Compartmentalization, Lion Rampant and Thunderbolt Mountain

I had to have a laugh. The other day, my buddy paid me a compliment about how I am able to compartmentalize aspects of my life.  I think it was a compliment?! I'd just stumbled on this cartoon:

As I was working away on a project that required physical work and not a lot of mental energy, I thought that one through...might explain my lumpy head.

It's an accurate assessment. Compartmentalization has done me well over the years professionally as I've had to be exposed to some rather unsavory characters and events in various careers, travels and life events. It's a fantastic skill when on a wildfire as I merely put away all my otherworldy concerns and focus on the forest, the fire and the crew. And all those stupid and niggling dramas fade out of being until demobilization. Then, I get to come home to the latest"earth shattering" drama.

Later that night, I was re-reading Lion Rampant.

I really must get a game of this on a table. I have not felt this interested in playing with my Medieval figures since the days of Minifigs and Heritage and Chainmail.

So, I went up to the third floor and started to root around in various boxes I haven't unpacked since my move. And then I laughed, I have a massive collection of miniatures, terrain, etc., all the detritus/toys/junk/collections that come from forty years of building, buying, painting and collecting that make up Wargaming. And...I have these all compartmentalized into collections, scenarios and battles in Boxes. Somewhere over the years, I have sorted and re-sorted. Even my painting table has little compartmentalized projects across the myriad of periods.

How does this relate to Lion Rampant? I have old Minifigs and Heritage somewhere with Ral Parthas for Chainmail, not yet unpacked. I have a mishmash of Grenadier figures for Dungeons & Dragons...waaaay back in the white box days (also not yet found). I have official Royal Armies of the Hyborian Age figures by Ral Partha(?).

 

I also have Tom Meier's Thunderbolt Mountain collection of Arthurian figures based upon Sir Thomas Malory's version of Le Morte d'Arthur with the knights and legendary characters painted but not a lot of rank and file...yet.

Admiral Benbow's Painted Figure From the Lead Adventure Forum

A few years ago, I started re-painting the Royal Armies of the Hyborian Age. I was flush with cash at the time, so I sent a bunch to be painted concurrent with my efforts in order to speed the project. I did the same with the Thunderbolt Mountain figures. Then, I moved before I could try them in a game.

The new gamer group was different: not interested. The groups got boxed. Years later, they were unboxed and worked on again as I found a like-minded gamer had moved into the area. Then, I moved again. Again, the new Gamer group was not interested. Boxed. Until the evening after the lumpy head realization...

That same knight (see what I did there!), I dug both collections out and started to assess them for Lion Rampant gaming. I also dug out the unpainted of the same and started to assess them for additional Lion Rampant units as most of the painting had been done for skirmish gaming with an eye toward expanding into battles. I also took some money from my hobby budget and sent town militia and peasants and to Stan Johansen for painting; he'd just emailed me he had some space in his painting queue...I don't like painting  militia or peasants and Stan always does a great job! Here are the figures that Stan completed and are sending to me for the Arthurian collection.

 

This will jumpstart what I have painted and what I have collected into a nearly usable group of Lion Rampant retinues. I just need to finish some more footmen and archers. As for the the Hyborian project, I will not show you photos of the 1978 Ral Partha figures until I have a chance to fix up the paint jobs and the basing. Here is an image of similar figures to give you a taste of the style of the castings:

Meier_Elf_Fanatic's figures from Lead Adventure Forum

My strength is sifting through other websites and Blogs and posting little observations and sometimes even ideas for stretching a mainstream period into an esoteric period; but, I promise that I will try to illustrate these two (one?) projects as they progress...they might even have to become one project since the scale is 25mm and I have yet to compare them against newer figures and size differences.

And as for compartmentalizing, I have begun to unbox the collection and amalgamate terrain and the like into a full and more usable collection...I'm sure I'll finish just in time for the next move...