I had to post these because they are not varnished and look rather different to my usual glossy painting pedestal offerings.
Strelets set 150 US infantry attack ACW.
Painted as 1859 Bologna Volunteers as described in the Osprey 520 Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-1870 (2).
In 2020 my wargames hobby plan started with a plan and actually stayed mainly on track with just a few unexpected deviations.
So the Plan was NitS (Normans in the South). The main deviation was to Normans in the North – well actually Norsemen posing as Danes fighting Anglo Saxons. I painted, played games (ok solo ones), read copiously and tested some rules. My wargaming always includes painting figures, playing wargames, reading about the subject of history as well as the wargame and testing out rulesets.
So the main deviations still relate to which plan I am doing. And a plan is normally related to a period in time.
2020 was definitely dark age territory.
I painted up 1/72 plastics, based impetus style as 80mm x 60mm elements. The Strelets multiposed figure boxes work very well. The reissue of their Normans after 8 or so years was also a great help.
Coupled with Neil Thomas’s, Ancient & Medieval Warfare (AMW) or One Hour Wargames (OHW) Rules requiring only 8 or 6 elements per army meant I had some easy gaming options.
And more crazy, I bought a book to learn anglo saxon – now gathering dust, yet I did write a poem about Aethelflaed on this site.
Crikey wargames is dangerous stuff!
Well Plan A 2020 was looking good to become Plan A 2021 – until I read an article in Lone Warrior about some “mid 19th century warfare” (very catchy period name). By then it was late November so you could argue Plan A 2020 – job done. I mean I should already have Plan A 2021 in the can? Well I did.
Plan A 2021 would see a return to NitS (Normans in the South).
Wargames Plan A – never survives contact with …………………………. ……………………………………………………………….. another interesting article.
So for completely unexplainable reasons, as I read Brian Camerons article, my mind wandered towards 19th century bearskins, kepis, long trousers, rolled greatcoats, lances, sabres and rifles.
The Renaissance Troll post I read about Napoleonic “imagi”nations put the final nail in the NitS coffin.
The 2021 plan A did not include the dark ages or NitS. Sorry folks – I am sure they will make a comeback.
So for Norber the Wargaming Erratic – Plan A 2021 is
I wrote this in January but since then have been busy posting about doing things. And yes Plan A 2021 is all about the 19th century.
More posts coming on the Vienna Treaty Wars or VTW as I abbreviate it.
My current preoccuption with european wars in the post Napoleonic era have been fuelled by some book buying.
So my period is called the Vienna Treaty Wars and the era roughly covers 1815 to 1871.
Currently I have been painting quite well although right now a campaign beckons. I never thought I would be doing anything post napoleonic – thank you again Mr Renaissance Troll!
The Holy Roman Empire ended by Napoleonic War recovered enough in the guise of the Austrian Empire to be at the top table with the other Victors – Russia, Prussia and Great Britain.
In 1815 the Vienna Congress led to a treaty where the 4 great powers attempted to create a balance of power in Europe to end major wars while also dismantling concepts of liberty and freedom.
They basically succeeded for about 50 years!
By 1848 a reinvigorated Austria routed the Piedmontese liberation of Lombardy while France ended the short lived Roman Republic on behalf of the Pope.
So my wars of the italian unification project actually fits better into what I am calling the Vienna Treaty Wars. shortened to VTW with 5 key dates appended, they will make good categories on my blog.
VTW1815 – heralds the regression back to 18th century values
VTW1830 – sees the first significant european rebellions especially in France
VTW1848 – sees mass revolution break out across Europe
VTW1859 – the French (now an Empire again) end Austrian interest in much of Italy
VTW1866 – Prussia replaces Austria as top dog in greater germany and forces Austria to quit its last Italian possessions.
Plenty of wargaming to go at there in pursuit of this flag.
The Wargaming Erratic 