Finished up the crossbowmen and put together a “cheat sheet” for the “On The Seven Seas” rules. Great way to learn and retain. Here’s a link to the On The Seven Seas PDF version of the playing aid.
Category Archives: Miniatures
Renaissance Skirmish – Basics
Set up the table for a skirmish game using the “On The Seven Seas” rules by Osprey. Yes, I know, these are pirate rules. But, when I purchased these rules, Osprey’s latest and period applicable offering “En Garde,” was not available. While the reception for “Seven Seas” has been mixed, I do like the faction/greed/fear mechanics, and the simplicity. We’ll see how they work on the table.
The game will be a village fight between two factions. One will hold the village, the other intending to loot and plunder.
I’m using houses from Hobby Lobby. These are cardboard and very close to scale for my larger Warhammer Empire figures. More on them in a followup post. I kept the four houses a neutral gray, with only red chimneys and add-on flower basins for color.
I’ll use a few figures and push through a quick couple of turns this PM.
Back With “Harry Tate”
Finally home, and one of the first orders of business was to finish the RE-8. What a perfect clunker.
Just one more aircraft to finish for the BoB Campaign. But before that happens, I need to finish up my six Renaissance Skirmish figures (more on that in my next post) and the slog-that-is-the-BoB-gunboat.
Here’s a few photos of the “Harry Tate”.
The CP Has Displaced
Am TAD for the next few weeks, and daily focus not on wargaming.
I left my three projects in various stages of completion pending return. Sigh.
However, I did bring few modest pursuits/games.
Right now I’m messing around with the Galleys and Galleons rules. While out at author’s blog I came across an entry about using WizKids collectible card game pirate ships.
These are inexpensive plastic ships featuring galleys, junks and sailing vessels. The galleys and junks are perfect for my East Africa Campaign, while the sailing vessels tend to be more 18th century than the mid-16th centrury. The components are punched out from credit card looking templates. While simplistic, and adorned with logos, they pass muster as an inexpensive way to fight small fleet actions.
The naval aspects of the campaign will be secondary, so building fleets for the Chinese, Turks and Portuguese without a considerable investment of money, time and effort is a most welcome development.
I am also working with an old set of WRG rules for galley warfare as a supplementary system. I downloaded the Galleons and Galleys rules in PDF at the Wargame Vault.
Down But Not Out
As of 1500 yesterday all my projects were dead in the water. Had an overwhelming urge to do a Blog Kvetch, but just had a couple of beers and sat in the Sun.
The gunboat needs some detail. The more I stared at the monolith, despite various paint schemes, the more it looked like an ungainly children’s toy that should have a warning about swallowing attached.
The adhesives for Biggy Rat and Itchy Brother’s flight stands wouldn’t set.
My manic use of pliers and tin snips to correct casting flaws had ruined the RE-8.
By 1800 there was some hope. I pulled the gunboat apart and will start applying decking, metal plates, windows. But, I’m not a scale modeler Jim, I’m a wargamer! We’ll see what happens.
Dug up some old metal adhesive, the kind you mix together. That seemed to be setting.
The RE-8 cannot be salvaged……well, it will be used as a crashed aircraft. Good news is that it was only half price at $10, so at least the capital cost was low. The labor cost…..thank goodness my time isn’t worth much anymore.
Gunboat Pt – 2
Primed it and have given it two coats of Dark Green paint. Will put mast and rigging up last. Not really happy with the deck funnels, but they’ll hold place until I can find something better. Have to figure out some contrasting colors (black?!) to break up the monolithic look, and a way to exchange mast flags so it can be used by any and all sides.
Biggie Rat and Itchy Brother – Final Installment For “The Rest Of The Story”
Finished the “Rest Of The Story” aircraft. When I set it next to the plane featured in “The General Is Pleased”, I could only think of these TV Cartoon characters. Something about the two side-by-side. Related, but definitely different.
As generic and spurious as these planes are, what I like about them is that the are in-scale. Just received a Fokker D-7 (which was a staple for both sides in the RCW), and it is way too big.
Now that these two are painted, have started hammering away (literally) at the RE-8. Feel like a medieval orthopedic surgeon (Theodoric?). Engine mount all messed up. Didn’t notice it when purchased…..typical. Should work, despite the promiscuous use of pliers, files and screwdrivers. More on that later.
Gunboat – Pt. 1
Any Back of Beyond game worth its salt needs a Gunboat. Started channeling Bob Cordery and the possibilities of scratch building one. So, off to my home(s)-way-from-home(s), Hobby Lobby and Home Depot, as well as a Wargamer’s-Site-Of-Choice, Google Images.
Picked up all types of raw materials and bits, and started working on it. Something generic, easy to build, but looks good on the table. The key to all of this was the picket fence post I chopped up while working with some cheap lumber on another home improvement project. In the midst of that sludge, see something mundane, and….jeez this might be something….because it had a bow, which can be damned hard to carve.
It’s a fun project…….
Update to follow…..
The Rest Of The Story
With apologies to Paul Harvey……Two similar aircraft, a modeling Body Double.
My last post featured the second aircraft I had purchased at Hobby Lobby. The first was featured earlier, but my clumsy attempts at removing the wheel spats and pilot head rest relegated it to garage purgatory. The problem was that I insisted on using what remained of the metal landing gear struts for the new – more period appropriate – gear.
Well, after I finished the “spatted version”, I saw the landing gear problem differently. Get rid of the metal struts and use the existing wheels (freed from the spats), and wood struts. What kind of wood….matchsticks worked perfectly. I drilled holes in the fuselage to anchor the gear, applied superglue to the cut-down matchsticks and..,…..
Back From Purgatory & Ready For Priming
The General Is Pleased
Added a force multiplier that will please any would-be Warlord. Finally finished one of my Back of Beyond aircraft. It’s the Hobby Lobby ship….not historically correct, but no assembly required and, after priming, painting and dry-brushing, it looks OK. Should be nice on the table and add something extra to the scenario mix. Will keep it in neutral colors/markings so it can be all things to all armies whenever the scenario deems it so.
