No Crisis for foreseeable future

 I spoke in the last few days to the President of the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp.  Sadly there will be no Crisis in 2023 and unlikely to be one for the foreseeable future.  Why?

In one simple word Brexit.  In more detail it is the failure to implement workable solutions to make trade, especially for smaller businesses practicable and affordable.  Dave Ryan at Caliver said he was required to put up a Customs Bond of £85k with HMRC to be able to move product from the UK to Europe.  I know this is the case in my businesses but we are much larger and have been doing it for years when trading out side of Europe but for wargame suppliers, often one man bands a ludicrous burden on their business.  

Without the British traders the Crisis show is not viable.  So, for us Wargamers no Crisis.  We can always visit Belgium but the show was a focus point.

A shame.

Crisis gone again

Sadly just heard that Crisis 2022 has been cancelled and who knows when it will be back.  Hopefully 2023?  

Not the end of the word for us who can get to the Reading show (to be held in Farnborough this year) but a great shame.

We are planning on going anyway and enjoy the Belgian food, beer and battlefields and in November one hopes the channel crossing experience is not what we have seen this week.

Good luck to the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp.

A year of shows

Let us hope that 2022 sees a return to some normality in respect of wargames shows.  Sadly Salute has gone and I completely understand that with the planning involved and following on so soon after the Autumn Salute of 2021.  

I am hoping that Crisis in Antwerp is back this year - a great trip with the opportunity for good beer, good food, good company and visits to battlefields, especially Waterloo.

First show for me this year is Vapnartak in York in a few weeks - a new one for me so we shall see but a good day beforehand in York itself.

Then we are onto Partizan in May.  We, the Old Guard will be hoping to put on a game and are already planning.  You will have seen our hex based games in the past few years at certain shows.  These have always been based on generic terrain which we use on our own game nights and although the terrain is great it is not bespoke.  For Partizan we are working on more bespoke terrain, especially the hills and surrounding items.  Work has begun and we hope it creates a more aesthetically pleasing look, although still hex based.

Our plan is Austerlitz (1805) for Partizan and we shall see for the Other Partizan in October.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Army is underway so maybe a Peninsula game later in the year.

So the next few months will be a tidying up of the terrain we have and lots of new builds.

Work in progress

Two posts in a week suggests I need to get out more - but when?

My days currently consist of around 10 hours plus at my desk working and then evenings of a few hours of painting but with complete social isolation in force I have few distractions in the evenings. I have given up watching the news - 10 minutes a day is enough to get what you need before it feels like Groundhog day.  My wife has taken to observing people's studies and lounges - The Health Secretary's study (I assume) looked like the downstairs loo - that is where most of us put old School photos.

Thank you for Classic FM and audio books or the silence would be overwhelming.

My only other comment before reverting to what I was posting about is once this is all over and we have thousands of ventilators in warehouses and enough PPE for every person in the UK, where we will find the thousands of Psychiatric nurses we will need to adjust to normality again?

Work continues on my Napoleonic saga with the Irish Legion just finished and in basing - I put the flags on after varnishing.  These are for the Peninsula - so around 1809 and thus brass buttons and not the silver of 1812 - important detail.

Currently working on a Polish Foot Battery (1812) - guns pretty much done and crews underway.  Preparing the next battery - Wyndhams Rocket Troop at Waterloo.  Using Warlord (my British are all Front Rank and painted by Don) which are a bit smaller but a nice set - had to use the pictures posted on the website to build it - quite straight forward apart from the supporting triangle struts which needed some encouragement to attach to the launcher (actually a ladder).  Need to work out how to paint the guy who is half way up the ladder as he has no base to fix to the holding tin.

All keep safe and well.

Used ipad to take these pictures, appears to be better than the iphone.

No shows!

It is a long time since I last posted anything, work, life, whatever.  At this time of the year I would normally be frantically painting the last of the required figures to get ready for Salute and Partizan.  But as both shows have disappeared out of the calendar this year, although we may make Partizan II, my painting has continued at its leisurely pace and I have been able to stick to my routine of trying to push all things along rather than a focus on one area.

My plan, along with the usual gang (Clive, Don, Jeff and Norman) was to present Utitza (1812) at both shows but we are in for Partizan II, if it goes ahead.  otherwise next year (fingers crossed).

However, I have not been idle, nor has poor Don who was painting all of Norman's Russians for Utitza and had managed to finish them, something I had not done with the Poles.

Below are some pictures of recent painting and a general catch up of where I am.  Apologies for picture quality in some cases, i was using an I-phone which are not bad but I do have a habit of getting my finger over the lens.  I will try and get some better shots once able to get outside with decent lighting.

1st Battalion, 2nd Chasseurs a Pied passing a border post - building recently completed by Grand Manner, Perry figures by me.

And a close up of the Head of the column.

Another recent unit was the Zastrow Cuirassiers, ready for storming the Grand Redoubt at Borodino.  The figures are Eureka, some nice detail, especially the badges on the saddle cloths and the helmets.

Then some Young Guard and the Tiralleurs du Po.  All Perry figures.

French 1809 Legere and Swiss.

My focus is very much on the French and their Allies which means someone else is painting the enemies of Napoleon.  That person is Don.  Who has so far completed both Austrian and Prussian armies for me (as well as Russians for Norman) and is now busy wading through British for the Peninsula and now Waterloo.  Don's painting rate far outstrips mine.  He did teach me about 35 years ago but I took his technique a bit far - he says 4 coats for flesh is OTT!

Here are some of the British, finished and put away, waiting for labels and also flags ready for the next lot (including Hanoverians).  With us all locked up, Don is busy painting at home and luckily I delivered another batch of painting just before the lock down was announced.

I will try and keep the posts up to a more regular rate.  Currently finishing a battalion of Irish Legion (1809) before moving onto more Polish (1812) and then will tackle a Rocket Troop (1815).

I wonder how many will be at the first wargame show after the lock down?  What will be the first show - Colours?  It will be packed.

All keep safe and well.

Salute 2019

Salute 2019 has come and gone.  An early Salute this year on the first Saturday in April.  As previously mentioned, we put on another C&C Napoleonics Le Grand Battle game, this time Vimeiro (21 August 1808) with the French (including Swiss) attacking Arthur Wellesley's British Army with Portuguese support.

Set up started on Friday lunchtime with Don and me getting into the cavernous hall at Excel around 1.30pm and initial set up completed and out by 1.45pm and back in doors by 2.30.  Reassured that everything we had left would be safe, one Warlord offering to sleep under the table through the night.  Some figures were still a bit fresh, having been completed Thursday morning.

All credit to the Warlords, a well organised show where they cannot do enough to help and are always welcoming.  The location, although lacking in atmosphere, once the lights were turned up is fine, it is spacious so that you have room around the table and plenty of space for people to chat and members of the paying public to take a break, as some did later in the day.

Set up completed Saturday am

Clive (centre) chatting to interested parties

Throughout the day we had many interested people observing the game, asking questions and generally being enthused about C&C, the terrain, figures and overall game.

We did manage to finish a game, much to our surprise although it was interrupted on many occasions by welcomed queries.  The battle itself was very much against history with a comfortable French victory.  The initial dispositions, superior British infantry numbers and the harsh terrain, especially in the centre made a French victory look a remote prospect.

The French centre looking from the British lines - rough terrain!

British right flank - Hill's wing

The initial foray in the centre saw a French battalion wiped out by the rifle fire from the 5th/60th Royal Americans.  Not a great start and the French were struggling to make headway anywhere.

Eventually, an aggressive cavalry charge on the French left of Dragoons and the 9th Hussars broke the British gun line enabling the French artillery to finally exploit the position and support a combined cavalry and infantry attack.  The 9th Hussars got carried away and ended up behind the British line where they were all killed or captured.

French artillery - photo courtesy of Alan & Elaine Daniels

In response to the crumbling right wing, whilst Clive was busy chatting/shopping or eating, his fellow British commander, Norman launched an assault using British infantry against the French gun line, now ensconced on the ridge line.  The result was the loss of a lot of British and the French holding firm.  After this, with Portuguese infantry being moved from the left to the centre to shore up the British line, Jeff, on the French right finally launched his assault capturing various villages and woods and pushing Crauford's division back.  The game actually finished around 3pm but we left packing up for an hour and had a good chance to rest and talk to visitors.

Some other pictures from the day:

Flank marker behind 20th Light Dragoons - Border post designed by Warbases - an excellent and bright addition to the table

French garrison marker  - photo courtesy of Alan & Elaine Daniels

Northumberland (5th) Regiment - photo courtesy of Alan & Elaine Daniels

Victorious French commander - Junot (Gringo figure) in 1812 uniform but looks good! - Photo courtesy of Alan & Elaine Daniels

3rd battalion, 4th Swiss regiment - still fresh from varnishing - photo courtesy of Alan & Elaine Daniels

Vimeiro village - never fell to the French but came close

The final pain is the packing up.  I left the hall around 4.15 and was back in at 5.30ish to pack the car and get away.

Queue for getting back in on Saturday pm - I did get to listen to the Grand National!

Partizan next month with the same game.

Bussaco

This weekend saw a re-fight of Bussaco (1810) in the Epic format of C&CN.  We managed to fit two games in, starting around 1.30pm and finally finishing when the ladies returned from a shopping trip at Gun Wharf Quay at around 6ish.

The first game was a real tussle.  The second less balanced.  Both were French victories and both involved pulling the Allies from the centre to the flanks before attacking with overwhelming infantry in the centre to capture the heights.

Don and Norman took the Allied side in both games, Don on the left in the first (Craufurd's Light Division) and on the right (Portuguese) in the second.

Part of Craufurd's division

The first game was a really tough affair.  The French on the right, against Craufurd made no headway throughout the battle and by the end the British came off the ridge line to press the French. 

On the French left, progress was better and the Allies had to feed units into their right to stem the French assault. 

Allied right flank

An early cavalry charge (by Norman) saw the two British Heavy Dragoons charge over the ridge into a French gun line in the centre with mixed success, one battery was destroyed but both Dragoons were badly damaged, limping back to their base line to participate no more.  Don (Wellington) was not impressed and the lack of cavalry would hinder the British in the centre later on when the French infantry began its assault on the ridge line.

I have to admit, with both flanks making no progress and the centre being difficult to move, I as, Massena was somewhat despairing.  It was also frustrating that all my well laid plans were stymied by good tactician cards including 'Infantry combat first' and 'Battlefield smoke'.  Surprisingly, from being some 8 - 4 down the French turned the game round in the space of 3 moves.  Lady luck finally shone on me!

Part of the French centre moving forward

The final score was 13 - 9 to the French.

Game two turned out to be much more one-sided.  A strong start on the French right against the new Craufurd (Norman) including an early 'Bayonet charge' saw elements of the Light division hit hard and falling back to the ridge.  This resulted in British reserves from the centre being moved to the left.  On the French left, steady progress was made but this time the threat of French cavalry (Dragoons) resulted in the British moving their Heavy Dragoons to the right to counter this.  Thus a similar scenario to game one with the Allied centre stripped of key troops before the final French assault.  A very useful 'Le Grand Manouevre' enabled the French to mass three batteries close to the centre of the Bussaco ridge, followed by a 'Bombard' targeting the Coldstream Guards who in Don's words were 'atomsied' being reduced from 5 stands to one - as a former Grenadier guardsman, although disappointed, Don did not show the high level of remorse one would have expected at his best unit getting pasted.

French  Hussars

Game two finished 13 - 6 to the French and was over in about 1.5 hours whilst game one took nearly 3 hours.

A great afternoon with my new British and Portuguese figures debut appearance.  Next up is Vimeiro at Salute and Partizan.