All across the Empire, parlour rooms will soon resound to the happy laughter of Yuletide gatherings as the family come together for games and other seasonal diversions. This year, a popular choice will be Cardigan & Clockwork - a boardgame entertainment for young and old that celebrates the famous Charge of the Light Brigade, when (as every school boy and girl knows) dashing British Unicyclists defeated secret Russian clockwork pigs.
None of these events will come as a surprise to students of Eureka Miniatures' world of Pax Limpopo.
On a fateful night in 1854, the Commander of the Light Brigade, Lord Cardigan, lost the Brigade's entire compliment of horses to the Turkish Commissariat on a particularly unlucky hand of cards. Bereft of their mounts, the Light Brigade anticipated complete disgrace on the battlefield the following day. Lord Lucan, divisional commander and hated brother-in-law of Cardigan, on hearing the news, offered the Light Brigade six hundred unicycles captured by his own Heavy Brigade from a Prussian convoy en route to the Russians. At this moment, Cardigan showed his brilliance as a leader. Brazening out the intended insult, he mounted a cycle with the cry of "Follow me, lads, we'll show them how an Englishman rides!" and with great alacrity rode away, to the jeers from Lucan's Heavy Brigade.
The following morning as the British army formed up on the plain of Balaclava, Lord Lucan was amazed to see Cardigan's Light Brigade performing parade-ground drills on their shiny metal steeds with greater precision than any mounted formation in the British army! "You surely don't intend charging the length of the valley on those machines?" said an incredulous Lucan to Cardigan. "Indeed", replied Cardigan, and then uttered the immortal line - "And we won't have to stop to water them!"
When the fateful order came: "There is your enemy! There are your guns!" the brave six hundred wheeled towards the Russian batteries, expecting a devastating hail of shot. But the guns were strangely silent. Instead, a mechanical ticking and clanking filled the air as the Russians unleashed a fresh terror - a new weapon designed to disrupt cavalry charges - the Clockwork Pig!
But the iron porkers had no effect on steeds made of rubber and steel, and the skilled unicyclists merely wheeled around the pigs, giving them a good poking with their lances before plunging onwards into the Russian lines to win the day!
Now you can celebrate this great moment in Pax Limpopo military history by playing the family boardgame Cardigan & Clockwork. Indeed - Her Majesty commands it! Two participants control either unicyclists or mechanical pigs, and must skilfully manoeuvre their pieces across the map board with the intention of acquiring control of three of their opponent's starting squares to win the game. However, your opponent can knock your pieces out, and your plans can be blocked by obstinate, redundant Light Brigade horses who are understandably disgruntled at the turn of events.
The game comes complete with full-colour mapboard, six lancer figures, six mechanical clockwork pigs, and six disgruntled riderless horses. The rules are downloaded for free from our website.
Here are the catalogue details for the new miniatures:
New 28mm Cardigan & Clockwork Game
Sculpted by Alan Marsh
(Code: PAXCCPG)
Cardigan and Clockwork parlour game. Played in parlour rooms and public houses across the land. Celebrate the Charge of the Light Brigade, when British unicyclists defeated the Russian secret weapon of one thousand clockwork pigs. Includes - rules, full colour map board, six Lancers, six clockwork pigs, and six abandoned horses. $50.00 AUD (not including Australian GST).
Accessories:
PAXCC01 - Light Brigade Lancer charging on unicycle
PAXCC02 - Mechanical clockwork pig
PAXCC03 - Abandoned and disgruntled cavalry horse
PAXCC04 - Cardigan & Clockwork full-colour mapboard (high quality card-stock)
You can download the free rules from our website.
Devotes of Pax Limpopo and the events surrounding the Charge of the Light Brigade might like to be reminded of our previous entertainment, Pig Tickler, which recreates the occasionally dangerous parade ground sport of "pig-tickling" as played by the Lancer Regiments of the British army that took part in the famous charge.
All these miniatures can also be ordered in the U.K. from Fighting 15s and in the U.S.A. from Eureka Miniatures U.S.A.