Looking Forward in 2015

First, I hope everyone had nice Christmas and New Year's celebrations.

For 2015, my gaming will involve both old favorites - Napoleonics, Seven Years War imagi-nations, Very British Civil War, and American War of Independence - as well as a couple of new game systems - Pulp Alley and Lion Rampant.

I'll be running a Napoleonic game at our regional gaming convention, Bayou Wars, in June.  The game will be a what-if rearguard action between Marshall Grouchy's retreating wing of the Grand Armee and  Generalleutnant von Thielmann's III Korps of the Prussian Army after the Battle of Wavre.  I'll have a test of the scenario in May.  I still have some more French infantry to paint for the test and the convention game.

Between now and then, I'll be running a SYW game pitting the forces of the Elector against those of the Emperor and King.  This will be another of the semi-linked campaign between the Electorische Armee Thüringen (Germanians and Britannians) and the Reichsarmee Oberer-Sachsen (Imperialist and Gallians).  I have some Gallian (French) troops to paint, specifically the Royal Ecossais Regiment.  I'll also be running a Very British Civil War game in my ongoing campaigning between the Royalist/BUF forces and the Anglican/Socialist forces along the border between Essex and Suffolk, northeast of London.  I think all the troops I'll need for this are already painted.

Later this month I'll introduce our group to Dave and Mila Phipps' excellent Pulp Alley rules.  We'll pit a menagerie of various Leagues in a hunt for the magical Dingus.  And probably in April, if not sooner, I'll introduce our group to Daniel Mersey's new Lion Rampant medieval rules.  They remind me a lot of the venerable Rules by Ral which our group uses already so I'm hoping for an easy transition to these rules.

And to begin 2015, I introduce a unit of British Loyalists for our American War of Independence armies.  The Royal Highland Emigrants were raised in 1775 from discharged veterans of several French and Indian War Highland regiments as well as new recruits from Highland emigrants to Canada and the American colonies.  There were two battalions raised, with the second being employed primarily in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and then the southern American Colonies.  The regiment was taken onto the British establishment as the 84th Foot.  My battalion is the Second Battalion and consists of a mix of Dixon and Old Glory figures that I acquired via eBay.  They originally were to be additional companies for my SYW imagi-nation Campbell's Highland Legion but the figures just didn't fit well with the original figures I used in the Legion.  They are mounted in six 3-figure stands per our standard organization.

This battalion will get its baptism of fire when our friend Tim C journeys from North Carolina to Mississippi to run a Carnage and Glory computer-driven game on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 19.  We've never used this computer based rule system but we are looking forward to seeing how it works with our style of play.

More later!



Some Yuletide Painting

My painting has been going slow these last several months.  I just finished a new unit for my Very British Civil War forces and am working on a new unit for my French and Indian Wars forces.

Very British Civil War

First Section of a company of the Liberty Bell Legion

 The Liberty Bell Legion was formed in the mid 1930s as an adjunct to the more progressive wing of the American Democratic Party.  Initially they were used to raise funds to ensure the election of progressive candidates to the US Congress and to state legislatures.  But when the constitutional crisis broke in Great Britain and the Fascists began to influence the British government, many members of the Liberty Bell Legion traveled to the British Isles to offer their services to oppose the Fascists in the British government.  Organized into independent companies, these volunteers quickly went to various places where more socialist Anglican forces were in control.  One place was the Anglican League command at Bury St. Edmonds, where the 1st Section of the 3rd Liberty Company soon arrived.  The rest of the company are still getting outfitted (painted) and will join them before too many days are past.  They will soon see action as the Spring campaign commences.

These figures are from Falcon (US) Miniatures' Boxer Rebellion line and are US Marine officers and enlisted.  I've had these figures for a number of years.  The impetus for this unit was a flag that Leics_Gamer posted on the Very British Civil War forum of the Liberty Volunteers from New York state.  That was quickly morphed into the Liberty Bell Legion and, as they say, the rest is history (or alternate history, rather).

Banner of the Liberty Bell Legion to be carried by every independent company

I only had enough figures to form 9-man sections instead of the 10 I wanted, so if any American readers of this post have some these Falcon Miniatures Boxer Rebellion American Marines in the advancing pose, please get in touch with me.

http://colcampbellsbazaar.blogspot.com/2013/12/looking-for-few-good-men.html  Thanks.

French and Indian War

The other figures that I am painting are some of Der Alte Fritz's incomparable Fife and Drum American Revolution militia.  My war gaming buddy Lord Sterling picked these up for me at Historicon back in July.  I finally began painting them.  Although I'm not far along, they are looking rather good.  I'll be using them for a colonial American unit fighting against the dastardly French deep in the backwoods of America.

Part of the militia unit in progress

I hope all my readers have a very nice Christmas holyday and a happy new year.

'Murican Reinforcements

The 'Murican army has just received some reinforcements to assist in its campaign to free the colonies from the Britannians.

Barber's (New Jersey) Light Infantry Battalion, composed of vintage Jack Scruby figures

Morgan's Continental Regiment, composed of a mixture of figure manufacturers

I have had the old Jacks Scruby figures I used for Barber's Battalion around for probably 30 years.  Only this month have I finally gotten them painted!  Morgan's Regiment is designed to be used as either a rifle regiment, a "mismatch uniformed" Continental regiment, or a militia regiment, as needed.  Twelve of the eighteen figures have been painted for a number of years.  This month I added another six to bring it "up to strength."

In addition to these 'Murican reinforcements, a new general has arrived from Hesse-Coburg to lead some of the Hessian units in the Britannian army.  I haven't decided on his name yet; any suggestions?

A Miniature Figurines mounted American Revolution officer painted as a Hessian

Final Painting of 2012

Yesterday I completed a small batch of disparate figures that had been sitting around my painting desk for far too long.

First some Miniature Figurines American Revolutionary War figures:

An American general, using the MiniFig General Washington figure, painted from scratch.





And a Hessian general, using the same figure.  This was a repaint of a previously painted figure that I purchased.



New figures for Bland's Dragoons (American).  I previously had inherited a unit of nine of these from my friend Doc Ord.  With the acquisition of three more, they are now part of a six stand regiment.  The newly painted figures are the officer on the front stand and two of the four figures on the back stands plus three of those four horses.  I think I did a fairly decent job of matching Doc's paint job.

And the whole regiment together.  They will be used to help oppose my British cavalry - 17th Light Dragoons, Queen's Rangers, and the Loyalist York Dragoons (an "made-up" designation).

An Old Glory Darkest Africa figure:

This is the leader from the Old Glory bearers set.  I needed a senior leader for my Zanzabari units and he seemed to fit the bill perfectly.  He is a slightly taller figure than the rest of my Zanzabari so he'll stand out as their leader.



My Chinese Back of Beyond forces needed some additional leaders so I added the Pulp Figures PYG-14 Chun King warlord command pack.

The warlord in the center and the standard bearer will lead the entire Chinese force.  The two figures on each end will join one of his warlord infantry units to replace some leader figures who are getting promoted.  The bald-headed guy in khaki will lead my German uniformed Chinese forces.  He's armed with a submachinegun and looks rather nasty so he'll be a good guy to keep them in check.  The basing details correspond to the units that are already done to which these guys will be added.

And my early 20th Century "Pulp" forces got some additional stalwarts to increase the strength of the "Knights of the Cresent Moon."



Three Tommy Gun toting "Knights" from the Brigade Games line of figures.  They'll join the ones I already have painted.



To make a fairly heavily armed band to help protect the treasures of the Near East from those ravenous "tomb raiders" who plague that part of the world.



And finally, Bob Murch's Pulp Figures of "The Sergeants Three and Gunga Din."

Those three brave and rogueish sergeants plus the bugle tooting Gunga Din.  The bases aren't completed yet but they are ready for adventures.



Georgiana Militia Co #1

The 1st company of the Georgiana Militia has been completed.  I did everything except the matte varnish sealer before I departed for Bayou Wars last week.  With my forced absence from work due to my wife's broken leg, I put the sealer on earlier this week and glued them to their bases yesterday.  The bases were painted earlier today.

Here are all 18 of them.  This company is primarily in lighter browns and tans.  The 2nd company will be in darker colors.  They are being outfitted at the present.

The company commander, drummer, and six militiamen.

The other ten militiamen in a rough firing line.

These are RSM95 American Revolution militia that I got as a pack of 36 figures, thus the unit size of 18 (or 1/2 the pack).  These figures have minimum equipment as befits a militia organization - basically each man provides his own weapon and accoutrements.

They will join in the first engagement of my upcoming mini-campaign against the Ibernians and Gallians along the coast of the Capitania General de Florida next month.

P.S.  Thanks to all for your kind thoughts and well-wishes.