You must be at least divided in two categories those who love them and those indifferent to them (I do not think many loath them…)
So, nearly finished… not yet… but nearly
Myself?… in a hiatus with nagging doubts about the wise parameters of some ACW rules mechanisms… LOL… but plenty of time to experiment (I am a solo wargamer remember?… plenty of time…).
Also trying to buy a 6mm Nile Gunboat… not as easy as it seems… I got the money… I got the decision… got the place where the 3D files are and would sell to me… got the printer OK… but it seems I need permission of the author(?!?!?!) who has put it in the market in the first place… so all quite a confused affair… will keep you posted!
So, for the moment…
Enjoy!
Cuirassiers (should have been in another post!) the one with artistic backgroundLancers (Austrian)Artillery (overdimensioned… lol)Massed Cavalry
In a way, a suite of pics that shows that it is easy to roleplay (in fact it was not even called roleplaying at all back then) with 54mm vintage Toy Soldiers… and “damn the torpedoes”…
Eclectic? Yes
Old Fashioned? Yes
Childish? Yes
Fun? Yes
So…
Enjoy!
The ColumnScout InformingSappers and MinersInfo deliveredHead of ColumnDetailAnother detail
Lovely display!… For once the collector has more soldiers than me! (Only kidding… never thought on having such vast numbers of Household Cavalry!) by contrast my RHA teams are more complete (life has those turns…)… to do not mention the Foot Guards… even if I suspect NOT his whole collection in the pics.
Never thought for a second to let mine be displayed outside of my Home&Castle… if you know what I mean…
A great Idea.
Enjoy!
Quite funny title! Open carriageArtillery TeamsLife Guards!Closed CarriageBlues and RoyalsMassed Bands
I have no excuse… no ideas other than to post some nice pics!… you see… I am too busy by now with other projects and this is just to keep you entertained… even if it is a small proportion of you (the readers of this webpage) amused for a while…
Enjoy!
ACWRussian NapoleonicNapoleonic LancersFrench Napoleonic InfantryAnd to make your Sunday!… Bonaparte himself!
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!
ACW Poker Cards by FournierUnionConfederacyTons of dice! Different sizes (and got more average dice out of the pic)Hooker’s Corps about to get out from the North Woods.Union with markers (blue dice)Confederates between West Woods and Dunker Church… going to wheel I guess…Frontal view of the “REBS” (Jackson’s Corps)Other Corps’s in movement… (UNION)Crossing Antietam Creek (SUMNER Corps).
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
Couldn’t resist posting some redcoated Toy Soldiers as seen in Facebook on the William Britain’s Group.
Always thought they were the best Toy Soldiers around when I was a kid…
So…
Enjoy!
Britain’s at the ready…DetailGuards to the fore!Whole setAnother viewRetreating into the castleRearguard action!Protecting the Door!Cavalry to the rescue!
