Wargame History

FOB 3rd Game in July

2021-08-23T05:40:00.000-06:00

British approach in two commands.

The time had come to playtest FOB 3rd before taking it to the club. The game was set up as a French vs. British battle in the era of the WSS. The French had been marching parallel to a river when the British approached them in two column.

The British had a notable quality advantage. All of their units had either a D6 or D8 defense die. Almost all of the French Foot had a D4 defense die. The French started with the CinC assigned a D8, along with two out of four French commanders. The remaining two French Commanders were D10s. The British were commanded by D10 and D12 commanders.

The British had 8 units of foot, 4 Cavalry and 2 batteries of guns. However, Chris rolled only a "2" for initial army chips, giving him only 11 chips.

French set for battle.

The French army had 11 units of foot, 4 horse and 3 batteries of artillery for a total of 18 units. The French rolled a "9" for starting army chips, giving the army 20 chips.

The game began with an aggressive attack by the British cavalry on the flanks of each attack. On his left, Chris also aggressively attacked with 4 foot units.

Unfortunately, the infantry on his right flank failed their command move (the commander rolled a 1) resulting in the failure of one half of the British army standing in place.

On his left, the infantry moved through the woods towards the French right. The plan was to advance into the town on the French side of the battlefield. From there, they would flank the French right and roll up the entire French line.

Unfortunately, the British and French Cavalry were evenly matched and traded losses equally. Since the British foot had not joined their cavalry on the right, The French were able to drive them back.

On the British left, the battle was more evenly matched but ultimately, the British had to fall back there to regroup.

At this point, the lack of moral dice began to show. The British had to give three chips to the French. The French had lost only seven chips.

French break through on the right.

Britain's loss was really driven by a lack of moral chips. They were never in a position to take advantage of their superior officers and unit commanders. When outnumbered 11 to 20, the ability of British troops to win was not good.

I think the next battle will be between the Romans and barbarians in Gaul. I will use Pulse of Battle.

First Post COVID Game

2021-06-10T07:11:00.001-06:00

POST COVID GAME

Is it finally time to get together for a game. By early June, most of us had received our second dose of vaccination. Brent declared it time to game again. So Eric, Greg, Chris, Rodney, and I managed to get together at Brent's place for a game of Field of Battle 3rd edition. After almost two years, it was time to face battle.

Brent hosted a Seven Years War battle between the Austrian army, led by Eric, Greg, and Chris, and the Prussians led by Rodney and my self. We were using the rules that reflected the limitation of the Seven Years War and War of Spanish Succession. Units, including cavalry, only have two formations. A unit is either in line or it is in march column. There are no attack columns available for the troops. This gave us interesting limitations that are not present when we play Napoleonic or American Civil war games.

Rodney and I did not do well in the first battle. Rodney had most of the infantry and one cavalry unit on the left flank that could not reach a decisive battle with the Austrian's refused right flank. My command, with the two remaining cavalry and two commands of infantry, was sharply crushed by three cavalry units led by Chris on our left flank.

We switched armies for the second battle and it was a much closer battle than expected. Both sides traded chip losses and we ended the game when a decisive win was not achieved by either side by 6:00 pm. Throughout the second battle, Eric and I traded disorder results we traded blows between our cavalry. Our Austrians lost five units of foot, including our best infantry (under my command) but we managed to trade chip losses equally until the very end.

We had a great time and hopefully the other members of our group, including Terry and John, will be able to attend the next game at Brent's house.

Greg C

Prussians of the Seven Years War

2021-05-11T05:42:00.001-06:00

From my collection, here is the core of my Seven Years War Prussian army. These are 28mm figures. Most of them were painted long before the onset of Covid. Since I have now received both of my Covid shots, it is time to start preparing for gaming face to face with gamers in the area.

My Seven Years War Prussian army is larger that its companions and opponents. The figures are darker blue that the Prussian figures of the WSS period. Unlike my Austrian, British, Dutch and French armies, this army is limited to use in the Seven Years War. Many local gamers may not actually know the difference between the Prussian army of the Seven Years War and those of the WSS, so I can probably use them for the WSS period if necessary. I will know the difference so maybe it only matters to me.

There are seven cavalry units. Three units of Heavy Cavalry are supported by no less than four units of light cavalry. The Heavy cavalry is pretty nice but it is the light cavalry that really set the Prussian cavalry apart. Most of these are Wargames Foundry figures but at least one of the light cavalry units is made by Old Glory.

Cavalry generally made up the flanks of the army. The center of each army was set up in two or three lines of foot units. Therefore, my cavalry is probably an ahistorical arrangement. That is, there should be more Heavy units and fewer light units. During the war, most of the light cavalry was not really for use in the main battlefield.

The infantry consists of 20 units. Most of them are musketeers but there are three units of fusiliers (in a smaller helmet) and about five units are Grenadiers. All units have 12 figures in three bases. This is a basing method that Brent Oman first used for Piquet. Each unit has a frontage of six inches. Brent has changed his basing method. He now bases his units in two stands of six figures and his units are four inches wide. I prefer the older method of basing.

The artillery consists of five units of two guns with three to five figures mounted in two 2 inch square bases. Three of the units are lighter guns. Two of them are 12 pdr batteries.

Finally, there are 6 commanders and one army base.

The Prussian army of the Seven Years war is one of my favorite armies. Once the Covid problem is resolved, it will be one of the first battles to be played at the club, probably against my Austrian or French armies. I am looking forward to the chance to play.

Austrians are Preparing for a Post Covid Game

2021-04-15T07:49:00.000-06:00

Coved masking may actually end soon. The wargame club actually met last Sunday, with masks on all faces. There were about 6 games put on according to the latest club posting. I will have received my second Covid shot and with any luck, I will be hosting a game next month. My napoleonic Austrian army was reviewed in anticipation of putting the French on the run soon.

My 1809 Austrian army is not as large as my 1809 to 1814 French army but it is large enough for a 6 foot by 4 foot or an 8 foot by 5 foot table.

There are 4.5 batteries of artillery.

Six units of Cavalry, including three units of Curriasier and three units of Hussars comprise the entire mounted arm of the army.

Two units of Austrian German Grenadiers. They consist of two '16 figure' units of four stands each.

Three units of Grenzers and two units of Inner Austrian Landwehr are ready for garrison and forest defense of the Empire.

There are six units of Austrian Germans in 1809 helmets. Each unit consists of 16 figures in four stands.

There are three units of Grenadiers in the Austrian army, consisting of two units of German grenadiers and a single unit of Hungarian grenadiers.

Finally, there are 8 mounted commanders for individual commands and one army commany to be used to command the army under the Piquet Field of Battle rules. Before the game, I hope to have version 3.0 of the rules available. I will need to review them and teach them to the guys at the club.

The Russian, French, Prussian and Bavarian armies will be posted soon. I hope everyone else is preparing their figures for war now that we will be able to wargame again soon.

Greg C.

"SLINGSHOT"

2021-04-03T11:24:00.009-06:00

Slingshot is a magazine that a wargamer friend of mine has recently started to subscribe to. He lent this issue to me, knowing as he did that I am painting a lot of 1st and 2nd century Romans. I have also painted about 11 units of Gauls and about 12 units of Cesarean Romans. Most of the figures are Wargames Foundry metal figures.

Most of the 2nd century figures that still need to be painted are from Aventine Miniatures. They are great figures, even if they tend to require some gluing of spears, bows, and sometimes heads. There are also planns to paint about 44 Wargames Foundry Dacian foot.

All of this recent activity associated with ancients brings me back to "Slingshot". It is magazine devoted to ancients up to and including the era of the English Wars of the Roses. Like many wargame publications, this one tends to cover a lot of eras that do not appeal the reader. For example, I do not have much interest in Egyptians. I should have more interest in the Persions since they spent much of 900 years of history fighting the Greeks and then the Romans. However, it could be their lack of history written in Greek or Roman texts that limits them to the role of aggressor in wargaming. Their culture is under reported and poorly understood in the Western european tradition. Or maybe I have simply failed to make the effort. I enjoy Roman vs. Gauls or Germans much more.

Nevertheless, there is always at least one article in the magazine that engages my interest. I recommend it to any gamer who has not had the chance to read it. You never know when you might run into another gamer with even more obscure interests than your own. It is always worthwhile to listen to another gamer's interests and you may learn something new.

Greg C.

54mm Figures, A New Category for Collecting?

2021-03-20T09:48:00.002-06:00

We all have a lot of figures for wargaming. You cannot keep collecting and painting figures for thirty years without collecting more that a few figures that really do not belong in the collection any longer.

My collection includes about three shelves of 54mm collectible figures. Most of them are from the Seven Years War or the Napoleonic wars. They came to me as part of a collection from a gamer that recently passed. It is my job to sell them off for his estate.

"Soldats de Plomb & Figurne Civiles" by Christian Blondie is a publication written in french and english. It discusses the history of the CBG Mignot company and its predecessors dating back to the 1850s. The original figures were often paper. Metal figures were more common in the 20th century. For a time the company produced aluminum figures. Figures were originally made in a variety of sizes from a number of independent makers. Tin figures really began in Paris in the 1870s, produced as a by product of a tin casting company, C.B.G., that made a variety of objects for the home. The C.B.G. company started out producing a foot soldier "at attention." By the 1920s, Henri Mignot owned and operated the C.B.G. company and was primarily focused on military figures in a variety of sizes.

The French made figures are expensive today. C.B.G. Mignot competes with figures from Britians, Ltd. and similar manufacturers. The collectors market is very small. The sales of these figures on ebay has been modest, even at the significantly discounted price offered.

A photo of some of the figures that need to be sold. There are actually three shelves of such figures, many are not Mignot figures but all of them are very well done. However, at the end of the day, one must focus on collecting figures they need for their own collection. I simply have no need for a new scale of figures. Therefore they must go.

2021-03-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

RETURNING TO POSTING MY WARGAMING ACTIVITY

Covid has given me time to work on my 28mm collections. I have reduced my collections to Napoleonic, Seven Years War, War of Spanish Succession, Ancient Romans from Caesar to 2nd Century, and Barbarian Gauls. I still have extensive collections of 15mm figures but they have not been out of their boxes in probable 12 years.

I still have some ACW figures but most of them have been sold on Ebay. I have also sold off various other figures, many unpainted and still in Boxes, including 20mm WWI, assorted French Napoleonics.

There are still some collections that I have not sold simply because I am not sure I can part with them. My 15mm SYW armies and my Games Workshop spaceship are still in their storage boxes. I hope one day to game with them. The wargame club, CMH is reopening next month so who knows what we will be able to play. I am still not on the COVID shot list. Therefore, game planning is still subject to speculation.

These are pictures of some War of Spanish Succession figures that were painted for my buddy Bob. They were painted by Fernando Enterprises Miniature Painting Service in Ceylon, India. I photographed them for the purpose of getting painting ideas for my 18th century armies. Excellent painting and this is not even their professional level paint work. My painting over the last 12 months has improved but still not not consistently reach this level of painting.

I have received a copy of the November/December 2020 issue of Slingshot from Chris. He has recently starting subscribing to a couple of different wargame mags since the start of Covid. Chris has also been painting 28mm ancient Persians from Wargames Atlantic. They are his first 28mm figures and his painting talent has significantly improved. Before this he was almost exclusively a 15mm gamer. Chris is still painting figures for 16th and 17th era (Thirty Years war/English Civil war) in 15mm. The 28mm plastics from Wargames Atlantic are even better that his 15mm metal figures. I have painted some plastics such as Warlord Games 28mm WWII British but I do not really enjoy painting them as much as metal figures. However, Chris may have encouraged me rethink that option.

That is about it for my latest Covid wargaming. Hope everyone else is using their time at home with good gaming activities. We should be able to game again soon. Greg C.

Field of Battle Napoleonics - Playtesting Grand Battery Rules

2018-04-22T08:04:00.002-06:00

Chris makes his move, flanked by John and Rodney

After a slow winter, we are back to playing Field of Battle 2 at Brent's house. This time, Brent was playtesting some ideas he had for grand batteries. We played two games - Napoleonic French vs. Prussians and Franco Prussian War.

In both games, the teams and sides were the same. John, Chris and Rodney commanded the French. Terry, Greg R., myself and Eric commanded the Prussians.

The first battle was an 1813 confrontation "somewhere in Germany" between a slightly outnumbered French force and a Prussian Army burdened with a significant number of militia. As I recall, the French were inferior in cavalry and infantry but superior in artillery.

French left flank with the "surprise" redoubt.

Both sides deployed within 12 inches of their respective sides of the table. After deployment of both armies, the French were allowed to add a redoubt for one of their artillery batteries which was sited within their left/center flank. This helped to discourage any Prussian activity on the Prussian right but otherwise had little effect on the battle.

Prussian grand battery on the hill across from the redoubt.

The battlefield appeared to favor the French. A road ran just in front of the French position. Along the road were three towns artfully distributed evenly along the French line. All towns were class 2 terrain, provided a one die shift in favor of the defenders.

Prussian left/center forms up behind a hill in preparation for
assault on the French center.

The Prussian line ran behind two hills. One hill in the center, opposite the center French town. The other just to the right, behind which the Prussians lined up their three batteries of guns. The Prussian plan was to advance the guns to the top of the hill, screened by infantry and then form a grand battery. From there, the battery would dominate the center and French left, keeping the French from reinforcing the center. Most of the remainder of the Prussian infantry, some 10 units of foot, would form up three ranks deep and attack the French center, supported by most of the Prussian cavalry.

Overhead shot from the French left showing the Prussians
mid-attack. Prussian grand battery on the left.

The plan worked well, although the French put up a good fight. The Prussians were pushed out of the town at least once but the French regiments in the center were too shot-up to retake the town a third time. The grand battery did some good work weakening the French regiments in the town but was not otherwise successful in inflicting damage. The real value of the grand battery was the psychological effect it had on the French left flank commander. Rodney refused to come to the aid of the French center because of the possible effect flanking fire from the grand battery would have on his infantry. As a result, Chris's center regiments died alone.

The decisive moment. Prussians advance into the town
a second time. John looks on in despair.

The embarrassingly one sided chip count at the end of the game did not reflect how well Chris's outnumbered command fought.

The Franco-Prussian battle fought that afternoon maybe discussed in a later post.

Romans Who Fight for Caesar

2018-03-27T16:54:00.001-06:00

Here is Caesar, surveying his small but enterprising army. Next up in my collection is a smallish Roman army for fighting battles in Gaul.

This army is made up almost entirely of Old Glory figures. The figures are large and a base only takes three figures comfortably. They are very pleasingly dramatic. Dead and wounded figures are mixed in with figures waiving swords or clutching pilum.

Overhead view.

I actually made two command stands due to a surplus of command figures.

Officer in the foreground is actually a Gaul.

Some Early Imperials have infiltrated the ranks. These figures were painted by my friend Eric. I can only take credit for finishing the details and basing them.

There are six more stands of Early Imperial Romans just off the painting table. No shield designs since, unlike Eric, I am simply no good at drawing on anything as small as a shield. Once the figures are sealed and matte finished, they will be added to this post.

There is a lot of barbarian cavalry available for this army. I will post them when I post the Gauls.

The figures have already seen the table top. I put on a game at a local convention a couple of years ago. The scenario found the Romans marching down a track next to a stream through a mixed forested area. The Gauls came through the forest and tried to attack and break up the Roman column. The rules were "Pulse of Battle." Under the rules, Gauls treat forest as clear terrain for purposes of movement. However, even with that advantage, they were soundly defeated. I think I need more Gauls.

My SYW Prussian Army

2018-03-20T16:36:00.001-06:00

SYW Prussians - Mostly Wargames Foundry

Just a quick note.

This is one of the oldest completed armies in my collection. This 28mm SYW Prussian army serves at the base for all of my SYW collections. The Prussians were pretty much involved in all the battles of the SYW on the continent. It would be difficult to host any battles of that war without the Prussians.

This army consists of 10 units of line infantry, 3 units of Fusiliers, 5 1/2 units of Grenadiers, 2 units of Friekorps. There is a unit of Austrian Pandors that managed to get into the picture at the front of the right hand column. Imposters.

There are 5 batteries with 29 crew. Each battery consists of two guns. The Cavalry consists of 3 units of Cuirassier and 3 units of Hussars. There are a total of 246 foot, 48 cavalry, 10 guns, 29 crew, 8 command stands, and 1 CinC stand.

The army has seen the table numerous times, though not in the last year or so.

PIQUET HAS A FACEBOOK PAGE

2018-03-13T10:24:00.000-06:00

I and the rest of the gang here in Colorado are pleased to announce that Brent Oman has started a Facebook page for Piquet.

It can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/201897673911387/

So go on over there and join.

Greg C.

Poor General Mack - An FOB2 Napoleonic Battle

2017-05-22T11:34:00.002-06:00

Two regiments of French Infantry advance -
surrounded by enemies.

It is with a heavy heart that I report the Austrians have suffered a catastrophic defeat in a recent battle at Brents remodeled war room. The gang finally managed to get together again on a fine Saturday in May and 1809 was on the menu.

The declared purpose of the meeting, play testing new campaign rules, provided the excuse for seven of us to join Brent for some wargaming mayhem. It was an 1809 Napoleonic clash "somewhere in Austria." For us Austrian commanders the battle began with a strong sense of foreboding. Our commander, no doubt qualified on the basis of his close relationship to General Mack, was only a D8.

A D8 command die is the lowest command die available in Field of Battle. Unfortunately, as we discovered at the end of the battle, a D8 command die provides a 70% that the command deck will be an Abysmal deck. We were no exception. To make matters worse, 20% of our starting command, including 1/3 of our cavalry did not show up for the battle. We had two things going for us. First, we had a high percentage of D12 brigade commanders. This meant that we should, in theory, be able to rally our shattered regiments relatively quickly, long before they flee the battlefield. Second, we had some modest terrain advantages that allowed up to deploy forward, on a ridge in the center of the board.

My Fellow Austrians working to stave off defeat.
Brent expresses disinterest.

In the photo above, you can see the ridge between the town and the Austrian front line. The town was unoccupied at the start of the battle but an Austrian brigade, led by yours truly, chose to deploy on the forward edge of the ridge, facing the French less than 12 inches away.

The French, led by Chris, lunge at my "forlorn hope" brigade.

On our right, Terry, with all of our cavalry, an infantry unit and a battery of artillery, was charged with defeating the French cavalry and protecting our flank. He was supported by a brigade of our best infantry, two units of grenadiers with a D8 defense die.

Overview of the center from the Austrian lines.
Part of the grenadiers reserve is on the right.

On the left, Eric had a brigade of infantry and a battery to harass and disrupt the flank of the French advance in the center.

Eric's command giving the Fench a hot time.

The Austrian plan to harry the flanks, while falling back steadily in the center died before it could be executed. My center, outnumbered 6 to 3 in infantry and 2 to 1 in artillery, was unable to inflict meaningful losses on the French as fell back. Terry's cavalry was quickly defeated on the right, losing both units for no losses to the French. Only Eric, with three units of foot and a single artillery battery, was able to drive back John's command on the French right.

French triumphant in the center, a single surviving
Austrian officer awaits capture.

The Austrian command did not appreciate, until the battle was over, that an abysmal command deck contains only two Officer Check cards. Any advantage we had related to the quality of our brigade commanders was quickly negated by the simple fact that we did not have enough opportunities to rally our troops (rally can only be conducted on an Officer Check card). To add insult to injury, our opponents had a skilled deck, with twice as many chances for a rally.

Let's not deprive the French of their hard fought victory, however. They managed with only an advantage of 20% in troops and a vastly superior command deck, to crush the Austrian's feeble attempt to assert their independence from French aggression.

Well played, gentlemen.

Time Travel - I give SPI's Wolfpack a Try After 30 Years

2017-03-09T17:31:00.002-07:00

Turn 14 of 15 - I am defeated. Five subs lost.
Only 10,000 tons sunk.

For most of my early life, wargaming meant board gaming, in particular, products of Simulations Publications Inc. ("SPI"). Although I had briefly played miniature games with some college students in 1974-5 while attending senior public school, I lacked the resources to accumulate and paint my own figures. In addition, I can remember the distinct feeling of anxiety displayed by the other players whenever I reached over to move my ECW units on the battlefield.

Board wargames have clear advantages over miniatures games. First, they were complete and ready to go. No need to research, buy and paint miniature armies. Second, at least in the 1970s and 1980s, opposing players were readily available. There were simulation or history clubs in junior high, high school and college. In the eighth grade, my history teacher converted our chess club into a wargame club in order to test his own wargame. We didn't always know what we were doing or even had a clear understanding of the rules, but there were few adults to tell us we were doing it wrong. In fact, they usually understood less about the games than we did.

Finally, board wargames were easy to store and transport. This should not be underestimated. People in their teens and twenties often move around quite a bit. Due to roommate marriages, school changes, and assorted girlfriend/boyfriend issues, I moved every seven months from the age of 19 to the age of 29. I was under the mistaken belief that by having women roommates, I would increase my chances of meeting women. Instead, I found out that women had a tendency to break up with or get engaged to guys and this almost always entailed moving somewhere else. One quickly learned not to accumulate a lot of things that would not easily fit in a hatchback, which in my case, was a Plymouth Horizon TC3.

At my peak, I owned approximately 300 board games, many stored at my mother's house until my move to Denver in the early 1980s. I also had extensive Airfix plastics, largely Napoleonic, WWII, and American Civil War figures from my early middle school years. They never left my mother's house and may still be there, in the cupboard above the closet in what is now my mother's sewing room.

By inclination, I was an SPI guy, not an AH guy. I only owned Africa Korps, Midway, Panzer Blitz and Blitzkrieg from the AH line. The remainder were a mix of SPI flat packs and S&T magazine games. There was a clear divide back then. We SPI gamers always felt slightly superior to the AH gamers. They needed simple rules, very abstract boards and garish counters. Our games were more varied, complex and often had cutting edge rules systems. SPI gamers did not play it safe. We were board game adventurers. We ignored the fact that many SPI games were flawed or simply poorly playtested.

My inclination today is to return to board gaming. I have dug out some of the old games, acquired some new ones, and started playing some of them solitaire. I have yet to find any local opponents. Most of my gaming companions limit their board gaming to the CinC games (Ancients, Memoir 44, etc...). These games have a distinct miniatures feel to them and they are easily played in an afternoon. They are not particulary complex games to learn. It could be that I have waited too long to return to board gaming and there simply no local opponents who can make the time commitment to learn and play an old SPI game. Fortunately, there is always Vassal.

A Useful Random Wargame Buzzword Generator

2017-02-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

For the next time you want to join in the discussion at the wargame club, try the Buzzword Generator:

BUZZWORD GENERATOR

No thanks are necessary.

GMC

Some Photos of 28mm Wargames Foundry Italian Renaissance Foot and Guns

2017-02-13T15:44:00.002-07:00

I thought I would put up some photos of Wargames Foundry Italian or Swiss Renaissance infantry and artillery. This force includes 2 light guns, 2 heavy guns, 6 arquebuses, and two units of militia or city foot.

A nice little force for the next Renaissance game. Here is the cavalry. Note that one figure did not get based.

Total of 36 foot, 6 shot, 10 cavalry, 16 gun crew, 2 light guns and 2 heavy guns.

Macro Economics and World War II - A Primer from Professor Brad Delong

2017-01-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

My undergraduate degree is in economics. At the time, the University of Washington was a "monetarist" school following the University of Chicago and its great economist, Milton Friedman. Basically, if you could work the phrase "Milton Friedman is god" somewhere in your macroeconomics final, you would receive a 4.0. Milton Friedman has been somewhat discredited since those heady days of the nineteen eighties. I have personally moved well away from the monetarist school and, to the extent that I understand it, I am an avowed neo-Keynesian.

As a result of my economics background, I follow a handful of economists blogs including Paul Krugman, Tyler Cowan, and Brad Delong. Professor Delong is a Professor of Economics and Economic History at UC Berkeley and a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the US Department of the Treasury during the Clinton Administration. He describes himself as a "free trade neo-liberal" according to his wikipedia entry. If this is true then Professor Delong is part of the group that many claim gave rise to Trump in a backlash against the neo-liberal status quo.

None of this has anything to do with wargaming. However, Professor Delong recently reposted something originally posted on his blog in 2011. Call it a nice big picture view of World War II from the standpoint of an economist or, as he put it, "My Very Short Take on WWII." You can read it here:

http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/01/my-very-short-take-on-world-war-ii-hoisted-from-the-archives.html

The post makes some very interesting points. First, he argues that a number of missteps beginning in 1930s were based upon the principle of internal sovereignty first articulated in the "treaties of Muenster and Osnabrueck in 1648—the Peace of Westphalia—and the earlier peace of Augsburg in 1555 established the principle in European international law that internal affairs were nobody else’s business." In other words, if a dictator takes over Germany with the permission of the German people, then it is nobody's business but the German's. Second, due to the work of Woodrow Wilson, the Treaty of Versailles promoted the principle that people should be governed from a capital that spoke the same language as they did - the principle of linguistic groupings.

Hitler, however, was a militarist and he did not fit nicely into the post WWI diplomatic dialog. He used German's initial weakness as a pretext for a series of increasingly risky expansionist actions. Reoccupation of the Rhineland, absorption of Austria, the Sudetenland, funding a dissident faction in Slovakia and the final occupation of Czechoslovakia in 1938 were done within the principles articulated in the Treaty of Versailles. All of these actions were technically violations of the treaty, but to oppose them seemed pointless given the lack of a central european power to oppose the Soviet Union and the deep economic recession. If opposed with any determination, Hitler could probably have been stopped in his tracks but small political concessions seemed a small price to pay to avoid another slaughter in the trenches. We all know how that came out.

There are some other interesting points made in the essay. For example, in the section titled "Tactics and Operations" Delong argues that the German armed forces were simply better tactically and operationally than all of their opponents. This was true through the entire war. When Germany attacked, the allied armies had better expect to lose three, four, even five times as many men as were lost by the Germans. Even in 1944, the fate of the 106th ID demonstrated that the Germans never lost their tactical and operational edge. However, their strategic planning was crap.

Even if the Germans had any sort of competent strategic planning, Delong argues that they would still have lost the war. The German nation had an available force pool of approximately 7.5 million men. From the start of the Russian campaign to 1944, German losses in men amounted to an average of 50,000 per month. In December 1942 to January 1943, the Germans lost about 1,000,000 men. The Allied force pool outnumber the Axis by a factor of eight to one. Even when the Germans can inflict three times as many casualties on the Allies in each operation, 50,000 men lost per month used up German's armed forces very quickly.

By the end of the essay, Professor Delong has put his economist's hat back on and makes the point that Germany, even without glaring strategic errors, would have lost the war. Taking 100 as the value of the United States war production in 1944, he points out that even Britain, with a value of 19 was matching German and occupied Europe's war production of 21. Japan was producing a miniscule 3 units in 1944. Add Russia's war production of 31 to the Allied total and, in 1944, the allies were out producing the Axis by 150 to 24.

Professor Delong's essay is well illustrated with charts, tables and maps that nicely break up the text into readable chunks. It is well worth the read.

Hit them with a Sword - A Review of The Amber Road

2017-01-12T06:56:00.002-07:00

There is a type of fiction that appeals to wargamers, teenage boys, and probably tribal chieftains. It the "hero's journey", a style in which the protagonist endures a series of tests or trials, ultimately prevailing over adversity and returning home to victory or tragedy (or both). One of the earliest examples of this form was the Iliad and the Odyssey, written by Homer sometime in the 8th Century B.C.

The Amber Road is book six in a series that follows in the same tradition as the Iliad and the Odyssey. Our hero, Ballista, is sent on a mission to his homeland in Denmark. Ballista is an Angle and it is his assignment to travel from a Greek Frontier colony in the crimea, across the Ukraine, through Poland, along the German coast of the Baltic sea, to Denmark. Along the way, there is a siege, betrayal, hostile tribes, betrayal, food, fighting, sinking ships, generous natives, betrayal, a war in the north, a big battle in Northern Italy, and, of course, more betrayal followed by the death of a brother. At the end of the book, there is the obligatory hint that Ballista must return to his Roman wife and children in Sicily. The journey is over but there is another nasty journey ahead for our hero. See Book Seven.

The book was immensely enjoyable. The wealth of detail on what it may have been like living in 260 A.D. was fascinating. I never want to go there because everything is covered in mud, dirt and feces. Yet it was great to read about it. Thanks to Brent for giving me this book and allowing me waste a weekend of free time living in the 3rd Century.

First Game of the New Year - ECW in America

2017-01-08T10:58:00.002-07:00

The Royalist Command

The new year has brought the promise of more wargaming. The group managed to get together yesterday for an ECW clash using Brent's new ECW rules. This time we were testing a number of issues, including no interpenetration of units, trotters vs. gallopers, and "double shot" firepower. All in all, the rules seem to be coming together nicely.

I was able to contribute my small ECW contingent of 2 foot, a cavalry unit and a battery of guns. They are not as nicely based as those of our host, but they did not offend. The figures were painted by Eric. I can only claim credit for the pikes and the basing.

The game was a victory for Parliament and most of the credit belongs to Greg R. He brilliantly commanded our center. Terry, holding the right managed to use his heavy gun battery to great effect. My own contribution to the cause of Parliament was more modest. I commanded our cavalry and spent most of my time hoping that John's Royalist cavalry would wander into my melee range (half of a normal move segment) so that my trotters could charge. John had gallopers, which I am given to understand were much more likely to charge home.

ECW stand off. My trotters on the right.

The rules made the game move smartly forward to conclusion. Even in loss, the Royalists were positive about the rules. Chris's commander managed to catch a bullet that effectively paralyzed his command for the last third of the game.

Chris's commander is down in the background.

When he desperately needed an officer card, there were none to be found in the Royalist deck.

Parliament and Brent enjoying Chris's discomfort.

Chris was a good sport about it and, we of the loyal Parliament leadership graciously accepted the Royalist's decision to concede.

There was enough time remaining to playtest Brent's WWII squad level game but that is for another post.

Wargaming for 2017 - Less is More

2016-12-29T13:08:00.001-07:00

Soviet KV1 at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds

There are no more KV1s at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. This is a photograph taken there in the 1990s before the entire collection of WWII era armored vehicles was moved to Kansas. Included in the collection were an Italian M13, a Jagdtiger, a T34, a Somua, a Jagdpanther, and numerous artillery pieces. There were even some WWI vehicles. The Jagdtiger had a hole in the center of the back hatch which was a nice way of showing where the vehicle was vulnerable. At the time, all of the vehicles and artillery pieces were painted a light gray, probably as a result of a hazing activity for enlisted recruits.

The Lead Pile

For 2017, my hobby activities are modest. The 28mm ACW collection, some 360 strong plus artillery and cavalry, will be sold on Ebay. In fact, most of the cavalry is already gone.

There are some Italian wars 28mm figures that will be painted, including 10 light cavalry and about 20 foot. In addition the Gendarmes need their lances fixed.

The English civil war army of two foot, a battery and a cavalry unit is finished and ready to join Brent's force as he playtests his ECW rules. Therefore, I will be painting my '45 Scots Highlanders from a century later. There are somewhere around 50 of those figures. They constitute a small army that won't be any good for a battle without taking from my French foot but since the French are already painted, this will not be a problem.

Samurai should also be painted this year. There are about 40 to 50 unpainted figures in the lead pile, an acquisition from the collection of a now deceased gamer's collection. Ghoulish yes, but he has no use for them now.

The Napoleonic French will be finished. There are about 36 figures on the painting table. They are almost complete. In addition, there are half a dozen command figures to paint. In addition, I could add another 32 Russian foot to the Russian army. Given the opportunity to get some additional Russian and French cavalry cheap, specifically Cuirassiers, then I may make the first purchases for the lead pile in five years.

Flags are not my favorite part of the hobby. In fact, some of my collections have no flags at all. Therefore, this will be the year of the flag. All of my SYW, ECW, WAS figures will be flagged.

The low priority stuff in the lead pile is the same as last year. FOW early war French, German and British; Napoleonic Bavarians, 15mm Ottoman Turks and late Imperial Romans still occupy drawers in the lead pile collection. They may get some attention. I will sell off my 20mm Drew's Militia WWI British and Germans. Great figures but a terrible war for wargaming.

So for next year, I will paint approximately 150 foot and possibly another 24 cavalry.

Gaming

So 2016 was a poor year for gaming. Only played about 6 miniature games. I did play half a dozen games of Memoir '44 with Rodney and about 25 games of C & C Ancients with Chris and Rodney which was very satisfying. All three of us are getting better and better. For 2017, I plan at least 12 miniature games, six of which will use my figures. Again, no convention games this year so I hope to host games at the Colorado Military Historians and a local game store.

Hobby Activities

Once again, I vow to finish some roads and streams, in one foot segments, for the battlefield. It is really not acceptable to keep using colored felt. The figures are worth a fortune, they deserve better. I am also going to invest in a new ground cloth, maybe two. I was in a sewing and craft store the other day (with my girlfriend, not by myself) and came across a large selection of affordable felt that would be perfect for green or brown ground battlefields.

That is about it for 2017.

2016 Wargaming Year in Review

2016-12-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

Thing one - Gracie

Another quiet year for wargaming. Far fewer games, far fewer events and even far fewer painting sessions. Brent worked on finishing his home remodeling project so the first half of the year was a virtual desert for wargaming with the group. In addition, a sort of wargaming fatigue has set in, especially for the last six months of the year. Maybe I have reached the limit of wargaming for a while.

In February, Valerie sold her town home and moved in with me. This was a plan she announced in June, 2015 but it took a while to get her daughter settled in a new place before joining me. Living with someone, unlike merely having a roommate, takes some time to get accustomed to. Among her possessions were two cats, Gracie and Tazzie or, as I like to think of them, Thing One and Thing Two. As anyone will tell you, pets have their own needs and wants and one must modify one's conduct to accommodate them.

Thing one is an older grey female who likes nothing better than to play "string" as often as she can. In fact, she will spend hours sitting in the living room by the string, waiting for a human to come by and make it move. She is not a particularly brave cat, preferring to stay indoors most of the time.

Thing Two - Tazzie

Thing two is a younger, but still middle aged, cat with a more adventurous spirit. She prefers to go outside, even on colder days. Thing two will also get into serious fights with the tom cat living next door. That cat, Estes, has indicated that our property is part of his territory. Thing two disagrees. This fundamental difference of opinion has created situations in which I must separate them using the liberal application of water from a spray bottle. Long ago, I was taught never to separate two fighting cats by hand.

What does this mean for my wargaming activities? It means less painting time because sometimes cats are more fun than painting. With that said, on to the summary of my year in wargaming.

The Lead Pile

Again, there were no new purchases. For almost 6 months, I made no attempt to paint anything. Yet, I am pleased with what I accomplished so far. In fact, the bottom of the lead pile may be visible soon. Last year, I pledged to paint at least 133 foot and 26 cavalry. In fact, 124 foot, 40 cavalry, 2 guns, 8 crew and 1 commander have been completed. Almost all of the figures were WSS and SYW. The only exception were 16 Napoleonic Bohemian Landwehr. In addition, I based and finished 16 ECW pikemen.

Although I did not paint many of the figures specifically identified last year, including the Napoleonic Bavarians, the '45 scots, late imperial romans, almost all of the 18th century figures have been painted. There are 36 Perry French Napoleonic foot on the table that should be finished by the new year.

Gaming

This year was another disappointment for gaming activities. Brent's house was unavailable until August so no gaming there for most of the year. I did not put on any games at Gengiscon this year. The new owners are still charging for hosting games and that continues to irritate me. In addition, they moved Tacticon to Colorado Springs. It has always been a more lightly attended convention and it just wasn't worth the drive. Reports from other gamers indicate that there were almost no historical games presented at Tacticon. Actual report was that a total of three games were put on and I know all three umpires personally.

In August and again in November, Brent hosted two "double feature" gaming days. We played two games each day. The November meet included a SYW game using Eric's French and Allied armies. We were floored by the number of figures he was able to put on the table. You can see reports of the game on this blog and on Brent's blog.

Since I was able to play on a few games, the search continues for other gaming groups and gaming opportunities.

Other Hobby Activities

The theme for this year will be reduction, consolidation and simplification. Last year, I decided to sell my American Civil War armies and that process is ongoing. I have not done much work on my terrain collection despite a commitment to do so last year. Roads and rivers still have not been completed.

Three GW 40K armies, three GW Warmaster armies, two 15mm Napoleonic armies, and one 15mm SYW army have passed out of my collection over the years. Now, with Valerie living with me, I have taken a hard look at the remaining collections and decided that more will have to go. More of that in my next post.

A Seven Years War Battle

2016-12-11T17:11:00.003-07:00

French center

The second battle at Brent's wargame house last weekend was a Seven Years War game. This time, except for a modest contribution of six cavalry units from me, all the figures supplied were painted by Eric. I don't think any of us knew that Eric had completed a couple of hundred French, British and allied SYW figures.

Like all of us, Eric wanted to use as many of his figures in battle as possible. As a result, this was a large battle. There were in excess of fifty units on the table.

Allied army in three lines.

This time Eric sat out the battle with our host, Brent. I played the Allied right flank and center infantry line. We lost.

The Allied center advances on the French heavy guns.

Generally, although Terry managed to crush the French right flank cavalry, neither John nor I were able to make much impression on the remainder of the battlefield. On the right, I boldly advanced with 5 units of cavalry against Greg R.'s four. Unfortunately, I was completely unable to roll a successful pursuit roll. An untimely command failure insured I was not even able to crush a seriously wounded French cavalry unit on the edge of the board.

Greg R. gestures as my shattered survivors fall back.

I fell back with one surviving cavalry unit. Greg R. still had three out of his initial 4 cavalry units. My advance in the center also fell back after only inflicting a single unit loss on Rodney's command.

Another view of my shattered command. I started with
five cavalry units.

It was a fun game but ultimately a clear French victory, despite the fact that we outnumbered them by at least 3 units of foot and 1 unit of cavalry. Eric was pleased with the opportunity to get all of his SYW figures on the table. There is no date for the next game but we are all looking forward to a rematch.

A Little ECW Bash

2016-12-08T15:47:00.000-07:00

Some glorious Old Glory ECW figs Painted by Brent Oman

We finally got another couple of games completed at Brent's house. The guys had a great time and it was generally agreed that we need to do this more often.

The first game was a smallish ECW game. There were about 8 units of foot and 4 or 5 cavalry figures on each side.

It was difficult to ascertain who won, partly because I was only observing. It was quite a brawl with both sides throwing units into the center while the cavalry worked to annihilate their opponents with extreme prejudice. I was trying to read "Honours of War" by Keith Flint and follow the game at the same time. I did not learn much about this rule set and I did not learn much about the game. Here are some more photos.

The brawl in the center.

All of the ECW figures were painted by Brent and I believe they are all Old Glory figures.

The Royalists - Chris, Rodney and John

Parliament - Greg, Eric and Terry

This is a brief posting. I may post the second game later in the week. As for Osprey's "Honours of War", we shall have to see. I may give the rules a try, probably with Eric and Rodney. Brent is not known for playing other people's rule sets and John and Terry live very far away.

Keep gaming out there.

Pulse of Battle Double Clash Part I - Romans v Greeks

2016-10-06T16:24:00.002-06:00

Greg and John leading the Greeks. Romans in the foreground.

It finally happened. Brent put on a couple of games at his wargaming den of iniquity. Almost thirteen months have passed since the last battle of toy soldier carnage took place but we look forward to more games in Brent's basement because the house remodel is complete.

The house looks fantastic. From the remodeled stairways to the completely remodeled kitchen, the home looks like it was done professionally. Even the wargame figure painting area in the basement received new granite countertop and brand new cabinets. Brent talents go well beyond crafting fun, playable wargame rules.

Starting at 11:00 a.m. and finishing at 9:00 p.m. gave us the opportunity to play two games. The first was a game between the Three Kingdoms and another chinese army. Terry supplied the figures and the scenario. I will discuss that battle in the next post.

The second battle was a fight between Punic War era Romans and Macedonian Greeks.

Overview of the battle after the first Roman movement segment.
Note the elephants between the ranks of the phalanx.

The battle was based loosely upon the Battle of Magnesia, a clash that involved the deployment of a Macedonian phalanx with elephants interspersed between the files. Adjustments had to be made to the rules to allow phalanx units comprising only two units instead of three. The Macedonians also had a unit of scythed chariots on their left flank, a first for our gaming group. Just like in real life, the scythed chariots proved to be a disappointment but they were "dramatic."

Greeks spring into action.

The battle started out with the Romans advancing aggressively in the center and on their right. Skirmishers deployed forward to disrupt the Macedonian pike, the right flank cavalry and infantry began the delicate maneuvering necessary to overcome the scythed chariots and their supporting cavalry on the Greek left. On the Roman left, Chris was outnumbered by Greg's cavalry, light infantry and supporting medium infantry. He wisely choose to advance with caution, securing the left flank of the Roman line on the river.

Romans are driven back.

Although the Romans were able to overcome the scythed chariots on the right, the center - under the command of yours truly - was having a difficult time containing the Greek phalanx and elephant combination in front of them. Luck was with the legions in the center, however. Even with a d8 leader, they were able to rally their units with minimal losses. Suddenly the Greeks were losing pike units.

View from the Roman right before Rodney's command
was driven back and destroyed. Chris on the left.

Then the Roman left, skillfully lead by Terry, was able to crush Rodney's scythed chariot, cavalry, infantry group. Terry began moving his infantry to the Macedonian camp and behind the remaining Macedonian heavy infantry in the center. At the same time, the Roman center killed an elephant, along with three of the phalanx units.

It turns out that a virtue can also be a curse. In Pulse of Battle, individual units in a phalanx are never forced to retreat in combat. When an adverse retreat occurs, the combat simply ends. However, the Romans must retreat on an adverse result. This gives them the opportunity to reform or to allow a fresh unit to move through and attach again. Roman attacks went against only one unit in the phalanx, so it was possible to get enough hits to destroy a phalanx unit in the middle of the formation.

Things were going well for the Romans. The Macedonians were not only out of chips, they had given 23 chips to their enemy. We were so sure of victory that one Roman commander asked what would happened if the Macedonians ran out of destroyed chips to give us. Oh, the arrogance.

Disaster strikes the Roman left. Chris dies. The
Macedonians advance.

Then Chris died. Actually, Chris didn't die but his commander on the table failed to dodge an errant javelin. Suddenly, his command was disordered, unable to move and leaderless. No problem, right? Just hang on long enough for another leader card and then roll up a new command, get the troops back in shape and return to the assault. Except no leader card arrived. Greg mopped up Chris's units one by one until he was down to a single routed unit clinging to the board edge. Greg single handedly reduced the Roman chip surplus from 23 to zero. Greg began to send units into the flank of the Roman center.

The final view.

There was nothing stopping the Macedonians now. Their left was destroyed but the center had enough surviving units to hold the Roman center in place. Terry, commanding the victorious Roman right flank was too far way to save the day.

Then the Macedonians drew their second army moral card and it was over. The Romans turned a massive victory into a bare draw. Too exhausted to pursue, the Romans watched with relief as the blooded survivors of the Macedonian army withdrew from the field.

The battle was great fun. Big thanks to Brent, Rodney, Chris, Eric, Greg, and Terry for a tremendously exciting game. Special thanks to Brent and Eric for supplying all of the wonderful and well painted Old Glory, Foundry, and Aventine figures. Finally, thanks again to Brent for hosting the event.

Small Wars in Small Spaces - Neil Thomas' One Hour Wargames

2016-08-30T07:07:00.001-06:00

Who is Neil Thomas? He is the author of at least four books on wargames. He might be a current or former Reader in German at the University of Dunham in the UK. However, the evidence is weak and based on another book that is attributed to him by Amazon. One book reviewer, John Curry, indicates that Neil Thomas is a historian. Neil Thomas' father types his manuscripts and is given credit for his labor in the acknowledgements of at least two of Neil Thomas' books. Neil Thomas may be very busy. He may live in a small flat in London. He may not have much storage space for miniatures. We may never know.

One-Hour Wargames follows in the tradition of authors such as Charles Sweet, Donald Featherstone, Charles Grant, Stuart Asquith and Tony Bath. It contains background information, simple maps, a system of generating army orders of battle and no less than 9 separate rule sets and 30 separate scenarios.

In fact there is only one rule set and it is four pages long. In each time period, the rules are adjusted to reflect changes in unit types, terrain effects, and weapons. The different time periods (rule sets) are Ancient, Dark Age, Medieval, Pike and Shot, Horse and Musket, Rifle and Sabre, American Civil War, Machine Age (WWI), and Second World War.

The rules are a model of brevity, so simple that they are easier to learn than DBA. For those of you with young children or grandchildren who show any interest in toy soldiers, these rules are a must have. For the more experienced gamer, the rules and scenarios force the wargamer to think about core principles associated with wargaming without getting all tangled up in minutia. The scenarios force the wargamer to think of scenarios in terms of tactical problems in the tradition of Charles Grant's "Scenarios for Wargamers."

The book contains an extensive appendix of wargaming resources, including figure manufacturers, books on wargaming various historical periods, magazines and non-wargaming works of history. This is very useful for the new wargamer but obviously the grognard will find that it repeats information he already knows.

I recommend the book. At 180 pages, it is not a long read. For the grognard who began wargaming some time in the middle of the twentieth century, it is a pleasant stroll through wargaming as it was. For the youngster with an interest in Dad's strange hobby, it is an introduction to a potential lifetime of reading history and painting toy soldiers.

Colorado Military Historians - Still Going Strong

2016-08-15T07:26:00.002-06:00

Greg R. (foreground) ponders his next move in a DBA battle
while Bill D. (standing) hosts a WWI trench game.

It occurred to me on Sunday that it was a privilege to be a member of the Colorado Military Historians for 20 years. It may be time to rejoin.

There were a variety of games presented, including a science fiction game hosted by two young players using a new set of rules from Osprey publishing. The boys could not have been older that 14 or so.

There were even some small changes in outlook by some of the regulars. Terry S. had painted a 15mm fantasy army for Hordes of the Things, the fantasy DBA rule set. I have 4 Epic Warhammer 40K (the discontinued 6mm game from Games Workshop) in my collection so I can't really complain. But it was jarring to see a fantasy army among the "unit of the month" submissions at the club. Back in my day, you would not have seen such a thing. We were a historical miniatures club, by god...

Jim, Larry and Matt practice for the upcoming DBA
Tournament against the Colorado Springs guys.

DBA 3.0 continues to be a favorite at the CMH. They have an annual competition with a club in Colorado Springs with each side alternately hosting the tournament. My own armies have rested in their tubs for about five years. Perhaps, one day, they will take to the field again when I finally spring for the new rules.

A DBA 3.0 game in progress - Hussites v Medieval Knights.

About 30% of those present were new faces to me. That was gratifying. The club will survive the continuing aging of the old guard.

Ed M. in a thoughtful mood. Eric E. (standing in profile)
watching a 10mm ACW game hosted by hosted by John M.
(not pictured).

As usual when we get together, Ed and I talked a little bit about politics. It was an interesting discussion, though I am generally more liberal that most of the club members. We are both disappointed with the state of things these days.

One of the "new guys", name unknown, sitting next to Doug.

I brought Memoir '44 and played three games with Jeff L. No pictures because I was battling for my life. We played a three game set. The final score was 7-1, 4-6, and 6-5. I won two out of three games but only just. The first game was Soviets vs Germans, Operation Typhoon. Jeff insisted on playing the Soviets. They are a real a challenge for first time players but I could not persuade him to change his mind. He rapidly learned the game, however, and the last game was very close.

It was a very satisfying visit. Maybe it is time to rejoin the club.