Marcher Barons, Nobles and Diodine Sparrow 15mm packs released

It is my great delight to make the official release announcement for our April 2018 new codes here at The Ion Age.  We are still in the March to War event (until 16th April and see details HERE of free shipping and free miniatures) and now you can see these nine new 15mm awesome sculpts by Sam Croes.  Go HERE or read on for more.

The Council of Addans and Marcher Barons

The worlds and systems of the Prydian Precinct were organised into a loose alliance overseen by the Council of Addans, all with the desire for peace and prosperity at the end of the thousand years of dark times. In the year 4001 IC in the star system of New Glastonbury, the council was established. It was here that the Ancep Drive was developed, and this helped make it a natural choice, but New Glastonbury prime is also the place where the Tor is located. The Tor is a huge artificial satellite or moonlet that hangs above the planet, a place of truly ancient age and fashioned not by the hand of man. New Glastonbury and the Tor are the focal point of the Prydian Precinct.

For more than two centuries the Addans oversaw the pacification and then flourishing of the fifty nearest star systems, leaving the outer reaches much to their own devices. Members of the Council of Addans are always Marcher Barons whose local power in the ownership of planets or moons gives them great say in the massive council chamber located on the Tor. Matters which affected the whole Precinct are the remit of the Addans, such as trade and the building of starships, while matters within the domain of each Marcher Baron on the council is their own concern. In times of war, the Barons contributed their own troops to the cause under the leadership of a Knight General appointed by the Addans. At the top of the structure is the throne for the Prydian Precinct it has a royal family and always a king or queen upon that throne with whom ultimate authority resides.

A delicate arrangement of balances which became unspun with the death of King Cyon leading to the Prydian Civil War. Now Princess Daphne Cyon now leads the Prydian Army against the Leagues of Yordan and Canlaster and other rebelling Marcher Barons. A delicate balance of power based on the Throne and the Marcher Barons has unravelled leading to a Civil War.

Taken from IAB01 Patrol Angis – What is The Ion Age?

As you can see from the extract taken from Patrol Angis the notion of nobility is central to life in the Prydian Precinct.  To be in the Retained a small degree of nobility is needed (if differs from world to world) such as by birth or by extended family or noble deed or the ownership of property or significant assets.  Those without join the Muster and hope to advance into the Retained.  Above the typical Retained are the Nobles themselves ranging from the lowest who commands only a few knights to those who lead lances and then entire regiments.  Those at the apex are the Marcher Barons who oversee whole Condot companies, nations and even planets.  There are several thousand Marcher Barons and they wield colossal power.  Now you can add such nobles to your Prydian Army or League or Condot collections.

IAF156 Marcher Barons of Prydia

This pack contains three different 15mm very high ranking nobles of the Precinct ideal to command your forces in war all wearing elaborate Alwite powered armour decorated with seals and badges of livery.  A Marcher Baron aiming a Carnwennan Pistol with plumed helm.  A Marcher Baron with Octa Powered Sword raised and weapon slung.  A Marcher Baron firing Carnwennan Pistol and plumed helm.  Ideal for characters in the Prydian Army or any other force which uses Retained Knights such as the League of Yordan or League of Canlaster. Just choose your uniform.  You have the option of purchasing a pack or three packs saving 10% or single poses from the pack for your collection.  Price 3.00GBP per pack. Go HERE.

IAF157 Nobles of Prydia

This pack contains three different 15mm nobles of the Precinct ideal to command your lances all wearing elaborate Alwite powered armour and carrying a mix of energy melee weapons and Carnwennan Pistol.  A Noble leaning forward with decorate helm and Carnwennan Pistol.  A Noble preparing Carnwennan Pistol.  A Noble running with Carnwennan Pistol and plumed helm.  Ideal for characters in the Prydian Army or any other force which uses Retained Knights such as the League of Yordan or League of Canlaster. Just choose your uniform.  You have the option of purchasing a pack or three packs saving 10% or single poses from the pack for your collection.  Price 3.00GBP per pack. Go HERE.

IAF158 Diodine Sparrow of the Quarrel Company

This pack contains three personalties taken from the Prydian Precincts premier Condot organisation The Quarrel Company.  Wearing personalised Alwite powered armour they are firstly Diodine Sparrow bare headed with Roaz Axe then Quinus Bria the prime bodyguard of Diodine Sparrow with plumed helm and Hermit 44mm Plasma Rifle and lastly Loren Vasilia lady commander of the first regiment of the Quarrel Company bare headed with data slab and Carnwennan Pistol.  If you choose you can of course use these characters for any other force.  You have the option of purchasing a pack or three packs saving 10% or single poses from the pack for your collection.  Price 3.00GBP per pack. Go HERE.

PIA003 Uniforms of the Prydian Precinct

If you want to learn more about the largest military forces in the Prydian Precinct then you need Uniforms of the Prydian Precinct which shows you the top thirty armies, baronies and mercenaries who field Retained Knights led by Nobles.  Their uniforms for Retained, Desteria and Muster.  See it HERE and you can get it either as a lovely A3 print on high quality paper for your wall or now as a paid digital download in hi-rez A3 format at just 2.00GBP.  Created by Aris Kolehmainen.

PIA007 Prydian Precinct Star Map

A thousand years before the outbreak of the civil war that would pull Prydian space apart the last Khanate war forced the detonation of a universal potent bomb. This bomb called the 'Aldan Crucible' ended the Shia Khan incursion in this part of the galaxy by destroying not only their Matter Gateway but also the entire Aldan stellar system. In the dark centuries that followed the detonation savage and exotic Dolorous Clouds formed across Prydian space which hid entire star systems and made travel in or near them very dangerous indeed. This star map shows more than one hundred stellar systems as spoken of in our titles as well as the regions held by the League of Canlaster and the League of Yordan in the pivotal year of 4330 IC. Great for your wall and for planning your campaigns in The Ion Age. By our lead designer Sam Croes this is an A3 poster print. You can purchase one poster print at a great price or three of the same one and automatically save 10% on screen. You can also get the poster print signed by the artist. Additionally with this work of art you can purchase it as a digital download of the hi-rez poster at just 2.00GBP.  Go HERE.

Later this month we will have free articles for all of you Ion Fans!  We have made our new releases for April 2018 and these will be followed thusly for free:

Mortis ex Machina the Metaborg Proauctor - 10th April.

Written by Aris Kolehmainen this brand new legacy article from the ancient times of the Ban of Prejudice, before the formation of the Prydian Precinct, gives you Patrol Angis game stats for MetaBorgs...the bigger brothers of Psycoborgs. 

The Quarrel Company - 12th April.

Field Diodine Sparrow with this article containing background, organisation and Patrol Angis Game Statistics for the most famous mercenaries in the Precinct; the Quarrel Company. An extra from the in progress forth book in the series; Baron.

In the Name of the Roaz - 26th April.

This free full Patrol Angis scenario sees the Quarrel Company travel to Mallum IV on the request of the reclusive Baron Abbo for a mysterious task only to be dropped into the midst of a new planetary war between the League of Yordan and invading League of Canlaster forces. Abbo is dead but it turns out there is a data slate of incredible value which the small Quarrel Company detachment must sneak out of the Baron's underground hab complex..but will they escape before the Leagues bring the place down around Diodine's head?

Thanks for reading!

GBS

Mullo AFV and APC Tracked, Wheeled and AntiGrav 15mm vehicles released

The big release for March 2018 is now online at The Ion Age!  Six different variants of the 15mm Mullo with wheels, tracks and repulsar (anti-gravity) propulsions as Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) and Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC).  Easy to assemble and on average 45mm wide, 80mm long and 30mm tall with resin and white metal parts.  Go HERE for them.  Thanks for your support and read on for more information  plus a free download with the rules for these vehicles in Patrol Angis. Awesome!

“The Prydian Civil War saw the production of the Type 36 Mullo Armoured Fighting Vehicle increase six fold.  Though Retained regiments had made use of them since the Battle of Fenway Prime, the design of the Mullo was entirely new unlike those of the Skylark and Adder which dated from before the Ban of Prejudice.  Its original fabrication pattern was laid down on New Glastonbury to fill a need for a ground vehicle that could provide fire power in excess of that offered by battlesuits such as the Havelock but not that needed by a battle tank like the Taranis series.  Restricted to the ranks of the Retained, the Type 36 was made to accommodate powered armoured knights with larger hatches and linked controls along with internal space suited to knights.  As it stood Adders were cheaper and faster to make and could pack a punch but their size meant they were really the domain of the Muster and some lucky Planetary Militia.  The Type 36 was given its name by the Council of Addans who with a node to the mighty Taranis took another ancient Terrain deity of celtic origins and knowing it would be a work horse of a vehicle gave it a name thus.

This auto-trainer vid is centred on the Type 36W Mullo AFV marks.  Those with a wheeled mode of movement rather than the other commonly seen Type 36G repulsar marks of the Mullo which float off the ground.  Used on worlds and asteroids where the native magnetic fields make replusars impracticable or in urban combat where rubble and enemy action requires tires on the turf for security.  In this regard its six mighty wheels provide powerful motive abilities and are capable of shrugging off small arms fire and near misses from Anvil 888 rounds.  There are seven different current marks of Type 36W Mullo AFV's.  The more common ones are the 36WA, 36WB and 36WC in which the only differences are the twin load outs of the turret support grade weapons.  Twin Valerin 15MW Laser Cannons give the Type 36WA an energy based weapons platform good against armour and aircraft.  The twin Fretan  II Rail Guns give the Type 36WB a pure anti-vehicle role in the field and the Type 36WC is every effective against enemy infantry and battlesuits with twin Angis 25mm AP Cannons.  The other common mark is the Type 36D which is in the 'battle bus' configuration giving up its primary weapons for additional space and hatches as an Armoured Personnel Carrier.  Other marks include those designated 'super blue' which is a tank hunter and the 'long bow' mark which carries heavy Anda Missile Pods for artillery support.  These are rarer but present in many regiments.  

All marks of Mullo AFV's have a titanium composite hull making them rugged and durable and can be driven with a minimum of complex training. There has been a call for additional anti-personnel ball mounted micro turrets for Mullo's in action in urban warfare and these upgrades have been rolled out where possible.”

Academy Auto-Trainer Series 18, New Glastonbury, 4329 IC

The Mullo is the medium size of vehicle in our range in 15mm scale which is ideal for Retained Knights, Muster and Planetary Militia. Bigger than the Adder series of Combat Cars and smaller than the Taranis Main Battle Tank this is the wheeled AFV variant of the model. There are six different Mullo kits.  Three medium fighting vehicles and three medium personnel carriers.  Here are their details and on the page for each there are more images including scale and parts.  You can purchase one or three with a saving.

IAF042A Mullo AFV Wheeled

A Mullo is an Armoured Fighting Vehicle meaning that it fills a variety of roles from gunnery support to troop transport and strong point defence; tasks it is well suited to. Once assembled the Mullo AFV wheeled measures some 80mm in length with a width of 60mm and a height to top of turret of 30mm. It is easy to assemble with a one piece hull and pre-set bracketing points for the six wheels to be mounted. The Angis 12.5mm AP weapon on ball mount can be attached to the front of the hull or left off if chosen.  The pintle mounted Angis 22mm AP Rifle is white metal and can be left off or put on. The main turret is one piece with two mounting points for a pair of support grade weapons.  Supplied with three choices for the turret: Twin Valerin 15Mw Laser Cannons, Twin Angis 25mm AP Cannons and Twin Fretan Rail Guns.  Go HERE.  10.00GBP

IAF042B Mullo AFV Tracked 

A Mullo is an Armoured Fighting Vehicle meaning that it fills a variety of roles from gunnery support to troop transport and strong point defence; tasks it is well suited to. Once assembled the Mullo AFV tracked measures some 80mm in length with a width of 60mm and a height to top of turret of 30mm. It is easy to assemble with a one piece hull and pre-set bracketing points for two tracked units to be mounted. The Angis 12.5mm AP weapon on ball mount can be attached to the front of the hull or left off if chosen.  The pintle mounted Angis 22mm AP Rifle is white metal and can be left off or put on. The main turret is one piece with two mounting points for a pair of support grade weapons.  Supplied with three choices for the turret: Twin Valerin 15Mw Laser Cannons, Twin Angis 25mm AP Cannons and Twin Fretan Rail Guns.  Go HERE.  10.00GBP

IAF042C Mullo AFV Repulsar 

A Mullo is an Armoured Fighting Vehicle meaning that it fills a variety of roles from gunnery support to troop transport and strong point defence; tasks it is well suited to. Once assembled the Mullo AFV repulsar measures some 100mm in length with a width of 55mm and a height to top of turret of 35mm. It is easy to assemble with a one piece hull and pre-set bracketing points for two anti-gravity units to be mounted. The Angis 12.5mm AP weapon on ball mount can be attached to the front of the hull or left off if chosen.  The pintle mounted Angis 22mm AP Rifle is white metal and can be left off or put on. The main turret is one piece with two mounting points for a pair of support grade weapons.  Supplied with three choices for the turret: Twin Valerin 15Mw Laser Cannons, Twin Angis 25mm AP Cannons and Twin Fretan Rail Guns.  Go HERE.  10.00GBP

IAF042DW Mullo APC Wheeled 

IAF042DT Mullo APC Tracked

IAF042DR Mullo APC Repulsar

The Mullo APC is an Armoured Personnel Carrier meaning that it transports up to fifteen troops a short distance into the fray. Once assembled the Mullo APC measures some 80mm to 100mm in length with a width of 55mm to 65mm and a height to top of turret of 30mm to 35mm. It is easy to assemble with a one piece hull and pre-set bracketing points for propulsion units. The Angis 12.5mm AP weapon on ball mount can be attached to the front of the hull or left off if chosen.  The pintle mounted Angis 22mm AP Rifle is white metal and can be left off or put on as with the 12.5mm Angis ball mount. Choose from three types using the options on page.  You can purchase one or three of the same type with a saving by selecting it.  Go HERE.  10.00GBP

Players of Patrol Angis using the heavy vehicle expansion title Callsign Taranis are most welcome to CLICK HERE to download from our website a free article with game statistics and more in it for use of these six new vehicles in play.  There are other free articles which can be had for Patrol Angis HERE on the website by following the links hosted on our website.  Enjoy!

Lastly a note upon the nature of the new Mullo 2.0.  Those of you who have been with The Ion Age since 2014 and been playing Patrol Angis may well have a wheeled Mullo in your collection.  This is now the Mark One and is gone and out of production permanently so if you have it you are fortunate and have a piece of history on your table which is still perfectly useful in play.  The re-design of the Mullo for this Mark Two set of six variants was needed in order to give other means of propulsion and once we had done that we thought a new turret would suit better and then we wanted to give you all the weapon options included plus a pintle mount..so here we are.  At once the same and not the same.  The Mullo...workhorse of the Prydian Precinct. 

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

The Great Space Opera Blog campaigns in The Ion Age

With the festive season upon us and the snow falling it gives me great pleasure to present this short article on a brand new blog which is all about a new campaign set in the universe of The Ion Age. Rhys contacted me a couple of weeks ago and told me of his new campaign which is being played out on his The Great Space Opera Blog part by part. It has not taken long for Rhys to become fascinated with the Prydian Precinct and the civil war which has torn it apart and I have greatly enjoyed reading his plans and his reviews too. Go HERE for the blog or read on for more about what has occurred thus far.  

Beginning with an outline of the characteristics of his planned campaign Rhys lays out where he will go and what will happen. See that HERE. 

From there he looks at the contents of the excellent value Patrol Angis game pack which gives you all you need to begin playing in one box. This article is HERE and he talks about the contents of the game pack and then shows off his own painted set of Prydian Army and Yordists. Infantry, Portable Weapon with Gunners, Personalities and Battlesuits as well as the unique Knight Errant which you get only in the game pack. I give one picture here but there are many more in the blog post.

Prydian Intelligence Services Despatch (P.I.S.D.). Outpost Ajax has recently received re-enforcements to its expeditionary force pool. The re-enforcements consist of a detached unit of female retained knights with Angis rifles as well as heavy weapons support. In addition to this, an Espaten weapons platform has also been in-loaded with its specially trained Retained Knight crew of 2. These re-enforcements are a welcome addition to the Prydian force pool. This blog post speaks of the battle on Hertford Prime starting to heat up as reinforcements arrive from off world to join the campaign. Go HERE. An Espaten Portable Weapon Platform and a pack of Female Retained Knights. Have a gander and read on.

The most recent Ion Age posting on the Great Space Opera Blog is about one of our most favoured codes in the 15mm range; the Duxis Battlesuit. Deciding that the Prydian Army on Hertford Prime needed more muscle to take on the Marcher Baron threat three of the machines are now in the red and white. Go HERE. The campaign is starting to take off now and I am sure in 2018 there will be the rattle of Angis fire as the Throne attempts to take the world back for the forces of good

Keep an eye on The Great Space Opera Blog. I am enjoying the build up to the campaign taking place. If I were to guess on where Rhys will go next in terms of expanding his forces it would be in the area of bikes. The Burgeon Grav Bike gives Retained Knights a lot of mobility and fits right in with the open world and skirmish level of play which is going on. 

Where ever you are in the world..or indeed in the universe a happy holiday season to you from all of us here! 

 Thanks for Reading, 

GBS

The Red Dragon Company by Mark Burgess

It is my great fortune to be able to share with you the 'Red Dragons' collection and force for use in Patrol Angis which belongs to long term IonFan Mr Mark Burgess.  A mercenary formation of infantry, heavy infantry, bikes, battlesuits and vehicles of some four Lances (or platoons).  Here follows a short account of the Red Dragons as well as a link to download their pre-filled rosters for use in the game and also some really nice images of the collection too.  Enjoy and thank you Mark! GBS

The origins of the Red Dragon Company goes back to the war against Baron Reff

When Baron Bradshaw Reff rebelled against King Cyon III and the Council of Addans in 4302 IC, Baron Culhwch of Caledfwlch answered the call to arms from the King.  Personally leading the bulk of his army, comprising of both Retained and Muster, he left his home world in the care of his brother Bedwyr.

Culhwch and Bedwyr had never been close. While Culhwch was a natural leader Bedwyr was selfish and cruel; this often caused tension and fighting between them as they grew up. When their father died he granted them joint rule over Caledfwlch in an attempt to bring them together. This however ultimately had the opposite effect. Resentment had been gnawing at Bedwyr's heart he thought himself the only rightful ruler of Caledfwlch and no longer would he share with his brother.

When Baron Culhwch returned home after the death of the King he found much had changed in the years he had been away.  Bedwyr had raised his own army and bolstered the fortifications around the planet. As his fleet approached Caledfwlch, without warning, the orbital defences opened fire. Unprepared his fleet lost three frigates before they could raise their own defences with many other ships in his fleet badly damaged as well.  After the initial shock of the assault abated, Culhwch, normally a quiet and reserved leader flew into a wild rage. He vowed to crush his brother and all who served him, for this betrayal. Once awoken the fire-power of his remaining fleet made short work of the orbital defences. Then he unleashed all of his forces to the ground assault of the capitol. He was taking the battle straight to his brother.

The battle was short and bloody with campaign veterans against Bedwyr's untried Planetary Militia and Muster. Such was the rage of Culhwch and his forces that the Code Gallant was all but forgotten. A grievous crime indeed. Baron Culhwch who personally led a lance, breached Bedwyr's castle defences, cutting down retreating Muster on his rush to face his brother.  Bedwyr was found cowering in the reception hall his bodyguards having deserted him. Without a word or a warning the act was carried out. Culhwch strode up to him and cut his head from his body. He then looked around shocked at what he had done, his armour, once yellow, was now red with the blood of his kinsmen. Turning in silence he walked away.

Ashamed at the destruction that he and his brother had caused his homeworld Culhwch left the planet vowing never to step foot there again.  He took his forces to a small mining planetoid off Khartuum which his family had owned and settled there. Renaming his company The Red Dragons after the flying beasts on Khartuum and repainting their armour red as a reminder of the day they broke the Code Gallant, they now hire themselves out as a Condot.

If you would like to download the rosters for Patrol Angis for this Condot Company you can do so from our dropbox on this link HERE.

Here are pictures of the Red Dragons force in the elements it appears in the rosters.  Click on them to make the images larger.  I have added a comment to each photo.

The whole Red Dragons force!

Converted senior officers of the Red Dragons

Four Retained Knights from mixed IAF packs

A Noble leads Retained Knights from IAF codes.

A superb standard from IAF014 and officer from IAFL02

A melee focused demi with IAF057,63 and IAF002

IAF042 Mullo AFV medium vehicles

Mullo's with their infantry cargos

Desteria Demi!  IAF009 and IAF010

A Desteria Lance which you can get in IAFP03

Desteria Demi led by Murdo and Guliane!

IAF030 Duxis with Fretan Rail Gun

Fallen Duxis marker!

Duxis Battlesuit with Retained knight kneeling

Snipers from the YOC1  Year One Collection!

IAF081 Taranis Runner Drones

The lord of war.  Taranis Tracked Command Tank with its drones.  See IAF100.

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed what was shared here.  You can see more of Mark's miniature adventurers on his BLOG.

GBS

PIA007 Prydian Precinct Starmap poster and download released!

Our last release for January 2017!  When we released the Uniforms of the Prydian Precinct poster we were really happy with the reaction to Aris's efforts to show all the outfits of the Marchers Barons and Mercenaries and more of The Ion Age.  That was about the time we began to get requests for a star map of the stellar geography of the Precinct.  As you can imagine to create this in full is no small undertaking and so Sam Croes set aside some time and now the result is available for you all to enjoy. My own print is already on my wall.  We present PIA007 Prydian Precinct Starmap as an A3 poster and a digital download!  See all our posters HERE or read on for more.

Prydian Precinct Starmap

A thousand years before the outbreak of the civil war that would pull Prydian space apart the last Khanate war forced the detonation of a universal potent bomb.  This bomb called the 'Aldan Crucible' ended the Shia Khan incursion in this part of the galaxy by destroying not only their Matter Gateway but also the entire Aldan stellar system.  In the dark centuries that followed the detonation savage and exotic Dolorous Clouds formed across Prydian space which hid entire star systems and made travel in or near them very dangerous indeed.   This star map shows more than one hundred stellar systems as spoken of in our titles as well as the regions held by the League of Canlaster and the League of Yordan in the pivotal year of 4330 IC.  Great for your wall and for planning your campaigns in The Ion Age.

Digitally drawn by our lead designer Sam Croes this sixth of our poster prints was made locally here in Scotland on high quality 200gsm paper using rich inks.  Its a premium product to grace your wargaming walls with.  Bare or in a frame.  Supplied in a purpose designed postal mailing tube.  The image is exactly A3 size (300mm by 420mm) while the full post it sits on has a white framing border making the total dimensions 320mm by 450mm.  Go HERE.

As with all of our other products we offer you several purchase options.  You can purchase one poster print at a great price or three of the same one and automatically save 10% on screen.  You can also get the poster print signed by the artist.  Additionally with this work of art you can purchase it as a digital download of the hi-rez poster for half the price of the print.  Select this option on the drop down menu.  Go HERE.

Information Burst! 

This month's free miniature is a superb character by Sam Croes.  Standing 20mm to the eye line it is male baron in noblesse armour with fur cloak and powered mace. Baron MacCauld who is a dynamic leader for your veteran knights. There is a growing page on the Ion Age website where the current and all former IMP series free miniatures are shown so that you can see what came before. Enjoy looking at what came before.  This miniature is worth 1.00GBP.  This figure is free in all orders until the end of January 2017.   

Our other new release for this month is the crazy Malig Orba Bike set.  The ball bike which is a scaled down vision of their other insane creation the Infernus Ball Tank.  This new pack fits right in with the 15mm Shia Khan Empire codes in our range as we build towards the next expansion book for Patrol Angis which will feature rules for this new bike in play.  We have Malig infantry and now they have not only the tank but also this bike too.  Go HERE to see all the Malig Space Goblins.

Lastly we have a new month long special offer...this time it is on the super heavy hitter of the Desteria Knights with 50% off the list price of IAF013 Murdo and Gulaine who go great with Baron MacCauld.  Remember you also make a saving and get a special additional free miniature in the IAFP03 Desteria Lance platoon pack.  See all the Desteria HERE.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS

The Barony of Malmsbury on the edge of Prydian space

Looking out upon the unknown space beyond the bounds of the Prydian Precinct, where the wreckage lays, far from the core systems and further still from the war against the Khanate Empire is the Barony of Malmsbury.  Beginning the civil war within the ranks of the Yordan barons who sided with the Kingmaker Nevell the death of Baron Robert 'Pillager' Fintzhue saw Malmsbury switch sides and ally itself with the Throne in 4331 IC.  Now an enemy of the League of Yordan this single stellar system has the darkness to its back and the enemy still to its front.  Don't you just love the Havelock Battlesuit.  You can download this article as a PDF for free from our Dropbox by clicking HERE.

08 Barony of Malmesbury

The Barony of Malmsbury is located on edge of the Prydian Precinct in the Malmsbury stellar system.  This planet rich system contains two worlds capable of supporting life whose names are Rowde (Malmsbury III) and Broham (Malmsbury IV) as well as several gas giants and a molten rock orbiting its star very closely.  Contained to one system the Barony is not as wealthy as many others and not even as wealthy as some other single system Baronies.  This is due partially to being so distant to the core of the Precinct for trade and also to a lack of precious metals and arable land on the dusty world of Broham.  

Until 4331 IC the noble family of Fintzhue ruled by baronial decree over the Malmsbury stellar system and came into conflict during the period of first Ancept expansion with neighbouring worlds (Broham which was held by the Strangen family) and then neighbouring systems such as Alix and Linnuis Prime during the late 4200's IC.  It fell to the final ruling member of the marcher family Baron Robert 'Pillager' Fintzhue to declare his support of the League of Yordan by attacking the Barony of Linnuis in a dishonest sneaking action using disguised commercial starships.  In this vicious assault the baron earned the moniker 'Pillager' due to his refusal to take prisoners as per the Code Gallant and for carrying off goods and valuable prisoners.  

With his reputation as a wicked adventurer known to those baronies and condot companies in his region of space Baron Fintzhue carried out raids and damaging attacks upon the enemies of the League of Yordan. These actions included a hard fought repulsion of an invading task force of the veteran mercenaries of the Naranga Company of his home world of Rowde in 4326 IC which left him badly injured.  This injury led to a decreasingly stable mental state which in 4331 IC saw him deposed and then executed atop the ramparts of his fortress on Rowde in a coup which then declared its loyalty to Princess Cyon and the Aeddan Council.  Three regiments of the Prydian Army supported by condots of the Gryllus Company assisted in guiding the Barony of Malmsbury to peace.  It is headed by a cousin of 'the Pillager' the now Baron Alger Fintzhue.  Alger has adopted the Code Gallant and rules through cooperation with the Throne.

A Muster Fire-Team with Hazelwurm support

The military forces of the Barony of Malmsbury are focused upon the expansive use of regiments of Muster troops and a lot of Battlesuit support.  Due to the continual lack of hard currency the heavier armour and portable castles of the Barony are of older marks and tend towards wheeled and hover variants and limited use of Hurwent generators.  There are two hundred regiments of Muster equipped along standard Precinct patterns as well as a five million strong Rowde Planetary Militia and a one million strong Broham Planetary Militia.  There are ten regiments of Retained Knights who work closely with the Malmsbury Muster in all areas.  Much use is made of Havelock Battlesuits which are deployed in place of portable weapons and bikes at the platoon level.   Malmsbury has many personalised Havelocks and also full fabricator plants to assemble these battlesuits enmasse.  Portable Castles are mainly of the older Cassillis marks and Malmsbury possesses seventeen jump capable starships of the Serpentine and Griffin types.   

A Malmsbury Havelock!

In the annuls of the Academy Auto Trainers held on New Glastonbury the most famous military campaign of the Barony of Malmsbury is that of repulsion of the invading Naranga Company on Rowde in 4326 IC.  Coming in from out system under heavy acceleration nine starships belonging to the Canlastrian backed mercenaries landed some thirty thousand veteran troops around the capital city Layswater on Rowde managing to do so before planetary defences could be sufficiently readied. With much of  the forces belonging to Malmsbury no where near it fell to the Rowde Planetary Militia as well as available Muster with Havelock support to mount a defence.  Led by Baron Robert 'Pillager' Fintzhue himself, who happened to be in Layswater, the fighting raged for nearly a week before the Baron put himself into the fray.  From the front he assaulted the toughest position held by the mercenaries and broke their hold while in the process being horribly burned by plasma fire from the enemy.  The Naranga Company boosted for orbit leaving their dead behind and escaped having failed to take the capital and force the surrender of the Barony to Canlaster.  It stands as an excellent example to new knights of how to repel an invader and is required study.

Malmsbury Hazelwurm with Female Muster Patrol Officer (IMP Year 1 collection)

A Malmsbury Muster FireTeam

Retained Knight front view in Malmsbury colours

Side View

The battle dress of the Barony of Malmsbury is recognised across the Prydian Precinct for its heraldry and legitimate claim to a stellar system.  It consists of a black uniform base with bright yellow detailing.  The baronial symbol used most widely for Malmsbury is a black lion rampant upon a bright yellow field.  This uniform is carried over into the Planetary Militia formations.  Malmsbury heavier vehicles and armour such as striders follow an emphasis upon brown with black and yellow to mark out their superior status on the battlefield.

Fielding this Force in Patrol Angis

For wargamers wishing to put the Marcher Baron forces of Malmsbury into their games of Patrol Angis the process is quite straight forward 15mm scale.  As this is a Prydian Precinct faction taking place during the period of the Civil War and after that the standard Prydian Army miniatures painted up as this Barony will suit the task ideally.  Suitable codes for use are IAFP07 Planetary Militia Platoon with Unique Miniature which will give you the militias of the home system along with IAF054 Hazelwurm and IAF061 Colebretta Carrier for their transport.  The bulk of Malmsbury is made up of Muster and Battlesuits and to that end we recommend a core force of IAFP04 Muster Platoon with Unique Miniature and IAF020 Havelock Battlesuits to make up your platoons.  Personalties for higher level command can come from IAF057 Knight Errants of Prydia and IAF004 Retained Knight Command Alpha.  You will of course need your copy of Patrol Angis to play. Assemble your force using the standard creation rules in the book to suit your take on this faction. Marcher Barons and Condot Mercenaries on the whole use the same armour, weapons and equipment as the Prydian Army with different uniform colours and heraldry.  Possibilities are endless!

You may have noticed the number heading this article.  This ties to the uniform reference on our Uniforms of the Prydian Precinct Poster which shows in detail thirty different uniforms of troops. See it HERE.

This concludes the introduction to the Barony of Malmsbury and we hope you enjoyed it and are inspired to take your place in the wars raging across the Prydian Precinct.

Thanks for Reading,

GBS