Category Archives: Uncategorized

So Many Projects, So Little Time

lion rampant cover

I feel pulled in at least five  directions as September wraps up.  Usually I’m pretty good at staying focused on one thing at a time but not this time.

  1. So there is a lot of interest in the SAGA rules at the present time.  David Sullivan reminded me the rules have been around for over two years, and I have yet to actually play them.  As I explained in my last post, it looks like I have enough Vikings to put together a four point “faction.”  I’ve agreed to participate in a November 29th tournament, so somehow I’ll have to get a game or two in before then.  I also have a fistful of figures to paint-about 25 or so, but they should go fairly fast. I’ve completed a five figure command set by Gripping Beast and am in the middle of painting ten archers.
  2. I’ve received the first of my pieces for the Raid on St. Nazaire.  These are mostly tiny 2mm buildings by Brigade Games though Pico Armor.  Very nice stuff. I ordered some residential buildings that would appear in St. Nazaire’s Old Town, some railroad buildings that also seem quite nice, along with some trackage.  Finally I got the industrial building set, but likely will need quite a bit more. I’ve also ordered the eight or so vessels I need from PT Dockyard.  I got a note they shipped yesterday, so they should be here soon.
  3. Last week I received the new medieval small action rules, “Lion Rampant.”  These rules are perfect for my singly mounted Hundred Years War figures. I have enough figures to create many “retinues” as both French and English. I’m trying them out on October 11th with Dave Schueler, a simple one off game prior to hosting a larger multi-player game two weeks later.  The rules seem simple and fun with lots of die rolling and death.  They have the virtue of being cheap without a bunch of add-ons a la SAGA, and honestly they just fit my interests a bit better.
  4. I’ve finally dragged out and assembled all my 40mm Three Musketeers figures from the “And One For All” range by Eureka Miniatures.  I’ve primed them and slapped some flesh paint on faces.  I’ve also purchased additional figures for the period from Chris Hughes excellent ECW range at Sash and Saber.  I’m quite thrilled to get them.  This is for a role-playing game I’ve offered to run, and I’m looking forward to painting the magnificent figures and drawing up the scenarios. Will probably use a combination of GDW’s old “En Garde” rules and Ganesha Games’ “Flashing Blades,” with liberal input from Alexandre Dumas (pere), films by Richard Lester, and maybe a little contribution from the “Musketeers” series on BBC America.
  5. I’ve said no new projects for the last couple of years, and I’ve pretty much stuck to that pledge.  But I am looking at something new and that is 28mm Aztecs and Conquistadors.  I actually have boxes and boxes of 1/72 scale Revell plastics, but they are missing a few key items that I can’t seem to duplicate in 20mm.  Eureka has a gorgeous range for both that is quite complete.  I don’t envision anything gargantuan-probably 200-225 miniatures.  There is a Sword and the Flame version for this period, though I can still see some simplifying too. I’ve ordered a sample pack for each side and they are quite nice.

Lots going on, and lots to do, but it all seems pretty fun.

The Fife and Drum Guards

I’ve kept very busy painting in September, and it’s been a very productive month.  I finished fourteen various colonial figures to go with the Butlers Rangers miniatures I painted last month.  I have some other irons in the fire, and I’m painting almost every night, enjoying every minute of it.

However, my big completed project for the month is the 28mm Guards unit from Fife and Drum miniatures.  You might recall I reviewed these figures after I received them last December.  I began painting them at the end of August and finished them earlier this week.

This is a special range of AWI figures, commissioned by Jim Purkey (the Alte Fritz for those who knew him on TMP.)  They were intended to represent the units taking part in the 1777 campaign, including Bennington, Saratoga, Brandywine, Germantown and a host of smaller actions that took place in the Year of the Hangman. We like to think of the Brits in their tricornes and lacy red coats, those were chucked by General Howe as he began his ambitious campaign to win the war.  We find these British in floppy fedoras, long, but largely lace-free coats and overalls rather than breeches.

The miniatures are quite nice.  They have just the right amount of detail and are relatively easy to paint.  They are British AWI figures after all. Loved the lace on the drummer and found the only challenging part was hunting down all the buttons. The muskets are quite long compared to other manufacturers, but also the remember the muskets, together with their bayonets seemed quite long in the movie, “The Crossing.” In my previous post I commented on the figure size and my opinion hasn’t changed.  By height I think they are fine, but they are slender by comparison to other ranges.  Even so, I really enjoyed painting them.  I bought them for a guards unit at Guilford Courthouse, and I’m sure I’ll use the Fife and Drum guys for the second unit.

In what’s been a very good painting month, I also finished six Perry “nervous militia” figures from their AWI range, as well as a package of civilian types.  I want to use them in a raid game featuring Butler’s Rangers and Indians vs frontier settlements.  I think I’ll cobble together my own rules for the game, based on Brother Against Brother and/or Sword and the Flame.  Something one pagey and simple.  The British will have to torch structures, keep casualties low and prevent their Indian allies from killing everything in sight.  The settlers will have to hold on until help arrives. May have to try out a pack of Perry plastic Continentals to make this work.

I’m presently trying to immerse myself in painting my SAGA Vikings before moving on to 40mm Three Musketeers figures.

 

 

The year’s big project

Enfilade made it official last week and announced the theme for the 2015 convention.  It will be Raids.  Not really much of a raids person, though I could imagine a few raids that might be worth gaming.  I’ve painted some figures for raiding the frontier during the American Revolution.  Maybe, we’ll see.

Actually I’m fibbing.  Daveshoe and I have long discussed the possibility of gaming the St. Nazaire Raid of 1942. This raid was carried out against the Normandie docks, the only one on the Atlantic coast capable of hosting the German battleship Tirpitz.  In a daring land/sea expedition elements of the Royal Commandoes and Royal Navy destroyed the docks and important infrastructure in St. Nazaire’s maritime/industrial region. Unlike lots of games, there aren’t a couple hundred 28mm figures that will need to be painted.  Instead, we’ll be modeling the game table for a 1/600 scale coastal action.  I have many of the British gunboats already built and painted, but I have eight more to go.  There will buildings galore to paint, felt game space to construct and etc., etc., I’ll keep you posted on the project as we proceed.

I’m currently painting my Fife and Drum British Guards from the American Revolution.  These are exquisite 28mm figures, with just the right amount of detail.  They were sculpted to model troops for the 1777 campaign.  Though their coats are a bit long, they’ll do for Guilford Courthouse as well.  They are very nice, but a little on the small side. Smaller than Perry’s 28mm AWI, and even a little smaller than Old Glory figures.  I’m working on a 24 figure unit and making steady progress.  I hope to have them finished by the end of the week.

What then?  I have fourteen singly mounted militia and civilians I want to paint for the AWI frontier scenarios I mentioned earlier. These are all Perry figures that I expect to paint up very quickly.  They’re nice figures, a good variety of men, women and children.

I proposed to do some role playing with my son and friend David, and promised to take on the role of game master.  I asked Casey what kind of role playing he would most be interested in, and he thought it would be fun to do some swashbuckling along the lines of the Three Musketeers.  I thought that was a great idea because it gives me an excuse to pull out my Eureka 40mm And All For One figures.  They are unpainted, but I think they’ll take the next place in the painting queue.  I’ve been re-watching my copy of the Richard Lester stories (The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974) are by far the best versions of the Dumas story; don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.) I’ve also checked out the BBCAmerica The Musketeers series for story ideas and I’m anxious to get started.  I’m likely to use Fudge as the rules set but am consulting the ancient GDW EnGarde rules as well as Ganesha Games Flashing Blades for ideas as well.  I have the original nine figure set Eureka issued a while back, and I’ve ordered a couple more of the assassin type figures, and I’m looking out for where I might be able to pick up a few more additional figure types for the era.

Finally, there’s been an increasing amount of talk about the SAGA rules for some quickly small action gaming.  I have 25 painted Vikings and was pawing through my piles of unpainted lead hoping to find a few more.  Indeed I discovered another 20+ miniatures which I want to paint.  That way I can join the cool crowd too.  I would guess I’ll work on these while I’m painting my Musketeers.

In any case I’ve got lots on my plate to keep me busy.  I can assure you I’ll do my very best to make it a good time.

August is the best month

I haven’t posted much this summer.  That’s unusual because summer is when I typically get a lot of painting done, projects take shape, and I take lots of time to share.  Not so much this summer.  Though I have painted some, I’ve mostly really relaxed, watched a lot of Mariners baseball, played with the dogs, and now I’m back at school.

I have managed to get in some games.  I played some home brew ancients games.  I participated in an awesome ACW naval game using my Webb model and Sail and Steam Navies.  I ran one of my Louisiana games and was offered some great feedback for a scenario I plan to run at Fix Bayonets in September.  Last, I played in Damond Crump’s excellent L-Z X-Ray scenario, based on the 7th Cavalry’s Ia Drang Valley battle in November 1965.  It was incredibly fun, kind of a like a gigantic problem solving event.  I really enjoyed playing the NVA with Joe Waddington and Al Rivers.

I’ve also played a lot of board games.  Not only that, I’ve acquired a lot of board games.  Mostly the multi-player non serious games, because they are the most fun.  Generally I’ve stayed away from acquiring these games because A) they’re expensive, B) you need a bunch of folks to play them and C) they take up a lot of room.  Unfortunately, I’ve had a little extra money this summer so I’ve indulged my interests.  I bought a new copy of an out of print game (key words meaing lock up your wallet) called The Making of the President: 1960 on the Kennedy/Nixon campaign.  I’ve played it once and would have to say that along with GMT’s Twilight Struggle, using a similar card-driven system, it is my favorite game. I also picked up a used copy of GDW’s Tet Offensive from 1991, and with my birthday cash a copy of GMT’s Dominant Species on the coming of the Ice Age. Maybe I’ll include some reviews as I work through them a bit.

But I do paint as often as possible.  It hasn’t been every night, but I will get back on that track as much as possible.  I will feature pics from a couple of items I’m pretty happy with.  The first is a pair of command figures for my Poitiers game.  I know I haven’t talked much about this the last couple of years, but I will keep picking at it.  they are Arnoul D’Audrehem and Jean Clermont, the Marshal of France.  They each led a column of French mounted knights in the vanguard of the French army and gave the English archers fits trying to penetrate their well armored horses.  Unfortunately, fits or not, Clermont was killed and Audrehem captured.  The figures are from Old Glory, with heraldry matched as well as I could from online and print sources.

The second group of figures are Butler’s Rangers, provincial militia from the American Revolution.  They frequently teamed with Iroquois warriors to challenge American control in the over-the-mountain regions of New York and Pennsylvania, leading to considerable bloodshed among frontier settlers.  I have a mind to do some skirmishy games on the frontier there.  These are Front Rank figures.  I’ve had them for more than twenty years, and in fact I made one of two smallish figure orders to fill them out to their 25 man ranks. Butler’s Rangers provided their own uniforms,  hence the varying shades of green, including a few with traditional red-faced uniforms instead of the more practical hunting shirts.  I used four different shades of Vallejo green to give them variety. As always, Front Rank figures, with their deep creases and defined bulges, are a pleasure to paint.

I also picked up some AWI civilians and “Nervous Militia” figures from Perry Miniatures.  Pics to follow.

 

 

Big Red, Mr. Blue and Miss Teeth and the Smyth pack.

As we were leaving Sand Point with our little bundle of shaking Aussie girl, breeder and friend Marilyn Gadberry reminded us that three dogs equals a pack.  It’s been a week since our Lola girl joined the family and it’s been a mostly fun seven days of getting to know each other.  As the week ends, Marilyn’s words seem prescient as we saw the the first signs of bonding. 

Poor Lo, we’ve exposed her to so much.  This is a busy place sometimes.  Lots going on in the house.  People coming and going.  All the dogs go in their crates when we leave, and though I wasn’t gone long any day, little Miss was a vocal protestor. We’ve learned that Lola likes to put anything into her mouth she can tear apart.  Tennis balls, bits of cellophane, anything plastic that she can crunch is good.  I spend a lot of time with my fingers in her mouth, and all I get from her is a look that says “What? You lookin’ at me?” Her table manners need work, and she’s happy to try and snatch food out of her brothers’ mouths.  They just look at each other and shake their heads in incredulous understanding.  Kids.

Lo’s hung out around through the noise of the lawn mower and edger, the vacuum cleaner and my Dremel tool.  She doesn’t much care for the sprinkler.  But she loves to chase a ball.She rolls on her back in the grass.  Lola’s getting better at walking, though we do have occasional system failures.  Last night she nearly killed me when she ran around me wrapping her leash around my legs.  Walking three dogs can be a challenge, but most of the time she does pretty well.  She can be a little bit barky.  This morning she aired out a neighbor very sleepily walking out to get his newspaper at 5:00. 

Lola’s always happy to see me.  When I walk through the door she runs to me with her whole hind end wiggling and a big clenched smile that makes it look like she’s baring her teeth, but in truth that is her happy face.  I’ve taken to calling her Miss Teeth. She loves to jump up in a lap–for about two minutes, long enough for a quick tummy scratch and a face wash, before running off to chomp a Nyla-bone or forage for real or imaginary food, or maybe a quick lie-down.. She’s such a little person, just like the two boys. 

Rusty has had the hardest time adjusting to new company.  He’s always been the most passively compliant, while having the biggest personality of the two boys.  The first couple of days of being home from boarding he seemed kind of listless and standoffish, seeming to resent all the attention his new little sister received.  On Wednesday I decided to escape with him, leaving the other two guys crated while we drove for a walk down to Bradley Lake Park. While walking him that morning he began to cough a little that only became worse at the park and worse still at the lake.  Bordatella, “kennel cough,” or canine bronchitis.  Though he has been vaccinated and received boosters.  He’s been on anti-biotics since Friday and is feeling a lot better. 

He’s gotten a little more assertive with Miss Teeth.  Big Red swipes her toys after she’s swiped his.  Yesterday they had a couple of epic chasing matches, which was just magnificent to watch.  How they turn like that without blowing out all four knees is beyond me. They get along well, and Lola likes to tag along with him whenever they are together, especially on walks or while outside. Just as important, things are back to normal between Rusty and me.  Don’t know if he was sulking or just not feeling well, but there were a few days when he didn’t want to have much to do with me, and that is unusual.

I know Amos is a red merle, not a blue merle, but I call him Mr. Blue because of his eyes.  I’ve always thought he and Rusty make a good team, like Hellboy and his alien sidekick Abe Sapien (Rusty is our red demonic hero and Amos is his his blue, water-breathing, rotten egg eating, rational friend.) Amos has gotten a been chubby since he’s come to live with us.  We’re really hoping he could get a bit more active and chase Rusty and Lola around a bit.  He is often shy and solitary, which is a bit sad.  I love him so much.  He is the sweetest dog, fiercely protective, sometimes barky.   He loves attention and affection and demands to have his belly rubbed. His fur is the softest and silkiest I’ve ever felt.

He’s come through the introduction of Miss Teeth into the family with flying colors.  It’s not that he’s necessarily embraced Lola, but at least he is relatively unchanged.  Amos is patient with her, even though Lola is often underfoot, anxious to lick is food bowl, even though he isn’t done eating, and a bit of a toy hog.With the weather so nice, we’ve spent a lot of time outside in the backyard.  I take ten minutes or so a few times a day to sit under our big maple tree, which usually brings all three dogs to sit with me. That’s unusual for Amos.  He’s often a bit reticent, likes to hang out in the house or on the deck by himself.  The past week, he’s run out to be with the others, and participates in the big three-in-one rolling in the grass fest that is pretty fun to watch. 

Sunday we were quite thrilled to see Rusty and Lola facing off and playing, Unfortunately Amos didn’t play and instead was the cop, kind of breaking things up and running Rusty off.  Strange stuff.  Still lots of summer left, and we’ll see how this all plays out. But it’s clear that there is some bonding going on here. I’m a little worried about the school year, because I’ve given them all so much time while I’ve been home.  It’s going to be a big adjustment.

I was gone, but now I’m back.

So, it’s been about a month since my last post.  The last time I wrote I was discussing Enfilade.  In that intervening time, I was wrapping up school, finishing the last issue of JagWire and getting ready for my prostate surgery.

Well, all that’s come and gone.  Surgery was last week and pathology report shows I am cancer-free, so that’s good news.  I’m in a recovery mode right now, which means I need lots of rest.  I am physically incapable of playing a game at the moment, though things are in the works to start playing the weekend of  July 19th.

Even so, I’ve been trying to paint a little bit.  Mostly I’m painting for fun.  I’ve got some hydroplanes I’m working  on.  I finished the 1959/60 version of Miss Burien, a local favorite.  It’s denoted by the big swoosh like decor on the tail and the deep red cowing and engine decking.  I also decided to paint myself the Hawaii Kai.  The Kai was one of the very few pink hydroplanes during racing’s Golden Age. I painted one for Dave Demick years ago, but I decided I needed one of my own.  The other boat I have on the painting blocks is the Miss Bardahl from 1968, “The Checkerboard Comet.”  It is in fact painted a creamy yellow with black checks everywhere.  It seems like a really big headache, but I thought I would at least try.  It’s one of Shawn McEvoy’s new hulls.  I think I’m actually going to pencil grid out the design as best I can.  I’ve finished one other boat, a second fantasy hydro, the JagWire, in honor of the school paper and all my students who have worked so hard on it.  It’s in ERHS school colors, with our flag on the hull.  It’s green and black with a jaguar paw on the tail.  I like it.  You may think it’s a bit much.

Hawaii Kai was quite a fast boat in the late 1950's and early 60's. I painted this for my friend David, but noticed I had no pink boats in my inventory

Hawaii Kai was quite a fast boat in the late 1950’s and early 60’s. I painted this for my friend David, but noticed I had no pink boats in my inventory

I painted JagWire for my school and in honor of our paper. I tried to emulate our flag with it's brackets and Helvetica font.

I painted JagWire for my school and in honor of our paper. I tried to emulate our flag with it’s brackets and Helvetica font.

Miss Burien was a local favorite, though I don't remember it having a lot of success. This is the 1959/60 version of the boat.

Miss Burien was a local favorite, though I don’t remember it having a lot of success. This is the 1959/60 version of the boat.

 

I’m also working on some ACW ships I’ve had for a few years, but really need some paint. I finished painting and rigging an armed sailing sloop.  It may be a Bay model, but it looks kind of Thoroughbredish.  I also have a sailing merchantman by Bay as well as the Confederate river ram, Webb.  From Thoroughbred I’ll be working on the river monitor Neosho, as well as Toby’s truly awesome Benton. They’ll be fun and relatively easy to paint thought I’m hoping to put some rigging touches on all of them.

 

Pretty sure this little sloop is a Bay Area Yards miniature. I have another three or four ships I plan to paint and rig this month.

Pretty sure this little sloop is a Bay Area Yards miniature. I have another three or four ships I plan to paint and rig this month.

 

Enfilade: Through a Haze

I’m two days removed from Enfilade 2014, and I must say it is one of the most memorable of our annual conventions. The attendance, a record 370ish, was at least 40 more than last year’s record attendance.  132 games hosted was also a slight uptick over previous years.  Though we could have been victims of our own success, we heard few complaints about attendees unable to get into games, or the hotel facilities being overwhelmed by miniature gamers.

There were some superb games as well, in virtually every game period. Dean Motoyama’s Siege of Haengjung, a medieval Korean battle from the Imjin War won best of show. Doug Hamm hosted two excellent 28mm Napoleonic games, including an especially noteworthy Battle of Ligny from the Waterloo campaign. Neil Marker had two great games, including one from Fallout and an impressive zombie pirate game.  Mark Waddington’s Battle of Sackett’s Harbor won the award for best of the Obscure Campaigns themed games.  Among my favorites, was Damond Crump and Lawrence Bateman’s micro-scale Vietnam L-Z X-ray game from the movie “We Were Soldiers Once.”

Choppers coming in at LZ X-Ray. Photo by Damond Crump

Choppers coming in at LZ X-Ray. Photo by Damond Crump

American Air cav under attack trying to hold the landing zone. Photo by Damond Crump

American Air cav under attack trying to hold the landing zone. Photo by Damond Crump

Bill Vanderpool and Sven Lugar ran games in every period.  We had superb help from volunteers who manned the registration, the highly successful Bring and Buy, judging games. We simply couldn’t do it without them.

My Enfilade was also enjoyable sort of.  I played in a couple of games, notably the Crump/Bateman affair, which I enjoyed immensely. I ran a couple of rounds of Thunderboats, always fun.  More about this later. I also ran my Emperor of Texas game.  This was a Sunday morning event I ran with Daveshoe, and I was really glad he offered to help me.  I had a certain amount of trepidation about it, because I just didn’t know how it would be received. The game was really a combination of role-playing, diplomacy and miniature gaming.  I envisioned a lot of note-passing and espionage, including bribing units and attempts to find incriminating evidence against Burr and Wilkinson.  There was definitely a lot of promises made, some bribery and some efforts to discern intent.  Though there was an assassination attempt and a failed attempt to capture Burr, there wasn’t quite the big time effort to lie, cheat and steal I thought there might be.  There were a couple of desultory battles between factions, but not the big culminating action I anticipated.  Even so, the game was really fun to watch and the players seemed to enjoy it. Worth doing again.

 

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Not a perfect weekend, however. During the week I contracted the “jaguar flu” that seems to be making its way around school. Was incapacitated Tuesday and Wednesday. I didn’t sleep much Thursday night, was up too late with the boys on Friday, and was really dragging by Saturday night and Sunday. Wasn’t even able to attend the “Canadian Social” I’m so fond of on Saturday night.

It was also a bit of a relief and a pleasure to bid farewell to my Enfilade and NHMGS responsibilities. I know I’m passing them off to men of integrity and responsibility. I’ll be available to help if it’s needed, but I’m happy to “retire.”

From here it’s on to painting and playing what is fun. I spent time with Shawn McEvoy from Craftworks. I explained I should be available to race Thunderboats during Seafair week at the hydroplane racing museum. I also picked up some new hulls for the game, so I’m excited. Hydros are definitely on the list for this summer along with some ACW ships and some board gaming after surgery.

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The last two pictures are from the Emperor of Texas game.  The first shows the amazing Conquest Miniatures Comanches.  I can’t recommend these figures highly enough.  They are simply amazing.  They are alongside the Cuera militia horse by Dayton Painting Consortium.  The bottom photos are of Spanish infantry, RSM miniatures also by Dayton.  The red-coated figures are Wild Geese, the Hibernian Regiment of Irish in Spanish service.  David Sullivan is penning another diplomatic note in this amazing write-fest.  I couldn’t have been more pleased with the game.

A special Enfilade

I know it’s been a long time since my last post, and I know this mostly because my friends keep reminding me. So much has happened since March 14th.

We are about ten days until Enfilade.  This convention is special for a several reasons, but I see this as a turning point in my life.

One reason it’s important is because I’m cutting my ties to NHMGS leadership. I’ve been pretty involved with conventions and events or the presidency and decision-making for more than twenty years.  While I’ve enjoyed my time in these roles, I’m just willing to let it go.  I hate to leave my colleagues in the lurch, but I’ve given plenty of notice, and I just feel the need to simplify my life. Of course, I wish everybody well, but this is an episode in my life I need to close.

One very good reason for making this change is I recently learned I have prostate cancer.  It’s a little more aggressive and wandering than the disease most men get at some point, content to be inert and grow fat and happy. No, mine has to come out and on June 16th I’ll have surgery.   The mortality from prostate cancer is low.  The cure rate is 80-85%.  That doesn’t mean it’s without risk, and the collateral damage is real, though hopefully temporary.   Clearly,  I need to make some changes in my life.  I want to get more exercise.  In a perfect world I’d like to take on walking, working to jogging and running.  A bunch of my colleagues at school just ran the Tacoma half marathon, and I would love to see me be among them next year.  I’ve also got to do a better job on diet, and lose weight. I just want to live a more healthy lifestyle.

What does this change in my gaming life?  I’d say little.  I’d like to play more games than I do now, not less. But there are some changes I will make:

  1. No new projects, period the end.  I have so many periods in so many different scales that I don’t play it’s silly.  That means lots of painting of things I may or may not ever play with and enjoy on the game table.  If anything I need to cut back what I have and let go of the things I’ve been hanging on to for no clear reason.  I see a big lot of stuff heading out to the Bring and Buy at Enfilade 2015.
  2. No crash painting campaigns.  Each year I try to plan well ahead for what I’m doing at the convention.  Never again.  I’m going to paint what I want, when I want, and when convention planning comes around I’ll build scenarios with what I have.
  3. Have fun.  Play more games. Truth be told, it’s more difficult for me to get together during the school year on a week night.  But occasionally I’d like to do that. There’s no excuse for not playing on NHMGS days, third Saturday of the month, none, zilch, zero.

Throughout the six week trial that has accompanied my biopsy, diagnosis and preparation for surgery I’ve painted most days.  I hope to have pictures this weekend of some of my completed work.  All the items I’ve completed go with my Louisiana project.  24 figures of Spanish infantry, 10 figures of American Dragoons, 22 figures of Comanche cavalry, 10 figures of Spanish Cuera militia cavalry.  Lots of horses.  I’m down to having only five figures left to paint for the convention–all leader figures, all mounted.  I should have pictures of painted miniatures ready to post this weekend.

I also  made a decision not to run Bladensburg at the convention this year.  The Burr game requires more preparation, and honestly is more interesting to me, so that’s where my focus is. Had a great meeting with Dave Schueler this weekend, going over rules and options, so I’m ready to sit down and start banging everything out.

In closing, I’d simply like to say thanks to all the folks I’ve worked with along the way.  There are too many to name without the risk of creating a list that runs the risk of leaving folks out.  But from Portland to British Columbia, from Aberdeen to Washington, D.C., I’ve had a tremendous opportunity to meet lots of great folks who do this hobby, mostly for fun, and a few for a living.  I can truly say I’ve enjoyed 99.9% of my interactions, learned a lot from most, taught a little bit to others.  I have few regrets.  See you all soon.

 

And Now For Something Completely Different

I’ve been planning my annual deviltry for Enfilade. I’ve mostly shared what I’m doing–Bladensburg is big on Saturday morning.  I’ll run Thunderboats on Friday afternoon.  I’m really hoping to have my pickelfork boats from the 70’s done. May really be squeezing those in.

Aaron Burr exhorting frontiersmen to share his vision of an Empire in the West. With him as Emperor of course

Aaron Burr exhorting frontiersmen to share his vision of an Empire in the West. With him as Emperor of course

But I’m taking a big chance with my Sunday offering.  I’m calling it Emperor of Mexico: The Burr Conspiracy.  It really is different and a bit risky. For those who have a difficult time remembering, the Burr Conspiracy was the plot by former vice-president of the United States Aaron Burr to acquire lands in the west (of the Mississippi River)

This is a six-player game, with each of the players taking on the role of a historical or quasi-historical character.  Each character has separate victory conditions.  Each controls a military force, has strengths and weaknesses, and probably has to work together with another character to achieve his goals and objectives. I’ve deliberately abstracted  time and, movement, and though the combat rules will be a lot like Brother Against Brother, they will be simplified.

Kentucky rifles are the backbone of Burr's frontier army

Kentucky rifles are the backbone of Burr’s frontier army

In many respects this will be a lot like Diplomacy, or a “screw your neighbor” multi-player board game, with aspects of role-playing and miniatures as mechanics in the game. Game turns will include a diplomacy/espionage phase to allow players to communicate with one another in writing, and attempt to gain intelligence about other players.  Some players may win through movement, others through combat, and still others through gathering information.

It’s a different sort of game.  Much different than any game I’ve ever envisioned or run before.  I’m hoping it’s a game that will draw some interest at the convention, and one that historical miniature enthusiasts can appreciate.  Definitely out-of-the-box.

Mountbatten Pink

The Vosper leads the Campbelltown with the Fairmiles behind. The destroyer and gunboats were packed with commandos.

The Vosper leads the Campbelltown with the Fairmiles behind. The destroyer and gunboats were packed with commandos.

Never miss an opportunity to paint something pink, I always say.  German Chevauxlegers, Polish Lancers of the Guard, the odd Tiger painted for fuschia for hiding in Norman greenhouses. Cool.

But If you’re really going to go with a pink miniature, make it something in real life that is big.  The flotilla of coastal vessels that made the Raid on St. Nazaire in March 28, 1942 were painted Mountbatten Pink.  Lord Louis Mountatten mixed waterline red with warship gray to produce the color that bears his name.  He believed the grayish mauve tone would hide his ships in periods of dawn and dusk.

Mountbatten pink is available as an actual mixed color from Humbrol.  Alas, I don’t have any local Humbrol suppliers and I don’t use enamels, so I was on my own.

My first challenge was to figure out what this color really looked like.  There are lots of variations from a fairly light grayish pink to an almost off-purple.  I decided to settle for something that was fairly light.  Because I was mixing my own it was important to paint up everything at the same time, lest I should be unable to duplicate the color again.  Well, in this regard I failed.  I managed to do all the Fairmiles together, and they look pretty much the same.  However the Resina miniature of the Campbelltown looks pretty bright along with unique Vosper MTB with foc’sle mounted tubes.  I tried to tone things down a bit with a black wash, but they are still a bit bright.

Campbelltown, top view. Looks better from this angle.

Campbelltown, top view. Looks better from this angle.

It's not quite this bright, but definitely a bit pinker than I would like.

It’s not quite this bright, but definitely a bit pinker than I would like.

Don’t tell anyone.

The miniatures, Fairmile B’s and the little Vosper are all from PT Dockyard.  This small but unique company is absolutely one of my favorites. Proprietor David Gregory is great to deal with, makes great effort to design new product, and his miniatures are very reasonably priced.  They can be a little challenging to assemble, but if I, a man with hands as deft as crowbars can do it, anybody can.

PT Dockyard Fairmiles. Pretty easy to assemble, pretty easy to paint. A great combination.

PT Dockyard Fairmiles. Pretty easy to assemble, pretty easy to paint. A great combination.

The Campbelltown was an American lend-leased “flush deck” destroyer. It went through considerable modifications to its superstructure, funnels, and armament for the raid.  The model of the modified ship is available from Resina models.  It was easy to assemble, but a little challenging to paint with all the add-on gun tubs.  Stupid me, I painted the hull and let it sit for two years to finish.  I painted the deck with Vallejo neutral gray, did some blacklining to pick out details and washed the lot with Vallejo black wash.

 

Now I have to get Daveshoe working with me on a plan for the raid.