Militia Reinforcements!

A Look at LOD Militia

In the last iteration of this blog, I discussed the figures produced by LOD (see link from previous post), focusing on the Continental Light Infantry. Today I would like to take a look at their Militia.
As far as I know, only two manufacturers produce figures specifically as militia: LOD (which we'll look at today) and IMEX, (which I will do if there is any interest).

Some of the IMEX militia can be seen in action in my posts from Huzzah! 2019 this past May. Both lines look sufficiently militia like, although their dress favors the Northern Colonies as they are for the most part too heavily clothed for the Deep South.

Like the Light Infantry, their animation is top notch. As I stated in the previous post, if you are one who wants a unit all looking the same, be prepared to buy several bags! If you are in to small unit actions, these are the figures you would want! Not only are the poses well-executed, but the facial expressions add to their quality. Several of these guys I would not want to meet in a dark alley! (Metaphorically speaking, of course).

The plastic used is a semi-hard material, more rigid that either IMEX or AIP (Armies in Plastic), and as such require very little prep prior to priming and painting. On occasion, I have found mold release lines that just have to be removed, but for the most part, these are cleanly molded figures. I would also add that it would be a good idea to anneal the plastic to reduce the inevitable curves found most plastic figures (bent musket anyone?). Heating them in very hot water and then allowing them to cool slowly should help. An electric hair dryer might also be useful instead. After priming with your favorite compatible primer, just paint them as you normally would. A protective coat of matte or gloss varnish, depending on your preference should be the last step.

Below are a few of the pictures (including a couple of Continentals which I get into next time)

 This one above shows 7 of the 8 poses included (a kneeling and firing militiaman is the eighth. The middle one is a closer view of my three favorite poses. Finally, the below photo shows two of the Continentals, not my best photo work, but you get the idea.

With Christmas and New Years just around the corner, this will be the last post for 2019. May you and yours have a wonderful holiday. Maybe, just maybe, 2020 will see the peace and hope this season promises!

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A New (for me) Source of Figures

Build an Army (Part 7)

Ah, November... it was a cruel and trying month! After a relatively "comfortable" start, which allowed a few more rounds of golf to be had, it reverted to its usual form here in New England: rain, clouds, more rain, cold, an odd flurry, and rain. Now we are close to the seasonal holidays and the beginning of a new year, along with the snow, sleet, and other meteorological manifestations of winter here in New England.

However, it is as good a reason as any to resume painting more figures, and searching for new sources. For those of you who have been polite enough to read my musings over the last year or so, you will know that the American War of Independence (AWI) is perhaps my favorite gaming period. For those who have known me a bit longer, you know my preference for "old school" rules, such as Charge!

I am happy to say I have discovered a new (at least to me) manufacturer of simply superb 54 mm figures: LOD Enterprises (link.)

The figures may be purchased directly from the manufacturer or from your local source of toy soldiers. They come sixteen figures to a bag, with eight different poses. The cost is about $25.00 a bag plus but I must also add, that the service by LOD is exceptional.

Currently the range has American Line, Light, and Militia infantry as well as British has Line, Light, and Grenadiers. They are made of a semi-hard plastic that takes paint very well. They are however somewhat less flexible that AIP, HaT, and IMEX. So be careful when straightening the inevitable curve gun barrels. Heating them in very hot water should help here.

American Light Infantry

Some of the more animated poses!

What struck me most about these figures is the animation they show. If you
are a stickler for all the same pose in your units, be prepared to buy several bags of each. On the other hand, if you like your figures to look like they're in a rugby scrum, they're perfect!

In the next posting, I'll cover the rest of the American/Continental forces, and then the Brits a bit later.

Winter Quarters...Almost

It is hard to believe it's been six months since I last posted anything. I must confess it has been a busy summer and early fall with several trips both here and abroad, the most notable a two-week cruise in the Mediterranean: Malta, Rhodes, Crete, Sicily, Greece, Italy, and several Greek islands. As interesting as they were, it was tiring: my fitness tracker indicated that we walked nearly forty miles (mostly uphill both ways, it seemed) over the course of the 12 days. 

I also have seen and learned more about Venetian and Maltese fortifications, as well as ancient ruins,  then I could possibly imagine (or care). Our guides were very knowledgeable, albeit a bit pedantic. Here's a picture taken in Malta:

Well, golf season is also winding down, Halloween is around the corner, closely followed by Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, and perhaps one or two I have forgotten. So, we retreat to the hobby room; there are Saxons, Franconians, Swabians, and a host of others to paint, base, and organize.

As I mentioned in my last post, the old idea of a mythical campaign based on the equally mythical War of Franconian Succession (very loosely based on the actual, and mostly forgotten, War of Bavarian Succession), reappeared. The most daunting task was the rules. I've done a number of games using the classic Charge! rules, but the large numbers of figures per unit was a bit daunting.

Enter another set I've used, designed for 54's, called All the King's Men by Ken Cliffe. Unfortunately, he is no longer in business, but there is still a Facebook page, so perhaps copies can still be obtained. They are fast moving, with lots of dice, and a lot of fun. Since the units are usually 8 to 14 figures, the painting aspect is more manageable. Indeed, as the Franconians (and Hessians) wore a Prussian style uniform, a simple change in the unit standard will suffice. So, I can say with some assurance, the Franconian army is pretty much complete.

Aux drapeaux, mes brave soldats! La gloire sera la notre!

New Projects from Old Ideas

The Wars of Franconian Succession

In an earlier post I mentioned in passing an "Imaginations" project I called the War of Franconian Succession. Originally inspired by Henry Hyde's War of Faltenian Succession, it began a chain of events that led me to this point. Several years ago, I found my interest revived of using 54 mm figures for war gaming with the discovery, quite by chance, of Ken Cliffe's All the King's Men website. This was around 2013/2014 when the bicentennial of the War of 1812 was being hardly remembered here in the US and probably celebrated by our good friends in Canada. This led to the build up and painting of  small (about half a dozen units each) armies to try out this new interest of mine. Later, the whole project was put on indefinite hold as our club started getting very much involved with the Chain of Command WW2 rules--armies needed to be raised!

Well, after purchasing a couple of ATKM's Hessian musketeers and a unit of grenadiers, the seed was planted, only to be diverted into the American War of Independence (AWI), the subject of several posts on this blog. So what about Franconia?

Perusing my copy of John Mollo's Uniforms of the Seven Years War 1756-63 (ISBN 0-88254-444-6), now sadly out of print, I became increasing interested in the smaller states, and their Kreis regiments. Each uniform was unique but broadly defined as being in the Austrian or Prussian style. Further research using the Pengel books gave me more details, but what about standards? Easily taken care of! There is a firm in Barcelona, Spain, called Adolfo Ramos Flags, with whom I have done a great deal of business over the last few years (highly recommended both for their quality and fast service). In their listings of SYW standards, there was Franconia and flags for all three of its Kreis regiments. The uniforms were Prussian in cut, and flags were available. What's not to like? So, the War of Franconian Succession was conceived.

My first units will be Saxon (or in this case, Thuringian), along with some Franconian. I've attached a couple of pictures below showing my initial efforts (using BTW HaT's SYW Prussians). As the project moves along, I'll post more information and reports.

Perhaps next time I'll provide the imagined history of the War that Never Was, except in the wonderful world of imagination.

Saxon Fusilier Regiment Rochow

Saxon Regiment Sachsen-Gotha

Saxon Regiment Prinz Maximilian

The Battle of St. Croix: Lessons learned

Those who have been following along in this blog will know by now that I am a fan of simple rules such as Charge! In a way it has been a full circle for me. Years ago, my old friend Tom and I started out our "formal" war gaming (i.e. with rules) in high school with Jack Scruby's Fire and Charge, simple with lots of dice rolling. From there, I tried and discarded many sets of rules such as the many iterations of the WRG Ancients, Column, Line and Square (still played with a group of local gamers on a regular basis), Fire and Fury, WRG "whatever", and many more. Who knew back then that a revolution was beginning?

A wise gamer observed this past week-end (as we discussed the Charge! rules), that those who know the tactics of the era as opposed to all the rules, actually do better in the game. Think about that for a moment. Isn't that what really makes a good set of rules? The scenario was set up as a straight forward attacker/defender. With the exception of a stone wall and a artillery redoubt, the terrain was pretty much open, save for two woods, and a bridged river.

Now, like any war gamer who sets up a game, I had a pretty good idea of how I would have played it. Speed was essential for the Royalists in order for them to bring their slightly better firepower against the Federation. Perhaps more importantly a key advantage the RC had would be hand-to-hand combat. Under the rules, the Federation, about a third of whose troops were militia and/or lacking bayonets which put them at a -1 disadvantage in all melee die rolls. In the rules, such combats are relatively quick affairs with the results decided pretty much after the first (and usually only) round.

A piecemeal attack was not going to bring the Federation to defeat, but unfortunately, that's what occurred.

The highpoint of the Royalist advance

Another view of the battle

So, how do we make this a better game? The rules allow for two options regarding how the units move and deploy. For simplicity, I used the alternate move system (side a moves a brigade, then side b, and so on). The other, one with which I am well-acquainted, is written orders. Column, Line, and Square, the classic Napoleonic rule set beginning in the 1960's uses them and there are some of us left who play the game regularly. Next time, written orders, using simple graphics to show what the unit was to do.

The biggest errors on my side were making two assumptions. This was a convention game whose rules, though simple, were unfamiliar to most of the participants. A brief tutorial may not be enough. Secondly was the troop density. I had six players signed up, most of whom I did not know. How many units could they handle? Three per player was my baseline. That was now I think too many.

Ah well...everyone seemed to have a good time and enjoyed the rules. That I think is the main goal. I am happy to see it was accomplished.

The Battle of St. Croix, Part 2

The Hessians were bogged down on the Royalist right, one of the British brigades was slogging through the woods on the left. Meanwhile in the center, the British advance was slow, even tentative one might say. Casualties had been remarkably light so far on the Federation side, in part because of the Hessian gun deciding to displace and found itself in the Hessian traffic jam.

Hessian troops continue a slow advance across the bridge. the lead unit has just decided to detach a company into the woods.

An overview of the British assault in the center. Although the Federation militia behind the wall has taken serious casualties, they have been ably supported on their flanks.

The Hessian gun has displaced, only to fall behind leading units.

At this point, the Royalists were stalled and beginning to take some serious casualties. The Jagers were first to fall back, followed by the Regiment Erbprinz. The British grenadiers were still trying to get through the woods, and the 4th Foot was taking more casualties than they were inflicting. As the evening was getting late, there was a silent though mutual agreement that the Royalists had shot their bolt and further attacks would be futile. 

So, darkness fell on St. Croix, both sides too exhausted to continue the fight...at least until next time.

In my next installment, I talk about the rules, and lessons learned.

The Battle of St. Croix, Part 1

Following an increase in tensions between the Royalist Coalition (RC) and the newly formed Federation of United Provinces (FUP), both sides began preparations for a prolonged campaign to determine, once and for all, what nation/coalition would dominate the northeastern lands and islands of North America.

Skirmishes became more frequent as raid and counter-raid, escalated into small engagements between regular forces (see the 22 June 2018 posting on this blog). Now, having forced the British contingent of the RC to cede a critical crossing point to the Federation's advance guard, the Federation decided to push forward, and in doing so, breach the St. Croix River Line. The Coalition forces stole a march and caught the right wing of the invading Federation troops, who forewarned by superior intelligence (or more likely a few well-placed gold coins), formed their line and waited.

Meanwhile, the Royalist forces began their deployment, hampered by the need for the Hessian brigade on the RC's left to cross a small tributary of the St. Croix River. This would turn out to have more than a few consequences.  The right and most of the center was covered by a strong British division of two brigades. Speed and audacity would be needed for enough pressure to be brought on the Federation to give time for the Hessians to make themselves felt.

The contest was about to begin!
For reasons unknown to this observer, things began to go wrong for the RC almost at once.
The right hand brigade of the British advanced slowly, moving through the small woods on the right. In the center, a desultory skirmish fire by the British Lights and Hessian Jagers proved ineffective. An opportunity arose to bring a critical wall manned only by militia under fire, whether missed or squandered will forever be unknown. Likewise the advance in the center slowed, and indecision seemed the culprit. The lead Hessian elements sought the perceived safety of the small woods just across the river, but the irregular ground and tangled brush slowed them to a crawl. Units began to back up. A crisis loomed... and the Americans of the Federation just waited...