New Year 2023/2024

 Happy New Year!

I didn't write one of these last year (because, frankly, 2022 felt like a horrible year), but lets try to get back into things, 2023 felt like the year when I got the painting mojo back. Two projects got finished after way too long, and a third one was both begun and finished.

First up, my SAGA Carthaginians finally got to a playable state.

Since they're SAGA Carthaginians, they can do with some more figures, but this has given me a taste of what I might want, so they will be expanded... eventually.

And then, I could finally reveal my major project, Napoleonic British

Just the first (well, 2nd) Brigade, for now, but there should be more coming there. Also, eventually (I think part of what made 2022 so bad, was that I painted a lot of these, which I then didn't want to reveal... and also, those red coats are a pain)

And then, the hobby gods smiled at me, and I both started, and finished, the "Anglo-Danes" that I bought for 2022... that ended up as a shit-ton of Anglo-Saxons instead.

That was a good feeling, getting all those done in more or less one go. They're not quite finished (I have ideas for another 36 figures), but they do quite good enough for now.

Of course, these weren't everything I got painted, only the biggest projects. There were also a variety of Vikings

(A few hearthguards, a banner bearer, some Levy with Javelins, and a hero).

Also, some Wargames Atlantic Conquistadors (very colorful fellows)...

...as well as a few Azteks for them to fight and/or ally with.

(None of them are intended for strictly historical purposes, for now they'll make a good warband for Frostgrave: Ghost Archipelago if that ever picks up at the club again)

In more Frostgrave-related stuff, there were some big, fuzzy fellows.

(The club has started a Wildwoods campaign, and I felt a hankering for some thing pre-historic)

And I even got a piece of terrain done!

(Yes, it IS huge)

Because I'm slightly masochistic (it seems), I also painted up some Highlanders, for those napoleonics (my, so far, single ahistorical addition, other than these, I'm sticking to the officila OrBat for 3rd Division in 1812)

Gordon Highlanders. Half a battalion as I do them. So I need to paint another 20 sooner or later... (I jest a bit, I'm not that traumatized, even if these fine fellows took me 2 months).

And in a sudden christmas rush, I started 10 English 1400s Men-at-Arms on Christmas Day. And got them finished in time for New Year

I don't know quite how it happened, but I certainly aint complaining.

Add in a variety of one-offs, random adventurers, some more monsters, and some smaller expansions for old armies, and I end the year on 

• 244 approximately human-sized figures
  
• 25 cavalry (or about that size)
• 5 bigger beastie (or things on bigger bases, at least, including the fuzzies up above)
• 1 Piece of Terrain
• 3 Saga Objectives

Not bad at all, if I say so myself.

For next year, I'll set a two-part goal. The most important one, that I think I have a chance of fulfilling, is to simply paint at least 240 minis in total (averaging 20/month). If I keep going like I've done this year, it should definitely be doable. Especially considering some of the projects I have in mind.

What are those projects, then?

Well, 4 different SAGA warbands (one of which I've already started)

• English for Age of Chivalry (that's those Men-at-Arms above, as well as some more, and lots of longbowmen), which will also do double duty for Blood & Crowns (I do so love when one project gives more than one army in the end
• French, also for Age of Chivalry, as well as Blood & Crowns. I have a few already painted, an old project that petered out into nothing.
• Undead Legion, for Age of Magic. I accidentally painted up 3 zombies in 2023, and got a hankering for more... also, I have some excellent Necromancers, creatures, and a dragon that I now have an excuse to paint and use
• Normans, for Age of Vikings, doing extra duty as either Spanish or Crusaders for Age of Crusades. I already have Normans, but with the new Victrix releases, I feel a need to redo these. And while I'm at it, I might as well do them more Italo-Norman, and make them suitable for a variety of uses.
• Something Napoleonic. Either a brigade of Portuguese (my initial plan), or perhaps just enough Frenchmen to have two forces for Sharp Practice, and get some actual games in with that.
  

That should give me plenty to do. And the best part is, I have pretty much everything I need for that already (unless I go with the French), so I'll even reduce the Pile of Shame!

Once more, Happy New Year

/Fool, out

Secret Project Reveal

 So, one of the reasons that I've been less active (aside from hitting that bit where I work on many projects, but few of them reach a finished stage), is that for the last 20-some months, I've been doing an additional project that I decided to keep secret until it's in a substantial stage. At first, I thought "Done", but, well, it's been almost two years already.

 Anyway. I fell down the rabbit hole that is Napoleonics (I guess it's true as they say, sooner or later any historical wargamer feels that call). I decided that if I was going to do this, I was going to do this "right". So not only did I pick a nation, I looked at battles, and orders of battle, and organisation of divisions (and went slightly mad), and organisation of regiments and battalions (and went more mad). But in the end...

Here is Campbells Brigade of the British 3rd Division, at the Battle of Salamanca in 1812. (The rest of 3rd Division to follow, time permitting). I didn't do the common "one figure equals x actual soldiers", but went with more standard unit sizes. Still, units that had more men at the battle got larger.

First up is 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment of Foot. 1st Battalion was quite new to the Peninsula in 1812, and not only full strength, but even overstrength. So that is one massive unit, all dressed up in brand spanking new uniforms.

For a change, the 5th also had their 2nd Battalion at Salamanca. Battleworn, and standard procedure was to fold in all the effective soldiers into one Battalion, and then send the rest back to Britain to recruit more, but Wellington tried to hold onto his veteran units as long as possible. At Salamanca, some sources claim that 2/5th was as low as 2-300 men (for comparison, more normal was 6-700, and 1/5th had over 1000), so I didn't need as many of these. And of course, they can be folded in with 1/5th, or divided up more evenly, if ever there's a need.

Next up is the 94th Regiment of Foot. Nothing to remark on here, a solid regiment that were apparently long in the Peninsula and did good service, but nothing that stands out (although Campbell, who's in charge of this brigade, is also the Colonel for the 94th, having to do double duty). Since they were so long in the Peninsula, I decided to paint them with brown, civilian pants acquired locally, as the white uniform pants were apparently prone to wearing out. Still, most of them have more or less similar pants, giving a nice, ordered look still.

Finally, 83rd Regiment of Foot. Another regiment that was strictly too small (of a similar size to 2/5th), but Wellington kept on because Veteran troops were rare and punched above their weight.

Of course, you can't not have some Royal Artillery. The gunners were never plentiful, but each division had a battery.

And of course, you need some officers to control this lot. Campbell (the Brigade Commander) on his horse, alone on his base, and Pakenham (Divisional Commander for the 3rd during Salamanca), with an adjutant.

My basing for the infantry is, if I dare say so myself, ingenious. Each figure is based on a 19mm round base, and 4 figures can then be put in a 40mm x 40mm sabot block to form up. This lets me have larger blocks for moving around in line, but also individual figures for skirmishing when needed.

For unit sizes, I went with 28 for small units (although 2/5th and 83rd should probably be even smaller... ah, well, there's always the option of not fielding them all), 40 for "normal" units (only the 94th so far, but 1st Brigade will have more of these), and 50-some for 1/5th, that is known to be over-size. This might seem odd (I think certain well-known games for this era suggests either 36 or 24 as "standard size"), but there's a method to this madness.

British doctrine was to release the Light Company of each battalion to form a skirmish line, usually coordinated in a Combined Light Battalion. So pick out these (4 per battalion as I've modelled it), add on some commander (and extra loose fellows from the 5th)...

... and that gives about half of a battalion of various Light Companies (the other half to be filled out when Wallaces Brigade gets done).

Talking about skirmish lines... While they were technically part of Wallaces Brigade, 3rd Division had three companies from 5th Battalion, 60th Regiment of Foot, the forerunners of the famous 95th Rifles. I've painted up what would be one company of these (and a Sergeant to lead them). Of course, since they're dedicated skirmishers, they've got slightly different bases, but same principle as the line infantry, only 3 to a non-square.

To begin with, I probably won't be playing any divisional games (what with having less than a divison, and all), but the plethora of men from the 5th means they'd make a good force for Sharpe Practice or similar. In fact, I have enough for 6 units of Line Infantry, and either 2 Grenadiers, or 3 Light Company (quirk of the 5th, all troopers had White plumes, making Light and Grenadier troopers identical), as well as an Officer, Sergeant, and Musician for the Flank companies (Lights/Grenadiers), and 3(!) Officers, 2 Drummers, and 3 Sergeants for the Line units. Should give me enough options, especially if I expand and toss in the Rifles too.

Of course, you don't have to just use them for historicals (don't lynch me!). Some very a-historical fellows, and this will double nicely for a force in games such as Sludge (where these will serve splendidly as Arcanists, or the fellow in the middle could be a Sorcerer, or...)

So that's what I've been doing lately. Now I just need to finish Wallaces brigade. And Powers Portuguese brigade. And some cavalry. And perhaps some Highlanders... this rabbit hole is deep! (And of course, once these are nearing the finish line, I need some opposition for them).

But first, back to the Dark Ages, and some SAGA. Hopefully, that will be quicker.

/Fool, Out