Principality of Hesse-Engelburg

Whatever happened to....

2011-10-22T10:11:00.003-05:00

....that guy?

Over two years since my last post, and that is primarily because there's been nothing really to report on the wargaming front. Wargaming still interests me, and I still pick up a book now and then, but my campaign has lain dormant these two years primarily because of the rise of free to play MMOs.

The MMO (massively multiplayer online game) was never a temptation for me in the days when each one required their monthly subscription free to play. I had no money for subscriptions. But then Lord of the Rings Online went to f2p (free to play) and suddenly I had a lore I love that was available to me to play in. And I tried it, loved it, and then convinced my parents to try it. And they both got involved. So now it's not only an individual activity but a family one. And then other games followed the lead, so now I have a half dozen or more games I can play for free.

I don't have anyone to wargame with, and lack the space in the house to set out a table and leave it up for playing out a solo game a couple of hours at a time. So the ability to fire up a game in 5 minutes and have players all over the world is currently trumping that. Although I do still have the dream of being wealthy enough to have a house with a dedicated wargame room someday!

Thoughts of the Sea....

2009-10-05T12:16:00.003-05:00

I am always thinking and rarely doing of late, where wargaming is concerned. But I have recently succumbed to the temptation of some cheap additions to my modest collection of Wizkids "Pirates" ships. Pirates seem to be cropping up in my conversations and even my computer gaming of late, and having obtained some Barbary Pirate galleys in my new additions, my thoughts are turning towards the possibility of another expedition by Hesse-Engelburg's little navy, this time to rid the oceans of a few annoying pirates.

More on this if I actually accomplish it.

Furst Guntram and the Cavenderian Ambassador

2009-09-05T19:52:00.005-05:00

Furst Guntram Blauerwolf of Hesse-Engelburg (on left) in conversation outside a small local church with the Cavenderian Ambassador (on right).

As you can see, Furst Guntram is finally fully painted. He's far from perfect, certainly, but I believe we can declare him my first fully painted figure for Hesse-Engelburg. Only a couple of thousand to go! The Cavenderian Ambassador was of course painted by the talented Geoffrey of Cavenderia.

Hat Feathers?

2009-08-23T16:49:00.003-05:00

For a tricorn with a feathered top, what color would you make the feathers for a head of state? Should they be a plain white, or would gold or similar color be appropriate? Did they dye them in the 17th/18th centuries?

Still Alive

2009-08-22T09:04:00.002-05:00

Just a notation that I do still exist. Life has been busy, as usual. Hopefully sometime soon I shall take and post a few updated photos.

A picture

2009-06-09T16:42:00.002-05:00

Only one as of yet, because I didn't like how any of them came out, really, and ALSO because I actually got another hour in this weekend. This is the picture taken after the first batch. I've not taken pictures of the most recent work, as I'm hoping to do a little more on it yet while I've a little bit of the mood for it.

Playing with Paints

2009-06-01T09:31:00.003-05:00

Yesterday saw me actually spend the better part of an hour playing with paints. I gave the Lord a vote of thanks afterwards, for it's rare for me to actually sit and enjoy painting. But yesterday, I had a fun and felt accomplished afterwards.

Total output:

1) One building now has a brown thatch roof. I may change the color later. Perhaps try some of the sage green paint.
2) The Furst has added to his purple coat with a blue waistcoat and blue lapels. Next session, however, I shall keep the blue waistcoat but turn his lapels and cuffs red.
2) The Furstin now has a blue dress.
3) The black-primed and white-primed Minden Miniatures musketeers now both have blue coat and trousers.
4) One WW2 British officer now has brown helmet and uniform.
5) The other seven Mindens, including the officer and NCO, are now black-primed and ready.
6) I have painted skin on the other 8 RSM95 figures for my first company.

If by some miracle I manage to conduct sufficient painting sessions to finish what I've started, I'd have a royal couple, two companies of infantry, and a company of pioneers.

Yes, I Still Exist

2009-05-11T06:24:00.003-05:00

I actually did a miniscule amount of painting yesterday. Mostly, I tried out a few paints acquired at Wal-Mart at least a month or two ago. I put a bit of flesh on a dozen or so figures, and despite it being early in the process, put some silver on several bayonet tips as I started out putting silver plates on the front of my pioneers and ended up with a lot of silver paint left over. I also painted the linen color on the back of the pioneers' aprons. Which means I'm gonna have to go back and repaint the backs of the legs. I'm also going to have to repaint a couple of faces where the silver paint got too far down on the faceplates.

Beyond that and occasional participation in Yahoo groups, about the only other thing I've done wargaming-wise is successfully sell a couple of books on Bartertown.

Figure identification: further photos and info

2009-03-08T10:37:00.006-05:00

Several people have offered comment on the mystery figures in the last post, and I've had a couple of requests for further photos. Initial thoughts seem to be that Scruby is a good bet for the Austrian infantry on the left, while the grenadier has been described as Scruby-style but not a Scruby pose.

I took some time this morning to pull multiples of the two figures out of the bag so that I could take photos from multiple angles at once, and also dug out the standard bearer and drummer from the grenadiers, as I know standards are often a distinctive pose, particularly with this one having a molded on flag. As always, click on the picture for a larger view.

To answer a couple of questions, all figures are about 36-37mm tall from bottom of base to top of comb/bearskin, and about 30-31mm from sole of boot to roughly where the top of the head should be under the hat. They're very noticeably taller than Hinchcliffe 25mm Austrians, but only slightly taller than Spencer Smith SYW figures. None of them seem to have any markings on the bottom of the base.

RSMs on Hinchcliffe horses and figure identification

2009-03-04T20:01:00.004-05:00

I finally got around to pulling out the camera and taking a picture of the RSM95 figures mounted on Hinchcliffe horses. While I was at it, I also took a picture of a couple of Napoleonic figures that I need help identifying. If anyone recognizes the figures in the second photo, let me know. As always, click on the photos for an enlarged view.

Report of Colonel Godfrey to Cavenderia

2009-02-24T14:25:00.005-05:00

Your Grace,

Pray forgive my tardiness in delivering my first report of this Principality, but my time since departing from Cavenderia has been a chaotic whirl that is only now showing some signs of settling. The trip here was interrupted by brigands near the borders of the Principality, but we experienced a fortuitous assistance in the form of a squad of Hesse-Engelberg's Fuchshöhle Hussars who had apparently crossed the border to locate us. They provided us with safe escort as far as the slightly famous SiebenZiegen Inn, located near the bank of the river here known as the Schlafwasser.

Apparently, almost everyone who passes through the eastern half of the Principality finds their way to the Inn, yet it retains a charmingly local nature and is well attended by the farmers and huntsmen of the region around it. Perhaps the most intriguing feature...it would be impolite to say entertaining...is Alte Ludwig, a man of indeterminate age, considerable weight, and gregarious disposition. Indeed, I soon learned that Alte Ludwig has an opinion on every matter, from philosophy to politics to the proper conduct of warfare. It is my considered opinion that the variety of travelers who find their way to the inn accounts for his breadth of subject matter, as I can find no one who can recall having seen him anywhere save traveling to or from the inn and his house. His wife, I am told, has no objection to this state of affairs and is regarded as a woman of good disposition. I gather the general opinion of the populace is that she is more than content to allow him to bend the ears of strangers all day rather than her own. While at the Inn, I heard several tales of other traveler waylaid by bandits when traveling through the northern end of Ober-Schweinsberg. The mountains and woods near the border provide ample hiding places for such men. Interestingly, the tales involved rescue by not only Hesse-Engelburg troops but also troops from both Prince Arnold and Prince Asgar. Indeed, one merchant was jointly aided by a patrol from each, who worked together to defeat an unusually large group of brigands before going their separate ways each with a portion of the brigands to show to their commanders.

The following day, we crossed the river and passed northwards, through the town of Karlsdorf, ancestral home of the princely line, and onwards into the capital itself. I had the honor to audience with the Fürst and Fürstin and present my credentials after being given an opportunity to refresh myself from the journey. I found them both to be gracious hosts, and afterwards was treated to a fine dinner and ball in my honor. Indeed, the courtiers of the Principality seemed most eager to fete me and learn such news of our own homeland and the world at large as I might be able to tell them, though I found several whose knowledge suggests that the outside world does not escape the attention of the Principality.

After the feasting was brought to an end, I took my leave of Their Graces and was given an escort of Hussars of the Garde du Corps Prinzessin Gertrude, led by no lesser personage than the Garde du Corps commander Oberstleutnant Milheiser. I found the gentleman to be excellent company, and we discoursed at length on horses for much of the journey. The Engelburgers breed an excellent light horse, whose speed and endurance perhaps accounts for the seeming ever-present nature of their Hussars. If it is Your Grace's wish, I shall purchase a couple of specimens to send to you that our army may evaluate them against our own current mounts. We proceeded northeast from the capital to the village of Hinterwasser, where I was shown to a modest house that is to serve as my dwelling and our embassy here. I found the dwelling in good repair and adequate to support a small staff should such become needed. It is my understanding that it is the intention of the Principality to house all the ambassadors each in a house of their own in this village.

The courier will need this missive soon if he is to make good speed before darkness makes the path untravelable, so I shall close here.

Your Humble Servant,

Colonel Hermann Godfrey

Revell Reinforcements

2009-02-24T08:12:00.003-05:00

Thanks to some good online gaming friends, I acquired some reinforcements for my Revell SYW collection at an exceedingly reasonable price. Last week over the course of a couple of days I clipped and sorted most of them, pairing them up with my existing battalions to fill in gaps. Besides filling in gaps, I've actually put together another independent company, which will hopefully become the core of a new battalion down the line, and some cavalry units.

Figures received were 1 box each of Prussian Infantry, Austrian Infantry, Prussian Hussars, Austrian Dragoons, and Austrian Artillery. I've not yet touched the artillery as I need to wait till I have time for painting and assembling it, I think, rather than having loose parts rattling around. But all the rest have been sorted.

After processing, I currently have the following Revell units for my armies:

Austrian
----------
1 Grenadier Battalion - 42 figures
1 Grenadier Company - 9 figures
1 Musketeer Battalion - 51 figures
2 Pioneer Companies - 6 figureseach
1 Dragoon Squadron - 12 figures
1 Dragoon detachment - 3 figures, usable for pickets or HQ guards

Prussians
-------------
1 Grenadier Battalion - 42 figures
2 Musketeer Battalions - 51 figures
2 Musketeer Battalions - 42 figures? (incomplete)
1 independent Musketeer Company - 12 figures
1 independent Grenadier Company - 12 figures
1 Hussar Squadron - 12 figures
1 Hussar detachment - 5 figures, usable for pickets or HQ guards

Figures I still need/want for the infantry:
-----------------------------------------------
2 Austrian officers
1 Austrian drummer
3 Prussian officers
3 Prussian drummers
32 Prussian musketeer stand and fire
10 Prussian Charging Grenadier

I can, of course, still use some other infantry figures and definitely some more cavalry. But the above are the ideal to complete what infantry units I've already sorted out.

My Kingdom for a Horse...

2009-02-24T07:44:00.003-05:00

I've mentioned previously that I had six RSM95 mounted figures in need of horses, a mixture of French Generals and English Aides. Well, a few days ago I had a sudden epiphany, while trying to decide whether to get rid of a large number of 28mm Napoleonic figures that I acquired from a fellow gamer clearing out his collection. Included in the set were a number of Hinchliffe Napoleonic Austrian Hussars with an inadequate number of horses. So I had the idea to try mounting my horseless RSMs on some of the Hinchliffe horses.

They're not perfect, as there's as much as an eighth of an inch or so gap between saddle and horse back one some of them. But I think this is a gap that I can live with to save the $6.60 it would take to buy the RSM horses when my budget for buying anything non-essential for living stands at about $20 right now. ;) Maybe later, when I've filled out my units to satisfaction, I may come back and buy new mounts for them IF the Hinchliffe don't look right once painted up.

Also, if anyone desperately needs to buy Hinchliffe Napoleonic Austrian figures, let me know. I've got a number of Landwehr plus some Uhlans and the aforementioned Hussars in need of mounts. There's also a set of Cuirassiers I'm debating whether to keep or not.

Sunday's Painting and Cavenderian Ambassador

2009-02-11T13:12:00.003-05:00

As promised, we have a series of photos from Sunday's output, as well as pictures of the Blue Moon civilians and the Ambassador figure sent to represent Cavenderia. Captions and photos below, and click on the pictures for a closer view. All paints are acrylics.

First up, we have the six-figure pioneer unit in its present state.The details, such as cross-belts and facings, are yet to be done, but I'm pleased with how they've turned out so far. Colors used are Liquitex Black Colored Gesso for the basecoat, Vallejo Model Color 70815 Basic Skintone for the face and hands, Delta Ceramcoat 02054 Golden Brown for the pants and axe handles, Vallejo Model Color 70960 Violet for the coat, and folkArt 420 Linen for the apron.

Next up, notice the beautifully painted Cavenderian ambassador to the right of the photo. This is a gorgeous figure, and finally pushed me over the edge to hunt down some civilians of my own. To the left (from the viewer's perspective) is my chosen figure for Furst Guntram Blauerwolf, wearing the same basecoat, Violet, and Linen (on pants and neck ruffle) as the figures above. I know it's bad form to not paint the skin first, but I needed to see how the colors looked on him. I still can't decide what color to paint his cuffs and the feathers on his hat. Continuing to the left is my chosen figure for the Furstin. Furst and Furstin and the unpainted civilians on the back row are all Blue Moon castings from the Duel box set. Continuing to the left again, we see an RSM95 Prussian Musketeer testing out the black basecoat with the Violet coat. I used, I think, Delta Ceramcoat 02126 Medium Flesh on him. Not necessarily fond of the medium shade. I may have to paint over it with a lighter one. I love the violet though.

And lastly, you can see a series of basecoated figures, from left to right... a night watchman from the Blue Moon set, a Revell 1/72 WW2 British Infantry officer, a Minden Miniatures SYW Prussian musketeer, an RSM95 SYW Prussian Grenadier, a Spencer Smith metal SYW officer, a Spencer Smith metal SYW grenadier, and a vintage Spencer Smith plastic SYW grenadier (the latter with linen pants painted experimentally). Oh, and on the far left, one of the old white gesso RSMs with a little excess purple painted onto one sleeve to test how it colors over white. I'm strongly considering stripping all my old white gesso-coated RSMs and redoing them in the black, not so much for coloration as because I made the white gesso too gloopy and covered detail on several.

Photos coming...

2009-02-08T14:36:00.002-05:00

I've had a sudden burst of painting and basecoating today. No photos yet, as I may get more done before the day is out. But photos are planned.

At present, among other things, my 6-man pioneer company has acquired leather breaches and purple coat. A sample RSM95 Prussian Musketeer has been given a purple coat to test its appearance, as well, for my idea of going with purple coats instead of gray. I wiped a little excess purple on one of the older white basecoated RSM95s as well, just on a sleeve to see what I thought of it. I'm seriously considering stripping the white-coated ones and redoing the basecoat in black. This is partly because I made the white too thick, and it obscures lines on some of the RSM95s in unpleasant ways for finding what to paint which color.

Also acquiring a purple coat is my Blue Moon figure that I've chosen to represent Furst Gunter Blauerwolf. And I also intend to include a picture of the Cavenderian diplomat whose arrival I mentioned earlier.

Changes and Updates...

2009-02-06T10:17:00.003-05:00

....some of which I blame on Beerstein.

The Reich Duchy of Beerstein just put out a new selection of gorgeous uniforms and flags, and these have only served to increase my pondering regarding changing both my uniforms and my flags.

Originally, the gray color was chosen for two reasons. One was to be different than the usual historical red, blues, and whites. The other was because I had a limited set of Vallejo paints from which to work. But since then, some of the Vallejo paints appear to have broken down (I suspect due to freezing and then thawing during delivery in a cold snap) and I've added a large number of craft paints which have been mentioned on this blog previously.

So, having seen the snazzy new uniforms, it's once again prompted me to consider changing colors while I still have only a few painted gray. I'm strongly considering a nice purple/violet for the uniform coat. I might keep the gray trousers even. Not sure about that. I might do a some gray, some buff sort of a thing. I've not been quite satisfied with my flags for a while now, so I'm seriously thinking I might redo them as well. I'd love to tinker around and come up with a coat of arms that I liked better than just the simple blue wolf, but maintaining the wolf as a strong element.

Yesterday's mail also brought the civilian figures I alluded to in the previous post, and it turned out they are indeed as I suspected the Blue Moon "Duelists" box. There is one figure with a couple of what appear to be casting flaws: a pinhole in his eye only visible from a certain direction, and a missing barrel on his pistol. The end of the missing barrel is smooth, which is why I conclude it may be a casting error rather than something broken off? Other than that slight issue, these are absolutely gorgeous figures. I've picked out my Furst and Furstin, and possibles for their son and daughter. Since I have only two females, I haven't decided if I want to use the second as daughter Gertrude or set her aside for some other family. The idea of using her as Gertrude and painting her up in a pink dress to match her regiment is extremely tempting.

So now it's February

2009-02-05T07:49:00.005-05:00

Time just flies lately, it seems. I woke up yesterday morning to two inches of snow on the ground and a temperature of 18 degrees. This morning, the snow had melted off yesterday except a few isolated patches, and the temperature was down to 14 degrees. Must be that global warming, you know.

Speaking of which, on a non-gaming related note, I recently read that NASA's center responsible for reporting on climate trends, which is one of a handful on which the UN and others base climate decisions, had to admit to both reusing old data and falsifying records. More than once. Apparently, the record high temperatures they reported didn't actually exist; it was actually a cold snap. The arctic ice they reported melting is actually 30% larger this year than the same time last year. And the 1990s that they said were the hottest decade actually weren't. The hottest was the 1930s. It is a serious problem when world governments are making policy decisions that affect the freedom and economies of all of us based on falsified data from people trying to guide those decisions to suit their own agenda.

OK, rant over, back to wargaming. Let's talk books.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Wargames Tactics was on its way, and it did indeed arrive. I've not read every page, but it's an excellent little book by the great Charles Grant. He writes with an engaging style that adds interest to the information within the book. He starts out with a general overview, and then begins a series of sections each describing tactics of one particular period and followed by an account of a game set up to illustrate those tactics. The action reports not only help illustrate the information in the text, but also are entertaining in their own right.

Not previously mentioned is an acquisition in trade from a good friend who was reoganizing his own library, Stuart Asquith's "Military Modeling Guide to Solo Wargaming". Again, I've not read every page, but I've skimmed through most of them. It's a remarkably small book for the amount of information you feel like you've gained from it. There's a good bit of information on how and why we go about solo gaming, what things you need to think about when doing it, how you pick what you want to do, etc. Then there are a series of solo scenarios, with suggested scenario-specific rules, information on what problems they pose for the gamer, and various options as to how much or little of the game you want to control. Most have both an Ancients and a Horse and Musket troop roster of suggested forces. The book also includes one Programmed scenario from Charles S. Grant. This was an unexpected bonus, and it makes me all the more eager for book number three to arrive, which is hopefully wandering its way through the post from the UK.

Book number three, also not previously mentioned, will be Programmed Wargames Scenarios by Charles S. Grant. I managed to find a copy of this for about half the price it normally runs, and it timed conveniently to a small influx of funds, so I ordered it. More on that one once it gets here, but I'm expecting a very good review based on the one scenario in Mr. Asquith's book.

The Ambassador figure from Cavenderia has also arrived since my last post. I hope to take a photo of him soon and provide a little fiction to go with it. He's a lovely little figure, and survived the mail with only minimal paint chipping on a couple of raised spots.

I imagine all of you have already seen Stokes' blog with the ending of our game, but if not, you need to go see it! He's promised some further end of game photos as well, and is already setting up for a new game with Jeff Hudelson of the Saxe-Bearstein blog. It was an excellent time, and I highly recommend something similar to anyone who has the opportunity. I know of at least three games in progress inspired by it.

Stokes has alluded on his blog to the fact that we have a joint project underway. I shall do nought but confirm that we do indeed, and I'm looking forward to it. It may be a while before we get it all put together. Wish us well and godspeed!

Hopefully, the near future postal service shall also deliver some additional figures acquired at discounts I couldn't quite resist from fellow gamers culling their own collections. The sad part is that in at least one of those cases, it's economic hardships that are prompting the cutting. One of my online groups has a fellow having to sell off a 60-year collection due to having lost his job, and needing the funds to keep his family going. He's not the only one in similar straits. I don't have a lot of spending cash except in little spurts, but I'm blessed to have a business with my father that's been growing the past two years instead of shrinking, and is paying all the necessary bills including some repairs and replacements needed for equipment that's been soldiering on far longer than it really ought to in order to get to this point.

Tip of the day: If at all possible, get out of debt. Even if you can only pay a few dollars off the principal each payment, try to be sure you're doing more than just covering the interest on any debts you owe. We've become used to buying what we want now on credit and paying it back later. This is dangerous at any time, but *very* dangerous in tough economic times when your job could vanish overnight. We use credit cards for convenience, but we have a rule in our house. Nothing goes on the credit card unless the money for it is in the bank. When it does go on the credit card, the price of it is deducted from our checkbooks *then*, so that it doesn't get spent on anything else, and can be paid in full when the bill comes. Sit down and calculate up how much you pay in interest in a single year on balances you carry and debts you owe, and figure up how many miniatures that is you could be buying if you weren't paying interest; that's a good motivator. ;) Cutting out interest is a remarkable way of adding fresh cash into your economic situation without actually gaining more income. Check out www.crown.org for a great resource for good financial practices. Our family have learned a great deal from them over the past several years.

Public service announcement over. :>

A little bit of progress

2009-01-19T09:26:00.004-05:00

It's hardly anything impressive, but I did manage a tiny bit of progress this weekend. Sadly, nothing from Stokes, but hopefully this week time shall be found to go forward.

Meanwhile, I managed to paint hair on 3 of the Revell Austrian Pioneers and paint an experimental brown on two axe handles of the same. My trouble with painting is that I'm perfectionistic enough to hate my mistakes, and too unskilled as of yet to not make them. So I get frustrated by my inability to control where the paint ends up to my liking.

I also painted 3 blanket rolls on the long-neglected 10mm ACW figures to use up more of the brown paint I'd put out.

And lastly, I took my Christmas present styrofoam cutter out of the package and tried it out for the first time. It works pretty nicely. It cuts quickly, though at first the fumes were a bit heady, that seemed to clear up after a few moments. Possibly once it got a coating of melted styrofoam that may have cut down on the scent.

A January Start

2009-01-04T15:50:00.002-05:00

The game with Stokes is on hold till the middle of next week while he and the Grand Duchess enjoy some skiing. So expect more on the Stollen blog the latter part of next week regarding the game.

Yesterday's mail brought me the ordered black gesso, and today I opened the bottle and gave it its first run. I've coated a company of 9 RSM Prussians and a pioneer company of 6 Revell Austrian figures with it this afternoon, and am waiting for them to dry. I've also glued the rest of the company of Minden figures on their bases, with an eye to possibly doing a bit of painting on them as well.

I'm torn, where the Mindens are concerned. On the one hand, they offer the chance of completing something small as I only have 9 of the figures. On the other, their detail is intimidating as one feels the need to do the beautiful figures justice. I suspect that I am going to end up aiming to do the Pioneers fairly early on, and see how things go from there.

My puzzle on the Pioneers is what to paint them as. I've been figuring on the Revells mostly forming units for Ober-Schweinsberg combatants, but I'm tempted to do a company of pioneers for Hesse-Engelburg, because they're such an interesting figure.

Holiday Wargaming Updates

2008-12-27T20:11:00.005-05:00

Those of you watching the Grand Duchy of Stollen blog will see that we're finally getting underway again on finishing move 8. If all goes well, we should be through with move 8 tonight, and starting move 9 perhaps tomorrow.

My birthday brought me a couple of items of wargaming significance, namely a styrofoam cutting tool and a batch of styrofoam to cut with it in order to form some hills for my gaming. If I get good with the tool, attempts at bunkers or other shapes may be forthcoming, we shall see.

Having waited till after Christmas to be sure it was not purchased off my wish list, I have also now ordered a bottle of Liquitex black acrylic gesso. The white has worked well for me so far, in terms of the gesso's properties, but having watched Stokes' work I've decided to try the black shade to see if that makes a difference in my painting. My hope is that it will alleviate some of the need to attempt to hunt down tiny specks of white that manage to evade paint by leaving tiny specks of black instead, which are hopefully less glaring a mistake.

I also took the opportunity to acquire a bit of extra paint on my last trip to Wal-Mart. I've added Apple Barrel 20526 Country Grey, and three colors from Folk Art: 425 Medium Gray, 419 Teddy Bear Tan, and 420 Linen. I actually have my ACW and WW2 figures more in mind with these colors, though they may find some use with the ImagiNations as well. I am particularly interested to see how the Linen color turns out.

I also received an Amazon gift certificate for my birthday, as well as winning a smaller one in a prize drawing, so I've spent the past few days pondering different Amazon order possibilities. Today I finally committed to a final list and submitted. Of wargaming interest on the list are "Wargames Tactics" by Charles Grant and "German Generals Speak" by B.H. Liddell Hart, the latter being postwar interviews with WW2 German Generals which I hope will be very interesting. One item that will probably not have wargaming implications.....but could....is a fiction novel. "Uncle Target" by Gavin Lyall. I'm looking forward to seeing what it's like, as I've not read any of his fiction before. Hopefully it's as well written as his wargaming book.

My birthday also brought me the computer game Medal of Honor: Airborne. So far, I botched all three training landings, died landing on my first combat jump, face-planted into a firefight but didn't die on my second, and actually managed to land on a roof within a few yards of my landing zone on the third. It's a race whether I figure out how to jump before I finish the game.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T22:25:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to each of my readers, and may God richly bless you and your families both in this holiday and in the coming year. Thank you for your support.

Increasing the Fleet

2008-12-04T09:25:00.003-05:00

Because I have a tendency to bounce around from thing to thing (not that you'll have noticed that ;> ), I've had a craving for a bit of naval gaming recently. I thought perhaps to get some 1/6000 scale ships and do some WWI naval gaming, with Barry Carter's rules, but the pricing on them was disheartening at present. It would take at least $100 to really get good in on them, I think.

Instead, I'm looking at the age of sail using the ships and rules from the Wizkids Pirates line. I've been doing Ebay buying, courtesy in part to a coupon or two and finding a vendor with very reasonable prices. I had some of these already, but I'd damaged two of them by breaking a mast during assembly. Since masts are critical to the game engine, this was a bit of a hindrance. But once I found a very cheap vendor, I decided I might as well just buy a replacement copy of each ship.

Altogether, once the latest purchases arrive, I should have about 30 ships and a sea monster. Because I've watched 20,000 Leagues under the Sea (several versions) too many times not to get a giant squid. I expect to see a Hesse-Engelburg fleet engage an enemy (but probably not a squid) perhaps as early as this weekend, depending how fast the new ships arrive.

Thus the dilemma...whom should they fight? Bad Nachtschwein is the obvious choice, but I'm tempted to mount another sea expedition of some sort. I might even talk myself into acquiring a few ships from the Barbary Coast line and dropping in a small battle line to attack the Ottoman-allied vessels currently making depradations on the Mediterranean coast. We'll see.

The Spoon Theory

2008-12-01T07:56:00.003-05:00

This has nothing to do with wargaming. But if you've got a person in your life who's elderly or living with illness, or if you're that person, you need to read this. The Spoon Theory. Even if you're not that person and don't know any, there's something worthwhile in there.

Items for Sale or Trade

2008-11-30T12:45:00.003-05:00

I've posted a list of things I'm trying to sell or trade, including several 18th century ones, and a good bit of other stuff, over on the Snickering Corpses blog.

http://snickeringcorpses.blogspot.com/2008/11/items-for-sale-or-trade.html to go to the exact post.

Game in Progress!

2008-11-29T16:50:00.002-05:00

Just on the off chance that someone's not watching it, the game has begun over on the Grand Duchy of Stollen blog, with frequent updates:

http://grandduchyofstollen.blogspot.com/

Revising RSM Cavalry Again

2008-11-22T12:13:00.002-05:00

After further checking, I've learned I was incorrect. The OG command pack includes 3 sets of officer, trumpeter, and standard, but only 1 NCO with pistol. So we're back to the drawing board again.

Meanwhile, there's some info on various Hussar command packs in the comments on the last posting.

RSM Cavalry Revision

2008-11-19T10:44:00.002-05:00

I've refigured things since I posted about what my options were on the RSM Cavalry, and have realized that I actually don't need 1 bag of Hussars plus extras to make up 3 squadrons with the figures I have now. I had forgotten that the Old Glory command packs (which I'm not really fond of, but am using because it'd cost $40 or so to replace them) include an NCO with pistol, so if I used that figure as well as the officer/trumpeter/standard then I can make up 3 12-figure squadrons with just one more bag of the Hussars. 8 RSM Hussars plus the OG command pack per squadron.

I also have a single Sash & Saber NCO with pistol that was sent as a sample. I really love the sculpt, but I can't justify paying over $12 for a 4-figure set right now to replace the OGs. This will likely end up as an aide/guard for a command stand instead.

Needed Revell SYW Infantry

2008-11-19T09:30:00.003-05:00

In the vein of reviewing what figures I have and need, I've totaled up what I definitely need in terms of Revell infantry figures to fill out the ranks of units that I've set aside currently.

Austrians needed
-------------------
4 foot officers
2 drummers
2 charging grenadiers

Prussians needed
-----------------
4 officers
4 drummers

Optional Austrians
---------------------
8 additional foot officers
(only if I decided to replace the NCOs with officers in the companies)
2-3 mounted officers
6 Pioneers

Optional Prussians
-------------------
14 charging grenadiers
40 stand and fire
4 or more marching (with extra officers at a 1-8 ratio if I do more than 4).

Right now, my Prussian musketeer battalions are using 2 ranks of the kneeling figures because I didn't have any standing firing ones, so it'd be nice to replace the middle rank with the standing firing. I have 8 from a box bought since then, so the additional 40 would give me enough to replace them all.

If I fill out the missing ranks, I should have:

1 Austrian musketeer battalion
1 Austrian grenadier battalion
2 Austrian pioneer companies
1 Prussian grenadier battalion
4 Prussian musketeer battalions
1 or more Prussian musketeer companies (marching figures)

Basing and other fun things

2008-11-18T19:41:00.002-05:00

About time for another wargaming update.

Plans continue back and forth via email with Stokes Schwartz for our game at the end of this month, fighting a slightly modified version of Charles S. Grant's Tabletop Teaser from Battlegames magazine issue 14. For those who haven't kept up with the details, Stokes will be supplying forces and table, and I will be commanding the troops of the Zichenau invaders remotely by email, with Stokes providing photographs and info of the battle each turn. I'm really looking forward to it. I've already written up my order of battle and initial orders, which Stokes will receive shortly before the game begins, after he's had time to select his own force. Neither of us will know the other's composition until the game begins.

The mailman has been helpfully delivering items since my last post, including another batch of Litko bases for my cavalry, and some more purple heart markers and mini smoke markers also from Litko. Also delivered were a small set of the new metal Spencer Smiths to finish out my troops on hand. Besides a few stray officers (two of which are even now being painted up by Stokes to command our forces in the game), my organization now provides a full 61-figure battalion of musketeer figures organized according to BAR's template, a 43-figure grenadier battalion organized on my own template, and a 12-figure cavalry squadron.

I also made my first attempt at assembling some of the movement bases that were delivered from Litko earlier. They fit very well, and I'm quite pleased, though I might have a go at finding a cheaper solution to be kind to the wargaming budget. At $5 or so a piece, they're not a bad price, but they do add up fast when you need 5-7 of them for a battalion. :>

I'm also pondering trying some black gesso as a basecoat, to see whether I like it or not.

Wal-mart has provided me with a half-dozen $1 porcelain Christmas buildings, which are a little larger than the 15mm J&R buildings, but perhaps still usable especially if I don't combine them in the same town. At any rate, the price was unrefusable. Home Depot also has contributed, with a bag of 21 flocked miniature trees for about $6-7. Five of them were too big for my purposes, but the other 16 should be quite usable. Not a bad price even for 16 trees.

More News

2008-11-03T07:10:00.005-05:00

I was going to have pictures posted last night, but the card reader didn't want to acknowledge that there were photos on the card. This morning, after unplugging it and plugging it back in, it finally admitted that I'd taken photos.

I had some big plans for yesterday, but they didn't turn out as I'd intended them. I was going to play a WW2 game using one of Charles S. Grant's tabletop teasers. This is not the same teaster stokes and I are using (more on that later). However, once I started looking at the troops I'd need for it, I realized I need to do more maintenance work before I can field them. My WW2 figures are unpainted plastic, but that wasn't the stopper. The stopper was that far too many of them still have to have the stubs of sprue cut off their bases so they can stand up.

So, instead, I ended up spending (besides more time online) some quality time with basing for the SYW figures. I repaired the bases on 10 of the Spencer Smith figures that had come unglued in shipping, and then proceeded to apply Litko bases to 6 that didn't have any bases, including 4 of the unpainted ones. Once I receive the new metal SSMs I ordered and get them on the same bases, I'll have the full battalion of SSMs based.

I also took my one sample SSM grenadier and the one Minden musketeer that I've had on my workbench and put them on Litko bases to see how they fit. I think the consistent basing will help the Mindens look that much better next to the other figures.

After that, I tried out basing one WW2 figure on a 3/4 inch round base from Litko, which I have 50 or more of that I received from a fellow gamer who'd changed his mind about what bases to use. Still haven't decided if I'm going to stick with it, but while doing this I had a sudden idea, and dug out some of my Revell plastic SYW figures. By gluing the figure on one of these thick 3/4 rounds, then gluing that onto my standard 1x1 square base, it produces a consistent footprint AND erases much of the height difference. While the 3/4 round is rather obvious in its thickness, I think the benefit in terms of making the heights more consistent is sufficient boon. So I based two 6-man companies of Austrian pioneers this way.

If you examine the photo below (click it to enlarge), you can see all of the above, with a RSM figure stuck in the center to show the height comparisons. Additionally, I glued together a 15mm paper cottage. I'm not sure where I got the original for that, but I believe it was a free sample from a producer of paper building designs. If I can dig up the original again, I may make more.

On the upcoming agenda, besides some more basing, is putting together my custom movement trays from Litko, which arrived last week. More photos to come when that's done.

Those of you who read the Grand Duchy of Stollen blog will know that he and I are preparing to play a game by email/blog in the latter part of November. We'll be using one of Charles S. Grant's tabletop teasers, and the game will be laid out in Stokes' wargame rule with myself issuing commands from afar based on photographs. I will be taking the role of the invading Electorate of Zichenau forces.

Basing and a Church

2008-10-19T15:06:00.004-05:00

A big thank you to the gentlemen of the Old School Wargaming and Society of the Daisy lists for their contributions on basing. The vast majority recommended ordinary white glue for attaching all sorts of figures to bases, so yesterday and today I spent some time with my Litko bases attaching the figures for the Lintzer Musketeers to the 1"x1" bases with Elmer's "Glue All" white glue. I was also able to get the roof paint on the JR Miniatures church. All it will need now is windows and some touch-up work where paint has overlapped its areas. Photos below, as always click for a larger view.

First, a photo of the battalion fully based. You can see the partly painted first company on the right of the photo, and the grenadier company on the left of it. All figures by RSM95. The final frontage of the battalion is a whopping 17 inches with a total of 51 figures in 3 ranks. The battalion has 4 companies of 8 musketeers and one officer, a grenadier company of 8 grenadiers and one officer, and a central flag group of 2 standard bearers, 2 musketeers, 1 drummer, and 1 officer.

Next, a photo of the church with its red roof. However, I would note that the actual roof color is darker than this photo, as the flash seems to have brightened it considerably.

And lastly, the two together, giving a sense of the scale of the 15mm JR Miniatures buildings next to a big battalion of the RSM95s.

Figure Ponderings and other things

2008-10-16T16:01:00.004-05:00

Firstly, the 100 1"x1" Litko bases have arrived. I hope to get some time to tinker with them by this weekend. We shall see!

Meanwhile, I'm expecting another small cash infusion, so I'm pondering some figure purchase options and am up for some advice. Stokes from the Grand Duchy of Stollen is currently pondering heavy cavalry options. I, in my turn, am currently pondering cavalry also, but not exclusively so. Nevertheless, let us discuss cavalry first.

My intended organization for cavalry squadrons is 1 officer, 1 standard, 1 musician, and 9 other ranks. I currently have the following:

Hussars - RSM95: 12 "other ranks", Old Glory 3 command sets: 1 officer, 1 standard, 1 musician, 1 man with pistol (NCO?).
Cuirassiers - RSM: 1 officer, 1 standard, 1 trumpeter, 9 other ranks.
Dragoons - a mixed bag of Spencer Smith plastics, including one officer and I think 11 others mingling dragoons and the "aide" with his sword pointed straight up. I have no difficulties painting all these as a dragoon regiment.

Options I'm pondering:

A) 1 bag of 12 RSM95 Prussian Dragoons - $22.20.
B) 1 bag of 12 RSM95 Hussars. - $22.20. This would give me two complete squadrons of Hussars and a portion of a third. I might ponder putting together enough funds to fill out the third.
C) 1 bag of 12 RSM95 Hanoverian Horse Grenadiers - $22.20. These are just a really tempting figure. You can see these on the November 4th posts at the Saxe-Bearstein blog: http://saxe-bearstein.blogspot.com/2007_11_01_archive.html
D) 1 bag of 12 Scruby ?? - $26.75 (counting $5 shipping). I'm tempted by the Saxon Dragoon in Fusilier Cap 3539C, or the Shaumburg-Lippe Karbineer 3530C. For an officer, I supposed I'd have to use the Dragoon in Tricorn 3511C? Does Scruby have musicians? Are these molded with their weapons in hand, or separate weapons? I'm guessing the former.

I also need 6 horses, for the RSM95 French General and English Aide figures I received off of Ebay, and 2 swords for the RSM95 French Officers (foot).

Other foot options:
RSM95 Hanoverians - I need about 30 figures to complete a battalion of these from the stray figures I received from Ebay. A 36-figure bag is $27.00. RSM is usually very nice about letting me customize a bag, so I could probably modify a Hanoverian bag with the right figure mix and an extra 6 foot figures.

RSM95 Highlanders - I currently have 6 standing firing poses, and 12 kneeling firing poses. I've debated how to handle these figures for a firing line. The only other pose of "other ranks" RSM makes is a marching pose. Would the marching pose work as a third rank for a normal 3-rank deployment? Or is that going to look silly and I should settle for a long two-rank firing line instead? Thoughts? If I did a 2-rank firing line, I'd probably go with 4 12-man companies, plus a 6-man command group. So I'd need another 36 figures precisely, for $27.00.

RSM95 Prussian Musketeers - I need a total of 45 figures to finish out a second Prussian Musketeer Battalion from the figures I have at hand. Assuming I was able to start with an infantry bag, this would cost me a total of $34.65

Scruby Jagers - Another option I considered was to build a battalion of jagers with Scruby figures. This would take 3 bags of 12 foot and 1 bag of 6 foot, giving me a total of 42 figures for $33.25 counting $7 postage.

Opinions from the gentlemen of the mess? Whatever I do, I can only afford to do one of the above options at present.

Opening the Sacred Tome....

2008-10-10T07:38:00.001-05:00

A grandiose title for this one, but I must admit to there being quite the feeling of reverence mixed with euphoria yesterday as I opened for the first time my own copy of "The War Game" by Charles Grant. This is the original first edition printing, not the recent reprint with reorganizations and additions by his son Charles Stuart.

I spent what time I could yesterday going through the book, skimming some sections and reading others, and especially perusing the pictures. Even in black and white there's lots to love. I find myself wanting to get out the Battlegames issue with the Mollwitz refight and see how many units I can identify from the black and white to their color version in Battlegames.

This shall surely have a pride of place upon my shelf alongside Charge!. Next on the agenda (Christmas list perhaps) is "Programmed Wargames Scenarios". Perhaps followed by Charles Stuart Grant's "The War Game Companion".

On the Workbench

2008-10-07T11:09:00.002-05:00

If you check my main wargaming blog, http://snickeringcorpses.blogspot.com, you can see what I've currently got on the painting and assembly workbench.

Waiting for More Stuff Too

2008-10-01T11:18:00.004-05:00

I decided to jump while the cash was in hand, and order some basing supplies from Litko. Got an excellent responsiveness from them on an inquiry about custom movement tray sizes, so I am now awaiting the arrival of two separate orders.

1) 100 1"x1" bases. These are what the Spencer Smith figures came on (though in metal) and they seem suitable for most of the variety of figure shapes that I have in 25-30mm metal, so I decided to buy a set of them. This should be enough to base my RSM95 battalion, plus 40-odd leftovers which I shall later decide what to do with.

2) A set of custom movement trays to enable me to put my first RSM95 battalion in movement trays, as well as 4 companies of the Spencer Smith figures. Also in this order is a set of purple heart markers from Jim's Lab. He had the red life markers, and I put in a comment suggesting purple ones as another useful color, and they're already up there.

Shouldn't be a lot more buying after this, as I'm about tapped out. :>

My hope, though, is that being able to base the figures will do a couple of things for me. Firstly, I'm hoping that sticking the RSMs on their bases, even bare metal on bare wood, will inspire more painting work. The other is that I'm also hoping that having them based and on movement trays will make it easier to put together a small battle, since I can push the movement trays around rather than heaps of individual figures. Makes the movement faster while not sacrificing the individual basing.

Waiting for Grant

2008-09-29T16:02:00.002-05:00

Having gotten paid for something, and discovered online a copy of the original "The War Game" for only $3 more than I could get the reprint for, rather than the $30+ more that it usually is, I grabbed for it. So, Lord willing, this week shall see the arrival of Grant's "The Wargame" in my mailbox from a small bookseller in Oregon.

Is it here yet?

Battling from Afar

2008-09-29T09:10:00.000-05:00

As some of you may have read already on Stokes' blog, Stokes Schwartz of the Grand Duchy of Stollen and I are plotting to play out a game by email and blog, with Stokes hosting the table and myself commanding one of the forces remotely. We're currently hashing out details, but the scenario played will be Charles S. Grant's Teaser from Issue #14 of Battlegames magazine.

If you've not got a subscription to Battlegames and you're reading this blog, you should. You can either order it direct from www.battlegames.co.uk or if in the US, you can get it slightly cheaper from On Military Matters (www.OnMilitaryMatters.com). The one caveat for ordering from OMM, which is the route I went, is that you'll get yours a week or two later than those who ordered direct got theirs, since OMM has to receive them from the UK and then turn around and send them to you. Provided you can survive that period of envious waiting while everyone else tells you how good it is, OMM's a good option.

A Ponder

2008-09-22T07:21:00.001-05:00

Suppose you had available, or soon to be available, the funds for either a copy of Charles Grant's "The Wargame" (or perhaps his programmed scenarios book), or a new battalion/squadron for your ImagiNation troops, but not both. Which would you choose?

Grant and Grant

2008-09-07T21:50:00.003-05:00

In my newest book acquisition, Terry Wise's Introduction to Battle Gaming, there's a fine photo of Charles Grant Sr. and his son Charles S. in their wargaming room, which I display below for the edification of fellow gamers.

I'd never seen the book before, but I quite recommend it. It's well worth an addition to the library.

AWI Eye Candy

2008-09-07T06:47:00.004-05:00

Stokes, you must check out this first one if you've not seen it recently. :)

Will's rules for the American War of Independence - Recent postings (look for August 2008 and scroll back) have bunches of lovely eye candy using 1/72 plastic figures, including some very nice conversions. He does some interesting things with the ever over-abundant Airfix British Grenadiers involving mostly shaving down the bearskin to other forms of hat to create new troop types. If you haven't thought plastic figures could look good enough, take a look. He might surprise you.

Tarleton's Quarter - Here, the eye candy is 25-30mm metal instead, but also gorgeous. Most units are organized for the British Grenadier rules (the AWI version of General de Brigade). Beautifully painted and lots of different units to admire. He's especially fond of Perry sculpts, though other manufacturers turn up here and there as well.

Skinning the Minden

2008-08-15T20:59:00.003-05:00

I managed to get in about 10 minutes with paints again, and you'll find on all three of my blogs (here, Snickering Corpses, and Ober-Schweinsberg) the fruits of my labors. Below is the first skin-colored paint on a Minden Miniatures Prussian musketeer. As usual, clicking on the photo will zoom in. While I won't claim any of my painting attempts to be easy, I do have to say that this first bit of paint was easier than I expected on this figure. It's far from perfect, but I'm reasonably pleased with it so far.

Major Rudel's Report

2008-08-12T14:52:00.005-05:00

A letter delivered by a fast-riding courier to Hesse-Engelburg army headquarters.

Report of Major Rudel regarding the recent Stollenian venture. Having arrived in the Stollenian capital, we found ourselves unable to obtain an audience with the Grand Duke in the busy state of the palace, and so wintered upon the grounds of the palace until we were able to obtain audience with a minor minister of the Grand Duke. Doubtless news has reached you already of the invasion by the Electorate of Zichenau. We have observed the battles from afar, and I regret to report that the forces of Stollen have suffered two consecutive defeats on the battlefield, and the capital is currently being evacuated.

I confess to some puzzlement regarding the conduct of the most recent battle. Reliable accounts are of course limited in nature with the chaos currently underway, but a discussion by one of my command with a survivor of the von Laurenz regiment indicated a distinct lack of effective musketry on the part of this battalion, and made it to appear that this sole battalion was charged with holding off almost the entire Zichenauer force without adequate support. The soldier further claimed that his company and their supporting company were drawn up in the open in canister range of a Zichenauer battery and subjected to terrible casualties, while their remaining company was subjected to a brutal fusilade from a Zichenauer grenadier regiment known as the Newts.

While it is the nature of most soldiers to credit their regiment with the worst of the fighting, the apparent corroboration offered by a lack of significant casualty reports from any other battalion engaged leaves me to wonder at the training and cooperation standards of the Stollenian army. It is possible that the offer of Hauptmann Sontag to the Grand Duchy to assist in training their forces might be of some efficacy after his great success in the training of the militia of Tipplebruder.

In the meantime, having judged my mission here to be largely complete if not entirely satisfactory, I have sent off this missive and ordered my command to break camp and we are returning home by a circuitous route to avoid any collision with the advancing forces of Zichenau. I have taken the liberty of leaving one Hussar behind to monitor future events in case of matters of urgency, and secured to him the future service of the same courier to whom I am committing this message.

Respectfully yours,

Major Rudel
Stollenian Service Detachment

A book being read...

2008-08-11T10:58:00.002-05:00

I've only read pieces of this one, but it seems an interesting backgrounder:
Europe in the Eighteenth Century 1713-1783 by M. S. Anderson. It's part of the "A General History of Europe Series" and publishedby Holt, Rinehard, and Winston in 1961. The bit that I've read so far is well written, and a nice overview of the period.

Figures Identified

2008-07-06T17:32:00.003-05:00

Rich at DPC was kind enough to identify some of my mystery Ebay figures for me. The below photo shows some white-primed figures, and I'm listing their identifications:

1) S2-001 - French Officer Adv (There is a sword to put in his hand)
2) S2-101 - French Mounted General
3) S1-102 - English Mounted Aide
4) S7-006 Hanoverian Musketeer avancing

On #4, you can't see the pompom on his tricorn from this angle. If you have the same figure without the pompom, it's S1-008- English Hatman advancing.

So I have 2 French officers, 4 French generals, 2 English aides, and 11 Hanoverian musketeers. And also 2 additional Prussian officers with spontoon, which I was already familiar with of course. If someone is in desperate need of one or more of these items, let me know and we'll talk purchase or trade. Otherwise, it's on to figuring out how to properly integrate them into the army.

In Progress Photo

2008-06-30T09:29:00.002-05:00

A couple of you had requested pictures of my latest project. If you'll click on over to the Landgraviate of Ober-Schweinsberg blog, I've posted 3 views of my first test figure with the SSM plastic grenadier.

http://ober-schweinsberg.blogspot.com/

Tiny Progress

2008-06-18T08:44:00.003-05:00

There is now a single Spencer Smith plastic grenadier with a coat of white gesso base, and a yellow coat and vague resemblance of the bag of his cap in the same color. Also, a brown musket.

Now, I realize this is painting him totally out of keeping with general consensus of working from the skin out, but I wanted to see how the yellow would cover, as it's a different yellow than the one that failed so badly on the Lintzer cuffs and lapels. This one's Delta Ceramcoat, and it did very well on this initial test.

Given the rough nature of the Spencer Smith casts, one has to kind of guess at where some things should go, so I suspect I may continue painting out of order, touching things up until it looks right to me. Next up is probably the black facings and black of the bearskin and boots. I'm still debating trouser color.

Oh yes, it occurs to me I've not identified which unit, for which Jean-Louis will surely be agitated. Much as I hate to give such venerable figures to the enemy, I have decided to use the Spencer Smith grenadiers for the Gebuhren Eber Grenadiers of the Bad Nachtschwein League. Since my Hesse-Engelburg grenadiers are not in bearskins, they wouldn't really be useful there, so I gave them to the BNL so they can get onto the table against my H-E troops in time. Rest assured, dear reader, that the venerable Spencer Smiths are not unrepresented on the Hesse-Engelburg side, since the painted regiment of marching musketeers photographed a few months ago are going to be the Hesse-Engelburg marines. Which means, yes, that the current rumors of war may result in Spencer Smith vs Spencer Smith upon my table at some point.

Bad Nachtschwein Threatened

2008-06-16T17:52:00.001-05:00

Rumor out of the Landgraviate of Ober-Schweinsberg suggests that the squadron of Hesse-Engelburg ships last seen off the Shetlands has appeared suddenly on the river approaches near Bad Nachtschwein, and begun landing troops to threaten the capital of the Bad Nachtschwein League and its surrounding towns. It would appear the spring campaign season is opening....

New Arrivals!

2008-06-14T20:59:00.004-05:00

A long delayed package has arrived at my home, thanks to the generosity of a fellow wargamer who was thinning his collection. The same gentleman from whom I bought the earlier Spencer Smiths has turned up a large batch of unpainted ones. Photos to follow, of the SSMs as well as the Minot and RSM figures also included in the lot. As usual, click on a photo for a larger view.

First up, we have a batch of Spencer Smith grenadiers, complete with a pair of drummers and a mounted officer. I actually need 1-3 more of these to finish off this battalion properly.

Next, we have a "cavalry squadron" formed of a mixture of 1 Mounted Officer, 5 Dragoons, and 8 Charging Aide-de-Camp figures. There are a half dozen total mounted officers, one of whom will be joining my existing Musketeers probably, and the last few are undetermined.

Next up, we have a batch from Barry Minot's AWI range in plastic, a mixed handful of figures comprising 3 light infantry, 2 Highlanders, and 2 regulars.

Also from Barry Minot's AWI range is a group of 16 British Grenadiers, who will hopefully find some useful service to perform.

And lastly, we have yet another group of RSM95 figures. I'm guessing these are the firing versions of the Austrian Grenadier, but can anyone confirm?

A thought on origins

2008-05-25T19:47:00.002-05:00

I've been pondering on an origination for Hesse-Engelburg, and have some ideas to run past people for suggestion.

I'm thinking perhaps it was once owned by one of the minor Hessian lines, but at some prior point that line rebelled against the Holy Roman Emperor, and the Blauerwolf family, then perhaps a Knight or at most a Baron, were granted recognition as Furst of the territory for their support in the fight to overcome the Hessian rebel.

It's a loose framework, and I may change it significantly, but some folks with a more detailed knowledge of earlier European history could perhaps suggest whether this is reasonable, and what time period might work for there to be such a conflict?

Actual Painting!

2008-05-13T09:32:00.003-05:00

Amazingly enough, I actually did a minor bit of painting this weekend, and the universe failed to explode.

Saturday, I spent a few minutes priming one of the two buildings of the JR Miniatures 15mm #1663 Worker's Quarters set, one of Frank's Minden Miniatures Prussians (directly behind the painted building), and one Revell WW2 British Infantry all with white artist's gesso (front right).

The first RSM95s I primed, which you can see in the background, I slapped this on a bit too thick on some, making them more blobbish. So I went a little thinner on it this time, and used the brush to keep excess from pooling.

Sunday, I put a first coat of paint on the Revell figure and did a trial of a pink coat on one of the old RSMs (slightly left of center). But the main focus was painting the building, which you can see in the middle of the photo, next to the unprimed second building from the same set. I still need to do a little more on it, but I was surprised at how well it came out with simply an undercoat and three colors of paint. I need to touch up a few spots of missing paint and add a few more details, but it's quite usable even in this state, which amazed me.

(click for larger photo)

All of them were primed with Liquitex white acrylic gesso. The pink uniform is Delta Ceramcoat Painted Desert. The WW2 Tommy is wearing Delta Ceramcoat Autumn Brown. Paints used on the building were Vallejo Basalt Gray for the walls, Delta Ceramcoat Autumn Brown for the door, and Delta Ceramcoat Golden Brown for the thatched roof.

The box in which they rest was originally put together for my trials of the Plasti-Dip spray rubber as a primer. I've abandoned the Plasti-Dip for the gesso, but the box serves as a very nice portable paint booth, as it were, since I have no permanent space for them right now. It's hoped that as we finish re-arranging the basement, there will be an available work surface as well as an available gaming surface.

Hesse-Engelburg Troop Dispositions

2008-04-30T21:41:00.002-05:00

While precise dispositions of Hesse-Engleburg troops are in some places difficult to pin down, especially with new units forming, the following concentrations are known or believed to be in specific (or un-specific) locations.

1) Vergoldeten - 6 battalions of infantry under Generalmajor Count Manfred von Waffenschmidt are still believed to be wintering here, along with a few detachments of Hussars.
2) On the road from Tipplebruder - A mixed formation of musketeers, jager, and hussars are believed to be on the road back home from Tipplebruder now that the situation seems stable there.
3) Somewhere at sea - The Hesse-Engelburg squadron and troops under Ambassador Colonel Freidrick von Heiner are believed to be somewhere at sea still, on their way to....somewhere. Troops include over 500 men in uniforms resembling the Gallian marines, and a detachment of Garde du Corps Prinzessin Gertrude hussars.
4) Stollen - A small part of Garde du Corps Prinzessin Gertrude hussars under one Major Rudel have been camping on the lawn of the Grand Duke's palace through the winter, waiting for an audience.
5) Hesse-Engelburg - elements of at least 8 infantry regiments and at least 3 cavalry regiments are either active or forming, plus jagers and artillery.

Items for Sale

2008-04-18T13:31:00.004-05:00

Have a few items I want to sell, to finance other things :> I also have, if you have alternate interests, a few 1976 coin sets, some Hot Wheels and similar cars (mostly 70s-forward), and a baseball card collection of mostly 80s/90s cards. If interested, contact me via this principality's name at snickeringcorpses dot com, and leave a comment that you've emailed me so I can look for it.

1) 35 unpainted Old Glory SYW Austrian Grenadiers - a mix of command
and other ranks, and a mix of the "Hungarian" and "German".

2) 15 unpainted Old Glory AWI/ARW British Grenadiers - 11 regulars, 1
officer, 1 drummer, 1 fifer, 1 standard bearer without pole

3) Osprey Men-at-Arms series:
a) SOLD
b) #55 Napoleon's Dragoons and Lancers - 2005 edition, very clean,
Angus McBride illustrations
c) #64 Napoleon's Cuirassiers and Carabiniers - 2005 edition, very
clean, Angus McBride illustrations
d) #276 The Austrian Army 1740-80: 2 Infantry - 1994, Bill
Younghusband illustrations

4) Military and Naval History Journal - HMGS East:
a) Number 5, 1997
b) Number 9, April 1999
c) Number 10, July 1999

5) Reader's Digest Illustrated Story of WW2

Sash & Saber Photos

2008-04-08T05:17:00.001-05:00

For those who'd like to see more of the Sash & Saber figures, check out the early April 2008 posts from http://11kilo.blogspot.com/

Photos and More Photos

2008-04-06T14:51:00.006-05:00

Here's photos of some of my recent acquisitions as promised, including a few mystery poses of RSM off of Ebay. As always, click the photo for a larger view.

RSM95 Prussian Cuirassiers. Swords and flagpoles are separate. The two right front figures are intended to do dual duty as an officer and a standard bearer, depending which item you equip them with.

Individual poses of Minden Miniatures Prussians. (l to r) NCO, Musketeer, Officer.

And finally, I have a set of figures that I'm fairly sure are RSM95s, but I need help identifying which group and pose they are:

JR Miniatures 15mm Napoleonic Church, and 15mm Napoleonic Servant's Quarters

Second Arrival

2008-04-02T05:17:00.003-05:00

Photo to follow once I get a chance to take one, but Saturday's mail brought with it the arrival of a dozen Prussian Cuirassiers from RSM95. I really like them, although the twist on the officer/standard bearer figure looks a little uncomfortable. Eventually, I'll buy enough bags of these for a full regiment, as each bag gives me one squadron with officer, standard bearer, bugler, and 9 troopers. So it'll take 4 bags rather than 3.

Also, Friday's mail (I think) brough in the JR Miniatures buildings I mentioned in my earlier post. I'll try to get pictures of all of the above soon.

First Arrival

2008-03-22T06:19:00.003-05:00

Photo to follow once I dig up the camera again, but my order from Minden Miniatures has arrived. Lovely figures as expected!

Edit 03-24-2008: Photos as promised. The front left figure is the existing sample I already had. Front right is the Prussian Officer with Spontoon, and back left is the Prussian NCO. The rest are Prussian Musketeers.

Awaiting Reinforcements

2008-03-11T08:15:00.003-05:00

I'm currently involved in that grand thing known as the waiting game, for new wargaming items to arrive. It'll probably be a couple of weeks for most of them.

I did recently receive a copy of Donald Featherstone's "War Games", which I haven't gotten around to reading more than a little of. This is partly due to time constraints and partly due to waiting for it to air out, as it smells heavily of perfume.

There's also a half-dozen or so other books all picked up for decent prices. Among them is the second edition of Duffy's "Army of Frederick the Great". There's some disagreement as to whether the first or second edition is better, so now I have both. ;) Also picked up an Osprey on the Austrian army of the SYW period, and one on the Confederate Army of the American Civil War. A couple of others I don't have handy in memory. ;)

Additionally, I picked up from Stokes "They Died for Glory" Franco-Prussian War rules. I don't have any Franco-Prussian war figures at present, but the idea is tempting, and i also might see what needs to be modified to use them for my ACW figures.

But on to the expectations. I managed to sell a few wargaming items recently, and put the money made into financing a few new purchases. I'm waiting on several items to appear:

1) A company worth of Prussian figures from Minden Miniatures. The current exchange rate is painful, but Frank didn't mind a small order, so I've bought a company now and will gradually attempt to increase to a whole battalion when I can afford it. If the exchange rate doesn't shift dramatically, this should cost me between $130-150 all total over time. In comparison, I can form an RSM battalion to my organization for about $50, though if metal prices keep rising RSM is eventually going to have to raise their prices. Frank's figures are too lovely not to try to get some though.

2) A bag of RSM95 Prussian Cuirassiers. I'm looking forward to their arrival. Need some ideas, though, on the best way of attaching the swords/standards to hands. Solder them, glue them, what? I've never had to attach metal to metal before in anything too small for a bolt. ;) if I have the counts right, 3 bags of the Cuirassiers plus one extra each of an officer, standard bearer, and trumpeter will give me a full four squadrons. Of course, that's about $70 or so.

3) Somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 plastic Spencer Smiths, unpainted. Still waiting on these to ship.

4) Found some decently priced 15mm buildings. There's a ton I'd like but don't have the funds for. But I did pick up a church and a couple of "servants' quarters" buildings. Having buildings that are smaller than the troop scale doesn't bother me, as I operate with limited space anyway. I can appreciate the beauty of a properly scaled building, but it's not necessary to my enjoyment.

5) A friend found some spare parts to fix up the half a howitzer I have for my WW2 armies, and is sending that along with a couple of additional vehicles. An Opel command truck for my Germans, and parts to end up with either a tank or tank destroyer for my Americans.

And....I think that's everything. Not a bad lot of items. I need to sell some more stuff to keep financing. I'd like to get some Sash&Saber cavalry before the end of the month, as I really like the one sample hussar I have. But I need more funds first. I'd also like a few more buildings if those first two buys prove satisfactory.

Figure Comparison: Foot Officers

2008-02-28T22:00:00.002-05:00

Next up in our series of comparison photos is foot officers. Click on the image for a zoomed view.

From left to right, the figures are:

Airfix Washington's Army 1/72 plastic
RSM95 Prussian Officer w/Cane 25mm
RSM95 Prussian Officer w/Spontoon 25mm
Old Glory SYW Austrian Grenadier officer 25mm
Old Glory SYW Austrian Grenadier officer 25mm
Old Glory SYW Austrian Grenadier officer 25mm
Old Glory AWI British Grenadier officer 25mm
Old Glory AWI British Grenadier officer 25mm
Imperialist Miniatures WSS (possibly WAS) French Officer of Foot 25mm (FO-3)
Hinchcliffe (Prussian) Von Kleist Officer (SYP13) 25mm
Hinchcliffe (Austrian) German Infantry Officer Advancing 25mm (SYA21)
Hinchcliffe (Austrian) Hungarian Officer Advancing 25mm (SYA9)
Spencer Smith 30mm plastic (based on a US penny)

Updated Figure Comparison: Infantry

2008-02-23T12:03:00.004-05:00

As promised, here is a new figure comparison photo, to be followed hopefully by a few more. Click on the image for a zoomed view.

From left to right, the figures are:

Airfix Washington's Army 1/72 plastic
Airfix British Grenadiers 1/72 plastic
Revell SYW Prussian Infantry 1/72 plastic
Revell SYW Austrian Infantry 1/72 plastic
RSM95 Prussian SYW Grenadier March Attack 25mm
Sash & Saber Prussian SYW Grenadier Marching 25mm (YPSI6, I think)
Spencer Smith 30mm plastic (based on a US penny)
RSM95 Prussian SYW Musketeer March Attack 25mm
Imperialist Miniatures French WSS (possibly WAS) Musketeer 25mm
Minden Miniatures Prussian SYW Musketeer 1/56 scale
Old Glory AWI British Grenadier 25mm
Old Glory SYW Austrian Grenadier 25mm
RSM95 French & Indian Wars Highlander 25mm
Hinchcliffe AWI Minuteman Advancing (AW40) 25mm
Hinchcliffe AWI Marine Advancing 25mm (X45)
Hinchcliffe AWI Militia in Shirt Advancing 25mm (X43)
Hinchcliffe AWI American Militia Advancing 25mm (AW41)

Recommendation: The Colonial Connection

2008-02-22T07:59:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's mail brought a nice package of Hinchcliffe figures for incorporation into my armies. I bought them from The Colonial Connection, out of Williamsburg, VA. The owner, Eric Grosfils, is a very nice guy. Not only am I impressed with the figures, but I was most impressed with his service. Right now he's in progress of selling off his last Hinchcliffe stock, and going to a drop-shipping model with the manufacturer, where you can buy through him but Hinchliffe will ship the figures direct to you.

First off, I sent him a query regarding whether he had stock on hand to fill a figure order. It's important, if you order one of the items he still has in stock (it's noted in the PDF catalog he sends), to let him know whether you want him to finish an order off with the drop-shipped figures (which of course are not on sale), or only fill what he can from his existing stock. It turned out, he didn't have stock on hand to fill the quantity I wanted for a good bit of it, so I sent off a list of about 10 item numbers to ask his stock for, and he quickly got me back counts for them.

I finally ordered about 30 figures, with a mixture of 4 of this and 9 of that and 3 of the other, to form up a militia unit from various SYW and AWI poses, plus a couple of spare officers to use for unit variety. It turned out when he went to assemble the order that one of the ones I'd ordered 9 of, he only had 7 intact, plus three with broken bayonets. So he only charged me for the 7 intact, and sent the 3 that were missing bayonets free!

And I've saved the best for last. You actually don't pay him till you've received the figures. I can't name any other company that does that any more. Now, I can't say whether he does that with the drop shipped figures, since I didn't order any of those.

Prices for drop-shipped figures are rather higher than RSMs, but should be better than buying direct from Hinchcliffe, as he's able to apply his distributor's discount to them. His sale figures range from $0.50 to $0.75, for foot figures. Worth seeing if he has any left of what you're looking for.

Behind Schedule

2008-02-16T07:08:00.003-05:00

Well, after a crazy busy work week, I didn't manage to get photos done or some other things I intended to do. But I haven't forgotten that I intended to put more comparison photos up. However, I got an opportunity to pick a few more figures up at very nice price, so I shall wait for them to arrive and add them to the comparisons.

Meanwhile, over on the Emperor vs Elector blog, a Hesse-Engelburg squadron is moving north off the English coast, possibly headed for Shetland....

New arrivals

2008-01-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

Friday's mail and today's mail brought some new arrivals. Photos will be forthcoming later.

Friday: 1 pack of Old Glory Austrian Hussar with Busby command, 1 pack of Old Glory Austrian Generals.
Today: 2 sample figures from Sash & Saber. A Prussian marching grenadier, and a Prussian Hussar in Fur Cap. I really like the Hussar....it's a very nice casting, and makes me want more.

I should soon be posting a fresh set of size comparison shots.

More Imperialist Photos

2008-01-18T06:17:00.000-05:00

Jeff requested some more photos of the Imperialist miniatures. You're right that they're not visible much online, as the maker has no online presence. I received my samples through the generosity of a fellow OSW list member. Pictures from side and rear follow. Pricing on the list I have is $1 for foot, $2.50 for mounted (includes horse), $6 for cannon. As always, click on the photo for a larger view.

Figure Comparisons

2008-01-17T22:00:00.001-05:00

Stokes asked me for a comparison shot with Spencer Smith, RSM, and Revell SYW figures. While I had the camera out, I did a little more than that. As always, click on the photos for a larger view.

First up is the grand comparison photo of 18th century miniatures. From left to right, they are:

Airfix 1/72 British Grenadier (AWI)
Airfix 1/72 Washington's Army (AWI)
Revell SYW Austrian Infantry (SYW)
Revell SYW Prussian Infantry (SYW)
Spencer Smith plastic (18thC)
RSM95 Prussian Musketeer (SYW)
Old Glory Austrian Grenadier (SYW)
Minden Miniatures Prussian Musketeer (SYW)
RSM95 Highlander (F&IW/SYW)
Imperialist Miniatures French Musketeer (WSS)

Next, we have a group photo of the Imperialist Miniatures samples I received some months ago. They are, I believe, 25mm figures rather than 28/30, and are for the War of Spanish Succession rather than the Seven Years War. But they're gorgeous little figures, and only a little more expensive than RSMs. I've especially fallen in love with the French officer. From left to right, they are:

F-01 French musketeer
FO-11b French trooper of horse w/pistol, on Horse H3
FO-3 French officer of foot
F17 French drummer

Here we have a cavalry comparison, with the Imperialist French trooper between a RSM95 Prussian Mounted Officer on the left and RSM95 Prussian Hussar on the right. The size difference is rather glaringly obvious here. It's also a little odd looking for the Imperialist trooper to be unable to see over his horse's head. However, on a lark I switched figures and horses, and discovered that putting the RSM officer on the Imperialist horse, and vice versa, erased much of the immediate height difference between them. And both of them can see over their horse's heads.

A Delightful Delivery!

2008-01-16T20:39:00.000-05:00

Today's mail brought a bounty of items of interest for wargaming.

First off on our list is Battlegames magazine issue 10, which has taken a little while to make its way to my US seller, and thence to me. But as ever, it's well worth the wait. I'm already particularly intrigued by Henry Hyde's siege rules, and also by the Boxed Sets ideas put forth by Stuart Asquith. I'm pondering the possibility of taking some of Charles S. Grant's Tabletop Teasers and working them into WW2 scenarios and possibly other periods as well.

Next on the list is a new book, Panzer Commander, the memoirs of Colonel Hans von Luck. A German officer, von Luck served through a wide variety of World War 2's battefields, including a considerable amount of time under Rommel. I've already been captivated by some of the writing this evening, enough so that I'm rather later in posting this than I'd intended. :> And best of all, I received the book free. In theory at least. In practice, the cost of the book to me is the cost of shipping for a book I'm sending out for free to a different party. And all of this is occuring through a service called Bookmooch. The basic premise is that you list books you're willing to give away, getting one tenth of a point for each listing. For every book someone mooches from you, you get a full point. It costs one point to mooch a book from someone else.

The best, however, I have saved for last. I've been sitting upon a secret, waiting for the mail to finally deliver it, and it has at last arrived. In one of those random 'coincidences' that make you think perhaps God is just doing something nice for you and remember to say thank you, I found myself staring at a photo off of one of my online searches of a set of painted Spencer Smith plastics for sale. I sat with dread waiting for someone with deeper pockets to come in and snap them up before the deal closed, but that terrible fate was not to be. The deal was closed, the figures shipped, and I present to you the full array of over 60 figures. Two of the muskets are broken off at the shoulder, but that hardly matters to me. One can accept a little battle damage in such august old campaigners.

(click on a picture for a larger view - warning, huge files! I'll try to shrink them a bit later.)

Frontal view

View from above

Infantry close up

Artillery close up

My present thought is that these will likely form a Freikorps in Hesse-Engelburg service, but we shall see if I stick with that. They will certainly have their rightful place amongst the troops, at any rate.

There is a certain reverence which only the collector personality understands when one first unwraps an item of significance, recently acquired. These particular figures may never have been touched by the hand of a wargaming great, but one can see their brethren marching proudly at Mollwitz in Charles Grant's The Wargame, and feel a certain measure of awe to possess a set of figures perhaps even older than yourself.

There are some figures loose from their bases, and one or two missing bases. I took advantage of the latter to set one beside my RSM95 Musketeers, and was quite pleased to find that they are quite compatible in height. The Spencer Smith are slightly taller on close inspection, but near enough to be more than adequate when viewed together.

A Formal Proclamation

2008-01-07T21:47:00.001-05:00

Whereas the recent unrest in the Landgraviate of Ober-Schweinsberg has caused great distress to the security and trade of the honorable Principality of Hesse-Engelburg, and having been provoked repeatedly by the illegal and immoral attacks of the self-proclaimed Bad Nachtschwein League, and agency of merchants in rebellion against their sovereign and rightful Lord and Landgrave whichever he may be, and whereas said League were known to be embarked upon an endeavor to invade, attack, and subjugate the peaceful city of Vergoldeten,

Be it known to all hearers that Their Graces, the Fürst and Fürstin Guntram and Sieglinde Blauerwolf, rightful rulers and sovereigns of this Principality of Hesse-Engelburg, have, with the agreement of Prince Arnold of Ober-Schweinsberg, undertaken to extend their protection to the citizens and lands of the city of Vergoldeten. In accordance with the wishes of Their Graces to ensure the free flow of huminatarian supplies and in accordance with the terms of said agreement, Their Graces do order and command that all manner of supply except weaponry shall be freely permitted to pass through Vergoldeten once inspected for contraband, save such supply as be destined for the rebellious towns of the Bad Nachtschwein League, the which shall remain under embargo for the duration of the state of war that presently exists with that body of rebellion.

Having extended their protection to the city and its surrounding district, Their Graces do declare and form the Barony of Vergoldeten and confer said title upon Brigadier Werner Heintzen, hereafter to be known as Baron Heintzen of Vergoldeten, in recognition of the key service provided by his brigade in the repulsing of the forces of the League from their attack on the city.

Be it also known that battle honors are accorded to the regiments of said brigade, namely the Sumpflöwen Musketeers and the Lintzer Musketeers, for their sterling performance in duty and honor to their sovereigns.

Lintzer Musketeers with purple facings

2008-01-06T11:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a belated set of photos of a couple of the Lintzer musketeers in progress, switched to purple facings from yellow.

Reoriganization and other stuff

2008-01-03T10:56:00.001-05:00

Yeah, I know, I keep reorganizing my unit structure in spite of not getting much of anything painted. But I've done it yet again, after looking for too long at Der Alte Fritz' battalions on his blog.

The short way of explaining the new organization would be to say that it's the same as the large generic battalion in BAR, but with one file cut off of every company. This means a total of 9 men per company, plus a six-man headquarters (officer, drummer, 2 standard bearers, 2 regulars). All in three ranks of course. This gives me a strength of 42 without the grenadier company, 51 with.

Which means, instead of being able to field 1.5 battalions of RSM figures, I can field 1 full battalion IF I acquire two more RSM Prussian Grenadiers. And have all of 8 extra figures left, most of them officers.

To go with this, I've decided to also use a 12 figure squadron formation, matching the one illustrated in BAR. This means a 3 squadron regiment would be only slightly less strong than a 4 company battalion.

To go with these new organizations, I finally got around to sorting through the Revell figures I received from a good wargaming friend. I may have to obtain some spares to fill out a handful of figures I'm short on, but I've now set aside 4 Prussian Musketeer Battalions (2 with grenadier companies, 2 without), 1 Prussian standing grenadier battalion, 1 Austrian composite grenadier battalion, and 1 Austrian Musketeer Battalion (with grenadier company). Also, 1 slightly over-strength Austrian pioneer company.

At a minimum, I need to add 3 Austrian officers, 2 Austrian drummers, 5 Prussian officers, and 5 Prussian drummers. Ideal would be to have an additional 2 Austrian charging grenadier, 18 Prussian charging grenadier, and 48 Prussian standing firing pose. It would sweeten the pot a little further if I had another 12 Austrian standing firing pose.

At present, my Prussian Musketeer battalion companies use 2 ranks of 3 kneeling, 1 rank of 3 reloading. My Austrian Musketeer battalion uses 1 rank of 3 kneeling, one rank of 3 biting cartridge, and one rank of 2 reloading and 1 grenadier NCO.

2007 Statistics

2008-01-03T10:44:00.001-05:00

98 posts, 236 comments. Surprising to me really, how much activity there's been on here. I'm no longer sure how man total visitors there's been, due to having let the Neoworks account lapse by a day or two in the middle there.

Unit Profile: Sumpflöwen Musketeers (The Marsh Lions)

2007-12-28T22:51:00.000-05:00

Sumpflöwen Musketeers
Inhaber/Commander: Colonel Eric "Bussie" Burmeister
Depot: Zweibrücken
Battle honors: Vergoldeten, 1757


Regimental standard	Musketeer uniform	Grenadier uniform

Newly formed in late 1757 and recruited from the Zweibrücken area, the Regiment Sumpflöwen saw its first action at the Battle of Vergoldeten. Perhaps inspired by being brigaded with the famous Lintzer regiment, this regiment distinguished itself by executing its orders with a precision that surprised even its senior commanders, and put up a fusilade of musketry sufficient to shatter and enemy battalion.

Digression: Christmas

2007-12-27T15:41:00.001-05:00

See the main blog at http://snickeringcorpses.blogspot.com for details.

Digression: Wargaming-related news

2007-12-11T09:55:00.001-05:00

Rather than duplicate the post, I'll just point you over to my general wargaming blog at http://snickeringcorpses.blogspot.com/ to read. Of SYW-related news, there's some figures mentioned for sale. :>

Vergoldeten Update

2007-12-02T12:27:00.001-05:00

A plate with the uniforms of Hesse-Engelburg troops engaged in the Battle of Vergoldeten has been posted on the Ober-Schweinsberg blog. Also, I expect to have the second part of the battle report up soon.

Small Progress

2007-11-25T20:08:00.000-05:00

I finally made the decision to change the facings of the Lintzer Musketeers to purple rather than yellow, as the yellow I have is just not up to the task. So, I painted facings and turnbacks and collars on a handful of my in progress figures, and I'm rather pleased with the color. Not as pleased with the inconsistency of my painting. In particular, I'm not consistent in deciding which parts of the RSM figure should be the facings on the coat in front. :>

I'm also considering altering my organization slightly, so that instead of companies of six musketeers and one officer with spontoon, it's six figures total, with five musketeers and one officer with spontoon. Still debating, if I did that, what to do about senior officers, standard bearers, and musicians.

Vergoldeten - Arnold vs Asgar

2007-11-20T16:49:00.001-05:00

The first part of the Vergoldeten battle report has been posted on the Landgraviate of Ober-Schweinsberg blog.

Uniforms at Vergoldeten Battle

2007-11-13T10:23:00.000-05:00

Check the Landgraviate of Ober-Schweinsberg blog for post of uniforms of the troops at the battle, plus other battle info.

New Drums Beating in Ober-Schweinsberg

2007-11-07T21:10:00.000-05:00

It is often thought that the chillier temperatures fall, the less men's blood will run hot for war. But this is not always the case. Rumors are spreading along the trade routes from traveler to traveler, rumors that the chilled war in Ober-Schweinsberg is about to heat up again. And why not, observe the grumpier amongst the lot. All the rest of Europe is filled with uphevals, great wars, and petty strifes, so why not Ober-Schweinsberg?

The Armies of Prince Asgar and Prince Arnold have abruptly left their winter quarters and are reported to be marching towards the town of Vergoldeten on Ober-Schweinsberg's northern trade routes. Up till now, the town has remained somewhat of a neutral territory, but that all appears ready to change, if the two armies do not divert from their present course.

In the town, rumors fly of a bar-room brawl involving off-duty Irish mercenaries and representatives variously claimed to be from the Bad Nachtschwein League, either of the two Princes, Stagonia, or even the Koronet Korpus or Hesse-Engelburg. Maybe all of the above. As near as can be pieced together from the varrying rumors, the brawl appears to have begun when one person accused another person of having stolen a set of solid silver pig statues from the first someone's luggage. Accusations and blows appear to have flown from there, and the fight is reported to have left at least three people dead, though no one can agree on the identity of the casualties.

Some speculate that the importance of the city for trade and its nearness to the Hesse-Engelburg border may even draw Engleburg forces into the conflict, and local residents have reported various bodies of mercenaries moving along the roads towards the town, perhaps in someone's employ or perhaps simply speculating upon the likelihood that they can pick up employment on arrival. It remains to be seen how many forces will find themselves embroiled and how events will play themselves out, but a number of residents and merchants are reportedly leaving for outlying villages until the matter is settled.

Plotting a battle

2007-11-07T17:05:00.001-05:00

Depending upon my time and motivation, and the timely arrival of a group of figures off of Ebay...I'm planning another battle for Hesse-Engelburg, this one larger than the Hirschtal fight. Things have been far too quiet on the Ober-Schweinsberg front.

As with the Hirschtal fight, in order to handle the very small quantities of figures I have on hand, I'll likely be using small battalions of 6-12 figures each. If I do, this should let me field 10-20 battalions and 1-2 regiments of hussars with my existing figures.

Meanwhile, those who are tracking the Emperor vs Elector blog, or the Tipplebruder blog, will know that a small contingent of Hesse-Engelburg forces are amongst the multi-national alliance troops prepared to defend Tipplebruder from Stagonian invasion.

Identify These Figures?

2007-10-30T20:27:00.001-05:00

Through a trade, I picked up some Highlanders. 6 standing firing, and 12 kneeling firing. But the fellow I picked them up from didn't know what maker they were. Can anyone identify the manufacturer and a part number? I need to acquire another 6 standing firing, 6 grenadier-type figures, and a compliment of officers, musicians, etc if I can.

If I can form a proper battalion from them, these will form the basis of Hesse-Engelburg's first Highland regiment. Probably mercenary, but I'm not totall decided on that.

Update

2007-09-09T05:24:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in over a month here, but I promise I'm not dead. I've just been buried in work and other things the past few weeks, and wargaming has taken a backseat. I just started catching up on blogs a couple of days ago, with some 300 posts on my RSS reader, so I'm getting there. :>

Meanwhile, the only recent SYW-related activity is that I acquired a bagged set of all but one grenadier from a box of Revell SYW Prussian infantry off of Ebay for about $4. On that note, does anyone have a recommendation of a foot officer figure that could stand with a unit of Revell SYW Prussian infantry without looking odd? I can operate a battalion of these in my standard configuration if I do a 3-deep rank of firing poses, but the available poses leave me short 2 officers with spontoon and 2 foot officers with sword or cane.

Unit Profile: Garde du Corps Prinzessin Gertrude

2007-07-29T18:56:00.000-05:00

Garde du Corps Prinzessin Gertrude
Inhaber: Prinzessin (Princess) Gertrude Blauerwolf
Commander: Oberstleutnant (Lt. Colonel) Milheiser
Depot: Engelburg
Battle honors:


Regimental standard	Musketeer uniform

Grenadier uniform	Hussar uniform

When the decision to raise an army for Hesse-Engelburg was made, the very first to put personal finances behind the raising of a regiment was none other than Princess Getrude herself, eldest daughter of the Fürst and Fürstin. As is typical of royally maintained regiments, the Princess is herself the Inhaber of the regiment, but it is commanded in the field by Oberstleutnant Milheiser, formerly the second in command of the garrison of Schloß Blauerwolf itself. An unusual formation, its composition dictated by the Princess herself, the Garde du Corps Prinzessin Gertrude will field a mixed legion of infantry and cavalry of as yet uncertain size. Its depot is at Engelburg and its recruits mostly hail from Engelburg, Karlsdorf, and other towns and villages along the Schlafwasser river valley.

Unit Profile: "Eisen und Flamme" Artillery Battery

2007-07-29T18:52:00.000-05:00

"Eisen und Flamme" Artillery Battery
Inhaber: Captain Steiger
Commander: Captain Steiger
Depot: Eisenbrückenstadt
Battle honors:

Artillerist uniform

Funded by the Steiger family, famed iron merchants of the city of Eisenbrückenstadt, this battery was the first artillery unit to form in Hesse-Engelburg. Most recruits for the battery are drawn from the mining families of Eisenhügel, rather than from Eisenbrückenstadt itself. The base for the unit is, however, Eisenbrückenstadt, and when not needed for field services its cannons are often mounted in the redoubt that guards the city gates.

Hesse-Engelburg General Order #17

2007-07-24T20:49:00.001-05:00

By the direction of Their Graces, Guntram and Sieglinde Blauerwolf, rightful Fürst and Fürstin of this Principality, and with the full advice and unanimous agreement of the Fürstentumrat advising, the following directives are issued to the armed forces of the Principality of Hesse-Engelburg.

As of this twenty-fourth day of the year of our Lord 1757, the Principality of Hesse-Engelburg declares and acknowledges that a state of war exists with the Banat of Togaras in response to its bellicose declarations against this sovereign state. As a result of this state of war, and the continued state of war with the illegitimate and illegal rebellious organization calling itself the Bad Nachtschwein League, the following orders are issued:

All vessels, property, and persons owing allegiance to either of these governments presently within the borders of Hesse-Engelburg or entering its borders until such state of war is ended are to be immediately seized and held pending review by such tribunal as Their Graces shall appoint to differentiate between military, spy, and civilian, and between government and individual property. Military personnel shall be held as prisoners of war. Civilians pertaining to these governments who are found to have no subversive intent may be required to execute oaths of allegiance to Hesse-Engelburg to the satisfaction of the tribunal or be provided safe escort to the border of Hesse-Engelburg so that they may return to their respective lands of allegiance. Those found to have subversive intent shall be imprisoned or deported at the discretion of the tribunal. Any individual initiating armed resistance against such lawful actions may be met with armed force as deemed appropriate by the most senior individual present at the scene.

Signed this 24th day of July in the year of our Lord 1757,
Generalfeldmarshal Baron Ernst von Krimm
Commander in Chief

(see Emperor vs Elector blog for further details)

Unit Profile: Staff Officers

2007-07-13T22:07:00.000-05:00

Staff Officers

While variations are more likely at the level of general officers, there is an established uniform intended for the wear of those officers on assignment to headquarters as well as general officers not directly attached to a regiment. The uniform combines the standard basalt gray of the line infantry with the azure blue of the Guards regiments.

Question about which units

2007-07-05T21:43:00.000-05:00

Stokes commented on my last post to ask which unit I'd begin painting first.
I've still got the Lintzer musketeers "in progress". There's another 2 companies of figures that you don't see in that picture, plus a few odds and ends including one more artillery crew without a gun. While I lined up all the musketeers as one battalion, in reality two of the companies in the picture will be from some other regiment as there are two companies (give or take a couple of figures) on my painting desk.

*Possibly* the leftovers will start the Garde du Corps Prinzessin Getrude. It depends on whether I hit a comfort level in my painting to actually tackle the pink coats, since I'll have to mix paint for it and I'm not yet competent with just the single colors. :P The artillery pieces will likely be done up for the Eisen und Flamme battery, and of course you already know who the Hussars will be.

Then we'll see if by then I'm wealthy enough to afford more. My big goal is to get at least the Lintzer finished before the BIG Game in October, whether I manage to come to the Game or not. Now, if I really hit a stride, then I may try to get the artillery and the two squadrons of Hussars painted up too.

New RSM95 Photos

2007-07-04T21:02:00.000-05:00

Had a small delay in getting the full set of the figures, due to a mixup which DPC very nicely fixed in which a custom bag order was sent as a standard bag. The 5 figures switched have arrived, however, in their proper poses.

For your viewing pleasure:
1) Panoramic view of troops
2) A full musketeer battalion of 4 musketeer companies and 1 grenadier company.
3) Two artillery pieces, with crew and command, forming a mixed batter of one 6pdr and one 12pdr. Yes, there are some equipment items for the crew, but they're cast separate and not in place yet.
4) two squadrons of Austrian Hussar in Busby for the Fuchshöhle Hussars. I still need to find a good command figure for these.

Notes and Answers on the uniforms

2007-07-03T20:54:00.000-05:00

to answer Jean-Louis' question, I haven't developed a cavalry standard yet. I believe Jeff has plans to work up a set of templates when he gets a chance, so I'll probably borrow whatever he does (with his permission of course) and develop mine then.

As for the Princess Getrude regiment, that has morphed since then into a small legion-style force of mixed cavalry and infantry, exact composition as yet undetermined. I do know it will have at least two companies of musketeers and probably at least one of grenadiers. I've done uniforms for both of these, but none for any cavalry yet. Being somewhat subject to the whims of the Princess, it may end up being somewhat like Kleist's Freikorps in having various formations of different troop types all under one banner. Which would be an interesting way of using up the odds and ends of spare troops as I go. :>

Have I missed any questions?

Unit Profile: Wolfgreifer (Guards) Fusiliers

2007-06-30T21:00:00.000-05:00

Wolfgreifer (Guards) Fusiliers
Inhaber: Graf (Count) Rudolf von Heffernick
Commander: Graf (Count) Rudolf von Heffernick
Depot: Conradstadt
Battle honors:


Regimental standard	Fusilier uniform	Grenadier uniform

The second guards regiment added to the establishment, most recruits hail from Conradstadt and surrounding towns, and the regiment's depot is located there. The unit is a prestigious one, gaining recruits from among the best educated in Hesse-Engelburg due to the location of the depot in a university town.

Unit Profile: Jager Regiment von Behler

2007-06-30T05:00:00.000-05:00

Jager Regiment von Behler
Inhaber: Markgraf von Behler
Commander: Colonel Gebhard von Behler
Depot: Waldschloß
Battle honors:


Regimental standard	Jager uniform

Headquartered at Waldschloß, the hereditary home of the Markgraf von Behler, the Jager Regiment von Behler is formed of hunstmen from the forest region roughly bounded by the Waldschloß and the towns of Hirschtal and Fünfleben. Its Inhaber is the Markgraf von Behler himself, and its commander is his eldest son and heir, Gebhard. Companies of the regiment are on active service patrolling the border areas around the castle, and are responsible for keeping the road between the Waldschloß and the trading center of Südmarkt clear of bandits for the trade caravans that pass through.

Unit Profile: Grenadier Regiment von Platzen (Schwarze Grenadiere)

2007-06-29T05:04:00.000-05:00

Grenadier Regiment von Platzen (Schwarze Grenadiere)
Inhaber: Colonel Rupert von Platzen
Commander: Colonel Rupert von Platzen
Depot: Platzenheim
Battle honors:


Regimental standard	Grenadier uniform

Already obtaining a reputation for their eye-catching black uniforms with red facings, the Von Platzen Grenadiers recruit mostly in the hereditary lands of the Landgraf von Platzen around the town of Platzenheim. The regimental Inhaber is the third son of the current Landgraf. While his older brothers were born to the Landgraf's first wife who died giving birth to the second, Rupert is the eldest son of the Landgraf's second wife, and much of the regiment is reportedly financed from elements of his mother's own family fortune.

In their first major action at Hirschtal, the Schwarze Grenadiere performed adequately in extended volley fire but failed to distinguish themselves by any major achievement, earning no battle honors.

A note on unit profiles

2007-06-28T05:21:00.001-05:00

If you like the format I've set up for these, and want the HTML to achieve it, drop me a line and I'll send it to you.

The templates are free uniform templates made by David Morfitt and can be found on his Not By Appointment blog - http://nba-sywtemplates.blogspot.com/ David has a growing list of Seven Years War templates available, including Prussian, Austrian, and French infantry and a couple of types of Hussars. He's got more infantry and some cavalry templates underway.

The flags are from a template done by Jeff Hudelson of the Saxe-Bearstein blog. http://saxe-bearstein.blogspot.com

Many thanks to both of them for the use of the product of their labors.

Unit Profile: Grauerhimmel Fusiliers

2007-06-28T05:06:00.000-05:00

Grauerhimmel Fusiliers
Inhaber: Colonel von Schlichter
Commander: Colonel von Schlichter
Depot: Grauerhimmel
Battle honors:


Regimental standard	Fusilier uniform	Grenadier uniform

The second unit to enter the regular establishment, depot in Grauerhimmel. Recruits primarily from Grauerhimmel and surrounding towns. Its grenadier company is rumored to be formed entirely of second sons of goatherding families.

Unit Profile: Lintzer Musketeers

2007-06-27T20:45:00.000-05:00

Lintzer Musketeers
Inhaber: Colonel Lintzer
Commander: Colonel Lintzer
Depot: Lintzhausen
Battle honors: Hirschtal, 1757


Regimental standard	Musketeer uniform	Grenadier uniform

The first unit entered upon the regular establishment, the Lintzer Musketeers are owned by Colonel Lintzer, and have their depot in Lintzhausen, the town founded by one of Colonel Lintzer's ancestors several centuries ago. The Lintzer family has made its fortune off of timber sales, and many of the recruits come from the town of Lintzhausen and the logging villages scattered through the surrounding forests.

Somewhere in Lagerburg

2007-06-24T14:48:00.001-05:00

A letter, delivered by courier at night, along with a small package.
------------------

My dear Fritz,

It is with some concern I have heard from friends of the tensions between the Duchy and your Slobbovian neighbors. Things are nearly as on edge as they were when we served together in the freikorps in the last war, are they not? I thought it suitable to write you informally about a little tender inquiry I have been making of late. I think it would be possible, were you to wish it, for me to arrange an audience for yourself or some other representative of the Duchy to speak with the Trade Minister and/or the Foreign Minister regarding beneficial trade agreements. Enclosed, I believe you will find an excellent sample of the product of our recently discovered rich gold vein, the which I encourage you to examine and keep for your mineral collection. I thought that perhaps the division of such a fine mineral sample to some in your acquaintance might help to demonstrate the benefits of trade.

Respectfully,

RF

Dispatch to Tradgarland

2007-06-20T19:17:00.001-05:00

To Duke Karl Frederick of Tradgarland

Your Grace,

Their Graces have authorized me to conclude a non-agression pact between our two countries, as well as to propose the establishment of a joint river patrol to ensure that no soldiers or aid to our mutual enemies pass down the river we share in common.

Our forces are not yet in position to allow a formal pledge of complete certainty of armed assistance at this time. Let us say that we would each endeavor to aid the other to the fullest extent possible, considering our mutual security of grave importance. If this language is acceptable to Your Grace, I stand ready to conclude a formal accord to that effect at your convenience.

Our Minister of Trade also wishes me to inform you that we have ready a convoy of iron ore to assist you in development and arming of your own forces should you desire it, and we would be most interested in delivering samples of your fishing production to our markets to test the interest of our populations.

Respectfully,

Burgraf Heinrich von Waffenschmidt
Minister of State

Digression: Over 2500 visitors

2007-06-18T16:49:00.000-05:00

We've now crossed the 2500 visitor mark since this blog got its NeoCounter, and I'm amazed, but thrilled. Thank you everyone who's visited and commented.

Fuchshöhle Hussars uniform

2007-06-17T13:44:00.000-05:00

With thanks to David for the template, here is my rendition of my current planned uniform for the Fuchshöhle Hussars.

Reply to Tradgarland

2007-06-17T12:01:00.001-05:00

To His Grace, the Duke of Tradgarland, greetings,

It is my honor to express the pleasure of Their Graces at the receipt of your message, and their wish that we might settle into a comfortable accord of peace and trade. To that end, it is my intent to call upon Your Grace or Your Grace's ministers during the coming week, after I have resolved certain matters regarding the contentious situation in our southern neighbor.

I believe if we work together, we can ensure the free flow of trade upon the river known to us as the Hasenwasser, which I believe bears another name as it flows south through your own country?

It is my hope that we can encourage close relations between our two peoples, and perhaps discourse regarding the recent troubles to the south and the whisperings of fresh war in other regions.

Respectfully,

Burgraf Heinrich von Waffenschmidt
Minister of State

Digression - Figure Quality

2007-06-16T06:09:00.000-05:00

You know, one of the things that is slightly odd to me, though I suppose with the mold process it makes some sense....in a number of cases, the best of the plastic figures seem to be more finely detailed and carefully molded than the metal ones. In many cases, this is actually a blessing with the metal figures, as you don't have to paint every last little raised button on a tunic. But sometimes, it becomes a little odd in places where different items meet, and aren't clearly defined. Like figuring out where to separate the musket, shoulder, and neck of some marching figures, for instance, so you can paint each part properly.

Dispatches from Hesse-Engelburg

2007-06-14T20:49:00.000-05:00

Dispatch to Tradgarland

In regards to your recent extension of offers to view your musterings, the Principality of Hesse-Engelburg offers to send Colonel Stieffer of our own Fuchshöhle Hussars, a fine officer whom we believe may be of use in the advising of your light cavalry in the proper manner of rapid negotiation of woodlands while mounted. We would also extend to your ruler the offer of the hospitality of our fine hunting lodge in the Fuchswald upon some fine eve, where he may enjoy the local sport of fox hunting and a respite from the weight of rule.

Sincerely,
Ludwig Strasser, Social Secretary for Thursdays

Dispatch to Saxe-Bearstein

To our esteemed friend, Prince Bruno, greetings,

Being much disturbed by the recent focus of war upon your region, we thought it fit to write to you in our own hand and offer the return of your kindly loaned officer should you have need of him. We also regret to enclose evidence that the Stagonians may be providing financial support to the Bad Nachtschwein rebellion in our neighboring state of Ober-Schweinsberg. Your Highness will no doubt recognize the seal of a certain nobleman of the Stagonians upon the enclosed dispatch, which was capture amongst a recent Bad Nachtschwein convoy that attempted to sneak past our alert Hussars. If we may be of service with our small supply of iron to assist Your Highness in preparing his troops for the upcoming campaigns, we do hope it is known you need only ask.

In friendship,

Fürst Guntram Blauerwolf of Hesse-Engleburg
Penned by our own hand.