It's hard to say where an idea starts. I read plenty of Enid Blyton as a child, loved the Carpet People, Truckers, and the Borrowers. I know that something lives in my house moving things around. And am always seeing the little fleck of movement out of the corner of my eye, that my mother used to tell me was a " just glimpsed Fairy". So one day sitting in the garden I began to think of all that might be going on under my nose. Soon an idea began to take shape

Imagine a small stone built cottage, set at the end of a rough lane, on a B road near the cost of Cornwall. An idyllic spot, quiet and peaceful. An old lady lives there, all alone except for some cats and an old small mongrel dog. The garden around the cottage is well tended. But at the back the old garden and orchard, have been left to the wild things.

They say that once magic has been done in a place it stays there forever, lying just beneath the surface, waiting, changing all the things that touch it, And that the old people, the first people, will come to be near it.

Garden Wars is a not too serious campaign for HOTT.

The garden is roughly rectangular in shape, short sides running North to South, long sides East to West. In the centre of the north side is the gate, right of that is the garden shed. To the right of the shed is the orchard.

All forces are standard 24AP Hordes of the Things armies.

Garden Gnome. The Gnomes live under the old cold frame in a tangle of clay plant pots. It is in the southwestern corner of the garden. The figures are from Peter Pig.

Amphibians. Once long ago the pond held only fish and frogs, newts and toads. Then some no longer loved turtles were introduced. The magic has done the rest. The pond is in the northwest corner of the garden. Figures by Chariot miniatures with flyer replaced by a plastic dragonfly, more in keeping than the original flyer.

Fairies. The Fairies live in the Mushroom ring, in the centre of the orchard. The figures are various 6mm figures from Irregular.

Mushrooms. Mutated by the magic into sentient and mobile mushroom men, they live with the Fairies in the orchard. The figures were scratch built in a surprisingly short time.

Rats. Evil and mutated they live under the garden shed. The figures are from Pendraken miniatures with the exception of the rat ogres that are Games Workshop.

Honeybee Pixies. Live in the old Beehive in the orchard. Plastic figures from the toyshop, with Pixies as ground troops.

Bumblebees. Live in the old oak tree by the south wall, opposite the shed. Plastic figures from the same range of toys as the Honeybees. Semi-wild as yet undomesticated.

Ants. The ants live under the garden bench, to the right of the old Oak tree. Small plastic Ants from toy shop.

Pixies. Small humanoid sprites often bird riders. This army is still under construction.

Toxic Waste. An army scratch built from polystyrene packing beads. Mutated from weed killer, paint, mould etc, and a strong dose of magic.

Not all the armies will be available to everyone, and not all will be used at once in most campaigns. However the above lists are enough to give a taste of what can be expected, and to encourage others to think up, and make up, armies of their own. 

Options: extra Shooter stand or Gnome Lurkers..(Dead or drunk Gnomes).

Options: Large armoured lizards as Blades @ 2AP x 2 or Lizard Magicians @ 4AP x 1

Options: Flyer Bats @ 2ap x 1

Options: The beasts Ants are based two figures on a 40mm x 40mm base. I can also field enough bases to do the Ants as Horde on oversize bases. Hordes @ 1ap x 12

Options: None yet.

All the above armies exist, that is to say they are full painted and based ready to be deployed 15mm armies. I prefer to base a list on what is available in the way of figures and conversions, rather than on possible or theoretical lists that have elements that are unobtainable or require massive amounts of conversion work. The exceptions to the rule are of course the Toxic Waste army, and the Mushroom Men.

The armies below are theoretical lists, armies that only exist as part finished projects, or as lists only.

The Fairies comprise 6mm armies of humans, but as I am adding paper wings to the figures it is taking a long time to complete the forces. The Fairies are a difficult army to fit into HOTT . Theoretically they are all flyers, but I see them flying in short hops rather than long sustained flights, so have made them foot. Predominantly bow and dart armed with a strong centre of pikes.

The birds are Irregular 6mm Eagles slightly modified.
Options: Fairy Ring, Lurker @ 1AP

The Honeybee and Bumblebee armies are under construction at the moment. The plastic toys are already bought, but I am undecided as to what to use for the ground elements. I think I may go for 10mm Pendraken miniatures humans.

The original idea was to do at least one all flyer army and that has now become the Bumblebee army, Quick and easy this one..

The Bumblebees are although ordered within the hive, wild compared to the Honeybees so have no riders or ground elements.

Honeybees, domesticated by tribes of Pixies they have riders and ground elements. I have in mind to use some 10mm Elves as the pixie elements.

Options: As the Pixies are a pseudo Elf race, Magicians, Lurkers Sneakers etc can be substituted if you like.

Again under construction at the moment, but will be based on some 10mm figures. I thought of using the standard Elf list for this army, however I don't like the idea of the knights on mini horses so may substitute knights on beetle steeds instead.

I also like the idea of Dragonfly lancers.

Well that's about it for the moment, anyone looking for inspiration can do worse than read the books already mentioned, or take a look at the paintings of Rodney Matthews who has some nice Goblin like Wasp riders as well as other things.

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