Introducing Willan Dourant, my leader for a Barons' War retinue

As mentioned in a previous post, I am learning about and building forces for a new game (new to me at least): The Barons' War by Footsore Miniatures.

Those of you who read my blog (thank you both!), already know that narrative and storytelling is a huge part of the experience for me in terms of wargaming. So it should come as no surprise that I am in the process of creating characters for this game and writing their histories and backgrounds.

I admittedly do not know too much about that era of English history. I am doing a little research and listening to a few podcasts.

I don't want a baron that is historically accurate, just what I call "historically plausible." As long as he and his background are not too outrageous or unbelievable, I will be content.

So far, this is what I have come up with:

Willan and his brother, Charles, are sons of Henri Dourant. The elder Dourant was a knight from Gascony in the service of Richard. He fought with him in the rebellion against Henry II, and escaped with him from Saintes. 

After he became king, Richard granted Pevensey Castle in Sussex to Henri. 

Willan and Charles both took the cross alongside Richard, and both men joined him during the Third Crusade. Willan in particular distinguished himself at the Battle of Arsuf. 

While on crusade, Charles joined the Knights of St. John. 

Upon their return, they learned that Henri had died while they were in the Holy Land. 

Willan, as the eldest, became lord of the castle. Charles was named Knight Preceptor of Poling Preceptory. 

Willan joined the rebellious barons fighting against King John. After John's death, Willan swore fealty to Henry III and fought against Louis. 

I think this will let me field various different types of retinues, and still stay true to the background I have created.

I can add monks or even some Knights Hospitaller, to Willan's retinue to represent the assistance from his brother. I know that the Hospitallers did not actively engage in the fighting of the First or Second Barons' Wars, but I can see Charles lending his support, and at times small numbers of troops, to his brother. Again, I am not looking for strictly accurate, but rather "plausible."

Eventually, once I get the Outremer rules (I just missed the Kickstarter), I can even build retinues to represent the brothers and their men fighting in the Holy Land.

Based on the above, I have designed a shield for Willan. Charles when he appears will be in Hospitaller colors, so that's easy to sort.

Below are some other ideas I worked on before deciding on this final design and colors.

If you see anywhere that I have gone completely off the rails, or have written something that directly contradicts history, please don't hesitate to comment below or contact me directly. I am always willing to learn from those that have more knowledge than I do.

For a starting retinue I think I will go with the Beginner's Retinue by Phillip Druvins on the Footsore website, at least until I'm more familiar with how the game mechanics function together and what kind of retinue will fit my playing style.

The retinue consists of:

4 mounted knights - this includes a veteran lord with sword and shield, a bannerman, and two other knights

6 foot sergeants armed with falchions and shields

8 bowmen

8 spearmen

That's a very manageable four mounted figures and 22 infantry. I'll be converting the sergeants to be armed with falchions, but the rest should consist simply of assembling the models as intended.

In addition, those seem like a pretty decent core of troops around which to build my overall army. I can substitute out some units for specific tasks, or add more units as I play higher-point games.

Now that I've got my list sorted, it's time to assemble and paint the troops.

'Til next time!