The Imagi-Nation Project

In November 2008, I attended the MilleniumCon convention in Round Rock, TX (north of Austin) and participated in the Big Battalions in Texas Seven Years War battle using Bill Protz's Batailles de l'Ancien Regime (BAR) rules.  It was a lot of fun.  I got to bring some of my imagi-nation troops and commanded part of them in battle against the rules author.  Ever since I've wanted to participate in another "big battle" but wasn't able to fit any of them into my schedule even though I ran a couple of small games for my wargames group last year.  But after inventorying all my various boxes of unpainted SYW lead I've come to the conclusion that I might have enough infantry and artillery to form a core of an order of battle for a "big battalions" game at our regional convention, Bayou Wars.  Now I don't have enough painted for the convention this summer, but might have enough for 2012.

So that's my project -- paint enough of my own troops to form a core around which other gamers can contribute their own forces to conduct an imagi-nation game in Germania (AK Germany) that would pit a Britanno-Germanian army against a Gallo-Imperium army using a scenario based on the 24 June 1762 Battle of Wilhelmsthal.  The "official" announcement will be after the 2011 Bayou Wars convention when I'll be able to measure tables and get approval from the Bayou Wars Board of Directors for the game.

And the challenge will be to hold to a schedule of 24 infantry or 12 cavalry or their equivalent per week. Can I do it?  Or will I get painter's burn-out?  Only time will tell, stay tuned to periodic reports.

The schedule begins with completing my French and Indian War figures first (thankfully some will be used for the 2012 battle), which will occupy me through the end of January 2011.  I'll begin the main drive the first of February 2011 with completion aimed at the end of March 2012.  An audacious plan but one that I believe I can accomplish.

Now back to the paintbrush.