Tricornes missing ...

Many of the remaining tricornes from my collection are missing ... they appear to have been removed from their storage case, now I cannot use the remaining few to do the games planned over the holiday season.

There is a suspect, sadly they have not come forward, conscience is taking a long time to work on them I suppose...

I will substitute something for a game with my boys over the season, making do and moving forward the game, it will just not have the correct tricorned look.

Matchstick ARMIES



After a couple of weeks, part of the time searching out my painting materials again, I have put in a whole 4 hours painting.



$2 worth of matchsticks and maybe $2 worth of glue, left over base coat and cut up cereal boxes, micro amounts of paint (less than might go on one 12 man unit of 25mm guys). Some left over craft paper flags finishes them off.



One of the neatest parts of such little troops, three armies will fit into ONE box!



Now I shall get into the 'nitty gritty' of Age of Reason and see what results...

See all about these troops and other exploits on The Duchy of Mieczyslaw

Return to the tabletop



A planned return to the tabletop gets into gear this week.

First to recover the table and gear (stored away for a while ... yes you may have noticed the lack of postings here), that process starts tomorrow.

With my renewed interest in things 6mm, I have taken a page from The Old Dessauer and spent a whopping $2 for a box of long matches for fireplace lighting, cleaned them up and glued them into the shapes required.

I have now only a bit of quick painting to do then I can start on the game table process to see what that focus and flow brings.

Plans are to expand the tales from The Duchy of Mieczyslaw to bring them into the 18th Century ...

Within another few weeks I may also have out the rest of the minis to get back into action on the Tricorne front (much to Jeff's delight I am sure).

Burtzenia forces are complete and only await their gloss coatings.

At first it was looking like another very looooonnnggg hot day with the boys pushing me into daddy daycare, then a reprieve.


Another boys mom was willing to take one for a play day with their son and this made a big enough hole in my task lists to allow me to watch the younger 2 while painting.



Thus the white coats will be present on the coming battlefield.



Here are the final colors, only the gloss coating needs to be done!

More progress on the Burtzenia troops.



This time the green and yellow collars/turnbacks/cuffs/facings.



I did get a bit done during the day, but daddy daycare took over again and I was unable to get back to the brushworks again until after 8 pm.

Yellow is such a finiky color, allowing the background to show through so easily I was going over and over these minis again and again to get the right amount of pigment and still have some shading.



Hopefully the gloss coat will not overpower the yellow too much and just make it look like dirty white!



I have also included a shot of the red coated Officer (so that my son will have someone easily recognized in that sea of white coats), his pose is such that much of the detail is not captured in a regular angle photo.

More from Burtzenia forces muster:

Today I got some time to do the red turnbacks, collars & cuffs of the one regiment and the gunners are mostly finished.



If all goes well the green and saffron (or it could end up more like 'mustard') colors will all go on tomorrow...


At this rate I should be ready to seal coat them on thursday night, then flocking on saturday in time for the game sunday.

Burzenia brushworks continued...

Due mostly to Jeff checking in on the condition of the troops, here are a set of photos of the 'in progress' tricorne ones for Burtzenia.


The white highlights are done and now the coloring stages get going this week, one regiment at a time (about 45 to 90 minutes worth each day over the next week should do it). One in Red, Saffron and Green is the current plan, with one of the foot brigadiers being done in a red tunic (my son is so fond of the red soldiers!).


That's all for now, enjoy the pics!

More Burtzenia brushworks.

With the coming game on 15 July likely to involve my son, taking on the command of a brigade of troops as an ally (of one side or the other), the need to finish this batch of forces has become more urgent (as most likely they will take to the field the day after they are finished).

The faces and 2nd shade layer of the uniforms is done, as is the undercoat of the belts, packs, canteens etc. Another layer of white (possibly not cut at all just straight titanium white) will round out the tunics and pouchbelt. Then the unit colors get put on.

I have decided on an emerald green color for the Dragoons, gonna see how it looks with this bunch first before I try it out on any larger a collection.

I also included a more 'close-up' view of some of the infantry, the photos were shot near twilight starting so the light levels in the back were lower, but also the colors are more true as the overhead room lights are not 'yellowing' everything.


Cheers

Burtzenia forces get another layer.

OK so now I can call them by their correct name, since the white uniforms are what I have settled on. Yes, I am certain that when you look at them right now they look rather --- blue.


Not much more to write about right now, as I must be off to stay ahead of 3 boys...

More of the Boyardvina? troops.

I have been thinking about the long-term uses of the current bunch of castings.

Since I plan to do much more Napoleonics with Austrians in the near future I thought it better that I paint the current crop as Austrian rather than the 'red' russians.

So here is the current state of these troops:



Here are the 'officers', my son asked "Why is there a blue horse?"
I answer, "Keep watching the blog and see it change color to the final one of ... white!"



The 'pink' ones here are even stranger!
They will have a hot re-brown color at the end.



The infantry!
Again my son asks, "White infantry?"

...

sigh, I guess I now need to re-teach him about another 'empire' (not the Lucas' one!) that had its soldiers in white!

Seven Years War uniform templates.

NOT BY APPOINTMENT is a blog from David Morfitt, very well done basic black & white illustration style Seven Years War uniforms. Just copy and color!

Very neat and I will be using them for some more details connected to my own 18th Century forces in the Duchy of Mieczyslaw.

Boyardvina troops start to take shape.

The Principality of Boyardvina lies to the east of The Duchy of Mieczyslaw; these three formations of infantry, one of dragoons and a small battery shall constitute the 'observation' brigade that should start actions against Mieczyslaw later this year (indeed, it may see action later this summer!).


One formation of the infantry is not shown in the picture, since the picture was too blurry to even try to post.

All in all there are 18 companies and 4 squadrons coming with that light battery.

Wars for Arcadian Glory
(or some such thing)

Jeff, of Saxe-Bearstein, has coined the phrase Wars for Arcadian Glory as the name of a campaign of 17-18th century fictional Duchies, Princedoms, city and nation-states.

In connection with this plan I have been thinking about the consistency of the field armies and the territories of the player-controlled lands & peoples.

Since the concept is to have a non-map or abstracted country I need to define a few terms.

Capitol = Obviously every ruler needs a seat of power, such a place would be a cross-roads for supply and social center; providing logistical support and control for the army.
Greater Province = A developed region capable of greater support for war efforts.
Lesser Province = A somewhat developed region that has been under the administration of the Duchy for more than 2 year (or more or less to be determined by the time of the campaign start).
New Territory / Marche Land / Undeveloped Province = A set of lands new to the Duchy, either recently captured or ceeded from another player or 'discovered' thru exploration (such as was done with India, or parts of Africa, or the Spice Islands, or Colonies).

The other premise was regarding the field army and the size elements of that army, for instance I had thought the campaign should start with a field army of 50% of the maximum optimal size of the field army. I say optimal size since capture of the territory of other players should include the ability to press troops into service from those new lands.

For sake of argument I begin the discussion with a definition of Capitol regions giving 10%, Greater Provinces 20% and Lesser ones 10% of the overall field army strength. New lands only give 5%.

In definitive terms, I have tried to set-out what the field army should look like.
Basing my starting point on the one proposed earlier by Jeff:
2 x Medium Batteries
4 Heavy Cavalry (one Guard)
2 Cavalry
2 Light Horse

1 guard Infantry
8 line Infantry
3 jagers (light skirmish Infantry)

To set the regions contributions:
Capitol: permits 1 each of cavalry and infantry as Guard Class units. Produces artillery either 1 heavy or 2 medium batteries. The capitol is also a fortification...in case we use such things in the planned game.
Greater Provinces: produces 1 each of Heavy Cavalry, Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Line Infantry, Light (or skirmish) Infantry; or 2 Heavy Cavalry, 2 Line Infantry; or 2 Cavalry, 1 Light Cavalry, 2 Line Infantry; or 1 Cavalry, 2 Light Cavalry, 2 Line Infantry, 1 Light Infantry; or 3 Light Cavalry, 1 Line Infantry and 1 Light Infantry.
Lesser Provinces: produces 1 each of Cavalry, Light Cavalry, Line Infantry, Light Infantry; or 2 Cavalry, 2 Line Infantry; or 2 Light Cavalry, 2 Line Infantry; or 1 Light Cavalry, 2 Line Infantry, and 1 Light Infantry.
New Territory: produces 1 Light Cavalry, 1 Line Infantry; or 2 Light Cavalry; or 2 Line Infantry; or 2 Light Infantry; or 1 Line Infantry and 1 Light Infantry.

This way each player, having a Capitol, Greater and 2 Lesser Provinces at the start of the game will have a number of options to establish a character to their field armies.

Whis is needed is to determine how long or under what circumstances a New Territory becomes a Lesser Province and similarly how a Lesser becomes a Greater Province, each 'improvement' then allowing for a larger field army. Another point of discussion will be the connection of new lands (not conquered). Possibly also will be the 'garrison needs' for each province/territory.

The Duchy of Mieczyslaw is launched.

Starting with some formative ideas, then leading thru some 'histories' I shall attempt to have my little 'imaginary' place ready to take more written actions in the 'tricorne' period by this summer!

Take a glance there every now and then.

Cheers