6mm Towns and Woods on the Fly

 

I'll have proper terrain for the 2nd Störkburg Valley conflict, but until then I needed some placeholders, so using a colour printer, some spare bases and the internet I made a few terrain pieces.

There's a small village and a town, a section of woods and a properly made swamp, all necessary features of an 18th century battlefield.

The Flossian Grenzer are only there for scale.

Quarantine Campaigns in Cossacks

As I have limited resources and I forbid my acquaintances to visit during these days, I dusted off my old copy of Cossacks: Back to War for some solo gaming fun. I have not only one, but three campaigns planned right now.

The first is the siege of Fortress Diken. The narrative for this would be letters sent from the besieging side by the Chevalier du Pétal, General of the Glambrian Army, to His Catholic Majesty's Court, and Kiraz Bey, the governor of the fortress, to the Great Padishah in his seat at Tekirdag.

The second and third would be based on my Hex Conquest rules. One is the Varangian Wars, between Varangia, Flosse and Medvetland, the other is the Continent of Rot series I had already begun playing using the Maurice Succession Wars rules, however, I can diversify and add more factions etc.

So expect some content like this in the near future, while I'm organizing my hobby hoard for more games.

The Schultze-Böhnstadt Navy is Growing

The Schultze-Böhnstadt Principal Navy has had no capital units so far to sail the grand seas. The country had instead relied on their Albionic allies when the necessity arose. 

Now, to stand on their own sea legs and protect their interests on the new continent, the Grand Cabinet of the Principality has decided to build large seaworthy vessels - the first four being 36-gun frigates. Most of the funding would come from the Flossian treasury paying interest after the previous war.

Princeps Gerhard Berthold von Jazygia has decided to name them the following: Dachshund, Wolfhund, Jagdhund and Schweinhund. 

From the East Indies to the West

So I've just finished a bunch of pirates, which has got me thinking about the Caribbean. I have a bunch of ships already, and just ordered/bought some terrain (aquarium stuff and 30 palm trees from China). I will perhaps need a smaller fortress than the one quarter I have, and more colonial buildings, but then the game is on.

I have eyed the Revell pirate ship (the re-issue of the Zvezda Black Pearl / Black Swan) for a while, but then remembered that the same can be had for a lot less investment with cardboard, balsa and decor rubber, and I can suit a scratch-built ship for my wargaming needs, unlike a more rigid construction of a plastic model. My plans include a larger, multi-story merchant vessel (with a hollow compartment to hide loot and possibly figures in it), and a few smaller ones for the pirates, much like the Springend, which was an easy and fun build with very spectacular results.

Also, my Christmas present, which I bought and brought home myself, not wishing to rely on mythological figures such as the Postman, contains the Revell re-issue of their SYW figures - two hundred infantry and thirty cavalry, which will give me more time to think about future projects.

I would like to make some GNW/SYW Russians from the Revell Austrians, because I seriously lack them, and a few native troops from the Prussians. 

The figures are not the prettiest, and they have lots of flash, but hey, it was not very expensive (got them on a sale), and they serve my purpose.

Succession Wars in the Colonies

Another bright idea of mine is to begin a Maurice "Succession Wars" campaign set in Not-India, using the sketched map above. This way events on the main continent would play little part, and I can field all those guys in turbans. Maybe one or two battles a week, and a campaign log similar to the one I did on the Formaggian wars (except this time we don't know the clear result).

FSW Campaign Log, Year 4

Campaign rules

Previous year

The State Army on the move

Garrison units are redirected around the Alpian mountain line and the royal road leading north. The successes of the rebellion had caught Beatrice Schiavona's eye, and it seems the provincial army might not be up to the task.

The force now numbers about a thousand, but it has to concentrate, re-organize, and find enough provincial support to counter the rebel numbers.

Recruitment on the North

The fall of the two loyalist fortresses has caused many recruits to surge under Calvacasa's banner. The Conte di Piedi was among the first to arrive, with more than three hundred volunteers.

The capture of the Forte Vecchia and Prada arsenals also means that the armies can now be better equipped.

No More Provincials - Provincials No More?

During the Formaggian Succession Wars, "light" troops were rarely used for their intended purposes. Some were detached for patroling the hinterlands and providing lines of communication, but raiding and covering the flanks of an army has been outsourced to mercenary Freikorps from all around the world. As a result, most "homegrown" light units performed poorly and discipline was lax.

This had not been remedied even after the Schiavona clan took control and established themselves as rulers of all Quattro Formaggi. Most provincial commanders kept a small body of Cacciatore for surveying rough terrain and border control, but the pay was little, and besides a fusil (in better cases an old hunting rifle), a measure of dyed wool to cloth themselves and a barracks to sleep in, the men basically received nothing else from their masters.

When the Calvacasa rebellion broke out, the Cacciatori had to return to their former tasks, and due to the circumstances previously explained, they failed at it spectacularly. Some provincial commanders on the North went as far as to keep them safe inside redoubts and fortifications, to prevent mass desertion in the face of the enemy. 

While a large contingent of the central garrison prepared to advance on the rebels, a group of young officers approached the higher military authorities in the capitol, and pleaded them to do something about the deteriorating state of the provincials. In case the well-trained and maintained royal troopers are redirected, they argued, the southern provincials also must be prepared to replace them in doing their tasks.

The first step was to commence the training of the provincials around the capitol, supervised by veteran officers and sergeants of the War of Succession. This had also meant that the same lobbyists had recognized the danger of "reinforcing a distaster" in the north: no manpower or resources were sent there, they were instead all given to the Parmigiano Military Council. 

When the regulars and dragoons were somewhat up to date, the time has come for the light troops as well. Maledetto, Duke of Rospini, one of the many courtiers of questionable honor and intent (his main character trait is mustache twirling) around the person of Beatrice Schiavona has been tasked with reforming the Guild of Hunters, the organization all volunteer and provincial Cacciatore must be a part of. 

His first edict was to organize two battalions of Royal Cacciatore, No. 1 Schiavona and No. 2 Parmigiano, and greatly reduce the number of provincials. He thought, and rightly so, that keeping the men under central supervision means more discipline, and more discipline means better combat effectiveness. While the court has little money to spend, they have given uniforms to the troops, and now training can begin.

Schultze-Böhnstadt in WW1

So I've had this idea of playing World War I-era colonial battles using this imaginary world as a background. 1/72 figures for the armies, and 1st edition Bolt Action rules.

Of course it's just an excuse to paint more warships.

I've been looking for quick and easy rules...

Only to find out it's been sitting on my hard drive for a long time now. 

If you had not guessed already, it's the Lite version of Maurice, a free offer containing only the basics of the "big" rules. With some tweaking and still keeping it simple, a good number of 6mm battles could be fought with it, even in the nick of time and space. 

A further advantage is that I have the card set, so no need to print the identical "Lite" free cards. After two years of wear, however, they must be protected from the foul hands of players, using plastic sleeves.

I have received a smaller Baccus order recently, and three more units of foot (WSS infantry painted as Bavarians) are already complete, while three more (SYW Austrian grenadiers) await flocking. More Freikorps will also partake in these games, for which I'll be using the WSS dismounted dragoons in very bright uniforms. 

As a result of my earlier experiments with the rather small and crude Heroics and Ros figs, I dropped the basecoat-wash-highlight method entirely for painting 6mm figures, and have been using a sort of shaded basecoat, which is basically 

1. primer
2. paint the entire strip dark brown 
3. brown drybrush 
4. highlight with block colors.

This produces acceptable results (viewed from at least 1-2 feet) and reduces time required to paint figures - indeed, a Baccus pack of 96 infantry only takes two to three hours from priming to attaching the not yet varnished figures to bases.

Representing armies in Maurice #1

Some guidelines based on the performances in the previous war, for use in future wars.

Plans and more plans

From time to time I feel the need to clarify a few things about the direction the Schultze-Bönstadt universe is heading.

Bandits and Villains - a Flashing Steel mini-campaign

Flashing Steel is now my preferred skirmish game for the 17th and 18th centuries. With a bit of tinkering very unique attributes can be given to figures. The rulebook also has a mini-campaign system, but in this case not too useful. 

What I'd like to do is a series of clashes between the bandits now taking shelter in Calvacasa's land, and a ruthless loyalist officer sent to destroy them. The loyalist army is not ready for a direct engagement,  especially after their recent defeat, but a larger number of provincials can be sent against the hundred or so outlaws. Word also travels slowly and the Parmigiano court might not at all be aware of the loss of the Civita Maria garrison. 

So here are a few outlines for my own future references, and ideas which may help someone:

Spoils

The Civita Maria council greeted the victors with grace. Their friendliness seemed most advantageous to Pietro di Calvacasa - not to be perceived an oppressor in a new strip of acquired territory could be more than benevolent to his cause. 

Background for the Calvacasa rebellion 3. - Logistics

Now that we are past the theoretical build-up of the background for the conflict, it is time to examine how many figures, tabletop accessories and other material evidence I have.

First of all, the rules. I think Sharp Practice with maybe a modified activation system and Flashing Steel for smaller actions. Using Sharp Practice, figures would represent more men (so not a 1:1 ratio).

Then, a campaign map. Fortunately I have just the same, printed in 1710, that Count Calvacasa used during the campaign. It's a big 28"x20" map, detailed to the requirements of its age. The Count could track enemy movements on this map with ease and plan the movement of his own troops.

Terrain: by now I have almost everything required to a varied and good-looking battlefield. I have just completed some accessories as well. I could use more period buildings actually, but those are easy to make, especially with all the paper and scrap wood I have lying around. 

I also have two small ships suitable for the period, which calls for amphibious action and I'm currently building one corner of a period fortress. Only one corner with an interior space of 30x30cm because the gaming table is too small for anything more.

Figures: a quick tally shows that I have 

14+8+8= 30 cavalry painted, 26 unpainted

40+48+24+8+30= 142 infantry painted, a good many unpainted.

10+4 cannon, two mortars, 8 horses for the artillery train, two carts, 22 gunners.

3 command figures, 5 civilians.

All in all, a big enough collection to start gaming.

Background for the Calvacasa Rebellion 2. - Sources

This will most likely be the shortest link in the chain, where I will briefly explain what sources, historical examples and literature I will use as inspiration for my games. 

I have at hand, won in a giveaway at Canister & Grape some time ago, Master Featherstone's War Game Campaigns, which is just the book for such things. I have read it once but I thought it would be worth reading again.

I have a series of Ospreys, of course, on the various rebellions and revolutions that occured during the 18th century. One quite evident thing is that Calvacasa's war is feudal, if I am permitted to say so, in nature: a fight between members of the ruling class, and not an uprising of the people, or an uprising against a foreign govermnent like that of the Jacobites. This also rules out the historical background for the AWI and even more the French Revolution, which does not mean I cannot (ab)use historical scenarios from these conflicts.

What is closer to me locally and in history, and bears a resemblance on Calvacasa's status, is the Rákóczi rebellion of 1703-11. It coincides with the WSS and Great Northern Wars' political sphere. But while Rákóczi was a young idealist (and a great admirer of Louis XIV), Pietro di Calvacasa is old, bitter and cunning. Yet he must face the same economical and moral challenges. What troubles me about the period is the little literature available online. Guess I'll have to visit a library.

Background for the Calvacasa Rebellion 1. - Initial Q&A

In a series of posts, I am attempting to create enough background for both the readers and myself for this new project. This first post is a correspondence with myself on how and what I plan on doing in broader terms.

Q: Where and when does the rebellion happen?

A: Beatrice Schiavona grabbed the throne in 1531 OC, nineteen years before the Störkburg Valley campaign, which I consider being the current state of the world. Calvacasa's rebellion started one year earlier in 1549 OC, but there is very little overlapping in terms of campaign events between the two nations. 

One thing to consider is that the Böhnstadt court knows that the Formaggians are busy with their civil war, thus they can safely reduce the troopers defending the southern border and send them to fight in the west. 

Calvacasa's initial base is close to both the Flossian and Schultze-Böhnstadt borders, but he is not strong enough to ask for any aid against the lawful ruler of the country; and any other country's diplomats would be hesitant to choose sides. As a result, this is an internal affair in Formaggia, and my plan is to confine the campaign events to a relatively small area - I will tell more in a later post.

Q: Who is Pietro di Calvacasa?

A: Pietro, Count of Calvacasa is 49 years old, a seasoned officer of the wars on the continent. He has become known as a cavalry leader, first as a captain of Glambrian Dragoons in the New World, then a cavalry staff officer in various armies, rising to the rank of Adjutant General in the Duchy of Armagnac. He has two teenage daughters and one adult son from his wife Lucia, whom he met in exile. He is of a large stature but plain looks, and he prefers a simple coat instead of the laced uniform of a general. 

The town of Calvacasa is a part of the northern Quattro Formaggi countries. (The proper spelling of the country's name was changed when one day the Chancellorette mispronounced it, then immediately issued an edict that Quattri Formaggi is, in fact, the proper way to mention the Alliance.)

The Count's title is relatively new: his great-grandfather was a silk merchant favored by one of the Parmigiano courtiers, and he was the one to gain nobility through a series of deals. 

Pietro and his father, Marco were exiled when the Chancellorette, by sheer luck and cunning, won the leadership of the country and they were part of her opposition. They have lost all their estates on paper, but the family home and the surrounding settlements were so neglected that upon his return everybody greeted him with joy. This occured in 1548 OC, and in a few months he was already organizing his counterstroke against Schiavona.

Q: What are Calvacasa's motives?

A: Beatrice Schiavona is a competent, but unjust leader. The Alliance consists of multiple city-states and the central government is not dependent on the masses, just like most monarchies. The Chancellorette does not recognize the dangers of ignoring the people of the country; one of the dangers is the fact that a charismatic enemy may alarm enough countrymen to commence an open rebellion.

The Count knows the Chancellorette's personal failings, and although he denies he is aiming for the throne, his ultimate goal is to force his own terms on Beatrice.

Q: What are his strategic goals?

In short term, to gain territory in northern QF, all the while converting possible opposing military forces and recruiting and training fresh ones from the insurgency.

In long term, to gain total control of the north-eastern valleys of the country, and with safe hinterlands march out to meet the otherwise dispersed and weak loyalist armies.

Q: What are the focal points of the campaign?

A: First, the personal struggles of Pietro: in my recent reading, a recurring point was that victory is something soldiers demand from a leader. Simply put, Calvacasa has to win his battles in order to survive. I wish these struggles to be closely monitored and detailed during the campaign; I want Pietro to face the realities of war, something he had less chance to do as an officer and nobleman as he has as a leader of people. 

Second, the scarcity of manpower and resources: Calvacasa begins the campaign by controlling some natural resources, but his base is a woodland with very little food to produce. He has a small core army, around which volunteers are organized in essentially militia battalions. But his base is too small, and the loyalist Formaggian army can redeploy and concentrate.

Q: Who are Calvacasa's allies and adversaries?

A: On his side are a select few foreign officers and local civilian leaders. Some foreigners are specialists, gunners and engineers, while others are experienced field officers. But he has to promote trust among his own fellow countrymen, and his officer corps is too small not to include dilettants who may or may not risk the success of the entire campaign as the plot advances.

On the loyalist side, there will be immediate enemies as he advances on loyalist strong points neighboring his, and as the rebellion gains momentum, more experienced and powerful players will appear in the game on the enemy side. Expect a lot of mustache twirling and the slashing of blades.

The Calvacasa Rebellion in 1/72

I have a lot of unused 1/72 tricorne figures and a lot more are on their way to me right now. Of course it would be silly to ignore the large amount I have in the nether regions of my plastic pile. I have recently begun painting a GNW Saxon army, too - these red-coated devils will most likely make an appearance in large scale skirmish actions. 

Thus was born the idea of a smaller scope, but larger scale series of games. What I mean is switching from 6mm to 1/72, but reducing the scale of the game from several thousand participants to probably a hundred or so at most.

Another thing to consider is I have switched to Win8 when my laptop failed me the last time (no Win10, thank you very much), and Cossacks does not run on it. I have to wire up the old laptop with WinXP to play the game. Originally I started playing the Rebellion out using Cossacks and I have progressed with it a fair deal, but I would have to start from the beginning - and let us admit that for a wargamer, a handful of figures on a table will always look better than any number of pixely warriors in a game.

After reviewing the available figures in my stash, I figured that right now I have

• 40-odd Zvezda Prussian grenadiers. Not the best figures, or the best of Zvezda making, but with minor conversions (GS hats instead of mitres) they can be useful.
• 30-odd Airfix AWI British Grenadiers, yes, those ugly ones. Used only as an emergency measure - I will shade and highlight them over their existing oil/shiny varnish coat.
• 15 or so Zvezda GNW cavalry, one group painted as Saxons, some more remaining to be painted as Quattri Formaggi cavalry in orange coats.
• About twenty Zvezda GNW Russian artillerymen painted in blue and grey coats, ready to manhandle any faction's guns. All I need is the guns themselves. There's also a very nicely painted officer figure.
• Various pirate figures converted from the GNW artillery figures, quite good for smaller skirmishes, and their ship, which can come handy in itself.
• Three Zvezda dragoons on foot, useful as skirmishers or whatnot.
• Thirty-six Zvezda GNW Swedish infantry painted in three different regimental colors, one in karpus. The other two could be used in the Calvacasa Rebellion with ease. 
• Command figures for the above.
• Two boxes (above 80 figures in total) of Zvezda GNW Russian infantry, to be painted as Saxons, ordered and dispatched.

This amounts to a future collection of about two hundred figures, with some variety these would be more than enough to play a lengthy game out.

Possible rule sets include my Inter Arma homebrew, Ganesha Games' Flashing Steel (the dice activation system of these rules suits swashbuckling games the best in my opinion, not so much Napoleonics for example); Muskets&Tomahawks and Sharp Practice. I would also like to start a detailed campaign system to tell the entire story of the rebellion with all of its ups and downs.

In the meantime, I have ordered the beginnings of a fourth 6mm army (SYW French / Loyalist Glambrian) and mercenary/militia figures from Baccus and have brought the existing three armies with me to Budapest. I will start scheduling some games with friends.

The Île-de-Suillen Campaign

We are taken back in time again, on this occasion to the Formaggian invasion of the Glambrian Île-de-Suillen. The island is currently under Formaggian control, but has originally been part of the Glambrian crown's lands. A fleet carrying a large amount of troops starts an invasion. The (usurping) Chancellorette Beatrice Schiavona has, by now, consolidated the Formaggian hinterlands, so she has a sufficient number of loyal troops available. 

Île-de-Suillen (Isola de Suillen) is almost halfway from both the Glambrian and the Formaggian shores. It has a strategical importance as a naval base. The Glambrians feel that despite their latest failures against the Protestant Duchy of Armagnac, their cooperating army and navy could capture the island; another reason the government wants it back is that it could serve not only to control the surrounding seas, but as a base for an island-hopping operation against the island of Luprec that is under the Duchy's control.

Île-de-Suillen in the centre; the Glambrian (purple) shore to the west, the Formaggian (yellow) to the east.

If you visit the 'Basic info' page you can see that there is no result stated in the chronology tied to this event, so the series of battles will decide the canonical version. The fort on the map is in Glambrian colors, but we'll see about that.

I'm going to use the 'Flossian' 6mm army for Glambrians and 'Schultze-Böhnstadt' for QF. Naval action will be fought with my fresh 1/4800 scale fleets.

Battle #1.
Takes place near the Western Suillen Shelf
Engagement: Naval
Rules: Kiss Me Hardy

A full-on engagement between two large fleets of ships of the line. The Glambrians have better ships and crews while the alerted QF Navy has more vessels.

Battle #2.
Engagement: Land (Irregular vs. Regular)
Rules: Maurice

A brigade of Glambrian units lands on the western shore of the Formaggian peninsula to divert troops from the relief of the island. They are almost completely irregular units that intend to plunder the coastal towns and cause chaos to tie the Formaggians down. However, their area of operations is limited so they must stand battle against a regular QF force. 

Battle #3.

Engagement: Naval

Rules: Kiss Me Hardy

A unit of well-trained Formaggian privateers (on frigates) plays their own trick against the Glambrians as they lure the frigates part of the blockade away from the island so the relief force could land.

Battle #4. 

Engagement: Land + Naval support

Rules: Maurice

Île-de-Suillen itself is protected by a small fort. Despite the efforts on the seas and the mainland, a Formaggian brigade reached the island, but a storm forced them to disembark further to the north - now they must reach the fort in time and lift the siege.

Most of the Glambrian navy sailed away to chase the privateers, but a heavy frigate remains to provide support (activated as an artillery formation of 3 cannon).