Black Powder

On June 9, our group is going to try Black Powder.  Now, we have almost no figures for this, save for one battalion.

This was what I had previously based as 2 battalions.  It is now one battalion for Black Powder.

To be able to play, we lucky enough to have a graphic artist who not only has a great game room, but lots of skills as well.  He is making foamcore counters to use for the troops until I get more stuff painted.

I have been reading the rules, and we hope to be able to run a small game for our first try.

I have decided that in the future the Prussians I buy from Front Rank will be the ones without field equipment.  That will make them easier to paint.

I am planning a battle report after the game.

Change in Direction

My original intent with the Seven Years War figures was to base them individually, with the intent of playing the old Charge rules.  I have changed my mind.

I have decided to base the figures for Black Powder, and double the size of the battalions.  That means the Prussian Regiment I painted is now one battalion of 24 figures.  More painting for me, but its going fairly fast and perhaps I can persuade some of my gaming group into painting some 7YW.

I also can play Die Fighting with this basing, which gives me another option for rules.

So, I need buy a lot more figures, not a terribly bad thing. 

My Seven Years War project

My goal for the the 7YW figures is to have a small force for each side that I can use to put on a game.  Each side will have 2 regiments of 2 battalions, each batallion with 12 figures.  In addition, each 2 regiments will have a converged grenadier battalion of 12 figures.

Each side will have 2 medium guns with 4 gunners each.  Also, each side will have 2 heavy cavalry units of 8 figures each.

This will total 120 infantry figures, 32 cavalry figures, 4 guns and 16 gunners.

Of this, I have 24 infantry finished.  I have half a grenadier battalion, 8 gunners and 2 guns almost done.  I have started one Prussian cavalry unit.

I paint in small increments of time, but I paint often.  I will sit down and paint one or two colors on a unit, then go do something else for awhile, then come back and paint a couple of more colors.  My wife has now figured out that when I say I am going to the basement to paint, it does not mean I am gone for the rest of the evening, which she appreciates. 

I hope to be done with all these by the end of July.  We shall see.  In the long run, I may end up doubling the size of all the infantry units.  I am basing them singly, and will use movement trays.  I have a couple of sets of rules I am interested in, and one uses large battalions.

Since I am starting from scratch, having sold all my wargaming paraphernalia a few years ago, I will also be needing a lot of terrain.  I have been looking at other blogs for ideas for that.  Also, I am going to Colorado for a vacation in June.  I plan on taking some garden clippers and looking for sage brush branches to use for tree trunks.  My father did this years ago for a model railroad, and the result was pretty good.  I am planning on making some terrain modules rather than a lot of loose terrain bits.  We will see how that works.

My table top will be an idea Jay (the Baron's Blog) showed me.  You take a cheap plastic tablecloth that has this felt material on the back.  Using regular housepaint, you roll the felt side of the tablecloth with green paint.  Then you come back with a lighter color of green paint and do it again, but lightly so you get a mottled effect.  It looks good, and is cheap.

More pictures when I get the artillery and grenadiers done.