Annus Horribilis

In the annals of the Kingdom of Himmelbad, the late King Alberich III was acknowledged to be the grand unifier who finally brought together the warring bloodlines and regions. Indeed, Alberich's greatness came mainly from the battles that he fought and won in order to unify his kingdom.

When Alberich died (some say he died of a broken heart due to the strain of keeping the kingdom together), he subdivided his kingdom between each of his children. Why he did this has been the subject of endless debate.

Some have said that Alberich wanted his successor to unify the kingdom just like he had, and so splintered it so that any potential heir would be forced to prove their worth. Certainly it appears that his eldest son Ferdinand believed this to be true. Others whisper that Alberich was fearful of giving too much power to Ferdinand, and so diluted the inheritance by creating each of the brothers and sisters as ruler of their own portion, as a counter-balance to Ferdinand's ambition.

Ferdinand, for his part, was furious at this subinfeudalisation, and could not contain his ire. And so it was that, in an audacious bid for power, Ferdinand declared 'Year Zero' in his first 'Royal' decree, and set in motion events to have himself crowned Ferdinand I, King of Himmelbad.

The Process

I've not done anything like this just for my own pleasure since I was a kid, when I used to (have more time!) make up imaginary worlds and stories, draw up forces and fight battles, and write the histories of the characters and cultures. OK, so I have since roleplayed; but that was with others and for others (I was GM 99.99% of the time). OK, so this is a public blog interacting with others through EvE; but that's just icing on the cake - I'm doing this because it looks like a lot of fun!

The bottom line is - I don't really know what I am doing, and I am having a great time working it all out! The best part? I don't have anything yet. I don't have anything except this blog and the inspiration of all the other blogging folk who have made what they are doing look so interesting and such fun that I simply had to do it too.

I don't have anywhere to set up a game yet. I live with my partner and two dogs in a tiny cramped cottage, with nowhere to set up a wargame. I marvel at the photos I see of (mainly online) friends who have massive amounts of space, even whole rooms dedicated to their hobby. This is quite a big deal, but I have found a way to deal with it, at least for the moment, because.....

I don't have any miniatures yet, and I don't have any terrain or scenery. So naturally I can have fun doing all sorts of virtual and on-paper planning and design until I do acquire some.

I don't really know what rules to use yet. I have seen plenty of titles mentioned, so I will have to try a few and see. I can always make up my own.

So at this point I am so excited as everything is bursting with potential. What am I doing about it? Well...

I'm building a games workshop. More like a glorified shed actually. My partner and I joke about it and call it 'the studio'. The shed won't get started on just yet though, as it has to wait until after...

I'm building an extension to the cottage. A couple more rooms and crucially, a hallway where one side will be lined with bookshelves. Huzzah!

I'm scouting for miniatures within my budget, and terrain that I can build. I don't have much money and I need to get a pair of flexible armies together, plus paints, brushes etc. I'm sure I will buy some terrain, trees, scale houses etc. eventually, but for now I think I'll make my own. I saw a great 6' by 4' European Fields playmat by Eric Hotz, but maybe I'll try and make one of those too.

I have some rules on order. My main criteria were fun and ease of use for a novice like me, so I looked around at lots of rules before plumping for BAR (Batailles de l'Ancien Regime) by Bill Protz at Old Regime Rules. From what I have read, these rules will suit me straight away and they will grow with me as I get more experience. When they arrive I'll comment here regarding how well they suit my purposes.

So that's my current situation report. I'm off now to have a cup of tea, read a few entertaining blogs (and by gosh there are many!), and see if I can work out what miniatures I want and can afford!

Blood and Water

In the eye of my mind they are all still there though all these years have since passed, and many are dead, and I too am on my deathbed just like great Alberich was that day. There I see Ferdinand turning away from his father’s weak body, with its head raised on the royal pillow of golden threaded silks, too weak to sip the water being offered by the physician. In mid-turn, Ferdinand’s mouth is already half smiling, as if even then he knew that he would soon be dead himself and his father’s kingdoms torn apart by the children at war, even though his last words to his dying father were those giving on his honour a promise that they would all live in peace with one another. There too with her head bowed is Alberich's only daughter, Ferdinand’s sister, Isabella, grieving her great loss. Does she also weep because she knows how she and her brothers will make war upon one another and destroy the unity their father created? There also is the blank face of Gustav, who never thought his father who was so great in life could be so incapable in death, and actually die. He was destined to rule his part of his father’s kingdom in the same way as he looked then, it was never in his heart that he could live up to his father, and he was lost without him. Look, there is Siegfried, much beloved of his father Alberich, but what good will it do him now, with nothing to shield him from Ferdinand’s hatred? And yes I see too the eager grin of Ruprecht the bastard, who because of his ill-birth had abandoned all hope of inheritance or recognition. I am sorry Ruprecht, I did think then that you were the cuckoo in the nest and the cause of all the troubles that soon came upon us all. I now know that it was Ferdinand’s hand that did all this. And there is King Alberich III the Great, his lips wet and reddened with his own blood, still barely breathing and wondering which breath will be the last, with his earthly eyes on his wayward children, and his thoughts already at the gates of Heaven. Why did the Lord take you from us so soon Alberich? Life became so terrible for us after your passing.

Willkommen!

Everybody knows, and any decent history book shows, that the Grand Duchy of Kitschberg was situated somewhere between East Prussia and Russia sometime between 1719 and 1787.

Although historians ceaselessly debate its relevance to and influence on the military and political landscape before it was reabsorbed into the fatherland, all agree that this brief flowering of independence under Grand Duke Siegfried was one of the most dramatic and exciting episodes in 18th Century history.

This humble chronicle charts the many historical twists and turns of the wonderful homeland described by eminent historians as variously 'picturesque', 'bohemian', 'institutionally duellist', 'polite' and 'the most violent'. Readers are invited to explore this little-known part of the world, and we sincerely hope that what they discover will bring them great delight.

The Grand Duchy of Kitschberg is of course an ImagiNation on the continent of Urope. Provided that you don't let on to your children, we'll keep sending the presents each year, OK?