Wednesday 16 March 2011

Update

First of all you've noticed that it has been really quiet on the Chronicles, which is exactly what I intended. The Chronicles are not the main hobby effort and with less available hobby time last couple of months they where on the bottom of the priority list. So what has been keeping me busy, you wonder?

Most of my available hobby time was spent sorting through thousands of 1/72 plastic soldiers of all makes and ages. The aim was to organise two Napoleonic armies for my local "De Witte Ridder" games club. Basing was to be generic, but primarily for use with the Black Powder (BP) rule set at 2/3 scale. Several stands of miniatures are easily reconfigured to play any rule set possible. In the end it should help the club discover historical gaming for minimum cost and effort and maximum effect. Ludo, a club member also interested in historical gaming, was a big help in sorting the little soldiers.

The "unpainted" miniatures were then glued  to bases -six to a base- with three bases giving standard units, four for large, two for small (and as a bonus: the number of bases also being a reminder for the units Stamina value as described in BP) .  For cavalry I counted three four horse bases as a standard regiment. I based the scaling down on roughly 1/30 miniature to men ratio.
In the end I managed to put together some 45 infantry  battalions, 12cavalry regiments and 14 guns, casualty markers, Brigadiers and CinC. I guess that means I salvaged some 1500 Napoleonic soldiers for some good sized Napoleonic games.

Those of you served with good memory, will recall that one of the projects announced at the very beginning of the Chronicles was Old School (or Classic) ancients war gaming à la Tony Bath. This project has taken a flying start in Phil Olley's Classic Wargaming Journal (CWJ). You will not see much of that project on the Chronicles, maybe some surplus pictures or some such. It is my intention to keep this a long term and  exclusive "hard copy" project, as long as CWJ exists anyway. I did discover this "The Rules of Tony Bath" forum, which I intend to join.

I've also been thinking (that's new, Pjotr, be serious now...) and I've come to the conclusion that I wanted to serve to many masters, as they say (don't they?). I wanted my 7YW imagination armies based for classic wargaming, with optional use for gaming with figure tray based game engines (BP, Rank and File, ...). I would be able to split Classic units in two and game with twice the number of units...I'd been working on basing combinations...to find it doesn't work for me. So I've decided to start Napoleonic armies with the delightful "Classic" Warrior Miniatures  range of models. I've acquired a reasonable number of French infantry at a recent bring and buy and things will go on from there. No rush, no hurry. The good news is that in the end the imagi-history battles fought by imagi-nation units will solely be resolved using The Wargame or Charge as rules engines and basing matters are simplified. Good thinking, Pjotr...

"So what about all that imagi-thingy stuff?", I hear you cry. Calm down, hold your horses...The DDU is very much alive and might even appear in the Napoleonic wars. In the mean time, units have been listed, paint schemes sorted and  several hundreds of miniatures have been ordered. This week restoration of the old SSM's will resume. Also terrain has been defined, trees ordered, paint brought in, buildings planned...and as al my projects will be classic and of comparable scale, that terrain will be usable for all my wargaming needs.

Am I still following my time line? Well considering I want all projects at cruising speed (i.e. fully playable) by the time I retire...I still have nine years to go. So yes, everything is going as planned. I promise that when something I deem interesting pops up, more posts will follow, ...

Happy gaming
Pjotr

6 comments:

  1. I don't know, Pjotr, It all sounds very sensible.

    :)

    Ross

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  2. "Dispersion! Ach! Gross Malheur' The bane of many a wargamer".
    Then you seem to have it under reasonable controle

    Glad the 'Lace Wars' side is not forgotten.

    Cheers!

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  3. I would love to see some photos of your Black Powder 1/72nd armies.
    I have a fancy to do a BP Crimean War project using Strelets range as they appear to be moulded in "national" colours of red,green and blue possibly mounted on bases of the same colour.
    Like most of my ideas this may never happen,but it would be a quick,easy and relatively cheap project.

    Cheers,

    Paul.

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  4. Greetings Pjotr - good to see that you are going about things in a sensible way. I think I spent far too long trying to rush everything, and making wrong turns. In case you haven't seen it on my own blog, the first of my units for the fictitious Napoleonic Vorpommern brigade has appeared. Since you were one of the people who encouraged me, I hope you will not mind that I have put you in command of this unit! We stand or fall together.

    Regards

    Tony

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  5. Hello all, I'm back...thank you for your encouraging comments.
    Paul, I have some pictures on a laptop, which will be back home with me around Easter. We sort off crammed all the units on a 4 by 6 table for the occasion. Not very impressive but you can easily imagine the look of both armies with single army colour sprayed on and green bases.
    Tony, I'm honoured to humbly accept a commission in the Vorpommern artillery. I'll get back to you on that with a comment on your blog once I've done some research as to how Pjotr Nyudrev (the first one) arrived from the Low countries by France in Sweden and so commissioned into the company of foot artillery Stadt Stralsund in the service of the Duchy of Stralsund-Ruegen. Really wonderful colours and miniatures. Especially the officer wearing a bicorne...of course.

    Such fun.
    Pjotr

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  6. Pjotr - hope things good with you. I completed my (Pommeranian) Napoleonic imagi-nation army - post on my blog today. Thanks for your encouragement to get me started on it!

    Cheers

    Tony

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