And So We Bid Farewell to Dunk & Egg... For A Short While

It's All Connected: Now you know!

The first season of the wonderful A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms has come to an end, but we only have to wait a year for the next one (which, I believe, is being shot as we speak).

This is, obviously, a very good thing because I loved the show's freshman year and can't wait for more, but also - and this is key - if the gaps between seasons get dragged out then I worry that the amazing Dexter Sol Ansell will age out of the role of Egg. 

Below are a final couple of 'making of' features for this season, the first is specifically related to this week's finale, while the second is an overview of the latter half of the season. 

"Suppose we can go anywhere in the Seven Kingdoms”

I Blame Nominative Determinism

Showing off my new purchase... which means a new wargames project

Remember the other day when I said I would only be focusing on a single wargame project going forward?

Well, that pledge lasted about a week.

I shall be supplementing my investment in Dead Man's Hand with Hairfoot Jousting, a comical, fantasy jousting game that pitches halflings/hobbits/hairfoots against each other, while mounted upon pigs, sheep, giant turkeys, dogs, ferrets etc 

The rules seem simple and brief, so much so that the delightful book, published by Osprey, is actually split in two. The back half, which you flip the book to read, contains a variant of the game, Wartnose Jousting, allowing you to play despicable goblin jousters riding rats, roaches, frogs etc

Honestly, I couldn't help myself.

I've always been fascinated by knights (the clue's in the name) and, by extension, jousting.

The wallpaper of my childhood bedroom was resplendent with pictures of knights on horseback, and one of my early introductions to the concept of wargames was Andrew McNeil's 1975 tome, Knights At War (part of the Battlegame Book series).

One of the treasured books I have held onto since my childhood

As well as text pieces on the history of knights, arms and armour, heraldry etc, the oversized hardback contained four games. Each game's board was a double spread of pages, and the rules and counters you cut out from the card insert pages. It was a brilliantly simple idea that I can't believe hasn't been revived.

My favourite, and most played, game in the book was, unsurprisingly, Tournament, where you took control of teams of jousting combatants.

The other games were Arsouf, refighting the 12th Century clash between Saladin and Richard the Lionheart; Siege, which did exactly what it says on the tin; and Border Raiders, a snatch-and-grab scenario involving feuding 13th Century German lords.

To be honest, they were all great games, but it was Tournament I returned to most often.

In recent years, these passions have seen me visiting living history and re-enactment shows to get a more visceral taste of Medieval life.

For a while, there was even coverage of genuine, full contact jousting (rather than the scripted, wrestling-style jousting you see in the grounds of various castles and stately homes around the UK in the summer) on television.

I became quite a fan of world champion Charlie Andrews and his Knights of Mayhem. Sadly, those television shows - like the equally-enthralling Knight Fight about the Armoured Combat League - failed to attract the attention of audiences who'd rather watch yet more "documentaries" about Ancient Aliens and the Second World War.

Of course, now we have the magnificent A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, the latest Game of Thrones spin-off, whose story unfolds amidst the grime and graphic violence of a jousting tournament. 

Anyway, I already ordered myself a set of miniatures for my new jousting wargame - a team of hairfoot jousters on their assorted mounts - from North Star, the game's manufacturer, using my monthly discount code from my Wargames Illustrated subscription. The figures arrived today.

Expect more updates on this new project in the future.

Hairfoot jousters from North Star Military Figures

The Reality of Hedge Life?

Dexter Sol Ansell is phenomenal as Egg

This week's episode of A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms was brilliant. While I always expect to be shocked by stories set in Westeros, I didn't expect to tear up... twice!

Check out the trailer above for a taste of the next episode - now things are kicking up a gear. 

Below you'll find a couple of official behind-the-scenes featurettes about episode three and as an added bonus this week, Jason Kingsley - head honcho of multimedia company Rebellion, publishers of 2000AD, and medieval reenactor supreme - examines the reality of "hedge knights":

What's Next For Dunk and Egg?

Above you will find a trailer for episode three (of six) of the fantastic A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms. Below is a short 'behind-the-scenes' featurette about this week's episode.

What's To Come This Season For Dunk and Egg

The trailer above gives a taste of the adventures to come this season for Dunk and Egg, the charming protagonists of A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms, the latest Game of Thrones spin-off (and my favourite of George RR Martin's Westerosi books).

Below are a couple of behind-the-scenes features about this exciting new series:

A Knight of The Seven Kingdoms Rides Into View

I'm really looking forward to this as the very-grounded Dunk and Egg stories are my favourite part of George RR Martin's whole Song of Ice and Fire-related oeuvre.

As usual, while the show premiers on HBO Max on January 18, we'll see it in the UK on Sky Atlantic the day after (hopefully there'll be a 2am simulcast offered that I can record and watch first thing when I get up).