ECW Project Milestone-Five Months!

It's been a couple of months since I last posted on the ECW project. Been in the hospital and getting classes done for the summer break.

Ok...here's what I've got done to date...I started this project in January, 2009.
96 Heavy Cavalry-Old Glory, Dixon, Foundry
24 Cuirassiers-Foundry, Old Glory (yeah I know there were only two regiments-I've got 'em both-they're fun to paint!)
24 Dragoons with Dismounts (12 each for both sides)
8 Artillery Pieces (in field works)
10 Reload Markers (musketeers reloading)
8 Hit Markers (dead guys)

Am working on the infantry now. My goal is to get 10 regiments of foote (18 figs/regiment)done in the next two weeks. The goal is to have the army done, play a couple of games and get the rules down before our annual Skirmish '09 Games Day on July 11, 2009. It can happen. It's good to have a summer break.

Click the title or click here for the ECW gallery.

More Pics From Petit Brioche-1940

Clay took some nice pics of our 1940 France game on Sunday. Several questions were asked about the map. I'm thinking one can get a better idea of our table with these pics than with a simple map. Our terrain is 3D rather than felt, wedding cake hills or hexes. All the pieces are interchangable and are indexed.

CLAY'S PICS

Thanks Clay!

Another question came up about the Soumas. The Early War FoW French list has an attached tank platoon as a support choice for the Fusiliers/Dragons. That's the place in which I put them. I hosed my friends again (they continue to indulge me) by using some H35s for recce/light cavalry tanks because I didn't know where to get AMR35s. Now I do, that will be remedied.

Anyway, hope this help clear up some of the questions...perhaps generate some more?

Petit Brioche-1940

My favorite Flames of War game is France 1940. We played a smaller scale game on Sunday. Forces: French DCM Companie versus a Boche Schutzenkompanie. The French held a series of entrenched positions supported by a platoon of Souma S-35s. The Germans were quicker and faster and well supported by artillery. The French were out tubed and out shot.

The game was fun and followed history. Blitzkrieg versus French WW1 mindset. The Germans blew through the French lines with relative impunity taking acceptable losses.

Thanks to Clay and Scott for indulging my FoW fancy. Early war is the best period for Flames of War. Anyone can lumber around in Tigers, JS3s, etc. It takes brass huevos to play tinclad armor and trained infantry (French). If you missed this game, you missed a good time!

Below is the situation and scenario sheet given to the players. Try it, you'll like it!

Le' Petit Brioche

1940-Somewhere in France
On the Road to Calais

DFWIrregulars

May, 2006

General Situation:

The French General Staff is in total disarray since the Germans punched through the Ardennes. A firebrand named Erwin Rommel is reported to have split the BEF and the French Northern Corps and is moving rapidly toward Calais. The Staff's indecision has cost valuable time and has also scattered meager armored resources throughout France. If the Germans reach Calais, the battle for France is over as the government and people of France are despondent and weary of defeat.

German Objective:

Take and hold the strategic crossroads town of Le' Petit Brioche for follow on forces racing to Calais. You have 12 game turns to accomplish your mission. Rommel is in command. His special magic powers apply in this game.

French Objective:

Hold the strategic crossroads town of Le' Petit Brioche for 12 game turns to give Northern Corps time to reorganize the Calais line.

Forces:

German:

You've been given command of an ersatz schuztenkompanie. You may call upon a reduced Panzerkompanie as follow on reserves. (1 HQ-2 Early MkIVs, 3 Lt Panzer Platoons-3 Pz38Ts) after turn 2 as per FoW rules. You have 3 dedicated Luftwaffe sorties for your mission. Use them wisely

French:
You've been given command of one of the last intact Escradron de Fusiliers company. Your infantry is all Metropolitan and may entrench on a roll of 3+

You may hold up to ½ of your force in reserve. You've been ordered to NOT fortify the town as it's destruction would swing public opinion rapidly towards defeatism and surrender.

Battle of Gettysburg-10mm

We played a cool Gettysburg game at Allen Eldridge's place yesterday. The game was in 10mm with the entire battlefield represented. We played the 1st and 2nd day but ran out of steam (we're old farts) to play the 3rd day.

Hats off to Allen! Great game, easy to learn, fun to play. Here's the URL to Clay's gallery of the game. Enjoy!

http://mysite.verizon.net/krista.smith/Gettysburg.htm

Play it again Sam-FoW Interlude

I've not posted in a while, work and health have gotten in the way. I watched the History Channel's "Patton 360" and got a wild hair in my nose for a quickie FoW throw down. I hadn't played any games on my new Terrain Guy Mat so it was a double opportunity to take a break from the ECW obsessive compulsive project and throw some bones.

I didn't want Clay and Steve Bidwell to "have to play" my 1940 French as Vichy French so I put in a couple of DAK companies. We kept the game down to 1000 points per player (4 players) so we would have some drivin' space. My Terrain Guy mat is only 8x6 so we played on a smaller table for a change. That part was different and gave folks some walk around room in the Rat Palace III. The 8x6 is large enough for a casual game but frankly is way too small for my tastes when playing much of anything else. I like to use all the table space available (16x6) whenever possible. I'm one of the "old schoolers" that relishes the sight of the table drooping in the center from the weight of the lead on the table!

The Allies started their run for the airfield (off table) and promptly lost their light screen. The Amis and Brits sent their attack in piecemeal and were chewed up and spat out by the "Goimans".

Good game and a good break.

A little work done over the weekend and tonight plus a stupid artillery question

I've finished 24 of the next 36 cavalry and will start basing them this week. Am glad I started with the cavalry instead of the infantry. Didn't think that a goal of 96 cavalry would be that big of a deal since I'm used to painting masses of Napoleonic cavalry. I MUST be getting old or more easily distracted. Lots of Copa Mundial qualifier games on this weekend. I got to see the Wayne Rooney show Sunday. Looked down and the second group of 12 cavalry were still sitting there on the painting table. Worked tonight during the Argentina-Venezuela rout. It was the Messi-Tevez show tonight. Argentina looks pretty tough in the midfield and striker areas but their defense is getting a little long in the tooth. Am waiting for Brasil-Argentina qualifier to see what these guys are really made of. Maradona or not, Argentina looks to be the team to beat in 2010 right now.

I did finish 6 anti-papist generals (Old Glory general pack), picked up 40 "clubmen" off of Ebay, got them in tonight-didn't open the box yet. Want to get that cavalry DONE before starting the pop off the base/touch up/repaint and rebase them project. They're all "old school Minipig" so they'll be ugly pieces of crap on the table together. Hopefully they won't last long in the scenario I've got picked for Skirmish '09.

Will post up pics of the generals this week. They've got their sand bases glued down so that will take 24-36 hours to dry then drybrush, then static grass them. One annoying thing about OG general sets is the name plate for each figure. Makes the figure look cool but they're just annoying and take up base space. Oh well, they 're done.

Artillery question for you more knowlegible folks. Were all ECW gun batteries emplaced before battles or did they actually use light guns as did Gustavus Adolphus? I've built some cool emplacements and just wanted to know if I could get away with some non-emplaced guns like behind earthworks (hasty fieldworks, etc.) and out in the open. One school of thought is that I should do them the way I want to...none of us were there. The other school is to read the frakking artillery manual for the period. Any sources help around? Caliver Press? The Perry Bros.?

I'm going to bed. The quarter sized hailstorm just rolled my fat arse outa' bed. Gotta' 0530 wake up call in the AM and it's 1236 now. Nothing like teaching with no sleep. Guess I can always make them read the book...NOT!

ECW Cavalry Progress Update

I'm making some progress on the ECW project. Finished the first 34 cavalry, another Foundry limber set and got two SUPERB buildings from Sandy Botond. Click on the title for a Flickr slideshow.
My painting and photography don't hold a candle to Clarence Harrison's but they'll do just fine IMHO. Am still stoked on the project. Am still actively looking for more ECW cavalry via Bartertown and TMP.

Sandy Botond's Super Work!

Here's the first shots of Botond House and Barn for the ECW, Horse and Musket Period taken from the Rat Palace III.

These are hand made, no resin structures or slop painting here.

Thanks Sandy! This is what makes the Rat Palace THE gaming venue in the DFW area!

Botond House Close Up

The Botond House is perfect for larger scale
28/whatever mm figures.

Barn

Spring Break-Some Project Breathing Space

It's Spring Break. Got a week of relative peace to catch my breath and get paint on figs. I've finished the first load of cavalry. Turns out it there were 34 figs. Victory without Quarter calls for 12 figure units so I've got almost three regiments based and ready to play. Am waiting for my GMB flags. I went ahead and bought one of each of their cavalry flags so I can easily change them out as needed. Have heard they're great...waiting to find out!

I received a box from Sandy Botond in Katy, Texas over the weekend. I took a group of students to San Antonio for a Robotics competition so I've not opened it YET. If this is what I think it is, you may be able to hear a Tejas yell from your home.

I'll post pictures later today! Keep checking back

Battle of Schweinkopf-Day Two-Put off for Two Weeks

We're putting off the second day of the battle for two weeks. I've got work obligations next weekend...I'm taking a group of students to a Robotics competition in San Antonio. Hey...even a BAD day in San Antonio is a GREAT day!
Am working on my ECW cavalry. Work has been a time grabber. I'm almost done with the first36 horse...am working until I get 96 figures completed. Then the foote!