Projects for next year

I know that we still have 3 months left of this year but with my last 4 week teacher prac. quickly approaching and then a 6 1/2 week world wide trip (Vietnam, Thailand, Holland, UK, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Hong Kong and then home to sunny Australia), I have finished planning what I will be painting and gaming next year.

First finish painting my Swedish army of Karl X: 90 foot (Renegade and Bicorne), 3 guns and 12 crew (Redoubt), 71 cavalry (39 Redoubt, 24 Bicorne and Renegade and 8 Essex Miniatures).

Second paint the rest of my Muscovite army: 150 foot (Old Glory), 2 guns and 8 crew (Old Glory), 60 Russian cavalry (20 Old Glory and 40 Essex Miniatures) and 36 German style cavalry (36 Renegade and Bicorne Miniatures).

Thirdly finish painting Polish Cavalry (24 Redoubt Miniatures) and 60 infantry (Old Glory). I will buy the rest of the army, made up of 4 x 12 TAG cavalry regiments next year (write to them and they will sell you a unit of 12 cavalry for 24.95 pounds post free and 24 infantry for 20 pounds).

Start my Ottomans: 190 foot (Old Glory), 5 command types including camel drummer (Redoubt), 48 heavy cavalry and 12 Delli Light cavalry (Redoubt Miniatures), the rest of the cavalry have already been painted for other armies (46 Tartars and 28 Arab light types). The only thing I need to buy for this army are 2 very very nice armoured wagons with light cannon and 3 crew by Redoubt Miniatures and a pack of High command (Old Glory).

NEW PERIOD using the fantastic free rules by Barry of The League of Augsburg fame 'UNDER THE LILLY BANNERS', Mulburian of course with a twist (GNW and Eastern armies of course).
I will at first concentrate on the Swedish and Russian armies, the infantry will be made up of Reiver Castings which are available from Old Glory and thus cheap with the 40% discount (I have 3 units each of Foundry to paint already) . The cavalry with some adaptians will be from Front Rank mounted on Elite Miniatures horses (Nathan gives these to me very very cheap). I plan to paint 11 units of infantry (15-18 figures each) and 10 units of cavalry (11-12 figures) and 5 guns and 20 crew for the Swedish army. The Russian will be made up of 18 units of infantry, 16 units of cavalry and 5 guns and 20 crew. I was going to paint some Austrians (cavalry and infantry from Front Rank and irregulars from Old Glory) but I think that I have enough on my plate already. I will be able to use all my Ottomans, Cossacks, Tartars, Polish and many of the Muscovite figures for the period as well.

If I have time I plan to either do some Sudan figures and Russian Civil War all using Old GLory and their great discount of course. The numbers planned for next year do look daunting but I have managed to paint around 400 cavalry and 400 infantry as well as painting and basing many buildings this year (whilst studying and working as many of us all do). Will post photos of Saturdays game ASAP. Cheers Scott

Final assualt

Spanish Church and WAB Italian Wars

Finally got around to completing the Spanish church I bought from the Essex Miniatures factory in 1996 (Hovels Ltd resin). I had painted the church and steeple straight away but it has taken me 10 years to paint the walls and make a hill to put it on. I can use it as a great centre piece for my El Cid and Andalusian armies, Napoleonic Spain (when I paint them again), Mexico (Mexican American war and Maximiliian) and Italy (Italian Wars, Napoleonics and the war of 1859). The church and steeple are removable so that I can place a small Greeco/Roman style temple in its place when I play ancients (when I finish it of course). Not exactly accurate for those purist but close enough for me and thats the important thing.

Talking about Italy, Andrew Parr whose very nice Republican army you see here has sent me his Italian Wars adaptions for WAB 'Armies of Chivalry'. I have always been interested in the Swiss, French, Spanish, Italian and Landsknecht troop types but I have felt that until I can paint and do those French Gendarmes justice I would steer clear of the period. Andrew's adaptions have gotten me very interested as he has added lots of campaign, battle and period strategms that seem to give the period something special that it deserves. I might have start this sooner that I thought, for those who need wargaming inspiration have a look at the Spanish Wargaming magizine 'Soldiers and Strategy' which had a special on Pavia (issue 8 I think). The magazine had some very very nicely painted Redoubt Miniatures, which still makes me think I need a few more years painting experience. When the Miniature Wargames magazine first started they would always have some great pictures of Peter Gilder's immense Italian Wars collection, so I blame Peter for this interest wargaming interest as well as the Sudan and Napoleonics in the Grand Manner (bless him). Andrew has also prompted me to have a more detailed look at some of these things that I feel needed to be added to the WECW lists that I have written.

I believe that WAB and especially WECW have a real potential to have an added roleplay element in the games, perhaps not roleplay exactly but something very close to it. Many do not like the systems because they believe that they lack command and control and they are too simplistic, but after all it is a game to be enjoyed. I feel the need for command and control issue but only in larger games, these can be added by wing commander characters with a limited command radius. I have been thinking of using adapted Warmaster Ancients to play larger games, (has any others tried this), the Warmaster Yahoo group has an ECW variant that would be good for the Polish Commonwealth. I will post more when I have had a chance to play this, I haven't had a game in 6 weeks. Next week (touch wood) I will be playing a 2000 point aside cavalry rescue (scenario on this blog) for WECW, Poles versus Cossacks and Tartars. Promise and report and photos. Cheers Scott

Elephant attacks

Nathan's nice elephant model from A&A Miniatures attacks the Roman line. I have been away from home lately and have been lapse in updating the site, I will attempt to get some more of my own collection up on the Blog very shortly. Cheers Scott

Pyrrhrus' Army

More pictures of Nathan and Andrew's Pyrrhus versus Rome game. The new army list for the Epirote army written by Jeff Jonas and hopefully available next year are varied and a great army can be created that can give those hated Romans a run for their money. The new Roman lists in the Hannibal Supplement have gotten some criticism by some gamers (usually competition gamers), but I believe they force people to play the army the way it really fought (and I don't play competitions).

Old Glory Army and Ottomans

The Ottomans are here is the cry. Yes after joining the Old Glory Army a few weeks ago for 50 dollars US I now have 2 of the really nice pirate captains and 6 packs of Ottoman infantry that cost me less than 200 Australian dollars to my door. I joined the 'Army' through Merrimack Miniatures and have since recieved excellent service and my membership has already been payed for by the first discount. Old Glory usually costs 60-70 Australian dollars a pack, and I have waited 5 months for a pack of Cossacks from the Australian distributor who was not that keen to help me obtain them any quicker (their loss I say). I now have enough infantry to start painting my Ottoman army, the heavy cavalry are Redoubt Miniatures on Elite horses and the light cavalry are a mix of Old Glory and the Tartars already painted from Essex Miniatures. I now only have to buy 2 heavy wagons with light cannon from Redoubt and a pack of Old Glory Ottoman command. Robert's Poles won't know what hit him, I just have to get him using them again or he can sell them to me as I did paint them (you hear that Robert). Cheers Scott

Republican Romans

Some nice views of Andrew's nice Roman army, the velites on the round bases are Elite Miniatures as are the 3 units of Roman heavy infantry in the bottom photo.

Macedonian versus Republican Roman

Nathan and Andrew Parr played a Macedonian versus Roman game a few weeks ago. The Roman army was made up of Old Glory and Elite Miniature figures, most of whom were painted by Leroy Simpson.

Clash

The clash of the two phalanxes but the Macedonian cavalry have managed to get around the flank of the Spartan line.