What's Next?

I'm not sure! All the primary collections have been out, as have most of the secondary ones and I don't have any strong desires or scenario ideas. Its probably a good time to get back to doing some painting, regardless of fading eyes and wobbly hands. 

There are a handful of 1/2 painted Prince Valiant figures sitting on my desk, including a couple carrying ladders and grumbling that they're going to be late for the siege, so that's probably a good place to start.

Absent Friends

Yes, that's Sunday's toast and it's only Friday but a friend, a wargaming and discoursing about history, miniature wargaming, life and various other topics, friend, David Wilson, has recently passed away. 

It was in the early 80's when I had just resigned my commission and had been talked into trying my hand as a shopkeeper at a new wargaming, D&D, miniatures, etc. store which I named The Tin Soldier, (As it turns out, my shopkeeper ancestors hadn't passed the right DNA to me and I was only saved by getting a temp. job that led to a job that led me to  find various unsuspected talents and a career). 

Anyway, this tall, thin, smart, mustachioed, educated, and slightly hippy-ish guy came in to look at the 15mm Napoleonics rack and we got chatting. Before long I had him joining into games as well as spending a lot of time talking over coffee or beer. Before the decade was over he decided to leave town to up his university degrees to Doctor of...various things. For a while he settled in Fredericton and, now and then, when I was there for work or visiting family, I occasionally dropped in for a chat if I had a chance.  Then I retired early, had my heart attack, Covid hit, and my trips to visit family became fewer and shorter and David and I lost contact.  

So it came as a shock recently to get the news that he had passed away, even though he was almost a decade older than me. I felt the need to make some remembrance of him, so I mounted one of my original figures with a few words in memory of our friendship and passed it to his partner. 

May David's spirit find someone to discourse with wherever it goes. 

Wargames Without Malice

Well, its done, and was well worth doing. I'm not sure what demon whispered in my ear while I was asleep that I should return to more complex rules and scenarios as the next decade creeps closer, but it has been banished again by a fast paced game, full of suspense, plans, changes of fortune with rising and falling hopes, sustained by stubborn toy soldiers and unpredictable dice.  

"It's done Sir. A week's truce to care for the dead and wounded, get the troops back on the shelf and endorse the adjusted rules as agreed upon here."

The one-side-of-a-page rules as played, but wide open to adjustment with each game until I run out of issues, problems, omissions, and new ideas, can be found here.  If things continue well, eventually a 4 or 5 page set of rules will take the place of the retired "Hearts of Tin". It might lay claim to the title as they have the same roots. Time will tell. In essence, each stand is a "unit" which can act on its own but is usually more effective as part of a formation or group of stands. Commanders play a role in getting the troops to act as desired, when the player desires as well as boosting morale at times.

Yeah, sorry. The awful lighting in this 170 yr old house affected some of the pictures even worse than usual and sometimes even my laptop can't really fix my errors. Improving the lighting is on the list.... 

Anyway, the Scenario was #18, Counter Attack, from One Hour Wargames by Neil Thomas and apart from set up and the pending clean up, it took about 2 hours of playing time which is about right for me these days. The orders for both sides are to control both the bridge and the town."Red" starts with a small force but is reinforced by units that are aware of two secret fords. "Blue" marches on turn 1, knowing only what he can see.

All in!
General Turner's aide comes up with a 'cunning plan'. On Oberhilse's right, the Faraway Light Dragoons are isolated and out of command needing a 5 or 6 to charge so if the 4th Infantry advances to musket range it should be able to drive them off and should be steady enough to repulse a light cavalry charge if they should be so bold. On the left flank, the artillery and Greys should be able to see off the redcoats.

Moments later on Oberhilse's right flank ....

"5 hits on 6 dice? Hopefully they don't have orders to pursue. Best go help rally the remaining boys."

While on their left:

"Well, that'll even out all those 1's and 2's we've been rolling!"

With chance cards having shortened the game by 2 turns, time was running out.

"Hmm, the light is starting to dim. What do you think gentlemen? Should we make a risky 'win or lose' gambit or play it safe and negotiate a truce?" "Yes I agree. Major, you were here at the start, I'm going to send you across under a flag of truce."

The troops are 40mm, mostly a mix of homecast, inc casts of my original sculpts as well as commercial moulds but supported by Scruby figures from Historifigs. Most of both being converted to 1830/40's uniforms for my fictional setting. (Oh, and there still some units in .... obsolete 1812-14 uniforms... 'cus I like'm)

Sunday Morning Early Edition.

 Its been a good but busy day, which means this game will be finished tomorrow. 

About 1/3 of the turns played. 

to be continued,,,,,

No Place Like Home, No Habits Like Old Habits

 Ahhhhhhhh. That's better!  Back in my happy/comfort zone. 

One Hour Wargame Scenario #18  using my 40mm 1830/40's Faraway&Oberhilse armies and 
my "Fight For A Continent" rules. 

Eventually I'll have to ponder the implications of all this, but not today. 

Game to be played Saturday morning if all goes well.

Now For Something Completely Different

It is entirely possibly that when you are tired and distracted by a sore leg, and not really sure what you really want vs what you think you should want, and so on, might not be the best time to adjust and test rules. So, I am going to clear the table and set up a small, simple scenario on some other period to amuse myself while not troubling my brain.

"CUT!" "Sorry lads a truce has been called, back to camp everyone."

I've had a request for another Gathering of Hosts  but I need to find a story line for a scenario and that brain department is  unavailable at the moment. A 1/72 ACW game is due but I'm not up to pushing that many little guys around the table.  The 16thC is a simple option, as is another 1840's Oberhilse & Faraway game.

The decision will probably requiring limping across the room to stare at the contestants while thinking about scenarios, but first I have to clear the table..

NEXT!!!!

Having decided to pull back to Ft. Lawrence rather than pursue and resume the fight on the morrow, it seemed best to give the battered battalions a rest and send in fresh units.  The 60th Foot and Temple's  were selected to lead the attack. At the same time, a truce was called to let the armies collect their dead and wounded and to discuss the change in the rules of War. ( On The Frontier now with Variable Length Moves again instead of command rolls). 

In the morning, the long roll was sounded and soon the red column was on the march to test their metal (a lead free alloy as it happens).

All Things Must End

If I'd known my b#@%&* knee was going to explode again, I probably wouldn't have set this game up but I'm glad I did as it helped distract me even if I only managed a turn or 3 a day, on the good days.

At the end of the day, in the centre, 3 companies of British supported by a gun were facing 4 companies of French and a gun behind a breastwork......

One of the main reasons I had set it up was that I want one set of rules for the three collections of single figures that I plan to use for small action scenarios ( 1745-60 British Conquest, 1790's West Indies and mid 19thC toy soldiers.) and wanted to give my old original "With MacDuff To The Frontier rules" one last chance.  The result you ask?  Well, the rules worked....BUT  as always, its too slow! Its just do-able with a GM or 2 and 4-6 players and a simple scenario or if one wants to play a solo game, a few turns a day over the course of a week, or 4-6 hours on one day.  

I really enjoyed the first few turns but as it went on, flipping cards and deciding what unit or group to activate next, became less exciting and the game just did not have the "zip" that I've become used to. All of this showed up in my last 54mm game (See "Ambushed Again!") but I figured it had earned another try. 

......but, on the flank, where the river is fordable, 1 sole company of French were all that was left to hold back 4 companies of Provincials. Time to scoot back to the fort.

Not to be rash, or to have to clear and reset the table of troops needlessly, I'm going to give Ol' MacDuff a break, and replay this scenario using the simpler "To The Frontier" rules. (The recent two sides of a page rules I used for the end of the aforementioned 54mm game, and the recent West Indies game. )  

"RIGHT! Places everyone! Lets take it from the top!" 

Oops

 "Rally Men!"

5 dice of musket fire for 5,6,=5 hits! 
Can't be bothered working out the odds, but it happens now and then,

The odds also say that the battalion should be able to rally enough figures to get back in to the fight,

Meanwhile, upstream of the bridge...

 The river is fordable most of the year, and the fighting is getting intense!

If I'm going to fight in woods and marshes, I'm going to have work on my scenery/terrain, but NOT today. 

Engaged!

 Now we're getting somewhere!

The opposing forces are on the field and beginning to deploy and engage.

To be continued......

As The Turns Go By

I managed 3 turns today. There would have been several more if I hadn't been seduced by a comfy lawn chair under the sun umbrella, but the extra snooze was probably good for me. 

All units on table, though some are barely on the table. 
Biggest event was the French artillery forgetting to adjust their elevation or something, and missing.

To be continued.

Recalled To Life

Alright, the return of my Baker's cyst was a bit more of an obstacle than I remembered, but I'm regaining mobility and today have played 2 turns. 

Yikes! That bloody 4 pdr was more deadly than expected! 
(Loaded with 6's?)

To be continued, SOON!

While We Are Recuperating

Relax, nothing serious. A few years ago I developed something called a Baker's Cyst (wiki entry if curious)  I was warned that such things are likely to periodically swell and become painful again and then clear up for most of all the rest of my life. So, I'd best get used to it. Luckily it doesn't stop me, just hurts and slows me down when it visits. 

Anyway, while staring at the table and trying to remember what the area looks like, I suddenly remembered that I had taken some pictures last year, or maybe the year before, or both. Anyway, I found one looking from near the one time site of Fort Lawrence (in Nova Scotia), looking across the tidal Missaguash River to Fort Beausejour (in New Brunswick), on top of the ridgeline on the other side of the river, about 2.5 km away as the seagull flies. (Its that bump just right of centre on the skyline in the picture, the stone building is a Parks Canada museum and gift shop). 

Ps. This photo is not one of the ones that I took, it must have been a photo of a tourist info display at the location of Ft. Lawrence or in the museum. It's the blue stripe that gave it away. 

Looking from a point near Fort Lawrence towards Fort Beausejour
(on the crest of the hill, just right of centre, roughly 2.5km away)

The treeline and dark green streak, marks where the Missaguash runs down to the sea, except when the incoming tide pushes it  back. The land either side of the river floods at high tide and I imagine to be a bit boggy since I live along another tidal river emptying into another of the arms of the Bay of Fundy. However, looking at the picture, its obvious that its also still used for hay as was similar ground around here when the Acadians were farming it, raising dikes to keep average tides out while saving the extra nutrients that the highest salt tides dropped off. OK, then. 

Now why did I think there was a bridge over the Missaguash? Turns out, its because Parkman's history of the Conquest, titled "Wolfe & Montcalm", specifically states that the French tore the bridge down when the war was renewed!  I suppose I could add a broken bridge but given that this will be a generic, non-historical, battle "inspired by" an historical event, I'll just leave it, but will include a crude farm road. I'm also going to treat the adjacent fields/marsh as difficult but passable. The river will be fordable upstream from the bridge but not below where the muddy tidal flats can be, lets say, rather difficult in the you can suddenly sink to your knee or deeper if there's too much water in the sand and mud. I should shift the trees about as well, some a little farther uphill from the tidal river, and some a little farther upstream where the land is higher.

Right, I think I'm ready to go now!

Aux Armes!

Scouts have reported that the English are en route, so the advanced post at the ford is alert and word has been sent back to the fort.

To be continued......

The Grand Old Duke of Belmont

He had a thousand toy soldiers,
He stuck them on multi-figure bases,
Then he pulled them off again.

And when they were on they were easy,
But when they were off they were fun,
And when they got hit, they fell down
And helped to tell the story.