Today at the Club

I 've spent a very nice day today at the our monthly get together at the Devon Wargames Group, which is my first game at the club following the summer break. The posts on the club blog about our games this weekend will be slightly delayed as both Steve H and myself, who hosted today's games, are off to Colours at Newbury tomorrow.

So to wet the appetite, as they say, I can report that I managed to run my game and play in Steve's which made for a highly entertaining afternoon.

My offering was to run HMS Shannon vs USS Chesapeake in their 1st of June 1813 showdown during the War of 1812. This being the 200th anniversary year of this famous action where the Shannon captured the Chesapeake in just 15 minutes of bloody action.

You'll have to wait for the game report to find out what happened, but fun was had by all and the "Eight Bells" rules app performed very well.

HMS Shannon saluting the stern quarter of USS Chesapeake in today's rematch.

The other game on offer at the club today saw Steve H running out his 15mm Seven Years War collection with a battle between the French and an Anglo-Hanoverian Force.

The Hanoverian brigade face off the French Garde

The rules used were Koenig Krieg which I had seen but never played. They were a big hit and I can see some more SYW action using them coming up in future. The basing system would also allow me to use the same figure collection for the odd game of "Maurice" now and then.

If you would like to read more, We should have a post up on the Devon Wargames Group blog by Monday.

Khurasan, AB, Warmodelling and Xan comparison

So if you are thinking about mixing ranges of figures the one thing you'll want to know is how does one range compare with another. Now with the launch of Khurasan's range we have more to choose from, and more to compare.

First up the Grenadiers. I only have Warmodelling Grenadiers and Carabiniers in combined battalions in my collection. However Warmodelling are a good match to AB and as you'll see Khurasan stand a good comparison to both AB and Warmodelling.

Khurasan on left, Warmodelling on right

Khurasan on left, Warmodelling on right

Khurasan on left, Warmodelling on right

Khurasan on left, Warmodelling on right

Likewise with the Legere, I only have AB and Xan in my collections. The Khurasan figure looks slightly more substantial than an AB, but the difference is hardly noticeable.

However with the Xan figures it is much more evident, and you only need to look at the bayonets to see that Xan and Khurasan don't mix. The curious thing is that the Xan and AB difference is less noticeable but I would not be to distressed with units from both Khurasan and Xan on the table together. Beauty, as they say, is in the eye of the beholder.

AB on left, Khurasan on right

AB on left, Khurasan on right

AB on left, Khurasan on right

Xan on left, Khurasan on right

Xan on left, Khurasan on right

Xan on left, Khurasan on right

I really like the new Khurasan range and think they add to the options in 18mm.

As well as getting the Khurasan Grenadiers finished off, yesterday was spent sculpting hills for the Vimiero table. The table is done, bar picking up some terrain items and French ADCs from Colours next weekend. The big game is on track and I am thinking of running it several times with different players and possibly combining a Rolica, Vimiero mini campaign by carrying over the casualties from one game to the other.

So with the British and French staff being finished for Vimiero my next post will show some British/French Generals and staff, plus some different stuff I'm doing for friends. Onwards and Upwards.

French Line Grenadiers in Bearskins from Khurasan Miniatures

Ok guys, as promised, the new Grenadiers soon to be launched as part of the new 18mm Napoleonic range from Khurasan Miniatures.

If, like me, you're into the Peninsular War you are going to need Grenadiers and Carabiniers decked out in their finery. The French army in the Peninsula regularly combined their elite companies and used them en masse. The battles of Vimiero, Fuentes d'Onoro and Albuera are classic examples and indeed the Connaught Rangers thought they were up against Napoleon's Guard Grenadiers at Fuentes when fighting close up and personal with these bear-skinned warriors in the back streets of the village.

I don't, sadly, have a full unit to show you of these guys as these were a sample of things to come and were so new they were still hot when I got them out of the box. However I hope you can see why I really love these little chaps. They really seem to exude authority and confidence in their pose, and it's so nice to have grenadier skirmishers in 18mm.

Once the Carabiniers are out, all you need do is get yourself a Grenadier officer, Mounted Colonel and drummer and you'll have a lovely combined Grenadier battalion to throw in to any awkward situation.

Next up the comparison shots with other makes in my collection.

Don Featherstone - A Great War Game Pioneer

Don Featherstone & Peter Gilder

I was very sorry to  hear this week that Don Featherstone passed away after having a fall at home. The early development of modern war gaming was established by the likes of Don and today's gamers owe a lot of gratitude to him for the fantastic hobby we have today. I, like others, want to pay tribute to a great pioneer of the hobby and offer my condolences to his family.

I, like many other gamers of my age,was influenced greatly by Don's books. I have always kept my original copies and occasionally flick through them to remind myself of the thirteen year old who was captivated by the campaigns and games outlined in them. The enthusiasm for the hobby shines through despite the years that have passed and I smiled whilst flicking through my copy of War Game Campaigns, my copy published in 1974.

I was reminded that the first time I read about re-fighting the battle of Rolica was in Don's book and the fact that I am still interested in this battle and produced my own version of the scenario is a tribute to the writing that inspired a thirteen year old to find out more about war gaming.

Thank you Don Featherstone for sharing your ideas and enthusiasm and helping to create the hobby we have today. If the tributes that I've seen from my fellow war-gamers is any thing to go by, your legacy as a war-gaming great is firmly established.

French Light Infantry from Khurasan Miniatures

Last weekend I promised you something new, and I wouldn't want to disappoint.

When I got back from holiday, I had a box of surprises waiting for me in my post bag from Khurasan Miniatures, a US based company run by Mr Jon Katze which amongst other ranges has ventured into the world of 18mm Napoleonics. This range is listed on their site as part of the 15mm historical ranges, but trust me, these are proper 18mm figures.

"Fantastic", I hear you say, "another range on offer for us 18mm fans, the proper scale to fight Napoleonics in the grand manner, where you can see what the figures are and not need a football pitch to do it". Only kidding, you 6/10mm and 28mm aficionados, we all love Napoleonics, right.



French Light Infantryman after the rigours of campaigning in the Peninsula had adapted his uniform!

The figures have been sculpted by Mike Broadbent. I first saw pictures of the French Line Infantry that, in the photos, certainly seemed to have plenty of detail to get the brush around. That detail is even more obvious when you see them.

The unit I have put together is a junior battalion of Legere, hence the Fanion bearer, and being a Legere unit is able to generate extra skirmishers when required. I also have some lovely French Line Grenadiers in bearskins on the paint desk which I will show you in the next post. These chaps will make any combined Grenadier battalion look very imposing.

I was very impressed with the detail and character in these sculpts. These Legere are in their overalls and they give the collector the opportunity to have French Lights looking more like the chaps who took part in the mid to later stages of the Peninsular War, without all the fancy silver tassel's after the rigours of campaigning had had its effect. However these guys are still able to un-wrap the plumes and cords when the occasion demands.

Once the Grenadiers are done I will do some range comparison shots so you can see these chaps against other ranges in my collection.

I really like these figures, and if these are a sign of things to come, will make an excellent addition to the ranges of figures available to the 18mm gamer.

It's my birthday, and I got some presents.

This was the news the year I was born, so I'm now on 53 not out.

Today is sunny and warm in my part of Devon and I am planning to be down on the beach with friends and family, eating fish and chips, then retiring to the bar at the local cricket club. That's what birthdays are all about.

This morning I got some fantastic presents that I thought I'd share with you, all of which I have only dipped into so far but will be giving more considered thoughts about in later posts.

I got into the Jack Tanner books a few years ago with the first novel set in Norway in 1940. These books are "ripping yarns" very much in the style of the Sharpe books and written by a historian, James Holland, who really knows his stuff when it comes to WWII. I've got two teenage sons queueing up to read this one so I guess it will get first attention.

I had "Wellington against Junot" on my list for a while, especially with my recent gaming in mind. Strictly speaking the book should have been Wellesley against Junot, as Sir Arthur didn't get the Viscount Wellington title until after Talavera the following year. Looking forward to getting into this book and the follow up, versus Massena.

I know Robert Burnham's work is invaluable when it comes to studying the Peninsular War so I rather felt this had to be on the book shelf and should give good insight to a topic not well covered in the English language. Again looking forward to getting into this book.

And last, but by no means least, "The Flight of the Eagle 3", just when you thought you knew every thing about Napoleonic campaigning, the ultimate research tool/game system comes along. This module 3 includes all the campaigns from the previous two plus the Peninsular War which really fired my interest.

Needless to say I've been a little bit distracted by this baby this morning, more to follow, but if you've never seen it before I've put a couple of links below that will tell you more.

http://didier-rouy.webs.com/productpage.htm

http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/21915/le-vol-de-laigle

Fighting 15's at Colours September 14th -15th

I gather from Mike Whitaker's blog that the wrong advert to promote Fighting 15's attendance at this year Colours show was put in the Miniature Wargames magazine show guide.

In addition Ian Marsh of Fighting 15's had put in a lot of work to get samples of the new Seven Years War range from Eureka featured on that advert. So please excuse me if I do my bit to support a trader in the industry who supplies great figures that I use and have featured on my blog.

Ian has always been very helpful in sorting particular figures I have wanted and his service is second to none.

Unlike Mike I intend to be at Colours, on the 15th, and I will also be looking to get some AB figures from Ian.