Fun – Page 9 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG 1862 (III) 6mm (My Way)

Remember I am still experimenting devices and mechanisms (NO AI thanks GOD!). It is interesting (maybe) the things I have cumulated over the years thinking they would be useful for a wargame. Some had not even 6mm in mind at the time!

I still have no definite (read exact or concrete) idea on how to use the playing cards… but usually “chance” and “resolve ties” are already on my mind! And NO I do not know if they are still produced Google on FOURNIER PLAYING CARDS and investigate yourselves (Any set of cards would do really… but it satisfies my aesthetics senses). Dice you know are basic in any wargame…

I first calculated the average men per Brigade at Antietam using OSPREYS, ALTAR OF FREEDOM and SEARS books… Confederate Brigades are smaller but the stands are of equal measure as Union one’s (bigger Brigades, smaller divisions, smaller Corps)… so the value proportion is around 6/4 (or evidently enough 3/2).

I still doubt if I will generalize to ALL Brigades or give some a + and others a – … keeping the whole balance jus to add variety… still working on that! (looks like Altar of Freedom but it is not).

Been a solo player I decided a lot of automatisms would help the flow of the game… no fancy micromanagement of brigades… they search and fight each other matter of fact!… More on that in the future. Attrition and Struggle foremost in my mind… also the notion (IMPORTANT) that Tired and Spent Brigades are very important concepts!

I do not like record keeping, I do not like dice on the table, (I will throw dice and turn cards on another auxiliary table)… but experiments are getting closer… will probably use too my own version of the BELLO LUDI Cards…

Well, enough for today…

Enjoy the pics!

Tons of dice! Different sizes (and got more average dice out of the pic)

Hooker’s Corps about to get out from the North Woods.

Confederates between West Woods and Dunker Church… going to wheel I guess…

Frontal view of the “REBS” (Jackson’s Corps)

ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG (II) (First move) I am experimenting with my home rules

A word of advice… I am doing my own thing so do not expect to enjoy this (the pics maybe)…

A bit of an explanation (not excuses)… I have a lot of ACW Rules, even 6mm specific one’s but SOLO wargaming is not on the designer’s minds at all… I understand and not complaining at all… I can not BID against myself (see POLEMOS) the best presented are ALTAR OF FREEDOM (one cheer for the USA chaps of Little Wars) but I have to make adjustments to play them solo…

NOT that I will use them as my basis at all, but I mostly agree with several concepts… let’s mention an example… BRIGADES of UNION and CONFEDERACY had NOT the same number of men at all… one bigger one medium one small whatever… if McClelland had 82000 men present at ANTIETAM and Lee (around 44000) and the number of brigades is lets say 45/37 something has to be done to “adjust” the numbers. The numbers in each brigade of the Confederacy has to be “reduced” to get the desired balance of forces (I will try to do this with small coloured dices in the rear of each Brigade). YOU have been advised! I am still experimenting.

To avoid an absolute GOD attitude in which I will represent each Commander in Chief (both sides), each Corps Commander, and even Divisions and Brigade decisions… some way to introduce “chance” “fog of war” and “several impromptus” must be decided by the turn of a friendly (or NOT) card… more in next chapters or Posts… got plenty of those cards (as you will see).

BUT

It is a big BUT … my main approach to enjoy myself is acknowledging the fact that everyone of those little toy soldiers KNOWS perfectly why he is there… to fight the enemy… everyone of them is holding to his musket and saying his prayers… but he is determined to fight it out! (So no need to encourage them at all to do their business… they know)… When those Armies met it is for deciding an outcome (Lee’s first Invasion… say no more… read History… no place here for History lessons)… (McClellan worried to lose the engagement and permit the fall of Washington!… always too worried by the numbers of the enemy!).

If you follow this posts you will see my trial and error… I do not care to make mistakes… I am learning myself!

So there you are… enjoy the eye candy!

Hooker’s Corps moving into the fray (there is no fray yet of course… but they are searching for trouble if you know what I mean)

Lateral view (North limit of North Woods).

Jackson is deploying his extreme left and Stuart’s cavalry is kept back in reserve.

Eagle Eye view of Jackson’s Corps on the Confederate left flankl

Antietam/Sharpsburg 1862 (6mm) My Own for once! (I)

At last! I could do it…

Finally I must say the choice (difficult) I did to sell my 25mm Collection and go 6mm has payed off! (I know not everyone’s taste 6mil) what you lose in uniform detail you gain in playable surface for the scale… same table… but lots of room to manoeuvre if you know what I mean…

A couple of thousands of minis but it does not look crowded at all. Mainly Baccus and Rapier minis (mainly painted by Robert Jackson (90%) and Turbil Miniatures), Leven and Baccus buildings (REVEILLE by Daniel Hodgson), Trees are Baccus as Bridges and “fields”.

I will use this FIRST Wargame to develop my Own House Rules (SOLO or MULTIPLAYER) mainly adapting and reforming mecanisms of POLEMOS (BACCUS) ALTAR OF FREEDOM (Little Wars TV) Fire&Fury… and what not!

Making the river is quite cheap. And the woods are not “compact” I can move the stands of tress to make them passable. The Cornfield has no corn because I do not like troop stands floating over scenery… MY taste!.

Interested in the concepts movement, attrition, spent forces, General’s limitations, and mainly Historical Reenactment, Fictionnal Wargames with more freedom will come later.

Absolutely satisfied (if such thing exists) with the layout and minis… at last Armies look like Armies and terrain is wholesome…

I will probably do a movement a day not decided with 1/2 hour or whole hour’s span of time of a wargame period… will remain experimental for a while until satisfied. Trial and error etc.

Enjoy! (I do)

No Armies yet… just a peaceful countryside…

Union Forces in place (not yet deployed)

Burnside and Porter (and general reserve)

Union Center to Right flank (anticlockwise) Sumner, Franklin, Mansfield and Hooker.

Full UNION view (Times of arrival or engagement NOT simultaneous)

My Old Wargames table (permanent once retired)

Ready to Start I guess… (On the right lower part Hill’s forces coming from Harper’s Ferry)… not yet “on the table”.

Confederates Center and Right (Bloody Lane with the rail fence)

Jackson’s left flank with Stuarts’s Cavalry.

More from Paul Watson!

Paul’s a friend, and I am quite happy to Post here his late production or project!

By mere chance I have them sailors too (Steadfast from R.Prati)… but not that beast of a GUN! (I used to have them in 25mm when I collected only MINIFIGS!

I am glad he is publishing pics again… always a source of inspiration!

Enjoy!

Really a mini-diorama in 54mm (toy Soldiers)

Al Fisher’s Own

Out of the blue an email with pics!… something out of the ordinary I can assure you! By the way if you want your collection or pics from it published here send them to me (as long quality is as shown below!).

It has been about three years since I started this Blog intermmitently, nowadays I try to post once a day (mainly I can do that)… but even if I have devised means to contact with other collectors… Facebook does the trick better because my son (Expert in computers… his career and way of life!) do not believe this humble Blog needs feedback because of spam… so… I keep publishing my email on it from time to time and sometimes SUCCES!… someone takes the pain of bothering about it and gets out of his or her way (I know it is mainly HIS) to contact me and drop a line or even pics!.

Yesterday was one of this days. So I give you the pics kindly sent by Mr. Al Fisher (Senior to me in experience and years!… who is still in the hobby…)

Truly glad of it! I asked him for permission to publish!… so there you have it… as always you can contact me at adb@andorra.ad (YES! a country with NO Army as Pete Seeger sung…)

Enjoy!

Last but not least… the first ever pic of Lawrence of’Arabia in this Blog! (El-Laurens)

A matter of ADC’s

I must be boorish today talking about me projects… you see I am still “squaring” units, so while DORSET SOLDIERS does the last 16 soldiers to complete ny British Army (Khaki)… I am doing some odds and ends because of some old horses I got (do not remember why at all)… First I did Young Winston (see elsewhere in this Blog)… now I am working on Charles Saganne (Depardieu) as a French ADC (mounted) … he is already primed for paint… and his horse has got a new “rouleau” just for the fun of it! (I am getting better with plasticine or milliput)

More to the point a couple of dismounted ADC’s for the British Army (see pic).

And what is even much more fun a couple of motorcycle riders! Full circle I guess (they were my first toys those kind of chaps!)…

So … try to Enjoy!

Primed and prepared for painting (see horseman on the left)

On a more sunny job I corrected the medals on my French General! Count that as a bonus against boredom.

Nathan Brittles Last patrol (in 6mm)

After all those 54mm pics of the French Foreign Legion I thought it would be refreshing… perish the thought!… it is really difficult to take pics of 6mm!… the human eye is much better than the camera (at least mine).

Here you have a sorry try to picture what is in fact a very interesting wargame (role playing a bit) for SOLO wargamers as me. If you look closely all the characters are there (some inside the wagon I fear). So, SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON it is after all…

The poor quality of the pics is only my fault… but Baccus 6mm are the best to date to my knowledge to do it in this scale. Have always been a big fan of John Ford’s Cavalry films… (Not exclusively those called “The Trilogy” by smart asses…)

Enjoy! (if you can see them)

Winston Spencer Churchill as a young lieutenant

I promised yesterday… so…

It was a poor attempt to “model with miliput” because it is never been “my thing”… but I was tempted to try to do a “Toy Soldier piece unique” (as I can not match the “true” Bill Horan’s in our miniature world).

It all started simply enough, I had a redundant arm with pistol… a couple of horses (Empty Horses David Niven would say in his memoirs) with no rider… and I asked Antony Spencer from DORSET SOLDIERS to send me a British Colonial Rider without right arm. Still planning to do a French ADC (mounted) for the other horse…

Once I got it… I decided to try my hand at what Antony Stevens does effortlessly, meaning adding binocular case and a haversack to a rather “plain figure”… I also worked a bit on the horse (which was already painted since many years ago) adding valise and equipment… I showed all that to you in a Post not so long ago (about end of December 2022).

Well here it is the result of my job in some pics… and YES he is standing on the stirrups!… not at a 100% satisfied but not bad for a first try since God knows when… Never thought “minimalist” Toy Soldiers would be so difficult to do!

Enjoy! (not so easy today!)

Toy Soldiers “in action” by Scott Lesch!

Nowadays a hard core of aficionados has rediscovered the charm of wargaming (without throwing pellets) in 54mm scale with Toy Soldiers. After all it is a normal consequence of 28mm skirmish type of games… I am in it in spades… you will see in a couple of days when I post my “new” additions to an Army of French Foreign Legion figures by DORSET SOLDIERS… painted by myself because once retired it is a rediscovery (not exclusively for the less money involved.. because you get it exactly right!… and even fastest than to wait fot them to paint them).

Not that I do not buy painted one’s… in general they do paint better than me (specially Andrew Stevens who seems to get his shop REPLICA ready for business again!… and that is a piece of excellent news!). Dorset Soldiers (now amalgamated with IMPERIAL MINIATURES and ALL THE QUEEN’S MEN) do paint better than me too!… bu I have the patience and the time (Or whatever amount of time remains… LOL).

Enjoy!

A bit of humour

“Your friend Robert Villepreux did come yesterday.”

“It is my duty to beware you that he ordered two Infantry Regiments and three Assault Motorized Divisions”

All right, Jean Jacques Sempé was one of the best cartoonist in France for decades, ironic, subtle and very good at minimalist drawing. I can think of a lot of other texts to use for this drawing… but the one he choosed resumes perfectly our megalomania.

It could have been:

“I understand that gloss or matt is a difficult decision…”

or:

“Maybe I do not have exactly what you want Sir…”

But never mind… I laughed myself out for a while with it… and thought better Post immediately!

Enjoy!