The Barons' War - 28mm Medieval Miniatures

BackerKit surveys are coming! Get ready for your Pledge Manager email.
over 4 years ago – Sun, Oct 20, 2019 at 02:43:26 AM

The good news is we are now ready to go as Kickstarter has completed their bit and transferred all pledge information into BackerKit which is our pledge manager of choice.  Kickstarter has only had an issue with 8 backers unable to complete their pledge and as we don't want anyone to miss out Andy Hobday will be contacting each person individually to see if we can get something sorted out.

Everyone else very soon will receive an email from us with a special link to your BackerKit survey. It’s important to respond to your survey as quickly as you can since we need this information to fulfil your rewards.

You don’t need to create a BackerKit account to fill out your survey. When you receive the email, click the survey link to respond.  By doing so you will be taken to the starter screen for your personal pledge survey.

Select 'Get Started!' to, funnily enough, get started. We have asked you a series of multiple-choice questions to start (we hope you don't mind).   These questions are to help us decide should we create a ruleset for these miniatures and also ask if we were going to make more medieval miniatures what would you like to see.

Once you have completed the questions, you will be able to select packs up to your pledged amount plus purchase any add-on items at an extra cost.

When you have finished choosing click 'NEXT' and you will be taken to the next screen and asked for your shipping information. 

This shipping information will generate your shipping cost which you will be asked to pay along with any other additions on the confirmation screen either via credit/debit card or PayPal. 

Every Friday we will be locking any completed backer pledges, which means any that have completed all four stages of the survey, charging at this point for any additions including shipping.  We are doing this weekly so we can ship completed pledges as quickly as we possibly can with the aim of having all pledges shipped before the end of 2019.

If you backed at the Rebel pledge level you will already have the first 10 resin packs added in your pledge manager automatically.  You will be able to add further packs in either resin or white metal (or both) in the add-on section.

If you backed at either the King John or the Prince Louis pledge level you will have one of each pack in white metal add in your pledge manager automatically.  Andy Hobday will also be in touch very soon via email to discuss plans for your unique sculpt by Paul Hicks.  You will be able to add further packs in white metal in the add-on section.

If you need to review your information or pledge status, you can return to your survey by clicking the link in your survey email or requesting your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page at https://the-barons-war.backerkit.com.

If you used your Facebook credentials to log in to your Kickstarter account, the BackerKit survey is sent to the email address you use for your Facebook account. If you have another email address that you prefer to use, please contact support at https://the-barons-war.backerkit.com/faq.

Please remember by answering your survey in a timely fashion helps us get your rewards out to you faster, we will be operating a first submitted first-served basis. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organisation, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process your pledge reward shipments.

I hope the above steps make sense, if not please do ask questions. Again, thanks for all your support. With the help of Footsore Miniatures & Games, we can’t wait to send your Barons’ War miniatures to you.

~Andy & Paul (Hobday & Hicks)

One Week On and The Next Steps
over 4 years ago – Tue, Oct 08, 2019 at 10:07:10 PM

Once again thank you for making our project a reality! A few things do need to happen before we can kick off fulfilment, the good news is Footsore Miniatures & Games have already started production preparing the packs.  

However, I have to hold my hands up and offer an apology as in my naivety with this being my first I thought we would be able to have the pledge manager up a week after the Kickstarter had closed. This seems to be something you can't do as Kickstarter take two weeks to collect everyone's pledges after which BackerKit (which is the pledge manager we are using) takes another 2 - 3 days to verify everything and sign us off good to go.  So I’m sorry for any miscommunication and misunderstanding on my part I hadn't realised this actual step took this long as a minimum. 

So I hear you all asking when will we get access to the pledge manager? Well, it looks like the quickest we can have the pledge manager open is in 12 days time on Sunday the 20th October 2019.

With this in mind here's a quick rundown of what is going to happen:

First, Kickstarter needs to transfer over the funds and confirm everyone's payments which will be added individually into the BackerKit pledge manager (this takes up to two weeks from when the Kickstarter ended), this process is happening right now.

Second, we have to find out what packs you have chosen for your pledges and where we need to ship them. We’ll send out a BackerKit survey to collect this information starting on the 20th of October.

We’ll give you a heads-up via another update before we send the survey so that you can watch for it. You won’t need to create a BackerKit account to answer your survey. Your invitation email, the same as your Kickstarter email, will contain a link to your personal survey. It is important to submit your responses as quickly as you can since we need this information to process your pledge.     

If you need to change your survey responses, purchase add-on items, or update your shipping information, you can click the link in your survey email again or request your survey link under "Lost your survey?" on our BackerKit project page. (Please note, this page will only start working after we send the surveys out on the 20th October.)

By answering your survey in a timely fashion helps us get your rewards out to you faster, we will be operating a first submitted first-served basis. BackerKit helps us save lots of time by streamlining the survey process, automating data organisation, and providing us with pledge management software to make it easy to process your pledge reward shipments.

I hope the above steps make sense, if not please do ask questions. In other news, we do have the pledge manager built and all ready to go once Kickstarter and BackerKit give us the green light; below are screenshots of what to expect.

This is an example of the first screen you will see:

This is the second screen where you can select your packs or add to your pledge:

This is the third screen where you confirm your details:

When the pledge manager opens we will send out a guide explaining how to use it along with a detailed walkthrough, the above images are just examples of what to expect.

Again, thanks for all your support. We can’t wait to send your Barons’ War miniatures to you.

~Andy & Paul (Hobday & Hicks)

+24 Hours - What Happens Next?
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 10:39:50 PM

Hello, everyone, we are just over 24 hours on from our Kickstarter finishing and I thought it would be a good idea to send a quick update on what happens next.

When the Barons' War project ended yesterday Kickstarter started to collect your pledge amounts which can take up to two weeks.  While this is going on, I am in the process of putting together the pledge manager which I am aiming to have live early next week.  If you haven't participated in a Kickstarter before the pledge manager when it opens will be like a Barons' War Kickstarter website. 

You will be given access via your pledge and be invited to confirm your pledge type, Baron, Rebel, King John or Prince Louis and asked to enter any further information that we need, e.g. your postal address.  Also in the pledge manager, you will be able to select which packs you want as your pledge as well as pay for postage.  You will be able to add any extra packs or add anything else you would like paying for these separately.  

When the pledge manager is ready I will also prepare a "How to..?" guide showing how everything works plus I will be on hand to help anyone who needs my help.  If you want to contact me not through Kickstarter you can also follow me on Facebook through my page which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/andyhobdaygames/

This morning I popped into Footsore Miniatures who have all the production moulds made and are currently producing lots of miniatures ready to pack later this week using the snazzy new Barons' War backing cards.  The Footsore guys want to be ready to start shipping orders as soon as you complete your pledges which is great news indeed.

While we wait, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.

~Andy

Thank You, Everyone!
over 4 years ago – Mon, Sep 30, 2019 at 02:29:43 AM

Thank you, everyone, for your support it is really appreciated and totally awesome, I think it is right to say we smashed it!  Keep following the update emails as we will use them to explain what happens next, we are fully committed to delivering your pledges in the most timely of fashions. 

We will explain what happens in detail next week, for now, start planning your retinues for the Barons' War!

Did You Know 18 - William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
over 4 years ago – Sun, Sep 29, 2019 at 10:03:23 PM

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke also called William the Marshal was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman who in total served five English kings.  Knighted in 1166, he spent his younger years as a knight errant and a successful tournament competitor and was eulogised by  Stephen Langton as the "best knight that ever lived".  

Before him, his father's family held a hereditary title of Marshal to the king which involved management over the other Marshals and functionaries of the crown. William, however, became known as 'the Marshal' and because he was an Earl, the term 'Earl Marshal' was commonly used where this later became an established hereditary title in the English Peerage. All Kings of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom since James VI and I have been descendants of William Marshal through his great-great-grandson Robert the Bruce.

William's father, John Marshal, started as a supporter of King Stephen when he took the throne in 1135, but in about 1139 he changed sides to support Empress Matilda in the civil war of succession between them which led to the collapse of England into "the Anarchy".  On besieging Newbury Castle in 1152, King Stephen used the young William as a hostage to ensure that his father John kept his promise to surrender the castle. His father, however, used the time given him to reinforce the castle and to alert Matilda's forces. When ordered to surrender immediately or William would be hanged, John replied, "Go ahead, I still have the hammer and the anvil with which to forge still more and better sons!".   This outraged the attackers, who created a pretence to launch William from a type of trebuchet towards the castle however Stephen could not bring himself to harm young William and kept him as a hostage.

William was knighted on campaign in Upper Normandy, at a time when it was being invaded from Flanders. His first experience in battle received mixed reviews. Everyone who witnessed the young knight in combat agreed that he had acquitted himself well. However, "War in the twelfth century was not fought wholly for honour. Profit was there to be made..." In this regard Marshal was not so successful, as he was unable to parlay his combat victories into profit from either ransom or seized booty.

In 1167 he was taken by William de Tancarville to his first tournament, where he found his true calling. Quitting the Tancarville household he switched to the household of his mother's brother, Patrick, Earl of Salisbury. Unfortunately in 1168, his uncle was killed in an ambush by Guy de Lusignan. Injured and captured in the same skirmish he received a nasty wound to his thigh luckily someone in his captor's household took pity on the young knight. He received a loaf of bread in which were concealed several lengths of clean linen bandages with which to dress his wounds. This act of kindness by an unknown person perhaps saved Marshal's life as an infection setting into a wound in this period would have killed him. After a period of time as a hostage, he was ransomed by Eleanor of Aquitaine, who was impressed by tales of his bravery. He would remain a member of Queen Eleanor's household for the next two years, taking the opportunity to attend as many tournaments as he could.

In 1170, Marshal was appointed as Young King Henry's tutor-in-arms by the Young King's father, Henry II. During the Young King-led Revolt of 1173-1174, little is known of Marshal's specific activities besides his loyalty. After the failed rebellion, Young King Henry with Marshal, travelled with Henry II for eighteen months, before asking for, and receiving, permission to travel to Europe to participate in knightly tournaments.  Both Marshal and Young King Henry gained much prestige from many victories. These tournaments were dangerous, often deadly, staged battles in which money and valuable prizes were to be won by capturing and ransoming opponents, their horses and armour. Marshal became a legendary tournament champion and on his deathbed, he recalled besting 500 knights during his career.

In January 1183 Young King Henry declared war against his brother, Richard the Lionheart, however, the Young King became sick and died on 11 June 1183. On his deathbed, he asked Marshal to fulfil the vow he had made in 1182 to take up the cross and undertake a crusade to the Holy Land, and after receiving Henry II's blessing Marshal left for Jerusalem in late 1183. Nothing is known of his activities during the two years he was gone, except that he fulfilled the Young King's vow, and secretly committed to joining the Knights Templar on his deathbed.

During Henry II’s last days, he had promised the Marshal the hand and estates of Isabel de Clare but had not completed the arrangements. King Richard however, confirmed the offer and with this unison, William became the Earl of Pembroke acquiring large estates and claims in England, Wales, Normandy and Ireland. The marriage transformed the landless knight from a minor family into one of the richest men in the kingdom, with power and prestige at court. They had five sons and five daughters, and have many descendants. William made numerous improvements to his wife's lands, including extensive additions to Pembroke Castle and Chepstow Castle.

William was included in the council of regency which King Richard appointed on his departure for the Third Crusade in 1190. He took the side of John, the king's brother when the latter expelled the justiciar, William Longchamp, from the kingdom, but he soon discovered that the interests of John were different from those of Richard therefore in 1193, he joined with the loyalists in making war upon him. In spring 1194, during the course of the hostilities in England and before King Richard's return, William Marshal's elder brother John Marshal (who was serving as seneschal) was killed while defending Marlborough for the king's brother John. Richard allowed Marshal to succeed his brother in the hereditary marshalship. The Marshal served the king in his wars in Normandy against Philip II and on Richard's death-bed, the king designated Marshal as custodian of Rouen.

True to form William supported King John when he became king in 1199 and became heavily engaged with the defence of Normandy against the growing pressure of the Capetian armies between 1200 and 1203.  He and the king had a falling out in the aftermath of this failed campaign when he was sent with the earl of Leicester as ambassadors to negotiate a truce with King Philip II of France in 1204. The Marshal took the opportunity to negotiate the continued possession of his Norman lands. Before commencing negotiations with King Philip, William had been generously permitted to do homage to the King of France by King John so he might keep his possessions in Normandy; land which must have been of sentimental value due to the time spent there in his adolescence. However, once official negotiations began, Philip demanded that such homage be paid exclusively to him, which King John had not consented too. When homage was paid, John took offence causing a major row at court which led to cool relations between the two men. This became outright hostility in 1207 when John began to move against several major Irish magnates, including William. Though he left for Leinster in 1207 William was recalled to court and humiliated in the autumn of 1208, while John's justiciar in Ireland Meilyr fitz Henry invaded the Marshal’s lands, burning the town of New Ross. Meilyr's defeat however by Countess Isabel led to her husband's return to Leinster. He was once again in conflict with King John in his war with the Braose and Lacy families in 1210, but once again managed to survive. He stayed in Ireland until 1213, during which time he had Carlow Castle built. 

Taken back into favour in 1212, he was summoned in 1213 to return to the English court. Despite their differences, William remained loyal throughout the hostilities between John and his barons which culminated on 15 June 1215 at Runnymede with the sealing of Magna Carta. William was one of the few English earls to remain loyal to the king through the First Barons' War. It was William whom King John trusted on his deathbed to make sure John's nine-year-old son Henry would get the throne. It was also William who took responsibility for the king's funeral and burial at Worcester Cathedral.

On 11 November 1216 at Gloucester, upon the death of King John, William Marshal was named by the king's council (the chief barons who had remained loyal in the First Barons' War) to serve as protector of the nine-year-old King Henry III, and regent of the kingdom. In spite of his advanced age (around 70) he prosecuted the war against Prince Louis and the rebel barons with remarkable energy. In the battle of Lincoln, he charged and fought at the head of the young King's army, leading them to victory. He was preparing to besiege Prince Louis in London when the war was terminated by the naval victory of Hubert de Burgh in the straits of Dover.

At the end of the war William was criticised for the generosity of the terms he accorded to Louis and the rebels in September 1217, but his desire for an expedient settlement was dictated by sound statesmanship. Self-restraint and compromise were the keynotes of Marshal's policy, hoping to secure peace and stability for his young liege. Both before and after the peace of 1217 he reissued Magna Carta, in which he is a signatory as one of the witnessing barons.

Marshal's health finally failed him early in 1219. In March 1219 he realised that he was dying, so he summoned his eldest son, also William, and his household knights, and left the Tower of London for his estate at Caversham in Berkshire, near Reading, where he called a meeting of the barons, Henry III, the Papal legate Pandulf Verraccio, the royal justiciar Hubert de Burgh, and Peter des Roches Bishop of Winchester and the young King's guardian. William rejected des Roches’s claim to the regency and entrusted the regency to the care of the papal legate as it is suspected he did not trust the Bishop or any of the other magnates that he had gathered to this meeting. By fulfilling the vow he had made while on crusade, he was invested into the order of the Knights Templar on his deathbed. He died on 14 May 1219 at Caversham and was buried in the Temple Church in London, where his tomb can still be seen.