Since it's the Easter Holiday...

     Not all of my figures are directly related to gaming. Some stand in somewhat more "supportive" roles, which means they do nothing on the table top. Nothing but allow me to paint some different figs. Here are some, related to Easter in a rather flimsy way.



Four chaplains of sort. Two Orthodox/Eastern Catholic, one Roman Catholic,
and a Lutheran. They started life as wizards from Martian Metals, and had
surgery to remove the tops of their hat, and add some typing paper vestments.

 

The Bishop and the Monsignor - again former Martian Metals wizards in 15mm.



15mm monastic/friarly types from Essex



More Martian Metals figures in 15mm - just a paint job, no conversion
(No jokes, please.)



In 15mm from Frontier Miniatures - a teamster who became a SCW commissar.
A chaplain-type of a kind, he could also be a plain clothes preacher.



Byzantium and/or Moscow represented. In penitential vestments, of course.



Herr Pfarrer in Geneva gown. I took his garb from a drawing of a pastor blessing
Prussian standards in the Napoleonic Wars.



Foundry's 28mm monks. Useful and flexible folks, they appear in medieval games,
pulp games, and far future RPG's.




Again, from Foundry and their Cossack range, a belligerent priest with pistol.




Beth's work - the Archangel Michael, loaded for bear, as it were.
{Reaper Miniatures}



Bishop Ted from the Vatican Hit Squad (Copplestone) and a large version
of Cardinal Richelieu by an unknown manufacturer.

More of the Vatican hit squad, used in pulp games like Where Heroes Dare
from Iron Ivan

Two religious sisters... originally from RAFM's Cuthulu range



From Beth, Buddhist monks made by Pulp Miniatures



For those who worship at the bar, Rick Blaine from Casablanca.
{"Are my eyes really brown?"}

This guy seems to inspire almost a religious devotion - my favourite
Martian Metals 15mm figure - Darth Vader!

Shouldn't she be in a movie? Waiting for Jake and Elwood to  pay the taxes
on the orphanage? From Reaper Minis.

 Since I have a day or two off after the Festival, I'm either punchy or whimsical... you decide.

Thanks for looking.

Why wasn't this around when I was studying history?

   I've asked this question any number of times whenever I go out to an "Education Day" as a historical reenactor. I'd have much preferred this to dry lectures, corny filmstrips (yes, not films, but FILMSTRIPS. "Turn the crank when you hear the bell on the soundtrack."), and classmates who saw no value to history.

   In any event, this came up because Robby and I participated in a World War I Education event at the Grey Roots Museum and Archive in Owen Sound, ON. Led by our friend, Jeff Brown of the King's Company and of History Matters, we journeyed to that town to present a lecture/display on the German Soldier in the Great War. Jeff gave the talk, Robby was the "living, breathing, not-talking manikin for the uniforms, and I... held his coat. I was muscle and assisted in the uniform changes. About two dozen local folks attended and it went well.
   I also took photos... for three reasons. First, for the family; Second, for our reenacting group, the King's Company, and third, to make Robby's history teacher jealous. Robby was out of school for the day to take part in education on the other side of the desk!
   My boy showed four impressions:
         1) An early war infantryman

Brass buttons, Picklehaub, and 98G rifle.
The backpack didn't fit at all, so Jeff is crouching
behind Robby, holding it up for the photo.

Calfskin pack, canteen, bread bag, and bayonet/
entrenching tool combo. Note the marching boots
- very uncomfortable, he said

The Junge Landsher on guard.
The field is beside the main building.



Aufmarchieret! Vorwarts!
Here you see the natural lay of the pack;
the straps were WAY too long.

The second impression was an early/middle war medical orderly - Rob wants a hat like that and really enjoyed the side arm!



It's really the same jacket as above with the Red Cross
armband, "captured" British belt, dressing pouch,
cap, and Luger (non-firing reproduction) with holster




This was half the fun!




Rear view. Rob found this uniform quite comfortable -
more so than the British kit he often wears at these gigs.

 Third impression - late war infantryman with the fly-fronted jacket, Stahlhelm, and grenades. The rifle - a Mauser 98G - is not a reproduction. Jeff also brought along a "Commission Rifle" made and used earlier, and a plastic and wood dummy of a Lewis Gun.

Very business-like! Note the "potato masher" grenade
on the belt.

Rob may look distressed but he's learned to be calm and
not look excited at these events.



From the left. We realised that we had the entrenching
tool on the wrong side. The round pouch above the
canteen is a gas mask carrier.




VERY business-like!!



























Lastly, the late war Stormtrooper... a tough customer indeed!

Burlap covered helmet, puttees and British
"Ammunition boots", "Waterwings" (grenade
bags, gas mask canister on the left hip, and
assault shovel on the back.

He can throw pretty far!

A good view of the assault shovel and the rifle slung
around the neck.

The assault position with grenade and trench knife.
The black-piped red shoulder straps are for the
5th Pioneer Battalion under Hauptmann Rohr. This was
the first stormtrooper unit, testing the new tactics
and equipment. The members went on to train the
stormtroopers for the whole army.

Once in the theatre, Rob as given the gas mask to
demonstrate. All he could think of was "Are you my
Mommy?" (for Doctor Who fans, it's obvious!)

Of course, Robby could keep a straight face all the time. With Jeff snarling and mugging off camera, we got this one!

Obviously NOT a Prussian... despite the uniform.

I don't really need to say that I'm proud of my son. I am... tremendously so.
I truly enjoyed working this event with Rob and Jeff, although all I did was help Rob do quick changes in uniform. This is education that's fun to see and offer.

The War with many names.

   So Martin says to me: "Is this the Civil War or the War of Northern Aggression?" I answered in the neutral, saying "It's the War between the States." Even the name of this conflict has political repercussions! In some places in the USA, one must tread lightly. I have to do so since a quarter of my mom's family lives in Louisiana and my wife is from Texas, insisting all the while that Texas is not a "Southern" state. She also (rightly) says that Texas could leave the Union since it's entry had that as a condition. I'll leave such things to the constitutional scholars. I'll play a game in the meantime.
   Rob and I introduced Mr. Lincoln's War to the Games Group on Saturday. The troops were pretty much the same as last we played. I added two stands of Union Cavalry and two stands of the 1st US Sharpshooters, as well as a 7-stand regiment of North Carolina's best. Bear and I ran the Confederate troops, with Kevin joining after a short time. I had the mixed Georgia/NC/Mississippi brigade while Bear ran the cavalry and the Stonewall Brigade. Kevin was given the Texas brigade and an extra battery of guns. On the Federal side, Rob took charge of the Irish brigade (newly upgraded to 'elite') and the 1st USSS. (My son loves them Greencoats with their breach loading Sharpes Rifles and status as elite sharpshooters!) Martin handled the Zouave brigade and the Regulars, while Rich skippered the Pennsylvania brigade and the Union cavalry. The objective was to take and hold the town, each building  holding two stands except the city hall/manor house which held 3.



The table before the battle - Union on the right, Confederate on the left.




The rubber road leading through town.




The farm, its dirt road, and the ford. Yes, mit Hexsiegen einmal.




















   The Confederates got the initiative and we advanced, although I was delayed by the "friendly fire" damage done to my brigadier's staff. (In MLW, you check every turn for your own side shooting generals.) This slowed me down for a turn, since my general couldn't issue orders for that turn. We played about 6 turns and got close enough to exchange musketry, but not close enough to go into hand-to-hand. Rich's brigadier suffered the same fate a few turns later which slowed down his advance and the recovery of a unit that was fired on while in column by Confederate artillery. I eventually advanced past the farm and it's ridge and held off Rich's cavalry with artillery and a regiment of sharpshooters. Martin pushed the Zouaves into the town with the support of the Regulars. Rob distracted Bear's cavalry with his cannon, did incredible things with Bredan's Sharpshooters, and pushed the Irish Brigade - which is quite tiny - up towards the Virginians. Bear pulled his cavalry back behind a grove of trees, since they were taking casualties, but his infantry held firm in skirmish order, exchanging long distance fire with the Yanks. Kevin pushed his Texans forward to threaten the town, and they were about to "warm to their rebuttal" of the Zouaves claim to holding the town as time ran out.



Martin's Zouave Brigade, including the Garibaldi Guard. I haven't bought
limbers for the cannon yet, so they move by magic!




Rich's Pennsylvanians  prepare to advance.




Kevin's Texans advance "most belligerently, suh!" under the eyes of the
divisional general.




Robby's Irish Brigade... with the Sharpshooters on the tree line.




My extreme left -  a battery and the Georgian sharpshooters.





















   We called it a draw and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Some well thought out criticism came out:

• The town was too close to one of the sides. (a common fault of mine.)
• The game might go better with a smaller scale, say, 6 to 10mm figures, or the ranges should be doubled. {A legitimate concern, but I wonder if that would make musketry even more deadly and make artillery incredibly long-ranged.} Long range musketry for average quality or lesser troops is really impossible. Long range stuff is best left to the sharpshooters, elites, and specialised hard-ware. The point is moot because I don't have any such small figures.

Some "resolutions" for consideration:

• I must be careful to put objectives where they can really be contested. I should start the troops off closer to each other as well. It always seems to take forever to get to close ranges.
• Sharpshooters might be best added to brigades in small packets, 1-2 stands as expert skirmishers. I need to research how those specialists on both sides were deployed. A regiment of sharpshooters is a truly deadly weapon. Things might go more realistically if I spread the specialists out more.
• Need more cavalry... hate to paint horses, but need more cavalry.
• Cannon can do incredible destruction at incredible wargames ranges. You don't need a lot of batteries to cause havoc in this game. I may finish the unpainted artillery I have on hand and leave it at that. I should paint some limbers, too. ("Hate to paint horses." Where did I hear that before?)

Some last photos:


Rich's brigade advances with the band in the lead.




Bear's Virginians hold the woods with a battery in support.




My Georgians face down the Yankee cavalry. As usual, I took the bait
and put too much manpower to face too small a threat... unless it rounded
my flank!




Another view of Bear's Stonewall Brigade.




Martin's Regulars advance past the Zouaves.




Another nice view of Kevin's Texans pushing forward. The divisional
battery offers encouragement.



The Pennsylvanians finally deploy into line.



The band of the 54th Pennsylvania - the Millerstown Cornet Band (a.k.a. the Macungie Band) - Essex figures.
They have no value on the table except to satisfy me and my desire to field a band. Although the photo isn't
too clear, note the over-the-shoulder Saxhorns of the period. (The valves are in front of you, but the bell - where
the sound comes out - is behind your head.)