An old favourite

"You know your government is in trouble when the Communists are it's most conservative element." I'm not sure where I read this comment, but it is a apt summary of the politics of the Spanish Republic at the time of the Spanish Civil War. (1936-1939) It has been a personal favourite period to game for a while now. I started collecting troops to game on the battalion/brigade level with the "Command Decision" rules. Now I  use Iron Ivan's "Disposable Heroes" and "Primera Battala" (which carries the SCW specific rules.) When I play I add a small rule for flavour: if an Anarchist unit comes into contact with a para-military police unit, morale must be rolled. If it fails, the units begin to fire at each other - even if they are nominally on the same side! It makes it interesting,
     I use 15mm figures and models - Minifigs, Peter Pig, old Citadel 'Traveller' figs, Essex, Flames of War, and unknowns. They can be quite colourful. Here are some photos of at least two different games.


Two sections of Anarchist infantry (FAI) supported by an armoured car for the Assault Guards. (Yes, they both passed morale!) The Anarchist figs are Boers, ACW, Napoleonics, and Mexicans from a Wild West range as well as an SCW fig here and there.

 

Moroccan Regulares exit their transports and prepare to attack. I remember that the assault didn't go well for the Nationalists. I love the white canvas shoes.



The mighty FT-17 controls the battlefield... or at least one small piece of it. At a speedy 3 mph and one MG, it is a titian!

 

A Republican "fast firing" 75mm field piece. I mount the units in sections/batteries/teams on large washers from Canadian Tire. (Yes, the crew was French Foreign Legion in another life.)

 

The Tercio! The Spanish Foreign Legion takes the streets. Bugles and flags and canvas shoes.

More Nationalist infantry.

 

Republican infantry of the "Popular Army."
I don't have any photos of International Brigade troops although the blurry stand in the foreground might be some. 

Some of the houses shown are wood, some cardboard downloaded from either a "Warmaster" website or a Danish gaming club's site, some are resin, and others hydrocal castings. As I said the figs are from various manufacturers as are the tanks and trucks. I didn't show cavalry, various Republican militias, the para-militaries, MG crews, or the REALLY odd armoured vehicles. A very interesting period of history to game, but a vicious piece of human history to endure.

In the early morning raid

Once again, we played an 1812 skirmish game at the HRGG. Andy and Kevin lead a raid by the Crown forces on a small village where civic militia were "drilling" and a unit of the state militia were encamped. The state militia was just waking up when the Crown troops showed themselves. Robby, "Bear", and I pushed the US figures.

The Crown forces consisted of a detatchment of regular infantry and one of the incorporated militia, detatchments of the Glengarry Light Infantry and Caldwell's Rangers, and a party of the British Indian Department. The US forces were detatchments of regular infantry and regular rifles, a unit of state militia, a body of the town's civic militia, and a gun and crew of the regular artillery with a 6-pounder.

The BID and the Glenies led the way with the regulars and Caldwell's following. The militia moved further out on the left flank. The gun moved up the road by 'prolonge' (pushed and dragged by hand) while the state militia formed up. The civic militia -untrained and not worth much- moved to the edge of the village. The US regulars and the US Rifles entered the table and moved to block the Crown advance. The rifles exchanged fire with the Incorporated Militia and the IM withdrew. The US regulars threatened Caldwell's and the light infantry fell back. The village militia held their ground but did nothing else.  The BID fired on the cannon and took out two of the crew, while the state militia exchanged fire with the Glengarries who got the worst of it, (Andy and Kevin's dice rolls were abyssmal to say the least.) As the gun swung into position, the entire Crown force withdrew - after having stampeded the cattle they found grazing outside the village. Andy and Kevin then revealed their strategy - wake up the militia and keep them from resting. There were only light casualties on either side. Still we all enjoyed ourselves. As has been said, any day we get to play is a good game.

And now for a few photos:


The state militia encamped in Andy's new tents. The flag is a real 1812 US state militia flag... and the city flag of Easton, PA.




Caldwell's Rangers lead the British Regulars on the plowed field.

  

The Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles... led by a guest officer... a certain Mr. Shape


 

The British Indian Department and His Majesty's Native Allies


 

The U.S. Rifles patrol into the woods in a most aggressive manner. (I think Robby likes playing these.)


 

The U.S. Regular Infanty with their mounted officer in command. The civic militia is in the lower right hand corner. They were NOT aggressive. ("Which end does the bullet go in?")





In a photo taken through Kevin's wonderful periscope, the state militia move out to face the advance.



The Regular U.S. Artillery barely got into action and never got to fire a shot... I think their  presence scared the BID off.


 

Robby staged this picture of the U.S. Rifles hunting breakfast at the smoke house. Peameal bacon all around!


 

An early game pic of the US Regulars advancing... colonel, colours, drummer in the front, the leiutenant and the pioneer on the side.

An enjoyable yet unexpected game all around. Next week, French and Indian War skirmish.



Hamilton Road Drift... as it were.

Saturday, the Hamilton Road Gaming Group gathered for it's usual Saturday of mischief and mayhem. Warhammer 40K at one table, "Clicky-tech" at the second, and Zulu War at the third.
    Andy hosted the Zulu War game (which I played since I was the only one there -I think- who knew any Zulu words) where wave upon wave of Zulu warriors poured in on a beleagured British outpost. We set the Zulus up on units of 20 and when 20 were killed, a new unit formed and came onto the table at a randomly-determined place. The slaughter got gruesome at times. We used the Iron Ivan This Very Ground rules with some variations. Some of the Zulus carried captured Martini-Henry rifles, but they never used them! We doubled movement in the first game, but found that to be unsatifactory since the Zulus were in the Brits eyes within one move. The second game cut back movement to normal and it worked better. We varied the morale rules too, i.e. the British never rolled morale and the Zulus didn't either; their units just evaporated when they reached 5 figures or less.

The HRGG "Parliment of Dreams" in session for the first game.

761 Jones hold off the iMpi alone. We felt he should get the Victoria Cross and that Andy should  paint a medal on his tunic. But he didn't survive the battle.

Zulu casualties were recycled; British casualties obviously were not. They held the fruitcake/peanut brittle/Granola wall as long as they could! The Zulus have cornered the last squad in the cabins. ("They fell into our trap, eh, Colour Sergeant!)"



In the second game, the cabins were replaced by a blockhouse. Here the iMpi menaces a section of the dreaded "overhand-bayonet-stabby troops."



The iMpi is over the wall and after the soup!




437 Williams hold the door of the blockhouse against unbelievable odds. His squadies came downstairs shortly to help, but... the game ended just a bit after. "Usuthu!"

 

I can't comment much about the "Clicky-Mech" game since I wasn't involved. Beth took this nice photo. I was impressed with the foam hills!

 

**I think they're turning our flank, Commander. Orders required.**

The HRGG plays all sorts of games. (I barely got to see the 40K game at all.) Table top, board, Role-playing, naval, ariel, space, you name it. I'm glad I was introduced to it. Robby and Beth play regularly and Katie plays when her schedule permits.

Gaming in 1/1 scale

Although most of the entries on the blog are about the miniatures games I enjoy, this one will be a bit different. My family and I do reenacting. We are members of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism), but we also reenact the War of 1812 with a local group. We've been doing this for about two and a half years now and I've found it to be great fun. It's also a learning expereince. I have some knowledge of the period and the uniforms of the period, but I am a piker compared to some of the folks. My son and I serve "in the line" with the King's Company of Military Reenactors. I join the group when they reenact the United States 17th Infantry and I've protrayed a Canadian militiaman on occasion. Robby does the same but also joins the reenactors for World War I events in the local area. He hauls around a mock-up of a Lewis Gun.
     In any case, our first event took place last weekend at Longwoods Conservation Area in Deleware, ON. It was my first outing in the blue uniform my wife sewed up for me. It was a task, but she did a wonderful job.


Robby and I awaiting the order to assemble for drill. (Note the "heroic pose" on the man on the left! Note also the "national colour" behind us. The US Army was forbidden to carry the Stars and Stripes until the middle of the 19th Century.)

  

On Sunday, Robby did good service as a "captive" of His Majesty's Native Allies and the British Indian Department.
He was cautioned to be from ANYWHERE other than Kentucky. ("I'm from Baltimore!")



In a sunnier moment, our combined unit prepares to fire. In the British army, the commands are "Ready! Present! Fire!" The US commands are "Ready! Aim! Fire!" Seems that the US troops were expected to aim; hitting something with a musket is another story! (Robby is in the front rank, second from the left. I'm behind him, leaning on his right shoulder to fire in the best style of the age.

 

On Sunday, the 17th was combined with the troops of the 2nd Artillery from Fort Meigs, OH. With a detatchment of the US Marines, we defended this truely formidable field work as the British infantry attacked... in column!



Before Beth completed my blue coatee, I wore a white linen "hunting shirt." We still have this and Beth sometimes wears it around camp for warmth. In this photo, taken at Fanshawe Pioneer Village in 2010, she's wearing her 'working' outfit.


Wargaming on 1/1 scale - it continues to be fun. Our unit serves an educational purpose as well, turning out for school "education days" where our musket fire makes the grade school girls scream... every time.
2012 will be the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. It will be a big thing in this part of Ontario. It isn't such a big thing in most areas of the USA (outside of New York State, Maryland, and New Orleans, Louisiana), but it is part of the history of our two nations that needs to be remembered. I'm pleased to be part of the "Living History" movement!

Urrah! Urrah! Urrah!

The Hamilton Road Gaming Group found it's way into the steppes of Russia on Saturday with a Disposable Heroes game - Soviet Russians vs. National Socialist Germans. With 7 players and 2 "overseers", over 200 Russian figures and 8 Soviet tanks in two waves with reinforcements, Germans in trenches, and Robby's scheming Hetzer, it was quite a game.

The Soviet left flank gets ready to advance across an open field. This was to be an early war straight assault by a massive group of Russian infantry with some armour support - hence the KV-1, the T34/76, and the two T26 in the infantry group. The double turreted T26 didn't last long. The German "Crash-boom" AT gun saw to that.

More of the Soviets with a mortar, sniper team out front, and an anti-tank rifle in the third rank.



A detail of one of Andy's T34's. Patriotic slogans



The beastly T35 (5 turrets, 11 crew) which DIED the second turn after it was deployed. The Hetzer took a shot and disabled it, causing the crew to bail out. The next turn Robby shot it and destroyed it with... an ANTI-TANK RIFLE which hit the main turret, the least armoured spot on the machine! Then the remarks began: "Captain, the billiards room is filling up with smoke!" "Captain, there's a hole in the casino wall!" Such a laugh. Too bad, it was part of my command. Nice model, Ralph.

 

The flag bearer takes a prominent place in the advance. Luckly, there were six-siders in the field. The dark green figure in the background is a "Political Officer", one of three who saw a lot of business that day, assisting squads to recover their morale by... shoting one of the squad. (The rules allow it.)

Early in the game, the German trenches were busy and packed. Andy's trenches made their debut in this game.

As the game went on, the trenches became more "spacious."



The NKVD Machine gun teams (here NKVD and Border Guards) served as regular MG teams rather than "interdiction squads." The Iron Ivan rules permit them to fire on their own troops to... 'encourage' them to remain firm in morale.
Not this time, comrades. The T34 in the foreground is one of my models. It died in the first term to Robby's Hetzer lurking behind the German trenches. The blamed thing knocked out three Soviet tanks and was working on a fourth.



A different view of the German trench works. Heavy MG's, LMG's, an anti-tank rifle and plenty of regular infantry cause a lot of damage to the Russian advance, making the "second wave" of returned 'dead' castings necessary.

Robby in his "Hetzer Commandant" persona.

On the Soviet left, the troops chased the Germans out of the trench works. On the right, the Red Army whittled down the German until they withdrew. In the centre, there was a hot and heavy fight over a farm house with grenades being exchanged (the hard way) and a German Marder holding strong until it was knocked out. The German troops withdrew to another defensive line a ways back - off the board. A marginal victory for the Socialist Motherland, but a good strategic withdrawal for the National Socialist Fatherland.


The farmhouse, the centre of the German defensive line with the Marder to the right, Russian infiltrators out front, and an HMG to the left. Plenty of transport, too.

 

A photo taken through one of Kevin's periscopes. The 'scope is great; the photo is poor; the figs are my Russians. The Political Officer is the dark green blur in the foreground.


It was  a  good game for sure. That'll be my last game before Easter - a busy time for me. The week after Easter is out, too. Longwoods! The first reenacting event of the season.

Therapy and other myths

(This is an old sore spot of mine, so this may degenerate into a semi-rant at some point.)
I've heard a number of people call what they do for fun, "therapy." Whether the activity is golf, chess, motorcycle riding, hiking, cooking, what-have-you, people use it as "therapy" to unwind and get away from their every-day activities. I realize that not every job is fun; I know that through personal experience. People need to get tensions and frustrations out of themselves and often leisure time activities serve to do that. What I object to is the use of the term 'therapy' for those activities. It seems to place such activities on the level with medication, physical therapy, diet, or psychotherapy.
     Dictionaries say the word comes from the Greek therapeia, and from therapeuein, to treat medically. I feel that applying therapy to leisure time activities, equates our work with disease and dysfunction. Secondly, it implies that leisure time activities have a secondary place (at best!) when compared to what we do to make a living. No doubt, bills must be paid and the bulldog must be fed. Still, I'm saddened by the idea that we are economic animals only, and our work is the source of all satisfaction in our lives and if it isn't, we are diseased or dysfunctional.
     We are more than that. Our soul/spirit/inner being is fed by our work AND our play. Balance is always the thing we strive for; Otherwise, we'd never take vacations. I'm mistrustful of the mindset that places work ahead of the benefits of working, career ahead of life.
     For my part, I've got lots of toys to keep me busy out side of what I do as a career - as much as I enjoy that! But my play is not therapy, permitting me to pour more of myself and my energy into my daily work. My work is more important than that; my family is more important than that and I'd never call them "therapy."

Return to your lives , Citizens! I'm done for today.

ACW game

I played an American Civil War game on Saturday at the games club. (Home-brewed ACW varient of Iron Ivan's "This Very Ground" F&I rules.) I was going to post some photos but they were so wetched, I couldn't bear to post them. So I'll say the game was good. As Andy says: when you get to play, you win! Still I know I could have done better. I tend to "lock step" my units. Next time I'm going to mix them up and use different formations. I forget that the ACW is not the Napoleonic Wars... just like the generals early in the war did.

All right I'll show some pictures. Here Phil's Federal troops have taken it on the chin from Mitch's Confederates. By the end of the melee, there were some prisoners in blue to march away. (This is one of the clearer photos.) I ran the Rebel centre and got ripped to shreads in a melee in a wooded area. Two platoons down! Nicely done, Andy and Kevin! (I'll nurse my revenge for a later date.)

This is an interesting photo, taken through Kevin's tabletop periscope. It's a nice piece of equipment and I'd like to get one. A better photographer would take a better photo, but it's worthwhile just to see the "figure's eyeview."

Lastly, I was taken in by a delightful hoax for April Fool's Day, perpetrated by Prince August Moulds. They put up a YouTube video showing the use of hot glue as a casting medium. I thought "Oh, yeah!" When I looked at it again and at the article on the website, they had confessed to the hoax, but also said they had received so many notes of interest, they were going to research it further. With the price of metal, it'd be worth looking into. I don't know how such figures would hold up or how well they'd hold paint, but it would be a kick if a cheaper material could be found. Now where can I get 25mm or 15mm moulds?