Winds of Change: A New Direction (well almost!)

 When I started this blog back in the days before COVID, I wanted to celebrate and acknowledge the toy soldiers of my past and the changes that occurred as I changed from boy to man, and man to elderly gentleman. I started this with the intent also of pushing the variety and potential of the newer, more recent offerings in plastic 54's as they related to the American War of Independence (AWI). That was soon followed, off and on, with the War of 1812, the Seven Years War ("Franconian Succession" in my world), and on one occasion, World War Two in the Pacific (my Dad being a veteran whose war started at Guadalcanal and ended in the Philippines, including a number of months in New Guinea).

My preferences for gaming have also changed. I still enjoy painting and playing with 54's, but increasingly find myself returning to my wargaming roots and the revolution brought about by the introduction of Airfix OO/HO figures (and successors), AHM/Roco Mini-Tanks, and the incomparable Don Featherstone. Along the way, I met, mentored, and learned from other more experienced gamers like Dick Bryant and the late Leo Cronin. Having one of my oldest and closest friends sharing the same interests certainly helped. Thanks, Tom!

While this might read like a farewell at this point, I assure you it is not. But my focus is going to expand. While I enjoy painting and playing with 54's, the old Siren of 20mm (well 23mm, actually) has beckoned once more as I recently discovered a set of rules from Great Britain called Rapid Fire Reloaded! (RFR!) (https://www.rapid-fire.uk.com). This small, A5 booklet of less than 20 pages has provided me with an alternative to the current sets we use at my club, Old Colony Wargamers, namely Chain of Command and Command Decision. 

Chain of Command by Too Fat Lardies is primarily a skirmish game pitting basically platoons verses platoons with some limited support. While an enjoyable set of rules, all too often our games devolve into almost Napoleonic firefights as both sides seem to line up and blast the other. While I have often tried to influence the players in the virtues of fire and movement and fire and maneuver all for nought.

Command Decision on the other hand is more of a grand tactical game where battalions, brigades, and even divisions can maneuver and fight. This is more the level I am looking for but (always a but...) the scale we most often use is 1/285 micro-armor. At my age, even with my reading glasses, I can barely tell what unit is on the stand. Some things (like eyesight) really don't get better with age.

RFR is for me a good compromise. It was also cheap in terms of figures as I have literally bags of 23mm Airfix, ESCI, and other plastic figures, going back in some cases 40+ years or more. Many were already painted is acceptable style. A little touch up, a few newly painted ones, and I was in business. I've played a couple of solo games, along with two at my club, and I think they show promise.

So this is a new direction: plastic is still in, but the 54's will now share space with the 20/23's. To me the rules are new enough to be exciting and the re-creation of the belligerents of WW2 and their unique organizations has rekindled a new-old  interest in me. More next time!