Soweiter League

Something Cunning This Way Comes

2012-01-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Ah, just a little fox (from Foundry, I believe).

And some more Pathans, from Old Glory.

Song of Lace and Tricornes

2011-12-30T18:26:00.000-08:00

Actually, Songs of Drums and Shakos. I used those rules from Ganesha Games for a quick little raid (quicker than I expected!). The rules are designed for Napoleonic skirmishes, but I figured at the skirmish level there wouldn't be enough difference between the earlier tricorne era and the Napoleonic era to worry about.

The situation was a corral of cattle being guarded by the Batrachians (using French stats of course), with the Soweiter forces on a foraging mission/raid. This takes place at dusk so visibility is limited. The scenario is taken from the rules. Here is the initial setup:

The Batrachian forces include Captain le Blanc, Sergeant Gaston and 6 line infantrymen inside the tent, 3 more infantry patrolling just inside the hedge (fence) around the tent, another pacing back and forth at the gate to that area, and 2 more standing at the gate to the stonewalled corral.

The Soweiter forces include Captain MacDonall of the Gunderland Highlanders and 6 Highlander infantry (using the Highlander stats, imagine that), and 1 light infantryman from Ballyfoole. Captain MacDonall sent the light infantryman to the south of the road to infiltrate through the woods and try to take out or at least distract the 2 sentries at the corral. Meanwhile the Captain and his squad of Highlanders approached through the woods north of the road to attack the main camp of Batrachians.

In these rules you roll dice to activate figures, leaders like the Captains, can order a group if the leader makes his activation roll. You can choose to roll 1, 2, or 3 dice and 2 failures on a roll of the dice means the action switches over to the other side. This scenario had some special rules that certainly affected the final outcome of this game.

As it turned out the Batrachians moved first, but under the scenario rules that only meant the sentries moving, circling the tent or pacing in front of the gate. Next, Captain MacDonall ordered the Highlanders to move up to the edge of the woods, and the light infantryman also moved through the woods to the south and up to the lone tree. About as close as he could get to the sentries by the corral without being seen.

The sentries continue pacing back and forth and around. Suddenly shots ring out all around! The Highlanders kill one of the 2 sentries closest to them, while the other sentry falls to the ground (diving for cover no doubt).

The light infantryman is still getting set up (failed his activation roll so play passes to the Batrachians).
The Batrachian officer, Captain le Blanc, reacts to the gunfire and tries to rouse his men, but they are slow to act (they failed their activation roll).
The Highlanders reload their muskets. Meanwhile, the light infantryman takes an aimed shot at the closer of the 2 sentries at the corral gate. The sentry dives for cover.
Captain le Blanc and Sergeant Gaston come out of the tent, but the rest of the men fail to followup (failed roll).
Captain MacDonall orders his men to fire a volley at the Batrachian officers, killing Captain le Blanc. Sergeant Gaston's nerves fail him (fails his morale throw) and the Batrachians surrender. The Soweiter forces will have some beef to drive back to their unit tonight.

Like I said, this game played very quickly, due to the scenario rules that specified if the defender's leader was killed and the NCO failed his morale roll it was all over. The other possibility would have been the NCO passed his morale roll, at which point he would be considered the leader with attendant abilities and bonuses to the troops. Then each of the defenders would have to roll for morale. The NCO could've then called on any of the infantry who passed their morale, and would have stood a decent chance against the Highlanders, I think. Sometimes things just go well for one side or badly for the other.
In spite of that, the Song of ... seem like a good fun set of rules for small skirmish and man to man (or other creatures) actions. I bought the "bundle" quite a while ago, including mostly the fantasy stuff, but this was the first time I got around to trying any of them. I think they will be good for "quickies", especially if I play enough to get the rules "down".

The Battle of Hill Valley (or, a Pithy Tale)

2011-12-25T22:05:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in my previous post this is a battle on the North-by-Northwest Frontier I played out with the Pith Helmet rules. One interesting thing about these rules, especially for a solo player, is the reaction system where units react to being fired on, having enemy units approach within a certain distance, or upon being charged. Sometimes these reactions can work to your favor, Other times they can get in the way of your plans. Also, casualties are not necessarily gone. I highly recommend reading the reports on the Kelroy Was Here blog and also downloading the rules and the accompanying files which include a battle report by the rules author.

The situation I laid out was a patrol comprised of the Grand Thidwick 1st and 2nd regiments, a unit of Gunderland Highlanders, all with 6 figures including 1 leader and 1 NCO, and using the British stats in the rules. Along with them were a unit of Djahli natives, 'the Mongoose regiment", using the Punjabi stats. They were up against a number of hill tribesmen using the Pathan stats.

I set up some terrain on my table (40 inches square), and placed a die at each terrain element to represent potential forces. When the force was encountered by the patrol, which I decided would mean getting within the range that would cause a reaction test, or If it looked like it was a good time to activate any unit, I would roll 1d6 and place one of the units (randomly determined from several possible units I had set aside) on the table. In the meantime they would still get Action Points as described in the rules and could act if need be.

Here is the valley as the first two units of the patrol, Grand Thidwick 1 and the Mongooses approach along a dirt road.

Turn 1.

As they approach both the patrol and the Pathans react hastily to events (1 unit on each side can use 1 action point - the die next to each unit shows the number of action points they have. I turned the die to 6 when the unit was out of action points - in future games I might try some other sort of markers that don't look so out of place). Luckily for the patrol there were no tribesmen in the first set of hills to their right, but there was a group in the woods and rocks to the left. 6 figures, half with rifles and half with swords and shields. These came charging out towards the column.

The charging tribesmen move in closer and fire at the Grand Thidwick unit, but no one is hit. The Grand Thidwick unit reacts by changing formation into line to face the tribesmen. They then fire off a volley at the tribesmen, inflicting no casualties but still cause them to become shaken. Meanwhile the Mongooses move up and I bring on Grand Thidwick 2.
At this point I decided to bring out all of the native units as that would allow many of them to start participating in the battle. So a unit of 6 rifles and 2 sword and shields armed tribesmen run down off the little outcropping with a lone pine tree and head towards the column. 4 cavalry, half with rifles and half with sword and shield, emerge from the rocks and trees just past the little outcropping. They ride fast towards the column (I moved them 2 moves). On the far hills on the upper left 6 natives with rifles, 1 with a pistol, and 2 with sword and shield pop up, but hold their position for now. And yet another group, with 5 rifles and 1 spear appear in the woods to the upper right. These also hold their position. That's the lot.The Mongooses and Grand Thidwick 2 fire at the first group of natives, inflicting 3 casualties, including the "NCO". The natives' reaction is to hold their ground.

Next, Grand Thidwick 1 also fires at the first group of natives, inflicting 2 more casualties. The Highlanders are brought on board.
2 of the natives are dead, 3 more return to the unit.

Turn 2.
The native cavalry fire at Grand Thidwick1, scoring 1 hit. Grand Thidwick 1 reacts by changing formation to face the cavalry. The native cavalry fire again, scoring 2 hits including the NCO. Grand Thidwick reacts by firing back but score no hits. The Mongooses fire at the second native infantry group as it approaches and score a hit. The natives retreat 6 inches and are shaken. The Mongooses then move up to support Grand Thidwick 1 and fire at the native cavalry, scoring no hits. The cavalry fire back, also missing.

The Highlanders move up, change into line formation and fire at the first group of natives, scoring 1 hit. The natives hold.
Grand Thidwick 2 fire at the first group of natives, scoring 2 hits including the "NCO". The natives fall back 4 inches. Grand Thidwick 2 move forward and fire at the natives again, scoring 1 more hit. All of the natives from this first group are now out of commission (in the "Rally Zone").
The Mongooses fire at the native cavalry again, scoring another hit, this time on the unit's "NCO". The cavalry retreat 4.5 inches and are shaken.
The native group in the far hill, seeing many of their brethren in trouble, decide to move down off the hill and run towards the fighting (4 moves, bringing them close to the fighting very quickly). The Highlanders and Mongooses move up in line to support Grand Thidwick 1.

Now we see what happens to the various casualties. The leader and "NCO" from the first group of natives die and the 2 remaining troops rout. The one casualty from the second group of natives dies. The casualty from the native cavalry returns to his unit. All of the casualties from Grand Thidwick 1 return. The few remaining figures in the first group of natives rally. The second group of natives and the native cavalry also rally.

Turn 3.
The native cavalry move farther down the road and the second group of natives also move in closer. The Mongooses fire at the cavalry, scoring 2 hits, but this only seems to infuriate the cavalry who react by advancing towards the Mongooses. Grand Thidwick 1 also fires at the cavalry, scoring another hit, but the cavalry hold. Grand Thidwick 1 then fires at the second group of natives, scoring 2 hits. The natives hold. The Highlanders fire at the second group of natives also and score another hit. The natives still hold. Then Grand Thidwick 1 fires at the natives yet again, scoring one more hit. The second group of natives moves forward and fires at Grand Thidwick 1, but they seem to be a bit rattled and score no hits. Grand Thidwick hold. The third group of natives, from the hills, quickly move in and fire at Grand Thidwick 1, but also score no hits. Grand Thidwick 1 fires at the third group of natives and scores 1 hit.
The Mongooses fire at the cavalry, scoring 1 hit, which puts them all out of commission (in the "Rally Zone). Then a couple of rounds of firing by the Highlanders and the third group of natives has no effect.
Grand Thidwick 2 fires at the second group of natives, scoring 1 hit, and the natives are now shaken.
At this point all of the native units had used up their Action Points, but the Soweiter forces had points left to use, so I just let them act. This involved a flurry of volleys all along the line, resulting in casualties in all of the remaining native units and all of them becoming shaken (except for the 1 unit still in the woods farther up the road)
Settling up the score, sees the casualties in the first group of natives recover, 4 dead in the second group and 2 returns, 1 dead in the third group, 1 cavalry captured and 1 joining in with the third group of natives and 2 more routing up the valley.

Turn 4.
The Mongooses fire at the third group of natives, scoring 1 hit. The natives become shaken and run away. The second group of natives decide to head the the rocky area below the far hills. Meanwhile the natives in the woods decide to join the fighting, so they move down the road, firing twice at the Mongooses, but scoring no hits and the Mongooses hold their ground. Then the Mongooses return fire at these natives, scoring 2 hits. Grand Thidwick also fire at the same group of natives, scoring 2 more hits. The natives return fire, scoring 1 hit on Grand Thidwick 1.

At this point I decided to "call the game". The natives are pretty chewed up, while the Soweiter forces are doing quite well. It doesn't seem likely that the natives can prevail.

This was a fun game, although I may have to give the natives more forces next time! As it happens the recovery phase seems to favor more non-native forces returning to battle, so the natives tend to get whittled down. Or maybe the Colonial forces got lucky this time. Over all, with note-taking and picture-taking (which I forgot to do at points in the "heat of the action"), I played this out over the course of 3.5 to 4 hours in 2 evenings. I confess the format of the rules was a bit off-putting for me, so I reformatted them to better fit my taste (and my eyes, which means a larger font size!), which resulted in 6 pages including the various tables. Still, it's a very concise set of rules, with some interesting mechanisms that make for a somewhat unpredictable game, especially the reactions to events and the casualty recovery and the Action Points and activation systems, great for solo play. And it seemed to work well on my small table and few figures with only minimal adjustments (really all I did was halve all distances, but not casualties or anything else).

Reports Coming in from the North-by-Northwest Frontier

2011-12-25T12:32:00.000-08:00

I'm playing a little battle between Soweiter League forces (or the Anglophone portion thereof) and some wild hill tribes of Ollistan. I'm using the Pith Helmet rules as described and reported by Kelroy Was Here . Look for his posts with the "Pith Helmet II" tag. The rest of his posts are worth perusing as well. The rules are also available for free download as Kelroy notes (read his posts to find the link). The downloads include a report of a game played by the rules author. These reports are very helpful in understanding the rules.
I'll post report(s) and pics when I finish the battle. Because I have few figures and a smaller table I am playing with a couple of modifications, well, one really. I'm only using around 6-8 figures per unit (6 for the European side and 4 (cavalry) or 6-8 (infantry) for the natives.) The only rules mod I'm making is to halve all distances. I've played 2 turns so far. Each turn can have multiple phases until units use up their Action Points or decide to pass, so a lot more has happened so far than "2 turns" might make it seem. It's also been a lot of fun. I could see using these rules more (and probably adding some of the author's additions and maybe one or two of my own. I was thinking, for example, that you could leave the jokers in the card deck used for various things in the game and if you draw a joker have some random event happen.). It's possible (probable?) I have made mistakes in the way I am playing, but it still seems to work and as a solo player my opponent/gaming partner has no objections.
(one example of a possible error on my part - if a unit has the action points and the card draw allows it I have moved or fired more than once at a time. So far it hasn't seemed unbalanced.)

Happy Holidays to all! May you have time for toys and hobbies during the holidays and throughout the coming year!

The Return of the Ballyfoole Expedition

2011-12-16T19:22:00.000-08:00

The Illustrated Ballyfoole Gazette

"Where we never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

Second Expedition Explores the Interior of Afrodesia

Yet again those intrepid Ballyfoole Explorers set off into the wilds of Afrodesia. Lead, as always, by Captain Flynn, with O'Ryan the hunter and Maggie O'Hara, and joined by their new scout, McGonigle, who replaces McGillicuddy who perished during the last exploration. The balance of the expedition included two soldiers of the Gunderland Highlanders, four loyal askaris and 12 bearers. Their starting point this time is an area of savanna they explored during previous outings.

Day 1 they head off into the savanna. Except for some ancient ruins where they find loads of loot the area is deserted. (since they are just starting out they have no empty bearers, so I'm not sure if the others can carry the loot or if it has to be left where it is)

Day 2 they march farther into the savanna. During the march a rockslide nearly takes out one of the askaris, but quick action saves him. Still no natives are encountered

Day 3 they continue to march into the savanna and discover a new plant species - a large poisonous yellow savanna rose. They also encounter some natives. The expedition gives the natives some trade goods. The natives are friendly.

Day 4 they march eastward into more savanna, where they encounter a survivor from some lost expedition. Just a lone empty bearer. (this was an even I added to the mix; rolled on the same chart used to find who succumbs to events to find out who it was the expedition found. This individual will only stay with the expedition until they return home. So, even if it turned out to be an explorer he would not stay with the expedition for future journeys.) No natives encountered.

Day 5 they march south into more savanna and discover another new plant species - a large poisonous herb (maybe hyenasbane?). They come across a river and meet up with some natives. After offering them some trade goods the natives appear friendly and the expedition buys a couple of days worth of food with some of their remaining money.

Day 6 they march east, losing sight of the river. Later 2 of the bearers succumb to bad water, 1 trade bearer and 1 food bearer. They encounter more friendly natives and buy 2 loads of trade goods from them.

Day 7 They march south into more savanna, but suddenly they are ambushed by natives. 3 natives with rifles fire from a stand of trees on one side, while 4 more natives armed with swords and other hand weapons charge from the other side, but no casualties are inflicted.

The expedition returns fire, killing 1 rifle armed native and 1 native armed with a hand weapon. All of this commotion stirs up a lion who springs forth and attacks a bearer, but the bearer fights back.

The natives fire again and miss again, the natives armed with hand weapons charge hit, but cause no hits, and the lion continues to struggle with the feisty bearer.

The expedition fires at the rifle armed natives, killing both of them. While one of the Highlanders dispatches one of the hand weapon natives. The struggle between the lion and the bearer is still inconclusive.

At this point the remaining natives flee (and, as that ends the encounter, I also figured the lion gave up on the bearer, maybe to chase after one of the fleeing natives.)

Day 8 they start to march, but the day proves to be filled with oppressive heat. So they decide to recuperate from yesterday's ambush and try to relax in what shade they can find.

Day 9 lost

Day 10 they march on and into desert; sometime during the day the last man in the expedition, an askari, disappears. Later they encounter some natives, the expedition give them some trade goods, and the natives are friendly.

Day 11 they continue to march through the desert and discover a lake. No natives are encountered.

Day 12 the march back to their starting point.

Another successful bit of exploration, if fairly uneventful this time, helped by bringing along trade goods to pacify and placate the natives they encountered. It just goes to show that although, in Afrodesia (or Jimland), anything can happen, sometimes it doesn't.

This was the second game I played in honor of Solo Wargaming Day back on 11/11/11.

Solo Wargame day/month

2011-11-20T20:34:00.000-08:00

I managed to play one game on 11/11/11 and another game over that weekend. The first game was another battle using Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame rules. I tried using the rules without a grid, measuring instead with the edge of a card 2 1/2 inches in length for each grid space. This seemed to work pretty well for my small table. I don't think it slowed down the game much either.

The battle lasted 13 turns, with both sides down to just a couple of units remaining. I call this the Battle of Ockham. It was based on scenario 40, Dominant Hill, from Grant's Scenarios for Wargames. If I did this game again I would take some artillery from the list of possible units. As it was I only took cavalry and infantry. Artillery really are a must if one is going to have to assault buildings with the Portable Wargame rules. With the rules to roll for combat effect this game saw units sticking around longer than in my previous games, but didn't make the game last all that much longer. I expect total playing time was still well under 2 hours (hard to judge, what with stopping to take notes and pictures and breaking to do other stuff).

Here are a few pictures from the battle as it progressed:

In the end both sides were too depleted to accomplish their objectives so it was a draw.

The other game I played that weekend was another Ballyfoole expedition into Afrodesia, using the Adventures in Jimland rules. I'll write that up in another post when I have time and energy to do so.

The important thing is I had fun playing a couple of different games solo. I hope to do a bit more gaming with the long holiday weekend coming up next week here.

still alive and gaming

2011-10-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

First I got busy with "real life", and then I got into playing one of my birthday presents (from me to me), The Lord of the Rings "living" card game from Fantasy Flight Games. It's a fun game, but tough to win (so far, and I've only tried the easiest scenario!). It can be played solo or as a cooperative game for 2 players. Haven't done anything with miniatures since my last post, but I do have stuff on the painting desk. With greater likelihood of cooler weather I expect I will get back into painting more stuff soon.

The Battle of Hugelstrasse

2011-09-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

3 games in 3 weeks! Unheard of! I played a third game using Bob Cordery’s Portable Wargame rules. The scenario is number 50 from Grant’s Scenarios for Wargames, featuring an interesting collection of troops. One side is all cavalry and the other has very little cavalry.

The Batrachians, once again on the attack, with an all-cavalry force under the command of General Élan
The Cuirassiers Royale 1 and 2
The Wild Goose Chasseurs 1, 2, and 3
The Poupon Dragoons 1 and 2
The Chevaliers de Maurice (a unit of gentlemen volunteers who wear whatever suits them, no standard uniform - ok, I needed an 8th cavalry unit so I pulled some assorted extras)

The Soweiter forces, commanded by General von Blunder, marching down the road from northeast to west in this order:
The Ballyfoole Hussars
The Muttonshire Musketeers
The Woostershire Muskets
The Soforth Highlanders
The Mayeux Musketeers
The Glossopshire Croats
The Jaegers zu Pfeffernusse
2 cannons of the Ballyfoole Artillery
The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps

A cloud of dust is spotted to the northwest. It’s Batrachian cavalry! Hordes of them! The only chance for the Soweiter forces is to head for the hills to the south of the road.

Turn 1, The race is on

Turn 2 The Batrachians gain the initiative and begin to catch up with some of the rearmost Soweiter forces. The Wild Goose Chasseurs 2 charge the Malarkey Musketeers and destroy them. The Wild Goose Chasseurs 3 charge the Ballyfoole Artillery 1 and both units are destroyed! The Wild Goose Chasseurs 1 charge the Glossopshire Croats and destroy them. The Poupon Dragoons 1 charge the Mayeux Musketeers and both units are destroyed. The Poupon Dragoons 2 charge the Nuttonshire Musketeers and both units are destroyed. Most of the remaining Soweiter forces reach the hills, except for the Jaegers zu Pfeffernusse, who have taken cover in a small woods near the road. The Jaegers fire out of the woods and destroy the Wild Goose Chasseurs 1. A rather “bloody” affair for all.

Turn 3 The Soweiter forces gain the initiative. The second Ballyfoole Artillery unit moves further along the hill. The Jaegers fire at the Cuirassiers Royale 2 and destroy them. And the rest of the Soweiter forces position themselves on the hills and prepare for the onslaught. The Batrachian Cavalry closes in.

Turn 4 The Soweiter forces still have the initiative and take the opportunity to fire, but to little effect this time.

The Wild Goose Chasseurs 2 charge and destroy the Ballyfoole Artillery. The Chevaliers de Maurice charge the Woostershire Muskets, but it’s an uphill battle and the Chevaliers are destroyed. The Cuirassiers Royale 1 charge the Soforth Highlanders and fight to a standstill.

Turn 5 The Batrachians gain the upper hand again. The Wild Goose Chasseurs 2 swing back west down the hill and charge the Jaegers zu Pfeffernusse, who had left the protection of the woods. But the Jaegers fight back gamely and it’s the Wild Goose Chasseurs whose goose is cooked. The Cuirassiers Royale 1 continue their melee with the Soforth Highlanders and destroy the doughty Highlanders. The Cuirassiers are then subjected to a hail of gunfire from the Jaegers, to little effect, and then the Woosetershire Muskets, who finally destroy the Cuirassiers.

At that the Batrachian forces are wiped out, but since they managed to destroy well over half of the Soweiter forces the Batrachians win the day. A Pyrhhic victory?

Another fast and furious Portable Wargame battle. With 3 battles under my belt I was thinking of trying some modifications next, but I see Bob has posted a new version of the rules so I‘ll likely give those a go. In recent comments here Ross Mac mentioned using straight line measurements in place of the grid. I may try that. Grids have the advantage that no measuring is required, and also make it clearer who is facing who, with no fiddling about overlaps and such. On the other hand I do like a clean battlefield without lines or marks to designate spaces so I may just give it a go to see how I like using the rules gridless.

The Battle of Bruckwasser

2011-09-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

note: the previous game I reported on where I used Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame 2 rules, the battle of Zweipfennig took 5 turns to play. The battle of Bruckwasser took 9 turns, still quick.

Scenario #6, Crossing Point, from Grant’s Programmed Wargames Scenarios

Batrachian forces, under General Soleau:
The Cuirassiers Royale
The Poupon Dragoons
The Wild Goose Chasseurs
The Garde n’est Pas
The King’s Musketeers
The Queen’s Musketeers
The Pandours du Pinque
The Pandours San Serif
The Musketeers L’Ouef
2 cannons

Soweiter forces, under General Cummerbund:
The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry
The Ballyfoole Dragoons
The Ballyfoole Hussars
The Muttonshire Musketeers
The Woostershire Muskets
The Soforth Highlanders
The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps
1 cannon

The Bruckwasser River runs east to west. Two stone bridges cross the river and the village of Bruckwasser lies on the south bank of the river between the 2 bridges. The Batrachian forces are looking to capture the bridges so they can strike deeper into Soweiter territory. The Soweiter League has a couple of units, the Malarkey Musketeers and the Soforth Highlanders, stationed in the town to guard the bridges. Other forces are stationed in nearby villages and other posts.

General Soleau, commanding the Batrachian forces, hopes to capture the bridges before the Soweiter reinforcements can shore up their defense. The battle starts out with the Batrachian forces coming from the west along a road that roughly follows the north bank of the river. The column is led by the Poupon Dragoons, followed by the Wild Goose Chasseurs, The Garde N’est Pas, the King’s Musketeers, and so on.

Riding quickly the Poupon Dragoons reach the west bridge, but are destroyed by a hail of fire from the Malarkey Musketeers in the western part of the village.

The Wild Goose Chasseurs swing around to the east bridge and are met by volleys from the Soforth Highlanders in the east part of the village, but little damage is sustained. The Garde N’est Pas reach the west bridge and also survive the volleys from the Malarkey Musketeers.

The Wild Goose Chasseurs gallop over the bridge to meet any potential Soweiter reinforcements that may arrive along the southeast road. The Garde N’est Pas cross over the bridge and fire at the Malarkey Musketeers in the village to little effect.

(Camera batteries ran down so I didn't get photos for the middle of the battle)

The Malarkey Musketeers return fire and destroy the Garde N’est Pas. The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry arrive on the southeast road and the Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps arrive on the west road, south of the river.

The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry charge the Wild Goose Chasseurs and destroy them. The Malarkey Musketeers fire at the King’s Musketeers on the bridge to little effect. The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps advance towards the west bridge. The Ballyfoole Hussars arrive on the west road, the Muttonshire Musketeers on the south road and the Ballyfoole Dragoons on the southeast road. The King’s Musketeers fire at the Malarkey Musketeers but cause few casualties if any.

The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps fire at the King’s Musketeers on the west bridge and cause little damage. The Malarkey Musketeers also fire at the King’s Musketeers and destroy them. The Soforth Highlanders fire at the Queen’s Musketeers who have moved on to the east bridge. The withering fire destroys the Queen’s Musketeers. The Batrachian artillery having taken up position on the north bank of the river opposite the village open fire on the troops in the village. The Highlanders survive, but the Malarkey Musketeers finally succumb to the onslaught.

The Batrachian artillery fires again at the Highlanders, this time destroying them. The Pandours San Serif and the Musketeers L’Ouef reach the west bridge and start crossing over. The Pandours du Pinque reach the east bridge, with the Cuirassiers Royale close behind. The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps fire at the Pandours San Serif and destroy them. The Malarkey Dragoons charge the Pandours du Pinque on the east bridge, but the tables are turned and it’s the Dragoons who succumb. The Muttonshire Musketeers occupy the village.

The Muttonshire Musketeers fire at the Musketeers L’Ouef, as do the Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps, but neither achieves much success. The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry charge the Pandours du Pinque and destroy them. The Batrachian cannons fire at the Muttonshire Musketeers to little effect. The Musketeers L’Ouef charge the Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps and are destroyed. The Cuirassiers Royale charge the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry and destroy them.

The Muttonshire Musketeers fire at the Cuirassiers Royale and destroy them.

At this point the only units left to the Batrachians are the cannons north of the river. So with no hope fo capturing and holding the bridges they beat a hasty retreat.

The Woostershire Muskets and the Soweiter cannon arrive, on the west road and southeast road respectively, but by this time the battle is over.

As before these rules played very quickly. Firing and combat are "bloody", in the sense that units can get destroyed quickly. That's not all bad and in fact is one of the reasons the games are quick. Not having to fiddle around with movement or search through pages of rules or follow complicated turn sequences help, too.

There were times where a combat could have gone either way or even where the odds favored one side, but I seemed to roll ones at just the wrong times for some of the cavalry. Positioning the Batrachian cannon on the north side of the river to fire across at the village worked well, even though according to the orders I rolled for the scenario maybe they should've headed for the bridges like the rest of the units. The Programmed Scenarios offer programmed options for both sides, as well as allow the player to play one or both sides. Often there are restrictions, special circumstances, etc, that will limit what you can do. There are also various things you roll for, from the maps to set up options to orders to reactions in some cases. This means each time you play a scenario it can vary quite a bit.

The Battle of Zweipfennig

2011-09-04T12:13:00.000-07:00

I used Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame 2 rules for this game. That's the version that fits on a single sheet of paper. I don't know if I did things right, but it seemed like the defenders had a decided advantage. It took about an hour to set up and play this, leisurely, taking notes and pictures (although I forgot to take pictures a few times because it moved so quickly), consulting the scenario book and rules sheet, etc.

The scenario is # 37, Night Attack 2 from Scenarios For All Ages by Grant and Asquith.

A force comprised of units from the Soweiter League had occupied two villages and the ridge connecting the two, expecting to meet an attack by a more sizable Batrachian force in the area.

Soweiter League force:
General Jacques Pfennig-Pfarthing
cavalry:
The Ballyfoole Dragoons
The Ballyfoole Hussars
line infantry:
The Muttonshire Musketeers
The Woostershire Muskets
The Soforth Highlanders
The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps
1 cannon

Unbeknownst to the Soweiter forces the Batrachians had moved up in the night to attack the Soweiter force in the left flank. The Batrachians had divided into two forces to accomplish this.
The first force under the command of General Finn de Siecle came from the more southerly direction. The other force, under the command of General Soleau, came from a more northerly direction.

The southern Batrachian force:
General Finn de Siècle
cavalry:
The Wild Goose Chasseurs
Infantry:
The Garde N'est Pas
The Musketeers L'Ouef
The Pandours du Pinque
The Pandours San Serif
1 cannon

The northern Batrachian force:
General Napoleon Soleau
cavalry:
The Cuirassiers Royale
The Poupon Dragoons
infantry:
The King's Musketeers
The Queen's Musketeers
The Musketeers de Limbourg
1 cannon

The situation at dawn:

As dawn broke and the Batrachians were able to see the Soweiter forces arrayed in and between the two villages they realized they had not arrived exactly as planned. The force under General de Siècle was heading in the right direction, but farther back than expected. Meanwhile, the force under General Soleau had mistaken another group of buildings to the northeast of the Soweiter line as one of the two villages. As the Batrachians moved forward the Soweiter forces realized the danger and General Pflugnickel re-ordered his line, sending some of the troops towards the northeast buildings and repositioning some of the troops that remained on the hill and in the east village.

The Batrachians retained the imitative and proceeded to advance on the Soweiter position. As the southern force under General de Siècle neared the east village the Woostershire Muskets stationed there opened fire. In the ensuing hail of musket fire the Musketeers L'Ouef were knocked out of the fight (result = destroyed).

As the Batrachians advanced further towards the east village the Soweiter artillery rang out and put paid to the Pandours San Serif (result = destroyed). The Woostershire Muskets fired at the Wild Goose Chasseurs to little effect (result = no effect). As events developed it was a toss up as to which side would reach the northeast buildings first. The Soweiter League won the toss and the Muttonshire Musketeers managed to get there first. By this time the Soweiter forces were mostly in position and firing broke out all along the line. The Soforth Highlanders devastated the Poupon Dragoons (result = destroyed), but the Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps, the Queen's Musketeers and the King's Musketeers failed to inflict any significant losses on their opponents (results = no effect).

The initiative seemed to be firmly in the Soweiter force's favor now. More cannon fire and musket fire rolled up and down the line. The cannon fire had little effect, but the Muttonshire Musketeers, the Soforth Highlanders, The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreikorps, and the Woostershire Muskets caused widespread destruction and disruption (results = destroyed). This put the Pandours du Pinque, the Cuirassiers Royale, the Queen's Musketeers and the King's Musketeers out of the fight.

At this point, with only his artillery left, General Soleau quit the field. He was followed shortly by General de Siècle, having only the Wild Goose Chasseurs, the Garde N'est Pas and the straggling artillery, so to carry on the attack seemed futile at this point.

Having beaten off this flank attack the Soweiter forces retired back to the villages to rest and recuperate.

Maybe I should've moved the Batrachians slower to give them time to bring their artillery to bear and to inflict some small arms losses on their enemies. As it turned out moving in quickly didn't seem to favor the attackers.

New Troops (and old ones reassigned)

2011-07-30T15:57:00.000-07:00

Finally managed to get a few miniatures painted.
First up, the Ballyfoole Hussars, also known as the Ballyfoole Light Brigade (formerly painted a sort of purple and dubbed the Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars). Now repainted red and green and reassigned. Under the command of Colonel Flynn.

Next, the Woostershire Infantry of Grand Thidwick. These are veteran campaigners, commanded by Colonel Lancelot Threepwood.

A vivandiere wearing part of the uniform of the Ballyfoole Hussars. (apologies for the fuzzy picture)

And finally, a family of fallow deer from the local deer park.

These are all Foundry miniatures.

Random Flora

2011-06-25T17:08:00.000-07:00

Following on from my Random Fauna post here is the plant life side of things.

1. For plants, first determine what type of plant:
table 1 - roll 1d10
1 herb
2 spice
3 vine
4 fern
5 bromeliad
6-10 flower

table 1a - flower type - roll 1d20
1-4 orchid
5-6 rose
7 primrose
8 daisy
9 lily
10 tulip
11 lupine
12 crocus
13 geranium
14 nasturtium
15 thistle
16 peony
17 pansy
18 jasmine
19 carnation
20 other (snapdragon, sunflower, lavender, etc.)

2. Determine relative general size
table 2 - size - roll 1d10
1 dwarf/pygmy/pocket
2-3 small
4-7 average
8-9 large
10 giant

3. For flowers determine color
table 3 - roll 1d12
1 black
2 brown
3 green
4 blue
5 purple
6-7 red
8-9 orange
10-11 yellow
12 white

4. Determine descriptives
table 4 - roll 1d32? (or whatever it takes. ha ha. I've been adding to this list as I think of additional adjectives.)
1 creeping
2 wandering
3 weeping
4 shrinking
5-6 poison (by touch or by ingestion)
7 carnivorous
8 clinging
9 tangle(r)
10 strangle(r)
11 fuzzy
12 prickly
13 thorny
14 stinging
15 day
16 night(blooming)
18 afternoon
19 morning
20 evening
21 dawn
22 sun
23 moon
24 sweet
25 spicy/spice
26 sour
27 pungent
28-30 medicinal
31 animal (specify type - dragon, tiger, elephant, etc.)
32 pseudo
33

table 5 - terrain-based descriptive - roll 1d6 and choose from column that corresponds to terrain; if following a river, roll 1d6, 1-4 use terrain, 5-6 use water column
1 jungle grassland mountain desert water
2 jungle grassland mountain desert river
3 jungle field rock sand(y) river
4 swamp savannah stone sand(y) brook
5 forest savannah cliff dune lake
6 tree veldt cave dune pond

Results are open to interpretation and don't necessarily have to be taken literally.

Examples rolled up for the Ballyfoole expeditions:
small morning grassland fern (maybe it opens up in the morning to catch any dew and then folds back up to retain moisture as the day wears on)
average sized strangler mountain geranium with "black" flowers (maybe it has tendrils or something that tend to catch on passersby, and since your average geranium is not that big the "strangling" is probably not serious or life-threatening)
thorny dwarf mountain bromeliad

Random Fauna

2011-06-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

In the comments to a recent post --- Ballyfoole Expedition to Afrodesia --- Frank suggested providing the names and descriptions of the plants and animals discovered by the expeditions. So I've been playing around with the idea and have worked up the following tables to generate some of that. Now, I had no intention of trying to make the tables balanced based on actual percentages of various types of plants and animals in Africa or anywhere else for that matter, nor in trying to be all-inclusive or even relatively comprehensive in listing possible types or categories. Consider this a work in progress and open to revision and suggestions.

1. For animals, first determine what type of animal:
table 1 - roll 1d6
1 bird (roll on 1a)
2 mammal (roll on 1b)
3 reptile (roll on 1c)
4 amphibian (roll on 1d)
5 insect (roll on 1e)
6 other (roll on 1f)

Next, break it down further
table 1a - birds - roll 1d6
1 parrot
2 finch
3 songbird (warbler, lark, wren, cuckoo)
4 wader (crane, ibis, heron)
5 fowl (cock/hen, pheasant, pigeon)
6 other (hornbill, sunbird, bee-eater, mousebird, hawk)

table 1b - mammals - roll 1d12
1-2 monkey
3 cat
4-5 rodent
6 civet
7 genet
8 mongoose
9 bat
10 antelope/gazelle
11 hooved animal (table 1ba)
12 other (table 1bb)

table 1ba - roll 1d6
1-2 pig
3 goat/sheep
4 deer
5 bovine
6 equine

table 1bb - roll 1d8
1 fox
2 jackal
3 mole
4 shrew
5 hedgehog
6 hare
7 weasel
8 otter

table 1c - roll 1d6
1-2 lizard (gecko, chameleon, skink, agama, monitor)
3-4 snake
5 turtle
6 crocodile

table 1d - roll 1d6
1-2 frog
3-4 toad
5 newt
6 salamander

table 1e - roll 1d8
1-3 butterfly
4-6 beetle
7 moth
8 grasshopper

table 1f - roll 1d6
1 spider
2 scorpion
3-4 snail/slug
5-6 fish

2. Determine relative general size
table 2 - size - roll 1d10
1 dwarf/pygmy/pocket
2-3 small
4-7 average
8-9 large
10 giant

note: this is relative to average animals of that type. So a giant beetle might only be a few inches long, while a giant otter might be the size of a large dog. It's more of a descriptor than an actual size tied to real units of measurement.

Next determine color patterning
table 3 - roll 1d10
1-2 single solid color
3-4 lighter underneath (roll on normal color table for animal type, and then again on color table 4 and subtract 4 from the die roll. Lighter of the two colors goes underneath - belly, chin, etc.)
5 spotted (large spots like a cheetah or rosettes like a leopard, or other similar large spot-like marks)
6 speckled (small spots)
7 striped across (like a zebra or tiger)
8 striped lengthwise (like a skunk or one stripe on each side like some antelopes)
9 banded (a few wide bands of color)
10 two-toned (like a giant panda or tapir or other)
For 5-10 roll once for primary color and then roll again for the secondary color

Colors
table 4 - mammals - roll 1d10, subtracting 4 in desert terrain
-3 white
-2 light tan
-1 light gray
0 pale yellow
1 yellow (like a leopard)
2 orange/tawny (like a tiger or like a lion)
3 red (like a fox)
4 medium tan
5 medium gray
6 medium brown
7 dark gray
8 dark brown
9 black-brown
10 black
Suggestions are just that, suggestions. Interpret color how you like.

table 5 - colors for other animals - for reptiles roll 1d4 for main color; all others roll 1d10
1 black
2 gray
3 brown
4 green
5 blue
6 purple
7 red
8 orange
9 yellow
10 white

Determine tail length
table 6 - tail length - roll 1d6
1 long
2-4 medium (relative to animal type)
5 long
6 none

Determine descriptives based on features and/or terrain
table 7 - distinctive feature - roll 1d20
1 spiny
2 scaled
3 bushy-tailed
4 maned
5 flying (as in gliders)
6 ring-necked
7 tufted (ears)
8 crested
9 bearded/mustached
10 masked
11 ringtailed
12 snubnosed (short-nose for animal type)
13 spectacled
14 webfooted
15-20 distinctively colored feature, roll on table 7a for feature and on color tables 4/5 for color)

table 7a - distinctively colored feature - roll 1d10, subtract 1 for flyers, add 1 for monkeys
0 -wing
1 -breast
2 -belly
3 -footed
4 -tailed
5 -faced
6 -cheek
7 -throat
8 -nose
9 -eared
10 -tongued
11 -handed

table 8 - terrain-based descriptive - roll 1d6 and choose from column that corresponds to terrain; if following a river, roll 1d6, 1-4 use terrain, 5-6 use water column
1 jungle grass mountain desert water
2 jungle grass mountain desert river
3 jungle field rock   sand(y) river
4 swamp savannah stone sand(y) brook
5 forest savannah cliff   dune lake
6 tree   veldt cave   dune    pond

This might be over-complicating what is just some "fluff". But for fun I rolled up a few recently discovered animals. These are:
A small flying forest snake, with green and brown stripes running down its length.
A large red-throated swamp crocodile, two-toned in green and yellow.

Flags and Heavies

2011-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

First, a few units have received flags. Starting with the Mongoose Infantry of Djahli.

Mounted hill tribesmen of Ollistan

And the Muttonshire (1st) Regiment of Grand Thidwick

Next, something disturbs a family of wild pigs...

Ah, it's the von Rotten Cuirassiers, the heavies of the Bossanovan cavalry. Also known as the "Black and Blues". Commanded by Colonel von Bruizer.

And finally, the Marquis Maurice l'Oeuf, ambassador from Batrachia.

The Case of the Missing Lynx

2011-05-20T19:27:00.000-07:00

Missing Lynx Found!

This mascot of the Ballyfoole Musketeers, seen here with an officer of that regiment, has been spotted.

Meanwhile, Lord Burleigh Throckmorton (in the red coat), Duke of Cummerbund, Major General of Grand Thidwick forces, is seen here consulting with Colonel Bailey (in the green coat) of the Ballyfoole Musketeers.

While more tribesmen gather in the hills.

Tricorne officers and cat are Foundry. The Pathans are Old Glory, if I recall correctly.

Flags for Mongooses?

2011-05-17T13:58:00.000-07:00

I finally came up with a flag design for the native Djalhian troops seen in http://soweiterleague.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-colonials.html
I don't have any references of what Indian flags of the 18th and 19th centuries look like so this is all from imagination and open to revision if anyone has any good suggestions (with pictorial examples, if possible). The unit is known as the Djalhi Mongoose Regiment to westerners, and is commanded by one Captain R.T. Tavi.

Ballyfoole Expedition to Afrodesia Marches Again

2011-05-03T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Illustrated Ballyfoole Gazette

"Where we never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

Second Expedition Explores the Interior of Afrodesia

Using funds raised after their first, and very successful expedition, the Ballyfoole contingent once again set out to further explore the interior of Afrodesia. The jumping off point this time was from the edge of previously explored territory. The expedition was once again led by Captain Flynn, with O'Ryan the hunter and McGillicuddy the scout. They were joined by crack shot, Maggie O'Hara. Two soldiers from the Gunderland Highlanders, 4 askaris and 14 bearers were also present.

Day 1 they head west into the jungle and discover a new animal species. They also come across a village of friendly natives.

The column, seen here marching along near a stream.

Day 2 the terrain turns mountainous and they discover a new plant species. They encounter 8 hostile slavers. The first indication they had was a round of shots fired towards the rear of the column, killing 1 askari. The noise stirred up a huge crocodile in the nearby stream and a lion in a nearby patch of jungle. Both beasts charged towards the slavers, who were close by.

Things heat up quickly! Slavers and a lion and a crocodile!

The Highlanders fire back at the slavers, killing one of them. Meanwhile the explorers and askaris at the head of the column swing around to the rear to face their attackers.

While 1 slaver struggles against the crocodile and another fights the lion the rest of the slavers fire again. This time striking and killing one of the Highlander soldiers and narrowly missing Maggie. The expedition members, now in position, return fire. Flynn and Maggie each kill one slaver. The remaining slavers fire back, but don't hit anyone this time. Could be they're getting a bit shaken up between the beasts and the expedition's accurate fire. The expedition fires again, with the remaining Highlander soldier avenging the death of his comrade and 1 askari doing the same. The few remaining slavers decide they've had enough and make a run for it.

The expedition buries the dead soldier and askari.

The slavers are slowly whittled down

Day 3 is pleasant and uneventful, but McGillicuddy, the scout, is having difficulty finding a way through the mountainous terrain.

Day 4 while unsuccessfully searching for a way through the mountains the expedition encounters some treacherous quicksand. One askari, a trade bearer and an empty bearer are sucked under before they can be rescued.

Day 5 another quiet day while McGillicuddy still searches for a way through the seemingly impassable mountains.

Day 6 Drums in the Night. The morning reveals 3 trade bearers, 1 food bearer and 2 empty bearers have deserted. Finally McGillicuddy finds a way through the mountains, into more mountains.

Day 7 they discover a high mountain. They also encounter a village, but the natives eye them suspiciously and no trading takes place.

Day 8 monkeys get into the baggage destroying one food load. Stuck in the mountains again!

Day 9 while searching fruitlessly for a way through the mountains the expedition comes across an ancient ruined temple and gather up 5 loads of loot. All of their food has been eaten, lost or damaged, but O'Ryan the hunter manages to bag enough game to feed the party.

Day 10 they discover a new plant species

McGillicuddy finds a way through the mountains into more mountains. The party is attacked from the rear by a small band of 4 hostile tribal warriors armed with thrusting spears and clubs.

Hostile native warriors attack a reduced column!

As the hostile warriors approach the rear of the column the Highlander turns and fires a shot, killing 1 of the warriors. Meanwhile the explorers and askaris move to face the attack.

The warriors charge towards the column, but the combined fire of the explorers, soldier and askaris wipes out the remaining warriors.

Hostile native warriors dispatched

No food today. One empty bearer succumbs.

Day 11 while searching unsuccessfully for a way out of the mountains the party encounters a sinkhole, nearly losing a bearer, the Highlander soldier and Maggie, who were all saved at the last moment.

Still out of food and no game to be found. McGillicuddy succumbs to starvation. Looks like luck wasn't with him on this trip. That's the way things go in Afrodesia sometimes.

Day 12 still looking for a way through the mountains. No luck. Bad water kills 1 askari and 2 loot bearers. O'Ryan manages to bag enough game to feed the remaining party members.

Day 13 Quiet day, nothing happens. Still stuck in the mountains, but O'Ryan bags more game so the party is well-fed.

Day 14 they discover a lake and a way through the mountains and a much reduced expedition returns to their jumping off point.

This expedition spent several more days out in the field than the previous one, but only covered about half the ground, with much time taken up trying to navigate their way through torturous mountain terrain. Sadly, it was the last trip for several expedition members. They will be mourned in city and native village.

Blogger Award

2011-05-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

So, I'm guessing anyone who reads this will know there's this "Stylish Blogger [s]chain letter[/s] Award" making the rounds. I have mixed feelings on it. I don't care for chain letters, which this bears a striking resemblance to. The way it's set up it seems hardly a blog will go un-awarded. On the other hand, it seems it is helping some people find blogs they hadn't come across before. On the other hand (wait, that's three hands now?), I'm not sure I can find any blogs to nominate that haven't already received it so maybe it's best to just let things stand. Basically, every blog you can find in my recently updated blogs list could be a candidate.

Two bloggers whose blogs I enjoy have nominated this little blog for this and I appreciate their noticing my stuff, slow as things have been lately. They are as follows:

Conrad Kinch's
Joy and Forgetfulness
Always a delight to read about his wargaming projects, and other happenings

Alan's
Tradgardland
Always full of enthusiasm and ideas for new projects and more

Thank you both (more for your blogs than for the silly "award")!

All Quiet on the Wargaming Front

2011-04-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yeah, too, quiet. Busy with "real life", so I haven't done much painting and even less gaming most of this year so far. I did manage to paint a few miniatures, including the 2 ladies pictured below. On the left, Katie O'Flynn of Ballyfoole (from Blue Moon*). On the right, Lady Jane Glossington of Grand Thidwick (from Black Scorpion*).

* if I remember correctly! One hazard of buying miniatures from various manufacturers and then taking a while to get around to painting them is I sometimes forget where they came from.

Greetings from Ballyfoole

2011-03-17T19:21:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ballyfoole is preparing another expedition to further explore the wilds of Afrodesia. In the meantime I'll leave you all with a bit of poetry.

From G.K. Chesterton's The Ballad of the White Horse (Chesterton was also the author of the Father Brown mysteries in the first half of the 20th century.)
"For the Great Gaels of Ireland
Are the men that God made mad.
For all their wars are merry,
And all their songs are sad."

Or, as Arthur Guiterman wrote in The Young Celtic Poets:
"For the Young Gaels of Ireland
Are the lads that drive me mad;
For half their words need footnotes,
And half their rhymes are bad."

Mythical Animals of Afrodesia?

2011-01-30T10:45:00.000-08:00

Native legends abound with tales of all sorts of strange creatures. How many of these tales have any basis in truth is a question some intrepid explorers hope to answer as they delve further into the wilds of Afrodesia. Here follow artist's rendition of a few of these creatures, with a figure of a man for size comparison.

The creatures are all from Reaper Miniatures, a great source for animals and monsters, as well as various characters and such.

Combat in Afrodesia

2011-01-27T17:23:00.000-08:00

Furt asked about the seeming static linear nature of the combat in my previous report using the Adventures in Jimland rules. I decided that question deserves a fuller response and further consideration than I could fit (or wanted to fit) in a comment.

First, the two instances of hostile encounters I had in that game involved a fair bit of luck of the die. First, the scouting roll succeeded both times so the expedition was able to better organize to face off against the attacking natives. Second, I forgot the natives could be split up and attack from 2 sides. Third, I only ended up rolling 1 animal. Fourth, the expedition had a good number of armed figures and I rolled well on shooting, so no natives ever made it close to getting into hand to hand combat. Also, the duration of the encounters is fairly short, so there isn't a lot of time for maneuvering.

Having said all that it does seem to me it's often a good idea for the expedition to line up and fire their weapons as soon as possible and hope to take out enough of the attackers to make the rest run off. It also seems like the rifle-armed attacking natives are better off if they stand and fire. Natives armed with hand weapons should probably rush in and try to engage in hand to hand combat as soon as possible. This does seem like it would lead to combat encounters without a lot of finesse happening. I could be missing something here, and maybe more games will bring more finesse to the encounters.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is the game isn't about combat as such. It's about exploration, with some danger along the way. So a typical hostile encounter probably shouldn't have much of a chance of wiping out the entire expedition (or even a majority of explorers, soldiers and askaris).

Still, one could introduce more finesse into the combat as desired (at the risk of making things too deadly for the expedition, making the games take much longer to play, and/or changing the focus from exploration to combat). This could range from simply adding some house rules to the game's rules for these encounters all the way to using some other combat rules instead. As for house rules, a few ideas that come to mind (untested as yet) include:

Increasing the length of the encounter (the rules state an encounter lasts 4 turns). Possibly only ending the encounter when all natives are dead or have run away, and possibly any creatures are also either dead, have run away, or are not fighting.
Placing natives in terrain features anywhere on the table as opposed to having them enter from a table edge. This could mean they are closer, and/or in cover when they are first spotted.
Including the possibility of more natives showing up as the encounter wears on.
Including native encounter cards with tougher opponents (this could be something more "historical" like battle-hardened veteran natives or more war-like tribes with higher stats, natives armed with bows or blowguns, possibly even soldiers from a belligerent nation; or more on the pulp/fantasy side, like lizardmen or swamp trolls or skeletons).

Adventures in Jimland was designed to make for quick games that could see an expedition (or a few expeditions run by different players) complete one "there and back" game in a couple of hours or so. To that end a lot has been kept fairly simple while still offering plenty of scope for a fun and interesting game. It seems to me one of the strengths of Adventures in Jimland is that is plenty of room for adding whatever complications one wants to add. The Jimland Reports are a great source of inspiration. These can be found at the NAGS website under Jimland Reports.

The above are my thoughts and opinions, not the game's designer. And I have only played one game so far, so I could be missing plenty.

Ballyfoole Expedition to Afrodesia

2011-01-17T12:50:00.000-08:00

The Illustrated Ballyfoole Gazette

"Where we never let the facts get in the way of a good story"

First Expedition Explores the Interior of Afrodesia

Sponsored by the country of Ballyfoole, the first expedition to explore the interior of Afrodesia recently set out from the capital of the Sultanate of Marzbar on the east coast. The expedition was led by Captain Flynn, with O'Ryan the hunter and McGillicuddy the scout. They were joined by 2 soldiers from the Gunderland Highlanders, 4 askaris and 12 bearers.

The expedition sets off. At the head of the column, from left to right, are O'Ryan, Flynn, and McGillicuddy

Day 1: They march forth and north into the jungle. They discover a mountain. No villages found. McGillicuddy spots some hostile natives, armed with hand weapons and rifles. The expedition prepares to meet their attack. The expedition fires and kills 2 natives. The rifle-armed natives return fire, but score no hits. The natives with hand weapons move forwards. The expedition fires and kills 2 more natives. The remaining natives decide to run away.
First encounter with hostile natives (apologies for the fuzzy picture! For some reason the battle shots came out a bit unfocused)

Day 2: They discover a new animal species. The terrain is still jungle, no villages found. They encounter friendly natives.

Day 3. They discover a new plant species. The terrain has changed to savannah, no villages found. They encounter 10 potentially hostile headhunters, but after giving the headhunters some trade goods the headhunters ignore the expedition.

Day 4: They come across a sinkhole. 1 askari falls in. The terrain is still savannah, no villages found. They encounter 8 slavers, but the slavers remain neutral towards the expedition.

Day 5: 1 food load has turned bad. They turn eastwards. The terrain is still savannah, a village is found. 8 tribal warriors are encountered. The expedition gives them 1 trade good, but the natives become hostile. McGillicuddy spots their attempt to ambush the expedition, which arrays itself for battle.

The expedition arrayed for battle against hostile natives

As the natives approach shots ring out from the expedition, killing 4 natives. The rest of the natives decide to flee. But the noise has aroused a dire crocodile, which apparently had been laying in wait in the tall grass. More shots ring out as the crocodile charges towards one of the askaris. The expedition turns to face this new threat and Flynn manages to score 1 hit on the huge beast. The crocodile fights the askari, while 1 of the Highlanders tries to help. More shots are fired, with Flynn scoring another hit and the Highlander finishing off the beast.

Day 6: Fever strikes down 1 askari. Apparently he had not gone unscathed in the previous day's fight with the dire croc. The expedition turns south. The terrain is still savannah, no villages found. Natives are encountered but they are friendly. Perhaps they heard of the expedition's dispatching of the dire croc.

Day 7: Strange drums in the night. Morning reveals 3 bearers have run off (1 trade good, 1 food, and 1 empty). The terrain has turned to jungle again, no villages found. No natives encountered.

Day 8: They discover a waterfall. The terrain is still jungle, no villages found. They encounter friendly natives and buy 1 food load for 5 dollars to get them through the day.

Day 9: They discover the ruins of an ancient city. They turn west and return to their starting point with tales to tell and discoveries to reveal.

It appears the expedition was blessed with the luck of the Irish and beginner's luck all at once. With the discoveries made and encounters had the next time they head out to explore further they can be even better equipped and with some experience under their belts.

Game played with the Adventures in Jimland rules. I actually played twice because the first time through I had forgotten to keep an eye out for animals during the fighting against hostile natives. The rules make for a fun game, not too complex, and yet very versatile. Much of the game is played out with pencil and paper. The encounters are played out on the tabletop (on a 30 inch by 30 inch space). Counters are provided with the rules, but I preferred to use miniatures. The rules also provide several charts for rolling up natives, animals, and events. Knowing the original game used cards I made up my own cards based on the charts, so I was able to add in an event or 2 of my own, as well as several animals not in the charts, while dropping some that are in the charts, but not in my collection. Further cards can be added as I get more figures painted up or have more ideas for events.
Total play time was probably about 2 hours, with some time spent consulting the rules, trying to take pictures and writing stuff down.

More Native Peoples of Afrodesia

2011-01-03T12:14:00.000-08:00

Finished painting more natives for the exploration of Afrodesia. I should have enough natives, explorers, askaris, bearers, and creatures to start playing some games using the Adventures in Jimland rules. I also made up cards for the various encounters. I don't have all of the animals listed in the charts that come with the rules, and I have a number of animals not listed in the charts. That's the beauty of making cards. I can include just the animals and other figures I have, as well as any events I want to include to customize things for my collection and ideas (I could also see customizing the game for other genres. For example, for fantasy, of which I have quite a few figures, or sci-fi. Any period/genre where you want to play as expeditions exploring some new area.). I also got a few more Reaper creatures over the holidays, ready to be painted.
Most of the following figures are from Foundry - their Darkest Africa collection. The one exception is the Pathan sitting on his haunches, he's from Old Glory.

Same figures as above, from the other side so you can see the shields.

Look, Up in the Sky!

2010-12-12T11:34:00.000-08:00

Still plugging away at painting more figures for the exploration of Afrodesia And waiting for one more order from Foundry.

Pterosaur (now I forgot where I got it from... I'm not the only one who does that, right? ha ha)

Various natives of Afrodesia (mostly Zanzibaris from Foundry).

More People (and an Ape) from Afrodesia

2010-11-21T20:54:00.000-08:00

A few more members of the Explorers Club, the old explorer and his daughter, and a former/sometime naval officer..

A lady and a villain (the latter from Bossanova, no doubt).

Fabled jungle princess, large gorilla, and fabled jungle ape-man.

All from Foundry's Darkest Africa range (which I think are better sculpted than their SYW miniatures).

Expeditions Planned

2010-11-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Planning of expeditions to explore the wilds of Afrodesia are in progress. Hiring has begun.

Exploring can be thirsty work.

It is essential to hire trustworthy askaris, gun-bearers and other bearers of the equipment and paraphernalia needed, as well as to carry back any treasures acquired along the way.

The above are all from Foundry

Of course, exotic creatures and peoples will be encountered along the way as well.

The bird and the pygmies and idol are from Reaper (I wish they would make a few more pygmies. 3 is not quite enough to do much.)

Out of Afrodesia

2010-10-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Many are the rumors coming out of Afrodesia. Rumors of strange lands, exotic beasts, wild tribes, and more.

Following are artist's renditions of some of the rumored beasts.

If I remember correctly, these are all from Reaper.

More Colonials

2010-10-06T17:01:00.000-07:00

More people one may encounter in or on the way to Afrodesia. The 2 women and the "Turk" are Copplestone figures. The fellow with the sword is the Rajah of Djalhi, and the other fellow is his prime minister/majordomo (what would the Indian term be?), both from Foundry.

These matchlock-armed troops are militia (Sepoys?) of Djalhi. There is a standard-bearer, but I need to come up with a flag. I'm thinking maybe a stylized colorful image of some kind of animal.

Added: The Kukla Khan and one of his lieutenants.

Jungle Terrain

2010-09-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't been totally idle on the gaming front. I have a number of miniatures on the painting desk, which I will post pictures of as I finish them, and lots more in the queue. In the meantime, here is some terrain I have been working on in preparation for the Exploration of Afrodesia.

The various trees are made from wire twisted together for the trunks, branched out in the case of the one tree. With plastic or cloth foliage from aquarium plants or craft plants affixed to the trunks by wrapping wire or twine around the trunks. Then stuck to small pieces of mdf board, with a coating of gray "celluclay" around the trunks and on the bases. Celluclay is a sort of paper pulp that you mix with water. It's pretty lumpy, so not much good for fine sculpting, but great for tree trunks, rough ground, cliff edges, and for making rocks like the boulders in some of these pieces. More painting still to do on them, and probably some flocking.

Explorers Club

2010-08-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Some of the members of the Explorers Club - from left to righ, the Famous and Fearless Explorer Captain Spaulding, Sir Harrison Hyde, Katie O'Hara, and Sam Hunter.

These are all from Copplestone Castings and were pretty easy to paint.

19th Century Uniforms (and ImagiNations)

2010-08-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

I picked up a book at the bookstore today that I didn't know I wanted (that's one of the things I like about bookstores - just browsing around and finding stuff; hard to do that on-line!). The book is called An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Military Uniforms of the 19th Century. Here is a link to it on amazon
It gives a little bit of history for various conflicts and armies, some well-known like the US Civil War and others lesser known like the conflicts between Prussia and Denmark over the Schleswig-Holstein region. There are also sections on the Crimea war, colonial conflicts and more. The book is 9x12 inches, hardback, over 250 pages, with lots of color illustrations. It's not comprehensive by any means, but does include some "uniforms" you might not expect, such as Apaches, sutlers, and other types that you don't always encounter in uniform books. The variety of uniforms, in style, color, etc., leaves me to believe there is plenty of scope for ImagiNations in the 19th century, too.

It looks like there are enough illustrations and information for a least a basic understanding of the period/s and of what the various bits of equipment might look like (to get an idea of what colors to paint things), that I know would find useful for painting miniatures, even if they weren't exactly the units in the book.

The same publisher (and author/artists, I believe) have also done a similar book for uniforms of the American Revolution and the Napoleonic armies. I'll probably look to get the American Revolution book (and wish they had one out for the 18th century in general, similar to the 19th century one).

New Regiment and New Discoveries

2010-08-21T16:38:00.000-07:00

First, on the tricorne front, is the Muttonshire (1st) Regiment of Grand Thidwick, commanded by Colonel Geoff "Muttonchops" Willikers. Joined here by his lady, Catherine. This unit is made up of men from the Capital of Grand Thidwick and surrounding areas.

Skipping ahead several decades, we bring you the famous discoverer, Athelred Fotheringay "Fungy" Rodes. Credited (by himself) with the discovery of a new land whilst out on the town one night. It seems the roasted chestnuts he purchased that evening were wrapped in an old piece of parchment upon which was inscribed an old map.

The map depicted a land long lost to history. Once the discovery became known this new land was christened after its discoverer, and immediately preparations to explore Afrodesia were underway.

Sometime later, from left to right, the Intrepid Explorer, Wm Bumbershoot-Psmythe, ready to conquer the jungles of Afrodesia, a pack donkey, an askari in training, and the Intrepid Explorer, Wm Bumbershoot-Psmythe, upon his return from conquering the jungles of Afrodesia.

Some of the people one might encounter in this new land, from left to right, the Rani of Galore, the Kukla Khan of Ollistan, and a pirate lass (the latter can be encountered almost anywhere on the Seven Seas).

All of the above miniatures are from Foundry, except the pirate lass, who is from one of Brigade Games' Buccanneer Ladies sets.

I am thinking I may start an additional blog for the Colonial/Afrodesian Exploration stuff. I've been reading the Jimland Reports which can be found on-line, playing around a bit with GASLIGHHT and getting ready to try out Adventures in Jimland (sort of Source of the Nile meets Lost World). I have some additional Pathan figures from Old Glory that I have prepped and will start painting. Cheaper than Foundry, but should fit in just fine with the Foundry figures I already have. I also have some explorers and other goodies from Old Glory and from Copplestone on order.
I do expect to continue with the tricorne stuff as well, but sometimes it's nice to have a change of pace. One thing I've noticed switching between the tricorne figures and the Colonial is how much longer it takes me to paint the former. Ha ha (but then, I haven't painted any Highland regiments for the Colonial stuff yet)

Training Exercises

2010-08-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

The whole Ballyfoole army as it stands at this time.

To try out the GASLIGHT rules I conducted some training exercises. This pitted the Ballyfoole Musketeers and the Malarkey Dragoons against an unknown number of the boys dressed up as Pathans. I realized I don't have many scenarios for this type of game in any of the scenarios books I own, so I decided to try a sort of scouting party into enemy territory. I rolled 1d6 to figure out how many possible enemy forces to place and rolled for which section of the table to place them in. I diced for the attributes for the Ballyfoole commanders (one for each unit), but for the Pathans I just played them as if the leaders were the same as the "extras".
The Ballyfoole force entered the battlefield and spotted possible Pathan forces as indicated by the lone figures.

The Ballyfoole force moved forward to scout out the middle section, which did indeed hold some Pathans. (I rolled 1d6, odd for yes, even for no; then rolled ad8 for the number of figures). There ensued a brief firefight resulting in most of the Pathans wiped out and the rest running for the hills. Unfortunately a couple of the Ballyfoole Musketeers also bought it.

The Ballyfoole forces then proceded to the west to scout out another possible Pathan force. This also proved to be a small group of the enemy. Another firefight resulted in the Pathans being wiped out, while one of the dragoons bought it this time.

Next, the Ballyfoole force headed towards the hills to the east to clear it of any enemy forces. Once again they found a small force of Pathans taking potshots from behind the rocks. And once again a brief firefight saw to the Pathans, while the Ballyfoole forces suffered no losses this time.

Finally the Ballyfoole forces headed for the hills to the northeast, where a more sizable force of Pathans was encounter (this time I rolled 1d12, with the idea that this was the main body of Pathans. The result was 10 of the enemy, joined by the 2 who had fled earlier). After a firefight the Pathans charged down out of the hills. A melee ensued and in the end barely a man was standing on either side.

This played out in less than an hour, including taking pictures and a few notes and consulting the rules. I sometimes found it a bit difficult to find the exact information in the rules that I needed at any given point was not always easy. Also there seem to be lenty of things that aren't covered. Of course, the rules aren't really intended for the type of game I played here, I think. They do have their good points and maybe if I play more games and make some modifications it'll work out in the end. I do like the heroic leader types vs. the "extras". And it does seem like a good set for smaller actions, as well as for adding all sorts of unusual experimental weapons and contraptions, as well as various animals.

I have more miniatures on the way (some prepped and ready for painting, some on order) for further colonial adventures. Once I get things really going (beyond "training") I'll probably start a new blog for that aspect of my gaming. But not to worry, I also have more 18th century tricorned and sundry figures to paint and play with.

Ballyfoole Light Infantry and More

2010-07-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

O'Ryan's Hunters (or Jaegers) of Ballyfoole, commanded by Captain O'Ryan - their origin as dragoons can still be seen in some of the accoutrements and uniform.

Maggie O'Toole, vivandiere for the Ballyfoole army

All of the above, as well as these two are Foundry miniatures.

The following 4 figures are from Askari Miniatures. I had ordered a sample pack and mentioned interests in Northwest Frontier Colonials, French Foreign Legion (ala Beau Geste) and possibly Pulp/adventure (albeit I'll probably go more Victorian era than 1930's). These are the figures they sent. The service was great! I ordered the figures on a Saturday night and received them the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Askari make several ranges that fit my description above, including some figures you don't usually see, like a set of "diggers" for an archeological dig. The fellow with the pickaxe is from that set (I did trim down his left arm a bit. The way it was sculpted it looked like he had a long sleeve on that arm and it was kind of an odd shape. So I shaved off the edge of the sleeve and filed doen the elbow a bit).

Prices are very reasonable, too. I expect I'll be ordering more from them in the future.

Colonials

2010-07-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

No pictures this time, but I do have some minis on the painting desk in various stages of completion (and more recent purchases in the wings!).

What I've been up to lately is further exploration of Colonials. I purchased the GASLIGHT rules after several people recommended them. I think they may be just what I was looking for. Fairly simple, yet adaptable, with main characters and regular troops, small units, mostly simple mechanics (although the rules for distributing casualties seems a bit convoluted; maybe it's not so bad in practice). I've also ordered additional Pathans and a few other figures (from Askari Miniatures , Brigade Games and Old Glory Miniatures, as well as some more Foundry miniatures. Taking advantage of a recent discount offer for the latter.). Most of these look like they should "play well" together and it gives me more variety for my Pathan units. What I liked about Askari is you can order a sample pack of 4 figures and let them know what you're interested in. I mentioned interest in a couple of genres. They sent me some suitable figures, including one figure not released yet. And the service was very quick. I'm sure I'll be ordering more from them at some point.

Just the other day I was trying to find more info and inspiration for Colonial gaming and happened across Adventures in Jimland . These are a set of rules described as sort of a cross between Source of the Nile (for those familiar with that old boardgame, which I enjoyed in my younger days) and Dinosaurs of the Lost World - another game I used to enjoy with gaming friends.
I also found reports from Jimland by the author/game designer. These can be downloaded from the NAGSsociety Jimland reports . There are hundreds of pages of reports. I've only just started reading them, but so far I'm finding them very entertaining with just the right touch of humor and adventure. Sure to be a great resource for inspiration. Has anyone played Adventures in Jimland or read the reports?

Now, to get more miniatures painted so we can head off to uncharted lands!

The Battle of Offenbach Falls

2010-06-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

I rolled for initiative each turn, for the 2 sides, not for each force. As it turned out the Batrachians got the initiative for the first few turns. As the battle commenced and the Batrachian forces started closing in von Blunder decided to try and fight his way through the force he had originally been chasing. So rather than trying to change facing he continued on his original course.

Lumiere, commanding the force seen in the upper right of the picture, sent his cavalry ahead, with the infantry and artillery left to catch up as fast as it could.

Meanwhile, Soleau, commanding the force in the lower right of the picture spread out his infantry into a line and started moving them forward.

And de Siècle kept his forces together even though that would mean the cavalry would arrive later than if they forged ahead on their own.

The Soweiter artillery (the Offenbach cannon under Pachelbel) commenced fire at the Poupon Dragoons, who were accompanied by Lumiere, and caused a few casualties. The Mayeux Musketeers fired off a desultory first volley at the Dragoons, also causing minor casualties. The combined casualties were enough to cause the Dragoons to pull back.

The Poupon Dragoons rally. Meanwhile, the Cuirassiers Royale charge the Ballyfoole Dragoons. The resulting melee was indecisive with minor casualties on both sides.

The Fuselli Fusiliers and the Offenbach cannon fire at the returning Poupon Dragoons, destroying them as a fighting force in this battle. The Mayeux Musketeers fire at the approaching King's Musketeers, to little effect. The melee between the Cuirassiers Royale and the Ballyfoole Dragoons continues, with mounting casualties. Both sides pull back. The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry charge the Royal Batrachian Artillery, inflicting heavy casualties and causing the rest of the crew to flee.

Finally von Blunder manages to to seize the initiative. The Ballyfoole Dragoons charge the Cuirassiers Royale and inflict more casualties. The Mayeux Musketeers charge the King's Musketeers, giving better than they receive. The Jingleheimer-Schwartz sweep around to the rear of the Batrachian force. The Fuselli Fusiliers charge into the flank of the King's Musketeers, inflicting further heavy losses and putting Lumiere out of action (is he dead?). The Offenbach artillery limbers up to move off, with the Saxe-Urquhart Gunderland Highlanders close behind.

Of course, while this is all going on the other 2 Batrachian forces continue to close in.

The melee between the Cuirassiers Royale and the Ballyfoole Dragoons continues. The infantry melee between the Mayeux Musketeers and the Fuselli Fusiliers on one side and the King's Musketeers ends with the destruction of the King's Musketeers. The Hesse-Pfeffernusse Pfreikorps charge into the flank of the Cuirassiers Royale, inflicting more casualties. The few remaining Cuirassiers have had enough and flee. The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry charge the Queen's Musketeers in the rear, inflicting some casualties.

By now the Garde N'est Pas have approached close enough to fire a volley at the Highlanders, inflicting a few casualties. Then the Wild Goose Chasseurs charge the Highlanders, inflicting even more casualties. In spite of heavy losses the Highlanders hold.

The remaining Ballyfoole Dragoons charge the Queen's Musketeers from the front. The Mayeux Musketeers hit the Queen's Musketeers in the flank, and the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry continue to attack from the rear. In spite of being hit from 3 sides and suffering heavy losses the Queen's Musketeers hold on. The Hesse-Pfeffernusse Pfreikorps escape to the north, off the field of battle. The Offenbach Artillery and the Fuselli Fusiliers head in that direction as well. The Highlanders hold off the Wild Goose Chasseurs and the Garde N'est Pas who have charged them in the flank, with no casualties on either side.

The Highlanders fight on, but the combined weight of the Wild Goose Chasseurs and the Garde N'est Pas are too much and the Highlanders are destroyed. Did that buy enough time for the other units in the Soweiter force?

The Queen's Musketeers finish off the last of the Ballyfoole Dragoons, but are in turn wiped out by the combined efforts of the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry and the Mayeux Musketeers. The Offenbach Artillery and the Fuselli Fusiliers make it off the field of battle

The Musketeers L'Ouef fire off a parting shot at the retreating Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry, inflicting minor casualties. The Mayeux Musketeers and the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry follow their fellows off the field of battle.

Final result:

Soweiter League losses (Batrachian losses don't figure into deciding victory in this scenario) are 9 infantry out of a total of 32, and 7 cavalry out of a total of 12, with no losses to the artillery crew. For a total loss of about 1/3 of von Blunder's forces. He needed to escape with 80% (or about 38 or 39 of his total of 48 figures) to achieve victory. But the Batrachians needed to destroy or capture 60% (or about 32 or 33 figures). So neither side achieved a clear victory.

The Game is Afoot!

2010-06-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

A clear summer's morning near Offenbach Falls and the game is afoot.

A Soweiter force lead by the capable (or is that culpable?) General von Blunder has chased a smaller Batrachian force into a corner.

The Soweiter units:

The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry
The Ballyfoole Dragoons
The Mayeux Musketeers
The Hesse-Pfeffernusse Pfreikorps
The Santa Sofia Fuselli Fusilieri
The Saxe-Urquhart Gunderland Highlanders
The Offenbach Artillery, Pachelbel's Cannon

The Batrachian units, commanded by the illustrious General Lumière:

The Cuirassiers Royale
The Poupon Dragoons
The King's Musketeers 2
The Queen's Musketeers 2
Royal Artillery 3

But wait! There's more! Another body of Batrachian troops appears to the southeast.

Commanded by the ambitious General Soleau:

The Musketeers L'Ouef
The Paprikash Pandours
The Pandours du Pinque
Royal Artillery 2

And that's not all! A third body of Batrachian troops appears to the southwest!

Commanded by the venerable General de Siècle:

The Wild Goose Chasseurs
The Garde N'est Pas
The Pandours St. Serif

Trapped like rabbits in a snare!

Or are they? Maybe von Blunder and the Soweiter forces can take a cue from the local fauna and ... runaway!

to be continued...

Dragoons and Standards

2010-06-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

This week we have the Ballyfoole Dragoons, commanded by Col. Seamus O'Malley the elder, father of the younger Seamus O'Malley currently serving with the Frundsberg Freihusaren (see Frundsberg Frei Stadt for more on that).
These are Foundry figures. I thought the guy with the helmet was quite fitting for a Celtic unit, probably some family heirloom. I added the "pistol" (or carbine?) to the officer on the left of the picture), just to "spice" things up a bit more. It's from a sprue of pistols that came with the old GW Long Drong dwarf pirates "regiment".

Meanwhile, somewhere in the wilds of the North-by-Northwest Frontier...

More Foundry figures.

ImagiNations and Names

2010-06-12T20:30:00.000-07:00

I have some more miniatures finished, but my camera batteries are still charging, so I hope to have pictures to post tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've been "noodling" about names and ImagiNations. A good name can make quite a difference, methinks. And there are quite a few good ones out there among the ImagiNations. I like the names I have for my individual states, but I've had a difficult time coming up with one for the union of Ballyfoole, Grand Thidwick, and Gunderland. Some of the many I've played around with: Regalia, Newfanglia, Avalonia, Arboria, Britannica, even Freedonia (which I could see as a variation on Prydain/Britannia). But none of those or others really quite clicked with me. Then I thought of "Oorland" - as in "it's oor land; it belongs to us, and we belong to it." Has kind of a ring to it, doesn't it?
So I did a Google search and came across this poem by Charles Nicole (b. 1858, near Glasgow), in praise of Scottish lasses:
Scottish Lasses

I'm fain tae sing a canty sang,
In praise o' Scottish lasses,
For weel I ken in a' oor land
There's naething them surpasses.
They are the queens to cheer ye up
When ye are dour an' sad,
An' weel they ken hoo tae come roon'
Each blythesome Scottish lad.

Hoo sweet it is at gloamin' grey
Tae meet yer lassie fair,
Then wander tae some sheltered spot,
An' tell yer love tales there.
You feel enraptured while ye sit-
Hoo swiftly then time passes!
But that jist lets ye ken the charm
In blythesome Scottish lasses.

Fu' aft we feel that we could be
For ever by their side,
For wi' their artless, winning smiles,
They fill yer heart wi' pride.
They mak' ye blythe when ye are wae,
They are sae fu' o' glee
And oh! 'tis sweet beyond compare
Their ruby lips tae pree.

Sae let us tune oor hamely lyre,
An' ance mair let it be
In praise o' ilka Scottish lass
That treads oor land sae free;
For what is life tae ony man-
E'en ane wha wealth amasses-
Unless he shares it wi' ane o'
Oor blythesome Scottish lasses?

What do you think?

This and That

2010-05-29T14:30:00.000-07:00

Hill tribesmen are starting to gather...

under one of their banners.

Some dismounted horses. I added the saddle on the gray horse, using greenstuff.

Colonel Finlayson of Grand Thidwick.

And Colonel Chagrin, one day to be promoted to General Chagrin?

After the current campaign is concluded it looks like the Soweiter League is going to break up. The Germanic states will go their own way. As will Santa Sofia and probably Mayeux. I haven't fully decided, but I want to concentrate on Ballyfoole, Grand Thidwick, and Gunderland (the original name of Saxe-Urquhart, which that state will revert to.). I am thinking I will have those 3 states band together and pursue some adventures in far-off lands. Still trying to think up a name for the combined 3 states (I considered Freedonia, but I think that's been done a bit).

I'm feeling a bit like I hit the jackpot or something - I finally found a local source for 1/8 inch mdf board (a local plywood and paneling store, not a chain or big box store - one of those kinds of places that's a bit rough around the edges, but where the people know their business because they specialize in it.). Probably bought more than I will ever use, but I didn't want to run short again! ha ha

Now I can make some more mountains, river sections, buildings, etc. (funny how something this simple can make one so happy, eh?)

The Battle of Delbrucke

2010-05-18T18:41:00.000-07:00

(Based on Scenario 7, Hot Pursuit, from Scenarios For All Ages, by Grant and Asquith.)

The Soweiter League forces:

The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers
The Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders
The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry
The Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars
The Hesse-Offenbach Artillery Battery

The Batrachian forces:

Main force under General de Siecle:

The King's Musketeers 1
The Queen's Musketeers 1
The Pandours du Pinque
The Poupon Dragoons
Artillery Royale Battery 1
Artillery Royale Battery 2

Force under General Soleau:

The Musketeers de Limbourg
The Cuirassiers Royale
The Wild Goose Chasseurs

A small Soweiter League force, under the command of General von Blunder, is marching along the main road near the village of Delbrucke. The area has 2 small rivers or streams running through it. These are fordable all along their lengths, but will slow movement down. They are crossed by bridges where the main road intersects the rivers. There are numerous hills, woods, patches of marshy ground and other rough ground that makes cross-country movement more difficult. Movement along the road will be the quickest way to proceed.

A much larger Batrachian force, split into 2 columns, has hastened along the roads from the east in an attempt to catch the Soweiter force while they are strung along the road. The main column, heading along the northern branch of the main road, is commanded by General de Siecle. While a smaller force, heavy on cavalry, and commanded by General Soleau, proceeds along the southern branch of the road.

The opening scene:

The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Muskeeters halt on the eastern bridge to block the Batrachian forces from moving swiftly along the road and give the rest of the Soweiter forces time to get away. The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry pulls off the road to retreat across country.
As the King's Musketeers approach the bridge the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers fire off a volley, inflicting 2 casualties. The King's Musketeers charge, but the result is inconclusive, no casualties.
Meanwhile the Batrachian cavalry spread out to pursue the Soweiter forces across country.. The Cuirassiers Royale catch the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry at the river and charge in, inflicting 1 casualty.

Overview as battle commences:

Bottleneck at the bridge:

While the rest of the Soweiter forces contiune to hot-foot it down the road the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers pull off of the eastern bridge to make a second stand at the western bridge.

The retreating Soweiter forces:

As the Soweiter withdrawal continues the Wild Goose Chasseurs charge the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry, inflicting heavy casualties. A quick melee and the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry are eliminated. At the same time the Cuirassiers Royale charge the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars and also inflict heavy casualties.

The King's Musketeers charge the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers on the western bridge before thay have time to fire.

By this time the balance of the Soweiter forces, the Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders, the Hesse-Offenbach Battery, a much-reduced Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars and General von Blunder make it to safety. And the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers, finding themselves cut off and surrounded, are forced to surrender.

The finale:

The battle ends and the Batrachians hold the field, having damaged the Soweiter forces, but is it enough? By the scenario conditions this is on the edge between a draw and a victory for the Batrachians.

The battle went quicker than I expected at the start. Given the terrain it was hard for the Batrachians to bring all of their forces into play in time to catch the Soweiter forces. Several units on both sides never saw any combat (firing or melee). But I guess that's the way it goes sometimes, especially in this type of scenario.

I used very small units, but they still took up a lot of space on the road. If I had spread them out in a battle line they could easily have taken up most of the width of the table. Granted, my table is no more than 6 feet long and only 40 inches wide I still wonder what size of table people use for larger units sizes. If I doubled the size of my units I think I would need at minimum a 5 by 7 foot table; maybe even 6 by 9 feet. For large battalions of 48 or 60 figure infantry units I can't even imagine what sort of table you would use. So I'm curious, what size units and what size table do you use? How many units per side would also be a consideration, of course. in this battle I used the number of units given in the scenario.

I know I could get more figures in a smaller space if I used smaller figures (such as 15mm), but I can't see the smaller figures as well (to paint or to play with).

Some Day...

2010-05-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

It was a hot and dusty day as the column moved up the valley, interrupting a flock of vultures feeding on a carcass.

Meanwhile, distant figures on a mountain shadow the column.

A closer look at the tribesmen.

And, on another continent, a new acquisition for the zoo. These brown zebras, known as Quaggas, are fairly common in Africa. Maybe some day we will acquire another one so we can have a mating pair.

All figures are from Foundry. The mountain is made from some of my last scraps of 1/8 inch thick mdf board, inspired by Major-General Rederring's cardboard mountains. See http://www.zeitcom.com/majgen/index.html for more. If you've never visited and you're doing Colonial gaming it's well worth stopping by, even though it's been years since it's been updated. I have no affiliation with the site or the group.
The mountain was my first attempt, as a sort of proof of concept. After I put it all together I realize the pieces I used between are a little narrower than my mini bases. Fortunately because of the shapes I can still fit minis on most of the spots. I'm not sure about the paint job. I wanted to keep it simple and a bit abstract/toy-like.
Comments appreciated. Thanks!

Milling Around

2010-04-18T15:19:00.000-07:00

My latest building project - the old stone mill. Could make for a good defensive position on the river. Made from mdf board and other bits of wood. The river sections are also made from mdf board, with the river and banks painted on. I like the way my painted road sections look so I decided to try the same with river sections. Unfortunately this just about exhausts my supply of 1/8 thick mdf board and no one seems to sell it around where I live any more. They tell me they don't sell enough of it so they don't carry it any more. They won't seem to order a couple of pieces either.

The mill lifts off leaving a stone foundation that can represent a small stone jetty.

p.s. While killing time at the bookstore today (a dangerous thing for me to do! ha ha) I picked up the Dover reprint of Winston Churchill's "The Story of the Malakand Field Force", thinking it might be good inspiration for some Colonial games some day.

Ballyfoole and More

2010-04-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

General Jacques von Pflugnickel, of Pfennig-Pfarthing - known to fight on foot alongside the troops as the occasion calls for it.
Previously shown at Gen. on horseback

Isaac Chang, professor of philosophy at the university.

The Malarkey Musketeers of Ballyfoole, commanded by Col. Malcolm Malarkey.

Another Ballyfoole officer.

Captain Caitlin "Kate" Mulligan, Ballyfoole captain of artillery. Inspired by stories of a female artillery officer in Hetzenberg, Kate studied and worked her way to a captaincy in the Ballyfoole artillery.

The figure is a Foundry figure. The face was already less grim than many of Foundry's SYW miniatures, maybe meant to portray a younger officer. I simply added the indication of breasts with a bit of "greenstuff".

Molly McGuire, sometimes known as Molly Pitcher,vivandiere for the Malarkey Musketeers.

It's not always easy to find suitable figures for this purpose.

All miniatures shown here are from Foundry

Equinotical Celebrations

2010-03-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

In the Principality of Ballyfoole, member state of the Soweiter Leage, March 21st, also known as St. Finagle's Day, is a day of celebrations and awards, feasting and games, fireworks and decorations, and of course, wearing of the green.

On this day Ballyfoole, represented by Prince Seamus and Princess Caitlin O'Toole, are honered and pleased to award to Ilse and Hans of the Frundsberg Frei Stadt the Ballyfoole Order of the Griffin for their key roles in rescuing Seamus O'Malley, a young nobleman serving in the Frei Stadt's freihusaren, from a grisly death at the hands of enemy forces. See http://frundsbergfs.blogspot.com/2010/03/family-reunion.html and previous posts from that source for more details on the events surrounding the rescue.

The Ballyfoole Order of the Griffin

Forces of Badness

2010-03-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

The Royal Blackguards of Bossanova, led by the malevolent Col. Braggadocio. Black wigs, moustaches, etc. are required by the unit's uniform regulations.

Two-Fisted Drummer

2010-03-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Fuselli Fusiliers of Santa Sofia, commanded by Colonel Giuseppi "Big Joe" Fuselli. Trousers are yellow, although they can hardly be seen on most of the figures due to wearing their coattails down.

These are fusiliers from Foundry's new French SYW line. The drummer had 2 right hands, which I fixed by removing the thumb on his left hand and sculpting a new thumb on the correct side of the hand. I also corrected a decided lean to the right of some of the figures by sticking putty under one side of each when attaching them to the washers I base my figures on.

On an unrelated note:More inspiration for Colonial gaming. I just bought a collection of Robert E. Howard stories called "El Borak". Old adventure stories set in places like Afghanistan in the 1930's. A bit late in the Colonial era, but probably still a good source of ideas, atmosphere and inspiration.
Rumors of exotic lands discovered by adventurers from the Soweiter League and Batrachia?

The Garde N'est Pas

2010-02-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

The Garde N'est Pas of the Batrachian Empire lined up in the town plaza for inspection. Their commander is Colonel Francois le Comte de la Blanc-Mange.

These are from Foundry's new French SYW range. It's a mixed lot in terms of quality. These garde figures are similar to Foundry's other SYW range, but there are some fusiliers with a decided lean to the right (and I'm not talking about politics - it's more like one leg is longer than the other) and a drummer who has two right hands! When most people turn their hands palms up their thumbs point outwards. The fusilier drummer has his left hand palm up, but the thumb is on the inwards side. I modified him so his thumb is now on the correct side (maybe devaluing him as a collectible? ha ha).

More New Troops

2010-01-18T14:48:00.000-08:00

The Pfennig-Pfarthing Pfreicorps, brother regiment of the Hesse-Pfeffernusse Pfreicorps previously shown, lead by Col. Schilling.

General Jacques von Pflugnickel, of Pfennig-Pfarthing (known as "One-Eyed Jacque"). His mother was from Mayeux, his father from Pfennig-Pfarthing.

The Freicorps and the general are Foundry figures. The dogs are from Gripping Beast, a bear hunt set I bought some time ago. Here's the bear from that set. There are more of the same dogs in the set.

New Construction

2010-01-16T17:08:00.000-08:00

Recently I tried my hand at constructing some new buildings. The fronts and backs are made from mdf board (I think that's what it's called in the US anyway; not sure about the UK or other places. It's the soft stuff, smooth on both sides. Easy to cut and sand.) The sides are made from 3 inch wide pine boards. The building in the middle is the first one of these I made, which I completed as a sort of "proof of concept". The doors and windows are drawn on in pen and then painted. The base is separate so the buildings can stand on their own if I like.

The building on the left shows how I "clamp" them while the glue is drying, around a framework of legos, with hair bands to hold it all in place. That building also has an arch cut into it.

These 3 are all 3 inches deep by 4 inches wide and can hold 8 infantry figures.

The bridge on the right was one I made last year. The one on the left is a new one in progress - made with lessons learned from the first one.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rules

2010-01-09T16:17:00.000-08:00

Some people asked about how I played the Battle of Kuhglockchen, which rules. The short answer is it was pretty ad hoc. I didn't use any rulesset, commercial or otherwise. I've tried a few in the past year or so, but I haven't found any yet that fit the way I want to play. I'm still looking.

Some of the criteria I'm looking for:
Suitable for solo play (this has pluses and minuses - among the pluses, I can be flexible and make up stuff as needed; rules that require any sort of hidden knowledge are harder to do solo)
Quick (I don't want to leave a game set up for much more than a weekend usually, but I don't usually play it all in one non-stop session. I'll pause and take notes between turns. Go do other things, sleep, eat, etc.)
Very simple (I'm terrible at absorbing complex rules and just as bad at retaining them after reading through them several times; maybe if I played them more often I might eventually learn them. Still, I like simple rulessets to get started. Complexity can always be added later if desired.)
Fun (That's what it's all about in the end, isn't it?)
And they need to work well with few figures per unit (I don't have the time or space or even desire to paint and store and game with hordes of figures)

For this most recent battle I just made up most of it on the spot (based on things I have gleaned from various rulessets over the years, for various periods and genres) and will likely adjust and add to these ideas as I go. If I decided some circumstance called for a saving throw or other rule I made up my mind what it was and abided by the result. And I followed the same ruling if similar circumstances came up again later in the game.

Here are the basics (very "fast and loose" and subject to change):
Firing - each figure rolls 1D6 - a 6 is a hit (5 or 6 if it's the firing unit's first volley). Units in cover can save if they roll a 6. Others get no saving roll.
Artillery works the same way, roll 1D6 for each crewman - (5 or 6 if the target is close; not sure if that means 6 inches or maybe 12). Nobody gets a saving roll.
Range for small arms - 6 inches (more or less). For artillery - roughly 24 inches (very roughly).

Melee - each figure rolls 1D6 - a 6 is a hit if it's an even match (foot vs. foot, including artillery crew; or horse vs. horse). 5 or 6 is a hit when horse are attacking foot. Some cases a saving throw is called for - units behind a wall, or cuirassiers, for example. A roll of 6 on 1D6 is a save.

Movement - 6 inches for foot and cannons. 12 for cavalry. Takes 1 turn to go from the bottom of a hill to the top or to go through a small woods. I didn't bother with measuring though. Just guesstimated things.

Morale - If a unit's total number of figures falls below certain thresholds it rolls for morale at the end of the turn. For example, an 8 man infantry unit is down to 6 figures due to losses this turn. Roll 1D6 - pull back on a roll of 6. This unit can rejoin the battle next turn. Another unit is now down to 4 (from 8), they will run away on a roll of 5 or 6. This unit can attempt to rally (6 on 1D6) next turn. If they don't rally they run away another turn. If they're still on the table atfter the 2nd turn they can attempt to rally one more time. If they fail this time they're gone. Another unit is down to 2 figures (from 8) they run away on a roll of 4-6, remove them from the table. They don't get to attempt to rally.

In melee I didn't bother with trying to match up individual figures one to one (or 2 to 1). I just matched up units and rolled dice for the total number of figures in each. Only 1 unit can fight another from the front. An additional single unit can attack each flank (if they're in a position to do so). I didn't worry about ranks either. My line infantry units were on bases 2x4 inches in size, with 8 figures. So I rolled 8D6 for them in melee (or firing!). As casualties were removed units rolled fewer dice. I wasn't concerned about how many actual men each miniature represented. Number of figures in a unit were as much a measure of fighting ability - sort of like strength points. When the unit was reduced to zero figures it didn't mean 100% of the troops were killed (or even injured) it just meant the unit no longer had any capacity to fight, due to casualties, fatigue, loss of morale, etc.

I've been experimenting with number of figures per unit - back in the "old days" (before this blog) I tried units of 18-20 figures for foot units. When I started this project I realized 20 didn't work for me, so I tried reducing a little and doing 16 man units. After playing around a bit I reduced further to 12. The size I used in this latest battle seemed to work well for me. These small unit sizes allow me to do 28mm minis (I don't want to go smaller), but fit plenty of units on a small table. Larger units and "big battalions" are cool and impressive, but they take time and space I don't have. Fun games, even battles with a fair number of units can be had by reducing the numbers of figures. And it could be a good way to get started, for newcomers and for oldtimers trying out a new period. You could get started with just a few figures, and build units up later if you like.

I know this is all pretty nebulous, probably even a bit incoherent, and pretty sure not to everyone's taste, but it seemed to work for me as a purely solo gamer, fighting a battle to see how the story played out. In many ways it was more like "playing with toy soldiers" the way I did when I was a little kid, before learning there were such a thing as rulessets (or even rules!). It was fun!
Sometimes I even wonder if we really get more realistic results with more nuanced rules*?

*Is that heresy?

The Battle of Kuhglockchen in Pictures

2010-01-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

The table, expanded out to 40 by 56 inches.

The battle starts

The Soweiter forces re-organize their line

Battle continues

The Soweiter forces react quicker than expected

The Batrachians press forward

Both flanks of the Soweiter line under heavy attack

The Soweiter line falls apart

And the Batrachians emerge victorious.

For this battle I used 8 man infantry units, which allowed me to fit more units on the table. Some of these units were created by splitting some of my existing 16 man units. For the cavalry I used 6 man units, and 4 man for light infantry and artillery. The number of figures in all cases determined the number of dice I threw for firing and for melee. I counted a 6 as a hit, or a 5 or 6 with the first volley of infantry. Cavalry attacking infantry got hits on 5 or 6. If the unit taking the hits was in cover or cuirassiers (because of their breastplates) they could save on a roll of 6. I also used some similar simple "rules" for morale. I didn't measure movement or ranges, just moved or fired at distances that seemed about right. Very "fast and loose".

The Battle of Kuhglockchen

2010-01-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

Using Grant's Programmed Wargame Scenarios, scenario 5, The Weak Flank

The Soweiter League, General Hemminghaw
Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers
Saxe-Urqhuart Highlanders
Mayeux Musketeers
Ballyfoole Grenadiers
3rd Glossopshire Croats
Saxe-Waldorf WaldJaegers
Jägers zu Pfeffernusse
Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons
Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars
Offenbach Artillery
Saxe-Goldberg Grenade Launcher

The Batrachian Empire, General de Siécle
Paprikash Grenadiers
1st King's Musketeers
2nd King's Musketeers
1st Queen's Musketeers
2nd Queen's Musketeers
Musketeers de Limbourg
Pandours du Pinque
Cuirassiers Royale
Wild Goose Chasseurs 1
Wild Goose Chasseurs 2
Chasseurs de la Moutarde
Poupon Dragoons
Royal Artillery 1
Royal Artillery 2

After receiving reports that the Batrachian army was on its way General Hemminghaw, commander of the Soweiter League forces in the area ordered his army to prepare for battle. As he expected the Batrachians to advance up the road from the south General Hemminghaw arrayed his forces along a ridge facing south. The Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders were placed in reserve behind the main battle line, while a small force composed of the 3rd Glossopshire Croats and the Jägers zu Pfeffernusse to guard the flank from inside a small woods.
Meanwhile, the wily old Batrachian commander, General de Siécle, had marched his army around to the west to hit the Soweiter line in the flank.
The battle opened with the 1st Queen's Musketeers and the Pandours du Pinque attacking the small force in the woods. About the same time the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars swung around to face the approaching Batrachian army.
Both sides exchanged fire.

From their vantage point on the hill the Ballyfoole Grenadiers were the next to turn to face the Batrachians.

The Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars charge the 1st King's Musketeers, while the 1st Queen's Musketeers and Pandours du Pinque charge into the woods to attack the flank guard.

Meanwhile, with uncharacteristic alacrity, General Hemminghaw starts to re-organize his forces into a battle line facing west.

The Pandours du Pinque destroy the Jägers zu Pfeffernusse, but the 1st Queen's Musketeers are driven off by the 3rd Glossopshire Croats. In the main attack the 1st King's Musketeers destroy the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars. The rest of the Batrachian forces continue their advance and the Soweiter battle line continues to take shape.
The Ballyfoole Grenadiers and the 3rd Glossopshire Croats start pulling back towards the main Soweiter line.

The Batrachian advance continues, hitting the northernmost part of the Soweiter line first.
In their eagerness the Paprikash Grenadiers get out in front of the rest of the Batrachian line and take heavy fire from both the Mayeux Musketeers and the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers. Already hurting a bit from their initial encounter with the Ballyfoole Grenadiers this hail of fire wipes them out.
The battle really heats up, with volleys rolling up and down the lines of both armies. The Cuirassiers Royale, personally lead by General de Siécle, charge the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons and, at the other end of the line, the Pandours du Pinque charge the 3rd Glossopshire Croats.
The Wild Goose Chasseurs 1, having taken heavy casualties from fire by the Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders, are driven off by further fire from the Saxe-Goldberg Artillery (grenade launcher).

The Batrachian forces surge forward and attack the Soweiter line. The 1st King's Musketeers charge into the Mayeux Musketeers and drive them off. In the north, the 2nd Queen's Musketeers hit the 3rd Glossopshire Croats in the flank, causing heavy casualties, but the Glossopshire Croats hang on.
Melees continue all along the battle line.
The 2nd King's Musketeers charge the Ballyfoole Grenadiers, but the Grenadiers hold their ground. The 2nd Queen's Musketeers finally destroy the 3rd Glossopshire Croats. This opens up the Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders to being hit in the flank by the Wild Goose Chasseurs 2, causing heavy casualties on the Highlanders.
The Cuirassiers Royale wipe out the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons.
With the south flank opened up the Cuirassiers Royale sweep around and destroy the Offenbach Artillery. Meanwhile, in the north the Wild Goose Chasseurs 2 wipe out the Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders. Farther down the line the 2nd King's Musketeers destroy the Ballyfoole Grenadiers.

At this point the Soweiter League forces, deciding discretion being the better part of valor, retreat and leave the battlefield to the victorious Batrachian forces.

I didn’t really use a rules set for this game, just a few ad hoc rules as I played the battle out.

(Photos to follow in a second post)

New Recruits for a New Year

2010-01-01T14:46:00.000-08:00

The Soweiter League's National Zoological Garden latest acquisition - wishing you a Hippo New Year!

The Hesse-Pfeffernusse Pfreikorps, led by Col. von Nussbaum, ably assisted by a grizzled old sargeant. (Standard bearer is off in the "wings" awaiting a flag)

Also from Hesse-Pfeffernusse, General Oscar von Pfreidegg

A Hippopotamus for Chrsitmas

2009-12-25T16:55:00.001-08:00

I haven't been totally idle on the gaming front, but I don't have anything finished to show yet. I've been working on another bridge and a building, prepping minis for painting, doing some preliminary painting, etc.

Just to show off some of my Christmas goodies: A hippo from Foundry. I bought this and some other animals which will make appearances here as they get painted. I've always included some animals in my miniature collections. Way back when I was in my teens (and even before) buying the Airfix plastic sets, I remember having the Tarzan set with several animals.
And a new table to take the place of my old card tables for gaming. This is a very sturdy (and Heavy!) table that collapses down as you see it here. In this state the tabletop measures 20 by 40 inches. By pulling out one side and flipping over the top it can be expanded out to 40x40,. Pull it further apart and add 1 or 2 drop leaves and it can be expanded further to 40x56 or 40x72. The "drawers are just decorative, not functional. It would've been nice if the width was 48 indtead of 40, but even as is I think it makes a good gaming table. (Now I just need to "break it in".)

I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays!

Troops from Grand Thidwick

2009-11-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Introducing the 3rd Glossopshire Croats, commanded by Col. Bourneville Smythe-Basset. The standard bearer of this unit and other recent units to receive flags later, once I have a few units that need flags.

New Troops

2009-11-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

Introducing the Pandours San Serif, commanded by Colonel Cliché. Sharp-eyed readers may notice their similarity to the Paprikash Pandour Grenadiers, the main differences being the style of hat and the white cuffs vs. the yellow cuffs of the grenadiers.

I seem to be accumulating a fair number of excess officers and NCOs. They're too full of character to not paint and use, but I don't have troops for all of them at this point. They're too martial for diplomatic service or other duties. I think I'll just have to find more recruits to serve under all of those fine officers.

The Battle of Potzenpanz - illustrated

2009-11-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

The Soweiter League's main force arrives, spread across the battlefront.

The Main force of the Batrachian army appears to the south, concentrating on the town of Poztenpanz and Potzie's farm.

Both forces advance on their objectives.

To the west the balance of the Soweiter League forces make their way through the village of Potzdorf.

Battle commences in the east.

The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons spot the Wild Goose Chasseurs.

The fighting continues in the east.

The Jingelheimer-Schwartz Dragoons and Wild Goose Chasseurs charge each other.

Things have not gone well for the Batrachians.

The Mayeux Musketeers and Ballyfoole Light Artillery reach the hill to the southwest of Potzenpanz.

Fighting continues.

The Mayeux Musketeers capture the Batrachian gun, while the rest of the Soweiter forces push the Batrachains out of Potzenpanz and Potzie's farm.

The Cuirassiers Royale finish off the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars, but by this time the battle is lost. Time to withdraw and leave the battlefield to the Soweiter League's forces.

The Battle of Potzenpanz - day 2

2009-11-07T16:58:00.000-08:00

Main forces

Soweiter League:
General von Bluster of Hesse-Offenbach
Ober-Umlaut Untersee Horse Marines, Col. von Oberwasser
Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons, Col. Jingleheimer
Ballyfoole Grenadiers, Col. Kelly
Mayeux Musketeers, Col.D'Artagnan
Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers, Col. Schwartzenberger
Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders 2 (aka the Soforth Highlanders), Col. MacHardy
Ballyfoole Light Artillery, Capt. O'Leary

Batrachian Empire:
General de Siécle
Cuirassiers Royale, Col. Descarte
Wild Goose Chasseurs, Col. de Foie-Gras
Paprikash Grenadiers, Col. Paprikash
King's Musketeers, Col. Truffault
Musketeers de Limbourg, Col. Fromage
Pandours du Pinque, Col. Clouseau
Bombardy Royal Artillery, battery 1, Capt. Soufflé

The battle plans for day one were based on simple die rolls to see which of the three main objectives each advance party would try to take. I assumed each force was small enough they wouldn't split up, so I rolled 1D6, giving each objective an equal chance. As it turned out both forces aimed to take Potzie's Farm.

Before even rolling for that though I came up with some options for the Batrachian main force, based on which objective they went for on the first day - this was set up even before I knew what the objective for day one was. As it turned out the result for day 2 was the Batrachians tried to keep their forces fairly concentrated on two objectives, the farm and the town of Potzenpanz.

I also diced for each unit of the Soweiter League's main force to see where they entered. I gave them an equal chance for each objective. The result was more of a split between all 3 objectives. The only change I made to the dispositionsafter rolling was to swap the Mayeux Musketeers and the 2nd unit of Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders, so the Highlanders could go in to support their fellows.

Start of day 2

The center units of the Soweiter forces managed to occupy 2 buildings in Potzenpanz, while the right wing (to the west) composed of the Mayeux Musketeers, the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons and the Ballyfoole Light Artillery headed for the village of Potzdorf. And on the left wing 2nd unit of Highlanders marched in to support their fellow Scots at Potzie's Farm.

Meanwhile on the Batrachian right the Musketeers de Limbourg marched in to add their weight to the Queen's Musketeers in attempting to take the farm. The Cuirassiers Royale, with the remnants of the Poupon Dragoons, rode forward to face off against the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars. And the rest of the Batrachian forces headed for Potzenpanz. The Pandours du Pinque occupy one building.

Day 2, mid-morning

Heavy fighting occured between the infantry at the barn, with the balance swinging back and forth through much of the battle. The cavalry on that wing also struggled for quite a while. In Potzenpanz itself hoouse-to-house fighting took a heavy toll, especially on the Batrachians who tried to take the initiative and push the Soweiter forces from the town. And in the west the Soweiter forces finding no opposition in Potzdorf swing around and head for Potzenpanz from the southwest.

Day 2, late morning

The Wild Goose Chasseurs and the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons battled it out just south of Potzenpanz, while the Mayeux Musketeers and the Ballyfoole Light Artillery followed up. The Artillery took up a postion on the hill southwest of Potzenpanz and the Mayeux Musketeers pressed forward. While this is going on the Bombardy Artillery Battery 1 unlimbered and prepared to fire at any targets that present themselves from the southwest.

The fighting in Potzenpanz has been furious. The Paprikash Grenadiers try to storm the building occupied by the Ballyfoole Grenadiers, but take heavy casualties and depart the field. The King's musketeers also fail to take the building occupied by the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers, and so pull back into join the remaining Pandours du Pinque in the third building.

Day 2, mid day

The infantry around the farm continued to fight for control. The Batrachians managed to force Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders (SH1) into retreating, but their place was taken up by Soforth Highlanders (SH2). The heavy fighting took it's toll on the Batrachians, too, eliminating the Queen's Musketeers and forcing the Musketeers de Limbourg to fall back. General Soleau kept this from being a full scale rout, pulling the retreating forces together. Then, along with the Bombardy Artillery battery 2 they made an ordered withdrawal.

The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Dragoons eliminated the Wild Goose Chasseurs, but in turn were wiped out by the Bombardy Artillery battery 1. The artillery was in turn overrun by the Mayeux Musketeers.

In Potzenpanz the remaining Soweiter infantry forced the Batrachians out of their building, with the much reduced Batrachians fleeing the town. At this point it was unclear what the fate of General de Siécle was as he was in the thick of the fighting.

Day 2, Afternoon

To the east the cavalry melee between the Cuirassiers Royale and the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars finally resulted in the Hussars being eliminated from the field of battle. But by that time the Cuirassiers realize the rest of the Batrachian army has been eliminated or forced to retreat.

Bowing to the better part of valor the Cuirassiers made an ordered withdrawal and departed the field of battle.

Day 2, late afternoon

Final result: another defeat for the Batrachians, the Soweiter League holds the town of Potzenpanz and Poztie's Farm, the Batrachians have departed, and the fate of General de Siécle is unknown...

(pictures to follow in a later post)

The Battle of Potzenpanz - day 1

2009-11-04T17:51:00.001-08:00

(Based on the Tabletop Teaser in Battlegames 19)

The bucolic tranquility of the Potzenthal is stirred up a bit as some time after midday advance parties of the armies of the Soweiter League and the Batrachian Empire face off against one another on the hills overlooking the valley. Each force consists of a single regiment of cavalry, one infantry regiment and one cannon.

Soweiter League:
General Louis-Louis Milieu of Mayeux
Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars, Col. Oddkugel
The 86th Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders, Col. Stanley MacLaurel
The Offenbach Artillery, Capt. Pachelbel

Batrachian Empire:
General Napoleon Soleau
The Poupon Dragoons, Col. Moutarde
The Queen's Musketeers, 1st Regiment, Col. Dormez-vous
The Bombardy Royal Artillery, battery 2, Capt. Bombardieu

Map of initial dispositions:

Both forces converge on Potzie's farm to the east of the town of Potzenpanz, attempting to gain a foothold in a defensible position before the arrival of the main forces.

The Highlanders march in quickly and occupy the barn, while the Hussars and artillery hold the hill just northwest of the farm. Meanwhile the Queen's Musketeers enter the walled-in field just south of the road, stirring up the livestock there. At the same time the Poupon Dragoons surge forward and the Batrachian artillery comes up to support the Queen's Musketeers.

The Offenbach artillery unlimbers and fires off a devastating volley at the Poupon Dragoons. The Dragoons decide discretion is the better part of valor and beat a hasty retreat back to the hill south of the walled field.

Following this action the infantry on both sides let loose with a couple of volleys, but both sides being protected by walls and barn only minimal casualities result. The artillery on both sides also exchange fire, with even less effect.

As it is now getting a little dark for continued fighting the Batrachians pull back out of musket range to settle down for the night. The Highlanders bed down in and around the barn. The cavalry and artillery do likewise on their respective hilltops - the Poupon Dragoons having recovered from their retreat.

Map of positions as night falls:

The main forces of both armies are expected to arrive in the morning.

End of an Era

2009-10-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Following General D'Zastre's abysmal performance in the invasion of the Soweiter League, especially his less than stellar actions at the recent battle of Sachertortenwald, the general has been recalled to the Batrachian court. His replacement is an old soldier and hero of the War of the Boar and the French Onion War, General Fin de Siècle. General de Siècle is well-liked by the common troops and seen as a down-to-earth soldier. On the other hand his recall from retirement and promotion to commander-in-chief of the Batrachian Army in the Soweiter theatre is not sitting well with some of the younger generals. It especially rankles with General Napoleon Soleau, who expected to be appointed to command the invasion after the abrupt departure of General D'Zastre. General Soleau, while honoring the general for past service to the empire, sees the general as well past his prime ("the old man should've stayed in his estates enjoying his quiet life in the country").
General de Siècle arrives with reinforcements, the Pandour Grenadiers de Blasè, commanded by Colonel Boldizsar Paprikash, formerly of the Bossanovan army (Colonel Paprikash had to flee from Bossanova after being suspected of honorable dealings with enemies and underlings). Also commonly known as the Paprikash Grenadiers.

Rhinos and Remounts

2009-09-20T12:48:00.001-07:00

More acquisitions for the Soweiter League's National Zoological Garden, mother and baby white rhinos.
Remounted cavalry on the new bases. Still more in progress.

Tricornes and Laurel and Hardy

2009-09-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

I had been looking for a dvd replacement for my vcr tape of Bonnie Scotland, one of my favorite Laurel and Hardy movies. An excellent comedy and parody of Colonial movies of the Northwest frontier. I found a dvd set that had that movie (as well as extras I haven't looked at yet), plus another movie called The Devil's Brother, which I had not seen before. I watched The Devil's Brother this afternoon. It's based on a light opera called Fra Diavolo, and is about a bandit in northern Italy in the tricorne era. There are some great Laurel and Hardy comedy bits, as well as the main story about the bandit, and soldiers in tricornes. Black and white, of course, so not much chance of getting uniform color ideas. ha ha

I have been playing around with ideas to rebase my cavalry. I had been using large fender washers, but to get a large enough base to fit the length the width is wider than it needs to be. I experimented with a few options until I hit on an idea to glue 2 of the same washers I use for my infantry figures to a piece of plasticard. It's fairly thin card, so it's easy to cut with scissors. So after gluing 2 washers to the plastic I cut the sides straight with a razor saw (makes it easy to keep the cut straight, just push the saw blade right up against the 2 washers) and then use scissors to cut around the curve of the washers on the ends, ending up with an oblong base. I then sand off the rough edges. I can fairly quickly crank out several bases with a consistent size. With the washers they will stick to the magnetic movement trays. So I'll be rebasing my cavalry in the next few days or so. Command figures will probably still go on the large fender washers, which also helps them stand out from the rank and file cavalry on oblong bases.

Edited: On the left you see the washers glued to the black plasticcard. In the center, how it looks after trimming and adding a horse. On the right is a cavalry figure mounted on one of the fender washers I had been using. As you can see, the new basing gives me more length for the figures, while taking up less width. This gives me uniform bases with enough length for the Foundry horses most of my cavalry figures are riding (some have short bases, some long, depending on their stance)

I have been using greenstuff to fix the minis to the bases, washer side up, but there's no reason you couldn't glue it the other way around. The greenstuff isn't necessary for this, but I like to use it to hide the join between the bases and the mini's own base. For this I use old greenstuff that is getting old and a bit lumpy and not as useful for finer sculpting (I don't sculpt often so I end up with plenty of greenstuff like this for these purposes).
Of course, you could glue the minis to the bases and use whatever base-enhancing techniques you like.

The Battle of Sachertortenwald - the battle report

2009-09-04T21:43:00.000-07:00

with maps...
Batrachian forces, commanded by General D'Zastre
The King's Musketeers
The Queen's Musketeers
Musketeers de Limbourg
King's Grenadiers (or Grenadiers du Leroy)
Cuirassiers Royale
Poupon Dragoons
Chasseurs de la Moutarde (light infantry)
Royal Artillery

Soweiter League forces, commanded by General Milieu
Saxe-Urquhart 86th Highlanders
Ballyfoole Grenadiers
Mayeux Musketeers
Jägers zu Pfeffernüsse
Offenbach Artillery

The morning starts out with the Soweiter League's infantry and artillery encamped on the edge of the Sachertortenwald Forest, while their cavalry is off somewhere foraging. Alarms ring out as Soweiter sentries spot Batrachian forces approaching on the road to the west, winding through some hills. At the same time the Batrachians realize their intended route through the forest is blocked by enemy forces. The Batrachians are unsure of their location, but do know they need to head east through the forest to link up with other Batrachian forces. Not expecting to encounter any enemy forces they are a bit strung out on the road. Both sides are surprised to encounter sizable enemy forces here.

The Cuirassiers halt to allow the King's Musketeers to get into line, soon to be followed by the Queen's Musketeers also deploying into line. The Grenadiers come up quickly in road column. Meanwhile the Soweiter forces organize into line for defense. The Highlanders placing themselves across the road. The Mayeux Musketeers, Offenbach artillery and Ballyfoole Grenadiers prepare to occupy the large hill closest to the forest.
The Batrachian infantry get into line formation ready for pressing forward, while the Cuirassiers begin their advance up the road. As they proceed they come under heavy fire from the Offenbach cannon on the hill. At the same time the King's Musketeers and Musketeers de Limbourg north of the road and the Queen's Musketeers and King's Grenadiers south of the road begin to advance as well. The light infantry joins the advance, proceeding through the woods to the south. Meanwhile the Batrachian artillery follows up on the road behind the main advance and the Poupon Dragoons come up along side the artillery.

As the morning wears on the much-reduced Cuirassiers approach the Highlanders and sound the charge, ploughing into the Highlanders. The Highlanders manage to hold their own, driving off or wiping out the Cuirassiers.

At about the same time the Queen's Musketeers, after taking heavy fire from the Mayeux Musketeers and Offenbach cannon, decide they've had enough and flee back down the road westwards.

Next it's the King's Musketeers turn to charge the Highlanders, killing many and routing the rest. But the Highlanders, accompanied by General Milieu, manage to recover and take up a position on the road just inside the forest. The Mayeux Musketeers start to withdraw from the hill back towards the forest.

The King's Grenadiers approach the hill, taking a hit from the Offenbach artillery, which then joins the Mayeux Musketeers in withdrawing off the hill. The Ballyfoole Grenadiers get another hit on the King's Grenadiers. In spite of casualties the King's Grenadiers still manage to gain the hilltop.

At this point the Batrachian line infantry and cavalry seem to halt their advance and the only movement is the artillery unlimbering on the road, and the tail end of the Queen's Musketeers disappearing down the road. The Chasseurs de la Moutarde (light infantry) have been approaching through the southern woods and have now come out into the open. Thus exposed they take heavy fire from the Ballyfoole Grenadiers and are effectively removed from the battle.

The Ballyfoole Grenadiers now pull back off the hill to join the balance of the Soweiter forces preparing to defend just inside the forest.

A flurry of firing proceeds all around, with the result of some casualties among the King's Grenadiers. The Poupon Dragoons reach the forest and attempt to engage the light infantry there. The infantry manages to evade (I allowed them to evade and pull back if they rolled a 6 on 1D6).
The King's Grenadiers and Batrachian artillery inflict a few casualties on the Mayeux Musketeers and Ballyfoole Grenadiers. The Poupon Dragoons melee with the Highlanders, but the Highlanders come out ahead.

The King's Grenadiers inflict more hits on the Ballyfoole Grenadiers and then charge into them. At the same time the Batrachian artillery inflicts more hits on the Mayeux Musketeers. The King's Musketeers proceed up the road into the forest, hitting the Highlanders in the flank (and inflict no casualties!). The Musketeers de Limbourg follow up into the gap to take on the Mayeux Musketeers.
The Ballyfoole Grenadiers finish off the King's Grenadiers and General D'Zastre runs away down the road to the west.

The Musketeers de Limbourg stand and fire at the Mayeux Musketeers, finishing them off. The Highlanders finally succumb to the combined onslaught of the Poupon Dragoons and the King's Musketeers.
The remaining Batrachian forces begin moving up the road, heading east into the forest and away from the scene of battle. The Soweiter light infantry get one last hit against the King's Musketeers.

Thus the battle ends, with some of the Batrachian forces destroyed, others fled back down the road to the west and a few marching off through the forest heading eastwards. Unfortunately they didn't get as many through as they needed to. Another victory for the Soweiter League.
Where is General D'Zastre? What will become of him now, following yet another defeat?

For this battle I used a set of simple rules based on the SHAM rules (Steve's Horse and Musket rules). These are very simple rules, but do cause some units to fail to move occasionally, among other battle "effects". I played it out bit by bit over the course of several evenings, so I'm not sure of the actual playing time. The scenario is "Making the Best of a Bad job" from Scenarios for All Ages. It seemed like a suitable scenario to follow on from previous battles, and I had enough troops and terrain to play it. The camp shown in the photos was not needed, just an added touch for the prelude to battle and a fun little project to put together.

The Battle of Sachertortenwald

2009-09-03T19:56:00.000-07:00

Artist's renditions of the battle. Battle report with maps and more details to follow in a later post.

The morning finds the Soweiter League's infantry and artillery encamped upon the edge of the Sachertortenwald. (I made the tents with some white plasticard I had lying around, covering with white cloth, painted a cream color. I'm not too "crazy" about the tents. I'll probably try making different ones one of these days.)
The Batrachian forces start to come into view, with the Cuirassiers Royale in the lead, closely followed by the King's Musketeers, and the alarm is raised. The Soweiter forces quickly deploy to fend off the enemy.

More Batrachian forces appear.

The Soweiter forces have deployed into line and march towards the closest hill to prepare their first line of defense.

The Cuirassiers halt to allow the infantry to deploy for battle before proceeding any further up the road.

The Batrachian forces start coming together and arraying for battle.

The Soweiter forces gain the hill.

The Batrachiansm now arrayed for battle, begin their approach.

The battle commences.And continues...

And continues, as the Soweiter forces are pushed back...

And rages on...

And continues (with some undesriable consequences for certain parties)...

Some Batrachian forces near their objective (as noted in a previous report the Batrachians must exit the better part of their forces off the road through the forest to the east), but is it enough?

Leaving a depleted Soweiter army in their wake.

(This action was fought on 2 card tables butted together with an old paper-backed style GW battlemat thrown on top. I reduced the sie of each line infantry unit to 12 figures rather than the full 16 I have painted, and the other forces reduced similarly. This worked just fine as the rules I was using work on the basis of stands, where each infantry unit is usually 4 stands. Thus I removed 3 minis each time a "stand" was lost. I may even try reducing things further to make each infantry unit only 8 minis - then I can treat each of my 16 figure units as battalions with 2 regiments. Far from cool and epic spectacle of "big battalions", but for a solo gamer like me with limited space and a slow painter it seems a workable solution.)

Prelude to Battle

2009-08-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

The Battle of Sachertortenwald is currently in progress. The battle report will follow once the battle ends. Here is the initial situation when both sides spot elements of the other side.
This is based on scenario 22, "Making the Best of a Bad Job", from "Scenarios for All Ages" by Grant and Asquith. I cut off part of the map and left some forces off the table to accomodate my smaller table. In addition I tried using a smaller number of figures in each unit - for example, instead of the 16 minis for a unit of line infantry I've been using I reduced it to 12. It seems to be working fine and is better suited for my space and time. I might try reducing even more if I do scenarios with more units. A far cry from the big (humongous! 60 figure) battalions some use, so it lacks that epic grand look, but it works for me.

Back to the battle... the Batrachian forces (of which only about half are visible at the start of the battle) are lost, strung out a bit on the road ,and only know they have to head east on the road through the Sachertortenwald. At the same time a small force of Soweiter League infantry with one cannon are encamped at the edge of the woods, while their cavalry are off foraging and not likely to appear for the battle. So both sides have to scramble to get ready for the coming battle.

The Batrachians must get at least 60% of their troops through the woods and off the board to the east. The Soweiter League forces have to prevent this from happening.

To be continued...

What's Gnu?

2009-08-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Finally finished painting a few minis.
First, Dr. Mont-Blanc, royal physician to the Batrachian court.
Isabeau la Coquette, the Queen's Seamstress, Batrachia.

(There's a rumor that Isabeau is actually a Monte Cristan...)

brief snippet of conversation overheard:

"I'm not really sure... the last time I saw her she was dressed in a more traditional Monte Cristan manner."

"...heart-shaped birthmark on her left..."

(voices fade away)

Next, James "Two Feathers" Pyewacket, of the Stickiwickit Indians, a woodland tribe located in the vicinity of New Thidwick, a colony in the Americas (if you can call a one horse village a colony...). James teaches mathematics at the University of the Soweiter League.

Molly Smith, apple-seller (and secret agent, shhh...)

Watsi-tu-yu & Son of the Futsi tribe, Askaris since 1742. Usualy hired by Pfrank Bach when he is on expeditions in Africa.

Pfrank Bach's latest acquisitions - a pair of lionesses to join the lions in the Soweiter League National Zoological Gardens...

And some gnus...

More Civic Improvements

2009-07-19T15:56:00.001-07:00

Not getting many minis painted lately, but I have been working on bits of terrain.
Here's an "old school" inspired bridge I made from mdf board. The middle "legs" are cut a little shorter so the bridge rests flat on the table.
Experimenting with making cobblestone roads, just for a different look from plain dirt roads. The cobbles are drawn on with ink, and painted in various shades of gray.

Battle of Rumpelstiltsdorff - the battle report

2009-07-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

(no maps yet - but here are some photos)

The battle started out with the Batrachian forces launching an attack with a strong center and right flank and a weaker left flank.The Soweiter General Hemminghaugh, a capable if not exceptional commander, was determined to defend the hills and to take the offensive if the opportunity arose.
(the general arrangement of forces, the overall plans, and the general responses were all determined by die rolls as outlined in the scenario - Scenario 1 Hill Line Defense)
(The rules as written use a die roll to determine what phase happens next, one side or the other moves or one side or the other shoots, sometimes both shoot at once, and sometimes a command decision die roll is required. This means one side may get to shoot more than once in a row, for example. I tried out my own variation with cards and a few additions, such as a few cards with possible random events, such as a single unit gets to move.)

The Batrachian forces moved forward, while the artillery unlimbered in preparation for firing.In the event the Soweiter forces got off the first round of firing. The Batrachian cavalry had surged forward ahead of the infantry, so they were the primary targets, the infantry still mostly out of range and hidden by the woods to their front. The Ballyfoole Light Artillery fired at the Mustardy cavalry, to devastating effect. On the Batrachian's left flank a detachment of Waldjaegers and some of the Mayeux Musketeers fired at the Cuirassiers Royale, again very devastating.
The woods slowed the adavnce of the Batrachian infantry, but protected them from enemy fire at the same time. In spite of the devastating fire the Cuirassiers Royale continue to move forward.

The remnants of the Chasseurs de Limbourg from the left flank head towards the woods in the center to link up with the other Chasseurs de Limbourg there. Meanwhile the Mustardy cavalry also continue to move forward towards the crossroads and the Ballyfoole cannons.

The Batrachian infantry continues their forward advance through the woods.

The Cuirassiers Royale are wiped out as an effective force for this battle by more concentrated fire from the Mayeux Musketeers. (I'm considering the casualties as loss of fighting ability for the current battle. It doesn't pay for units to operate on their own with these rules.)

On the right flank only the light infantry has seen much action so far, exchanging potshots. In the center the Batrachian artillery got off several shots, but only inflicted minor casualties on the Ballyfoole Grenadiers.

On the left flank, with the threat there eliminated, the Mayeux Musketeers and the Waldjaegers came down off the hill and headed towards the center to outflank the Batrachian infantry.

A decision check sends the Mustardy cavalry off towards the left flank. Intending to get around and flank the Mayeux Musketeers? (the card is one of my random event cards that gives a radom unit extra movement; which in this case turned out to be the Mustardy cavalry)

On the right flank the Queen's Musketeers finally got past the woods, with the King's Grenadiers making it to the edge of the center woods. In the meantime the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars come from out of reserve to surge around the Batrachian's left flank.

While the infantry of both armies exchanged fire in the cneter and right flanks the Mayeux Musketeers managed to hit the Mustardy cavalry in the flank and eliminate them from the battle.

The grenadiers from both sides commence an extended melee in the center.

The Hesienberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars sweep around and head for the Batrachian artillery, but the artillery managed to escape. Meanwhile the remaining infantry on the right flank and center join in the fray and continue to melee.

Swinging around, the Hasenpfeffer-Heisenberg Hussars to hit the Batrachian infantry from behind.

The battle ends with the Batrachian forces eliminated and the Soweiter League in possession of the field and the hills.

Well, that was a bit of a disaster for the Batrachian forces. Their forces were too split up and sending the cavalry ahead didn't help. The Soweiter forces were able to exploit this and basically roll up the batrachians from the left and finally overwhelm them in the center. Although, at times it looked like the Batrachian forces might've been able to overwhelm the center first and face the balance of the Soweiter forces afterwards.

I have some other rules I might try for the next battle.

The Battle of Rumpelstiltsdorff

2009-07-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

Preliminary reports are coming in concerning a recent battle near the village of Rumpelstiltsdorff.

This battle was fought using my own adaptations of the Sacre Bleu! rules I previously used for the Battle of Wrybridge. I'm not sure they worked so well. It seems shooting can be very devastating (or hardly do any damage at all. Maybe that's okay?
I used another programmed scenario from Grant's Programmed Scenarios book. As before I had to reduce the number of figures and units to suit my small number of units and limited gaming space. I'm thinking I might be better off splitting my units in half and counting each half as a unit when selecting from the forces lists, maybe even allow them to operate as independent units to fit in with the programmed setups, orders and responses. I might try that next game.
The scenario called for one side to defend a line of hills or ridge (depending on the map sections rolled up). The Soweiter League had to hold the hill for the day. The Batrachain forces were charged with taking the hill/ridge line.
The Batrachians set up first, as seen in the depiction below.

The Batrachian army was lead by General D'Zastre and was composed of the following forces:
The Cuirassiers Royale (on the left flank)
The Poupon Dragoons de la Moutarde (in the center)
The Musketeers de Limbourg (in the center)
The King's Grenadiers (on the right flank)
The Queen's Musketeers (on the right flank)
1 Medium gun (between the center infantry and infantry on the right flank)
The Chasseurs de la Moutarde (light infantry scattered in the woods across the entire front)

As it turned out, when placing the Soweiter League's forces their setup map included a few more features, including a heavier wood on the western hill, to the left in the photo, and a building at the center crossroads, which I decided represent the outskirts of the village of Rumpelstiltsdorff).
After setting out the Soweiter League's forces the situation appeared as shown below.

The Soweiter League's forces were lead by General Hemminghaugh and were composed of the following forces:
The Mayeux Musketeers, supplemented by one stand of Saxe-Urquhart Highlanders (on the viewer's left)
The Ballyfoole Light Artillery (in the crossroads)
The Heisenberg-Hasenpfeffer Hussars (in reserve behind the artillery)
The Ballyfoole Grenadiers (in front of the building)
The Jingleheimer-Schwartz Musketeers (on the viewer's left)
The Waldorf Waldjaegers (light infantry spread in the woods along their army's front)

I used the "programmed" instructions for both sides, so the placement of units was dictated by die rolls, as was their intial orders and basic responses to enemy actions.
Further information and pictures (and hopefully, maps) to follow later, as I have time to get stuff written and drawn.

Transportation Improvements

2009-06-24T19:54:00.001-07:00

Here in the Soweiter League we have been working on improving the transportation networks. The first phase of this is a set of roads. These are all of the ones I have made so far, but I have more material for more pieces. I cut the pieces out of thin mdf board, which I find easy to work with if not the sturdiest material. Then I painted the roads with 3 shades of brown craft paint and the edges with 3 shades of green craft paint. At this stage I think they look pretty good and I'm thinking I won't flock them, at least for now.
So far I have made a number of straight pieces (some slightly wavy as you can see), a couple of corner curvess and a couple of T intersections. I plan to make at least a couple more corners and a 4-way crossroads. Does anyone else who uses road sections have other/additional shapes they find useful? I do plan to make a bridge or 2 soon, probably ones that can just be laid over my existing river sections and link up to the roads sections.

I like the painted look enough I'm considering scrapping my old river sections at some point and making new rivers just like the road pieces (or not :) ), along with a gaming table top. I'm also tempted to make some Grantian buildings along the lines of those seen in the Grand Duchy of Stollen or Lead Gardens (although it's not like I'm running short of ideas for projects!).

Be that as it may, any advice on useful road pieces is welcome. Thanks!

Heavy Cavalry and Others

2009-06-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

Introducing the Cuirassiers Royale of the Batrachian Army. This unit is sponsored by the king's devoted and wise uncle, Jean-Louis, but lead by a younger more active colonel. Coats are red, turnbacks, trousers, etc. are buff. The bugler's coat is buff with red turnbacks. The cuirasses are bronzed.
A rear view of the bugler, to give you a better idea of the coloring.

General von und zum Beispiel of Hesse-Pfeffernusse, Quartermaster General for the Soweiter forces.

A pack camel I've had for years and finally painted. (possible desert adventures in The League's future?)

Soweiter League militia command, for the militia figures previously shown. The guy on the far right is a flag-bearer. I gave him a shortened flagpole made of brass tubing. This way I can slip in various flags if I want.

Flag Updates

2009-06-13T21:57:00.001-07:00

Submitted for your perusal:
I've been working on minor redesigns of some old flags, as well as some new flags for new units.
The first set are infantry flags for the Batrachians. The 3 on the left are, from top to bottom, the King's Musketeers, The Queen's Musketeers, and the Musketeers de Limbourg. The main thing I'm trying there are slightly brighter colors. The flags on the right are, from top to bottom, the grenadiers, the Pandours du Pinque, and the Pandours du Noir (referred by some as the Pandours de Gris or Grey Pandours - these are veterans) (this last unit is not painted yet).
note - the crosses are meant to indicate the button and hat trim colors - yellow crosses for gold/brass/yellow buttons and hat trim; white/gray crosses for silver/pewter/white buttons and hat trim. Going back I realized I had painted all of the units so far with gold/brass/ yellow buttons and hat trim.

The second set of flags are for cavalry, Batrachian on the left and Soweiter League on the right. On the left, from top to bottom, are the Poupon Dragoons de la Moutarde (again, not much of a change, just a little darker gray and a little brighter yellow), and a unit of Cuirassiers (just finished painting, working on a name for them - I'm thinking something along the lines of the Cuirassiers Royale, sponsered by the king's devoted and wise uncle, Jean-Louis, but lead by a younger more active colonel). On the right, from top to bottom, are the Ober-Umlaut Untersee Horse Marines and the Jingleheimer-Schwartz Cavalry.

I based most of these flags on basic templates posted by Bluebear Jeff long ago on his Saxe-Bearstein blog (search his blog for "flags") or go directly to the flag templates post. Thanks Jeff! Heraldry and other embellishements added by me.

Helpful comments are welcome as always! Snide remarks you can keep to yourself... ;-)

Updates made after helpful comments from Bluebear Jeff and Jean-Louis

Highlanders for Hire

2009-05-29T17:29:00.001-07:00

If you visit the Reich Duchy of Beerstein you can witness the arrival of the Saxe-Urquhart Dun Haggis Highlanders, under hire to the Reich Duchy of Beerstein.
Ach, it's loverly, 'tis. Warms the throat (I mean "heart"!) and brings a tear to the eye.
The lads are bonnie, too! All of Saxe-Urquhart is proud of oor lads and their commander Anguish MacDour of Clan Haggis this day!

(The figures are Capt. Bill's own and nice job, too!)
(The name Anguish is "borrowed" from George MacDonald Fraser's book "The Reavers")

The Bridge on the River Wrye, part 3

2009-05-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

The Battle for the Bridge on the River Wrye (or Wreibrucke)
Initial reports of this small but important action were confused and conflicting. Everything from an almost total victory by the Soweiter forces over the Batrachians to the Batrachian forces handily gaining control of this key bridge.
(as I played the game I changed from using a die roll to determine which actions were taking place to using cards, with a few tweaks of my own. Sometimes, with the die roll or the cards you will get actions which you can't use or don't want to use, such as an action to fire when there are no targets in range or an action to move when you just want to stay put. I take those as lulls in the overall battle. It may be you get several of those in a row followed by a flurry of shooting, for example. To me that feels like a more realistic depiction where battles have lulls, intense firefights, spurts of movement, etc., and even the odd movement when one group decides to go head in some direction you hadn't planned. This can result in units messing up your plans as in the case here where some of the Batrachian infantry blocked their own cavalry. Or in another "play" of the battle, a cavalryman headed off on his own, found a ford (had to roll a 6 on a die 6), and nearly managed to cut off the retreat of the Saxe-Goldberg Engineers.)

The true story, as much as truth can be known in these matters, is as follows.

The Soweiter forces, comprised of a large contingent of Mayeux Musketeers (10 figures), a much smaller detachment from the Saxe-Urquhart 86th Highlanders (2 figures), and a detail of Saxe-Goldberg Engineers (2 figures), under the overall command of Colonel von Kleinewitz of Ober-Umlaut, were tasked with holding the Bridge over the River Wrye, or failing that, destroying the bridge to deny it's use to the Batrachian army. To that end the Soweiter forces arrayed themselves on and around the sturdy stone bridge.

The Batrachian forces approached the bridge with the aim of securing it for their own use as it would help shorten their supply lines. The Batrachian forces were comprised of the Queen's Musketeers (14 figures) and a small detachment of Moutarde Dragoons (2 figures), under the command of Captain Jean di Jean of that same cavalry unit.

The battle opened as shown in this first map.

As they appeared on the scene about half of the Queen's Musketeers moved forward to the northwest (this happened as the result of a "decision check", which can cause some figures to move in a random direction if you fail the check or give you the opportunity to choose your action if you pass the check with a high enough score. Otherwise there is no effect.). This was probably not a very good move on their part as it blocked the cavalry from moving forward.

After the 2 sides eyed each other just outside of effective musket range the Batrachians started moving their whole line forward (I drew several cards that were not usable by either side or resulted in no action before finally drawing a move card for the Batrachian side).
This brought the 2 sides into musket range and the first volley from those who could fire resulted in equal casualties. That could've been some concern for the Soweiter forces as they were slightly outnumbered and could not afford to continue to lose equal numbers of casualties.

After this initial exchange of fire the Col. von Kleinewitz ordered some of the infantry flanking the bridge to move onto the bridge to replace the casualties there. The Batrachians moved closer to the bridge and the Soweiter forces on the bridge itself moved closer to the center of the bridge to defend it.

There followed more shooting by both sides, less effective than the initial exchange. The Queen's Musketeers then charged onto the bridge and into melee with the Mayeux Musketeers and Highlanders defending the bridge. Because the bridge restricted acces the Batrachians were unable to take advantage of their slight advantage in numbers. In the ensuing melee both sides suffered casualties. For a while, though, it wasn't looking good for the Soweiter forces as 1 Queen's Musketeer seemed to be fighting like a man possessed (it was down to 1 Queen's Musketeer to 2 Soweiter troops - the most that could fight at a time given the width of the bridge. The Batrachians couldn't get more troops up because the next in line were cavalry. I could fit 2 infantry OR 1 cavalry in the width of the bridge.). In the end that lone Musketeer was defeated and the Moutarde Cavalry stepped up to take their turn at trying to take the bridge.

While the infantry on the bridge battled it out in hand-to-hand combat there was sporadic exchange of gunfire by those forces on either side of the river who had clear shots. This caused a few casulaties before both sides got their forces lined up on the bridge and further shooting would endanger their own men.
Meanwhile, back on the bridge the Mayeux Musketeers and the Highlanders managed to destroy the Moutarde Cavalry, mainly by being able to bring 2 infantry against 1 cavalry at a time (the infantry got 2 rolls and the cavalry only got 1, but the cavalry did have pluses for attacking on horseback). Still it was a close run thing.

With the cavalry destroyed the remaining Queen's Musketeers took their turn at trying to take the bridge. An extended melee took place, both sides growing exhausted. And even though the Batrachians had more troops they couldn't bring their superior numebrs to bear.

In the end the Soweiter forces emerged triumpant, if much reduced in number.

With this victory the Batrachian supply is more extended than their commander would like and they are vulnerable to raids on supply trains. The Batrachians may be forced to halt their advance or seek some supplies by other means.

(Sorry for the lack of good pictures - I guess I need more experience with photgrahphing during games. I can't really tell much from the little screen on the camera, but it takes time to download them onto my computer. I think I need to get the right balance of lighting, flash, distance, etc. Also need to make sure the batteries are charged before I start! lol).

(The Sacre Bleu! rules are pretty simple, without lots of modifiers and no real morale rules, just the "decision checks", but with some tweaking of the rules and the scenario I managed to play a fun game in a short amount of time. I will likely try more scenarios of my own in the future - and tweak the rules as I go. I can also add things like character and morale as I go if I decide to.)

The Bridge on the River Wrye, part 2

2009-05-10T18:23:00.000-07:00

I am breaking this report up into 2 posts. This one contains depictions of the forces during the battle, along with some notes ("out of character" notes in italics). An "accurate" account of the actual battle along with maps will follow in a later dispatch.

Most of the artists' depictions that follow are based on some of the initial incorrect reports of the battle (these were some of the better pictures, taken on a sunny afternoon, before my camera's batteries faded. Many of the later pictures were taken after dark and for various reasons did not turn out well)

This first picture is incorrect. In the actual battle the Soweiter forces were arrayed on the bridge and to either side of the bridge on the far bank, while the engineers were held in reserve in case their expertise was needed. (I changed the Soweiter forces initial deployment as I found if I had to blow the bridge they could be cut off from their line of retreat.)
In reality the Batrachians had fewer cavalry and the Queen's Musketeers approached in line not column. (I changed the formations and number of figures in later games - approaching in column didn't allow the Batrachians to bring all of their musketry into play.)

Another inaccuracy is the river was closer to the center of the area of the battle and did not curve off to the north as shown in this depiction. (I moved the river closer to the center of the table, giving the Batrachian forces a better chance of reaching the bridge with enough forces to have a chance of taking it. It also meant shooting could start sooner as they didn't have a sfar to go before targets were in range.)

Some of the early reports indicated that the Soweiter forces devastated the Batrachians with their musket fire. (After this I reduced musket range and chance to hit, only keeping the better chance to hit for the first volley. Although, in this first game both sides fired - it's just that I rolled much better for the Soweiter forces than for the Batrachians).

Another depiction from that first report. The Batrachians were pretty much decimated by the time they reached the bridge, even before any hand-to-hand fighting began.

This is a more accurate depiction of the initial Batrachian deployment, although it still shows more cavalry than they actually had. (I changed the Batrachian inatry deployment to line - gave them a much better chance of causing some serious damage to the Soweiter forces before reaching the bridge as they could get more muskets firing.) The numbers for the Soweiter forces are more accurate, but the deployment is incorrect. They were arrayed on and behind the bridge, rather than in front of it. (Another reason for changing their deployment is it gave them a better chance to downplay the slight numerical superiority enjoyed by the Batrachians.)

Stay tuned for the actual battle report (sorry, no pictures there - the ones I managed to take were too grainy, blurry, washed out and/or dark. There will be maps to show the key junctures in the battle. The rules I used don't really have turns in the traditional you go -I go sense or even in the sense of simultaneous movement, as I mentioned in the previous post about the rules.)

The Bridge on the River Wrye, part 1

2009-05-09T18:26:00.001-07:00

I recently bought a set of rules for small scale actions in the 18th century with "10-200 miniatures". The rules are called "Sacre Bleu!" by Agema Publications, just a few letter-size pages in a staple-bound booklet, and half that is introduction and 4 scenarios.
I decided to try them out using one of the scenarios involving 1 force trying to take a bridge and the other force either holding the bridge or destroying it. It turned out the rules and number of figures involved meant I could play the scenario very quickly, so I eneded up playing it 7 times over the course of the past week. It took less than an hour to play each game, even though I was taking notes and checking rules.
I tweaked the rules as I went and added my own permutations. The basics are very simple rules for movement and shooting, no morale tests (but a different kind of "test" called a decision check in the rules - that can have figures move on their own or give the player the option to do something he wants the unit to do), random sequence of actions (rolled up with dice - one of the changes I made after a couple of games was to use a partial deck of playing cards with a couple of twists of my own added in). I also tweaked the firing ranges and effectiveness as my first try ended up very lopsided in terms of casualties.

The forces involved changed a bit as I tweaked things after each game, but mainly included the following:
The Soweiter League forces:

Colonel von Kleinewitz (of Ober-Umlaut) commanding
The Mayeux Musketeers
A small detachment from the Saxe-Urquhart 86th Highlanders
2 Saxe-Goldberg engineers (who took little part in the fighting, mainly tasked with blowing the bridge if it looked like falling into the hands of the Batrachians - the scenario description stated this was a strong bridge and require a roll of 2 sixes to succeed, which I only managed to do once during the 7 games)

The Batrachian forces:

Captain Jean di Jean (of the Moutarde Cavalry) commanding
A detachment of Moutarde cavalry
The Queen's Musketeers

Here is an aerial shot of the first setup for the battle. As you can see I used a card table with a river, some woods to the southwest, a marshy spot just to the south of the river on the east edge, and a Lego bridge (I "need" to make a better bridge one of these days).

The first game was an overwhelming victory for the Soweiter League forces defending the bridge. The attacking Batrachian forces were wiped out almost before they even reached the bridge! I also had lots of "turns" where the action was not used by the side whose turn it was (although there aren't really "turns" in the traditional sense - when you roll for an action it specifies which side takes the action, so one side could get multiple actions in a row).

In the rest of the games I moved the river closer to the middle of the table and reduced firing ranges, which gave the Batrachians a better chance of reaching the bridge with enough men to have a chance of taking it. In later games I also changed the forces a bit, mostly reducing the Batrachian forces slightly and adding a few to the League's forces.

The 2nd through 5th refights of the skirmish resulted in the Batrachians handily winning each time. On the sixth refight the Soweiter League managed to barely scrape out a win by blowing the bridge and exiting with just a little more than the required number of figures still alive.

By the 7th and final refight I think I had things working well and both sides seemed to have a pretty even chance of winning. It seemed to go back and forth as to who would win. I'll write that "battle" up in another post. I got a few decent pictures from some of the fights, which I will include in the battle report (there were issues with camera batteries, lighting, handheld shots, etc. - still working on taking good photos during a game).

Bring in the Artillery

2009-05-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

First up are 2 more Batrachian Artillery crews. (Currently sharing the same cannon - I need to acquire another one)

This gentleman is the Batrachian Royal Coatman. The queen had heard the story about the Englishman who laid his coat down to cover a puddle so his love could walk across. The queen thought that was very romantic. So the king decided to employ a servant to carry around a coat (a genuine English red coat) in case the royal couple ever encountered a puddle when out and about.

Some scenic bits that come with Foundry sets. I'm thinking these bits like these can be used as battlefield markers of some sort.

Zoological Specimens

2009-04-26T17:06:00.000-07:00

Renowned natural philosopher, Pfrank "Bring 'em Bach Alive" Bach, is seen here at the Soweiter National Zoological Gardens with his latest acquisition, a pair of cameleopards or "giraffes", from his recent expedition to Africa.
And a closer rendition by the artist Maurice L'Ouvre.

Send in the Marines!

2009-04-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

The Ober-Umlaut Untersee Horse Marines, that is.

Lead by Colonel Ludwig von Oberwasser

New Blog

2009-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have started a new blog to catalog my collection of fantasy minis. This will mostly be pictures of the many existing fantasy minis I have painted over the years, although I will also occasionally add a new mini or 2.

See http://talesofmirth.blogspot.com/

The Band (of Engineers) - now in technicolor

2009-03-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here are the Saxe-Goldberg Engineers in all their glorious color.
With Colonel Walbert Weinstein commanding.

And a few more pack animals to carry some of their equipment.

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p.s. Here's a mini I sculpted some time ago. He is O-Me-One (aka Omiwan) Canoli, Starry Knight, from my unfinished Star Warped comic. Maybe some day I'll take it up again, but not right now.