Re-learning the rules...

Starting learning Volley & Bayonet rtg again. Much of it I had all ready but it's always nice to go trough the rules and move some troops around the board and roll some dice.

On turn two of the scenario Stonewall Jackson comes on to the board with one brigade and even the odds a bit.

At the begining of turn four another southern brigade enters the board. By this time the union have moved up the rear most brigade but it is evenly match. Eight federal regiments agains 5 rebel regiments of infantry and 1 rebel cavalry regiment.

By this time I had to put the table away. As all of you wargame dads know, when then children want the space you have to give it to them...

This is my storage solution for my troops. And I have re-painted one more Dixon 25mm cavalry miniature from my past.

Until next time, keep rolling them sixes!

/Conny

Taking shape

Well the battlefield is almost done. I still need to make a road that goes from the Valley turnpike up to the Glass Farm but I ran out of cloth.

On the whole not a beutiful field but highly functional and easy to make.

I will try and find a cloth of a different colour for the woods since I don't like how much the dark green stands out.

I have started placing troops on the table to see how it looks.

It's interesting with a battle were one side has such a huge advantage in numbers from the start. Hopefully I will managde to find out how it goes next week.

Until next time keep rolling those sixes!

/Conny

Preparation has begun

For all my wargaming years I have always had a problem with terrain. You see all the fantastic tables people put up and you want it like that. But you find you don't have the skill or the time to build it. This leads to fewer games since I plan and plan to try to find the best solution to make a nice looking table. Well this time I have set my mind up to get more games done. So I went back to some basic materials to get the battlefields done.

The rivers, roads and forests will be marked with fabric and the hills I will build up on the table with cardboard and put a blanket over it. The idea is to be able to make diffrent battlefields in a relativly short time.

I may buy a darker blue cloth in the future but what I have will do for now.

The battle rosters and all labels are done for the Battle of Kernstown. I will return with pictures of the completed table once it is done.

Until then keep them sixes coming!

/Conny

A Humble beginning

After a time away from ACW and miniatures gaming for some years I'm now trying to start it up again.

I got hold of an excellent book "A Storm in the Valley 1862". This is a book with 10 scenarios focusing on Jacksons campaign in the Shenandoah Valley.

This book has got me going at it again. I'm planing on creating all the scenarios in the order writen in this book and maybe even try the campaign that is the 10th scenario.

But to make this happen I have to do some terrain. But I will go for simple fast constructions and materials to get started and get some games going. I have started to make labels for my units, a humble start...

O well thats all for now and hopefully I will soon return with some progress.

Until then keep rolling those sixes!

/Conny

How is it going with the woods?

Hi again

Well this weekend I have started on some prototypes to use as woods on my table. I wanted woods with a canopy that troops could move through and hide under. Usually woods are represented by a couple of trees standing in an designated area. I still have to mark the edge of the woods but I hope that these larger areas will look more lika a forest than some scattered trees. The problem I faced was the cost. I used some cheap mdf for the base of the canopy. Then in the guides I had read they used woodland scenic material for the leafs. But that is expensive stuff! I got hold on some pillow stuffing really cheap (found it on my work...) my idea here is to thin wood glue with water and then dreanch the pillow stuffing in small balls in it. Put it on the mdf and let dry. My first thought was that I had thinn it to much but it stuck on. The next step is to get some dark green sprey and make a base coat on the canopy. And to round it of some pictures.

Hope I don't get lost in the woods. Until the next time keep rolling sixes.

/Conny

Can't see the wood for all the trees

The work to make some wood for my battlefields has begun. The idea is to make a canopy that is raised from the table to simulate a wood and not single trees. I am trying to follow the guide on the Alter of Freedom homepage. I have made some slight changes but on the whole it is the same. Now I must find a store were I can buy material for the canopy and a hot glue gun. At last some pictures of the work in progress.

I will cut the tree trunks shorter when the glue has dried.

Until next time, keep those sixes coming!

/Conny

A small AAR

Hi again

We tested the rules Alter of Freedom this afternoon. I had only read the rules and never played them and my friend Fredrik had not read the rules so the first hour was dedicated to walk through the rules so both of us should have an idea of how they played. After that we took command of our forces. Fredrik commanded the confederate forces and I took command of the union.

I was to deploy my force on table and the confederates that was attacking should be moved on the table. There was rules that made me deploy thin to cover more space since I couldn't know were Fredrik would strike. The first turn he moved one division on to the field and I was responding to the threat.

Soon we realised that the board was to big for the rules so the movment was a bit to short. We decided to continue the battle despite this. But since a large part of the battlefield was covered with wood the going was really slow. We fought for some time and I lost a brigade so we called it a draw and agreed that we would try the rules again but on a more open battlefield.

As I usually use Volley and Bayonet for my civil war wargaming it was fun to test a new rule system. I was not convinced that this was a batter system than Volley and Bayonet but it had some interesting mechanics in it. The priority points bidding was nice. You have a number of points to distribute amongst youre divisions. The more points the more likely the division moves. I also liked the turn clock. The player that own the clock for the turn can dictate the pace of the turn. But the rules lack in explaning situations that can arise during a game. And the modifiers for shooting and close combat could have been better explained as when they was to be used and if it was for the defender or the attacker. The rules was all togheter fun and quick and I have to try them again to see if I can get some more tactics in. Now it was a lot of move and fight just to get a hang of it. 

Still I do prefer Volley and Bayonet!

Keep rolling those sixes/

Conny

Hopefully a comeback

Hello to you all

The last six to eight months I have had a hard time to find motivation and inspiration to get anything done that had to do with miniatures and wargaming. I have dabbled with Deadzone, Frostgrave and started up a project regarding the tv-show Strike Back. I have stod and glared at my painting table and the thought to remove it all crossed my mind. 

Today I am trying to kickstart it all up again by returning to my beloved American Civil War! Today I am to test the rules Altar of Freedom for the first time. The battle is Corinth since I have made a board to that battle a year ago for Volley & Bayonet. 

Wish me luck!

Until next time (hopefully not to long) keep rolling those sixes!

/Conny

I have made a list

Well I have had a bit of a painting depression lately. Not much have been done and I have to many projects bouncing around in my head and can't seem to start anything up. I also have a lot of projects just lying around and taking focus from me. It had been a lot of boardgames and card games instead. But in an effort to break the standstill I have made a list of things that needs to be done. Soon there is a large convention in Gothenburg and I have some things that needs to be finished for the convention. Hopefully my list will get me going. I will try to post here what has been painted and it is a lot of different things to say the least.

I will give you some pictures of the things I have painted. The miniatures are from Mantic Games and for the game Deadzone. Not the best miniatures but they are ok and easy to paint. 

My weakness as a wargamer is and have always been making terrain and a lot of my projects right now are at that crucial moment when you need something to play on. The miniatures are done but it is a sad sight to play around books and cereal boxes.

But now me and my list will go down to the bunker, that has a new table, and start working.

Until next time keep rolling those sixes!

/Conny

Alter of Freedom

Now I have moved back in to the Bunker. I have started to paint some more miniatures again and that was real nice. I have missed it a lot. I have also started to read thrue the rules Alter of Freedom again and also set up the Corinth scenario for named rule set. Me and a friend will try to have a go this week at the scenario and rules. I will then make a AAR of the event. So here are some pictures of the bunker and the set up.

My painting space. Here I try to spend at least 30 min a day.

The shelves with my games. I have sortef out some of the games I own for the sake of space. 

The rest of the room. At the moment I am looking for a new table. 

The Corinth scenario...

The union force and...

... The rebels!

 Now I only need to learn the rules and have a go at it, wish me luck ;)

Until next time keep rolling...

Sixes!

/Conny

Time to move back

Hi again

Now I am done with painting and renovating the Bunker and are begining to move all things back to the room. Hopefully I am up and running with all the projects to the weekend. I will start by finishing up the household troops for my Westeros army of my house Oaken. I will present the house and troops for you when they are done. 

As soon as I have got hold of a new table for the Bunker I will also do an AAR for Alter of Freedom with the Corinth scenario.

Soon it is christmas time and as always you never get more done with the hobby stuff as you think you would. But to all of you out there...

Keep rolling sixes!

/Conny

Still here

Well hi there

Things are sadly going slow here in the bunker. I am now painting at a larger scale since the bunker needed some new paint as well. 

And since work and family takes its time it goes slow with painting miniatures. But there are some light in the darkness! I am done with the miniatures for the Corinth scenario for Alter of Freedom and hopefully I will be able to play it soon and do an AAR of the game. I have also managed to do some work on the bases on my HHR miniatures.

I will make a slight change to the blog also. My intention was to make this blog only about my ACW projects but... I am a wargamer and when I get a new magazines or find a new rule set or whatever inspires me I change focus, its sad I know but there you have it, just like a child in a toy store… So I will start to write about the project at hand is the idea here.

I will show you all what I have been doing soon. It has with Westeros to do and is in 6mm.

Now that DBA 3.0 are coming I will probably fall for that one to… :) I have some armies all ready but I am very tempted to make new armies in 6mm. I have also started some Austrian Generals and officers for the Napoleonic wars in 10mm. They are from Old glory grand scale. I like these miniatures a lot. They are easy to paint and look good on the table.

So there you have it. I will try to blog more frequently again but to be honest I need to get done with the Bunker so things start to spinn again in the hobby world of Conny.

Until next time keep rolling…

sixes!

/Conny