SHAKO pickup game

Had an opportunity to put together a sudden pickup game of SHAKO (version I, as I have not yet had time to read version II) with a relatively new player.

My opponent wanted to have 'the rifles' (being a Sharpe fan) so I put together a 1:1 meeting battle set somewhere in Spain (1808-14).

British command, co-located with artillery

French command, behind the line between the two towns

Royal foot artillery

British Horse

The Light Division

French Center

The heavy division, after some confused re-adjustments in getting moving

table action

Turn 3, British horse was in trouble, facing cannon and foot in houses

the Rifles and Voltigeurs took each other out of action

turn 6 saw the big French Cavalry charge, after taking artillery casualteis

by turn 7 the score was French : 2 :: British : 0

The Light Division was tasked with storming the town

they could not get any disorder to stick on the French defenders of the town, and by turn 7 there was a relief column of French on their way

The Light Division grimly held on, losing half their number by turn 14

The battle was close fought, taking a total of 16 turns to finally resolve, final score French 4 :: British 2.

Good way to spend an afternoon with dice, music and conversation.

Thinking out loud ...

Napoleon at work

I have been examining the game play options going forward at the local and nearby regional conventions.

None of them include strategic or what I would call campaign level games.  Plenty of single battlefields, from Hausen-Teugen to Waterloo in the Napoleonic era and others. 

There are some that have boardgames, and while this does include the strategic element, the miniatures 'feel' of the tabletop is completely lacking.

My first thought was to put out a call to those whom I knew had the minis to support multiple games and see if they would be willing to stage a 'campaign' or perhaps a 'mini-campaign' to try it all out at the coming year's Salute convention.

Then an even bigger idea came ... what about reaching out to the Napoleonic tabletop community that I have contact with world-wide, via this blog, and see what the appetite was for an online version of a campaign style game?  Where they could take command of troops in hand, with their local players or via such remote means as Skype or old fashioned e-mail?  Though the Skype options allows for near real-time battlefield adjustments.

The idea being to re-create the convention-like game experience without having to travel, or haul all our minis and terrain?

There you have it dear reader ... tell me what you feel you could do? - or what pitfalls you see this having?

ECW planning

Robert Devereux 3rd Earl of Essex

With the recent arrival of more 30 years war minis, for use as regimental commanders, and pressure from Jeff to 'get on with the ECW' materials I have the general plan to assemble and paint the Parliamentary forces for my ECW collection - ideally they will face off against Jeff's Royalists to start with, then I will be able to assemble my own Royalist opposition in years to come.

The overview of the forces come from the Edgehill Campaign:

Robert Devereux Earl of Essex III

William Russell Earl of Bedford - Horse
The Lord General's Regiment
Sir William Balfour's Regiment
Lord Felding's Regiment
Colonel John Browne's Dragoons
Colonel James Wardlawe's Dragoons

Sir William Balfour - Lt. Gen of Horse
Sir John Ramsey - Commissary General of Horse

(there are detached cuirassier, dragoon and commanded musketeers in cavalry noted commands)

Sir John Merrick - Foot (not sure if he was present at Edgehill or not)

Sir John Meldrum - Brigadier
Lord Saye & Sele's Regiment - Blue
Lord Robartes' Regiment - Red lined yellow
Sir William Constable's Regiment - Blue
Sir William Fairfax's Regiment - Grey

Charles Essex - Brigadier
Charles Essex's Regiment - Tawny lined Yellow
Sir William Chomley's Regiment - Blue
Lord Mandeville's Regiment - Blue
Lord Wharton's Regiment - Grey

Thomas Ballard - Brigadier
The Lord General's Regiment - Orange
Lord Brooke's Regiment - Purple
Thomas Ballard's Regiment - Grey lined white
Denzil Holle's Regiment - Red

Henry Mordaunt, Earl of Peterborough - General of Ordinance
Philibert Emmanuel Du-Bois - Lt. General of Ordinance (effective commander of Artillery)


The coat colors are mentioned for the foot.

Four more Brigadiers are needed, as planned for by Jeff, so I am adding:

Phillip Skippon
Edward Massey
Randall Mainwaring
Sir Phillip Stapleton

Garde Impériale III

Guard Artillery by L&F Funcken

The Guard expansion is almost complete.

Today, as I took these photos of the finished work on the current 2 battalions of guardsmen, a horse battery and 6 batteries of foot guard artillery, I realized that I am very nearly complete on the French, Russian, Austrian, Prussian and British forces that I had set out to create some 10 years ago.

When the next 4 artillery pieces are finished painting, I believe that the time will have come to have a Guard review.  Weather permitting maybe even out in the garden?

final stage of painting, the metallic parts are done and gloss coating applied

I believe these are Hinchliffe model of guardsmen, with a minifig officer in the center

Horse artillery by minifig, gun model by Prince August and officers (mounted) by Foundry

more of the gun - this officer will draw attention for certain

foreground Prince August Guardsmen, background Guard Foot artillery

A different sort of rifleman ...

Rifleman Mech

This past year I donated five unpainted Rifleman Mechs to the JimCon games convention in Winnipeg, a place where I grew my role-playing skills while learning more officer and Air Navigation skills.

This particular mech was painted by one of the Mech Warrior Tournament organizers, Alex Clarke.

I am glad that the coming year the mechs will be in use on the tabletop at JimCon.

the duelists (1977) - fourth duel

the duelists (1977) - fourth duel for some inspiration ...

Shiny new books = ECW & SHAKO II

Now back from Terra incognito, with a pit-stop at Imperial Hobbies in Richmond, BC.

English Civil War titles

While there I discovered an English Civil War book by Canadian Wargamers Group, published in 1998, that covers the whole of the period, has a tabletop tactical system and a campaign system that deals with the politics and economics of the period.  Plenty to study!

Along with the Osprey Campaign series #116: First Newbury 1643.

Jeff may be pleased to see such material pressuring me forwards!

SHAKO version 2

I have also decided to pick up the Version 2 of SHAKO.  I am reasonably certain that I had most of the data from the web and various playtest connections I have had with Chris Leach -AND- I felt it was time to formally setup on SHAKO II systems.

Much reading to do now, that Jeff has also moved forward the Pulp Alley minis games.