Winser's Wargaming Page

Pictures of Our RFandF game

2012-01-28T11:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of our Regimental Fire and Fury game held on January 27, 2012 at Manhattan Beach Middle School.

The game gets started. The Confederates on the left, the Yankees on the right. The objective of the game was to gain control of the bridge seen in the upper middle of this picture. Just click on the pictures to enlarge them.

This is from the Confederate left flank. Hood's division, made up of crack troops, is taking on a larger number of green Union troops. The South's rather aggressive tactics proved to be their undoing in the end.

On the Rebel right, the two sides came into conflict very quickly with the men in grey getting the upper hand.

A lonely rebel battery from Hood's division holds an intersection.

Hood's left flank is collapsing.

Towards the end of the battle, the Union had gained control of the bridge and thus secured the victory.

Unfortunately, our game was rather short. But we did get familiar with the rules. All 13 players felt like they were involved in the action and had a good time, so we considered the event a success.

Great game today

2012-01-27T20:38:00.000-08:00

13 kids showed up today for a game of Regimental Fire and Fury. Six Confederate brigades were given the task of holding off six large Union brigades, the major prize being a bridge over a small stream in the middle of the table.

Our time was short, and this was the first go at these rules for us. Despite that, we were able to get through six turns in a little over two hours. The Rebs did a solid job of holding back a disjointed attack on their right. On the left, however, Hood's division lost sight of its major objective, which was capturing and holding the bridge. The much larger Union regiments, though mostly green, were able to drive back a skeleton force while troops from the center were successful in capturing the bridge. We had to end the game just as things were getting pretty interesting. In the end, though, it was clearly a Union victory. I'll post pictures over the weekend.

Game coming up

2012-01-18T16:12:00.000-08:00

The club I have started at school will be putting on its second game on Friday, January 27, from 3:00 to 6:00 P.M. We are going to try out the Regimental Fire and Fury rules to see if they are a little easier for the students to pick and if the game moves more quickly. There will be room for twelve players, though I am sure we will have more show up than that.

Today at nutrition there were 20 kids that showed up to get an overview of the rules. I have some painting to do to make sure I have enough stands for a decent scenario. I am just finishing up Hood's Texans and the Louisiana Tigers. Next up will be the Iron Brigade and Berdan's Sharpshooters. I hope to have at least 150 stands per side as well as 12 artillery stands per side. If I am really fast, I will also paint up some more Union zouaves, but that might be too ambitious. I'll post pictures soon after the event.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

I hope one and all had a very Merry Christmas and took a moment to remember the reason for the season. As the day draws to a close, I am so thankful for my family. I wish everyone a very prosperous New Year.

Regimental Fire and Fury

2011-12-22T10:52:00.000-08:00

I just received my copy of Regimental Fire and Fury in the mail in time for Christmas break. I have been putting together some bases fitted to RFF to try out the rules. They are fairly simple. The book is well illustrated and gives examples. The support page is also helpful.

I really like the fact that I can create labels for units. I had fun doing various units at Antietam. I have also been able to adapt several of the scenarios from Undying Courage by Scott Mingus to the RFF format. It's easy to do; you just have to double the ground scale and number of figures per regiment. It makes for much smaller battles, but I like the larger units. They look great on the battlefield.

I am going to keep at it and hopefully have some pictures to share in the next couple of days.

First After School Event

2011-12-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

I just got home from my first after school military history in miniature event. 24 eager kids showed up, including four girls. I had to tables set up. I was able to get most of it ready in the 45 minutes of my planning period. The boards I purchased worked out real well and I was incredibly pleased.

The Seven Years War game pretty much ran itself. Several of the kids have taken my summer class and knew the rules well enough to teach them to the newbies. I took the ACW game and had 14 rookies. They caught on pretty quickly and everyone seemed to have a great time. We were able to clean everything up and be out the door by 7:50 P.M. All in all, I would say it was a tremendous success for having so many kids and a relatively short time to play.

Here are a few pictures:

The ACW game gets under way

The SYW game

The table set-up worked out very well

The cavalry prepare to lock horns

The Confederate side giving their orders

Event this Friday

2011-11-30T19:23:00.000-08:00

This Friday after school I am having my first wargaming event. It looks like we'll have a great turnout. There will be two games, one a SYW game that some of my experienced student will run and then an ACW game that I will oversee.

I handed out over 25 permission slips today at our weekly meeting, so I could have my hands full. I'll be sure to take some pictures and post them over the weekend. It seems that there is a future for our beloved hobby.

ACW fences and upcoming gaming night

2011-11-23T10:48:00.000-08:00

A couple of news items for the old blog today, this Thanksgiving Eve. First, I have been busy making scores of snake rail fence sections. It has been said you can never have too much fencing for the American Civil War, and I took that to heart. Most of the sections are 9cm long and 2.5 cm wide. I also made some corner sections, broken down sections, and other odds and ends. Once I got the hang of it, I was able to make 20 at a time using only match sticks and white glue. I'd then spray paint everything black. Once dry, I'd apply a dark brown, then dry-brush with snakebite leather and then cadet grey for weathering. Half way through I got the idea to apply some Woodland Scenics ballast to the stands before I spray painted them. On the others I added foliage once they were flocked. Here are a couple of photos:

The other news item is that I have started a military history in miniature club at the school I teach at. At our first meeting I had 32 kids show up. We have planned an after school event for Friday, December 2 that will go into the evening. I'll have two games going, one a ACW game and the other SYW. I have a few kids from my summer class that will be there, so I am hoping they can help the other kids with the mechanics. I have purchased eight 2'x4' light boards to put over the desks in my room to use as playing space. I'll put gaming matts over those and see how it works. This way we can use my room and not have to try to reserve a larger space at the school. At least 20 kids have expressed an interest in attending, so it should be a full house. I'll be sure to take some photos and post a report.

End of Crisis at the Crossroads

2011-10-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

I wrapped up the recreation of the Quatre Bras game I was playing. In the end, the allied left was able to drive off the French, inflicting very high casualties on each battalion. Even the Belgian dragoons came through against their French counterparts. On the other flank, the Nassau battalions in the woods were able to hold their ground, but two Dutch militia battalions were destroyed when they were caught in the open by French lancers. The Dutch foot battery was also overrun by lancers. Despite these losses, it appeared that the Prince of Orange would be able to hold on with the few reserves he had on hand, partiularly the unblooded Dutch hussars.

The decimated French battalions can be seen trying to regroup in the background

The cavalry meles

The French high water mark in the center.

The Nassauers stubbornly hold on to the woods.

All in all it was a fun game. Several charges turned out to be surprising and a couple of double sixes had an inpact on the overall outcome. The big Nassau battalions were tough in firefights having so many figures. The French columns were not successful in punching through them.

To my Camp VIP alums

2011-10-08T11:20:00.000-07:00

This morning the president of our local wargaming group, HMGS, called and said that he had a member donate about 50 plastic model tanks and asked if I might have any interest in them. Many of you have asked about World War II types of battles, so I thought some of you might be interested. These will be sent to me in the near future and I'll probably keep them at school, so if you are interested, let me know and I'd be happy to pass some of them on to you. You can let me know of your interest by posting a reply on this site.

Crisis at the Crossroads

2011-10-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

Using the book The Battle of Quatre Bras and some magazine articles, I have put together a battle that takes place at about 3:00 during the battle of Quatre Bras. The scale isn't quite right, but it gives the general idea of the situation faced by the Prince of Orange at that time. His lonely Dutch/Belgian division was trying to hold the vital crossroads. The French had gotten off to a late start, but were making up lost time quickly. Here are some shots from the first three turns. To summarize, the French columns of Bonaparte's division jumped off and were quite successful in pushing back the Belgian jagers. Their initial artillery blasts were also very effective (double sixes), but alas, no officers were hit.

Soye's brigade pushes back the Belgian jagers.

Bonapate's other brigade deploys to attack the wood.

French chasseurs a cheval threaten the allied left flank.

Lancers prepare to attack the crossroads.

From behind the French right

Sharp Practice Part 2

2011-08-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

I did a few more turns of the game and I think I am getting the hang of it. The Indians finally drove the red coats out of the blockhouse and then went on to capture a portion of the wagon train and slew the civilians that were with it. Rogers Rangers drove off the company of marines, but then took a number of losses when fired upon by Canadian trappers. A company of the 42nd Highlanders has arrived to try to help Rogers' men break through to the fort.

The grenadier company of the 28th drove off the war party threatening the farmstead, but another group of warriors has arrived on the other side of the table trying to capture yet another farm. More than half of the wagon train is now in enemy hands. The braves are trying to hurry the booty back to their village where it will be easier to defend.

On one turn I got the entire way through the deck before the Tiffen card showed up. That was a fun turn!

All in all, I can see that this is going to be a fun set of rules to capture the thrills of the French and Indian War.

Sharp Practice battle

2011-08-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

I have been dallying with the rule set Sharp Practice for a while now. I am using it for the French and Indian War. I have about 225 Blue Moon figures for each side, making up about 15 companies per side. I used the rules, though modified, for my summer class. Now I am trying to use them as written for a solo battle.

The setting is an obscure valley on the western reaches of the colonies. There is a fort and several farms along with an Indian village. A blockhouse stands guard over the village to keep the natives in line. But the French have been up to mischief and have stirred the Indians into action. With the help of some Canadian trappers and a company of elite marines, they will rise up and attack an unsuspecting wagon train headed for the fort with a new group of settlers. Two companies of militia provide the protection while the second company of the 28th Foot mans the blockhouse. The rest of the 28th garrisons the fort along with a gun and a company of militia.

Things got off to a vicious start as Indians and marines concealed in the woods sprung the trap. The wagon train was cut in half and Hunter's militia took losses. Col. Chevalier revealed himself and quickly led another war party and a company of trappers against the blockhouse. It was a great start for the French. But things quickly began to unravel. The Tiffin card showed up early in the next three turns and the dice were not allowing the French and Indians to move into contact. Despite sufferning some losses, the second company of the 28th Foot fought off three attacks. Most of the wagon train was able to move toward the fort and out of danger, but the other half is most likely lost to the Indians as Hunter's militia has run away due to too many shock points.

On the fourth turn the British reinforcement card turned up and a company of Rogers Rangers arrived behind the wagon train and fired a terrible volley into the marines, killing three of the 14 men. The 28th's grenadier company left the safety of the fort to rescue a family at a farm nearby being attacked by the French reinforcements of a war party of Hurons. The pictures below show some of the action. Just click on them to enlarge.

The Indian village. Things are deceptively normal.

The battle for the blockhouse rages near the village.

The Rangers arrive just in time, but will be facing some challenges of their own.

Hurons attack a farm, but the grenadiers of the 28th Foot are coming to the rescue.

Summer draws to an end

2011-08-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

I start back to school next week. I have mixed feelings about that as it has been a terrific summer. I painted A LOT of 28mm figures for a friend and then worked on my Sharp Practice figures adding some civilians, both European and native. I also redid the cards to be based on officers rather than units which should help the games tremendously. There were three videos on Youtube that explained the basic mechanics really well.

Today is my last real off day and I hope to do a little game in my garage. If I am successful I'll post some pictures this afternoon.

Day four, week four

2011-07-28T13:54:00.000-07:00

The last battle began today and things got off to a fast start. Here are some shots.

Russians agains Prussians

More of the same

This, too

French taking on Austrians

Another view

Day Three, week four

2011-07-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

The second battles came to a conclusion today. The Russians were clear winners over the French and Austrians. The French started out very boldly and paid for it when fired upon by four Russian batteries. The Russian light cavalry were able to defeat their French counterparts on the left flank. After several attempts, the Russian cuirassiers were finally able to switch to assault orders and proved to be the telling blow, destroying most of a French brigade and breaking the line to assure the victory.

On the other table a much more chaotic conflict took place. The losses were high on both sides. Cheers rose from the Austrians when a double six forced Fredrick the Great to check his own welfare. To the horror of the Prussians, he was killed and things looked very grim for them. But towards the very end of the battle, Marshal Daun was also subject to a test due to a double tweleve. An eleven was rolled, indicating that a bullet had hit his pocket watch, demanding a second roll. A one spot came up, meaning the watch was of inferior quality and the marshal was dead. Both commanders had been killed! Has that ever happened before. In the end, the game was determined to be a draw.

So, going into the last battle tomorrow and Friday, the Russians are in first place with three points, the Austrians and Prussians both have two points, and the French have but one. The last battles will see the Prussians take on the Russians and the French going up against the Austrians.

Week four, day two

2011-07-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up the first of three battles today. Both ended in draws, though the casualty lists wouldn't indicate that. On the first table, the French were able to turn to the offensive on the last turn of the game and caught a Prussian battery completely unaware. A stubborn French battalion held a small farm on the left flank against fierce attacks from the Prussians. The Prussians came close to breaking through in the middle, but a cavalry unit faltered when it was opportunity charged by some French hussars, and that stemmed the tide.

On table two, yet another draw resulted. The Austrians/Bavarians seemed to have the advantage at the beginning of the day, but a Russian cuirassier regiment rolled a double six in a mele and literally destroyed their Austrian opponent. The Russians also concentrated their forces on the Austrian middle and caused a lot of damage there, though barely making up for the horrendous losses they suffered on their attack on the Bavarian brigage on their right flank.

At the end of the game, the French still held the dense wood

The farm on the French left flank held as well.

These Bavarians battered the Russian grenadiers

This is the beginning of the second game. Notice how tidy the table is.

Game two on the other table. Again, things start out looking pretty orderly

Week four, day one

2011-07-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

The final week of Camp VIP is off and running. Due to a clerical error we only had eleven students today, but a twelfth from the waiting list should be joining us tomorrow.

The three teams of three and one of two listened patiently as we went over the rules. This group is the least experienced of any I have had, but they appeared to be getting the hang of things by the time the day came to a conclusion. It appeared that the Prussians were gaining an advantage over the French on one table, and on the other, some extremely good first rolls by the Bavarian brigage blew some major holes in the Russian grenadiers, giving them the edge. The inexperienced Russian players deployed their powerful artillery too far away to do much good on this first day. They will probably correct that problem tomorrow.

Below are some photos of today's gaming. To enlarge them, just click on the image.

The Bavarians deploy to receive an attack from Russian grenadiers.

A huge cavalry battle on the Austrian right flank.

The Austrian center

Both the French and the Prussians were eager to capture and hold this dense wood. The French arrived first, thus giving them the advantage.

Both tables in action. At the front of the photo, a French brigade was able to change to an "assault" order and attack the wood. To their right a small brigade of dragoons was wiped out by superior Prussian numbers. To their left, a fellow brigade holding a small farm is under intense pressure from a determined Prussian force.

Week three, day four

2011-07-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

The second battle ended in yet another French victory. Though it cost them many casualties, the companies assigned to delaying the British reinforcements did just that. In the meantime, again at great cost, the French were able to take one side of the fort and had men inside at game's end. The artillery was moving up, the works outside the fort had been taken and so the requirements for victory were met.

To make sure that everyone got to see lots of action in the final game, we set it up so that there were six battles within the battle; six separate objectives and twelve separate commands to try to meet them.

I have learned a lot about the rules and the students have learned the basics pretty well. I have enjoyed having each and every one of them in the class.

Here are just two shots from today. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

In the second game, most of the action centered around the attack on the fort.

In our third and final game, everyone was involved and the engagments were fierce.

Week Three, Day Three

2011-07-20T14:25:00.000-07:00

We bagan a new battle today having learned a few things from the previous one. This time around the action got started much more quickly, but there were still a number of units that didn't get into enough "trouble" to suit their commanders. We'll wrap this one up tomorrow and then have one last go on Friday.

The Indians have suffered the most in this scenario. The meles have seen them get hurt particularly badly. The fort, the main objective of the scenario, is still in British hands, but the garrison is feeling the heat and has lost its only artillery.

Here are some shots from today. Just click on the picture to enlarge it:

The fort before the game started

French and Indians lurking in the woods.

The 28th Foot on its way to relieve the fort.

Colonial militia deployed to defend the bridge.

Students pointing out their troops

The fort at the end of the day. Vicious fights took place amidst the field works.

Many a brave warrior perished in the middle of the table.

Week Three, Day One

2011-07-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

This week we began a week of fighting during the French and Indian War. I am using a new set of rules, so today was devoted to getting used to them. It is more of a skirmish game, meaning the scale is much smaller, fought at the company level. There are A LOT of dice, which means chance plays a bigger part.

Today's scenario was fictional. It centers around a pastoral valley in the western fringes of the colonies. The French and Indians have set out to destroy as many farms as possible as well as take the fort. A wagon train has also come into play, trying to get much needed supplies to the garrison of the fort.

Though we are just learning the rules, there was quite a bit of action at one end of the table. Below are some pictures capturing some of the action.

These are the French and Indian players

These young men are commanding the British and Americans

Most of today's action centered around this small village. American militia garrisoned the buildings. A few turns later the advanced guard of the wagon train, three companies of the 28th foot, entered and a flurry of volleys ensued. It appears that the French and Indians are getting the best of it here.

This is the fort at the opposite end of the table. I made it out of match sticks and am pretty pleased with the end result.

The Virginia State Militia and the first company of the 42nd Highlanders have left the safe confines of the fort to seek out any marauding bands of Indians that have been unleashed on the farmsteads.

This is one of the French and Indian raiding parties itching to cause some havock.

The young lads were terrific today, bearing with me as we worked through the different tables to come to the correct results. Things should run smoother tomorrow.

End of week two

2011-07-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

The Battle of Antietam ended today, and it literally came down to the last roll on the last turn to determine the winners. On the southern table, the Union was finally able to tear a hole in the Southern line, but at great cost. On the northern table, the Yanks threw all they had at the exhausted butternuts and somehow the rebs held. The final charge saw three fresh Union regiments in march column crash into the last available Confederate unit on the table. Unbelievably, the dice were tossed and the men in gray won by just one pip, but it was enough to hold the line and win the game in that sector.

The kids were absolutely fantastic this week. I am especially grateful to John and Brian who have been helping me out. You guys have been terrific.

Next week I'll be trying out a new period, the French and Indian War. This is more of a skirmish game with figures mounted individually in units of 12 to 15 men representing companies. The first adventure will feature a custom made fort and several farmsteads that will need to be defended against a host of French and Indians. Somewhere along the line a wagon train will enter the game trying to get supplies to the fort. I think it should be a fun game.

Day Four, Week Two

2011-07-14T15:57:00.000-07:00

Both sides continued to slug away at each other. A Confederate counter-attack from the southern end of the line destroyed what was left of the Union left flank, only to see dust clouds swirling in the distance stirred up by fresh units in blue.

On the northern end, the Confederates have continued to be aggressive, but are now confronted with a huge gap in their lines. A single brigade of reninforcements have arrived, but even greater numbers keep turning up to support the Yankee effort here.

So it will all come down to the final day. Will the rebs be able to hold out until sunset and at least gain a tactical draw, or will the yanks burst through and destroy Lee's legions? We'll know tomorrow.

Casualties litter the field after the Confederate counter-attack

The rebs try to organize a second line along the Haggerstown Turnpike

The huge gap in the rebel line

Looking north towards the cornfield

Union regulars try to take the stone wall a second time with no better results

Day Three, Week Two

2011-07-13T13:09:00.000-07:00

The day began with a lull in the action as both sides dressed their lines and licked their wounds. But after the brief respite things picked up where they left off. Reinforcements have arrived on both sides, yet at the end of the day the Army on Northern Virginia was in danger of being cut in half. The Sunken Road position has been ruptured, although a second line of defense is being organized along the Hagerstown Pike.

On the northern table, things were a bit more sedate. A huge conflict is brewing on the western flank with both sides hesitant to throw the first blow. But something will have to give tomorrow.

Heartbreak at the stone wall.

Beginning of day three at the Sunken Road.

Action on the northern table.

A lot of action taking place in the cornfield.

Anderson's divion of Longstreet's Corp arrives to threaten the Union flank.

Some heavy thinking going on.

The Sunken Road at the end of day three. D.H. Hill's brigades have been wrecked by a charge on their flank.

Day Two, Week Two

2011-07-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

On the southern table, the Sunken Road saw intense fighting.

The three hours this morning went by very quickly as the battle really picked up on both tables. On the north end, the Confederates continued to be very aggressive, hurling charge after charge at the Yankees. But by the end of the day, the gray tide was beginning to recede.

On the southern table, two entire Union brigades were completely used up trying to take the Sunken Road. Stubborn rebel resistance was slowly erroded, though, under the constant fire of the men in blue. Confederate reinforcements were stalled upon their entry by a timely flank charge as they entered the table. Things are looking very grim for the heroic defenders of States rights.

This is the northern table. At the top of the picture can be seen the destruction that has taken place in the cornfield, just as it did in September of 1862.

Camp VIP Week Two

2011-07-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Week Two of Camp VIP got off to a great start today. Several guys from last week joined a few newbies for this week to fight battles from the American Civil War. Here are the two opposing teams:

The Rebel cause is in the hands of these fine young gentlemen

These handsome fellows hope to keep the Union in tact

The battle today was the opening of the Battle of Antietam. We broke the battle into two parts, on two separate tables to make it easier to get at the figures. Two Union corps were set to attack Stonewall Jackson's corp, but many other units are in the wings waiting for their chance to enter into the fray.

The Sunken Road prior to the battle beginning

Doubleday's Division ready for action

The Union commanders on the southern end of the field

The Sunken Road under attack

A Confederate charge through the cornfield took out a Union battery, but the Lousianans lost 75% of their number and were removed from play

This Union brigade learned the hard way that being hit in the flank by artillery can cause a lot of problems

The game is off to a great start. The Confederates on the northern flank have been very aggressive. In the southern portion they have been content to sit behind their stone walls and keep up a lively fire on the enemy.

Week One Completed

2011-07-08T16:52:00.000-07:00

The first week of camp VIP is over. The final battle ended in a British victory, though in the last two turns the Americans were able to capture General Howe who was trying to rally a British regiment and a swift counter-attack in the middle saw the Americans take the church that was a major objective. Other than that, though, the Yanks were pretty much trounced along the rest of the line.

Win or lose, however, the kids were terrific and everyone had a great time. Next week will see us moving on to the Civil War. The tables are set up and the armies are in place for what should be a fierce fight along a tranquil stream known as Antietam.

Here are two more shots of today's action.

This is on the American right. The redcoats were able to sieze the objective and then fight off every effort to retake it.

This is just before the British and Hessians launch a devestating flank attack on the American middle. It was a painful lesson for two of our newer students.

American Victory!

2011-07-07T13:05:00.000-07:00

On day three of American Revolution week the Continental forces picked up where they left off and won a smashing victory against the British. Before we were five minutes into the day, a grenadier battalion and a guards battalion failed morale checks and ran from the field. The American militia continued its stellar defense of a fence line. The final stroke was administered on the American left where a charge by two units caught a British brigade in the flank and destroyed it.

American units can be seen rushing down the road to reinforce their pressed comrades.

Casualty stands mark where a battalion of grenadiers once stood, but they are no more.

We started a second battle, and this time it looks as though the British might get some revenge. But we'll only know for sure tomorrow.

In our second game, both sides moved quickly to grab positions.

A major battle was brewing in the church yard which was a major objective for both sides. The British Guards arrived there first, which will cause the Americans a lot of problems.

To my Camp VIP kids, on my list of blogs you will see one for HMGS. This is the historical wargame group I am a part of. The president of our organization has extended an invitation to all of you to join at no cost! Membership allows you attend all of our conventions for free and can also get you discounts at a number of local hobby shops that sell miniatures and other gaming materials. Check out the site and leave a comment that you heard about it through our VIP class with Mr. Winser.

Battle of Brooklyn Heights

2011-07-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

The British players.

The Americans

The first week of Camp VIP is off and running. We have started with a recreation of the Battle of Brooklyn Heights. Day one saw the two sides get into their respective positions. The Americans had the heights, but were aware that the Brits had the ability to land troops almost anywhere during the course of the battle. Apart from a couple of American militia units turning tail, both sides held their own.

Today, day two, the players arrived to see that new units were entering the fight. Much to the alarm of Washington's men, two brigades were entering the table smack into the rear of their line. It didn't look good.
But when matters come down to how the dice are falling things can take some strange turns. There is no question that day two belonged to the Americans. Most surprising of all was the performance of the lowly American militia against some Hessian grenadiers. Beyond that, a Guards battalion was routed as was one of British grenadiers. The Yankees left for the day with their chests full of pride for their successes. The British took courage in knowing that tomorrow will be a new day, and there are still units that have yet to arrive.

Here are a few shots of the action. To enlarge, just click on the picture.

The situation as the beginning of day two. This is taken from behind the American lines.

Looking down the table from the American side.

Some Virginians take a fierce toll on the British light infantry and the Guards.

Camp VIP begins tomorrow

2011-07-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first week of Camp VIP. I have twelve young wargamers signed up, plus two terrific assistants. We will begin with an American Revolution game in honor of July 4th. It will be based on the Battle of Brooklyn where George Washington's Continental Army took on the Howe brothers and their British and Hessian soldiers. It should be an interesting game. The Americans will place down cards indicating the deployment of their brigades followed by the British. There will be some "dummy" cards just to make things interesting.

Historically, the war could have ended here if the British had been more aggressive. The Americans were decisively beaten and driven from the heights and their backs were against a river. But a well times storm and some stellar leadership by Washington say the Continentals escape into the night, literally under the noses of the Howes. The American cause would live on to fight another day.

I'll have reports each day, hopefully including pictures of the action. Stay tuned.

Picton's battle ends

2011-04-30T15:43:00.000-07:00

Picton's battle came to a clearcut conclusion today. The French were overwhelming winners. However, this should not be a surprise as the British were vastly outnumbered in infantry and had no cavalry to offset a brigade of French lancers. None the less, it was a decisive victory.

On the last turn of the game, French skirmishers pulled off an upset when they pushed back the vaunted 95th Rifles on the right flank.

On the left, a battalion in line routed the last British battery. This would leave the supporting infantry on that side of the field very vulnerable.

It was in the center, though, that the truly fatal blow was struck. French lancers routed a Hanoverian battalion, which in turn forced a brigade moral check. The result was that the entire Hanoverian force was forced off the table and the allied center was completely destroyed.

Picton's battle

2011-04-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

French Lancers destroy the British center

Three French battalions aren't up to the task of pushing out the 42nd Highlanders from the chateau.

One British regiment is not able to hold off three times its number on a hill on the left flank.

With a long weekend I put together another Napoleonic battle. Picton's divison of three brigades is trying to hold off portions of two French infantry divisions and a brigade of lancers. After six turns things don't look good for old Picton. His center has been shattered and his left has been driven back by superior numbers. Only on his right are his men holding their own.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T15:10:00.000-07:00

A happy Easter to one and all. I had a wonderful time with my church family today celebrating the most important even in human history. He is risen!

HMGS PSW convention 2011

2011-04-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

casualties mount in the center

fire fight rages

huge cavalry battle on the flank

This past Saturday I took two of my camp VIP students to the HMGS Pacific Southwest spring convention in Glendale. We put on a SYW game pitting three Prussian brigades against three Austrian brigades. It was a very close battle, but in the end the Austrians were able to hold on to all of their objectives, so they were declared the winners.

Victrix figures

2011-03-03T15:42:00.000-08:00

I have made some good progress on my Victrix project. Here are some pictures of my finished units, including British artillery, French line and guard infantry and some highlanders.

British foot artillery

French Old Guard grenadiers

French line infantry

92nd Gordon Highlanders

These have been fun figures to paint. Despite the detail required, I have enjoyed painting the highlanders the most. I am almost finished with a second regiment and half way done with the third. So to date I have painted a total of 240 infantry figures, 15 artillerists, three cannons and three caissons.

A new project

2011-02-14T16:10:00.000-08:00

I have picked up some figures in a larger scale. The detail is amazing and they are really fun to paint. They Victrix Napoleonics in plastic. They have to be assembled, but this allows for a tremendous variety of poses and conversions. I am getting pretty good at putting them together, and at about sixty cents per figure, they are very reasonable. Here are a couple of shots of the first 150 that I have completed.

British line and highlanders

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T12:21:00.000-08:00

It's a rainy Christmas time here in Southern California. I must admit that I like it very much and it hasn't caused any problems for us, though I fear others have not been so fortunate.
Merry Christmas to everyone out there in cyberland. I hope you have a wonderful holiday and joyous and prosperous New Year.

My first go with General de Brigade Deluxe

2010-10-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

I just finished my first small encounter using the new Genereal de Brigade rules. They are very similar to the previous edition, but the rules themselves are filled with terrific photos and charts. In this game, a French division of two brigades set about the task of taking a hill from Kempt's brigade of Picton's division. (click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

The first contact was made by a regiment of three batallions. The highlanders were positioned behind a stone wall and their initial volley faltered one batallion, forced another to retreat and then the third had to take a formation test, which it failed. It was not a good start for the French!

A legere regiment attacked a wood held by the 95th Rifles and slowly but surely drove the men in green back, but took casualties in the process.

A third batallion of the same regiment charged a British foot battery. Though being blasted by cannister, the veterans passed their moral and closed with the guns, routing them from the field and allowing a French battery to advance.

The line regiment's two remaining batallions tried to assault the stone wall a second time, but was stopped cold by another fierce volley from the Scots.

You may be able to see colored rings on some of the figures. Yellow represents halted, orange retreat, red routed and green unformed. The white rings represent losses until an entire stand is killed and removed, being replaced by a casualty stand.

It was an enjoyable first attempt at the new rules.

Too Long

2010-10-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

It has been too long since my last post. School started and with it came all the other distractions of fall. I love it, but it does put a crimp in my wargaming activities. In the meantime, however, I did receive my copy of General de Brigade Delux. It is a terrific volume; lots of beautiful pictures of figures and the changes to the rules are very positive. I have tried to set up a couple of small actions to try the rules out and so far so good. I'll post some pictures soon.

Battle of Wheeler's Creek ends

2010-08-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Battle of Wheeler's Creek has come to an end. Despite the valiant efforts of His Majesty's soldiers, the Americans were able to fight off the British advance and inflicted stunningly high casualties in the process.

In the top middle of the picture you can see the casualty markers of the British regiments. In the forefront are those of the Hessian grenadiers. (to enlarge the photos, just click on them.)

The Bristish and Hessians had more success on their right, driving in the two brigades of American militia. But behind them was a solid line of fresh Continentals. Further attacks were deemed futile and so the King's men retreated back across the creek to await developments. Washington considered a counter-attack, but as darkness was drawing a curtian across the bloodied landscape, he decided otherwise. It is probably just as well since the British had several cannons in their line that would have dealt out death in bucket fulls.

A fresh wave of British infantry deployed to attack, but the American line was literally untouched by the previous assaults, so the charge was called off.

In this shot you can see the Hessians make progress against the American militia. Note the many casualty rings, however, that adorn the mercenaries.

Forward up the slopes

2010-08-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

The second stage of the Battle of Wheeler's Creek is well under way. I got two turns in today. There were mixed results for the British and Hessians. On their left, the Americans licked the enemy with some vicious volleys and blasts of cannister. Two more battalions were routed from the field and others were disordered by their departure.

The British take a beating attacking the Americans defending a stone wall

On the right flank, however, things went a little better. The casualties were still very high, but some progress was made. A battery was captured, a unit of militia was shaken by a thundering volley and another unit was pushed back into the woods by the same charge that captured the guns. It's up to the supporting units now to continue to press the attack.

Despite terrible losses, the Hessians make some headway against the American militia

Phase two of Wheeler's Creek is underway

2010-08-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

After taking a few days off, the battle has been resumed! We left off with the British pushing back Alexander's fifth division. The first turns of this new round saw the Americans disengaging their forward line and exiting the field. It will now be up to the second line to settle the manner.

The American militia await the attack

The British are pressing the attack with the Hessian grenadiers and Grey's and Agnew's brigades on their left. On the right, Knyphausen't fresh division is going to take on the American militia units dug in in the woods.

Knyphausen's Hessians get ready to attack.

The disciplined ranks of the British and Hessians appear to be unstoppable. The first turn of the attack sees them moving forward relentlessly. But on the second turn, they move into cannister range and the situation changes dramatically as two units are routed from the field. The momentum has truly shifted to the American side.

In the top picture, the Hessian grenadiers aren't able to withstand the losses they suffer and turn tail and run, disordering and shaking up the unit supportin them. The second picture shows the same thing happening on the right flank. It's a whole new ballgame

Wheeler's Creek continued

2010-08-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Turn seven was relatively calm as both sides had to reorganize after the British attack.

The British have cleared the fenced road and now control the heights. (To enlarge the photos, just click on them.

The American guns made good their escape, but only because of the sacrifice of Nash's North Carolina brigade that took two point blank volleys from some Hessians and British regulars.

Only dead and wounded remain on the field from Nash's North Carolina brigade. But the guns have been saved.

As the Americans are pulling back, Knyphausen's division makes its appearance on the field. This is Grant's brigade leading the way. Phase one of the battle is just about over. The next objective is to cross Wheeler's Creek and attack the hills that the town sits upon. Losses have been heavy on both sides. The British guards and grenadiers are no longer able to participate due to heavy casualties.

These are the lead elements of Knyphausen's division making their way on to the field. It will be their job to attack across the creek into the teeth of the American defenses.

More of Wheeler's Creek

2010-08-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Turns five and six. The volleys continued and both sides lost heavily. The Guards, having lost 33% of their strength, disengaged, as did the New Jersey regiments that faced them. But behind the boiling clouds of battle smoke, the British had moved up some fresh units for a decisive push.

The volleys continue to take a heavy toll on both sides, but neither will back down

Behind the battle smoke are over 360 British Guards dead and wounded

Turn seven. On the British right three attacks went in. The Americans were stubborn in their defense, but ultimately had to give ground, yielding most of the fenced road to the King’s men. On the left, the elite light units of both sides fought a bloody mele until both battalions were forced to withdraw to regroup.

Once again, the bayonette does its job in driving back the rebels

Unthinkable! The Guards have had enough.

No one is left in the woods except the dead and wounded.

Wheeler's Creek continued

2010-08-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

Turn three of the game saw the British Grenadiers surprise the Americans with a first volley. However, the damage was not significant. (click on the photos to enlarge them.)

On turn four, both sides first fired and the losses mounted. Both sides lost a stand, but passed all of their morale checks. But the British definitely got the worst of it.

On the other flank, the British light infantry kept up a hot fire and inflicted some casualties, allowing the guards and Hessian grenadiers to advance without being fired upon.

Battle of Wheeler's Creek

2010-08-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am starting a new battle now that all of my troops are home safely from Camp VIP. I painted up a few more regiments of American militia and wanted to see them in action. This is a fictional battle, with the Americans defending in depth. In front, they have a formidable line of Continentals. Behind that are more Continentals and the large militia division. The picture below is after two turns, just before the first volleys.This picture is of the American line at the start of the game. Wheeler's Creek is behind them.

Figures Sold!

2010-08-11T13:27:00.000-07:00

I must have priced the FIW figures right, because they sold right away with several offers coming in just a day. It was a beautiful collection and I think I found them a good home.

figures for sale

2010-08-06T16:20:00.000-07:00

I painted up a large collection of French and Indian Wars figures that I know I'll never get around to using, so I am offering the whole collection up for sale. There are 324 total infantry figures and 8 mounted officers. The photographs contain portions of each of the types of figures for sale. The asking price is $280 plus $10 postage. This is a brand new collection that has never been used. It's ideal for skirmish games. Email me at dukewin@ix.netcom.com if you are interested.

2010-07-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

Well, the last week is almost over. Today we began the last of the three battles. Optimism was present on all fronts as each side felt that victory was within their grasp. And so the games began. Below, the Austrians aggressively attack the weakened Prussians. On this front, things were fairly equal at the end of the day.

These are the Russian players preparing for their defense.

These are the French players, feeling pretty good after two straight victories. It turns out that their luck continued to hold in the final game of the week.

The Prussian players were hoping for a better start as they faced the Austrians.

And finally, the Austrian brain trust felt good about their chances.

Two battles down, one to go

2010-07-28T15:41:00.000-07:00

The first round of battles were concluded on day two. The French were declared winners agains their Austrian opponents while the Russians and Prussians battled to a draw. The second battles saw the French face off agains the Prussians and the Russians take on the Austrians. Each team was allowed to select one new brigade to add to their depleted forces and off we went.

This time around we allowed double movement to begin with to allow the two sides to get into the actual fighting faster. This proved to be a significant factor. The Russians advanced very rapidly toward their objective. But this allowed their Austrian adversaries to react in a telling way. The Russians advanced too far and received a thorough pounding from the deployed Austrians. The Russian grenadiers were particularly hard hit. However, the cavalry of the two sides fought to a draw at on end of the table. In the other match, the French had tremendous success against the Prussians. Their cavalry was particularly fierce, destroying two brigades and capturing the Prussian objective almost before the Prussians knew what was happening. There were some very lucky dice rolls that came at critical time for the French.

Thursday will see the start of the third and final round of games. The Russians will try to tame the almighty French while the Prussians will try to redeem themselves against the now confident Austrians.

Week Four of VIP

2010-07-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

The final week of Camp VIP is under way. This week we are featuring the Seven Years War, powdered whigs and rigid lines of well-trained soldiers in colorful uniforms. This week's format is a bit different. The class of 12 has been divided into four teams of three. They will all play against each other over the course of the week. A win will be worth three points, a draw is worth one and a loss, of course, will be zero points. I am curious to see how this works out, but we are off to a good starts.

The team to the left has the potent Prussian army. It is the smallest contingent, but the best trained.

Here are Russian commanders who are having to take on the Prussians in the first round.

On the second table the Austrians, commanded by these handsome young lads, are taking on the French.

These are the French commanders.

In this shot, the French are making their opening moves.

Here, you can see the first volleys being fired in the Prussia vs. Russia game.

Week three ends

2010-07-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

The last two days of our class saw the battle rage intensly. The allied line was stretched almost to the breaking point, even being penetrated at a couple of points. But the polyglot force somehow managed to hold the line. To the right are the British guards. (click on photos to enlarge.

The were some amazing rolls. This wasn't staged! Nic tossed the dice and one of them stood on end.

For two days the French tried to force the
Nassauers out of the Bossau wood, but these soldiers held on stubbornly until the very end of the game.

Here men from Bachleu's division attempt to break through. This division was almost completely used up in the attempt

French cavalry had a field day on the Allied left flank. The entire 3rd division was destroyed by a skillful use of combined arms. The Dutch/Belgian cavalry was no match for the Emperor's horsemen.

This is a shot after a cuirassier regiment caught a Brunswick battery in the flank, but then was caught in the flank by a counter-charge from the Duke's uhlans.

There was lots of action right up until the end of the game. Both sides claimed victory, but it was determined by yours truly that the allies had met their victory conditions by holding on to the crossroads until the end of the game. It had been an extremely costly victory, however. In hindsight, the French could have used their artillery better to soften up the weaker allies.

In the end, however, everyone agreed that it had been a great week and that a good time was had by all. Thanks, gentlemen, for another terrific week!

week three, day three

2010-07-21T13:38:00.001-07:00

Day three is now in the books. Since the last post, the French have continued to push back the Dutch/Belgians, though it has taken much longer than expected. The Dutch/Belgians have been stubborn in their defense. But the picture at right shows the allied cavalry about to be driven back by Lancers of the Imperial Guard.

Half way through the day we set up the second half of the battle. This shot shows the very beginning moves of the second phase. The French are being much more aggressive this time around.

Here is a view of the battlefield from the east. General Picton's fine British brigades can be seen lining the road, screened by the famous 95th Rifles. Things should really heat up when the fighting resumes tomorrow morning.

Napoleonic week begins

2010-07-19T13:00:00.001-07:00

Our Napoleonic week is off to a good start. After giving the 14 participants some historical background on the battle of Quatre Bras and an overview of the rules, we were ready to begin. The shot to the left (just click on the pictures to enlarge them) is of the French players surveying their units in preparation of an attack.

This is a shot of the Allied left where the 3rd Division was positioned. A brigade of Hanoverians is holding down the town. In today's action the unit is skirmish formation in front of the town was caught by a regiment of French lancers. At the expense of one casualty the lancers destroyed all 32 men in the battalion!

In the center of the table the French began a slow but steady advance on their Dutch/Belgian counterparts. The allied guns had an abundance of targets and inflicted several casualties. As the skirmish lines closed in on each other the French got the upper hand in this fighting.

The highlight of the day, however, was when the Dutch guns took a shot at a French battery and rolled double sixes. A section of guns was destroyed. Even more alarming was the fact that General de Division Foy's horse was paniced by the exploding caissons and bolted toward the enemy lines where the humiliated general was captured!

The action is sure to pick up tomorrow as the French close with their objectives and try to push them back at the point of their bayonettes.

End of week two

2010-07-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

Things came to a conclusion today on my ACW week of Camp VIP. In this second battle the Confederates were to be the attackers. Early on, it seemed that the younger Yankee players might make things easier for the Rebs. They pushed out a brigade into cannon range and lost an entire regiment in a hail of shot and shell. However, this apparently brought the Union command team to their senses and they pretty much handled the Confederates from that point on.
On the Rebel left, the commander there made some progress. His counterpart in the middle did as well. But the Yankees simply fell back to a second line and prepared for the storm. On the Confederate right, waves of gray and butternut swept forward and had mixed success. In the end, though, there were just too many Yankees and the frail rebel regiments began to waste away after three or four turns of firefights and charges. They came close to their objective, but it all came to a screeching halt as two fresh brigades came onto the table and stopped the attack cold.
Again, these were great kids and we all had a terrific time.

Day three of week two

2010-07-14T12:42:00.001-07:00

Our first battle of the week ended today. The picture at left shows the results of one last desperate Union charge to try and sieze the initiative. You will note that there aren't any Union troops in the picture. That's because they either died or ran away. Things didn't go much better elsewhere, thus a resounding victory for the Confederates. After some reorganizing of the table, we moved on to a second battle

This time around, the Yankees would be on the defensive while the men in gray would be attacking. The map at left (click on it to enlarge) shows the opening dispositions and where reinforcements might arrive during the game. The Union side has some troops of questionable character, so they'll have to be careful.

The Confederates got to work quickly sending brigades every which way, apparently trying to concentrate for a major punch to the Union's midsection.

The men in blue were busy trying to stitch together a defense with their limited forces.

The young brigadiers on the Union left got off to a rough start. They aggressively moved forward only to be rebuffed by some harsh Confederate artillery fire. The Union left will have a rough time of it in tomorrow's resumption of the action.

Day two, week two

2010-07-13T16:38:00.001-07:00

In today's action the situation turned dramatically. Though their line was thin, the Confederates delivered a major whooping on the Yanks. By the end of the day, Meade's division was all but wrecked. Two Union brigadiers were shot out of their saddles and Northern spirits were sagging. Despite some significant reinforcements, the men in blue were not able to gain the upper hand.

The battle will conclude tomorrow, and there is still some fight left in th U.S. forces. Doubleday's entire division has been laying back letting its artillery pound away at the Confederate line. Also, rebel reserves have been siphoned off to other points in the line, so the left flank is pretty much on its own. There is still a chance, though slim, that the Yankees can pull it off. And that's why we play the game.

To the left, Hood's men behind a stone wall find the range and deliver some withering volleys to the Pennsylvania Reserves.

This shot shows just how bloody the fighting was for the Union this day.

Despite the pounding, these Union generals were still in good spirits!

Week two begins

2010-07-12T13:06:00.001-07:00

Week two is off to a good start. Eleven of the 12 students arrived, five of whom are returnees, so I have some experience going for me. The contest pits a strong Union force of attackers against a determined group of Confederate defenders. In the pre-game comments I exhorted the Rebs to be defensive. So, of course, they immediately set out to attack the men in blue! This has had some very negative results this far. The picture to the right (click on it to enlarge) shows the Union right flank.

The picture to the left shows an aggressive John B. Hood marching forward to secure the road intersection. We'll see how that works out.

This picture shows the Union left flank. Here the Confederate player is following direction and just trying to hold back the blue masses. He has taken some casualties from artillery fire, but the Yanks have yet to cross the river.

End of Week One

2010-07-09T13:20:00.001-07:00

Well, week one of my miniatures class is in the books. It was a terrific group of kids! It appeared that they all had a good time right up to the end. Here are several shots of the second game we played.

This time around there was no question that the Americans were the clear winners. By the end, the British had given up the town and lost control of the bridges that led to their retreat. The battle turned on some unbelievably poor luck on the British side.

The turning point came when the Americans launched an attack. A British regiment protecting the flank of the brigade had to take a moral check and rolled snake-eyes! This left the entire brigade's flank open and resulted in the destruction of the entire defense. And then, just for good measure, on the second to last turn a British general rolled snake-eyes not once, but twice, followed by a three. This saw his entire brigade flee from the table and left no doubt as to who the victors were.

Some discussion between turns.

The American commanders. Well done, lads!

The stoic British generals. I wish adults could show as good sportsmanship as these young men did. They never took the game too seriously which allowed all of us to enjoy it all the more.Thanks for a great week, guys. I hope you'll take my class again next year.

Day three

2010-07-07T15:26:00.001-07:00

The town is quite adequately defended. This British brigade was given a severe beating by the entrenched Americans!

The lads showed up bright and early to conclude the week's first battle. It was an action fought on two different tables. On table one, the Americans beat back a British attack, routing elite unit after elite unit. "I kept rolling snake-eyes" one of the King's commanders lamented. But on the other table, the King's men did a masterful job of thrashing the rebels attempting to come to the town's relief. At the end, it was decided that the battle had ended in a draw.

Camp VIP day two

2010-07-06T13:36:00.000-07:00

Day two of our AWI battle is now in the books. The Brits were able to gain some ground on the Americans, but only with a bit of luck and some pretty bold moves. On the other hand, the Americans have a very solid defense set up for the Brit's primary objective, and it will take some very hard fighting to break through.

There were some very exciting moments. A disordered British light unit was attacked in the flank by a militia unit and was able to withstand the attack and drive of the part-time soldiers. On the other table, a routing unit forced other red clad units to have to check theirs, and of course one unit rolled snake eyes, resulting in their flight from the table.

Day three should be captivating. A winner will emerge one way or the other.

Camp VIP begins

2010-07-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

Today I began my eighth year of sharing my hobby with an excited group of young people. 11 of the 14 who signed up were present for a week of wargaming the American Revolution since our nation's birthday was yesterday. I tried something different this time around, two tables as opposed to one big one. The shot on the right is of the first table. It features a town that needed to be held by the Americans. Their reinforcements would be arriving via table 2, which is to the right of this picture.

This is picture of table 2. The British would be allowed to place four brigades on the two tables as they chose after the Americans placed two brigades into the town. Reinforcements would arrive in a predetermined manner which the players were not aware of. After a brief overview of the rules and a discussion of the objectives the game was set in motion. We got through 8 turns in the first day, as there was a lot of maneuvering that took place. But tomorrow things should heat up considerably. It appears the Americans are off to a good start as the Brits were distracted by a rather brash advance by American dragoons. However, it's very early in the contest.

Here is a picture of some of the kids moving their troops in the early portion of the game. The more experienced players were very good about helping out the less experienced ones. And as is often the case, the youngest players have turned out to be the most enthusiastic. As the session ended they were already plotting their strategy for the next day!

2010-06-24T15:45:00.000-07:00

I am getting ready for my summer class. The first week will center around the American Revolution. In this little practice battle, an elite force of British and Hessians are trying to push back a division of Americans. This picture shows the starting position of the two sides.

The Brits and Hessians advanced and took an opening volley from the colonists. They sustained casualties, but didn't flinch at all.

On the next turn, the Hessians also engaged with the same basic result. But the Guards managed to rout an American unit, leaving a gaping hole in their line!

The First British Guards lowered their bayonettes and charged home, driving back the extreme left American regiment. But the unit that routed the previous turn rallied (double sixes) and so there is hope that the flank can hold.

On the American right, muskets continue to blaze away, but neither side is willing to give any ground.

Summer class filled!

2010-05-16T08:32:00.000-07:00

The director of the summer camp I teach at just let me know that all three sections filled up almost immediately. Apparently the class has developed quite a following. Unfortunately, some of the kids from previous years won't be able to attend unless I allow more students per class, but that diminishes the experience for everyone, so I am extremely hesitant to consider that. However, it's encouraging to know that there are a lot of potential wargamers out there!

Gemioncourt continued

2010-05-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

The battle has continued on, with the French proving to be very successful in their efforts. A British brigade entered the fray on the allied left, which initially seemed that it would dramatically turn the tide. However, a brigade of French lancers also arrived at the same time and more than checked this advantage. In the shot below (click on the image to enlarge) the lancers have crushed a square and are now poised to destroy a battery of foot artillery. To the French left of the above action, a combination of infantry and cannister has driven off the Orange Nassau battalion with heavy losses, uncovering the other flank of the British brigade. Still another column of French infantry has successfully stormed the Gemioncourt farm complex, driving off the Dutch militia that occupied it.

And finally, after sustaining heavy losses, the French were able to drive off a Dutch foot battery, uncovering a line of Belgian infantry. A battery of French heavy guns has made short work of them. Unless additional forces arrive soon, the situation will be irretrievable for the allies.

Fight for Gemioncourt

2010-04-04T16:16:00.000-07:00

With the information from Mike Robinson's book in hand, plus

some detailed maps from some other websites, I am able to reconstruct some pretty accurate wargame situations. This is the opening stages of the battle as the French try to take the strongpoint of Gemioncourt, held by the first brigade of the 2nd Netherlands Division. (click the pictures to enlarge.)

The French attempted to bombard the allied position with two batteries, but at long range weren't able to do much damage. It was therefore decided to advance the guns. This proved costly as the Netherland artillery inflicted three casualties on the limbered guns. The advance can be seen in the photo below.

On the French right, things start off well as the swarm of skirmishers was able to drive back the 27th Jagers on the first turn. On turn two, however, a second attempt was met with a devestating volley, including a double six. This caused five casualties to the screen and drove

them back 20 centimeters! The risk to officer roll was a three, which meant the brigadier's horse bolted and ran into the enemy lines leading to his capture. This brought the brigade's advance to an abrupt halt until an aide de camp could be detached to straighten the situation out.

The shot below is of the farm of Gemioncourt which is held by a battalion of militia

This is a shot of the last line of defense, a battalion of the Orange Nassau Regiment, under the watchful eye of the Prince of Orange himself.

The Battle of Quatre Bras

2010-03-28T16:59:00.000-07:00

I picked up The Battle of Qutre Bras by Mike Robinson. It is a very detailed account of the battle I have been interested for many years. It takes a long time to get rolling as the beginning sets the scene and goes to great lengths (too much in my opinion) to get the individual regiments to the battlefield.

Once the two sides engage, the author does a good job of picturing the action. There are maps which are very helpful in getting a clear idea of what happened and where. But only the allies are depicted in detail. The French are very obscure which was a huge disappointment to me. Also, for a work as specific as this one, I couldn't understand why there wasn't a detailed order of battle in the appendixes. It certainly wouldn't have been hard to find one to include.

Despite that, the book has been a worthwhile purchase. I'll be doing a Napoleonic week for my summer class, and my reading will help me put together some good scenarios for the kids. The first one, I am sure, will center around the Dutch/Belgians attempt to hold their ground despite being heavily outnumbered and several of their units being raw militia. They did an extraordinary job under the circumstances.

The second will follow the exploits of Picton's division as they enter the battle on the allied left. The British batallions were quite aggressive and paid a high price for it, first from French canister and then from cavalry which they mistook to be Dutch/Belgian.

I have the week off and I am hoping to finish the book during my break. Perhaps I'll even be able to set something up on my wargaming table!

ACW Wargame account

2009-12-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

This is a fictional battle that takes place in May of 1863 in Northen Virginia. Ruttledge Gap is a sleepy railroad junction that is a vital link in Lee's supply line. A large Union force of four divisions has been ordered to take town and destroy the tracks. Stonewall Jackson, with three divisions, has been ordered to protect the town and so force marches his men to get there in time.
Entry points and times or arrival were determined by dice rolls. Stonewall's division under D.H. Hill is the first to arrive, which is very fortunate for the South. Hill has five brigades to put into play, and he'll need every man as two Union divisions are entering the field within a half hour.

The picture to the left is at the end of turn three. Colquitt's brigade has taken position at a crossroads on a hill just west of the town. He has just beat Wilcox's Union division to it. But no sooner has he deployed than D.H. Hill sees a strong Union column approaching from the north, threatening his righ flank. To meet this threat, the Confederat general orders G.B. Anderson's men to form a line to the northeast of Colquitt. At the same time another rebel brigade marches through the town toward the north and then moves west along a farm road to add even more weight to the right flank.

This picture is taken at the end of turn four and shows Crook's brigade coming onto the table and moving towards Colquitt's flank.

This final photo is of the first Union casualty to be suffered from the ranks of the 2/46th New York.
The Hardaway Alabama artillery found the range and drew first blood. The men in blue passed the moral check and continued to join the remainder of the brigade in attacking the crossroads. D.H. Hill will have all he can handle to hold off this attack as Union reinforcements can be seen marching towards the ford to the west and there has been no word of any Confederates approaching to support him.

latest figures

2009-11-21T17:04:00.001-08:00

This is my latest unit to be added to my Napoleonic French collection. These are 15mm Old Glory figures in two battalions. I still have to add the flag to the Eagle. I also painted up a battery of Old Guard 12lb guns and a brigade commander. While small in numbers, I am sure they will carry their weight on the gaming table.

Just click the image to see a larger version.

2009-11-11T11:00:00.000-08:00

On this very important day of remembrance I wanted to pay tribute to the many in my family who have served in our armed forces and risked everything to protect our way of life. My great uncle died in World War I in a valient effort to reach the "lost battalion." My paternal grandfather was at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, aboard the USS Utah. My maternal grandfather served in the airborne during WWII and received the Purple Heart three times. What a legacy they are to me.

Thank you to all who are currently serving our country. I am in your debt.

Blog update

2009-10-25T17:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that over a month has gone by since my last post. School started up again and so my time has been limited. But I have still managed to paint some figures, mostly SYW infantry. I treated myself to some Old Glory 15mm French Napoleonic grenadiers for my birthday. I got them primed and put on popsicle sticks. I am going to do two battalions of 36 figures each. I think I am going to include a mounted officer on each command stand, so that may mean just 35 figures per battalion. To accompany these elite units I will add an Old Guard foot battery of four 12lb guns. They should be a formidable force.

I am itching to put together a game. I just need to set a date and send out an email and see what happens. Time goes by so quickly.

I'll post some pictures when I finish the grenadiers.

GdB battle report

2009-08-27T10:27:00.001-07:00

This fictional battle pitted the Prince of Orange, commanding a division of Dutch/Belgians, against Marshal Ney, overseeing two infantry divisions and a light cavalry division. The Prince is expecting a British Division to reinforce him, but is unsure of when it will arrive. Ney's mission is to drive off the Dutch/Belgians and hold on to the road junction until the rest of the French army can come up in support.

The Marshal was very aggressive and ordered all three of his divisions to assault. The dense columns advanced toward the enemy in a grand display. However, in the very first turn, the Dutch foot battery rolled a double six when firing at a French battery, destroying a secion and faltering it. But elsewhere, the French moved resolutely on toward their objectives.
The Dutch Jagers put up a stiff fight on the Allied right flank, driving off the French skirmishers ordered to drive them out. But in the next turn, two columns of French legere took on the task. But the Jagers gave up ground only grudginly.

On the French left flank, the commander decided to try to soften up the Nassau battalion holding the farm with artillyer before sending in his infantry. This would also allow the cavarlry to get rid of the Belgian dragoons to his division's right flank. He did, however, send in two battalions to clear the wood of skirmishers on his left.

The picture below shows the French lancers just prior to their charge against the Belgian dragoons. Remarkably, the dragoons withstood the first assault and were only pushed back, but with very heavy loss. The following turn this brave regiment was all but destroyed. That lancers' losses were light.

On turn three, the French attacked with vigor, and the Dutch/Belgians responded with elan. The picture below shows the heavy casualties sustained by the3/1st legere as it is slammed with cannister and musketry. It passed its moral test, but was in desperate need of support.

On turn four, the two battalions of the 93rd ligne charged the 2nd Nassau battalion. The Nassauers were able to falter both battalions with a stinging volley. To the Nassauers' left, a Dutch horse battery was routed by two battalions of the 4th legere. On the French left, a Belgian line regiment was driven back into the village by an attack of the 2/1st legere. The Prince is nervously looking over his shoulder, but sees no evidence of help being on its way.

General de Brigade

2009-08-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

I finished my miniatures class toward the end of July and then began a class to add a certificate to my teaching credential. That limited my wargaming activities somewhat. But the class has ended and I still have a couple of weeks of summer left, so I dusted off my Napoleonic collection for a small battle.

The practice with Die Kriesgkunst made this easier than previous games. The scenario had a French divison, supported by a brigade of dragoons, attacking an Anglo-Hanoverian division trying to defend a town. The Hanoverian regulars were on the allied left and the British troops were on the right. Four batallions of Hanoverian landwehr were in a second line as a reserve.

The French attacked right away. The first action was between the two skirmish screens. The French definitely got the better of their adversaries. Following the skirmishers came the blue-clad columns. They were successful in each instance, driving back the allied line. On the extreme left, the dragoons forced an English regiment into square which was subsequently blasted by a battery of horse artillery.

After about six turns it was apparent that the French had been successful in driving off the Anglo-Hanoverian division. The French columns, with their plus two bonus for being in column was just enough of a benefit to win three out of four meles. I was again surprised to see how ineffective the artillery was unless it was firing canister. And then it was devestating, knocking out at least four or five figures at a time!

I have a much better feel for the rules, and so I was able to move at a more rapid pace, which made the game much more enjoyable.

This week I want to finish painting up about 250 ACW figures to either sell or use to replace older figures in my collection. It's nice to have a little time before school starts up again.

Camp VIP days three and four

2009-07-23T16:58:00.000-07:00

Days three and four have seen a lot of action in our re-fight of Antietam. The battle has spread the length of the table, evolving into three hotly contested actions. The longest running is pictured here in the cornfield. Despite a continual stream of fresh brigades entering the fray, the Union hasn't been able to gain the advantage here. But the rebel ranks are getting very thin, so tomorrow's action could see a yankee breakthrough. In this shot, three of the six Confederate generals can be seen plotting their next move.

The second portion of the battle has centered around the attack on the sunken road. Despite heavy losses, the bluebellies just keep on coming, and their volleys have left gaping holes in the rebel line. But help is on the way for the final day of the game.

Finally, day three saw a Union corp sneak across the Antietam on the extreme right flank of the enemy. However, the men in gray have ground down the yankee legions. But the greatest hope of victory for the Union is with the men picture below, making their way through a wood to the flank of the defending rebels.

Camp VIP week three

2009-07-21T12:57:00.000-07:00

The third and final week of camp VIP is underway. This week we are recreating the bloody battle of Antietam. There are six players to a side with the ages ranging from 9 to 14. We are sticking loosely to the timetable of troops entering into the field, but liberties have been taken. After all, all of the commanders need troops! The shot below (click to enlarge) is the beginning of the first turn. A lot of action has taken place on this end of the table. By turn 6, French's very inexperienced unit appeared and had difficulty deploying its first brigade into line. By turn 8, he was ready to try his first attack on the formidable sunken road position.

The fighting in the cornfield was very fierce. Union general Hartsuff got too close to the enemy and was shot dead out of his saddle. For the moment, the Confederates are holding firm, but there seems to be an unending supply of troops in blue entering the field with each turn.

To make things a little more interesting as we head into the third day, a division of Union troops, Wilcox's to be exact, have managed to find a crossing of the Antietam beyond the right flank of the Rebs. This end of the table had been pretty quiet except for some artillery duels. That is certain to change as the player arrive for day three.

Week two of Camp VIP is complete

2009-07-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up week two of Camp VIP with a colonial game using the Battles For Empire rules. A relief column, pictured below, was supposed to march across 10 feet of table to get to a besieged outpost. The natvie players arrived at different locations at different times. But one group arrived early enough and near enough to pin down the entire relief column long enough that they didn't have a chance of reaching the other end of the table by game's end. The kids enjoyed the rules as they are simpler than the ones we used for the American Revolution.

All in all, it was a good week.

Americans win battle of Brandywine Creek!

2009-07-17T09:25:00.001-07:00

After almost four days of gaming action, the Americans were able to claim a dearly won victory against the British. Despite heavy losses, they were able to hold their line, though if the battle had gone on much longer it is probable that the American left would have given way. The shot below is of the plowed hill where the Americans, particularly the lowly militia, stubbornly held on, and even managed to work two brigades into the rear of the British formations. This is a shot of the American left. A fresh brigade of Hessians can be seen in the right center of the picture.

The participants were terrific. They all seemed to enjoy the game and were great sports.

Today we wrap up the week with a colonial game pitting British redcoats agains masses of Ansars and Fuzzie Wuzzies. I'll post some pictures over the weekend.

day two, week two

2009-07-14T17:08:00.001-07:00

Day two saw a lot of action as all of the units finally came into play. Below is a picture of the American left at the end of day one. The British attacked aggressively and were driven back, especially on the extreme right of their line. But as the second day progressed, the redcoats had made some gains and the American commanders were quite concerned. (just click the photo to enlarge it.) Here is another angle of the action of the British right. Hessian reinforcements can be seen coming in on the upper right of the photo.

Here is a close-up of the British Guards trying to drive back the American light infantry brigade. These are the only Americans on this end of the table, and they have to at least delay the enemy until help can arrive.

The biggest surpise of the day came when an American militia unit was able to survive an attack in the flank from a battalion of British Grenadiers. This stopped their progress, and they suffered from some heavy volleys of musketry. Then, when they tried to renew their attack, a second green unit countercharged and completely overwhelmed them. So one of the two battalions has been totally destroyed, and the second has been stung by several volleys. Casualties are mounting on both sides, so day three will see some critical action.

Week two begins

2009-07-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

Week two of my military history in miniature class began this afternoon. We are re-fighting the battle of Brandywine Creek from the American Revolution using a variant of the Johnny Reb rules. Six American players are defending against seven British and Hessian commanders.

All of the American forces were on the table, with two divisions deployed to defend. Four others were posted as reserves. One British/Hessian division of three brigades started on the table on the far right. The rest of the forces had the option of coming on there rolling one die, in the center rolling two dice, or on the left flank rolling three dice to determine which turn they would enter. One Hessian brigade chose the extreme left and rolled a 12! But at the end of the first day, we had just begun turn seven, and all but two of the British/Hessian units were on the table.

Naturally, most of the day's action was on the British left. The men in red got the best of it as an American player limbered a battery that was within cannon range and saw it destroyed in the second turn. Then the same player had to take a morale check of a unit behind works. He rolled snake eyes and saw that regiment flee all the way off the table on the other side. Fortunately, he had a reserve regiment in place to move up and fill the hole, but it was a painful start.

Day two will see the Americans hard-pressed to defend the length of the 12 foot table, especially as the Guards and Grenadiers enter the fray. I forgot the camera, but I'll be sure to take it tomorrow and post some pictures.

Week one is done

2009-07-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

Week one of my miniatures class is completed. All 13 of the kids were fantastic sports and seemed to enjoy the two games we played. Thanks for making it a great week guys! Our second battle turned out to be one of the greatest upsets I can recall in seven years of doing this. The Prussians began day two poised to absolutely crush the battered Russian brigades. As the day progressed, they continued to pound away at the men in green and red. However, the stubborn Russians held where it counted most, around stars marking objectives. In the end, the Russians won on points. Additionally, they were able to move their Corps of Observation clear across the table, which was another victory condition. This body of troops was the weakest on the table, yet some incredibly poor dice rolling allowed them to make a gallant assault. Additionally, the Russian light cavalry was able to tie down several regiments of Prussian horse trying to make their way to that end of the table. The picture below shows the progress of the Corps of Observation at the beginning of day two. This shot is of the center of the table and the cavalry fights that took place there. A big mistake the Prussians made was not putting any infantry here to occupy the small village at the top-center of the picture. Those 100 points could have tipped the scales in their favor.

Newt week will have the American Revolution as its theme. We'll start the week re-fighting Brandywine Creek on a 12 foot by four foot table. Stay tuned for reports.

Russian Battle

2009-07-09T16:17:00.001-07:00

The last two days of our camp will be devoted to a battle pitting the Prussians against the Russians. In the picture below, the Prussian players determine who will command which units. Before the start of the game, I told the Russian players that the key to their victory was being stubborn in defense. If they could hold their ground, they had a good chance of winning. Well, so much for advising young generals. Right from the start, the Russians pushed off aggressively against the Prussians. In the shot below, the two cavalries begin a series of spirited charges and counter-charges. The best sport of the day was Jason, who saw two of his Prussian dragoon regiments depart the field without even drawing thier sabers. His dice rolling was unbelievably terrible. He recruited John to start tossing them for him, and his lone remaining regiment actually did quite well.

Here is an example of a Russian unit advancing into the jaws of the enemy, forsaking the cover of a stone wall to the right that would have helped them tremendously. "Youth is wasted on the wrong people!"

Despite some early gains early on, the Prussians superior troops definitely had an edge at the end of the day. But they still had to capture several objectives before they could claim a victory. We'll see if they have what it takes to seal the deal tomorrow.

Day three of Camp VIP SYW week

2009-07-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

The third day of our camp saw the end of the first battle. We were able to complete 10 turns in three days, which was largely due to how quickly the boys picked on how to use the rules. That helped tremendously in keeping the game going. In the shot below, young Michael attempted to attack a vastly superior force of Prussians. It was a gallant effort, but his heavily outnumbered French were driven back.

Here is a shot showing the guys in the heat of battle.

Towards the end of the game, Derek advanced his Hanoverian brigade forward to try to secure the Prussian left flank. Amazingly, the heavily outnumbered Prussians were able to withstand an intense attack from five Austrian brigades. A spectacular charge by a lone Hanoverian dragoon regiment hit an entire white-clad brigade square in the flank. Three battalions were routed before the dragoons were halted. Their attached commander suffered a wound and had to leave the field.

When the battle smoke finally cleared the Prussians were declared the winners. They had won more objective points and inflicted more casualties on their enemies. But it was a very close and costly victory.

Tomorrow will see the Prussians taking on the Russian masses.

Day two Camp VIP SYW week

2009-07-07T17:39:00.001-07:00

Things picked right up at the beginning of day two. In the early action, Derek's Hanoverian infantry managed to hold of Michael's Austrian Hussars. What should have been a disaster turned into a draw due to a lot of ones rolled by the Austrian commander. On the other flank, Kyle was able to drive off John P's dragoons and avert yet another serious threat. (click on the picture to enlarge it for a better view.) In the middle, Chris and Jordan ganged up on Kevin's two small brigades. After two turns, Kevin's brigades were barely holding on. Both allied batteries had been captured. And if that weren't enough, a third elite brigade of Prussian grenadiers arrived at the end of the day to add still more pressure.

On the Prussian left, John had finally brought his turning maneuver into play against the Austrians. This threat will have to be dealt with, and two brigades in white are ready to lock horns with John's men in dark blue.

The last major development of the day saw Jordon's Prussians beat Cormack's French in the race to occupy the large farm in the middle of the table. This objective is worth a lot of points, and Cormack will have his hands full trying to drive out the stubborn Prussians.

One way or the other, the battle will end on day three so that we can end the week with a battle using my Russian figures which are itching for a fight. As the sun rises on day three, the battle really could go either way.

All 13 of the boys in the class have been terrific. It has been a lot of fun so far, just as it is supposed to be.

Camp VIP SYW week begins

2009-07-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today marked the beginning of my seventh summer of teaching my military history class at Camp VIP. This week will feature the Seven Years War. 13 young recruits turned out and our fictional battle, pitting Prussians and Hanoverians against Austrians and French is underway. The picture below is the table before the game began. The Austrians would be setting up on the right and the Prussians on the left. The various brigades were worth a certain number of points. Each side had to put together an army worth a set number of points. Once that was done, cards were drawn and the brigades were placed on the table. (to enlarge the picture, just click on it.)
This next picture shows two French brigades that will be seeking to gain the farm in front of them.

Here are two Prussian brigades preparing to attack on the left flank.

Once the game got started, there was a lot of activity. By the start of the 3rd turn things really started to heat up!

This final shot is about a third of the way into the third turn. Some Austrian dragoons had their card turn up early which gave them the chance to charge before the Prussian infantry could get into squares. The horsemen overwhelmed a heavy battery and then drove off a disorganized square of infantry. But the Prussian cuirassiers on their left might make them regret their boldness.

AWI photos

2009-07-01T10:38:00.001-07:00

Here are a few shots of a small portion of my AWI collection. These are some British and Hessians going up against some American militia. Most of the regiments went from a minimum of 10 to 12 up to 16 figures. Below is a shot of the British Guards brigade marching to support the attack.

This is the same set-up, but from the other flank.

Mission accomplished

2009-06-30T20:46:00.001-07:00

At long last I have finally finished my re-basing project for both my Seven Years War and American Revolutionary war collections. My miniatures class begins next week, so I have had to get this done to be ready. I am very pleased with the results, and added some figures to both collections to make the units a little bit larger. I particularly like the command stands, based on 1/2" and 3/4" washers. It's easier to distinguish between the line units and the commanders now.

I'll clean up my mess and set up some shots of both collections to post tomorrow.

Pictures of the last wargame

2009-06-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

The picture below is of the Russian left at the start of the battle. The artillery on the hills proved to be a problem for the Prussians the entire battle. The buildings on the left were a primary objective. The Russians had the advantage of being closer to them at the onset of the game. The Prussians placed the majority of their units on the right, hoping to neutralize the Russian cavalry with their own horsemen and then storm the town with their six line battalions.

This is a shot of the village on the Russian right, held by a brigade and a battery. The Prussian grenadiers can be seen in the woods, trying to shield themselves from the Russian guns. This only delayed the inevitable. By the time they launched their attack, they had been pretty well decimated by musketry and cannister.

The primary Prussian success came on their extreme right where their cavalry, though outnumbered, was able to keep the Russian troopers at bey.

The focus of most of the action was this town. The Russians were able to occupy the two sections first. Initially, the Prussians were able to drive them out, but at the end of the game, Russian reserves counter-attacked successfully.

Seven Year's War Battle

2009-05-30T20:32:00.000-07:00

A friend and I were able to get together and have a go at a battle. I have done some solo actions, but haven't had the chance to face a life opponent. I brought my Prussians to face my friend's Russians. We used the point system and each had about 1650 points. For the Russians, that included 11 battalions, five cavarly regiments and three batteries. On my side, I opted for some good quality troops, so I had four grenadier battalions rated at veterans, six line battalions rated as line, two batteries, two line dragoon regiments and an elite cuirassier regiment. My force was divided up into three brigades, my friend's into five. We used the random terrain system and rolled a lot of fives and sixes! On our six by four table we ended up with four villages, two farms, two light woods, a heavy wood and some hills. Three of the four villages became the objectives we were fighting over. The initial deployment of forces favored the Russians as they were closer to two of the three towns as well as having some high ground to place their batteries on. My strategy was to try to use my grenadiers to secure the town closest to my starting point and then move on to take the second town on the left flank. My cavalry was placed on the right flank which was more open. My line battalions and a heavy battery were in the middle, poised to try to take the third, and what I thought would be the decisive town. The Russians were able to start with all three batteries deployed. 1 line brigade held the town on his right, the cavarly was off to the left, facing my horsemen, and then a grenadier brigade and a line brigade were posted in the center to take the pivotal middle village. Right from the start I took casualties from his artillery which was posted on the hills on his left flank. Our cavalry locked horns first, and I had a couple of good rolls that allowed me to drive back his two brigades of cavalry. This secured my right flank so that the line infantry could advance unmolested on the village. The Russians arrived at this critical point first and occupied both sections of the town with two line battalions. On my left, my grenadiers used the woods to try to shield themselves from the Russian battery positioned to protect this side of the table. This slowed my advance, and allowed him to solidify his defense. In the middle, my initial attack on the center village was partially successful. One section was taken outright, but the second proved more difficult and dragged out for three full turns. On the third turn, my adversary threw in a battalion of grenadiers. This tipped the scale in his favor. He also counter-attacked the section I had captured, and on the last turn drove out my fusiliers.

On my left, my three grenadier battalions launched a desperate attack on the village there, but before they could come to grips with the green-clad infantry, were decimated by canister and close-ranged volleys. This valient brigade lost over 50% casualties in a losing effort. As the sun set on this hard fought battle, the Russians held two of the three objectives, and were therefore declared the winners. On my side, a large part of my failure was in the way I misused my artillery. My medium battery never fired a shot! My heavy battery wasn't able to unlimber until the end of the game. In the three turns it fired, it did some significant damage to the Russian cavarly, but had absolutely no effect on the more important theater of the village. I was surprised at how little of an advantage I was able to gain with my "veteran" grenadiers. I would have been better off by having three elite regiments than four veteran ones. It took us awhile to get it all set up, but once that was done, I think we got through close to eight turns in less than four hours. We both agreed that the rules gave us a good sense of a Seven Year's War battle and we are looking forward to our next game.On my left, my three grenadier battalions launched a desperate attack on the village there, but before they could come to grips with the green-clad infantry, were decimated by canister and close-ranged volleys. This valient brigade lost over 50% casualties in a losing effort. As the sun set on this hard fought battle, the Russians held two of the three objectives, and were therefore declared the winners. On my side, a large part of my failure was in the way I misused my artillery. My medium battery never fired a shot! My heavy battery wasn't able to unlimber until the end of the game. In the three turns it fired, it did some significant damage to the Russian cavarly, but had absolutely no effect on the more important theater of the village. I was surprised at how little of an advantage I was able to gain with my "veteran" grenadiers. I would have been better off by having three elite regiments than four veteran ones. It took us awhile to get it all set up, but once that was done, I think we got through close to eight turns in less than four hours. We both agreed that the rules gave us a good sense of a Seven Year's War battle and we are looking forward to our next game.

Hessian militia

2009-05-04T19:50:00.001-07:00

Here are a couple of shots of the three Hessian militia battalions I just completed. I like the white gaiters; a nice change from the black of the Prussian units. These are 20 man battalions. I am just about finished with two regular battalions and then will start working on some cavalry squadrons.

Here are the same battalions from straight on.

Hessian Militia

2009-04-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

I just finished three battalions of Hessian militia. The SYW page was very helpful in coming up with the uniform details. I used an assortment of odds and ends figures to make up the 20 man units. I'll finish up the bases tonight and post some pictures. Next on the agenda are a couple of regular units, some assorted cavalry squadrons and a battery of artillery.
I picked up some additional AWI figures at the hobby store last week. For my class this summer I am going to re-base my collection and add a few figures to each regiment. That should keep me busy up through the end of the school year and into the summer.

another battle

2009-04-18T19:14:00.001-07:00

Well, this is my third attempt at putting together this entry. I am having a hard time getting the pictures to go where I want them. When I try to move them they disappear and I have to start over. This is my last try!

I have finished my re-basing project, and so now it's time to try out the rules. Today's game had a Prussian force of three infantry and two cavalry brigades going against the same order of battle for the Austrians. The Prussians had slightly better infantry and a small numerical in cavalry.

The picture at left is taken from behind the Prussian lines just prior to the start of the battle. The Prussian plan was to attack vigorously with their infantry on the left and wait to see what happened before committing their cavalry on the right. The Austrians surprised the Prussians by sending forth their cuirassiers on an assault order at the very beginning of the game. The first two turns say the adversaries come to grips with one another. The Prussians' first try to activate their hussars to stop the cuirassiers failed, but on the second bound they came through.

Austrian fire took a toll on the advancing Prussians. The 1/40th Fusiliers lost 25% from canister, but still managed to hold their ground.

On turn three a few charges took place. Prussian jagers drove back some Austrian grenzers, while an Austrian battalion stopped a Prussian counterpart cold with a first volley that claimed 25% casualties. But the biggest setback for the Prussians came when their elite hussars were soundly defeated by Austrian cuirassiers. Even worse, the men in armour rolled an 11 for their pursuit test, which means they will remain formed for the next turn and can charge a supporting regiment of dragoons that have been unformed by the retreating hussars!
The picture at left captures the devestating volley of the Austrians into the men in blue.

Slowly but surely I think I am beginning to understand the flow of the game. It is much harder to attack than I thougt it would be. I was hesitant to use my first volley for the Prussians after moving a full turn, but in hindsight, this probably would have softened up the men in white a bit. We'll see how that works next time.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

It's a glorious day here in Southern California and it's Easter Sunday. It's a day to reflect on hope and things eternal. Today will be spent at church and with family. I have so much to be grateful for. I thought it appropriate to use this blog as an avenue to express my gratitude. I hope you have a great day as well!

Finished! But not really

2009-04-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

Today I finished my last stand of Prussian cavalry to complete my re-basing project. So I am finally done. But not really. I still have a ton of unpainted figures out in the garage, beckoning to be added to the completed legions. My plan in buying these figures was to paint them and then sell them to help pay off my Napoleonic project. I have hundreds left to fulfill this original goal, but now my mind swims with the possibilities of adding still more battalions to my SYW collection. I am already adding four more battalions of Russian line infantry. I started working on them today.

So, I have a week off for spring break and I'll need something to do to keep me out of trouble. As I write this I really have no idea what that will be, but I'll keep you posted!

More SYW action

2009-03-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

I finally received my rules and am in the midst of trying out my first "real" game using the entire set of rules. This encounter featured a very large Prussian army assaulting a Russian force defending an elevated position. The cavalry of both sides was lined up on the right Prussian flank so I could continue to test this part of the rules.

The Prussians had a very rough go of it. In the middle, their infantry took heavy losses from several Russian batteries. But on the third turn things really turned south. In the huge cavalry fight, the Russians not only won every mele, but rolled double sixes on two of them! This doubled the casualties and sent three Prussian regiments scrambling back. The Russian horse grenadiers rolled an 11 on their pursuit test, which meant they wouldn't even be unformed from the combat.
In the shot below you can see the results of the combat.

Here is yet another shot of the Russian's tremendous victory over the Prussian cavalry.

The shot below shows the devestating effect of the Russian artillery on the advancing Prussians.
One unit has already dispersed and a second has taken close to 25% casualties.

On this same turn, on the Prussian left, a battalion advancing in column was hit by a Russian battery which rolled double sixes, the third of the turn. In this case, the Prussian brigadier was killed and the battalion faltered, which stopped the attack cold for the foreseeable future.

I have learned that it is very costly to attack enemy artillery and that cavalry combat can be very unpredictable. It has been a lot of fun thus far!

SYW Pictures

2009-03-18T20:12:00.001-07:00

As I said yesterday, my rebasing project is moving right along. I finished the last of the infantry tonight. Now I just have the Austrian cavalry and some Prussian hussars to go.
The picture to the left is from a test battle I put together to try to familiarize myself with the Die Kriegskunst rules. The Prussians were taking a serious beating from the Russians sitting behind a stone wall. I learned a few things about the firing mechanics, to say the least.

The second photo is of my Prussian heavy cavalry. I increased them from 16 to 20 figures. They are an intimidating force!

After this shot was taken the dragoons to the front clashed with some Russian hussars. The dragoons were victorious on both fronts, routing their opponents. But the dragoons' joy was short-lived as two regiments of Russian horse grenadiers were in support. They were far enough behind the hussars so as not to be unformed by their retreat, and they withstood the morale check. The next turn they convincingly revenged their countrymen.

Rebasing update

2009-03-17T14:50:00.000-07:00

I need to accept the fact that sometimes it is best to add a post even if there aren't pictures to go along with the post. I am nearly finished with my rebasing project. It has been quite enjoyable to see the improvement in the stands and the units take their place on the field. Today I will finish the last of the infantry, two Prussian and three Bavarian regiments, each of two battalions. I will paint up four more batteries of Austrian guns and then about 72 cavalry figures to fill out my Austrian and Prussian hussars. I still have loads of figures, so I will try to add some more exotic units for some variety and then hopefully sell off the rest.

I have three months until my summer class. In weak moments I begin thinking about going through the same process with my AWI collection. After a hard day's work I find it very relaxing to go out into the garage and go through the process and seeing the results. It really goes pretty quickly once everything is set up. But there is more to do on my SYW collection before I can do anything else.

3rd General de Brigade game

2009-03-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday afternoon six of us gathered in my garage for a third General De Brigade game. Two of us had some experience, but the other four players were just getting acquainted with the rules. The game was a fictional scenario that had the British and Brunswickers trying to push beyond a bridgehead. The photo below shows the attack force just prior to setting out.

The allied strategy was to pin the French right and make its major attack on the weaker French left. The Brunswickers were particularly aggressive on the extreme left of the allied assault. One of the highlights of the game came on about the fourth turn when the 95th rifles rolled a double six. The French brigade commander was within range, so had to roll. The youngest member of our group, at 14, tossed snake eyes and saw his general run away in a panic!

The allied attacks on the left tied down most of the French forces, but at a very high price. Two highlander battalions took severe casualties while trying to drive off a French battery. The gunners were eventually driven off, but not until both highland units had suffered over 30% casualties.

The French commander, Tim, was very aggressive on the right flank. His swift counter-attack basically shattered the tightly packed Brunswickers and sent them fleeing back across the bridge.

The British attack on the French left, however, was much more successful. In the photo below the British unit fired a volley at long range and caused only one casualty, but the morale roll was a paltry three, so the threat was turned away.

In the last turn of the game, a second British unit charged a battery of horse artillery, which chose to stand. It passed morale, but was destroyed on the consequent mele. This created a hole in the French line which would be hard to plug as there were no reserves on this side of the battlefield

Everybody had a good time. We were able to get through seven turns in about four hours. Not bad considering our inexperience with the rules.

Mare basing pictures

2009-02-18T20:18:00.001-08:00

Here are some more pictures of my rebased troops. To the left is a Prussian regiment and a battery. There are five figures on each of four stands for a total of 20 figures per battalion.

These are some Russian cuirassiers. Each stand has three mounted figures with a total of 12 figures per regiment.

Here is a more general view of the Prussian advance on a built-up area held by the Austrians.

This last shot is of some Austrian grenadiers, four stands of five figures each, supported by a Hungarian line unit.

Progress is being made

2009-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

I have been quite busy on my rebasing project. To the left is a shot of some of the Russians I have completed. I am very pleased with the results so far. The Russians were fairly easy because I already had the correct number of figures, 16, for each battalion. I have done some Austrians, too, as I had 24 figures for each of their battalions. The Prussians, however, required four extra figures for each battalion, so I had some painting to do. The same is true for just about all of the cavalry. But I was able to pick up a huge amount of figures for a very good price, so I will have everything I need to complete the project and then some.

The Old Glory SYW line is one of their best, in my humble opinion. They are a lot of fun to paint and quite colorful. The slightly larger bases make the units all that more attractive on the table. I'll be posting more shots in the next couple of days. Right now, however, my table is a mess of basing materials and scores of stands in various stages of progress.

Upcoming game

2009-02-10T21:49:00.000-08:00

I am going to be hosting a General de Brigade game on Saturday, February 28, at my home in Torrance, California. If you'd be interested in participating, please reply to this post. So far there are three of us. We are shooting for an afternoon starting time of about 2:30 P.M. I have everything needed for the game, so you just need to bring yourself and your favorite beverage.