Well, I have returned from leave/furlough/liberty and am back on the Island. I had ventured out east to Ontario and Quebec, where I got to spend time with family and enjoy heat of over 40s Celcius (over 104 F). I had planned to do some blogging while away, but I was often busy, and the few times I had some space there was poor internet connection (if any).
While I was away I had 2 gaming-related thoughts:
The first was that my wargaming buildings are too neat. While in rural Quebec, I noticed some outbuildings that had irregularly sized planks (some up to 24″ wide) and while a tidy building, the lines were not perfectly true. I think I shall aim to modify any future builds to look a bit more real.
The second was a thought experiment that may turn into a few posts in the coming week. What if RPGs as we know them had not been created in the 1970s, but instead grew from Sharp Practice or other TFL rulesets? I have a few ideas of how the rules would work, and who knows, maybe I’ll even get a playtest in.
Apart from some great time with family out east, my Gruncle (who had previously very kindly gifted me some painted Franco-Prussians) informed me that he was giving me his Napoleonic collection! In any world, this would be generous. 1300 painted 25mm soldiers, mostly Minifigs is a great and wonderful gift. To me, though, it is even more special. As a child I remember being over at my Gruncle’s house and seeing his table with the Cuirassiers charging the British lines, and the artillery limbered up for moves. In fact, my cousin and I found a small space in the room that became “Fort Napoleon” and chants of “Vive L’Emperor!” were often heard.
My father and I played Avalon Hill wargames (Stalingrad, Bismark, etc) as I grew up, and from him I learned my love of tactics and strategy. My Gruncle is responsible for the dream of having a table full of painted soldiers to command and re-fight the great battles of the past. I guess my wife could blame both him and my father for this hobby! To own those same miniature that have long inspired me made this gift very touching.
So, after a brief change of command ceremony at my Gruncle’s games room I packed up the miniatures with care and shipped them back home to myself, 4000 km away.
Once home from vacation, I bought some new boards to put over my folding table to accommodate a 5′ x 7′ playing area. I have a terrain mat from Spudnick that I was going to use for Chain of Command (though the mat was designed for Lord of the Rings) that fits nicely on 5′ x 7′ and I wanted to see how it looked for WW2. Well, once the mat was up, the Napoleonic miniatures arrived and they just begged to be placed on the mat. Most of them are in good shape. Sure, some muskets and bayonets suffered, but I’m pleased with how the shipping went. The flags, lances, artillery, and bases will need some looking to, but I think I shall enjoy touching these troops up.
Here, then, are some pictures of 1300 troops that I have long admired, and they are now on my own table. The troops are only placed based on where the boxes were when I opened them, and so some units are mixed or strangely deployed so this is not meant to be a diorama. I still love the view though.
Lucius and I will be fighting a Chain of Command fight soon on the table, and then we’ll change the terrain mat to something easier for these figures on their battered bases to stand on and we’ll have some battle reports shortly!
Some gift! 🙂