Stokes at grand duchy of stollen reminded me of the battle of sittangbad with his recent post about wanting to solo game it.
The narrative battle in Charge or how to play wargames was the climax of the book which included a ruleset and some fabulous armies.
The battle was a rearguard action fought to enable valuable stores to be moved across a river via a pontoon bridge in the face of the enemy.
It’s always been a go to scenario for me and not having a suitable bridge I have in the past simply gamed without one or indeed the great river Weser: Off scene so to speak.
Stokes’ post was about creating a suitable bridge for his refight and that neatly fitted into my season of scenery trawl which had dredged up some Renedra pontoon bridges still in their bags from many years ago along with a few unmade gabions by the same company.
The Football season properly got underway this weekend (although the hard workers were already on their second weekend) after the summer break and it kind of gels with my view of the wargaming calendar year.
My off season is spring and summer. Well yes I know there are lots of wargamers who are of the 24/7 variety and make up the engine room of this fine hobby.
I am much more the peripheral player – wargaming fits in with lots of other activities. In summer I like to get out in the daylight and enjoy the warm rays of sunshine – not too warm though!
So it occurred to me the other day that it was odd that I might post a plan for the year at the turn of the year. Yes thats when many other things get planned and reflected upon – makes sense to do the wargame planning stuff at the same time in those dark months.
The reality is that my transfer season (= all those painting plans or rules/gaming period changes) and this disruption really happens between May and August. And thats because as my painting tails of in Spring my mind starts wandering.
Looking back I have noticed Summer has been quite fruitful for projects going awry and new ideas popping up.
I mentioned earlier those 24/7 wargamers. Well even if I dont paint much in Spring and Summer I do tend to read and that is the devil in my wargaming. Or rather it is the seed point for another idea or ideas.
What has seeded this summer?
Back in early spring I was on a roll (no pun intended!) painting, well inspired by the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XIV.
Trojan horse…..
My main project – Schleswig Holstein Wars were well served yet also some new material like a kit airplane – first in decades, retro citadel fantasy figures, gameshow freebies and even a magazine WW2 freebie figure Sci Fi carve up.
And then the finale posting by Karl at AHPCXIV featured a trojan horse. How apt, as it drove the Bronze Age front and square into my wargames thinking.
Soon I had the books out, which rules, which figures to paint, heck which scale? I am the sad possessor of 15mm and 1/72 chariot armies none of which are complete – in the case of 15mm not even started……
Scale – not a chariot in sight….25mm subs for those non existent 15mm chariots – in dba cavalry or chariots it matters not!High water mark of this summers Bronze Age push!
In the end I managed a strip or two of Assyrians undercoated and then opted for my version of 2mm armies. A successful campaign with DBA using a previous mapped world followed and then nothing.
Back to reading again. Suddenly William the chivalrous knight sprung upon me – I got all medieval and then it passed: And so did the book.
A great period for heraldic colour
The same happened to my wild west thoughts.
The cowboys got as far as the rockery before getting shot to pieces…..
The season of scenery challenge popped up. and I briefly made progress on a long overdue Italian hilltop town.
And then the Pike and Shot 16th century erupted with books on history, rules and uniforms spilling out of cupboards. A whole set of stockpiled figures got cleaned, reading progressed and rules were contemplated. Taking a lead from my Bronze Age moment I created some 0mm, yes 0mm armies for the Italian Wars – France versus Spain. I had intended them for testing rules including Pike and Shot by Warlord but bailed out using Neil Thomas Wargaming an Introduction instead – Pike and Shot Rules. These are easy and simple to use.
A promising start with 0mm scale armies to test a myriad of pike and shot era wargames rules including warlords pike and shot soon petered out….
One wargame later and dust started to gather on the abandoned field – no second game.
The pike and shot did get washed and desprued but alas that was it…..
So you see spring and summer has been properly, my fragmented wargames season. Its not an “off season” or indeed a “low season” but its definitely a season of sorts.
And its still going on………….pretty much what you would expect from a wargaming erratic I guess.
The Italian hilltop town remains in a state of construction so what to do given the fine weather we are having?
Well I offer up this recently built rock garden complete with wild west shoot out and all finished in “silver screen” tone!
The sheriff’s men closed in on the gang One of gang is spotted In the distance more of the gang are spotted as they open fireThe gang are well protected by the scenery which happens to be solid rock!Ok so some perches are dodgy The gang leader floppy hat and his side kick Mexican hat await their fate…..
Next up I was looking again at the spare parts mountain and remembered I had kept this old chopping board container for sci fi possibilities.
It comes with free staining and inherent grubbiness of a sci fi energy plant suitably largeExcellent for causing surprise- what’s round the corner!
Corrugated cardboard was the trigger material for my solution
Just like John at just add varnish I have joined the season of scenery community challenge and started with an Italian theme.
This piece is still unfinished but has made it from idea to concept in only about five years – so that’s about four and half years procrastination plus various false starts in materials and a bit of design. And finally some tv viewing and Dave Stone’s scenery season challenge.
Eventually the material choice helped drive the form
Grid gaming by Mike Smith is a great rule set and early on in my Italian independence wars project I thought a couple of hilltop towns would be ideal for the grid.
Then the procrastination started – which materials and what style?
I use a 50mm grid with 40mm based units all square. The toy soldier abstract had resulted in these block buildings a couple of years ago.
Initially I was absolutely into the idea of wood and it would be modular and come apart. Then when I started to think about details wood felt wrong. The framing of the town was to be the city walls and slim, this was leading to fret saw country and simplicity of the idea was waning.
A long delay ensued.
Style wise I was looking for the abstract and Joe morschauser scenery pictures – more grid games – drew me towards something that could still accommodate units as a garrison.
I came up with the cruciform of two bisecting streets with four quarters to the town – in Mike smiths grid game the towns are 3×3 grids
In the end watching the giro this year suddenly prompted a “just do it moment” and as it happened cardboard kept coming into my head as a possible material and multiple postal deliveries reminded me of this free material.
But it needed to have some structure. What to do?
Then I remembered the flat scenery that are found in paper boys armies booklets. These have interconnecting cutouts that give strength to the arrangement.
These interconnecting card pieces now became walls and the corrugations gave me another idea.
Plus other things on this long journey fell into place.
The whole idea of abstracted block buildings came in part from kids toys like this one – just add imagination….In another direction this flat pack helped the idea that 3d solids is not the only way to create a 3d effect.
Maybe I could use these simple cut outs approach?
I did and I quickly developed some solutions to get the elevations I wanted to see.
The buildings had been done a few years ago during the wood era.
I added the church in card with a removable front. The tower is a work in progress.The corrugations prompted cypress trees again in corrugated cardboard and cocktail sticks In the end even the wall overlaps suggest buttressing
Well that’s it and it remains a work in progress but I think I have found my modular abstract Italian hill town.
My recent painting blast over winter had dried up with the end of the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge XIV. It broke my preoccupation with the mid 19th century.
The Danes and Germans are sat there in the various painting queues but making no progress.
Green-shoots anywhere?
something different maybe?
yes!
It is a case of returning to an old favorite. Ancients.
In fact two threads emerged from the languid waters I found my wargaming boat resting in. One followed the other.
The first, which I will cover in another post was partly prompted by Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy recent magazine running a Bronze Age theme: I have lots of Bronze Age figures for a long abandoned project.
But the impulse here was mainly due to Curt’s Trojan horse entry for the analogue hobbies painting challenge 14.
Curts fantastic Trojan horse entry for AHPC14These chaps have dwelt long in the deep halls of the plastic mountain- just maybe they will get some paint – finally – who knows?
The second concerns DBA. DBA got me back into the hobby after an almost 20 year break. It also propelled me into 15mm scale at the time – the late 1990’s. Those armies had since lain unused for years as 1/72 and 25/28mm tempted me back to bigger figures.
I dug them out – quite a mixed bag – could I run a campaign using the 1st or 2nd Editions 6 nation offering. I mulled this over before the figures went back into a slightly more accessible store and the unpainted ones joined the paint queue jostling with mid 19th century Danes and Germans.
And then I went to York one weekend for the annual open studios tour. Somehow somewhere I came away with the urge to craft. Note – not paint.
The next minute I was cutting card and with drawing pens to hand inking DBA bases. I had picked a campaign and lacking the right figures thought I would simply play empty bases. I have done this many a time and its a very enjoyable digression. And then I remembered all these 2mm armies currently in vogue plus that crafting itch had not been sated fully. And so out came some discarded HEAT board gaming counter sheets! minus the useful counters. Maybe I could use these “blocks” to suggest groups of soldiers?
A bit of crafting is invariably satisfying activityI grabbed some thin card and used the DBA 15mm base width of 40mm then just played around with the game counter offcuts to get the look I wanted.I went for a standard DBA campaign list which gave me six armies and I added in a Thracian army because I like them!The magnificent seven! A day later glue dried, a take away container holds 7 dba armies
And there we have it instant 2mm armies for a 6 nation DBA Bronze Age campaign: The Thracian’s might make a guest appearance!
The Royal Danish Army of 1848 was characteristically mid 19th century in dress. It still had a napoleonic uniform as such, yet things like the peaked cap and Hungarian kepi had begun to change the look. Pantaloons were noticeably full length and trouser like.
1848 line infantry in bell shakoes
At the start of the war infantry uniforms were red tunics and bright blue trousers. Uniform regulations for 1848 planned a change to essentially all dark blue clothing complete with a bright blue kepi.
1849 line infantry in Hungarian kepi’s, new tunic but old knapsacks
The regulations crept in although the kepi was so popular – soldiers often threw away their bell shaped shakoes in the field.
Light infantry in the flat cap
Other elements of the army – Artillery and Engineers kept the older kit for longer.
Danish field artillery in 1848 uniform
The Cavalry had largely reduced to the Dragoon in combless metal crested helmet (a fashionable trend) while the Hussars wore a small tapered shako. Dragoons wore red tunics and bright blue trousers, the Hussars wore all pale blue.
The Rebel forces in the Schlieswig Holstein War comprised local pro german forces including those who had served in the Royal Danish Army. To these were added many volunteers alongside their numerous allies.
Saxon allies to the rebellion
The rebel cause had wide spread support from states within greater germany at this time “the Confederation – in its post Napoleonic form”. Notable were Prussia but also Saxony and Hanover. Austria was a significant objector and refused to become involved. Although they did apparently send rocket troop batteries.
Initially Rebel uniforms were a mix of Danish, improvised and various state uniforms. Later the Schleswig Holstein regular Rebel forces obtained a more distinct uniform for themselves.
Prussia was a stout ally to the rebels initially before signing the first peace treaty, the federation itself refused to sign it – you get fascinating politics during this war
This makes the war fascinating in terms of uniform, lots of german states still preserved a distinct character in their uniforms while fashions were still a mix of the Napoleonic coupled with more recent french led fashions such as the kepi. The Pickelhaube (invented in Russia and made a success by Prussia) and the Frockcoat (from the dresscoat of Napoleonic times) were now noticeably popular in german states. The classic mid to late century Prussian uniform dates from the 1840’s.
Another Prussian line battalion
The smaller flat top tapered shako was in wide use long before it identified again with this time British Crimean troops or indeed the Rifleman of Prussia who kept it till world war one.
Oldenburg line infantry sent by the federation
Therefore Armies comprised troops still wearing napoleonic uniform alongside others who would not look out of place in the American Civil War 13 years later and even subsequent conflicts.
Winter 2023/2024 proved to be quite productive painting wise. I don’t keep stats on numbers painted although I do record my painting colours and techniques in case I wish to replicate a figure/unit.
“Paint What You Got” by Dave Stone and “Analogue Hobbies Painting Competition” (AHPC) by Curtis Campbell and Co. both provided a big push to my painting in a very positive way.
In both cases I had planned a limited involvment to secure yet more mid 19th century completed units for my Danish and Germanic forces of the 1st Schleswig Holstein War.
Initially all went well and the fruits of my work can be seen on the AHPC14 site and in previous posts on this blog.
Then I fully succumbed to the “Library Challenge” on offer with the AHPC event.
So out went the 19th century and in came whatever thematic library section I found myself in next.
The result?
One 1/72 Reconnaisance Spitfire – now gifted to a lover of all things aerial.
One 28mm Noggin the Nog super hero from the 1960’s childrens black and white TV. Bought from the Little Toy Soldier online shop.
One 28mm General Siskorski hero of the free Polish during World War 2: A Partizan Newark freebie.
One 25mm veteran (1980’s) games workshop fantasy Cyclops: found at Doncaster Toy Fair.
One 28mm Empress Matilda (12th century): A Partizan Newark freebie
One home built “button monster” (DeathZap Pastor created these inspiring SciFi/Fantasy creatures)
One home built “Nissen Hut” left behind in some village in the East of England after world war 2 “upcycled” – before the term was invented – to a village library.
Quite a haul and it was a very satisfying period of painting and making. The AHPC served up some great contact with the other painters as well.
After what was in effect for me a serious 12 week painting/creating blast – I literally hung up my paint brushes. March has rapidly become April and I have been drifting: I cannot blame outdoor activities like gardening as spring has been one soggy wet mess and still is.
So much for getting on with the 1st Schleswig Holstein War forces. That project has been a case of two or three steps forward yet now stopped.
Maybe that stop was coming anyway. My Wargame projects have that way of shuddering to a halt for no good reason.
1940 France – mk1 spitfire in camomint camouflage1980’s games workshop fantasy cyclops rescued from Doncaster toy fair!12th century Empress Matilda – a freebie from Newark partizan showJust squeezing onto the painting pedestal is a scratch built ww2 Nissen hut library from the post warPolish General Siskorski again a Newark Partizan freebie and the link is double in that Newark was home to polish air squadrons during ww2 and after General Siskorski and his family died in an unexpected plane crash over Gibraltar in 1943 the general was buried in Newark until repatriated in the 1990’sNoggin the nogA German ww2 magazine freebie with mods to make a sci fi character of sortsA button monster made from a 54mm ww2 soldier.AHPC 14 proved to be very productive!
Pauls Bods is a blog that celebrates 1/72 plastic wargames figures. Yet it is so much more because Paul as an ace modeller who can turn even unpromising sculpts into fantastic pieces of the wargamers art.
His head, body and everything else swops are inspiring.
He also has a great sense of humour which appears often in his creations.
The headline image is of my own work prompted by Paul’s bods. Taking a leaf from his book I painted some mini art medieval cavalry that were given a searingly negative plastic soldier review.
Here are some posts highlighting the range of his work.
The Wargaming Erratic 