More 17th C Poles

I need to finish the bases off but being impatient I thought I would post a couple of photos of my newest Polish units, namely 24 Pancerni and 12 Cossacks. The figures are all TAG.

New project for 2013......a clue perhaps?

I bought these FIW buildings off 4Ground a few weeks ago and am quite pleased with their look as well as, in my case at least, the ease and relative speed at which they go together. I don't plan to do FIW 'proper' as in Last of the Mohicans etc, but to expand my already too large AWI collection to cover actions between Loyalists and Patriots (rebels) on the frontier, e.g. Like something out of the 1939 movie 'Drums along the Mohawk'. I have plenty of as yet unpainted settlers, militia, Indians and loyalists so this might do as a side project while I finish off some last elements of my TYW and SYW armies. I have already put an order in with Eagle Figures (now in the NE under new management who is also in the Durham club) for some Shaumberg Lippe Carabineers in order to kick start the imaginary army of the Bishopric of Prunz und Kurstadt, located on the Baltic coast between Prussia And Russia but with Swedish influences. As if I didn't have enough stuff unpainted.....well actually by most wargamer's standards I guess I have rather less than the majority.

Durham Wargames Group Show 2013

Yesterday I attended the DWG show as a member for the first time in about 10 years. As usual it was small yet friendly and well run, with a good range of trade to meet almost anyone's taste and/or need to spend money.  That said, apart from a bacon buttie I didn't buy very much, just a tin of primer and some dead Cossacks from Dave Thomas' bits box, oh and a painted unit of Irish in French service. Nice paint job and only £35 for 30 figures! I also collected a bag of RSM SYW Prussians off Robbie that I think I sold to him last year! I have some flags for a Prussian Garrison regiment so these chaps are destined to start their wargaming lives as second rate troops. I would have spent more but Ian didn't have the ones I wanted from his newly-acquired Eagles Figures range with him. There were only three games on this year. IMHO a couple more would have been better for the punters but the ones that were on show were all very good. The club put on a WW2 Russian Front game to Battlegroup Kursk rules which looked very nice, as well as a representation of the French invasion of Dahomey in the late 19th century staged by Conrad Cairns. This has rekindled my interest in Darkest Africa and I spent some time today scrabbling around under my gaming table trying to find my very large collection of Belgians, zanzibaris and stuff. Andy from OGUK put on a good looking modern game set in Iraq. I took a few photoes but the light was as bad as my photography skills so they're not wonderful. I had to leave before lunchtime so don't know how any of the games turned out.

Back to the SYW campaign on Thursday evening.

Seven Years War triumph for the French (Honest!)

This week at the Durham club saw the end of the latest SYW campaign game. Unbelievably, or perhaps thanks to the excellent execution of an excellent plan, or more likely through utter blind luck and good dice scores, the French defeated the Allied army after an epic three-week struggle. The French right held off a series of assaults by a much stronger Hanoverian force which was repelled after being unable to break through, all the while allowing time for the centre and left to swing round and crush the Allied left. Man of the match must go to Shaun and his (sadly wiped out) cavalry brigade which held up the Allied advance on the French right, buying time for the French attack to develop, followed by some amazing dice rolling.

Its the Durham Wargames Group show this Saturday, and although I have domestic and parenting committments I hope to be able to drop in for a couple of hours to help out if and where necessary and buy some stuff. Here are some rather grainy photos off my phone of the French victory. Almost all of the figures are 40-odd year old Garrison figures from Conrad Cairns' collection.

Thirty Years War Swedish Horse with slightly better photos....

I completed these 2 squadrons of Swedish horse a few weeks ago. Most of the figures have had some minor conversion from Warlord's basic plastic set.

I am in the process of basing up 12 more Croats, 12 Polish cossacks and 12 Hungarian light cavalry. 24 Polish Pancerni and 12 more Cossacks almost finished, and must get cracking with the final few command figures. The Poles were almost an 'accidental' project as I had been planning something else, of which more to follow..........

Black tacky non-slip matting

I picked up some rolls of black non slip matting off Amazon, inspired by the coverings of my late Mother's tea trays. If it stopped teacups and plates of cake from sliding around then there is a fair chance it ought to work with figures in their storage boxes and stop them from sliding all over the place, and if it works I will be a big fan of all things black, rubbery and tacky ;o). £1.99 a roll I think.

A quick update and other things including Cossacks

Since rejoining the Durham club I have been able to take part in some really enjoyable games and last night was no exception. I've been slotted into a Seven Years War campaign and I found myself acting commander of the French facing a Hannoverian/Hessian army. Last week the French field army withdrew following a defeat by vastly superior Allied forces ( at least in dice throwing ability if not quite in numbers!); Dave (Jarvis) had a great plan that didn't survive contact with the enemy (heard that before somewhere?). The French were pursued and rather than risk being bottled up and possibly captured in a nearby fortress they took to the field again, slightly reinforced but also somewhat demoralised after their defeat. Anyway, we are half way through the battle, and after an interesting setup that saw the bulk of each army on their own left flanks with only light forces on the right we are slowly closing together, with the French right doing excellent work in holding up the Allied cavalry. No photos this week but I will see what I can do for the next post. Oh, using the Der Kreigkunst ruleset. Not my favourite as they're a bit too slow and clunky for my liking but they work and do add a definite level of frustration to the game.

I have also finished a unit of Cossacks (TAG figures) for my Polish mid-17th C army. Only got another 72 cavalry to go, plus generals and other bits, and they will be done!