Finished the 1/1200 scale port

 Before solely focusing on 28mm War of 1812 stuff for Fall-In, I wanted to finish up the 1/1200 scale port to be used in Napoleonic naval games.  I think it came out pretty well.

 This is a small port that's defended by a large fort.  It might be viewed as a bit "over-board" for what in game terms is a simple objective but I think good scenery adds a great deal to a game experience.

 The fort casting and all of the houses / sea wall sections are manufactured by Langton Miniatures, who also put out superb ship models.

 Here's a close up of the town.  I have some details to add to the dock sections - piles of naval supplies and spare masts and will get around to that in the next few weeks.

 I decided to make the fort optional and have a small piece to add in for scenarios where the fort isn't really needed.  This was a fun little project!

Planning for Lundy's Lane at Fall In

 I will be hosting a largish game (at least to me) at Fall In that will attempt to recreated the battle of Lundy's Lane from the War of 1812.  The respective armies are mostly done - I still need to do a few British command stands and maybe a unit of Congreve Rockets.  The next big step in the preparations will be the Terrain.  The main feature of the battle was a large hill that traded hands several times during the battle along with woods and a farmstead.

The table size will be 5 feet x 10 feet and I've decided to build some terrain boards rather than go with overlapping terrain mats.  The boards will be 2ft x 5ft sections and umm I guess I'll need 5 of them!

I'm still trying to work out how to model the hill but it will be roughly 2ftx3ft and I need to terrain it so it works with both 28mm and 15mm (Flames of War).  Hopefully, I'll get the frames built for the terrain sections and hill this weekend.  I've got some Renedra fencing and the new cabin from Architects of War will do nicely for the farm.

This will be a "big battalion" game with 36-40 figs per battalion and 9-10 battalions per side.  Now to be honest, the orders of battle will not be exact representations of who was at the battle but more "representative" of the battle and units involved in the War of 1812.  Think of this game like those Hollywood historical epics that are "inspired by" actual events.

I am very pleased to announce that the game will have prize support from not one but two vendors at Fall-In - Architects of War and Knuckleduster Miniatures.  If your interested and going to Fall-In, please sign up when the PEL gets announced

1/1200 Scale Port

 I'm taking a short break from 28mm War of 1812 to work on some terrain for my 1/1200 Napoleonic Naval collection.  A port would be a nice feature to add for some new types of scenarios - convoy protection, raids, invasions etc.

The first photo shows the port in a table edge configuration along with an imposing castle to protect it.  The buildings are all from Langton.

Here's a shot of the port configured as a very small island.  I'll also be able to do an island configurations with the fort by switching the right end piece to the "table edge" of the fort section.

I'm still playing around with the configuration of the houses but will likely start adding scenery in a day or so.

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated

20 Questions: The Uber Geek Version

Like a lemming, I'm following Fran and Ray's example and answering the 20 questions.  I warn you, this foray into the very essence of the Uber Geek isn't pretty - you've been warned!

1.        Favourite Wargaming period and why?

1/1200 Napoleonic naval - all those pretty Langton models and not that many people to compete with

2.       Next period, money no object?

This is a tough one, but I'd have to say the Seven Years War / French and Indian Wars.  All the pretty uniforms and varied terrains make for a big investment

3.       Favourite 5 films?

- Seven Samurai

- The Searchers

- Young Frankenstein

- The Producers (the one with Zero Mostel)

- Inception (ohhh, I feel so trendy now)

4.       Favourite 5 TV series?

- The Wire, Season 1

- The Wire, Season 2

- The Wire, Season 3

Have you figured out the trend yet?

5.       Favourite book and author?

- The Odyssey, Homer

6.       Greatest General? Can’t count yourself!!

- Davout

7.       Favourite Wargames rules?

- Hail Caesar

8.       Favourite Sport and team?

- American Football, The New Orleans Saints!

9.       If you had a only use once time machine, when and where would you go?

- Back to meet Thomas Jefferson

10.   Last meal on Death Row?

- Something with lots of beans so I could get one last parting "shot" on the way out

11.    Fantasy relationship and why?

- My wife, 'cause she reads this blog

12.   If your life were a movie, who would play you?

- George Clooney.  Well George Clooney if he looked like Roger Ebert

13.   Favourite Comic  Superhero?

- Iron Man

14.   Favourite Military quote?

"Courage is fear holding on a minute longer" George Patton

15.   Historical destination to visit?

- The Pryramids

16.   Biggest Wargaming regret?

- Not getting started in the hobby earlier

17.   Favourite Fantasy job?

- Charter Sail Boat Captain

18.   Favourite Song, Top 5?

Everday, BoDeans

Comfort Eagle, Cake

This is Us, Mark Knopfler & Emmy Lou Harris

Hurt, Johnny Cash (well just about anything for Mr. Cash)

Toledo, Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach 

19.   Favourite Wargaming Moment?

My first game of 28mm Napoleonics.  I quickly found out that marching British infantry, in column formation, into French guns equals disaster and I spent the rest of the game cowering behind hills.  Despite that, the whole spectacle on Ernie's table top had me hooked!

20.   The miserable Git question, what upsets you?

Dishonesty

War of 1812: US Marines and Naval Gun Crew Completed

 Some more progress on my War of 1812 project as I managed to complete both a 36 figure US Marine unit and a Naval gun crew along with a 24lb gun (well not really...)

All of the figures are from Knuckleduster and I enjoy painting them.

 Here's a close up of the Marines.  Both US and British Marines didn't carry colors into battle as they were either borne by the ship they came from or left in the barracks.  The uniforms had gold piping and buttons and these gentlemen will definitely stand out on the table top.

 Here's a close up of the Joshua Barney.  I've based him as a leader (hence the larger round base).  I'm very happy with how he came out.  The base is a bit bare so I'm thinking of adding a split rail fence and some other details.

 A close up of the Naval Gun crew and their trusty 24 lbr.  Well it isn't really a naval gun, it's really and Old Glory casting of unknown pedigree that I found in my lead pile and have pressed into service.  It's a bit bigger than the rest of the guns so that says 24lbr to me!  I really like how one of the figures is using his pistol's flint to fire the cannon - very charecterful figures.

 Here's the 2 armies as they stand.  Nine completed British Battalions and eight US plus some calvary and artillery for both sides.

Next up on the painting queue are some mounted Kentucky rifles (with dismounted figures) to the right and another 36 figure Maryland militia unit for the US.  I also have some Victrix metals for the British command stands and three artillery limbers.  All of this is in anticipation of hosting a game at Fall-In so I'll need to get to play testing in a few weeks.

War of 1812: US Marines Painting Progress

 A good bit of progress on a 36 figure US Marine unit for my War of 1812 project.  Over the weekend I completed the basic painting and now need to finish both some details, touch ups and  apply the GW washes to clean up the lines.  These figures are 28mm and are manufactured by Knuckleduster Miniatures.

I'm hazarding a close up pictures of the "work-in-progress" which shows my shaky hand.  As a lazy painter of dubious skill, I've grown to rely on the use of a "dip" wash (applied with a brush) to make the minor imperfections fade away and add depth to the figures.  The Knuckleduster range really benefit from the washes given the prominent features in their sculpting style.  Unfortunately, my wash of choice are the discontinued GW washes.  I think I've ranted enough about that topic...

Next up will be Joshua Barney and his flotilla men who served as artillery crews and makeshift infantry.

All of this painting is being done in preparation of a game I'll be running at Fall In.  My original plan was to refight Lundy's Lane but now I'm leaning towards Bladensburg given the mixture of units at the battle.  Either way the game will be a big one and will use "big battalions" (36-40 figures per) which always look good on the tabletop.

War of 1812: US Marines & Naval Gun Crew

 Some painting "in-process" shots of more figures for my 28mm War of 1812 collection.  A 36 figure US Marine infantry unit and a 6 figure naval gun crew.  All of the figures are new ranges from Knuckleduster.

Here's  a close up of the Naval Gun crew.  The figures are Joshua Barney and his unit of flotilla crewman who fought as infantry at the Battle of Bladensburg.  The flotilla men and a detachment of Marines were the only units that didn't run away during the battle.

Lastly, a closer shot of the US marines.  These uniforms are a bit more ornate than the standard US infantry but they should be fun to paint.

After this batch the next unit in the painting line will be a 36 figure Maryland Militia unit.

4Ground Medieval Dwelling

 My first purchase from Historicon to get onto the workbench is this laser cut MDF Medieval cottage from 4Ground Miniatures.  I purchased the kit from the Age of Glory booth.

I must say that I am very impressed with the overall quality of the kit and how easy it was to put together.

 The MDF cuts that come with the kit provide both interior as well as exterior details.  While not as nice as the Architects of War Medieval resin structures these are still very nice kits and extremely good value for the money.  The kit comes with a basic pre-paint of white for the exterior and interior walls with the exposed timbers being laser cut and browned.

Total assembly time was less than 15 minutes excluding the drying time for the teddy bear fur "thatched" roof.  I'll be adding a packed dirt floor and some other interior details but this structure will make a nice addition to my Saga tabletop.

Steve over that the WWPD Saga website, Tapestry has a review of another of the 4Ground Medieval cottages.

Returning to the War of 1812

 With Historicon in the books, it's time to return and finish up my War of 1812 Project.  The Fall In theme is the War of 1812 and it might be fun to run a linked set of games during the con.  Of course setting a deadline also forces me to actually complete stuff so that's part of the plan.  The first picture shows my 28mm War of 1812 forces in total (along with my Langton ships).

 I've completed 5, 36 figure US battalions and have 2 more primed and ready to go. The US forces are all figures from Knuckleduster and consist of 3 Regulars, 1 Rifle and 1 Militia.  The unpainted US forces are a battalion of Marines and Maryland Militia.  There is also a 12 figure unit of Mounted Kentucky Rifles that needs to be completed.

 Outside of command stands, the British are pretty much done and are mostly Perry figures with some Victrix metal heads for the Royal Marines.  The British force consists of 7 regular line infantry battalions, 1 unit of Canadian Rifles (Glengarry Lights) and a unit of Royal marines.  The British also have a small 12 figure unit of Light Dragoons and three artillery.

 More British battalions sneaking up on the US.

Lastly, here are the British Dragoons - these are Perry metals and they're wonderful models

I'm thinking about trying to run a game for Fall In but that might be tough given my son's robotic's schedule - we'll see how the next month or so plays out before making a final decision.  If I do go, I'm thinking of running a two part game - a naval battle that determines if one side receives reinforcements and then a land battle on the following day with the attacker being determined by the results of the naval battle.  Right now it's all talk but lets see....

Historicon Wrap Up

After running games on Friday, I spent Saturday playing Saga in the morning, a really fun Zombie game in the afternoon and then I ran a Saga demo for Architects of War Saturday night.  Alas, I forgot to take any pictures, which may be a blessing for my readers as they may have had images of me!

Overall, I would rate may con experience as a solid "A".  Some of the highlights included:
- Playing in the Saga Tournament on Thursday
- Running my Hail Caesar game twice with good very close games both times
- Playing about 11 games of Saga over the course of the con - my Normans got a good work out and need some minor repairs
- Helping Ernie and Barb over at Architects of War - they certainly had a very impressive booth and array of events at the con
- The new site in Fredericksburg is better than either Lancaster or Valley Forge given the convention facility, hotels and dining choices

As with all historical wargamers, this entry wouldn't be complete without some negatives, but lets call them "opportunities for improvement" ohh I feel very politically correct now.

- I need to figure a better way to pack my ancients as they got a bit banged up in transit nothing major but I spent some time in repairs thursday night.
- While the overall facility was top notch there are some areas that could be improved upon, namely adding in some dividers in the main gaming hall to reduce noise build up and adding some additional staff to keep the facilities cleaner
- Attendance seemed to be down from last year but that's hard to gauge without some data
- There wasn't a convient bar location to go and relax in between games.  There was a bar at the facility and it was efficient but there wasn't an area to go and relax to chat.  Perhaps next year one of the side rooms might be converted into a bit of a lounge area.

I will say the pluses far outweigh the minuses and I'm very much looking forward to next year's Historicon.  Hat's off to the HMGS staff for organizing and pulling off a great convention in somewhat difficult circumstances.  I suspect the attendance numbers will rebound next year when people realize that a good HMGS-East convention can be had outside of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

You may not hear a lot from me for the next week or so as my wife and I are traveling to celebrate our 25th anniversary.  If I pull this off right, I may be able to negotiate rights to make it to Fall-In!