So first up my first set of completed ACW Artillery limbers. They are Perry six horse limbers broken down into three sets, the limbers are Perry (plastics which I finally found you can buy individually of their website) as well, six horse units just looked too big for my normal games, I have also got another three of the galloping limbers which will take a bit more time to sort out as they include cannons and gun crew sat on the limber. I have spend what feels like hours thinking about adding more ‘tack’ but have not done so yet.
Secondly I said I would photo the Arab force so far, here they are (without the camel archers which work as mercenaries) I will be prepping the rest of the infantry I have, about a unit and a half. I also have a box of GB Arab horse archers to tackle. When they are done I will be just about at a full army stage I think, but ideally they should have some more horse archers, we’ll see 🙂
THE BIG QUESTION ?
So I have spent a lot of this week thinking about projects, many of which, whilst not completed, are reaching a comfortable level of maturity. My mind has started to turn to that dangerous, but exquisitely tantalising question what next ? I feel I need a new project of some size. To cut to the chase the biggest gap in my gaming spectrum is anything from either the 17th or early 18th Century. I know I don’t have much early/middle Medieval stuff and the War of the Roses is almost certainly going to be a project one day, but this does appeal just at the moment. I have for some time considered an English Civil War Project and always thought this would be a prefect option for when I retire a kind of long term promise to myself. So I am now in a quandary following a number of your fine blogs I seem to be increasingly drawn to the Thirty Years War or something slightly later SYW, Austrian Succession, etc.... At this point like a child in a well stocked sweet box I simply can’t decide either on a clear period or on a scale. I am increasingly drawn to Historical gaming and except for possibly the ECW my sense is the scale of battles in this period are such that a sensible person would opt for 15 mm or even smaller and in some sense I quite like this ideal as a new adventure......but then I do love the scale and appearance of 28’s. So I would be interested in hearing others thoughts ? Rest assured this is more in the sense of a conversation as I may well ignore everything and suddenly start collecting Vietnam !
So am I mad to consider collecting TYW in 28 mm ? And would it really be much better in 15 mm
Which of the late 17th and early 18th Century periods/wars do you recommend ?
Matt 🤔
Loving the limbers, have some myself that need building. I know the feeling with coming to the end of projects, my lead mountain is full of odds and sods to complete. I have a grand alliance 28mm British army that doubles for war of spanish succession but it's not massive. Pretty though. A 15mm battle on your table would be huge. I've just finished, I say finished, my 15mm Pontic army and I really enjoyed painting it. Would be interested in pursuing a new period. There is lots of scope for colonial expansion into North Africa at this time, good for the Arabs.Lots of good 28mm suppliers like Ebor, who are cheap as well. pretty sure none of that helps though
ReplyDeleteThanks Martin we can catch up next week, but you’re right we all share the same challenge of some smaller unfinished projects
DeleteHi Matt,
ReplyDeleteIf you fancy trying some 15mm Rennsaisance games in Carlisle drop me a message.
Thanks
John
Thanks John I think we have spoken a few times about giving your 15’s a run out. I would definately be up for a game sometime when is most convenient, my daughter turns to college next week so from then to Christmas I have a bit more time ?
DeleteHi Matt
DeleteYes we have spoken at local shows in the past. We normally play every third Saturday which fits in with family commitments but have also played evenings.
Drop me an email on jw.horner96@gmail.com to chat about a game.
Thanks
John
First, your limbers are superb and your Arab army terrific.
ReplyDeleteSecond, new projects:
Vietnam. Been there, done that.
I have ECW in 28mm (well, actually 32mm since most of the figures are either Redoubt or Renegade) so a TYW project in 28mm seems approachable to me. Lots of good figures options too and ECW armies in 32mm look great on the gaming table. ECW/TYW in a smaller scale would look good too. If I were to do either of these periods, I would likely lean toward 10mm.
WAS/SYW in 15mm looks good and the battles can fill a table. 10mm would be a good choice too.
Given that I have ECW and SYW projects already and if I had an itch for another 17/18th Century project, my choice would be WSS in 10mm. There. I said it!
By the way, TYW in 28mm is hardly madness.
Thanks Jonathan, and of course thanks for the thoughts.....you had already indicated on your blog you were looking at WSS ! The scale issue is really interesting and I am sure occupies much wargaming thought time. I just fancy something different and the idea of being able to represent larger sections or more complete battles in a period is quite enticing. I have no experience with 10 mm though so it is a big leap.
DeleteWould American War of Independence be too out of period for you or too close to your existing ACW or not different enough for a true sense of change.
ReplyDeleteScale is a nightmare. You already have a lot of 28mm friendly terrain. Collected in in several scales, terrain seems to be the biggest space hogger for the butterfly wargamer.
In the smaller scales, you can end up painting a lot more figures and after painting big figures, smaller figures can feel less rewarding to paint (for me at least), but having said that, 12mm 1066 are on my painting table at the moment :-)
I am indeed very tempted by AWI and that needs to go on the list, this is th8nk would definately be a 28 mm scale but feels a little too close to ACW at the moment. Who are the 12 mm figures by ?
DeleteKallistra.
DeleteMy 12mm ACW have 6 horse limbers :-)
ReplyDeleteMadness! 😀
DeleteI did 3 limbers with 6 horses but then thought how many horses I’d have to paint if I did all the limbers that I reduced the number to 2. 😀
My 15mm Franco-Austrian War and Napoleonic projects field six horse limbers...
DeleteI think the limbers do look better in smaller scales with larger numbers but in 28 mm they felt too big
DeleteGreat looking limbers and I think a sensible choice to reduce the horses. I can’t presume to give advice on what project should come next; the heart will go where it wants...
ReplyDeleteBut here is my humble advice and preferences on scale: if the main form of combat is melee with bows and such then I prefer 28mm. If it’s shooting at each other I prefer 15mm or smaller.
This is entirely to due with what looks good to my eye about shooting ranges. I don’t like it when 28mm miniatures can only shoot 12”. Or if they can shoot farther you need a huge table. It’s why my dark ages are in 28mm but ACW is in 15.
Whatever you decide I’ll be following along your excellent blog. 😀
You’re advice very welcome Stew, I know where you are coming from in terms of shooting ranges, hence of course my 6 mm collections for WW2. I do think a massed infantry cavalry game in those smaller scales looks great and I think that is what I am hankering after 🤔
DeleteGood choice for the four horse limber teams, even I would consider plastic limbers! As to new projects, well, if the heart and soul aren’t in them they are doomed to fail I’m afraid, so only you know where that will lead. Here in GHQ I’m seriously considering the WSS in 28mm...
ReplyDeleteYou’re not the only one 🙂
DeleteNice limbers , good option to go down from 6.
ReplyDeleteHmm AWI in 28?
Thanks Dave I do think AWI has to be on the cards sometime and that would feel great in 28 mm but I am hankering after a chance of scale and period ?
DeleteBeautiful work on all of those, Matt. I agree about 6 horse limbers being way too large of a footprint on the gaming table (albeit the accuracy of 6). As far as your future projects, if you go with 28mm (my preference) for ECW/TYW, I try out either The Pikeman's Lament or Pike & Shot. For SYW, my current choice would be Black Powder, of course! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Dean, useful suggestions on rules 🙂 what I am currently pondering is what period, I feel I want to do something on a slightly grander scale and I am trying to narrow down the options.🤔
DeleteWell there's always the Great Italian wars in 28mm! Seriously though a TYW that can morph into ECW at a later stage sounds good, my ECW force had been put together with half s mind to change flags and call me Swedish or Imperialist or whatever, unless you want to be bang on by the book costume specific which you have never struck me as . Scale? I only use 28mm, partly because I figure I'll be able to see to paint them for the foreseeable future and also because if everything is one scale I can use/store the same stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think the smaller scales are admirable for larger battles and no doubt better at translating distances involved but I guess I just like my toy soldiers at 28mm! Oh limbers look great, surely no need for more than a four team in 28mm.
Best Iain
Four horse limbers are just dandy. So much choice when planning a new project, hmm.
ReplyDelete