A Seven Year's War Game!

Thirty years or so ago, we were playing a lot of Seven Years War in 15mm using Warfare in the Age of Reason. Our armies got rather large.

Then Scott had to sell off his Austrians and French and my I was left to slowly build my own in-house opponent for the Prussians. 

I last had my SYW figures out in 2013 for a game of Maurice with the Mad Padre.

In the meantime, Scott has been able to rebuild his Austrians so it was about time they got on the table.

Prussian left

Prussian center 

Austrian right and center. He's massed 6 regiments of Cuirassiers and Dragoons 

Austrian musketeers 

Austrian hussars and Croats looking pretty on his left

My light troops on the right; hussars, jaegers and Freikorps. 

Thundering Doom approaching like the Rohirrim at Minas Tirith 

See those Musketeers with all the hits and the "Unformed" marker? Yeah, they won't be there for long. Notice Scott's team shirt. I'm sure it helped.

Ouch baby, very ouch. Ridden down the first line and about to rout the second line.

Breakthrough! After this picture was taken, we realized that I could counter-charge with some dragoons and one of the cuirassier regiments had to back up to fight my dragoons. Not that that changed anything for the infantry.

A second battalion of Musketeers about to be ridden down

Swirling cavalry fight as dragoons try to plug the hole.

Initially I was rolling hot with my artillery fire, dispersing a couple of battalions of musketeers. Although we agreed that we probably had too many batteries on the table for an 18th century battle.

But then when he launched his big cavalry charge my dice rolling went badly and things went rather pear-shaped. His cuirassier regiment that broke through two lines of musketeers also overran my Life Guard Grenadier battalion! The Foot Guards finally saw them off with a volley and they retired in disarray, with only one hit left before dispersal.

Counter-charging dragoons also rolled badly and were dispersed for their troubles, so this left my left wing and the cavalry brigades faltering. I had hoped that the "new unit curse" would help me, but unfortunately it doesn't seem to extend to whole new armies.

We were trying to use General d'Armee, but I'm not sure how well it reflects the period. Artillery is perhaps too powerful, and infantry musketry not powerful enough.

Quar of Command

I had my first game of the year, and introduced Big Pat to both the Quar and Chain of Command Saturday night.

"Contact front! Artillery contraption! Load AP! Fire!"

We've had a thaw this week and Friday after work was warm enough that I got my Crusader tractors out to the driveway and sprayed with a black undercoat.

Saturday I had some time to start splashing on Tamiya NATO Green and then I tried a Quarish variation on NATO 3-Colour camouflage with dark grey (Vallejo German Grey) and Tamiya khaki stippled on using a cheap make up brush. The Centurion model is big enough I decided to try making some triangular stencils to make the camouflage just a little different from NATO and give a bit of a nod to the Art Deco camo on my Royalist tractors.

Crusader light recce tractor substituting for the Alithean

Heavy tractor to substitute for the Baeliog. Not quite finished, but close enough for a game.

Both sides had some pretty heavy Support Options, but I wanted to try some things. The Cook accompanying the Royalist commander could use pigs to remove d6 shock from groups. Big Pat kept forgetting to do this, and I kept forgetting to remind him. The Squirrel Handler accompanying the Crusader commander had 4 messenger squirrels that he could use to change command dice results. 

Red chips are Crusader Jump Off Points, Blue are Royalist. Pat had a second just off camera to the left and a 3rd above his hands on the table edge. My 3rd is way off camera to the top on the table edge.

Caeretan class Main Battle Tractor deploys on table

Royalists occupy the big farm house. He's put a 5 quar Heavy Shotgun team on the second floor from where it can dominate the village.

"Contact Front!" Engaging the Royalist gun tractor.

Big Pat contemplates his options

Taking care of the HSG team with direct fire HE. His Junior Big Quar managed to escape the collapsing structure unharmed.

Advancing past the brewed up Gun Tractor

Fire from the HSG and a couple of snipers had put a lot of Shock on my LMG section in the house. I moved my commander up to rally it off but Pat got a double move and charged in with a section from the standing grain. He broke my section and captured the house, but next turn I counterattacked with the troops in the yard and wiped the intruders out.

Yawdryl class Recce Tractor sweeps around the flank to knock out a Royalist Armoured Contraption

Royalist Gun Contraption blocks my cheeky dash up the road to seize a Jump Off Point

Chasing Royalist infantry who have an excess of Shock, and overrunning a Jump off Point (you can see the blue chip just under the treads) 

I could have played a CoC Dice to end the turn, removing the JOP I'm sitting on, and collapsing his Force Morale, but I decided to blast the Gun Contraption instead, which ended the game as well.

I'm really liking CoC for the Quar, I just need to tighten up the stats for the various AFVs and wait for the plastic set to get more basic ryhflers and Big Quar. The Royalists need some field guns to counter all the Crusader armour. I also didn't bother with ryhflegrenades and bombers since only the Crusaders have them right now. Once I make some for the Royalists then it will even things out.

Movement Trays

"It's just a small skirmish game. I just need a dozen figures or so. I'll base everyone individually."

Narrator's voice: "Indeed, he would not stop at a dozen figures. Or even two dozen."

140 orcs and goblins later....

My Middle Earth armies and my Samurai are all based individually. Which gets tedious to move, for obvious reasons. 

Fortunately both collections are organized in 6s and 12s. So I got Don to print me some movement trays. Some ranked up, and some looking skirmishy or warbandish. 

Most fit 1 inch fender washers, my base of choice. But I also got some to accommodate the 20mm washers I use for dwarves and goblins. 

I noticed a few fit problems setting up the first picture, but it's just sand or flocking overhanging the edge that I'll have to remove. 

The stands will help define groups in Seven Spears too, and hopefully make it easier for people to know what is what. 

Crusader Tractors

My Royalist Tractor Corps has (thanks to Dan) managed to get quite well equipped with two tractors and two armoured contraptions (armoured cars to us humans), but I was stuck on something for the Crusaders. The 'official' Baeliog tractor (see the video above) looks like the results of a KV-2 and an Excavator being in a dark room with a bottle of wine. Zombiesmith has said 28mm versions will be for sale, someday, but I'm impatient and want tractors now. The Toonkrieg models are goofy and fun, which fit Quar well. I looked long and hard at the Somua S35 and Char B as possible contenders. Then I discovered the Toonkrieg Centurion.

I don't hide my love for the Centurion tank. And the Quar will give me another chance to have them on the table. Honestly, I think acquiring all these Centurion tanks is my version of a mid-life crisis. Cheaper than a sports car or affair with a redhead half my age at any rate. 

So I sent the stl to Don, who printed out 3 for me. 

I cut the bobble head off the Toonkrieg TC and used greenstuff to attach a spare Quar head. I'm holding off converting the other two TCs until my Black Friday order from Zombiesmith arrives, which has extra bits and heads for conversions.

Toonkrieg bobble head character 

Quar head

I was worried that they'd come out too big, but I think they look OK. Now I just need some nice weather to undercoat them and start painting.

Checking size before gluing sideskirts on

For a light tank  another Quar group member found some quirky fictional "interwar" inspired tanks. So I got the stl for this one. Scaled for 15mm at 100%, so I got Don to embiggen it. It didn't loose too much detail. 

Now, I just need my bits from Zombiesmith for heads and stowage, and a mild spell to undercoat these.

First Pieces for 2024!

Some boring, but useful, Scatter Terrain to start the year with. 

While printing tanks for me, Don asked "Anything else?"

I had just been working on Quar scatter terrain, and was thinking I needed more haystacks. 

So he included six good sized haystacks. 

I could handle painting these in between coughing fits on New Year's Day, so I did. 

I think these will show up a lot now, whether in Middle Earth, Medieval, Napoleonic, or Quar villages. 

With a Quar Ryhfler for scale 

Slow Burn Nostalgia

The Centurion is the BEST tank ever, and my favourite tank of all time. So playing with them is something I want to do.

I have happy memories of playing with my Rocco Roskopf Minitanks Centurions, die cast Dinky Saracen APC and Airfix Infantry Combat Group as boy, fighting Cold War battles against Russians and a JSIII tank.

A game I played 3 1/2 years ago, featuring a border clash between Mantovia and Borduria got me thinking, and looking around for Centurion models.

Minitank Centurion

Old Airfix Combat Group. Note their vaguely 1950s-60s British army look

My good friend Don is getting quite adept at 3d printing and offered to print reinforcements for both Mantovia and Borduria to modernize them. The Sherman Fireflies and T34/85s will still see the table naturally, but I want Centurion tanks. 

Just after Christmas a box arrived. 

Bags of fun!

A half dozen Centurion MkIIIs and a dozen T54s with some supporting vehicles for both sides. The .stls have a design flaw in that the center turret peg needs to be sanded down to fit in the hole first before I crack on with painting. But I've been too sick with this RSV nonsense to try such work.

Now I just need to sort out rules and infantry. Part of me says O Group for the mental stimulation, and part of me says Rapid Fire Reloaded for the ease of play. Or Seven Days to the River Rhine. Or I Ain't Been Shot, Mum.

This won't affect the tanks very much, but it will affect how much infantry I need to get and how they will be organized.

But I'm not going to be rushed.

2023: the Year of Unexpected Projects

It's been a funny old year.

My painting, and gaming, has been all over the place. Dan giving me a copy of Xenos Rampant definitely took things in an unexpected direction and got my 15mm Expanse stuff out of the box and some terrain built, plus a few things knocked off the leadpile.

But Middle Earth wasn't totally neglected either, with useful additions to the goblins painted and 36 dwarves added to the hosts of Durin. There's still another 3 dozen to go I think.

Very pleased with my Dwarf supply echelon

And Hobbits. Random musings resulted in my acquiring a complete new army of Hobbits, who managed to have a small solo game.

Goblins invade the Shire!

The Battle of Bicklethorn Farm

Napoleonics weren't completely neglected. I did add some more to my 1809 Austrian force, and there was a game of General d'Armee with Scott, but not much Sharp Practice action.

The big surprise from out in left field were the Quar. Their grimsical, goofy, dumpy, comically depressed nature, and the openness of the Quar community seized my imagination like nothing else has really. So the bellicose bug-eating denizens of Alwynd occupied a lot of my mental space this year with painting, building, terrain making, and some games.

A refurbished VSF tank is given a new lease on life.

A Boer War pom-pom gun is dug out of storage

Several games were played

Dan has been very generous; building me a command tractor, giving me an airplane and trenches, plus a couple of armoured cars and the quirky field kitchen.

Made some wire entanglements to go with the trenches Dan gave me.

Giant command post tractor Dan kit bashed for me

The other big surprise was blowing the dust off my long neglected Samurai. I'd been neglecting them for so long I was starting to think I should sell them. Watching Ran on Prime, and not having any Quar to paint, gave me a burst of enthusiasm. Getting back to my painting fundamentals, meant that I managed to assemble and paint everything that I'd had sitting in the box for 10 years. So I promptly ordered more, as you do, because the sides were unbalanced, and I'd like an in-house opponent for my Daimyo.

The Lord of Tea

battle with rebels

Last finished figures for 2023

Last finished figures for 2023

Coming down with RSV just before Christmas has sapped my energy, so the usual holiday flurry of painting and playing hasn't happened this year. But the Mad Padre came down for a shortened visit, and my playing for the year ended appropriately with some Xenos Rampant in both 15mm and with the Quar.

Martian Marines fight over mining facility with Mike's Space Kitties

Also painted other odd bits

Japanese civilians painted

A tally of the blog posts, and recollecting a couple of games I didn't bother to record, gives me a number of 18 games played. Mostly solo, as changes in everyone's circumstances has meant that getting together to play has been more problematic this past year.

End of year mood

Hopefully the plastic Quar come out soon so I can round out my forces with more ryhfler sections. It's been "soon" since August. Back to Alwynd is where I would like to go, with a few side trips to Middle Earth and the Napoleonic Wars. But I'm not going to bother with goals for next year. They don't seem to matter. As the Rabbi says: "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."

I'll go where the mood takes me and paint what Fortune puts before me. 

Hopefully I'll play more, even if it's solo.