March on Soldier(s)

After falling ill last November I wasn't entirley sure whether I would even make Adepticon let alone complete my required units of British for the big Salamanca game.  But, the beauty of a group project, espeically with great guys like the ones involved here, is people are ready and able to step up and help you out.  So, most of my painting tasks went to some newly aquired recruits and I can't thank them and the core group enough for picking up my slack. 

Well, a couple of months ago I realized I was recovering well and not only did I set a goal to play in the game at Adepticon I really wanted to challenge myself to complete at least one unit. Completing this unit and playing at Adepticon are really going to be benchmarks for me as I get back to my old self.

Starting this week I finally put together my unit of the 24th Foot for the British side.  I'm using Perry plastic British Line Infantry and, as usual, their models are just superb.  I was very fortunate to have the able guidance and advice of Dave Taylor in assembling this unit as I'm a complete noob when it comes to Napoleonics.  After a short Skype call with Dave I had the basics of what a center company should entail (who knew all the subtle differences!) and this week I set to work on putting it together. The one challenge I faced was the variety of poses possible with this plastic kit.  Looking at lots of source references for these models, like the Black Powder book and others, I had the small delima of going with very regimented and repetitive poses or going with some fun and asthetic ones.  Well, I'm a painter and hobbyist first and foremost so the fun and asthetic side won that battle!  The first three "test" models are on my painting stands and the other 21 are assembled and ready to go.  My plan is to paint them before basing since they'll be packed tight on the final bases (which looks cool in my opinion).  So stay tuned for the first pictures of a completed stand #1.

6th Legere - 2nd Batallion Update

The 6th Legere's 2nd Batallion begins to take shape!

So I know it's been quite a long time since I have posted any updates.  And I would like to think I have had a decent few reasons. The biggest being that my wife and I bought a new house back in December.  We had to be completely moved in within 3 days of signing on the house.  So everything had been rushed.  Throw in some repair work and unpacking and here I am.  Finally back to working on my French.

As you can see above, the Light Infantry are coming along.  Yes, I know they are not complete. I have to finish their backpacks and a few minor touch ups and basing but this is the bulk of the 2nd Btn.  I have to paint a base of 6 Grenadiers for this Batallion.

I have fallen behind on my painting schedule by quite a bit.  I still have 116 models to paint to complete my portion of the army and about 58 days to do it!  So with that gents! I bid you adieu!

B

Hussars! Hussars!

Despite promising myself I'd be working on something else, the playtest game got me in the mood again to paint more Brits, so with just my Hussars to complete for the big game, I set to work on them.

These are the first four of the 1st KGL Hussars (three troopers and a trumpeter). I think once they're complete they'll probably be the most gaudy of my units ; )

It is always interesting painting up new units for my army as I learn so much more about the uniforms and, by extension, the attitudes of the time. With these Hussars I got to learn four new words too: shabraque, pelisse, sabretasche, and dolman. Pretty cool. One note I must make about these Hussars is their pelisse. Although it was common for the pelisse to not be worn in hotter climates (such as the Peninsula) I just had to include them. After all, the pelisse is one of the key things that to me says "Hussar!"

Cheers
Dave

PS. I used to call the pelisse "that fancy jacket thingy".

Playtesting!

On Friday night a few of us were invited over to Jim Ferich's wargaming den (a wonderful place filled with all manner of great terrain and vast swathes of wargaming miniatures of all periods). Jim regularly hosts meetings of the DAWGs (Delaware Area War Gamers) and on this occasion Jim, myself, Joe, Brien, and Chris were joined in the gaming fun by Joe and Eric. Ly and Kyle were our patient observers.

As Brien and I have had little experience (read almost none) with Black Powder, it was a great opportunity to throw down on a 12'x6' table with the full Orders of Battle for our Salamanca game. Joe and I brought our painted models along and the remaining troops were ably supplied from Jim's ample collection (Jim pointed out that if the Brits needed a few more battalions he had 16 more on hand!).

Seeing the armies out on the tabletop was great, as it allowed us to throw around a few ideas about actual deployment of the troops and creating a few different objectives for the game. In the end we decided that the church (initially held by the 95th Rifles) at the far end of the table would be an important objective, as would the point where the road led off the table. The hills on the long edges of the table were the only other significant features, so "high ground" was determined as the third objective. We launched into the game with our three infantry brigades per side on the table and our cavalry brigades in reserve (with adjustments to the locations they could deploy depending on the turn they arrived).

The French kicked off with a great example of how varied actions can be in Black Powder. On the left, Jim's brigade advanced three moves and ousted the 95th from the church in the second turn, whilst in the center, Joe's brigade became mired in a series of poor command rolls, allowing Eric's Guards units to gain the upper hand. On the French left, Brien's troops advanced well enough, and when the cavalry entered on turn two, that end of the line looked incredibly daunting for Chris's British brigade.

We fought back and forth for three hours or so, playing through five turns and learning a LOT about the game as we went, and wrapped it up as the second of the French Brigades reached it's breaking point. Looking over the table and assessing what might have happened should the game have gone on another turn or two, we decided it was a minor British victory. To be more precise it was characterized as a "Minor victory to the British, who are not allowed to brag too much about it, and no-one is buying anyone any beers."

So, fun game, lots learned, and a few tweaks for the OOBs, deployments, and objectives suggested. A big thank you from Brien and myself to Jim, Joe, Chris, Joe, and Eric for being so patient with us as we played through the playtest of what promises to be a fun game at Adepticon!

Cheers
Dave