Scotland might not have been one of the richest lands in Europe, but when its well organised army marched to war, it went well equipped with artillery in quantity and in many forms.
The Frame gun was a Scots favourite. Small and compact and easy to manoeuvre, frame guns come in all shapes and sizes. They could be simple barrelled, double-barrelled or even quadruple barrelled as is our Warlord gun!
They could be towed by mules, packed in carts or dismantled and carried by pack animals, making them very versatile, as artillery was frequently lost on campaigns or reaching the battlefield too late to make a difference.
Frame guns could fire round shot or hail shot and would be able to keep up a quick rate of fire. Scots armies seemed to field many of these useful machines of destruction, indeed some people called small guns such as these ‘murderers’.
We imagine that Montrose may well have picked up some of these on a campaigns though he did not record so doing, in his many victories against the Government forces.

The Saker was the mainstay of the artillery park. Large and fearsome enough to pound the enemy in the field and also manageable (just!) so that it could arrive on the battlefield. We forget today that 350 years ago in Britain few had seen the savage effects of gunpowder weapons let alone heard such a terrific noise as a Saker giving fire!
Crewed by a couple of specialists and a team of labourers who had to swab the gun and haul it back into position after each shot, artillery were much valued by generals of both sides. Their material effect on the enemy was often negligible, but the morale effect profound.
The Warlord gun team can be painted to represent any gunners in the 17th Century. Don’t forget that cannon seem sometimes also to have been painted in surprisingly bright colours, though we recommend Black for the barrel and ironwork.
The Saker is beautifully sculpted in fine detail and for this reason we have produced it in fine resin so that all wood grain and rivets are represented.

First off we have a Ranter, also known as a Leveller, Digger, or Agitator. The Parliament forces were full of them. Charismatic, forceful, bellicose, determined men who would hector and cajole their comrades to club together to be listened to and demand change!
Quite what they wanted could change daily, but commonly it would, not unreasonably, be about not being paid for 5 months, having no clothes to wear or no food to eat. Worse than that, sometimes the ale ran out! Often enough it was rather higher questions that were being asked. Matters of religion and God’s command of man. “When Adam delved and Eve spun, who then was the gentleman?”, was a question asked in the ranks.
Warlord’s Ranter is a New Model Army man who is obviously appealing to his fellows to see reason. He has a scarf wrapped around his arm as a sign of his politicisation, a pamphlet on soldiers’ rights stuffed into his hatband, and a suitably barmy expression. All he needs now is a chat with that nice Mr Cromwell - he seems a reasonable man….
Our next model is a Cleric based in some part on Archbishop Laud, who was done in by the Roundheads for being a bit old-fashioned in his views (ie, not being a bigoted Puritan). This saintly man has a sly expression, and worryingly carries a sword by his side (for protection or to enforce his preachings?).
We envision him being used mainly in Royalist armies to give a sermon before the battle. A bit of fire and brimstone before they go forward to do the Lord’s work. He is also just the man to accompany Montrose’s Irish Brigade in their campaigns (more on those in a newsletter soon…). Montrose had many Catholics in his army and they no doubt had priests to hear their confessions and crimes. We suspect they must have been busy men…
Our Puritan Preacher is a bit of a misery. He carries the good book and isn’t afraid to use it! As you can see he is giving his flock a severe talking to, hopefully inspiring them to great things in Parliament’s cause… “One King, KING JESUS!”, was one of the Parliamentarian’s regular chants.
This model can be used in all Parliament armies, and especially in the New Model Army. In a pinch he can be put in Covenanter units as well (they were all Protestants) to wind up the lads against the filthy Highlanders and their Popish Catholicism!

Born in Prague in 1619 the son of Frederick V, Elector of Palatinate, Prince Rupert was the nephew of King Charles I.

Rupert first campaigned in the Thirty Years War at the age of 14, and was held hostage in Austria for 3 years until released with Charles´ aid. He came to England with his brother, Maurice, in 1642.

Very gifted in langauges, the arts and mathematics, Rupert was a firm favourite and charismatic leader in the Royalist cause. He went on to become a feared and renowned cavalry commander, sweeping all before him in ferocious charges. Nicknamed ´Robert the Devil´ by Parliament, it is clear the fear he instilled in them. Even his pet dog Boye was accused of being demonically possessed!

Headstrong and impetuous, the success of these charges was sometimes diminished by an inability to rein in after initial contact, and this cost the Royalist cause key victories.

This fantastic sculpt of Prince Rupert shows him leading his cavalrymen into the charge along with his fearsome dog Boye.

Robert Devereux, eldest son of the 2nd Earl of Essex who was famously executed by Elizabeth I, was born in 1591. Although one of the wealthiest men in England at the time of the English Civil War, he was never a favourite at the court of Charles I.

He gained his early military experience fighting in the Thirty Years War for the protestant cause in Germany and the Low Countries. Essex firmly tied himself to the cause of Parliament by warning the five MP´s about to be arrested on the Kings orders. He was in fact the highest ranking noble to support Parliament and was made Lord General of al Parliament forces in 1642.

Essex was a naturally cautious general, although undeniably brave. In fact, at Edgehill he was seen in the thick of the action with pike in hand. Beloved by his men, he was nicknamed ´Old Robin´ by them as a term of endearment, his regiment becoming known as ´Olde Robin´s Foote´

This fantastic sculpt shows Essex mounted and his hat off taking a salute.

England in 1642 was a land of peace and sea of tranquillity compared to the horrors of the Continent’s terrible 30 Years War. So when the King and Parliament fell out and fisticuffs spread throughout the land it was like a bolt out of the blue…
No doubt most thought it would all be over by Christmas, but the war dragged on and on and, as usual, it was the common folk who suffered the most. Raiding parties from both sides waged a small war as a fight for supplies and personal plunder took hold of the soldiery who were, it is fair to say, often poorly provided for. This became too much for the good yeoman people of the midlands, and firstly in Worcestershire, then the West Country, the locals organised…
Led most often by their social betters, the villagers and small townsfolk formed associations, or ‘Clubs’, sworn to defend their livestock, beer and persons from any marauding soldiery whomever they were. They armed themselves from whatever were available, largely agricultural tools, and with whatever other weapons the local squirearchy could avail himself of. Some Clubmen groups even fielded cavalry!
They fought a few actions, seeing off small raiding parties, and even sometimes allied with an army for temporary advantage, though no general could count on the goodwill of these bands for long.
So Warlord present a savage looking bunch of villagers, led by their handsome squire (directly above), mustering on the village green before marching off to ‘beat the bounds’ of their parish and see off any intruders.

This pack of Amoured Pikemen are great for adding variety to your exsisting pike units and increasing their size, or building a new one entirely from scratch.

These are great characterful models with a great amount of detail for you painters out there.

In the pack there are 8 random armoured pikemen with pikes.

There are few more iconic images of the English Civil Wars than the grim-faced lobster pot helmed, buff-coated Parliamentarian Ironside.
Parliament cavalry cut a fearsome appearance on the Civil war battlefield. For offensive purposes they could be armed with a good stout broadsword, two long flintlock pistols and sometimes a carbine. This reflected their tactical use on the field, often drawn up six deep, using their carbines, and then their pistols, in the Dutch fashion, to pepper the enemy with shot and then and only then close with the sword.
When it worked it worked well, but crushing defeats by the dashing Cavaliers led to Cromwell reorganising his horse regiments and playing the Royalists at their own game.
Warlord Games’ Parliament cavalry are equipped with sword and pistol, in addition to carbines and poleaxes. The boxed set also contains standards for Parliament regiments and the Thirty Years War Swedish army .

Royalist cavalry earned a well deserved reputation for ferocity from their first clash with their Parliament foes at Powick Bridge in September1642 to the last major battles of the Civil wars.
Inspired by commanders such as Prince Rupert of the Rhine, Cavalier cavalry adopted a style of charge that overwhelmed their opponents in the early war years. Drawn up only three deep, their tactic was to approach steadily then spur their horses into the enemy at a gallop, not using their pistols until they literally pressed the muzzles against the bodies of the Roundhead troopers!
Well led, well motivated, and superbly mounted, the Royalist horse was the terror of the battlefield, until Parliament learned how to stop the ferocious charges and turn Royalist indiscipline against them.
Warlord Games presents their Royalists with all manner of options. You can equip them in helmets or hats and arm them with swords, pistols or even carbines and poleaxes. We include standards for Royalist regiments and the Imperial amy in the Thirty Years War.

There is a compelling thrill about the sight of a Scottish Government army drawn up for battle. Dour-faced hardmen from the lowlands of Scotland drawn up in their trademark Hodden Grey uniforms, topped with their distinctive blue-knitted bonnets, the Covenanters fought hard in many bloody battles of the civil wars.

Indeed they routed the English forces in the Bishops’ Wars leading up to the great civil war where they first sided with Parliament, fighting mainly in the North, most famously at Marston Moor. Then they made a momentous decision and sold the captured Charles I, their King, to his bitter enemies, Parliament.

This unholy alliance could not last and the Covenant army found itself allied with a doomed Royalist cause in the second and third civil wars.

Well-equipped and organised, the Scottish infantry could give a good account of themselves. They scorned armour, and often helmets, in their pike divisions, but all too many of them died at catastrophic battles like Preston, Dunbar and, finally, Worcester or were slaughtered in the Highlands by Montrose´s wild Highlanders and Irish. Survivors were shipped to the West Indies where many died of disease, a sad end to a once proud fighting force.

Warlord´s Covenanters are shown here fighting under the saltire flag, which was typical of the day, eager to get to grips with their English foes.