Post box near me.

 Saw this splendid work recently-

Battle!

 Got fed up with my permanent table looking like this-

So I cleared it this morning and set up this game to play in the coming days-

Immediately l realised that the six man units were too large for the squares but went for it anyway.

Ostmerk manoeuvres

 Ostmerk infantry are training with their new bicycles in recent manoeuvres. Both infantry and light mortar teams are equipped with bikes for rapid advance…

Solo mechanisms

 I hope to play the forthcoming games as the Danish general. I am looking for suggestions as how to run the British opposition using some solo mechanism that makes their decisions for them. I am talking about in a battle not a campaign. I know many of you are solo gamers and or in the Solo Wargames Society. All ideas welcome.

Moving forward.

 In my last post I mentioned the simple Napoleonic rules l have enjoyed reading for years now. They contain a campaign system and an account of a battle the author fought with Bill Gaskin using his figures. The account contains pictures too. Not a huge game but tactically interesting. It has long been on the back burner to do something similar but not set in Spain.

In the late eighties I got the dentist who designed for/ owned Eagle Miniatures to design some 1807 Danish troops for me. He did so and I was delighted with them. This was long before the Danish army was so well documented by books as it is now. I collected information and wrote off to individuals and institutions. It was fun in a detective sort of way. Anyway not that many of the figures made it onto the table over the years but are still about.

Having been inspired by the recent Copenhagen trip ( as was my first interest in all this in 1991) l feel it is about time to do something about this game wise. So the plan is to complete forces for British and Danish armies of 1807 . It will represent the British Invasion of Denmark, battle of Koge and Siege of Copenhagen but with liberties taken to make a fun game. Here are some key ingredients-

Games will be played on the six by three dining room table.

The Danish forces will contain volunteer, Landvaern and regular units.

The British will contain King’s German Legion Elements .

Simple terrain and basing with some scenic elements.

Units of about 24 infantry , 8/10 cavalry and individually based skirmishers.

Emphasis on fun , playability and enjoyment.

So that’s the thoughts so far. I’m 62 , been thinking about this on and off since the mid eighties and I had better do it now. More on this in the coming weeks…

Simply the best

 I have made no bones about it , when it comes to Wargames Rules the simpler the better imho. I got these rules around 1986 and I have enjoyed reading them ( not to mention being inspired by them and the sample game) over the years. I have often thought they would be the rules for a Napoleonic project.

Hopefully l will get a chance to use them in the months to come

Bridge over troubled waters…

 This morning I took a lovely autumnal walk to the Post Office to collect a couple of parcels-

My one contained this , to be used in conjunction with Mark’s Little Soldiers-

Used to have one as a boy but it is long since gone. Looking forward to seeing this in action…

Hearts of Oak

 I have been very kindly offered a bag of thirty Old Glory Jack Tars-

They look nicely animated and full of potential…

Having said a grateful thanks to B who offered them to me I am now looking for interesting ideas of  how to use them in terms of scenarios, rules and armies.

Finally a couple of interesting photos I took en route to my course on Thursday-

I have been in the museum plenty times before but hadn’t seen the above.

Photographic fun in the Tojhusmuseet

 Couldn’t resist this photo opportunity-

Back home…

 Returned from Denmark yesterday afternoon to a chilly Tradgardland. Had a good trip filled with lots of fascinating things to see. Revisited Rosenborg Slot in Copenhagen and was captivated once more by the silver lions-

Wonderful symbols of power. Any self respecting ruler of an imagination could do well to follow the example of the Danish kings in having such glorious creatures in their throne room!

Tivoli tonight

 Enjoyed an evening in the old favourite that is Tivoli. An enjoyable meal in the Tivoli food hall complete with live band ( shades of Shakespeare’s Sister but in Danish) then a splendid wander about. Great fun.

We can be Swedish, just for one day…

 Took the train from Copenhagen to Malmo this Monday morning for a day trip. Last time l went  to Malmo was with Jan by boat circa 1991. Now of course Sweden is a train ride away instead. Lovely town Malmo with buildings just crying out to be photographed-

Returning to Copenhagen pm saw a visit to the Danish War museum where I picked these up for around a tenner-

Excellent Museum and excellent purchase content and price wise.

Wonderful wonderful…

 

All the trees ( and bases) are green and the sky is grey..

 Just finished a sample of trees. I have painted their natural wood bases green as suggested. I am very pleased with the look I have achieved. Simple but effective. The rest of the trees will get similar treatment later. Please ignore the lime green paper as it is only for the wet paint trees to stand on.

Go West or Sssingle End

In Glasgow with daughters today. Lunch here in Garnethill - https://thesingl-end.co.uk/

Interior above ,exterior below. The food is excellent btw.

The tables have old postcards, photos , cigarette cards and stamps on top , under glass. I always enjoy reading them.

After lunch walked to Byers Road and had a look around. I just managed not to buy Arts and Crafts stuff in the arcade, sooo tempting.

A most enjoyable day in spite of my horrible coldy/ fluy thingie.

Further film footage -

 https://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/flash/00000000/00080000/00080674.mp4.m3u8

Serbia 1922, uniforms,fashion and royalty. This one has it all. 

https://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/flash/00000000/00022000/00022998.mp4.m3u8

Ostmerk schnelle Radfahrer

 

Finished this unit of Ostmerk bicycle troops this afternoon. Figures by mls ,bikes by Warbases. I glued these bergens from the wave three deal onto some figures. They are nicknamed “Ostmerk schnelle Radfahrer” or the Fast cyclists. Hopefully giving the Ostmerk army extra clout in the games to come…

Cavalry and tankettes, what’s not to like.

 Cavalry and tankette in action together footage-

https://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/flash/00000000/00008000/00008215.mp4.m3u8

Cavalry and radio

https://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/MEDIA-4/archive/7Z1U/2010-01-21T172523Z_1_LVA69G4WWFWSOI47MQ8HKZR2U1Z7_RTRWNEV_F_USA-CRACK-AMERICAN-CAVALRY-CONDUCT-WAR-GAME-BY-WIRELESS-COMMANDS.MP4.m3u8

Cavalry and tankettes on slopes!

https://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/MEDIA-4/archive/8AHL/2009-09-05T184725Z_1_LVA6VRG3C3XW83F6S3108C4XLHA8_RTRWNEV_F_ITALY-DEFENCE-ITALIAN-CAVALRY-SCHOOL-GRADUATION-DAY-ATTENDED-BY.MP4.m3u8

Finally mechanisation of the cavalry-

https://streaming.britishpathe.com/hls-vod/MEDIA-5/archive/PWV9/2008-11-23T005408Z_1_LVAEJ7OURSZY7FPA3IAPK2JM9VWP_RTRWNEV_F_PARAMOUNT.MP4.m3u8

Hope you enjoyed this , have a good Thursday.

Pioneers

I was inspired by this illustration-

I thought a river crossing might be fun in my Mark’s Little Soldier games. Can anyone suggest a source of model pontoons, pontoon bridges and inflatables for 28mm/30mm? The simple girder bridge looks potential filled. Any model railway savvy readers of this blog know where I might get one?

Banat of Samovar, ANPPP militia

 Been working on the Banat of Samovar troops today. Here is the ANPPP militia with their transport and newly acquired weapons-

The ANPPP regularly use horse drawn carts to transport their militia around.

A hand cart has been pressed into service by the ANPPP militia to carry their heavy machine guns to and from the battlefield.

The ANPPP militia have just acquired anti tank rifles and mortars. Here we see the militia men training with these new weapons.

The second wave crashes in

 The second wave of Mark’s Little Soldiers has arrived in the Duchy. Here are some Ostmerk troops awaiting painting-

Wave two will provide mortar teams, anti tank rifles, flamethrowers and smg armed troops amongst other things. I do like the designer’s nod to old Elastolin figures as in the case of the flamethrower.

Also a wee box arrived from Warbases with mdf bicycles and other transport options. They are currently on the painting table having been assembled and undercoated.

Last vicar on the shelf

 I succumbed to temptation this morning at the Garden Centre. I was there with my youngest for breakfast.  I had no intention to buy today but…

He was the last Lemax vicar on the shelf, so I just had to buy him and his friends below-

They have been put away until much nearer Christmas when they will feature in some snow fights as targets, to be avoided hitting at all costs and in some seasonal Albion blog posts and games.

Yesterday

 Yesterday saw me commanding fifteenth century Burgundians against English in a game. Played at a leisurely pace allowing  much chat and coffee it was an enjoyable day. I made a faux pas by describing mounted crossbow men as such rather than calling them light horse thus confusing my ally. He is more interested in the game than the history and I tend the opposite. Not well put at all but you may know what I mean. A couple of photos-

The game will be finished next week. On my return the postman had brought the long awaited volume three of the Napoleonic Danish Army trilogy. Well worth the wait for it contained not only an excellent coverage of the Norwegian army but also milita uniform and information l had never seen in my life before. Units which were only a line or two in notes and books to me are fleshed out in words and pictures in this new volume. Absolutely fascinating, well worth the wait. As one who fell in love with Denmark over thirty years ago this is a truly rich find.