Quick post--my few pics of the big game

Just got back from Millennium Con X. Our game was a great success, with 20 some players over the course of the day, and lots of kind words on the look. See for yourself (click on pictures for larger versions):

Overview before the game started:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French Light Cavalry:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Spanish village:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The European village:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

French infantry approaching the ridge:

Presentation of eagles

GMB flags, Old Glory figures from DJD, Fernando, and PhilGreg painting services. Bases by Litko.

All I did was base the figures, cut off the Old Glory staffs, and replace them with wire.

We've been working hard...

We've not posted in a while because we've been working so hard. There's tons of stuff to do! However, my main task is done! Yessir! I've completed the painting of my share of the British troops. And here they are:

What you see above is:

• CinC (Wellington), 1 figure
• 9lb Royal Foot Artillery, 3 models and 9 figures

• Brigadier (Hill), 1 figure
• 95th Rifles (1 coy), 2 figures
• 14th Foot (Buckinghamshire), 20 figures
• 30th Foot (Cambridgeshire), 20 figures
• 39th Foot (Dorsetshire), 20 figures

• Brigadier (Piction), 1 figure
• 95th Rifles (1 coy), 2 figures
• 2nd Royal Guards (Coldstream), 24 figures
• 42nd Highland (Black Watch), 24 figures
• 92nd Highland (Gordon), 24 figures

• Brigadier (Steerwitz), 1 figure
• 95th Rifles (1 coy), 2 figures
• 23rd Foot (Royal Welsh Fusiliers, 20 figures
• 40th Foot (2nd Somersetshire), 20 figures
• 69th Foot (South Lincolnshire), 20 figures

• Brigadier (Uxbridge), 1 figure
• 12th Light Cavalry (Prince of Wales Own), 16 figures
• 1st King’s Dragoon Guards, 8 figures
• 2nd North British Dragoons (Scots Greys), 8 figures
• 6lb Royal Horse Artillery, 3 models and 9 figures

This is 252 men, 36 horses and 6 guns painted for Millennium. This, of course is only a small part of the entire game in which up to 20 players (each commanding one Brigade). We are figuring on brigades being about 3 battalions. Of course, if there are fewer players we can form larger brigades. Paul Bishop and Ed Youngstrom will contribute the rest of the figures.

Go to the Millennium X website and pre-register and sign up for your place at the table!

Huzzah!

http://www.millenniumcon.com/

"Take command of a brigade of Napoleonic infantry or cavalry in this corps vs corps engagement loosely based on several of battles in Spain. All figures will be provided, but if you have 25mm troops based 24-figures (or so) to the battalion and 4 troopers to the squadron, bring 'em along!! Rules are 30:1, and each side will have a reinforced corps...so we expect almost 2,000 figures on the table."

This is game number: MN21 and it begins on Saturday afternoon.

The ground we fight on...

This is the table cover for MillenniumCon 2007. Since this is a corps-size Napoleonic game, with 24-figure battalions, we figured we need LOTS of manuever room.

There will a styrofoam ridgeline in the center where the big monochrome light green splotch is, and of course it will be decorated with trees, lichen, buildings, and a thousand or two figures!

A ground cloth may not be the most beautiful thing, but it beats plain felt in looks and is a lot more portable than terrain boards when you drive a Honda...

Ed

Memorial Day at Lttle Wars

Chris Pettet of Little Wars in Houston

www.littlewars.net

Paul

Ed (left) and Bob

I flew to San Antonio to visit Ed and family for the Memorial Day weekend. Ed had met Paul Bishop on-line and they had arranged a Wellington Rules game at the Little Wars game store in Houston. So we drove down on Saturday morning, arriving somewhat late due to weather, and we were greeted by Paul, Bob and masses of Pauls troops already arrayed on the table.

Paul had played the rules solo before and Bob was a complete neophyte. Ed and I had but played a couple of times and only one real game. We were all starting off on practically the same foot.

We played most of the day. I won't bore you with details. Suffice it to say that the game went much smoother that the others we played. There was much more confidence in what we were doing. After all, we had discovered the areas that we really had questions about and discussed them with Buck Surdu, the author, prior to this game.

Ed and I were very impressed with Paul's troops and the way in which Paul played and interacted with us. So much so that we've invited him to help us in November. I really hope he can make it as the game will be huge with a lot of players to try to assist.

As for the game itself, well you can see the by the pictures that it was a pretty good size. However with four players it turns were quick.

...and the result...well let's just say that Ed and Bob's French weren't having a really good day.

Matt

Armand & Andre

As an aside we met Matt Gerard and his two boys Armand (left) and Andre. Matt has interested his boys in historical gaming with DBA. Good job dad!

Marshal Suchet wants YOU!

This lovely figure is from Front Rank, painted by Dragon Painting Service, and showed up on my doorstep this afternoon.

The Travails of Painting Services

Overall I am quite pleased with the results from my assorted painting services. There is absolutely no way I could have done this myself this fast. However, there have been a few rough spots, so here are some tips.

1. Don't assume the painter knows anything. Try to provide a picture backed up by specific text. The painter may indeed be quite knowledgeable, but they're thinking the 1809 Uniform A when you really mean the 1812 Uniform B. This is especially true if your unit includes figures that vary slightly, such as elites in different headgear.

2. Be precise. Don’t say “yellow” if you mean “that chamois/yellow-green you see in this picture.”

3. If possible, sort and package your figures yourself, with the painting instructions attached to each group of figures. I have two regiments that were somehow reversed in the painting process (Regiment X figures were painted as Regiment Y, and vice versa). Not a huge problem and it's getting fixed, but if I had actually attached the painting instructions to the figures, it might have been avoided.

4. Pack your figures yourself. Be especially careful with bayonets, swords, and plumes. The painters probably can’t fix it if the figures arrive broken.

5. If possible, send a small unit or buy a sample. Pictures on a website help, but there’s nothing like having a figure in your hand or standing on your table for inspection.

That said, I have two painting services that I would like to recommend. There are others out there, and when I start posting all of the units I will show which service painted which unit.

First is Dragon Painting Service in Hong Kong. They sell pre-painted units on Ebay in a number of scales and eras. They are relatively expensive, in the the $7 US to $8 for a foot figure, including the figure. See the cuirassiers below. Turn around for special orders has averaged about two months.

The other recommendation is Fernando Enterprises of Sri Lanka. I think the figures on their website don't look nearly as good as the figures they have sent me. Price is in the US $1.50 to 3.50 range, NOT including the figure.