Tag: Napoleonic Wargames

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wargame shows wargaming

2022 Partizan Perambulation

Partizan at Newark Showground made a welcome return for me in 2022. Last visited in 2019 this show or rather the pair – “the other Partizan” that happens in the Autumn, had both become a regular destination for me.

This years show built on my trips to Vapnartak (masks still very evident as well as much caution) and Hammerhead (obvious relief as constraints eased) so I should not have been surprised that Partizan was “many in earnest”. I felt there was a lot of catching up conversation going on, which maybe meant slightly less participation? Yet the enthusiasm was so obvious – people discussing, looking and yes playing games – simple pleasures throwing dice and moving pieces.

And there was the other simple pleasure of admiring other peoples work. Conversations seemed easier and the enjoyment palpable.

For once I had no shopping list – 2 years of on online buying had emptied my pockets? Well no – quite simply I have been sticking to my projects and actually painting my figures and even gaming. That has meant less erratic moments for the Wargaming butterfly.

First up are the games that were on show. I concentrated on just a few for photos. on reflection mats seemed to be a theme for me!

commercial mat – not to my liking but I liked this Pike and Shot display by Mr Mike Spence.
Plenty of eastern cavalry – polish?
I really enjoyed reading Robert Frosts The Northern Wars 1558 to 1721, where a lot of actions involved storming defences – as shown here.
Excellent read if you can get a copy.
The pikemen gather

The 40mm Mr Ian Smith and friends was a glorious display of Napoleonic soldiers and fantastic scenery.

Napoleonic infantry columns advance
Artillery drop into action
Cavalry advance beneath the walls of an imposing town
The British Light Infantry and redcoats appear in the distance
I really liked the town walls
Excellent attention to detail made this a model come alive

The Immortals presented an excellent medieval action

The terrain was the first thing that caught my eye which is terrible because the figures are absolutley fantastic. But the terrain caught my eye becuase it looked so good in itself!
The painting schemes used here are simply fantastic even though I know medievals lend themselves to being pictured.
On the hill English foot await the cavalry attack while admiring the fantastic detail of the grasslands that surround them.
Behind the french lines are some equally fantastic buildings of another town – all scratch built.
This table won the “mat award” for me.
It was all about the Bretons and their succession……….
nearby I think was Mr James Morris and Chums? anyway his dark ages game was fought over Sherpa fleece – it was good and he kindly showed the process of turning this product into a usable table mat – top marks

Over to another Eastern European battle – no details gathered

traditional boards slightly textured worked ok for me.

Fast forward to 1833 and Westbury Wargames with their “two brothers war” in Portugal where all manner of nations piled in for another go just a few decades after Wellington and his Portuguese allies had fought their way through to Spanish held France.

Traditional scenic boards with some nice set pieces and out of shot excellent buildings (again scratch built)

And thats it. Well I did get distracted by mats and terrain this year. The terrain mats are a gift for the time hungry and space hungry gamer which is the most common type of wargamer I suggest. I think it is more the case that, at shows where displays are a product of a different amount of effort the textured cloths seem to be the better bet for “a look”? However I have seen some tables where the “hirsute” cloth swamped the poor figures who looked as though they were wading through 2m high grass.

All in all the displays I found were excellent and inspired me to wargame, which is what it is all about.

What did the other big sell do to me – the trader tour!

I impulsively fell for some pendraken and warbases material – invariably so. Usual suspects being bases plus some dice.

Gamers grass seems to be winning my texture competition and I am going more bland as well. You live and learn – my Austrian rifleman have demanded sunglasses to tackle the luminous green grasses they are striding through………..

The man in the “corner” shop hailed from Birmingham and brought many an interesting box for the 1/72 gamer. They were at T22 in the trader zone – see map at the end.

I fell for this station……..

But was too late for its mate the Italian church – curses.

I took this warbases church instead
Long gone – these out of production miniart romans are not everyones cup of tea even if the artwork is enticing
even rarer the cavalry are very nice. Not sure when my interests will return to the late roman period?

If you cant wait for me to paint these then try visiting https://comitatusgaulois.wordpress.com/

Chariobaude offers up a great range of painted Late Romans.

My current preoccupation is middle nineteenth century where in plastics you get the “plastic soldier review” much disliked Austrians. Failing this in 20-25 mm its really just Irregular Miniatures at each end so to speak 20mm or 28mm. I have posted a picture of 20mm Neapolitans posing as 1848 French at Rome elsewhere on this blog.

Irregular 20mm Neapolitans posing as French 1849 at Rome.
Austrian Artillery are always useful while the Carabiniers will get head swops – wearing kepis or stovepipes to become something useful. Plastic Soldier Review liked these horsemen……

I will be back in the Autumn for the Other Partizan

The free figure was nice – I might even paint him.
A nicely laid out and well organised show – very well attended! A hobby back to some of its social life

Categories
life wargaming

Improvise!

I am not a snow scenery person so you will have to forgive this small quirky offering.

Merry Christmas One and All!

Veteran Minifigs from 1970’s to the front and a kit theatre from the Norman Palace in Parlermo – its side frames show off the famous marionettes or puppets – a theatrical tradition stretching back to the 13th century.
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metal miniatures miniatures painting wargaming

The late running 1800 from Oxted to Victoria has just arrived on Platform 1 – 45 years late!

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A 1970’s 4VEP British Rail commuter train of slam door stock – what is going on?

A tenuous link I admit but I could not wrench it from my mind. I don’t think I have any older figures unpainted so this is my sort of painting record.

basing – using my current preferred style of 3 layers brown, ochre, cream highlights plus some foliage
I am basing these guys on 40mm square bases and normally have 4 bases to a unit. Perfect for Neil Thomas or Piquet – amongst my favoured rulesets
I always liked the Kleber dragoons as red coated French Dragoons are a not so common

These figures are by Warrior Miniatures and are sold as french dragoons in their 25 mm napoleonic range. They are a slim 25mm and contrast with their then contemporary overfed minifigs from the 1970’s. I guess they were more like early hinchliffe before those got taller and bulked out somewhat.

I still love them after all these years so I am pleased they finally got a coat of paint!

Funcken books have remained popular with me – the artwork seems more aligned to my painting ideas – I bought these 4 volumes in the 1970’s before I discovered Osprey. In a way Funckens have aged better than Ospreys to my mind. Maybe it is because the style is more simplistic

I painted them as kleber dragoon’s and my inspiration is from the Funcken 18th century to modern times volume.

tucked away on the Egyptian campaign page is the red coated french dragoon

My intention is to use them in early campaigns of my Fauxterre Mythical Realm which covers 1815 to 1870 at present. It is all because of Fauxterre and Faux Napoleonics that they got painted anyway!

Thats another thank you to Renaissance Troll and his fantasy napoleonics post.

image license info – the train pic is used under

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Categories
Book Reviews Continental Wars Mid 19th Century Wargaming Military History new additions Solo Wargamers Association wargaming

The Domino effect

Sometimes things come together in the most unexpected way.

No sooner had I read the SWA (Solo Wargamers Article) by Brian Cameron than I stumbled across the Renaissance Troll and his post about Napoleonic imaginations and painting a couple of foot soldiers with those early flashy metal helmets boasting giant “bog brush” combs!

In my last post I mentioned I had rediscovered Donald Featherstones’ Advanced Wargames Section 6 Chapter 14 Franco Prussian scenario.

And I recalled that the first time I found this book I only had Airfix Napoleonics remotely usable. And they were duly rolled out to fight the battles. Interestingly I did have Airfix ACW armies – and I probably used them as well except I never used ACW for “imaginations” warfare.

I also never had it in my head that “imaginations” worked with Napoleonics that well either. For one thing then I was consumed by the actual history – no need for imaginations gaming in that period.

my “Imaginations” gaming came from “Charge or how to play Wargames”.

The last chapter 10 – Tailpiece gives some very sensible advice on avoiding multiple period wargaming – pure madness apparently (oh dear).

It also recommends creating “Mythical Powers” (D&D in 1967!) and their armies so as to avoid arguments about uniform accuracy.

So my “imaginations” gaming has been of the tricorne variety.

Zvezda Peter the Great Russians and Swedes in the background

Back to Renaissance Troll who posted that neat little post about “a new miniatures project”. Yes those 4 simple words can either send a shiver down the spine of you average wargamer or create a frision of excitment that must be assuaged.

Yep its both – the anglo saxons have yielded to the inevitable. They now shiver in some dark corner of my wargaming tardis (yes its that bad here – I had to get some more storage options beyond 3D).

And now in the bright uplands there appear some Napoleonics……

Warrior Metals originally based for Charlie Wesencrafts Practical Wargaming now rebased for Maurice.

Well yes and no.

“Yes” I did get my game using some 1970’s retro rules (post to follow) using a few Napoleonics and “No!”

my painting table now has Strelets Union infantry on it with some

absolutely ghastly other figures on the worktable – boy do they need work.

oh dear oh dear oh dear……………..

Postscript

Renaissance Troll mentioned they were reading David Chandler. I have kept just two books on Napoleonics.

I can recommend the following books if you can track them down.

A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars published by AMS Press Inc. It was originally published in 1964 having been compiled for the Department of Military Art and Engineering, The United States Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.

Given I have always liked maps this book or rather atlas is an absolute cracker.

The second has an introduction in my copy by David Chandler. It is an adaption by Anne S K Brown of Henry Lachouques’ “Napoleon et la Garde Imperiale”. It is entitled “The Anatomy of Glory”. It is full of glory and is both gripping and draining. The later years of 1812 to 1814 are just relentless.

Enjoy you “imaginations” gaming whatever form it takes!