From David North: Read through #62 and especially enjoyed David Barnes' Boxer Rebellion article. In your editorial, you spoke about the "lead question". As you probably know by now, Stone Mountain Miniatures has joined Musket Miniatures in switching to lead-free pewter. I myself have been concentrating on using plastic figures. This is not so much because of the lead question, but because of the cost. Yet it's still an option. I realize that the selection of plastic figures is small compared to metal ones, but I think this may change in the future. At one time, the selection of lead figures was small, too. Of course, I will still buy lead and/or pewter figures at times, but whenever possible, I prefer to use plastic. I've. been working on modern skirmish-level games, specifically, the China-India-Burma Theatre in WWII and the Congolese Civil War in the 1960's. I've also been thinking of doing some Napoleonic or ACW skirmish games. There's something about the man-to-man skirmish level game that attracts me, no matter what the period. I do most of my gaming solo, so in trying to come up with some kind of solo campaign-style game, I developed such a system for squad level WW II battles awhile back, and I think it could be converted to the Congo. Basically, the system works like this: each campaign turn equals one week, once a week a die is rolled to see what type of battle will be fought (if any). Examples would be patrols, assaults, defence of a position, etc. In most battles, the 'enemy' force strength is determined by die rolls, as are their location and turn of entry. After a battle is fought, dice are rolled for wounded troops to see if they get better or worse. Killed figures are replaced by inexperienced troops. Troops who survive are given bonuses for experience. I've decided to start with the conflict in the Belgian Congo (now Zaire), 1960-67. This was an interesting conflict, including a variety of opposing groups. There were Nationalist (Government) troops, Katangan Rebels, guerrilla groups from various tribes, UN peacekeeper troops, and of course, lots of mercenaries. All in all, a very interesting subject for squad level wargames. I've been buying up boxes of ESCI plastic 1/72nd scale figures. Of course, they don't make figures for the Congo, but figures from their WWII and modern packages can be easily converted. (Editor's Note: Thanks for letter, David; I'd like to see a full article on your solo system as well as article on the Congo period. In the first year or so of MWAN, Greg Novak did an excellent article on a wargame featuring mercenaries in Africa and whenever I reread it, I am tempted to try some 20mm skirmish gaming! Good luck on your project and let us know how it is going!)
From Rick Stoffel I agree 100% with you that a newsletter like MWAN should run articles on historical miniatures and not on fantasy gaming. As far as I an concerned the two forms of gaming are as different as apples and oranges. They both have seeds but taste a whole lot different. I don't feel that there is anything wrong with fantasy gaming, I just don't want to read about it in a book about historical gaming. I would also like to comment about a view that comes up quite often, that we in the hobby have an obligation to introduce new people to the hobby. I don't feel that I have an obligation to introduce anyone to this great hobby of ours. I would never chase a person away from the table because they didn't know what we were doing, I just feel the best thing to do is to let the hobby sell itself. I got into the hobby because I enjoy learning about history's great conflicts. That we can, in a small way, simulate these wars is a real treat. Even though these simulations are not real, they are based on events that really did occur. If this is not enough to interest people in the hobby, then let them go and cast their magic spells and fight their dragons. The worst thing that can happen is for a person to do things for the wrong reasons. I would not like going to a car show, and then seeing that all the cars were radio controlled. Two like things, but all together different. I really like MWAN the way it is produced and don't want to see it change. (Editor's Note: Thanks for the letter, Rick; I strongly agree with you regarding your thoughts on whether or not we have an obligation to introduce new people to the hobby. I don't think we have such an obligation to spread the word; what we have, I feel, is an obligation to have fun and to enjoy this hobby as we each see fit without others attempting to tell us what we should do.)
From Wes Rogers A number of interesting plastic figure packs have appeared in the hobby stores around here lately, and have piqued my interest in these types of figures. I bought a pack of the Revell Prussian Infantry, and discovered that they are actually larger than the listed 1/72 scale. They are basically as tall as my 'true" 25mm figures, although somewhat skinnier. Revell has also started making cavalry with the bases attached directly to the horses, which is a definite improvement. I have a painting process for these figures which "hardens" them to the point where they will stand up to the same abuse that a metal figure would expect to receive. Under this process, they will still chip if you abuse them, but the handling which causes a plastic bayonet to chip would easily cause a metal bayonet to snap off. Here is the process: First, prime the figures with interior latex house primer. Flat is probably better than glossy. This gives them a tough, flexible envelope to hold the paint. Next paint the figure, using either water-based or enamel paints. Third, go to a fabric store and buy a tube of "Tacky Glue". This is a sort of super-strong white glue, which dries both clear and (most important) flexible. Now wet a brush (not too much) and paint a good coat of tacky glue all over the figure, and let it dry overnight. Finally, either dullcoat or glosscoat the figure to taste. To get plastic figures to stick to their bases, make a bridge of tacky glue across the figure's base, between it's lets, and down to touch the base on either side. To get the little spears, shields, etc., to stay in place, heat the edge of an X-acto knife and weld the pieces together. This also works to get horses to stick to their separate bases. Plastic figures have always been a minor interest of mine, since they were the first figures I started playing with - Dops, I mean gaming with - when I was still in High School. It was a real thrill to get my first half dozen lead Scruby Medieval knights, and I changed over to lead figures during the next few years, as my budget expanded. But now the plastics have really improved, both in quality and choice, to the point where I may begin collecting them seriously again. The fact that for about $70 I can buy 500 infantry also has a certain appeal.
From Mike Papworth Thought you would like to mention some of the more unusual items we have available; I have some more models just about completed, a Japanese 150mm MoO4 gun and American 155m M1 on M1 chassis. As soon as they are completed and the instruction leaflets are drawn, I will send them to you for review. Could you do me a favor and ask your members if they have, or can get, any plans or photographs and dimensions of the Italian 149mm or the 210/8 or 210/22 mortars. I have tried my Italian customers and everyone who draws plans but to no avail. I have plenty of drawings of armoured cards and vehicles but artillery seems non existent, the same with Japanese artillery. (Editor's Note: MWANers interested in 20mm metal WWII are well advised to obtain a catalog from Mike! Also, if anyone can help him out, please do so).
From Scott Hansen Bob Burke had some good points regarding receiving credit slips from mail order places for out of stock items; I agree with Bob. Credit slips are hard to keep track of. I used to lose them until I grouped ny catalogs together and put the credit slips with the catalogs. Also some firms only carry a few items I want. If an item is out of stock and I get a credit slip, I have to order something I don't want. I wish mail order places sent checks instead. I see attempts to ban lead miniatures in other states after the incident in New York. I wonder who brought lead miniatures to the attention of the Public Health Department of New York. There always seems to be an extreme vocal minority that wants to dictate what a larger group can do. Before lead miniatures were removed from the lead bill, Dick Br y ant of THE COURIER stated that an environmental group felt lead miniatures were a frivolous use of toxic substances. I heard the EPA wanted to ban the styrene plastic used in plastic miniatures because it was toxic. Sure, if you burn it! Finally ny 6mm Crimean War project is coming along well. I started writing an article for MWAN on it. Have painted about 90% of the troops for the battle of Balaklava where the Charge of the Light Brigade took place. All I need is to build some redoubts and write rules. having five rulesets for the Crimean War, I am not totally satisfied with any of them. The Thin Red Streak by Stephen Allen, published by Athena Books, looks like a good basis. I read a review of "Battlelust", medieval skirmish rules published by Columbia Games in the Canadian Wargamers Journal. Though I have not played them, they look good. I want to adapt them for gunpowder so I can try skirmishes with ny Zulu War figures.
From Chris Nelson Just thought that I would drop you another line; the correct title of Bernard Cornwell's new Civil War series of novels (1st book) is REBEL. It looks good. Also Nick Cook has a new novel out called AGGRESSOR (St. Martin Press) and it looks good (ANGEL ARCH ANGEL was a well written novel). Every now and then, a cable system allows the nostalgia channel to play at night and I get a chance to set the VCR to tape an old TV series COMBAT! It is great to be able to see a show that I grew up with. Wish that more old TV series would end up back on TV. Would be nice to see old shows like Gallant Hen, Cheyenne, Maverick, Lawmen, High Chapparal, Rawhide, etc. Saw in the mail that NY state's Health Commissioner banned the sale of lead figures in New York. I was glad to see that an administrative Law Judge overturned the ban. Let's face it, how many really young kids are going to go out and buy lead figures that they have to spend $5.50 or more per pack for unpainted figures? Another case of do good liberals making decisions for you because they know better than you do. Yeah, right, and that is why the economy is in such great shape!
From Jonathan Keepers My ad in the Sutler's Wagon has swamped me! I've had to turn down offers from several folks. The response was greater than I even dreamed it would be! Some MWANer's, Joe Gretsky included, just sent me Airfix and Revell troops. My nephews have gotten to game already with some of the troops but I've got to paint a couple thousand more. Ahhhhrg! Thanks to all of the MWANer's who responded!
From Chris Leach MWAN continues to inspire wargaming projects and provokes reaction. When the original TACTICA was released, there was a flurry of articles and letters supporting or attacking the relevance of the rules. Although some found these articles tiresome, I found they helped to clarify the advantages of TACTICA and thankfully inspired me to try the system for which I am now collecting a dozen armies in 25mm (at least figure manufacturers should be pleased!). Similar to the response to the original rules, the review of the TACTICA MEDIEVAL RULEBOOK in MWAN #60 needsreconsidering. It should be noted that the limits of the reviewer 'sexperience with the system are recognized. Moreover, this commentaryconcerns only the battle rules and not the excellent siege, campaign and tournament rules included in the book. There are three problems evident in the review.
First, the reviewer was clearly unfamiliar with the rules and presented an inaccurate and incomplete picture of the game. For example, the reviewer was evidently unclear as to the formation options allowed. He was correct, however, that the formation adopted remains unchanged for the duration of the game.
Second, the game was played in a convention. We all know how difficult game play is in the noise and distraction of a hall full of wargamers. It is, in fact, testimony to the rule's clarity and elegant simplicity that the reviewer was able to play the game at all.
Finally, the example battle - Agincourt - represents, in ny opinion, a period that offers few tactical options and fails to demonstrate the flexibility and diversity of the TACTICA system. Admittedly, in the convention scene, the 100 Years War is easily identified and played. Nevertheless, I believe that that period could be construed as "boring" with any rules system. I would argue that in the ancient and medieval periods fighting with the same armies against the same opponents may indeed become "boring". Historically, armies adopted a system to make the best of their advantages and exploit the weaknesses of the enemy. Once gainers have developed their tactics, a limited number of options present themselves. By forcing players to fight historically and by implicitly encouraging players to fight 'balanced' games with set armies, Arty Conliffe has presented an apparently inflexible game system. This could not be further from the truth.
The wonderfully simple rule system in TACTICA allows the players to focus on tactics and, dare I say it, FUN! This is achieved without compromising historical feel for the scale of action represented. Indeed, I have yet to play an ancient or medieval game that represents the limits and advantages of the various armies as well as TACTICA. My recently completed Imperial Roman army behaves like a Roman Army should with the flexibility of it's cohorts juxtaposed to the rigidity of the Pontic main battle line. Scenarios can be easily developed and special rules implemented to suit a particular circumstance. TACTICA's easily learned rules are perfect for scenario design as the basic system is not a struggle to play and the gamers can focus on the problems of the scenario. That having been said, my group primarily plays the 'standard' game without changes or special rules, and continues to get hours of enjoyment and inspiration. In conclusion, TACTICA and its medieval incarnation are superb games that are only as limited as the historical armies that they manipulate and the imagination and creativity of the players.
In any rule system there is a premise. Only based on this premise can one accurately review a game system. TACTICA endeavors to simulate large scale battles, not the tactical minutiae of shield diameter, armour weight, nor the ancient British distraction tactic of morris dancing. There is a place for these aspects of warfare but not in TACTICA.
PS - I have had a problem with some of my old RAFM CITADEL and RAL PARTHA figures disintegrating (oxidizing) both from under the painted surface and while unpainted. I have hundreds of old figures from other manufacturers that have not been affected and I am extremely careful with undercoating and overcoating my figures. Could it be the metal alloy? Have you heard of this problem before? As you can imagine, this is a very disconcerting occurrence and I fear for the longevity of my collection. Do you have any thoughts on the matter? An article by someone knowledgeable about metals and figure manufacturing would be very interesting. Also, perhaps an authoritative analysis of the dangers of lead. I am dedicated to this hobby but I want to protect my health. (Editor's Note: Thanks, Chris, for your thoughts on TACTICA. Re the oxidizing of your lead figures; yeh, I've had the same thing happen to unpainted figures - never with painted figures. I've always assumed that it was due to a lesser quality metal being used, but I don't really know. Anyone else have any ideas?)
From Jim Purkey A few weeks ago I was writing my "LITTLE WARS" column for HISTORICAL GAMER magazine, and the general topic was how books and film inspire wargamers to discover new periods of wargaming. Imagine how different your life would have been if you had never seen ZULU, KHARTOUM, 55 DAYS AT PEKING or THE WIND AND THE LION. There might not have been any Isandhlwana games or Sudan projects, and most certainly Ken Bunger's wallet would have had a little more cash in it. But I digress... I figured that I was safe and secure in my current collections of SYW, ACW and Napoleonic armies, i.e. immune to any urges to start new wargaming armies. Yes, I was content with what I had and I had no need to go on a lead-buying frenzy ever again. NOT! Last week the AMC movie channel showed THE BUCCANEER, starring Yul Brenner as Jean Lafaite Charleton Heston as Andy Jackson, and Charles Boyer as Dominique Yuand before you could even say "Johnny Horton" I was diving into my drawer full of wargame catalogs looking for WARGAMES FOUNDRY's catalog listing War of 1812 figures. I was hypnotized by the thoughts of Pirates, US regulars, Tennessee Volunteers and Kentucky riflemen manning the barricades and cutting down the solid ranks of British redcoats as they advanced heroically towards the American positions. I felt that old familiar lead frenzy coming on again. I just had to buy some 1812 figures and refight the Battle of New Orleans. My blood was up now, and I just couldn't get the words of Johnny Horton's song about "The Battle of New Orleans" out of my mind: "In 1814 we took a little trip, along with Col Jackson down the mighty Mississip; We took a little bacon and we took a little beans and we fought the bloody British at the town of New Orleans. We fired our guns and the British kept a commin', there wasn't quite as many as there was awhile ago. We fired once more and they commenced a runnin', on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico."
A temporary calm overtook me because it was 10PM, too late to call up PENDRAGON MINIATURES and order lead, and too late to dash down the EMPEROR'S HEADQUARTERS in Chicago to look for OSPREY books and other reference material. If it had been a Thursday or Friday night, then EHQ would still be open until midnight. Alas, it was Wednesday. Then I remembered that the local all-night comic book store carried a rack of OSPREY books. Perhaps they might have "The American War of 1812" in stock. Gravel was a flyin' and I was burnin' rubber when I hopped into my car and made tracks for the comic book store. Did they have my book? YESSS! Then I raced home, broke the sound barrier and managed to avoid snagging a speeding ticket. Eagerly, I opened up the OSPREY book, going straight to the color plates. Oh no, too many pictures of British troops! I have enough information about the Brits since I painted their Peninsular War army last year (By the way, I intend to use my Peninsular British for the War of 1812, with a few minor additions).
I needed to know more about the American uniforms. In the back of my mind, I recalled that one or two of my Napoleonic reference books had some information about the American Army of 1812-15. Opening my copy of NAPOLEON's MILITARY MACHINE by Philip Haythornthwaite, I turned to page 79, and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a complete order of battle for the US forces at New Orleans. Thank you God! Here, on one small page, was everything I needed to know about the composition of Andrew Jackson's army at New Orleans. This would enable me to determine how many battalions of US Regulars, Tennessee and Kentucky militia, etc., were involved in the battle. This, in turn, would allow me to figure out which castings (and how many) to order. At a scale of one figure representing 20 men, I would need approximately 15 battalions of Americans plus a few odd pirates and Choctaw Indians for color.
There were only three units of US Regulars at New Orleans (7th and 44th US Infantry), one of which would be a contingent of US Navy troops. The balance of my army would include four battalions each of Tennessee and Kentucky militia, one battalion of Louisiana militia, one of New Orleans Citizens (from WARGAMES FOUNDRY French Revolution civilians) and one of "Free Men of Color." To this I would add two light 6 lb guns representing the 1st US Artillery and one 6 lb manned by pirates. I might also add some individual skirmishers to represent Natchez VolunteerRiflemen. As for the British, I already have a head start on my 'New Orleans Project" (there; it's officially a project now) with nine battalions of Peninsular War British. I will probably augment these veterans with some British/Canadian units that are germane to the War of 1812. As of now, though, I need to find a British order of battle for New Orleans so that I can begin to draw up lists of figures to order. I suspect that a call to George Nafziger will fill the bill.
Now I'm ready to start ordering figures, relying heavily on Wargames Foundry to supply me with recruits. Eight battalions of Tennessee and Kentucky militia poses somewhat of a problem. I think that I'll go for an 'irregular look' by mixing in figures from different manufacturers. I suspect that some of the Coureur de Bois figures from various French & Indian War lines will do the trick. Front Rank, Dixon, RSM and Heritage come to mind, but I'm also excited about the new OLD GLORY line of backwoodsmen that are part of their "Last of the Mohicans" 25mm range. The more variety, the better. The US Naval contingent will be difficult to represent, but the rest of the US Regulars will come from Wargames Foundry. I've really got a bad case of lead fever now! I can just picture all of my Americans hiding behind cotton bales and defying the vaunted British redcoats to come and get 'em. "Well, they ran through the bushes and they ran through the brambles, and they ran through some places where a rabbit wouldn't go. They ran so fast that the hounds couldn't catch 'em, on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico." And for one final bit of nonsense, I'm looking forward to painting up some British Congreve Rocket Batteries and develop some goofy rules to govern the random flight of the aforementioned rockets.... Say, a 10% chance that the rocket will do a 180 degree turn and hit your own troops. Who knows? See how much trouble one innocent little movie can cause? (Editor's Note: It is a shame to see a grown professional man fall apart before your very eyes! How many times have we each experienced what Jim has put into words so well? It gets so exciting, doesn't it? Jim; check out VILLAGE GREEN in the UK for cotton bales. Some years ago, Clem made me a mold of cotton bales and I cast a bunch of them for my ACW project; maybe Clem still has the mold; you might contact him about that. Good luck on the project and let us know how it is progressing; it's great that you can use your Peninsular War British. What manufacturer do you use for them?)
From Mark Turpin I'd like to know about other French Foreign Legion lines; I'm not into wargaming, but I'm very much interested in history, especially the colonial period. What I'm trying to do is make dioramas and collect different types of colonial troops. I'm first starting with the French, then I want to do German, British, Dutch, etc. I need to know the types of uniforms and their colors. I know the well known units like FFL Zouaves and Algerian Tirailleurs, but I don't know lesser known like the Senegalese, Tonkinese, Annimite, Tierraileurs. If you know anything about them, I'd appreciate it if you would let me know. (Editor's Note: These are the hard ones, Mark. If anyone knows anything, let Mark know).
From David Barnes In MWAN #61, you write of Tibetans produced by Lyzard's Grin in 25mm and that you don't know what the "two very large weapons on tripods with crew" are. I would hazard a guess these are jingals or vampart guns, sometimes used by the Chinese too; either with a rest supported by a crouching crewman or actually having the barrel laid on a crewman s shoulder and supported this way. In WWII Hitler's SS used machine-guns in this fashion at times. Pity the poor support man with all those explosions going off a few feet in front of him. WARGAMES FOUNDRY do a very good version in 25mm. I've also converted some Spencer Smith crews with "scratch-built' jezails in my Boxer 1900 setup. Just before Christmas, I had a letter from Mark Herron of Nelson, new Zealand, giving me information on the Moans (of 1842). I'm now searching for Michael Barthorp's book "To Face The Daring Maoris" about the Rutlandshire regiment in the 1st Maori War. I have some WF woodland indians which could be converted into Maoris - not easily, but I may find some time soon. (Editor's Note: I just, last weekend, viewed my copy of UTU, a movie made in New Zealand, about the Maori War - quite enjoyable!) I've just cast some "Prinz August" figures - French Napoleonics and converted them with a knife and file to be Piedmontese 1859. My son Chris and his sons were up here over New Year and he and his elder son Billy played a wargame on my table. Chris was the Piedmontese and Bill the Austrians. They both took units from my cupboard that they liked the look of. Chris augmented his force with some French Republican sailors (Abbotts and WF figures) and Bill had added some 1805 Austrian Landwehr and a CSA regiment. Also, they'd both swapped general figures so Victor Emanuelle and Garibaldi led the Austrians of two Austrian general figs led the Piedmontese! I think Bill won (he's nine).
From George Cockburn Decided I would write to add something to your ongoing debate on the pros and cons of DBA, although by the time this reaches you and gets printed, DBM will probably be out and everyone will be arguing about that! When I first saw DBA being played at our club, I thought that they were a good simple set of rules but could not get used to the idea of two or three figures on a base as a unit or element. It just did not look right. Then one of the other garners, Derek Moore, brought in his idea for the 16th C Italian Wars. Taking a base 75mm X 20mm and using 6mm Irregular strips, 3 wide X 3 deep, he had painted up a 54 figure pike block. I was hooked! Blade are the same as pike. Knights and cavalry have 30 figures. light horse 20, shot 42 and so on. Using as far as possible the base depths given for 25mm figures. By mixing in command groups each element becomes a little diorama, especially the gun batteries and camps. At the present, we are working on the Battle of Garigliand 1503 as a demonstration game. I have to field 59 bases of Spanish and Italians - about 2400 figures against his 80 bases of French and Swiss on a 2.5 X 1.5 metre table. Each general, four per side, gets one X D6 for movement and, because of their table size, we decided that elements over 24" cost three points to move. We had a dry run last week with both armies slightly understrength and it looked very impressive. Although parts of the scenario need a little work, like the bit where his army forms square with me in the middle! On a totally different subject, my AWl painting is slowly getting there. I wish I had the will power to stick with a period until finished but new figures or periods always lead me astray. Thanks to those who helped me with uniform details and Rev Aelred Glidden for a set of rules, Another Victory, Another Retreat, that allows us to get two games finished on club nights instead of having to pack away without finishing one! (Editor's Note: Would like to hear more about the 6mm project, George! Sounds great!)
From Wayne Downey We continue to enjoy MWAN immensely (it gets routed through the gaming group); it's like getting a toy catalog and a letter from a friend all wrapped up in one. My gaming received a welcome shot of revitalization from attending HISTORICON in July. Since then I've made little things from time to time, like cauldrons of boiling oil for our feudal siege games, but this time I wanted to make an Arab walled village for use in a Foreign legion campaign. Much to my surprise it was easy and fun. Using balsa wood (is that great stuff, or what?), Elmers Glue, Exacto knife, pencil, ruler, and Fleckstone spray "paint", I managed to build a respectable Arab village. The larger buildings have interior rooms, the walls have parapets, and the gates open and close. What really makes it look nice, though, is the Fleck stone paint. While fairly expensive at $11.50 a can, it provided an incredibly realistic look of "adobe" or "sandstone". For those not familiar with this product, it is essentially spray paint with texture. The surface of the object painted will have a wonderful, textured appearance. Anyone building villages, forts, etc., for use in games set in Mexico, Middle East, or North Africa would do well to look into this product. I recommend sealing whatever you're painting or priming it with perhaps white spray paint first and using the Fleck stone economically. At first, I simply sprayed my balsa wood buildings with no preparation. This proved expensive as it took a fair amount of Fleck Stone to totally cover the wood. However, when I base-coated the buildings off-white, I used much less of the spray to simply achieve the textured look I wanted. I found Fleck Stone at Frank's Garden and Nursery, a national chain, but I'm sure it can be found at any large garden or craft store. It comes in a variety of colors, including some that would be great for castles and such.
To make the campaign complete, I wanted a French Foreign Legion outpost like the one in Yaquinto's old "French Foreign Legion" boardgame. I knew my inexperience with scratch buildihg would defeat any attempt at something this 'grand', but lucky for me, I found Wayne Stewart. At HISTORICON I purchased great looking curtain walls, towers and a siege machine, from Mr. Stewart's "Ancient Buildings" stand. He works primarily with balsa wood and styrofoam and makes wonderful buildings, forts, temples, siege towers, etc. We were so pleased with how these pieces looked and fit in the games that I called Mr. Stewart to ask if he would consider building something outside the ancient era and he said yes. I sent him a copy of the floor plan from the Yaquinto boardgame and in no time I had a great looking desert fort. The roofs of the buildings lift off to allow gaming in the interior rooms but he also made copies of the interiors to sit off-board in case there were figures on the roofs and you didn't want to disturb them by lifting the roof. The fort doors also open and the tops of the towers lift off as well. Mr. Stewart also used the Fleck Stone so it would 'match' what I was working on it looks great. I highly recommend his services.
Well, the campaign got off to a rousing good start, at least for the Arabs. A 'holy war' was called by the daughter of a slain emir and the cry was taken up by numerous tribes. The first three actions witnessed the destruction of two battalions of the Legion. In fact, they have all but been expelled from "Halgeria" (How does it feel to have a country named after you?). The French player has decided to retake a coastal fort and town lost in the last battle. The Arab player has decided to sacrifice her advantages in speed and mobility and try to hold the fort and town. The other Arab sheiks aren't sure about this strategy but don't have enough political clout to challenge her. Our campaign contains elements of roleplay, one of which enables an Arab player to grow stronger as he/she succeeds. The more victories and spoils a leader wins, the more tribes flock to his/her banner. Her "shocking" annihilation of a Legion 'battalion d'marche' and successful storming of the coastal fort have made her political fortunes very high. For now. Douglas Porch's "History of the French Foreign Legion" has provided plenty of grist for our wargaming mill and I recommend it strongly to anyone interested in the Legion or in Colonial campaigns in North Africa. Mr. Stewart has a small catalog listing some of the buildings and siege engines available for purchase; his address is Wayne Stewart, 125 May Lane, Evans City, PA 16033. (Editor's Note: Thanks for the pictures, Wayne; looks very good. Would like to hear more details of your campaign - rules and such!).
From Peter Michelin Once again, you and your staff have done a remarkable job on producing MWAN; the rules sections were both to be applauded in this issue. I think well presented tables are easier to assimilate than run on words, when it comes to presenting technical information (which rules are). Over the years you have asked about whether gamers collect figures in the same period but in different scales. I collect multiple figure scales in Napoleonics (15-and 6mm), ACW (25 and 15mm) and AWl (25 and 15mm).
The reasons for each period are different. I collect multiple scales in Napoleonics because I am collecting 15mm armies for Napoleon's Battles and currently own some 3,000 figures in that scale. Those evil people at Stone Mountain Miniatures had to go and start producing Adler 6mm and, well, it was love at first sight. So, the old VISA card came out, and... the rest is wargaming history: The 6's are currently being mounted for NB also, but I may switch them to the new tactical rules from EHQ (title is unknown), if I like the rules. I collect multiple scales for ACW because I play multiple rules systems in that period. The 25's are for ADVANCE THE COLORS small unit tactics. The 15's are for FIRE 'N FURY large scale games. I was originally just collecting 15's, but when the ATC rules came out, my group liked them so much, we started playing them a lot and we liked the 25's for that scale. The AWl armies came about in two scales mostly because of a change in what I wanted to do in the period. Unlike the other two periods with armies in multiple scales, I started out in 15's, and have pretty much switched to 25's exclusively. I play the same rules for both scales. The rules are a set of house rules one my club members is writing and the figure scale is 1:20. We all started collecting and pretty soon three of us could field more figures than the vast majority of battles during the period. The other two guys are still growing their armies. Unfortunately, the scenarios keep growing dependent on the number of figures that are available, so most games are huge. Consequently, I switched to 25's and play smaller battles on smaller game tables.
I think collecting multiple figure scales in the same period is, for me personally, founded on two principles; (1) I can afford it, both in time to paint what I want to paint and monetary expense, and (2) the different figure scales are used for different purposes based on tactical and grand-tactical rules sets and what I want from the 'feel' of the game. The exception to these comments, are of course, the Adler miniatures which were purchased soley on appreciation of the figures. I guess you could agree with my wife's comment that "they are very cute". Of course, with all the things we humans do, I have attempted to rationalize this by searching for a new set of rules that will condone my collecting the 6's in a new lower-level tactical setting, since the 15's are for grand tactical. A number of other things have influenced my purchasing multiple figure scales in the same period. Many of my favorite gamer friends are close in age to myself (approaching middle-age) and the strain on our eyes is greater with the smaller figure scales (oh, those 6's are just so contradiction causing), or should I say the 25's are easier on the eyes. Since many of my friends are 25mm collectors, I have started small units in many periods, so that I have my own units to play with (which I enjoy) when they run their games. Another function of getting older is increased income and space (I own a house now, up from a Condo), so the 25's are easier to afford and store. And yet another reason might be that I have been collecting 15's since Minifigs came out with them at a Chicago convention almost 20 years ago, and maybe I'm just in the mood for changing. But, as I said, we humans like to rationalize our behaviors, so that real reason I collect multiple scales is it's just darn fun.
I recently re-started collecting SYW 15mm for the western continental armies again. This resurgence was brought about by Tod Kershner and Dale Wood's "official" publication of Warfare in the Age of Reason rules. These rules cover multiple periods of the 18th C warfare, and got me thinking. Since I already own SYW and AWI (both covered by AOR) and I have always been fascinated by the Spencer-Smith plastics from "Charge" days, I have started collecting the fictitious armies of Northern Europe using Revel plastic AWl British infantry and modified ESCI Napoleonic cavalry. As you have expressed in your own "standard" units, the sizes suggested by "Charge" are a little large for me, so I decided to make "Charge" companies of 12 infantry figures (conforms to AOR unit size) and battalions of 2, 3, or 4 companies. I add a few extra figures for the command, etc., when I play "Charge" or I just use the 12 figure units when I play AOR. The units are all mounted to conform to AOR frontages and depth. The cavalry are squadrons of 6, 8, or 12, depending on my mood of the moment. I'm having great fun painting the figures any way I so desire, and, my British and French forces from the AWl occasionally take on the Revel canary yellow von Michelhoff" grenadiers. (Editor's Note: Thanks for your letter, Peter; love to hear how/why people collect the way they do. When it comes right down to it, we will go with any excuse to build another army because we are fascinated with a new range of figures. I keep thinking that I am building up will power, but it never fails; I get some new samples, or watch a period movie, and there I go!)
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© Copyright 1993 Hal Thinglum
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