Latest additions finished.

While it took a bit longer than I wanted them to I have finished off the latest batch of Tricornes, the Militia (in top hats) and some gifts for my eldest son (he has been asking for the red coated brits from the Napoleonic era).


Along the way this time I have also finished the Kisslev Kossevars, which I plan to use as footborne Cossaks in the future.

Also done, but not on their base stands yet is another fantasy 12mm Green Elves army for HotT and a 25mm TITAN. All of these fantasy ones have been languishing on my to do shelf for some time now, watching batch after batch of Napoleonics and Tricornes passing them by.

For the moment I only have two gift items on the painting desk (and will not divulge them here lest someone they are to be gifted to is reading) and once they are done I will be totally re-organizing my office and painting spaces. Moving out some of the books that are not immediately needed and shuffling about some of the furniture so that I can be better organized for continued painting (and other) operations!

A sneak peek at the Burtzenian Forces.

Jeff appears to have something on his mind, regarding a little 'inaugural battle' of some sort and has asked me to snoop about and see if I could snaffle up some white coated Burtzenians.

So I have and in the process took a picture of them.

Since this has eaten up some of the time otherwise devoted to brushworks and other things I decided to make use of the picture again here.

Of note also is the two more 'battalions' of four companies each of more tricorned white coated Burtzenians with blue and purple facings along with a couple more mounted officers. Which could be made ready in time for any action after the 16th?

It would be a stretch to have them ready that fast but it could be done.

More White Coated Tricornes

The Burtzenia troops continue to expand.

These two battalions should be done by the end of next week, then I can get on with clearing off all the old part painted fantasy stuff and then re-org the office and painting areas, with an eye to becoming more efficient!

THE LATIVM CVP

A tournament review.

As promised soon after the CVP final game, I have now had the time to get the review put together.

Jeff Hudelson, the featured player in this review, is the first ever LATIVM CVP tournament entrant to bring his own 'early roman era' army and win every match through the round-robin, then defeat the returning past champion on his way UNDEFEATED to the Grand Championship.


In his first semi-final match, Jeff faced another Greek army, similar to his own, save that this one did not have the light cavalry rather had psiloi.
Jeff had the good fortune to not have to deploy from a heavily wooded area, which interfered with the movements of his opponent, and very nearly shut down his communications (very low 'pips' rolled at the start by Paul R = Jeff's opponent).


While bogged down in the woods the Greeks (seen in blue) were forced into tight columns or along the road, Jeff was able to get to the road exit first and block off easy escape from their cavalry.
Jeff also hemmed in the Auxilia troops at the edges of the woods by superior numbers of spears.

After a long period of maneuvers, where Jeff was able to counter anything Paul R did, the fight began in earnest, with all degenerating into a wild fight in the few clear spots along the main road. Early on Paul was able to push back Jeff, then once out into more open country, where one would have thought the cavalry would have fared better, disaster struck and time after time they were pushed back into the trees and once unable to form ranks got cut apart by the combined efforts of Jeff's spear and auxilia troops.


This then set the stage for the CVP FINAL match, between Jeff's Greeks and Paul S commanding a Camillan Roman armu (II/10. from version 2.0 of DBA).

Thier deployment was done with great care and thought, coming from both players, as neither wanted to 'give away' anything to the other.

Initial action saw Jeff launch an attempt to 'steal' the Roman camp.

This was countered by Paul S, but not before Jeff could use the greater speed of his army to take up a commanding position around the Roman lines.

The Romans managed to block the attempt at their camp, but in doing so (with their General) were forced to leave their other flank, left, well out of communication range.

Jeff was quick to capitolize on the weakness in communications to that far Roman flank and assembled a force to press it. However his own left flank force suffered a loss at the hands of the Roman General.

Now the Romans were starting to feel the pain for having streched their line so far, unable to communicate effectively, the Roman flank got turned, and a Psiloi was ridden down by fast Greek Light Horsemen.

Desperate fighting now began to happen, and the Romans pulled out a minor victory, staving off total defeat at one moment and giving a sense of 'turning the tide' at the same time.


It was only to be a momentary respite though, as command was unable to get both himself closer and re-order the now turned lines.

Chaos was the result, with the Greek army under Jeff able to re-order his lines faster than Paul S could.

Jeff Hudelson wins the 2007 LATIVM CVP

The lack of recent posts has been because I have started an interesting little game of DIPLOMACY.

Played via an internet engine:

http://www.floc.net/dpjudge/

Worth checking out.


I shall not say more as the game is 'blind' and some of my opponents may be reading this blog.

Once the game is done I'll have more to say.

Painting updates later...

Brushworks, more white coated tricornes. (just for Jeff)

The progress was stalled on these troops over the past few weeks, with other matters taking precedence.

Now the stalling has ended and I will have more regular brush time.

Anyway the progress tonight was on the general 'whiteness' coming up and in getting the gaiters first lower layer painted.

enjoy the pics!

I have a winner to announce from the recent LATIVM CVP, De Bellis Antiquitatis Tournament.

--- drum roll please ---

JEFF HUDELSON

--- trumpet fanfare ---

His championship now stands as the first one to go all the way through the 'round-robin' undefeated, then defeat the 4th and 2nd place finishers from that round robin!

Look for more details about this event follow up in the coming days (I have to survive the sugar rush of three small boys first!).

THE BATTLE OF OFFENBACH

Wherein Offenbach troops of the Soweiter League co-operated with Frankzonian forces to delay a VILE Stagonian army that had approached the town and its works.

The opening to the battle saw the diplomatic exchanges continue right onto the battlefield, as the entire Stagonian aims were to 'punish' Frankzonian limericks found scrawled over buildings and bridges in the region. Baron Gaspar du Vile, commander of the Stagonians, sent off a collection of staff officers and one of his own Aide de Camp's to 'smooth over' the situation with the Offenbach troops, offering to not fire on them first - should they do the desired thing and not fire at them...

With this messenger group sent off under a white flag (though in the rain some of the Offenbach militia could not tell if it was 'white' or 'white with golden fleur-de-lys') the Stagonian army lurched into motion.

The first moves were taken by a mercenary Brigade under one Prinz Robert Axe of The Hertzogh of Burtzenia, their objective was the greater hill to the north west of the works and outside the ramshakle defensive works that the Offenbach militia had thrown up to blockade the roads to the north and west. The rest of the Stagonians managed a slow march forward until their commander, Brig. Graf Adolf von Voss, began a vitriolic exchange of messages and notes with the army commander (part of this is due to family 'issues' between the two clans), while this argument progressed von Voss' brigade was halted, well within range of the Frankzonian artillery.

The starting situation in the 'allied' lines was anything but clear...at first they were not 'in position' standing at the barricades to the west, in order to be ready to face the Stagonians, and the 'allied' lines were actually pointed AT one another while the Stagonians formed their ranks. Fully one-third of the Frankzonian infantry and half of their artillery were ready to engage the Offenbach militia (their nominal ally). It took the efforts of the Earl of Flynn to sort the matter out with the Frankzonian high command, all the while the possibility of combat erupting between the two 'allies' was a very real possibility. For the Offenbachers it was an unknown situation seeing the massive Stagonian army assemble to the west while their 'flank' was turned by the Frankzonian to the north.

With great crashes of thunder the Frankzonian artillery boomed out, at least the battery commanders had no illusions about the Stagonian intentions towards them! This battery was to deal out death and destruction on a massive scale into the Voss brigade all day long, firing very nearly without error!

At the far flank of the Frankzonian line were the four companies of the Frankfurt Guild Militia Battalion. They were to face the brunt of Stagonian attack early in the battle.
At one point the Guild Militia advanced, but after loosing nearly a whole company in 15 minutes from concentrated Stagonian artillery fire they rolled back to their starting line. Brave though they were, this formation was unable to stay in the field until the end of day, having retired some hours before the 2nd Battalion Foot Longs.

After about 2 hours of standing and taking relentless fire, the Stagonian Battalion of O'Duffy was very nearly out of men and on the verge of retreat many times.

Also the Frankzonian plan of attack had become clear to the VILE Stagonian General Baron Gaspar du Vile, they - the Frankzonians were being permitted through the Offenbach defences and re-deploying to the far south, beyond the south hills was an open plain, which the cavalry was rushing towards in order to exploit and 'turn' the Stagonian flank. Baron Gaspar du Vile had ordered his horse to similarly deploy to the south fields and both cavalry columns were now in a desperate race to the south...

It was while the Frankzonian cavalry was hustling past the works and Offenbach command HQ of General Leopold that the ADC of Baron Gaspar du Vile was presented to the General and his staff. He heard the offer of neutrality from the Stagonians and agreed that his forces would remain 'in place' and 'ready' at the barricades. That he would take no aggressive action against Stagonian forces unless they approached the defences or fired upon anyone from the Soweiter League. This ADC had left before Brigadier Shlidelisht had greeted the General and accepted a glass of wine from him as his Cuirassier squadrons passed by.

Offenbach militia troops now had manned the barricades to the west and were observers to the wild fighting on the greater hill to the northwest, where the Mercenary Brigade under Axe was fighting bitterly uphill against first jagers, then line troops of Frankzonia of the 2nd Battalion Foot Longs. The 'fat chickens' were the first to crest the hill, only to be facing the levelled barrels of the entire 2nd Battalion of the Foot Longs, who promptly blasted them to bits! The Mercenary brigadier Prinz Axe, aggresive by nature, simply pushed the 'fire ants' up the hill to assault the 2nd Battalion Foot Longs at once!

Meanwhile, in the south, the two cavalry forces had begun to assemble...

Back to the north von Voss Brigade had begun to move again, only to halt standing among the dead of the first line from O'Duffy's, this time these VILE Stagonians would have to face both the medium battery that had killed off O'Duffy's AND the light battery which had started the day prepared to fire on Offenbach!

On the great hill, the 2nd Battalion Foot Longs, stood upon the crest, and were shocked to see the fire ants coming at them! Beyond could be seen the real size of the Stagonian army, which had an entire Brigade standing in reserve (essentially) since the Offenbachers were prepared to watch this contest rather than participate in it!

To the south on the open fields the cavalry melee had begun, first in were Hillary's Hussies, who managed to charge and cause the von Kirschstein Kuirassier, elite horsemen, of Stagonia to flee! All seemed to be ready for a great sweep into the vile Stagonians! They were brought to a halt by the Jailler Hussars, who then engaged them toe-to-toe for a very short engagement, sending them fleeing from the scene of battle. The Jailler Hussars then pursued, and shattered the fleeing Hussars with their blown mounts.

The Jailler Hussars then recalled from their charge before HC Reiters could engage them. The Reiters had seen the Hussies flee around them and were not eager to engage the larger numbers of enemy formation opposite them until the Vinny's Vincibles another Cuirassier unit could join them. They were not to be given the opportunity. With the von Kirschstein Kuirassier now rallied in their rear, the charged into the HC Reiters, sending them fleeing for cover, then swung into a position to threaten Vinny's Vincibles while the Benzler Dragoons began to fire into their flanks, then charged, sending them recoiling towards the east. Brigadier Shlidelisht could now see that his horse were outnumbered and in bad positions, he issued an immediate order to withdraw further south, as the Offenbachers would clearly not agree to let them back north through the town defences. He sent riders to warn General L'Haugen Bienz of this situation.

Back to the north the artillery batteries of Frankzonia continued their pounding of vile Stagonians, only this time these vile Stagonians refused to break and run, the continued to steadfastly stand their ground and soak up vast numbers of casualties!

General L'Haugen Bienz was informed of the cavalry debacle in the south then decided upon seeing the white coated Mercenaries 'fire ants' coming down the north slope hard on the heels of the broken companies of the 2nd Battalion Foot Longs that this battle was not going to his advantage and that immediate withdrawl would preserve the 1st Battalion along with all the ordinnance cannon.


General Leopold then sent word to the victor of the day, Baron Gaspar du Vile to join him in Offenbach town to dine on sweet meats and enjoy an Offenbach vintage while they discuss matters martial.

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This was a fun game to run since I was able to get the 'parts' put together from other players, thus play it out "by proxy" and that the outcome was not going to be just another 'dud' once I walked away from the table. There were going to be other consequences for players thousands of miles away...