Total Battle Miniatures

We all know that the scaling down done in wargames doesn't just apply to the miniatures. When it comes to terrain, a dozen model trees must represent a wood, and a few model houses a village.

When it comes to buildings, I try to help this process by using models a scale smaller than my troops, so that the footprint of the models on the table is reduced. If I used 25-30mm size buildings with my RSM95s, I would often be stuck with using just one building to create a 'village'. But if you match 15mm buildings with 25-30mm figures, 2 or 3 buildings can be used, which I think creates a more pleasing effect.

One company has taken this process a little further by producing model buildings that have a deliberately minimised footprint on the table, in relation to their nominal scale. The company is Total Battle Miniatures and I finally got around to buying a couple of their products recently, namely the 'Town Tower' and the 'Three Storey Single House', from the 15mm Black Powder range. My idea was that these 2 models could be added to a built up area to make it seem more like a large village or small town, whilst adding only a very small amount to the space taken up on the table. Each model is only 50mm wide by 50mm deep, but has a good height of at least 100mm.

The photo shows the models as they arrived. The Total Battle website shows how they look painted up. They are cast in what seems to be a durable resin, and are good quality castings, although a few minor holes from air bubbles are present. Only a tiny amount of filling will be needed. For their modest size they are not particularly cheap (see the website prices), and postage is charged at a fairly high rate. They also took about 2 weeks to arrive, which is slow by contemporary standards. Nevertheless, I definitely think this company is on to something and the product range is well worth looking into. I'm looking forward to getting them painted and on the table.

However, any minor price reservations about Total Battle Miniatures fade into nothing compared with Hawk Wargames. If you haven't already heard about them, check out this link. Quite frightening really.

For Stokie Steve (9th April)

Hmm... Yes, it would have been a good idea to have some figures in the photo to show how they match up with the buildings. Readers should note that these Total Battle models are very compatible with the JR Miniatures 15mm buildings which can be seen in the photos of my SYW battles throughout this blog. In the picture below the figure is a Minden Miniatures 1/56th scale officer, 30mm from bottom of boots to top of tricorn.

I hope that helps Steve. Personally I think these buildings would work very well with your smaller 1/72nd scale figures.

MADFest 2012

A bit late to be reporting on the Minehead and Dunster Festival of Wargaming, which took place over the 9th to 11th of November last year, but a photo report has just been made available on the Wargames Illustrated website, so I couldn't resist giving the event a belated mention. Check out the link.

A surreal feeling to spend an entire weekend with nothing to do but wargame and drink beer - I remember the same feeling from a weekend at the Wargames Holiday Centre many years ago, when it was still located near Scarborough in Yorkshire. But a wonderful opportunity nevertheless, with full credit going to Nik Harwood for organising the whole thing, along with the magnificent idea of making money for a services charity along the way.

I hope participants will forgive me if I say the highlight of the weekend for me was having the chance to spread out a SYW game on an 8' x 6' table and then umpire a battle using my own rules: a unique experience. I was fortunate to recruit three experienced and enthusiastic wargamers who had never used the rules before, and those gentlemen gave them a thorough workout including valuable feedback. We also enjoyed ourselves immensely.

I'd just like to say those guys are not laughing at the standard of painting on my figures.
They're much too nice to do that sort of thing!

Those GW battlemats were a good purchase.

The festival was fortunate in that Paul Davies, who takes a lot of photos for WI, is a local wargamer involved in the event - hence the opportunity for grass roots wargaming to get a look in on the WI website. It was great to meet Paul and all the other gamers over the weekend.

You're Wargaming The Wrong Way

Every now and then you'll hear some old wargamer groaning on about 'giving something back to the hobby'. Well, the time has come for me to have a go. It's time to come clean and come out of the closet.

I list below 10 things to be avoided when wargaming. They are based (as you will see) on pure common sense, although mildly influenced by deeply ingrained prejudice, personal feelings of anger and bitterness, and socially inept tactlessness. Wargamers who are easily offended should look away now. Or check out the word 'irony' in your dictionaries.

This is not a real set of rules! Thanks to Trebian at 'Wargaming For Grown-Ups'
for pointing me towards this bit of nonsense.

Wun - Gaming With Unpainted Miniatures
Although of course outlawed in public by the Wargaming and Military Hobbies Act (1996), this practice still continues in private, along with the use of unpainted terrain features (a loophole in the law which must be swiftly closed). Frankly, hanging's too good for these people. Contact your MP now.

Too - Not Painting the Edges of Bases
Maybe you think this is should be part of point 1 above. But this kind of perversion deserves special mention. Oh yes, on initial inspection the army looks great. But wait - you suddenly see the brown, grey and white edges of MDF, cardboard or plasticard, that sheer laziness has left untouched. Or perhaps it's done on purpose to gain advantage by offending and disturbing an opponent. Yes, it's sickening (and quite rare these days, I'll admit), but don't bother reporting this to the Police or Social Services - you'll get nowhere.

Free - Hex Terrain
Come on, admit it, it looks bloody awful. Even in Sci-Fi games. And it makes any other period look like a Sci-Fi game. Too many cracks in the table, too many zig-zag lines: it seems your Napoleonic game is taking place on Mars.

Fore - Table Clutter
We've all seen it at wargames shows. The vast and highly detailed terrain that took all year to create, the ranks of amazing figures set out in all their splendour. And then liberally garnish the magnificent spectacle with fastplay sheets, coffee cups, beer glasses and mobile phones. I passed one nice looking table at a show recently where no man's land was helpfully indicated by a cheeseburger on a paper plate. This practice permeates down to club and private level. Could people please get a f***ing grip?

Phive - Balancing Miniatures On Top of Terrain Items
And here we are again with that lovely terrain impressing us. Look at those lovely buildings - but oh dear, there's a rifle team balancing on a chimney pot. And the machine gunners have decided not to stay inside their pillboxes - they want to lie on the roofs. And look at that Tiger tank balancing on the top of 5 foot high corn. Come on guys, you can remember what's inside those houses. Or invest in buildings with detachable roofs.

Sicks - Ridiculous Fantasy Figures
Look, a bit of Lord of the Rings never hurt anyone. And sci-fi is fine by me. Divert all power to the forward shields! But some people just don't understand the limits of good taste. I mean, SS men riding  dinosaurs? Rank after rank of zombies? All lighthearted fun, I hear you say. Sounds like a joke in poor taste to me. I bet these gamers can't even spell 'lunatic fringe'.

Sephen -  Vehicles Moulded With Bases
I really can't understand why manufacturers do this. It's up to gamers whether they want to base their vehicles or not. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Ate - 2 and 3mm Miniatures
Or wargaming by braille, as I like to call it. You can feel the bumps but you can't see what they are. If you don't like toy soldiers, don't take up the hobby. For goodness sake. The minimum size for proper wargaming is 15mm, as everyone knows.

Nein! - Supplements
Anyone who has been following this blog knows my views on these things. I have described them as a bare-faced con designed to increase the profitability of a set of rules. I stand by that judgement. Let's fight corporate wargaming together!

Tenn - Dithering Wargamers
You know the kind of people I mean. After minutes of deliberation it's, "I'll move these guys to there. No, wait a minute. Maybe I'll move them back to the hedge... No hang on a tick, let me just check the rules..." and on and on and on. Come on guys, it's only a game. Just get on with it. And what about those guys who just want to shake the dice a little bit too much. Shake, shake, shake. Rattle, rattle, rattle. Usually accompanied by some muttering or humming. And then, 'did we say fives or sixes?'. Ooh, it makes me want to spit.


Now Seriously...
OK, Pulp Wargaming gets a strongly implied thumbs down, but a year or two ago I might have had a pop at Science Fiction gaming or Imagi-Nations. Now I realise it's not what you wargame, its how you wargame that matters. Wargame with a light heart. Just don't do it in 2mm...

Dayton Painting Consortium Do It Again

Having experienced a modest improvement in my financial situation recently, I resolved to do what I have been promising myself for some time - I would order some painted units from the manufacturers of my beloved RSM95s, namely the Dayton Painting Consortium.

I am fairly close to completing my planned SYW collection, and the thought of racing to the finish by buying painted figures was too much to resist. As for that thing that some people have about only really 'identifying' with figures that you have painted yourself... well, it doesn't bother me in the slightest. These are great figures painted just the way I like them, and I already (after about 5 hours of ownership) have a great affection for them. They were bought with my own hard earned cash and that's quite good enough for me.

These are first and second battalions, Prussian IR4. This is just as they arrived, apart from  some straightening of bayonets etc. which took about 2 minutes.

Close up of same. The idea was I would rebase them to match the rest of my units, but for the moment I don't have the heart. They're great as they are.

So, we have 2 x 18 figure battalions which cost me $120 for both, including the unpainted figures, paint job, basing, flags and postage from the USA. That works out at £2.11p per figure, which I consider outstanding value. As you can see, the painting standard is very good, certainly a higher standard than I paint to.

The even better news is that I found that they paint to order, for the same price (basically, $3 per painted figure), so I have some Bavarians and Freikorps on their way as well. Happy Days!

Coming Soon

An offensive post regarding bad wargaming practices...

A New Project (3)

I know, I know, you're all desperate to know how the Polish/Dutch airfield attack project has progressed since the last update. Well, things are developing a little slower than I'd hoped (what a surprise!), but they are developing and I should be ready for a game in a couple of weeks. Craig has sent me a photo of the fallschirmjager he will be lending me, now fully painted and based to his usual very high standard. What a lad.

Two great things about having someone else provide these boys - their different style will make them stand out nicely on the table from the airlanding troops, and (much more importantly) I have been spared the expense and time of producing them. In fact, had Craig not stepped forward, the hassle of creating the extra troops may have stopped the project in its tracks at the outset.

The runways are now cut out and ready to go, and I have a couple of very nice card hangars downloaded and put together by Steve, who can do that sort of thing much better than I can. Six Zvezda Ju-52s arrived from Santa on Christmas day, and completing these is well under way. Three are finished, and the other 3 are made up and await painting. I have decided 8 will be needed for the game, but yes, you guessed it, a friend has stepped in to offer 2 more (Steve again). Frankly though, these little models are such a pleasure to build and paint I might be tempted to order up a couple more anyway. 

Anyway, the little airfield scene below gives you an idea of how things are looking. The Junkers even come with flight stands which will be perfect for depicting the arrival of the airlanding troops. You know, I think I should have a go at painting the frames on those cockpits.

Hoping to offer a battle report in the not too distant future, with a full scenario and force composition. Time to get painting!

The Combat of Strehla

This post is a tribute to the very wonderful Kronoskaf Seven Years War Project, which should be familiar to all SYW gamers. It is, of course, a magnificent collection of information on all aspects of the war. One of the best bits is the section on the various battles and smaller actions, which usually includes maps as well as force compositions.

It was in this section that I found details of the Combat of Strehla (1760), which looked like it would make an interesting wargames scenario. What resulted was really a wargame 'based on the Combat of Strehla' (as they say in the movies), rather than any kind of historical refight. I worked up the scenario quickly without too much detailed analysis, to create a game that would test out the latest tweaks to my rules. In summary, the Austro-Imperial forces outnumber the Prussians by 2 to 1, and they have resolved to attack, with the intention of destroying or driving off their opponents. Whilst the poor quality Reichsarmee formations demonstrate against the main Prussian position before Strehla, the better Austrian formations will make a flank attack from the west.

Back to a hand drawn map for this game. The small river between the Strehla plateau and the Durreberg
counts as a linear obstacle. The individual buildings outside Strehla suggest the positions of
surrounding villages, but are only for decoration. Table size 6' x 4'.

Forces

Note that the various commanders are all real officers who were involved in the battle, but one or two had to be juggled around to create the formation commanders I needed for my game.

Austro-Imperials (C-in-C Prince Zweibrucken)

 Austrian infantry under Prince Stohlberg

2 infantry battalions

2 grenadier battalions

1 artillery battery

Austrian cavalry under FmL Guasco

2 dragoon regiments                         

Austrian light infantry under GFwM von Kreefeld

2 grenz light infantry battalions

1 artillery battery

Reichsarmee infantry under GFwM von Wurzberg (dithering commander)

4 infantry battalions

2 artillery batteries

Reichsarmee cavalry under Colonel Zettwitz (dithering commander)

1 cuirassier regiment

1 dragoon regiment                                     Total 18 units   

 All the Reichsarmee units were rated 'inferior', apart from the cuirassier which were rated 'line'.

Prussians (C-in-C von Hulsen)

Left wing infantry under GM Braun

2 infantry  battalions

1 grenadier battalion

1 artillery battery

1 jager detachment (independent, occupying Strehla)

Right wing infantry under Major Lubath

1 infantry battalion

1 grenadier battalion

1 artillery battery

Cavalry under Colonel Kleist  (dashing commander)

1 dragoon regiment

1 hussar regiment                                        Total 10 units  

Victory Conditions

Turn limit is 8 turns. If the Prussians are not broken by the turn limit (i.e. they have not lost half their units), they have won. 

The Game

I was able to run through the game twice, once solo and once with my stalwart opponent Steve J. The first game ran to the full 8 moves, resulting in the Prussians hemmed in around Strehla but still unbroken and so technically the winners. The second saw the Austro-Imperials declared victorious in just 4 moves - the Prussians had lost 4 units and the only remaining unit of their right wing (the grenadiers) were cut off and bound to be destroyed trying to break through back to Strehla. 

Much depends on how the inevitable cavalry fight between the formations of Kleist and Guasco goes - if the Prussians gain the advantage here, they probably have a chance to win. A rapid sally out by units from behind the Prussian entrenchments in support of their right wing might be another game-winning tactic, but it didn't get tried in my games.

Game 1. The Prussian cavalry have driven back their Austrian counterparts, giving their side a chance of victory.

Game 1. The Reichasarmee infantry demonstrate against the Strehla entrenchments.
Any actual assault would stand little chance

Game 1. Prussian grenadiers suffer the ignominy of being chased through the woods of the Durreberg
by Austrian grenzers.

Game 1, final move. The Prussians have a solid position on the Strehla plateau.

Game 2. Kleist once again leads out his cavalry to support the beleaugured Prussian right wing.
The stream hampers and slows his movements.

Oops! Both Kleist's units are destroyed by the opposing cuirassiers. (I downgraded the latter to dragoons
in the final version of the opposing forces, in the cause of game balance)
The remaining Prussian units on the Durreberg are in a pickle.

Game 2. The red-uniformed Austrian grenzers seen on the Durreberg are about to take the
Prussian gunners there in the rear. I guess that's how they do things in the Balkans.

Game 2, final move. Strehla is still fairly secure, but the Prussians have lost too many units to win.

So there you have it. Historical scenarios often give you a nice alternative to just lining the opposing forces up opposite each other and having at it. Thanks to the boys at the SYW Project for once again providing me with information and inspiration. The internet is a wonderful thing!

Merry Christmas!

Here in the UK Friday 21st is the last working day before the holiday, for most people. Therefore it seemed appropriate to send Christmas wishes to all my readers and followers at this point. Thanks for visiting the blog, and thanks for your many kind and thoughtful comments.

Don't ask.

I guess wargamers have different reasons for starting and maintaining blogs. I have certainly found that creating and maintaining this blog has greatly increased my enjoyment of the hobby. It serves me as a very useful personal record of my activities, but increasingly I have enjoyed trying to broaden its appeal by making it more than just a journal of battles fought and figures painted. I have tried to make it relevant to a wider audience by including views and observations on the hobby (mainly under the 'Talking Wargaming' label) and by including some background in my after-action reports to give perspective and context to my games. I've also tried to start including maps of most games in the hope that they may be useful to other gamers, although to be honest I mainly just like maps.

Overall, my concept for the new year is to create something more like my own little wargames magazine. It will, of course, continue to be personal and parochial, but I believe the modest effort will be fun and worthwhile. I hope the blog will continue to be of some interest to visitors.

Finally, a modest Christmas gift in the form of the latest version of my rules. Of course, I appreciate that few of you (probably none of you!) will actually be playing the rules on your tabletops. Like me, you will download a free set of rules from the interweb in order to check out the concepts, and maybe to 'steal' the odd idea or two. This is all fine and dandy by me. Should any of you check them out in any detail, I am of course most interested in any comments on how you find them. Download them right here, and the playsheet here.

And so finally...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!