A Very Scary Solstice

Long time friends and acquaintances know that I take Christmas very seriously. On the other hand, I always appreciate a good humorous lampoon, and I'm also a fan of H.P. Lovecraft's fiction.

The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society has put out two "Solstice" (read: Christmas) albums. The first was A Very Scary Solstice, the new one is An Even Scarier Solstice. Both of these are available online.

A good example of the fun songs is It's beginning to look a lot like Fish-Men (go there now and play the song) to the tune of "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas".

Great fun for your holiday gaming session.

Thanksgiving Vacation - a book fest (but sadly no miniature painting)

I just posted about a used book store find that I got from McKay's books in Winston Salem - Red Cavalry. Other books that I read (or purchased) over the Holiday weekend include:

A War Like No Other - Victor Davis Hanson analyzes the Peloponnesian War with (in my opinion) good historical perspective. He then appplies the lessons of that conflict to modern day (and other) examples of "just war". You may find it interesting.

The Russian Revolution: A Very Short Introduction - S.A. Smith. Just what it says - a short introduction. Good overview of the 1905-1917 era, with the rise and release of Lenin, and the rise of the Bolsheviks over the Mensheviks. Not bad, but (as it says) short.

Greek War of Independence - David Brewer. Good book on the events of the 1820s and 30s. Not a lot of detail for the wargamer, but a very good general history. A lot of detail on individual personalities, which makes the whole thing very accessible.

The Russian Civil War - Evan Mawdsley. A very nice counter to Red Victor by Lincoln (my favorite single volume on the RCW). Shows in great detail how the Whites really had a lot of advantages, and how the Red chances of victory were slimmer than previously supposed. I don't know if I'm convinced (I haven't read the whole book, admittedly) but it does make for good reading.

1066: The Year of the Conquest - David Howarth. One of my favorite history authors - this is (as usual) a very readable and enjoyable book. Worth looking for, and should be easy to find.

So there you have it - the books I dragged along with me on my week long trip, and some I picked up on the way. My time would have been better spent painting miniatures, however. Harrumph.

Red Cavalry - a recent used book store find

Red Cavalry is a collection of short stories and reports written by Babel during the Russo-Polish war. I have, admittedly, not read the entire work, but the excerpts I have read made it clear to me why it (in the 1920s) got broad international acclaim for two reasons - (1) It is engrossing and well written, and (2) it is incredibly brutal.

The scenes of Bolshevik, White, Green, Anarchist and Polish troops engaged in all sorts of operations are meticulously detailed, and the feel for someone doing RCW (or related) is fantastic. If you can manage to keep your lunch down between the descriptions of mercy killings, slogging through your own mate's intestines, and gang rape victims being taunted.

Not for the young.


Tags: Russo-Polish War

19th Century Imaginations - Sausage Wars (new entry from Chuckipedia)

Sausage Wars - (see also Brazilnutti Uprising) - a minor conflict, now often relegated to the underside of the dustbin of history, that involved the minor states of Balkania. The main cause of the disagreement seems to be whether or not to include Sausage in the canonical listing of Balkanian cuisine. The XIVth peace talks, held in Gaspacia (Kingdom of the Three Sicilies), famously broke down when visiting dignitaries from Vulgaria began a chorus of "Wassamatta wi' me?" to be answered by their Hostian rivals with "Wassamatta for you!" across the room. This led quickly to a tossed sausage, and finally to musketry volleys.


Tags: Sausage Wars, Balkania, Brazilnutti, Gaspacia, Kingdom of Three Sicilies, Furstenberg, Vulgaria,

Russian Civil War Equipment Series (2) - 1902 Putilov 76.2mm gun

While not as famous of a piece during WWI as the French 75, this field gun is quite a successful model, and in addition to being used in the Imperial Army during the RJW and also in WWI, it was used by both sides during the Civil War.

The gun proved so successful, that it was used by the Polish and Romanians, and continued in use by the Russians up through the Great Patriotic War. Of note, the Romanians retooled the gun to take the French 75mm round, and the resulting field piece was named the Schneider-Putilov 1902 75mm.


A modernized version of the gun (shortened from L26 to L24 in 1930 by the Finns to use as a gun in some tank models. Notably, it was found in the Finn versions of the BT-8 and the T28-B.

Polish Armored Train number 54, the Grozny, had a couple of Putilov's as main armament. It was used in the Russo-Polish War.

It is a good workhorse field gun, and received several upgrades and mods. The basic form has a range of about 6000 meters, and a ROF of 10 rounds per minute. Not bad as an infantry support gun. It was finally replaced, in service, by the ZIS 1941 gun.


Tags: Russian Civil War, miniatures, wargames

Clubmen for the ECW

Wargames Factory just announced the Liberty and Union League - basically something sort of like the 100 club of Eureka Miniatures.

Someone submits a Sprue idea, for figures to be produced in hard plastic. Gamers then sign on to order figures, by committing (with no money down) for a number of sprues. Once the orders reach 500 sprues, photos of the in-progress sculpts are made available. Once 1000 orders are made, each pre-order person then kicks in $1 per sprue, to pay the cost of tooling up. Once finished, they sprues are shipped and the remainder of the cost per sprue (about $4-6 per sprue?) is charged.

Great idea! It works for Columbia Games, GMT Games, Eureka Miniatures and a bunch of other companies.

I put in a sprue description for something that I've wanted for some time (and in a decent quantity), and I can only assume that other ECW gamers would want too. That is a nice, affordable, 17th century armed civilian that would be suitable for peasant mob or armed Clubmen. These would fit into a number of wargaming army lists for ECW, as they fought on their own vs. a number of armies (see Dorset and Wiltshire). Similar armed figures fought for Fairfax against the Royalist army in Yorkshire in 1643.

This figure could also serve very nice as armed mob in the Monmouth Rebellion, or as armed peasants for a Thirty Years War game.

This is not even addressing the usefulness such figures would fill for civilians in a typical Musketeers or Pirates or ECW skirmish game.

So, support the cause! Defend ye homesteads, ye Godly men! Take up the Cudgel and Bible and say Nay! to tyrants and blasphemers! Go to Wargames Factory and put in your order, with the Liberty and Union Leage for Renaissance 17th Century Armed Civilians!

Tags:

Russo Japanese War at Fall In a success

The running of a Russo-Japanese War game at Fall In was a great success. It was sponsored by ODMS and will be repeated at the Williamsburg Muster.

The game had six players (three per side), and was a test of my mods to the great set of rules for Russian Civil War by the Jackson Gamers, Forward Comrades. The mods are becoming more and more extensive, and the rules (nicknamed "Forward for the Tsar") will be published here in the near future.

At the convention, the scenario was a contested river crossing. We played it two times, once with just ODMS lads (with the Russians attempting to force the crossing) and once as the convention event (with the Japanese attempting to force the crossing). The Russians won (but not neatly) both games.

The only differences between the armies was a slight difference in command, a slight initiative benefit to the Japanese army, and a difference in the organization of the artillery batteries. The Russian army was slightly bigger (10 battalions to 8 battalions of infantry), but the Japanese had a few Elite units to balance it out. The artillery difference was three batteries of two guns for the Japanese, and two batteries of three guns for the Russians - this gave the Russians more dice per battery, but one fewer battery (the number of dice is per gun, so the total for each side was balanced.

I have to say that I am looking forward to more RJW, but also the slightly connected RCW.

Tags: Russo Japanese War, miniatures, wargames

Russian Civil War Equipment Series (1) - Rolls Royce Armored Car

This is a new series on the equipment of the Russian Civil War that is part of my 15mm modeling project for that conflict. The first piece to be covered is the Rolls Royce Armored Car.

This A/C was not used extensively in the Russian Civil War, but there are some photos, so they were present at some level. The vehicle is almost iconic as a WWI era Armored car and was used in many other conflicts (Ireland, 1920s, Gobi Desert, WWI, and even WWII). There is a photo in the excellent "Armored Units of the Russian Civil War: Reds" Osprey book.

I am using the QRF model, of which I have two, and they will be painted generic enough to be serviceable for both sides (Red and White).

note: image used from gunpoint-3d with permission.

Tags: Rolls Royce Armored Car, Russian Civil War, miniatures, wargames

RCW Project - Russian Sailors

I am working on some Bolshevik Sailors in 15mm for the Russian Civil War. The figures I am using are a mixture of some Peter Pig's, and also the new Russian Sailor pack from Battlefront for Flames of War. That pack comes with 46 figures. In the pack I got there were 5 command figures, 4 lewis gunners (I might do MG stands with them), 10 figures with drum fed SMGs (more on them later), and the remainder were riflemen. Despite these figures being intended for WWII, the uniforms are so similar, and the rifles indistinguishable, that I decided to use them.

The one problem, of course, is the SMG in the hands of 10 of the figures. I did some research, and apparently the Bergman MP18 was used in Russia, and captured from German sources. The figures have a drum fed SMG with an air-cooled (with the small holes) barrel. If I trim off the drums, they will look very much like MP18's. So that is the course I will take. I will post pictures as they are finished.

Tags: Russian Civil War, sailors

Lunar Empire Resources

The best online resource for any HOTT gaming is of course The Stronghold.

There are some other online resources that would be good for Glorantha wargaming in general, and the Lunar Empire in particular. Here are the links.

The Army of the Lunar Empire - an essay by Sandy Peterson

The Genertelan Art of War - an essay by Sandy Peterson

Gloranthan Army Lists for HOTT - by the Bashi Bouzouk Band

Gloranthan Army Lists for HOTT - by David Pulver
Alternative Version

Wargaming in Glorantha - pictures, rules, cool stuff

Lunar Empire Map


Tags: runequest

Recent Wargaming Activities in the Land of Chuck

[Find out more about the Williamsburg Muster]

Since the last time I posted "what have I been doing in wargaming" a lot has gone on.


First, the ODMS club launched the Williamsburg Muster convention, and a lot of time has gone into planning and advertising that event.

Second, I completed enough of the Russo-Japanese war project to run my game at Fall In. There are still over 200 infantry in a semi-finished state, but it is to the point of having two playable armies, new terrain, and modified rules. I would like to run it over the holidays for the ODMS crowd. The terrain completed for this were eight new hills (I wasn't completely happy with them, so I donated them to "John Snelling's Home for Wayward Hills and other Earthly Protuberances"), and four Manchurian villages. I am not completely happy with the villages, but I got a LOT of compliments on them at the convention, so I will probably post the files for download.

Third, I have been working on two articles for HMG magazine. Details to be released later.

Fourth, I have been working on a historical article about the development of the Rifle from 1860-1960 - as a theme essay to support the Theme of the 2009 Williamsburg Muster.

Fifth - I have been doing some painting on 15mm Sudan figures. I got 100 Dervish finished, another 100 half finished, and some Camel riders are in the works.

Sixth - I painted some of the Krigbaum collection of fine miniatures.

Seventh - I have been working on some colonial Orbats for Eric Burgess.

Not bad.

Looking ahead over the holiday months (second half of Nov, Dec, first half of Jan) I will probably concentrate on:
1. Russian Civil War (new armored cars and tanks from Fall In, plus Red Infantry)
2. Russo-Japanese War (finish it)
3. Vikings (25mm)
4. More Terrain
5. HOTT army (Lunar Empire, from Glorantha)

Could be a busy two months.

Tags:

Russian Civil War posters and flags

Free download and print from Gauntlet International

This is (I believe) the company that Craig Martelle started to import loads of really nice Russian military history and gaming resources, which (when necessary) get translated into English.

Tags: RCW

Terriffic looking wargame pictures!

These pictures from the 2008 Bovington Wargames Convention are really spectacular. Those are some great looking games.

Tags: Bovington

Hardcore History Podcast

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History is a Podcast on some very interesting topics in (mostly) military history.

Take a listen, you won't be disappointed, even if you disagree with Dan and his well documented list of authors.

Tags: history

Getting Ready For Fall In

Getting ready for Fall In!

I've been putting the finishing touches on my Russo-Japanese set up. This has included miniatures (18 battalions, split 10 Russian, 8 Japanese; 4 regiments of cavalry; 6 batteries of guns), and terrain (9 new hills, 4 new villages). Also modified rules and playtesting. The official game is Friday Night at the convention, but look for one last dress rehearsal (playtest) on Thursday Night in open gaming.

I'm also putting on a TSATF game on Saturday Morning. This will be Brits and Egyptians taking on the worst that the Mahdi can throw at them.

pictures of the Hill Building Project





Tags: Fall In

Buy a Monster for Scouting

This recent TMP Posting has a photo of a monster that a Boy Scout sculpted, and then one of the adult leaders has casted 100 of them.

These are for sale for $2 each and the proceeds benefit the Scout Troop that the boy is from. See the article for details.

Personally, I think these would make great Austrian Grenadiers, but then who am I to judge an Austrian.

Tags: miniatures

Drovian Highland Warriors

A lot of information has been spread around concerning the troops of Drovia (the western mountain province of Furstenburg, known for its fiercely independent tribal warriors, and the high quality of Drovian sheep).

Drovian tribal chiefs each have a quota of men they are to provide to the local hetman, which will form a regiment. There are 6 regiments spread through the mountains, one in the trading town of Katrinka, and the other five based on different valleys where sheep villages are located. The highland clans who live in the heights over the sheep valleys provide the warriors that make up these regiments. These men (the drovian highlanders) are natural fighters, given to tribal feuds and raids, and only require a modicum of training in the base martial arts. Getting them to adopt a uniform, however, and to take up ways that the rest of the Furstenburg army observes is an altogether different issue.

As the picture above shows, they wear a somewhat loose "zouave" type uniform, based on the native dress of the highland tribes.

Now for the rumors:

Rumor: Drovian warriors eat only raw sheep and drink their blood. FALSE - although there are some Drovian recipes that call for raw sheep (especially small meats) for the most part, it is cooked.

Rumor: Drovian warriors come to battle with their women, barefoot and barely civilized, following after the regiment to strip the enemy dead of any equipment or clothing they die with. FALSE - Drovian women, like the mean, wear footgear almost always when outside their croft-houses.

Rumor: Drovian officers do not rely on buglers or whistles to make their orders heard, but rather have a strange battle-language based on a sort of ocarina constructed from a sheep's femur. TRUE - the distinctive sound of ocarina playing means that Drovian warriors (always adept at hiding among rocks and forests) are afoot and they mean to do mischief.

New Rules from Priestley

Blackpowder are rules for 1700-1900.

The link above goes to a playtest session highlighted at Warlord Games.

The neatest thing about the Very Large acw game shown in the playtest pictures is that almost all of the empty beer bottles are at John Stallard's corner of the table.

I like John Stallard.

Tags: wargames

Medieval gaming

stone_fort
Originally uploaded by Land of Chuck

I have been listening to a Teaching Company lecture series on the Crusades, and it is really whetting my appetite for some Medieval gaming.

I am full up on activities for Fall In (Russo Japanese War, and British in Sudan), but after the convention, I might break out some of my 15mm armies, or take stock in what I still have in 28mm.

Bill Protz' blog on a fictional NWF Campaign

Nice blog from Bill Protz concerning the military campaigns in the Northwest Frontier of General Pettygree.

Rif War (1909-1927) Resources

Steven Thomas has a great set of resources available at his website, Steven's Balagan

He has a lot of periods with a lot of history, images, and good wargaming information, but the one that has caught my eye is his series of pages on the wars of the Rif. This was, apparently, an offshoot of his interest in the Spanish military leading up to the Spanish Civil War (which he also gives a good treatment of.

The Rif War information includes a painting guide, history, and a guide to the miniatures available. Great Stuff, Steven!

Tags: Rif, Spanish Army, Wargames

S&S Article and Color Plate for Egyptian Army 1880-1900

Savage and Soldier have made available this Egyptian Army (1880-1900) guide that describes the army, gives its makeup and unit roster, and also has a very nice color plate for painting, as well as some B&W period photos.

This is the painting guide that I relied on when I painted up my Egyptian units for TSATF. They will be making an appearance at Fall In this November.

Thanks, Savage and Soldier!

Tags: Egyptian Army, wargaming, toy soldiers

WI Painting guide for the Sudan War 1883/1885

Wargames Illustrated has available a Sudan Painting Guide for the first Sudan War, 1883-1885.

This was done by the Perry Brothers and is an absolutely great painting guide. It gives not only a brief overview of the uniforms and the organization, but also gives simple color samples (like the one shown here) that have all the pertinent uniform parts shown, to good advantage for a painter.

Thanks, Wargames Illustrated, for making this available as a download.

Tags: wargaming, British Army, Sudan War

Furstenberg Enlisted Men's Uniform

The mainstay of the regular Divisions of the Furstenberg army all wear the standard 1856 uniform.

This uniform is distinguished by light blue trousers, a dark (prussian) blue coat, or frock, a matching dark (prussian) blue kepi, a knapsack and a bedroll. The equipment (kit) is black leather, and consists of a belt, bayonet scabbard, and cartridge box. Completing the standard field equipment, other than general goods found in the knapsack, is a forage bag and a wooden bottle type canteen. Shoes are black leather.

Badges worn on the kepi have the Furstenberg seal (which is a round disk, with the dog from the Uzlov family arms on top). The badge on the front of the equipment belt has the regimental number or symbol on it.

For wargaming purposes, ACW Union Infantry should suffice nicely. Of particular interest are the new Perry plastic figures, in 28mm. Other pictures here and here.

Tags:

Furstenberg calling out general muster of troops

In response to unsettling events in Papaschlemo (capitol of the Rumpwhistle province of Nikovena), and the general call for an Urb uprising, the authorities of Furstenberg have issued calls for a general muster.

This includes, of course, the Household regiments of the Margrave, as well as the provincial "obligatore" regiments, and the various "traditional" regiments, many of which are tied to specific ancient families, or unique regions of the Margrave.



I. Army of the Mark
1. 1st Corps
2. 2nd Corps
3. 3rd Corps
4. Reserve Corps

II. 2nd Army
1. 4th Corps
2. 5th Corps
3. Drovian Corps
4. Roznia Corps

III. 3rd Army
1. 7th Corps
2. 8th Corps
3. Schuster's Corps

IV. Home Guard
1. North Muster
2. South Muster
3. Border Muster

Fantastic map Blog

Strange Maps is a blog with all sorts of very interesting maps, and good comments on them, posted. There are literally hundreds of maps, each with very interesting comments.

And the maps are very cool too, not just a run of the mill 1967 Esso travelers map of, say, rural Pennsylvania, with all the Esso gas stations marked, along with icons for the great tourist locations (Monkshood Caverns, anyone?). No, these maps on the Strange Maps website are very cool.

Come to think of it, I would actually like that 1967 Esso map.

Papagena - the Shrike of the Bosniaks

The heart and soul of the fighting Bosniaks of Rumpwhistle is represented by the lovely female leader of the "brown shoes", a band of hill raiders raised form among the squash growers of the Carfathian mountains. Known only as the Papagena of Carfathia, the hillfolk leader is herself a vicious killer and has been known to murder an almost endless number of Urb peasants.

With Urb armament imminent, the Bosniaks will most surely rise, the only question is can they be contained, or will they invite border raids into Rumpwhistle from surrounding nations?

Ethnic Urbs prepare for uprising

Following events in the provincial capitol of Papaschlemo yesterday, ethnic Urbs are taking up arms and organizing.

19th Century Imaginations - Shots fired at Vulgarian Prince!

Things are rapidly coming to a head in Balkania. With the Pan-Urb league pushing ever stronger for their own state, and relations among the ancient states of the troubled region, how long will it be before this powder keg erupts into open war!

Clearly the Prince of Vulgaria had no idea that August 30 was the anniversary of the brutal response to the Fez Uprising, in 1346. Otherwise he would not have been traveling with such a small entourage. In fact, Det. Levantine of the police department of Papaschlemo has scoffed the security efforts of the Prince publicly, while posting handbills describing the open-topped nature of the Prince's carriages, and noting the best angle for taking a shot at the occupants of such a carriage. When asked about such actions, the Detective responded, "We are just pointing out the weaknesses in the Prince's plan. What the good citizens of Papaschlemo do with such information is their own business. Especially my good for nothing brother, who couldn't hit the broadside of a barn."

The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Three Sicilies couldn't be reached for comment, but when the Vulgarian Ambassador was contacted, he responded, "Oh, so the Prince was shot at? Well, we were wondering where he got to."

The official Paypale position is unknown yet, yet it is likely to be arriving escorted by the four battalions of Schniss guards who are escorting Cardinal Robin in the region, on his mission of peace.

The Daily Balkanian will continue to report on events as they unfold, however making sure that all of your wives (and their sisters) are safely at home at night seems to be a wise course of action. Also make sure you have plenty of ammunition. The 43rd peace talks are about to begin.

Forward for the Tsar

The soldiery of 10 units of Imperial Russian Infantry (for Russo-Japanese war, also to make an appearance as Whites in the Russian Civil War) have been finished and based. Almost completed, also, are the officers and standard bearers.

Still working on finding appropriate figures for Japanese machine guns (minifig WWI British Hotchkiss?). Cavalry and artillery next, along with more infantry.

The project is moving along nicely.

Tags: Russo-Japanese War, wargaming

19th Century Imaginations - Oh Furstenberg! Lovely Gem of the Balkans

The Margravate of Furstenberg is a small country in the Balkans that has, through its relatively short (600 year) history, been a part of, and not a part of, various empires and alliances.

Through several periods of history, Furstenberg has been more or less active in the struggle for power against other Balkan states. Relations with her belligerent neighbor, the Earldom of Rumpwhistle, have always been a bit testy.

In the latter half of the 17th century, the War for St. Helga's Baptismal raged between the two diminutive states. Surrounding powers finally stepped in, and under the oversight of Vulgarian diplomats, a treaty was drawn up (the Vulgar Peace), which was accompanied by a multi-national edict, known as the Edict of Boomplatz, where all bomb-throwing activities by soldiery from Furstenberg was deemed outlaw activity, and in compensation to the Furstenbergers, the Rumpwhistle province of Graatz was placed under Furstenberger administration. A curious side effect of the Edict of Boomplatz, was that no Furstenberger infantry regiments were permitted to have Grenadiers.

Furstenberg is divided up into (including the Protectorate of Graatz) 7 provinces (or beyliks), each ruled alternatively by a Governor or a Bey (depending on the ethnicity of the province, or beylik). In addition to being the local authority for collecting and providing taxes and troops to the Markgraf, each province (or beylik) is entitled to having an Elector reside when it is time to elect a new Markgraf. Surprisingly, that even since the acquisition of Graatz which gave Furstenberg 7 provinces, there have been several tied votes for Markgraf. This situation led to the war of Furstenberg Succession, fought in the early part of the 18th century. With the seven provinces (or beyliks) providing 7 electors, and the Uzlov family (the traditional royal family since the early 16th century) having 2 additional electors, and the 2 military cities of Bruzlov and Smellensk, there were a total of 11 electors. Yet the vote for the new Markgraf (Stephan Uzlov II) was challenged by the Vulgarian brother of old Markgraf Stephan I's wife (Nestor). The vote was split, 8 votes for Stephan II and 8 votes for Nestor. Where the additional 5 votes came from, and who cast them is still a mystery, but it incited another war (1722-1729) between Furstenberg and Rumpwhistle (with allies from Vulgaria and elsewhere).

Stephan VII (1830-1907)

In the second half of the 19th century a series of small wars were waged with Trans-Turkylvania over the fate of the ethnic Urbs. The Bey of Frugalia (one of the seven Electors) is the self-professed Begler-Beg of the Ethnic Urbs (the largest majority of which do not dwell within Furstenberg, but rather across the border in Trans-Turkylvania). Mounting raids across the Trans-Turkylvanian border, with the stated goal of protecting the interests of the Urbish people, has led to sabre rattling by both the Markgraf of Furstenberg and the Khedive of Trans-Turkylvania, and threatens to draw all of Balkania into a protracted conflict.

In an upcoming series, the military details of units throughout the history of Furstenberg will be presented here, with wargaming guidelines.

Tags: balkania

The Revenge of Carlos Plynkes

The Revenge of Carlos Plynkes is a great gaming blog with loads of pictures from their games, and a whole lot of fun stuff (like the pic above.

Go, spend some time, troll about. The figures are painted nice, the tables are attractive, the photos are crisp, and the battle reports are hilarious.

Tags: wargaming

Japanese Army on the Move

I finished 8 units last night for the Russo-Japanese war era Japanese Army I am working on in 15mm. I am using 15mm Old Glory figures, and this first batch was done in Blues. I used dark blue (with the unit type stripe) trousers, rather than the white trousers worn by some units.

6 of the units are regular line infantry, and 2 units are Imperial Guard.

Photos to follow shortly

Tags: russo_japanese war

ODMS Hosts first Wargaming Convention!!

ODMS is running its first historical gaming convention, in
Williamsburg, Feb 6,7,8 of 2009.

Here is their press release:

The Old Dominion Military Society is proud to announce its first wargaming convention, the Williamsburg Muster. It will be held in Williamsburg, Virginia. The event will feature scheduled historical miniature wargames and other gaming events, as well as room for open gaming. There will be a number of fine vendors present with a variety of quality wargaming supplies for sale.

The dates for the event will be February 6, 7, and 8. Gaming and registration will begin at lunchtime on Friday, February 6th, and last until 5pm on Sunday, February 8th.

Our theme for this first convention is: 1860-1960 A Century of War! This very influential 100 years sees the rise of the rifle from a simple musket employed en masse, to the modern personal arsenal that today's assault rifles represent. This, along with the impact of mass mobilization, the mechanization of warfare, and global conflict enhanced by speed of light communications make this a fascinating century to study, especially in terms of military history. Come see many wargames in this period (and others, including Fantasy and Sci Fi) at the 2009 Williamsburg Muster!

The location will be the very comfortable and attractive Holiday Inn
Patriot http://www.hipatriot.com/ located at

3032 Richmond Road
Williamsburg VA

Rooms will be available at a very special rate of $58 per night, just mention that you are with the Williamsburg Muster group, when you register by phone (800-446-6001 or 757-565-2600) .

Registration for the event will cost $25 dollars at the door, with discounts for early registration, students, military, and game masters. Single day passes will be available at the door. Details can be found at the convention website, http://www.odms-club.com/convention/

We are eagerly seeking game masters who are willing to host miniatures and boardgaming events. See the website for details and to register your game.

Events already confirmed include -

• French Foreign Legion Sword and the Flame
• Flames of War Tournament
• Victory at Sea
• Napoleonics
• British Colonials in the Sudan (Sword and the Flame)
• 28mm ACW - Glint of Bayonets
• WWII Skirmish - Hedgerow Hell
• Many more added daily!

A limited number of Vendor tables are available. For details, see the website.

Important dates:

• Game Registration (to be listed in the PEL): by December 20.
• Early Registration (for the convention): by January 20.
• Hotel Registration (for the convention rate): by January 31.

More information will be made available at the convention's website, http://www.odms-club.com/convention/

Thanks for your time, and we hope to see you in February!

Tags:

Favorite Orchestra of Gaming with Chuck

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain has officially become the court favorite at Gaming with Chuck.


Tags: Ukulele

Beware The Swedish Army

In order to support the Big Battalions group, my wargaming projects for 2009 will definitely include Swedes. I intend to do some Swedish wargaming from the Great Northern War up through Napoleonics, and see how the figure lines out there support such a task.

Now, before laughing too hard, the Swedish Army is nothing to trifle with. They have taken on, in their history, all of the great power houses of modern Northern Europe, and won more often than not.

Tags: wargaming

Fabulous Flags

I guess by now, most gamers are aware of the treasures available at the Warflag website. This website, by Ian Croxall, offers many wonderful flags, from all sorts of conflicts, for free. Just download, adjust the scale, print out, cut out, and mount.

Readers of Gaming with Chuck should probably be aware of Cotton Jim's Flags (for some insight as to why Jim Russell is called Cotton Jim, buy me a beer at a convention, and I'll tell you the sad, sordid tale).

But, I have found yet another website that has wonderful flags to offer. This is the Danish Wargames website. Most of the site is in Danish, but if you click on Downloads, and then choose one of the topics across the top of the page, you will be treated to hundreds of gorgeous flags, all done in what Warflag refers to as the Textured style.

Finally, if one is interested in later Medieval and Renaissance flags (up through the 30 years war), then Alex's Flags is another useful website.

Tags: wargames, flags, miniatures

Fantasy Flight Games aquires the rights to - Talisman and Battle Lore

This news item describes the transfer of these two properties from their respective companies to Fantasy Flight Games.

Given that FFG is treating the Talisman transfer very well, it is expected that the same will occur with Battle Lore.


Tags: boardgames

Most Excellent SYW Information (two in one day)

The Leuthen Journal is a quite informative website, with a lot of great information on SYW armies and wargaming.

Once again, I am impressed with the high quality images available for painting guides for the various armies.

Something keeps tugging at my 18th century heart-strings....

Tags: wargaming, seven years war

Seven Years War History Page

Wow, what a fantastic site! Kronoskaf is a project to get large information-bases out to the public, with all sorts of information included. Their first two topics have been the Seven Years War, and also Athens in 421BC.

Let me say that this page totally impressed me. There is overview of many of the nations (all?) involved in the Seven Years War. Maps, descriptions, etc. And of huge value, for all of the military units involved, there is good (detailed) painting information, often with color diagrams.

Very nice, thank you Kronoskaf staff.

Tags: wargaming, seven years war

Pictures of Miniatures I am selling

Sadly, I did not paint these. But I am currently trying to sell them. If interested, please email me. Click below to see the album of pictures.

Toy Soldiers

Tags: miniatures

Name Pole for Williamsburg Area Miniatures Convention

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Incredible Napoleonic Diorama Pictures

These are a couple of INCREDIBLE!! websites with pictures of Napoleonic dioramas. They are in German, but don't let that fool you - the pictures are well worth the visit if you want to see incredible terrain and painting on miniatures.

• Der Neuaufbau des Völkerschlachtdioramas
• Befreiungskriege
• Croebern 1813

Tags: wargames, modeling

Kamloopian Terrain Building Tips

Steve, from Kamloops British Columbia, has a YouTube Channel with a bunch (over 100) of videos on all sorts of topics related to model building, terrain construction, painting, and other things. Very instructive and informative. I watched a few on building trees and buildings, and learned a couple of things.





Tags: modeling, wargaming, terrain

Gaming Blogs to Peruse

So, when you are not busy painting miniatures,

Check out this list of gaming blogs - some have some REALLY interesting stuff on them.

http://tabletopgamer.blogspot.com/
http://willwarweb.blogspot.com/
http://www.indiawargamers.com/
http://saskminigamer.blogspot.com/
http://grimsbywargaming.blogspot.com/
http://www.historicalwargaming.com/
http://www.madaxeman.com/wgblog/blog.html
http://web.mac.com/philhendry/iWeb/PCHWargaming/Blog/Blog.html
http://jameswargames.blogspot.com/
http://scottmingus.wordpress.com/
http://ajs-wargaming.blogspot.com/
http://grantsgrimsbygames.blogspot.com/
http://warhammerhistoricalwargames.blogspot.com/
http://pauljamesog.blogspot.com/
http://www.weetoysoldiers.com/wp/
http://wargamersworkbench.blogspot.com/
http://wab-ramblings.blogspot.com/
http://thewhitegeneral.blogspot.com/
http://www.themodelmakerspodcast.com/
http://warof1812rules.blogspot.com/
http://misterplynkes.blogspot.com/
http://ttbgaming.blogspot.com/
http://grandduchyofstollen.blogspot.com/
http://electorateofvulgaria.blogspot.com/
http://www.mavisming.blogspot.com/
http://thediceiscast.blogspot.com/
http://nba-sywtemplates.blogspot.com/

Outskirts of Berlin scenario for Memoir 44

Breakthrough at Seelow Heights is a really good looking scenario from the Brumbar website. It is for Memoir 44, and requires the new Breakthrough mapboard, and also the Soviet army expansion.

If anyone in ODMS gets this set up and plays it, let me know. I want to know if the Breakthrough mapboard is worth the price of the new backpack.

Tags: wargaming

SiegMeow - Cats that look like Hitler

Cats that look like Hitler is a hilarious web page.

Note: I am definitely not a fan of Hitler. But I do like a funny cat picture from time to time.

Tags: hitler, cats

Paper Model Design Software

The Model Train Software company has a Model Builder software package that allows you to design any sort of modern building (late 19th century to 2008) that you like and print it out in any scale you like for construction.

The scales they offer are all the typical Model Railroad scales AND Military Modeling scales, including 25mm 28mm 30mm 1:72 and so on.

On the website, they offer a free building that can be printed in a number of different scales. It is an early 20th century sporting goods store, but would serve very well as any type of old west cow town building, just by changing the sign (think: Saloon, Livery, Dry Goods, Blacksmith, etc).

Tags: modeling

The Dictator wants to know - Where are Oscar's Italians?

Oh where, oh where are Oscar's Italians?

Has anyone seen them? Certainly not the Duce up top.

Rumor has it that they got lost somewhere between Virginia and Singapore.

Tags: miniatures