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Monday, July 9, 2012

Romans & Britons




For days, Romans and their invasion of Britannia have been foremost on my mind. I had, more or less, skimmed through the 43 AD rulebook when I bought it, as well as it's Warband supplement; but for the last few days I've been giving them a thorough read through; and, because of my somewhat perfectionist/obsessive personality, I've also been watching documentaries about the Romans in Britain, the Celts and some movies about the Romans and the Britons fighting it out. I have been prepping for this new campaign like a champ. I've even ordered new books from Amazon, some of which have begun to arrive, just to immerse myself in both the Roman and Celtic worlds. Here are a few that have already made it here, I've only just begun to read them.







"Art of the Celts" actually just arrived today. I may just be using this as an excuse to buy more books though, because it's not as though I don't already have significant library sections on both peoples; as in, they each have their own shelves. I took a course on ancient Rome in college, ancient Greece too, but I liked Rome better. I kept all the text books and bought all the recommended books for that course. The Celts I started studying on my own, just because of their connection to my own Scottish Highland heritage, but I am pretty sure I am at least as knowledgeable about the Celts as I am about the Romans. The Scottish Highlanders descended from the Gaelic branch of the Celtic tree too, but that's beside the point.

So today's mail was almost a system shock, it yanked me away from 43 AD and back to both the OSR and my Oriental Adventures project. Aside from the aforementioned "Art of the Celts", I got Tim Shorts' "The Manor" Issue #2, I read the 'Introduction' and 'Hugo's Healing Potions' all the way through, so far so good; but what really impressed me was the had written note on the envelope it came in. That's the sort of touch that makes you feel like you are really a member of a community instead of just someone typing words out into nothingness. Thanks for that.



I also got these miniatures from EBay. They are old Clan War miniatures, which I started collecting for my Oriental Adventures games, now I also hope one day to actually play some Clan War and some 1st or 2nd edition Legend of the Five Rings RPG, for which, of course, the miniatures are also eminently suited.




I got them at such a bargain, I thought there must be something I was missing in the sale, but, aside from the blister pack plastic being a little smushed in on the Crimson Legion, the miniatures are in fine shape. The Oni no Hida Yakamo was still shrink-wrapped and looks as fresh as the day it was manufactured. Then there was this 3e era module that I had never heard of-




Interestingly, it says it requires the use of the 3e D&D Player's Handbook, but makes no mention of the 3e Oriental Adventures book. It was printed in 2002 and 3e OA came out in 2001, so I don't really get what's going on there, given the obviously pseudo-Chinese setting of this module.

3 comments:

  1. William, I must have the better part of fifty or sixty unpainted Clan Wars miniatures for the Lion, Crab and Phoenix clans in my house as well as a heap of LOT5R books. I've been holding on to them forever in the hopes of finding an opponent. I'd rather see them go to a good home (where I know they'll be used) rather than sell them on Ebay or keep them in a cupboard gathering dust.

    If you'd like a chance at them email me and I'll send you a list of what I have. I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to simply give them away, Tell me what you want from my collection and let me know what you'd be willing to pay for them. I'm mot looking for as much as what I'd get on Ebay or Amazon for them. I'll just be happy knowing they went to someone who will appreciate them as much I do.

    brian at lead legion dot com

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  2. I feel like a bit of a dick for mentioning this, as you almost certainly know it, but I thought I'd better, just to play it safe. Every myth of the druids comes from a seventeenth century English historian called John Aubrey and people interpreting his writings. All he did was hypothesize that places like Stonehenge had a mystical background and created the druids as the mystical group that would have worshiped there.

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    Replies
    1. Yep, I am aware of the Druidry hoax. I stick to more scholarly sources, real historians, archaeologists and anthropologists. Some modern folklorists. Nothing published by any New Age or Wiccan associated publishing houses, or reprinted Victorian era books; sifting the wheat from the chaff is too much work. Peter Berresford Ellis may not agree Miranda Aldhouse-Green or Barry Cunliffe on every point; but they are three of the big names in Celtic studies these days. I have a host of books by lesser lights too, some better than others.

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