SYW ~ pre-battle thoughts.

All being well Phil and I plan a SYW game at our next GHQ bash next week. It will be the first run out for my new terrain mat, so I've taken a few pictures of the pre-game set up and added a few thoughts as I've gone along ~

  The French infantry begin the game in their camp. Initially four battalions are able to deploy once the alarm is raised by the vedette.

All is confusion and hustle and bustle in the French camp.

Meanwhile, the French line cavalry and dragoons are encamped at a distance from their infantry.

 The French Commander, the Comte du Merde, is just arriving with his escort.

It looks like a slow day for business at the inn!

 But a farmer's work is never done it seems, despite the ominous signs of a developing conflict on their doorstep!

The British drawn up for the coming battle! "God save King George! Confusion to his enemies!"

My first thoughts are how different the tabletop battlefield looks in the pictures from what you see with the naked eye. The cloth, by Deep Cut, really looks much greener and lighter in GHQ than it appears in these pictures. I expect we will all have to get used to that. My second thought, prompted by a comment Phil made in the week, is that I need more small scatter terrain. Lastly, a more positive note, the roads, buildings and Last Valley vegetation look fine! Now, on to the game next week all being well.

Yet another War of 1812 US Command base!

I didn't manage to meet my target for February's painting total, falling 8 short in the end. Still, I managed 47 over the month and have finished 90 now in the first two months of 2020. These four figures are all from the Foundry War of 1812 range sculpted by Aly Morrison back in the day. The mounted General and the Infantry officer you will have seen on many a base before, but the sergeant is a new variant as he's sporting the 1813 tombstone shako. The bugler was just a surplus figure from my Lafayette Rifle Volunteers, so he is in that uniform scheme rather than the US Rifles he should represent. Here they are anyway ~

There remain now two US Infantry regiments in the 1813 tombstone shako, again Foundry figures, and two mounted Anglo-Canadian officers to make a final Command base for that army. These are from Perry Miniatures, one each from the Peninsular and British in Egypt ranges. They may get painted in April, we shall see.
Thoughts now though turn to Sunday's WMMS and the chance to view some great games, catch up with chums after being in winter quarters, and of course splash some cash on new and entirely needed new toys! See you there perhaps?

Spain in Miniature

I took a few pictures of Phil's SCW table layout during a break in our most recent Monday game in OHQ. I really do rate Phil as an exponent of the art of visually pleasing while game friendly terrain. The pictures anyway, before I waffle on too much ~

Phil has combined terrain features from several manufacturers and different mediums to produce a uniform yet varied look to the table top battlefield. I think it's a standard we all could aspire too, even if not emulate to such an end product. See if you can work out all the different sources of terrain Phil has utilized in creating Spain in Miniature...

"Forward the Canadian Voltigeurs!"

The latest completed unit, and the third by Brigade Games, for my War of 1812-15 expansion is representative of the Canadian Voltigeurs. Their uniform of dark grey faced black proved somewhat less of a painting challenge than I had feared and was enhanced by sparing use of lighter colours for the haversack, canteen and strap. As usual, here they are in their entirety, followed by a few closer views ~

The figures are sculpted by Paul Hicks, a well known if, in my opinion at least, a somewhat overrated exponent of the art. Why, you may ask? Well, I dislike the very thin muskets and bayonets, an accident waiting to happen in the cut and thrust of the tabletop environment! I'm also not keen on his faces, very 'rat like' I think. However, the main issue I had with these was the poor definition on the business ends of all the muskets evidencing poor sculpting or molding, take your pick, but somewhat spoiling the final look of the figures. On the plus side the range is reasonably complete, by wargames company standards at least, and Brigade Games' service is exemplary. If I was being picky I'd like some mounted Canadian volunteer figures and perhaps another US mounted volunteer unit to be added to the range. Now though I've a Command stand of Wargames Foundry figures to finish before I can press on with some Dixon ACW figures for the 10th Tennessee.

Mat matters

When GHQ first entered service, back in its original site in 2004, sorting out the base terrain over which games would be fought was an obvious early priority. The first solution, covering the 6'6x4' table top with railway grass matting sheets , proved reasonably pleasing to the eye if not hard-wearing. In the light of experience Phil volunteered to make bespoke terrain tiles similar to those he employed at OHQ games. These proved visually very pleasing with their combination of two green colours of towelling , green teddybear fur and grass matting. So much so that over the years when time and finances permitted more tiles were added to the repertoire.
Of course, tiles proved both flexible and restrictive in equal measure: the former was always welcome while the latter grew increasingly frustrating if I'm honest. When added to the slowly growing realisation that the older tiles were reaching the end of their useful life and looking very tired and frayed it dawned on us both that an upgrade was overdue. When it came down to considering costs and time factors it was obviously a bigger job now we are both 15 years older! The solution proved to be not tiles, but a game cloth similar to the one deployed in the recent Sudan game ~

The trouble was that most firms' cloths seem to max out at 6'x4' and the table in GHQ MK2 comes in at 6'x6'6" now. As it happens I've recently been scanning the Big Red Bat shop site, having done a figures for rules swop with owner Simon. There I found a Plains Green cloth available in 6'x8' format and so I took the plunge and ordered it up. It's now in situ here in GHQ following exemplary service from Simon in delivering it while my cheque was in the post ~

I have removed the rubber Scenic Effect dirt roads from the old tiles and in due course the river sections and emplaced hills will also be freed up to give us increased flexibility in table top battlefield construction. There are even enough serviceable flat green tiles left to make up a table using our beach sections, so the old look is not entirely lost. You will be able to judge for yourself over the coming months in any case, so do have your say as you see fit. Back to finishing off those Canadian Voltigeurs now though...

The Sands of the Desert...

...are red with blood, etc. In other words, a return to the Sudan War, pitting the Barmy Bykli against Robinson Pasha. First off, an overview of the table, less Mahdists obviously ~

A British column sets forth to relieve the beleaguered Egyptian garrison defending El Zbelz. The Mahdists can appear after Turn 1from either table edge on a random dice throw, with the chance increasing in every turn. All obstacles for movement cause a reduction in move distance, 12" for the Anglo-Egyptian units and 6" for any Mounted Mahdists. The rocky outcrops are impassable to the Anglo-Egyptian forces, the Mahdists may cross them at a movement loss of 12". They may also occupy them and thus cannot be engaged hand-to-hand. Otherwise we used the rules from Black Powder and the supplement Blood on the Nile as given. On to the action ~

The relief column organises itself to march to the relief of the garrison of El Zlelz.

The Camel Corps advance towards a rocky outcrop searching for the Mahdists (who had failed to appear in Turn 2.)

While the Naval contingent accompanying the machine guns struggle across the desert sands the detachment from the Indian Army, led by the Tandoori Horse, move forward to support the Camel Corps.

Turn 3 and the Mahdists make a surprise appearance on the flank of the column. The Tandoori Rifles form a firing line and prepare to repel charges by the Beja camelry. Meanwhile the rifle armed warriors advance to occupy the rocky outcrops threatening the flank of the Camel Corps.

An overview of the developing battle hopefully giving a sense of the difficult decisions facing Robinson Pasha. The Naval detachment are still struggling in the soft sands of the dunes and the deployed machine guns have both jammed after one turn of firing!

With disciplined fire power, backed up by cold steel and pluck, the Tandoori Rifles Drive off the Bejac camelry under the eyes of Robinson Pasha and his Staff Officers.

More Mahdists now flood into the action, taking advantage of the cover provided by the Wadi, to rush towards the Tandoori Horse who have formed up to protect the approaches to the fort at El Zbelz.

As the Beja hordes sweep forward to the attack they are supported by their allied Bagarra horsemen sweeping around the flank of the fort and so surprising the Egyptian garrison that they omitted to fire on them!

As the Beja warriors sweep forward on the relief column a second wave of sword and spear armed fanatics are rushing to their support.

The Tandoori Horse stray themselves ready to charge the onrushing warriors, but ever wary of the threat posed by the sudden appearance of the Bagarra horsemen to their front.

With Lances lowered for the charge the Tandoori Horse crash into the mass of Beja warriors whose wicked swords hack and slash in response.

On the opposite flank of the wadi the dismounted Camel Corps troopers receive the Beja warriors charging them. A volley of devastating Closing Fire, backed up by a touch of the cold steel, sees off the Beja. Two 1s thrown in a Morale save would seem to suggest, "They don't like it up 'em, Sir, they do not like it up'em!"

Although the first wave of Beja fanatics are beaten off the Tandoori Horse have no time to reform before the Bagarra horsemen crash into them.

Steel crashes on steel, horse and men scream and fall, but again the Tandoori Horse are victorious!

As fresh elements of Bagarra allied horsemen, backed up by more Beja fanatical warriors, appear in the column's rear the Egyptian garrison's cavalry finally responds to frantic heliograph signalling and charges out on the enemy!

It's had been a desperate struggle over 11 Turns, but the morale of the Mahdist army is finally broken. The surviving warriors withdraw from the field of battle leaving many a brave man's corpse for the vultures circling overhead already!

All the figures are from my collection of Perry Miniatures, supported by odd bits from Essex and Castaway Arts. The fort walls and towers are from the old hard foam Battleground range made by Ian Weekley and are 15mm really but look fine to me! Phil scratch built the various buildings you see and the resin pieces are from the Hovels range. The mat is from Tiny Wargames Mats I believe.

Canadian Voltigeurs - a trial base

Just a quick blog entry to show any interested passers by my first go at painting the Brigade Games Canadian Voltigeurs. As the main part of the unit will be based 3 figures to each 40x50mm MDF base, I opted to paint 2 of the figures for the 40mm round base of skirmishers ~

ok

I wanted to try a couple first before starting on the main bases of the unit because I was unsure how I might tackle what is essentially quite a subdued uniform. The bulk of the rank and file are in Foundry Granite shade, highlighted lightly with the mid shade. All the boots, gaiters, straps, accoutrements and headgear are black! I used Charcoal Black mid to highlight the gaiters and head gear, Slate Grey shade to highlight the rest. A little relief comes with the haversack in Arctic Grey shade, picked out in Boneyard light, with the water canteen in Union Trouser Blue shade, highlighting it with the mid tone, and the canteen's strap in Deep leather shade, highlighting in the light shade. The musket is Foundry Musket Stock Brown shade picked out lightly in the light shade. The metal work is Blackened Barrel light picked out in Metal light.
I've three more ready for the highlighting phases, when I have a spare hour this weekend, and two more with the flesh and gunmetal base coats blocked in. I still hope to finish these this month, but it will be tight.