;
three, Grand Ambush (in which Dame Edith's allies finally arrive in force to make Legate Leui Gasius try to extricate the Imperial troops ...

Battles coming soon!

Remembering

2009-11-13T17:18:00.000-08:00

My confuser was down for a couple of days, so I missed posting my own salutes to the honored folks who had served before, with, and after me.
My grandfathers, of course, both served in W.W.I.
Grandad Carnes came back so committed to pacifism that he would not defend himself when a bully attacked him.
Grandad Pigg was much more enamored of his adventures as a Navy man ... even though he spent three days swimming the North Sea when his ship was torpedoed.
My step-Grandad Clifton Talbert was in the trenches ... and he would talk about it on occasion and kept his VFW magazines all his life.

For myself, however, I was recently extended an honor which I don't really deserve. The American Legion (for whom I hold good feelings because they didn't discriminate against my Viet Nam friends like the VFW did back then) informed me that I was now defined as a combat era vet. Unfortunately, I don't feel like I deserve it all. It's a long story, but I never served a single day under fire or even out of the country.

Now that I am legally part of the gang whom I always honored, however, I feel ever more keenly the struggle for them to be treated properly by we stay-at-homes who never made the horrendous sacrifices still being demanded of all troops of free countries. I've been under fire during some violent strike settings, and it always amazed me that these men functioned, survived, and came home after enduring endless days of a thousand times more intense struggles. Yes, a few of them came back quite damaged in their spirit, but most came back to be folks who existed at what I felt was a higher level than mine. Who had day after day put all their dreams and all their selves on the line, often for things they didn't really understand.
Great history, to me, is actually the art, the music, the food, the discoveries, and so forth of a time; but I am cognizant of the overwhelming fact that none of that would survive or even be possible without the good soldier and the stained knight.
Which, in part, is why I wargame.

My games are often funny, always trivial, and the worst wounds occur when I'm trimming the flash off of a new figure. But in the background, it's a way to honor the real heroes. Not the great conquerors, most of whom could rightly be seen as monsters even when as benign as the Persians; but the young officer bravely holding the flag staff in a square at Waterloo thinking that he'd never heard of a battle where everybody died ... as it seemed was happening all around him then.

Nor do I forget the fellows who fought on the other side. It is popular today to hate the German soldier, but ninety percent of them had real reason given their limited knowledge (deliberately limited by their rulers, just as occurs today in dictatorial or fanatical regimes)to believe their cause was just. Even if they did not, they still felt the need to stand for their country against war's destruction.
So the guys who marched so far barefoot under Jackson or struggled across the sand for Rommel I honor too.

We may never be free of the horrors of war until the Parousia, but until then, I honor the good folks, now boys and girls, who willingly march into hell for me or for their own families.

Sincerely,
Arthur

ressurection

2009-10-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a year ... and very loaded it was.
But recent developments, and by going plastic, I should be in a position to resurrect Pigg Hollow next month!!!
I'm working on a unit of the Oily Roaming Empire's super heavy infantry these days ... and had finished a major addition to Peculiar County's forces a couple of months ago ...
:)
A

The Piggs Are Grunting

2009-03-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Due to some health issues, I have to spend sometimes inordinate amounts of time in the bathroom. So naturally, I tend to run paper and pencil imaginary games for myself while stuck there.

Now the folks who've been here a few years may remember Pigg's Hollow ... a fantasy setting for my pre-gunpowder figure. Now recently, I'd been playing against a wanna-be Dark Lord. The guy never really had enough punch to conquer everybody, and the alliances against him managed to survive some treacherous break-ups. (yes, I have ... and sometimes lose ... dice in there too).

I was stuck for a way to bring the series to a conclusion I liked. While the Dark Lord rarely appeared in person at the battles, his armies could be worn down and defeated. Being a mega powerful mage, the Dark Lord could hold a few of his strongholds indefinitely. It was a bad logic loop until it occurred to me that many mages follow funny diets ... what if part of the guy's diet wasn't so much magical power as food allergy? So, three tries later, on a campaign to secure the ever important ancient ruins, a batch of biscuits cooked in peanut oil ...

Okay, the Dark Lord is gone. One by one his lieutenants have either killed each other or been driven off. But there are these areas of miasma where much of the earlier battles and long term conflicts were waged. I'd like to run a set of skirmish games for mopping up exercises, but had a brain fart.
Used to be, I could rattle off formations and officers for several Medieval armies ... and suddenly could only recall that the lance was five to six folks and mounted and that English archers basic squad was 20 folks.

So I'm interested in basic TO&E's for basic small patrol and picquets and drawing a total blank. These spots of anemia are, unfortunately, another side effect. I couldn't even remember the last name of my old friend who ran the Wackamania campaign (a very Daisy sort of D&D ,,, saving throws could be adjust by how much your playing could make Brian laugh -- my wife told me his name when I got upset).

So rather than trying to recall lost data, I'd hoped that we might have bits of trivia floating around I could steal ...
:)
Arthur

Beastiary

2008-06-01T12:36:00.000-07:00

Exploring parties have reported sighting a number of strange monsters in other lands.
Often these animals appear to be some sort of magical cross breed.
These include, but are not limited to the following:
A cross between the Unicorn and an Elephant;
Giant camels crossed with leopards;
People covered with fur who neither speak nor build fires;
Giant cattle with huge flat horns that curve like sheep horns;
Water dragons with poisonous breath and spittle;
Deer who, instead of antlers, have twisted devil horns;
and
Birds with gems for feathers who do not sing, but shriek!

New Scenario developing, the pool of Shi

2008-05-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

The Pool of Shi Boom
(any resemblance to any real current or hysterical person, place, or thing is completely farcical and absolutely satirical)

The Castle of Shi Boom
Lady Sally Fourth and Lord Dammi Phyenoe.
(denizens of Pigg Hollow)

The ruins of Shi Boom Village

The outpost of the Bed Down tribesmen
(Turbines or Zinagarans)

The camp of
Shiek Urah Hasses.

Orders of Battle and all to come out next week!
:)

Pigg Hollow Has Fallen!!!

2008-05-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Alas, quite literally.
I was getting my old lead collection out to set up a game when I fell ....
while holding one tub full of trays across another tub full of trays!!

Alas, Now I have some 2000 figures to resort by hand, buy new trays, etc.
And it definitely delayed a game I was playing for 18th century
Frankszonia!

It may be some weeks before I have the chance again ... so I'm afraid if I make the game, it'll be in plastic.

:(
Arthur

New Mustering

2008-03-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a preliminary roster for my Imaginations:
Pigg Hollow,
Pigg's Eye Land,
Peculiar County,
and
Artie's Tatoo Grove for Picky Picts

It's going to hog up some time, but when I can muster a decent parade, Dame Edith, the fabulous artiste of Peculiar County, has engaged to generate some illuminative illustrations. ...

The Sealed Temple, first raid ....

2008-01-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

The Sealed Temple:

Opponents:
Team from Pigg’s Hollow vs. Local Defenders

Scenario:
Rumors of items of great power in a small, sealed temple on the border of Poitain and Zingara attract a team of adventurers .... However, the locals, driven by traditions of horrible curses, move to intercept them:
Terrain: A ruined plaza surrounded by overgrown ruins on plateau above local village:
In the middle of the plaza, there are the remains of a small, old temple which has been bricked over and a large well which is spring fed and still a good source of water. The Temple consists of small flat topped main building which faces onto a small courtyard. The gate is flanked by two smaller outbuildings.

Pigg’s Hollow:
Two Knights: Sir Eustace and Sir Fingerholden;
Two squires: Bob and Andy
The knights’ war dogs, and two clerics (along for their medical skills, and just in case).
1st Squad: Swordsmen A,B,C and Crossbowmen D,E,F
2nd Squad: Swordsmen G, H, I and X-bow J,K,L

Locals:
Men at Arms:
Brown team, three seargents and four men;
Grey team: two sergeants and four men;
Peasants:
headman, six shield men, and six slingers.

Monsters in the Temple:
Saved for a later game, I’m afraid ....

Rules: Home Brew ...

The game began very well for the Pigg’s Hollow team, which was able to approach the temple without being observed. Then only the Men at Arms activated for the locals! I assumed then that it would be a cake walk for the Pigg’s Hollow guys ... but there was a Howard / Lovecraft surprise in the Temple which I figured would even things out quite a bit.

Well, Sir Eustace, Bob, their dog and a cleric took the 1st squad into the temple and clambered up on the roof (hoping to find an easy place to break in) while the rest of the gang gathered around the well and filled up canteens.
At this juncture, the local men-at-arms shamble out of the woods (having climbed the steep slope in full gear). Sir Fingerholden puts his swordsmen in front of the x-bows while the cleric runs for the temple with 1st squad’s water jugs.
Then things seemed to go sour for Pigg’s men. To shorten the story, in the words of Admiral Halsey, their x-bows “couldn’t hit a bull in the butt with a base fiddle.”
Sir Eustace and his fellows scramble up on the Temple too, and sort themselves out with the 1st squad. Bob tries to hold the gateway, but the Greys shove him back and eventually strike him down. The Browns have brought ladders and hope to swarm up on the side of the temple while the Greys clamber up from the court yard.
Sir Fingerholden and his dog actually manage to keep the Browns from getting up in a topsy turvy fight. Indeed, one of his x-bowmen actually manages to hit a couple of the Brown sergeants! Sir Eustace tries to rescue Bob, but the push of the Greys prevents him from getting down into the courtyard. However, in the confined space of the little courtyard, the rest of the Piggs manage to eventually beat the Greys down, though Andy is also felled.
After a couple of turns, the Greys are overcome in the courtyard, and the Browns, seeing this and having had three of their men down, including their sergeant, decide to pick up the fallen and retreat.
(In my home rules, suffering a hit can either cause you to miss your attack next turn, to be knocked back, down, and / or out ... there are recovery rolls too, so both sides roll on each fight).
Finally the x-bow men score, and the Browns are forced to leave two bodies.

At this point, having 10 bodies to loot, with poor Bob dead and Andy out, and two swordsmen and a x-bowman injured, the Piggmen decide to withdraw before the villagers attack with the aid the remnants of the Browns.
The Temple and its ?treasure? remain intact, and its demon is undisturbed ....
yet.
:)
A

The Mate Tricks

2008-01-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

Since I've mentioned that I'll be doing most of my Iron Age gaming on my matrix, it behooves me to post a recent version .... somewhat mangled by the limits of the blog space! Each Line has six to seven slots on it, so the even numbered lines here are actually the eastern end of the line above ....
:)
Arthur

October 17, 2007 (12:11pm)
The Matt Tricks

----------- Dangle -(covers all "Danish / Viking" variants -------------------
Crab Apple Isle / / Hollow Lands / / Flushing Mains / / More Dangle / / Balmies
Honey Meade / / Krankt Kaze / / Wendy’s / / Polisher / / Dangle or Mangle
Peculiar County / / Porkshire / / Mark Land / / Mangle (Eastern Horse bands)
Pigg’s Eye Land / / Loincaster / / Lark Land / / Wieners / / either Turbos or Mangles
Sugar Maples / / Honey Dukes / / Row Hands // (empty) / / Salves / / V
Caer Dragwrydd // Pigg Hollow// Normalcy // Frog Gall / / Vain Ice / / Salves // Mangles etc
Hog Wilds / /Sowfolk / / Provisionals // Mild Hand Oil / / Axle / / Constapation.
Hammshire / /Candy Spangles // Sardines // Flower Essence // Olive Oyl / / Ate Hens / / Turbos // Mangles
Adolescent Zits / /Palm Oil / / Roaming / / (Empty) / / Sputter / / Corn Oil // Turbos // Mangles
Sandy’s Moors // Syrup Cruets // Neap Oily / / (Empty) / / Partsa / / Turbos // Scarves /// Mangles ^
The Great Egg / / Alli Gearia // Lubricant / Malt / / Cretins // Turbos // Scarves // Ragged Beds
Mole Asses / / Dry Croisant / / Tim Bucks Two // Gypped // Scarves // Ragged Beds // Hindend Cushion
(empty) / / da Homey /(empty) / / Sue Dan // Raggeds //
(empty) / / Ivory / // (empty) / / Ah Bin Seein’ Ya // (empty) // Hindend Cushions

Groupings:
Crab Apple Isle // Hollow Lands + Honey Mead + Peculiar County + Pigg’s Eye Land + Sugar Maples + Caer Dragwrydd;
Lark Land + Honey Dukes + Row Hands + Normalcy, Frog Gall + Provisionals (very loose agglomerate) ;
Krankt Kaze + Mark Land + Weiners = northern Oily Roaming Empire ;
Mild Hand Oil, Vain Ice + Flower Essence + Roaming + Neap Oily = southern Oily Roaming Empire
Sardines, Palm Oil, Syrup Cruets + Malt = (another loose agglomerate)
Olive Oyl, Corn Oil, Sputter, Axle, Ate Hens, Partsa, & Cretins = Grease ( + Constapation)

vauge location

2008-01-01T23:05:00.000-08:00

Since the Ancients campaign seems to be focusing upon the old Howard universe of Hyperboria, I've slapped a vague location down which may give me scope for both my Medievals and Byzantines and bit of my Dark Ages figures.

drin .... uh ... thinking on New Year's

2008-01-01T14:47:00.000-08:00

I'm snorkeling around for history ideas ...
Like the great rivalry between the Dukes of Pork and Loincaster and the
sugar vs. salt politics of Hammshire, and the stodgy old families of
Sowfolk.

Of course, the Royal Steward, being the King's elder, illegitimate brother, has set up an odious "Big Brother" government ....
:)

In a Pigg's Eye

2007-12-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 1, 2008
In a Pigg's Eye

As another imagi-nations set up for pre-gunpowder eras is developing, and since I've an extensive collection suitable, I'm entering into it with Pigg's Eye Land ... an homegrown solo campaign I'd used to excuse pushing my figures around the kitchen table.

The inspiration for these sites can be found on a badly punnished map of Europe, but I actually simply put them into a matrix, as I found that using an actual map too often tended to reduce the games to map exercises instead of using all my figures!

Pigg’s Eye Land :(Surely, you've heard "in a Pigg's Eye"?)

Including: ; Caer Dragwryth ; Crashing Boars; Winged Piggs; the Hog Wilds; Sowfolk; the Wallows;
Peculiar County (setting of my wife's series of short stories ... County Seat is Falling Rock ... btw, we live in the Arkansas Ozarks).
Pigg Hollow (a real place just over the hill where my Grandad and his five brothers lived).
Caer Dragwryth (Welsh = Green Dragon Castle)

The Bigg Pigg; The Troll King ; Countess Peculiar ; Dame Edith; Sir Porker; Lady Oinks ...

The Flying Piggs, (knights)
The Acorn Guard, (knights, rangers, and heavy infantry)
The Crashing Boars (more Knights with infantry support)
Boar Hounds (units formed from huntsmen and yeomen)
Boar Spears (infantry)
Piglets (militia, levy)

Oily Roaming Empire : Palmoil, Syrupcruets, Schitzenburp, Schlipenflop, Neapoily, Kranctkaze, Flourantz

1: Olivian Guard, from the tradition of the forces raised by the charisma of the legendary heroine, Olive Oyl.
2: Vassaline Guard, from the younger sons and bastards of the noble vassals.
3: Black Legion: originally a slave corps, now a quasi mercenary honor guard from recycled Oileans.
4: Crude Companies: Companies of maintainance and levy ...

The Honey Dukes (my wife is a Potter fan, okay?):
One suspects that the Duchy of Honey is known as The Hexagon from its
shape on the map. The Waxen River must flow through it. Don't forget
the following villages or towns: Stye, Honeybucket (promounced
"bouquet" of course), Piggville, Chateau de Muque, and the floral symbol
of the Honey Dukes, the Fleurs-des-Piques. Mooooooo...
Michael Lonie
PS Remembering the measure of beauty, the millihelen, one suspects that
the legendary heroine is one whose quantity of beauty was a face that
could launch five-and-one-half ships.

Their cooperative council, the Honey Bund.
The great charter gained at Honey Meade.
Honeysuckle Hill, Clover Bottom, Mollasses Rum, Maple Ridge,
Industrial centers = Squeazings, Sucre, Grand Hivings
their honorary unit: The Sweet Saps
Yeoman archers: the Stingers

The City States of Grease:
Their political center, Axle. ; Intellectual center: Ate Hams. ; Military Stronghold: Partsa.
Their infatuation with dirt track racing ...
The Shish ka-bobs infantry built around Heavy Infantry with long spears ....
Their Cretin archers ....
Often led by the great city of Constapation:
(Byzantines)

Argentium:
This is a small territory supported by recruiting from chapter houses in all the Western lands against the Eastern Powers whose claims on the Oily Land are clearly just a cover for their nefarious plan to annex both the rich oil fields, tars, and the best silver and electrum mines in the world.
Fanatical brotherhoods include the Gushers,

The Turbine Empire (uses all of the turbaned figures I happen to have).
The Insult of Instant Bull; Abdul, the Bul Bul Ameer; The Caliph of Cars-are-us

The Mangle Empire (which presses on everybody).

----
Still looking for decent takes on my old Vikings with their horned helms ...
:)
A.