Hints...

The Red force has:
A General with an ADC;
12 Dragoons;
An Officer of Dragoons
40 Infantry;
Three Officers of Infantry;
2 Guns;
10 Gunners and;
An Officer of Artillery.

Mystery Map...

Brownie Points to anyone who can guess which battle was once fought out over this map.

HE Miniatures

I just ordered about 10 sample Holger Ericsson cavalry from Peter Johnstone of Spencer Smith miniatures in the UK.

www.spencersmithminiatures.co.uk/

I'm really looking forward to these - especially after I saw Phil Olleys splendid 30-man "Chevaliers de Rouen":

www.warcabinet.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Chevaliers_de_Rouen_1.jpg

I am inspired to do some of these HUGE cavalry units. I may have to re-read "Charge!" again.

Battlegames Magazine

The first issue comes out on 14 March. With names like Charles S Grant, Don Featherstone, Stuart Asquith, Bill Protz, James Purky and Mike Siggins himself writing for Battlegames quality is bound to be high.

Go to the Battlegames site and get yourself a subscription.

www.battlegames.co.uk

A Little Light on the Dark Ages of the Duchy

Some time ago (either in the Hyborean Age or somewhere around AD500) the Duchy of Alzheim entered a Dark Age. ..

In those days there were oceans of light and cities in the skies and wild flying beasts of bronze. There were herds of crimson cattle that roared and were taller than castles. There were shrill, viridian things that haunted bleak rivers.

It was a rich time and a dark time. *

It was a time when hard-riding men drove their steeds over the grassy plateaux of the Marches of Alzheim and strove to defend it's borders and towering fortresses. These were evil days when the Riders of Alzheim contemplated their own overthrow at the hands of an implacable hate.

This was a time when strange beings stirred in the darkest and most ancient of the forests. A time when a nameless evil walked the land by night and summonned all manner of foulness from the lowlands.

Tapestries and illustrated manuscripts to follow...

*A time for profound apologies to Mr Moorcock.

New recruits

This way to the car-park, lads.

Batch painting Saxons... again

Alright... maybe tomorrow (walks off muttering...)

Batch Painting Saxons

I'll be batch painting four Saxon Infantry tonight - Pictures to follow this evening. I'll let you know how I go...

Too Many Officers?

On the Old School Yahoo Group last week there was a discussion of an Old School Author's rules and their seeming over-indulgence in the officer class. This got me thinking.

What on earth would you do with all these fellows?

Here's what I came up with:

* a unit with less than a certain number of officers and NCOs is
obviously unable to adequately supervise the men. Should the Regiment
fall below this figure then it will lose men (deserted, sexually
harassing a barmaid, skiving off for a fag &c) equal to the number of
missing officers per move.

* the gilded staff. Every brigade needs a Brigadier and a couple of
ADCs or messengers. Every Brigadier needs a General to report to. The
general needs a staff and ADCs/messengers. The General needs a
squadron of fancifully-dressed cavalry as a bodyguard. Use the
messengers and ADCs to transmit orders from the general. Units
without fresh orders must conform to the last instruction they were
given...

Failing that, give them to me. I can make a home for them.

A Couple of New Recruits

The pikeman (left foreground) still needs his pike of course.

The mould that produced the Gunner in the green coat was an absolute bugger to cast. I think I had to try about something like eight times, and vent the mould in about four places to get it starting to work satisfactorily! Anyone got any hints or tips they'd like to share?

I think he looks nice now, though...

Can anyone tell me when the Saxon Army abandoned the pike in favour of the bayonet?

A Bit of Fun

I have to say that I've been finding painting up my Prince August semi-round miniatures a lot of fun.

Just the fact that I can go and cast up another few whenever I want is liberating in a way that I never really thought of before. I'm a lot braver in how I paint them - I always was wary of painting the larger-scale miniature. I thought my painting technique might not be up to it, and I could never bring myself to ruin an expensive miniature. With these I feel as though if I want another all I have to do is melt doewn some tyre weights, sinkers and GW miniatures and I can bang out another few of what I want! It's a good feeling. It's hard on the poor old tyre weights, though.

You may have noticed that I am painting them up in uniforms more-or-less modelled on those of the Saxon Army up until about 1739. I found a German-language book on the army of August the Strong that I bought a few years ago and which covers everything I think I could need to paint up a few regiments and some gunners. I feel the Prince August moulds are better off depicting armies from the earlier part of the 18th Century (especially the HE ones) and so therefore the red-coated Saxons.

More DoA Troops c.1720-30

Infanterieregiment du Cailer, Offizier und Mann.

OK, I'd thought of calling them Garnisons-Regiment Mauerscheisser, but that'd just be unpleasant.

Light infantry

British (erm, "Englandian") Light Infantry from the French and Indian War... Just waiting for the right project to employ them...

RSM Light Dragoons

I read about the Battle of Emsdorf in my Blandford on the Seven Years War. I thought wow! this would make a nice little self-contained project. This is as far as it got...

The Grand Illusion

Rather a lantern-jaw, I'm sure you'd agree.

"Historical" Miniature

I was inspired recently to get my hands on some of the Prince August moulds by the work of Steve Cady, fellow member of the OSW group and a masterful painter. Just today I finally have plucked up the courage to paint my first ever semi-round miniature.

I decided he would be from the Duchy of Alzheim in the 1720s or 30s, a relatively little-known period of the Duchys' past when her soldiers were still wearing the Red coat they abandoned in 1740 for the White. This change probably reflected the internal politics of the State at this time and the predominance of the "French" party over that of the "Saxon" at court.

The bold young infantry officer depicted here (from information taken from the portrait showing him at the time of the War of the Poltroonian Succession) is the Graf von Eisenessen* perhaps better known later as the Marquis de Soubre-Whelm from the title awarded him by a young Louis XV for his actions at the breach at the Seige of Protzhydenlohe. As close students of Alzenheimer history will be aware this was the one major action the men of Alzheim took part in, and this was trying enough to wear the heart out of the army. It is said that the Officers' mess bills for Champagne were enough that they took only a minor part in the better known War of the Austrian Succession.

*Not a relation of Trinksblut und Eisenessen as related by Colonel Grant (99th) in his "What a Game We Make of War" - London 1767.

New Link

Take a quick voyage over to the Seas of Fate - a page I'm putting together to hold my fantasy-related materials.

New link - Colonial Capers

Take a look at the "Colonial Capers" link in the links section on the right of this page. It's a shortcut to my Colonial wargames blog. Just starting up, but there are a good few posts (mostly pretty pictures for now, but there is a battle-report) worth taking a look at (I hope!) - see you there!

Upcoming battle report.

Things are quiet here. Too quiet...

Is that a rustling in the woods over there?

Perhaps...

I think we might send the light infantry to take a look.

This weekend coming, I will do a small battle between the light infantry forces of Englandia and the GSH Duchy of Soubre-Whelm. I think some nice pictures will be in order.

Who wants to suggest a scenario? I'm thinking about 20 figures to a side - perhaps 15 Infantry and 4 or 5 Cavalry. Objectives? A missing Vivandiere? A misplaced barel of spirits? Rival groups of foragers?

Let me know.

Another little project?

Maybe. I've just won a small lot of "Merit" model railway accessories on eBay, including a nice little collection of trees.

I note that they are the same trees that Mr CS Grant used in his wargaming setup.

Perhaps I could start doing some "lift-off" balsa buildings?