Thursday, October 1, 2009

September Update

The annual Old School Wargaming Big Battalion Game is almost a week away and there is much to do to get ready. I spent the last two evenings reorganizing my boxes of troops so that the various brigades are in the same box. That will make the game set up easier. As long as I was shifting troops around, I decided to empty the contents and line the boxes with a piece of rubberized shelf liner. This keeps the figure bases from sliding around when they are traveling in my car to our games in Brown Deer and other locations. I should have done this a long time ago.

I also started replacing some of the clunky old foam core movement trays with some purpose-built (or bespoke as one might say in the UK) wooden trays made from MDF board. A fellow who does business under the name "Georgo Bases" will cut custom-made bases on request. So I had several hundred 5.25" by 3.50" bases made. There is a scosh more room on the tray, especially at the rear of the base so that one's chunky fingers can pick up the whole movement tray without causing the whole stand to go akimbo with figures. The extra space, about a quarter inch in depth, also leaves enough room on the base so that I can print up some unit ID tags and glue them to each stand. Thus, in the future, the gamer will know the identity of each regiment.

I had enough magnetic sheet available to cover 24 stands, or 6 battalions (4 stands per battalion). The new bases have a more finished, professional appearance to them than do the foam core bases. So as I acquire more magnetic sheet, I will endeavor to replace the rest of my foam core movement trays with proper wooden bases.

Big Battalion Game Update
Well, we have 17 players lined up for our Big Battalion Game on October 10th in Woodstock, Illinois. We can still squeeze in a few extra players if anyone wants to join in at the last minute. Just give a call and I will add your name to the roster.

On Sunday, Bill and Randy will join me as we set up the terrain and deploy the troops in their starting positions a week ahead of time. I really like this idea as it means that we can start the game right away, rather than spend an hour setting up on the game day. This is the advantage of having the event at someone's house. Keith Leidy, our host, has three 28 foot by 6 foot tables. If you look at some of the Napoleonic game pictures, they were all taken in Keith's basement. So that should give you an idea of how much table space we have available.

September Painting Production
I finished the month with 102 Olley Painting Points completed, and could have easily added another dozen as I had 12 more French 1806 close to completion. But as Mike Siggins tells me, "if they aren't completed, they don't count, no matter how close they are to being finished." So that is my policy too. That gives me a good head start on October's production.

I finished 72 of the "old" Elite 1806 French in bicorns, plus 23 Front Rank Young Guard figures for Keith, 1 old Connoisseur Old Guard Chasseur a Pied that I found, for a total of 96 infantry figures completed at one point each. I also painted two mounted Front Rank French officers for Keith and one "old" Elite mounted French colonel for my own collection. So three mounted figures count as 2 points each, or 6 points. Thus my total for the month was 102 points. In comparison, I had 70 in August, 102 in July and a rediculous 252 points in June when I was on vacation. I try to keep the points in the 72 figure range. Anything more than that is the canary in the coal mine warning that I'm spending too much time at the painting table and not enough with the family. Gulp!

1 comment:

  1. Here's hoping that you ALL have a wonderful exciting and entertaining battle . . . and that everyone can go home with very fond memories.


    -- Jeff

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