Sunday 23 May 2010

And for something different.

I have been toying with the idea of getting some 30mm Flats ftrom Germany. The range of figures is huge and then quality looks fantastic. They are probably going to be hard to paint and I not sure wheter they will work for wargaming. I am going to get a few next week from  


Probably get some SYW and FPW to start with. 

Anyway thought I would see how flats would look and made a few paper ones over the weekend. These are lots of figures avaialble from  http://www.juniorgeneral.org/

I downloaded a few and played around with them in paint and resized to 35mm.  Here are some French Infantry. This is a quick and easy way to build an army and something I can do with my 4 year old son. One of the advantages is that  once ytou have the master it easy to get units with different facings or uniform colours done.


Wednesday 19 May 2010

Ilkleylads Archives No 1

GNW scene with Russian and Saxon Infantry defending against a determined Swedish attack.







A close up from behind the Saxon lines. The Swedish Cavalry take fire but charge foward into contact.







A view from behind the lines.





SYW in India plus some Prussian Hussars. These photos were taken for use in the publication of Piquet Cartouche 2 supplement.

Saturday 8 May 2010

Sittangbad - Part 2

We played the 2nd session of our Sittangbad game to a conclusion on Wednesday. The battle was a close run thing right to the end.   


Electoral Infantry advancing in Company of Columns. Each regiment consisted of 4 companies of 12 figures each making 48 figures all told. A mighty impressive sight on the table.


A closer view of the Electoral Infantry as they moved towards Sittangbad.


The Pultava regiment included a Grenadier company in their fine Red coats -these plus 2 companies of Engineers were going to have to hold up the Electoral attack as the important war victuals were removed from the town. Some thought that the wagons were also loaded with Lentulus personal wine cellar and the local delicacy Hung par le ment which is best served with a good glass of brandy to drown the bitter flavour. 



Corporal Braun of the town guard was getting concerned as he saw more of the town folk fleeing the town taking their belongings. He was wondering whether discretion was the better part of valour and should he resign his post and join his family on the load road up north. 


Kornberg leads his battered command through the town and across the bridge to the kind applause of Lentulus who has clearly recognized a general with flair and courage.


Herzog Tennantsky, in command of the Electoral foot, brushed his well manicured coiffure, waving his hat to encourage his men revealed a full head of hair with out a grey hair in sight. Some believe he is an adonis whilst others think he owes it all a bottle of Grecian 1757 sold to him by a wandering peddler   


To slow down the advance the De Saxe dragoons charged the Electoral hussars and following a swift melee are able to retire to the safety of the town to reform. Their courage however does not delay the sweeping movement of the Electoral foot around the Sittangwald.


The massed ranks of Electoral foot of the Steinzeit included a company of Scottish mercenaries.


Grim faced the Electoral Infantry advance towards the Grunterhof encouraged by the cry
of "Are you poddles or dogs' bellowed by Herzog Tennantsky. (He was getting worried that time was running out as the game entered its 12th move)


A closer view of the Herzog a fine looking soldier but surprisingly he is much shorter than he looks on his horse.


The De Saxe Dragonss launch their final charge against elements of the Gentlemen Pensioners. This august body of troops, also known as the Grumpy Old Men, despite their age put up a solid performance before being forced back by mounting loses.


The attack develops with the Electoral Foot guards clashing with the grenadiers in the streets of Sittangbad


With volleys erupting across the small streets the town is soon bathed in thick acrid smoke.


The weight of numbers and the artillery fire from massed electoral artillery is too much for the brave grenadiers who beat a hasty retreat toward the bridge,


With dusk fast approaching the electoral hussars may a desperate charge against a depleted line company form the Pultava in the hope of breaking through and crossing the bridge. The infantry however put up a  good fight are are able to repulse the hussars before crossing the bridge to safety.

With the withdrawal of the last Imperial troops across the bridge Lentulus orders the engineer mayor to blow the bridge. With a loud bang the bridge erupts in flame and smoke. However when the dust clears Lentulus can see that that the bridge has not been totally destroyed and was still passable by infantry. But with the light fading the sound of music and laughter could he heard coming from the town. Clearly the Electoral troops had found the uninhabited town far more interesting than the thought of rushing the bridge in the dark. 



Wednesday 5 May 2010

Prussian Headgear



Some Prussian headgear snapped in a French fort ourtside Reims. There are good examples of the Prussian Grenadier helmet.





Monday 3 May 2010

The War Game - a Dr Who inspired campaign

I am mainly a horse and musket wargaming with collections spanning from the ECW to the WW2.  Some of my collections have been not used in a while. So I was wondering how I could get some gaming out of these periods. Well I have come up with an idea for campaign that will allow this to happen. 

Back in late 60s I saw a Dr Who series called the Ware Game in which The Doctor materialize on Earth in 1917, in the middle of a World War I battle. Or so he thinks. Taken prisoner by the Allies, he is believed to be an enemy spy. But as he escape the firing squad, the Doctor becomes suspicious that there is more going on. Soon he discovers that they aren't on Earth but on some distant planet where humans are kidnapped out of time, from times of war and tricked into believing they're still on Earth fighting. It's all part of a grand experiment conducted by the War Lord and the War Chief. As the Doctor struggles to find the truth, crossing through time zones into various wars, they are about to discover a horrible truth:

Is another one of the Doctor's race, another Time Lord, controlling these events or could it possible be .........ME.

Taken this as an inspiration, and as I am currently doing some Old School gaming, I decided to run the Sport of Campaigns from the Age of Reason rules. Nothing radical here.  When the campaign produces a battle however there are 2 key points.

Firstly depending on the nations involved I will choice the period to game.  I will choose from one of my  wargaming periods:-

English Civil War
Great Northern War
War of The Austrian Succession
Seven Years War
Amercian War of Independence
Napoleonic
American Civil War
Franco Prussian War
First World War

So far instance a Russia -Swedish clash could be the GNW. French - Prussian a Franco Prussian game. For battle in North America I could choose the ACW.  I hope you get the idea.

The second decision to be made is to choose a set of rules.  Possible options will include:-
OS = Old School

Classic Piquet and it various supplements
Piquet Field of Battle
Charge or How to play Wargames (OS)
The War Game (OS)
Don Featherstones Horse and Musket rules from the book the War Game. (OS)
Toy Tin Men. (OS)
Sharpe Practice
All the Kings Men. Newer rules with and OS feel and are free at ATKM

I will choose the rules based upon the size of engagement. So for instance a small battle with 3 or 4 units  a side could use the Charge or War Game where as for a big battle one of the Piquet sets would be better.


I will be playing the campaign solo and have deployed the armies ready to go. I am planning the game as 2 coalitions.  Prussia, Great Britain and Sweden against France, Austria and Russia. 

The first game should be ready to go in a couple of weeks.

Sunday 2 May 2010

Seven Year War Battlefields

The Battle of Lobositz

A few years ago the Ilkley Lads did a small tour of some Seven Years War battlefields. Here a few pictures I took.  

The whole area around has many of these steep hills literally littering the countryside. At the battle of Lobositz the Lobosch was defended by Austria Grenz and proved a tough nut to crack for Fredericks infantry.


A closer look at the Lobosch shows how steep it is.


Looking from the Holmuka the small town of Lobosch can be seen nestling on the river Elbe.  
After a short stay in Prague and more than a few beers we went east and visited the battle of Kolin.


The church defended by Austrian Grenz still looks good today. It would be nice to have a model of this as it nicely represents the architecture of the Seven Years War.


This picture shows whats left of the embankments that surrounded the church.

Looking down from the Austrian position shows how open the ground is. The Prussians advanced up this slowly gentling slope towards the massed Austrian ranks.

As the Prussians advanced this is what they would have seen. The only difference is the are no Austrians lined up at the top.