Well suddenly VAP was here and then gone for another year.
I turned up early and got in quick and did a rapid recce including the bring and buy.
I managed one participation game in the end, collected some preordered figures, bought some stuff I had not planned to, but did want, and chatted quite a bit.
The show seemed as busy as last year but maybe emptied out a bit quicker? These thoughts are subjective as it depends what your doing and when – you don’t notice stuff going on if your immersed in a game or a conversation.
Overall I had a good VAP24 and the queue seemed to move promptly at ten with plenty of attendants present: Last year there was a slow ticket purchase process which delayed entry obviously causing a deal of grief for the punters.
The reenactment vikings entertained the front of the queue – not sure it was appreciated as people often use the queue time to chat. It was a neat idea though.
Onto my purchases
Ubiquitous pendraken bases and some neat spears I kept meaning to buy some extra road and of the flexible kind – these are from early war miniatures Plus a curveAt Irregular miniatures I picked up my preorder of two packs of colonial British in bell shakos which will give two battalions each of Danish infantry 1848 and a Tuscan regiment along with some 1848 danish artillery in bell shakos
I participated in the Lance and Longbow Society game – this time it was 1177 and the crusades. Modified Lion Rampant and 1/72 plastics in abundance. It was fun.
Lance and longbow society game – Saladin attempts to halt Baldwin, but it was not his day. Loads of 1/72 plastic miniatures on display and no heavy lifting!
I went with three gamers. We puzzled about whether the show was busy or different compared to other years. It felt like another transitional VAP reflecting hobby developments.
This Venice game shows how scenery quality has really been transformed by the industry offerings in the hands of talented wargamers
2022 felt the benefit of post covid and lockdown ending while 2023 felt that some changes were afoot. In 2023 we said goodbye to the likes of SHQ Miniatures and Magister Militum (in the past MM had been a significant stand at VAP).
Harrogate Wargames’s club offered the battle of ferrybridge – a wars of the roses action in 28mm
It felt though that there were less games this time. The normally crowded ground floor had some big spaces, mainly around the York Club game tables.
Then again it felt like more use had been made of the upper floors to give people more space for circulation. Frankly in previous virtual scrums were a big deterrent in reaching some traders.
Overall this extra room was a really good thing. And accessibility was improved as a result.
1866 kepis in Europe – once again Garibaldi is up against papal forces and losing?
I reckon there were 65 tables all up this year (all types of activity) compared to 57 in 2022 but it seemed many were smaller offerings: For example Helion Books were absent. But their space was used by a smaller vendor.
And the bring and buy seemed to have less turnover – I went at the beginning and some sellers were still there much later on.
Which ever way you cut it VAP is still a great show to meet the hobby, throw dice and make some sound buys.
Last week York was inundated with cameras as its annual flood season reached its peak.
Anyway if in doubt get a coffee. You can view Irregular Miniatures figures in the gifts section at the Alma cafe on copper gate
And Irregular Miniatures will be at VAP on the racecourse site so here are some of my buys over the last few years.
Austrian ww1 infantry repainted as 1850 danish Ww1 Austrians repainted as 1864 danish British colonial infantry repainted as 1848 danish British colonial infantry repainted as 1848 Tuscany troops 1859 range Straight painted garibaldini for 1848Their 1848 French opponents stolen from the 1859 Neapolitan range
I use the 20mm ranges with extra washer bases to compliment my plastics which are typically 2mm taller.
Last but not least danish artillery for 1848 although the piece is suspiciously looking a later rifled version – based up these 20mm chaps have no problem with their plastic cousins
The last photo also shows one of my entries into AHPC14!
What do you do when your sidetrack project becomes a Cuckoo in the nest. You buy another nest, metaphorically speaking, and stick it in it. I had attempted to paint and kitbash my way through the sidetrack project Fauxterre 1930, while progressing my main project of 2021 – Wars of Italian Unification 1848/1859 (in themselves ever more complicated but still fascinating).
So, having gone round the show in quick time I felt there was little to tempt me or solve my current project woes. “Or so I thought”.
Early War Miniatures was one of many (but not all) bigger traders busy selling at VAP22. With no bring and buy or competitions, plus only a select few demo/participation games, it was easy to get around but also the smaller sellers were not too diminished as they were spread across all 4 floors.
At Early War Miniatures I encountered a sell off of some completed figures. And they were exactly what I wanted for my Fauxterre 1930 project. Although I had opted for US and Russian forces – original plan – I had drifted into the interwar period and French forces had loomed into sight complete with Char B tanks, Renault’s and various quirky looking vehicles.
Net result was I came away with a prize and of course my wallet much lighter.
The effect was that a mini deluge in buying followed. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
The figures come next followed by the rest of my purchases with some kit armour and finished EWM tanks to finish.
French WW2 infantry from Early War Miniatures – 4 x 12 man rifle units plus HQ + Heavy Weapons The complete set of French WW2 figures – it was the fact that it was a useable set that caught my eye – all ready to go.
The rest of my buys were somewhat “erratic” of course……….
impulse buys at PendrakenMy Great Northern Wars “Era” project remains unrealised. I seem to find Italy ever more interesting across all periods.tufts for basing my italian wars of unification project (1848/1859) – for when I get some figures painted again!Pendraken again – small dice are simply too enticing – should be banned.I like AC’s!This Renault Truck I nearly bought in injection kit form from Hannants – but at a higher price!tankettes are the way forward!Some interesting armour and vehicles for Fauxterre 1930 From EWM, my slow build of a Russian WW2 force now includes some decals – very slow it would seemAs part of a show discount Early War Miniatures included these miscasts for free. They are intact enough to become part of the Fauxterre 1930 war effort.
So a big thank you to Early War Miniatures who fixed a growing problem. Pendraken as ever met my needs for all sorts of extras while HelionBooks invariably come up with attractive titles to feed my reading. Great Escape Games provided the tufts and some humour.
The large ground floor flowed freely as the demo and participation tables were absent this year.Plenty of the smaller traders were located on the higher levels
Last of all for those who stuck the journey………..
3 M11/39 Italian tanks from Early War Miniatures
Thats all folks – just maybe for patient “John the Varnish” the next post should be about Wars of the Italian Unification although Fauxterre 1930 is still squawking away!
In my last post I talked about Neil Thomas and his simple rulesets. For my Virtul VAP21 wargame I have chsoen his rules “Wargaming 19th Century Europe 1815-1878”. A snappy title!
The rules come with some scenarios. I used No1 the pitched battle.
Map 1 was as per the ruleset and objectives of victory the same.
North is up the page and Oldtown is objective B to the left where a north south road leaves town and crosses the river. Objective C is the other town where an east west road crosses and railway at Newtown. No railway tracks – so my excuse is the contractor has laid the track bed but no tracks. Objective A is the hill to the south of the two towns and roughly midway between them. A wood is located in the south east corner.
Monarchist A defends to the south while Monarchist B attacks from the north
The defenders ended up with the following diced up
5 infantry units 4 average quality and one elite
1 skirmisher unit average
1 elite cavalry unit
3 artillery units
The attackers ended up with
8 infantry units 7 average and 1 elite
1 skirmisher unit average
2 elite cavalry units
2 artillery units
Prebattle events were used resulting in “bogged down” for the defender – they lost 1 artillery unit and 1 average infantry unit wandering around looking for a way to march to the gunfire. Maybe it was to march away from the gunfire?
The attackers had the benefit of”Flank March” which meant 2 average infantry units and 1 elite cavalry unit set off to outflank the enemies position.
Both commanders were average so cancelled each other out.
With 15 turns it was simply a case of defender A holding two of the three objectives at the end of turn 15.
I used written rules. A luxury a solo player can enjoy as part of this type of game. This approach allowed me to disassociate myself from both sides. A fog of war was added because I was always writing the orders for the next move +1. So sometimes my anticipated view failed to materialise and my orders which could only be altered by yet another round of orders might seem strange indeed.
abbreviated orders cause no confusion or argument for the soloist.
Let battle commence – no narrative today folks. Its dawn and attacker Monarch B swoops on objective B – Oldtown.
march formations are encouraged under rules, which deploy into line for firefights and just maybe hand to hand combat. Neil Thomas makes the point that morale is flaky so getting close is easy enough, staying in position to attack is quite another matter.I randomly drew cards to place units and this led to some congestion around the wood – yet more problems for Defender (Monarch A)at least Defender (Monarch A) secured Objective AIn the south east a defender (Monarch A) infantry unit struggles through the wood to avoid congestion; the rest of the defenders march boldly forward. Attacker (Monarch B) sends a lone artillery unit along the quite useable railway trackbed to take objective C while an infantry unit discovers the river is quite fordable.The Defender (Monarch A) has determined to take objective B……………Attacker (Monarch B) has put his elite infantry into Old town to secure it.and Objective C – is being approached by the defenders sole elite cavalry unitdefender artillery drop into action near objective C being able to support the attack on Oldtown (objective B) as well. This defending commander is not expecting much is he – ha ha.The defender cavalry drive away the attacking skirmishers near Newtown not realising an enemy artillery unit is hidden nearby.KABOOM the attacker artillery rake the defender elite cavalry. I use small rings of different colours to denote a unit strength as it declines.KABOOM a lone attacker artillery starts to exchange fire with the defender artillery near Newtown. The Attacker infantry are across the river in force making for objective A the hill.a fusilade of fire erupts from the Attacker elite infantry holding the river line.The pesky attacker artillery is swept away by the Defender elite cavalry except the artillery let loose a decimating volley at their demise. Meantime the Attacker has pushed an infantry unit into Newtown. A fire fight continues at the south edge of Oldtown – defender infantry have no desire to rush the bridge.In this scenario extra options included the bogged down defenders late arrivals from the south east ner the wood. And the attackers having a flank attack. Needless to say the flank attack turned up in the same corner of the battlefield that had seen delayed defending units struggling through the wood. The attackers – led by an elite cavalry unit simply went round the wood and onto the railway track bed.The infantry action around Oldtown was warming up with the firefight at the river bridge. The attacking infantry columns are supported by the lone artillery battery directed by the Commander in Chief no less. The defenders left flank infantry now belatedly march toward the defenders collapsing centre.The defenders cavalry attempts to catch the attacking infantry unit before it scuttles into Newtown. In the distance the attackers flank attack is developing nicely with the defenders poor initial deployment now coming home to roostBottom left the attackers flanking infantry arrive while the elite cavalry unit makes ground along the railway line. The defenders right flank infantry only now escaping the wood do not realise the enormity of the situation (this was the elite infantry regiment of the defenders army!). On the central hill the defending commander in chief with his reserve of one infantry unit and one skirmisher unit can see all his problems not least the advancing attacker columns who have crossed the river and see only some skirmishers between them and securing their third objective.The defenders cavalry make a last desparate charge across the river to destroy the enemy artillery battery. They destroy the artillery but are destroyed in turn by the final attackers cannonade – thus depriving the defenders elite cavalry of capturing the Attacking Genral himself!!!!
The attacking elite cavalry attack the hill allowing the defenders right flank infantry to march towards the gaping hole in the defending army centre. The attackers centre columns split to tackle the infantry on the hill and on the enemy left flank.The attackers are not winning everywhere, peppered by the artillery and some infantry fire and finally yet more fire, a central attacker infantry unit succombs and retires.The defenders attack on Oldtown ends as its infantry unit dissolves under the more resolute fire of the elite attacker unit holding the key objective.The flanking elite attacker cavalry crash into the defenders infantry holding the hillThe attackers cavalry attack on the hill fails while defending infantry close in on the remaining attacker infantry who are still south of the river.A second attack on the defenders hill fails and the cavalry crumple, scattering away toward the wood.The remaining attacker infantry taking their queue from the scattering attacker cavalry also abandon the fight and stream back acrioss the river.The defender army has finally secured the hill. It has failed to take Old town and Newtown has fallen into enemy hands.
Add to this the serried ranks of yet more flank attackers and the Defender General knows his position is now untenable and he must retreat.
Victory to the attackers!
It is turn 13 and the attacking General despite his heavy losses has already secured two of his three objectives. The third will soon be his through his flanking troops advance. He does not realise that as night falls they will gain the hill without a fight.
The game was most enjoyable with events quickly evolving in unexpected ways. Confusion in the centre where no clear battle lines appeared felt plausible. The requirement to write rules ahead of each turn meant units could not simply react to the most obvious opportunity.
And it created some narrative
The famous charge of the defenders elite cavalry destroying all the enemy artillery, driving off their skirmishers and nearly capturing the enemy commander!
The stoic defence of old town by the elite attackers infantry
The frustrated defenders elite infantry struggling in the woods near Newtown
The repulse of the Attackers elite cavalry by the Defenders rearguard watched by the commanding general
And while the setting of objectives was mechanical they did not become the sole issue and in fact the defenders position was turned as intended by the attackers flank attack.
In that sense the rules scenario plus the pre-battle options made the game sufficiently complex despite uncomplicated and relatively small armies being used.
So all in all a very nice scenario. Thank you Neil Thomas.
Now where are those white kittel coated Austrians?
I guess I have become an accidental acolyte for Neil Thomas. Why?
In wargames rules terms we live in an era where there are “gazillions” of rules. There are probably AI engines knocking them out these days: I am of the view that wargaming is the multi billion dollar hobby that includes every online gaming app from fortnite to defend the cauliflower patch from aliens (ok I made one up). Miniatures is just an oxbow lake in this mighty river of gaming. And this particular oxbow lake is up to its ears in rulesets for miniatures gaming and seems to love it.
So who needs another ruleset and especially one that is so “retro”?
I do.
Sometimes you have to go back to go forward and just sometimes you can go back and rework an idea using more recent thinking to go somewhere else instead.
I like Neil Thomas rules because there is a hint of Donald Featherstone in his thinking. He is quite direct in his writing – this is useful – and his approach is to apply the right amount of abstraction.
It is quite interesting to reread Donald Featherstone occasionally. For example one of his books is ladled with “scale” as in movement, time and distance: yet Donald says at one point he would rather just approximate matters so he can get on with the game – a battle. The book is his offering on Wargame Campaigns!?
This is my key to Neil Thomas. He wants you to play games and specifically battles. That is his endpoint, the outcome desired.
Neil’s book “Wargaming Nineteenth Century Europe 1815-1878” delivers battles using miniatures. It starts at the end result and is designed to give you a game in a space – typically 6’x4′ or 1.8m x 1.2m and very often less.
Neil presents his take on the various elements that defined the era and then puts all these into a neat package of rules that are brief and to the point.
The rules mechanisms are familiar to those who have his other rules to hand. Not too many and simplicity is the order of the day.
I think the important thing about his rules are what he leaves out – which of course you need to fill in – so abstraction is all.
Neil normally achieves a balanced asbtraction in his rules. They feel right to me. So did I like these rules?
A qualified YES, I have only used them once after several rereads of the book itself.
If Neil Thomas were an artist I would fancy his work would look like this – a detailed landscape of a pretty coastal portI do not think Neil would be offering you this much detail as an artist. Just look at that sky as well.
Both paintings are to be found in the excellent Hull City Ferens Art Gallery: Go visit when lock down ends.
The rules come with scenarios and cover all the key changes in weapons and fighting that occurred from the demise of Napoleon to the Russo-Turkish war of 1878. His rules are so abstract or rather to the point, that technology changes like the railway and telegraph get little mention. Actually covering this periods scope in itself is quite a feat – a bit like a ruleset mixing Napoleonic, AWI and most of the Seven Years War yet along with significant weapon/technology changes.
In 2020 I was at the Lance and Longbow Society stand where Lithuanians and Poles were fighting it out with the Teutonic Knights at the battle of Tannenburg (1410). There were live opponents that day.
For Virtual VAP 2021 I have time warped to around 1850 to play a solo battle.
My latest project is about the Wars of the Italian Unification (WotIU). The outlier campaign is 1848 when the world also first saw Garibaldi play a signficant role in the peninsula.
By 1859/60 Garibaldi was ready for a star role leading 1000 red shirts driving out the Two Sicily’s Kingdom troops from Sicily in short order. I have already discovered some new aspects in my expanded reading on this fascinating period: That Naval muscle helped him was a surprise. And there seems a varied range of battle situations with the red shirts not having it all their own way.
The real wars seem to be fascinating. I normally like to fight with “imagination” forces which offer freedom to generate many battles and situations without the confines of “well that happened next”.
My WotIU armies are still “under the brush” so to speak. This means my game is populated with what is to hand. And the protaganists are the elusive “Empire” and “Kingdom”.
Back to the rules. I chose to start with the early period set – 1815 to about 1850. Smoothbore muskets and cannon. So pretty much Napoleonic era kit.
I had bought the “e book” as a limited dip in the water for a new period. I struggle with using rules in this format even though it is quicker to flick the pages!
So I wrote out on two sides of A5 the rules that seemed to matter.
When you look at them they amount to about a quarter page on movement, a quarter on firing and half on close combat plus a bit on morale.
Neil parcels up his principles clearly even if my scratty writing undoes some of this!So on one side of A4 (2xA5) you have all the rules for a game – neat – unlike my writing
So the usual fare then from Neil. Neil likes his saving throws and uses this double dicing to achieve some of his flavour/depth or granularity. So even though for solo play it seems avoidable this step provides a bit of subtle ebb and flow.
Both the Empire and the Kingdom fielded “Monarchist” armies.
I will run through the resulting battle in my next post.
Wargame shows in the UK are destinations for buyers. Wargamers love to buy at shows. Traders dominate proceedings and given the hobby has been off the high street for decades this is understandable.
So VAP is always a show that involves some buying. For my virtual VAP I have dug out some previous VAP show purchases – not even used – there’s a surprise – NOT!
Not a lead mountain more like a timber mountain. First up the previously bought items are two bridges.
First up is a 15mm scale “corduroy” bridge by 4 ground
The Corduroy bridge is easy to put together although the parts are small and easily damaged if not carefully removed from their frame.
This will serve as a small bridge in my 1/72 20/25mm battles.
The stone bridge in 15mm by 4 ground
The stone bridge is more of a scale item so will look out of scale in 1/72 20/25mm encounters. Unless of course you simply accept the lack of scale compatibility!
The stone bridge takes my element bases so that is a plus.
two useful bridges allow me to “bridge” across to my purchase the other day.
Ian Kay at Irregular Miniatures very quickly supplied some of his mid 19th century figures in both 25/28mm and 20mm.
These are Austrians – a general, cannon plus 4 gunners, two frenchies!!? several austrian infantry all bought as a taster.Arranged around Waterloo1815 1859 Austrians (confused? you ought to be) are Garibaldeans to the left, Piedmontese Line Infantry to the top right and yes some Belgian WW1 infantry bottom right as a tester for 1866 onwards Austrians.
All these purchases are to test my liking for the figures and their matching qualities with my 1/72 plastics.
The dainty Waterloo1815 Austrians were savaged by the Plastic Soldier Review. I quite like them though. The Garibaldeans are slightly smaller while the PSS Reviewed Lucky Toys equivalent (grotesque?) are hitting 25/26mm and with bulk.But not bulky enough to work with the other austrians which are proper 28mm chapsI am going to give these 28mm figures a go. They feel very suitable for a “little wars” type game without the live ammunition! Perhaps even a deliberate “shiney” finish?
I thought I might console myself with a virtual VAP this year via this site. So first up is something about traders.
Vapnartak is run by York Wargames Society volunteers and has a sizeable trader attendance. The York Racecourse site allows plenty of space although the organisers always ensure we all just about fit in!
In more recent times breakout space has improved yet I get the impression the number of traders remains unchanged? Maybe some of the games space has reduced. I am not sure on that.
The traders I have most often shopped with over the years have included
Caliver Books – no links at present
Dave Lanchesters Military Books – no links at present
Caliver Books have always given me a steady supply of books and especially rule books.
Currently preoccupied with mid 19th century warfare, I plan to use Brent Omans Piquet bought from Caliver Books.
I have also dipped into their figures occasionally plus the odd terrain purchase. At the show Caliver are the nearest thing to a street general wargames store before they became gaming cafes or just cafes and now just empty buildings!
These cast and painted buildings from Caliver Books have proved their worth in 2020 in my Saxon, Norman, Viking and Roman Britain outings.
Dave Lanchesters books have been a great source of the older Ospreys and I have often picked up Pen & Sword or Helion publications at great prices.
Many of these Ospreys have been bought at Dave’s store at various shows, all sadly missed.
And Dave has some really excellent condition out of print books.
Irregular Miniatures provide simply a vast range of figures and items that is staggering. Always something tempting to buy.
No pic, I hope to have some news in another post in Irregular.
Magister Militum, Westwind/Forged in Battle and Museum Miniatures have been my preferred 15mm suppliers – mainly ancients.
Forged in Battle command pack, detail is excellent.
All their figures have character despite their small size. I owned some 6mm Naploeonics back in the day but never got the bug so 15mm is as small as I go.
Museum Miniatures “Red Guard” drive off some pesky out of production Corvus Belli Cathaginians. Museum Miniatures got me into 15mm.
Funnily enough Peter Pig is another 15mm supplier yet it is his rules I have loved over the years – RFCM (Rules for the Common Man) remain the only other ruleset for pick up games I automatically think of for WW2 outings aside from my house rules based on the venerable Don Featherstone offerings. OK I do own Too Fat Lardies rules which really are the most engaging game rules in my view. However I have to be in the mood to play them!
Peter Pigs Bloody Barons have also found out my interest in the past although the figure scale has been 28mm or even Mike Tittensor’s SOA Bronze Age deriviative that saw 1/72 plastics take the field.
Peter Pig gave excellent pre game rules in their Wars of the Roses ruleset.
S&A Scenics have given me some excellent scenery of the “precise” kind and which give a nice “gamey” feel to a table top.
That clipped grass and trees from S&A Scenics just cries out for some shiney victorian era soldiersS&A Scenics do offer some nice crossover trees as well
In stark contrast Last Valley offer you trees and hedgerows which do feel very realistic to me. I like both – and yes use both together on occasion!
Last Valley make some nice pieces that often appear in my games.Many a time this last valley copse has held a unit or some piece of armour
Sally 4th have offered various companies products and I have often bought the Foreground pre coloured laser cut wood kits along with original citadel paints.
The detail on these buildings is so fine it is wasted in the gaming context at 3 feet or 1 metre. Mind you Foregrounds view on chiminies just does not chime with the rest of these exquisite models!
Dice are always in demand even if I don’t need them. The Dice Shop does what it says!
Pendraken Miniatures have also yielded some nice dice and I invariably get my bases from them. Alas their delightful figure ranges are just too small for me.
you can never have too many Pendraken bases in store!
I have a soft spot for 1/72 or small 25mm or large 20mm (take your pick). So Tumbling Dice have supplied some nice Dark Age figures.
Scale has always been a problem – Lamming 1970’s 20/25mm norman/saxons bookend 4 Tumbling Dice 1/72 true scale Saxon/Norman foot command figures
Last but not least are Magnetic Displays although I always remember them as Coritani. I buy their paintbrushes and occasionally paints. While their range of terrain features are always compelling and Renedra plastics have often figured in my purchasing, I always obtain spear reinforcements from Trevor & Paula who I just find are simply the most helpful and engaging of traders.
You always need a store of gabions and versatile bridges! Yes this is very old stock I rediscovered – which means I have too much stuff.
And of course there was the “infamous?” bring & buy scrum alley where pitches were offered on a time restricted basis. I could never make up my mind if it was any better than an ordinary bring and buy, except it crucially saved the wargames club members acting as intermediaries – double handling cash and items.
I managed to make some purchases. I never bought bad due to the selling mechanism so thats a good thing.
Whatever your wargaming activity I hope you are able to support your favorite traders despite the pandemic and the decimation it has caused to so many people in so many ways.
Well we are at the end of a year that will become notorious.
A year when humanity staggered from the blows of a simple virus. It is perhaps a reminder that nature always has the upper hand no matter how sophisticated our societies have become.
I guess there are plenty of historical parallels to this type of massive societal correction. Not in the same vein but I read recently about how the particularly bad 9th century weather or should I say mini climate change dealt the Carolingians numerous bad harvests damaging their always vunerable Empire. Except even if it were decisive, the roaring vikings is a much more exciting concept of Empire destruction.
Yet right now the Dark Ages have become just that – the Dark Ages as in a box with a lid on it! Right now it is the 19th Century that dominates Wargames in the mind of Norber the Wargaming Erratic.
Before we go and embark on another year there is just enough time to reflect on the fact that 2020 has proven to be rather a good year for my wargaming.
The year got going with a trip to Vapnartak, notable for the fact that it proved to be my one and only show of 2020.
Lithuanian Knights gather to charge the Teutons – figures by WillWarWeb I believe
Playing (LIVE) the Lance and Longbow Society game of Tannenberg 1410 made it all the more important as it turned out. It was my last face to face gaming of 2020.
I was into Carolingians at the time of Vapnartak.
The scary plastic soldier review horses of Carolingia!
so which soldiers marched across my painting table in 2020?
well in 2018 I had managed zero painting while in 2019 I painted and based 32 “normans in the south infantry” and 11 “normans in the south” archers.
in 2020 I managed
12 Carolingians including the man himself – comprising the much maligned (by plastic soldier review) horses which actually give my bases some nice dynamics – in my humble view
10 Anglo Norman archers
24 Normans in the South (NITS – I can’t resist an abbreviation) Cavalry
21 Ottonian foot which look very much like anglo danes or could pass for NITS foot soldiers
43 Anglo Danes were my biggest effort
A fine array of some Anglo Saxons, Anglo Danes and Ottonians
I finished the year with 4 slavs posing as Picts in my “to be” great army of Danes, Scots, Northumbrians and Norsemen which would fight Athelstan again at Brunanburh
And then the proverbial wheels came off the Dark Ages cart.
Right now the painting table has plastic Union Infantry posing as Piedmont Line Infantry along with some venerable Warrior Miniatures French Dragoons posing as – well French Dragoons. And they are metal!!!
Piedmontese in frock coats – shame about the squished stove pipe hats
I must say I had a good year with basing – finally getting a look for my mediterranean NITS – ok Normans in the South project.
Vikings aka Ottonians aka Anglo Danes aka NITS – the beauty of dark ages
In fact I have decided it will work for pretty much everything dark ages.
On the gaming front I started solo gaming with an unexpected purchase. Neil Shuck had recommended War & Conquest shortly before jumping ship with another ancients ruleset.
One of the many offspring writers/thinkers that Games Workshop brought to our wargames world.Sea peoples and desert tribes close in on Libyian bowmen
I gave it a go with my bronze age one hour wargame figures based using my hybrid impetus basing of 80mm x 60mm for 1/72 plastics. Ever awkward – probably just as well I don’t need to satisfy a live opponent. I rather liked the feel of the rules even though the play through was so limited.
And then with Covid19 lock down in full swing and some fine weather I had other distractions including lots of gardening .
I really like simple flowers with a few petalsThe colours are just fantastic
INTERMISSION
Intermission even surprised me – that was not in the plan
INTERMISSION
And of course there is always some track laying to do……………..
Eventually the dark ages gaming started in late August with numerous shieldwall rule tests – I did really enjoy them all. The biggest surprise was playing gridded wargames using Mike Smith’s Table Top Battles.
My lst shieldwall battle took place in late October and many games and rulesets later was swiftly followed by a thoroughly enjoyable game of Dux Britanniarum by Too Fat Lardies.
My vintage Garrison Vikings got a run out.
I fleshed out some campaign plans as per the rules advice and then…………nothing. I was just starting some Pictish Warriors when I read the wrong article.
On the way the renaissance troll introduced me to Faux Napoleonics for fantasy – here is my own 1970’s era Faux Fantasy Orc veering towards napoleonics?
Next minute it is baggy pants Zoaves, Spikey helms and far too much rifling. OK so it is still rather pedestrian Piedmontese – these proto Italians are quite conservative chaps – very un Napoleonic.
Will they really look like Piedmontese or just Union men on the wrong continent?
And since then two battles have been fought – one with Practical Wargaming by Charles Wesencraft and the other using 19th Century Wargames by Neil Thomas.
Whats in the container? – rescued from a dim corner of the erratic’s tardis store………Warrior Miniatures – yes they are metal and yes the brown paint was administered back around 1975!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats a long time on the paint table – 45 years ish. But probably not a record.
And so I wish you all a graceful end to the year 2020 and hope that 2021 brings you all that you hope for.
A good visit to Vapnartak which including playing in the participation game laid on by the Lance and Longbow society (LLS). The battle of was fought in 1410 between the teutonic order and the polish lithuanians and is variously now known as Grunwald, 1st Tannenberg or Zalgiris according to the useful LLS table guide provided on the day.
The Teutons mass to attackTh Lithuanians are up for a fightMore Commonwealth TroopsIn the centre the Poles are pressing home their attacksthe beginning of the end as the polish left wing is driven from the field
Many thanks to the guys who ran this participation game which used a house rules version of big battle lion rampant and also their advice on painting plastics. The figures were all 1/72 or 20mm from various manaufacturers medieval ranges. They might be considered small in these 28mm days but they looked good to me.
The Wargaming Erratic 