Christmas Humbug 2019

 Here at the Ebenezer Scrooge Christmas Appreciation Society we are gearing up for the Festive Season. Now I do quite like Christmas but NOT the over commercial  consumer -fest of outrageous greed that the Supermarkets and Department store adverts would have you buy into at peril of your health for the coming year.
 Frankly after a busy year I and my wife Carole are looking forward to a few days of P and Q.  As is so often the case weather we actually get it is in hands other than our own.
 Nevertheless as usual our last posting day will- this year- be Friday 20th December as the chances of anything else getting anywhere in time after than date are minimal to say the least.
 So Carole and I will be taking  a few days off  as we usually do at this time
 Hopefully I can catch up on a bit of painting though doubtless Government Bullshit will get in the way of that but I also have a couple of other projects in the works which need time to mature- of which more later.
 Overall though a bit of downtime isin the offing to recharge the battieries for next year.
  So Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all.

Essential reading without agony

Regular readers should by now have grasped that I am a bit of an ECW nut. The period fascinates me. Not merely the gaming but the whole thing- the models the characters  the figure painting,  especially the history as without the history the gaming would be, for me, a pointless exercise of itself. No more than mere dice rolling. So with that in mind new ECW books passing across my ken are always welcome.
 This new one from Helion being no exception.
 The Dundar campaign and the Anglo- Scottish War of 1650-51- sometimes called the Third Civil War is a conflict I have read off and on over the years.. So Arran Johnston's book is very welcome. It is in the usual Helion format in their excellent Century of the Soldier series of which I own more than a few titles. This is a fine addition to the series.
 Physicall the book is a meaty  softback of over 200 pages so has a little more heft than some but the contents do live up to the billing.
 Mr Johnston knows his stuff.



The book covers the Dundar campaign very well indeed wit details on the armies and a god selection of colour plates and some excellent photographs of the terrain as it appears today. Indeed  the route of Cromwell's invasion of Scotland in 1650 is covered almost step by step. Oders of battle are included and the coverage of the campaign overall is very good.
 However Mr Johnston also sets the campaign in context so  there is also a potted history of Scotland during the Second Civil war and of course the political upheavals in Scotland itself. I learned thing I didn't know which for me is the benchmark for a decent history book.
 The volume rounds off the account of the war with the Worcester campaign - Cromwells Crowning Mercy which ended the Third Civil War.

Recommended reading.
 

The Encounter at Fiddler's Rise October 1469

Another thin month at the Tantobie Warfare and Tactical Society with only three memeber available for this month's game. Nil Desperandum however the three of us amnaged a fine little 40mm Wars of the Roses punch up with my collection of models in that scale and period.
 It had been a while since these last saw the light of day though I had managed to add a couple of extra figures to the collection.

The battlefield, Fiddlers Rise top right Yorkists on the right of the picture 

Lancastrian troops 

Some of the Yorkists

 Most of these are from my own Romanoff Miniatures range of late medievals - including a good few conversions the cavalry are mostly Irregular and the guns - two are Hinchliffe /.Foremost the so called Heavy Culverin in the Landsknecht range and the large bombard a scratchbuilt item. The few cavalry were Irregular with a single "Mindstslker" model on a Sash and Saber horse that I picked up secondhand and rebased  a few weeks ago.

More of the Yorkists on Fiddler's Rise. 

 Rules used were basically Anthony Clipsom's set "Foray" with  some local amendments to add in gunpowder and changing his metric measurements back to inches simply because I don't see Medieval games in millimetres as that system had not yet been invented !  The rules are simple D6 based but have enough flavour to make them interesting. Simple mechanisms and none of the  farting about seemingly so desired by many "games players"  so decisions are left to the players rather than the rule set. For this kind of large skirmish - small battle they work very well especially as they leave room for the Umpire to fiddle about and make the players think a bit. The table was a bit smaller than our usual being only five feet or so square and terrain was as simple as possible - wooden blocks under the cloth with my venerable collection of Britain's trees for the woods on top of Fiddlers Rise.

Lancastrians.

The cavalry charge. 

So to the action. The Yorkist faction was take by Mechanical Shaun and the Lancastrians by Andrew the Tekkie. I allowed both sides free deployment - simply to see what each would do  and at first both sides played it defensively, Andrew scoring an early success with a flukey double to destroy the Yorkist gun. This caused Shaun to advance and arrows  flew  but without major damage to either side, though the Lancastrian artillery did  cause a few casualties. Then the Yorkist cavalry charged  a unit of Lancastrian archers- in Percy livery but under Oxford.s banner(see what happens when you give free deployment!)  Andrews dice rolling was to say the least awful - several hist but not a single kill and the horse crashed into the archers who then failed their post melee morale and broke and fled . The horse pursued and overan the lighter Lancastrian guns and disappeared off the table.

A melee- the growling began next turn. 

 In other parts of the field honours were more or less even. A Lancastrian charge was held- just- and , though neither side broke the Lancastrians retired both sides then growled at each other, In the centre Shaun had kept his heavily armoured men at arms together and these advance upon the Lancastrian centre which looked decidedly unnerved and began to pull back.. However the Yorkists - who were slightly outnumbered overall- did not fancy assaulting  up hill  especially without cavalry support and something of a shortage of archers. As I went to the bar to get them in the fighting died down amid mild slurping of fine ale as neither side had the numbers or morale to finish the job.

As usual our thanks to Landlady Jean for excellent Beef Butties and fine pints of Consett Brewery Pale Ale.  Now off to paint some more of these for another game next year. The next meeting of our group will be  sometime in November. Don't know what period yet - therein lies the interest!

More Mutiny men- and a bit of refurbishment

What with the World Cup causing the odd bit of skiving off over the last few weeks tjre jas not been a lot of painting done. However there has been a bit here and there . Indian Mutiny and a bit of refurbishment of some older stuff that needed a bit of TLC .

  The Stadden AWI cavalry were first painted in the late 1980s and have been used on and off ever since so they needed a bit of touching up . The Mutineer High command figure is a mullah so doubtless will be called "mad" by the British in any upcoming battles.!

Refurbished Baylors dragoons 30mm stadden for my AWI collection 

A second shot of Baylors. I have a good numner of these still to paint. Most aquired more recently than these /

The possibly "mad" Mullah 

Hodsons Horse- on the older possibly a bit thin OG horses. These  horses are no longer supplied with the pack  so you can tell how long these have been in the collection.

British gun crew for the Indian Mutiny

The tale of the Dropped Lancer.

This is my first blog post for some time. There are many and various reasons for this. Not least the minor fact that I did my back in  unpacking my last shipment form Old Glory USA. This slowed me down a bit as amongst other things sitting typing was bloody painful so I didn't do it. Equally  other work still had to be done- getting out the back orders and sorting out all the stock. After all there were 10 boxes of gear o sort out - about 3000 packs of soldiers- maybe a few more. We got it dome, my wife Carole and I, but it was several days slower than I would have liked.

  So you can see , Gentle Reader, that not a great deal of figure painting has been done in the meantime. Yet as I recovered and the pain became merely awful  I did manage to finish a few including the mysterious Dropped Lancer !
 In a previous post  I showed you a unit of Bengal Irregular Cavalry I had painted for the Sikh Wars.  but there were only 9 so - since there were all from one pack of Old Glory figures and they come in 10s where was number 10 ? Answer on the bloody floor where I dropped him  then lost him. Much later he made his presence felt when I stood on him in bare feet. Wrath and bad language did ensue! But the little chap was undamaged  so I plugged in a lance hand and a wire lance and painted him (FYI in many Bengal Irregular units weapons were initially a matter of personal choice and in some only NCO's carried lances in other more or even the whole unit it rather depends upon when and where )
 So here he is,

The 40mm medieval man at arms I picked up from Colonel Bill's along with several other  painted 40mm late medievals from the Italian "Mindstalkers" range. These are lovely  models, actually Fantasy but with a useful number of late medievals amongst them. I have piced up the odd one here and there from ebay. When new the price was utterly eye-watering at around £8.00 per foot fig so I don't buy them new. This chap is actually on a Sash nad Saber horse  and has been though several owners I think. He needed a bit of TLC to repaint dings and scrathes but was in respectable nick overall. So a bit of  repainting and rebasing and he will join my 40mm Wars of the Roses- Late Medieval collection.

The third chap is another 30mm Stadden  of significant vintage (possibly at least 50 years old) for "Shinyloo" Colonel of the 69th foot. He has no regiment yet but will have. I don't add to this- or indeed any other collection in an orderly manner I mostly paint what I want when I want and to the devil with order. After all this hobby is supposed to be.... er    FUN!!!

In other news the new Sash and Saber 28mm FIW range listing is up on the OGUK website.
http://www.oldgloryuk.com/french-and-indian-war-28mm/26/245

At the moment it is showing as unavailable- and will until stock actually arrives.  But you can see the  list of figures and the UK prices.
I have never personally though it quite the ticket to sell stuff I have never actually seen or held in my hand.
 Now to be accurate I won't have everything- .Initially no snow shoe dudes and no Highlanders and not all of the regulars. they will come across in future or as chaps order them. You can order stuff by emailing me direct on info@oldgloryuk.com and I will see if I can tag it on to my current order  or failing that  wait until the next one goes off to the USA.

More Indian metal

Here are some pictures of a unit I actually managed to finish!
 Shock Horror!
 These models represent the 2nd Bengal Irregular Cavalry- Gardners Horse raised in 1809 by William Linnaeus Gardner. The models are from the Old Glory Sikh Wars range which is actually pretty large having some 40 or so different packs of models including all the major troop types plus a few others !  There are also useful models in the Indian Mutiny range.

 The first risalah there will be others to make the unit  up to about 24 cavalry 

though I auapect I shall only do one European officer. 

 These troops are very versatile. Not only can they turn out for full blown campaigns such as the Pindari War  and the Sikh Wars but also for the everyday small change  of recalcitrant Rajas and  Zemindars who don't want to pay their tax bills ! Plenty of scope for games of different types- but all with an historical background.

Kiss me Hardy ! (where's that) !

  Now it is not that often that the Tantobie Warfare and Tactical Society  go floating about on the Briny  but this month Theatrical Steve was in the chair and decided to run a Napoleonic Naval game.
 So with four members turning up to our usual watering hole in the relentless rain we grabbed our backstays and clewed up our fores'ls and set off
 Steves rather spiffing 1/1200 ships were on the table and the rules were a set called Trafalgar- which I had never seen before. This last not surprising since it had been a good few years since I had played Napoleonic Naval though it has always interested me off and on over he years- C.S. Forester and Dudley Pope's fault, devil a doubt, with a side order of Alexander Kent  and perhaps a soupcon of Gregory Peck and Virginia Mayo!

Early in the Action- The French Austerlitz places itself in the path of the Royal Navy. while the rest of the French try to tack

 However enough of the frivolity and on with the action
 The French Squadron facing the stalwart tars of the Royal Navy considered of thee 74s and  the Austerlitz- first rate manned as usual by a lubberly crew- Shaun and Andrew !!  Under my own hand were 2 74s a 64 and Victory - a first rate, I also had the Surprise- frigate 32 which was carrying important despatches and needed to be seen out of harm's way until it could show the French a clean pair of heels  and glory of glories I had the wind !

Discussion of who can do what to whom and from which angle.

 No it wasn't the beer. I had the weather gauge which  gave me a reasonable and unexpected  advantage in the upcoming contest. I had my four ships in line ahead with the 64 leading ad Victory at the rear shielding the Surprise from the French ships.. With the wind against them the French had something of a task, but of course the wind can change  and we did get a fog  bank which fortunately dissipated before any harm could be done. the opening rounds were fired bu Austerlitz and replied to by my little 64  in a vain attempt to slow Austerlitz down to try to slip Surprize through the gap and away.  This didn't happen - round one to the French .

Austerlitz in the centre of the picture getting a spanking .

 However despite losing a fore mast the gallant 64 bow raked the Austerlitz twice and since the French first rate also received a stern rake from Colossus 74  she  became a floating wreck - scuppers awash wi' blood. Yes Gentle Reader the odious cubes were actually running my way for a change! Shock Horror - how unusual, but rather nice.

yes there is a lump in the sea which is also a funny colour as I could not find my blue cloth

So I hear you ask what were there rest of the French doing all this time. Short answer- trying to turn round against the wind. Not easy indeed mostly impossible especially as the wind stayed steady. Yet despite this there was more for the Royal navy to do. A miscalculation on my part led to Surprise losing a fore mast and later its main to French fire though  it cost the French one of their 74s as Victory - slower than the others(was he bottom foul?) finally came to the rescue and escorted the limping , but still mobile, Surprise away from the action.

 I was pretty impressed with the rules- there were bits I didn't grasp which almost led to a fit of pique but Steve explained slowly using nice short words so I got it in the end ! I will happily have another go with these- even if I don't get the wind !

As usual thanks to Landlady Jean for superb Beef butties and chips and to Landlord Eric for Consett Brewery's White Hot - an excellent "session beer"  for convivial toping whilst playing a spendid and different  game.
 Ships were all from Steve's collection and are Langton miniatures. Lovely models.

India/ Generic troop types for 18th - 19th century armies

 As regular reader may know I have log been interested in warfare in India. Especially from the 18th century onwards. I have been slowly building up forces for the Indian Mutiny of 1857 but having said that other campaigns have taken my fancy. . The NW Frontier is an obvious one but also ealier campaigns of the  18th century- but not only the usual ones of Clive and Dupleix but also those of the Marathas and Haider Ali and Tippo Sultan.

2 shots of Matchlock armed Infantry. Variously called barkanzyes of Najibs. Al Indian forces used them - even as late as the mutiny rebellious zamindars still had numbers of these.

 Si it struck me that-aside from specialist forces for these campaigns I would ned sme generic  forces to represent those troop types that were scattered all over  India and fought for almost everyone at one time or another from 1760 to 1860. Now that IS stretching a point but it seemed to me, reading the sources that assorted matchlock armed infantry  fought in Indian armies from the late 16th century to around the time of the mutiny with very little change in appearance.
 As for cavalry- that is a bit more complex but from the mid 18th century onwards  the bow mostly disappeared- though I will have some bow armed heavy cavalry when I finish them- and firearms Lances and swords take the lead.

2 shots of the irregular cavalry. These kind of horse were about from the mid 18th century to around the 1840s. The use of armour declined but I would be happy enough using large mobs of these up to and including the Sikh wars and smaller numbers thereafter. 

 So here are a few pics of the initial results of this line of thought. Some of the cavalry were painted by Dave Jarvis about a decade ago and have been given a reviver.
 All the models are Old Glory 25mm - or 28 if you prefer and come either from the Sikh Wars or Indian mutiny ranges. I shall also be using packs from the Renaissance Persian range and  from the later Ottoman Turkish
Wonder where this project will end up?

Still shining away.

It has been a while since I actually finished any new models for any of my on going projects. I have had these on my desk for several weeks but actual real life keeps getting in the way.  However finally another whole 8 figures fr the Forces of Napoleon Shinyparte and a single cavalryman for the Duke of Wellyboote. The speed is positively breathtaking ! . Mind you this collection is now knocking on the door of 300 models with plenty more to do - including a bundle of limbers and teams which will take forever so there is plenty of life in it yet. I have also just bought some few Austrian and Russians which may end up doding duty as part of the tiny forces of some ficticious and fractious member of the Confederation of the Rhine. In the same lot were a bundle of Prussians  which only need a bit of touching up before they can take the field.

Stadden 30mm British Napoleonic Dragoon in watering cap. 

 So with things looking a bit bleak for General Shinyparte I thought I'd finish these voltigeurs and add a few figures to the Guard. As for the Brits well, amongst the various lots I have acquired over the last year or so was a small group of Stadden Hevy Dragoons in the uniform of 1810-11. Some regiments at least had abandoned the  clumsy bicorne and used instead a "watering cap"  or shako . That dress is what the cavalryman depicts. A bit unusual and very attractive so I painted one of the five I have as an Inniskilling Dragoon  just for a bit of difference.

Voltigeurs  skirmish around some aged Britains hedges(meant to keep you plastic sheep safe) supported by the Imperial guard. How the standard bearer manages that hevy solid metal flag is anyone's guess. 

Close up of the Guard. The reflection on the shiny varnish is a bit of a pain when taking close ups ! 

As for the Imperial Guard . I  now have a good bundle of them . both Stadden and Minot with an odd Willie or two (FYI that is a figure brand not an anatomical description)  so many more will turn up . The voltigeurs are all Staddens  Like most of this collection advertised as 30mm when they were made imn the late 1960s.
 Now a bit of a rest from shiny chaps. Next on the painting desk some more models for my growing "India" collection.  Once finished they will appear- and thiese are a matt varnisehd collecton. Not everything I do is shiny !

The Battle of Bad Schmelling June 8th 1709, Durham Wargames Group Show Game 2019

So, Gentle Reader, the morning of June 8th dawns and somewhat later that that awfully early time Jim the Builder and I load up the gear in the piddling rain  for our Demo game at the Durham Wargames Group's annual Open Day which as an  annual event has been running for something close to  40 years. As a past member of the group I recall organising  two or 3 of the events in the early 80s and I was by no means the first to do so. Equally I recall putting on Demos - as a member at that time. I recall the Battles of Nevilles Cross and the Battle of Ghinnis as well as a medieval Chevauchee and doubtless there were others that have slipped my mind. So although a small event it has a certain longevity though  it has fallen a little from its high point in the 1980s. Of that more later but for now back to Jim and I in the rain .

 Yes it is a wet and windy June morning as we meet up with Mechanical Shaun and Floating Jeff to unload- up comes Theatrical Steve and our team for today is complete. Liam - aka Garth is also supposed to be here but is stuck in Kendal with mechanical difficulties  awaiting the AA . So the five of us set up the game on its 10 feet by 6 feet table with around 800 15mm Marlburians- all Blue Moon 15mm and mostly painted and organised by Jim in the last year. I provide a few units as well as most of the terrain so this is a co-operative effort but with Jim definitely in the chair as Umpire .

Early in the action. The Allied guns find the French Infantry. 

As it happens the game was a little cracker- even though I came second -Floating Jeff's legendary dice throwing eventually proving my undoing. Jim based the scenario on the battle of Creveld from the Seven years war. Apparently this meant my outnumbered British - with Prussian and Danish  help had to cross a river in the face of a French army  while a Durch force appeared on the French Flank unbeknown to the French high command. We we almost got away with it . The French slightly outnumbered our whole force and Mechanical Shaun - as the Dutch commander  pressed them hard, forcing the French to divert troops  to protect their   flank and rear. Meanwhile I tried to cross the river in two placeS and despite routing two French battalions with some fearsome artillery fire it was never really on the cards until the last move when I finally got  Dumbarton's regiment across  and into the French- only to lose the melee  against Jeff 's usual  highly inappropriate dice rolling.. It was really nip and tuck and a fine time was had by all. Rules were a slightly modified version of Warfare in the Age of Reason. A set I have always liked and have used for many sub-periods within the 18th century. It can take modification without upset and is not so hyped up on its own cleverness of mechanism that it ever becomes less than sipmple to use or obscure in meaning.

The Dutch put pressure on the French flank and rear.

Dumbarons Regiment prepares for it assault

Now As to the show- well frankly  I have seen better. Usually for a small local event Durham gets pretty packed . The crowd was very sparse this year but then the weather was unseasonably awful. Having said that though there was a certain lack of games and a lot of empty space in the main hall. When I went in the only sound was that of my own footsteps ! . There were two scruffy looking games at the far end of the hall- cluttered and uninteresting. One was Cruel seas - looked hasty like a normal club night game put on half and hour before the players arrive. - Can't even recall what the other one was. . Over in the bowls pavilion there was a game of the Russian assault on Bhokara which was interesting and unusual. Typical of Conrad Cairns and his friends nice one Dudes. A static display of the so called "Battle" of Piercebridge in 1642 looked nice but in 2mm was barely visible to the naked eye despite the effort that had gone into the scenery. The actual encounter was a   skirmish involving the Hull roundheads trying to stop a much larger Royalist force  crossing the River Tees.  Since they only had a couple of infantry companies and a troop or two of horse they failed .  However the display looked very nice. It was obvious some effort had been expended.

"There are more of us than you "- chant the French as Prussian and Danish troops move up to cross the river. 

There simply were not enough games.  The main hall as I mentioned had 2 small games- both less than 6 feet by 4  both lacking in anything resembling effort at any kind of display . Both about as eye catching as a party political broadcast.. I have no idea who was running/hosting them and I don't care.

The French main battle lineas it shifts to counter the Dutch.

 Surely the local groups can do better for a local show with such a long history.. After all it is not as if the NE is short of wargamers. But perhaps that is not the right question. Perhaps the question should be "Can the NE supply a sufficiency of wargamers who are willing to put some effort into a demo or PP game at a small show such as Durham?" Has the local hobby become so utterly introverted that it can't be bothered to do anything other than play -in private-  on four foot square tables- I can't answer that and I am also aware that petty local bickering  has sometimes had its effect. I only  know our group does not follow THAT pattern, after all in the last few years we have managed to do a Demo at the Durham show is lots of different periods and scales of which our 15mm Marlburian game was only the latest. In the past we have done 28mm ECW, 40mm ACW, 20mm Modern, 15mm Modern, 1/600th Naval, 10mm Seven Years War, 28mm Seven Years War and 40mm Wars of the Roses. All this from a group with no more than 6 regular members plus the occasional guest. For next year we are looking at 28mm Indian Mutiny and before anyone sneers behind their hands  "well they have the resources of Old Glory UK behind them - only partly true- the models still have to be made and painted, scenarios  worked out,. EFFORT put in for what has for us always been an enjoyable day. A few cheaper soldiers does not a demo game make. The chaps still have to turn up, still have to have some enthusiasm for what they do .

 Not sure what the dozen or so traders made of it- I did not have my traders hat on  so didn't ask. Not that I would anyway.. I spent more on a roud of beers than I did on toys. A secondhand copy of C.S. Grants book Wargames Campaigns and a can of white spray primer- for buildings I brush prime figures- was my lot. Though I was tempted both by Hoka Hey wargaming's Elizabethans and by Reiver Castings French revolutionary Wars British I resisted- at least for now .....

 Now I and  the rest of our group did enjoy the day and will be ready to do another demo next year if we are invited. Yes the show needs a bit of a shot in the arm but no it should not merely wither away like so many others. It deserves better.

The Battle of Schortenhausen May 4th 1708

One of the problems that arises in the running of any small business in almost any field is lack of time. The demands of Government bullshit override almost anything. They have the power - you don't . This is a universal constant. However add "somewhat busier than normal" and 2 shows in following weekend AND  the arrival of a 10 box shipment from the USA which had to be broken down and sorted  before Partizan and you might just see why I have been neglecting this blog a little of late. What follows was mostly written  the week before Carronade.  but only just this morning finished.


There were plenty of T.W.A.T.S.  in evidence at our rather rushed May meeting. A total of 6 members turned up for the dress rehearsal of our Durham demo game. Jim the Builder was in the chair and running a 15mm Marlburian game using modified "Warfare in the Age of Reason" rules. There were a total of 5 players plus Jim as officiating Umpire so that made half a dozen T,W,A,T,S, in the same place quite an achievement given some recent turnouts.

Early in the action the Anglo- Dutch begin the pressure on the Bavarian right. 

 This was the first outing for the 15mm Marlburians and between us Jim and I managed a total of 28 units- so 14 a side for this dry run. Jim has several other units on the go  so by the time of the demo in June the forces will be significantly larger.. As for my tiny contribution well- That would be 7 units in total plus some command bases,2  Bavarian Infantry Battalions 3 Bavarian Cavalry squadrons an a battery of 3 Bavarian guns. The single British Battalion I had joined the other side along with 2 commander bases. One British and one Dutch.
 So the terrain was set before us and with myself and floating Jeffon one side and Mechanical Shaun Liam and his brother Jake on the other, we were off to the early 18th century.

The beginning of the Franco- Bavarian response from the Anglo- Dutch viewpoint. Dumbartons regiment advance against the Bavarians 

 The Anglo- Dutch forces began by an advance in the centre of an infantry Brigade of 2 battalions which immediately came under serious artillery fire from both French and Bavarian batteries. On the Franco Bavarian right  we occupied the village with a battalion with  another ouside in support who were in turn supported by Bavarian Dragoons, Our center - composed of French and Bavarian cavalry  hung back - awaiting events on our left the French foot moved steadily into line.4 battalions up, 1 in reserve. We sat back awaiting events and continuing our bombardment of the somewhat isolated Anglo- Dutch centre. However on the Franco,Bavarian left  a series of savage attacks threatened to overrun the position forcing the Bavarian Dragoons into a somewhat precipitate charge and chasing a Bavarian infantry battalion into the village for shelter. Nevertheless  the village position did its job , soaking up enemy pressure and troops which would have been better used  in the centre.

Franco Bavarian counter attacks go in.

 In response the  French Cavalry and Bavarian Cuirassiers  moved forward. The cuirassiers charged into the infantry opposite them and a long fight ensued- bum dice on both sides- before the infantry finally broke. They had been weakened by artillery fire first or the charge would probably not have succeeded. French cavalry - led by Elector Max in person  then charged in support of his cuirassiers  pushing back and eventually breaking the Dutch cavalry opposite them. This charge gave the pressured Bavarian Dragoons to the right time to rally and- although much reduced  finally polish off thee weakened and battered allied foot facing them.

The right dice in the right order at the right time. Does not always happen this way.

 Meanwhile on the Franco- Bavarian left the French foot advanced in a slow and deliberate manner threatened as they were by significant enemy cavalry formations. When the charges came in  the situation looked dicey for a while but floating Jeff managed his usual ridiculous dice rolls at the appropriate time and despite the rout of a French battalion Jeff hung on and the Anglo- Dutch - in disarray with 5 units at least in rout and others looking distinctly shaky  conceded the day.

Soon after this the Anglo- Dutch concede. I was too busy with a celebratory pint to take any more photos.  A man must decide priorities !

Models were- as you might expect- all Blue Moon 15mm from the extensive Marlburian range. Beer was by Consett Brewery and Beef butties by Landlady Jean. Next months game will be the demo at the Durham show on June 8th. If you are  planning to go and want and order bringing then as usual email me on info@oldgloryuk.com and I will sort it out for you.

As always our thanks go to Landlady Jean for here hospitality. We will be back.

A little bit here and there.

We have been very busy of late  so that not a great deal of painting has been done. Stuff that was on my table before Salute is still there. Now  I am not , and have never been, one of those wargamery types who can start at one end of an army and finish at the other without food or sleep or a pint or any normal comfort . Chaps like that make me nervous, obsessive aren't they? Sometimes  bit self- righteous perhaps ? Anyhow I ain't one of THOSE boredom would kicj in far too soon. No I apint what I want when I want and enjoy the process at least s much as the results

  So recently I have bitted about a little more than usual. Some 15mm Marlburian High command  for our groups game at the Durham show in June.  A40mm drummer for Regiment Champagne  for the very slowly growing 40mm TYW project . and finally these two little beauties. Command figures for the Indian Mutiny project. Both of these are from the Mutineer high command set and to be honest I am not sure who is who- though they do come with name labels on the figure and  another as yet unfinished is definitely  Lakshmi Bhai - The Rani of Jhansi as the figure is obviously female.
 Painting these two was a  treat in acrylics and inks over a white base coat to make the colours pop a little. They are added to the slowly growing force of Mutineers - or  Freedom fighters if you prefer.  To take on the forces of John Company

All of my Indian Mutiny forces are from the Old Glory  range and once hey are table ready I plan  to use a hybrid of Charge! and The Sword and the Flame which -at least in theory- should give the right mixture of order and sudden unpredictability. 

Another figure from the same pack I painted a while ago. 

Some of the British opposition - all Old Glory from the same pack CMB2A

And finally  some mutineers- selections from 3 packs. 

Well that's the plan .....

The Changing Face of Taste in Wargaming.

Is there a "Mainstream" anymore?

Once in a while I ponder upon the hobby we are involved in. It is not enough - for me- to simply sit back  and as one chap once put it on TMP "Don't think about it just do it"- surely as asinine a line as you will see anywhere. However having said that- don't make the mistake of thinking-

 A/. That it matters in the real world
 or
 B/. That I really care other than from the perspective of an interested observer of the Human species- or even Wargamers- not always the same thing in my experience.
or
C/.I expect anyone to change the way he or she indulges merely because I'm not a fan of Dwarf- fiddling  or Badger mumbling or Interstellar Steptoe and son or whatever other off the peg brain free "game" you decide upon. In that respect my opinion is not to the point... after all if you choose to be a consistently lightweight mere consumer that is up to you.
or
D/.. That I won't take the mickey out of everything I see. Let's be honest I find an awful  lot of the  current crop of stuff very very gamesy and quite risible, designed by and for people whose first and sometimes only interest is the actual game to the exclusion of all else. Nothing wrong with that as it stands but far too narrow for my taste. Not for me. Now to explain why- take Pikemans Lament and Lion Rampant. I choose these because I own copies and both purport to be periods that interest me and that I know something about.. The following remarks do for both sets as they  have very common roots.  As simple games they may be OK assuming you know nothing nor want to know anything about the periods in question. As introductions to gaming they are not bad. As introductions to gaming their supposed periods they are at best mildly misleading- that would be Lion Rampant  at worst actually running very much counter to the  type of warfare they purport to depict. Basically Pikemans lament is a fantasy game in 17th century clothing . I have seen it argued that they "got me into the period" - this may be true but if you did not explore the period further than that  they failed  to get you into it Three dozen soldiers fictitiously organised does not a period  army make. But as "toe dippers" simple fare they are doubtless successful


So what I see these days are various chaps trying to shoe- horn everything  they see into one so called broad church - cos its all gamin' innit.  The reasons for this are often- though not always- commercial and out of this commercialism has arisen the idea that if it is popular it must somehow  automatically be good . Hence the drivel that is Cold War Commander  or the Twaddle that is Pikemans Lament both of which may or may not be good "games" but neither of which bear much historical examination but I'm supposed to like this dross because others deem it popular and it's all gaming .

 . I beg to differ. I don't do "gaming" . I'm not interested in "gaming" for its own rather nebulous sake. I do not have a "gaming" licence !!! Nor do I want one.. I'm not even sure I actually LIKE "gaming" as currently so often portrayed in the pages of the magazines. I find quite a lot of it completely vacuous and with roughly the same intellectual level as a backward haddock.  Apparently these days I'm supposed to like it because it is "fun"and because the mysterious fun police tell me to.. Well lots of  it isn't, it is often simplistic and risible   so I prefer my own kind of fun thanks.

So what is my kind of fun then I hear you ask- aside from taking the piss you mean?. Well at least some or perhaps most of the time I prefer something with at least some intellectual meat upon the funny bones. This does not always mean complicated rules or 6 inch thick rule books with an additional 10 volumes of supplements and army lists - often quite the opposite. It does mean rules that either have a good grounding in the chosen period or can be made to be so after a few local amendments to suit our view of what went on then and there. . It does mean an Umpire who knows his stuff. It often means that the all elusive but vital "period feel" is far more important than mere dice rolling. That the look of the thing is more important than somebody else's army lists. It also often means a decided choice not to baa like the other sheep. To paraphrase Orwell "Gamin' good thinkin bad" seems to be today's fashionable mantra. I choose not to comply so it must be room 101 for me then where I would be , devil a doubt, forced to play Lamentable Rampant or Horror of horrors warhammer 40k with some overweight but underwashed  drooling GW fortysomething fanboy until my brain turned to porridge (assuming it has not already.).

 Another thing that seems to have disappeared in our "adventure gaming niche leisure market" (thanks for that nifty Mr Preece) is  reasonable debate and discussion. A recent example which I found quite eye-opening in a depressing sort of way was a spat on FB- apparently you are not allowed to criticize GW in any shape or form. Now my poor  opinion of 40k especially is well known  but these fellows are so thin skinned it was astonishing, merely stating this opinion resulted in bad language and accusation and the stricture that if I don't like something I should ignore it . I find the 40k "universe" dark, nasty and cruel, full of pseudo religious twaddle and desperately short of jokes. The actual game system is slow and clunky in my very limited experience. Quite why I should not be allowed to share this is beyond me and equally why the fanboys are so small minded that they choose to take it personally is also baffling.

Not that this narrow attitude is confined to our hobby by any means- see a recent post from the Tantobie Internet Tattler for example outlining his similar experience in another area. One does wonder if some of the younger generations are actually equipped for the hurly-burly of the real world if they cannot handle such minor differences of opinion as this then what happens when something important arrives within their limited ken?. Further, the idea that you simply ignore something you don't like leads us  to the possibility of going down a dark road indeed. Surely you discuss debate, take the piss , and hopefully something different and better may emerge both within the hobby and more importantly out there in the real world.

The Death of Debate?

I did think about calling this piece "The Problem with Fantasy and the Death of Debate" but the death of debate is not simply a sci-fant problem (after all look at the total mess our selfish and idiotic political classes have got us into) and the problem with  much fantasy gaming these days is that - paradoxically- it is far far more restrictive than much Historical gaming. The reasons for this are actually pretty simple when you think about it. Much , but not all, sci-fant has ONLY the game to lean on . This is especially true of many of the one off skirmish a likes that we see today. So the game is all there is in terms of background and depth which is possibly why they all look so samey. Now this is less true of say LOTR or even the various GW games which have fairly consistent and deep backgrounds that the more open minded can explore but speaking personally I do find so much sci-fant very thin on content. Which is why on my very rare excursions there I prefer my own back stories cobbled together from various sci-fi novels  and a set of generic rules rather than some other blokes view of how I should do it. Yet having said that there is no doubt that in terms of general miniatures gaming varios sci- fant is very much in the commercial driving seat. After all  with history you have to  "know stuff" and that is definitely out of fashion in the internet age. "Knowing stuff isn't cool innit"

In this I find I agree with Phil Dutre's point that many more "modern"  wargamers are simply consumers of what is placed before them rather than what he calls "tinkerers" . This is a fair point . Speaking personally I'd much rather be a tinkerer , putting my own stamp on something rather than merely a consumer of someone else's often very shallow fare. Indeed I'd go further and say that without the tinkering and the modelling and the collecting and the research  I simply would not bother with the hobby at all as there would be sod all in it to interest me. After all, rolled one dice rolled 'em all.

Some chaps seem obsessed with "mechanisms". I'm not, a mechanism is merely a tool and how is a hammer interesting of itself? Equally what- essentially is the difference between rolling a couple of D6 and as it oftens seems, standing on one leg and rolling 15D19 in succession to get the same result. This was highlighted to me in a set of ECW rules I recently purchased. "The Kingdom is Ours" is supposedly fast play. Now leaving aside the silly formations and the huge number of pages wasted on advertising  the range owned by the rule writers, How in the hell is rolling 17 dice  in 3 or 4 groups to resolve one single attack fast play?. Repetitive yes, tedious certainly - especially for those of us who do not regard dice rolling as an intellectual exercise. Since I am also informed that Cruel Seas  also takes 17 dice to resolve a single torpedo attack I wonder if 17 is the new 42 (If you have never read Douglas Adams you may not get that one )  but more likely this is merely another facet of the current fad for replacing dice rolling for actual thinking or period knowledge. It may also mean that "fast-play" actually equates to "rolling dice instead of thinking" or indeed doing anything rather than thinking and further putting Joe Wargamer in the hands of game designers rather than in his own hands .

Once again I choose not to comply.  At least not all of the time. I want more from my hobby than mere dice rolling.

These days you get an awful lot of "I don't have the time" based excuses used for not doing whatever the person in question does not like or want to do. Be it figure painting or  reading or indeed anything but actually rolling dice, seemingly. Now sometimes you actually DO NOT have the time as work and life and other assorted bullshit(usually government crap in my case) intrudes so you do have to tailor your hobby to what is available to you. BUT does that HAVE to mean  going intellectually down market? Playing ONLY another skirmish - a - like. But then perhaps you have a very high boredom threshold. Personally again I choose not to comply. I would far far rather play fewer "better" games- with of course my own definition of "better"- than the same skirmish a -like in a different box week in week out.

Now don't get me wrong here if you like playing same old same old week in week out go ahead  but I was always under the impression that one of the big pluses of the broad church was its diversity but then again I may be wrong after all Lion Rampant ,Dragon Rampant and Pikemans Lament are  supposedly different aren't they - other than the models in different hats I mean,

One of the things that attracted me to this hobby was its open endedness . The idea that  in theory there are so many possible paths. Some would say that this is even more the case- more scales more toys more rules etc. They are not wrong BUT for some the rules, army lists  and mechanisms straitjacket has become absolute. Again that is - mostly their choice. I choose not to comply. Like Fleetwood Mac I will go my own way- so of course will everyone else. Which is exactly as it should be.

The Emperor's new Book.

Bit busy at Salute but did pick up one very useful little tome from Helion.. "In the Emperors Service by Laurence Spring is an examination of Wallenstein's Imperial Army of the Thirty Years War.  Now anyone who has read even one book on the 30 years war will have heard of Albrecht Von Waldstien- usually Wallenstein and the army he raised for Imperial service. This new volume gives us  some details added to the bare bones that many of us already think we know.  I have other work by Spring and this is well up to the standard of research and scholarship that I have come to appreciate from his work on the English Civil War.

 This new book covers "all the usual suspects" - organisation , pay  officers and men , arms and armour very well. It also gives us details of the Siege of Stralsund and the Battle of Lutzen to give us an idea of the army on operation service. There are plenty of photographs and a good slew of contemporary illustrations. I found the photos of captured Imperial flags especially useful especially when coupled with the colour plates of colours and standards. I can feel an addition to my small Thirty years War collection of 40mm models coming up over the horizon.
 I would certainly recommend this volume to anyone who has even a passing interest in the armies and operations of the Seventeenth century  in general and the 30 Years War in particular.

The photos show a few of my finished 40mm Thirty Years War models. Castings are by Sash and Saber and my own Romanoff Miniatures. Armed with this new book from Helion I can now sort out the organisations an flags for these models !