Friday, April 21, 2017

New Terrain & Toys Arrive

It makes me sad that I am in the middle of a move. I just got in some really nice terrain for Dux Britanarium. Hoka Hey miniatures has a Saxon Hall, a house and the small A frame hut. I picked up one of each but two of the huts. They look great. They come with teddy bear fur for the thatching. I am tempted to use the caulk method from Red Beard Baron instead.

Also, the slow boat from China arrived and my French Napoleonic Limber has arrived finally. It was worth waiting for. It looks great. But it, like the Saxon terrain, has to go into a box and await space in the truck. The good news is that the flooring will be done in my game room by next week. Then I can start moving stuff into the game room and get it sorted out. I just can't wait for that day.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Moving

I have purchased a new house recently that will include a game room for me. It is plenty big enough for a 6x4 table and storage cabinets. The problem is the physical act of moving. I have managed to unpack a few boxes of books into my office (I get one of those too!) but nothing is allowed in the game room yet as we will be replacing the shag carpeting in there with some sort of laminate floor that my wife likes. This is one of those blessings and curses deals. Progress on any terrain or miniatures has ground to a complete halt until the move is completed. My wife has set a goal of having us moved in my Mother's Day as gift for herself. :) Honestly, I can't wait to get everything over to the new house. There is so much more room for all of us.

Review of Works in Progress

I have been going through my unpublished stuff lately to look for what I want to work on next. Here is what I have found:

1) FLiK 55j - This is a campaign for Algernon Pulls it Off for air combat between the Italians and Austro-Hungarians during the 11th Battle of the Isonzo River. It is at about 50%.

2)Small Warriors - This is a modification for the Kiss Me Hardy Rules to enable reasonable combat between ships below the rate. Currently it has a heavy emphasis on the American Revolution. A couple of scenarios are written but I am aiming to have at least 12 scenarios in total for this one. The rule modifications are complete but need more playtesting. I would say this one is at about 30% done.

3) Malta Convoys - This is a campaign for Bag the Hun. I did a significant amount of work on this back in 2010 but then just stopped and I can't remember why. The scenario revolves around the Italians attempting to stop a convoy of British ships attempting to reach Malta. It is based on a historical convoy that sailed in September 1941 in Operation Halberd. I think it might be at a 25% point. I was planning on making the scenarios compatible for Check Your Six as well.

4) Battle of France June 10, 1940 – 25, 1940 - This is another Bag the Hun scenario set. I have four scenarios complete. This pits French Aircraft against the Italians in Southern France. The layout of the scenarios needs work. I need to go through my notes and see what other scenarios were planned for this. Again, it is an abandoned project from 2010. I was planning on making the scenarios compatible for Check Your Six as well.

5) Ponyri Station - This was going to be a Pint Sized Campaign for Chain of Command. Honestly, it never made it past some initial research. If I had to guess, I would say it is at a 1% complete.

6) Ein-el-Hilweh - This is a Chain of Command scenario for a modern variant. It covers the battle of Ein-el-Hilweh during Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982. It is actually fairly complete. I would say it is at 90% complete. It is an interesting scenario in that the Israelis enter a town with plenty of armor support but are hamstrung by their rules of engagement. The PLO forces in the town, have no such limitations and plenty of things to hide behind.

7) First Encounters June 1941 - This is a Chain of Command scenario featuring one of the first encounters the Germans had of a T-34 tank. The scenario is complete and was submitted for one of the TooFatLardies specials but did not make it in there. It is ready and I am giving this away to any Patreon supporter regardless of the amount.

8) Saxon Invasion - This is set of six scenarios for Dux Britanarium that I wrote featuring Picts, Saxons and Britons before the Raiders supplement came out. These are functionally complete but the maps are really bad, hand drawn things. Given that the Raiders supplement exists and the campaign system within Dux is so very good, this will not see the light of day. If anyone is interested, just send me an email and I will send you a copy.

9) Wacht am der Limes - This is a modification for the Early Imperial Romans and Early Germans for Dux Britanarium. It is actually pretty far along. The bulk of the work was done back in 2014. I have several scenarios created for it and all of the rule modifications needed. I have based it around the Roman fortifications near Saalburg. Since most of the frontier troops were Auxilia with the Legions being kept farther in the rear, most of the scenarios feature Auxilia (cavalry and infantry). I think I still need to add some artillery rules to satisfy those who want to use their ballista and scorpion models that they have made. But as it is, it is at least 80% done. But if Rich does a Roman modification at some point, this will probably fade into obscurity.

10) The 302nd ENGINEERS - This is a Mud and Blood scenario set based on the actions of the 302nd Engineers of the American Expeditionary Force. I had a Great Uncle that was part of the 302nd Engineers at the time and started to work on this. It is honestly only about 10% done. It needs much more research and work before it goes anywhere.

11) Von Mayr - This is a mini campaign for Sharp Practice v2. I need to get more research to complete this one. It will focus on Von Mayr's Freikorps and the kleinwar that they waged across what was Bohemia during the Seven Years War. It is still in the research stage.

12) Murder and Devastation in Every Quarter - This is the third book in my AWI scenario series on the Revolutionary War. I have submitted this to Rich for publication and it is compatible with Sharp Practice V2. I am hoping for it to be published by this summer. Very excited about this.

13) Action at Sonolenta Aldeia - This is a scenario that I ran years ago. It is written for the first edition of Sharp Practice. It was a fun scenario. It is 100% complete. The map is poor quality but serviceable. It features a British Naval Landing party, a British Infantry Regiment against a French Legere Unit and some cavalry. Basically, it was written for the figures I had painted up at the time. Any interest, please email me and I will send it on to you.

14) Ottomans in Sharp Practice - Written for the first version of Sharp Practice, it is a guide to the troop types used by the Ottomans. I wrote it as I was planning a Russian force and wanted some opponent other than French for them. It is mostly complete. It has a single scenario attached to it that is untested.

15) GreenHill Tennessee scenario- This is an ACW scenario for the first version of Sharp Practice. It features a Union Raid into Tennessee where upon the Union Army encounters some Rebels defending a rather substantial still. It is 100% complete and I have been giving this one away when I have done scenario sales and the like.

16)1864 - Atlanta Campaign - I had big plans for the 150th anniversary of the Battle for Atlanta. I was going to take pictures of the battlefields and have a scenario set for Sharp Practice and They Couldn't Hit and Elephant that covered the campaign. It never happened. I do have some information started. I just never finished the research. There was a scenario in there about Union Cavalry crossing the Chattahoochee River armed with Henry repeating rifles. It was an interesting engagement. Confederate Soldiers actually surrendered just to be able to get a look at this rifle that could keep firing shot after shot. It is still on the to do list but I just have not been able to focus on it or get enough research materials or drive to the battle sites (which are all local to me!). We can call this one 5%.

17) Kanawha Valley Campaign: 1861 - Another first edition of Sharp Practice scenario pack. This is an interesting campaign that took place in what is now West Virginia. The troops were poorly led initially on both sides. There were a number of skirmish sized fights that make it ideal for Sharp Practice. I would now adapt it to version 2 of the rules and add a map campaign to the historical scenarios. I'll be generous and say it is at about 25% completed.

18) Battle of Inyezane January 22, 1879 - This is a scenario for an unpublished modification to Sharp Practice for the Anglo-Zulu wars. It is part of a larger work which was to take a diary and transform it into a scenario set. I began work on this and actually purchased a number of 10mm Zulus to make it a reality. The project did not really move very far unfortunately.

19) A Cutting Out Party – March 18, 1779 - This is a scenario for Sharp Practice where a Royal Navy force is attempting to cut out some rebel ships. It was intended to be a combination of Kiss Me Hardy and SP but I think it is better for just one rule set. It is at about 90% done.

Items that have not left the idea stage

1) A Pint Sized Campaign for the Second and Third battles of Kharkov

2) A Pint Sized Campaign for Syria - I have the Australian official history of the campaigns on Syria, Crete and Greece. I have wanted to do something with them again.

3) A Late War Pint Sized Campaign about Crossing the Oder River - I have a book on it that has some tantalizing details. I also have a book on a Soviet Penal Battalion that is interesting and has some good details. Something may come of this.

4) A final AWI Supplement covering Cornwallis' retreat from the Carolinas.

5) Redoing the first two AWI supplements for V2 of Sharp Practice.

6) A North Africa Pint Sized Campaign

7) Something with the Italians in Albania fighting the Greeks. Vague, I know.

8) Something with Russians for Sharp Practice.

OK. I had no idea that I had that many things started and undone. So far it only looks like a couple would see the light of day anytime soon. If anyone has an interest in seeing any of these, please let me know in the comments. I am stuck as to what I want to work on next. Put up some comments on what you would like to see of the above or something completely different.

Wanted to Float an Idea By you....

I have been looking at Patreon. I was wondering if anyone would be interested in sponsoring my scenario writing through this. Here is my thoughts. If someone sponsors me on Patreon, they would have access to the current works in progress. Depending on the funding level, they can have a copy of all of my older scenario books and any future updates to them as well. I was thinking of $1 to $4 would get the current work in progress plus the final version when it comes out and $5+ would get the backlog as well. Patreon is a recurring monthly payment (if I understand it correctly). I would also list the person as a sponsor in current WIP as well for any level of sponsorship. Also, I will take requests from Patreon sponsors for what to work on. This should keep me motivated and writing.

What I am hoping for is a little extra money to spend on research materials with which to base the scenarios on. Anyway, this is just a thought. I really would like your input if this is a reasonable idea or not.

Thanks Edit: Here is what I have put together. https://www.patreon.com/cstoesen Edit 2: I have reviewed what my current Work In Progress list is. I just made a post about it if you are interested: http://cstoesen.blogspot.com/2017/04/review-of-works-in-progress.html

Friday, April 14, 2017

I need a favor, please

I have several of my scenario books up on Wargames Vault. Currently, I have In the Name of Roma, Campaign for Karkov: October 1941, Action at Ustilug, The Coming Thunder, and The Falcon and the Gladiator posted there. However, I have zero reviews at this point. If you have purchased the book, would you please take a few moments to post a review there on Wargames Vault? Reviews really help out with sales. Below are the links to each of the products.

In the Name of Roma

Campaign for Karkov: October 1941

Action at Ustilug

The Coming Thunder

The Falcon and the Gladiator

Thank you.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

The Fleet Expands

Just got in my Langton order from Waterloo Miniatures here in the US. These are 6mm or 1/300 scale ships. They all come with crew. The launch and the jolly boat come in sailed or rowed versions. I was looking to make civilian small craft out of them so I got the sailed versions.

I went ahead and labeled the picture so you could see what each of them are. These will match up well with the Sea Dog Studios Brigantine and Bermuda Sloops that I have. I may use the British Gunboat as a pilot ship for a scenario that I am working on. What the heck, lets describe the scenario.

July 1775 - Off the Coast of Tybee Island, Georgia Colony

The Rebels have intercepted communications detailing the arrival of gunpowder and arms that are to be sent up the river to supply Loyalist units and to bribe the indians to fight for the British. Letters from the British Governor of Georgia have been intercepted that detail the level of rebellion in the colony and have been replaced with false letters assuring the crown that the colony is under firm crown control. Georgian Militia and Naval units meet up with South Carolina Continentals meet off the coast of Tybee Island in preparation to intercept the cargo of powder. The Georgia Naval element consists of the Schooner Liberty of 10 guns under the command of Captain Oliver Brown. He has a crew of fifty men and a company of Georgia Militia (20 men) to act as Marines under the command of Captain Joseph Habersham.

The South Carolina contingent is floating on two barges with twenty members each of the 1st South Carolina Regiment. These were under the command of Captains Barnwell and Joyner. The barges had a naval crew of 6 and 9 men respectively.

The Governor of Georgia sent word to British Florida that the powder shipment needed to be defended. St Augustine dispatched HM Schooner St John to wait for the packet ship from England. The St John was under the command of Lieutenant William Grant and mounted six guns. Lt Grant was an active captain and ran down three ships while waiting on the packet from England. But he missed the arrival of the packet ship Phillippa. (possibly a brig due to the amount of cargo she was hauling)

The Phillipa arrived on the 8th of July and was immediately spotted by the Rebels. The Phillipa anchored off of Tybee Island to await the arrival of a pilot boat to guide her up the Savannah River. When the pilot boat arrived (possibly named Little Carpenter), the rebels moved in to attack. SC infantry fired on the Philippa and demanded her to surrender. They boarded both the pilot ship and the Phillipa and took them to Cockspur Island where a force of 300 South Carolina Continentals were waiting to unload her cargo. The cargo was divided between Georgia, South Carolina and the Continental Congress. The Rebels managed to seize 16,000 pounds of powder, seven hundredweight of lead bullets and a large number of firearms meant for the Indians. The Georgians and South Carolinians divided the plunder between them and departed. Of South Carolina’s portion, 4,000 pounds of powder was delivered to Congress in Philadelphia. Of the 9,000 pounds seized by Georgia, 5,000 pounds were similarly sent to Georgia. The Phillippa was sent on to Savannah on the 12th of July and returned to its master.

Period Map of Tybee Island from https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/c1/1a/a2/c11aa2f3c233f4fd3f7ff526696f6964.jpg.

I want to try this out using two different sets of rules. The first is my modifications to Kiss Me Hardy that handles ships below the rate. The second is Sea Dog Studios "SailPower 2.0" rules. Both should handle the scenario rather well. The only thing holding me back is my painting slowness. I want to include some land elements in the scenario particularly Cockspur Island since there are all of the SC Continentals waiting there.

The scenario is a modest size one
British Order of Battle:

ShipGunsCrewMarines
HM Schooner St John6x 3pdr guns30 crew0
Packet Ship Phillipa2 swivel guns20 Crew0
Pilot Ship Little Carpenter10 Crew0
Rebel Order of Battle:
ShipGunsCrewMarines
GA Schooner Liberty10x 3pdr guns50 Crew20 Marines
SC Barge 1-6 Crew20 Marines
SC Barge 2-9 Crew20 Marines
Anyway, this is what I am working towards. I have most of what I need for the scenario already. I am thinking of having random shipping appearing that will need to be spotted. The entrance to the Savannah River was very active with shipping at this point in the war and would continue to be throughout the war with privateers from both sides prowling the water ways.

Newest Terrain Arrival

I picked up this four building Russian Farm set from Minibits. I think they are associated with Pendraken Miniatures in some way as that is who mailed it to me. The terrain is by Red Vectors. The buildings are a nice set of out buildings to complete a functional Russian farm. With a couple of barns, a pig sty and some nice sheds, this should make for a decent piece of scenery once assembled and based.

I am planning on giving these a thatched roof using the techniques that I saw on the Red Beard Baron's Youtube channel. He makes the thatching from caulk that is run through with a skewer. He also provides a nice painting guide for it that I want to try out. Unfortunately, this will be a bit before I can get to it. Still trying to move house.

Friday, April 7, 2017

A Little Gardening

I managed to finish off a piece of terrain last night after working on the 6 gun sloop. It should make for a nice little garden behind a rural farm. I am pleased with how it turned out. I have been watching YouTube videos of the Red Beard Baron and used his suggestion of basing on floor tile material. It works great. I did not pay attention to his warning to put paint in the caulk. That was a mistake. Took several coats of paint to keep the white caulk from shining through. I did put PVA on the bottom of the tile to get rid of the self stick part of it. That actually worked quite well.

I have based my two story log cabin the same way. Right now the glue is drying on the self stick portion. That should take a couple more hours to finish off. Anyway, progress has been made.

Edit: The base just finished drying. Thought I would append this post instead of giving the house its own.

Thursday, April 6, 2017

New Toys Have Arrived

I just picked up some of the orders that I have recently placed. First of all, I received the three ships that I ordered from Sea Dog Studios from their Kickstarter that did not quite go through. They produced some of the ships and sold them to backers at a discount. I picked up two Bermuda Sloops and a Brigantine. I was so happy with them, I put everything else aside and promptly went to work on one of the Bermuda Sloops.

The kits are really nice. The parts are not too fiddly but you do have to cut the masts and spars from longer portions of thin dowel. Assembly was rather quick. Painting it was a bear with the hand shakes that I have from my meds. But I think I still managed something usable. The decking came out darker than I wanted but I still like it. No sails are provided and it makes sense. The Sailpower rules talk about it in that 90% of the game, your sail set that you would put on a model would be wrong anyway. The masts are designed to be taken out for storage and to show damage. My only complaint is about the cannon. Even after trimming the flash off of them, they are too large for the ship. I can't get them to fit properly. I will end up having to file them down until they do fit. Still, I am very happy with what I was able to accomplish with the first model.

It went together well. Was very happy with it. Painting it was very straight forward. I enjoyed it. Been watching amazon Prime movies while doing it.

Very happy with these ships. Now I am just waiting on the smaller ships that I have ordered from Langton Miniatures. I might have to get some Sea Dog 15mm ships as well. But that is another story.

Also, I picked up some Litko Aerosystems movement bases. I have been basing 15mm miniatures on US Pennies for a while now. These movement trays will actually fit them now. I am debating on using them for either my British and French Napoleonics or for my Seven Years War Prussian FreiKorps. I probably need to just buy more and use them for both.

Then there was a large box with my order from Miniature Building Authority. In it was a Southern Plantation, Outbuildings, a Southern Barn and a Russian Village. All very nice. And painted already.