From the fringes of the Empire

This is the final batch of HäT figures, and then some Italeri hussars on Zvezda horses. As mentioned before, the Grenz are actually 1806 Prussian fusiliers, and the line infantry and Insurrectio is 1805 Russians in flat-top shakos, with the big plumes cut off.

Progress report

I've had a busy weekend, working on the following items:

• a unit of six Polish Guard Lancers - completed,
• a 16-figure unit of Austrian (Hungarian) infantry - basing under construction,
• HäT 1806 Prussian artillery press-ganged as Spaniards - both the guns and crews await basing,
• a unit of Strelets Polish infantry, in the middle stages of painting.

A pair of Austrian foot units were completed earlier and should be photographed, but I think I'll wait until the Hungarians are also done.

Pikeman's Lament test game

We played a small game of Swedes vs. Poles some time ago, but I did not get around to publish pictures or my opinion about the rules, so let's do both. I only took these two photos, but as you can see, the action was pretty hot.

Or at least it was until we figured out that you have to roll Defense every damn time and causing actual casualties (and therefore morale checks) has a very marginal chance. So units can wander about the field, taking lots and lots of hits and not feeling a thing - not fun after the fifth turn of the same. 

Other than that, the game looks solid and with a bit of tweaking it might work - I would still prefer a more easy-going 'big skirmish' game, actually.

Renovation project for the summer

No pretty pictures again. It's becoming quite boring, isn't it?

Anyway, I started re-organizing the storage of all the painted (and unpainted) miniatures, and while doing so, I started thinking about repainting and rebasing my 15mm WW2 infantry. 

The idea is to put 'sections' (FoW style) on 30x40mm plasticard bases. This makes the figures more manageable when deployed en masse. Each section could have its own stat block and may become shaken, then wiped out without removing individual casualties.

I have a vague plan in mind for a quick resolution WW2 tactical wargame: the homebrew we use is quite refined, actually, so it will be a great basis for the new one.

Totally off topic, but I'll try and organize a 4-player Napoleonic game in July. The rules will most likely be Blucher - simple as rock-paper-scissors, yet engaging. All I have to do is come up with the adequate number of figures and a scenario. I've seen some very spectacular ones on the Honour forum - problem is, they require about forty units a side!

Another way towards cheapo armies.

These are the Tesco-brand wooden Jenga copies. I guess there is not much to steal about the idea of stacking wooden blocks on each other. 

Unfortunately I could not find any more, might have to scour the Tescos around the city. A single color and a sticker on top does the trick, and there's a nice aesthetic to it.

...The Attack of the Far-Eastern Spammers

Right now the comment settings on this blog are quite straightforward: anyone with a Google account may leave one. This can easily be exploited by spambots and their shady masters- they just have to make a Google account for the purpose. This is what just happened here. 

Since the time all my accounts (except, fortunately, my Google account) were broken into and abused, I am extremely cautious about this stuff (and many people should be, and they are not). The spambot came, left a bunch of comments on various old and new posts, then left. I deleted all the comments, end of the story.

On the other hand, I believe I should respect my visitors' right to express their opinion, so no harder measure will be taken (no captcha or moderation will be applied, as I find both inadequate and bothersome). Although the blog generates a lot of "ghost traffic", there is no other trouble present.

More Austrians

Here's a few more figures for the 1809 project. In the foreground, a unit of Hungarian Insurrectio foot and two Grenzer, in the back, a 24-figure battalion of regular infantry in helmets.

The French & Friends

Let me showcase a few more bods in blue: mainly French infantry, and then some Bavarian Cuirassiers.

Some Austrians

With the stuff found at the bottom of The Heap and the freshly bought box of Austrians, I was able to complete two 16-figure units, and a third, 24-figure one is in the making. I'm also thinking about updating the existing bods with a white highlight, as they might seem too dull in comparison with these brighter ones. 

Readers with better eyesight may be able to spot a cardboard building in the background, which is a not very accurate representation of the Kismegyer farmhouse, based on the single historical painting and my visitation of the site.