Monday 24 January 2011

Drang nach Osten!

An ardent Orientalist in "action".
After reviewing my collection and a lot of serious thought, I have decided to expand the scope of my blog.

Rather than being devoted exclusively to the 1720-45 period, I will now cover the C18 history of Beimbach-Schönau up until the fall of the Ancien Régime.  This will enable me to explore some rather interesting ideas I have concerning the military, Colonial adventuring and to create some interesting multi-purpose units.

As before the main emphasis will remain the 1740-63 period but the expansion allows some fun units such as the "Arabische Freikorps"!  The proposed trading colony will be located in Araby and thus gratify my Orientalist tendencies.  Is it just me or does the spectacle of C18 Europeans in exotic climes have widespread appeal?



Elite's late C18 Austrians - candidates for 1770.
The post SYW army is again heavily influenced by our KuK neighbour.  I am presently debating which manufacturer should have the pleasure of supplying a couple of regiments (my wedding anniversary present!)  Eureka, Elite, Front Rank and Eagle are all in contention.  The former pair for their excellent Kaskett wearing fellows.   The latter two for some rather fun bicorne wearers.  (For approaching 15 years I have liked the look of Front Rank's Spanish Infantry.   At one stage I was going to "do" a Saxe-Weimar army as I feel they were passable stand-ins.  With an ImagiNation I have no such concerns)

Some more contenders - Eagle, Front Rank & Eureka.
I know the current materiel is far from finished but it makes sense to me for the endeavour to be approached as a whole rather than three individual segments.  Especially since the timeline is largely complete (in my head!)

I apologise for the recent dearth of postings but there have been some momentous happenings here at Schloss Krautheim and these have distracted from the fun stuff.



3 comments:

  1. 'Turqueries' were *so* fashionable in 18th C. Europe! And people were no more 'discrimnative' between Ottomans, Persians and Hindus that many Hollywood costume designers. An "Arabische Freikorps"? Wow!

    And maybe your example will encourage, symmetrically, some 'EvE' members I know who, tempted by Colonial wargaming, already have built their 'native' opponents but not yet their 'Victoria's Boys in Red', to launch a mid-18th C. expedition somewhere in Africa...

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  2. Do place yourself close to New Byzantium, lots of intrigues would be possible, especially with the ooblecks on our boredesr as well Somewhere on the Black Sea would work, via marriage - after all, bit of Turkey are all up for grabs :-0

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  3. "thus gratify my Orientalist tendencies"? (Eureka -appropriately mentioned on the Neo-Byzantium blog).


    "The spectacle of C18 Europeans in exotic climes" (not to speak of India- the Eastern as well as Western Indies, in fact).

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