Wednesday 19 September 2007

Pig Tickling

If you've not heard of it before, you need to discover:
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Pax Limpopo
by Eureka Miniatures
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Gentlemenly madness and mayhem on unicyles,
with a mechanical pig thrown in for fun!
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Pig Tickler is a game for any number of enthusiastic players, the more the merrier. Lancers on unicycles ride around a field attempting to score points or gold rumps by stabbing a mechanical pig, whilst avoiding being knocked over and trampled by the pig.
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Pig Tickler itself refers to an incident that occurred during Pax Limpopo's version of the Crimean War. On the eve of the charge of the Light Brigade, Lord Cardigan lost his horses in a poker game. Lord Lucan forced him to use unicycles instead. His men drilled all night and became quite proficient at them. The next day, during the battle of Balaclava, the Light Brigade charged on their one-wheeled steeds. The Russians, in response, let loose clockwork pigs purchased from the Prussians. The pigs would scare horses, but they had no effect on the unicyclers. They got to the Russian guns and captured all of them without a man lost. Ever since, British mounted units played a sport where they would mount unicycles in an attempt to stick an original Balaclava mechanical pig (converted to "dependable British steam") with a lance. This became known as "pig tickling".
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Just the kind of sillyness we like eh?
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Just as importantly though, there are some fantastic figs that go with these rules.
Zorz at TMP posted a link to his Pig Ticklers a little while ago

http://wargamesterrain.50webs.com/pig_tickler.html


These Pig Tickler minis were painted by Flashman14 and are hosted at "Cool Mini or What"

http://www.coolminiornot.com/14679


Niall has also posted some of his Pig Tickler Minis to Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/niallcorbet/379329219/


And Matakishi's Tea House website has some good pics and description of the game too
http://www.matakishi.com/pigticklerproject.htm


As for me, I played once at an Open Day a few years ago, but being a 15mm VSF player I plan to convert some British Zulu War Lancers to play in my preferred scale, and I have an "incendiary pig" from an Ancient range to use too.


...but you can order the figs and rules from Eureka Miniatures here:
http://www.eurekamin.com.au/

...or if you are already into Pig Tickling, you may find the House rules listed here amusing additions for your own games:
http://www.hyperbear.com/pig/pig-house-rules.html


...and if this doesnt amuse you, try the next Pax Limpopo game "Wagers of Sin":

Street urchins race savage velociraptors around the fetid sewers of Victorian London in a base travesty of the sport of kings. You can wager your ill-gotten gains on the outcome.


An exploration of debauchery, vice and other reasons to be a man!

An exploration of debauchery, vice and other reasons to be a man!