There Be Pirates!

Pirates and yes, they are in the Caribbean….

The back of the box

Ever since I was given a copy of the Waddington’s board game of Buccaneer as a boy (pre wargaming so this would have been around 1970ish) and seeing Treasure Island - the BBC series and the Disney film - I have had a liking for the whole pirate genre. I have flirted with figures and models over the years - Peter Pig’s Pieces of Eight, Blood and Plunder and Galleys and Galleons being the main culprits but for some reason could not get out of first gear in a meaningful way. I had even toyed with building my own ships using the techniques acquired whilst building the ACW collection. 

A rather attractive map of the area of piratical operations featuring the main nationalities present - English, French, Dutch and Spanish

A potential solution came about via my recent acquisition of a secondhand board game called Merchants and Marauders produced by Z Man Games. This has the potential to tick pretty much all the boxes for me - it even has a solo system - in that it looks rather like a grown up version of Waddington’s Buccaneer. Essentially you win by acquiring Glory points and you can do this via trade, piracy or following rumours. As your renown grows so you are able to upgrade your ship making you rather more of a dangerous adversary. There are NPCs involved and game controlled events that al adds to the fun. The game is set in the Caribbean (naturally) and the game board is a lovely map of the area. Aside from all the game paraphernalia which includes gold coins and the inevitable treasure chests, there are 26 hard plastic ships depicting stylised versions of typical types from the latter half of the 17th and early 18th century. They are rather nice although the curved bowsprit may be seen as problematic to some - not I though!

The ships. There are four each of the national colours - blue, red, green and yellow and each has one of each model. They are from left to right, a galleon, a frigate, a flute and a sloop. There are also eight others that are in effect NPCs to use the old D and D term and a black frigate and sloop that represent legendary pirate characters.

There are two expansions currently available - one of which adds more detail to the base game and another which is a standalone although set in the Merchants and Marauders world. This is called Broadsides and is basically a ship to ship point blank range naval duel. It looks a lot of fun and needless to say I have a few ideas of where I could take this!

The first expansion - adds to the base game with the advantage that you only need use the sections that are of interest.

This is a standalone game set in the Merchants and Marauders world

Ship to ship, up close and personal in an Errol Flynn kind of way - no, NOT that kind of Errol Flynn way… ;-)

For the Broadsides standalone game I am thinking it would not take a great deal of work to cobble together a couple of generic pirate ships - there are plenty of large scale MDF models available for this - and in effect use the deck planes as control cards whilst moving the models as required. The Portable Pirate Wargame? Who knows?

Now to dig out my copy of the Pyrates by George MacDonald-Fraser….

Fighting the ‘45 - WoFun Style

The Government contingent. Three regiments of foot, a regiment of Dragoons and the gun crews. There are also a few casualties as well - handy for recording losses or morale status etc.

The Jacobites. Two sprues of Highlanders, one of Lowland infantry and the Royal Ecossias Regiment.

There is something about the Jacobite Rebellion - in this case the ‘45 rather than the earlier versions - that has always struck a chord with me. I think it is once again the idea of asymmetric forces using differing tactical methods that appeals along with images of wild Highlanders rushing down heather-coated slopes into nervously waiting government soldiery that has ticked a number of boxes. Of all the periods of military history I have looked at over the years this is the one that I would most certainly never paint figures for - at least not in anything larger than 10mm and even that would be at a push! 

The WoFun 28mm Jacobite Rebellion 28mm starter army with artwork by Peter Dennis is a thing of beauty for sure. I have pretty much everything I would need figures wise although as with the ACW collection, there are a couple of other bits that I may want to add in due course. As projects go it is a little way off but I thought it would be good to take a look at what there is and more importantly, think about revisiting the Jacobite Rising section of the library - currently consisting of a couple of biographies of James Wolfe. With SELWG coming up on Sunday - my last show for the year - I will be swinging by Dave Lanchester’s book emporium to see what he has that may be useful.

As with the ACW collection I spent some time going through the box and for sure a few additions will be needed to make the collection more usable. Certainly a personality sprue as well as some artillery - I currently have government gunners and some draft horses but no guns (not that I would need many anyway). I would be keen to bolster the Highlanders as well. All things in time though and given the issue of shipping and customs etc I am happy to wait until I have worked out what I need for both collections and so can do the order in one fell swoop.

In the files section of the Portable Wargame Facebook group there are a few ideas for me to play around with when I get to it but there are a few other projects in front of it so tables full of kilt-wearing marauding  Highlanders are some way off at the moment but there is no harm in taking a look.

A number of year ago I was away on business in Edinburgh and stayed in modest hotel a stone’s throw away from the famous castle. In the hotel reception area there was a rack of tourist leaflets for various events in and around the castle and the city. My eye was drawn to a couple of leaflets describing a pair of living history talks that took place at the castle on a daily basis. These were both about the ‘45 from the perspective of a rebelling Highlander and a government redcoat. In each case the person delivering the talk was in period costume so there was a fully equipped Highlander with musket, broadsword, dirk and all the other associated paraphernalia and a very snappily dressed government redcoat, again with all the trimmings. I never went to either, my schedule did not permit it, but I was struck by one thing. The Highlanders talk allowed two hours whilst that of the redcoats was a mere 25 minutes or so….

The Portable Charge! Wargame….Part 2

The above needs little introduction from me! The plan is to use this as the basis for the Portable Charge! Wargame - needless to say I have a few ‘tweaks’ to apply!

The blocks of war. Infantry, cavalry and artillery with the black stripe across the bottom used for grenadier/heavy/elite types whilst the white stripe denotes light troops. For the purposes of the game an regular line infantry unit will have two ordinary blocks and one each of the black and white striped types.

Hmm, not a problem as such but I have discovered that the work needed to bring this battle to the chessboard is going to need rather more effort than anticipated. The blocks, roster sheets and the playing surface based on the map have all been successfully scoped out but the sticking point at the moment concerns the terrain itself. Bearing in mind I am looking at using 6cm squares some of the pieces I originally earmarked are simply too large to be comfortable. With this in mind I am going to spend some time making the requisite pieces so it is now unlikely to take place over the weekend. What I shall be doing though, will be trying out my rule amendments so something Charge related should be appearing….

As well as having unit as well as army based exhaustion levels I am also looking at having musket ranges extended somewhat. My thoughts at present are for a two square range with adjacent squares being close and range two being long. This has a bearing on other relative measurements but for what I want to do the additional work will be not too onerous to factor in. I have yet to map this idea on to the Portable Napoleonic Wargame rules but believe that it should fit in well enough.

Melee will stay largely as it is although I shall be still using the ‘sub unit block as a unit’ idea meaning that, for example, a three block cavalry unit would roll three d6 in combat.

You will probably have guessed that this part of the process is something that I enjoy doing and so should it work out it will lay down a marker for future projects.

That is the theory anyway….

The Portable Charge! Wargame….Part 1

A soft back facsimile edition of the classic book that cautioned us accordingly ‘Let no man set out lightly upon the war-gamers’s path, for it is fraught with perils’

There can be few wargamers of ‘a certain vintage’ that have not read or owned a copy of Charge! Or How To Play Wargames by Brig. P. Young and Lt.Col. J.P. Lawford. Originally published in 1967 I first came across this book in the early 1970s in the local library and I seem to recall having it out on more or less continual loan until I moved to London in 1977! My own personal copy came much later but I can safely say that this book was and indeed remains, one of the most influential titles in my wargames library. 

It would be tedious of me to regale readers of the perennial appeal of this book - I am pretty sure there would be little for me to add to what is the almost universal high regard and esteem in which it is held - so I am not going to attempt to. Suffice it to say the good Brigadier and Lieutenant Colonel would probably be harrumphing disapprovingly at what I am planning to undertake. In my defence I would say that the plan is very much a ‘doffing of one’s cap’ in respect of their magnificent work.

The map and opening positions for the famous Battle of Sittangbad. 

My plan is a simple one. I am going to refight the Battle of Sittangbad using the block armies and my 8 x 8 chessboard for the playing area. The rules will be derived from the Portable Napoleonic Wargame Divisional level set and all being well I am hoping to tackle this over the coming weekend.

I have fought this action a number of times in the past including a memorable version using early WW1 28mm French and German figures which was enormous fun. I have never fought this using blocks or a grid so in that sense it will be a first although again, I can picture in my mind’s eye the good Brigadier and Lieutenant Colonel harrumphing mightily at this apparent heresy - “You will not, we suppose, be so lost to all feeling, as to represent your units and formations by counters, blocks of wood or cards.” Hmm, that ship has sailed methinks….

Opening thoughts on making it so

The first order of business will be to translate the battlefield into an 8 x 8 grid and then think about the required terrain. I will also need some way of identifying the individual units and of course to draw up a roster for recording hits etc. Given that the original rules made use of units formed of companies and squadrons it is actually quite straightforward converting these into blocks based formations.

For example, an infantry regiment from the battle itself consisted of four companies - two centre, one grenadier and one light. In my block based world that very handily converts into a regiment of four individual blocks which coincidentally is a typical strength point total for a unit of foot. Similarly, cavalry had three squadrons and artillery two guns. As you can see then, the usual 4, 3 and 2 strength point system works rather nicely.

I am thinking about using a d6 per subunit for combat purposes - mainly because for me one of the great things about the original rules was using volley fire - a full strength 48 figure line infantry regiment would roll 1d6 per 8 figures so rolling 6d6 for a full regimental volley (especially at close range) was so satisfying - as long as you rolled high enough that is!

The order of battle for the opposing sides looked something like this:

The Imperial Army 

Lanciers de Saxe (light cavalry regiment)

Kornberg’s Cuirassiers (heavy cavalry regiment)

Kleist Frei Corps (light infantry battalion)

Isembourg Regiment (line infantry regiment)

Coy Waldeck Regiment (one company, line infantry)

Pandour Regiment (line infantry regiment)

B. Battery Field Artillery

3rd Engineer Battalion (two companies)

The Electoral Army

1st Uhlan Regiment (light cavalry regiment)

Dragoons of Montmort (heavy cavalry regiment)

Gendarmerie Regiment (heavy cavalry regiment)

The Garde Jaeger (light infantry battalion)

Erbprinz Regiment (line infantry regiment)

Steinzeit Regiment (line infantry regiment)

Electoral Footguards (line infantry regiment)

The Gentlemen Pensioners Regiment (line infantry regiment)

Three batteries of Field Artillery

Engineer Battalion

Some of the units are shown on the map above in their starting positions - the challenge is going to be accommodating them all and the terrain.

Thoughts on the rules

As mentioned I want to experiment with combat at a sub unit level. In practise this would rolling a d6 per block rather than the whole unit. At the moment I am keen to use a roster system for recording hits and perhaps having exhaustion levels per unit and with an overall army level score. I need to think about this further though so if anyone has any ideas let me know!

The Reason Why

This particular battle is a perennial favourite of mine, not only due to the wonderful spectacle it provided (even if the pictures were in black and white) but also the tremendous account of the action that followed. I also hugely enjoyed the whole imagi-nation set up of the thing. Regular readers of the blog will no doubt recall my long abandoned Spencer Smith ACW set up which was organised as per the units in the book. I have often thought about tackling an imagi-nation set up based around the third quarter of the 18th century (along with many others!) using Spencer Smiths but to be honest it is not something I will be attempting anytime soon. Who knows? Perhaps it would make a great retirement project.

This is a little distraction from the ACW naval set up to be sure but it is a welcome one. The ACW rules are very close to having what I hope will be the final draft ready and of course, the remaining ships are STILL on the modelling table….

More Projects? Moi?…..I Couldn’t Possibly Comment….

Two new additions to the library 

 I have just finished my first week back in the office and my back continues to fluctuate from bad to worse to actually not that bad - with the latter condition being firmly in the minority at present!

After a very restless and uncomfortable night in bed - I will not dignify it by saying that I slept - I was greatly cheered by the arrival this morning of the the two booklets you see above.

Arriba Espana is a very workmanlike production by Bob Cordery featuring not one but two sets of rules. There is an updated version of his Arriba Espana Spanish Civil War set and then a Portable Wargame set for the period. This is a very clever production in that the Portable Wargame version incorporates some ideas from the original set so one has the best of both worlds in terms of flexibility - a relatively detailed set of rules for the period as well as a Portable Wargame version.

In addition to the two sets of rules there are a number of very well thought out scenarios - including a mini campaign based on Jarama - that are usable with either set as well as a useful bibliography.

I have to say that I really like the idea behind this latest adaptation of the Portable Wargame - having an updated version of a popular and more formal rules set with a degree of crossover into the PW ‘engine’ demonstrates once again that the core system can be happily ‘sliced and diced’ to suit one’s specific gaming requirements. A worthy addition to the stable and no mistake.

I have a modest amount of gaming history with the Spanish Civil War - primarily the naval side if truth be told - and whilst revisiting it as a going concern is not immediately on the horizon having this book would certainly give me a good choice of rules to use - along of course along with Trebian’s latest rule set: “For Whom the Dice Rolls” (which are currently on my ‘to get’ list). From a Portable Wargame perspective raising a couple of small forces to my usual size certainly appeals but it wold certainly be some way off.

Arriba Espana is available from Amazon and a big thank you to Bob Cordery for my copy.

Wargaming in the Sugar Islands Campaign is altogether a completely different kettle of fish. To begin with  it is not a set of rules but a guide to the Seven Years War campaigns involving the British and French on the islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique. The sugar islands were valuable but unhealthy places and the campaigns fought over the them (including the later French revolutionary and Napoleonic wars)  have suffered far more from various ailments - yellow fever amongst others - than from enemy action. There is a lot of potential for the type of small scale actions I enjoy - coastal raids and similar - so it is certainly something I could look at at some point. 

Again, I have some history with the Seven Years War although my interest these days is far more likely to cover the far flung reaches of empire rather than mainland Europe. The French and Indian War, Clive in India and the operations in the Caribbean are of more interest to me although I have never considered raising armies for them. The booklet is available from the Crann Tara range now produced by Dave Ryan and Caliver Books. 

The Crann Tara range of 28mm figures for the 18th century is absolutely lovely and was originally the brainchild of that all round decent fellow, Bon vivant, wit and raconteur, Graham Cummings, to whom I indebted for my copy of the booklet. 

So have I signed up for yet more projects? The short answer is no, at least not in the immediate future to be honest. I will not rule either period out long term though - the idea of Portable Wargaming them is definitely appealing and indeed, I tend to look at pretty much any potential project through the lens of the Portable Wargame.

Many thanks to both Bob and Graham - these two booklets have been far more effective in raising my mood than copious amounts of Bio Freeze, Deep Heat and assorted drugs!

The English and American Civil Wars and Beyond

Not quite finished but getting there. These are the three Union monitors that will provide opposition to the Confederates. I need to add a few fittings for detail but the design is such that that there is not a great deal one can add! 

 I am pleased to report that my modest list of disposals (at least at this stage) has continued to meet with a degree of success and so I have been able to order everything I need to complete the 28mm ECW WoFun project. Many thanks to those readers that took a fancy to come of the bits and pieces - it is much appreciated.

In many ways this is a project that is completely at variance with how I would usually do things - I tend to acquire books and rules at the outset - so having two large and gaming ready armies at the beginning is a pleasant change! It has thrown up a rather delicious dilemma though.

Many years ago, when I was first seriously looking at the ECW as a gaming period I read a biography - I cannot remember who it was by - of Montrose and of his campaigns. I rather liked the idea of salvo firing Irishmen and charging highlanders but I never got around to taking it any further. Fast forward to now and WoFun have a selection of models covering the Scottish campaigns  - Covenanters, Highlanders, Irish and cavalry within the ECW range. It would not take a lot to add these in to the existing set up but I am unsure if this would be the right thing to do.

I am committed to adding to my Wofun collection (at least for those periods that use Peter Dennis for the artwork) but my current thinking is to look at something different. I would like something either ancient or horse and musket and if it is to be of a similar size to the ECW set up it will require being properly resourced in terms of finance and the associated background material.

My thinking at present is looking at a particular period but with a twist. Currently available is a range for the ‘45 and also for the War of the Spanish Succession. I am seriously considering a set up for the latter but with selected elements from the ‘45 range so as to cover the ‘15 (and the ‘19) if required. This would certainly maximise the use of the armies and I already have some good background material on the earlier Jacobite wars. In a way this has highlighted my reservations about adding the Scottish element to the ECW collection. How many armies featuring charging highlanders can one person field? It is all very much in the ‘thinking about’ rather than the planning stage and would not feature until next year in any event. I may even revisit the potential of the Scottish part of the Civil War but for now it needs to be put to one side.

In other news the ACW ironclads are moving to their final stages. The build has taken slightly longer than I anticipated, mainly due to some domestic duties but also because I have needed to relearn some old construction tricks as well as developing some new ones! It is all coming together though and so the plan to get a game in with the collection is still very much on the cards for sooner rather than later. I will be finishing all 6 models and the ‘grand opening’ so to speak will be in action in a game setting. I am really keen to get my Hammerin’ Iron mat out and so that will provide the scenic backdrop.

Blocks and Counters with Lashings of MDF

Ready to go....

....as is this!

 Although I had the day off on Monday for my birthday the days since then have been busy, busy, busy! Work has been pretty demanding although working from home has saved me a huge amount of time and money with the commute. Working in what is essentially a sales role means that although technically I am part time the reality is a little different.

I have to say though, given the way things are at present still being in a job is preferable to the alternative!

I have managed to get some things done though as well as the inevitable thinking that I seem to get as much fun out of as anything in the real world. Two of my recent acquisitions - Jacobite Rising and Conflict of Heroes: Guadalcanal are ready for action. For the former it meant punching out terrain tiles and counters, sorting the cards into three decks - command, Jacobite and Government - and lost of labelling of blocks. It was all easy to do but it did take a while. Conflict of Heroes was very easy indeed as there are only 175 large counters - all of which were individually die cut - and they fairly fell out of the card surround. I reckon that took me around ten minutes in total.

It did strike me though at much better production values are for board games these days compared to back in the late 1970s. 

With both the above games ready to roll I will try and get one played over the weekend - it is about time I got a game in after all the hours spent sorting and packing I have spent recently.

The latest title from Nick Lipscombe - his Peninsular War atlas is also a cracking good tome!

A sample of one of the battle maps contained therein

The book you see above came about as the result of part of the Amazon gift cards I received for my birthday. It is unbelievably good and for a variety of reasons will be being used rather a lot in the coming months - I will say no more but suffice it to say NO plastic or metal figures will be involved....

The Rayleigh shipyard just waiting for the creative juices to spawn forth a winning idea or two!

I sat down and had a play around with various pieces of wood and the new MDF pieces I acquired - just to experiment really - and I already have in mind some ideas for my first few ships for the ACW. Naturally as I now have turrets some monitors will appear! Aside from the ACW I really like the idea of messing about with some assorted ironclads and am even looking at the potential of the Pacific War as well as something ‘imagi-navy’ ish.

A great campaign to tackle from the naval perspective as the numbers involved are modest. Besides, there is always the Huascar....

I have also been looking long and hard at my block armies that have sat idle for some time now. I really want to use them again as I seem to be in one of my periodic ‘anti-figure’ modes at present. I keep looking at various battle maps and transplanting them into 3D affairs with model terrain and blocks on a grid. It works for me and has the attraction of being easy to set up and put down again very easily. Significantly though, my rather belated discovery of the virtues of bespoke MDF has given me a lot to think about in respect of supporting the block armies.

Great thoughts continue to be thunked.....

Rising with the Jacobites

Not from the game but an example of the WoFun range of acrylic pre coloured 2D figures in 28mm

With my mortal aversion to figure painting being legendary the following will probably come as no surprise! For many years I have had a guilty pleasure in the shape of the Jacobite rebellions. I can offer no reason for this - I suppose it appeals to the romantic in me although the era in question was anything but by all accounts. I don’t know why it should have the appeal that it does but, it is what it is and so when I saw that a standalone Command and Colours: Tricorne game covering the rebellions was in the offing I knew I would be very hard pushed to resist it.

So I didn’t - and it arrived today!

I have wanted to game the rebellions for many years but had resigned myself to never doing it using figures simply because painting all that kilted and lace wearing foot was not something I would ever do. 

Not at all.

“There can be only one....

....or maybe not!

The Command and Colours system needs little introduction from me and as such is very straightforward to play. The Tricorne series introduces some army specific cards as well as the usual command cards to that the respective forces are more representative of their historical counterparts. With a game such as this there will be many I am sure that will opt to substitute figures for the blocks but that is not something I am even remotely considering!

To support this self contained standalone project I have a small library of relevant tomes which I shall now be dipping into for some inspiration.

I have only ever been to Scotland on two occasions - both times it was business and based in Edinburgh. In fact one of those visits did not go beyond the airport business park! The other I stayed in the city itself but with no time for sightseeing. Given the way foreign travel is at present it may well be that next year will see me heading north of the border.

No metal figures were harmed during the writing of this post....

An 18th Century Interlude

The 2019 revised edition of the book first published in 1964 tells the story of the son of an Irishman fleeing to Catholic Europe and rising to high rank in the Austrian Army. Published by Helion but I got my copy during the Naval and Military Press summer sale.

I have always had a soft spot for the 18th century. Ever since I first clapped eyes on a copy of Charge! And also The Wargame I have been interested in the stately machinations and ‘civilised’ nature of warfare during that dramatic century. Throw in the concept of the imagi-nation and you have a veritable smorgasbord of temptation for a multitude of gaming projects.

For me the only drag would of course be painting the figures....

There are number of solutions to this dilemma and realistically the only one that would be viable for me would be painting the figures myself and luckily there is a wonderful selection available from Spencer Smith in 30mm that would be just the ticket. This is if should I wish to explore something during the Tricorne era in the traditional manner. I have certainly not dismissed this idea and so the Grand Duchy of Artois and the Electorate of Kronenbourg may yet see the light of day but for the movement. Have something rather more radical to experiment with.

In terms of the periods of interest there are many. I rather like the French and Indian War along with Clive’s adventures in India, the various Jacobite rebellions and I have also looked at the American Revolution. Of the four the former would be most likely to ever see the light of day but to be honest I would prefer something a little more, for want of a better word, regular. I am not so keen on the Seven Years War in Europe but the slightly earlier War of the Austrian Succession ticks the requisite number of boxes. If I am honest the main one these being that the uniforms tended to be of a simpler cut meaning easier to paint!

In 30mm using Spencer Smith there is a dedicated range for this period based on the classic 18th century range and the figures therein, especially the cavalry, are far better than the original versions but still with that old school charm. I mentioned ‘something rather more radical’ so it should come as no surprise to mention that I have a modest set up read to paint using 1:600th scale troops.

Guilty as charged M’Lud - I have my very own lead mountain albeit more like a lead speed bump given the size of the figures!

I have a goodly selection of 1:600th bits and pieces and the range of stuff available from Magister Militum is pretty expansive. Recently I have been looking more and more at this part of the collection and so am keen to do something with it. The Tricorne element came about simply because someone made me an offer I could not refuse and as the set up is pretty much complete I would not need to add anything to it other than paint! I have some other things in front of this though but as an useful aside these figures are the same scale as the ships from Oak and Iron which, although slightly earlier, could be readily used alongside if required.

The book at the top of this post was a little lockdown treat and I am really pleased to have acquired it.  Von Browne was very highly regarded by the Austrians and the book covers his campaigns very nicely with events in Italy and against the Prussians during the Seven Years War. Interestingly it also looks at the perennial Turkish question along the borders of the empire with that of the Ottomans.

One of my all time favourite films - great story, beautifully shot but s-l-o-w!

Wonderfully inspiring and with my recent borrowing of the soundtrack to the film Barry Lyndon (many thanks Mr Fox - much appreciated) I am experiencing something of a ‘fighting Irishmen abroad during the 18th century’ distraction at the moment BUT.....the Del Prado Napoleonic need some TLC as do the 30mm ACW Spencer Smiths, not to mention the gazillion counters that need cutting out.

These must come first but in the meantime I will play and enjoy the aforementioned soundtrack....

Purely for recreational purposes to be sure....

Eric’s Painted 18th Century Collection....Part 3

With a clear blue sky and with light streaming in to the man cave I was able to get the remaining boxes of painted models from Eric’s 18th century collection photographed and organised prior to disposal. The results you can see below.

13. Artillery. 12 guns, 12 limbers, 12 horses, 4 riders and 22 gunners. There are also what looks like two Victorian siege mortars with a dozen gunners (top right)

14. Austrian Artillery. 5 guns, 12 limbers, 16 horses, 2 wagons (plastic), 16 gunners and a couple of what appear to be Petards.

15. French Artillery. 8 guns, 10 oxen, 8 limbers, 8 horses, 2 mounted and 4 foot drivers, 2 ammunition wagons, 12 sappers, 23 gunners and 48 figure fusilier regiment including sappers and artificers.

16. Bavarian Siege and Garrison artillery. 35 gunners, 6 guns, 2 mortars, 10 horses, 8 oxen and an ammunition wagon

17. Bavarian Artillery. 10 guns, 14 limbers, 20 horses, 1 wagon (plastic) and 35 gunners.

There is a further box of artillery and also a whole pile of bridging equipment and wagons etc. The collection over the three posts probably looks a little uneven but you musts appreciate that a massive chunk of it - the Hinton Hunt and Higgins portion - has already gone and so what you are seeing are the remnants.

Once again if anyone is interested in any of the above then please let me know - just quote the picture number and the items and I can then work something out. For the sake of clarity a gun will come with a limber and four gunners. I will not break units up but prices are very reasonable.

With the exception of the Ottoman Turks this represents the last of Eric’s 18th century collection and for me it has been something of a trip down memory lane. Many of the figures I have seen in action and indeed have commanded at some point or another. It has been a very labour intensive but rewarding task and, much like Eric did way back in wargaming formative years, has taught me much - especially about the value of focus.

Eric’s Painted 18th Century Collection....Part 2

I took full advantage of the blue sky and occasional sunshine to sort out the next batch of figures from the painted remnants of Eric’s 18th century collection. I reckon there are now around 5 boxes worth left but these are mainly artillery. I cannot remember the last time I saw so many pieces of artillery in one place but then that was Eric - he worked on the basis that quantity has a quality all of its own!

As usual if anyone is interested in any of the items depicted then let me know quoting the picture number and the unit or units in question. Remember that I am unable to break down units into individual figures and also that I will try and organise gun crews etc for the artillery. Either leave a comment (ideally with an email address) or drop me an email at roguejedi@btinternet.com. Please note that some of these will some TLC as there are a few paint chips and unseated horsemen to contend with as well as the odd bent weapon....

6. Austrian 1680 to Seven Years War. Licaner Light Infantry, Hussars, Guns and teams, Grenz Hussars and Tyrolean Jäger and Landwehr

7. Prussian Seven Years War. 13 Guns and limbers, 45 gunners and 4 mounted command.

8. Prussian Seven Years War. 14 Guns and limbers, 42 gunners, 2 wagons, 44th Fusiliers, Kleist Freikorps and Jägers

9. Prussian Seven Years War. Dragoons regiments number 5 and 11 (with dismounts, Cuirassiers regiments number 1 and 5, Von Kleist Uhlans and Horse Grenadiers and Jäger Zu Pferde plus some mounted Generals.

10. Bavarian and Prussian 1680 to 1720. Prussian Liebgarde plus battalion guns, Bavarian Karabinier regiments Bartels and Polen and infantry regiment Lutzelberg.

11. Papal/Venetian horse and Dragoons

12. British Royal Marines and rather a lot of assorted ship’s crew!

As mentioned I have around 5 more boxes to sort out but from what I have seen these are mostly artillery and engineers etc. I am sure that Bill has a couple of other boxes but I will need to check with him.

Eric’s Painted 18th Century Collection....Part 1

A small unit that escaped from the great Higgins/Hinton Hunt cull of last year being used as Dutch guard cavalry unit

I have made a start on organising the remnants of Eric’s late 17th and 18th century collection and as expected it has been time consuming but rewarding experience. So far I have sorted out five boxes of figures which represents roughly a quarter of the total. The first thing that struck me was just how big a part of his collection consisted of Hinton Hunt and Higgins. These have all gone so the remnants consist of various editions of Minifigs, Hinchliffe, Garrison and some that I have been unable to identify. For many of the units Eric stuck a small label on the underside with the name of the unit written on it which has proven to be really helpful. The remnants are an interesting and eclectic mix and there is certainly sufficient to raise some Portable Wargame sized forces - probably on an imagi-nation basis.

1. Prussian Light Cavalry Seven Years War. Hussar regiments 1, 5 and 7 and a unit of Bosniak Lancers

2. 1680 to 1720 French Artillery. 12 guns and limbers, 4 wagons, 11 drivers and 51 gunners.

3. 1680 to 1720 Cavalry. French Cuirassiers du Ros, Musketeers, Grenadiers a Cheval and British 6th Horse.

4. 1680 to 1720 Dutch. Infantry regiments Scheltinga and Van Freihem together with artillery and the Garde de Voet.

5. 1680 to 1720 Dutch. 4th Scots regiment and 10 guns, 6 limbers, 3 wagons and 39 gunners.

Still to be sorted is the remaining Prussian Seven Years War, the Austrians and the Bavarians and then there s the small matter of the ‘remnants of the remnants’ which appears to be largely an obscene amount of artillery and various engineering items. 

Should anyone be interested in anything shown above and would like to know more please drop me a line and I will be happy to help. What I can say is that prices are very reasonable but please do not ask me to break units up.

More from Eric’s Collection

A selection of French Demi Brigade infantry from the Minifigs S range I believe and also....

....what look like British Royal Marines.

No prizes for guessing what these are! The RHA's finest.

French Dromedary mounted cavalry for Napoleon's Egyptian campaign

Part of the unpainted 18th collection lead mountain that belonged to Eric was a force he had earmarked as an 18th century Indian army. The original crate consisted primarily of ancient Indian figures and cavalry but the above were recently uncovered by Bill and are now with me for disposal. I was rather taken with the French Demi Brigade infantry - any military figure wearing a Tarleton-style helmet will always get my vote - and the camel riders. I have no idea as to what Eric had planned for this part of his collection although it looks very much like he would have been raising two European forces to go with the hordes of natives. I would not be in the least bit surprised if Bill unearthed a box of elephants at some point as well as some substantial native artillery pieces.

There is also a unit of what look like French Chasseurs a Cheval but sadly I had forgotten to take a picture of them. They also appear to be Minifigs S range.

A Barbary Interlude

Part of my research into the naval side of the war of 1812 touched on the Americans and their wars against the Barbary Coast. Naturally the prospect of anything touching on the Ottoman Empire or the constituent parts of it was always going to be of interest and so my research led me to acquiring a copy of the above title.

The story of the Karamanlis family, that threw off the Ottoman yoke and were the rulers of what is now Libya for some 120 odd years, is one of intrigue, internal and external conflicts and the latter included Britain, France and the USA. The armed forces of the Karamanlis were paid for by piracy, slavery, bribery, extortion and all manner of dubious practices and the story was enriched by The appearance of some colourful characters that could have been straight out of a pantomime.

I have only just started reading this but already the creative juices are flowing. I reckon there is plenty of scope for all manner of punitive expeditions, combined operations, raids and similar. The naval side would feature the usual low level stuff - frigates, brigs, sloops etc whilst such things as Xebecs make an appearance - both sail and oared varieties.

I have already decided that the naval side will again in 1:2400th and this ‘sideshow of a sideshow’ represents a minor addition to the 1812 collection. Tumbling Dice produce all the models I would need so as is usual, all I need is a slot in the project list.