History Channel Releasing New Series "Vikings" In March

I'm not a big fan of The History Channel mainly due to the lack of History.  It's mainly become a reality TV channel with shows like Pawnstars, Axemen, Pickers, Cajun Pawnstars .... It's almost like the Oprah took it over.  But when I saw the Vikings advertisement, I was intrigued.  I like the idea that it's going to be a dramatic series, but I'm guessing low on the historical content.  Especially since this is the same people who did the Spartacus series (which was entertaining but wasn't interested in history).  I can't wait to see it and hopes it's at least kind of historically accurate.  

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Laser Dream Works Viking Longboats

Thanks to WaltOHara for posting this on The Miniatures Page !  Laser Dream Works specializes in gaming accessories and it seems they make Longboats in 28mm !  From the pictures, they look great and for only $20 that's hard to beat!

Splintered Light Miniatures releases Viking Line

I've been a fan of Splintered Light Miniatures for a while and have quite a few of their miniatures.  I recently bought some of their 15mm Romano British line, and I especially like their Wolftail Warriors (based on Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Trilogy).  

A while back S.L. released some Normans so I was holding my breath for the Vikings to be released, and here they are! 

I'm really excited about the mounted Vikings, you don't see enough of those in war game miniatures.  I know historians used to say that the Vikings never used them in battle but it seems there has been more evidence found in recent years to the contrary.

Ivar The Boneless

Ivar The Boneless was the commander of the "Great Heathen Army" that invaded England in 865 in revenge for the killing of Ivar's father, Ragnar Lothbrok.  He's a historical figure that I've found interesting mainly because his name.  Why was he called "The Boneless"?  It's something that historians haven't been able to answer.

He was carried into battle on a shield, supposedly because he was lame which leads most to conclude that he suffered from some degenerative bone disease.  Another theory is that he was a dwarf with brittle bones disease.  Some have said that Boneless could've been an ironic name given to a very tall person or it could've been a reference to Ivar being impotent.  We may never know the truth, but maybe that's part of the attraction to this historical figure.

I came across this documentary a while ago and found it interesting, you get the feeling that the documentarians come up with the answers that they wanted to but it still brings up some interesting facts and theories.

First Post

The Dark Ages have always been interesting to me especially the Viking Age so I decided to start a blog focusing on this period.   I plan on using various gaming systems (most notably Strandhogg by Ken Altfather), Pig Wars, Battle Troll, Aegir's Fire, Dux Bellorum, etc .  I'll also post various painting and terrain projects and batreps in the future and of course historical inspiration.   If anyone is interested in helping out drop me a line!