It has been a rather busy time of the year, and much has occurred since my last column. The Siege of Augusta has come and gone, as have much anticipated trips to Lord Al's Expeditionary Supply and The War Room. So find a comfortable chair, sit back, and relax; we have much to discuss.
Figures
And let's discuss lead first, shall we? At Siege, I was finally able to purchase some of the new Ancient Celts from Gripping Beast, courtesy of David Clayton of Historical Collectibles Associates. Eleven packs of foot figures have been released so far, including a pack of Druids, for those of you inclined to celebrate the solstices. These Celts are definitely of the more affluent variety as two packs depict well-armored warriors, two packs consist of warriors with helmets, and most of the others, with the exception of the obligatory naked fanatics, are sculpted with tunics and breeches. No poor half-naked barbarians are these!
Keeping with Gripping Beast's previous practice, most of the figures are sculpted with open hands, and a variety of swords, spears, and shields are included with each pack so you can arm them as you wish.
These figures are solid performers, although in my opinion their comparison to Foundry products is a bit overrated. Like them or hate them, the folks at Foundry produce the figures by which all other 28mm products are judged, although now we must add Perry Min iatures and Copplestone Castings to that exalted tribunal. If Foundry figures are arbitrarily given a grade of '10' on the I to 10 scale, then the Gripping Beast Ancient Celts can be given a solid V. Colin and Duncan Patten, the brother team that sculpts and produces Gripping Beast figures, seem to shy away from dynamic poses, and most of their figures are sculpted advancing or attacking head on at a fast walk or trot. Clothing is fairly 'wrinkle-free' making the Celtic plaids and stripes much easier to paint.
The casting process is also more relaxed and details are a bit less distinct than you would find on a Foundry or Dixon casting. In short, these are figures that you can paint up fairly rapidly, which is definitely a plus for most gamers. The only real complaint I have with Gripping Beast is that the Patten's occasionally lose anatomical prospective. Practically every figure they sculpt has a shortened right arm. But as most of the right arms are bent at the elbow and/or shoulder and are holding a weapon, this weakness is not glaringly apparent.
If any of you read my first two columns, you would know that I am a confessed figure snob, and refuse to purchase figures that don't pass my admittedly high subjective standards. The fact that I purchased all eleven packs at Siege should give you a fairly good idea of my opinion of Gripping Beast.
Sash & Saber, a relatively new company, was also present at Siege, showcasing their American Civil War, Napoleonic, Seven Years War, and American War of Independence ranges. Chris Hughes, the sculptor, is one of the most talented individuals to appear in this hobby for some time, An important plus, in my mind, is that he is a reenactor, and this shows in his figures. His figures, simply put, look like fighting men. The equipment hangs correctly, and the clothing is draped on the body accurately. Let's take his ACW line as an example. Chris offers 6 packs of infantry advancing; 3 Confederate and 3 Federal, each with ten figures to the pack. He has also sculpted a command pack for each.
The figures are all sculpted at 'right shoulder shift,' right out of 'Hardees' Tactics.' Each figure within a pack is different, meaning that there are 40 different Confederate castings and 40 different Federal. The figures hold their weapons differently, some with two hands, some with one. The rifles are held at a variety of angles on the shoulder. The heads are well animated, with some shouting, some looking to the left, others to the right, and still others looking resolutely forward.
But it is the small nuances that really set these figures apart from all other ACW figures on the market. The cartridge boxes actually look heavy. A cartridge box full of 58 caliber ammunition weighs quite a bit, and somehow these figures communicate that fact. The canteens are carried high on the haversacks, where they won't bang against the thigh. Practically every figure is sculpted with a tin cup hanging from the knapsack buckle or the canteen strap. And the hats and caps Chris sculpts are marvelous. In my opinion, very few manufacturers of ACW figures sculpt accurate headgear. Some makers go for the 'Stetson' look, while others look distinctly Amish. Chris has sculpted a variety of beehive, porkpie, and simple slouch hats that look weatherworn and well-used. And the fatigue caps are handled just as well. Many an ACW soldier rolled the brim of his fatigue cap up, that being the style of the period. Chris has taken the time and care to sculpt this rather unique characteristic on several of his figures. If you purchase all 8 packs, look them over closely. Each time you do, you will find something new you didn't notice before. These are truly amazing figures.
At the moment, the ACW line is regrettably thin. Other than the 8 packs mentioned above, the only other releases are artillery crews for each combatant, as well as 6 different cannons for them to man. The artillery pieces offered provide nice variety, even to the point of offering a Confederate 12pdr Napoleon and a Federal 12pdr Napoleon, For those of you wanting to recreate an artillery unit from the Confederate Army of Tennessee, Sash & Saber even offers the ubiquitous 6pdr gun.
Sash & Saber has recently released a 10 figure pack of Confederates skirmishing which are truly delightful. There are figures, firing, reaching into their cartridge boxes, biting cartridges, ramming a cartridge home, and placing a percussion cap on the musket. There is even a figure lowering his rifle from his shoulder, and peering intently at what he has just hit (or missed). Chris promises that a pack of Federals skirmishing will be released soon.
As you can tell, I am quite high on this company. Although I haven't purchased any figures from any of the other lines, I can assure you that they are just as good. A fine looking AWl regiment on display was painted up as the 1st Maryland Line, and it was almost enough to make me dive into yet another era.
I hope that Chris eventually completes the ACW range, because they are simply too good not to. If you have any interest at all in wargaming the American Civil War in 25mm scale, you must have a brigade or two of these fine warriors in your army. On my subjective scale, they rate a resounding '10.'
With the release of the Warhammer English Civil War rules set, the industry appears to be gearing up for a surge in the demand for ECW figures. In the last two issues of Wargames Illustrated, Old Glory, Perry Miniatures, Renegade, and Bicorn Miniatures all advertised their new or existing 25mm ECW lines while Essex chose to advertise its 15mm line. There will certainly be no shortage of figures available, and the gamer will be able to have his choice of manufacturers. Oddly enough, The Foundry ceased production of its extensive ECW range some time ago, and I don't know if it will be re-released or eventually supplanted with newer models. As Games Workshop, the producer of the Warhammer ECW rules, and The Foundry are closely linked, it is somewhat surprising that a new line of figures wasn't forthcoming (or perhaps it was, and the Perry twins just happened to take it with them when they left to form their own company).
Victorian Science Fiction
Moving on, a visit to Lord Al's Expeditionary Supply put me in touch with one of my all-time favorite eras, if science fiction can be called an era. I am thoroughly in love with the Victorian Period, and fog, gaslights, and the works of Jules Verne and H. G. Wells still captivate me. To that end, a Victorian Steam Tank by Redoubt Miniatures made its way off the shelves and into my hands. This 25mm resin kit is a real beauty, complete with a lift-off roof exposing cannons, boilers, and smokestacks.
Although no figures are included in the kit, this was easily remedied during my visit to The War Room. There, a pack of Old Glory Boxer Rebellion Russian Artillery Crews volunteered to man the steam tank, and who am I to deny the Czar! I have no idea whether or not I will ever use this 'internal contraption' in a game or not, but it certainly has been fun to put together and paint.
During my visit with Lord Al, he casually mentioned that Howard Whitehouse was working on a set of Victorian Science Fiction rules. Now if you have ever played a Whitehouse game, or read a Whitehouse book, or perused a set of Whitehouse rules, you know how incredibly fun and entertaining they are. Howard has to possess one of the wittiest and most innovative minds in the hobby today. I am firmly convinced that if he ever decides to become a novelist, he will be the next Bernard Cornwell. Several weeks after my visit, I received a preliminary draft of Howard's VSF rules and army lists, and I can't wait to get my hands on the finished product.
Yes, they are that good. Warfare in the sewers beneath the fog-draped streets of London between the forces of good and the Ripper's minions; I can't wait.
And yes, I am the same hypocrite that gripped last month about a set of Street Violence rules appearing in Wargames Illustrated.
Besides being a blatant hypocrite, I am also more of a painter than a gamer, and when I see a new range of paints on the market, they exert a siren song that I simply cannot resist. So it was when I visited The War Room and saw Reaper Miniatures' new line of acrylic paints. These paints are packaged in 1/2 ounce plastic jars, and come in 49 colors, 11 metallics, and 8 inks. The range was produced to compliment Reaper Miniatures' fantasy lines, so you have such colors as 'Hill Giant Brown,' 'Troll Flesh,' and 'Elven Green.' But don't let the names dissuade you from giving these paints a try. The opaqueness and consistency are just perfect for my painting style, and the metallics have to be the best that I have ever used. At $1.99 per jar, these paints are reasonably priced, and can be ordered from Time Portal Hobbies or The War Room. Highly recommended.
Painting Styles
But while on the topic of painting and gaming, allow me to segue into an e-mail I recently received from Al Gaiser. We had been discussing the relative merits of various painting styles, and he noted that in his opinion, there were five different classes of painters/gamers in the hobby. Now Al sees a lot of gamers in his shop, as well as literally thousands of figures, so I consider him the final arbiter of such matters. It is obvious that he has given a lot of thought to these classifications, so see if you can find yourself in one of the following.
The first of the five is the 'I wanna play and I don't care what they look like'group. These are the pure gamers that love to play, and to them, painting is nothing more than a time-consuming, but necessary, evil. They could be perfectly happy playing with blocks of wood or cardboard cutouts instead of stands of figures, They also comprise the group that won't let you touch their figures during the first hour of a game because they spent the previous 30 minutes painting up three regiments. You can usually identify them by their unique cry of 'Whaddya mean they all have to be painted? Most of them are painted! Besides, that's not unpainted metal, that's armor! Well, some Civil War troops wore armor, didn't theyT
The second classification is the 'total package' gamer. This is the group that does a thoroughly decent job of painting, but is not real anal about it. Everything looks good, but you will find no eyeballs or minor details painted on their figures. The gamers in this group also seem to spend a substantial amount of time on terrain and the general presentation of their games. Our hobby is primarily made up of people in this classification, and they run about 75% of the games at conventions and at hobby shops.
Third is the 'I'd rather paint than play' group. These are the gamers that paint for the pure pleasure of the finished pro duct and would rather sit around the table socializing than actually playing. The paint jobs are good, most details are painted in, but they are not of museum quality. This group also has a limited at tention span. They have very few finished armies as they have a tendency to lose interest in an era after painting several figures, or they get caught up in the excitement of what everyone else is doing and quickly move on to something new.
Fourth is the 'Jeeze, would you look at that category. These people do incredible paint jobs, but will actually allow others to touch the finished product. They are similar to the previous group, but spend a lot more time doing research and detailed brush-work. Their paint job is the kind that makes the rest of us shudder and want to take our figures to the recycling center. They spend days getting just the right look on a figure, and are willing to convert existing figures into something completely different if nobody makes the exact casting they are looking for.
Finally, there is the 'look but don't touch' group. Like the previous group, they turn out figures so life-like that they look as if they could walk around the table by themselves. Sadly, however, they are so anal about their work that their figures can only be admired from a distance, through photographs, or if safely ensconced in a display case, Many of the well-known English gamers that regularly make the 'centerfold' of 'Wargames Illustrated' are like this, as well as the presenters of those unique English convention exhibitions called 'display games' (as opposed to 'participation games' which are the mainstay of U.S. conventions).
Does any of this sound familiar? Did you find your group?
Books
But moving on to books, the aforementioned Warhammer ECW rule set is sure to become very popular with the crowd looking for a new era to game. This well laid out set of rules builds on Rick Priestley's '1644' rule set that was published by The Foundry several years ago. 1644 remains one of my favorite sets of rules for any era, and I am eager to collect an ECW army so I can play Games Workshop's new offering. Whenever I see a new set of rules on the market, especially one that includes army lists, I immediately turn to that section to see what kind of figure investment I must make in order to play the game. When I turned to the army lists in the Warhammer rules, I was immediately and completely hooked.
Why? Because a Royalist force can include - are you ready for this: 0 to 3 Buffoons! Buffoons are defined as 'wealthy and important gentlemen who attended battles even though they held no command. Other than adding a bit of color and dash, they were of little or no use.' Buffoons! I like that. I like that a lot. Although I am drawn to the Scots Covenanters, I shall have to collect a Royalist force just so I can field a Buffoon or two.
As far as I can tell without actually playing the game, these are a fine set of rules. Games Workshop has probably had more experienced over the last decade in writing rules than any other individual or organization, and it shows. Everything is well laid out and highly readable and entertaining. Helpful, well-executed illustrations are scattered throughout the rules set, and Games Workshop's trademark 'color section' is also included. In fact, a color picture of an entire 25mm Scots Covenanter Army set out and ready for combat makes me wonder if Buffoons are really that important. Hmmm.
Just when I thought that quality books were quickly becoming a thing of the past, a beauty pops up and restores my faith in authors of military histories. 'The Waterloo Companion,' subtitled 'The complete guide to history's most famous land battle' by Mark Adkin, is just what it says it is. An oversized and thick book, 432 pages long, it would certainly give you your money's worth if measured in quantity alone, but thankfully, it is this book's quality that sends it soaring above the many others written on this same subject.
On practically every page, a map, a color illustration, or a small, written vignette, (helpfully highlighted in yellow) makes this book a must have for Napoleonic fans in particular, and military historians in general. You can become absorbed by simply thumbing through the book and reading these vignettes; an example in this case describing how Napoleon was able to engender such ferocious loyalty among his troops is as follows. 'At a review in 1809, Napoleon recognized a grenadier who had risked his life to save his hat at the Siege of Acre nine years earlier. Napoleon demanded to know why he was still a grenadier. The man replied that he could not write and gestured that he was something of a drunkard. His Emperor have him 50 francs.'
Extremely detailed orders of battle, with unit strengths, formation commanders, and even artillery battery breakdowns (both the Brunswick horse artillery battery and the Brunswick foot artillery battery, for example, were equipped with eight 6 pounders) are included, as are interesting snippets of information on each major formation. The order of battle describing the Hanoverian Cavalry Brigade states that 'The Cumberland Hussars consisted of young wealthy Hanoverian gentlemen who provided their own horses and equipment. During the French cavalry attacks the Cumberland Hussars came under fire, refused to advance, and broke ranks to flee back to Brussels. Colonel Hake (the commanding officer) spurned all pleas to rally his regiment, and was later courtmartialed.' Biographies of all the major officers and personalities follow the orders of battle in the chapter entitled 'Command and Control' and are presented in formation, rather than in alphabetical, order.
Some of the most interesting features in the book are found in the following chapter entitled simply 'The Battlefield.' Photographs (at times panoramic) of the battlefield today with red and blue tactical symbols superimposed to show where the various formations actually stood and fought give the reader a better understanding of the terrain and how the different brigades and regiments aligned and interacted with each other.
Individual chapters in the book detail The Infantry, The Cavalry, The Artillery, and Other Arms and Services (engineers and pioneers, medical services, and supply services). Within these four chapters, you will find 16 color uniform plates, with each plate illustrating 3 or 4 different uniforms. Pleasingly, these four chapters are not simply rehashes of older writings. Each chapter approaches its subject in a unique and most interesting way. Under the chapter on Infantry, the foot forces of each major participant are described, including weaponry, uniforms, tactics, and national characteristics.
The same goes for the mounted troops and the artillery. Each chapter also offers a treasure trove of information (such as which country produced the best musket flints) and asks indepth and thoughtful questions. For example, in the chapter on cavalry, a section discusses the effectiveness of the French Cuirassiers, and asks the simple question of whether or not the cuirass was an aid or a hindrance, and then produces arguments in favor of each.
Finally, the book tackles the battle itself. Once again, the helpful photographs of the battlefield, detailed maps, and those wonderful vignettes make these chapters refreshingly new and interesting. But when the last musket has fired and the last cannon has gone silent, the book still packs a wallop. The final two sections of the book are entitled_'Myths and Controversies' and 'After Waterloo, The Fate of the Commanders.' Many authors tend to avoid historical controversy, but Adkins grasps it and gives it a rewardingly objective look, Several of the myths and controversies examined by Adkins include 'That The Prussians Won Waterloo,' (building on the recent controversial works by Peter Hofschroer) 'General Cambronne's Words,' and 'That D'Erlon's Corps Was Destroyed By Picton's Division and the Union Brigade.' You may be surprised at some of what you will read.
I will leave you with this final small vignette before we leave the book: 'When he (Napoleon) died on St. Helena, many (of his old Imperial Guardsmen) refused to believe it. A rumor said he had landed at Ostend. 'Where are you going?' asked the wife of a veteran when he pulled on his grenadier's greatcoat. 'To him!' was the instant response.
This is an incredible book. Call Dennis Shorthouse at On Military Matters or order it from Stackpole Books. At $59.95, for the amount of information you receive not only on the Battle of Waterloo but on Napoleonic warfare in general, it is a bargain.
I have also received the latest batch of Osprey titles, but I believe that this column has rambled on long enough, and will save them for next month. Once again, please accept my apologies if I have offended anybody in this column. Major Bill made a good point last month about my comments regarding the HMGS Board of Directors, which he said had been disbanded. I was not talking about the HMGS Mid-South Board, which is comprised of dedicated gamers genuinely committed to furthering our hobby.
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