Lair of the Uber Geek

FOW Version 3

2012-02-12T13:02:00.000-05:00

With all the noise and hub-bub about Version 3 of Flames of War (FOW), I thought it might be time to return to 15mm WWII for a change of pace. Well that, and the fact that I was getting burned out of painting 28mm figures.

I really like FOW - it's a fun game and when I was new to the hobby it was a system that was both easy to get into and enjoy. I have a large lead pile associated with the game system so jumping back in required no immediate outlay of funds.

In the past, most of my lists were somewhat generic (just "germans" vs "US"). After becoming a fan of the WWPD podcast and website, I thought it might be fun to field a "historical" unit (no game system bashing in the comments, if you please). I've decided to build a unit around a Panzer Grenadier Company from the Panzer Lehr section of the Normandy books. It has a nice balance of infantry and tanks plus I can use those "cool" Puma armored cars! In order to build out the unit, I needed to add a second Panzer Grenadier platoon and their half tracks, a company command unit w/ half tracks. For artillery support, I'm going with Nebelwerfers (150mm). I through in a Jagdpanther for fun as well as some additional tank hunter teams for the other panzer grenadier platoon. To be honest, I'm just copying the list from WWPD Panzer Lehr Grenadier Platoon list.

The half tracks are the new plastic ones from the plastic Soldier Company (PSC). They're very easy to build but each 'track has 15 or so pieces (before details) so it takes about 10-15 minutes to assemble each track. I like building the models so I don't mind the extra work and the price break makes them very attractive. Size wise they are just about identical to the battlefront versions.

My apologies for the lack of posts but Jan to Mar is the heart of the robotics season and I'm coach 3 teams (2 of which my son is on) for different competitions. It's a lot of fun but there isn't that much time for gaming!

War of 1812: US Militia, Artillery and Command Units Started

2012-01-29T11:19:00.000-05:00

After a couple week break due to robotics, I was able to get back to the work bench and have started a few new units for my US War of 1812 army. The first group is a set of three command stands ( 1 Army command - 2 figures and 2 Brigade commanders (1 figure each). All of the figures are 28mm Knuckleduster. It took some work to get the figures to sit properly on their horsed, but after some heavy filing that task was accomplished.

The next photo shows the 36 man US militia unit in "frontier" garb and then to the right with blue coats are 2, 4 figure US artillery crews. Despite being in the analogue hobbies painting challenge, my painting production will likely be very slow over the next month or so due to commitments to coaching robotics - I'll get back to the table soon enough!

War of 1812 Infantry

2012-01-23T06:39:00.001-05:00

I've magnetized all 8 of my completed Infantry battalions and added flags to 7 of 8 of the battalions (I ran out of flags for one of the British battalions).

The British flags are from Vaubanner Graphics and the US flags are from Iain over at Flags of War. Both sets of flags are very nice and were easy to put on.

The flag poles for the US figures are simple brass rod and the Battle Flag Flags's where very easy to install. Battle Flag uses a thick style of of paper which is very durable but does require a bit more glue and water to both hold down and make pliable when adding the folds. You can see the thickness of the paper given the white edging of the flags. No worries a slight amount of black wash will take the edge of that.

All the British infantry figures are Perry plastics and use the standard plastic flag poles. The Vaubanner flags are a bit oversized and needed some notches removed at the top on bottom of where the flag wraps around the pole so they can fit in place.

Both companies have nice selections for the War of 1812 and are very good choices for flags.

Next up on the Painting table - US commanders, A US Militia unit and some US artillery and then the Glengarry Lights.

Reinforcements from Mabuhay Miniature Painting Service

2012-01-21T10:36:00.000-05:00

Late last November I placed a relatively large order for 28mm Napoleonic figures from Mabuhay Miniature Painting Service (MMPS). MMPS is located in the Philipenes and is run by a gentlemen by the name of Fons. Stop right there, I don't think he looks like Henry Winkler and goes around saying "Heyyyyy...". Anyway, this was a fairly large order: 200 British Infantry, 3 British Guns crews, and 24 French Dragoons - all 28mm plastics (Perry for the infantry and Calvary and Victrix for the Artillery). The entire ordering process was very easy and Fons was very reasonable in pricing in some special requests I had. He was also very clear on delivery timeframes and set the expectation of a late February delivery which was acceptable to me. I placed the order and then received several update emails showing the progress of my commission which allowed me to both confirm the details and get some comfort that I would receive the figures. I was very pleased to be informed that the order was ready and posted on January 6th. It arrived in Maryland intact on January 20th. Hmmm, lets see MMPS sets realistic timeframes for delivery (and in this case exceeded them) and provided updates along the way - two big positive marks there!

Like a small child on Christmas morning, I eagerly opened the the shipping box and found inside four boxes like the one pictured in the first photo. I also found a short note instructing me to open with a vacuum cleaner nearby. Why would that be? It seems the MMPS packing material of choice is miniature styrofoam balls that range in size from a 28mm cannon ball to a 28mm beach ball. I soon realized the having a vacuum cleaner ready was very sage advice.

As I shifted through the first box and started to take out figures I noticed that in addition to getting some great miniatures, MMPS had arranged a refresher course for me in the properties of static electricity - how very thoughtful! I set up a little process where I'd remove a figure from the left, shake it over a trash can in the center / pick out any clinging balls and then place the figure on a tray to the right. While I tried to be careful, I had stop and vacuum up balls at least four times. One note wherever you unpack do so in a spot that is not subject to air movement. Sneezing while near an open box with the styrofoam balls is also not recommended - trust me on that.

Unpacking the four boxes of my 240 fig order took about an hour and a half, which wasn't that bad. Now here's the amazing part - there was no damage, not even a bent bayonet or flag pole. Those styrofoam balls may be a bit annoying, but they sure do work. Another big positive check mark for MMPS.

I hear some of you out there moaning, yeah, yeah, yeah this packing report is boring, lets get to the heart of the matter - how are the figures?? The figures are superb and way better than I could manage on my own. The picture to the left is of the two French Dragoon units (12 figures each). I really like the guys in the back with the pink facings - very French.

Here's a close up of the 2nd French Dragoon unit. The painting quality is as good or better than the pictures on the MMPS site. Truth in advertising, yet another big positive check mark for MMPS

Here are the 200 British infantry figures, in 5, 40 figure line battalions. Please note I put these groups together very quickly and some on the fig are with the wrong uint. Still, they look sharp and will hopefully prove to be worthy opponents to my US and French armies.

A close up of one of the infantry units. The painting quality is superb - the drummers came out fantastic.

Last picture is of the three artillery batteries. Fons said in an email he swapped out some Perry heads for the Victrix ones to improve the look - I agree these crews look fabulous.

As for pricing, it's the standard rate advertised on the MMPS site plus a very nominal charge for my basing style which wasn't the normal MMPS method.

So what's the bottom line on MMPS. To put it directly, they exceeded every expectation I had:

- honest / realistic delivery expectations CHECK
- flexibility / reasonable pricing for special requests CHECK
- periodic project updates CHECK
- careful and effective packaging CHECK
- superb painting quality CHECK
- great pricing CHECK

All-in-all, I am a very happy customer and will be ordering more figures from MMPS in the near future. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a quality painting service. Well done Fons!!!!

Gaming Table Re-Model, Part Two

2012-01-11T17:19:00.001-05:00

A bit more progress on the re-do of the gaming table. The basic shelving has been put in including the bookcase for rulesets at the front of the table. The bookcases are 12 inches deep and are very sturdy. I'm using 3/4 inch furniture grade plywood as it looks good and is very durable. The additional framing has made the table almost immoveable - so it can take a beating from the robotics team with much worry.

The basic shelving for the under table storage is in. The open space to the right is 24 inches wide by 36 or so tall and is meant to store the robot. All in al,l I'm gaining about 70 cubic feet of useable storage. I'm waiting for the runners to come in for the sliding doors. Once the basic framework is complete the next step will be to add some sliding shelves for miniature storage. Think of the trays used in large cafeteria carts, but made of wood so they have some visual appeal.

Here's a picture from the other end of the table. One other change I'll be making is to remove the painted molding around the edge with some that's not painted. The white edging just seems too stark with the natural wood. There will also be a set of hanging cup-holders and rule desks that we can use so those items don't end up on the table itself. I got the last idea from Ernie's table and that concept was reinforced by a few posts on TMP.

One last picture of the table. My tools take up a lot of space right now but they'll go out to the shop when I'm done.

I've had a few people ask for pictures of my son's robot so here they are. It's a bit of a beast and they team is in the process of rewiring to maximize performance.

Remodeling My Gaming / Project Table

2012-01-10T14:13:00.000-05:00

I've decided that I need some more storage space for both my wargaming hobby and my son's Robotics team. The first step involves the installation of some book shelves and more extensive under table storage. The first picture shows the frame for the book case.

The under table storage will consist of roughly 3 feet of stacked shelves and a open area 24 inches long, by 48 wide and 36 tall to store the robot when the team isn't working on it. When it isn't robotics season that space will be used to store 2 foot by 4 foot terrain panels.

The under table storage will be hidden by sliding panels so that we "class-up the joint".

The additional framing will also make the table a lot stronger as I've had high school aged kids sitting on it while working on the 'bot.

In a nod to the Mrs, who tolerates my hobbies, I will also likely sand and stain the wood so the whole thing looks a lot better

US Rifles Completed and a 3rd Unit Started

2012-01-05T06:46:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, I completed the second unit of my 28mm US War of 1812 army - the 4th US Rifles. All of my US figures are from Knuckleduster and I really like the sculpting style. The Knuckleduster style has slightly more exaggerated features, sharper cheek lines, larger noses and the equipment is a tad less symmetrical than you would see on a Perry plastic. This style isn't a bad thing as it lends a bit of world weariness to the figure. They look less parade ground and more battle worn.

Anyway the figures are a joy to paint and I highly recommend Knuckleduster. My command stand will be using some left overs from a US Regular infantry command pack so they don't have the exact uniform style but their uniform colors match. I think they'll do fine. You can see the command figures in the far left of the second photo.

One last photo of the Rifles. These will be classed as an elite unit. I'm thinking of re staging the Battle of North Point for my first game scenario and a US Rifles unit figured very prominently in the fighting.

The final picture shows the next unit up for painting, another US regulars infantry unit. This one will be painting in Spring / Summer uniform (blue tunics and white pants). I should get these guys finished over the weekend and then it will be on to either some US militia or the Glengarry Light Infantry. I also received 2, 40 man battalions of British Infantry (Perry plastics) that I had painted by a friend on commission (Mike M). They came out great and I'll get some pictures up when I can.

Looking Back on 2011 and Forward to 2012

2012-01-03T07:41:00.001-05:00

I'm a little late with the obligatory retrospective on 2011 and forward to 2012. Oh well, better late than never. 2011 was a good year gaming and modeling wise for me. The highlight of the year was preparing for and then Game Mastering for the first time the Hail Caesar demo game at Historicon last July, 2011. I had a blast doing so and plan on GM'ing another game at next year's HCON. What didn't go so well is sticking to the initial set of goals I laid out for the year - it seems that the course of my hobby is rather random than pre-planned. There are worse fates

Other big positives from 2011 include:

(1) Watching and helping (in a small way) Ernie's Architects of War business continue to grow. Each month his business has increased and he's expanded his range of products. Right now I think AofW if the goto place for 28mm historical gaming.

(2) Meeting a new group of local gamers led by Dick C and Les M - they are great guys and have a very fun / welcoming sense of gaming. It's always a pleasure to be invited to game with them and I look forward to more events in 2012. Dick and Les have a fabulous collection of 1/600 Houston dreadnaught's!

(3) Participating in the Analogue Hobbies Second Annual Painting Challenge. This has been a very fun web-event to participate in and it has spurred me to a very high level of painting efficiency 75 28mm figures in less than 2 weeks! For me that's a breakneck pace. The best thing about the competition is that it goes through March 2012, so there's a chance I may actually finish my War of 1812 project

In terms of painting production, 2011 was an efficient year with the final tallies being:

28mm: 273 Infantry, 41 Calvary, and 3 Artillery

1/600 ACW Naval: 3 ships

1/1200 Napoleonic Naval: 12 ships

6mm ACW: 684 Infantry, 60 Calvary and 20 Artillery

In terms of era's games I added two to the "ever-expanding" list of periods gamed with the addition of the great SAGA Medieval skirmish rules and a "jump with both feet in" foray into 28mm War of 1812. Of course my wife has more "choice" terms that describe my hobby range than "ever-expanding", but I want to keep my blog's PG rating. I do try to point out to her that, as mid life crises go, I choose a rather mild path with toy soldiers and sail boats rather than sports cars and 20ish women. I think her response with "fat chance" on that last path not taken troubles me a little bit. Anyway, Mary Beth is actually rather supportive of the hobby.

I am getting to the point that it may be time shed one of the eras that I game, both for storage purposes and the fact that it's unlikely some of these periods will ever be re-visted.

My best modeling output from 2011 were my Sarmatian Cataphracts (Warlord Miniatures) and the 1/600 Alabama and Kearsarge (Thoroughbred Miniatures)

Lets see how I did with my initial set of 2011 goals:

- continue to stress gaming over collecting and host at least 6 games at the house, including running a 6mm ACW campaign game - FAIL: I played in 14 games last year and hosted only 4 (2 at my house and 2 at HCON) - still to low a number

- revamp my game room to allow for more storage and complete the "man-cave" conversion - FAIL: The game room revamp didn't pass beyond the plan stage due to my son's robotics team's successful year

- build some modular terrain boards - FAIL: No boards built

- finish up the 28mm Imperial Romans and get them on the table - PASS: Finished a Roman and Dacian army

- attend Historicon in July (pending executive spouse approval) - PASS: Went to HCON and hosted two games of Hail Caesar

- participate in a tournament style gaming event (likely FOW) to see how I like it - FAIL: Didn't even play FOW in 2011

- try focusing on finishing armies rather than adding new ones - FAIL: While I did finish the Romans and Dacians, I added two more era's to game

So lets see the tally: 5 Fails and 2 Passes, that's not so good. Hey wait a minute, I do remember saying that those targets weren't really resolutions - they were more like guidelines....

Despite the poor showing for 2011 goals, oops I mean guidelines, I'm still setting out the following targets for 2012:

(1) Attend and host a game at Historicon (probably one of three options: Hail Caesar, War of 1812 with Black Powder, or Saga) - your thoughts are appreciated here.

(2) Finish my war of 1812 project (both British and US armies) = ok with the Brit's I'm cheating as I have most of them being done on a commission basis.

(3) Host 4 Games at my house - why 4?, because is twice as many as I did in 2011

(4) Implement the planned redesign of my game room (after robotics). I have a nice space for gaming / modeling, but it can be better organized and made to feel a bit more "clubby"

(5) Remain gaming era neutral - If I add a new era / game system then I need to get rid of an existing one

(6) Finally decide if I want to get back into model railroading and is there a way to link the two hobbies? How cool would it be to be able to play a war game while having a train running around the table. I'm thinking either 10mm miniatures with N-Scale trains or something in HO/20mm maybe WWI or WWII..... This might be a very dangerous course!

I think that's enough for this retrospective.

All-in-all, 2011 was a great year for my family and me and given the times we are very fortunate to be able to say so. Here's to an even better 2012 for all of us!

Happy Gaming

The "Uber-Geek"

4th US Rifles Started

2011-12-30T11:21:00.000-05:00

I've started my next US War of 1812 unit, which is a US Rifle battalion. I choose to do the 4th US Rifles as I like the grey uniform - it's a bit different than the standard "dark green" most rifle units get. Besides I will eventually have the Glengarry Lights on the British side, who wore dark green, so a little bit of color difference will help players keep track of who's who on the table top.

This unit will have 36 figures, of which 6 are 90%+ complete and the others are about 1/3 of the way done. I should get these completed over the course of the weekend and submitted to Curt for the painting competition.

Back to the workbench....

29th US Infantry Completed

2011-12-28T07:46:00.000-05:00

The 29th US Infantry is complete! This is my first US unit for my 28mm War of 1812 project and it consists of 36 figures. Sorry for the poor picture quality but I was too lazy to get the right lighting in place.

This is the 1st unit of a planned 8-10 unit US force which will consist of:

3 Regular Infantry Units
1 Rifles
3 Militia
1 Artillery Battery (3 guns)
1 Light Dragoons or Mounted Kentucky Militia

As per the previous posts, I have completed these figures as part of the Analouge Hobbies painting challenge. I've had a pretty decent showing (in terms of volume) but some of the other competitors have some amazing contributions. The competition has been a lot of fun and I appreciate all the work Curt has had to put in keeping up with all the submissions.

As you can see in the second picture, I still need to add a flag to the unit and will be trying a new manufacturer I found (via his comment on Curt's blog), Flags of War. The flags seemed reasonably priced so lets see how the work out.

Next up on the painting workbench will either be the 1st US Rifles or a Maryland Militia Unit

First half of a US Regular Infantry Unit

2011-12-24T21:22:00.001-05:00

The first 18 out of 36 figures for a Regular US Infantry battalion (War of 1812) have been completed.

I did these fairly fast but am happy with the "unit-look" and think they will be more than serviceable for the table top.

The second half of the unit should be finished in a few days but I doubt there will be a lot of progress on Christmas day.

Heres hoping that all of you have a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas for the Lair of the Uber-Geek!

And so it begins....

2011-12-23T09:56:00.000-05:00

My first entries into the Analogue Hobbies second annual painting competition have been completed and submitted to Curt. For one brief, shining moment I was in the lead. Of course there were no other entries but, never-the-less, I was in first place!! Sadly, more talented and efficient painters have usurped the pole position.

My first three entries were for SAGA and consisted of the mounted Norman Warlord (I didn't really like the one I completed a few weeks ago) and two Vikings.

The Vikings are a bit whimsical in nature and are based on a request from my son to depict what Santa might look like if he was a Viking. The figure to the left is the one that comes with the SAGA ruleset and wields a mighty two handed axe - that makes being on the naughty list a decidedly risky proposition!

The third figure is another "Santa-Norseman" but comes from the command sprue of the Gripping Beast Viking plastic set. While you can't see it in the picture, his shield does have a red and green holiday design. We are very festive this year in the Lair.

In order to show a sneak peak of my next entries, I need to bend Curt's embargo rules, hopefully he'll not notice as very few people ever read this far into any of my posts. I've started my first 36 figure unit of regular US infantry for the War of 1812. The figures are from Knuckleduster and they are top notch. I'm painting this unit in the Fall/Winter uniform, hence the tan rather than white pants. The first three are almost done.

I've got 12 more in process and 18 awaiting there first dab of paint.

We'll see how long it will take me to finish the whole unit. I suspect it will be at least a few days!

Merry Christmas from the Lair of the Uber-Geek!

2011-12-18T18:58:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Feliz Navidad etc, etc. from the Uber Geek

It looks like Santa had a "training mishap" while on exercise with the US Air Force. I'm sure the elves will get things fixed up before the big night.

Heres to wishing all of my readers a wonderful Christmas holiday and happy New Year. My family and I are looking forward to a quite holiday at our home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland - hopefully one that features some toy soldiers under the tree!

By the way, I took the above picture at a house close to mine - they're very artistic and always have some form of whimsical sculpture for major holidays, but this time they have out done themselves with the use of a real jet airframe! Please note that no reindeer or elves were harmed in the making of this sculpture. Click on the picture to see all the details - the sulking pilot to the right is very well done.

Marry Christmas to all!

Prime Directive

2011-12-11T07:05:00.001-05:00

I just finished cleaning up and priming 220 Knuckleduster War of 1812 figures. From left to right there are 5 36 figure US units (3 regular Infantry, 1 Rifles and 1 Militia) and 1 40 figure British unit (Glengary Lights).

The figures came in really good shape and had little flash. Other than straightening rifles/bayonets there was very little clean up required. I prefer to do priming in large batches as it's much more efficient. Here are my steps

(1) Clean up flashing and sand bases flat - make sure each figure can stand on it's own. I also add brass rod flag poles during this step.

(2) Wash the figures in warm soapy water and leave out to dry

(3) Attach to 20mm square base with super glue. The bases will be magnetized later on so I can group the figures in either 4 or 6 man stands.

(4) Prime. I prefer to use white primer. I use a very basic and cheap primer from Lowes (a US Do-It-Yourself store chain). I let the primer dry at least 24 hours before starting to paint. In the case of these figures it will be a bit longer.

(5) Try not to operate heavy machinery or sign binding legal agreements while high on paint fumes (this last step is optional but highly recommended)

I'll start painting these gentlemen on 12/20 as they will be my primary source of material for the Second Annual Analog Hobbies Painting Challenge! Lets see, the challenge runs from December 20th to March 20th so that's roughly 90 days or 2.44 figures a day. Hmmm, given my current glacial rate of output is closer to 0.1 figures a day I may need to up production speed!

The 2nd Annual "Analogue Hobbies" Painting Challenge

2011-12-08T06:19:00.001-05:00

It seems as if I've gone and entered the second annual Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. I enjoy watching last years unfold but discovered Curt's great blog after the event had started. If you haven't yet gone over to his blog, you should do so it a very nice read with great miniatures. Of course those compliments are in no way an attempt to sway the judging in my direction. Nope, not a chance of that, but if it did....

This year's event has a bit of a Tom Sawyer feel as Curt is allowing participants to get a 10 point bonus for painting one of his 28mm Viking figures. Hmmm, I sense a real opportunity for Curt to pawn off all his household chores on point crazed and competition dazed miniature painters "must get more points..." One wonders if he will use the awesome power of his competition for good or evil. I suspect if my future posts indicate I'm traveling to Saskatchewan to shovel snow or wash dishes in return for painting points you'll know that Curt has been swayed by the dark side.

As for my entry, I'm leaning towards finally starting to paint my War of 1812 units (with the 200th anniversary coming up and all). I recently purchased a rather large lot of War of 1812 figures from Knuckleduster (approx 225 figures) to flesh out at least 5 American infantry / militia units and one British unit (the Glengary Lights). I'll also flesh out my Roman and Dacian armies a bit and there is always a chance that some 15mm Flames of War might sneak in just to keep things interesting.

There are some great painters entered into the competition so I don't have a chance on the quality side so it's got to be a quantity win for me. Let the games begin!

WW2 Pacific Naval Action!

2011-12-06T07:20:00.001-05:00

Last night Dick hosted a WW2 Naval game using his Axis and Alies ships / planes and the Victory at Sea ruleset. The scenario was a hypothetical capital ship slugfest in the Philippines. I was the Japanese 2IC and had command of the Battleship Division (pictured) which had 7 Battleships, including the mighty Mushashi and Yamoto. As with all of Dick's games it was a grand evening and he and his wife were superb hosts. Many thanks to Gary who brought Chili for dinner - although I was a bit suspicious that it was a cunning ploy to distract players later in the game ....

The allied command staff - I'm sure they look much more impressive when they are wearing their Navy dress whites.

The allies draw first blood as Les's battleship division savages the Nagato. While the Nagato gave as good as she got, being the closest target to a group of 6 modern US battleships with 16 inch guns isn't as glamorous as one might think. You can also see the developing air battle to the left. This is the second time I've played Victory at Sea and the first with air and I really liked the simplicity of the rules. Most of the players were new to the system and we all picked it up after a few turns.

Japanese reinforcements show up in the form of the Northern command - heavy cruisers with deadly long lance torpedos.

A few turns later, The Nagato has been sunk and the Mushashi engines put out of action - but not her guns! In return the US has lost both the Maryland and North Carolina sunk and the Iowa and New Jersey have been reduced to flaming hulks. We decided to call the game after another turn as the US losses were very heavy and the Japanese cruiser squadron was lining up for a torpedo run. Many thanks to both Dick and Joe (the respective Cic's of the US and Japanese fleets) who spent more time tutoring the rest of the players on the rules than actually playing the game.

I know we made some mistakes, but as a learning game it was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to playing the rules again. While they didn't cause any ship damage the air aspect was a lot of fun and really lent some atmosphere to the game.

I was very impressed with the Axis and Allies ship miniatures. They are not as detailed as GHQ but they look great on the table, are not as delicate as GHQ, come pre-painted and are very inexpensive. The Plane stands are also very well done. I have been know to be a bit of a miniatures snob and my preconceptions of these ships was way off- they are very nice miniatures.

One last picture of the Battleship division at the end of the game - big guns = lots of fun on the tabletop.

Four Day Sale at Architect of War

2011-11-24T06:34:00.001-05:00

I was over visiting Ernie yesterday and he let me know that Architects of War has jumped on the "Black Friday" bandwagon and will be having a four day sale. If you're into 28mm mini's you might consider checking out the sale. The sale runs from Friday to Monday.

All Perry plastics are 20% off on Friday - I'm heading back over to get some more plastic british infantry for my upcoming War of 1812 project.

check out the sale:

Ernie's Blog

Architects of War

Happy Thanksgiving eveyone

SAGA Norman Warband Completed

2011-11-13T12:55:00.001-05:00

My Vikings now have a foe for the tabletop - a 4 point Norman War-band, which consists of a Mounted Warlord, 2 units of Mounted Hearthguard, a unit or Warriors with spears, and a second unit of Warriors with crossbows. These gents should pose a good challenge to my Vikings. All of the mounted figures are plastics from Conquest Games. The foot figures are metals from Gripping Beast. Sorry for the bad lighting in the photos.

The unit of spear -armed Warriors look dashing sporting their Little Big Man shield transfers. Some of you may remember the rather questionable attempt at hand painting shields with my Viking War-band - the figures just look so much better with the LBM transfers. They are well worth the cost.

Some crossbowmen to pepper and annoy my plucky Vikings. Wow designer shields AND annoying crossbow bolts - those Vikings are really going to hate theses guys.

The first of two units of mounted hearthguard. I really like the Conquest Plastics. The LBM shield transfers required just a bit of trimming along the bottom to fit the Conquest figures but that wasn't too hard.

The second unit of mounted Hearthguard. All of the figures in each unit sport the same tunic color to help tell them apart on the table top.

A close up of the shields - I here they're all the rage on the Paris runways this year....

Lastly, here is the Norman Warlord. I think he came out "OK" but will likely switch him out for a metal version that will look a bit more heroic.

It's "kind of" scale modeling

2011-10-30T15:41:00.001-04:00

Today I made a scale model of the robotics field for my son'e Robotics team. It may not be military miniatures, but it is scale modeling of a sort. The team uses the mock up to plan match strategies "dry-runs" of autonomous programs. We've found it much easier to debug the code if everyone has seen a 3d walk trough of what the 'bot was supposed to do before we observe what it does.

The model also serves as a great tool when communicating with the team we will be playing with during a match at a competition - there are four robots on the field at once (2 per side) so it get very busy and hectic during a match. the more pre planning of actions, the better we tend to do.

The boys are thinking of making more of these fields and selling them to other teams - we've had several offers for last year's model. Who knows, I may be getting into the scale model making business after all!

Here's a look at the actual field (not completely set up. There will be 100 racquet balls in the four cylinders during each match - this year's game design is very challenging.

Oh well, off to coach robotics practice

SAGA: Painting Progress on the Normans

2011-10-23T20:35:00.000-04:00

There was some progress on the Norman Warband today - most of the block painting was completed today (some after this photo was taken). The Normans should be completed by next weekend. You can see there future opponents above them casting derision on their unpainted state.

To be honest, I had hoped to get a bit more done today, but our cat, Oliver, had other plans. I was working in my office when he decided my lap look comfortable and hopped up and went to sleep. Not knowing what to do, I promptly drifted off also. Oh well, maybe more painting progress next weekend.

SAGA: Normans Assembled

2011-10-17T06:28:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I finished assembling a 4 point force of Normans to go against my recently completed Vikings. The first picture shows the whole force which consists of a Warlord, 2 mounted units of Hearthguards (elites) a unit of Crossbowman (warriors) and a unit of Spearmen (Warriors).

A close up of the crossbowmen and one of two mounted Hearthguard. The crossbowman are from Gripping Beast and all the mounted figures are the plastic Mounted Normans from Conquest Games. As you may know I'm a bit of a miniatures apostate as I actually prefer plastic figures over metal. The Conquest figures are very nice and you have a lot of options in terms of weapons and shield style.

Here are the Spearman (Gripping Beast figures) and the second unit of mounted Hearthguard.

Lastly, a picture of the warlord. I managed to pick up some of the Little Big Man shield transfers and flags for both the Normans and Vikings from Ernie over at Architects of War. The Norman flags are really nice so I plan on replacing the plastic flag stand on the figure with some brass rod to allow for a bigger flag.

Later in the day, I primed all the figures in white and have set them out to dry for a few days. Hopefully in a week or so I'll have the Normans complete!

Old Style Sand Table

2011-10-15T06:12:00.000-04:00

I just stumbled across a gamers blog, Service Ration Distribution (Hobby). The blog's owner, Simon is from Scotland and has a very clever old style "sand table".

The photo shows the table before the sand has been added - why paint the bottom blue? Water features can be added by just pushing the sand aside - Brilliant!

He's also got a very impressive collection of minis show the blog is definitely worth a look.

Viking Saga Warband Complete

2011-10-09T18:58:00.001-04:00

I managed to finish up a small (4 point) Viking Warband to use with the Saga ruleset. This force consists of a single Warlord, 3 units of Hearthguard (elites) and one unit on Bondi Warriors (Regulars). I have another unit of Bondi Warriors to add to the force at a later date.

Here's the first unit of Hearthguad - all plastic Gripping Beast Vikings. I tried my hand at painting shields and lets just say I need some more practice. I did check with Ernie and Barb at Architects of War and they just got in some more Little Big Man transfers - whew! I did try to keep the shield designs the same for each unit to help keep things organized on the tabletop.

My second unit of Hearthguard are Viking Beserkers, all metal Gripping Beast models. Beserkers get extra attack dice but at a cost of lower armor values.

The third and last unit of Hearthguard, also Gripping Beast plastics.

Here's the big man himself, my warlord. I have yet to settle on a fittingly blood curdling name, but don't worry one will be found in good time.

Lastly, the 8 figure unit of Bondi Warriors (Gripping Beast metals). I like the stark black and white shield design.

I'm looking forward to trying these lads out on the tabletop in the next week or so. Now it's on to their Norman foes!

Annapolis Sailboat Show!

2011-10-09T08:22:00.001-04:00

As some readers may know sailing is my second hobby after miniature gaming. This weekend was the US Sailboat show, which the largest sailboat show in the world. The show features about 2 miles of floating docks andover 300 hundred sail boat models on display. This event is my favorite "con" of the year and Sean and I went on both Friday and Saturday.

The first picture is of a 45 ft Trimaran racing boat - it's really a wind powered rocket ship. My son spent about an hour crawling over every aspect of her. I'm a bit of a purist and prefer mono-hulls, but my son left the show very impressed with more modern design styles.

This is a picture of a one of the new Beneteau "First 40" designs which is their entry into the racing category. It was an impressive boat and did a nice job of combining a race design with a cruiser's cabin. This is the first time I've actually been impressed with a Beneteau.

The "bell of the ball" for me was the J-95 from J-Boats. This boat is a "one class design" built for racing with a passable cabin layout that can best be described as "Spartan". She is a "go-fast" type of boat but can be handled by one person. Ahhhh dreams.....

I was struck by how much the sailboat show is similar to a gaming con. Where Historicon had gaming tables, substitute display boats and test sails. The harbor was ringed with Vendor booths in large tents. At a gaming con the vendors sell all sorts of gaming related items from terrain, to paint to dvd's. At the sailboat show, the vendors featured a similar range of related products from sails, to nautical electronics to sailing dvd'd and everything in between. Perhaps people are more similar than different.

There was one vendor at the sailboat show who I haven't seen at one of the HMGS cons and it would be a definite upgrade if they were to attend - Hendrick's Gin had a booth/free bar! It was very funny to see the various sales reps steering potential buyers into or out of the bar. I'm sure more than one boat sale was closed via the help the Hendrick's products! Alas since I had my 16 year old son with me, I did not partake.

All in all, sean and I had a wonderful two days of "sailing-stuff" to tide us over as winter sets in - I am definitely not a "frostbite series" winter racer.

Back to the work bench to finish up some Vikings.

Progress on a Viking Warband for "Saga"

2011-10-02T22:46:00.001-04:00

A short progress update on my Viking Warband for use with the new Saga ruleset. Saga uses a simple point system where each force is worth one point and the quality of the troops drives the number you get per unit - Hearthguard (elite) have 4 figures per unit, Warriors (average) have eight and Levies (poor quality) have 12. My Viking Warband will feature 3 units of Hearthguard, including one of beserkers and a unit of warriors. I'm not sure how the unit will do on the table top but it should be fun to field.

Here's a shot after a few hours of painting. I still need to do the details, including shields and straps but there was some good progress this morning. The figures are a mix of Gripping Beast metals and plastics. I'm planning to use some of my Dacians as stand in for a test game next week.

Langton Fleet in Review

2011-09-25T12:33:00.000-04:00

I know that I have been blathering on about the latest shiny new object, Saga. However, in a fit of unfamiliar discipline, I decided I needed to finish at least one existing project before starting another. I had some minor rigging and repair work to do on my 1/1200 Napoleonic fleet mini's (all Langton models) so I selected those to be "done". The first picture shows my British fleet which consists of one powerful First Rate (HMS Victory), 5 Third Rates (74's), 1 Third Rate w/ 64 guns (HMS Agamemnon) and two 44 gun Frigates. I play with the Trafalgar rules and this is a very deadly force.

Opposing the Brits is the French Fleet (naturally). The French are lead by a Second Rate (Bucentaure), 6 Third Rate 74's and 2 44 gun Frigates. 9 ships in total. The Bucentaure (first ship, lower left corner) has been my favorite build yet.

In addition to the Brits and French, I have a small fleet of 4 Spanish ships, including the mighty Santisima Trinidad (with a whopping 140 guns). There is also a small US fleet consisting of 2, 74 gun Third Rates and a 44 gun Frigate (USS Constitution). I plan on expanding the US fleet as I have a few more models in inventory to build.

Here's a close up of the US fleet. These models feature brass sails rather than the one piece metal sail/masts on the rest of the fleet. Each sail is shaped and applied as a separate part. It's one of the most challenging modeling tasks I've ever tried but the outcome is worth the effort. The entire US fleet will feature brass sails.

I always liked the head on shots of sailing ship games, so I threw one in here. These Langton's look fabulous on the table.

Lastly, here are the ships all in "port" and awaiting to be put up. That's about a year's worth of modeling efforts sitting in a single tray! I haven't figured out a way to transport these models safely. Once I do, I will plan on running a sailing game at one of the HGMS east cons (Fall-In, Cold Wars or Historicon).

Now that I'm up to date on at least one project, it's on to Saga!

SAGA - Yet another project?

2011-09-22T20:52:00.001-04:00

On a whim, I decided to pick up the new Medieval Skirmish ruleset "SAGA" from Ernie over at Architects of War. I must say after a quick read that the rule system is very intriguing and the activation mechanism very clever.

The game revolves around war bands of 30-40 figures that are organized into units of 4 to 12. There are currently four nationalities (Vikings, Saxons, Welsh and Normans) each with there own unique characteristics.

Yet another project and wargaming period may be daft but I am very tempted to paint up a Viking Warband since I already have a box of the plastic Vikings from Gripping Beast.

These rules seem really promising....

Must stay focused, ships to finish....

Wow Vikings are cool....

Must stay ummm what was that?...

Oooohhhh Shiny

Progress on the Alabama and Kearsarge

2011-09-21T06:56:00.000-04:00

A little more progress on the CSS Alabama and the USS Kearsarge - both models have been sealed and the basic rigging has been added. Since these models are destined for the tabletop, I tend to prefer a light rigging scheme as that's easier to repair fro the inevitable gaming mishaps. I also need to add the flags but that's a relatively simple exercise.

A close up of the Alabama. I like the level of detail that a 1/600 ship model can provide.

Ans a cose up of the Kearsarge. Both models are from Thoroughbred Figures and are of exceptional quality. They do take a little skill to assemble and paint but I think the end results are well worth the effort.

I'm not sure what's next on the painting / modeling agenda, but I know I've got several nagging items to finish up on some projects before starting a new one.

Robtic's Season Starts

2011-09-14T16:37:00.000-04:00

Well it had to happen - the gaming room has transformed into a robotics room as my son's robotics team starts it's competition. Given the success we had last year, I'm now coaching two teams which will be a bit of a challenge (think Varsity and Jr Varsity).

The game table is now serving as a build table but hopefully I'll be able to sneak some quick games in every once and awhile.

Here's the field for this year's competition - there are bowling balls we need to move around and the primary scoring mechanism is placing racquet balls in plastic creates and then stacking the crates onto top of one another. There are 100 racquet balls in play at one time (they start in the cylinders and the 'bots need to knock them over to get at them. 12 of the racquet balls will have a magnet hidden inside that you need to detect (by building a magnetic sensor, of course) and placing them in a separate goal.

Here's the logo for the game - it's a really good challenge and both my son and his teammates are really charged up for this year. You can learn more about the competition using the following link:
USFIRST ROBOTICS/FTC

There's a slide show on the website and the third picture is of my team at the World Championship last year.

Completed PSC Panzer IV's and Battlefront Stuarts

2011-09-04T07:54:00.000-04:00

The two tank platoons that I was working on are now complete and sealed. The front one consists of 5 Battlefront Stuart models and the rear are 5 Panzer IV models from the Plastic Soldier Company (PSC). I know there are six Panzer IV's in the picture - the one to the extreme right is a Battlefront Panzer IV thrown in for comparison.

I decided to keep the Stuarts rather plain and didn't add any stowage details. My rationale is hoping to able to use the models for either British or US forces. I'm planning to add a British late war rifle company to my allied force.

Here's a close up shot that compares the Battlefront Panzer IV (on the right) to the PSC version. As you can see the Battlefront model is a bit wider and slightly longer. The biggest source of the width variance are the side shields which hang out from the model rather than just attach along the side. While the Battlefront method of attachment might be more "realistic", it's also subject to a lot of table top breakage, so I prefer how PSC just glues the things along the hull.

Oh yes, Hurricane Irene did a number on our garden. I'd say we lost over half of our plants including most of the tomatoes - :(

On the plus side, the storm seems to have been a boon for the insect life as we are seeing lots of Praying Mantis and even Shelob returned to another spot in the Garden. I believe the unfortunate victim the spider is focusing on is a 28mm Frodo figure from the GW War of the Ring line.

PSC Panzer IV's and Battlefront Stuarts

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

This post features a return to 15mm WWII and shows my progress on two tank platoons. The German platoon is 5 Panzer IV's and the American are 5 Stuarts. The Stuarts are Battlefront models and the Panzer IV's are the new Plastic Soldier Company (PSC) models that I picked up at Historicon. These models are about 80% complete as I haven't finished detailing the models or sealing them.

A few close up shots of the PSC tanks. Overall, I'm very impressed with the quality of the models. You get 5 tanks per box for $26.50 and each sprue allows one to build 3 versions of the Panzer IV (short barrel, long barrel, long barrel with skirting). When assembled the models look great and are very easy to paint. I've seen other blogs described the tracks as a bit fiddly to put on (they come in an upper and lower section). The trick with the tracks is to test fit to make sure you know the front and rear orientation - it's not the easy to spot when just looking at the parts.

I find plastic to be a lot easier to work with than resin and it's much easier to make conversions or make objective markers out of the kits. The hull details are a tad less exacting than the battlefront resin Panzer IV's bit it really isn't noticeable. The models are sized to work alongside their battlefront counterparts.

While the photo is horrible, I also was working on 5 Stuart tanks (Battlefront mini's). I've been listening to the accolades placed on Stuarts from various versions of the WWPD podcast so I decide to jump in an finish up a platoon that I had assembled and primed over two years ago. Like the Panzer IV's above, I still need to finish up the stowage details and then seal the minis. They should be on the tabletop in a week.

Away on Vacation and Hello Irene

2011-08-27T08:33:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts, but I've been away on vacation for a few weeks in the FL keys. The first week was at a Boy Scout survival camp with my sons' scout troop - no running water, had to catch / find your food, sleep outside. It was a lot of fun. The highlight of week was a run in with a very curious 11 foot Hammerhead while kayak fishing with the troop. While the shark was very well mannered, we all learned why fish tend to group together! He followed us for 15-20 minutes and then went on his merry way. I do have a better appreciation for how it feels to be in the middle of the food chain.

The second week, my wife joined us and we stayed in a nice hotel (which is next to the Boy scout Island!) where I continued to refine my very impressive laziness skills. The picture shows my feet and my son way out on the resorts Hobie-cat sailboat. The keys are a very nice place to visit and the fishing is fantastic.

Upon returning to MD, we started preparing for an uninvited guest, Hurricane Irene - she seems to be calming down a bit but it never pays to take chances with Hurricanes when you live on the coast. Perhaps I'll get some war gaming in the next week or so.

Romans vs Dacians Battle Report

2011-08-10T06:41:00.001-04:00

My son and I had a quick Roman vs Dacian fight the other night using Hail Caesar. The game was one of those standard ancients "line'em up and go" scenarios with no special rules. As with a lot of my battle reports, I forgot to take pictures of the game in process. My son, Sean, commanded the Dacians and I played the Romans.

The Roman left wing proved to be my undoing as it was too weak to withstand the onslaught of the Sarmatian Cataphracts and Heavy Cavalry. The artillery on the hill was helpful but the light troops were unsupported and could not stand up to the charge of the heavies.

Here's a picture of the Dacian battle line, 4 light cavalry on the left wing, 6 warbands with falx's in the center and the two Sarmatian cav's on the right.

Opposing them on the Roman side were 2 aux cav and 1 aux infantry on the right flank, 5 Legionnaire cohorts in the center and 1 aux infantry, 1 Gallic warband and the artillery on the right. The Roman right and center held their ground well but when the left went, those $&%# Sarmatians rolled up my line.

The "stars" of the battle - Sarmatian cataphracts and Heavy cav. Almost all of the figures on the table are from Warlord games. I'm planning on expanding both armies over the next few months. I picked up some Successor armored elephant units at Historicon which I will convert into Romans using some extra plastic figures. Those poor Roman's need something to counter the Sarmatians!

USS Kearsarge & CSS Alabama Painted

2011-08-07T08:52:00.000-04:00

I've finished the basic painting for both the Kearsarge (on the right) and the Alabama (on the left). The painting came out fine although I think I was a little heavy handed on the weathering. I may touch up the Kearsarge to make her a bit "brighter". The next modeling step will be to seal the models (after waiting 24hrs for the paint to dry) and then adding the rigging. I have some photo-etched ratlines from White Ensign Models which I'm also going to try. The models are from Thoroughbred Miniatures and are really top notch.

Here's the CSS Alabama. The hull was painted Basalt Grey (Vallejo 70869). When she met up with the Kearsarge for her fateful duel she was at the end of a long raiding cruise so I've tried to model her with a lot of "sea-wear"

The USS Kearsarge looks a little too weathered - I think I'll repaint the mast bottoms to make her a bit less dingy. The Kearsarge is 5.5' inches long. From an aesthetic perspective, I think the Kearsarge is a "prettier" ship than the Alabama.

This will likely be the last wargaming / modeling post for a bit as I'm off with my son and his Boy Scout Troop to Sea Base in the FL Keys. After that, robotics season starts up and I loose the game table to a greater good!

Shelob Lives!

2011-07-30T10:04:00.003-04:00

This morning my lovely wife decided it was a perfect day for gardening, which she enjoys. Of course her participation consists of writing a "to-do" list and handing it to me. As she is my wife, I am terrified of her, so it was off to the garden with me. Little did I know the horror that awaiting me...

There I was picking cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes and eggplants, merrily checking off this that that from the list. I was blissful in my servitude until I stumbled upon Shelob herself. A demon spider that was at least 10 feet long. Ok, 10 feet or three inches but it was really big. Just for scale the fence strakes are 2 inches apart.

DAMN YOU SAMWISE GAMGEE - WHY DIDN'T YOU FINISH THE JOB WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE!!!!!!!!!

This is no normal spider, it's big and I even got a picture of it shooting it's white jagged lighting ray of icky spider death. Look at the picture as it nearly cost me my life. It also has some form of mind control capabilities - just after catching sight of this horror I was overcome with a desire to leave the garden.

Hmmmm, maybe there was something more to my wife's insistence that my insurance policy be updated....

SPIDER UPDATE!!!!!!!!
I decided to use the Web to find out what kind of spider I have in the Garden (thank you Al Gore!). I was sure it was either some form of man-eating, venom shooting, irradiated mutation with name like "Death Stalker"or "Widow-Maker". I'm pretty sure I've seen one of them face Godzilla in one of those movies from the 60's.

Deftly my fingers searched the web, google-fu in full contact mode and I discovered the species -"Argiope Aurantia" better known as the "Yellow Garden Spider". The spider is harmless to man (if one doesn't count causing the heebie-geebies as harmful) and are viewed as a good thing to have in the garden as they are voracious eaters of pests.

Kind of a let down, isn't it. While a Argiope Aurantia is viewed as a "good spider", it's still damn big!

CSS Alabama and USS Kearsarge in 1/600

2011-07-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

Monday saw a little more progress on my expanding ACW fleet. I completed assembling the CSS Alabama (on the left, USS Kearsarge on the right). The model of the Alabama is also from Thoroughbred Miniatures and was a bit of a challenge to build.

Next are two shots of the Alabama by itself. It's a nice looking model. Hopefully the heat wave will break so I can prime these guys up for painting!

USS Kearsarge in 1/600 scale

2011-07-24T08:21:00.000-04:00

I've decided to take a break from painting scores of ancients for the next week or two and return to ACW naval modeling. Next up is the Kearsarge, a Thoroughbred Miniatures kit in 1/600 scale. Toby at Thoroughbred makes what I consider the best line of 1/600 scale ironclad and ACW models out there and the Kearsarge is no exception.

The model went together without any fuss and it very detailed. Painting will have to wait until later in the week given the temps and humidity now making priming a bit of a chancy proposition. The model is about six inches long. I have a number of other ACW models to build including, of course, the CSS Alabama, which fought a famous duel with the Kearsarge. The current rule set I use for ironclads is "Sail and Steam Navies" but I'm thinking of switching to the simpler but just as fun "Beer and Pretzels" Ironclads.

Lastly, a "only in America photo". On my way back from picking my son up from Boy Scout camp we happened on the pictured vehicle. It was a 1950's hearse mounted on a Monster Truck frame. The Maryland license plate reads "UNDRTKER". Don't worry, it had an official "street legal" sticker on it. One never knows what one will see while driving around the roads of the rural Maryland Eastern Shore. Perhaps some cemeteries are harder to get to than others.

Thoughts on Hail Caesar

2011-07-16T08:01:00.000-04:00

Displayed are a few more photos of my recent "Hail Caesar" game a few weeks ago. The dashing man in the green shirt at the head of table is yours truly. I've have been often reminded that I look just like George Clooney. Well to be more specific, I look like George Clooney, if Mr Clooney looked liked Roger Ebert. This picture was taken at the beginning of the game where I was likely pleading / bribing the players with free drinks if they would just look like they are having fun!

Some photo's taken later in the game showing the Dacian main force trying to catch those pesky Romans. After 6 games of Hail Caesar, I've realized the key to the game the employment of leaders and that can be further influenced by thoughtful use of 2 rules - Initiative and the "Follow Me".

Once you've maneuvered your army to within 12" of the enemy, one can rely on initiative moves and then attach your leader to a unit to drive home a flanking attack.

A picture of Paul Sawyer, looking very Buddha-like. I'm pretty sure his visage wasn't due to the extreme satisfaction of seeing a well run game but more due to the forthcoming free beer promised post game...

All of the pictures on this post were taken by a friend Dick C. who was a great help in setting up the game. Dick also ran a few games of Ernie's and Architects of War new ruleset "Uncivil Wars". Those games were also a lot of fun and since they were sponsored by AofW, the scenery was the best of the show.

The casulty markers worked great and helped to reduce the clutter on the table top. I'll do a quick tutorial on how to make them in a future post.

This is my favorite picture from the con - lots of Romans and Dacians!

I'm leaning towards doing another Hail Caesar game at Fall-In but may also do a 1/1200 Napoleonic Naval game if I can figure out how to transport my ship models securely.

Historicon Report: Rome on the March

2011-07-09T08:11:00.000-04:00

I ran my "Hail Caesar" game at Historicon on Friday afternoon. I think it went very well and in no small part to the help I got from Dick and Les (pictured standing at the end of the table) and Paul Sawyer from Warlord Games. I was also very fortunate in my first outing as a GM that I had a great group of players who were knowledgeable on the subject and tolerant of my foolishness. We had a good crowd watching the game that averaged about 15 -20 people. The first picture shows the initial set up with the Romans escorting the emperor to the fort and about to be ambushed by two Dacian hordes. Victory was very simple - get the emperor to the fort and the Romans win. If he doesn't get there, well then it's a good day for the Dacians.

I didn't take a lot of photos during the game (too busy) but here's one about a third of the way through. The Romans used a very creative strategy of flooding everything to the left side of the table in the hopes of hooking around the trees and out running the main Dacian force of Infantry and a Cataphract unit. The first few turns of the game saw three blunder roles in a row (12 on two D6) but then settled down into a see-saw action that was very close. In the end the game was called for the Romans but they just eeked out a victory!

It takes a lot of work to put on a game and I must admit there is a bit of elementary school "show and tell" or "hey look at my cool toy soldiers". I had a blast doing it and will definitely do more games at cons in the future. One very gratifying aspect was being asked to run a second game to accommodate players who couldn't get into the first game. I ran that game late (for me!) Friday night at 9:30pm. The set up was the same. I was helped by one of the players from the first game, Malcolm (pictured standing at the right in blue). Malcolm was a great sport and he definitely knew the rules better than I did so his help was greatly appreciated.

During the second game, the Roman side used of different strategy - they attempted to take on the Dacian main force head on while delaying the calvary with their auxiliaries. Dacian infantry with falxs are too Legionaries in to open as ginsu knives are to tomatoes. The second game was won by the Dacians as they overwhelmed the Legion cohorts. Over all it was a great game and I think the players had a good time. My last comment will be to thank all of the guys who played in my games - they were a great group and their attitudes are what really made the games fun. It can be confusing and frustrating playing a new system, especially with me babbling about, but these were true "gentlemen and scholars" are the real reason why the games were fun - thanks guys.

I did get an Ironclad game in Friday morning. The game was put on by the Rogues gaming club using a set of rules called "Beer and Pretzels Ironclads". The game was in a tongue and cheek style and it was a blast. I commanded two Confederate ships and am very proud to say that my brilliant seamanship quickly turned those fine Confederate vessels into prototype submarines! Despite getting my butt kicked it was a great game and the rules where a lot of fun!

With my GM duties being done with (unless asked to run another game tonight), I'm off to have a bit fun today!

Packed and Ready for Historicon

2011-07-06T21:07:00.000-04:00

As of 7:45 Eastern Standard Time, I'm all packed up and ready to head out to Historicon tomorrow morning. All of my figures for the Hail Caesar game on Friday are packed up and I've included some modeling supplies to fix the inevitable transit damage. I have a new level of respect for GM's after experiencing what a pain-in-the-*** it is to get everything packed up. Never-the-less, I'm looking forward to the game and hope I don't botch things up too much.

Here are some better pictures of the completed Warlord Sarmatian Cataphracts. They really are lovely models and will likely be the star attraction on the table top.

The long kontos (lances) make them a bit awkward to pack up, especially the 2 figures in the back with the kontos at port. These guys take up twice the room other 12 figure calvary units use. They are very nice looking sculpts.

I still need to attach the bows and swords and just will not get around to it by the time of the game on friday. While slow, cataphracts are very formidable units in the Hail Caesar ruleset.

Here's a shot of the completed unit status markers. A die in the upper right will track loss levels and I'm using a skull in the lower right to indicate if the unit is shaken. The squiggly red marker indicates disordered status. I'm hoping these stands control the clutter that can occur with unit tracking in a Hail caesar (or Black Powder) game. We'll see how they work out.

Lastly, here's a shot of all the status trackers. I gave up on using figures and resorted to shields to make the stands a bit easier to finish. I find the look of the shields to be a bit "cleaner" than the wounded soldier figs.

Warlord Sarmatian Cataphracts Finished and Casualty Stands

2011-07-05T13:39:00.000-04:00

The 12 Warlord Sarmatian Cataphracts are now painted - whew that was a lot to complete in three days. As I've posted earlier, the figures are amazing and I can already see some opportunities to clean up the paint job. Sorry for the poor pictures, I'll post some better ones later.

Here's a picture of a single trooper. Those Kontos are very sharp! I still need to scenic the bases but will get that done on Wed and then it's packing up and heading off the Historicon.

I also made 20 casualty stands to be used in the Hail Caesar game. A dice will go in the upper right box to track casualty levels and I have markers that denote Disordered or Shaken status for the lower right box. There are 10 trackers for the Romans and 10 for the Dacians. I stole the idea from Curt over at Analog Hobbies. I think this help reduce the clutter that can occur when playing Hail Caesar and its associated casualty tracking.

Since I play both Hail Caesar and Black Powder, I magnetized the casualty stands so I can swap out period specific markers. It wouldn't do the use a Roman Auxiliary marker for Napoleonic French. As you can see, like the cataphracts, I still need to scenic these bases which shouldn't be that trying.

I have some scenery elements to finish for my game on Friday, but I think I'm nearing the finish line.

Warlord Sarmatians, Log Canoes and Peaches

2011-06-30T06:51:00.001-04:00

A bit of an eclectic post today. First, I was very pleasantly surprised by a package I received yesterday from Warlord Miniatures, the contents of which consisted of 12 of the new Sarmatian Cataphracts! The picture shows the models drying after washing. Not the best picture, but the sculpting quality is some of the best I've seen. The only trouble is I've only got a week to get them painted up for the Historicon game!

The coming weekend here in the states in July 4th and one of our traditional activities is sailing. The boat pictured is a log canoe and is a racing style boat found here on the Chesapeake Bay. It's completely impractical as there isn't a keel, so the counter weight consists of crew members climbing out on 15' planks that are affixed to the sides of the boats - what fun! I'm hoping for weekend that consists of sailing during the day and painting cataphracts at night.

Lastly, Our fruit trees may actually bear fruit this season! The past two seasons we've lost all the peaches but hopefully this year we'll get some. Our fig tree is producing a ton of figs and the apple trees appear to be in relatively good shape. My wife tells her friends she loves to garden and likes to show of the grounds. Of course her definition of gardening consists of telling me to do this or that, a skill that she has perfected after 24 years of marriage.

Oh well, this looks to be a busy weekend

Romans and Dacians Completed for Historicon

2011-06-27T18:30:00.000-04:00

Both the Roman and Dacian armies for my game at Historicon are ready to go. I was about to repeat the term "complete" but is any wargaming army ever really complete? The first shot shows an overall view of the table. The Romans need to get the Emperor (in the lower left) to the fort. The Dacians need to prevent that event from occurring. The game is being sponsored by Architects of War and appears to be the only Hail Caesar game at Historicon. I know the scenery looks sparse, this is just a test game and we'll be adding a lot more flavor.

The Roman field force consists of two commands, a force of battle hardened Legionaires (5 cohorts) with two command stands, one being the Emperor.

The second Roman command consists of 2 units of Auxiliary calvary and 2 units of Auxiliary Infantry. All of the Roman figures are from Warlord and have been painted by me. The commander of the Roman Auxiliary group will have a difficult choice - turn to his/her left and face the oncoming Dacian light cavalry or turn to the right and support the main column against the Dacian main force. Oh decisions, decisions...

Lastly, there is a unit of Roman allied Gallic infantry holding the fort plus some artillery units. I may add a 5th player to the game to command this group.

The Dacian main force consists of 6, 32 figure units of infantry, armed with the Legionnaire splitting Falx and a unit of Sarmatian heavy cavalry. While the force looks like it could quickly overwhelm the Legionaires it has one drawback - only one command stand. Since this game is a demo game, I wanted to showcase the command dynamics that are built into the "Hail Caesar" ruleset.

The second Dacian command consists of four units of light cavalry. I still need to finish painting two of the figures but will get that done in the next day or so.

Here's a Legionnaires eye view of an onrushing Dacian infantry unit. Those two handed falx's must have been terrifying. The figures are from Warlord and were a lot of fun to paint up. Barbarians allow for lots of color choices which is a nice relief from Roman red.

The Sarmatian heavy cavalry. These figures are from Old Glory. I'm looking forward to the new Sarmatians from Warlord and will likely be buying another 2 units worth to flesh out the force.

I still have a bit of play testing to balance out the rules and a lot of work to flesh out the table top scenery.

Roman and Dacian Command Stands

2011-06-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

The command stands for both the Romans and Dacians were finished over the weekend. All of the figures are from Warlord. I rather like their "dog" figures which "seem to be" inspired (in a non-copyright infringing way) from the movie "Gladiator". Anyway they are a lot of fun to paint.

I like how the emperor figure came out. I used a purple wash (first time to try that) and I think it came out nicely. The Roman section needs a bot of work. The mile marker is from Architects of War.

Here are some photos of the Dacian command stands. The Dacians will out number the Romans in the Historicon game but will have some limitations due to only 2 command stands. The group of the figures are the new Warlord Dacian command pack and they're an advanced copy. The guy with 2 flax's was a lot of fun to paint. My son refer's to him as a "pissed off Santa". The calvary commander is just a Warlord Celt calvary figure with some minor modifications.

Here's the one of the three painted Dacian infantry units (4 more are on the way). These were very easy to do and I used the Army Painter dip rather then the GW washes. All I need to do is scenic the bases and paint the stand.

A completed Roman Cohort. I hope to complete a full Legion by year end (10 Cohorts) but will have 5 done for the Historicon game.

Lastly, here are some Gauls that I purchased on E-Bay. They will be acting as Roman mercenaries and defending the fort. Hmmmm, I wonder if one can always trust Gallic mercenaries to remain loyal???

Uncivil War Playtest: Prep for Historicon

2011-06-16T21:56:00.000-04:00

Tonight I was able to help out with play testing one of the "Uncivil War" games that Architects of War will be putting on at Historicon this year. I will not go into a lot of details about the game so I don't spoil all the surprises.

The game centers around a Yankee raid to gather supplies. There are a lot of townsfolk for the Yankees to interact with and not all of them are happy to great their Northern invaders. As the game goes on more Southern militia show up to drive the Yankees out of the town.

The game table will feature great scenery that Ernie's games and company are well known for. I think it will be a fun game. There are still a few slots left for the demo game on Saturday, July 9th (games #'s 260 and 261). The South won tonights game by shooting the horses of the supply wagon.

There are a lot of options with the rules and it's turning out to be a great structure for skirmish gaming. I'm also making good progress on the Dacian army for my Hail Caesar game at HCON on Friday July 8th.

Hail Caesar Playtest Report

2011-06-11T08:02:00.000-04:00

Sorry no pictures of the game (I forgot to take any!). Overall the scenario worked well, with the Romans barely eeking out a victory by getting the emperor to the fort (that was the objective). Both sides saw a division broken after a good bit of fighting. Hail Caesar does a great job portraying see-saw fighting and many melee engagements went for multiple turns with each side gaining then loosing the advantage. The Dacian Infantry force eventually chased the Legionnaires from the field. The Roman Auxiliaries did the same to the Dacian calvary. Unfortunately for the Dacians, the Emperor managed to slip through during the fighting.

I got a lot of great suggestions from my players (Bob, Dick, Les and Mike) on how to improve the scenario for Historicon including:

- Open up the terrain to create more room for maneuver. The forrest sections I borrowed from Ernie are very impressive but they created narrow channels that essentially dictated play and nullified some of the advantages the light calvary has. I plan on replacing them with the superb Architects of War forrest plates, which will also be much easier to transport.

- Add a Sarmatian heavy calvary unit to the calvary force to provide it a bit of punch

- I'll also be tweaking the Roman forces and may add an extra cohort and an unit of Auxiliary archers

Many thanks to the guys for agreeing to test the scenario and help me learn the rules (they did get a kabob dinner out of this shindig). A special thanks to Dick and Les who also showed up with a painted Dacian infantry unit each. I've got three done (including their two units) and it looks like I'll get all the required painting done by my game at Historicon.

Back to painting Dacians....

HCON Hail Caesar Test Game Tonight

2011-06-10T15:02:00.000-04:00

I just finished setting up a rough test game of my planned Historicon "Hail Caesar" demo game for a run through tonight. The scenario has a Roman column that must get the emperor to a fort on the other side of the table. Of course, the opposing Dacians have other, more gruesome, plans for the Emperor Trajan. The first picture shows the Roman column strung out along an invisible (aka yet to be made) road trudging along to the fort.

Here's a picture of their objective - a small fortified camp somewhere along the Dacian border.

The fort is defended by some artillery units and a band of mercenary Gauls. I'm sure that the allegiances of those Gauls is beyond reproach.

Hey wait a minute - paper Dacians - now that's cheesey. Sadly, the Dacians are not completed so we'll be using some paper stand-ins. At lest there are some graphics (you'd be surprised how images of "ancient Dacians" comes up on a Google Search. The Dacians are divided into 2 forces - a group of four light calvary at the far end of the table.

The second, a bigger force consists of six infantry units and a unit a Sarmatian heavy calvary. The Dacians are armed with Falx's which count as a two handed weapon and thus reduce the saving throws of my plucky Romans - very dangerous chaps.

Here's a close up of the Sarmations. These are Old Glory figures that were painted by Pictor's Studio. I think the did a first class job - as you can see in the next picture.

Very nice indeed, one day my painting my come up to this quality. I'm looking forward to the upcoming Sarmatians the Warlord will be producing.

Speaking of painting, I have finished one Sarmation infantry unit which is still drying from being dipped.

I also received an advance copy of the new Dacian command group from Warlord - it's a fabulous set. The guy with two Falx's is the best mini I've ever seen!

Painting Miniatures Outside

2011-06-03T16:23:00.000-04:00

The temps outside today in Maryland are unseasonable cool today and hopefully through the weekend (mid 70's F). It's a rare opportunity to be able to paint mini's outside in the summer and not have to race before the paint on the wet palette dries up.

I move the painting station outside this afternoon and plan to spend most of the weekend painting away on Dacians and Romans. My goal is to at least one unit of each done by Monday. We'll see how dedicated I am.

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Progress on Ancients for Historicon

2011-05-30T20:19:00.001-04:00

A good bit of progress on painting the Romans and Dacians I'll be using for my upcoming "Hail Caesar" game at Historison. The first picture shows the units that I have on hand - the Romans are just about done and there is a lot of work to go on the Dacians.

This past week, I completed another 24 figure Roman cohort - it's the one to the back of the second photo. One more "regular" Legionnaire cohort to go and if I get so real progress on the Dacians, I may throw in a unit of Praetorian guards for fun.

Here is a 32 figure Dacian warhost (all Warlord figures) assembled and primed. I'm hoping to have six to seven of these units completed by Historicon. It's not as bleak as it seems as some of my war gaming buddies (Dick and Les) are pitching in to help with the assembly and painting. I'm very grateful for their generous help.

One of the nice things about plastic figures are all the left overs. I decided to equip some of my Dacians with captured Roman weapons and armor. I'll also be modifying the Romans to show some of the Field improvements Trajan's Romans put in place to counter the feared Dacian Falx.

The Dacian army will feature a unit of Sarmation heavy calvary. These are Old Glory Sarmatians and they fit in well with the Warlord figures. The oval shields in the last picture are for the Dacian infantry. I've seen some blurbs that Warlord will be bring out some Sarmation calvary in the future. I do plan on building out a full Sarmation army post Historicon.

Thats all for now, back to the work bench - must paint Dacians, must paint Dacians....

"Uncivil War" Playesting

2011-05-22T06:27:00.000-04:00

Last night saw a break in painting up ancients and I was able to go over to Ernie's house and help with play testing his upcoming Uncivil War rules. We played not not one, not two, but three of the included scenarios last night. It was a blast and the rules are coming along very nicely. Ernie (Architects of War) will be posting some more detailed AAR's on his blog, so I will not go into a lot of detail now.

The game plays very quickly and definitely has a lot of period character to it. The picture to the left shows some dashing rebel calvary trying the flank the raiding Union force. The game pictured was a supply raid where the union has to search through the town looking for supplies (markers with hidden values). Initially the Union far out numbers the confederates, but as the game goes on, more reb's join the fight.

Including my contribution to the evenings forces - a contingent of Confederate Zouaves - the Louisiana Tigers! The figures are the Perry plastic Zouaves and they are very detailed uniforms to paint. If any of you are going to Historicon this year, please consider playing in or checking out the Uncivil War demo games on Saturday, which start at 1:00pm (game numbers S-260 and S-261).

New Warlord Dacians!

2011-05-21T07:33:00.000-04:00

Warlord is expanding their line of 28mm Dacian figures, which is very nice of them since I'm frantically trying to finish a Dacian army for the "Hail Caesar" demo game I'm GM'ng at Historicon this coming July.

I do like the center figure with the bald head and two swords.

There are even rumors of Sarmatian heavy cavalry in the offing.

Must get back to painting - only 203 figures lift to finish...

Back to Painting Romans & 2 French Frigates

2011-05-15T17:32:00.000-04:00

Given that my first foray into GM'ng a convention game coming in less than 2 months (Historicon), there was a need to switch gears and work on some more troops. Two more 24 figure Roman cohorts are now underway and should be completed in the next week or so.

One cohort is in painting and the other is assembled and waiting to be primed. Like my other Legionaries, these figures are the 28mm Warlord plastics. I really like the Warlord plastics and have done some very minor customizations just for kicks.

With the addition of the 2 cohorts-in-process, the Roman army for my historicon game will feature:
5, 24 figure Legionnaire cohorts
2, 24 figure units of Auxiliary infantry
2, 12 figure units of Auxiliary calvary
1 Artilley unit (2 scorpians and a Ballista)

Thats a nice sized force to go up against....

Dacians!

I'm hoping the Dacians will be a fun force to play - I don't see them around that much and my version will feature some Sarmatian light and heavy cavalry. Well the Sarmatian light cavalry might look like the Warlord Celtic Cavalry but it will do.

My game is sponsored by Architects of War, so I need to do a good job on the presentation - no pressure there!

I did manage to finish (except for rigging) 2, 44 gun French frigates. The rigging should only take an hour or so and will get done later this week. That will be it on naval modeling until after the prep work for Hcon is done. I still need to build the sectional terrain boards and some special items for the scenario.

It should be a busy few months.

Historicon PEL is up - check out F-210

2011-05-14T06:24:00.000-04:00

I'm heading into uncharted territory in July as I've agreed to be a GM for a demo of Hail Caesar at Historicon. Proof of this folly is now available publicly as the Preliminary Event List (PEL) has been published and there you can see this titanic struggle listed (F-210). The game will be held on Friday from 2:00 - 5:00 and if there's enough interest and a free table, I'll run another later on during the convention (likely Saturday night). A post game round of drinks will be on me!

In full disclosure, this will be my first time GM'ng a convention game, so no whining if I screw up or arbitrarily change the rules against you because your opponent is an attractive 20 something female "gamer-grouppie". Hey, it could happen!

I will be busy over the next few months painting up an opponent for my plucky Romans and adding some new terrain items from Architects of War, who are the official sponsors of the game.

What have I gotten myself into?

Bucentaure Completed

2011-05-08T07:55:00.000-04:00

The flagship for my growing French fleet, the Bucentaure, has just been completed. Again completed is a relative term, as I need both add to and tighten the rigging, but she's ready for the table. The Bucentaure is an 80 gun ship of the line and was the flagship for the French at Trafalgar.

I hope to command her to a better fate against those Brits than Villenueve did! I'm very happy with how the model came out and look forward to getting some table top time with these ships in the near future. By the end of May, my fleet should consist of 25 completed 1/1200 Langtons and I'll be well on my way to my long term goal of re-fighting Trafalgar with models of all the ships present (60 ships-of-the-line and 13 Frigates)!

I do apologize for the background clutter (robotics is still in clean up and organization mode). I may try to build a small photo booth to help improve the picture quality - any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Robotics World Championships

2011-05-03T12:14:00.001-04:00

The FIRST Robotics worlds championship was last week and my son's team performed very well. They scored 4 wins and 3 losses in the qualifying rounds but were knocked out just prior to the semi-finals. All-in-all a great showing and I'm very proud of the team. The first picture is a team photo in our "pit area" where the robot is prep'd before competitions.

The next photo is of my drive team queuing up for a match with the three other teams (2 on each side). The championship was held in the Robert Jones stadium (where the NFL Ram play) in St Louis. The drive team is wearing our black jerseys with our team number "3113".

Here's a picture of some frantic last minute repairs before another match. As you would expect the competition was very fierce and our robot sustained a good bit of damage. Of course it dished out the same

Lastly a long range shot taken by my wife that show the team on the field just prior to a match starting. It has been a blast coaching this team team and I am very proud of both my son, Sean, and all the boys. This was our first world championship and the scouts acquitted themselves well. Our final ranking for the year will be 11th out of the over 1,600 teams that compete in the FTC competition. Not bad for a bunch of Boy Scouts who are just starting out with Robotics!

50,000 Hits!

2011-04-25T16:03:00.002-04:00

Wow - the Lair of the Uber Geek just passed 50K in hits - who would have thunk that!!!!!

FIW using Black Powder

2011-04-24T08:15:00.001-04:00

Ernie, of AofW, hosted another game last night. The theme was the French and Indian War (FIW) and the rules were Black Powder. Ernie set up the opposing forces to be exactly even with 3 brigades of infantry each and 2 guns. Neither side had any calvary but we did have a wide range of light troops including Indians and American militia. The first picture show the initial entry of the forces. I was in command of the French along with Les and Bob. Dick commanded the British along with Mike. Ernie played part time umpire and full time comedian.

My Brigade formed the extreme right flank of the French line and you can see them advancing to the fence line. This was a bit of a feint just to see what those British chaps were up to! I also had a group of Indians that I sent into the town (at the bottom of the picture) to cause trouble.

Once I saw that 2 British Brigades were moving to opposing me I quickly ordered my French gentlemen to run away and form a defensive hedge position by some stone walls. I kept 2 battalions in the front line and kept one back to take advantage of the Black Powder Support rules.

The real action of the evening took place on the French left flank where Bob and Les's brigades made contact with the lead elements of the 3rd British brigade. Pictured is Les's infantry advancing to contact. In the center left you can just see some of Bob's light troops picking there way through the forrest to flank the British. In a few turns 2 British Battalions were routed at the cost of a group of Indians. A word about the forests. You can see that Ernie has very impressive and true to scale forests for his 28mm forces. What's even better is that the canopy's are removable to allow for easier movement - very cool.

Another view from the "hedgehog". Mike poured fire on my position all night long and succeeded in routing my Indians and causing some casualties to the artillery. I used my leader to keep rallying the gun crew (removing a wound) to keep in action. This actually was a bit foolhardy on my part as if the unit had routed my leader would have gone with it. The British saw two battalions broken as a result of counter fire. Entrenched units (stonewall) are very difficult to root out in Black Powder as they have significant advantages in saving throws.

A view from the British side of the table. Here was some nice slight of hand from Dick. The lead elements of the 2 British brigade are shown at the bottom of the picture and we were convinced they were coming for the entrenched French (me!)

But they surged towards the French left flank and launched a brigade level charge. If it wasn't for some very lucky closing fire die rolls this attack might have swung the battle to the favor of the British, as bulk of Bob's brigade was not in the line yet. Alas the charge was halted just before making contact. The next turn saw the British flanked and routed by French musket fire. We called the game then as two of the three British brigades were broken. You can see one of Ernie's forest pieces with the canopy removed in the upper center of the picture.

Here's a silly mood shot of the advancing french taken from the perspective of being in the forrest. All in all everyone had a grand evening and both Ernie and Bard were fantastic hosts. We were also regaled by the exploits of Ernie's grandson, Aidan, who truthfully, can do no wrong.

Despite all the players having some experience with the Black Powder rules we did struggle a bit with the the finer differences between being disordered and being shaken. Combat is very quick given that each unit only has three causalities. No melee's lasted more than one round. I like Black Powder for 6mm ACW, but those games are much more firepower focused and have less melee combat given the range and greater effectiveness of the firearms. If we wanted more staying power we could always raise the level of wounds a unit can withstand (usually 3) to 6 or 7, which appears to be the approach the new "Hail Caesar" rules use. Net, net Black Powder is a ruleset that emphasizes fast play and sweeping movements. A beer or glass of red wine is definitely in order when playing!

An Award!

2011-04-23T07:23:00.003-04:00

It seems that I've been selected for an award from that erudite and dashing chap over at the Man Cave blog. Far be it from me to look either a gift horse or underserved praise in the mouth. I'll take it whenever I can get it. While this award thing has the look and feel of an electronic version of a chain letter, it does allow me to add the honorific "Award Winning Blogger" to my CV.

Let's see here, the award has the following four stipulations

(1) A thank you and link back to the nominating blog

Thanks Man Cave!

(2) Share 7 things about yourself.

(3) Nominate 10-15 other blogs (hence the chain letter reference above)

(4) Contact said nominated blogs to let them know of their good fortune

Ok so here are the seven things about me. Lets just keep this between you and me.

- I am often mistaken for George Clooney and... Oh the rules require truthful things about me, well that's not as much fun but we'll start over.

Ok here we go, for real this time:

- I am an avid sailor and 1:1 scale boat builder (my other hobby)

- I coach my son's Robotics team (we're competing in the World Championships next week!)

- I am a economist by training and used to be one of those nasty banker types

- I am on the board of several non-profits

- I love Greek food (is there nothing that Feta cheese doesn't make better?)

- I spent an extensive amount of time in post-Katrina New Orleans for work reasons, including 3 weeks in a tent pitched on an off-ramp for I-10. Lets just say the decontamination showers really sting!

- I am often mistaken for Roger Ebbert (two thumbs up!)

and one more for good measure

- My personal business cards list my title as "Pompous Ass"

So here are my nominations. They are in no particular order, so you at number 10 don't get mad, I'm sure I like your blog better than all the others. As this award seems to be making the rounds of our little society there may be some double winners.

http://bigredbat.blogspot.com/

http://wabcorner.blogspot.com/

http://analogue-hobbies.blogspot.com/

http://iron-mitten.blogspot.com/

http://docsartofwar.blogspot.com/

http://wargamerblue.blogspot.com/

http://www.modeldads.co.uk/Life-at-the-Front/wordpress/

http://steve-the-wargamer.blogspot.com/

http://fuentesdeonoro.blogspot.com/

http://greenstuffandbrass.blogspot.com/

Well that's it. Are there any prizes associated with this award? Do the blog's I've noiminated send me money?

5 Completed Napoleonic Ships

2011-04-17T19:19:00.000-04:00

I was able to spend a good chunk of Sunday morning finishing up 5 Napoleonic Sailing ships - in the front are 2 French Third rates (74 guns) and behind them 3 US ships, 2 Third Rates and the 44 gun USS Constitution. I'll be adding specific names to the ships later this week.

Here's a close up of the French ships. All of the models are 1/1200 Langton models and, as I've posted in the past, they are the best table top miniatures I've come across. I find the rigging (which I've done at a very basic level) to be very challenging but I think these came out OK. I stall have a bit of detailing to do.

Here is the US contingent - I still have some shading to do on the decks, but I'm happy with the results. You might notice the bases are different shades of blue - I find this helps with recognition on the table top, especially for new players who aren't sailing nuts like me and notice different sail patterns etc.

A close up of one the Frenchies.

Here's a shot of the ships in line. Once my son's robotics team season is complete (the world championship is only a few weeks away (4/27 - 4/30), I'll get the game room back and will get some games going using the Trafalgar rules.

Next up will be a French Second Rate and two French frigates.

I Survived....

2011-04-16T16:13:00.001-04:00

Well this year's version of my wife's reception for women dental students has come and gone. I managed to survive without any permanent physical scaring. It was tough as I had to be social and gracious and all that other "good manner's stuff".

Perhaps the most harrowing episode was when two guests discovered they were wearing the same blouse. If it were not for some fast acting diplomacy on my part this meeting engagement could have turned ugly as these things are wont to do.

Here's a picture of the hostess, my wife, in full food prep mode. All-in-all I think everyone had a good time and I managed to stay out of trouble. Of course the best part is that there are leftovers that must be consumed. That's a job that I am uniquely suited for.....

And so it Begins

2011-04-16T11:10:00.001-04:00

Today is my wife's annual Spring party for the Univ of Maryland's women Dental student society. Soon my house will be over-run by 50 20-ish females. It's a very dangerous environment and I will subjected to comments such as "Look at all the pretty soldier dolls" or "Those remind me of Ken's" or (and this is the worst) "do you play dress up with your toys?"

The one benefit of the whole ordeal is the food - oh it's a glorious French theme this year and today this "real man" definitely eats quiche and mass quantities of it. Sadly, my wife has banned my traditional greeting of the students which involves a lawn chair by the front porch, and 10 cards numbered 1 through 10. Now before you gasp, I realize this is a social event, so I never use a card below "5". You see I am the very model of decorum and class. Unfortunately, this practice has fallen victim to the fickle whims of propriety.

A Return to Napoleonic Naval

2011-04-08T22:30:00.001-04:00

Last weekend's Peninsular game at Ernie's re-ignited my Napoleonic flame - what's not to like about big battalions? One of the first era's I've ever gamed was Napoleonic naval and I just love the 1/1200 Langton models. They are the most challenging miniatures I've ever done. The first picture is the start of my British squadron. Now I need to admit I did cheat with these guys as I had them built and painted by my US Langton supplier, Rob from Waterloo Minis. Rob did a great job and his quality / prices can't be beat. I plan on using his services again as I build out my fleet and will likely be in a position where half the fleet was built by him and half by me. Give him a try,

The pride of the British fleet is the 1st Rate HMS Victory. While she might be on the slow side she does pack a wallop with her four decks of guns. These ship models are about three inches long and you can see they have a great deal of detail. While challenging, they are a lot of fun to build.

The Vanguard of the squadron are a pair of 74 gun 3rd rates (know as 3rd rates, large) These were the most numerous of the capital ships and have a nice balance of firepower and speed.

Here are some of the ships that I've done and had on hand. The one of the left is a recently assembled and painted French Third rate (74 guns). Once the paint has set, I'll seal the model and complete the rigging. If you try and matt coat a rigged model it becomes and awful mess. The ship in the middle is a recently started French 74 gun third rate. Lastly, the one to the right is the USS Constitution, which was the first Langton I ever completed. The Constitution is classified as a frigate with 44 guns but she was unusually large and could take on larger ships. She's a beautiful ship up close. The Constitution model has brass sails rather than cast metal. The brass sails look a lot better but are very difficult to put on and a bit delicate on the tabletop.

Here's a staged shot of the USS Constitution tangling with two smaller British Frigates. It's an even contest (at least with my rules!) I have a number of other completed Langton models (mostly US ships including the USS Ben Franklin, which was a rare US 74 gun Third Rater. I also have a number of unbuilt French and Spanish ship models to complete.

My goal is to build out 12-15 ship fleets for the British and French / Allies and a 7 ship US fleet for some "what-if scenarios". I've tried gaming Napoleonic naval with 1/2400 ships and while they are nice models, it just not the same as seeing the Langton's on the table top.

Hopefully I can convince Ernie to stage a combined Land / Sea Napoleonic or War of 1812 campaign using his game room and my fleets.

Game Room Design

2011-04-08T06:58:00.000-04:00

Follow this link to a blog post about my friend, Ernie's game room - he has a very cleverly designed game room which focuses as much on the player experience (light, sounds) as it does on the table top scenery. Ernie has an amazing setup and there's a lot one can learn from his techniques. Take a look and prepare to be jealous!

Peninsular Campaign Battle "Somewhere in Portugal"

2011-04-03T07:28:00.002-04:00

We played a rather large Napoleonic's game at Ernie's last night and, as usual, it was a blast. I just have a few pictures to post as Ernie will be doing a proper battler report over on the Architects of War site. We had some new players last night and it's always fun to see new faces. The scenario had the British / Portuguese fortified with a river to their backs. The French mission was simple - break through the British lines and send them into the river. I was given the overall command of the French and my forces was essentially a full corps - 27 36 figure infantry battalions, 5 calvary squadrons and 12 guns. The French were organized into 3 infantry divisions of 8 battalions each, a calvary division and a reserve brigade of 3 infantry battalions. My plan was simple - the 1st division, commanded by Chris would hold the left flank and demonstrate in front of the fortifications in the hopes of tying down the British right flank. Next would be Patrick's calvary division which would support the main attack. Bob G commanded the 2nd division, which was to form into a divisional column and make the main attack in the center. Lastly, Les commanded the 3rd division, which had all our elite light troops and his job was to attack the Brits in the village. Les had the toughest assignment of the night as the village proved to be excellent defensive terrain. The first picture shows the initial entry of our French forces onto the table.

Opposing us was a formidable combined British / Portuguese army that was 2/3rds the size of the French but well fortified in terrain suitable for defense. The British had fortifications on their extreme right and had a large hill running down the one half of the table to hide behind. Lastly, their extreme left was the village and those damned walls. The British were commanded by the sly Dick C - a dangerous opponent on any field of battle.

The next picture shows the initial skirmishing on the French right flank. Les had a lot of rough terrain to maneuver through so his initial attacks where forced to be piecemeal. In the center left you can see our main attack forming up. Just prior to this picture was an artillery duel which saw the French get the better of their British opponents.

A view down the British line - that's a lot of Frog's coming their way! As you can see the terrain was fabulous and featured a lot of the new Architects of War stuff. It was also fun as the game proved to be a great shopping event for the players. We had access to the complete Architects of War inventory - including all the newly added Perry metals (oh my). You can see some of the temptations on the shelves in the background. I picked up some more Perry artillery crew and some limbers. I also got a chance to look at the Perry Sudan range - wow, very tempting.

Back to the game. The French Column strikes home! Bob's second division makes it across the table and slams into the Highlanders. His left flank was screened by Patrick's calvary division which lost 3 squadrons doing so but successfully protected the exposed flank of the column. The divisional column proved to be unstoppable and fought its way through 4 infantry battalions and several calvary charges to break the British lines.

While Bob's Borg-like divisional column was chewing its way through the British center, Les was making headway against the Brits in the village. The Brit's put up a terrific fight, but ultimately lost two battalions and saw the 95th rifles surrounded and forced to withdraw.

The game was called at this point as a French victory. All-in-all, it was a grand evening and both Ernie and his lovely wife Barb did a fabulous job hosting yet another great gaming experience. I'm hoping Ernie will use this game as the basis for a tutorial on how to host a game event. It's not as simple as it seems and Ernie does it better than anyone I know.

The French Prepare to Move Out

2011-04-01T19:54:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow night is the big Peninsular game at Ernie's house and I'll be contributing my meager French Army to the fray. It's been awhile since my guys have seen the table top and I'm excited for another big Napoleonic game. My army currently consists of approx 380 figures and boasts 7 36 figure Line Infantry battalions, 1 42 figure Guard battalion, 3 guns and crews, 1 20 figure Light Cavalry, 1 24 figure Cuirassier and 1 28 figure Carabiniere unit. The total French force for saturday's battle will boast 26 infantry battalions alone!

Here's a shot of my infantry. All the Line infantry figures are Perry plastics. The Guard are Foundry figures. I really like the Perry plastics and find painting them a lot easier than metals.

Here's a picture of the artillery and my carabiniere unit. The artillery are Perry metals and the carabiniere are Perry plastics (French heavy cavalry set). The artillery crews were some of the first figures I painted and you can see they need some touch ups.

The other 2 calvary units of my little army are a 20 figure Light calvary (Perry Metals) and a 24 figure Cuirassier unit (Perry plastics - again).

Here's a close up on the artillery and the rather basic crew painting - well one has to start somewhere.

That must be a terrifying sight if your a British soldier on the table top!

Here's some close ups of the Line infantry. All of my figures are based as singles with magnetic bottoms which facilitates using different basing standards.

Another view of the infantry.

The Carabiniere's are my favorite unit - I love big heavy calvary units thundering across the tabletop. I've had mush success with these lads in the past - sometimes their mere presence is enough to sow confusion in the ranks of my opponents. Alas, I'm not sure if these guys, my Cuirassier or the Guard will be included in the battle. Ernie is trotting out something to do with "historical accuracy" and indicating these troops were not present in the battle we're playing. I think it's just a plot by the British players to gain an edge!

Huzahhhh!!!!!!

:)

Finished Roman Marines and a Return to Napoleonics

2011-03-27T11:29:00.000-04:00

A bit of an eclectic set of output here are the Ubergeek's lair. First off, I've managed to finish and base a 24 figure unit of Roman Marine Auxiliaries. These are the new Warlord Roman Marine metals and they are very nice figures. They have a flowing cape which makes painting very easy. This unit is the eighth in my growing 28mm Early Imperial Army.

I've been building the army in anticipation of the new Hail Caesar rule set, which I have been test playing solitaire for about a month now. I like the rules and their play style a lot. I'm planning on building out the army to have 5 cohorts of Legionaries, 2 Aux Infantry, 2 Aux Cavalry and an artillery unit. I just have 2 more 24 figure legionnaire cohorts to go! I had wanted to host some play tests with my gaming group but just haven't had the time given work and coaching commitments. There haven't been any pictures of the play tests as my opposing army consists of cardboard shapes to represent the units - it works for testing but doesn't support the "Hail Caesar" brand image
:)

As the title indicates, I've returned to Naps in anticipation of a game "Architects of War Ernie" will be hosting on April 2nd. I'll be contributing most of my French Army in the form of 7, 36 figure battalions of Line Infantry, a light cavalry unit and 3 guns. Ernie indicated that I should leave the heavy cavalry and guard units at home as they don't fit in the scenario. In order to get to 7 battalions, I need to base and scenic 2 painted units, the first of which is shown to the left. One more to go and I'll be ready.

It's been a long time since my Frenchies have seen a tabletop and rolled dice in anger so I'm looking forward to the game. Hopefully there will be a detailed battle report to follow. We're expecting up to ten players so it should be a real show. With the exception of my Guards, all of the infantry in my army are Perry plastics, which I find to be great models to paint and a lot more cost efficient when building large formations. I think I saved close to $500 going with the plastics for the "bulk" units.

WI # 282

2011-03-25T06:43:00.000-04:00

Just a quick shout out to the publishers of Wargames Illustrated for putting out a great issue with number 282 (April, 2011) and getting it delivered to my home in the states in a very reasonable timeframe. In the past it would take 2-3 months for an issue to show up but it seems that the BF team has their North American magazine distribution sorted out.

As for the contents, it's a great issue and it comes with a separate free set of rules for another Vietnam extension of Flames of War. The issue also has a lot of content related to either Black Powder (to scenarios / battle articles) or Hail Caesar - a very detailed battle report. Hat's off to Warlord Games for organizing a nice series of articles to support their products.

After reading the article and a few solitaire test plays of hail Caesar, I am really looking forward to picking up a set of the rules.

I just have to resist the urge to game Vietnam in 15mm, as I really don't need yet another project to complete.

Now it's back to painting 28mm Romans

Dreadnaught Action in the Pacific

2011-03-18T06:54:00.000-04:00

Last night I had the chance to play with a new group of gamers and it was a blast. The game for the evening was a fictional Dreadnaught era naval fight pitting a combined Japanese and British Fleet against a American, German and Russian force. We used 1/1000 scale Houston ship models and the "Victory at Sea" rule set. I was given command of two Russian Battleships. This game was the first time for me with the Victory at Sea rules and they were both easy to pick up and fun. We did use a rule were player's had to guess the range of their targets (no pre-measuring!). That rule added a lot of fun - you can see my poor ranging abilities in the first picture as I bracket the lead Japanese battleship.

The second picture was taken a few turns later when our respective lines got to point blank range. You can still see that even when close, there were still some misses from bad range guesses. The game was called a few turns later as a victory for the Japanese and British. No ships where sunk in the engagement but the US battleship Iowa was in bad shape and my lead battleship was just about to go under. The game was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed both the era and meeting a great new group of gamers.

It was a grand evening and many thanks to Dick and his wife for being such gracious hosts.

Cold Wars 2011

2011-03-12T06:23:00.001-05:00

I decided to make a quick run up to Cold Wars on Friday afternoon as I had some free time and I really wanted to see Barb and Ernie's new booth layout for Architects of War. The new booth was very impressive. The space consisted of 15 tables chock full of all there stuff, including the new Desert Building line and the "Hanging Tree" pictured to the left. The booth was doing a brisk business and I got pressed into helping put labels on products - if any of you purchase some of the Rendera 80x20mm plastic bases from AofW, just remember the ID label was skillfully placed on by yours truly. I couldn't resist the Hanging Tree, so I picked one up. According to Ernie, it as well as his new stuff was proving to be moving very briskly.

I thought the con was very heavily attended for a Friday afternoon, which is a good sign for the hobby. I'm not a fan of the venue (the Host Resort), but it seems to work and I hope HGMS has a very successful event.

Since I was in the vendor hall, and had a little time to spare I decided to wander through the other vendor booths with predictable results. My purchases were a bit muted this year as I'm still working to finish up my Early Imperial Roman (EIR) army. After reading about "Check Your Six" on the What Would Patton Do? blog, I decided to pick up a copy and some 1/300 plane miniatures. The game looks fun and the mini's appear to be a snap to paint. I'll use this game with my son and his robotic's team to see if I can recruit some new gamers - I wonder if HGMS pays a bounty for creating new gamers?? I purchased the game and mini's from a vendor called the Last Square who has a nice selection and the booth staff was very helpful in describing how the game plays. I highly recommend you stop by their booth while your at the con.

Lastly, I also picked up a copy of Command and Colors: Napoleonics. Ernie and I don't get to play as much Napoleonic as we want given time constraints so I'm hoping this will serve as a nice bridge in between the "big games". Of course, over the next few days you may here some cursing coming from my direction as I put unit stickers on what appear to be 1.5 million wooden blocks - yup it's either 1.5MM of 320 blocks but either way that's a lot of blocks!

PA Championship Results

2011-03-07T07:16:00.000-05:00

My son's team competed in the PA Robotics' Championship tournament this past weekend in Weatherly, PA. The team did very well. We were a bit disappointed to get knocked out of the competitive aspect in the semi final round but that's how it goes. We did learn that our autonomous program needs to be a bit more fault tolerant and that's an important lesson. Our next competition is the big one - the World Championship in St Louis (April 27-30). The competition will be both a real challenge and a lot of fun. The picture shows the boys during the judges review.

We did win the Rockwell Collins "Innovate" award, which is given to the robot that the judges feel has the best overall design to complete the challenge. It's a nice vote of confidence for our design. Now hopefully I can get some painting in!

Roman Marines: First Stand

2011-02-27T09:56:00.002-05:00

Here's a few pictures of the first 6 of 24 Roman Marine Auxiliaries for my Roman Army. The figures are metals from Warlord Games. The painting is simple block painting followed up by three GW washes - ashurmen blue for the cape and shield front, ogryn flesh for the exposed skin, and gryphonne sepia for everything else.

I like the overall look and the darkish blues of the capes will make the unit standout a bit more on the tabletop. These figures are metal and sold in lots of 8, so putting together a unit isn't that expensive.

I'm going to wait a few days to see how the colors hold after drying before sealing with a matt finish (army painter brand).

I also managed to get in a very quick play test of "Hail Caesar" this morning using 5 units of Romans vs some Guals. No pictures as the Gallic army was just cardboard cut out to the proper unit sizes. It was an ambush scenario and lets just say when caught out of formation Romans just aren't as formidable an opponent. The game is great fun.

Hail Caesar Play Test

2011-02-26T07:56:00.001-05:00

The gaming gods are smiling upon me as I have received a rough draft of the upcoming "Hail Caesar" rules from John Stallard at Warlord Games to play test with my gaming group. Well to be honest, I received a bunch of word documents that have the text but no pictures, but it's more than enough to start testing.

Before anyone asks, I can not and will not share the files with anyone else so please don't ask. I will share the results of our play testing and, of course, my witty banter - what a deal!

As posted on the Warlord Website, the game is similar in structure to Black Powder, but with more emphasis on melee combat and, in my opinion, maneuver. The basic mechanics are simple, but there is a nice level of optionality in how various units and capabilities are combined. I've played a couple of basic turns with my 28mm Roman army and I feel that Hail Caesar plays a bit more deeply than Black Powder - there a few more things to think about. Of course, when playing solitaire, my opinions are of questionable value given the rather limited capabilities of my opponent. I have determine that Legionnaires with support are a very tough nut to crack.

I'm going to get my gaming buddies together over the next few weeks and do some proper play testing (assuming I can "borrow" my table from my son's robotics team).

One note - I remember when BP first came out, there was a lot of hemming and hawing about the cost of high quality books with glossy pictures and what a crime it was for publishers to "force" people to pay a higher price for a higher quality book. Well I've had the opportunity to see the rules in a rather basic format - just text, no pictures and I've come to a conclusion on this topic. With all due respect, those of you clamoring to save $20 - $25 dollars or so to get a stripped down version are, shall we say, ummm, "missing the point" (see, I was polite). Our hobby is a visual one and seeing top flight miniatures is half the fun and I think well worth a bit of a price premium. That's just one gamer's opinion, void where prohibited by law, your milage may vary...

I May Never Get My Game Room Back!

2011-02-25T10:12:00.000-05:00

Big news on the robotics front - my son's team has been invited to compete in the World Championship tournament, which will be held in St Louis April 27-30th. This invitation is a pretty big deal and the team is very excited.

Of course it also means that the old gaming room will remain a robotic's room for a few more months. I'll get some painting in but rather limited on the game hosting front. I think that's a small price to pay!

Roman Calvary Finished and a Review of the Legion

2011-02-21T08:56:00.000-05:00

The second unit of Roman Auxiliary Cavalry is finished and based. I'm happy with how these figures came out, although my free-hand painting skills for the banner are somewhat simplistic! All of the figures are metals from Warlord Games and they were good to paint up. I still prefer plastic over metal but that's just me.

Here is a close up of the calvary command and you can see the somewhat sketchy free hand work on the banner but it will work. I'm not sure if any Roman calvary wore yellow - I used the color to ensure the unit stands out on the table top to make playing a game a bit easier. The shield transfers are from Little Big Man Studios and I had a bit of a challenge getting them to fit the shields. While the packaging stated they were for Warlord Auxiliaries the shield was too small for the transfer. They look OK and I'll likely go back and touch up a few in the next few days.

Here's my Legion as it stands now, 3 cohorts of Legionnaires, 2 Aux Infantry, 2 Aux Calvary and an Artillery Unit plus 2 commanders. The vast majority of the figures are from Warlord and I really like the EIR product line. Sorry about the background but my war games table is being used by my son's robotics team right now.

The center is the heart of the Legion and boasts 3 Cohorts of Legionnaires (the center and right side Warlord plastics painted by me). The Scorpions and Ballista and command figures are also from Warlord. I know, I know, I still need to scenic the bases....
I have enough plastic figures to build 3 more 24 man cohorts (2 regular, 1 Praetorian). Overtime my goal is to have 10 24 man cohorts - now that's a legion!

The right flank consists of a unit of Warlord plastic Auxiliaries painted by me and a unit of Auxiliary Calvary that I purchased at Fall-In from Pictors Studio. I think the figures are from Wargames Factory.

The left flank has a similar make-up as the right - one unit of Auxiliary Calvary (the newly finished ones) and a unit of the famous Roman "Ghost Marines". Yup, you heard me, Ghost Marines - hey it's my army.

OK so maybe they're just primed and awaiting painting. The figures are the new Warlord metal Roman Marines and they are fantastic figures. I especially like the metal spears that they come with but let me warn you those spears are sharp!

The last picture shows the marines from the rear wear you can get a better picture of their cloaks. I'm looking forward to painting these guys up. I'm not sure if Warlord makes a command pack for these guys so I just added a brass rod for a standard and will paint up another figure to be the commander.

Progress on the Roman Cavalry & Uncivil War Play Tests

2011-02-13T17:49:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post. I just about finished my second unit of Roman Auxiliary cavalry. The only steps left are some clean up, shading and applying the Little Big Man Studios Shield transfers. This unit unit should be finished be next weekend.

I also made some progress on the USS Monogahala, which has been primed and had it's deck painted. The replacement brass rod for masts seems to working very well and the model is very durable.

Next up will be some "uncivil war" figures from Architects of War and then I'll likely start the 24 Roman Marines from Warlord - think auxiliaries with capes. The Marine models are metal with wire spears.

The next statement may sound like heresy to some, but I definitely favor modeling and painting 28mm hard plastic figures over their metal counterparts. It's not the cost factor the drives this inclination, I just find painting the plastic figs a bit easier than metal. I should probably feel ashamed...

:)

On the gaming front, I did help with some more play testing of Ernie's upcoming "Uncivil War" skirmish ruleset. Ernie had us concentrate on some of the introductory scenarios which only have a handful of figures per side. One game features a sherif's posse hunting deserters and it was a blast. To be honest, I was a little dubious about how much fun a game could be with only 4-6 characters per side but I was proven wrong. Here are some pictures of the games in progress.

A ACW Ship, a Well and Romans

2011-02-06T17:03:00.000-05:00

A bit of eclectic out put today on the modeling front. After Friday's ironclad game, I decided to expand the fleet. All of my current ships are models from Thoroughbred Miniatures and they are fantastic pieces. I did pick up two Union frigates from Bay Area Yards and decided to build one of them, the USS Monogahala, this morning. To be honest I was disappointed with the model's casting quality and sparse detail parts. The masts that came with it are very thin white metal that just will not hold up on the table top.

I decided to chuck the masts that came with the kit and scratch build my own from brass rod, plastic and green stuff for the furled sails. The first picture shows my progress so far and I'm satisfied. Once rigged, I think the model will look fine. There was also a great deal of flash and casting knobs I had to remove from the hull which was a bit of a pain. We'll see how it turns out over the next few days.

I also finished up the Well kit from Architects of War. It's a nice, simple kit and the casting is top notch - zero flash or bubbles. The well is scaled for 28mm and will make a nice accessory to an upcoming skirmish game. The kit even comes with the thread for the bucket.

Lastly, I made some progress on my Roman Auxiliary cavalry and should have these guys finished up in a week. While I didn't plan on doing this my Roman army was expanded on Friday when I had the chance to purchase some of the new Warlord Roman Marines (think auxiliary infantry with cool capes!). Ernie had just received a shipment from Warlord for AofW and called to let me know they were available.

ACW Ironclad Game

2011-02-05T07:58:00.000-05:00

I hosted a ironclad game last night to try out a new rule set "Sail and Steam Navies" which were written by Dave Brandon and are available from Bay Area Yards.

The purpose of the game was to get familiar with the rules so I can use them as part of a larger ACW campaign game I'm planning. The scenario was simple - a force of 6 Union ships commanded by Ernie and Mike had the objective to sink the commerce raider CSS Stonewall which was attempting to deliver a confederate ambassador to England. Escorting the Stonewall was a fleet of four confederate ships (The Virginia, Tennessee, Richmond and Baltic). I know it's not a historic scenario and the fleet composition was really just based on what I had painted!. The Confederates were commanded by Dick. All of my ship models are from Thoroughbred Miniatures

"Sail and Steam Navies" plays very cleanly once you understand the sequence which consists of (i) Movement speed, (ii) Cannonade, (iii) Movement round 1 and (iv) movement round 2. There are other aspects to the sequence I've omitted. One has to think ahead for moving, especially when trying to set up ramming attacks. In our game the bulk of the confederate fleet rushed forward to meet 3 of the Union ships in a narrow channel in the hopes of bottling them up and dispatching them with ramming. The only hitch is the fleets passed each other (often by less than a half inch! The result was six Union ships bearing down on the Stonewall with the four CSS escorts back in the distance trying to catch up.

The last picture shows the end of the Stonewall. While a fast ship, her boilers were hit which reduced her speed from 10 inches to 3, which allowed the Union to catch her and in the end after hammering her armor on the starboard side down to zero dispatch her with a ramming attack!

The heart of the game system are the ship status logs which have a wealth of information about the ship and are used to track damage, movement speed etc. One of the more impressive things about the game system is that it comes with around 1,000 unique ship data cards - sometimes ships have multiple versions to reflect equipment and/or armament changes during the course of the war.

I really liked the rules and I think the guys got the jist of it after a couple turns. We did have some confusion on when to write movement orders and the two impulse move structure. This wasn't due to unclear rule writing but more force of habit from other naval game systems and my poor instructions. I do appreciate Ernie, Mike and Dick being such gracious test subjects. Sometimes it can be frustrating to be thrown into a new game system and these guys were great sports about it.

The highlight of the evening was when Dick showed up with him Naval Gaming brief case - it was stuffed full of gaming templates and markers and was a hoot. Good show, Dick! The base structure for my planned civil was campaign is becoming clear

Major Land Battles: 6mm figures, Black Powder Rules
Naval: 1/600 scale ships, Sail and Steam Navies
Skirmish/Raids: 28mm figures, Uncivil War rules

Uncivil War Battle Report: The Battle of Swamptown

2011-02-03T20:37:00.000-05:00

I wrote up a rather detailed battle report on our recent test game for Arichtects of War's new skirmish rule set for the American Civil War entitled "Uncivil War".

The game was a blast and featured a waterborne assault, calvary battles, looting and a brave last stand in a Pig Sty - one of the most fun table top games I've ever played.

Ernie has posted the report on his website so you'll need to click on the link below - I think you'll find it worth the time to read it.

Uncivil War Battle Report: The Battle of Swamptown

More Robotics and another win!

2011-01-31T06:44:00.001-05:00

There wasn't a lot of modeling this past week as I was coaching my son's robotics team (team 3113) to prepare for and compete in another competition - the South Central Pennsylvania Qualifier. It was a very tough event and despite some real electronics issues we managed to eek out another win.

I was very proud of the boys as our robots electronics had real issues and required extensive on the spot repairs. We'll need to replace or repair some of our electronic components before the next competition in March. The picture shows the end game of one of the finals matches (best two out of three) where our robot (3113) and our alliance partner managed to balance on the swing bridge with just 4 seconds to go in the match. The extra points from balancing swung the match in our favor.

This competition was very rough as the referees allowed a lot of contact. It's a good thing we built are robot to be both slow and heavy (like the coach!) as the ability to either withstand ramming or push robots out of the way was critical to winning. The boys also won a design excellence award which was really cool.

This week we'll be doing a full inspection and developing a repair prioritization list. I may never get my game room back!

Romans, Rebs and Yanks

2011-01-23T10:53:00.002-05:00

I had a chance to sneak down to the game room and get some painting time in as my son is away on a scout outing so there will be no Robotic's practice this weekend. After seeing some great Roman Auxiliary calvary posts for Big Red Bat's blog, I thought it would be fun to finish off my second unit of aux calvary (Warlord figures). I've always been a bit nervous about painting horses but wanted to get the job done before the new "Hail Caesar" rules come out in the Spring / Summer.

Here's a shot that shows my mobile painting station. It's a 24 inch x 24 inch piece of plywood with a shelf . I find using a relatively small space forces me to be somewhat organized and that helps lend to spending more time painting rather than looking for "that" part!

I've also started 2 packs of the new "Uncivil War" figures and currently they have been primed and awaiting painting once the Romans are complete. Last night, AofW Ernie hosted another play test of the rules and let me say it was a blast. A battle report will be coming shortly, but here's a few teaser shots....

A portion of the confederates approach through the swamps.

Pig Sty Alamo!!!!!!!!!
Hmmmm, I wonder where I could get a cool pig sty model like that?

"Uncivil War" Play Test

2011-01-17T21:34:00.001-05:00

Ernie invited me over for another play test of his new "Uncivil War" skirmish ruleset. He's planning to do a full battle report on his blog so I've only got a few pictures here. The game featured Ernie's wonderful terrain and painted figures. The first picture shows the town, which was the objective of the raid.

The scenario involved a water borne confederate assault on a Union held town to steal supplies. Outside the town was a Union calvary regiment. The Confederates also had some off-table calvary but it's entry was controlled by a die roll.

The last picture shows the battle about two thirds through - here a detachment of dismounted Union calvary is about to demonstrate how effective sharps repeaters are at close range on rebels caught out in the open. Thank goodness the rebs (me!) had two characters with the troops including "the Swede" the large gentlemen who is very deadly in close combat.

What happened in the game? - I''ll leave that to Ernie to describe in a future blog post. lets just say it was a fun outing and the rules are coming along nicely.

The last photo also shows a proto-type of Architects of War's new laser cut barn model (with the roof removed) - it's a great terrain piece and very easy to put together.

6mm ACW 2 Completed Divisions & a New Book

2011-01-16T11:45:00.001-05:00

The picture to the left shows the latest additions to my 6mm ACW collection - A full Confederate Division on the right and a full Union division on the left. These are Baccus figures and were purchased as Army packs. I also completed 15 artillery limbers and have another 16 to complete. I put the limbers way in the back so you can't see the "quick" paint job. A single color for the horses, another for the limber and the a wash of GW Baddab Black to bring out the traces and details. Not that good from 3 inches away but serviceable from 2 feet. Lastly, you can see the defensive works I posted about earlier.

I did get a new book for Christmas - Col Nick Lipscombe's "Peninsular War Atlas". What a beautiful book. While a bit pricey, ($70.00) both the text and maps are very well done. There's also a fantastic appendix with all sorts of detailed orders of battle and such. Of course having this book means that my hobby will be returning to Napoleonics at some point in the near future. I highly recommend this book if your interested in the period.

My next project will be some of the new "Uncivil War" 28mm figures from Architects of War that I got for Christmas. They're very cool - but that's another post.

6mm ACW Defensive Works & Based Union Division

2011-01-09T16:24:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of my new 6mm ACW defensive works occupied by a Brigade of Union troops. I wanted to make some sectional defensive works that both fir how I base my ACW stuff and look relatively good on the table.

So far there are four straight sections, 2 90 degree turns, an artillery position and a breached section. I like the look of them and will likely make some more. I'm undecided if I should make them by hand one by one or make some molds and cast them in resin. I'm leaning towards resin and will try one to see how it works out.

I'm still fiddling with the details. One comment that I received on the previous post was to glue some sand at the top of each gabbion to simulate the "dirt" filling. I plan on doing so once I find some finer sand to use. My attempt at texturing the sides of the gabbions didn't work that well after painting. All-in-all these are a good first start.

In addition to the defensive works, I finished basing another Union division (pictured) and am 80% through a similarly sized Confederate division. The next step for the Union is to add the flags and they are ready for the table.

6MM ACW Test Field Fortifications

2011-01-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

One of my goals this year is to run a ACW campaign using my fairly large (3,000+ figure) collection of 6mm ACW figures. In order to do a proper job I will need some field fortification and thought I should try and make some myself. My armies use a 60mm x 30mm basing standard for infantry and calvary so the fortification bases are 60mm x 40mm.

The first picture are my test pieces - three straight sections, a 90 degree turn, an artillery emplacement and a breached section.

Here's the view from the other side - they were simple to make - a bit of ground material and gabions made out of 1/8 inch wooden dowels that were "roughed up" with 60 grit sand paper. A light layer of playground sand with be added to the defenders side. The right side of the second picture shows a 60 x 30mm base which would be placed in the open space on the fortification stands.

I these work out, the next step will be to make some molds and cast a bunch of them.

Here is a very useful tool for modelers - "The Chopper II" - it allows one to make repetitive, precise cuts easily - say like a bazillion 5mm tall gabions. The Chopper is left over from my rail road modeling days where I used to scratch build structures using scale planks!

2010 In Review

2010-12-31T09:31:00.000-05:00

Yikes, like a lemming to the sea, I have this undeniable yearning to write one of those tacky year in review entries. My only defense is that, well, all the other "kids" are doing it too.

In all seriousness, 2010 was a good year for me on both the family front (most important) and the hobby front.

From a hobby perspective, I entered 2010 with the following goals (i) game more, (ii) host some games, (iii) add one new army/period, (iv) flesh out my Napoleonic French force, and (v) use the Black Powder ruleset with 6mm ACW.

I was able to accomplish four out the five goals with an epic fail on (iii) add ONE new army/period. I just couldn't keep to one and seem to have gone on a bit of a naval bender during 2010 adding fairly large fleets for WWI, ACW Ironclads and 1/2400 Napoleonic naval - a total of 67 painted and based ship models.

There were two hobby related events that really standout for me during 2010. The first is helping, in a small way, my friend Ernie launch his new business "Architects of War". Ernie and his wife Barb have done an amazing job getting their business off-the-ground in 2010 - the business started operations in late January, opened selling to the public at Historicon and is ending the year with a large product line of over 50 unique terrain items, a new line of 28mm ACW skirmish figures, and being the sole US distributor for Perry Plastics, Gripping Beast and others. Not a bad showing for a two person operation. If you haven't checked out their stuff please do so - you will not be disappointed. I take no credit for Ernie and Barb's success, my role was essentially to lift heavy things and try not to damage the inventory.

The second big event for me was attending my first convention (Historicon) for three days rather than a quick day trip and run through the vendor area. I had a blast and look forward to returning to future Historicon's. I do blame my little aquatic diversion this year on a Russo Japanese War naval battle I participated in at Historicon put on by Brian DeWitt and the NOVAG gaming club. I played in the game on Friday and by Saturday I had a load of GHQ 1/2400 WWI naval miniatures in my "loot" bag - go figure. I do hope GHQ gave Brian a sales commission. The highlight of the convention was the big Napoleonic game put on by Ernie, the Perry twins and John Stallard - what a game that was!

On the modeling front, outside of the Naval output, I manage to build up a small 28mm Imperial Roman army and finish up my 6mm ACW collection by completing 4 additional divisions (2 confederate and 2 Union) bring my total collection to approximately 3,000 painted figures in 3 Union and 3 Confederate divisions. The numbers seem so much bigger when using 6mm. I have found that Black powder plays extremely well in 6mm (just convert the gauge from inches to centimeters) and it allows for very large battles to be fought easily.

2010 also saw some terrain output, especially for 6mm ACW and 15mm FOW. I find I like making terrain as much as painting figures.

My goals for 2011 are simple
- continue to stress gaming over collecting and host at least 6 games at the house, including running a 6mm ACW campaign game
- revamp my game room to allow for more storage and complete the "man-cave" conversion
- build some modular terrain boards
- finish up the 28mm Imperial Romans and get them on the table
- attend Historicon in July (pending executive spouse approval)
- participate in a tournament style gaming event (likely FOW) to see how I like it
- try focusing on finishing armies rather than adding new ones.

I have high hopes for all of these goals save the last one - ooohhh look there's something shiny over there....

Uncharted Seas Battle Report

2010-12-29T22:35:00.000-05:00

The naval-themed holiday break here at the Lair continued today as my son and I got in a quick game of Uncharted Seas. It's been ages since we've played and we were very rusty on the rules. Our game was a meeting engagement between and Orc and Iron Dwarf fleets, each of which consisted of a batlteship, 3 cruisers and 6 frigates.

There was some rudimentary scenery in this game which did have a big impact on play. The second picture is about halfway throught the game and my son Orc cruisers are lined up for a run at my battleship. The dice were not kind to Sean this evening and his cruisers took a pounding from the battleship and Frigates

This picture is from the end of the last turn. The Orc fleet only had it's Battleship and 2 frigates afloat to face the dwarf fleet which had only lost 2 frigates - although one cruiser was had one damage point left. All in all it was a fun and quick game.

Here's a photo of the Orc admiral, who was very gracious in defeat. I do think he is plotting for a re-match in a day or two, so I need to gloat now as I doubt he'll let me off so easy next time.

Uncharted Seas is one of those odd games that is both simple and fun but yet still never seems to get played that much. I'm trying to hold back on jumping into Spartan's new Dystopian Wars game system but it looks awfully tempting.

Trafalgar Test Battle - The Conclusion

2010-12-28T22:52:00.001-05:00

Here is the second part of the Trafalgar test game Battle report - turns 12 to 22. The French fleet continues to press it's position advantage and pours heavy raking fire into the HMS Victory. The British begin to land some more blows as the line of third rates (second group from the bottom) begin to fire on the the French 1st rate (Austerlitz) and their second rate, the Commerce de Paris.

By turn 14 both the HMS Victory and Phoebe have been reduced to dis-masted wrecks and they have fallen out of the line. The Austerlitz has taken a pounding but is still game for the fight.

The French heavies manage to cross over the Britsh third raters and and succed in dismasting the HMS Conqueror and the beat up the Orion, setting both on fire. So far, the British have lost three ships to none for the French but that's about to change.

The British fleet pulls a crafty move and shifts it's entire focus on the the line of 5 French 3rd rates (at the very top of the picture). The French heavies (a First Rates and 2 second raters pass along the British but damage has slowed them and once they turn to re-engage they can not catch up. The line of French Frigates (lower left) is fast enough to catch up and harass the English fleet as they pound the French third raters. At this point my camera battery died so no more pictures. Lets just say the British fleet got some revenge as they sank 2 French 3rd raters and heavily damaged two others at the cost of one of theirs and another frigate.

Overall, the battle went to the French with the following tally:

British Losses
Sunk: Conqueror (3rd Rate), Orion (3rd Rate), Agamemnon (3rd Rate, small) and the Frigates Phoebe and Macedonian.
Taken as a prize by the French: HMS Victory (oh the shame)

French Losses
Sunk: Bucentaure (2nd Rate), Orion and Lion (3rd Raters)

As for the Trafalgar ruleset, I liked them but need to get a better grasp of the finer points of fleet movement. The game was really won for the French in the first six moves before contact. The importance of maneuver makes sense from a historical perspective, but all the advantages seem to go the way of the French early on. Once the basics of the rules are understood the game plays very fast and is suitable for larger fleet actions

The use of an iPad for damage tracking was a big success but the spreadsheet tool i was using needs a good bit of refinement.

Trafalgar with an iPad

2010-12-26T13:21:00.000-05:00

I decided to get out my 1/2400 Napoleonic fleets and have a go at a game with a twist - I'm using an iPad to track damage of the British fleet and just pen and paper for the French. The first picture shows all the game supplies one needs to play a game of Trafalgar. I'll ramble on about the tracking software later on.

The next picture shows the fleets in there starting positions, with the British in the lower left and the French at the other end of the table. Both fleets consist of 12 ships eachs - 1 First Rate, 2 Second Rates, 5 3rd Rates, 1 Small 3rd Rate (64 guns) and 3 frigates. The miniatures are from Figurehead.

A close up of the British fleet. The flag ship (HMS Victory) is leading the center column. My apologies for the rather bland seascape - it's just a blue piece of canvas that hasn't been trimmed for the table top. While not the best, it does work for a test game.

First Contact! As the fleets where closing the wind shifted in the favor of the French which allowed them to close fast and set up long range raking shots from the Austerlitz (1st Rate) and Commerce de Paris (2nd Rate) on the HMS Victory. Fate was not kind to the Brits as 3 critical hits were rolled and not saved. The Vicrory's rudder was jammed and she can't change course until she rolls a "6" (on a D6) to repair the damage.

The Fleets continue to close but the hapless Victory only plows ahead into even more deadly raking fire from the French Heavies. But all is not lost for our plucky British - their frigate line (top right) is giving the French 74's something to think about. A critical hit from the frigate Phoebe has set the Orion (a third rate) on fire. Apparently, uncontrolled fires on wooden ship stuffed with gunpowder are a bad thing. The Phoebe did pay a price as she lost her foremast in the exchange and will be significantly slower. How does the battle turn out? Well you must wait for a second post....

The real goal of the game was to play around with using an iPad as a game tool. The picture to the left shows an individual ship's damage sheet (in this case the Victory). Each ship has a similar page.

The neat thing about tracking electronically is that individual ship data can feed into a summary listing so a player can get a good understanding of his fleet status at a glance. The formating is crude as it's just a prototype but I think there is real promise here with the technology. I'm just using a spreadsheet now but it works.

As far as practicality, using a electronic tracking form is likely more trouble than it's worth if there are only a handful of ship per side (say 2 or 3 each). It becomes incredibly useful when playing large fleet actions where one can become confused easily. I've also tested a version that sends it data to a third party (game umpire). One of the side benefit of using this approach is that players can send out fleet lists before a battle and allow players to get a good understanding of the forces - that saves time on game day which leads to more game time vs set up time.

I'll be doing some more prototyping over the Christmas holiday and hopefully will refine the tool so it can be used for multiple game formats. I'll be trying Uncharted Seas next.

I would be very interested in anyones thoughts on how to improve the concept of electronic tracking or other ideas for how to use an iPad with gaming.

2010-12-21T07:14:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyful Festivus and/or insert politically correct holiday salutation here! Here in the Geek's Lair we are busy with holiday preparations. You know, the preparations where my wife commands me to do "this" and then "encourages me to do "that". We try to make a big deal of this season with lots of baking and weight gaining (perhaps those are somehow related?). Despite a lagging economy, 2010 has turned out to be a pretty good year and we're looking to send it off in a grand way by spending time together. Perhaps a little "over-sentimental" but that's the way it is.

Both I and my family wish all of you and yours a wonderful holiday season. Hopefully, Santa will be good to you and remember to bring me the special dice I asked for - you know the ones that only roll sixes!

To steal a quote from Clement Moore, "Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight"

Robotics: Maryland State Championship Winners!

2010-12-12T06:55:00.003-05:00

Not much on the miniature wargaming front as it was crunch time for the my son's Boy Scout troop's robotics team (I'm the coach) as it prepared for the Dec 11th Maryland State Championships. A very surprising thing happened - they won!

Here's a team picture with their plaque, trophy and individual medals. Our team is wearing grey "Craftsman Tools" shirts. My son is the second from the left in the back - curly hair, big muscles and a very large smile. I'm the dorky looking guy in a green sweat shirt and ball cap in the right rear.

The next picture was taken at the end of the final match and it was a fitting tribute to the day as all four robots performed spectacularly! The score of the match was 52 to 50 in our favor so it was very close. You can see that all four 'bots are balancing on the swing bridges, which earns each team extra points. That's pretty impressive as each bot weighs anywhere from 10 - 50+ pounds. We specifically designed our 'bot to be very strong, a bit slow (therefore, easier to control) and very heavy. The mass differential was very important to us as there is a good bit of "contact" on the field. During one of the qualifying rounds our bot was repeatedly rammed on each side by the two opposing bots, much to their dismay, as one flipped over and the second lost it's moveable arm. Our 'bot just kept going it's slow and steady pace.

There were 34 teams competing at the tournament, one came from as far away as Italy, so the competition was very fierce. Our team placed fourth overall in the qualifying period but managed to win the single elimination championship tournament. This was our third year competing as a team and a marked improvement over our previous performances.

The last picture is a closer view of our robot during one of the matches - it was in the process of balancing itself on the bridge during the autonomous part of the competition. Each match has 2 parts - an autonomous portion where the robot operates on it's own and a tele-op mode where the robot is driven via remote control by the team.

I'm very proud of the Scouts.

Huzzah!!!!!!!!!

War of 1812: A Battle "Somewhere" in Canada

2010-11-27T19:02:00.000-05:00

Today I had the opportunity to play a war game at Ernie's house (Architects of War). I had thought we were going to play test his new Uncivil American Civil War rules, but Ernie felt that would be too "work-like" so he opted for a War of 1812 game using his house Napoleonic's rules (Gentlemen of Rank). The rules are command and control oriented and use command cards which means units, especially militia and indians can do unexpected things. It's a fun game system. The first picture shows the table which features some of Ernie's gorgeous Architects of War terrain.

The US force (commanded by me) was the attacker and our objective was to seize the port at the other end of the table. The US attacking force consisted of 3 Regular infantry battalions, 2 Militia battalions, 2 dragoon troops and 2 guns. Opposing the US were a mixed force of 2 Regular British line Battalions, 1 Canadian Militia Battalion, 2 Bands of Indians (think foot calvary) and a single gun.

Here are my brave troops entering the board. The bulk of the regulars entered on the right flank. The center was held by a gun and 1 regular battalion and militia and a Dragoon troop made up the left flank. By the way there is a sneak peak of some of Ernie's future terrain releases in the pick but I'm not allowed to tell you what they are.

The British deployed in depth with their 2 regular battalions up front with the gun in the center. The Militia made up a second line, just behind the white church/meeting house in the upper center of the picture. The Indians were just arriving via canoe at the dock and would soon join the fray. A few other notable features of the battlefield are the hedges along the road and the stone walls, all which played important roles in the battle.

The bulk of my forces advanced up the right flank, shielded by a hedge on the left. One of my two guns was with this force also - you can just see it behind the large tree. Just prior to this picture being taken, the British (played very well be Mike) had dispatched my other cannon with very effective counter battery fire! My remaining cannon was not long for this world either as a few turns later, Mike played one of his command cards, which indicated a fuse malfunctioned on my cannon and it blew up. We lovingly call these command cards "F-U Cards"

But all was not lost, the Dragoon troop with the main force charged the lone British cannon and quickly dispatched the crew. Unfortunately I lost control of the unit (command cards again) and it plowed forward into a waiting Indian Band. Let's just say the Indians "took care of business" and my dragoons routed from the table. At this point neither army had artillery - the battle became an infantry focused slugfest.

The most dramatic action of the day occurred on the far left flank. The second band of Indians charged my other dragoon unit which was dismounted and already reduced to 8 figures for 12. My unit had to draw a reaction card and the result was a counter charge - 8 dismounted calvary troopers charging 21 blood-thirsty Indians. My guys took 5 casualties and inflicted 3 on the Indians - but one of those was the chief and the unit broke! This as complete luck on my part and was the turning point in the game my left flank gained a very large advantage.

The indians managed to rally but were then charged by one of my militia units and further worn down. In the center the second Indian band charged one of the US regular battalions (in the cornfield) but were held in check. On the following turn the US unit counter-charged the Indians and put them to flight. The carry through of the charge then brought the unit into contact with the flank of the center British battalion which was not in position to repulse the attack from where the Indians were supposed to be. The British broke and routed back. The resulting morale check forced the other British battalion to fall back in disorder.

The US initiated a general advance across the line, chasing the retreating British and their remaining Canadian allies towards the port. The game was called a US victory but it was a very near run of things.

All-in-all it was a great afternoon. As you can see from the photos the terrain and figures were fabulous. Ernie makes some great products which I think really enhance the overall gaming experience. I also really enjoyed the War of 1812 setting - a nice combination of Napoleonics in a very colorful setting. I hope we play another 1812 themed game very soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T07:35:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving Day is my favorite Holiday - it's one that actually reminds one to be thankful for what you have and two it encourages gluttony! While I am sure I'm biased, there is no finer food than my wife's Turkey.

I took the picture yesterday while my son, Sean, and I were waiting in line to pick up our Turkeys from a local poultry producer, Maple Lawn Farms. Typically, I get the birds on the tuesday before Thanksgiving rather than the Wed so there usually isn't a line. Not so this year! It was a pleasant wait but there was an awkward moment as the line snaked past one of the Turkey pens where we were eyed very menacingly by a bunch of Turkeys who must have known what was about.

Thanksgiving is a bit of a chaotic show in our home - I've lost count of the guest list (things like that are above my household pay grade) but I think it's above 30 by now.

I am worried about a playtest Ernie (Architects of War) is running this Saturday using his developing American Civil War skirmish rules - after the amount of Turkey and supporting food units that I plan to consume today I may not be able to reach any mini's in the middle of his table!!

Have a great holiday everyone.

WWPD Podcast

2010-11-23T18:36:00.000-05:00

There is a new podcast out there for historical miniatures that I highly recommend - "What Would Patton Do?: News From the Front" The main focus is Flames of War but there are hints of a broader range of topics in the future.

Like all new endeavors, this podcast has had some initial technical issues and an occasional rant, but it seems to have settled down into an enjoyable listen. I especially enjoyed the most current episode (number 6) as there was a nice walk through of some of the new FOW books that are coming out. Lets just say that either my or my son's Christmas list will be enlarged to add the new D-Day book that's coming out.

Give it a listen, I think you'll like it.

Note: some of the earlier episodes have some rough language, fortunately the level of colorful language appears to have been toned down to a more genteel level for the more current podcasts. If bad language offends you, skip episode four.