Seven Years War Battle - Black Powder rules & Saxe-Bearstein vs Stagonia

 

Saxe-Bearstein marches again

Greetings gamers!  The miniatures collection of Jeff of Saxe-Bearstein will march out onto the tabletop again this June 27th 2021.

You can follow along the action by tuning in at around 11 am Pacific time to the twitch channel:

https://www.twitch.tv/murdocksmarauders/

The game play spots are all filled with a slate of in-person players.

Weather is expected to be fantastic - if a bit hot, so we will have the tent for shade and plenty of airflow.

Something of a tribute to Jeff is likely also.

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).

A battle - at Wollmitz -

Ordered to be VILE and somewhat aggressive at a recent tabletop battle, I was first distracted by a collapse of my storage/transport system.

A bottom drawer struck a stool that one of my children had inadvertently placed in my path. The drawer on the bottom of the storage unit then promptly let go and fell to the floor, tumbling along the way. It was filled with the light cavalry.

(sorry no pictures...I had already packed the camera in the van for the trip to Jeff's and was not really in the mind to capture this horrid sight)


They were all separated from their bases, no surprise as they are only magnetically attached. The annoying part was that many were now also broken from their mounts and would need repairs. My departure was delayed while I collected them carefully from the floor, the went to find the last of my cyanoacrilate.


Upon arrival at Jeff's I was unable to share in the chit chat as I was too busy re-assembling all of the light cavalry for Stagonia. To my relief there was only one saber permanently broken(lost) and only a few paint chips on an elbow or two. No horses were actually broken off at the ankles, only one was 'bent' and I was able to slowly bend it back into proper position.

Needless to say that these developments did not bode well for the coming battle...in fact they perfectly foreshadowed the final results.

During the 'dicing' for arrivals I lost one of the precious cannon that were few and far between. This after getting the 'extra' roll. Had that 'extra' failed I think my battle plan would have amounted to 'stand in two tight lines and wait around the gun'. IF all the guns had not arrived, I think the defeat was pre-ordained.

As it was I was supposed to be VILE, so in VILE fashion I attempted to cover the entire field, probably the worst plan of action, as there would be exactly 0 reserves. But then this was supposed to be a VILE action, right?

In fine VILE form the first real artillery barrage from the Saxe-Bearstiener's was driected at half of the Stagonian artillery...BOOM...in one moment the entire battery was obliterated, sigh.

After a long look at the battlefield, I decided that the only hope was to bottle-in some maneuvering infantry at the center of the Saxe-Bearstein line.

I shall let Maxwell Smart say it as he does so well...missed it by that much.

The light cavalry had a chance, slim I agree but a chance none the less, to make it into the town before the Saxe-Bearstein infantry could get into formation. Sadly the cavalry commander chose to 'wait' a turn to understand his orders before charging at (sort of) full speed...straight into a death trap.


Pretty VILE stuff...don't you think?


(oh yeah and here's some more tabletop eye candy for your minis' enjoyment)

Organizing for du VILE

Stagonia has a battle coming next weekend and I found myself with some outdoor demand time, which I took to organize the Stagonian forces needed for the coming Battle of Wollmitz.

(if you look at the foreground you can see the effects of leaving a 2 year old with a young sitter for too long during a trip away with their mother...sigh...more repairs)

I have been tagged to command the Stagonian forces and asked by Jeff to organize them in advance of the game.

So here are the coming forces of Stagonia!

General Baron Gaspar du Vile -- (Political, inertia 2, initiative 3 -- 12" command radius -- 2 AdC)
Maj. Gen. Rene de Villars -- (Aggressive, inertia 3, initiative 1 -- 11" command radius -- 1 AdC)

Brig. Yves d'Amours -- (Aggressive, inertia 3, initiative 2 -- 9" mounted command; 5" if foot)
Brig. Lothar Oppenkopf -- (Careful, inertia 1, initiative 1 -- 10" mounted command; 6" if foot)
Brig. Heinrich von Kroll -- (Steady, inertia 2, initiative 2 -- 14" mounted command; 9" if foot)
Brig. Graf Adolf von Voss -- (Political, inertia 2, initiative 1 -- 11" mounted command; 6" if foot)

In addition the following troops have been assigned to General du Vile to fill out the various commands as he sees fit (along with their rating in brackets):



IR von Hirschbock (elite)
IR du Breiz (veteran)
IR du Lepps (veteran)
IR O'Duffy (veteran)
IR von Gruber (raw)
IR von Krinkle (raw)
IR St. Cyr (veteran)




du Coiffard Kuirassiers (elite)
von Waganer Kuirassiers (veteran)
Benzler Dragoons (elite)
Pfeiffer Draggons (raw)
Jailler Hussars (veteran)
Hockdorf Hussars (raw)

Furthermore, Koenig Maurice has assigned some artillery batteries to the Wollmitz force. These are all crewed by veteran gunners:

2 x Medium Gun Batteries of 6 pounders
1 x Light Gun Battery of 3 pounders

All SHINY and new!



Just finished the minwax Polyshades treatment on the troops and now they get to dry for a few days.

I have a course that will take me away for the weekend, then its back to work at the brushes and studying.


After I flock these men I shall detail something about what has inspired them.

Blazing Brushes!

Finish work has been done on all troops, all that remains is to 'gloss coat - sealant' on all of them, this should be done tonight once the family is in bed.






The Dragoons turned out very well, once again the painting of the large horses was not a dread and they look 'animated' due to the 'thinning/coloring' process that I use now.


The Dragoons were a treat to do the 'finishing' work on as the castings are really good, with easily detailed locations (indeed there are 'loops' on the sleeves that I did not use as I wanted these boys to have a more 'basic' appearance).



With this batch completed, giving me 86 more infantry, 12 Cavalry and 6 commander elements; I shall move on to a mass of Austrian Artillery batteries and crews.

Österreich Arms

Having had a little look around at my current white coated troops.
Today was gloriusly sunny and the light was hitting the table at just the right angle while I was working with the troops, so a very 'bright' shot was called for.


I find that I have:
Infantry: five (5) formations in tricornes (different 'facing' colours for each) three have 24 figs, 2 have 16; two (2) formations in 'bearskins' of 24 figs each; two (2) formations in 'helmets' one of 16 and one of 24 and a 20 man formation of 'irregulars' in top hats.
Artillery: sadly only one battery is complete, there is a 'howitzer' that I have been using as 'captured' for the French which I can include now with this force. The three current gunners are in tricornes. There are 30 gunners in bicornes that will be taking paint this year.
Cavalry: two (2) formations of 12 each of Kuirassier and Dragoons in tricornes. (the Kuirass have been used as Russians in the past since the uniform is only a bit different)

Command: many have been used as Russians before, but there are a few in Tricornes that are for Österreich use primarily; in total there are three (3) on foot and ten (10) mounted, including a pair of 'messengers' for a Commander in Chief (with two figs on the base).

2007, in Review

In just one posting I wanted to take a look back, at the year - in game and production- that was for the MarauderS:


EYLAU Feb 2007: DAK-KON Best Presentation Winner
Refight of the battle in a convention setting, complete with blowing snow effects!


Over the Year 2007 I painted:
341 Infantry (or gunners for artillery, Engineers, Sappers, Miners etc)
77 Cavalry (including 10 'fantasy' ones for Warhammer)
19 Guns
12 ADC's (both mounted and on foot)
Napoleon
Ney
Soult
Lannes
Murat
12 Artillery "markers"
3 Full Pontoons, with construction supplies and spare pontoon boat for each 'set'
16 Starships & 25 Fighters (for Full Thrust battles)
1 Hordes army and 1 DBA army
1 Titan and;
Built a Church out of Linka modeling materials.
(not included above but also started are 28 Jagers, 37 Irregulars, 24 "Tricorned" Infantry, 13 Light Dragoons and 3 ADC's Colonels)

FREIDLAND June 2007:
200th Anniversary re-fight over two weekends with five players taking active parts!


Table Top Teaser: Wagon Train
Played out three times on my tabletop.


October 2007: Battle by Proxy at Offenbach
A battle faught in connection with the Emperor vs. Elector blog.


November 2007: LATIVM CVP, De Bellis Antiquitatis Tournament.
A 15mm semi-annual tournament. This time round with a field of 5 players.
Our own Bluebear Jeff was the winner, posting the first ever undefeated run to the championship!


All in all I should say a very productive year!

By some of the 'points' systems I have seen being used I did about 650 last year and with my ambitions plans for the coming year hope to surpass that total in 2008!

X-mas painting update:

All base coated, now first blocking layers filled in.


Also the first 'undercoat' done for the speed painted horses.

BATTLE OF UBERGANG

Played out on November 26/27 at Bluebear's New Gaming room!

The Duchy of the North faced off the bureaucratic and uffich Burtzenians.

The battle was a Table Top Teaser, number 3 this time.

Jeff had the table all laid out very well with a pair of hills, a river and a series of roads.

From one wooded defile came the Duchy of the North, the other disgorged Burtzenians.

I commanded the, mostly, white coated Burtzenian forces. Their primary job was to take and hold the bridge over the river. Upon arrival a great opportunity for victory presented itself, for if the town could be taken from the Nordeners, then the main body would be able to crush their advancing forces.

The early battle was one of maneuver, I chose to hold off the Nordeners with some cavalry, sadly the better force was only able to arrive in small numbers. At least the recruits did well, when they charged a smaller force (after taking two 'cracks' at it) of dragoons, they managed to shatter them completely, the follow-up carried them into a force of infantry which had strayed too close (actually their aggresive commander had 'interpreted' his advance orders into an all out assault!) These infantry were very nearly cut to ribbons, but the recruits were unable to maintain their devastating charge, due mostly to 'desertions' in the pursuit (lame excuses about lame horses while busily looting the dead and wounded).

After this clash came a small lull, only punctuated by my skirmishers getting in a few licks at the enemy artillery and still arriving infantry.

The last stage was dominated by artillery, for while my lone medium battery had only 7 shots, and missed with the first 4, the last shot was a killer - taking out the entier cossack formation that was not in a charge mood, yet willing to get to point blank (thus cannister) range on the guns!


I was unable to get any re-enforcement to capitolize on these gains though and by the end of the battle, taking some time to re-form and re-organize their ranks the Norden Duchy troops tried one last advance, only to get pummelled back to their starting point by one very tough gang of veterans.

Result: a draw.

Ultimately a good first run for Jeff's new game space and I look forward to sharing with him some more.


For everyone else: here are a couple of shots of Jeff's troops now on display in his new cases.