Category Archives: Miniatures

Making the Old New

Colonials, Miniatures

During the shed purge  mentioned in my August 31 post, I found some old 15mm Minifig Sword and The Flame figures.

There’s some backstory.  Back in the mid-80’s a few of the Kansas City stalwarts at Yankee Doodle Game and Hobby fantasized about a “World At War 1899” game.  Easy to extrapolate with Fashoda and Panther incidents going sideways.  I painted up some Brits and French.  Game never happened, figures went into boxes, and decades passed.  A couple years ago, I sold off all the French and most of the Brits.  The exception was some very nice Highlanders that I figured could be used in  a DBA knockoff game.

There was a package of Sihks, along with some stray British and Egyptian cavalry.  Why not paint them up and play a big game.  Can use all my Arab/East African figures for a mash-up campaign.  Plus, this meshed well with my discovery over at Wargame Vault of the old Pluck vs. Science ruleset.  It’s for big games, but I like the character creating possibilities for a campaign.

It’s not a big thing, but a good use of the old and forgotten to create some fun possibilities.  Here’s a  pictures of the recruits.

 

 

 

 

Meet The Boxers

Miniatures

Continuing to jam 30 days of wargaming into a couple days posts.

One summer project was purging The Shed.   This is where old miniatures and wargames hang out.  Found my old MiniFig Boxer Rebellion figures.  They had been painted to help augment forces for a large, and if I remember correctly, really nice Siege of Peking game back in Kansas City.

They’d been billetted in a cigar box for who knows how long.

Not Very Photogenic.  But Angry After Being Cooped Up.

In keeping with my current retro miniatures phase, decided to start working with The Sword And The Flame (TSATF).  I still have an original copy of the rules, along with a Yaquinto Bulletin that includes charts for the rebellion.

Not content to play with just the figures on-hand, I ordered more from Miniature Figurines.  Old School can be pricey at roughly about $1.70 per figure.

I had originally painted up 24 Boxers, 6 Marines, 10 1st Chinese Regiment, and 6 “fanatic” figures, which according to the Foundry Press book, (Jeez, that’s expensive now)  look more like Chinese Christians.

I’ve added Boxer standard bearers, Boxer riflemen,  regular Chinese, more painted Marines (from E-Bay), but with officers, 3 British officers, 2 naval officers, and 10 Frontier Miniatures sailors.  The latter are more or less generic, and useful in any number of roles.

I started painting and playing some introductory scenarios.  Mission Creep set in.  I will be ordering some German Asian Brigade infantry, along with more Chinese Regulars and some Boers to serve as civillian militia.  Again time and money are factors.

The rules call for units of 20 individually mounted figures.   I’ll work with Boxer units of 18, and regular units of 10 figures, plus an officer.  Given my space limitations, movement and ranges will be halved.  So far this has worked.

To augment all of this fun, I purchased some specialized card decks from  The Virtual Armchair General.  These eliminate die rolling and add uncertainity to a solo effort. A very nice addition!

This will be fun, especially when I can get the Germans and Chinese Regulars painted up to play  all types of strange scenarios.

Building Boom

Miniatures, Terrain and Buildings

While procrastinating about Panzergruppe Guderian,  managed to work on additional buildings for Fistful of Lead.

Decided to keep with the Southwest locale.  It fits my lack of skill and precision.  Adobe buildings require the roughest of construction skills, complemented by healthy applications of spackling paste.  

Throw in layers of textured spray paint, random dry-brushing with earth colors, finish with white/gray, and there it is.

The results aren’t pretty, but functional.  A topic I’m working myself into a rant about.

Another Fistful

Miniatures, Review

Want to take a minute to extoll the virtures of this ruleset.  Is it the greatest ever……well, no.  But, it is what it is and an excellent value.

The rules are just a part of what you get.  There is a whole series of stand-alone scenarios, characters to develop, diagrams of buildings, and another set of scenarios that can be combined in a campaign game.

Everyone has there preferences, but I have no desire to try another of western skirmish rules.

Wild Wild West With Fistful of Lead

Miniatures, Review + Session Report

Finally played a game after my earlier in the month misadventures with scale.

Scenario borrowed from the Butch & Sundance final fight.  Had four figures each for the “Blue” Gang and “Brown” Posse.  Blue Gang hiding in small ranch complex, when Posse approaches and dismounts.

First random actions were to determine if the Blue’s sentry spotted the Posse before the first turn started and at what distance.  He did, at a distance of 12 inches.  There’s no running in the Rules As Written (RAW), only walk (5″) and crawl (2″).  I use a run move of 7 inches.

A card is dealt for each figure.  The card values (face etc) are called out in sequence with the highest card going first.  For solo play, I just lay them out, and then pick in the appropriate order.

Turn 1:  The outlaws are warned and get the first three plays.  The sentry runs to the house to give the warning.   One gets out of the building, rushing to the gate, and another moves to the corral wall.   The posse shoots down the cowboy at the gate, and takes cover behind the ranch wall.

Turn 2:  One outlaw runs out of ammunition (firing roll of “1”).  The posse’s rifleman shoots down the outlaw at the corral.  The remaining outlaws are now in the building.

Turn 3:  The outlaws have the first two turns and both miss aimed fire (one action to aim and one action to fire).  One of the outlaws is then pinned by gunfire.  A posse member moves next to the house, anticipating a rush.

Turn 4: The two posse shooters at the corral run out of ammunition.  A bold attempt to rush the building leaves the one posse member wounded.

Turn 5:  The outlaws manage to kill two posse members despite partial cover.

At this point, I had to shut the game down.

As advertised, Fistful of Lead is “fast and furious”.  You can nitpick the rules, particularly the inability to shoot at a moving target, but you can’t dispute this is a fun skirmish game.

Posse shoots down one of the outlaws at the front gate. Another outlaw is outside the house using the corral wall’s partial cover.
Two outlaws down!
One member of the posse ready to rush the house.

Never Say Never Reconsidered

Miniatures,

Thought I’d made a comittment to DBA 3.  Now I’ve reneged.  Played a couple of games and it just doesn’t work solo.  Need an opponent.  Tired of the lack of manuever and reliance on melee.

With all that lead, I had to come up with alternative uses.  So, in keeping with my new focus on the old, I inventoried all my 15mm Dark Age and Medieval figures – which involved several DBA armies – and came up with workable lists for WRG Ancients.

I have the basic units for Byzantines vs. Arabs using my old Tabletop (now distributed by Alternative Armies), as well as Condotta vs. Ottomans using Essex figures.  The odd troops out are my Essex Central Asian Cavalry.  With some touch-up painting they should sell on E-Bay.

How Retro is WRG 5th Edition.  Should be fun, but that fun will have to wait until Winter.  Need time and money……isn’t that always the case?

Backburner…..Now Frontburner

Miniatures, Terrain and Buildings

Decided to get on the Wild West miniatures game.  This decision led to a wargaming mis-adventure.

Painting the plastic figures was fine.  Prep was a little time consuming with washing, soaking in vinegar and then brushing with white glue.  Overall, nice to get painting again.

But, had a real snafu with the buildings.  Yes, I decided to go all in and construct a western town.  Bought some foam core and was in business for about $4.00.  Worked with the 1/72 scale of the figures, and sketched up a basic building plan.

So far, so good.

Cut up the foam core, added balsa wood door and window frames, along with overhangs.

 

The plan was to finish up and play last Sunday.  But….when figures and buildings were placed on the table…..it was like this.

Here’s a picture……..except it’s a Town For Giants!!!!!!!

 

 

Backburner…..

Aircraft & Vehicles, Miniatures

Getting the twitch for some new miniature games, but with minimal budget outlay.

First quasi-project is Western Gunfights using the Fistful Of Lead (Reloaded) rules.  They’re available over at WargameVault.  My real hope was to use them with smaller 10mm figures.  No real options there.  Tempted to work with 20mm “Punitive Expedition” figures, but that’s a pricey proposition for what could be a “one and done” game.  So, found this at the local vintage toy store.

Cheap, can fabricate some buildings, and if it’s fun……go to the more expensive option.

Also purchased an Osprey title on the Technical vehicles.

 

Now all revved up (no pun intended) on a miniatures treatment using 1/285 GHQ vehicles.  Again, pricey, but no real options for low cost tactical minis.  Very, very tempted.

Never Say Never

Medieval, Miniatures

Gave in and decided to go with DBA 3.  Haven’t been overwhelmed with the differences in scale, and the introduction of “solid” troop types.  Well, maybe because I don’t have the Army Lists.  Still, the addition of “Threat Zones” extending out one stand width from all units precludes unlikely gymnastics, and forcing a fight or withdrawal.

So, the tournament is back on.  First round involved Swiss and Condotti.  Condotti scored an unlikely upset by turning the Swiss flank moving through bad going, and forcing a Swiss charge into Mounted Knights.  Another tactical lesson learned.

Next up, Burgundian Ordannance.

 

Old Business

Ancients, Miniatures, Sessions

After a truly abortive first turn of the Thunder At Cassino campaign, decided to regroup by playing a DBA (2.2) game that’s been set up for…well maybe…six months.  Late Swiss vs. Some Mutant Army With Lots of Crossbows and Knights.  Hell….can’t find anything like it in the lists.

Hammered it out Sunday afternoon during boring NFL action.

DBA is what it is.  Simple, Quick and Generic.  I’d like to see some chrome…. like Swiss having an extra bound to simulate their speed/audacity in the attack, or range differentials between bow types.  But, for that, I need to try DBM, or some other system.

For The Quick and Dirty, You Go With The Devil You Know.  Never played it FTF, and that is how it should be played.  Ugh…..cut-throat tournament action….guys with rulers down to the eighth of an inch…..all that facing stuff……Ugh.

It was fun.  I’ll set up again, but with  Cavalry/Light Horse armies to stretch things out.

Here’s a semi-lucid photo summary of the game.

Turn One.  Light units Deploy. Swiss In Foreground.

Mid-Turn 5.  Things Get Interesting.

End Turn 5.  Pikes Struggling Against Bows(?!?)  While Knights’ Attack Develops.

End Game.  Knights Quick Kill Pike, Swiss Left Wing Shattered.