tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65047426866502230412024-03-16T12:04:37.383-06:00Der Alte Fritz JournalDer Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.comBlogger1744125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-82729487715871021272024-03-13T11:40:00.008-06:002024-03-13T11:40:55.958-06:00Speira 3D Printed Figures<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtI6AVM2BbBhzCxjf4OgeuiXSLP3jCdKCH0GF0ZkRx82exTcdvwAVBmbGhKsH17jlxKdTePht9b_44_D3IiW33XGRHa5K8G74IWw5yu85qL9-d7BZvz0cEFPYvN73RFQmLiXHNq-0_n5g0FulNWkYg1F4IRFwpGl1QCkmTKN21g1K6d5byEd-tQA68IE/s3264/IMG_4641.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXtI6AVM2BbBhzCxjf4OgeuiXSLP3jCdKCH0GF0ZkRx82exTcdvwAVBmbGhKsH17jlxKdTePht9b_44_D3IiW33XGRHa5K8G74IWw5yu85qL9-d7BZvz0cEFPYvN73RFQmLiXHNq-0_n5g0FulNWkYg1F4IRFwpGl1QCkmTKN21g1K6d5byEd-tQA68IE/w400-h300/IMG_4641.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Spear ACW surgeon and casualties</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is a company based in Sweden called Speira Miniatures that makes 3D printed figures for wargamers and toy soldier collectors. One can order the figures in a variety of sizes from 15mm to 152mm (1/12 scale) in height and scale. The company manufactures the figures to your order and then prints and ships them to your in a 3 to 5 week period. You can make adjustments to the figures for an extra charge, such as changing the hat style, adding a back pack, making the figure thin or fat, mirror image of the original, or you could even put your own face on the figure.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Speira covers a variety of historical eras including the American Civil War, the Wild West, French & Indian War, Napoleonics. Ancients, WW2 and the modern era from the Cold War to the present.</p><p><a href="https://speira.net" target="_blank">Speira Miniatures link</a></p><p>I was looking for some casualty figures to use as morale markers. I couldn't find any Confederates from other plastic soldier manufacturers and the figure poses were rather limited for the Union figures. I had been painting Union soldiers in kepis as Confederates. When I visited the Speira web site, I was amazed at the vast variety of just the casualty figures, let alone other ACW action figures. So I purchased approximately 40 individual casualties.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrh_LwRP9h6UfB1nUflqFYXh2sWCOBswNI5-KAekd0GPd3-kfLfvILByykciD4mSXqUNF3YQ3_DLc_2Z50LY3DqvyYmqoCVek8bnzB7vydU5FkJS26B3y9s_BwWaWfzFi6wPLPy3Cl-OU7-Sala5iOeBRxeNkSs25K3m6UWz0gshy3ZVRF2AzDBDtnGZ0/s3264/IMG_4642.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrh_LwRP9h6UfB1nUflqFYXh2sWCOBswNI5-KAekd0GPd3-kfLfvILByykciD4mSXqUNF3YQ3_DLc_2Z50LY3DqvyYmqoCVek8bnzB7vydU5FkJS26B3y9s_BwWaWfzFi6wPLPy3Cl-OU7-Sala5iOeBRxeNkSs25K3m6UWz0gshy3ZVRF2AzDBDtnGZ0/w400-h300/IMG_4642.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Assorted Confederate casualty figures that I have painted/</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I also purchased some vignette figures and a Whitworth breechloading rifled cannon in 1/32 scale.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqEPy2PLTABUNjjiEwP1Ho7oCL2A_AU-ZckIDrJ-oDPIXiGb9YP4VChM56jK4YaR3MKn9batIFFN60WSy_I03BVqd1sozDPVU5kBPaEEry8XypTMfjO-qsWETSBHwDykaa-0WsWgge4rQzZo1I-Pxw_kk_rLMUPzfRXvykb4LcRWtY6vzZfbQobVvixs/s3264/IMG_4639.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbqEPy2PLTABUNjjiEwP1Ho7oCL2A_AU-ZckIDrJ-oDPIXiGb9YP4VChM56jK4YaR3MKn9batIFFN60WSy_I03BVqd1sozDPVU5kBPaEEry8XypTMfjO-qsWETSBHwDykaa-0WsWgge4rQzZo1I-Pxw_kk_rLMUPzfRXvykb4LcRWtY6vzZfbQobVvixs/w400-h300/IMG_4639.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(L to R: Confederate prisoner, James Longstreet, and Matthew Brady.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZrft7P9pJd8pXeZkc1bzDhINm2Pdgn8vOoDAxtE4cuXLKWjYB9j0mIZ92Q4Sv4JtAILhQ1n4gPLGXKHdvqhyQu0N4pr4DLrPk-1FHi24W22XfGyekMJ1z5gOteYu5aS6VDAOrHtYIDXcc05lsWtbiJj_EGuMKvJDIf-DKBdFkFZx0ed7LwP-jQNPXfI/s3264/IMG_4637.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQZrft7P9pJd8pXeZkc1bzDhINm2Pdgn8vOoDAxtE4cuXLKWjYB9j0mIZ92Q4Sv4JtAILhQ1n4gPLGXKHdvqhyQu0N4pr4DLrPk-1FHi24W22XfGyekMJ1z5gOteYu5aS6VDAOrHtYIDXcc05lsWtbiJj_EGuMKvJDIf-DKBdFkFZx0ed7LwP-jQNPXfI/w400-h300/IMG_4637.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Whitworth breechloading cannon in 1/32 scale</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUmLQid_Bg8_zkNmfc5qncBKlWFWWZIIdPZMTsLiH-NUfxGP2xx2ACYO4cnAQstDuZWYXA32FMtcOE65BBb2y02TrJUVG-d9XWZdfICxehA0UQelJnH1pPuW_56amp23GfMKSaS_ei2bN-rg0GEPM7VK22G53AlprAIOI7Ll9CMsLFB2d2TXSDkaS8lc/s3264/IMG_4636.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixUmLQid_Bg8_zkNmfc5qncBKlWFWWZIIdPZMTsLiH-NUfxGP2xx2ACYO4cnAQstDuZWYXA32FMtcOE65BBb2y02TrJUVG-d9XWZdfICxehA0UQelJnH1pPuW_56amp23GfMKSaS_ei2bN-rg0GEPM7VK22G53AlprAIOI7Ll9CMsLFB2d2TXSDkaS8lc/w400-h300/IMG_4636.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Whitworth breech loading rifled cannon, shown with BMC figures for size comparison .</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43LpdpGfKXpEizeAsFh32FbFDni3FqJxVj-Gu7m8JuATbKnjQhJo919tgYWTi8Ed3AtWUXs5Dr8G5WJ2Q9SVCYIcIvDNDEaeleShMpybjJkU2PqtvV01OOHacnfqfX4Z3AI5yesiiOSZ1qgRwhBgnJuhhRSCKKuUe2dEuOh1ryXDOhJ0jpTg5bOnEz74/s3264/IMG_4638.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi43LpdpGfKXpEizeAsFh32FbFDni3FqJxVj-Gu7m8JuATbKnjQhJo919tgYWTi8Ed3AtWUXs5Dr8G5WJ2Q9SVCYIcIvDNDEaeleShMpybjJkU2PqtvV01OOHacnfqfX4Z3AI5yesiiOSZ1qgRwhBgnJuhhRSCKKuUe2dEuOh1ryXDOhJ0jpTg5bOnEz74/w400-h300/IMG_4638.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Whitworth shown without artillery crew figures.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39W4CVki3ooc4hxAJNZgEsSrkEwEd2plMK_PigNqUUGMnZsEs3AcvSMS_UvKqncrAuDspP2pHvxIg7FNwgPU0bvSyNYhAHDSPfzwRTJxB8Pxf9mwiU1xpRgHhz6Fnkc-GzWAlegFdH_oAVXEHMBECiM9l1GJfCcOhKZRO4NMkY8n7QV8aAk5Xb5UMUe4/s3264/IMG_4647.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh39W4CVki3ooc4hxAJNZgEsSrkEwEd2plMK_PigNqUUGMnZsEs3AcvSMS_UvKqncrAuDspP2pHvxIg7FNwgPU0bvSyNYhAHDSPfzwRTJxB8Pxf9mwiU1xpRgHhz6Fnkc-GzWAlegFdH_oAVXEHMBECiM9l1GJfCcOhKZRO4NMkY8n7QV8aAk5Xb5UMUe4/w400-h300/IMG_4647.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The famous illustrator Alfred Waud, made by Barszo.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The material is some kind of plastic resin, I assume, and it can be a little bit brittle so I generally selected figures that were in relaxed poses that didn't have arms or equipment waving around away from the torso. This minimizes the opportunity for breakage. I probably wouldn't want to buy charging poses, for example, due to my concerns about breakage.</p><p>I am a little concerned about the strength of the axle on the Whitworth cannon. The axle itself is solid, but each end has a slender peg that fits through the hub of the wheel. I will bore out the hole in the wheel hub so that the axle pin slips in without resistance. My fear is that the pegs might break off if I try to force the peg into the hub piece.</p><p>Speira's artillery pieces are terrific looking models and I have already ordered another Whitworth so that I can have a battery of two guns. I am going to use BMC/Americana artillery crew with the model. See picture above.</p><p>Some of the Speira figures come with no plastic base, so you have to order your figure model with a base, at a modest extra cost. Some of the figures come with bases so this won't be a problem with the vast majority of the figures.</p><p>A single figure in 54mm, or 1/32 scale, costs around EUR3.0 to EUR 5.0 while a 28mm figure sized to fit in with Perry figures (this is actually an available option) can cost around EUR3.0. So these are not inexpensive figures and it would be very expensive to create a 20 to 30 figure regiment, however, for vignettes I think the prices are reasonable. My Whitworth model cost me EUR14.80 so it ain't cheap. On the other hand, some of the ACW cannon models are not made by other companies, so Speira is a good choice for your mainstream and exotic (e.g. James Rifles and Wiard Rifles) artillery pieces.</p><p>In the not too distant future I will paint the Whitworth and post pictures on this blog.</p><p><br /></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-49127082632328307172024-03-07T15:35:00.007-06:002024-03-07T15:35:40.284-06:00We Had A Great Play Test of ACW Game<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHBbEvkAyuYwee_i8uSFDxGG8mP46AxkTW2FqkCzkskkil_XvQFzQYHwVHZ71Yezmt8mB2-qHRuyk3XFNLpJWS_1pA2Q3tKeUfNE7KsVgQJyTOkwVSgPk-KV1OYjVZQBBK7utG47XPI4vq9ZfmLqAVNPYxd_UV2zaYewjNCchQadrxZNTXfOf1l7iTAI/s3264/IMG_4633.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHBbEvkAyuYwee_i8uSFDxGG8mP46AxkTW2FqkCzkskkil_XvQFzQYHwVHZ71Yezmt8mB2-qHRuyk3XFNLpJWS_1pA2Q3tKeUfNE7KsVgQJyTOkwVSgPk-KV1OYjVZQBBK7utG47XPI4vq9ZfmLqAVNPYxd_UV2zaYewjNCchQadrxZNTXfOf1l7iTAI/w400-h300/IMG_4633.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cemetery Ridge with Union defenders on the left and Confederate attackers on the right.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;">CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Several days ago four of us convened at the home of Keith L. -- yes, that Keith L, the one with the huge basement that holds three 6ft by 32ft game tables. Our previous play test games established the need for 24 feet long tables in order to hold six brigades of 54mm for Pickett's Charge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">This game largely focused on the rules that we will use in our game. They are based on, mechanically, the Sudan rules that I used last year, but obviously needing some modifications for the American Civil War. The rules are printed on two sides of one sheet of standard 8-1/2" by 11" sheet of paper, they are easy to figure out and learn, and they worked well in a convention game setting.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Musket fire:</u> Our previous play test revealed that the musketry fire was too devastating resulting in none of the Confederate regiments getting remotely close to the stone wall defended by the Union soldiers. For this game test, I reduced the number of D6 dice thrown per stand of infantry from 4 dice per stand down to 2 dice per stand. This still thinned down the Confederate ranks after they crossed the Emmitsburg Road, but the Rebs were able to hurl a fair number of regiments at the stone walls. This time we had a number of Confederate regiments advance far enough to get into a melee with the Union regiments.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Artillery Fire:</u> The artillery rules did not need any adjustment so we let well enough alone. We began the game with the Confederate artillery getting a free turn of firing at the Union positions prior to the start of the game. Thereafter, the Confederate artillery could continue to fire at Cemetery Ridge until their infantry reached the Emmitsburg Road.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Melees:</u> There were no particular problems with the melee rules in the previous play test game (other than the key fact that there were no melees in that game). This game established that artillery crew do not melee, They can either evade the charge and fall back, or they could make one last fire at the oncoming attackers, and if the attackers passed their morale test, then it is assumed that the Confederates got in among the artillery crew and cut them down.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmNtWdKB0DDHNKb7uO1qCCwzruCPrUqWiQZrZI4cI5q7fxN51UXhwKl8O5-2EM2KcP_EPUaBAW9wZFoY0gPCbj9EyDf2JZVkBX4dLQ0bu6syOxZtudAql2B5Bx1255Cvhd0qqypq1J_hd8XOj0k_HIIoi_Xl8rCpwXEDcnYpwViB92HQ_ukUz3pwlgF0/s3264/IMG_4630.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmNtWdKB0DDHNKb7uO1qCCwzruCPrUqWiQZrZI4cI5q7fxN51UXhwKl8O5-2EM2KcP_EPUaBAW9wZFoY0gPCbj9EyDf2JZVkBX4dLQ0bu6syOxZtudAql2B5Bx1255Cvhd0qqypq1J_hd8XOj0k_HIIoi_Xl8rCpwXEDcnYpwViB92HQ_ukUz3pwlgF0/w400-h300/IMG_4630.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Armistead's brigade engages a Union regiment in the Angle atop of Cemetery Ridge</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_kwpvvUFjeEmmmCGOxDIZNEEkFekHiw8lEqSvmlDbYym0eh2PM35c_r7grZT2WBwJNB1EMZu6TrKL9ooaMbAdiJkne357ASmCjUp7SpVQ92rpkWTqEfOriAsaulnYPPMNkxa4ihhzABFObBmwmt5GDrILTdRvEMGtlT8ybmzBRAJ5sJYxDJjQZax2RY/s3264/IMG_4628.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe_kwpvvUFjeEmmmCGOxDIZNEEkFekHiw8lEqSvmlDbYym0eh2PM35c_r7grZT2WBwJNB1EMZu6TrKL9ooaMbAdiJkne357ASmCjUp7SpVQ92rpkWTqEfOriAsaulnYPPMNkxa4ihhzABFObBmwmt5GDrILTdRvEMGtlT8ybmzBRAJ5sJYxDJjQZax2RY/w400-h300/IMG_4628.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cushing's battery is about to get over run by one of Armistead's Virginia regiments.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Morale Tests:</u> My play test gamers had a little trouble getting their heads around the mechanics of the morale test. A regiment has a morale number that it must attain, with a limited number of modifiers, and then it rolls two D6 dice. If they roll their morale number or LESS with their two D6 then the unit passes its morale test. My play testers seemed to want to reverse the test so that a higher number was passing and a low number was a fail. For example, if a Confederate regiment of infantry has a basic morale number of "7" then it must roll a 7 or less on the roll of two D6 dice..</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I over ruled my players arguing that it makes more intuitive sense for a gamer to understand that the target number or less made more sense. I like the way that the modifiers can move the morale number up (+1 for defending the wall. +1 for having a leader attached, etc) or down (-1 for each stand lost due to casualties or for losing a melee. For example, if the Confederates need a score of 7 or less, they lose -1 for each stand that is lost; so as they lose more stands, the morale number that they need to roll gets lower and lower. In our example, if the Confederates have lost one stand then they would need a 6 to pass; if they lose two stands then they need a five to pass, lose three stands and need a 4 to pass. The attrition of lost stands makes it more difficult to pass a morale test.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Leader killed when attached to a regiment:</u> we added this rule in order to put some value or use for the leader figures in the game. They already added a +1 to morale, but we decided that there was a chance that the leader might be shot when his regiment was fired upon. So we had a player roll one D6 and a roll of snake eyes ("1") resulted in the leader being killed. So this puts a little bit of risk into your decision to attach your brigade or division commander to a unit for morale purposes.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvaiQ8NyZN3rrJXvWwfSIujN98jKpULuta-j-zZqFYawyd6XyztJpNILsaKbfHS3nzPcStAs5CRcmoy7sb4MMGGgIMeKU0oQEmTnSPA1VRatmxkbVI5vWmLplHxODHgczifz50qEtbnai6ki2BnEmCgrTeLcBbVNlPndo16ynF-g3UqOMuWVdYAPjoFcI/s3264/IMG_4629.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1717" data-original-width="3264" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvaiQ8NyZN3rrJXvWwfSIujN98jKpULuta-j-zZqFYawyd6XyztJpNILsaKbfHS3nzPcStAs5CRcmoy7sb4MMGGgIMeKU0oQEmTnSPA1VRatmxkbVI5vWmLplHxODHgczifz50qEtbnai6ki2BnEmCgrTeLcBbVNlPndo16ynF-g3UqOMuWVdYAPjoFcI/w400-h210/IMG_4629.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>General Lew Armistead could become a casualty since he is attached to a <br />regiment that has taken fire and lost figures.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Crossing the Emmitsburg Road:</u> Historically, this post and rail fences along each side of the Emmitsburg Road proved to be a major obstacle to the Confederate advance. We simulate this by requiring a unit to cross a fence (and nothing more even if the unit has more movement left over after fence crossing) on one turn. Then it could cross the second fence on the next turn, but not move any further so that the regiment could dress ranks and prepare to move out on the following turn. The result is that it takes a regiment two turns to cross the road (double fences) and subjects them to musket fire from the Union defenders.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTQ1dCLCwTI3nBLzD1bXcZOBbsNSMN9-XribbjIzO1LDVl9_Kbp-tiWwClLjm2DSbFS8heq8sjNCDgp9iIukaghr3Y-RcDu0kpfhOb1fq6mX0hogWsGjcR60yeEsRMudS6nf9VSNuFsdnOH4ThNxDGp77hbhoFDfjXxxYBq7k9o4o27QtyfbHKjHBxQs/s3264/IMG_4623.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1583" data-original-width="3264" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVTQ1dCLCwTI3nBLzD1bXcZOBbsNSMN9-XribbjIzO1LDVl9_Kbp-tiWwClLjm2DSbFS8heq8sjNCDgp9iIukaghr3Y-RcDu0kpfhOb1fq6mX0hogWsGjcR60yeEsRMudS6nf9VSNuFsdnOH4ThNxDGp77hbhoFDfjXxxYBq7k9o4o27QtyfbHKjHBxQs/w400-h195/IMG_4623.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kemper's brigade crosses the fences of the Emmitsburg Road. The two regiments on the road<br />arrived there this turn. They will be able to cross the fence to the other side of the road, <br />stop to dress lines, and then be allowed to fire at half effect. A third regiment has to wait its turn<br />to cross the fences.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Removal of stands from the game:</u> we don't want our regiments fighting to the last man so I had a rule that the regiment has to be removed once it is down to two stands, An infantry regiment has five stands with each stand representing 20% of the regiment's strength. So when a unit has lost three stands it has actually taken 60% casualties. This number is higher than what a typical infantry unit could sustain before being rendered ineffective. In our next play test, I might experiment with removing the unit when it is down to its last stand of figures. We had a situation where there was an infantry melee and the Confederate unit won the melee; however, the casualties that it sustained in the melee pushed its strength down to two stands. Should the winning unit get to hold its hard won ground or should it be removed from the game?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm-nVHGYh05BulmbWefzLZ4J-wMnx8ytulmb7-o7WNMcB-ShSBp0XIzCLlP-vozraDZqRvA2moHIxkr1NqYFj6R4xr5Rkekd0xeAjiHEPcirUJLhX4e_9vpyeLqK-kTIyZyJPGSEg9rHiDqVfTpQz3mAg59NDfPN1R1WWyrMIVmZScuYjjJHiG-TrN48/s3121/IMG_4632.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1976" data-original-width="3121" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGm-nVHGYh05BulmbWefzLZ4J-wMnx8ytulmb7-o7WNMcB-ShSBp0XIzCLlP-vozraDZqRvA2moHIxkr1NqYFj6R4xr5Rkekd0xeAjiHEPcirUJLhX4e_9vpyeLqK-kTIyZyJPGSEg9rHiDqVfTpQz3mAg59NDfPN1R1WWyrMIVmZScuYjjJHiG-TrN48/w400-h255/IMG_4632.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A Union artillery battery is about to get over run by a Confederate regiment.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">Here are a few more pictures of the play test game:</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr986vpcMCE0Yo-z-F_QCP20_bm5794OIqPiQlE6xKQtAkZg1WKOFvcnyKmMYQ6Y3ao1vyicd2EcTXu2gyfw-3bMxx6c_xPcmizuSO6OOHLkfLOnw7dSOUL1x7TneVA9t3m3f6ny63fC-JdD9lXZMAhumhtOVx49F3B8Sua9SmuGkXHaffEhTKGlF6lIY/s3264/IMG_4622.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr986vpcMCE0Yo-z-F_QCP20_bm5794OIqPiQlE6xKQtAkZg1WKOFvcnyKmMYQ6Y3ao1vyicd2EcTXu2gyfw-3bMxx6c_xPcmizuSO6OOHLkfLOnw7dSOUL1x7TneVA9t3m3f6ny63fC-JdD9lXZMAhumhtOVx49F3B8Sua9SmuGkXHaffEhTKGlF6lIY/w400-h300/IMG_4622.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The middle table (of three tables) is the site of the Emmitsburg Road. Confederate<br />forces can be seen moving towards the road.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfbEuT6tL6A5ynQU5dNKdDOsfagWk33TPa8MyuznR3fFu7JwVYEanRsl5XNTnegt9Agd7HruqWqG24ECVB7RKtS7Z6nbf6_sQs8e3JCwvX-GznffwsGJveszNb7RV4H0II9mVXpSLQ-gSiVhcO53J0SvSxM4aLArgiyVG3jh9hYyncqUXYfamfjcaFAc/s3264/IMG_4617.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNfbEuT6tL6A5ynQU5dNKdDOsfagWk33TPa8MyuznR3fFu7JwVYEanRsl5XNTnegt9Agd7HruqWqG24ECVB7RKtS7Z6nbf6_sQs8e3JCwvX-GznffwsGJveszNb7RV4H0II9mVXpSLQ-gSiVhcO53J0SvSxM4aLArgiyVG3jh9hYyncqUXYfamfjcaFAc/w400-h300/IMG_4617.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Confederates of Pettygrew's division (foreground) and Pickett's Division (far end of the table)<br />descend from Seminary Ridge and advance across that open deadly ground.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuGhNXFAHa2C4sxqqHQvTihC8OX2ayMMJCarepDfQjelvRQnzDbzoYqkhC6RCDT4greC08vgpO9bhVM2XAz-eAGFC2nKxcF01KejYQKqHuAyF7cMB4kk79NfinT7z3piNG7Bzr8WQv_H6s3RxN9XOh1iyjm57OKTUA60-wK7dMZBETxVV3r8XlgUaI-U/s3264/IMG_4618.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuGhNXFAHa2C4sxqqHQvTihC8OX2ayMMJCarepDfQjelvRQnzDbzoYqkhC6RCDT4greC08vgpO9bhVM2XAz-eAGFC2nKxcF01KejYQKqHuAyF7cMB4kk79NfinT7z3piNG7Bzr8WQv_H6s3RxN9XOh1iyjm57OKTUA60-wK7dMZBETxVV3r8XlgUaI-U/w400-h300/IMG_4618.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlooB8DzQeOB716_IXcmWppqB_Ghy1i3kZSNtUmIt0-oOiympAKCKPXWOpmlrS-hgzWPKpu0tHIoDH0xwjU_0CbpiPY35fHzyBj5P7d8urOXRoprfIdNWcvDkRPYwire-QAZPXdGu8tDuO7-YFNISUS-HeZL8gPRo9_DDsu-LpGbw6vZl20V8LAnrHwxQ/s2369/IMG_4619.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1344" data-original-width="2369" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlooB8DzQeOB716_IXcmWppqB_Ghy1i3kZSNtUmIt0-oOiympAKCKPXWOpmlrS-hgzWPKpu0tHIoDH0xwjU_0CbpiPY35fHzyBj5P7d8urOXRoprfIdNWcvDkRPYwire-QAZPXdGu8tDuO7-YFNISUS-HeZL8gPRo9_DDsu-LpGbw6vZl20V8LAnrHwxQ/w400-h228/IMG_4619.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nJWjcPaOL7HxeH7ac3Vwp3WksXKcIVrUVOd0PiWFi9HvnIdL_9sZXa3FLKTrV_ZmUMc2h4G0md4SUPv4uRma_46dahCPh-Bpg4j_O2LuuQo33-fgzvc_f0zgfMDvLRJLXqJS-Q44k3LDahVe9JOdDZ3NGasow6KHsnAXO1WBKsJRqUPCaU4HvMgcPfM/s3264/IMG_4624.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8nJWjcPaOL7HxeH7ac3Vwp3WksXKcIVrUVOd0PiWFi9HvnIdL_9sZXa3FLKTrV_ZmUMc2h4G0md4SUPv4uRma_46dahCPh-Bpg4j_O2LuuQo33-fgzvc_f0zgfMDvLRJLXqJS-Q44k3LDahVe9JOdDZ3NGasow6KHsnAXO1WBKsJRqUPCaU4HvMgcPfM/w400-h300/IMG_4624.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Division commander Johnson Pettygrew command stand.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">We are planning another play test game in two weeks so that we can implement the new rules changes and see how they perform under actual game conditions. I will also have all of the tables covered with game mats from Cigar Box Battle Mats. This will give us a better idea of how the game will look at the upcoming Little Wars convention in April.</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-75574617374752458732024-03-01T00:26:00.006-06:002024-03-01T00:26:39.888-06:00The Washington Artillery<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrdsp2l6tyVqMh3g6UFpHz9eI4OSYZGRsaEBiGmcm2KX6wHijv88n-ZMC5lw6J0U0ZR8cLF2Bo3kSonvvVwdoB9mil4SE18wbbKqLyqA5T9pEejEitgeh0SaK-yXM4N7yCmbljjn1EDGRfTkmeta9jRMFXi2kIA6QQP-osRwvzq_U6zqCAFUiEMvvbKU/s2695/IMG_4612.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1581" data-original-width="2695" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqrdsp2l6tyVqMh3g6UFpHz9eI4OSYZGRsaEBiGmcm2KX6wHijv88n-ZMC5lw6J0U0ZR8cLF2Bo3kSonvvVwdoB9mil4SE18wbbKqLyqA5T9pEejEitgeh0SaK-yXM4N7yCmbljjn1EDGRfTkmeta9jRMFXi2kIA6QQP-osRwvzq_U6zqCAFUiEMvvbKU/w400-h235/IMG_4612.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Washington Artillery deploys a pair of 12-pound Napoleons.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5keKg7P6HBkqsZK-hs7NYyCaf8lfRbcJ84-2jvWY8hBjZNNhsDRxizrYx9lvtw0-zpxu1spLAxggbK7koJ-JSokhmo3H4A6AhIr1sZmc7y6sdzNNpAR2fsrdc3lmL0ocDefmEdAe3ia5F6OcoBB752pOyCee5spqySLO0EMO8_O7PDN1nbENOB8RK4k/s2344/IMG_4611.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2274" data-original-width="2344" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl5keKg7P6HBkqsZK-hs7NYyCaf8lfRbcJ84-2jvWY8hBjZNNhsDRxizrYx9lvtw0-zpxu1spLAxggbK7koJ-JSokhmo3H4A6AhIr1sZmc7y6sdzNNpAR2fsrdc3lmL0ocDefmEdAe3ia5F6OcoBB752pOyCee5spqySLO0EMO8_O7PDN1nbENOB8RK4k/w400-h388/IMG_4611.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>54mm plastic figures from BMC and Americana.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I recently finished painting a crew of 10 figures to man two 12 pound Napoleon guns for my Confederate army in the Pickett's Charge game. The Washington Artillery was formed in New Orleans in 1838 and was considered an elite organization prior to the start of the Civil War. It formed five companies, of which the first four fought with the Army of Northern Virginia in the East, while the fifth company fought with the Army of the Tennessee in the West.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://civilwarintheeast.com/confederate-regiments/louisiana/washington-artillery/" target="_blank">Washington Artillery History</a><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Washington Artillery was organized as an artillery battalion at Gettysburg, commanded by Major Benjamin Eschleman, comprised of companies 1, 2, 3 and 4. It was part of the corps artillery reserve in Longstreet's corps. The battalion had 8 Napoleons and 2 12-pound Howitzers at Gettysburg.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I organize my ACW artillery into batteries of two cannon models and crewed by 5 figures per cannon, thus 10 figures are in the battery. Each cannon will have its own limber, deployed without the horse teams.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The cannon models and limbers were purchased at Hobby Lobby. I am contemplating leaving the cannons and limbers unpainted, or I might paint only the barrels in a bronze color and leave the carriage unpainted.</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-83871053715662953042024-02-24T06:00:00.001-06:002024-02-24T06:00:00.129-06:00Ask Fritz: Q & A Mailbag<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDakCY8Hf3gXfLkC0wpOjyQCe6WpNGEjsAlFo7K8dud71eitV50DO7Xv9g8-4bJ6u8wV8KK_rPtST8QS5STv5qBJkJPjsejbD-PAxcXr_sZj-oxrUGayH0JPl-XbHIqxyh8UNI2ivHYxIWVGoTyIV7ij7YNH1Y96kQeiSukp2Hks-A7OxPYT4PDCjF52c/s4032/IMG_1887.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDakCY8Hf3gXfLkC0wpOjyQCe6WpNGEjsAlFo7K8dud71eitV50DO7Xv9g8-4bJ6u8wV8KK_rPtST8QS5STv5qBJkJPjsejbD-PAxcXr_sZj-oxrUGayH0JPl-XbHIqxyh8UNI2ivHYxIWVGoTyIV7ij7YNH1Y96kQeiSukp2Hks-A7OxPYT4PDCjF52c/w400-h300/IMG_1887.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I get a lot of questions from my followers on this blog, Facebook and other social media, so I thought that I would open up the old mailbag and answer some of the questions therein</p><p style="text-align: justify;">1. <i>How did you make the blue sky back drop that we see in your photographs?</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I use a piece of sky blue light colored felt and spray random cloud patterns on the felt with white spray paint. Caution, do the spray painting outdoors rather than in the confines of your basement. Trust me on this one.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">2. <i>Where did you get the game mats that are on your table</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i> </i>I now purchase all of my table mats from Cigar Box Battle Mats. These are my go-to game and table mat for every period of war gaming that I do. You can fold the mats up into a compact rectangle and transport it to the convention site - very easy to do. I now longer mess around with terrain boards or canvas mats. You have to roll up the canvas mat and then you end up with a 6ft long tube of canvas that does not easily transport. Finally, the Cigar Box mats look better than anything that I could do on my own. I simple overlay the mat with buildings and terrain pieces, or place books or pieces of pink insulation foam under the mat to create hills and contours.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"> 3. <i>What types of materials do you use for basing your figures?</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I recently did a tutorial on how to make fences and roads and I used the same mixture of goop on the road sections as I do on figure bases. Basically, I buy a tub of pre-mixed wall board paste (also known as Spackle) and mix brown paint into the tub. Then I stir the paint until it looks like chocolate icing or pudding. It later dawned on me that I could go to the hardware store and buy a tin of brown acrylic household paint at a more economical price.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I use a small artist's trowel and work the goop around the figure bases and between the legs. If your goop starts to get too thick from being in the air, simply add a little bit of water to your container of goop and stir it in. Next, I sprinkle some "fine" railroad ballast material from Woodland Scenics and shake off the excess material. Let the base dry overnight and then start dry brushing highlight colors over the base. After this, I glue on some tufts and static grass and set the base aside for about an hour. You are now finished basing!</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>4. How do you prime your plastic figures so that the primer and/or paint does not flake off?</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">After experimenting with various brands, I have found that Army Painter primer is the best for plastic figures. The primer leaves a sort of shiny color on the surface that is really hard fasting, almost like the effect of gloss spray coating. Some of the basic auto paint primer work well too. The only primer brand that I would avoid for plastic figures is the Vallejo brand. I had big chunks of primer or painted figure surfaces flake off. Vallejo may be ok for metal figures, but definitely not for plastic figures.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">On a related topic, how do I prepare the plastic figures before I prime them? I wash them in the sink with hot water and liquid dish washing detergent. I sometimes, but not always, give them a good scrubbing with one of those dish washing sponges that has a sponge on one side and a plastic scrub brush on the other side. After this, I rinse the soap off of the figure with warm water. I shake each figure dry to get the water out of some of the deep cuts / crevasses on the figure and then set them on a towel to air dry.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>5. How do you organize your AWI and SYW armies?</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I use a 1 to 20 ratio of figures to men for most of my armies. Thus my infantry figures are largely 30-figure infantry regiments. I organize my cavalry into squadrons of 12 figures and have 2 or 3 squadrons per regiment. For the AWI, tend to go with a 1 to 10 ratio since the regimental strengths in that conflict were very small.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><i>6. What or who has influenced your war games the most?</i></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I started war gaming around 1986 when I went to the Little Wars convention in the Chicago area and got acquainted with Dennis Smail of RSM miniatures. Dennis had put on a fabulous looking SYW game with RSM figures (his own company). I fell in love with the RSM figures and was a regular orderer of figures from RSM. One day Dennis invited me to come to Lexington, KY to play in a couple of games over the weekend. Dennis always had great looking terrain and was very good at designing scenarios.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Duke Seifried was certainly an influence for me. Oftentimes our war games would be set up next to each other at a convention, so I'd talk with Duke about all things related to war gaming. I was also attracted to Duke's sense of the epic spectacle of a game. You know where that led me today.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Peter Gilder and his Wargame Holiday Centre had a huge influence on how I looked at war gaming. I visited the WHC when Mike Ingham was running the business and I was mesmerized by the huge tables (3 table of 6ft by 32ft, although one of the table was actually 2ft by 32ft) and the large battalions of figures used in Peter's In The Grand Manner rules.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So from these titans in the hobby, I like to put great looking terrain on the table, run a game that tends toward the spectacle, and I like to use multiple large and parallel game tables to provide depth and wide open flanks.</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-62703597001203162372024-02-23T10:13:00.003-06:002024-02-23T10:13:22.685-06:00A SYW All-cavalry Game <p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbqfEEpfWMC3Q0WE6DFUkR5st1YKUx30sHSyWBY4xGy837zqfVwiRuM0wS1FwVvD2K58TJa23OSxVb-4FgYSjJZxD6RTRf6zblJ62OWW7DwLQMPjdGexR-hKqVl7cP4AwYoWt3HsGsjUr7Wgjs5RObSVUKH2qQQW-IRw3zsTgkVaYgO3Qs-aRglts5l4/s2441/IMG_4581.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2441" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbqfEEpfWMC3Q0WE6DFUkR5st1YKUx30sHSyWBY4xGy837zqfVwiRuM0wS1FwVvD2K58TJa23OSxVb-4FgYSjJZxD6RTRf6zblJ62OWW7DwLQMPjdGexR-hKqVl7cP4AwYoWt3HsGsjUr7Wgjs5RObSVUKH2qQQW-IRw3zsTgkVaYgO3Qs-aRglts5l4/w400-h243/IMG_4581.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Prussian Hussar brigade of three 12-figure squadrons</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Now that all of my Civil War terrain and troops have been cleared off of the game table, I decided that this would be a good time to revisit the Seven Years War with my 28mm Minden Miniatures figures. For a long time I have been intrigued by the idea of staging a game battle that only has cavalry forces on each side. This idea was simulated by the large cavalry <a href="https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gefecht_bei_Liebertwolkwitz">Battle of Liebertwolkwitz</a> fought during the 1813 Leipzig Campaign of the Napoleonic Wars. Imagine a game on a large table with enough space to entertain several hundred horsies per side.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">So I decided to work on a cavalry scenario that might also include a small number of infantry to support the cavalry. Further inspiration is inspired by some of the Russian raids into Silesia and some large counter-raids conducted by the Prussians in 1761 First <a href="http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=1761_-_Prussian_first_raid_in_Greater_Poland" target="_blank">Prussian raid into Greater Poland</a> and <a href="http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=1761_-_Prussian_second_raid_in_Greater_Poland" target="_blank">2nd Prussian Raid into Greater Poland</a> or Pommerania. The first "raid" was conducted by Ziethen with nearly 20,000 troops while the second "raid" was led by Platen into Pommerania with 10,000 troops. While the two Prussian raids were conducted with fairly large numbers of troops, the general idea of either a Russian or a Prussian raid appeals to me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The general idea is that it is the year 1760 and things have not been going well for Frederick of Prussia. As a result, the lumbering Russian army decided to leave the comforts of the city of Posen in Poland and march towards the Oder River and create some havoc for Frederick. I also hark back to stories of Russian sponsored Cossacks burning down the village of Zorndorf and other small towns in East Prussia. With little regard for the lives and welfare of the people in the eastern side of the Oder River (let's call it the Trans Oder Region), the Russian light troops pillage and burn their way across Prussian territory (sound familiar these days in Ukraine?).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Frederick doesn't like the Russians in the first place and so once he receives news of this latest Russian incursion, he finally decides that he has had enough of this and is determined to surprise the Russians and give them a bit of a bloody nose.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Russians are sending a raiding force consisting of Cossacks and Hussars in the vanguard, followed by a main body of infantry (largely grenadiers and some light infantry) and regular cavalry (some dragoons, horse grenadiers and cuirassiers) to the town of Trachenburg. The Russians are not expecting any resistance and expect to have free rein in looting this prosperous little town and then burning it down so as to deprive the Prussians of its value.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Frederick has caught wind of this scheme and so he has decided to lure the Russian raiders into a trap. He will deploy a sizable force of light cavalry hussars and lancers near the defiles that lead into Trachenburg, fall back, and then lure the Russians into Trachenburg, which is occupied by some Prussian grenadiers. Meanwhile, the heavier Prussian dragoons and cuirassiers are waiting further down the road behind Trachenburg. They will attack the Russians after the latter attempt to move into the town. There the Russians will be caught between Prussian infantry in the town and Prussian cavalry to their flank and front.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJmclvMh1dyuqhWSQ6FZMkX3NG0H1nzXxQQO-1ggTP1nllFSQEfkvLKFHKykvjsGBJ88XdGY0XVUU39zXjbX4gedeNCbGkQ8E547gydcq6YL8-SE0CRaVk_RBB85IpeChugxDNegA_L9t-qJ8SG55jHrO8pJEEEEbq9W2zTdlLN0_CfIgMi3ncRePB6Y/s2955/IMG_4560.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2302" data-original-width="2955" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJmclvMh1dyuqhWSQ6FZMkX3NG0H1nzXxQQO-1ggTP1nllFSQEfkvLKFHKykvjsGBJ88XdGY0XVUU39zXjbX4gedeNCbGkQ8E547gydcq6YL8-SE0CRaVk_RBB85IpeChugxDNegA_L9t-qJ8SG55jHrO8pJEEEEbq9W2zTdlLN0_CfIgMi3ncRePB6Y/w400-h313/IMG_4560.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Russian (R) and Prussian (L) light cavalry troops arrive on the game table near the<br />peaceful (?) Silesian town of Trachenburg.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU32gR5hfVhyphenhyphennoAzdkqtEZqmhYLVZJsV0P-HY56dMP3s3zITSEYNXKr-RHNYqJAAj4Y6w9Q2KEooRowDJs-k0iIvNE18VwhP87Lxc43ot_gGXT7d-Ilobwd8cLHhMMnTAr5szCE-PuCoJ3JQZKYbi0iIgGBmus1oWj4OuQkruNLEQ2mUZgCmDobzSqfF8/s3264/IMG_4562.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU32gR5hfVhyphenhyphennoAzdkqtEZqmhYLVZJsV0P-HY56dMP3s3zITSEYNXKr-RHNYqJAAj4Y6w9Q2KEooRowDJs-k0iIvNE18VwhP87Lxc43ot_gGXT7d-Ilobwd8cLHhMMnTAr5szCE-PuCoJ3JQZKYbi0iIgGBmus1oWj4OuQkruNLEQ2mUZgCmDobzSqfF8/w400-h300/IMG_4562.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Prussian brigade of Black Hussars and Bosniaken lancers await the advancing <br />Russian Cossacks and Hussars.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUhyphenhyphencMvFyhyphenhyphenSTyR45esDN8ivqPS7skkJjY-hfzyvGHGJo2JSE5ivN1NxSalNOUNUetMtUY7sjHX236f6heCZL4TkaoBaYjhyphenhyphentv8NwHoKgDU11wNiYb3IwB9ZAaxGNPRoxNImCVVUUVlLhrBYTihAnUAod3kEclJLwCtgelKfVNIEgPVdjr1cdFNKDS5w/s3264/IMG_4564.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="3264" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUhyphenhyphencMvFyhyphenhyphenSTyR45esDN8ivqPS7skkJjY-hfzyvGHGJo2JSE5ivN1NxSalNOUNUetMtUY7sjHX236f6heCZL4TkaoBaYjhyphenhyphentv8NwHoKgDU11wNiYb3IwB9ZAaxGNPRoxNImCVVUUVlLhrBYTihAnUAod3kEclJLwCtgelKfVNIEgPVdjr1cdFNKDS5w/w400-h180/IMG_4564.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Prussian light cavalry brigade provide a road block in front of a defile.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2213" data-original-width="2959" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXDEBt6CW5A9bk81EsttWdxzMA9lOq1tHv6QoobnjCKCsygRVIE2So2WtOt83EkME91IFrFbx1_gMExIi16Kv95qNUjYy4DwQYGCaT5JXi45tgCamiF4HLonnrXFYn-NVWEZfdX7Oq2efKzw7hew1YL87bbRqycxeol-ATAurSBb2IaSNLy5sdtY5vC0/w400-h300/IMG_4580.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Russian Cossacks were expecting easy pickings on their raid and were not expecting <br />to find any Prussian resistance in the area.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbXDEBt6CW5A9bk81EsttWdxzMA9lOq1tHv6QoobnjCKCsygRVIE2So2WtOt83EkME91IFrFbx1_gMExIi16Kv95qNUjYy4DwQYGCaT5JXi45tgCamiF4HLonnrXFYn-NVWEZfdX7Oq2efKzw7hew1YL87bbRqycxeol-ATAurSBb2IaSNLy5sdtY5vC0/s2959/IMG_4580.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Y0YBa9TT9rGT0S3kfFW5ingLQwYUw0mip5Qr5EgBvn8XGTGAiderRpUs6tgzOo1ePIfzjLt0BIa9K5qIvZPCmEqOZur8hb_Xu9e2IcrnGPR_W4xX_boeYOy6ZIL-Pg0Iit1ZUxuCTbeECzL-CVHQ2_Txmn2flDXwHGS8dkr-jEsBexDuhWHuJZppgbI/s2998/IMG_4582.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2126" data-original-width="2998" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Y0YBa9TT9rGT0S3kfFW5ingLQwYUw0mip5Qr5EgBvn8XGTGAiderRpUs6tgzOo1ePIfzjLt0BIa9K5qIvZPCmEqOZur8hb_Xu9e2IcrnGPR_W4xX_boeYOy6ZIL-Pg0Iit1ZUxuCTbeECzL-CVHQ2_Txmn2flDXwHGS8dkr-jEsBexDuhWHuJZppgbI/w400-h285/IMG_4582.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ziethen's brigade of three squadrons of hussars attempt to ride around the right flank<br />of the Russian raiders.<br /><br /><br /></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">zzz</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-33404371712949613792024-02-21T07:00:00.000-06:002024-02-21T07:00:00.132-06:00Pickett's Charge Play Test Game<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPg8ojpqNALU3bpUn11i-oI2-SQnjdDZHwguB9LxIoa5qQJ2-iCbJcngJvn3lVopplnptJhaPH8FX3HYK6tkx1kV8WZ2Sg72wXS9Pw1bduyzzKGh5viC8jhBu6x1vpULgMPyf2yF0VvWBIHRTS8QSwnf0P-aaxforK86q4vgWqNFTJQZZ67Kd54OPFnh8/s3264/IMG_4573.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="3264" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPg8ojpqNALU3bpUn11i-oI2-SQnjdDZHwguB9LxIoa5qQJ2-iCbJcngJvn3lVopplnptJhaPH8FX3HYK6tkx1kV8WZ2Sg72wXS9Pw1bduyzzKGh5viC8jhBu6x1vpULgMPyf2yF0VvWBIHRTS8QSwnf0P-aaxforK86q4vgWqNFTJQZZ67Kd54OPFnh8/w400-h235/IMG_4573.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Union troops defending "The Angle" atop Cemetery Ridge in the center of their line.<br />This is Lt. Cushing's battery of 3-inch ordnance rifled cannon.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On Presidents' Day our group travelled to the home of our gaming friend Keith Leidy to run a play test of my Pickett's Charge game for Little Wars and Historicon later this year. I hauled all of the soldiers and terrain bits to Keith's house several days ahead of the game so that everything would be ready to go once all of the players showed up on game day.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The purpose of the play test covered several aspects; (1) setting up the terrain and seeing how many troops could be used on the 6ft by 24ft tables that I will use for my convention games; and (2) playing the scenario and giving the rules a work out. As a result I was able to determine the optimal spacing of terrain on the table top, things such as where to position the Emmitsburg Road and Cemetery Ridge, and figure out the frontages of the Confederate brigades that will be involved in my game scenario. Along those lines, it is important to see how many turns of movement the Confederates need to reach the road and then to be in a position to directly engage the Union regiments. After all, we are asking the Confederate troops to cross 6 to 8 feet of table top distance before they hit the Emmitsburg Road, and as such we need the infantry movement to be of sufficient length so as to minimize the amount of time it will take them to cross that deadly open space.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVwB0Swt5vYZT93nCsG2ueJXWTeyP2wKTsCdve8D9rKnm2Hmg97fCo1jgg0gqtM5qVDqQ3MJhyphenhyphen0Uifnpu0E471ZK3Iu0oibDxHgY1QORuy4NzYuHqKURPfmUeCjDB75F8HORE_shHVsNaToT2pAfcyenKFoJKjlWycPE1RG4pBDOhVqw_TZGqYyDk4EE/s3264/IMG_4565.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVwB0Swt5vYZT93nCsG2ueJXWTeyP2wKTsCdve8D9rKnm2Hmg97fCo1jgg0gqtM5qVDqQ3MJhyphenhyphen0Uifnpu0E471ZK3Iu0oibDxHgY1QORuy4NzYuHqKURPfmUeCjDB75F8HORE_shHVsNaToT2pAfcyenKFoJKjlWycPE1RG4pBDOhVqw_TZGqYyDk4EE/w400-h300/IMG_4565.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Union forces atop Cemetery Ridge</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XTmlEJ1aBNn2uz68HYCNOimrpbxMMbySKw-hwAkxQv1vh-7GDbTsTMMFbYrUNPo1i_WTRS7e5cJtvWq0qsg55NfjkIwFDVTwVIFIzwnMqKb9iUbMNiJUSRJBI9WkNB3WGzdQzSaTkLO1oGzP9edCZPKxM-_eWve0KY2IDHA0967FR2IJBYSCTye7z3Q/s3264/IMG_4566.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9XTmlEJ1aBNn2uz68HYCNOimrpbxMMbySKw-hwAkxQv1vh-7GDbTsTMMFbYrUNPo1i_WTRS7e5cJtvWq0qsg55NfjkIwFDVTwVIFIzwnMqKb9iUbMNiJUSRJBI9WkNB3WGzdQzSaTkLO1oGzP9edCZPKxM-_eWve0KY2IDHA0967FR2IJBYSCTye7z3Q/w400-h300/IMG_4566.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Emmitsburg Road runs down the length of the middle table.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUboT15wLZhqHlo13qCc5Mas0TuHe-fWUfZkKgyLyfln30igmAAH3Ff3xCnW4cJRYaIt3gAWqU6YMD4oQQ6QQqZmZl_EzKPXmgF1Mo-0RG1FbtiwuYHMhcGFn0diORFE3Zt-d2q6MfGWXaYIBNgy0a4uQ6G56rW4WcaWOa16sije70Llgc3dDjOkzbP0s/s3250/IMG_4567.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1847" data-original-width="3250" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUboT15wLZhqHlo13qCc5Mas0TuHe-fWUfZkKgyLyfln30igmAAH3Ff3xCnW4cJRYaIt3gAWqU6YMD4oQQ6QQqZmZl_EzKPXmgF1Mo-0RG1FbtiwuYHMhcGFn0diORFE3Zt-d2q6MfGWXaYIBNgy0a4uQ6G56rW4WcaWOa16sije70Llgc3dDjOkzbP0s/w400-h228/IMG_4567.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Confederates starting position on Seminary Ridge.<br />The actual game will have an elevation for the ridge and game mats<br />will decorate the length of the table top.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We settled on infantry movement of 16-inches plus one D6 die and this seemed to work well.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We also worked on things such as the range of small arms and artillery. The game test indicated that the Confederates would take a moderate number of casualties from artillery fire until they reached the Emmitsburg Road, which acts a significant terrain obstacle for the advancing Confederates.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXaBgmobB8L4UefPskT5xdcqJnF6dHcozvqVp8d4PF20E8fJ_qeMDUyCb1ym5q-cpmlMCUZ3_DVcUputOPPwFGjULgqRTDXKyNTWIjdi0RH2OOyQFb5K3AGkYvYUWL8R4AA9yTlDErwv5YYr9o96gkdvAeLt6SqsNbhUfJtL9aXziwcjE9eqFZWPhmzk/s3264/IMG_4575.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXaBgmobB8L4UefPskT5xdcqJnF6dHcozvqVp8d4PF20E8fJ_qeMDUyCb1ym5q-cpmlMCUZ3_DVcUputOPPwFGjULgqRTDXKyNTWIjdi0RH2OOyQFb5K3AGkYvYUWL8R4AA9yTlDErwv5YYr9o96gkdvAeLt6SqsNbhUfJtL9aXziwcjE9eqFZWPhmzk/w400-h300/IMG_4575.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Confederates in the Emmitsburg Road. There will be road sections on the table<br />in the convention games.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2u4GyVEiWcr7VBlgWuuF8msGZDJnxUCnbx8otpnY3DWpG15A7XrgcYeucHPAzo8Qm8tmN3yp-6Xzs2sPCQOXDymnI2oCHuJ9ltITi-7xaJbrL_SxUn1CIuGYmjhjXjD1qI-GKj2M4R4MtV-C9IifCwecJsKX47TeqE7j5cK71if8MOkHIZEN0V9p7AI/s3264/IMG_4577.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2119" data-original-width="3264" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi2u4GyVEiWcr7VBlgWuuF8msGZDJnxUCnbx8otpnY3DWpG15A7XrgcYeucHPAzo8Qm8tmN3yp-6Xzs2sPCQOXDymnI2oCHuJ9ltITi-7xaJbrL_SxUn1CIuGYmjhjXjD1qI-GKj2M4R4MtV-C9IifCwecJsKX47TeqE7j5cK71if8MOkHIZEN0V9p7AI/w400-h260/IMG_4577.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMpgFS2hxDB5cecdgb7aDh3wq-GaE_P4_-LlqP6sjWfZy3tSNN3VnGajzfUYJUjIxfEKzXZSSlYbIrpR-ZBZRpoAh-BwMAXIbxQaZp6RlXOpx0M7CsD-No6rG7d9tO1IHaruJEf5VBb_Ly07H9vXrrjQqvjzHivouNGN2-3nY95BGmQXkNF44fi28xlE/s3264/IMG_4578.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1857" data-original-width="3264" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAMpgFS2hxDB5cecdgb7aDh3wq-GaE_P4_-LlqP6sjWfZy3tSNN3VnGajzfUYJUjIxfEKzXZSSlYbIrpR-ZBZRpoAh-BwMAXIbxQaZp6RlXOpx0M7CsD-No6rG7d9tO1IHaruJEf5VBb_Ly07H9vXrrjQqvjzHivouNGN2-3nY95BGmQXkNF44fi28xlE/w400-h228/IMG_4578.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">For a brief moment I was concerned that the Confederates were not taking sufficient casualties, but once they got stuck climbing over the post and rail fences along the road, they were in range of small arms fire and this proved to be devastatingly effective. I think that by the time we stopped the game, the Confederates only had two regiments that stood any chance of reaching the copse of trees on Cemetery Ridge. The rest of their regiments were either all shot up or running away.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I think that we did a good job of achieving historical results, however, this does not make for a very good or playable war game in a convention setting. So we are going to tweak the effectiveness of musket/rifle fire to give the Confederates some chance of reaching the Union position on Cemetary Ridge.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83ZAvJFCl9c8X-5u0frUxWCJBV4OjIC_Q9WVXhdOKSPSuGaAatHU-II4VVmaYQstqPB9RqXOXOYYB-EDQjdeUTbtCOZAL6cLHTXpdvwCTzVk2E9l8_4NoaMSWHd8blPEYAPMPyJ8AmrfSWHG9OYQ7ImbxDPCnZ727XZxlN3Nspb5JAjGG4PtLKSwGfRE/s3264/IMG_4572.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1669" data-original-width="3264" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg83ZAvJFCl9c8X-5u0frUxWCJBV4OjIC_Q9WVXhdOKSPSuGaAatHU-II4VVmaYQstqPB9RqXOXOYYB-EDQjdeUTbtCOZAL6cLHTXpdvwCTzVk2E9l8_4NoaMSWHd8blPEYAPMPyJ8AmrfSWHG9OYQ7ImbxDPCnZ727XZxlN3Nspb5JAjGG4PtLKSwGfRE/w400-h205/IMG_4572.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Angle defended by Webb's brigade.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlk4bdwhUwd_Uy20Hci8J-Wfx0dpbWbV4vtzewxacJ3V_xESGD9O0NhZVYC8kXqFLj7WNPlAnG3nbNLNbi3tRel1-v3lSFCkGMH2J9yov9FnAJv6ctNxgivfoVpJXwXoLBXEKHhMObVkgWgnUCboXCVFPp23QLqjo_bpl7PbZUwBVxgp_L_9NTg3ntIE/s3250/IMG_4574.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1855" data-original-width="3250" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVlk4bdwhUwd_Uy20Hci8J-Wfx0dpbWbV4vtzewxacJ3V_xESGD9O0NhZVYC8kXqFLj7WNPlAnG3nbNLNbi3tRel1-v3lSFCkGMH2J9yov9FnAJv6ctNxgivfoVpJXwXoLBXEKHhMObVkgWgnUCboXCVFPp23QLqjo_bpl7PbZUwBVxgp_L_9NTg3ntIE/w400-h230/IMG_4574.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Union troops in th Copse of Trees at the center of the Union defense.<br /><br /></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">Our first pass at small arms fire provided the firing unit with three D6 per stand of figures that the regiment has. So as the regiment loses figures and remove a stand, the fewer dice it will have to use to fire at the opponent. We agreed that that the small arms fire was too effective so in our next play test on March 5th we will reduce the number of dice to two D6 per stand. So now a fresh regiment will fire with ten D6 dice (5 stands x 2 D6 = 10 D6 dice) instead of 15 dice.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">We are using ranges of Short, Medium and Long range for musketry and the firing unit will need to roll a 6 to hit at long range, a 5 or a 6 at medium range, and a 4, 5 or 6 at short range. A regiment gets to use a stand for purposes of determining the number of dice that it will roll. So for example, a 30 figure regiment has five stands of six figure, but has lost five figures from firing. That regiment will still get to use that fifth stand when it shoots, but once that sixth man goes down and the stand is removed, the regiment will only have four stands and thus throw 8 D6. The mechanics will be the same for the next game, but the number of dice thrown will be reduced.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Artillery fire rules worked well and we don't think that we have to make any significant changes. Each battery consists of two cannon, both having crews of 4 figures plus one reserve or mulligan figure that can be used to replace the first crew casualty. A cannon rolls one D6 for each crew manning the gun. Confederate artillery can fire at Cemetery Ridge up to the point where the Confederates cross over the Emmitsburg Road. After that the Rebs are deemed to be too close to the ridge to fire over the infantry.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Morale checks are straight forward with a unit rolling two D6 and having to roll a number of 6 or 7 or more on the two dice. (plus some morale modifiers). We don't have the Confederates taking any morale tests until they reach the Emmitsburg Road.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">In the meantime, I have a lot of things to do ahead of our next play test on March 5th: painting another brigade of Confederates (90 figures), building more road sections and post & rail fences, revise and update the rules</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-37941355355110071632024-02-20T15:19:00.006-06:002024-02-20T15:19:57.209-06:00The Devil's Den Recreated<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesGevxrUu0IChRl2s3Kb3dmtGA5nrDzbzInISrgGprqPaDvQlgXXBBxrPaWA-wVuIhROJXscijLlzBwQ8W1Nu2DVWSqthxQrkkkGuDfwwTgcbv9ukES1tesjw4gEyZcibWFoghuZZoJG5A8bSWHYkSxaxxnBwqxjyMi0HATFE7F36ABUm7TbpURfDfXw/s865/IMG_4559.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="680" data-original-width="865" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgesGevxrUu0IChRl2s3Kb3dmtGA5nrDzbzInISrgGprqPaDvQlgXXBBxrPaWA-wVuIhROJXscijLlzBwQ8W1Nu2DVWSqthxQrkkkGuDfwwTgcbv9ukES1tesjw4gEyZcibWFoghuZZoJG5A8bSWHYkSxaxxnBwqxjyMi0HATFE7F36ABUm7TbpURfDfXw/w400-h315/IMG_4559.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The famous Gardner photograph of a dead Confederate sniper amongst <br />the boulders of the Devil's Den at Gettysburg. Historians determined that<br />Gardner posed the picture, dragging a corpse to the site and setting the rifle upright.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwobXTEVwTAJkl1xqHpGn_mwuOq388WtoCwoYOWcMmk6DTy_bovkxlg_TLtia6cndGF6npyEKeviM7lkFHcbUNLQ7lgTYXvZYAEwJTKMLkh5YaSeqPVPqUBw2Z0JBMZwLvimteYGfchdWWDpwN22UdbRWCwyzUmP3bFhTumDa8EWy6gzxkgIlIZYejlks/s4032/IMG_1893.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwobXTEVwTAJkl1xqHpGn_mwuOq388WtoCwoYOWcMmk6DTy_bovkxlg_TLtia6cndGF6npyEKeviM7lkFHcbUNLQ7lgTYXvZYAEwJTKMLkh5YaSeqPVPqUBw2Z0JBMZwLvimteYGfchdWWDpwN22UdbRWCwyzUmP3bFhTumDa8EWy6gzxkgIlIZYejlks/w400-h300/IMG_1893.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I posed a similar picture using a 54mm figure and a musket casting among some large rocks from my back yard.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDl-nzBKquorL-zixxUb9x9vfbzZ1883bBN7gDs_27Tv0Gg4xFf6oNYfnApIy4bt_dZxCau8ba6ZhLOBbPJTEyGBCG8BqxEaYnnLNK-QDEWu9l3NNUoN6F5Aj6kyCBGLjA_WoWyYR-gmh_bDKWXHXznN8ZbbBDf_85JmcDCe6WGIvmGpUFEz7LlybL78/s4028/IMG_1889.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2675" data-original-width="4028" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDl-nzBKquorL-zixxUb9x9vfbzZ1883bBN7gDs_27Tv0Gg4xFf6oNYfnApIy4bt_dZxCau8ba6ZhLOBbPJTEyGBCG8BqxEaYnnLNK-QDEWu9l3NNUoN6F5Aj6kyCBGLjA_WoWyYR-gmh_bDKWXHXznN8ZbbBDf_85JmcDCe6WGIvmGpUFEz7LlybL78/w400-h268/IMG_1889.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Same diorama, different soldier casualty figure.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>The other day I was removing my 54mm Civil War figures from my game table and getting them ready to transport to my friend Keith Leidy's house so that we could conduct a play test of my Pickett's Charge game. At the last minute I decided to create a mini diorama of the famous Garnder photograph of the dead Confederate rifleman at the Devil's Den at Gettysburg.</p><p>One of the pluses of 1/32 scale or 54mm figures is that they can be used to make some war dioramas and they look better than using, say, 28mm war gaming figures.</p><p>Now I am looking around for suitable figures to recreate the famous photo of the three Confederate prisoners after the battle of Gettysburg. I did find a nice 1/32 figure of Alfred Waud sitting on a tree stump, sketch pad in hand, getting ready to draw the picture of the battlefield. Stay tuned to see that figure painted.</p><p><b>Update</b></p><p>We ran a successful playtest of Pickett's Charge yesterday, setting up the terrain and troops at Keith's mammoth game table of three 6ft by 32ft tables. I will post pictures later this week. </p><p>And now that I have cleared all of 54mm Civil War figures off of my table, space has opened up to set up a Seven Years War battle. This will be largely an all cavalry game between the Russians (boo!) and the Prussians (huzzah!). Recent events in Ukraine reminded me of the various Russian raids into Pomerania and trans-Oder River Silesia. The Russians wantonly looted and burned down villages so in this scenario Frederick has had enough of this and has set a trap to stop and/or capture a Russian raiding party. I will be posting pictures of this game within the next week or two.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-38403554838783397712024-02-10T15:19:00.006-06:002024-02-10T15:19:49.810-06:00Scenario Testing: Setting Up The Terrain<p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlid31bZWoMlcZ3LmYM6y1EzLNsbwPShp1-7DiFixcKz-Kh0V493VRChh7y7Y8PP7hnVB5hZPZS-Nc1EXgFugRuKLsHOWzcDhUXkSkZXBYyD6CFw71pEHINtJ9uEaQJLUSz8fdLnYBqX3HhgKEuE4vLm6Oaz5Fu49kwVeOFqBc9a7HRLBDhfFL4rJxE8/s4032/IMG_1887.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxlid31bZWoMlcZ3LmYM6y1EzLNsbwPShp1-7DiFixcKz-Kh0V493VRChh7y7Y8PP7hnVB5hZPZS-Nc1EXgFugRuKLsHOWzcDhUXkSkZXBYyD6CFw71pEHINtJ9uEaQJLUSz8fdLnYBqX3HhgKEuE4vLm6Oaz5Fu49kwVeOFqBc9a7HRLBDhfFL4rJxE8/w400-h300/IMG_1887.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The table set up on my home turf. This is not Keith's table (s)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Click on all pictures to enlarge</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red;"><b>(or double click if you dare)</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday I traveled out to Woodstock to visit my friend Keith Leidy. Among other things, Keith is the proud owner of a huge basement that can hold three tables measuring 6ft wide by 36ft long. Call me envious.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The purpose of the trip was to set up the war game terrain for my upcoming 54mm Pickett's Charge game at Little Wars convention. I will host the game at this year's Historicon too. The idea was to lay out all of the terrain and all of the troops and see how much room that we would have to run the game at the conventions. We cut the table off at 24ft long, which is what I will use at the conventions, rather than use the whole 36ft. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo3V2SoRA1b3hHM9mMNTpiWEXBqkC4Chx77vjo7ViiSl_QBu1Kmyfrd_6G1JxU_JxhgMFVdE0dHhSa-HxEONvdPjfjrLC1lJZq0baVRxILuv-MC3fSV0XkSSBWq8oWtu_5ATizc2PvJFlA3aYAB4lXUTFtQM8bENIx6R2AS8V5pO2kOSJXCtsoIYjGAc/s1280/IMG_1373.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSo3V2SoRA1b3hHM9mMNTpiWEXBqkC4Chx77vjo7ViiSl_QBu1Kmyfrd_6G1JxU_JxhgMFVdE0dHhSa-HxEONvdPjfjrLC1lJZq0baVRxILuv-MC3fSV0XkSSBWq8oWtu_5ATizc2PvJFlA3aYAB4lXUTFtQM8bENIx6R2AS8V5pO2kOSJXCtsoIYjGAc/w400-h300/IMG_1373.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The left wing of the Union army defending Cemetery Ridge.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71K8spp7NCjePVSUBMviqE2QpMw6FrjNyOS0L2kOfeyv_CPpxteZZzMoXmO88z4dcUlXWQRWVLyfNYQYMk7wP5McAXEpSQPGbWMEwR0VfCZjCqNbSad9T392WBAkpeglgvWxVl_AIhAwTGpL4a4TWkIzPwz5akyUrNYtQlzHO0ALcTIqXDNxLmD8NwAQ/s1080/thumbnail.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh71K8spp7NCjePVSUBMviqE2QpMw6FrjNyOS0L2kOfeyv_CPpxteZZzMoXmO88z4dcUlXWQRWVLyfNYQYMk7wP5McAXEpSQPGbWMEwR0VfCZjCqNbSad9T392WBAkpeglgvWxVl_AIhAwTGpL4a4TWkIzPwz5akyUrNYtQlzHO0ALcTIqXDNxLmD8NwAQ/w400-h300/thumbnail.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The famous Copse of Trees and The Angle which were the focal points of<br />Pickett's division attack.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Views of the whole enchilada:</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmd_sgza3yS4L3kXBzk93tqKa3U_htdc2QXcscdcRsiGd_mgqPdiqgpAmB1LFX5uMcSOAoW7cxuZc9w1Bz3KC9eA84t3U4iR88L_CUlRgBbuKy65E-VMIS6aMieKEfl28l9iLyq-srW7pTWWVqnzg66oUSe-55IBPa1wK-uq7GiscT3-TOmWUpQsax9T4/s1920/IMG_1365.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmd_sgza3yS4L3kXBzk93tqKa3U_htdc2QXcscdcRsiGd_mgqPdiqgpAmB1LFX5uMcSOAoW7cxuZc9w1Bz3KC9eA84t3U4iR88L_CUlRgBbuKy65E-VMIS6aMieKEfl28l9iLyq-srW7pTWWVqnzg66oUSe-55IBPa1wK-uq7GiscT3-TOmWUpQsax9T4/w400-h300/IMG_1365.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Confederate starting position on Seminary Ridge. Since this is just a<br />terrain test, the actual ridge is not presented in this picture.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEELEB158bAzPd_DQc6aFBdO-KPLiqBByN3piGy8uHmCjm0REcfxA9VazLpS5jcbOKVSOACD0TBEYAmrp70gtyYHF6dBEO3CJtYY7tXXGueG9_dvdHYuCKfmoSKQhTC-cYFXkjB5tEFyT5aWrTzlZ6aXvw4K-rOlfigGhg154iW409HEAtncY9ZX20kI/s1920/IMG_1366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyEELEB158bAzPd_DQc6aFBdO-KPLiqBByN3piGy8uHmCjm0REcfxA9VazLpS5jcbOKVSOACD0TBEYAmrp70gtyYHF6dBEO3CJtYY7tXXGueG9_dvdHYuCKfmoSKQhTC-cYFXkjB5tEFyT5aWrTzlZ6aXvw4K-rOlfigGhg154iW409HEAtncY9ZX20kI/w400-h300/IMG_1366.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A view of two of the three game tables in Keith's basement.<br />The middle table shows the length of the Emmitsburg Road, with the Confederate <br />attack moving from right to left in this picture.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdDs5UDYkPpThG-RyIVVMN4CRU2TNlw3LRtI9PJd-sBSUTAIiz1MOnpE1pGcpJZco2_ZsDn59nNNts3-1xtmp10c5D8xr_RkXmFihi0T7QJzKzbJgLyFvE5VESY89NdTu8ZOjylsRJHJdPAPFRsXvdBFIkvqyLd_cOWQzO9uKwyTHEt5TEKGMb4bi268/s1920/IMG_1367.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJdDs5UDYkPpThG-RyIVVMN4CRU2TNlw3LRtI9PJd-sBSUTAIiz1MOnpE1pGcpJZco2_ZsDn59nNNts3-1xtmp10c5D8xr_RkXmFihi0T7QJzKzbJgLyFvE5VESY89NdTu8ZOjylsRJHJdPAPFRsXvdBFIkvqyLd_cOWQzO9uKwyTHEt5TEKGMb4bi268/w400-h300/IMG_1367.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The third table where the Union army is deployed on Cemetery Ridge.<br />The ridge terrain hasn't been used in this picture because we were <br />running a test to look at the positioning of the terrain and the troops.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglovCyIzN-4h9yxHMpRHkyN9S3fCqoPib4ZKROSMum3mA7KcrH56ohLWJqf7SL1BGesjQviQPCxq6wAIgLVfkjp4pncThDMvn3m8WH7TKDJuxp_7NI1CGymfAHkAr_UCnU0tkaj-WJuytPpWkXN3d3caVF2MlVzyVm5Jlbr4oYDnWo9WAf1JxUkHKJxwQ/s1920/IMG_1368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglovCyIzN-4h9yxHMpRHkyN9S3fCqoPib4ZKROSMum3mA7KcrH56ohLWJqf7SL1BGesjQviQPCxq6wAIgLVfkjp4pncThDMvn3m8WH7TKDJuxp_7NI1CGymfAHkAr_UCnU0tkaj-WJuytPpWkXN3d3caVF2MlVzyVm5Jlbr4oYDnWo9WAf1JxUkHKJxwQ/w400-h300/IMG_1368.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The view of the battlefield from Cemetery Ridge. The Emmitsburg Road is in the middle,<br />the Codori barn marks the left end of the game table, and the Confederate infantry is in<br />the far distance.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglARae7p3itc30p-xUegiUDfmlizMLinSj-OMi-zq8MfyvqKEbclN3SuMa7lwPToLpFUwdKzudqtcC_hmU28QV2sZjpENhgfEG2KLzW-szm4Y90Y161loWcHBte0h13TqST-fc-4fdiIGWHrfz2GpKd7HbkC0EeU1Ag1n_FpnQwqkAbAGYaZY6T_Dw6No/s1920/IMG_1369.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglARae7p3itc30p-xUegiUDfmlizMLinSj-OMi-zq8MfyvqKEbclN3SuMa7lwPToLpFUwdKzudqtcC_hmU28QV2sZjpENhgfEG2KLzW-szm4Y90Y161loWcHBte0h13TqST-fc-4fdiIGWHrfz2GpKd7HbkC0EeU1Ag1n_FpnQwqkAbAGYaZY6T_Dw6No/w400-h300/IMG_1369.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Union forces on Cemetery Ridge, showing the right flank of their position.<br />It's hard to believe, but we ran out of space for one of the Union brigades, so one <br />brigade will be deployed as a reserve behind Cemetery Ridge.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvX__JdnC1d_uNRLULmS_Vprq3c1EtwXiJoCMumqHKXT_ij6jMm03EmE6DyZzRS_YGOoWTo5Ew8U2VUXPlkCqONSmGBYBu6ph6K1S7vfHZATlq_OIzplPsi4POVfBTb8SBV0V-o_KRYZbYJmKQTaAQXH_Qkz1TTKHmLt7qL-LZMH0gGRNu_2IqpV8bVw/s1920/IMG_1370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIvX__JdnC1d_uNRLULmS_Vprq3c1EtwXiJoCMumqHKXT_ij6jMm03EmE6DyZzRS_YGOoWTo5Ew8U2VUXPlkCqONSmGBYBu6ph6K1S7vfHZATlq_OIzplPsi4POVfBTb8SBV0V-o_KRYZbYJmKQTaAQXH_Qkz1TTKHmLt7qL-LZMH0gGRNu_2IqpV8bVw/w400-h300/IMG_1370.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ground level view of one of the Union regiments. Each regiment has 30 figures<br />and each brigade has three regiments.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsVYkpuT72aKVdpkIbIem2ru6NOjgo9-rH0GHgFL6rZUkZv6hTp1mCuR6k1WVzPiYNF0bf1QOOkH_5_MQa-J4jCx1ELJPxNJzaTSExrIRbEzCF6zZcPX3EvnIYhJ4C_gQfVOJQhyphenhyphenspLCxd4lgfEqq6ssu7cb4OMIp6ZlG3Y69BNAyyRLdhciRFUcN6Ps/s1920/IMG_1371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQsVYkpuT72aKVdpkIbIem2ru6NOjgo9-rH0GHgFL6rZUkZv6hTp1mCuR6k1WVzPiYNF0bf1QOOkH_5_MQa-J4jCx1ELJPxNJzaTSExrIRbEzCF6zZcPX3EvnIYhJ4C_gQfVOJQhyphenhyphenspLCxd4lgfEqq6ssu7cb4OMIp6ZlG3Y69BNAyyRLdhciRFUcN6Ps/w400-h300/IMG_1371.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Bryan House marks the right hand side of the table.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9az9O53LUZ2bGP7PPHEk4mPLmTGibvHI3nV0WfM4lRwsNZ1VRf7vlRT482qvWbl6QGTv0Oi1rPAcLFn2c9u7MWHsLUh4BMtIoWsD-BfZJAWGRC_20HxpGOGjN2X1U9-T9aBPNMANjkYdSc3a7MFCj2L9A7UjkA3g2O9y590hdPXoHwgw2QP79809YydU/s1920/IMG_1373-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1920" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9az9O53LUZ2bGP7PPHEk4mPLmTGibvHI3nV0WfM4lRwsNZ1VRf7vlRT482qvWbl6QGTv0Oi1rPAcLFn2c9u7MWHsLUh4BMtIoWsD-BfZJAWGRC_20HxpGOGjN2X1U9-T9aBPNMANjkYdSc3a7MFCj2L9A7UjkA3g2O9y590hdPXoHwgw2QP79809YydU/w400-h300/IMG_1373-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>One of the Union brigades deployed to the right of the Copse of Trees.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">For the first time I could see all of the figures out on the game table at the same time. My initial fear was that I might not be able to fit all of the Confederate regiments on the allotted space. Fear not, for my colleagues suggested that I would need more Confederates for the game. Yikes! Pickett's Division will occupy the righthand half of the game table with two brigades in the front and one brigade in support behind. The lefthand half of the table will be occupied by Pettigrew's Division.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Rules</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As with my Khartoum and Abu Klea Sudan games last year, I want to use rules that are developed specifically for this game in a convention setting. The rules have to be simple enough for all of the players to understand and to use in a timely fashion. The rules will fit on one side of a 8-1/2 by 11 sheet of paper. There won't be a lot of complications such as having charts for different types of rifles and artillery. Every soldier is assumed to be armed with a rifle and all of the artillery is either 12-pound smooth bore Napoleons or a rifled cannon (Parrot, 3lb ordnance rifle or any other type of rifled cannon). Keeping the rules simple moves the game along and results in a game that will run about three hours. This is an absolute must for any convention game. My Sudan rules met all of this criteria and performed very well when I hosted the Battle of Abu Klea at Historicon.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>The Play Test Game</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We will be playing the first of three play tests of the scenario and the rules on Presidents' Day. I will be keen to see how long it takes the Confederates to cross that deadly open ground and to see how many of their troops reach the walls on Cemetery Ridge. On the one hand, I don't want to see the Confederates so shot up after they cross the Emmitsburg Road that they can't continue the attack; and on the other hand, I don't want them to reach the Union position with minimal casualties and then swarm over the walls. I want the artillery to inflict some damage on the Confederates at long distance, but not so much that units are all depleted before they even reach the Emmitsburg Road. Several play test games will help us find the right balance in the rules.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>What Is Ahead?</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">It looks like I will have to paint two more Confederate brigades of 90 figures each, or 180 total figures. I expect to be able to knock out one brigade before Presidents' Day and maybe have the second brigade finished by the first week of March. My figure painting is actually running well ahead of schedule for my July Historicon games, noting that I have painted approximately 900 54mm figures as of this blog post.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-70725952976225786032024-02-08T15:31:00.005-06:002024-02-08T15:31:31.296-06:00Making Dirt Roads - WIP<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHArS3Nr-dhiaI39zgjYu3F3nBICD1O_ZteQEXfpkFp5p3nUrmi7WawfrRUO1HW_N3qGB3WJKNnzY1oxS50P0qKezqg_AVN56RyGTTm6nhvmpBaz4AbHZosB7nmu8Yv4suSMdRAMEsw7fwPFFdjCfRGKPh4EJKeB4F8MhC3-vVK3nHQ6VMK1LXEQy2Yo/s4032/IMG_1884.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXHArS3Nr-dhiaI39zgjYu3F3nBICD1O_ZteQEXfpkFp5p3nUrmi7WawfrRUO1HW_N3qGB3WJKNnzY1oxS50P0qKezqg_AVN56RyGTTm6nhvmpBaz4AbHZosB7nmu8Yv4suSMdRAMEsw7fwPFFdjCfRGKPh4EJKeB4F8MhC3-vVK3nHQ6VMK1LXEQy2Yo/w400-h300/IMG_1884.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The road sections with the wallboard paste freshly applied and sprinkled <br />with railroad ballast material. When the sections dry, they will be dry brushed<br />and bits of green static grass will be applied.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>Yesterday I started work on the 18 feet of dirt roads that I will need for my Gettysburg Pickett's Charge games at Little Wars and Historicon this year. The road sections are not finished yet, but I thought that you would enjoy seeing them as "work in progress."</p><p><b>My Method For Making Road Segments</b></p><p>The basic road segment is made from cork bottomed place mats that you would use on your dining room table. I bought mine from Target. Sometimes the mats aren't available in-store, so one can order them on-line and either have them delivered to your home or you can elect to pick them up at the nearest Target store. The placemats are 16-inches wide and so I cut them out of the cork at 5-inches wide by 16-inches long. I have also cut some shorter sections at 4, 6 and 12-inch lengths to give me flexibility when I set up a road on my game table. I also cut out some wedge shaped pieces that allow the road to curve in another direction.</p><p>I mix some brown acrylic paint into a quart or pint jar of pre-mixed spackle compound (it's basically drywall board paste) and stir in the paint until it looks like chocolate pudding. Then I use a small artist trowel or a spoon to slather the "goop" over the cork. Then I take the end of a paint brush and score some wheel tracks onto the road and then finish off the piece by sprinkling some fine railroad ballast (Woodland Scenics) onto the wet goop. I will let the goop dry overnight and then drybrush some lighter colors over the road section. When that is done, then I will glue down some green static grass to represent grass on the model.</p><p>Here are several pictures of the road sections that I have placed between the post and rail fences. The pre-mixed spackel compound has been slathered onto a section of a cork placemat, cut to 5" wide by varying lengths (6/12/16 inches). Once the goop dries I will get to work with some dry brushing of lighter colors onto the road piece and then glue down some bits of green static grass. The fence sections shown below are terrained in the same manner, although a lot more grass is glued down onto the fence sections compared to what I will use on the roads.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cx9X4SK0ulrLi3_l7TEOr0VslfY83hVwXaUhHAeuA8KkLYBlMyBI3NJKY9nXkEQ6SXsy0m31XD7VrZYfOZZqGYQrWhzILN7tv_prIihXI_3gvZIvrBekaXprecC23mkadxyOvgD4F4w0nLAeeBzzKD38J0u4wQ2UXaTnsbI6nWJzIb5Pr9CpRkBO8sc/s4032/IMG_1881.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0cx9X4SK0ulrLi3_l7TEOr0VslfY83hVwXaUhHAeuA8KkLYBlMyBI3NJKY9nXkEQ6SXsy0m31XD7VrZYfOZZqGYQrWhzILN7tv_prIihXI_3gvZIvrBekaXprecC23mkadxyOvgD4F4w0nLAeeBzzKD38J0u4wQ2UXaTnsbI6nWJzIb5Pr9CpRkBO8sc/w400-h300/IMG_1881.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoB8jV8fOXVgUtOSTWMAwz-OA3Uyob2tSaiFnlq7f62CZhWyQi9A7QpQ61x-SMPDq2V7sj9gWHnkcf4HsNA0aUqdOBfImNAVzDTe1wATvqJCm1fEozpWRotU0lwDmL6bkZvujVA5WTVMTNfYqwYocWbTA7WhyphenhyphenG9u8g6_pn63OjVteuPfaC4GioEIp2Cw/s4032/IMG_1882.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGoB8jV8fOXVgUtOSTWMAwz-OA3Uyob2tSaiFnlq7f62CZhWyQi9A7QpQ61x-SMPDq2V7sj9gWHnkcf4HsNA0aUqdOBfImNAVzDTe1wATvqJCm1fEozpWRotU0lwDmL6bkZvujVA5WTVMTNfYqwYocWbTA7WhyphenhyphenG9u8g6_pn63OjVteuPfaC4GioEIp2Cw/w400-h300/IMG_1882.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdvvPikgmDBGUA6S78W_Xb4N8tk9rX2s7MgynLqVph4gwVoCq1RTM8fM0dPZEDZ5Pcn-wWaOwTeZuOBgLmwUnIuAuSKLRP4Cjo8nOb_OdxUxd-y7t8xcUjN9IwX9-ubYjGxIoskxi9Wa2yeJX-hoKO_yqXt9homRxcbkwV79EEBjZ4bAIfWbyKcZXLek/s4032/IMG_1886.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdvvPikgmDBGUA6S78W_Xb4N8tk9rX2s7MgynLqVph4gwVoCq1RTM8fM0dPZEDZ5Pcn-wWaOwTeZuOBgLmwUnIuAuSKLRP4Cjo8nOb_OdxUxd-y7t8xcUjN9IwX9-ubYjGxIoskxi9Wa2yeJX-hoKO_yqXt9homRxcbkwV79EEBjZ4bAIfWbyKcZXLek/w400-h300/IMG_1886.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A nice overhead view of the Emmitsburg Road. The roads will be finished after <br />the sparkle compound dries.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Before and After: work in progress.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbexr_O53koAdll2rtv-MPeb6KQ97tr-NdwwLggz83CVeWfAXvaYibfwdJEYN46AzelIlqQj8Yygdw32f31_n_YbAFf8r1ztIW8bSEiYfbJQqbX7Ny725d37Je_6G1MVQ56Qtgyhu7g6gnIA86u9Y3tbo-oMS4SNPJpPb2XSTIzUEO0EBHibCWq7TG4MI/s4032/IMG_1888.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbexr_O53koAdll2rtv-MPeb6KQ97tr-NdwwLggz83CVeWfAXvaYibfwdJEYN46AzelIlqQj8Yygdw32f31_n_YbAFf8r1ztIW8bSEiYfbJQqbX7Ny725d37Je_6G1MVQ56Qtgyhu7g6gnIA86u9Y3tbo-oMS4SNPJpPb2XSTIzUEO0EBHibCWq7TG4MI/w400-h300/IMG_1888.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Here you can see the cork place mats cut to 5-inches wide (where the cavalry figures are)<br />and before the wall board paste is applied. In the foreground you can see a road section<br />that has been gooped up with a mixture of wallboard paste and brown paint. Fine <br />railroad ballast is sprinkled onto the paste while it is still wet.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>I am estimating that my version of the Emmitsburg Road will stretch 18 feet across the game table. I have about 8 feet of road sections nearly finished and so 10 more feet of roads isn't as daunting as it sounds.</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-3499791457821273702024-02-07T16:57:00.000-06:002024-02-07T16:57:07.202-06:00Emmitsburg Road<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboFoHAYZbf5zQWCezdo_doBCCJtykmsZ-slEzRD090N2NbE6ZEmDc6w7KrAqj2VZwRKgAqN7YvKgTOk-Ily5Ls-OTUvfcOcGo1jadLS4E6zcUu79BM6x9SPgR6LLFbzP1f2nzjhUh-BKKhwjKdfNoMzO3F3AvyjiAaZ45lMzZRRRqKIr6WTf1dMjfd7M/s2000/IMG_4550.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="2000" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgboFoHAYZbf5zQWCezdo_doBCCJtykmsZ-slEzRD090N2NbE6ZEmDc6w7KrAqj2VZwRKgAqN7YvKgTOk-Ily5Ls-OTUvfcOcGo1jadLS4E6zcUu79BM6x9SPgR6LLFbzP1f2nzjhUh-BKKhwjKdfNoMzO3F3AvyjiAaZ45lMzZRRRqKIr6WTf1dMjfd7M/w640-h432/IMG_4550.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcft8AuxT7XAAyesomq7xOz6ZIholmUkJTwR-i-sIsei_dVgqlz-5Znfed2_IVYAwlqsY-iXavOH6oBflACMco9TS1N1lmV_UFwWsIyn2qLskU5BdpVVxwGHwilK-x0B145oBxK5CTR2iyNZKVZxlUAKfMDvI8-EPFFzDO-tRUOmCd9NVNR8fq3of6e0/s300/IMG_4555.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcft8AuxT7XAAyesomq7xOz6ZIholmUkJTwR-i-sIsei_dVgqlz-5Znfed2_IVYAwlqsY-iXavOH6oBflACMco9TS1N1lmV_UFwWsIyn2qLskU5BdpVVxwGHwilK-x0B145oBxK5CTR2iyNZKVZxlUAKfMDvI8-EPFFzDO-tRUOmCd9NVNR8fq3of6e0/w400-h224/IMG_4555.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>I am working on the road terrain for my Pickett's Charge game and wasn't sure about the color of the ground in the road. I found a couple of pictures on the Net and I think that I found my answer. I was also able to confirm that the Emmitsburg Road did not have an improved surface nor toll collection booths. So it is basically a dirt road with post and rail fences on either side.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xvcIaLJMffZlsfWzknt3vTInEhO6h4GIidyj2yNrD8Yi5ylDj2RhAzf4cNqTAaqac8DTesz7F86uNkIhL2AiCya4xEtZDm-73DuwY_wN5wSMq-Zdj_Hir0R0OgnzJWMjxZEdodXyAfsyxz10f56RyHlxKMR4qu-VB6CfdXsI3fnWLUa4BGf41m2arwI/s640/IMG_4552.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="640" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-xvcIaLJMffZlsfWzknt3vTInEhO6h4GIidyj2yNrD8Yi5ylDj2RhAzf4cNqTAaqac8DTesz7F86uNkIhL2AiCya4xEtZDm-73DuwY_wN5wSMq-Zdj_Hir0R0OgnzJWMjxZEdodXyAfsyxz10f56RyHlxKMR4qu-VB6CfdXsI3fnWLUa4BGf41m2arwI/w400-h313/IMG_4552.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This picture of the Emmitsburg Road depicts the missing rails from the <br />post and rail fences, but there is also some evidence of stone walls topped with <br />wooden rails.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO2mgcteFvzbwd2t8us6TM-wyPs1ut6fvIlh6GzsgpjGIdTpUsdQSI9BYh-qIFoVCCX0eAF1wrGJQf-m-GBqFKYamUQ2E28f2LbMQV3q086WzPWmu6Os_ogerlFH7UzpEldmd9MQVK5j5fmkLjHXp4TBiPZzNBlcFz7HEzsi2Rdyr3E1O7ULMnHekF2c/s1024/IMG_4553.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="770" data-original-width="1024" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO2mgcteFvzbwd2t8us6TM-wyPs1ut6fvIlh6GzsgpjGIdTpUsdQSI9BYh-qIFoVCCX0eAF1wrGJQf-m-GBqFKYamUQ2E28f2LbMQV3q086WzPWmu6Os_ogerlFH7UzpEldmd9MQVK5j5fmkLjHXp4TBiPZzNBlcFz7HEzsi2Rdyr3E1O7ULMnHekF2c/w400-h304/IMG_4553.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Baltimore Pike on the left and the Emmitsburg Road on the right in a picture<br />likely taken in the 1860s after the battle of Gettysburg. Today, a toy soldier <br />shop is located where the two-story building in the center is shown.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>cc</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-29553482081813209642024-02-05T15:07:00.000-06:002024-02-05T15:07:06.113-06:00Don't Fence Me In, A Tutorial<p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG4oClXo_t-aJkThnHG4f-5thrgJSBsCz4Jw-cKehTlXqgP_Dbz6c6rE1HWOacEMehrFGg2Y5Wtq6pPA79bINioP7ye3HeEHKZpyzxgJhXAfnatmJw6BdJ9iS6oodqlHF7AhNYBsIyU4qirY8hZ5yIBVWaXqrAuvXBbTOZ88LUkBv9L9AgqvQ_RXWRRk/s2993/IMG_4529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2993" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaG4oClXo_t-aJkThnHG4f-5thrgJSBsCz4Jw-cKehTlXqgP_Dbz6c6rE1HWOacEMehrFGg2Y5Wtq6pPA79bINioP7ye3HeEHKZpyzxgJhXAfnatmJw6BdJ9iS6oodqlHF7AhNYBsIyU4qirY8hZ5yIBVWaXqrAuvXBbTOZ88LUkBv9L9AgqvQ_RXWRRk/w400-h233/IMG_4529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>CTS post and rail fences. CTS also makes the Confederate soldiers on the road.<br />The casualties are Barszo figures from LOD Enterprises.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Emmitsburg Road will stretch diagonally across the full 20-24 feet of length on the game tables that I require for my 54mm Pickett's Charge war game scenario. I estimated that the road will travel about 18 feet, so because the road has post and rail fences on each side of the road, the math says that I will need 36 feet of fencing. Yikes!</p><p style="text-align: justify;">To that end, and with Little Wars convention rapidly approaching, I decided that it was time to drop the paint brushes, set the figures aside, and start working on the game terrain.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I really do not have the desire to make that quantity of fences out of barbecue sticks and balsa wood, so I was happy to find a suitable short cut in the form of plastic fences made by Classic Toy Soldiers (or "CTS"). The company makes brown plastic post and rail fences 6-inches in length and eliminates the need for me to make all of those fences from scratch.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There is one slight problem though, the plastic fences do not appear to be high enough to my eye. The fence should be about chest high on a man of average height. I would need to raise the height of the fences using shims or balsa posts or a thicker base to accomplish this task.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F3RxDeSND3a1L-MW7FZR_Irm13H8kkj2fdXeB_3ftcrNRk-Ors7lARJq24HkmM7J0zEl47xPj7zhoyPYbbKjLuusF2aZgCSpmYN2I0rQhCR-My0fuE90st89hNTaY-c-x1aXo0t_izQb_LXZDX0fRUvxlV0tbsFB7qUKasw7U1AeD37CBPr1T4K344I/s3264/IMG_4522.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-F3RxDeSND3a1L-MW7FZR_Irm13H8kkj2fdXeB_3ftcrNRk-Ors7lARJq24HkmM7J0zEl47xPj7zhoyPYbbKjLuusF2aZgCSpmYN2I0rQhCR-My0fuE90st89hNTaY-c-x1aXo0t_izQb_LXZDX0fRUvxlV0tbsFB7qUKasw7U1AeD37CBPr1T4K344I/w400-h300/IMG_4522.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The plastic fence at its original height raises to about the knees or waist of the figures</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBVaA_Bgby0hXfuQL88qhhm5TCu287GXSiLIJYyyE8SQZKKt7hW3cpj5gVI9PRtmoGk4LzItaxJXhZRi9uZmdSQSxTzYNzzQewoNfI9T4z-32nH3_fo80-iIoipSl0B5TH47ya3t9TCzo-RVcgbXAfeP2yf1pyy4nZn0aPF477TBSIgHhibo6AjTMoPg/s3264/IMG_4521.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKBVaA_Bgby0hXfuQL88qhhm5TCu287GXSiLIJYyyE8SQZKKt7hW3cpj5gVI9PRtmoGk4LzItaxJXhZRi9uZmdSQSxTzYNzzQewoNfI9T4z-32nH3_fo80-iIoipSl0B5TH47ya3t9TCzo-RVcgbXAfeP2yf1pyy4nZn0aPF477TBSIgHhibo6AjTMoPg/w400-h300/IMG_4521.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Here is a picture of the fences, painted and based on a section of a yard stick<br />purchased from Staples.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I decided to work on some prototypes of fences to determine what would look best. In the above picture, I pushed the rail sections into the slots of the adjoining fence piece and then used two part epoxy glue to join the pieces together. I then used a wooden yard stick for the base, cutting it into two 18-inch long bases. I placed some blobs of epoxy putty to hold the fence upright while the glue set. Then the fence was terrained with Red Devil Spackle which is a commercial brand of wallboard paste. I use this medium for all of my terrained bases because you can mix brown paint into the paste to make it look like dirt. If a piece of the terrain were to chip off, then the underlying terrain would still be brown, rather than white.<div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3y5RvwvuIilsTMGd0U77YiZqZP1VnFicz6FFuuOOjU832OBF6cQpl-e9Qb_OdIm0cPOeCPEBgag0bI_2KCtftBQfBLR7zAs1JiOZHWwQ_wx_UtLcxRsLbGwhZ-T7pG1_etb9cqbMjhId67Z9DADkHg6oY8zTgiF32oa7hltWtoFw7mVXODLPs0sYhK8/s4032/IMG_1872.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3y5RvwvuIilsTMGd0U77YiZqZP1VnFicz6FFuuOOjU832OBF6cQpl-e9Qb_OdIm0cPOeCPEBgag0bI_2KCtftBQfBLR7zAs1JiOZHWwQ_wx_UtLcxRsLbGwhZ-T7pG1_etb9cqbMjhId67Z9DADkHg6oY8zTgiF32oa7hltWtoFw7mVXODLPs0sYhK8/w400-h300/IMG_1872.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Wallboard paste purchased at the local Mom and Pop Ace Hardware store.<br />I prefer to support the small businesses rather than purchase my supplies<br />from "big box" companies such as Home Depot, etc.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBUSkQmLev5WwVdMmUGPvCiBldIFIMc2hUlJy062fpK8V22PTDoAWtP8hwiIAuElcsaTxpmYvAxz6o72zM7WAQtLlTcgJJ2R8PmV7QHmlBA3qFUmOT5Gk8VNxSoVJACBUkpImExDql-EZW8YSU3WPpC9Kfry2pJmw-5K04QWyAQvAXOVjhz3ZswIC62c/s4032/IMG_1875.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBUSkQmLev5WwVdMmUGPvCiBldIFIMc2hUlJy062fpK8V22PTDoAWtP8hwiIAuElcsaTxpmYvAxz6o72zM7WAQtLlTcgJJ2R8PmV7QHmlBA3qFUmOT5Gk8VNxSoVJACBUkpImExDql-EZW8YSU3WPpC9Kfry2pJmw-5K04QWyAQvAXOVjhz3ZswIC62c/w300-h400/IMG_1875.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Stir in some brown acrylic paint to turn the paste into a chocolate pudding color</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Ggwmv9HnVQAfik4NdNkXbKoY3y625Lem26IuAvuxfmiry1k9r58UGmTngw7sfPDroe1C_wLBTqXRqqDC5uj86lolkYA9E4O_NsdmqaKTnX7ZrDXFPJ8u1QqyNJYylDOTbWL-ROmPkvZzFJ4UChD1wINU3njQL9nRjxGumtahDgj6CxA1zpuI8T42Pk/s4032/IMG_1873.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9_Ggwmv9HnVQAfik4NdNkXbKoY3y625Lem26IuAvuxfmiry1k9r58UGmTngw7sfPDroe1C_wLBTqXRqqDC5uj86lolkYA9E4O_NsdmqaKTnX7ZrDXFPJ8u1QqyNJYylDOTbWL-ROmPkvZzFJ4UChD1wINU3njQL9nRjxGumtahDgj6CxA1zpuI8T42Pk/w400-h300/IMG_1873.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Here is what the "goop" or "mud" looks like after the brown paint has been stirred in.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div>Let's get back to making the fences. The construction method that I used, as previous described above, didn't quite work for me. I didn't like the bulky look where the two fences joined.</div><div><br /></div><div>My next idea was to cut out some wood posts from balsa or bass wood, and then attach the posts to the fence piece. This looks more realistic plus the balsa post pieces help the fence stand up rather than falling over. The fence pieces will still be epoxy glued to pieces of yard stick. After that, the fences will be primed with black primer and dry brushed with varying shades of brown and tan paint. Then the bases will be terrained with my goop concoction. While the goop is still wet, I dip or sprinkle fine railroad ballast onto the base.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJosT2D9Z6ohwuwyUqIQ9n3l5hOdS-alLYF0HQi8xhw5gVfnwqItJ_HRIXi01RpE5JvRR4YQ7Rs0qhoYah29abLcrgg0j2_NRvtmJns-AdZ3nd-L-tMTvmz5gjrJrGmLbXQ5VNGwpAPpuWGIqAhEklJnOGy5vNDrTorFlT3R-HnUoXgVK-HFmn1KUsK4U/s4032/IMG_1874.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJosT2D9Z6ohwuwyUqIQ9n3l5hOdS-alLYF0HQi8xhw5gVfnwqItJ_HRIXi01RpE5JvRR4YQ7Rs0qhoYah29abLcrgg0j2_NRvtmJns-AdZ3nd-L-tMTvmz5gjrJrGmLbXQ5VNGwpAPpuWGIqAhEklJnOGy5vNDrTorFlT3R-HnUoXgVK-HFmn1KUsK4U/w400-h300/IMG_1874.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Basing fences uses the same procedure as used to terrain figure bases. I <br />bought some small trowels from Blick's art supply store to spread the goop<br />around the figures</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZTG9zzz_xxLFXsPykr9XMN7X5FpMDwuaf-Zfckbjjq6Wnemj0OPlZt3VZoVY4DR3AJP_PErl5XpaeCWhTmkoFpbpvu8xyR7NOMO7oFN3owVuwmaQQlmAm7epRtqIj8ePPFB8vCLUpLv9eUUTNGIU-d9s5YB7A4lbZ-gpS2vG-oGVhKyhiHqRP3Jcl4Q/s4032/IMG_1876.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZTG9zzz_xxLFXsPykr9XMN7X5FpMDwuaf-Zfckbjjq6Wnemj0OPlZt3VZoVY4DR3AJP_PErl5XpaeCWhTmkoFpbpvu8xyR7NOMO7oFN3owVuwmaQQlmAm7epRtqIj8ePPFB8vCLUpLv9eUUTNGIU-d9s5YB7A4lbZ-gpS2vG-oGVhKyhiHqRP3Jcl4Q/w400-h300/IMG_1876.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Woodland Scenics railroad ballast is sprinkled onto the base.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Once the goop dries, usually in about one hour, I can then dry brush some lighter colors onto the fence bases and then apply small bits of static grass to simulate grass.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaPMeLDcZIO5MVhaLfd_DtXxonAku3mBSiH4tBWoSSNif7DuO1pHZdozwqa5NQ6IftTcKUaDWLB2Wt37ZJtyudjXkarxJVyuRgE51CcuKEgd5iYJdmzm_tm5A1Odaia5UyyD8JBsavzZxPQ9TQJrf-Ny5K04JmgeyYBOysVSO0UKGn0a0RccKW2-0568/s3264/IMG_4523.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkaPMeLDcZIO5MVhaLfd_DtXxonAku3mBSiH4tBWoSSNif7DuO1pHZdozwqa5NQ6IftTcKUaDWLB2Wt37ZJtyudjXkarxJVyuRgE51CcuKEgd5iYJdmzm_tm5A1Odaia5UyyD8JBsavzZxPQ9TQJrf-Ny5K04JmgeyYBOysVSO0UKGn0a0RccKW2-0568/w400-h300/IMG_4523.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The modified fence pieces with balsa wood posts added.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">I decided to go with two 6-inch fence pieces an a 12-inch section of wooden yard stick and also make some shorter 6-inch pieces to give me some flexibility on the positioning of the fences on my game table. The 12-inch sections will also be easier to store in boxes for transporting to Little Wars and Historicon. I will post pictures of the finished fences after I have made and painted them.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here is a final bit of eye candy for your viewing pleasure.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICPZVUpCnLqxSCxkCkcQ2nQjJUUTzEnESjvqYE1MlSriCNSZPuRxqzvxwsggHth2bD31X0H6p8LQM1hxLKi_09sqqbqGo9mHemQ5Y3kx7Dw_eoERKQbPv8-4W9A-HK3MJEnD2FBfjtO0oppT-FIm7RYwcS3rCfkehQtzeM_D-3Uqkzgj8G4kF6gAO42g/s2495/IMG_4534.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1442" data-original-width="2495" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgICPZVUpCnLqxSCxkCkcQ2nQjJUUTzEnESjvqYE1MlSriCNSZPuRxqzvxwsggHth2bD31X0H6p8LQM1hxLKi_09sqqbqGo9mHemQ5Y3kx7Dw_eoERKQbPv8-4W9A-HK3MJEnD2FBfjtO0oppT-FIm7RYwcS3rCfkehQtzeM_D-3Uqkzgj8G4kF6gAO42g/w400-h233/IMG_4534.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A Confederate regiment takes up position behind my new post and rail fences.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k0GHGsZSROpbA0IvdE2-wntm-6HDsoWbFeOAXkR8gFhcp5M2W_S13lxA7XF0AV_MEHncI69GwxfN4uCgvwGwJMzRL-Fi2y2h_M4AZEIyxqQWF_E6obPDV0qgslkxX3be8s3yU0PmVVLFw8kqPs9kzJjPDfB0gmAlbajFmH37nzrlMKpUj29DCA2Dr90/s2756/IMG_4535.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1851" data-original-width="2756" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k0GHGsZSROpbA0IvdE2-wntm-6HDsoWbFeOAXkR8gFhcp5M2W_S13lxA7XF0AV_MEHncI69GwxfN4uCgvwGwJMzRL-Fi2y2h_M4AZEIyxqQWF_E6obPDV0qgslkxX3be8s3yU0PmVVLFw8kqPs9kzJjPDfB0gmAlbajFmH37nzrlMKpUj29DCA2Dr90/w400-h270/IMG_4535.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Same unit, but from a different angle.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VARtECIxLZ5yqmXXmSWwWVpFaM8vc-Zr9eaL-R2UPKFoFl18Bq3wMIpFycu1zHRqHln9eD-mYZVbfaMfCiDG6rYCquC-hDf0XDs4yjtD5E_qFTGJ29vi23B2nRN2te1sF9JR6cpVVPHW_RpSYNCcxMhmtOnhXydfqe5ckp5N3UV3izRlRHxH8FBpO3k/s3264/IMG_4541.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VARtECIxLZ5yqmXXmSWwWVpFaM8vc-Zr9eaL-R2UPKFoFl18Bq3wMIpFycu1zHRqHln9eD-mYZVbfaMfCiDG6rYCquC-hDf0XDs4yjtD5E_qFTGJ29vi23B2nRN2te1sF9JR6cpVVPHW_RpSYNCcxMhmtOnhXydfqe5ckp5N3UV3izRlRHxH8FBpO3k/w400-h300/IMG_4541.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Aerial view of the battle field.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4N43aFHrp5F01Xt2HRV8iLkT2cYsOG9d4np8gAN9xwq8AxTMdgmmBsJ3Vr0Th6ocp5RWEDJ71wmgUnyUEauFVHzAmldqdLEB5WuA5t8oKhUA5w_-Ktcv1A7JVrWlBKnioutDhfs1OlUnTiPogyAxJcr-eKFOpROqJ0eG_br08z3H4NtomBviWBkartc/s3264/IMG_4543.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4N43aFHrp5F01Xt2HRV8iLkT2cYsOG9d4np8gAN9xwq8AxTMdgmmBsJ3Vr0Th6ocp5RWEDJ71wmgUnyUEauFVHzAmldqdLEB5WuA5t8oKhUA5w_-Ktcv1A7JVrWlBKnioutDhfs1OlUnTiPogyAxJcr-eKFOpROqJ0eG_br08z3H4NtomBviWBkartc/w400-h300/IMG_4543.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Kemper's Confederate brigade cross that deadly open space to engage the Union troops.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">This weekend I am transporting all of my ACW terrain over to Keith L.'s house (he of the three 6ft by 32ft long game tables) so that I can set up the terrain and figure out the required spacing for the terrain and figure regiments on the tabletop. This will give me an idea of how the tables will look at the upcoming Little Wars convention in Lombard, Illinois in April. I will post pictures of the set up at Keith's house in a future blog post.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Other than that, the figure painting is nearing completion. I have 15 Union regiments painted and based and I have 12 Confederate regiments painted and based. I plan on adding one more brigade of three regiments to the Confederate army in my game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p></div>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-1662772156270153812024-02-03T12:37:00.006-06:002024-02-03T12:37:58.899-06:00Graham Cummings - RIP<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYivBXdOJjIOykPuzEcpwXPxJ4lWaN-Eqx1OmBNC5IceyAW6I9JrYEFjJL3TNtwTdFmVFu_p6nOe5g3_Og2zP7hXH9WvUA8551hCU38k2idusg214CmQFHenbpfRzuX2d07f8SqsGWMBtR-ohfBgpIX78iwHGc4hrgX-Woi4Tb5gU58v6-zQX8_vrw0c/s1600/CIMG8849.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGYivBXdOJjIOykPuzEcpwXPxJ4lWaN-Eqx1OmBNC5IceyAW6I9JrYEFjJL3TNtwTdFmVFu_p6nOe5g3_Og2zP7hXH9WvUA8551hCU38k2idusg214CmQFHenbpfRzuX2d07f8SqsGWMBtR-ohfBgpIX78iwHGc4hrgX-Woi4Tb5gU58v6-zQX8_vrw0c/w400-h300/CIMG8849.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>From left to right: Gary Phillips, Graham Cummings (standing), me and Des D.<br />Photo taken by Robbie at one of the Wild Geese weekends in Kenilworth.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Yesterday I was shocked to hear the terrible news of the passing of Graham Cummings. I got the news from Paul R. via Facebook. Graham's family had posted the news on Graham's Facebook page.</p><p>I had an inkling that Graham's sudden illness was very serious, you can read about it in the very last blog post that Graham made on his Scotia Albion blog. <a href="https://scotiaalbion.blogspot.com/2024/01/never-saw-that-one-coming-2.html" target="_blank">Scotia Albion blog</a> However, I had not realized how serious the virus was.</p><p>Graham and I worked together in the miniatures business due largely to the fact that both his Crann Tara and my Minden / Fife and Drum figures were created by the same sculptor, Richard Ansell. Graham was the UK representative for a part of my figure ranges. I got to finally meet Graham at the first Military Gentleman gathering at Partizan around 2015. He picked me up at the train station and we drove over to Griffin Moulds to see how our miniature figures were made. I had a good opportunity to get to know Graham better and realize what a fine fellow he was.</p><p>Graham, we will miss you.</p><p><br /></p><p>a</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-31704010932133006892024-01-30T12:00:00.003-06:002024-01-30T12:00:00.132-06:00My Little Wars Convention Games Have Been Submitted<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4wUL0w272AvQ1L8f3h2P0MeOLvUQ-TTr4xlJACGF2vhDkGDZ0ZDkWTKw5CeFKvrcZW8ortMu_Q8cKpIF4v4OZHD_-ZLI7pezxC6th7HKebftJqRMA3UHID04QXnh7eUGRenhPVqtSOQW0d9QOPz-GfFHRMDjs2VWIdxHUaTzZsgapTvNFP3v9fL0bjI/s1000/IMG_4510.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="921" data-original-width="1000" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE4wUL0w272AvQ1L8f3h2P0MeOLvUQ-TTr4xlJACGF2vhDkGDZ0ZDkWTKw5CeFKvrcZW8ortMu_Q8cKpIF4v4OZHD_-ZLI7pezxC6th7HKebftJqRMA3UHID04QXnh7eUGRenhPVqtSOQW0d9QOPz-GfFHRMDjs2VWIdxHUaTzZsgapTvNFP3v9fL0bjI/w400-h370/IMG_4510.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I recently submitted my games for this year's Little Wars game convention running April 18-21, 2024. The venue is the Westin Hotel in Lombard, Illinois. This year's game will be a 54mm version of Pickett's Charge on the third day of the battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War.</p><p>I have signed up three games, one on each day of the convention: Thursday - 7PM; Friday - 1PM; and Saturday - 10AM. Each game has 12 player slots so that adds up to 36 player slots over the course of the convention. Click on the link below for more information.</p><p><a href="https://hmgsmidwest.com/little-wars/" target="_blank">Little Wars Convention</a><br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvJ_jdZbfGzNP6LGo4csCYK9iI_lAPg3gpYFn9JAAy9keFXGq_69_KyfodQ2aSTbfFcLhA3RFs0riHqWnMdPq8_dLE2lIBA77HCWB4qJpqQGDbFkHxdU5EVVr5JoXa683WkYj9pYZvJtrdqYY-qofubymNhDbO271QnLkr8v-8lw2rdGYwe04Cc_G0fs/s3264/IMG_4502.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvJ_jdZbfGzNP6LGo4csCYK9iI_lAPg3gpYFn9JAAy9keFXGq_69_KyfodQ2aSTbfFcLhA3RFs0riHqWnMdPq8_dLE2lIBA77HCWB4qJpqQGDbFkHxdU5EVVr5JoXa683WkYj9pYZvJtrdqYY-qofubymNhDbO271QnLkr8v-8lw2rdGYwe04Cc_G0fs/w400-h300/IMG_4502.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A picture of the Confederate grand battery supporting Pickett's Charge.<br />54mm plastic and metal figures</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Game will be played across three 6ft by 20ft tables, convention organizers willing, in much the same manner as last year's Khartoum game. This time, however, there will be more terrain than I had in the Khartoum game. I need lots of trees, 18ft of the Emmitsburg Road, and 36ft of post and rail fencing.</p><p>As of today I have painted approximately 900 figures and only have 210 more to go before the painting phase of the project is completed. The units are organized into 30-figure regiments using 54mm figures.</p><p><br /></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-10993248100798815012024-01-29T20:17:00.000-06:002024-01-29T20:17:19.462-06:00Catching Up With Minden/F&D Orders This Week<p> I want to give an update to any customers who ordered Minden or Fife and Drum figures between New Years Day (January 1, 2024) and today (January 29, 2024). As some of you know, I was on vacation in Florida for most of January this year and returned late last week. I am packing some of the orders this evening and hope to have the remaining back orders out the door tomorrow or the following day at the latest.</p><p>I will have all orders in the mail by the end of this week. Thank you all for your patience in having to wait for your figure orders during this period.</p><p>If you have any questions about your order, please send me an email at <i>altefritz1740@yahoo.com</i></p><p>Cheers,</p><p><br /></p><p>Jim</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-57080973626168900622024-01-25T06:00:00.001-06:002024-01-25T06:00:00.140-06:00Rolling Thunder: Confederate Artillery Barrage Prior to Pickett's Charge<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeJFpuHZhdbJ0DH5VMDiHOKi1RB3tcpk-xVgwGWDH7MJJK2nskSmVcKPUZof9oPengTn48g6VY1PIKaHcnwZnfw0_8X8kWF2cAGtsvhrk02CJhx7lrmozXC6y65SMR1nrnqwogZvsUJpkUC9eiYlrMa4IGiyidj0qwMEI-mHXllwNAUAFL5fF7mV_f9w/s3231/IMG_4500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1703" data-original-width="3231" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeJFpuHZhdbJ0DH5VMDiHOKi1RB3tcpk-xVgwGWDH7MJJK2nskSmVcKPUZof9oPengTn48g6VY1PIKaHcnwZnfw0_8X8kWF2cAGtsvhrk02CJhx7lrmozXC6y65SMR1nrnqwogZvsUJpkUC9eiYlrMa4IGiyidj0qwMEI-mHXllwNAUAFL5fF7mV_f9w/w400-h213/IMG_4500.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Confederate artillery opens fire prior to Pickett's Charge</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">We are getting closer and closer to the Little Wars war game convention. The painting of figures is going well, having twelve regiments of 30 figures per side so far. Methinks it is time to shift my attention to building the necessary terrain items (largely the Emmitsburg Road and its post and rail fences).</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Here are three pictures of the massive Confederate artillery grand battery that will support General Pickett's division during the assault on Cemetery Hill. Each side will have six batteries comprised of two cannon models each. The Confederate batteries will have one 12-pound Napoleon and one 3-inch ordnance rifle because the Confederates tended to mix up different types of guns in a battery of six guns. This could create some problems with the resupply of the guns during the battle.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Union artillery, on the other hand, was organized with their batteries all having the same kind of cannon. So I will have some batteries comprised of two Napoleons and others with two rifled artillery.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP09e1ZbsiiH5i7RRZeXCkYoZqU3kUC46-hV0gEVlMSHuyPNr48ZdgrH3-OeXfvV6PYpprMxH49eb7n4PK-nD9DW3GbHYqsrseG0HlesI_sk4RPNIIfVst4gjbvlHCJyZh9MkPZpCTDXx4VWL1Ja7YtBGGkJjNhgUwnSsu8BTbREu4uM7AGYbDcIOknkE/s2912/IMG_4501.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="2912" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP09e1ZbsiiH5i7RRZeXCkYoZqU3kUC46-hV0gEVlMSHuyPNr48ZdgrH3-OeXfvV6PYpprMxH49eb7n4PK-nD9DW3GbHYqsrseG0HlesI_sk4RPNIIfVst4gjbvlHCJyZh9MkPZpCTDXx4VWL1Ja7YtBGGkJjNhgUwnSsu8BTbREu4uM7AGYbDcIOknkE/w400-h338/IMG_4501.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>In the foreground, one Confederate battery with one rifle and one Napoleon.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWphJC6fa9xekivrru-k5pVUbS9vyOJ6U2wTk65nxr5c93aaOueQeRleX9xL171-KJ-Yjw78GKA6dleqMzZtOH1s8F5aszhi30Is-907MBgr2iWmgigQF81IrmY1N9aIM4ifP7i2FeyI6POMT9PCQ2Lrr8vhCzqCkirxE4oexhrm4snpEZRbzDC_cI_e0/s3264/IMG_4502.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWphJC6fa9xekivrru-k5pVUbS9vyOJ6U2wTk65nxr5c93aaOueQeRleX9xL171-KJ-Yjw78GKA6dleqMzZtOH1s8F5aszhi30Is-907MBgr2iWmgigQF81IrmY1N9aIM4ifP7i2FeyI6POMT9PCQ2Lrr8vhCzqCkirxE4oexhrm4snpEZRbzDC_cI_e0/w400-h300/IMG_4502.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Close up view of a 10-pound Parrot rifled cannon near the fence and a 12-pound Napoleon in the foreground.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5Tln1SdWIh8_rWJ0MICcS0oEd-awRSINSPT1EbOr64FPJ_1OUT8So04Lv1FYQgsyPoHIGIisDfpByiedC2q7cC8p65ucOIN80eL8dbDeVYf2Poqd9hjwBO8oOjLZ_L9t3ix87dNGwwq-g_DJw350bmznoJOs3ut3vjUCBskGVlz6F_s8YXiO72CqoyY/s3264/IMG_4504.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV5Tln1SdWIh8_rWJ0MICcS0oEd-awRSINSPT1EbOr64FPJ_1OUT8So04Lv1FYQgsyPoHIGIisDfpByiedC2q7cC8p65ucOIN80eL8dbDeVYf2Poqd9hjwBO8oOjLZ_L9t3ix87dNGwwq-g_DJw350bmznoJOs3ut3vjUCBskGVlz6F_s8YXiO72CqoyY/w400-h300/IMG_4504.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A view of the entire Confederate artillery at Pickett's Charge.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">My game table currently has the forces set out for a generic battle as this is an easy way to store the finished units (on the tabletop) and watch the armies grow. Over the next week or so I will remove all of the figures from the table (ugh!) and then place foam board hills underneath the Cigar Box Battle Mats that I am using for my games. The hills will represent Cemetery Ridge on the Union side of the table and Seminary Ridge on the Confederate side of the table. Appropriate trees, foliage and fences/wall will be added.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The next step is to create the Emmitsburg Road. The road sort of runs diagonally between the two ridges and I estimate that I will need 18 feet of road. This implies that I will need 36 feet of post and rail fences. Yikes!!!!! The road pieces will be fairly easy to make, but the post and rail fences are going to be a major terrain building project. I have some plastic fences made by Marx and some stone wall with wood cross and rail pieces above the stone wall. The latter are made by BMC or Americana. These may have to do for the Little Wars game as time is running short. I should be able to make all of the roadway fencing in time for Historicon in July.</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-35584700280814392922024-01-23T17:23:00.001-06:002024-01-23T17:41:01.856-06:00Pickett’s Charge the war game trailer SD 480p<iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/6hjV6UfuH-Y?si=FwUF_VApW4Uq-p2o" width="480"></iframe>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-9883398412306157742024-01-20T08:33:00.003-06:002024-01-20T08:33:34.709-06:00On My Way Home<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXCqd39sKDP2rXxTMU883hcUNod8HLkbZnRFpYCsD13Gp4wyuNIEejR0XiuT4djnxHoo5ozIeair9rWWTQqMKEAep6fSfXldZ_WCuLoJLp6dY-9tm3LrqhYToYz6CBlIk2gQQMD4vlZQx5jBnkfkOuOfS5F2hO_jyndZPZvMk8M9HZKLHP_7CzKG6rT0/s3264/IMG_4493.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1816" data-original-width="3264" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXCqd39sKDP2rXxTMU883hcUNod8HLkbZnRFpYCsD13Gp4wyuNIEejR0XiuT4djnxHoo5ozIeair9rWWTQqMKEAep6fSfXldZ_WCuLoJLp6dY-9tm3LrqhYToYz6CBlIk2gQQMD4vlZQx5jBnkfkOuOfS5F2hO_jyndZPZvMk8M9HZKLHP_7CzKG6rT0/w400-h223/IMG_4493.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The recently completed Union regiment with CTS figures.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUCuDKUGTCfYH-nX0LIrdjU6dAAzgZOcFHxIrPlL3Wo6DBk0O6JrhgcSXdZeLxNqyLo5k2ZDsRagG_2YYSyNaCEdp_lWXM5KYlf3GpHPbQT8GVNfVm5eIK4FFwM0Mfq3eNf48kdLXKKB0sYpW3WOIFWdz-9rR4SHV4JlsjqG7Z6M661BrVrxnjR6x_dw/s2448/IMG_4491.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2191" data-original-width="2448" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqUCuDKUGTCfYH-nX0LIrdjU6dAAzgZOcFHxIrPlL3Wo6DBk0O6JrhgcSXdZeLxNqyLo5k2ZDsRagG_2YYSyNaCEdp_lWXM5KYlf3GpHPbQT8GVNfVm5eIK4FFwM0Mfq3eNf48kdLXKKB0sYpW3WOIFWdz-9rR4SHV4JlsjqG7Z6M661BrVrxnjR6x_dw/w400-h358/IMG_4491.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>Well, it’s time to wrap up my trip to Florida and put a bow on it. I’m heading home tomorrow and I’m sure that the house sitters/ dog sitters will be happy to turn the keys back over to me.</p><p>I have a few Minden / Fife and Drum orders that came in during my absence and I will be getting those picked and packed this coming week. My apologies go out to those customers who are having to wait a bit longer to get their orders. They will get my first priority attention.</p><p>I finished painting a third ACW Union regiment while on vacation and this brings the total up to 14 Union and 12 Confederate regiments of 30 figures each, or 780 total figures painted plus various other generals and artillery crewmen. My painting on this project started in August 2023. I still need 1 Union and 3. Confederate regiments to complete the infantry component, or 120 figures.</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-39075458173800005072024-01-12T10:39:00.002-06:002024-01-12T10:39:43.027-06:00My Painting Kit for Vacation <p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0ph-BLtMw4UA9lIJ5kN4JMb7qYmTFNsPsel0rRXCVs4NmBPAOLavVOrXyiyIJ5472KSSSKn0niFqoj2-LxosailP49BxRQ5ufg4XJuWJr-7dZIJ46CAYo0xxssGv2NBq_fRg2nTGZ4UkUXDdAE96WphZj5IbUlgCQLUhQkIkdBqMp5QEEEeFeMFtF7Y/s3261/IMG_4488.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2186" data-original-width="3261" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0ph-BLtMw4UA9lIJ5kN4JMb7qYmTFNsPsel0rRXCVs4NmBPAOLavVOrXyiyIJ5472KSSSKn0niFqoj2-LxosailP49BxRQ5ufg4XJuWJr-7dZIJ46CAYo0xxssGv2NBq_fRg2nTGZ4UkUXDdAE96WphZj5IbUlgCQLUhQkIkdBqMp5QEEEeFeMFtF7Y/w400-h269/IMG_4488.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My vacation painting kit.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>I’m currently on vacay in Florida for several weeks this January and given the amount of time that I will be spending away from the painting table, I decided to create a traveling painting kit to use in Florida. The reason for this is that I still need to paint 200 to 300 more 54mm figures for my Pickett’s Charge convention game so I can’t afford to lose valuable time.</p><p>Little Wars convention is coming up fast ( April 18-21, 2024) and I’m planning on rolling out the game at that show. Thus I will need the majority of the figures that I have planned for the game far earlier than my original May 2024 goal for the Historicon game.</p><p><br /></p><p>At any rate, my painting kit consists of : 60 primed Union soldiers and 30 unprimed figures; cans of spray primer, gloss finish and Matt finish; assorted paint brushes; assorted paints needed for ACW figures; and assorted tools such as Exacto knives and files.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97UO3nPDdzHxMWERadGR7R14zONpu5yrCeur-3t_6CiWIg-iPV6-5wrVJIJ4gLpXsm5HnLxiMlVJPPiy-PwvH1Z60usw1vlc7eQcH6yl2Vhwjl5N7xml2nO3GVpHL8fFA0y4o_L1feSbQEQo-swrQaJoekNTgiaXg0eji3tuQkUj0FBRIMq5XIrVPGEs/s3241/IMG_4489.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1528" data-original-width="3241" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh97UO3nPDdzHxMWERadGR7R14zONpu5yrCeur-3t_6CiWIg-iPV6-5wrVJIJ4gLpXsm5HnLxiMlVJPPiy-PwvH1Z60usw1vlc7eQcH6yl2Vhwjl5N7xml2nO3GVpHL8fFA0y4o_L1feSbQEQo-swrQaJoekNTgiaXg0eji3tuQkUj0FBRIMq5XIrVPGEs/w400-h189/IMG_4489.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The first 30 figures are finished, all in a charging pose.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p>As of today I have completed 30 Union figures and have started to block in the colors for the next 30 figures. Mrs Fritz arrived in Florida yesterday so I had a few days to myself during which I had some painting time.</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are some vacay pix of Dad and Daughter in Florida.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sFvP8DxheC5WW-gCQCXANaplZe7f9XbndGWKZMoKNmtwWeTtg_SnwckMPwCW1r2rulp0eTZVjAJrrKIQoJtcQSy0tft7_4VK0AMvk2DCuBYN5Hr9IRL9KCcvJhb6QyumbdrGkq2nRfvgmprUKHXriR1zze7K3jgiODgj-s81EZ4brUclWIyJyPMa57g/s3088/IMG_1838.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6sFvP8DxheC5WW-gCQCXANaplZe7f9XbndGWKZMoKNmtwWeTtg_SnwckMPwCW1r2rulp0eTZVjAJrrKIQoJtcQSy0tft7_4VK0AMvk2DCuBYN5Hr9IRL9KCcvJhb6QyumbdrGkq2nRfvgmprUKHXriR1zze7K3jgiODgj-s81EZ4brUclWIyJyPMa57g/w300-h400/IMG_1838.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G6LqpPB2NjohwoV1DkLuX8jApr5ijt35DkbeyVUJJC5lHhJokD9J9DWmQP38-so8M-YpMSyrQlXl7Ima5oIkFheaaOv2WZtG4CTY1nRsaRJgXtT99DnZqwaqXMFGeCmVolQfMz1vcLKZNCiXDXvBJH-NdI4VVvmmilSPd73RvwUDtrLxYR3XiFa16dw/s4032/IMG_1828.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G6LqpPB2NjohwoV1DkLuX8jApr5ijt35DkbeyVUJJC5lHhJokD9J9DWmQP38-so8M-YpMSyrQlXl7Ima5oIkFheaaOv2WZtG4CTY1nRsaRJgXtT99DnZqwaqXMFGeCmVolQfMz1vcLKZNCiXDXvBJH-NdI4VVvmmilSPd73RvwUDtrLxYR3XiFa16dw/w400-h300/IMG_1828.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAy9YrE0qNQJ1y0J1h9igsK4qDsOVajkvcCoZPytmkTN7QxWAICVyiRNFoQTfrr_qviXclvHINg1lB5XRerX7srAXdho6v0TkE5NKBKju6tVpuCs_LduUSrz0n-K4OI4ViWoxeZVvaEK94t6V_P5y_kY_0DOa7cbW32bKDpEZYhlZ_orS5P7mZ93wnAjU/s4032/IMG_1825.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAy9YrE0qNQJ1y0J1h9igsK4qDsOVajkvcCoZPytmkTN7QxWAICVyiRNFoQTfrr_qviXclvHINg1lB5XRerX7srAXdho6v0TkE5NKBKju6tVpuCs_LduUSrz0n-K4OI4ViWoxeZVvaEK94t6V_P5y_kY_0DOa7cbW32bKDpEZYhlZ_orS5P7mZ93wnAjU/w300-h400/IMG_1825.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-7016393165383910592023-12-31T04:00:00.041-06:002023-12-31T04:00:00.144-06:00Timpo ACW Union Army Reinforcements<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOWVkfOf9oVIFo59wxpWwS75x85rSFi2WTKnF_PlmSfWKf73373fTTy27NIL1cejoJUhXwC057HQHO07Z4MIxSx-dpqH-lQLrHQmp1CwUDSNU0O8NKujCVmRyVX6zfyyymKT9-DkMSl02gjckfwtedK5pNpuv2CaXWjRAXqVkQ8MdrnyB5UdqDThch6c/s2640/IMG_4476.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1757" data-original-width="2640" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEOWVkfOf9oVIFo59wxpWwS75x85rSFi2WTKnF_PlmSfWKf73373fTTy27NIL1cejoJUhXwC057HQHO07Z4MIxSx-dpqH-lQLrHQmp1CwUDSNU0O8NKujCVmRyVX6zfyyymKT9-DkMSl02gjckfwtedK5pNpuv2CaXWjRAXqVkQ8MdrnyB5UdqDThch6c/w400-h268/IMG_4476.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>54mm Timpo plastic toy soldiers. These are "recasts" of the original figures.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><br /></p><p>I found a source for Timpo 54mm toy soldier size (1/32 scale) figures to add to my Union American Civil War forces. Timpo has been out of business for ages and someone(s) have recast new plastic figures off of the original toy soldier figures. I am assuming that there are no copyright issues with the figures. One can find plenty of Marx recasts on the open market too.</p><p>The figures are a little bit rough on the heads and the thicknesses of the muskets since the moulds were likely made from some of the original plastic figures. I didn't want to spend the time trying to clean up the mould lines on the plastic figures as it's just not worth the additional time and effort. Besides, en masse, the figures look good once they are painted and based. </p><p>Here are some more pictures of the Timpo figures. I have also found a few Harold recasts (soldier with trumpet and officer pointing his sword) that I painted and added to the regiment. Timpo didn't make any officer or command figures, save perhaps with the soldier aiming his pistol. So I will have to use figures from other plastic ranges for my officers and flag bearers. I did find a set of four Herald ACW figures (officer pointing sword and holding a pistol, trumpeter, soldier standing firing and "leaning into" the shot, and one soldier advancing with his musket held pointing forward at a 45-degree angle. To my mind, I think that the Herald-Britains plastic figures were some of the best toy soldier figures that were ever made, particularly in it Civil War figure range.</p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZTMHfwrZEusVnwHBZumIqPRSb3vFWH2Mu36XYvHTxGYODrdBrtwE4y_5n6Py3CVGL0XUy7vQjxmRdRSgp0Q5CFW_F7vr8_xMdPGWFdhdYlJeO6fXO9gyVUAX6Rdp3MADoMuY6zJ2BGxgjVdEbvyTch-E2AAfDp3QjmUSJ-p92vWY6HIgR5HetogYOk8/s3264/IMG_4475.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzZTMHfwrZEusVnwHBZumIqPRSb3vFWH2Mu36XYvHTxGYODrdBrtwE4y_5n6Py3CVGL0XUy7vQjxmRdRSgp0Q5CFW_F7vr8_xMdPGWFdhdYlJeO6fXO9gyVUAX6Rdp3MADoMuY6zJ2BGxgjVdEbvyTch-E2AAfDp3QjmUSJ-p92vWY6HIgR5HetogYOk8/w400-h300/IMG_4475.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Timpo figures in the front. Notice the old Herald Union trumpeter and officer with pistol and sword.<br />These are likely recasts as well, although the originals can still be found on eBay from time to time.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9F9MraJE-cfROd8zPp5JxI735wpr2tU2QHJYpKpsDlkV0UqcE05mpS28qvZV5KVlmr5-G0ZKe7mxJcTEaXsfhji2_VgRX3FAHI8xlF94xq9n02etawniLMx2EmliaKj2b3c9ua_-lfgCwsw1vKz_TlXWhmWmq9jg6PRHFS20oOfQUJKcGepRdKTyKbc/s3264/IMG_4474.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9F9MraJE-cfROd8zPp5JxI735wpr2tU2QHJYpKpsDlkV0UqcE05mpS28qvZV5KVlmr5-G0ZKe7mxJcTEaXsfhji2_VgRX3FAHI8xlF94xq9n02etawniLMx2EmliaKj2b3c9ua_-lfgCwsw1vKz_TlXWhmWmq9jg6PRHFS20oOfQUJKcGepRdKTyKbc/w400-h300/IMG_4474.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Timpo figures in the front unit and CTS figures in the second line of Union figures.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>The Timpo poses are limited to the following: rifleman standing and firing; soldier with one foot on a rock; officer shooting his revolver; and soldier lunging forward with his bayonet. The lunging pose is rather useless so my Union regiment consists largely of the standing firing and foot on a rock poses with a couple of the firing pistol figures thrown in. The firing pistol figure could be converted into a flag bearer by cutting off the pistol and then drilling a hole throw that hand so that it can hold a flag pole.</p><p>I used to have a lot of Timpo ACW plastic figures when I was a young lad and so it was a bit of a thrill to be able to find enough of the figures to build up a 30-figure regiment.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Post Script</b></p><p>This will be my last blog post of 2023, bringing my total posts up to 80 for the full year. My goal each year is to have at least 100 blog posts, but this year I fell short of my goal by 20 posts. In some years I add a number of "fluff posts" to pad the final number, but making up ground on 20 posts was too much to take on, so I resigned myself to the idea that I would not hit the 100 post goal this year.</p><p>On the other hand, early in 2023 I passed the 2 million page views milestone! I don't recall when that actually happened or else I would have devoted a post to the achievement of the 2 million views accomplishment. I am honored that so many viewers have taken a peek at my blog over the years.</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-21171490917023405232023-12-30T13:03:00.002-06:002023-12-30T13:03:15.519-06:00A Little More Table Space Couldn't Do Us Any Harm<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjFmJybKOJqf5seEJ3WXXEgqem2YkXZQb1MWUbLNn6ZNIucNjnxVd3NB6CPmCiZdpv0qfQ1ykt4QQ4SBhw3PBOSw2pfYW3Pdt_E_7IKPFQsyKuQcWGSMebt5HoKFtN9yo5WaEbgrXIOBqDh-7bWOk9o4lKe-ilsUsPJPN8xSyxJzIoCvlntZm7MwRZ78/s3264/IMG_4455.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjFmJybKOJqf5seEJ3WXXEgqem2YkXZQb1MWUbLNn6ZNIucNjnxVd3NB6CPmCiZdpv0qfQ1ykt4QQ4SBhw3PBOSw2pfYW3Pdt_E_7IKPFQsyKuQcWGSMebt5HoKFtN9yo5WaEbgrXIOBqDh-7bWOk9o4lKe-ilsUsPJPN8xSyxJzIoCvlntZm7MwRZ78/w400-h300/IMG_4455.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The new 2.5ft by 12ft back (or side) table expands the depth of <br />my 54mm ACW game table.<br /><br /></i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: justify;">The other day I decided that my ACW game table needed more depth, so I set up another parallel table. The table layout consists of (from left to right) a 5ft wide by 12ft long back table; a 6ft wide by 12ft long center or main table, and the new 2.5ft by 12ft back table. The center table has 3ft wide aisles separating the parallel table. In practice, the aisles do not exist. When you move your unit up to the table edge you simply hop on over the other side without any movement penalty. So the entire game table is actually 13.5ft wide by 12ft long.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQu-RlszTbEWgCj4nJVbDUoGCCwxBfRNNLeNnBvrPxgEKZpEO74HJYUVVErt9KjU-g7fGZZvIKoPPb4Dm7Gf-bbDByNE6P_RC40b0iT_EvvCPVDNtNHgd8yS0GZLb3L5e4ghkf0jcjs-N84-UhXevMsvwns7V_hwOT-dlZnWLBygCSjlN7URmCaSDbjw/s3199/IMG_4465.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1908" data-original-width="3199" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisQu-RlszTbEWgCj4nJVbDUoGCCwxBfRNNLeNnBvrPxgEKZpEO74HJYUVVErt9KjU-g7fGZZvIKoPPb4Dm7Gf-bbDByNE6P_RC40b0iT_EvvCPVDNtNHgd8yS0GZLb3L5e4ghkf0jcjs-N84-UhXevMsvwns7V_hwOT-dlZnWLBygCSjlN7URmCaSDbjw/w400-h240/IMG_4465.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The view from the far back table looking out at the center table and<br />the new 2.5x12ft side table.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5XrH8tNzJTfhVF1I1ZfbMJnWcQtQNLWcghyZV5NsisZhYuvUsvhmktJdCytn40TvtFrk-1QcmR8ubrE7N5VyZx5KhEk5AqCkMeDYJf-Vg8ZKxChLHh2kZASIDpqSyaXch6z-II3zvy3z-RAnP7zrDHJzZVB3FY0juiCFn24AXHE-M0rO5EkoUJ2D4-U/s2961/IMG_4466.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1987" data-original-width="2961" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP5XrH8tNzJTfhVF1I1ZfbMJnWcQtQNLWcghyZV5NsisZhYuvUsvhmktJdCytn40TvtFrk-1QcmR8ubrE7N5VyZx5KhEk5AqCkMeDYJf-Vg8ZKxChLHh2kZASIDpqSyaXch6z-II3zvy3z-RAnP7zrDHJzZVB3FY0juiCFn24AXHE-M0rO5EkoUJ2D4-U/w400-h270/IMG_4466.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Ground level view, of sorts, looking from the new back table across the<br />game room towards the center table and back table. At ground level one can <br />barely make out the gap between these tables.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;">In a pinch I could probably make the new side table 5ft wide rather than 2.5ft wide, but it would put a crimp into the amount of area available for walking around and between the various game tables. It's not something that I want to set up permanently, but I could see doing it for a game specific event. This has all been done to accommodate the large 54mm toy soldier size figures. Now imagine what I could do if I scaled the terrain down for 28mm figures. There would be no shortage of maneuvering space and open flank areas on the table.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The set up having a center table and two parallel side tables is done to provide depth to the battlefield. Rather than lining up my 54mm ACW figures from table end to end, the extra depth enables me to either (1) start the opposing forces further apart from each other, or (2) add a supporting second line of infantry regiments in the game - this creates more area for maneuvering on the center table.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">For my Pickett's Charge game at Little Wars and Historicon conventions in 2024, the Confederate army will deploy in line on one of the back (side) tables representing Seminary Ridge/Warfield Ridge. Their artillery will deploy on the higher elevation while the infantry advance across the center table towards Cemetary Ridge. The center table is where most of the action will take place. Pickett's Confederates will cross the open ground and advance toward the Emmitburg Road. The Emmitsburg Road will run diagonally across the center table as it is furthest from the Union line on the south edge of the table and gradually come closer to Cemetery Ridge where the road hits the north edge of the table. The further back table is where I will place Cemetery Ridge where the Union army will deploy. There will be some dead ground behind the ridge where I will set up Meade's HQ, reserve infantry and some reserve artillery units.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Painting Update</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As of today I have completed 11 Union and 12 Confederate regiments of 30 figures each. This brings the total up to 690 figures painted since the beginning of August 2023. I have not included any of the mounted command figures or the artillery crewmen that I have painted during this period, but my guess is that we are talking about 20+ figures at most. So suffice it to say, I have painted over 700 figures for my Pickett's Charge Project.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I will need 4 more Union and 3 more Confederate regiments (7 units x 30 figures = 210 figures) to complete the infantry component of my game forces. That is to say that I have painted approximately 75% of the figures that I will need for the game. The organization breaks down into 5 brigade commands per side and one artillery brigade command per side. I am considering adding one more infantry brigade per side to give me 6 brigades per side, or 12 players in the game. However, I am not sure that the size of my eventual convention game table(s) will provide sufficient frontage to accommodate the additional figures.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-45006474690726151972023-12-23T13:40:00.003-06:002023-12-23T13:40:22.074-06:00Setting up the Christmas Feast Table<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2gDnzKdaCcflAlrEuES4SKLSWyTGE-gFk7zVBXyz4hsiKsA8qz76PpRAYhZs7qqOzVWlEmh5W_2b5sNCymkdUiwR8Wl5HwNfKaSoAvDCXNrM7Hur7Tiu4mncXYIv8GarpW5v3cURj3yz1mYPoaftYDvWkVheYGmAw4ba68KIoLSsIwnYvD9osyz846U/s4032/IMG_1799.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2gDnzKdaCcflAlrEuES4SKLSWyTGE-gFk7zVBXyz4hsiKsA8qz76PpRAYhZs7qqOzVWlEmh5W_2b5sNCymkdUiwR8Wl5HwNfKaSoAvDCXNrM7Hur7Tiu4mncXYIv8GarpW5v3cURj3yz1mYPoaftYDvWkVheYGmAw4ba68KIoLSsIwnYvD9osyz846U/w400-h300/IMG_1799.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Dining Room table in our house is ready for Christmas dinner.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAIVAxbAL_b_5PSuxQKgm_Br5AXLefQAd7c6H10qRy9usxLqBQ0wXdmHakXxsqphmkz7J_BekWyY8XsWmGh_Bo-cKUmDLW3oPBCzqI0zTsTE7dXWMTeWEWcQblyaZ81wjhCrI6p7Taa8m0Buyb7HLKUlkoOpBuUDM0yu3LzLqGej_ykw4rnkNsooRJ88/s4032/IMG_1800.jpeg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoAIVAxbAL_b_5PSuxQKgm_Br5AXLefQAd7c6H10qRy9usxLqBQ0wXdmHakXxsqphmkz7J_BekWyY8XsWmGh_Bo-cKUmDLW3oPBCzqI0zTsTE7dXWMTeWEWcQblyaZ81wjhCrI6p7Taa8m0Buyb7HLKUlkoOpBuUDM0yu3LzLqGej_ykw4rnkNsooRJ88/s400/IMG_1800.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Our Dining Room table is all set up for ten guests.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Two days ago I was inspired to clear off the dining room table, fit in some spare table leafs, and break out the good china and silverware for our Christmas Day dinner. We have 16 guests and the main table comfortably seats 10 people, although we could probably squeeze in an extra body or two. This means that we will have to use a second table (the Kiddie Table?) to seat the other 6 guests.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The dining room is another one of those rooms that see very little use other than on holidays. I keep telling Herself that this would make a great wargame room, but I get sent to bed without any dinner anytime I bring up the idea. So instead, the table serves as a catchall for the daily clutter of life: coats, laundry waiting to be folded, the mail, the newspaper, and all manner of other stuff. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I keep telling Herself that my wargame table would look more neat, tidy and in order compared to the use of the room as a dump off point. My argument falls on deaf ears, alas!</div><div><br /></div><div>Having the dining table already set up lends an air to the feeling of Christmas in our house. We put up and decorated our two Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving and have been playing Christmas tunes in the background. I don't like Wham! or Maria hCary. I'd rather hear "Good King Wenceslas", "The Holly and the Ivy", "Silent Night", etc. You know, the more traditional music. All I want for Christmas is to not hear Wham or Mariah.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of my blog readers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fritz</div>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-23879713810611695902023-12-21T11:30:00.000-06:002023-12-21T11:30:06.816-06:00The Dreaded Room That Is Never Used<p style="text-align: justify;"> <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLyw5lXbJ-0pGBEu5W0kWkbO2qEIEBj-2auJGFNKhS8GnFLujcDuF7xlRoo8LHSaGMITMPdoSehD_e-CITH9XeKMzDj-FFor4ugL7Ih3EhTOMnOMjRoA62Ofmjq4A6qY9Uv3Lk6zQyBMEjQ9sxROTxlNoSqREb3iAOn55i7VazdqS5XBKjdnvTQ2ujW0/s3264/IMG_4447.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLyw5lXbJ-0pGBEu5W0kWkbO2qEIEBj-2auJGFNKhS8GnFLujcDuF7xlRoo8LHSaGMITMPdoSehD_e-CITH9XeKMzDj-FFor4ugL7Ih3EhTOMnOMjRoA62Ofmjq4A6qY9Uv3Lk6zQyBMEjQ9sxROTxlNoSqREb3iAOn55i7VazdqS5XBKjdnvTQ2ujW0/w400-h300/IMG_4447.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Room That Is Never Used: our Living Room</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">If you are the owner of an older house, say, one built before 2000, then you probably have a large amount of square footage devoted to a room in the house that you hardly ever use. It is called "The Living Room."</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Its successor is something that we now call "The Family Room." If the house has an open floor plan on the first floor, i.e. the kitchen and The Family Room are one open space, then the room is sometimes known as "The Great Room."</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jaTlcGaKfFa_n_kgrTInm34QZTrddhT3_1Pjs8X5yUM33y7iMGjkvBVk7Cvkkcl2x4bYEjeIUHJQ2poZK2tezbXlnmbHP7rqmOPpEhnkROWQbV5gR-gPUNonVI5u3_p8nG8cr_ddnhJ7z260_VIWrLn-6CQnCuY5IJWkjri_h3lNrA1UXFOmsLrs_uE/s3264/IMG_4450.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1jaTlcGaKfFa_n_kgrTInm34QZTrddhT3_1Pjs8X5yUM33y7iMGjkvBVk7Cvkkcl2x4bYEjeIUHJQ2poZK2tezbXlnmbHP7rqmOPpEhnkROWQbV5gR-gPUNonVI5u3_p8nG8cr_ddnhJ7z260_VIWrLn-6CQnCuY5IJWkjri_h3lNrA1UXFOmsLrs_uE/w400-h300/IMG_4450.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Someone mentioned that all the room was missing was a dog (s) laying on the floor in the room.<br />I added Angie (black Lab) and Bella (Golden Retriever) to the scene.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Nowadays home builders do not have Living Rooms in their houses, but rather, they opt for the open designed Great Room. Great Rooms are fine, but the noise from the kitchen (also known as "The Room Where Everyone Congregates When You Are Having A Party".) is one of the negative points of this concept.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Our house has the Living Room, Family Room, Kitchen, Dining Room, Entry Hall and Den. We probably spend most of our time in the Family Room because that is where we have placed the only functioning television in our home. </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>And That Other Room Too</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">The Dining Room is also a room that is rarely used, save for a place to put things, The Dining Room table is a clutter magnet - all sorts of stuff and paraphernalia wind up on the table. Around the time of the Christmas holiday, the large dining room table is employed as a gift wrapping space due to the its size. Sometimes the dining room table does service as a war game table when my daughter and I play our Teddy Bear Wars game. We only use the room for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have noticed that some newly built houses have also dispensed with the Dining Room as all of the ground floor square footage is devoted to that Great Room culprit.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b>Back To Main Point</b></p><p style="text-align: justify;">So I have strayed away from the whole point of this post, which is to highlight the Living Room as a place that is comfortable and needs to be used more often.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Last night we decided to forgo any watching of television and instead park our butts in the Living Room next to the fireplace. Herself worked on some crossword puzzles from the Wall Street Journal, while I immersed myself into Dan Sickles and the fight for the Peach Orchard at Gettysburg. In the end, everything gets back to Dan Sickles, don't you know?</p><p style="text-align: justify;">Herself and I both commented on how nice it was to sit in The Room That Is Never Used (TRTINU") and just read and talk to each other and that we should do this more often. We say that every time we use the TRTINU and then never follow up on it. There doesn't seem to be very much to watch on television. We cut the cable cord recently and now use various streaming services. This has had the effect of us watching less television unless it is the News or some movie/series on Netflix.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">The yellow sofa shown in the pictures above is one of the most comfortable sofas that I have ever tried. So that makes it a good place to take my afternoon nap. It is even better after we turn the clocks back to standard time because the daylight recedes into early darkness that makes it easier to nap.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I have ramble on long enough. On a long and cold winter's night, and with the fireplace stoked with a load of wood, TRTINU is the best place to be.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">nn</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-842488094337100022023-12-09T12:40:00.002-06:002023-12-09T12:40:46.816-06:00Mindens at Mollwitz<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdqyS0rYGEGiFQIbTDopC-PjegDZ97S1yinqnguf22gPD4v0HszUduM2ZoxrNIPfKMoY3N-905nVxdm65N8A1-pLAKV2hoznBcPMvUs1tNOxJxucvFKiwZm9I02HgQ86MZPWXKZdb-wmvpLedO7zCMg9oENH89LrIGAB3sHGGEFyLNv_BHP1P0lAEmAA/s3023/IMG_3656.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2019" data-original-width="3023" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpdqyS0rYGEGiFQIbTDopC-PjegDZ97S1yinqnguf22gPD4v0HszUduM2ZoxrNIPfKMoY3N-905nVxdm65N8A1-pLAKV2hoznBcPMvUs1tNOxJxucvFKiwZm9I02HgQ86MZPWXKZdb-wmvpLedO7zCMg9oENH89LrIGAB3sHGGEFyLNv_BHP1P0lAEmAA/w400-h268/IMG_3656.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Converged Austrian grenadier battalion marches under the <br />watchful eye of their general.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>I thought that I would post a few pictures of my Seven Years War collection of 1/56 scale Minden Miniatures Austrians and Prussians. The pictures were taken at my Mollwitz game at the 2023 SYW Assn. Convention.</p><p>I have been working on painting some samples of the new Minden SYW Russian cuirassiers that were recently added to the range. However, I am finding it difficult to adjust to painting 28mm figures after painting nothing but 54mm figures over the past 18 months. I will just have to power through the mental difficulties and break through the wall. My painting skill will hopefully return soon.</p><p><br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_46uEA5xXp9fbdAHXNbjnAUAkA9gudZjG220VZllVqshkiSVV1mHxP_Jgp6mvseww4GMVP8eb7VAXO-CzJpcNqK2b12yVZfOD4X5Twi-tlN4ar4beHqA7173yD1t2BzBIzYhkcpMecnCckejvP3wgu-NgCLiaF72JoSZkFQccm35X8nLSEyIgVQ18P58/s3261/IMG_3652.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1974" data-original-width="3261" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_46uEA5xXp9fbdAHXNbjnAUAkA9gudZjG220VZllVqshkiSVV1mHxP_Jgp6mvseww4GMVP8eb7VAXO-CzJpcNqK2b12yVZfOD4X5Twi-tlN4ar4beHqA7173yD1t2BzBIzYhkcpMecnCckejvP3wgu-NgCLiaF72JoSZkFQccm35X8nLSEyIgVQ18P58/w400-h243/IMG_3652.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Austrian army advances on to the battlefield.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFkTlVnmYhNOlt-7uR_Vno4Z4Gge-L00xh0hF1LhmE0sVUOd8fDNpx9V5HkXhK7U_kOFcZuCxmzM0cZaPucEh_UfFD4xlHbuRJhRLhYbyCDqbes88c3mi9mHyRUC8_6mRPTDVXdzHeZNfht0uJWiHn1vSKkl0K9-2RQrhne6eatBpA5MEAekTalPnQAc/s3026/IMG_3651.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1886" data-original-width="3026" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFkTlVnmYhNOlt-7uR_Vno4Z4Gge-L00xh0hF1LhmE0sVUOd8fDNpx9V5HkXhK7U_kOFcZuCxmzM0cZaPucEh_UfFD4xlHbuRJhRLhYbyCDqbes88c3mi9mHyRUC8_6mRPTDVXdzHeZNfht0uJWiHn1vSKkl0K9-2RQrhne6eatBpA5MEAekTalPnQAc/w400-h250/IMG_3651.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Prussians are on the move too.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcER2LhhJWc54DFzyYnAVGvgH6raago4QRHxiAJtiHHkQLk6tc2ASuWXyotrkTvXZB7mi-2zjzdTGMFDWnvwoSVoLCOz0tteCfJsfAsCahxNyaSpB4SzQSJsMuuTnBgvTCYRx4681Pj_nLpwiO7emSEM1RDDtY2dTxrjwDDu3NSFhhfWrBnzR4YND0ZM/s3264/IMG_3640.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGcER2LhhJWc54DFzyYnAVGvgH6raago4QRHxiAJtiHHkQLk6tc2ASuWXyotrkTvXZB7mi-2zjzdTGMFDWnvwoSVoLCOz0tteCfJsfAsCahxNyaSpB4SzQSJsMuuTnBgvTCYRx4681Pj_nLpwiO7emSEM1RDDtY2dTxrjwDDu3NSFhhfWrBnzR4YND0ZM/w400-h300/IMG_3640.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A grand cavalry melee is the epitome of fighting in the Seven Years War.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p>mm</p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-71405860969242743762023-12-07T13:43:00.006-06:002023-12-07T13:43:53.129-06:00Christmas Game Pix, Must see!<p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsnWV-PJ5gkR9J8gB9Mv1xySiN3pme7iWoG0vXEjkhKfbs5sa7auBM7PT5QoNOT02gnXhHL4nB9xWAWguOk4So4eQfNp2PLNLADXt2lQCzGVjmkSaGCmYq0-wboLDebDrgRpOoXDlx0I4Jg4o4YmOj1zr2t44VFnN4R1EO_3kpIA4Lzm5GxGHvalrV9o/s3264/IMG_4368.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIsnWV-PJ5gkR9J8gB9Mv1xySiN3pme7iWoG0vXEjkhKfbs5sa7auBM7PT5QoNOT02gnXhHL4nB9xWAWguOk4So4eQfNp2PLNLADXt2lQCzGVjmkSaGCmYq0-wboLDebDrgRpOoXDlx0I4Jg4o4YmOj1zr2t44VFnN4R1EO_3kpIA4Lzm5GxGHvalrV9o/w400-h300/IMG_4368.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A view of my Austrian brigade in the foreground, looking across the field<br />at the Anglo-Franco army and players. Note the use of three tables.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday December 2, 2023 our group of 11 players convened to play our annual Christmas war game. We usually hold the game on the first weekend of December so that holiday plans don't get in the way of having the game. We had players traveling from Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois for the game. Our host, Kieth L., provided the venue and plenty of drinks, snacks and a mid-day lunch. Kieth's wonderful wife, Donna, made two different types of chili and backed lots of tasty treats such as corn bread, brownies, cookies and lemon bars. Thank you Kieth and Donna for your hospitality.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvOjQbRz1xFfb39UbQFhvczm7cXNTiILKnAZeGsoaubkxOxJFqL6Ul3ahDFTz509B5brnuwTDyKUBMizFHxLinPwg4itAbWkMvUUQiuWS90X_05_351uf6UjqmArNzTYm38ay2tWGl-p9LaYHTpq1Re8Ae5dv4LG83BRKcXht2SE0mp1vNYiY-xfN4tI/s3650/img_5057C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2438" data-original-width="3650" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvOjQbRz1xFfb39UbQFhvczm7cXNTiILKnAZeGsoaubkxOxJFqL6Ul3ahDFTz509B5brnuwTDyKUBMizFHxLinPwg4itAbWkMvUUQiuWS90X_05_351uf6UjqmArNzTYm38ay2tWGl-p9LaYHTpq1Re8Ae5dv4LG83BRKcXht2SE0mp1vNYiY-xfN4tI/w400-h268/img_5057C.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Band of Brothers gather for a post-game picture. That's me in the red hoodie.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>The Game </b><span style="caret-color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><b>Parameters </b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>The rules;</u> </b>We used Bill Protz's <i>Batailles dans l'Ancien Regime (or BAR for short)</i> which are designed for easy and quick games with lots and lots of figures. We have been playing games with these rules since about 2010 so most of the players were well-familiar with the rules.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>The figures:</u> </b>We played with big battalions and cavalry regiments of 60 figures, or a ratio of 1:10 man to figures. The figures were largely 30mm Stadden, Suren, Elite, Potsdam and some large 28mm figures such as Front Rank. There were probably even a few Minifigs sneaking into the ranks.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Table size:</u> </b>We played on a game table sized at three tables measuring 6ft wide by 32ft long with aisles in between the table. The aisles don't exist in terms of table top space, but rather, when a unit approaches the edge of one table, it hops over the aisle and continues its normal movement on the next table. This provides us with a game table that is actually 18ft wide by 32ft long. And trust me, we needed every inch/foot of these tables for the game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Game Management:</u> We divided the table into three zones (right, center and left) and each sector had its own deck of cards for initiative card draws. This way, one section of the table didn't have to wait for other sections of the table to finish their turn before moving on to the next turn. This speeded up the game.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>The game opponents:</u> </b>The game was an unhistorical alliance of the French and British versus the central European powers of Austria and Prussia. The main victory condition was the control of a large town placed in the middle of the battlefield. Sadly, for my team, the French captured the town on Turn 3 and never yielded ground for the rest of the game. As a result, the game ended in a French victory.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfK8Jp-GEA4x7LWUE5aPF1AzDVRwO7HyZZBw7zUpxXVu8mYDFwL3t4GU4foLkYcTPZlJMxfeU5G-1DFJ4PRzxv0-Y9WR8gNY6ms0c3kvjoqTVddZYb0z00Z67oVlajURHhxavh9bvyZ-poTGMq-QFUtrldzILmRYQvJHQjpVpa38ef_BGqNeBeET3lc0/s3264/IMG_4372.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfK8Jp-GEA4x7LWUE5aPF1AzDVRwO7HyZZBw7zUpxXVu8mYDFwL3t4GU4foLkYcTPZlJMxfeU5G-1DFJ4PRzxv0-Y9WR8gNY6ms0c3kvjoqTVddZYb0z00Z67oVlajURHhxavh9bvyZ-poTGMq-QFUtrldzILmRYQvJHQjpVpa38ef_BGqNeBeET3lc0/w400-h300/IMG_4372.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The right flank of the Austro-Prussian battle line. The Prussians placed a <br />ridiculous number of cannon on top of a ridge, forcing the French to avoid <br />the area and attack the woods. Unbeknownst to the French, most of the <br />Prussian guns only had one or two rounds of ammunition.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNU7vMyRWFLHNiBgeuDAkixcR9fYamXWui-2qsHIphkyBQcZIB1zX1FPW_K48oAAy2JH3BPhCN7nY6I7JDEHpStZJpP3M5XOrcO0VWwRaDbVAIiQ3hJxdHW9mXu7seXG795lYI_W1Mjn6qApcwJ6gBIqzGWHlYpCsQOcL_TNd0hKfNWESBNqsgpDtYyY/s4032/IMG_1783.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiNU7vMyRWFLHNiBgeuDAkixcR9fYamXWui-2qsHIphkyBQcZIB1zX1FPW_K48oAAy2JH3BPhCN7nY6I7JDEHpStZJpP3M5XOrcO0VWwRaDbVAIiQ3hJxdHW9mXu7seXG795lYI_W1Mjn6qApcwJ6gBIqzGWHlYpCsQOcL_TNd0hKfNWESBNqsgpDtYyY/w400-h300/IMG_1783.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A huge Prussian cavalry brigade in reserve behind the daunting ridge line<br />of Prussian artillery.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FaKCrfFwnS1bNgjNxGTGHXmmIqeA_ViPrUEBMEJSnTiKEVTkFPBJ2IvQd3uGLcIsuFC2i0J9O6nilbG47415aHJafZJgAwLBXyvj3xVXUNjvKv5t8G9RvAYptMsfimq5IL-b7BGH-BTgMPqdIzZ2sJYqBwQIeW2NX8-6HKB0WlwgHMFxmiSjCVqilkM/s4032/IMG_1784.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6FaKCrfFwnS1bNgjNxGTGHXmmIqeA_ViPrUEBMEJSnTiKEVTkFPBJ2IvQd3uGLcIsuFC2i0J9O6nilbG47415aHJafZJgAwLBXyvj3xVXUNjvKv5t8G9RvAYptMsfimq5IL-b7BGH-BTgMPqdIzZ2sJYqBwQIeW2NX8-6HKB0WlwgHMFxmiSjCVqilkM/w400-h300/IMG_1784.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The town in the center of the table was the main objective of both armies.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MBUDJHfj-8qgmKOUAdM0tkNitvKQ2VQ_Gc3Vq4nF6jEuetjCIyqc-M0nBbn3-d2zVFHOuafEPyXPvbkOynx_klne6jKZX84khoDqWgXJ45rcpOM_W3N4dXuuzV-ohQkO6IA50hkWjb82vVxzGKJFGcNdVqEUQgrH3O-i4ofu_qJPQU-v7kzPtyxcNtc/s3264/IMG_4369.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MBUDJHfj-8qgmKOUAdM0tkNitvKQ2VQ_Gc3Vq4nF6jEuetjCIyqc-M0nBbn3-d2zVFHOuafEPyXPvbkOynx_klne6jKZX84khoDqWgXJ45rcpOM_W3N4dXuuzV-ohQkO6IA50hkWjb82vVxzGKJFGcNdVqEUQgrH3O-i4ofu_qJPQU-v7kzPtyxcNtc/w400-h300/IMG_4369.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The central table zone, looking at the Austrian forces.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpY831XggymPlD_oH3mjwwSJeTaio-owRaD7XBwlPanXpKQXD_Ox74yLKqkE9Ty0wI7rA7V_h8wO4dUJVH4qObBJ-iFLbaZyWIeWUTo9rwpyGqUpXUVMN2Bv2ikVZAaU8A2IKjv6WmtVb65j27CPPOnjgDPN5xgq53I-jJSHZWKfZku2mTltt2LJ9SS6I/s3264/IMG_4370.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpY831XggymPlD_oH3mjwwSJeTaio-owRaD7XBwlPanXpKQXD_Ox74yLKqkE9Ty0wI7rA7V_h8wO4dUJVH4qObBJ-iFLbaZyWIeWUTo9rwpyGqUpXUVMN2Bv2ikVZAaU8A2IKjv6WmtVb65j27CPPOnjgDPN5xgq53I-jJSHZWKfZku2mTltt2LJ9SS6I/w400-h300/IMG_4370.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The British army facing the Austro-Prussian left flank.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>The Fritz Bits</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Yours truly was assigned a brigade of 4 Austrian musketeer regiments, 1 Croat light infantry regiment, 2 Austrian cuirassier regiments, and a couple of 12-pound cannon. I was posted on the far left flank of the Austro-Prussian army (in my own playing zone), with two Austrian brigades to my right in the center zone of the table. The Prussian army held down the right flank and deployed behind a sizable ridge with their infantry and powerful cavalry contingent.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">My opponent, directly across from me, was the powerful British army with 7 regiments of infantry (including one guard and one grenadier regiment) and two smaller 36-figure cavalry regiments of Horse. Counting noses, it was readily apparent that the British outnumbered my infantry 7 to 5 while I had the slight edge in cavalry (96 Austrian cavalry versus 72 British cavalry). Knowing that infantry are more significant and powerful than cavalry in our BAR rules (Batailles dans l'Ancien Regime), I knew that I had my work cut out for me.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">There were two enclosures placed on the middle of the table, between my brigade and that of my British opponent. The lefthand enclosure was close enough to the table edge to restrict movement; then there was some open ground in the center, and finally, there was another enclosure and farmhouse on the my front right. I reasoned that if I could advance to the edge of the two enclosures I stood a good chance of forcing the British army to attack through the bottleneck of the open middle ground. Thus, the British would not be able to take advantage of their superior numbers of infantry. I placed three of my musketeer battalions and the Croat light infantry on my front line, and deployed my fourth musketeer line behind the front to provide a support reserve force. My cuirassiers were placed behind the main battle line where they might be able to take advantage of any worn down British infantry regiments to their front.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Let the Game Begin</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">Given that we were playing on a 32ft long table, it was nearly impossible to have any idea of what was going on at the far end of the table. As a matter of fact, I wasn't able to pay much attention to the goings on in the middle zone of the table. I had my hands full in my zone. Who needs a fog of war rule in this situation?</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjwCST5mw7EWV-9VSh1jNY8dIwYE45MSMM4NmrLvXWKgmBa2yyAkjVnirCpOV9vUGD1pgFI-Fe4NR_u5s_9efU3GkkVA43sKZXyiaQlN0KoNsPRC7YK3T0o8_3MohUHlzbMhLdU0oOrXn-mMNVy2e7LhWmagF_mEoaCdFPGydvwWUaV90FpJNja_I2oQ/s3264/IMG_4376.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjwCST5mw7EWV-9VSh1jNY8dIwYE45MSMM4NmrLvXWKgmBa2yyAkjVnirCpOV9vUGD1pgFI-Fe4NR_u5s_9efU3GkkVA43sKZXyiaQlN0KoNsPRC7YK3T0o8_3MohUHlzbMhLdU0oOrXn-mMNVy2e7LhWmagF_mEoaCdFPGydvwWUaV90FpJNja_I2oQ/w400-h300/IMG_4376.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My Austrian battle line deploys and advances towards the enclosure on my right.<br />Note my Austrian cuirassiers held in reserve.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkLftgN-1ot5ktaRlsYrDRna-qmn_8yQrtBZekbs7-C4x2kMvlIVUzz45bruUe-F2TNbpR2jAtR7J7F5qpbh_NXSdj65hIDmGKighiK6MrAm1c8539Cd98r7yGMhwhgg32iqyWVug6tsb6Lo-04P937ha6r8Iod3rYVWjY0XiisZ4q_JhxojGRWxehH8/s3264/IMG_4375.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkLftgN-1ot5ktaRlsYrDRna-qmn_8yQrtBZekbs7-C4x2kMvlIVUzz45bruUe-F2TNbpR2jAtR7J7F5qpbh_NXSdj65hIDmGKighiK6MrAm1c8539Cd98r7yGMhwhgg32iqyWVug6tsb6Lo-04P937ha6r8Iod3rYVWjY0XiisZ4q_JhxojGRWxehH8/w400-h300/IMG_4375.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My Croats lead the advance of my brigade (in columns) to the enclosure.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1whMzFi389L5gpFmCjLJsdqmXKne437U-tI_i52Z8F2-L7p4RKnnn_Ud51lfRMcqWKNp5enogwsHOFTWUSKUPYKjyE2hAQUy1LINwot-8hj-HHoOO67YFH6Sqp3VHIXdMbESmf7BzWVud1yYXkPyQwJonjPJPNxytH-Qi8k6Gy8S0EqjdpTiHYQiR_Wk/s3264/IMG_4379.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1whMzFi389L5gpFmCjLJsdqmXKne437U-tI_i52Z8F2-L7p4RKnnn_Ud51lfRMcqWKNp5enogwsHOFTWUSKUPYKjyE2hAQUy1LINwot-8hj-HHoOO67YFH6Sqp3VHIXdMbESmf7BzWVud1yYXkPyQwJonjPJPNxytH-Qi8k6Gy8S0EqjdpTiHYQiR_Wk/w400-h300/IMG_4379.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A view of the left flank of my brigade. The British have gained control of the<br />lefthand enclosure and advance in line in the center.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74g518fReTJ8LgentMpqsBRGlDgACwsOylre01cH1aRePl5CW1OSEzpoIVLAsv6ac_JWontEQyoaaivUe3dXiUV6RaGl9G2htACBFqPKmtlYi5KcevrFq8gIJb4qOHnDEwAT9HIAIbV_fUwIZBbXtiIR3tlEAgAOsSdVXnFfA1HjzHHmbwu9NspR18ZM/s3264/IMG_4378.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi74g518fReTJ8LgentMpqsBRGlDgACwsOylre01cH1aRePl5CW1OSEzpoIVLAsv6ac_JWontEQyoaaivUe3dXiUV6RaGl9G2htACBFqPKmtlYi5KcevrFq8gIJb4qOHnDEwAT9HIAIbV_fUwIZBbXtiIR3tlEAgAOsSdVXnFfA1HjzHHmbwu9NspR18ZM/w400-h300/IMG_4378.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My Austrian musketeers face off against the Highland Black Watch regiment.<br />Note the small gap along the table edge which restricted the movement of<br />the British cavalry.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLfdnzKg9U3gFHXp68O-bPYKe0QDN3QzCNmuQmM-LD_oWuso-Uh38uyyQrrJkTAm53OT0AXE7U0rEGA3d9UVJ1NUS2XX_NSorZW35HK4t9D864rLtyzbDyRuCvWe5GYaek5H0J0anLz9_GCbdH50qSTWEmAgZg4p9kS87ttysobP9njR3IXfu4X62WUY/s3264/IMG_4380.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcLfdnzKg9U3gFHXp68O-bPYKe0QDN3QzCNmuQmM-LD_oWuso-Uh38uyyQrrJkTAm53OT0AXE7U0rEGA3d9UVJ1NUS2XX_NSorZW35HK4t9D864rLtyzbDyRuCvWe5GYaek5H0J0anLz9_GCbdH50qSTWEmAgZg4p9kS87ttysobP9njR3IXfu4X62WUY/w400-h300/IMG_4380.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>My cavalry brigade outnumbers the British cavalry by a large amount, so<br />it is time for my Austrians to charge.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeO-mmQjpSMraDzJ2w7NnGXAxZ-5QzI9O50sVNn_RAI_1foJQVorjWAIfKTTL5LZ1zbgXoi3Z_Q1VQDcILOmbNG4eqJ-aOs49AGVQDRy598rqYCngFU7CApuLpThhLtdTb4G4_uhgcTA3e3g23IoC2lJQbFp-rwbHEDqBZMfwhgIddzXz-b4ZBkvylwhM/s3264/IMG_4381.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeO-mmQjpSMraDzJ2w7NnGXAxZ-5QzI9O50sVNn_RAI_1foJQVorjWAIfKTTL5LZ1zbgXoi3Z_Q1VQDcILOmbNG4eqJ-aOs49AGVQDRy598rqYCngFU7CApuLpThhLtdTb4G4_uhgcTA3e3g23IoC2lJQbFp-rwbHEDqBZMfwhgIddzXz-b4ZBkvylwhM/w400-h300/IMG_4381.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cavalry melee in my sector. Austrian cuirassiers on the right and British Horse regiment<br /> (The Blues) on the left. The game was declared over at this <br />time, but my opponent and I played out the cavalry melee. The Austrian cuirassiers prevailed.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>The End Result in my Sector</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was able to hold off the advance of the British infantry in my sector. I had one of my musketeer battalions rout due to their accumulated losses. One of my other regiments was pretty well shot up, but hadn't reached the magic 50% casualties number and thus didn't have to check morale (yet). I recall that at least two British regiments routed and a couple more were severely shot up. Somehow the stalwart Highlanders were able to pass their morale despite losing nearly 2/3rds of their numbers.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>Some pictures of the action elsewhere</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;">As I said earlier, I wasn't able to follow the action in the center and right game zones, but from time to time I took a stroll over there and snapped a couple of pictures. Of note, Randy F. sent his French light cavalry into the important town on the first or second turn and held the town for the rest of the game, thus meeting the victory condition for the French army. Well done Randy; that was a great tactic; very clever use of light cavalry.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTU1p95NAKAUpie6hphMwC3hcUcZRAG4NvXa4R8JZyb3Y6pBqWmoVjBoRomBWFEgnvhpSbdrLOHB1nNKvfcJGoty6KERYFLq6wwWTqy07LZWiFmtmXs-g_YuBAUKCxAWAhtXo2U2UxexnzZj5-W06dNgxYOdneqKwzqkIa9a4bevRatNjVHfkmVNdVgQ/s3264/IMG_4371.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTU1p95NAKAUpie6hphMwC3hcUcZRAG4NvXa4R8JZyb3Y6pBqWmoVjBoRomBWFEgnvhpSbdrLOHB1nNKvfcJGoty6KERYFLq6wwWTqy07LZWiFmtmXs-g_YuBAUKCxAWAhtXo2U2UxexnzZj5-W06dNgxYOdneqKwzqkIa9a4bevRatNjVHfkmVNdVgQ/w400-h300/IMG_4371.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Bill Protz lords over the French army of his left flank. The cavalry reserve of both sides<br />was not engaged in the battle due to the preponderance of infantry on the field.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKAWlNbepQtZeA4C7JThFIZox4AjDspMbfz30WF5bxzjdyqTgXRfiW-QvoDnSRjUeibk0EB-jaYGrsyufdi41cwJ16dBcXAhyVc4-4jp9FgydjROBDtpjZ5Ud5IPLZDaHgqrl3z1tKJ0CdxWKyQBF9yPfjQHyb2Rys5ZpQlb0-MVs_XY3oF1djokLHtY/s3264/IMG_4373.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKAWlNbepQtZeA4C7JThFIZox4AjDspMbfz30WF5bxzjdyqTgXRfiW-QvoDnSRjUeibk0EB-jaYGrsyufdi41cwJ16dBcXAhyVc4-4jp9FgydjROBDtpjZ5Ud5IPLZDaHgqrl3z1tKJ0CdxWKyQBF9yPfjQHyb2Rys5ZpQlb0-MVs_XY3oF1djokLHtY/w400-h300/IMG_4373.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Randy F. is very happy about capturing the town early in the game.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRICEkQVzzR2licK95Zoux4elv5E0e-lrTRL_P1Ztr8i6kGiq_2zRmmf8rjeg6psZLxGCh8eXEs0bo0NbikeXCY4HJe-JmylphT7xLI2ENLNursX3QzJb4eD5hkXUyQivC9AejbDgUoKCguSgJNMfZdFnNwz4tUmFD8Hvnd0oAYN3KHfUowgOVKUolf9M/s3264/IMG_4377.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRICEkQVzzR2licK95Zoux4elv5E0e-lrTRL_P1Ztr8i6kGiq_2zRmmf8rjeg6psZLxGCh8eXEs0bo0NbikeXCY4HJe-JmylphT7xLI2ENLNursX3QzJb4eD5hkXUyQivC9AejbDgUoKCguSgJNMfZdFnNwz4tUmFD8Hvnd0oAYN3KHfUowgOVKUolf9M/w400-h300/IMG_4377.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Game action on the center game table.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: red;"><b>The overall result: a French victory</b></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Austrian-Prussian right flank</u>: the French bypassed the 13-gun battery of Prussian artillery and pushed their way through the woods at the end of the table. The French were starting to effect a break through when the game was called and it looked like the French would successfully press their advantage had the game continued.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Austrians in the center zone</u>: The French captured the important town, and thus won the game through the victory condition of holding the town at the end of the game. Other than that, the infantry on both sides appeared to be fighting at a stalemate.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><u>Austrians on the left flank:</u> my Austrians appeared to have stopped the British attack.</p><br />All in all, this was a very fun game to play. We hadn't attempted to play a game of this size since 2019, the year before the Covid shutdown so it was great to be able to toss lots of dice and move big battalions across the battle table top. And finally, it was great to see many old friends whom I had not seen in about three years.<div><br /></div><div>Thanks again to Kieth and Donna L. for hosting the game, and thanks to Bill Protz for taking the initiative to organize the game, recruit the players, and create fun game scenario.</div>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6504742686650223041.post-91264332197706901352023-12-05T20:45:00.000-06:002023-12-05T20:45:06.500-06:00Minden Painted Hanoverian Musketeers <p style="text-align: justify;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJX10p5YdgKYxqy43392qjfRXXuJCCFG0vtsky5n9zBDzy5QIF7xg1cijUeXhjHGVWqEMmqLV91zTF4YdM5p7UaFcdBpQypcPvWURNjpWGH4fc5qBPTRBm3upTYeDf9MyUiynKYYWNBq4FalYMxyCYzDLocyvOU2jJIU4qQeEIqpsU1qQtyI2baPIz2U/s1483/IMG_3312.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="1483" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqJX10p5YdgKYxqy43392qjfRXXuJCCFG0vtsky5n9zBDzy5QIF7xg1cijUeXhjHGVWqEMmqLV91zTF4YdM5p7UaFcdBpQypcPvWURNjpWGH4fc5qBPTRBm3upTYeDf9MyUiynKYYWNBq4FalYMxyCYzDLocyvOU2jJIU4qQeEIqpsU1qQtyI2baPIz2U/w400-h221/IMG_3312.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jxra3OKi7U_3-MKHKyiWZHFn7vNULV1pUdbc0ycZ6Fi83P8HYz4-mHy5ptHKhYOhyYPFhqQscxwcdsixxVQ7sIVlF5VACo0HLWXXjB6ux4Pjk5u6AYKayNP5D-APyVgXwqlI_1djne-fClSP4mbI0HHFkzVskFdMByAqhKdx98p13bMvAp1hzmakIXU/s1404/IMG_3313.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1404" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jxra3OKi7U_3-MKHKyiWZHFn7vNULV1pUdbc0ycZ6Fi83P8HYz4-mHy5ptHKhYOhyYPFhqQscxwcdsixxVQ7sIVlF5VACo0HLWXXjB6ux4Pjk5u6AYKayNP5D-APyVgXwqlI_1djne-fClSP4mbI0HHFkzVskFdMByAqhKdx98p13bMvAp1hzmakIXU/w400-h228/IMG_3313.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: justify;">I was scrolling through some of my pictures of painted Minden figures and found these two photos of some Minden Hanoverian musketeers. The figures were painted by Michael S. from Germany on commission for another collector. I think that they are from the Hardenberg regiment.</p><p style="text-align: justify;">I don’t have armies for the Seven Years War in western Germany, but seeing these beauties does make it tempting to start Hanoverian and French armies.</p><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>Der Alte Fritzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.com3