The time ahead seems to be less and less each year, so there have been more cuts of collections/periods/campaign that I have been fond of because I still have more painting and playing to do than I have time and energy for. My experience over the last few years suggests that doing so is indeed allowing me to get more things done and improve the games I am playing so I have made some tough choices and cut even more periods and collections that I have enjoyed and loved and am still interested in. So far each cut has improved things over all and while I retain good memories, I am not really missing any of the partly built collections that I've cut.
17 June note: My attempts to focus a bit more have been suffucuently successful to take it a step farther and once again divide my remaining collections into Active, Primary Reserve and Sedentary Reserve collections. The Active collections with get the bulk of my time and resources and be used more often. The Primary Reserve collections will come out and even be added to when the urge comes over me. The Sedentary are there until I either find a new home for them or get an urge to reconsider.
Primary Collections
Last played: 30 Oct 22
![]() |
Barbarians At The Gate. |
![]() |
5 Oct 21 Ellie's First Action. |
Now with a touch of Fantasy:
![]() |
See "If you go down to the woods today" for a report on this....incident. |
3. ACW . 1/72, mostly Airfix, ACW. 2-4 games a year. Still more recruits waiting in the cupboard but more terrain is the big thing now. This is my "battle" collection.
Last Played: 22 Oct 22
Last Played: 22 Oct 22
1 Mar 22: ACW Scenario and brief report.
![]() |
April 2021. |
4. ATLANTICA: The Origawn Rebellion. 54mm glossy toy soldier fictional wargames. The original idea was to create the sort of game that might have been possible in the early or mid 20thC by assembling armies from the boxed sets sold by Britain's and other companies. (Which is how I assembled my first armies oddly enough.)
I didn't expect to ever find this lot here but it has about run its course. I imagine that some parts of this collection will hang around indefinitely but for now it will be spending more time on the shelf and recruiting has been suspended indefinitely.
I didn't expect to ever find this lot here but it has about run its course. I imagine that some parts of this collection will hang around indefinitely but for now it will be spending more time on the shelf and recruiting has been suspended indefinitely.
Rules: The Square Brigadier (On Grid) or the Model Major General (Off Grid)
Last Played: 28 Dec 22
Played indoors....or out!
![]() |
Battle of Plum Run Hill (Sep 2022) |
or on the road!
The 1/76 Battle in a Box Version |
______________________
Secondary Collections
1. Land of the 4 Winds. OS-25mm metal & 1/72nd Medieval Fantasy using figures added over 50 years of wargaming. A semi-active collection kept largely for nostalgia so 1 or 2 games most years. I think I'm going to start getting serious about dealing with the horde of figures in the cupboard that need work. Making the armies bigger won't increase my pleasure but emptying the cupboards and reducing the "to do" list probably will and may get what's left out on the table more. See my Gathering of Hosts blog.
Last played: 9 Jan 22.
2. The Wars of Henry VIII. 40mm 16thC including a large proportion of original homecast figures, as well as many by Elastolin, Doug Miller, and a few others. The rules are Rough Wooing, a Morschauser inspired set of rules developed by Rob Dean and myself for a game which won "Best in Show" at Cold Wars in 2005. Each stand is a unit or 'company' with units being grouped into "Battles". A game or three most years.
Last played: 18 Nov 22
3. WITH MACDUFF TO THE FRONTIER: The Anglo-French Struggle for America & Not Quite The Seven Years War (when I don't have enough room to play Charge!). 40mm, mostly home cast, mostly Prince August, including conversions, using With MacDuff to the Frontier rules, largely as published in the Courier. Eventually I should rewrite them more clearly and include suggestions for a slightly streamed Big Game version
![]() |
14 Nov 21 MacDuff scenario and rules from Courier Magazine. |
Last Played 11 Mar 23 using A Whiff of Dice. (or Hearts of Tin...pending a decision)
Last Played: 31 Dec 20
18thC Turks.
7. ATLANTICA: The 2nd Oerberg War. Small Colonial games set in the early 20thC using 40mm glossy toy soldiers and some early armoured vehicles and modern artillery and machine guns. A couple of games once in a while using a version of the Square Brigadier.
![]() |
A game from June 2021 |
Last Played: 15 Apr 22
Reserve Collections
Over the last 20 years I have let go of more figures than I have kept but I haven't forgotten them and the good memories of games and friends. Here is just a tiny glimpse of some of the more recent retirees.
______________________________________________________
The Defended Border: The War of 1812. 40mm Scruby + various homecast figures. There is a strong possibility that the War of 1812 will be revived as an appendix to my Seven Years War in America and French Revolution collections, using the slightly larger size of homecast 40mm figures used by those collections so that I can mix and match appropriate figures, all in the same style, organization and basing.
![]() |
Battle of Pettyblue River Feb 2021 |
6. 54mm Zulu War
Refurbished Britains' figures against (largely) A Call to Arms Zulus. A game every couple of years. These don't take up much room and the Brits do double duty. Rules: The Square Brigadier. or The Portable Wargame.
![]() |
Last game of 2020 |
The 1950's. Fictional mid 20thC Wargames including some toys that I've played with for 60 years!!
![]() |
June 2021 |
______________________________________________________________________________
Battle for New France and Acadia. 30mm 18thC miniatures battling for control of Acadia and Quebec. The basis of this was a collection of 30mm figures, my first metal wargame figures, that I bought in 1973. The figures were originally commissioned for a diorama of the 1759 battle on the Plains of Abrahams for a museum in Quebec which I once had the opportunity to view. Mine were part of the surplus which a dealer was selling off and have probably fought less than a dozen battles in 35 years despite being near and dear to my heart. I finally found just what they have been needing, a new home where there are some of their kin and where they will see the light of day and get to fight again.
15mm French Revloution. Figures from 7 or more manufacturers for 1st Coalition, French Republic, The Vendee, Anglo Holland in 1799, West Indies, and various over campaigns in the works. All gone now.
A nascent 25mm Portable Wargame army using original homecast figures as well as various conversions. Not likely to happen now but still in the cupboard. Their only opponent would be a friend's 25mm SYW Austrians, unless I cast up or bought some old school 25mm opponents. Don't hold your breath!
_________
Hard to choose but as I'm currently reading Sword at Sunset (your recommendation) I will nominate a 40mm Prince Valiant mini-campaign.
ReplyDeleteOn my head be it! Vote noted.
ReplyDeleteAtlantica! I want to see your Guardsmen take on the Plains Indians again. War of 1812+, a close second.
ReplyDeleteDone
DeleteI'd like to vote for the War of 1812, please.
ReplyDeleteStephen
Noted. Thanks!
DeleteAs you know, what I think now is liable to change tomorrow, but that phrase 'involving pirates, balloons and steamships' makes my vote today 5. War of 1812+ - with lots of balloons and steamships.
ReplyDeleteIts becoming a challenger.
DeleteA vote for WWI/Oerberg please!
ReplyDeleteI love your Prince Valiant games - so that's my vote!
ReplyDeleteNear to my heart. Vote noted.
DeleteYou’re a hard-hearted man to lie able to look at that Atlantica: Early 19thC Colonial Wars photo and still call it a miss!
ReplyDeleteOOps! When I put it back in the Active list I meant to remove it from the near misses list at the same time! Thanks for the heads up.
DeleteAll great collections. I don't think I could be as ruthless in removing any of mine although I'm sure that day is coming.
ReplyDeleteIt is time to see a Battle for New France and Acadia battle! Huzzah!
ReplyDelete