What's on your workbench?

[Buff Redux]

Old Kumbayah hands will have noted the helicopter friendly flat roof. Local ATC duties are carried out by the machine gun team in the tower.

[Spanner]

While not strictly on my workbench (they're on Dan Dunbar's), when these Eureka 18mm SYW get here I'll be basing them and adding some of the fine details, like drummers' lace. From front to back they are a Prussian brigade of IBN/Forcade Infantry (IR 23, with Brigadier on the left front) and IBN/Markgraf Carl Infantry (IR 19), the French contingent commander (LTGEN Chevert and escort from the Turpin Hussars), and a Hanoverian brigade of Halberstadt Infantry (No 13-A, with brigadier's escort on the left- I've made decals for his regiment's mitres) and Block Infantry (No 8-B, with Brigadier at the left rear). That finishes off the Prussian contingent. The British-Hanoverian contingent still have a brigade each of British INF and Hanoverian heavy CAV to be done.

These bring the collection to about 80% done. Now to try to get a game organised- the SYW have been on furlough for about five years, now, and need to earn their keep.

Dal

[Etranger]

Which reminds me to get back to my Austrians! So 16 man battalions? Which rules are you using?

[Spanner]

G'day, Etranger.

53 man battalions, mate, each of those units is one BN plus a Brigadier. Though with two ensigns and a mounted officer they can convert to a smaller scale brigade if needed (two BN of 24, 16 or 12, as required). I'm using the Grant rules, with some of the later changes brought in by Grant junior, and some multiple bases to make moving them easier. They're old rules, but give a good, fun game.

Cheers.

Dal.

[Ilkley Old School]

I am rather fond of Grant's The War Game for the SYW myself.

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Haven't used them in many years, due to other club members having more "modern" rulesets. But as I keep telling them, newer is not necessarily better.....

[Willz the Wargamer]

"Wowser wow mac wow" fantastic.


Willz.

[Spanner]

G'day Ilkey, Baron and Willz.

Thanks for the comments.

Baron, having tried rules, from the "realistic" - Empire, Challenger II, etc- to "quick play", I came back to these in the late 90's and haven't regretted it. The "look" of the game, ease of play, no arguments about how much of a unit is affected by cannister, etc, mean I've stuck with Mr Grant's rules. I made a few minor changes early on- two drummers take the place of two OR's in the line and count as such, the command group is a mounted officer, two ensigns and two subbies, and we did away with the "shell burst indicator" (after I'd soldered them up- $^&*!!) for a simple circle and error dice- converted distances to suit the 20mm (now 18mm) figures I was using and came up with some rules for officer casualties. Since then BRIG (Rtd) Grant has brought out some other rules changes, and excellent scenario books, which I'd like to try out one day. Convince your group on what they're missing, mate.

Why 18mm? Easier to move and store. Larger figures were a pain and could get knocked about when I had to move due to postings (no room in the car with kids and wife's "necessaries", and removalists treat "fragile" as a challenge). The advantage is that the table is effectively 1/3 larger than it would be using the original measurements and the larger figures- and so are my armies.

Cheers.

[Ilkley Old School]

Hi Dal

I first use The War Game with plastic Spenser Smith figures in the mid 70s. Like you I returned to my roots around 2010 and use the rules with 40mm Prince August, 28mm and even have some 6mm figures.







I also use Charge for my classic Napoleonics

[BaronVonWreckedoften]

Dal,

I agree with you completely; some years ago, I converted the Grant Jnr book "Scenarios for Wargames" to historical AWI battles (all 52 of them - the helicopter "coup de main" was a bugger, but eventually became a cavalry raid (yes, there were a couple!), and river barges worked in place of trains etc) and most of them for WSS too. For AWI, I use "British Grenadier" rules, but still use the original "The War Game" for WSS when playing the scenarios for that period. Unfortunately, none of the other Wessex club members have, or are interested in creating, the 50+ figure battalions needed for Grant Snr games, so I just avoid the buggers now, and stick to other periods when I'm down in Southampton (naval, FoG:R[enaissance] and SAGA mainly). Locally, I play a raft of TFL rules with with my mate Dave - the only other gamer in the village - which is fine as we both like skirmish-type sets.

Your collection looks superb, by the way.