Quindia Studios

Jyske (Jutland)

2012-01-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

Here is my third battalion for the army of William III...

Jyske (Jutland)... Fynske (Funen) should be finished by next weekend!

Flag Monday

2012-01-23T07:32:00.000-05:00

I know it has been a long time since I've posted a flag. I thought I'd written a post explaining that these offerings would become more sporadic... well actually, I did, but I found it sitting in my 'Drafts' folder yesterday! I have been extremely busy of late, both with hobby related projects and mundane, boring day-time jobs kind of things, and I've caught up with the AWI flags I had made for my personal use! Anyway, I plan to finish off the Gostelowe Return flags at least and here is number seven...

The motto means 'By Preservance'. As with most of the Gostelowe flags, it is more likely a northern one, with New York being most likely.

I'll have more flags in the future, but certainly not every week - at least for a while!

Zealand (Sjaellandske)

2012-01-20T08:36:00.002-05:00

I finished this last week, but have been remiss about taking photos...

My third battalion, Jutland or Jyske is nearly finished as well - hopefully I can add a few pics up this weekend.

Edit: This version of the Zealand uniform was not issued until 1691 so would be incorrect for the Boyne and Aughrim! The uniform would probably have been blue (about the same color as used for the facings on these models) with white facings.

For now, the unit will stand as is, but I may swap out the flags and replace it in the future. Many of the Jacobite units wore grey with various facings (and most are unknown) so at some point these lads will probably switch sides (not unlike what happened in the real campaign for Ireland).

Jutland (Jydske) WIP 01

2012-01-07T16:21:00.001-05:00

Here is the start of my third regiment - Jutland (Jydske).

The officers of this lot seem to have been more serious and less taken toward ostentatious displays as they wear the same color uniform coat as their men (or maybe they just don't want to be such easy targets).

Zealand WIP 05

2012-01-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

All done! It will probably be this weekend before I can get them based because I want to add a couple of scenic details.

Starting another unit this afternoon... Jutland, I think... very similar to these guys, grey coats but with red distinctives rather than blue and black cravats instead of white...

Zealand WIP 04

2012-01-04T08:30:00.000-05:00

Just the command models yet to do and I'll have a second unit finished!

Quindia Studios 2012

2012-01-01T14:31:00.000-05:00

So what's in store for Quindia Studios in 2012? As far a miniatures, my New Years resolution is to paint stuff from the Quindia Studios warehouse. I must have thousands unpainted models tucked away. While I'm not saying I won't buy anything new (perish the thought), I am saying I won't buy anything for a particular period until I finish units I have on hand for that period. So what are my plans for 2012? In no particular order...

1. Grand Alliance - 2012 is going to be the year of the Grand Alliance for me. I plan on painting up two armies of Warfare Miniatures over the coming year, focusing on the Boyne/Aughrim theater. My initial plan for the Williamite army includes four 'brigades' of two to four battalions each - Dutch, Danish, Huguenot, and Anglo-Irish. I'll add artillery and a small cavalry force as these become available from Warfare. My Jacobite army will only half as many infantry units and maybe a few light guns, but make up for that with lots of cavalry.

2. Napoleonic - It's been a while since I've done any work on this period, but I must have a dozen boxes of plastic Perry and Victrix models that I haven't even opened. Some things I'd like to paint this year include two boxes of Perry French Dragoons. I'd also like to add another unit of Spanish, converted from Victrix Revolutionary French. Finally I have a three gun battery of French Foot Artillery including limbers that I'd like to add to my painted cabinets.

3. Dark Ages - I recently bought the models to build a Norman warband for the SAGA game to face off against my Vikings. With all of the chainmail, they sould be fast to paint and I'll try to slip them in between other projects.

4. AWI - This was obviously a focus of mine last year and I hope to continue to add troops in 2012. I have enough models to build two more units of militia and two units of uniformed continentals. If I get around to painting these this year, I'll order enough models for a couple more continental units, a small force of dragoons, and a few canons to round out the American army. In the future I then look toward the troops of King George...

5. WW2 - I have a respectable force of 28mm Germans for skirmishing and maybe a squad of US Paratroopers painted and ready for action. I need some more Americans to get in a game and luckily for the purposes of my New Years resolution, I have enough to build a strong platoon. The only thing I would need to buy are a few support teams, but only after I knuckle down and paint the rankers!

6. ECW - I have a great collection for Parliament designed around William Waller's army at the Battle of Cropredy Bridge, but I only have a handful of units finished for the King's army. I do, however, have enough unpainted lead on hand to build another four or five battalions of foot and maybe six squadrons of horse. One of these days, I'll get around to painting them.

7. Darkest Africa - I have a large collection of models for this period as well. I have dozens of unpainted natives, more uniformed Askari, villainous looking Arabs, some colonial German regulars, and characters of all types.

8. Warhammer 40k - I have huge collections of models for this sci-fi game, and an equally large amount of unpainted stuff. My armies for the Imperium are Crimson Fist Space Marines and Death Korps of Krieg Imperial Guard. For the enemies of Mankind, I have Chaos Space Marines and Orks. A Warhammer army is never finished and I have lots of unpainted models for all of these armies - at some point in the year, I'm sure one of these will draw my attention again. I also have another small army of Space Marines that I've never photographed before that I'll roll out on the blog this year and a massive army of Tyranids of which I have painted all of three models...

9. Warhammer Fantasy - I started off 2011 with the intention of painting an army for this game and failed to paint more than a handful of miniatures. My brother has a 6000+ point Skaven army that he is dying to thrash me with and at some point I intend to get an army on the field. I have a decent amount of both Empire and Goblins tucked away and one of these armies should at least get some attention this year. I also want to paint another warband to face off against my Empire troops for Mordheim. More on that game in the coming year as well...

Whew. We'll see how this goes. I have the attention span of a four year old, but the great thing is that I should already have something for any time period that draws my eye (no I will not be collecting armies for the Crimean War). I'll add a separate post detailing the publishing projects I'll have a hand in for the coming year in a few days...

Again, I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve and wish everyone all the best for 2012!

Zealand WIP 03

2011-12-31T08:16:00.001-05:00

My last post of 2011 - With ten models finished, this unit is on track to be finished in the coming week...

Happy New Year! I have a lot of different projects on tap for 2012 and I'll tell you all about them in a few days.

Zealand WIP 02

2011-12-28T19:53:00.003-05:00

Lighter coats, six models finished!

Zealand (Sjaellandske) WIP 01

2011-12-28T08:26:00.000-05:00

The first recruits of the next battalion in my Danish Brigade:

Now that I see them in a photo, I notice the grey coats turned out a little darker than I wanted so they are in need of another highlight. I was concerned about not having enough contrast between the grey coats and white stockings (which I never bring up to pure white on campaign uniforms), but I think the mud spatter will take care of that anyway! Anyway, as you can see, this unit will be depicted in a gun line. Most of the command figures will be in the second rank as it makes for a more effective presentation with small wargames units if the models are dealing death across the entire face of the battalion.

Now these lads are off to the tailor for some lighter fabric, which they will be sporting in WIP 02!

Danish Foot Guard (Garden til Fods)

2011-12-24T19:30:00.002-05:00

I finally had the chance to base my first unit of Warfare Miniatures...

This is also a first look at one of the flag sets we will soon offer through Warfare Miniatures. Details soon...

Merry Christmas!

Bountiful Christmas

2011-12-22T11:43:00.001-05:00

Wishing You a Bountiful Christmas and New Year

This was the Christmas Card we sent out this year and I wanted to share it with all of my friends who visit the blog. I also wanted to show off a little - for those who don't know, my wife Sara is also an artist and the picture above is a photograph I took of a painting that she finished last week. It is an acrylic on canvas, 36x27", and will soon hang in our dining room (when I get around to finishing the assembly of the frame).

I want to wish each of you and your families a Merry Christmas!

SAGA News

2011-12-22T09:09:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I received my long awaited SAGA dice! I pre-ordered sets for Normans and Vikings months ago. Production problems delayed shipment, but they have arrived just in time for Christmas - hopefully the impetus I need to paint up my Norman warband!

In other news, Gripping Beast has just announced the first supplement for the game is due out in the first quarter of 2012! Northern Fury will give us 4 new factions to lead into battle, and contains the Battleboards and rules needed to play these warbands. It also has new Heroes of Viking Age for these factions plus a specially designed multi-player scenario.

The new factions in the Northern Fury supplement are:

The Bretons - These warriors fought on horseback using javelins and hit and run tactics to disrupt their enemies before dealing that killer blow.
The Jomsvikings - Pagan warriors who's wrath and ferocity was legendry, historians still argue about their existence, but now you can field them in your games.
The Scots - Descendants of the Irish migrants established on the western coasts of Caledonia, the Scots whose spears invited death to all who came near.
The Anglo-Saxons - Sons of Ælfred the Great, they were known for courage and tenacity in battle, the Vikings feared them and rightly so, at the Battle of Brunanburh the seeds of England were sown.

New Artillery Offer from Warfare Miniatures!

2011-12-21T20:39:00.000-05:00

Pre-orders for the FIELD GUN and POSITIONAL GUN can now be placed in the League of Augsburg Shop. The guns come with 4 and 6 crew respectively.

The guns are ready but the crews will not be available for a couple of weeks. We are taking preorders now and to make that a little sweet we are offering two added bonuses:

1. any order OVER £40.00 and including a gun will ship free till Jan 15.
2. The first 30 orders for each gun will receive a free limber (as yet unreleased) free with the order. If you order one of each gun and it is within the first 30 you'll get 2 limbers free.

Painted and Photographed by Barry Hilton

There are also two new codes in the shop: WLOA12 and WLOA13; These are the long awaited mixed codes to allow you to add even more variety to your units!

Danish Foot Guard WIP - 03

2011-12-20T00:39:00.000-05:00

All of the models are finished. I've decided not to use the washes. It doesn't look bad, but as others pointed out in the earlier post, they don't really need the extra step.

I would like to point out Danish grenadiers probably did not wear fur caps in Ireland (my chosen theater). It would be more accurate to portray them in cloth caps or even floppy hats like the rest of the unit. For the purposes of my wargame unit, I chose these models because their pose matched the advancing posture of the rest of the unit. I'll base these troops properly over the next few days and have the finished unit for display, flags and all!

Flag Monday

2011-12-19T00:04:00.000-05:00

Here we are - Gostelowe Return number six! The motto means 'Either death or an honorable life'. I have no idea who may have carried this... the sixth continental regiment?

Warfare Miniature Personalities

2011-12-16T18:09:00.000-05:00

The sculptor's brief was to portray Patrick Sarsfield as a true hero in the Irish tradition - fearless, cavalier, full of dash and derring do. I think this is captured perfectly in this absolutely beautiful piece of work. I can't wait to get my hands on this model!

You can see the other three personality models in the League of Augsburg gallery, including King William III, King James II, and Marquis de St Ruhe (Ruth)!

Games Workshop Washes

2011-12-16T08:55:00.000-05:00

I am experimenting with using Citadel washes from Games Workshop to unify the colors and add depth to my models. The concept works along the same lines as the Army Painter Quickshade dips with several differences. The Games Workshop washes have a high degree of transparency, but maintain a strong color even when watered down, which means I can simply apply the wash to the entire model AFTER I've finished all of my other painting. They dry flat and thus require a much lighter coat of varnish to seal. These washes are also water soluble so I don't need to keep turpentine around and I can use my normal brushes to apply it. Of course, the Citadel washes are much more costly than Army Painter since they come in a little bitty jar...

Here is one of the models I painted for the uniform guide in Beneath the Lily Banners.

The model on the left is finished in my normal painting style, simple layers, sans washes. In the photo on the right a simple wash of Gryphonne Sepia has been applied to the entire model, though I was careful not to let any areas 'puddle up' by removing the excess with a clean, dry brush (works like a sponge). The wash seems to add a richer tone and a generally smoother finish with the only sacrifice being an extra two minutes.

In the end, it may not even be necessary. Opinions would be appreciated...

Danish Foot Guard - WIP 02

2011-12-14T00:32:00.002-05:00

One stand worth of minis finished, though not in their final grouping. The right hand base will consist of four foot and two grenadiers. The central stand will be an officer, two ensigns, a drummer, and one foot (but will count as six models for game purposes). The third stand will be five foot and a sergeant...

Danish Foot Guard (Garden til Fods) - WIP 01

2011-12-12T09:08:00.001-05:00

I have finally gotten around to digging into my Warfare Miniatures pile and sorted out the models for four battalions of foot, destined for a Danish brigade for the campaign In Ireland 1690. Of course these units will be based for Beneath the Lily Banners which means I will need units of 15-18 models (3 stands of 5-6 models). The rules are quite liberal as far as frontage goes - anything from 15-20mm per model will work fine. I've opted for 50x50mm bases because I like the way they looked with my AWI units.

Here are my first two dashing lads from the Danish Foot Guard or Garden til Fods. These models are from the WOLA4 Musketeer Advancing pack which make up the rank and file. I removed the fixed plug bayonets, but that left me with empty scabbards on their belts. I simply cut down the blade of the bayonet to serve as the plug and glued the tiny contraption to the coat above the scabbard (you can see this clearly on the right hand model).

I want this army to have a very hard, campaign look so they'll normally be sporting scruffy chins and muddy boots. The coats were painted with Foundry Boneyard A and highlighted with Foundry Boneyard B. The cuffs, waistcoat, and breeches were painted with Vallejo Red (70926), Flat Red (70957), and final highlights of Scarlet (817).

I'll post these 'real time' as I finish them (and as I get the chance to take photos) for a running Work in Progress series.

Flag Monday

2011-12-12T01:26:00.001-05:00

Here is the fifth flag from the Gostelowe Returns. I have no information on which unit may have carried this flag. It depicts a hand pierced by thorns with the arm clothed in a red coat...

Flag Monday

2011-12-05T00:40:00.001-05:00

Here is the fourth flag from the Gostelowe Returns. Known as America Triumphant, this flag features a defeated Britannia. The rising sun motif was later adopted by New York into its state arms, so this flag may be most suitable for a New York Regiment.

Warfare Miniatures US Agent

2011-12-02T16:22:00.001-05:00

Warfare Miniatures has concluded an agreement to sell products through an agent in the United States of America.

From January 2012, Triangle Miniatures in Raleigh, North Carolina will carry the full range of Warfare Miniatures products. Triangle already sells Republic to Empire and Beneath the Lily Banners. Triangle Miniatures has a great reputation for service is run by Buddy Hoch who has over 30 years experience in the hobby and is well known. This will mean quick and service and of course nice and cheap postal rates if you are a North American customer.

In the UK and for other markets the arrangements remain the same with The League of Augsburg (which will have a shop upgrade over the Christmas break) and Northstar Military Figures handling web sales. Warfare Miniatures will also continue to be available at shows through Mr Dave Thomas.

Flag Monday

2011-11-28T00:30:00.000-05:00

Here is the third flag from the Gostelowe Return. I haven't found any references as to who may have carried this. It seems like most of these flags have ties to northern states, so this might be most appropriate for a continental unit. There was speculation that at the time of the Gostelowe Return there were thirteen Continental regiments, and that this then would have been for the third regiment... kind of a moot point since I can't find a list of which regiment would have been from where.

Warfare Miniatures

2011-11-26T15:17:00.001-05:00

I wanted to post these pics for two reasons - first they not only show more great Warfare Miniatures, but I also designed them (using photos of Barry Hilton's growing collection) and they will appear as a double-page spread in an upcoming Wargames Illustrated...

Breaking a bit of news (there is a small preview in the ad), I will be designing a range of flag sheets to compliment the Warfare Miniature line. The first sets will cover the Jacobite Wars. Many will be useful for other theaters of the period, but we will be concentrating first on the units that fought in Ireland and Scotland. They will be done in the style of my free AWI flags. Besides the known flags of the theater we will offer a range of fictional flags suitable for filling in units where history hasn't endured (Many of the Jacobite devices in particular are unknown).

As usual, keep an eye here and at the League of Augsburg site for more details!

Flag Monday

2011-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here's the second flag of the Gostelowe Return. Captain James Duncan, a Pennsylvanian and member of Hazen's Regiment recorded that he planted a color on the ramparts of Yorktown that bore the motto 'Manus haec inimica tyrannis'... it may work for any unknown Pennsylvanian regiment...

Christmas Comes Early

2011-11-20T01:17:00.001-05:00

When I got home this afternoon from running some errands there was a box on my porch with the telltale Customs Declaration tag and Royal Mail sticker that declares a package from the UK. Inside were well over 100 Warfare Miniature castings - enough to build at least five battalions for Beneath the Lily Banners! I've painted a dozen or so of these models for inclusion in the uniform guides, but this will be my first chance to turn out full units.

My campaign of focus will be the Boyne/Augrim theater and the battle for the English Crown. My plans are to start out with the Williamite army, specifically with a Danish Brigade. The Danish regiments in Ireland appear to have been:

Garden til Fods (Foot Guard)
Dronningen (Queen's) Regiment
Prince George's Regiment
Prince Karl's Regiment
Prince Christian's Regiment
Jyske (Jutland) Regiment
Sjaellandske (Zealand) Regiment
Fynske (Funen) Regiment

For my wargames army, I think a brigade of four units will suffice and will include the Foot Guards. I'll decide on exactly which units will back them up as I get on. I am still gathering material on the uniforms and flags. I have read that the Danish troops apparently did not carry pikes in Ireland so these units will count as 'All Musket' in BLB. However, I will probably paint the pike stands for the non-guard units - one of the great benefits of this period is the similarity of uniforms between armies and the grey-coated Danes might easily pass for troops from other nations with a quick change of flags!

I have really become mildly obsessed with this period so look for 2012 to be full of units from 1690. I plan on adding two battalions of Dutch Guard, a mixed unit of Grenadiers, and a mixed brigade of English and Huguenot troops to round out my Williamite foot. Maybe by the time I get that far, the horse and dragoons from Warfare Miniatures will be out!

I should also mention that we are working on the first supplement for BLB that will focus on the Jacobite Wars in Scotland and Ireland (it's no coincidence that my first collections will be from this theater). This book is set to include an overview of the campaigns, more than twenty scenarios, and an extensive guide to armies,uniforms, and flags.

Fun stuff!

Viking Berserkers

2011-11-17T00:30:00.000-05:00

These are the first of my 'new' Vikings, meaning that I painted them last week. Berserkers are treated as Hearthguard with a bonus in melee and a penalty on their armor.

Ye Flag Monday

2011-11-14T00:30:00.000-05:00

The standards of the Gostelowe Return are named for Major Jonathan Gostelowe who prepared an extensive inventory (or 'return') of arms and other military supplies on hand in July and August of 1778 in Philadelphia. One section of the report is titled "A Return of ye New Standards & Division Colours for ye Use of ye Army of ye United States of America In the Possession of Major Jonathan Gostelowe, Com'y Mil'y Stores". There are thirteen standards, most listed with their color, their device, and their motto.

The standards that follow are based on the designs of Edward R Richardson in his book Standards and Colors of the American Revolution. Besides the descriptions given in the return, Richardson drew on devices of seals designed by Francis Hopkins and Benjamin Franklin and similar iconography from the symbols of currency and state arms of the colonies.

I'm not going into all of the details of each flag beyond conjecture about who MAY have carried it. We simply don't know much about these flags. Highbrow wargamers prefer these to the stars and stripes despite the fact that many are just as shrouded in mystery and conjecture. The first flag is known as 'The Headman Color'. One Speculation as to which unit carried this (if any) may have been a militia unit from Philadelphia, but as usual there is just as much evidence against this as for.

This is the first of thirteen weeks that I will post these flags, which will take us well into 2012. As I said, I am not sure who carried any of them but I will present a guess when there is information...

Viking Levy

2011-11-11T00:09:00.000-05:00

Here are four of my Viking Levy models. I still need to paint a few more to field a SAGA 'legal' 12-model unit. If I had any criticism of SAGA so far it would be in requiring the 12-model units be bow armed. Archers would have been very rare in any Viking army, but any warband resorting to Levy end up with what seems like a disproportionate number of them. They aren't great troops and they probably need the numbers to be effective, but my 6-point SAGA warband has 41 models and with 12 Levy, that's roughly a third of my force with bows. Of course, to satisfy my issue I can replace the whole lot with another band of Hearthguard or Warriors and ditch the arrows entirely. Maybe I'll use them for my Anglo-Danish warband...

My Normans arrived this week, but I've got a commission to finish up before I can start on them...

New Warfare Miniatures

2011-11-09T22:03:00.000-05:00

There are three new codes from the Warfare Miniatures line available at the LoA Shop! There are lots of exciting plans for this range we should see new codes on a regular basis. Artillery and senior officers will follow before the end of November 2011!

WLOA10 Dismounted Dragoons with Hats

WLOA11 Grenadiers in Fur Caps Storming the Breach

WLOA14 Casualties

The Dragoons and casualties were painted by Barry Hilton (there will be painted examples of Grenadiers on the LoA site soon).

Flag Monday

2011-11-07T00:03:00.000-05:00

This flag is said to be the headquarters standard of General George Washington, but as most AWI standards it is questioned by some historians. It appears in two early postwar paintings, supervised by eyewitnesses, the Battle of Princeton by William Mercer and the surrender of Yorktown by the French artist Van Blarenberghe. It was donated to the Society by Miss Frances B. Lovell, a descendant of Washington's only sister, Betty Washington Lewis.

It is accepted by most experts as being Washington's Headquarters Flag and the standard of the army in 1781. A reproduction of this flag flies today at Washington's Headquarters,Valley Forge.

Viking Warriors

2011-11-02T05:52:00.000-04:00

Here are a few of the warriors that will form one of the units in my Viking Saga warband (click on each image to see a larger pic)...

Next week I'll post some pics of a few Viking Levy...

Flag Monday

2011-10-31T12:25:00.000-04:00

Here's a flag you could use for almost any American AWI unit with an unknown flag...

There are lots of different 13-stripe flags, some with cantons and some without known as 'Union' flags. This one was flown over Fort Mifflin in 1777. Again, this may not have been carried on the field, but it could easily have been copied by militia units. In any case, the thirteen stripe motif was common and this will look really cool on the tabletop!

Virginia Militia

2011-10-28T00:03:00.000-04:00

I have FINALLY finished my third AWI militia unit...

It was my original intention to use the Culpeper Militia flag, but after I finished the unit I decided to make it more personal and designed a flag to represent a militia unit raised in the Williamsburg Military District. This is purely conjecture based on the Albemarle Military District flag and here is a bonus Flag Monday flag!

More Vikings next week and some TYW photos...

Viking Hearthguard

2011-10-26T00:30:00.000-04:00

The photos for my Saga Vikings I posted last week were old so I thought I'd take some better pictures (click on each image to see a larger pic)...

These are Wargames Foundry models sculpted by Mark Sims (as are all of my Vikings). These stalwart veterans will form one of my Viking Hearthguard units.

Flag Monday

2011-10-24T10:16:00.000-04:00

I realized I haven't posted a plain 'Don't Tread On Me' flag besides the rattler incorporated into the Culpeper Militia flag. Here we go, two different colors...

I have a few weeks of generic flags and the George Washington HQ flag coming up and then I will start a series of all thirteen flags from the Gostelowe Returns.

SAGA

2011-10-22T14:46:00.000-04:00

My life seems to FINALLY be returning to normal so I can get in some quality hobby time besides Flag Monday (Don't worry - that feature should continue at least through the rest of the year). I have another unit of AWI militia finished and awaiting photography, a unit of TYW infantry around the half way mark, a load of Warfare Miniatures in the mail, and of course I decided to start something new...

I check in over at Dave Imrie's Saxon Dog blog just about every day and he has an annoying habit of making me want to paint the same period he's working on (and he changes gears as often as I do). A week or so ago, he posted a small Anglo-Dane warband designed for use with the new SAGA game from Gripping Beast. I'd heard some interesting things about this game (including Dave writing "I have played 'Saga' three or four times at the SESW Club and I have to say...I'm hooked!") so I ordered a copy and it arrived yesterday. After reading through the rules (yes I read the whole book in a day - not only does it seem like an easy game, it was a fun read) I can't wait to them out.

Without going into great detail about the rules (I can if anyone wants, but there is a great review at The Man Cave), warbands are built with a very simple point system. The Warlord who leads the force (and your alter ego in miniature) is required and is free. Remaining models cost one point per group and the number of models in each depends on the class of troops you choose... 4 Hearthguard, 8 Warriors, or 12 Levy. The basic intro game requires only four points of models, moving to six points standard once you get the hang of things. Once purchased, models are grouped into units of 4-12 models. For instance, if you spend three points on Hearthguard, you could field them as one unit of 12 models, two units of 6 models, three units of 4 models, etc. You can play your first games with only 30 or 40 models per side.

Here's the great part. I ALREADY HAVE enough Vikings painted to field a four and a half point warband (the half point comes from only having six archer levy)!

These models are left over from a WAB project I started YEARS ago. I have nearly sold off this collection several times and I'm glad I didn't. They were painted with my first foray into the Kevin Dallimore style and happen to still resemble my work today. I want to go back and weather them a bit, beat up their shields to give a more battle worn appearance, and touch up the bases, but with the addition of ten models (4 berserkers and 6 archers which I already have in my unpainted mountain of lead) I can field the following six point SAGA Viking Warband:

1 Warlord (Weglaf Ravenshelm)
2 units of Viking Hearthguard (4 models each)
1 unit of Viking Berserkers (4 models)
2 units of Viking Warriors (one unit of 12 models and a reserve of 4 models)
2 units of Viking Levy (6 models each)

The actual composition might vary once I get a few games in, but you get the idea. This afternoon I dropped enough cash on the Perry site to get a six point Norman army (based on their minis from the Crusaders line). There may be a few anachronistic details for games set before 1066, but I think they will work well enough for a heroic style skirmish game.

I am looking forward to getting back into a regular painting groove and hopefully updates will come on a more regular basis in the future.

Flag Monday

2011-10-17T09:38:00.002-04:00

When a New York sheriff, leading 300 militiamen, attempted to take possession of Grants farms in 1771, he was met with resistance. A determined group of Bennington militia led by young firebrands Ethan Allen and Remember Baker blocked his efforts.

Several Grants towns then organized committees of safety and military companies to protect their interests against the Yorkers. These military groups called themselves “The New Hampshire Men” while New York authorities referred to them as the “Bennington Mob” and rioters. By 1772, they were called the “Green Mountain Boys.” When they continued to terrorize, beat, and burn out Yorkers the governor of New York offered rewards for their capture and then, in absentia, sentenced them to death. In response, their leader Ethan Allen declared they were fighting for their “liberty, property, and life,” thereby linking the Grants’ cause to America’s fight with Britain.

When the American Revolutionary War started in 1775, Ethan Allen and a troop of his men, along with Connecticut Colonel Benedict Arnold, marched up to Lake Champlain and captured the strategically important military posts at Fort Ticonderoga, Crown Point, and Fort George, all in New York. The Boys also briefly held St. John's in Québec, but retreated on word of arriving British regulars. The Green Mountain Boys later formed the basis of the Vermont militia that selected Seth Warner as its leader, officially authorized by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1775.

Flag Monday

2011-10-10T00:09:00.000-04:00

Throughout the early Revolutionary War period there were several of these "Liberty Tree" flags used by the colonists. Preble recounts the story of this famous tree in his book, Our Flag:

The old liberty tree in Boston was the largest of a grove of beautiful elms that stood in Hanover square at the corner of Orange . . . and Essex streets . . . It received the name of liberty tree, from the association called the Sons of Liberty holding their meetings under it during the summer of 1765. The ground under it was called Liberty Hall. A pole fastened to its trunk rose far above its branching top, and when a red flag was thrown to the breezethe signal was understood by the people. Here the Sons of Liberty held many notable meetings, and pacards and banners were often suspended from the limbs or affixed to the tree.

After some time, meetings were held at this tree and following the repeal of the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party, the British cut down the tree. Thus, it became a symbol for the colonists.

As promised, here's another version with the pine tree motif. This particular design was originally used by a squadron of six cruisers commissioned under George Washington. There are many variations of this design with the motto above or below the tree, a variation in phrase with "An Appeal to God", or the addition of the 'Don't Tread On Me' rattlesnake. This flag could be used for any militia unit from New England or the other northern states.

The Second Wave

2011-10-05T06:36:00.000-04:00

Second sales to first time customers have been very encouraging. Encouraging enough for Barry to commission the 2nd wave production moulds. This means that we should have a quantity of new packs available for CRISIS ANTWERP 4TH NOVEMBER. Preorders should probably be available on the 2nd Wave in late October at the LoA Shop.

WAVES 2 & 3 will have at least 16 packs but possibly 20. The list currently is as follows:

1.Gun of Position + 6 crew
2.Field gun + 4 crew
3.Light gun +2 crew
4.Galloper gun + 2 crew
5.Limber set
6.Tumbril cart set
7.Wagon set
8.Grenadier storming party
9.Senior Commanders (2 mounted officers)
10.Staff Group (1 mounted & 2 dismounted officers)
11.Mixed codes 1 (poses that will compliment WLOA1-WLOA9)
12.Mixed codes 2 (poses that will compliment WLOA1-WLOA9)
13.Dismounted Dragoons
14.Casualties
15.Horse troopers
16.Horse Command

Hope this is good news for you!

Flag Monday

2011-10-03T00:08:00.000-04:00

These designs can be any number of banners used to represent units from the Massachusetts or New England colonies. There are some variations, but common designs include a plain colored field with a tree in either the field or the canton.

I hope to have a new militia unit to post by next weekend to break up all of these flags! This will be a Virginia unit with my Culpeper Minutemen flag.

Flag Monday

2011-09-26T07:54:00.000-04:00

On August 25, 1777 some 18,000 British troops under Gen. Howe began disembarking from their transports near Elkton MD. They planned to march through Delaware to capture Philadelphia. To do this they would have to get past 11,000 Continentals under Gen. Washington -- well-entrenched along the ravine containing the Red Clay Creek.

On Sept. 3, 1777 the Battle of Cooch's Bridge occurred as U.S. Gen. William Maxwell's Light Infantry Corps, made up of 700 Continentals and 300 Delaware militia, harassed the lead elements of a British column expanding their defense perimeter.

Two days later the British 33rd Infantry was performing reconnaissance around their camp at Newark DE when -- as their leader, Capt. William Dansey, later wrote to his mother, "On a flanking party I took the horse, arms, and colors belonging to a rebel colonel of the Delaware Militia, made his brother prisoner and caused all his baggage to be taken...." That "rebel colonel" was probably Samuel Patterson, who had a home and mill in Christiana DE, six miles from Newark. After the war both he and his brother Robert were compensated for property taken by the British army. In September 1776 Samuel had been appointed a colonel and commanded the Delaware Flying Camp, which tried to dislodge the British from Staten Island. In August 1777 he was in command of the Second Battalion of Delaware militia, the group that was assigned to Maxwell's Light Infantry and fought at Cooch's Bridge (and was paid by the Continental Congress for this service).

Again this was a common motif and you can probably use this flag for a variety of militia units.

Flag Monday

2011-09-19T00:01:00.000-04:00

The 7th Pennsylvania Regiment was raised January 4, 1776 at Carlisle, Pennsylvania for service with the Continental Army. The regiment would see action during the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Monmouth and the Battle of Springfield. The regiment was disbanded on January 17, 1781 at Trenton, New Jersey.

The stars and stripes canton could have been added anytime after the June 14, 1777 flag resolution. Possibly the original flag bore only a stripe canton. This flag is similar to a Delaware militia flag (up next week) and was probably a common enough theme that it could be used for several different units.

Flag Monday

2011-09-12T00:21:00.000-04:00

Yet another simple design incorporating the stars motif - pure invention on my part as far as I know...

Still on 'emergency' shift... really dragging, but I didn't want to miss a Flag Monday! Next week I'll start a series of flags from the northern states.

Flag Monday

2011-09-05T10:12:00.000-04:00

Here is another flag you could use for any American unit...

Apologies for the brief post. Hurricane Irene caused a great big mess in Virginia and as one of the guys who helps keep telecommunications and the internet running, I've been on 12-hour-per-day shifts, 7-days-a-week... I'm lucky I remembered it was Monday!

Warfare Miniatures Painting Competition

2011-09-01T22:01:00.001-04:00

We are running a painting competition focusing on the new WARFARE MINIATURES range!

To enter, all you have to do is paint a regiment of WARFARE MINIATURES. 16 figures minimum, no max but ideally they could be up to 4 stands of 6 models if based for BLB. Alternatively they could be based however you like.

The units will be judged by myself, Barry Hilton, David Imrie and Dave O'Brien. The competition will run over September and October in order to give people enough time to get a unit finished. The units can be painted in any style, to any standard. We'll be judging them 'as a unit'.

The prizes are I think quite nice:

1st Prize : Signed copy of Beneath the Lily Banners plus 8 packs of any WARFARE MINIATURES code combination the winner chooses. There will also be an additional 'specials' pack which will for now remain a mystery.

2nd Prize: 8 packs of any WARFARE MINIATURES code combination the winner chooses.

3rd Prize: A signed copy of Beneath the Lily Banners

4th Prize: 4 packs of WARFARE MINIATURES code combination the winner chooses.

5th Prize: Set of BLB order markers code as the winner chooses.

You do not need to send the units to us. All you need to do is post minimum 2 photos showing at least a front and rear view. Post your photos in the Warfare Miniatures Competition Thread on the LoA Fighting Talk forum. There is no limit to the number of entries from a single individual. You MUST have painted the models yourself to qualify.

Look forward to seeing the entries!

Flag Monday

2011-08-29T00:20:00.000-04:00

Here's the first of several 'generic' flags that can be used for any unit with an unknown flag. This looks more like a renaissance flag to me, but it's among others I've seen mentioned for AWI militia. I just like the striking color combination.

Cover Sketch for a New Book

2011-08-23T00:53:00.000-04:00

With BLB2 behind us, the next book is on the way - no rest for the wicked.

This will be for the Crimean War, working title is FOUR EMPIRES, and you will need a copy of REPUBLIC TO EMPIRE to play. However, even if you don't use our rules, this book will be a great reference because we intend to cover the armies and uniforms in detail from a wargamer's perspective. Of course there will also be tons of photos of well painted minis on fantastic terrain, all the rules you need to bring R2E to the Crimea, and a turn-by-turn battle report.

No date has been set for release... watch this space!

Flag Monday

2011-08-22T00:07:00.000-04:00

My 5th Virginia Flag is pure fiction, based on the one carried by 11th Rifle Regiment. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm a long way off from needing this flag yet. I may end simply making one up from scratch.

This concludes the series of flags I need for my planned collection in the Southern theater, but I'm not finished yet! I have a pile of generic flags you could use for any regiment, some of the more well known flags carried in the Northern campaign, and, yes, all thirteen of the Gostelowe flags... should be enough to keep Flag Monday going until the end of the year!

Flag Monday

2011-08-15T16:32:00.000-04:00

The flag of the 8th Virginia flag is well documented in Richardson's Standards and Colors of the American Revolution. However, one of the flags I want is for the 4th Virginia. I simply used the design and changed the colors. Both flags are presented here for those that want the 8th...

Enterprising brushmen among you could easily turn these into flags for any unit by painting out the text and adding your own...

Flag Monday

2011-08-08T09:38:00.000-04:00

Here is the chance to use a stars and stripes on the battlefield. Several sources make reference to the 3rd Maryland carrying a version of the flag known as the Batchelor Stars and Stripes at the Battle of Cowpens. One problem with this story, apart from the usual argument that infantry units didn't carry these flags in the AWI, is that the 3rd Maryland was not present at Cowpens as a regiment, but part of a combined light infantry unit. The Maryland Brigades incurred heavy losses at Camden on August 16, 1780, and the survivors were pooled with Delaware and Virginia troops to form the consolidated unit. The flag is also known as the Cowpens Flag despite evidence to the contrary. Having no better information , I decided to use this for the 2nd Maryland.

Here is another 2nd Maryland flag I found from this site and also appears on several other places on the net, though I can't find documentation for it. No idea if it's fictional or not...

I'll probably use the stars and stripes, but I thought I'd include them both for the purposes of this post. The controversies continue as we move on to some Virginia flags next week!

Flag Monday

2011-08-01T00:44:00.002-04:00

I'm now going to turn my attention to the continental flags I intend to use for my forces in the Southern Campaign. These units will be the 1st and 2nd Maryland and the 4th and 5th Virginia, which figure prominently in most of the battles in my chosen campaign year: 1781. If megalomania takes over I want to add more regulars to my force, I can add units from Pennsylvania and North Carolina for the later months of the campaign.

Going by the numbers, I will start with the 1st Maryland and controversy! I have different sources which site different flags for the 1st Maryland Regiment. In actuality, they may all be correct as units were formed/disbanded/reformed/absorbed into new units continuously in the AWI. As I mentioned before, there is also little certainty about ANY of the flags used from year to year. I have chosen the very distinctive crest of the Lord Baltimore Flag for my collection. This was often used to represent the state before the adoption of the stars and stripes (an official state flag was not adopted until 1904!) and it seems fitting that 1st regiment carried it.

The lads at the fantastic Tarleton's Quarter blog also chose to use this flag for the 1st Maryland so I'm in good company. Next week, a very different flag for the 2nd Maryland...

I know the blog has been quiet of late except for the flags, but that's all I've had time to pursue. Summer is always a busy time for me with my pesky day job, but I should return to my normal, prolific, though scatter-brained self when the leaves start to change!

Flag Monday

2011-07-25T00:13:00.004-04:00

The Guilford Courthouse flag is the name given to a North Carolina militia banner which was reported to have flown at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. The flag is recognizable by the reverse colors normally seen on American flags: red and blue stripes in the field with eight-pointed blue stars on an elongated white canton.

The unique colors and dimensions are sometimes described as showing a lack of uniformity in a young nation at war, with a poor infrastructure and bad communication. However, it was common practice during the Revolution for military units to carry flags that featured common American symbols (such as stripes and stars), but to make them uniquely identifiable for use as a company or regimental flag. As such, this flag was probably never intended for use as a national flag, so departs slightly from my them for the month, but I thought it best to include a flag without saying 'this was never carried in the field'. It also falls into the southern campaign focus of my collection. It was raised over the Guilford Courthouse, North Carolina on March 15, 1781 under the leadership of General Greene whose militiamen halted the British advance through the Carolinas and turned them back to the seaport towns. This was one of the bloodiest battles of the long war with the British losing over a quarter of their troops.

Flag Monday

2011-07-18T05:42:00.001-04:00

The Bennington flag is associated with the Battle of Bennington and presents yet another variant of the stars and stripes. It is differentiated not only by the unique pattern, but by an overlarge blue canton, and a reverse order of stripes (starts with white at the top).

Legend claims that the original Bennington Flag was carried off the field by Nathaniel Fillmore and passed down through the Fillmore family, and was, at one time, in the possession of President Millard Fillmore, Nathaniel's grandson. Philetus P. Fillmore flew a Bennington flag in 1877, to commemorate the Battle of Bennington. Because of the family association, the flag is also referred to as the "Fillmore Flag".

Many doubt the actual use of the Fillmore flag at the Battle of Bennington. A Green Mountain Boys flag (one of the more famous and well documented flags that I'll post in the future) belonging to John Stark is generally accepted to have been there, but the Bennington flag has become more strongly associated with the event.

Fife & Drum Miniatures

2011-07-12T01:33:00.001-04:00

With all of the AWI posts loading up the blog, Jim Purkey of Fife & Drum Miniatures wrote to me a while back and asked if I'd like some samples of their new AWI militia models. The only models I have to compare them with my Perry minis. The photos below feature Fife & Drum on the left and Perrys on the right.

First of all, let me say that my photos do not either brand justice. There is an art to taking pictures of unpainted castings that I don't have down. These models were sculpted by Richard Ansell. All of the models I received are accurately proportioned and well posed. The castings are very clean with very little flash or mold lines. The details, particularly on the faces and hands*, are nicely sculpted and the models carry a nice variety of equipment for that campaign look.

The models are a bit smaller and much slimmer than the Perry and I'm not sure I'd mix the two in units, but I would have no problem fielding them in units along side my existing units. The range is expanding - the continental greens look even better than the militia and the new mounted officer looks fantastic.

Thanks to Jim for sending the models. I haven't had time to paint anything of late, but I intend to paint some of these when I get the chance (and I will of course post them here)!

*Not to take away thunder from F&D, but maybe this adds another thing in their favor. One of the problems I've had with the Perry AWI models has been the hands. Many of the 'open handed' officers have 'paws' with short stubby fingers. A pointing officer's extended finger is only moderately longer than the thumb next to it. Some of the hands holding weapons seem to only have three fingers! My Napoleonic Perry minis don't suffer from this so I'm not sure why my AWI models are so afflicted... maybe they were simply bad casts? Anyway - Bravo to F&D for the hands on their models.

Flag Monday

2011-07-11T07:45:00.002-04:00

This flag was used by naval vessels and again by some installations. However, at least one drawing from 1779 shows it carried by an infantry formation (seen below). The other flags are regimental colors. All of these (and the drawing) are taken from Edward Richardson's Standards and Colors of the American Revolution.

There are many variations on this theme: different star patterns, stars with five, six, or eight points, etc. and again rarely carried in the field, but this is one that you can at least make an argument for. Next week, the '76' flag...

Flag Monday

2011-07-04T06:09:00.000-04:00

Back from Texas, and all went well. In honor of July 4th, this month's flags will all be versions of the good old stars 'n' stripes.

The flag most commonly associated with the Revolutionary War is the Betsy Ross Flag. Although this flag is commonly believed to have been created by Betsy Ross, the actual origins of the flag are unknown. According to legend, Betsy Ross was approached by General George Washington and George Ross, Betsy's uncle. However, Betsy Ross's role in designing the flag continues to be debated to this day. Regardless of who first created it, the Betsy Ross flag remains an icon of the American Revolution. It appears in numerous Revolutionary War-era depictions, even if historically inaccurate (as in Washington Crossing the Delaware).

It was also probably not carried by units in the field and served only rarely as an installation flag. However, it is iconic to the period and wargamers have been using it for years, so I'm kicking off July with this flag in three different shading patterns (so you can field three without duplication).

Next week, we'll look at another version of this flag that was carried by some units as it appears in period sketches of battle formations!

Flag Monday

2011-06-27T08:50:00.001-04:00

Sticking with Virginia, on September 21st, 1775 the Committee of Safety resolved that the commissary of each district provide the battalion thereof: "a stand of colours, with the following motto on one side,

VIRGINIA

FOR CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY

And on the other side, the name of the district."

This is listed as the 'first official flag of Virginia military troops' but I'm not sure if that means militia or continental battalions. I am inclined to believe the former since the Committee of Safety arranged for the formation of the Culpeper Minutemen as well.

Unfortunately, there are no records as to what a 'stand' of colors means, though one could follow the British examples of the period. There are also no records of the colors of the flag, but I chose blue to match the modern Virginia flag. Numerous sources cite Captain Taliafero as obtaining white material for use in a stand of colors at Williamsburg in late 1775. Therefore, we may assume that at least one Virginia regiment had at least one white flag as part of its stand in 1775. - in any case, I'm only using one flag per unit in my collection. Strangely, I can't find a list of other military districts in 1775 - if anyone has information on these I would be grateful...

Go West, Young Man

2011-06-26T01:14:00.001-04:00

I am off to Texas in a few hours. I'll have my laptop with me, and I'll be checking in from time to time, but my wife has to go to El Paso for an operation and I will be riding shotgun - posts will be sparse for the next ten days or so. However, Flag Monday will proceed as scheduled with another Virginia flag tomorrow and a series of variations on the stars and stripes lined up for the entire month of July!

North Carolina Militia

2011-06-21T20:16:00.000-04:00

I finally got my photography (and painting) lights worked out and I was able to snap some pics of my latest militia unit. I really like the way the stumps and logs worked out. I am also very happy with the way the flag looks in action!

Thought this unit was worth some more photos...

The third unit is underway...

Flag Monday

2011-06-20T01:50:00.000-04:00

Here is one of the more well documented flags carried by the Culpeper Minutemen. The unit was organized in July 1775 consisting of 350 men from three Virginia counties (Culpeper, Fauquier, and Orange). They served in Hampton in October of 1775 and fought in the Battle of Great Bridge in December of 1775. They were officially disbanded a month later, but many continued to serve with Daniel Morgan and it is this fact that I cling to to include this flag in my army for a unit of Virginia militia in southern theater of the war. I'm planning on building a militia unit dressed primarily in hunting shirts which would have been the 'uniform' of the original Culpeper Minutemen.

Posts were light last week... one of my desk lamps gave out and I wasn't happy with the lighting results of using just one (wow, what a photography snob I've become). I have a replacement on order that should be here this week...

Flag Monday

2011-06-13T01:07:00.000-04:00

Here is my third South Carolina militia flag. Although this is mostly speculation, the striped flag was common with many variations and this could be fielded by any American unit. Specifically there are several quotes from the period on the siege of Charleston in 1780 that mention the 'American thirteen stripes flag' and I don't think at this time the quote would refer to later 'stars and stripes' flags. Anyway, I didn't feel it beyond the realm of possibility to bestow this on one of my South Carolina units.

Up next week... my Virginia militia flag!

The Boys From Carolina

2011-06-08T18:29:00.001-04:00

Here's a finished unit sporting one of the South Carolina flags I posted a few days ago (as usual, you can click on the photo to see it full size). I purposely chose a plain, pointed flag pole so I can easily swap out the flags for different scenarios.

My plans for the militia are to build nine stands of marching troops (like the lads above), nine stands of shooting troops, and four stands of advancing troops (these will be mostly in hunting shirts to represent the Virginia militia). Along with the separate command stands, this will allow me to field five units of four stands, six units of three stands and one of four, two units of six stands, and many other combinations (you get the idea) and still preserve the basic marching/firing/advancing battalions. Being able to swap the flags lets me change the weight of states represented as well.

I'll post a pic of a shooty battalion later this week...

Flag Monday

2011-06-06T00:06:00.002-04:00

Here I go, spoiling you already... two flags! These are both variations of flags used by South Carolina troops in the AWI. The blue field and crescent remain part of the state's flag to this day. My initial plan calls for three units of South Carolina militia and I think I will use both of these...

Militia Vignettes

2011-06-02T13:56:00.000-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my armies will be based on 50x50mm stands of 4-6 models each for infantry. I want to build a lot of character into the units and maybe one in four stands will be true vignettes...

My plan for command is to base three models on half hexes in the manner of the Napoleonic units Barry Hilton and Dave Imrie. This makes it easy to combine the rank and file stands in any combination and still ensure that the unit's colors will be in the center of the unit, no matter the formation.

I'll have shots of a couple of finished units next week!

Flag Monday

2011-05-30T13:55:00.002-04:00

I LOVE making flags for my units. Nothing looks better on the battlefield than massed units following their colors. The American War of Independence is a minefield of controversy when it comes to flags, particularly regarding who carried what and when! I am going to dispense with argument by including both well known flags and complete fabrications. The fact is, there were hundreds of standards carried by both sides, and most of the American flags are completely unknown. Stars and stripes were common, though not necessarily together. Patriotic slogans and animals, especially rattle snakes, were also common. Taking all of this into account, here is the flag I'm using for my North Carolina Militia with absolutely no evidence that such a flag ever flew...

This was made on my PC using CorelDraw. I plan on posting flags once a week (hence the Flag Monday title), starting with various American militia flags, both famous and fictional. Feel free to use any flags from this blog for your own armies!

Answering the Call

2011-05-29T12:45:00.000-04:00

Recruits continue to swell the ranks to see off the forces of King George. These models are not arranged in any specific way at the moment, merely stacked up in a neat line for the group photo. My plan is to base like poses together - i.e all marching, advancing, firing/loading, etc. My order from Litko (100 50x50mm bases) was posted yesterday so the next photos will be based properly.

The more I read on the period, the more my plans evolve. Right now I am planning on five units of four stands each - 3 units of South Carolina Militia (The models above are representative of the typical appearance of these units), 1 unit of North Carolina/Georgia Militia (a 50/50 mix of earth-toned hunting shirts and models above), and 1 unit of Virginia Militia (mostly in green-dyed hunting shirts). Again, depending on the scenario, these may be mixed in any combination of 2-6 stands, but in general it helps me to have a plan for the collection...

AWI Bookshelf

2011-05-26T06:21:00.000-04:00

Like most wargamers, I collect books. Between military histories, uniform books, historical fiction, and wargame rules sets, I have several hundred volumes from the Dark Ages to WW2. My family often buys me military books as gifts and one of my wife's cousins is the best - she is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Daughters of the Confederacy and her gifts always come from the American conflicts. On of my first steps on entering a new period is collecting a pile of books. When I made the decision to launch my AWI project I was actually surprised at how many books I already owned...

British Grenadier - David Brown - Nice rule set, but the real value is in the period information, both in the rule book and the three scenario books. There is a wealth of information for the newcomer, including organizing your forces, suggestions on uniforms, There is also a fairly active forum dedicated to these rules. The second edition is due out soon, though sadly it looks to join the terrible trend of the times: wargame porn with beautiful full color printing, lavish illustrations, photos of well painted models, and a massive four page quick reference sheet...

Of course, I am kidding - I ordered mine yesterday...

The American War of Independence - Greg Novak - This is a guide to the armies of the war and comes in a two volume set - one covering the North, the other the South - that provide orbats for almost every known action bigger than a bar-brawl. There is an insane amount of detail that goes through the armies from year to year. I can't recommend these highly enough!

Soldiers of the American Revolution - Art by Don Troiani and Text by James L. Kochan - This book features one of the best military artists around. There are more than 50 of Troiani's paintings in this book, including some great single figure studies that will be inspiring for model painters. In addition there are photos of period artifacts such as clothing, weapons, and equipment.

Standards and Colors of the American Revolution - Edward W. Richardson - This is the most complete source for flags of the American Revolution that I have seen. The The book covers both Colonial flags by state and national banners, plus those of the British, German, and French with photos, drawings, and color plates. It is currently out of print, but you can still find used copies on Amazon.

Soldiers of the Revolutionary War - Stuart Reid and Marko Zlatich - This is a reprint of five volumes of the Osprey titles: Men-at-Arms 273: ‘General Washington’s Army (1) 1775-75’, Men-at-Arms 285: ‘King George’s Army 1740-93 (1)’, Men-at-Arms 289: ‘King George’s Army 1740-93 (2)’, Men-at-Arms 290: ‘General Washington’s Army (2) 1778-83’ and Men-at-arms 292: ‘King George’s Army 1740-93 (3)’. This book examines in complete detail the uniforms and equipment used by the rival armies of George Washington and King George in the American Revolutionary War. Despite sometimes having inaccurate information, Osprey is always one of my first stops when getting into a new period.

Patriot Battles - Michael Stephenson - The result is a well-documented, entertaining and mildly revisionist military history in two parts. In the first, Stephenson examines "The Nuts and Bolts of War," answering basic questions about who fought, how and why. To analyze prosaic details like supply and transport, weapons and medical care, the author uses an array of statistics and technical data—muzzle velocities, shot weights, equipment lists, etc.—but wisely leavens them with anecdotes. In part two, Stephenson turns to an analysis of the major battles of the war, from the opening skirmishes at Lexington and Concord to the climactic showdown at Yorktown.

A Guide to the Battles of the American Revolution - Theodore Savas and J. David Dameron - This is billed as the first comprehensive account of every engagement of the Revolution, a war that began with a brief skirmish at Lexington Green on April 19, 1775, and concluded on the battlefield at the Siege of Yorktown in October 1781. Every entry begins with introductory details including the date of the battle, its location, commanders, opposing forces, terrain, weather, and time of day. The body of each entry offers both a Colonial and British perspective of the military situation, a detailed and unbiased account of what actually transpired, a discussion of numbers and losses, and suggestions for further reading.

A Devil of a Whipping - Lawrence E. Babits - The battle of Cowpens was a crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War in the South and stands as perhaps the finest American tactical demonstration of the entire war. On 17 January 1781, Daniel Morgan's force of Continental troops and militia routed British regulars and Loyalists under the command of Banastre Tarleton. The victory at Cowpens helped put the British army on the road to the Yorktown surrender and, ultimately, cleared the way for American independence. This was a gift from my wife's cousin five or six years ago and is the book that sparked my interest in collecting models for the period...

Battles of the American Revolution - Curt Johnson - There are better books about these battles on the market today, but this book is full of color photos of fantastic Hinchliffe Models from the collection of Peter Gilder. There are also sections on weapons, unit organization, and tactics of the period. This book is out of print,but you can still find used copies on Amazon.

Skirmish Battles - David O'Brien -This 40 page booklet contains seven great scenarios. Each are presented with historical backgrounds, notes on wargaming the scenario, troop grades and orders of battle, victory conditions, command decisions, and charming hand drawn maps. Also, while it's called 'skirmish battles', this refers to history rather than the tabletop - theses are not western style gunslinger games. While there are one or two scenarios that might be possible at 1:1, a scale of 1:5 or 1:10 will be more practical in 28mm. For instance, the Blackstock Plantation scenario pits 660 British (led by Tarleton!) against 1000 American Militia... Anyway, this would be a nice addition to a collection if you don't have it (and maybe the one book on this list you may not have seen before)...

Whew! There are more in my collection and I have a few more in the mail, but these are the best I have. Of course, the internet is another great resource and I'll have a post with links to my favorite AWI websites soon...

Quick Hit

2011-05-24T20:39:00.000-04:00

BLB2 is now available for pre-order at the LoA Shop...

The Cause of Liberty

2011-05-23T15:32:00.001-04:00

My bouts of Attention Deficit Disorder continue as I have decided to start a new project that I have been thinking about for several years. With all of the periods I collect and paint, I have virtually nothing for any of the wars in America. I always envy the stories of those who have walked the battlefields of the Napoleonic wars, but here in Virginia I am a day trip (or closer - Yorktown is 45min from my house) away from dozens of battlefields. Last year I started a 40mm ACW project that seems to have stalled. I may return to it at some point, if only to provide some photographs for one of the next Hilton/Harrison rulebooks . Since my normal wargame table accommodates a 4x6' battlefield, I don't think a 40mm project is practical if I actually want to push the little buggers around the table.

While I enjoy reading about the American Civil War, I am more drawn to the earlier period of the American War of Independence. Veteran, well drilled troops with an impossibly long supply line, German mercenaries, scrappy militia, and George Freakin' Washington! For the painter and modeler there are a wide variety of uniforms (and lack thereof) and a large degree of uncertainty about the details of these uniforms and flags that appeals to me. Units varied by theater and even from battle to battle.

I ordered several hundred dollars of Perry AWI Southern Militia with a few continentals for variety, with the intent of building extensive forces for gaming the southern theater of the American War of Independence. I grew up in North Carolina, went to college in Georgia, and am now a proud Virginian so my initial collection will be militia from these states. My initial goal is 20 stands of 4-6 militia models that I can combine into battalions of various size. The stands of 4 models will have extra scenic detail to fill in the extra space like fences, casualties, tree stumps, etc.

Strumgeschutz and Sorcery - Part III

2011-05-20T16:06:00.001-04:00

THE SERVANTS OF THE GATHERER
12th Level Evil High Priest with +2 Armor & Shield, Poison Mace
1 Hero, +1 A & Sh, + 3 Sword
1 Hero, +1 A & Sh, +1 Bow
1 Magician
2 Mummies
3 Ogres
3 Ghouls
4 Trolls
20 Orcs
1 Insectoid Pet of the EHP (equal to Giant Scorpion)

SITUATION
Your able lieutenants Grustiven the Warlock and the Lama Goocz have failed to return from an exploration of an area of unusual nature — just west of your castle a thick fog sprang up and has been obscuring vision since then. Dispel Magic failed to affect the area, and your henchmen were ordered to investigate, for it is possible that some Lawful enemy is at work, using the mist to screen gathering troops. Unfortunately, your strongest fighters and 200 orcs are elsewhere warring with a Neutral Lord who insulted you, so you will have to make do with the forces on hand. An orc detailed to patrol the edge of the fog area has just reported that unusual sounds have been issuing from the area — he described them as: “low growls, the clanking of chains, and a deep humming,” but who can trust a stupid orc?

OBJECTIVE
Considering the state your forces are currently in, it is up to you what the best course to follow is. You can attempt to ambush the enemy before they reach your stronghold, or you can hole up in your castle and prepare to withstand a siege, but if the attackers are strong and not molested until they reach the castle walls, your forces might not be able to prevent an escalade, and you cannot lose your castle!

QUINDIA STUDIOS
Crummy photo, but I didn't have time to set up proper lights. Some of the monsters are missing from this shot, but all of the models are finished, including the extra German crew for the vehicles. I'm going to run this solo once or twice using a simple set of rules I modified from the old 1970's D&D rules. I want to make the balance of forces is somewhere near even before springing it on my regular group. At some point in the future I will post an AAR of the game with maps and much better photography...

Paints I Can't Do Without

2011-05-13T22:53:00.000-04:00

I have been painting everything from fantasy to WW2 models in the last few weeks. Most of my painting is done in my lunch hour and I have a traveling paint kit that I carry to work. I have noticed that regardless of the subject, there are a handful of paints I always have in the kit (all are Foundry):

1. Flesh 5 A-C: Unless I'm painting orcs, this triad is always in my kit. Sometimes I use Terracotta 37A as a base to create extra shading before Flesh A.

2. Boneyard 9 A-C: This is a favorite alternative to white for tunics and breeches. I use this for lots of different leather items, drum heads, blond hair, etc. It's also great for bones, fangs, and claws on fantasy models!

3. Rawhide 11 A-C: I use this triad for boots, belts, hats, etc. There are lots of good earth tones in the Foundry line, but this seems to always be in my kit.

4. Spearshaft 13 A-C: I use this for boots and other leather, hats, hair, muskets, and, yes, spearshafts. I also frequently use it for horses.

5. Winestain 15 C: This jar of paint will last me forever - I use it to paint the bottom lip of all of models. This little touch of color adds a lot of life to the face.

6. Slate Grey 32 A-C: This one of my staple colors for neutrals, used for trousers, hats, pouches, etc. If I want a rough and tumble look for a model on campaign, I use A and B to add a five o'clock shadow to the jaw. I also use Slate Grey C as a base for white...

7. Arctic Grey 33 B: Like black, I rarely use more than one highlight for white areas. Maybe if I were painting a unit in parade dress or Imperial Storm Troopers I'd add a layer of pure white, but I don't normally carry it.

8. Charcoal Black 34 A and B: Unless a model is predominately black, I only use one highlight layer when I paint black.

9. Terracotta 37 A-C: Seems like I use a little bit of red on everything I paint! I tend to use muted tones in general... terracotta rather than red, ochre rather than yellow, etc.

10. Boltgun Metal: I have a full set of Games Workshop paints on hand, but this one is the only one that is a permanent part of my kit.

These are the foundation of everything I paint. Other colors may be dictated by a specific uniform or simply a whim, but I try to maintain a limited palette so I keep this to two or three extra colors when possible.

And They're Off!

2011-05-06T06:55:00.000-04:00

The docs for the second edition of Beneath the Lily Banners are off to the printer. As soon as we get a look at the proofs, pre-orders will be available on the League of Augsburg site and the books should be ready soon after. Now Barry and I can put our feet for a week or so before starting work on something new. Irons in the fire...

1. A set of rules for the ACW based on a simplified version on Republic to Empire, modified further to better reflect the period. This is pretty far along the development stage so may be up next.
2. A set of rules for ECW/TYW based on my mini-set, Victory Without Quarter. I have to write this and work will hopefully start soon and in parallel with the other projects.
3. A scenario book (or three) and period guide for Beneath the Lily Banners. We have talked about getting involvement from other authors so if you want to try your hand at writing scenarios for the period, drop one of us a note...

My First Blog Award

2011-04-26T23:29:00.004-04:00

I am proud to announce that I have been nominated for my first blog award by that rascally Aussie Docsmith. Now this award may be somewhat dubious since it comes with a 'chain letter' style rules requiring the winner to 'pass it on', however the fact that it comes from one of my peers (and one of my favorite blogs) makes it very special. Thanks, Doc!

Along with great power comes great responsibility. Rather than simply bask in the glory of my achievement, I now have a duty to:

1. Thank the nominating blog and include a link back (done!).
2. Share seven things about yourself, presumably beyond the realm normally covered by the blog (see below).
3. Nominate more blogs you deem worthy to share your honor.
4. Let them know you nominated them!

Ok, seven things about me you might not have known (and probably were just as well off)...

- I am a rock and jazz bass player... Billy Sheehan is my hero! I've played in bands most of my life and recorded several CD's. I simply don't have time to pursue this hobby right now, but one of these days...

- I play D&D... ok not a huge surprise, but I've been DMing games in my own fantasy world, The Realm of Quindia, for more than 30 years. Some twenty players have explored this world, including my brother who began those adventures with me and continues to share them today.
- I collect 'old school' D&D stuff - books, adventures, magazines, miniatures, etc.
- I am working on adding 'author' to my list of small contributions to the wargaming hobby (stay tuned).

- I am a huge Doctor Who fan - primarily of the Tom Baker era. I even have my own scarf knitted for me by by little sister...

- I have two birman cats named Napoleon and Josephine who permit me to live in their house.

- I am an Eagle Scout.

Finally, my nominees (in no particular order and possibly some who have been named before):

http://saxondog.blogspot.com/

http://davetaylorminiatures.blogspot.com/

http://geektactica.blogspot.com/

http://altefritz.blogspot.com/

http://saxe-bearstein.blogspot.com/

http://gilesallison.blogspot.com/

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

http://befreiungskriege.wordpress.com/

http://olicanalad.blogspot.com/

http://djokergaming.wordpress.com/

Thanks again...

Easter Egg

2011-04-24T08:17:00.000-04:00

Here is the official Army Roster Sheet for BLB2 (and works equally well for BLB1 while you're waiting)...

We'll work out a place to post a hi-res version, but for now I just wanted to post another little preview. Props to Joe North of Florida who inspired the design with some sheets he brought along to Historicon last year.

Beneath the Lily Banners News

2011-04-17T10:02:00.000-04:00

This book will be off to the printer very, very soon (and pre-orders will be available from the League of Augsburg website). All of the layouts and final edits are finished. There are a few technical things to work out and I need to design the QRS. I THINK the cover painting is finally finished, though I may tweak right up until the last minute!

It is amazing how much work goes into one of these books - I've thought it was 'almost finished' for six months now. We really are going to ship this thing off in a week or so... no, really!

Strumgeschutz and Sorcery - Part II

2011-04-11T23:27:00.002-04:00

GERMAN SS PATROL
AC w/20 mm cannon
Hftk w/ Lt. MG
Hftk w/ Lt. MG
VW Kubelwagen
1 Hauptmann (SS equivalent), MP
3 Feldwebels (SS equivalent), SMG
3 drivers, MP
1 driver, SMG
3 crew, MP
20 men, Rifles and Hand Grenades
3 Pzfsts.
160 mm. mtr. w/ 20 rounds HE
1 Flamethrower

SITUATION
There has been unusual resistance activity in this area, and in the last few days a squad of Security troops were wiped out in a battle with them. Only one old man, bearded, and with no weapons, was found at the scene of the battle. From his dress and general appearance it would seem that he was a Russian clergyman probably there to incite the troops to greater bravery as the Communist commissars have failed in this respect.

OBJECTIVE
The hiding place of the guerrillas is probably in a remote and wild area which is accessible only by means of a very old and rough cart track. You must proceed to this area, surround their camp, and wipe them out to a man. The suspected camp site is undoubtedly well-camouflaged, for aerial recon has found only very occasional signs of movement there.

QUINDIA STUDIOS
The force listed above forms the basis for my Germans in this scenario. The photo is of some of the models in my collection, and though the infantry composition isn't quite right (though my final force may vary slightly from the army list presented above), the four vehicles in the scenario are represented. I have to paint a handful of black garbed vehicle crewmen, a trench coated officer, and the mortar crew, but my German force is almost finished...

Sturmgeschutz and Sorcery - Part I

2011-04-08T16:39:00.001-04:00

The SS patrol had moved westwards parallel to the woods (and misty area) at the south end of the area. There was one ‘track and a few men near the road to radio information to the advancing body in case “partisans” should appear from the trees. As the main group passed through the mist radio communications were suddenly lost. Then they were through the fog, the stream was crossed, and careful observations were made on the two astounding features which shouldn’t be there! The boulders weren’t shown on the headquarters map of the area, nor was an intact castle! HALTE! came the command from the Hauptmann. The armored car, ‘track, and VW formed a lager. Time to reassess plans — The glasses revealed yellowish faces of unusual ugliness peering at the patrol from the nearby patch of rocks, and in the other too! And what was that tall shape in the far distance striding into the mists. At this moment the orcs broke cover, hoping to continue their luck; after all they had not yet been fired upon. Six automatic weapons opened up and cut the lot to bits.

This was intolerable to the Evil High Priest, and he visited a swarm of insects upon the offending Germans. The insects nearly drove the soldiers mad, and in haste they tried their best to drive them away using smoke. That and the wind relieved the situation, but only momentarily. Before the patrol could move their vehicles a man in a pointed hat and long gown appeared amongst the boulders farthest from the Germans, pointed his finger, and a great explosion ripped the VW to shreds, also destroying several of the tires on the AC. Stunned, the troopers returned fire too late to do other than wound this new enemy. Men piled into the halftrack and made haste to go somewhere — anywhere. At this point an even closer approach to the castle seemed advisable. As the vehicle drew near the walls a rain of arrows seemed to pour upon the ‘track, but the men plying the bows upon the walls were meat on the table for MG 34’s, and both fell dead with a few bursts. The Germans made a complete circuit of the fortress, lobbing a few mortar shells into the place once they attained the dirt road to the east of it. More insects swarmed upon them from skies which had but moments before been clear. Time to move on again quickly, for the distraction had allowed their fellows with the AC to replace the damaged tires. They could be seen climbing back into the car and it was time to withdraw before taking worse losses.

As the halftrack roared down the road away from the castle the AC began to cross the intervening terrain to join them. Suddenly a bright flash of light (a phantasmal fireball) burst before the carrier, and the driver thought himself blinded. Luckily his co-driver slowed the vehicle sufficiently, so that it simply rolled off the road and came up against the clump of trees to the northeast of the bridge with a slight jar. The passengers were not dazed — they could see the great troll and three ghastly greenish ghouls rush forth upon them from the monsters’ brushy lurking place. Near panic, the SS men blazed away with their weapons. Bullets smacked into the ghouls, and one dropped, but the other two clambered into the halftrack. The troll was also nearly into the vehicle when a desperate soldier fired point blank with his panzerfaust; the projectile took the creature full in the chest, exploded, and sent burning chunks of troll in all directions. While this was happening still another monster attacked — a giant insect-like creature which somewhat resembled an impossibly large scorpion. It clambered up the front of the ‘track, and from this position began attacking the men in the rear of the vehicle.

All was chaos there. The SS troopers were fighting a melee with the two ghouls, and had not one of them been particularly alert the scorpion-like monster would have wiped them out. A burst of fire from a machine pistol — the driver had finally recovered his vision — finished the thing. Only four Germans remained in the rear of the vehicle when the driver backed out of the trees and sent the halftrack back towards the safety of the everyday world of the Eastern Front. The armored car was awaiting them, its weapon trained down the path to cover their companions from any further attack of the nature just undergone. Nobody would believe it, had not the halftrack carried the remains of a ghoul as well as the insectoid creature draped over its hood!

Above flew an invisible magic-user, and he quickly put an end to the escape attempt of the halftrack. A sleep spell caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, and it crashed. The occupants of the armored car knew something was wrong, but they did not know what — nor where to look. The magician was in clear view overhead, but no soldier looked up, and his next sleep spell told for the AC as well. The remaining ‘track waited a short time and then hastened back to headquarters. What had happened? They could not say for certain, but what little they had observed was too fantastic for belief. The survivors of the foray were sent to rest camps, adjudged as suffering from battle fatigue.

_____________________________________________________

One of the most treasured items in my collection is a copy of the Strategic Review #5 (December 1975), acquired along with a few others and old copies of The Dragon magazine when I first got into RPG's. The encounter above comes from an article in that magazine and was an account of a game put on by Gary Gygax designed to throw a curve to a regular table top wargaming group. One side was told to prepare for a WW2 skirmish game while the other thought they were playing a fantasy battle. The rules were an amalgamation of two of Gygax's rule sets - Dungeons & Dragons and Tractics. The article detailed the forces for both sides, maps, and mods to mix the games. When I was a kid, I thought this was fantastic and I have always wanted to recreate this game.

Back then, I had only a handful of miniatures and purchasing enough models to field the units presented was beyond me. The thought of painting 50-60 models also seemed a daunting task at the time. I simply filed it away as a neat idea, but probably not something I could ever really pull off. I revisited this idea at different times over the decades (holy crap do I sound old), but I could never find a satisfactory mix of miniatures. There have been games written now that embrace the concept as their central theme, but I still wanted to play the specific scenario presented in the magazine that I've held on to for all these years.

A few years ago, I even collected a small force of Artizan Germans and though I based the units on army lists for Disposable Heroes, I made sure the vehicles I included would allow me to use them for Sturmgeschutz and Sorcery. I still didn't have the fantasy models I wanted - enter Otherworld Miniatures. If you are unfamiliar with this company, they are dedicated to D&D minis based on the artwork from the Old School books. Not only was this exactly what I wanted to capture the nostalgic look of the game I wanted, they mix well with my Artizan models. I have been watching their catalog grow for the last few years and recently they finally have everything I need.

I don't expect this project to take up too much time. I already have most of the WW2 models I need painted except for a handful of vehicle crewmen. A good bit of the fantasy stuff has been painted for earlier projects as well. I just ordered the last handful of models I need. Over the next few posts, I will post pics of the forces I've collected that are based very closely on the article from 1975. I still have a few details to work out - for instance, I don't have a suitable castle model and am trying to decide if I should build one or simply substitute a fortified manor or similar smaller structure.

Any, hopefully you will indulge me this departure from more serious wargame activities while I try to recapture a small part of misspent youth!

Count Tilly

2011-04-07T23:08:00.000-04:00

The last two models from my TYW commission, the great man himself and more angry horses...

This project was a lot of fun and has got me thinking about returning to my ECW project, but I have something else in line that I've wanted to do for a VERY long time and only recently have the stars aligned to allow it... ooooo... mystery! Stayed tuned!

TYW Colonels

2011-04-06T00:10:00.001-04:00

Here are three gentlemen able to afford horses to carry them to the battlefield, otherwise known as Colonels...

TYW Febru... oh, Crap...

2011-04-04T08:26:00.000-04:00

Ok, I fell woefully short of my goal timewise. Events in my life have conspired of late to limit my painting time, however I am finally finished and have a happy customer!

I'll have pics of the officers and old Count Tilly himself later this week (they are finished as well, but why blow update opportunities all in one day?) and some shots of these stalwarts in action and proper formations as well!

Goodbye TMP

2011-04-02T06:15:00.000-04:00

Recently I noticed the editor of The Miniature Page posted a poll, "Rate Republic to Empire". This sort of thing is meat and potatoes for websites and forums - I've run the occasional poll here. However, for some reason Bill Armintrout chose to start his poll with this...

Writing in the June issue of Miniature Wargaming, authors Bob Barnetson and Bruce McFarlane reached this conclusion about Republic to Empire:

...the gaming experience is simply awful.

My issue is not with the poll, or indeed, with any comments posters might make, but with the editor himself. I have sent him the following letter...

Hi, Bill.

My name is Clarence Harrison and I am one half of the team that created Republic to Empire and I'd like to know why you chose this quote from an article in Miniature Wargames for the one liner in your poll...

...the gaming experience is simply awful.

I'm writing to let you know I don't appreciate this. The game has been reviewed in Wargames Illustrated, Battlegames, and Soldiers & Strategy as well - all with positive results.

Charles Grant wrote this about Republic to Empire...

“The superb presentation and wonderful pictures might lead the casual observer to believe that Republic to Empire is the equivalent of a coffee table book - a visual spectacle to be admired. And so they should be but there is far more than that! The rules are very well researched, clearly explained and most importantly eminently payable. They are admirably suited to big battles but also to smaller games. Barry has introduced mechanisms designed to reduce the all seeing and instantly reactive abilities of the wargamer while rewarding initiative and forward thinking. This development really does help to reflect the realities of the tactical battlefield of the time. Suffice to say that this is not just another set of Napoleonic rules – it represents a real step forward in reflecting Napoleonic warfare on the wargame table.”

As a result of your poll I see so far that 140+ have voted they have 'never heard of it' (which seems strange to me since it has been the subject of numerous threads on TMP), so their introduction to the rules is your one line. The authors who rendered that quote tried one game on a 4x4' table.

This is the SECOND time you've started a thread with this quote (link) and my partner and the author of the book placed his response there, though this was to the reviewers not to you. I'm not speaking for him now, but I am removing the link to your page from my site which has been there for ten years. Not a big deal for you since TMP draws far more traffic than I do, but from now on when I'm on some of the other forums I frequent and people ask' "Did you see the thread on TMP about..." my answer is "I don't go there any more."

I'm off to remove my link to TMP from Quindia Studios. It's a shame, really, because I LIKE the news page. My main issue is with the forums which frequently seem to bring out the worst in some of our fellow wargamers. Here is one of the most recent gratuitous and pointless threads which is typical of the kind of thing you find on TMP. From now on, you can find me here or on one of these forums...

Fighting Talk
Steve Dean's Painting Forum
Lead Adventure Forum

TYW February 05

2011-02-26T10:40:00.000-05:00

I'm going to fall short of having all 48 infantry painted in February (blast), but I did manage 30 (my weekend is busy and I doubt I'll get much painting done).

I am hoping to have the remaining 18 models finished by this time next week... just realized I forgot to highlight the black on the pikemen... sigh... I'm off to fix that now and I hope to at least get all of the shot transferred to their permanent bases this weekend.

TYW February 04

2011-02-18T20:20:00.000-05:00

Most of the muskets are finished - in fact the remaining figures are sergeants, drummers, etc...

The permanent bases are in the mail. The client is using a set of rules that requires figure removal, so I am using a combination of bases for each flank of shot. This will give the best of both schools of wargaming - the great appearance of vignette stands in the front of the unit (at least until casualties mount up) and the flexibility to remove casualties. The pike will be mounted in a similar manner.

Not sure if I can finish the rest by the end of the month like I wanted, but I should be close!

TYW February 03

2011-02-08T08:58:00.000-05:00

More reinforcements for the shot... these are not their permanent bases (and probably not the final arrangement), just something to keep my cats from knocking them over as they explore the table every morning!

I like how these are turning out - a motley assortment that still looks like a unit. Hope to have the other 'sleeve' finished this week... more pics Friday!

Empire General on Griffon

2011-02-06T01:09:00.000-05:00

One of the things I normally avoided back when I played Warhammer on a regular basis was big monsters. Tying up so many points in something destined to draw fire from every piece of artillery or destructive spell on the board seemed a risky tactic. This time around I wanted to include a character on one of these awe inspiring beasts, possibly if only to keep such things away from my rank and file troops for a few turns.

The only real option for the Empire seems to be a griffon unless you want to field Karl Franz on a dragon. While there are several metal versions available, I really wanted to use the new plastic model designed for the High Elf army in the Island of Blood box. A brief search on e-bay netted me the bits without the need to buy the whole set. The package arrived last week and I set out for what I thought would be a simple rider swap...

Ok, maybe not so simple. As a kit designed for beginners, Games Workshop designed the bits to go together with a minimum amount of fuss which means a minimum amount of pieces and limited options for someone looking for a quick conversion. Most of the rider is molded as part of the mount. Fortunately I am not afriad of taking clippers to a model and in short order, I had my griffon ready for my character.

There is a small area on the monster's side where the former rider's leg was, but most of this will be covered by the new rider. My new rider is based on the plastic Empire General kit, however, remember the bit about this not being as easy as I anticipated? All of the Empire cavalry models I own have relatively straight legs, but the way the rider of the griffon sat his mount requires bent legs. To get my Empire general to fit properly, I needed go at it with the clippers again. It was tricky to remove the calves and leave the decorative armor on the knees intact, but by carefully cutting behind the knee first I was able to keep the armor intact.

After a test fit with the torso, I discovered I need to twist the torso slightly to the left to make sure my rider's arm meets up with the only element I left of the original rider: the fist on the reins. I used a modeling saw to separate the hips from the upper torso.

After reassembling all of the dismembered bits of the rider, all I needed was a small amount of greenstuff to fill in the gaps for the thighs and the wrist. I used small extra bits of equipment to cover the remaining rough areas on the griffon. The head came from the Empire Knights command sprue - I wanted the rider to look as though he were bellowing a challenge rather than stoically riding into battle like the heads from the general kit.

The final decision was which weapon to arm my character and I decided on a greatsword. If I decided not to kit out the model with a magic weapon, the greatsword will give the general a formidable Strength 6 - even though he has to strike last, the griffon gets four attacks plus the Great Stomp attack that will go off on initiative. If I decide to arm the man with an enchanted weapon, swords are by far the most numerous on the Empire list and will give me the most options.

In any case, here is the finished model...

I am looking forward to painting this mini - with everything else going on, it may take a few weeks, but I'll find time to fit this in.

100 Followers

2011-02-05T11:21:00.002-05:00

Just noticed I reach 100 followers (thanks, Mike)! The blog has been up for a little more than a year and averages 3700 page views a month and will crest 50,000 page views later this month. I am planning on redesigning my 'other' website (which has logged over 800,000 page views since I started tracking them in 2006) to more closely mesh the two and hopefully present an even better place to waste time, whether you're into historical gaming or Warhammer.

Thanks for stopping by!

Warhammer Watchtower

2011-02-04T07:55:00.000-05:00

These kits have been available for a while now, but as I have been mainly immersed in the historical side of the hobby for the last few years, I didn't bother with them. With my return to Warhammer, I decided it was ok to have a bit of gothic, skull encrusted scenery so I dropped the cash for one of fortified manor kits, which includes the sprues to build all of fantasy buildings GW currently offers plus loads of fences in one box. I love building plastic models, so as soon as I got home, I eagerly dug into the box. Sorting through the pile of sprues, I selected the three that go to the watchtower kit and sat down to have a go...

Assembly is pretty straight forward - I didn't even bother with the instruction booklet. There are all kinds of ways model conversions, especially if you choose parts freely from both kits and are not afraid of talking a hobby saw to them, but I decided to build the watchtower as it was designed for my first go. Games Workshop's kits are a joy to build as they normally fit precisely as they are intended, with minimum need for trimming or gap filling. Many pieces are designed to camouflage the joins as well. The main part of the tower comes in two sub-assemblies and I used the ancient method of employing rubber bands to ensure a tight fit.

Once the stages were dry I glued them together and assembled the stairs.

The corners on these kits are beveled to ease construction and aid in getting a square fit, but it's best to check and I used the grid on my cutting board to make sure (did this with the main pieces too - just didn't think to photograph the process).

There are piles of extras to customize your tower. I chose the tiny shack for the top and the crazy chimney. An extra window or two and a lantern by the front door complete the tower. There are tons of options, but I decided to keep things fairly tame.

Not a lot of historical uses for this kit with all the spikes and skulls - maybe in some pulp style scenarios or Teutonic Transylvanian setting - but it will work perfectly with my Warhammer Empire army! Not sure when I'll get the chance to paint this, but it was fun to build.

TYW February 02

2011-02-02T07:49:00.000-05:00

And then there were six...

TYW February 01

2011-02-01T09:03:00.001-05:00

February is destined to be the month of the Thirty Year War! I have a commission to paint a massive 48-model Bavarian tercio and a handful of mounted officers and of course I'm not going to miss the opportunity for some cheap blog updates by posting a running WIP. Here are the first bold three...

These miniatures are from The Assault Group and this is the first time I've painted any of their models. I didn't even know they made Renaissance minis, being familiar with their more modern line, but these are sculpted by Nick Collier so that was all I need to know to get excited about this project.

The Thirty Year War is a very colorful period, with most of the units lacking true uniforms. Indeed many are grabbed in civilian clothes modeled after popular military styles. Coats and breeches can be of almost any color and in any combination. My challenge is to include this variety while trying to keep the unit from looking like a troop of harlequins!

There are a few tricks I use when painting such rabble. The first is to stick to muted tones - terracotta rather than red, gold instead of yellow, etc. The majority of the unit will also include earth tones mixed in nearly every model which will provide a blend of tans and browns across the whole to help unify the different colors. When I do choose to paint a figure with a gold coat and red breeches, he may be placed beside another fellow in red breeches and a brown coat so the screaming combination will be blurred by his friend. Finally, most of the equipment - bandoleers, scabbards, musket rests, etc. - will be painted the same so they look as if they were issued from the same stores. Maybe one in six will be different to still keep the campaign look.

So, we'll see how this goes! I'll post updates every couple of days. I have a few others projects running that I'll break in with as well, but my goal is to have the infantry finished by the end of the month... 48 models in 28 days...

Other Coated Regiments

2011-01-29T09:52:00.000-05:00

I decided to post pics of four more painted Warfare Miniatures.

These regiments are Drogheda, Earl of Antrim, Du Cambon, and Lord Castleton. These units and the ones I presented previously are all Jacobite Irish, Williamite Irish, or French troops in Irish service.

Dark Elves on Dinosaurs - Part Four

2011-01-27T21:37:00.000-05:00

The finished unit...

Red Coated Regiments

2011-01-24T01:14:00.001-05:00

Painted up four Warfare Miniatures castings yesterday...

Irish Foot Guards, Lord Grand Prior, Montcashel's, and Dillon Regiments. I particularly like the 'at rest' musketeer... very nice model. These paint well, though as I mentioned the details are a bit fine. I just resorted to a finer brush than normal and had no trouble after that!

Sigh...

2011-01-21T20:39:00.001-05:00

This is ridiculous. I have the attention span of a four year old. Somehow my desk has gotten out of control. I am working on no less than five miniature projects simultaneously in snatches between working on Beneath the Lily Banners (briefest of breaks as I wait for the uniform guide photos to roll in).

Right now on my desk, I have the following models in various stages of completion:

5 Dark Elves on Cold Ones: My current commission is in it's final stages. All I need to do is paint the banner pole topper (add after gluing the flag on this afternoon) and finish the bases, which will all get done tomorrow - photos next week!

12 Grand Alliance Infantry: The new Warfare Miniatures I previewed a few days ago. I undercoated these models today and will be painting them next week.

40 ACW infantry: These are 40mm Sash & Saber and are part of a brigade I am painting up for Historicon this year. Barry and will be running a variation of Republic to Empire (more news on this later). All I need to do is finish the bases.

60 Warhammer Empire Infantry, 12 Empire Cavalry, and a couple of War Machines: The core of my Empire army, assembled and ready for paint. No idea when I will actually get to start on these.

10-model Mordheim Empire Warband: The inspiration for my Empire army, painted in the black and white colors of Ostland.

9-model Mordheim Bretonnian Warband: Destined to be rivals of my Ostlanders - Assembled and ready for paint.

3 Warhammer Trolls: No idea why... really nice models, though. These were fun to build and one of these days I'm going to paint them just for the fun of it...

12 Battlemechs: Old Ral Partha Battletech minis - my friends and I played this game twenty years ago. Recently my brother found my old collection of more than 80 models in the attic of our parent's house. I'm going to paint up enough models to use for one-off games or even a short campaign to run on off weeks when we can't find time for our normal games.

2 Battalions of French Grand Alliance: The Foundry units I have for sale - thankfully these models are finished and simply sitting on the desk because I really don't have room for them in my display cases.

3 Front Rank British Riflemen: No idea why these are on my desk - I haven't painted any Napoleonics since last summer.

8 Dungeons & Dragons Minis: These are various manufacturers, mostly Reaper characters plus a WotC Owlbear and an Otherworld Troll. The monsters and two of the characters are painted...

1 Reaper Hedgehog Hero: Ok, I really, really don't know why...

Warfare Miniatures

2011-01-19T08:50:00.001-05:00

Yesterday when I got home there was a parcel waiting for me from the UK containing 14 shiny new castings from Warfare Miniatures!

For those of you who follow the Fighting Talk Forum, this is not groundbreaking news, but I thought I'd show a few here. Taking photos of unpainted metal miniatures is not one of my strengths (turns out it is a different skill than photographing painted ones) so the lighting may not do them justice, but these are very nice models. These are true 28mm (from the sole of their boots to their eyes).

Left to right: Dixon, Warfare Miniatures, Front Rank, Foundry, Old Glory, and Reiver

Overall the anatomy on the figures I received are very good. An effort has been made toward realism so details like buttons, etc. are small, more along the lines of the Napoleonic Perry miniatures I've painted. I will be painting these next week and will post one or two samples, but these are destined for inclusion in the second edition of Beneath the Lily Banners so I can't show too many! You can see lots of samples painted by Barry Hilton in the League of Augsburg gallery.

One of the great things about this line is the variety that will be available:

First Release List
Likely end Jan - Mid Feb 2011.
Guide price £6.00 for pack of 5 models

1. Musketeers firing line
2. Musketeers at rest
3. Musketeers marching shouldered musket
4. Musketeers advancing fixed plug bayonet
5. Pikemen standing
6. Pikemen marching
8. Command standing
9. Command advancing
10. Grenadiers
11. Foot: Mixed poses 1
12. Foot: Mixed poses 2
13. Casualties

A total of 65 different poses in the first release. Sets 11 & 12 have a variety of officers, sergeants, pikemen and musketeers to fill gaps and add variety. Following the first release will be the artillery which will include guns, crew, and limbers and the third release will be the horse which should also include dragoons, both mounted and on foot.

On the subject of Beneath the Lily Banners, we are almost ready to send it to the printer. The layouts are finished with the exception of one chapter which is the sample game - weather in Scotland has conspired against us to delay the battle. All of the chapters are headed into a final round of editing. In addition to all of the eye candy you would normally expect from our books, there will be six pages featuring single models from more than seventy infantry battalions to serve as a uniform guide and five or six pages dedicated to painting models by the artists who turned them out (including me). We are painting the models for these pages now. I hope to wrap up the cover art this weekend. It never ceases to amaze me how much work goes into one of these books. It seems like we have have 'nearly finished' for months... stay tuned!

Men of Ostland

2011-01-14T08:52:00.001-05:00

I am assembling the troops mentioned in my previous post when I get spare time. Last year, I built a warband for Mordheim and painted the models in the colors of Ostland and I've decided to use the same color scheme for the core of my army. I will probably include units from other provinces as the army grows, but the strong black and white color scheme really appeals to me.

These models will probably make it into the army as a 10-model unit of Free Company at some point. My initial plan is to build a 1250pt force so I can get in some games as soon as possible. The core of my army will be infantry. They will be led by Captain Marko Steelknife and a restrained version of Hans Morgrimmar - kinda like Gandalf in The Hobbit. Hans will grow into The Return of the King version as I add more points! Any remaining points will be put into artillery and cavalry.

Right now I have the following list, subject to change:

Empire Captain - Armor of Metoric Iron, Lance, Warhorse, and Barding (118pts)
Empire Battle Wizard - Level 2, Scroll of Arcane Shielding (100pts)
30 Halberdiers - full command, detachments of 15 Swordsmen and 10 Handgunners (340pts)
20 Handgunners - full command (180pts)
15 Great Swords - full command (180pts)
6 Empire Knights - Musician and Great Weapons (146pts)
Cannon (100pts)
Helstorm Rocket Battery (115pts)

Ok, that's 1254pts, but my normal opponents won't mind. If it would actually be an issue, I can drop a Handgunner from the detachment and add a 5pt magic item to make it 1249pts. Now before anyone rushes off to copy my list, I am a TERRIBLE Warhammer general. I mentioned before, my army is based on units I found rummaging around in my closet rather than what may or may not be the best combination.

For instance, putting full command with the Handgunners unit may be a waste of points because they are unlikely to see much melee and the points may be more useful on magic items, etc. I just think it LOOKS cool to have banners and this unit will be guarding my warmachines which are tough to take out with shooting in 8th edition so they may see some hand to hand combat after all. I think lances are the better option for small cavalry units since they are pretty much one-shot weapons, but I converted a unit of Knights by combining them with a box of Great Swords and again the results LOOK cool. I will just have to trust to their armor saves (and choose my targets carefully) to ensure their 'Strikes Last' penalty for great weapons doesn't see them destroyed before they can employ their +2 strength beyond the first round of combat.

I may not win many games, my army will look great in the deployment zone!

Expanding to 2000pts would include another large block of infantry, a Battle Standard Bearer, an Engineer, boosting the Great Swords to 20, a second Cannon, and another small support unit of some sort like Huntsmen or Pistoliers.

Dark Elves on Dinosaurs - Part Three

2011-01-12T08:55:00.000-05:00

Done and Dusted! The goal at this stage is to keep the highlights small and sharp. On many areas, such as the scales, this turns into a 'dot' but if the scale is large enough I tried to paint a stripe along the upper third. Both metallics were highlighted with Citadel Mithril Silver and for the most part this was applied to the sharp edges of armor or only the highest peak of the helm.

I probably won't post any more on these until the unit is finished unless someone has specific questions on something I didn't explain. So now off to the other four!

Dark Elves on Dinosaurs - Part Two

2011-01-11T00:55:00.001-05:00

Here is the second stage of my three-step (mostly - more on that later) painting style on a Dark Elf Knight...

The details are starting to take shape, especially the skin of the Cold One. The object is to highlight each area in such a manner that the original, darker color is still visible in the deepest recesses of the model. With the Foundry system, I often (but not always) simply grab the next color in the triad. For instance, in the blue base coat on the Cold One was Foundry Sky Blue Shade (21A). For my first highlight stage, I used Sky Blue (21B). In this instance, I concentrated on brightening the scales and painting on the different folds on the skin to bring out the texture.

All of the areas were treated in a similar fashion, though I used more of a blending technique on the robe because I wanted the texture to be smooth and contrast with all of the scales and armor this mini has going for it. Creating contrasts is not just about color choices! The effect is subtle, but will really pop when I add the third step.

I don't use a lot of washes in general, but I like the Games Workshop Citadel washes for armor and other metallic areas. The armor got a wash of Asurmen Blue (doesn't seem to show in the photo, but it did make a difference) and the gold areas with Ogryn Flesh. However, the metallics did not get a highlight as this stage. I prefer to add sharp, high contrast highlights on metal and I'll do those on the next step.

I'll post the finished model in a day or so and the whole unit in a few weeks. More Empire stuff is on the way as well as the 40mm ACW regiment I've been working on...

A Gathering Storm

2011-01-08T00:37:00.001-05:00

Hans Morgrimmar has come to Ostland... the enemies of the men are gathering in the shadows of the realm and the wizard seeks to rally an army to stem the tide. He was turned away from the court of the Elector, but has found an ally in Captain Marko Steelknife who controls one of the outlying garrisons. The small force he leads cannot win the day, but it may hold until greater powers may be stirred to action.

After many years away from Warhammer Fantasy, I have been lured back by the changes in the eighth edition rules. I have always found Games Workshop's miniatures to be stunning and and my brother's deep interest in the game has prompted me to collect a new army to participate in a small campaign this summer. With all of my other projects, it may be necessary to bulk out my force with models from my old collection, but we'll see how it goes.

So how do I go about building an all conquering Warhammer army? Do I study the army lists to find the ultimate combination of troops and characters? No. I dug through my closet and pulled out a stack of plastic box sets I had left over from a few years back - after all a general goes to war with the army he has, right? So here's what I had:

1 General box
1 Battle Wizard box
3 State Troops boxes
3 State Handgunners boxes
1 Archers box
1 Knightly Orders boxes
1 Great Cannon
1 Pistoliers box

Yeah, I had that many unused boxes (in some cases unopened - the boxes still had the shrink wrap on them). I also have a few spare sprues of Archers and Great Swords left over from a Mordheim project. So that's the core of my army! A mounted Captain, two Battle Wizards, 30 Halberdiers, 30 Handgunners, 10 Archers, 8 Knights, 5 Pistoliers, and a Great Cannon. I'm going to have a look through my old collection and see which models may fit in with the new ones.

By the way, that's the Grey Wizard Hans Morgrimmar. He's a conversion using the Empire Battle Wizards box. The hood is made of green stuff and the staff is an off cut from a Forest Goblin Spider Rider. He is officially the first model of my new army, painted this afternoon. Posts on this army will be made as units are finished, but I have a lot on my plate so stay tuned!