Why am I doing this? British soldiers man the lines of circumvallation in an "Alesia in the Woods" game. Most of the figures are from Chris Palmer's collection. Like many miniature wargamers, I find myself drawn to a variety of different projects, and a good bit of my hobby thinking goes to reconciling what I want to do with what I can actually accomplish. Some of my projects are the result of a life-long interest in the subject, and some of them are the result of other sorts of inspiration. This is the story of a project of the latter sort, and how it came to be started. I have "officially" been a historical miniatures gamer since I started playing with Airfix figures and rules from Terence Wise's An Introduction to Battle Gaming in 197 1, when I was ten years old. As a child of the 1960's, I was raised on WWII TV shows, so WWII was a natural interest. Early on, though, I was exposed to and developed an interest in ancient and medieval history, and the wars of the "Sword and Shield" era formed the basis of my return to historical miniatures gaming in 1987, after some time during which my fantasy and boardgaming interests predominated. The horse and musket periods never figured into my gaming at all before I started casting my own figures and found the Prince August molds for semi-round generic 18th century figures, which I have been assembling for a Charge! project. I owe the start of this project to three people: Duke Seifreid, Ron Barzso, and Chris Palmer. It's often hard to identify all the sources of inspiration for a particular project, and this one is no exception. There were undoubtedly other sources of inspiration, such as the Courier's French and Indian War theme year, but those three were primary. Duke Seifreid ran a French and Indian War extravaganza at one of the HMGS East conventions in Harrisburg, which I was lucky enough to get into. This was my first taste of gaming the period, and I enjoyed it a lot. In 1993, Ron Barzso produced a Roger's Rangers playset (in the Marx tradition) in 54mm plastic just at a time when I was looking at toy collecting magazines and my oldest son was of an age to start receiving soldiers of his own. The Rangers weren't suitable for him, but were highly suitable for me, and possession of the set and a desire to do some gaming with it led me to begin reading seriously about the period. Chris Palmer is a fellow homecaster and a founding member of the HAWKs. One of the first HAWKs games I attended was a French and Indian War battle being fought with Chris's collection of homecast 40mm figures. Chris had made them using generic 18 th century molds for figures in multiple pieces from Nuemberger Mcisterzinn of Germany, and a selection of old molds for full round 40mm Indians and frontiersmen from Prince August. Chris painted them in what I can only describe as an enhanced toy soldier style, and the overall result was very pleasing. I have adopted a similar style for my own figures. As I read on the subject and played games, I gradually came to the conclusion that the French and Indian War was nearly an ideal period for wargaming. I am drawn to periods and scales where a single leader could control (or at least influence) an entire action. With the largest action in the war involving only a few thousand men, the French and Indian War was a good fit for that criterion. I don't really like to paint horses, so the lack of cavalry was a plus. I like the color and variety of the uniforms of the regulars of the period, and the contrast with the local forces (not to mention the usually dense terrain) gives the table an interesting look. Painting Indians provides a creative outlet. Having decided that I wanted my own project, I seriously considered wargaming the French and Indian War in 54min plastic. The availability of the Barzso figures (since expanded to include most of the uniform types not readily adaptable from American Revolution figures) and the various lines of new and recast American Revolution figures makes this a very viable option. I've had an interest in gaming with large-scale figures for a long time, so this isn't as odd an idea as it may sound. (Of course, Charley Elsden has been publicizing some of the efforts in large figure gaming in the pages of MWAN recently, so it may not sound quite as odd to MWAN readers as it does to other miniatures gamers.) Readers interested in taking a look at the possibilities of the Barzso figures can find Barzso Playsets on the web at: http://www.barzso.com/. Although I chose not to use them, they're beautiful figures, and are highly esteemed by the other members of the Little Wars email discussion group (littlewarsgegroups.com) who use them for F&IW or War of 1812 gaming. As I already had the investment in a core group of figures, I would have chosen 54mm, except for two reasons. The first reason is that I found that I was unwilling to put the effort into painting plastic when the paint jobs are comparatively ephemeral. I'm now aware of some of the better techniques for plastic painting involving the use of matte acrylic medium or PVA glue as a primer coat, but I didn't learn them until the decision had already gone the other way. The second reason is that I had the opportunity to acquire a set of the same molds that Chris Palmer used for his figures at a very reasonable price. I didn't make the decision all at once--I started with an intention of building a "few units" to expand the possibilities of Chris's project, but became committed to producing a complete parallel project as the units started accumulating. In the meantime, Chris and I have staged several combined games at Cold Wars and Historicon, usually under Chris's title of Big Men in the Big Woods. (I should mention that, in a classic case of the grass being greener on the other side of the fence, Chris was much taken with my 40mm semi-rounds, and has been engaged in acquiring molds and producing an opponent army to my Charge! project. We are almost certainly the only pair of gainers around who each have two mutually incompatible 40mm projects covering the same period!) I find that 40mm is nearly the optimum scale for this sort of project, although that is a retrospective position rather than one that I had going into the project. I love the look of a table full of big soldiers, and the 40s are enough smaller than 54s so that more of them will fit the space and enough larger than 25s so that painting them (especially in a block color toy soldier style) is very easy and relaxing. Large soldiers are also a little bit easier to handle than 25s when dealing with single figure basing. The Scope of the Project One of the things I like about using large figures is that it doesn't take all that many of them before the table starts to look nice and full. In keeping with the "toy soldier" orientation of the project, the figures are all mounted individually on V fender washers, so keeping the numbers on table down is a good idea. My goal in this project is to build two armies, each of approximately 16 units of 8-12 men, for a planning estimate of about 360 figures. When choosing an exotic scale and period combination, it's necessary to assume that one will need to provide both sides of any game to be played. At present, I've completed about 150 figures, enough to do some skirmishing without the need to use Chris's figures. I've generally been painting units in alternation between the two sides, so that all (or almost all) the figures available at any given time can be used at once on the battlefield. The project is intended to provide the means to recreate the flavor of the French and Indian War rather than to be able to exactly reproduce any of the historical battles. The troops therefore represent a wide selection of those engaged in the conflict. The French army will consist of six units of regulars and Marines, five units of Canadian militia (including courcurs du bois), four units of Indians, and a two gun artillery battery. The British army is intended to consist of six units of regulars, four units of provincials and militia, two Highlander units, a Ranger unit, two Indian units, and a two gun artillery battery. Regular units are being painted based on reconstructions of their regulation uniforms, accepting the constraints of working with generic figures. American provincial units are (and will be) usually depicted in a mix of the theoretical regulation uniforms and campaign or civilian dress, although the first unit I painted was a group of New Jersey Blues resplendent in their full theoretical uniforms. Irregulars and Indians are freelanced, with inspiration drawn from a variety of sources including observations of re-enactors. Rules I did not start this project with any particular set of rules in mind. With the figures mounted individually, the choice of rules was not critical to a decision on unit size, as individual figures can always be grouped on magnetic or other temporary movement stands to suit any set of rules. Chris was using units of about twelve figures, which has a nice round feel to it, and that's how I started. The basic army lists above were drawn up for use with the Cartouche module of Piquet, which also conveniently postulates twelve man units. Chris had been using a set of skirmish rules by Ed Watts from the Courier when we started, so I expected to follow suit as befits an extension to someone else's project. However, shortly after my first units were painted, Ross Macfarlane's rules "With MacDuff to the Frontier" were published in The Courier. Ross must have been reading our minds, as his rules were intended for individually mounted toy soldiers in units of about twelve (usually representing a company) and fit our requirements perfectly. I've also used Buck Surdu's Blood and Swash rules for small skirmish games (four figures per player). I should add that the "With MacDuff to the Frontier" rules can be found at http://www.oakglen.ns.ca/macduff/macduff.htm and are free for the downloading. Figures I'm using figures from three sources for this project. The main source is the multiple part molds from Nuemberger Meisterzinn. These molds provide generic bodies in turnback coats and crossbelts, in twelve different basic poses (two per mold), plus two civilian bodies. There are also two molds for cavalry figures which may be converted into mounted officers (though one could get by without them), a useful mold for two civilians, a full-round cannon mold from their semi-round range, a useful single mold for a full-round grenadier also hiding in the semi-round range, and a mold for a fifer and a cavalry drummer. (It's a pity that the fifer can't be easily converted into a more militant figure, as, in accordance with Murphy's Law, he's much easier to cast than some of the more useful figures.) The figures are cast with separate heads and weapons. The heads include three different styles of tricorne, a bare head with a separate tricorne (part of the civilian mold), a grenadier's mitre, plus a number of others suitable for other periods. Variations in hat style, head position and weapon position allow units to be assembled with every figure slightly different from the next, which I like to do. The second source is a series of molds, which I understand are now discontinued, from Prince August. I have four of these molds. Three make various poses of Indians, and the fourth makes a frontiersman in a coonskin cap, a hunting shirt and leggings standing firing. The Indians are really more suited to the Great Plains than to the eastern woodlands, but one has to make do with what one can get when traveling off the beaten track like this. The frontiersman is a truly protean figure. Chris has used the castings as the basis for units of Highlanders (a rather extensive conversion), Rangers, and Canadian militia. I've used them for the latter two, as well as painting some as Indians. Some have received head transplants, and appear as American provincials in hunting shirts and tricornes. The third source came as a most pleasant surprise after the project was underway. Irregular Miniatures (http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/) released a line of more than thirty poses of "American War of Independence" figures in "42mm", which includes seven beautiful Eastern Woodland Indians, French Marines in waistcoats and fatigue caps, and Rangers in Scottish bonnets, plus a variety of figures suitable for use as provincials or either side's militia. These figures are slightly smaller than the Meisterzinn castings, but very similar to the Prince August castings, so mix well into my units. There are also some useful figures (such as a drummer boy) in their Marlburlian range. If one were to set out to replicate this project, it would be possible to do it just from Irregular figures and avoid the home casting. As I've written in MWAN before, though, there are advantages to casting your own figures. The cost of casting is certainly low. I enjoy doing occasional conversions to produce unique figures. Casting allows me to work on conversions without worrying about spoiling castings that cost money. Anything that doesn't work can go back in the pot for recycling. The Nuemberger Meisterzinn molds are currently somewhat difficult to find in the US, but can be ordered directly from Germany. I've had good results ordering from Zinnfiguren-Hofmann in Nuremberg. You can find them on the web at http://www.zinnfiguren-hofmann.de/. I recently received a catalog from the Dunken Company in Texas, which still lists the Prince August Indian and frontiersman molds. They are also on the web, at http://www.dunken.com/. As I mentioned earlier, I am painting the figures in an "enhanced toy soldier" style. I generally start with a black primer coat (or a thin black coat over gray primer) and block in the basic colors. Most of the homecast figures are fairly smooth and don't respond well to drybrushing techniques I use with smaller figures, so I drybrush sparingly. I outline a lot of the colors in black or dark brown (or gray on white) using a fine brush, and I generally highlight the faces a bit (noses and cheeks) with a lighter flesh color. A lot of the hands are rather smooth on the homecast figures and I find that I like the look of lining in the fingers with a dark brown. The Irregular figures are smoother than most modem 25s, but respond better to drybrushing than the homecast figures. I still use the technique sparingly as I don't want to heighten the contrasts between the styles of figure, and I do outline and paint the fingers similarly. Homecast Indians attempt to force a ford in the teeth of converted Highlanders from Chris Palmer's collection of 40mm figures, during the "Alesia in the Woods"game. Scenarios I tend to use generic scenarios more than historical recreation scenarios, as this avoids any problems that might occur with players having an excessive knowledge of the historical situation. I also tend to prefer smallscale actions rather than large pitched battles, so the limited number of the latter in the French and Indian War is not a problem. I find that the Charles S. Grant scenario books (Scenarios for Wargames and Scenarios for All Ages) work well with the period and the MacDuff rules. Most of the scenarios are already provided with a general horse and musket force list, and the MacDuff rules fall in the Charge and The War Game family of rules development for which the scenarios were originally written. While there are several scenarios in the books that are specifically drawn up with the French and Indian War in mind, we've found that many of the general scenarios, such as "The Wagon Train" depicting an attempt to resupply a fort, make good F&IW scenarios with some judicious substitution of light troops and Indians for the cavalry originally specified. Background I've been reading books on the period since I bought the Barzso Roger's Rangers set in 1993. From a wargamer's perspective, I'd recommend: Francis Parkman, Montcalm and Wolfe. This book is dated and doesn't meet modem standards of scholarship, but it's worth reading for two reasons. The first is that Parkman gives a tremendous amount of detail, which is helpful when considering small actions. The second is that all later historians are reacting to Parkman, either attacking or defending, so it's helpful to know what they're talking about. I'd also recommend reading A Half Century of Conflict for coverage of the earlier Anglo-French colonial wars. Fred Anderson, Crucible of War. This book, published in 2000, is excellent narrative history. It's not as detailed as Parkman, but is better balanced and integrates activities in North America with other events of the Seven Years War. Coverage of Indian affairs is also very good. The book has a collection of period maps of battlefields and forts, and contemporary sketches of North American scenes. If one doesn't already have a French and Indian War reference library, this is the first book to buy. Francis Jennings, Empire of Fortune. Jennings main interest is Indian affairs, and Empire of Fortune is the third in a trilogy on eastern Indians and their reactions to the arrival of the Europeans. Bruce MacFarlane (Canadian Wargamers Group), Habitants and Highlanders. H&H is a wargamer's guide to the conflict, and includes a historical summary, a painting guide, skirmish and battle scale rules, and a collection of scenarios covering most of the major encounters and a variety of other subjects from the skirmish level to a campaign system covering the whole war. As it is generally agreed that wargaming resembles historical fiction as much as history, I should mention that I've absorbed the usual fictional sources: James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans and The Pathfinder Kenneth Roberts, Northwest Passage My tolerant wife and enthusiastic children have made visits with me to the reconstruction of Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and to the reconstruction of Fort Michilimackinac at the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan on family vacations. Both sites were well worth a visit although the costumed staff is slightly off period for each; Louisbourg is set for the 1740s and Michilimackinac for the 1770s. If you happen to visit Louisbourg be sure to budget the better part of a day, and to have a meal from one of the period restaurants and sample the bread from the bakery. In discussing the writing of the this article with my family, one of my sons spontaneously exclaimed "I'd rather go to Louisbourg than Disneyworld", so you can see that I'm raising them properly ... I expect that the Niagara region and Braddock's defeat will feature in future vacation plans. The Future I am currently planning to spend most of 2001 working on two linked 28mm colonial projects-Darkest African and Indian North-west Frontier. As I currently have enough figures to stage a reasonable French and Indian War game, I expect to continue expanding the project gradually toward the planned goals by keeping figures ready at the painting table to work on when I need a break from the "little guys". In the longer term, I expect that this project will eventually be expanded by linkage to other projects that share some of the troops. British regulars may serve in the Highlands against hordes of Jacobites made from figures converted by Ross Macfarlane, and Indians and some of the militia may serve in western actions of the War of 1812 alongside Irregular's 42mm Napoleonics as the British and American regulars. The Indians may even end up facing Wayne's troops converted from Meisterzinn castings some day. This project has benefited from the existence of Chris's project, as there was no long buildup period necessary before troops could appear on the table. Each new unit could be immediately deployed as part of a group scenario, and my motivation has remained good throughout the process to date. Any of the possible future projects will likewise benefit from the current project, and I therefore expect to continue long on these lines indefinitely. Back to MWAN #110 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2001 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com