Napoleonics are go

The week at the Wargames Holiday Centre has come and gone. How was it? Well the company was great, another great set of guys to chuck dice with. The after hours socialising was good but not excessive, although we did outlast the night porter at the hotel one night!

The battles were Smolensk and Borodino, using the "in the grand manner" rules. It was the first time I'd even seen these rules and they are not for the beginner. However, if you use Napoleonic tactics you get a Napoleonic result. I spent a happy afternoon charging my light cavalry against a square before it broke on the last turn of the day!

For the refight of Borodino I was assigned Junot's Corps which was redeployed to attack Borodino village. As this is separated from the rest of the battle by a stream it worked out that I and my opponent could just get on with our own battle as it had no impact on the larger conflict. I played three versions of this battle, once as the Russians, and twice as the Westphalians. I managed to loose all three times, so some things never change.

More thoughts

My recent lack of posts is more to do with being too busy painting than anything else. After the Landsknechts I needed a break so I moved onto a job that I've been meaning to do for a while - rebasing my Anglo-Danish army. It means that from one army I've created 4 factions for Saga - Anglo Danish, Viking, jomsviking, Anglo Saxon and Welsh; especially when padded out by a box each of the Gripping Beast plastics. This means I've got enough to start a campaign with the boys if I can get them interested.

I've also picked up a box each of the wargames factory AWI figures hoping they'd fit in terms of size with the Spencer Smiths. Sadly they are too tall by several millimetres so I think they have to be based singularly for Muskets and Tomahawks.

I'm off to the wargames holiday cente this week for a grand manner napoleonics game. I still want to get back into this period but knowing my luck the minute I decide to go with 10mm then Will at plastic soldier will come out with a range in either 15 or 1/72nd

More Landsknechts

Another 16 Landsknechts have crossed the painting table. These were from Foundry and are bracing their pikes. I've got enough now for a little force and I'll probably add to it as time goes on; especially if pro Gloria have a kickstarter for their plastic range.

I got the new crusade Saga rules this weekend and am looking longingly at the gripping beast plastic Arabs. Again my magpie nature is revealed as I've just sold a 28mm Arab army that I hadn't painted in years!

Another new addition is the Rebellion supplement for BP. It really is what you want for a codex type release as it goes into uniform details and orders of battle for the major engagements. Plus it's full of lovely pictures of Perry figures. Although I'm doing the Awi in spencer smiths, I'm almost tempted to get a box of each of the Perry plastics to do musket and tomahawk (the skirmish rules from the makers of Saga), but after the success of the 40mm Napoleonics I'm tempted to go this scale for the FIW.

I'm gonna wash that man.....

I've finished the Landsknechts and added to them with a box of Perry plastic mercenaries. What was useful was that the perry sprues had pole-arm heads to convert the pikes. I used these to convert a group of GW spearmen from an old Empire box set into halbardiers for my Landsknechts. 

I've finished the airfix modern British and still hate camouflage! I tried to do the latest multi terrain cammo but I think it might be a bit too grey. It darkened nicely with the ink wash (agrax earth shade) but I'm still unhappy. The 40 men make just over a platoon so skirmishing is the way forwards. 

More thoughts on gaming

I've not blogged for a while as I'm having a crisis in gaming thoughts. I've recently written on here about my magpie nature and it's not really good for either completing projects or the wallet!

I've painted the second unit of perry 40mm French and tried something different. I read a while ago an article about a chap who under coats in white and then uses washes to build up the colours he wants. So this is what I did. I'd tried it before on some space marines for my son , with an ok result. With the large figures it was really satisfying to see the shading appearing as I put the layers on. There where some bits I used paint for, mainly the white, but there I tried to go for the foundry 3 colour approach. Then I topped it all off with a really dilute black ink wash just to give the outline of the various straps etc. I still need to varnish them and in this heat I might be able to spray varnish rather than paint it on which will be quicker!

Inspired by this I've under coated some landsknechts that I got initially for WHFB but increasingly I'm thinkng of doing the Italian wars as then I can use the perry plastic renaissance cavalry, and it should still double as an empire army if needed. I've heard that Rick Priestly is working on a fantasy version of hail Caeser so I may have a set of rules to use.

More magpie gaming

I've just finished painting some rohan figures which came as part of a job lot. You can tell they are Perry sculpts as the features are perfect and they take paint really well. Now I've got two units of 12 foot and a unit of 5 cavalry. They are very dark ages like and make me wonder if I could use them in Saga. A quick search online shows that I'm not the first to have these thoughts. There are lots of posts on the studio tomahawk forum discussing which battle boards to use. So I might have to paint up some more to get a 6 point unit. I think I can use the Gripping Beast Dark age warriors as levy, and perhaps mix in some of their Saxon Thegns as hearth guard.

Painting Table update

So although I assembled the modern British I've not got them to the table yet as I thought I'd clear out some minor projects first. That meant some 15mm SYW British from Old Glory that I got from eBay very cheaply. Sadly the mix of figures leaves a lot to be desired with too many grenadiers and command. There were only enought Fusileers for three stands so at the moment there are 3 bases of 8 castings to a regiment. One base is of grenadiers and one of commad leaving only one of Fusileers . They're based on 60x40 as are my ACW, so this might be my preferred basing for 15mm, although I stil am considering doing the West Wind Ancients on 40x20 or even 40x40 dependent on the army. That way I can match facings but represent blocks of troops better.

The other small project was the Dads Army set from Warlord for Bolt Action. I have to say it was the civilian figures that are the selling point of the set as I already have the Foundry versions in uniform. These are good castings and will be great for VBCW, and can pad out my Meibion Glendwyr forces.