Seven Years War again

    Andy and I have been trying to up our game for the Seven Years War in 15mm. We've also been using a slight variant of the Honours of War rules on the company lever for the so-called "French & Indian Wars" in North America. (That's for another blog later.) Personally, I've found these rules quite playable and I think they have the "feel" of the period, although that's a judgement call since I didn't live in central Europe in the 1750's. I'd recommend them.

    This past Saturday, I unlimbered my Austrians to face Andy's Prussians. In games prior to this, I had fielded my Russian army, an old favourite. We'd also used Andy's French troops. My Swedes are still on the painting table. Andy and Glenn faced Dave and I over the table. We fought to a draw... which I considered a "win" considering my abysmal luck and field general skills. Some photos follow, courtesy of Andy and of Dave.

From the Prussian perspective; the advance to the town of Neues Unbenannt.
The large blue dice show the status of the brigadier, since that officer could be
Dashing, Competent, or "Dithering" for that turn. The rules set that up. It has
a lot to do with historical aggressiveness and staff work.

Dave stares down Glenn.
The cotton balls denote the unit has fired.

Austrian Kurassier and Prussian Kurassier prepare to go sword to sword.
The Prussian heavies (elite) are a "large" unit with some extra troops and a +1 in melee.
They were brigaded with a dragoon regiment.(regular)
The Austrian had a regiment of Kurassiers and a combined unit of Kurassier Carabiniers
and dragoon horse grenadiers, all elite.

The Austrian advance over grain fields.
Rifle armed Jager (small unit of skirmishers) precede the one brigade of line infantry.
A brigade of elite grenadiers goes into the village.

Some photos of previous games where the French took a strong punch in the nose.   

French vs. Prussians - fighting over an open field

The French advance.
The red bead denotes a casualty. We've gone to a better system now.

The French right flank

We're still learning the rules and are using the 20mm distances for our 15mm armies.

     I like these rules and I hope to continue to used them. In the SYW period, I cut my teeth on KoenigKrieg and there's still a few things I really like about those rules. I've also played Warfare in the Age of Reason and found them fine as well. I'll stick with HoW for a good long while, I think.

"This Just In!"

     For what it's worth, I'm rather taken with Osprey Publishing's "The Silver Bayonet" game of Napoleonic horror. Warbands/Units of all the players in the Napoleonic era, including the North American side-show of the War of 1812, fight against a rising apocalyptic evil with all its weird minions, like vampires, goblins, ghosts, and other "things that go bump in the night."

    Well, I dived in big time and painted up units for Britain, France, Prussia (1806), Austria, the USA, Irish rebels from 1798, naval crews for either the UK or the USA, and the North American indigenous peoples (First Nations) as well as critters of all sorts, many of which were already in my collection. (The pumpkin-headed murderer at the top of the page is a RAFM figure I've had for many years.)

    I've also found some figures for uses as either investigators, occultists, specialists, or "Heroes of faith." Since my units are coming from ostensibly Christian countries or countries with Christian backgrounds, most of these are Christian clergy or religious figures. There is no reason a unit made up of Jewish troops could not be done; could you imagine a rabbi in the unit as supernatural investigator accompanied by a golem? (The kingdom of Saxony was supposed to have had a tiny unit made up entirely of uniformed Jewish citizens. I'm not sure it ever really existed but plans were made.) A recent player-made update for an Ottoman list showed an Imam as part of the unit... and why not?

    Anyway, I received some models from Badger Games in Wisconsin, USA (Excellent service, by the way. For what it's worth, I recommend them.) to add to either my existing groups or another I'm considering - a Papal unit. The Papal States were absorbed into the Kingdom of Italy under Napoleon and the pope was under the Big N's thumb, but this game is about fiction and gaming and - in the end - having fun. After all, if it's not fun, why do we do it?

     First off, a friar with a shotgun. Not a bad figure, although I needed to add a hood to his tunic. I know this sounds strange, but I've been told stories of Franciscans joining in a home guard unit in the 1940's protecting Pennsylvania's Horseshoe Curve. This stretch of track was a part of the railroad going through the Allegheny Mountains near Altoona, PA. If saboteurs were able to cut this link, a major rail passage from New York or Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and Chicago beyond would be useless. All rail traffic from the Eastern seaboard would have to go through the southern states or through Canada, which would have been a problem early in World War II. So at least some friars carrying shotguns joined that effort. (I've been told this is true. Where they got shotguns, I don't know and never asked. I do know that Brother Finbar used to go bow-hunting, and that's ANOTHER story.) In any event, this stout brother could be of a lot of use in a Silver Bayonet unit.

One of the brothers with a shotgun

Horseshoe Curve near Altoona, PA
A recent photo

     Next is a set of religious sisters from wild west horror range. They're supposed  to be the last surviving member of an community of nuns fighting vampires in the American "Old West." Yes, they have revolvers and I ask you to ignore that since the figs would be so much fun in a SB unit as investigators, occultists, or shooty-types.

Sister Sarah (Yes, the pack came with a mule, which is still being painted.)

Two other sisters with pistol, axe, and carbine/shotgun
I haven't given them names yet, but I'm considering either Sr. Petrusea,
Sr. Marcella, or Sr. Simon-of-Cyrene-helped-Jesus-carry-His-Cross.
I'll let you know.

    Next, some less savory types... both from Copplestone Castings

A ghostly apparition, set to scare.

A mummy.
I liked this figure. Only his toes and part of his face are visible.

    This final figure is not meant to scare, although it might upset some veterans of the naval service or the Coast Guard... a rather well-executed of model of a naval officer to lead the navy's Silver Bayonet unit.

The naval officer armed with cutlass
His naval uniform is far more simple than many wild and
crazy ones of the land forces, but it gives him an air of serious
and no-nonsense authority.

    I've done other occult or supernatural types for other units, such as these:

A friar who has served with both the Austrian
and Irish Rebel warbands.

Fr. Vasili, who'd be perfect if I ever do a Russian unit.
(Note the pistol in his belt.)

A Haitian occultist for the French Imperial Unit
He's holding a skull, a really big skull,

For the 1806 Prussians, Pastor Helduzer
of the Lutheran/Evangelical Church in Prussia

A really old photo of "the Vatican Hit Squad" in a Pulp gaming event.
Bishop Ted stands high atop the wall for no particular reason.
Their opponents are Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, & Company.
It was a wild-and-wooly time.

    If this horror/wild/Napoleonic idea appeals to you, look into the Silver Bayonet first and foremost. [Should you desire a somewhat different experience using a whole different system, check out Wiley Games Horse-and-musket and horror offerings. Those two offerings mix easily.]

'Til later then!