Expeditionary Force 54mm/60mm Napoleonics

 

Expeditionary Forces 60mm British 95th Rifles. Work in progress.

I am back from Historicon (actually today marks a week since my last game) and I am already starting to think about the project for Historicon 2026. No PELAs won for me this year so I guess that I will need to "up my game" in the next round. Let's just say that I am really motivated now.

Prior to Historicon I purchased several boxes of Expeditionary Force ("EF") 54mm plastic Napoleonic figures and started on the 95th Rifles. The picture above is only a work in progress photo. I have not found a rifleman green color that satisfies me so I am still playing around with the color of their uniforms.

Each EF box of figures contains nine figures and you have to assemble them before priming. The arms, heads, back packs and haversacks all plug into the plastic torso so this isn't too difficult a task. The pictures below illustrate how to assemble the figures.

These are center company figures, which unfortunately come with Belgic Shako heads rather than the stove pipe shakoes that I preferred. Sigh...

I purchased one box each of center company, light company and center company command. The latter box has a couple of figures that can also be used for 95th Rifles officers. 

Center company with command figures added. Total of 13 figures here.

One of two mounted officers in the command box. I chose to add the cape and have
one hand holding a telescope- I intend to use him as one of Wellington's scouts in blue uniform.

Figures from the light company box

Center company plus command figures.

I haven't decided on the size of figures to use; I already have a nice collection of 28mm metal figures; I have ordered some of the Perry 40mm figures as well as a couple of 40mm Spanish buildings from Battle Honors; and I have these and some Armies In Plastic 54/60mm figures to paint.

28mm Advantages

I already have all of the figures that I will need for a grand skirmish game and I also have a large selection of 28mm buildings and terrain pieces that Herb Gundt made for me many years ago.

40mm Advantages

They are kind of a cross between 54mm and 28mm figures. They are bigger and easier to see than the 28mm figures and so they stand out on the table more. I can also use some of my existing terrain with 40mm figures.

54mm Advantages

Big plastic figures are relatively inexpensive and they are easy to paint and easy to see on the table top. Although they take up a lot of space on the table, my plan to limit the table size to 6ft by 15ft means that I cannot binge paint huge British and French 54mm armies. Also, the skirmish game doesn't take up as much space in my car for transportation to Historicon

So I am going to wait until all of my samples arrive in the mail, paint some samples, and then choose the scale for my game. No really, that's the plan.

The Coa River bridge

A picture of my 28mm table top set up.

Another view of the 28mm terrain.

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Wanted to Buy: Setting the Scene - Volume 2

 

I bought this magnificent book about how to make terrain for the Mediterranean areas of the world, but as is often the case, you can always see it when you don't need it and you can never find it when you do need it. I am in the DO NEED IT category and after several hours of searching, I have given up on the search and now must go about finding a way to purchase a new copy.

If you happen to own this book and would consider selling it to me, then I would be most grateful and I am willing to pay a handsome price for a copy.

Please leave a comment below or send me an email at: altefritz1740@yahoo.com

Setting the Scene book

Dealing From the Bottom of the Deck

 

My game deck of cards that I created.

Previously, I posted pictures of the deck of cards that I will be using in my "Who Killed Julius Caesar?" game at Historicon this year. Game Cards

It is Event #900 on Friday night at 7PM. There is room for six players in the game and unfortunately nobody has signed up for the game in the preregistration period. Hopefully when people walk past the game table they will take a look at it and then rush over to the onsite registration desk to sign up for the game.

The first person to sign up for the Caesar game gets a hug and a kiss from Sydney Sweeney. The second person who signs up get the same from me. And of course there is also some sweet looking game swag for the players. Game Swag

I only need one player to play the game as I will step in and play. Mrs. Fritz and I have been playing the game over the course of the past week and she agrees that the game is a blast. Last evening it was Brutus in the Bakery with the amphora. Apparently he invited his good friend Julius Caesar to the bakery for a chocolate chip scone and then clocked him on the noggin with the clay pot. Nasty business that.

Today I did a little more work on my deck of game cards. I decided that the cards would look better if they were printed on the front and the back sides of the card. Now the cards look darn near professional with the SPQR logo on the back side of all of the cards. I took them over to Staples to get them laminated so that they will hold up from frequent game usage.

The new backside (left) for the game card deck.

I also created some game handouts to give to passers by so that they can understand what the game is all about. These are being printed at Staples as I write this blog post.

All of the work for this particular game is done and put to bed. I still have a little bit of work to do for the skirmish game, "Romans, Come Out To Play-yay!".  I have another play test of my skirmish rules set for tomorrow so that I can tweak things a little bit.

A set of Roman Vigiles arrived yesterday from Speira in Sweden. The Vigiles were the Roman city police force. There are plenty of game tickets available for this game too, if you catch my drift.

Friday I pick up my rental car and start loading it up with boxes of soldiers and terrain. Then on Saturday it's off to good old Cleveland, Ohio for the first leg of my two day trip to Pennsylvania. On Sunday I arrive in Gettysburg and I will spend a couple of days visiting the battlefield with Ken Bunger. We have licensed battlefield guides arranged for both days. If you ever visit Gettysburg National Military Park then I highly recommend highering one of these knowledgeable battlefield tour guides.

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Hannibal! The War Game Advertisement

 

A shout out and thank you to Chris Gregg for creating this advertisement flyer for my Historicon game.

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Video: Converting Clue into a war game

 

The murder suspects (L to R): Brutus, Livia, Claudia, Cato, Marcus and Gaius.

I have created a short 3-minute video about how I converted the popular board game "Clue" into a war game played with historical 54mm miniatures and 1/30 scale buildings on a table top. This is much more attractive than a one-dimensional board game with plastic tokens. I have posted the video onto my You Tube page so click on the link and listen to the soothing voice of the narrator- Me! Morgan Freeman and Kevin Costner had previous engagements and sent their regrets at not being available to do the voice over work.

Here is a link to my You Tube page where you can watch the video:

Clue - The War Game Version

I will be hosting this game at this year's Historicon convention on Friday July 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM (Event #900). The name of the game is "Who Killed Julius Caesar?" and is scheduled to last no more than one hour. This is a nice relaxed way to finish a long day of war gaming at the convention. The rules are easy to learn (it's the board game Clue, after all ) and it is a game that one does not have to take too seriously to enjoy. And most importantly, it's just  darn good fun to play!

Below is a link to the Table Top Events sign up page for all of my Historicon games this year:

Jim's Historicon Games Schedule

There are plenty of tickets available for all four of my war game events. They include two large table top battles, a smaller skirmish level game, and the fast and fun murder mystery game shown in this blog post.

A popular gathering place in my tabletop Roman city.

A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum...

The table top set up for the Clue game. It all fits into a 4ft by 5ft area.
Cigar Box Battle Mat cobblestones and the buildings are from DAF Architects & Associates LLC.

While the pre-registration of participants in my games has been less than I had anticipated, I am hopeful that the on-site game registration will send a few more players my way. So if you plan on attending Historicon this year, then please consider pre-registration enrollment in one of my games. I will be very grateful for your support. I promise that you will have a lot of fun playing in my games

And I am giving my players some nice swag to take home:

So please click on the link to my YouTube video and if you like the video, then please leave a comment and click on the Subscribe button on the You Tube site.

Sand, sandals, swag and fun! What more could you ask for?

Cheers,

Fritz

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Independence Day Is Here: 250th Anniversary

 

You'll Be Back, Soon You'll See

Happy American Independence Day everyone!

Enjoy your day of parades, family gatherings and fireworks!

Here are some random pictures of Fife and Drum Miniatures Americans for your viewing pleasure:

General George Washington "The Father of Our Country"

South Carolina soldiers from Fife and Drum Miniatures

Daniel Morgan's Riflemen
Fife and Drum Miniatures

Mohawk Indians
Fife and Drum Miniatures

And finally, happy Fourth of July 
Nathaniel Greene meets John the OFM at the Savage Swann Inn

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July 3rd: Pickett's Charge Pix

 

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