Another hobby update.

 So I've been slacking on the blogging front again, resulting in the need for another update post. I'll start the post off with a few pictures from games I have been involved in at the club. 

TYW Mingolsheim 1622

Thirty Years War

First up a Thirty Years War game based on an encounter at Mingolsheim in 1622. A new period to me but one I'd be interested in playing again. This game fell into the "continuing the search for a set of rules the majority like" realm as apparently many sets have been tried and fallen by the wayside.

Club pics and AAR click

Genappe 17th June 1815

Near Genappe 17th June 1815

Next up a purely cavalry action from the day before the Battle of Waterloo as Vivian's Hussar brigade and Vandeleur's Light Dragoon brigade withdraw northwards towards Mont St Jean, via the bridge over the river Dyle at Thy, whilst being pursued by the advancing French. I actually played as one of the French commanders in this game, shocking I know, and was just unable to stop the British withdrawal before the heavens opened drenching both sides and ending the pursuit.

Club pics and AAR click

Great Northern War 1710

Great Northern War 1710

Great Northern War 1710

Great Northern War 1710

Now for the Great Northern War, again a new conflict to game, and a fictitious game that continued the Swedish advance upon Smolensk had the Battle of Poltava not taken place. The game saw Swedes and Ottomans attacking Danish and Saxon defenses while a Russian support force, me, moved to support them. A fun game where the Saxon horse spent the game moving away from the advancing Ottomans while their infantry and that of the Danes held off the attacking Swedes and rampaging ottoman horsemen. My Russians advanced but were unable to do much more than prevent the Swedish horse from concentrating solely on the Danes before game end. We gamed a continuation of this scenario a few weeks later with the Saxons, Danes and Russians attempting to cut off the Swedish withdrawal, alas I took no photographs.

Club pics and AAR click

FPW Gravelotte St Prival 1870

Gravelotte St Prival 1870 FPW

Gravelotte St Prival 1870 FPW

Gravelotte St Prival 1870 FPW

Gravelotte St Prival 1870 FPW

Gravelotte St Prival 1870 FPW

Next up Franco Prussian war in 10mm. For one reason or another we were down a few players for this Friday night / Saturday game so it was decided to ignore the southern third of the battle and concentrate on the center and northern sectors where the majority of the historical action occurred. 

I had command of what would have been the Prussian center but was now the right. It's a strange period to play as the French rifles outrange the Prussian's but the Prussian artillery is superior to the French. The Prussians are also better in melee. So the choice I had was advance to melee as fast as possible while coming under rifle fire for longer or sit behind artillery out of rifle range and try and pound the French. As my task was to tie up the French center and left to prevent them supporting their right where our main assault was to go in, I decided on the latter. I moved the infantry up to just outside French rifle range and set up massed batteries of artillery to pound the French.

This didn't entirely work as the French moved down the slope until they were in range for their rifles and shot away at my infantry and artillery crews. By the time I sent my infantry in to attack they were weakened by the constant small arms fire and most failed to make contact. However I had done my job in occupying the French to my front and despite the  French right putting up stiff resistance the numbers deployed against them finally told giving a tactical victory to the Prussians despite severe casualties.

Club pics and AAR click

So that's the gaming taken care of so what else Have I been up to?

Hobby Stuff

On the Napoleonic front with my British army being based around Talavera I found myself not having any Light Infantry battalions for pick up games so I have decided to remedy this by painting up a battalion of the 43rd Light Infantry. Command are by Front Rank, from the reinforcements range, rest are Victrix flank company figures with Light infantry heads from Brigade Games. In the back you may see three sappers which I 3d printed as needed for Shako games.

43rd Light Infantry

43rd Light Infantry

So plans for after the 43rd are finished?

Having roughly two and a half divisions of British and Portuguese infantry plus five regiments of cavalry and supporting artillery I have no problems putting on games at the club where I can utilise other members' hordes of French. However should I wish to play elsewhere I'm stumped, so with the opportunity presented by Christmas I decided "Oh the horror!" to get some French. So between then and a gaming show last weekend I have enough French for three line battalions, three infantry casualty markers, Mounted infantry command, one regiment of Chasseurs à Cheval and one cavalry casualty marker. I have still to get the two artillery models I want as they were out of stock at the show. The majority are Perry plastics with a few donated Victrix bodies to make up the numbers in the third battalion, a second Perry command sprue was bought separately.

I have assembled all of the infantry and am in the process of doing the cavalry so I can do one mass priming session for the whole project.

AHH! French, what am I doing?

French regiment in the paint queue

French Ligne awaiting prime and paint

More pressing however is a participation game that the club is running at Diceni in May in collaboration with The Assault Group manufacturer (TAG). As Diceni is based in Norwich and we are a Norfolk based gaming club we have decided to game scenarios based on the Ketts' Rebellion of 1549.

TAG having a range of Tudor miniatures and being a show regular, have provided us with "quite a few" including some new and custom sculpts to put on these games. Now all we have to do as a club is get them all painted in time.

TAG, Tudor forces for Kett's Rebellion game. I'm painting command and billmen.

Alongside these as an owner of a 3D printer and having access to Wargames Atlantic's STL files on My Mini Factory I have produced a couple of barricades and some belligerent citizens of Norwich to flesh out the terrain

Medieval peasants from Wargames Atlantic STLs

Peasants and barricades printed from Wargames Atlantis STLs

So lots to do and many more games on the horizon.

Cheers 

Tony.