NAPOLEON IN RUSSIA: 1812

Welcome in this online moderated wargames campaign.

The object of this campaign is to generate possible tabletop miniatures battles within the context of Napoleon's 1812 invasion of Russia. I say 'possible' because an additional goal is for the campaign to be as flexible as possible. Not all battles need to be fought on the table. In fact, it is possible for the campaign to be conducted without resorting to any miniatures battles at all. The campaign is 'open source' so when tabletop battles do occur, they can be conducted using Blucher, General du Corps, Napoleon's Battles, Black Powder, etc., etc. Even skirmish rules could conceivably be introduced where appropriate.

An important concept in this campaign is one of roles. Gamers will play the role of a general leading a specific column, with whatever is happening to other, NPC led columns somewhat abstracted. This is in keeping with Prof. David Chandler's observation of the campaign: "How could one man hope to control 600,000 troops spread over a distance of 500 miles in the days before the radio?" Players will have quite detailed information on their own columns, but only a general idea about others. In this way, the campaign will have a quasi Fog of War feel to it.

The focus of the game is on generalship. Players only have to worry about maneuvering their troops. But there is a lot going on behind the scenes. In developing this, I've used Blucher (Mustapha), War & Peace (AH), and Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature (Quarrie). I've resorted to using MSPowerpoint and two MSExcel workbooks, both with multiple spreadsheets managing full OBs for both sides. Force marching, attrition, supply and foraging, weather, Russian scorched-earth (of course), etc., etc. all play a part. But the players don't have to worry about any of that -- I'll be serving as all-purpose Chief-of-Staff, Quartermaster General, and Chief Cook & Bottle Washer for both sides, keeping players abreast of what is happening.

The campaign will use monthly strategic turns, running from May to December 1812, with this blog being updated on monthly turns. Communications will be by email.

Below is the campaign map. (Click on all such images to get a better view!)

In addition to each player leading a 'column', it is important that one French player also plays the role of Napoleon, and one Russian that of Alexander I. They can issue orders to all columns and direct the course of the entire campaign, but they still have detailed information of only their own, 'personal' command. These national leaders can lead any column they wish: so, for example, it is possible for 'Napoleon' to be personally directing Yorck's Prussian column. 

Here is list of the 'columns', for both sides, at start:

 

Movement is in 'bounds' along roads between points, two bounds per turn (three if force marching). Road capacity is 24 units, with a maximum column size of 24 units.

There is more, but that can wait ...

Cheers!

Colonel Shuffle's Mississippi Boys in 28mm

Colonel Shuffle leads his Mississippi Boys forward.

 

A while ago a purchased what was then the latest of the Osprey 'Blue Book' rulesets: Rebels and Patriots. Trouble was I didn't have an appropriate collection to game with it, so when I chanced upon the Perry's Battle in a Box set featuring the ACW, I ordered it. This, in spite of the fact that I already have full 6mm and 10mm ACW armies! But I thought that the new Perry's would fit perfectly into the R&P concept.

Rebels and Patriots encourages you to come up with 'company' sized commands under a specific leader (not that we gamers pay too much attention to what is often a core concept of some rules). So, I've come up with an initial company, "Colonel Shuffle's Mississippi Boys"  Why not?

The odd thing about these sculpts is the while the Union figs have what might be called a 'fine, upstanding' posture to them, the Confederates look like they are shambling along with an ape-like lope. A message somewhere there from Perry's?

The ape-like lope.

I've painted up about 30% of the box, with more to come.

"Be there anyone man enough to tangle with Colonel Shuffle? Well? Be there?"

Freikorps vs. Spartacists, 1919

A vintage image of Freikorps FK Bund Oberland, Munich 1919.

I'm always on the lookout for projects that will reduce my Mountain of Lead. I have three criteria for these:

• A new project has to reduce the Mountain,
• It can't involve buying any new figures (or at least, purchases have to be kept to minimum),
• I can't be too fussy about mixing figure styles, etc. The idea is to get stuff out of storage and onto the table.

I was recently reading one or two books on the German Revolution/Civil War of 1918-1922, and it struck me that this would be a likely fringe project to develop. Unlike the Russian Civil War the internal conflict in Germany was of 'low intensity', even if it was very widespread. No masses of tanks or heavy artillery!

The Münchner Spartakus-Arbeiterkollektiv 'Rosa Luxemburg' rally to the cause.

The items I already had on hand (all 15mm) were:

• About 80 or so old (very old!) late WWI Germans,
• An equal number of late WWI British,
• A pack of c. 40 newer late war Germans,
• A pack of c. 40 newer late war British,
• A pack of c. 50 newer 1940 French Tirailleurs,
• A few odd armoured cars, artillery pieces, etc.

Freikorps on parade. Front-to-back: FK Heybebreck 'Werwolf', FK Sturmabteilung Rossbach, FK Bayerischen Schutzenkorps (FK von Epp).

I had already painted up the old British, with the idea that I could pair them off against the Germans for 1916-1918 actions -- but the thought of making all those trench features, etc. put me off. The German Civil War wouldn't require that.

The rules I plan to use are a modified version of Xenos Rampant (Osprey).

A couple of captured British armoured cars lead the Lancer squadron of FK Lichtschlag. 

I converted the Spartacists from the 1940 French. I studied the cut of their uniforms, and apart from the puttees (it seems just about everyone wore those) the uniforms appear very similar to civilian wear. I kept one-third of them in their Adrian helmets (army surplus), cut down another third to resemble Homburg hats, and used green stuff to put the last third in worker's caps.

The workers surge foward ...

led by their banner-waving Shop Stewards ('Shops Steward'?)

The FK armoured cars will be 'put to good use' against them.

Unfortunely I'm short of Spartacists, so I'll have to fill out their ranks with the British -- justifying that by saying they're using hoards of captured uniforms and equipment. Or have the front shifted to the Baltic and let the Brits represent Latvians, etc? I don't want to get too precious about this!

Japanese Hand Cart

Fellow gamer Craig M. was kind enough to remember his gaming friends during a recent visit to Japan, and gifted me a 28mm model hand cart for my samurai collection!

This lazy stiff is about to receive comeuppance from his old 'Ball & Chain'.

The 28mm figures are from Essex. I find that even a couple of packs of civilians go a long way in the period.

WWII Naval : Additions to Pacific Fleets

Below are some additions to my 1:2400 Pacific War fleets -- Japanese and USA. 

Existing assets can be seen here.

BBs & CA are by GHQ, CVs are by Panzerschiffs. I'm holding off painting the CVs for now, to allow for subbing. I don't tend to paint the Panzerschiffs, in any case.

Additions to Pacific fleets

    L to R & Top to Bottom:

    CV Akagi

    CV Kaga

    CV Hiryu

    CV Soryu

    BB Yamato

    BB Nagato

    CA Atago

    CV Lexington

    CV Hornet

    CV Enterprise

1837 Rebellion in Lower Canada - Part I B: Royal Montreal Artillery

The Royal Montreal Artillery, c. 1837

Fellow gamer Doug H. encouraged me to paint up some proper British artillery for the campaign rather than 'sub in' the poor Prussians.

The Royal Montreal Artillery is a pretty obscure volunteer unit, and I can only find one or two references to it -- but that just means that one can take as many liberties with it as one likes. 

The below are based on the comtemporary Madras artillery. Thanks Doug!

This gun crew looks on askance as their battery commander
steps forth to damn the Rebels, good and proper.

1837 Rebellion in Lower Canada - Part II: Les Patriotes

This section covers my newly completed Patriotes army; or the 'Rebels', or 'Les Habitants', or whatever you prefer. For those who are not familiar with the 1837 Canadian Rebellions, I guess they can best be summarized in wargaming terms as 'the Alamo meets Les Miserables'.  

One of the goals behind putting this mini-collection together was to help reduce my mountain of lead, but as is often the case I actually had to buy some new figures, since I had nothing suitable on hand for Les Patriotes. In the event I ordered Blue Moon Texians from Old Glory, waited three months for them so show up, and set about converting them.

Fellow gamer Doug H. provided some helpful advice here for making the proper touque headgear. "Cut the top half off the heads of most of them, plop on a blob of Green Stuff, pull it up in a point, and flop it over to one side. Piece of cake."

So I went about doing just that, along with applying a primer coat to get going and ... they looked exactly like a gang of Garden Gnomes! Like, The First Regiment of Gnomish Foot (Noddy's Own), complete with 'Big Ears' as Colonel-in-Chief! 

Normally things like this can be corrected as you start painting, but as I added coats, trousers, headgear, etc., it just kept on getting worse and worse. Night after night I sat at the painting table crying 'Make it stop! Just make it stop!'  When I got to the muskets things got a bit better. Now they looked like really serious garden gnomes. 

After doing some additional research I discovered that I wasn't really that far off; the touques of the day could be quite voluminous articles, and flowed all over the place. A final staining toned done the colours some and drew the figures together, and so I ended up not altogether unhappy with 'Noddy's Own'.