Sunday, July 28, 2013

1914 French in 40mm



My friend John has been modeling stuff in 40mm lately. First for his Great (imaginary) European War of 1850, and more recently for the 1914 battles of the Great War. When I was over there last game, I brought home some of the 1914 French to try painting for him. 

(Remember: click on the picture for a bigger version):


1914 French in 40mm sculpted and cast by my John Bertolini. They aren’t properly based yet as we haven’t figured out a basing system for the 1914 stuff. It’ll probably be six bases of three – as with the 1850 stuff.

John’s also done 1914 Germans and Russians and probably Austrians and other Balkan armies…. But not the British…? That’s okay, because I’m working on my own (though I haven’t made any more progress since the last post).


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Um… Still in renovation limbo with the added excitement of outlaws visiting this coming week… productivity may drop further… or possibly increase… (if I end up spending a lot of time hiding in the basement!?)

Maybe I’ll try and get that last unit of my own 28mm 1914 French done…?

Or get cracking on my 40mm 1914 British!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Great European War of 1850 Continues...


I got out to play  Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878 with John again.  We played another scenario set during an imaginary war in Europe circa 1850 – following on from our previous game.

This time we actually played one of the scenarios out of the book. We decided on a meeting engagement and then rolled on the appropriate tables to determine forces and table edges and whatnot.

I like the scenario generation system. There are five basic scenarios; the Pitched Battle, the Meeting Engagement, the Rearguard Action, the Flank Attack, and the Mini Game. For each scenario, you roll on a table to determine the make up of your force – a much better system that simple point buy system – though you need to own six infantry, two skirmish, three cavalry and three artillery units for any given army to be able to cover all of the possibilities…



Galicia, Late August 1850

SITUATION

After executing a brilliant fighting retreat, the Austrian commander, Gen. Felix von Breunner, has regrouped his men, received reinforcements and been resupplied and is now ready to meet the Russian forces under General Yuri Yaroslavich Bertolovski. Shortly after the general advance had been ordered, a message arrived at the General HQ that a force of Russians has been spotted advancing on the right flank! Von Breunner ordered forces diverted to meet the Russian advance.

SCENARIO

As I mentioned we chose to play the meeting engagement. With most scenarios the meeting engagement is meant to be played on a `4’x3’ table using centimetres, we played on a 4’x8’ table using inches. There were three objectives placed about the table. At the end of turn 15 whoever held at least two of them would be the winner.

We dice for force make-up, who would be attacker and defender and which side of the table the defender would set up on (the attacker would set up opposite).

Each side is to start with three units on the table, the remaining units were to be organized into columns of two units. Then each commander had to determine what order he wanted each of these columns to arrive in. arrival of columns would be diced for at the beginning of each movement phase.

FORCES

Austrians (under Gen. Felix von Breunner)
2x Light Infantry
4x Regular Infantry
2x Artillery
2x Cavalry

Russians (under General Yuri Yaroslavich Bertolovski)
6x Regular Infantry
2x Artillery
2x Cavalry


THE GAME

We diced for the forces we would get (see above). Then we diced for who was “defending” – that was me – in this case it just meant John went first. Then I diced to see which end of the table I was defending – it turned out I was defending the east end – one of the short ends of the table. I was to set up three of my units within 15” of the east end (one infantry, one skirmish, and one cavalry). John would do the same, except the Russians apparently don’t get skirmish units… So I think he set up an additional regular infantry unit.


(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The starting Austian forces. Infantry, Cavalry, and Jäger/Light Infantry (skirmishers).


The Russian Forces at the end of their first move – one infantry unit already in possession of the town (one of the objectives).


John moving his Rusians. This is probably turn two or three. Russian cavalry is already in possession of the hill (one of the other objectives).


The third objective is the village in the foreground. One of my Austiran infantry units is beside it. I originally planned to pass it by and deploy in line before it in the fields between the two towns, or veer towards the hill with the infantry as it seemed it would be the most contested objective. Unfortunately I didn’t get ANY reinforcements for the first three turns, whereas John got ALL of his reinforcements in the first three or four turns!!  By the timeI was about to pass the village, there were Russian guns about to set up on the opposite end of the field which would blow away my infantry in the open, so they made a shorp turn into the village shortly after this and awaited the arrival of reinforcements.


The cavalry battle! There was a great cavalry battle for the hill that went back and forth for more than a few turns as we both rushed our cavalry forward to secure that objective! This is a few turns into it as we’ve both lost a few stands!


Things looking bad for the Austrian cavalry; taking serious losses and more Russians advancing quickly up to the battle!!


Finally Austrian reinforcements started arriving around turn four. I think I had reinforcements two turns in a row, but the rest didn’t come on for a few more turns..


The Austiran Jägers – they didn’t want to venture too far from the safety of the woods with all those Russian cavalry galloping around! Later they would be a major pain in the side of the Russian infantry and artillery defending the hill. 


Austrian Cavalry reinforcements finally arrive!


I finally got one of my guns past the village and set it up to fire into the flanks of the advancing Russians heading towards the hill.  It did some serious damage to the Russian cavalry!

Mental Note: keep cavalry out of the line of fire of artillery!!

The battle slowly developing.

The Russian cavalry in the open near the top of the picture recently retreated from a battle with the Austiran cavalry and overran one of their own infantry units destroying it!!

Mental Note #2: Keep infantry units out of the way of potentially retreating cavalry!!


This was probably turn ten or eleven. The cavalry forces have more or less shot their bolt. The Russians have infantry on the reverse slope of the hill, my infantry are still advancing towards it taking fire from two Russian artillery batteries. My artillery batteries had also been firing at Russian infantry and cavalry headin towards the hill, but at this point are just shooting at the Russian artillery.


Four Austiran infantry battalions converging on the hill defended by two Russian infantry battalions and a gun – though there are Russian guns firing from the Austrians flank and more Russian infantry on the way as well. All the Russian Cavalry was wiped out by this point.



I think it was on the next turn that Russian infantry marched up onto the hill. The Austrian Infantry was being mauled by the Russian guns firing canister. The two closest Austrian battalions had to deploy into line and try and shoot it out with the Russian infantry and guns and hope that the other two Austrian Infantry battalions advancing on the Russians flank would make it there on time!


On the very last turn (Turn Fifteen!) one of the Austrian Infantry battalions charged up the hill attacking the flank of a Russian battalion that had been taking fire from the front and flank and were considerably weakened. The Austrians drove them off, taking the east end of the hill. The last remaining element of Russian cavalry charged the Russian guns from the rear and wiped them out.

At the beginning of the battle John predicted that we would never make it to turn fifteen – that it would all be decided will before that… At Turn Fifteen it was a draw. We both held on village, but the hill was still contested.

It’s hard to say which way it would have gone if we’d played on another few turns. My Austrian infantry in front of the hill had been mauled and only had open or two stands left. I had a full strength battalion a turn or two away from the hill and another in pretty good condition ON the hill. But John also had an infantry battalion still on the hill, and, I think, two more advancing towards it! I still had my two artillery batteries, john had lost one and the other had taken some hits… I just don’t know… could have gone either way.

I Do know it was a LOT of fun. We played fifteen turns in about three hours – what other game of this size and period can you do THAT in!? I’m definitely looking forward to the next engagement…


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

While I was at John’s I picked up a unit of his 40mm 1914 French to paint up for him and I am working on those now. I haven’t been able to get much other work done on my own 1914 masters, but hopefully I will get back to them shortly. After painting the 40mm 1914 french I’m hoping I’ll be able to quickly finish up the rest of my own 28mm 1914 French as I only have one infantry unit and one cavalry unit left and then they are DONE! Or as done as they’re gong to be for the foreseeable future – I have no plans to add anything else to the force any time soon (unless I found a suitable mounted general officer or two to command the force… Maybe I could use the French High command and /or the French communications team from  Scarab Miniatures - though I’d have to carve off the Adrian helmets from two of the signalers as they weren’t used in 1914… 

More Great War French


Back to the Great War stuff. Actually I’d started these guys a few weeks ago…. Then production fell off for a bit… but the other night I decided I should finish them off before entirely losing focus and starting anything else.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


A Second unit of regular French infantry from Great War Miniatures.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

STILL More Frenchmen (but in a different scale!). 

Mechs and a Spartan


I have a small collection of micro scale sci-fi stuff some of it I’ve had for years – from playing Battletech in High School. Other stuff I picked up to play Adeptus Titanicus, Space Marine or Epic 40K… and later I picked up some stuff to play with Dirtside and then Future War Commander - which is what I’ll use this for should they ever get on the table.

(Actually last year I acquired a whole shwack of Epic stuff that a friend found at a garage sale and gave to me in trade for future painting considerations… I haven’t even looked at it… That’s not true… I HAVE looked at it, and then put it back in the box I have no room to store it really so I haven’t really considered it too mush. I know there’s a PILE of Ork and Squat and some Space Marine and Chaos stuff in there… but beyond that, it’s a big box of stuff I’ll look at some day when I actually start playing with the stuff I have….)

A lot of this had been repainted and rebased a number of times.

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


Come plastic mech-like-robot. I think it might have come from EM4 Miniatures? I got it in a trade so I can't be sure. 


A gen-u-ine Battletech ‘Mech from Fasa.

Not the most inspiring paint jobs... but there done and ready for action - should I ever get around to playing! 


An odd Spartan I had laying about and decided to paint… (the figure is from Black Tree Design)


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Great War French. 

Thursday, July 18, 2013

40mm Masters Progress

I got a bit more work done on the 1914 Great War 40mm masters...


I'm working on a British Officer (left), and Highlander (centre),  and a British infantryman (right). 

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

What Have I Been Up To!?

Speaking of daft ideas... Look what I started this week.

Hands up! Who can guess what these are...?


Let's make a game of it - I will send one painted sample of each (whenever I happen to finish them) to the first three that can guess the a) Scale, b) Conflict, c) Nationality, and d) What the heck am I planning on using them for!? 

This may or may not be tricky - depending on how close you follow the blog. (You might find a hint in a recent post!) 

Guessing is open until I post the next progress picture... which might be tomorrow, because I'm really kind of having fun with this!


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Casualties


A couple of odd casualties I decided to get out of the painting box…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


Great War British/Canadian casualties from Old Glory.

Greek Hoplite casualty from Warlord Games.

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Hmmmmmm…. Not sure just yet… So many different projects and plans and ideas pulling me in so many different directions at once. It’s a bad situation as I usually try to do it all and in the end get NOTHING done… On one hand I’d like to paint up a load of medieval/fantasy figures and run a game of Savage Worlds for the kids… at the same time I want to finish up the Greek Ships I started a year ago and resume the Greek Myth Campaign I’d started… At the same time I am stoked about Great War projects and plans I’d like to jump back into the  Vimy Projectwith tow feet… But I’ve also got a half finished unit of 1914 French and another unit away from completing that force… and 2014 is coming up sooner… Oh and then there’s the (probably daft) idea that I should abandon the 28mm 1914 Great War and model some Brits in 40mm to go with the French and Germans my friend John’s  been working on… Oh, and speaking of 40mm and John… After playing that little battle last week I thought I’d like to put together a force of 1850-ish British for his imaginary mid 19th Century war in Europe!? And then there’s the Modern stuff that I’d been working on over the winter that I’d like to get back to and finish up… and zombies… and then there’s some days I feel like saying EFF it and just abandoning the minis and concentrating on painting and  drawing comics… 

Medieval Fantasy Kids and Characters


Wow… production has dropped off sharply… It’s been two weeks since I’ve really painted anything. Up until June I was averaging 100 28mm foot per month… now we’re halfway through July and I’ve got less than a dozen done… Ah well..

I’ve been thinking about getting a new Savage Worlds campaign going for the kids where they get to play… well… kids… More on that (soon, hopefully) over at Savage Timmy’s Playhouse

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version):


These kids are from Hasslefree Miniatures.


Three monks from Mega Miniatures.


A really old Female Rogue type that I’ve had for over 20 years and just repainted. I have no idea who manufactured her… might have been old Citadel…? The other chap is possibly a dismounted cuirassier from Dixon Miniature’s ECW line…? I'm not sure...? 

Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Some assorted casualty markers. 

Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Austrians in Retreat!


Last night I wandered over to my friend John Bertolini’s to hang out and play with some of his toys – which I haven’t done in FAAAAAAAAR too long! We broke out his home-cast 40mm 1850 Russians and Austrian “toy soldier” and played a game with Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878 - a fun little set of fast-playing rules for… well… Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878….

I've been in a bit of a wargaming funk the last little bit. It was nice to get out and roll some dice and play with little toy soldiers... and I didn't even have to put much thought into which ones to use or what scenario to run - because it was at John's and he'd taken care of all that!


Galicia, August 1850

SITUATION

War has broken out between Russian and Austria. An Austrian regiment leading the advance has found itself themselves too far ahead of the main column and facing and entire Russian brigade with no hope of reinforcement in the immediate future and thus have to execute a fighting retreat to rejoin the main force.

SCENARIO

The Austrians deployed in an area in, more or less, the middle of the table. The Russians began at the “Eastern” end of the table (It was really the western end of the table… but it makes more sense to say they were coming from the East…). The Austrians has to hold their ground for five turns before falling back and exiting as much of their force off the Western edge of the table.

We didn’t really set up any clear “victory conditions”… we just set out the scenario above and started playing… to see how it turned out.

FORCES

Austrians
1x Light Infantry
2x Regular Infantry
2x Artillery
1x Dragoons

Russians
6x Regular Infantry
2x Artillery
1x Dragoons


THE GAME

I ended up playing the Austrians and John played the Russians. It was a fast game and I was having too much fun to take too many pictures…

(Remember: click on the pictures for a bigger version)


The Austrian forces. My light infantry are in the foregroun, beyond them are the two regular infantry units and artillery batteries, and in the distance the Austiran Dragoons.


Another shot of the Light Infantry. These guys were true heroes of the day – they ended up causing grief to two Russian battalions without taking any casualties!


The Russians forces preparing to advance.


As the Russians advanced into artillery range I let loose with the cannons. At long range I got to roll two dice. Cavalry, being rather large, eas-to-hit targets I needed only roll a 2 or better to score hits on each....

 

Ah, it’s going to be that sort of game is it…?

Actually despite this initial appalling roll, the Austrians made a pretty good account of themselves! 


The other battery faired a little better – causing a casualty amongst the advancing Russian infantry.


Russian on the advance. Austrian cannons firing away.


My Dragoons rode out to meet the Russian Dragoons


We drove them steadily backwards, nearly driving them off the far end of the table… after these lads wiped them out they turned around and galloped past the Russian guns and infantry to make it off the West end of the table with, I think, two of their stands remaining!

Things looked a little dicey when the Russian Horde got to within rifle range and opened up - causing pretty severe losses among the Austrians! Rather than try and shoot it out with them I turned tail and RAN (like I was SUPPOSED TO - it was a "fighting retreat" scenario after all!!)


The Austrians falling back across the big hill, Russian in hot pursuit!!


With a bit of  a traffic jam on the far side of the hill, one of the Austiran battalions turned to fire on the Russians again to give the guns and the other battalion time to get sorted out and off the table.

In the end both of my regular infantry battalions made it off the table with about half their original number. The guns and my light infantry made it off unscathed (well… except for one gun team – they’d lost one crew man…) and, as mentioned before the Austrian dragoons made it off the table with two of their stands remaining!

The Russians lost a lot of infantry, nearly twice the number of Austrians, and the Russian Dragoons were wiped out.

I think they Russian could have done with some more cavalry (and guns?). We also could have made some impassable terrain (or at least bad going) that the Austrians would have had to funnel through to give the Russians a better chance to catch them. Once turn five rolled around I pretty much just had to walk away – the Russians going the same speed would never catch up, and not being able to move and shoot couldn’t even shoot my guys as they ran (as I would have quickly – within a turn – been out of range of their rifles)!?

Still… good times! I’m definitely looking forward to playing again! 

Playing with these toy soldiers always gets me thinking I should start modeling some of my own!? DOH!?


Coming soon on Tim’s Miniature Wargaming Blog:

Not sure… I have a game of Axis and Allies lined up for this weekend… perhaps a report on that? Painting has ground to a halt, once again, as the temporary painting station upstairs had to be dismantled as the top floor had to be evacuated for the impending renovations that will seriously start any day now… any day now… seriously…