ACW 15mm Project: more Gettysburg Confederates

 the 15mm project continues, this time with a division of Confederates and more artillery

a distant shot of one of the finished batteries

bare metal

black base coat

light 'under-highlight'
damp brush layer

undercoat color layer

some of the inks I use
in this case the ones on this project

ink layer done

mid-tones colors

highlights colors

mounted to base stands

I mix some brown and black acrylic paint
in with this texture medium and water
to attach my flocking materials to the bases

all flocked

a selection of the paints used on these minis

La manoeuver sur les derrieres - active map

 

map from Dr D. Chandler

This strategy, implemented dozens of times by Napoleonic armies, forms the basis for many 'operational depth' attack plans.  From the WWI original German attack to the 'cauldron' that was the focus point of bewegungskrieg plans used in WWII and the Operation Desert Storm used in Iraq in 1991.

I have taken a bit of time to generate a little video exploring the basic aspects of this stratagem.

How have you incorporated such a strategy into your games?

A little WH40K diversion

 My middle son wanted to do a 40K game, so we set it up fast on Saturday.

Here is the After Action Report, short and sweet.

the Grey Knights belong to my eldest
and it was my middle son that wanted to run them

my eldest has done some great 'wrecks' from
dollar store toy tanks
that we used as battlefield 'debris'
for this game

I was given this force of mechanoids
(I think they are called)
to command

While middle-son took on these
Grey Knights

even done in 'cartoon' mode this terrain piece looked great

Once again, there's a time-lapse of
this battle, with a few still shots put in
to make it interesting.

Grey Knight were the victors
and this photo worked so well
in many different runs of the
clip2comic that I wanted to share more

Have a great summer!

SHAKO II battle, Scenario #4: HOLDING ACTION

 I had not played on the tabletop for more than a month, since our UK trip and the opportunity to do a face-to-face with Martin Knight in Birmingham.

My youngest son was willing to take on a game, so I chose one from the Programmed Wargames Scenarios by Charles Stewart Grant, number 4: HOLDING ACTION.

We set the Russians as the blue force defenders and and a mix of French and Italio-Bavarians as the red force attackers.  Randomly we ended up with the 'middle' map for setting up on.

the Russian defenders had the two hills
with the road between them and the village

this little woods, out from the village,
would turn out to
be pivotal for both sides

initial deployment was concealed
from the attacking French player
(until visual, artillery fire or 18" command range)

French main body and right wing
following the advance guard

by turn three all forces were revealed

French advance guard and right wing columns

main body and left wing
(led by ADC)

these Russian Jagers would win the day
(though their loss eventually would prove
to be too many casualties for a victory)

Russian command had chosen a location
just a bit out of range of their 'second inspection'

meaning it took four turns to get a message
to that commander to start his attack against
the advancing French

Russians on the hill were outflanked
and outnumbered

French command held back, waiting to see if
the main body could break the hill fast enough

a quick strike by Russian dragoons managed
to eliminate 1/2 of a French advance guard
and push back the supporting French Dragoons

while not 'swept away' the Russian left wing
was going to retreat by turn 8

French artillery was now fully supported
and ready to blast out the village

by turn 8 the guns were 1/2 setup

the Russian second inspection was going
to have to cover the final retreat

the Russian first inspection had failed a morale
test and lost all of its artillery

Once again I had my 'second iPhone' on hand and doing
a time-lapse of the battlefield
here again presented with some music and a few notes

I wish everyone some game-filled summer months.

 

Travelogue XVIII: London, Ireland and home

 Only one night in London this time, basically after arrival from Paris, so it was a great thing that the musical Hamilton was on and we were able to get rush tickets.

My bride had wanted to see it live in Seattle, so getting to see it in London was even better.

certain tube stations are of a familiar name

one certain tune will continue on in some games
we play on tabletop around here ...

upon return to Ireland, we had an excursion to one
more stone tower, though this one was a re-build

panoramas from the parapet

inside panoramas

many stained glass windows were
featured in a guild hall in Londonderry

including a Nobel prize on display

then a trip to the "Giant's Causeway"

our Irish host

my feet on the causeway
(for a sense of scale)

some of the columns have eroded like organ pipes
sticking out of the ground

then a real score!
I took a last chance at connecting with
Dublin Fire Brigade
gaining this competition team patch

and swapping a shirt for a shirt
and this windbreaker!

Greenland was still there

a visual inspection

just about halfway we crossed into Canada

finally home in YQQ
Comox

There are loads more photos of many of the locations I visited, though I have put most of the miniature related ones on the blog here, as it is hobby related.

I think the stained glass ones may get more attention, especially if I follow up on more units of Irish origin that are featured in the glass.

Thank you everyone for putting up with this travelogue, may you have an awesome summer!