I can't wait to use them in a game and a bargain for 14 quid for the lot!
Showing posts with label Winter War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Winter War. Show all posts
Thursday, 11 May 2017
Winter War 192......? Part 8
Some more scenery just in! I was thinking of making some fences for Canada, but then I saw that Emperor Toad's Emporium did snowy rail fences for just £7 for 4 pieces, so I ordered a couple of sets. They took a while to arrive, but then they are handmade to order, and now they are here I'm really pleased with them. The website is http://emperortoadsemporium.com/
Monday, 10 April 2017
Winter War 192......? Part 5
I've now got the Canadian and US Regular Army figures all finished. I also managed to get to the local fabric shop and pick up some white fleece fabric for a table cover. I quite like the effect, so the latest figures are pictures in their "natural habitat" as it were.
Canadian Army
US Army
The entire cast to date
I now have enough for a game of TMWWBK at the skirmish level, although not a full 24 points on each side. I can muster 18 points of Canadians and 20 points of Americans. For the time being I can upgrade a unit of Canadian army to elites and balance it out for now. I've ordered some more British Infantry and Mounties to allow a variety of choice on the Canadian side, plus some sailors in winter gear to boost the American side.
I now have enough for a game of TMWWBK at the skirmish level, although not a full 24 points on each side. I can muster 18 points of Canadians and 20 points of Americans. For the time being I can upgrade a unit of Canadian army to elites and balance it out for now. I've ordered some more British Infantry and Mounties to allow a variety of choice on the Canadian side, plus some sailors in winter gear to boost the American side.
Sunday, 9 April 2017
Winter War 192......? Part 4
The next batch of figures are finished, some regular army types this time. I've still got a whole bunch to finish basing, but hopefully I'll get some done today (although looking at the glorious blue skies this morning, real life may get in the way a bit).
I have set myself the task of having a game's worth of this project table-ready for 2 weeks time, when I'm running an "Introduction to The Men Who Would Be Kings" game for one of the guys at the Tring Wargames Club.
Some Canadian Army officers (with faithful dog)
US Army BAR team
I have also bought some ready-made terrain pieces, the Frozen Ponds from the Battlefield in a Box range. They are intended for 10mm to 15mm, but fit quite wells as smaller areas of bad going, or even impassable terrain (depending on how thin I treat the ice as being).
I have set myself the task of having a game's worth of this project table-ready for 2 weeks time, when I'm running an "Introduction to The Men Who Would Be Kings" game for one of the guys at the Tring Wargames Club.
I have also bought some ready-made terrain pieces, the Frozen Ponds from the Battlefield in a Box range. They are intended for 10mm to 15mm, but fit quite wells as smaller areas of bad going, or even impassable terrain (depending on how thin I treat the ice as being).
Monday, 3 April 2017
Winter War 192......? Part 3
Just a quick post with another batch of figures for my project. This time some fur-clad hunters and trappers...or are they bootlegging gunmen?
And the whole cast so far.
And the whole cast so far.
Sunday, 2 April 2017
Winter War 192......? Part 2
In order to play these games I have in mind, I need something to play on, so let's get on with terrain. I started looking at gaming mats, there are quite a lot out there now. I rejected US companies because of the cost of shipping across the pond and I could also discount a lot of the winter mats that are aimed at Frostgrave, I don't want paving or ruins showing through the snow. Both Deep Cut Studio and Tiny Wargames make snowy tundra mats that look really good, but still did not feel like winter on the Canadian/US border to me. So I have decided to go for a simple white cloth, I can pick up 2 metres of white fleece from the local sewing shop for a tenner (my wife does patchwork and quilting, so I know where all the fabric bargains are), which is a lot cheaper than the £60-£70 I'd be paying for a good gaming mat. The money saved can go to buying some ready-made terrain and save me the time and effort of making too much myself.
I do fancy a small river, or at least a stream and have seen a nice one on the Emperor Toads Emporium site (and I am saving money on the gaming mat!). But I do have two box loads of small scale rivers in the loft for my 10mm games, which would make a good stream in 28mm. as I have more than 24 feet of small river (perhaps a touch excessive, but they were a bargain on Ebay a few years back) I can afford to donate a few pieces to my new project.
So after a good going over with a stiff brush to loosen as much of the green flock as possible, a couple of coats of white paint and a few dead looking clumps of grass, I now have some suitable wintry stream pieces.
I've also picked up some vehicles from my local Tuesday Flea market. There's a stall that specialises in diecast models, usually the more expensive top-end stuff, but he usually has a couple of bits boxes of cheap stuff. After a bit of a rummage I got these three for less than £10 the lot.
I do fancy a small river, or at least a stream and have seen a nice one on the Emperor Toads Emporium site (and I am saving money on the gaming mat!). But I do have two box loads of small scale rivers in the loft for my 10mm games, which would make a good stream in 28mm. as I have more than 24 feet of small river (perhaps a touch excessive, but they were a bargain on Ebay a few years back) I can afford to donate a few pieces to my new project.
So after a good going over with a stiff brush to loosen as much of the green flock as possible, a couple of coats of white paint and a few dead looking clumps of grass, I now have some suitable wintry stream pieces.
I've also picked up some vehicles from my local Tuesday Flea market. There's a stall that specialises in diecast models, usually the more expensive top-end stuff, but he usually has a couple of bits boxes of cheap stuff. After a bit of a rummage I got these three for less than £10 the lot.
This does mean that I have to think about roads now, as I don't think these would get very far trying to drive cross country in snow!
Saturday, 1 April 2017
Winter War 192......? Part 1
I've started on a new project on a little known engagement between the USA and Canada in the 1920s. Both governments hushed this up and buried all relevant files where the sun would never shine. However, in the last batch of official US documents released by Wikileaks was a long forgotten file.
In 1920, the the Jones Act required all goods entering or leaving Alaska had to be transported by American carriers and shipped to Seattle prior to further shipment. This caused outrage in Canada and led to Canada initiating border trade controls in retaliation. In remote areas this caused issues for those who regularly crossed the border as a part of their occupation, such as hunters, loggers and bootleggers. As tempers flared, violence broke out between armed civilians on both sides and Canadian customs officials came under fire. They sent for the RCMP to restore order. Americans complained about high-handed behaviour towards them by the Mounties, after all not ALL Americans worked for Al Capone, in response American military units were moved to the border to protect US citizens' rights. Canada countered this move by sending their own military to support the RCMP.
Intermittent violence continued until a group of Mounties challenged a US Army patrol, who had wandered across the border in a snowstorm. A US soldier slipped on ice and accidentally discharged his rifle, hitting one of the Mounties, triggering a firefight which left two Mounties and three US servicemen wounded. Over the next few days there were numerous low level engagements between the US Army and Canadian soldiers and the Mounties until the respective governments managed to resume control and stop the fighting. After frantic negotiations, peace was restored and all those involved interviewed by government officials, who made it quite clear that the whole thing had NEVER HAPPENED!
So much for the "history", on with the game. I was inspired by Tiger Miniatures "1919 Winter War" range of US and British troops in winter kit, plus Tiger also do Mounties and miners/trappers. I bought a few packs as samples and liked what I saw, so I bought some more figures from Tiger's "Ice Station Lima" range of 1920s soldiers/gunmen in polar outfits. I was thinking of using Chain of Command as a ruleset. Major house refurbishment last year meant the project stalled and the figures spent 9 months in the loft, part painted and unbased.
I thought it was time I got on with this idea, but still wasn't sure about rules. To field two platoons plus supports will need well over 100 figures and I've only got about 44 figures so far. I really want to play some smaller games with what I've got and I'm not sure Chain of Command will allow for the more irregular types of gangsters, hunters etc. Then I picked up The Men Who Would Be Kings and was inspired. Although they are written for 19th century conflicts, I used them for early 20th century games with no problem. They cover regulars and various irregular types, plus the skirmish-level option only needs six-figure units. These rules will allow me to fights engagements between regular army on both sides, as well as clashes between loggers and trappers, bootleggers and police etc.
First up are some terrain/objective markers.
Now the first figures, a group in skin jackets, these will work for any non-military types like hunters or bootlegger gunmen.
The next batch are some RCMP in winter gear. I will probably get a few Mounties in the classic red uniforms, realistically not very practical in cold weather, but you can't not have Mounties in red jackets, can you.
In 1920, the the Jones Act required all goods entering or leaving Alaska had to be transported by American carriers and shipped to Seattle prior to further shipment. This caused outrage in Canada and led to Canada initiating border trade controls in retaliation. In remote areas this caused issues for those who regularly crossed the border as a part of their occupation, such as hunters, loggers and bootleggers. As tempers flared, violence broke out between armed civilians on both sides and Canadian customs officials came under fire. They sent for the RCMP to restore order. Americans complained about high-handed behaviour towards them by the Mounties, after all not ALL Americans worked for Al Capone, in response American military units were moved to the border to protect US citizens' rights. Canada countered this move by sending their own military to support the RCMP.
Intermittent violence continued until a group of Mounties challenged a US Army patrol, who had wandered across the border in a snowstorm. A US soldier slipped on ice and accidentally discharged his rifle, hitting one of the Mounties, triggering a firefight which left two Mounties and three US servicemen wounded. Over the next few days there were numerous low level engagements between the US Army and Canadian soldiers and the Mounties until the respective governments managed to resume control and stop the fighting. After frantic negotiations, peace was restored and all those involved interviewed by government officials, who made it quite clear that the whole thing had NEVER HAPPENED!
So much for the "history", on with the game. I was inspired by Tiger Miniatures "1919 Winter War" range of US and British troops in winter kit, plus Tiger also do Mounties and miners/trappers. I bought a few packs as samples and liked what I saw, so I bought some more figures from Tiger's "Ice Station Lima" range of 1920s soldiers/gunmen in polar outfits. I was thinking of using Chain of Command as a ruleset. Major house refurbishment last year meant the project stalled and the figures spent 9 months in the loft, part painted and unbased.
I thought it was time I got on with this idea, but still wasn't sure about rules. To field two platoons plus supports will need well over 100 figures and I've only got about 44 figures so far. I really want to play some smaller games with what I've got and I'm not sure Chain of Command will allow for the more irregular types of gangsters, hunters etc. Then I picked up The Men Who Would Be Kings and was inspired. Although they are written for 19th century conflicts, I used them for early 20th century games with no problem. They cover regulars and various irregular types, plus the skirmish-level option only needs six-figure units. These rules will allow me to fights engagements between regular army on both sides, as well as clashes between loggers and trappers, bootleggers and police etc.
First up are some terrain/objective markers.
Now the first figures, a group in skin jackets, these will work for any non-military types like hunters or bootlegger gunmen.
The next batch are some RCMP in winter gear. I will probably get a few Mounties in the classic red uniforms, realistically not very practical in cold weather, but you can't not have Mounties in red jackets, can you.
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