A Bit of a Throwback

My buddy Scott, with whom I've been gaming for about 30 years, works his butt off at the Toyota plant with piles of mandatory over time, so he rarely gets out for games. He likes big horse and musket battles too, which neither of us get to play much any more.

But this past Saturday he brought down part of the enormous 28mm Napoleonic collection that he's been getting painted for the past 2 or 3 years. He's got a Corps each of Austrians and French (all Perry Miniatures) plus some lovely Crescent Root buildings.

So we set up far too many figures on far too complex a table with far too complicated a scenario and bashed on with Black Powder.

But fun was had. German and Hungarian infantry held off charging squadrons of Hussars and lancers. French infantry stormed the dug in battery where some of the gunners held on far longer than expected. German counterattack columns disappeared like mist. Jaegers held a column attack for four rounds of hand to hand before destroying the French. Austrian cavalry arrived at literally the 11th hour turning the tide.

On to pictures!

Setting up

Scott has limbers for every 2 gun battery

My gabions were pretty excited to have some black powder artillery behind them

Austrian Grenadiers brigade in the cathedral

Jaegers 

French commander

Scott is getting his own game room and terrain together, featuring a 5x12 table. Hopefully we'll be able to get his whole collection out! He'd like to try General d'Armee as well.

Objectives Achieved

I have the Pottersville Gangster project pretty much where I want it now. I even did up another 8 gunsels. So time to move on to other projects and corners of the lead stash.

Latest off the painting bench this week is the 1/72nd scale plastic trebuchet from Zvezda that I got on a discount at Hotlead back on March. It will be an objective for castle sorties or relief forces to destroy in Lion Rampant or Dragon Rampant games.

It's a wonderfully detailed kit and still quite big as you can see from the nearby 28mm Foundry Roman officer. The only issues were trying to get the tension on the cables and only having one spare rock, so I made some piles of ammunition with balls of greenstuff.

The other objective achieved is a personal one.

A year ago work brought in a new machine to coat saw blades and I have finally been moved over to it full time. This means straight days and opportunities for over time. Plus I am mostly self directing which is nice. The new area is quieter and cleaner. I've been making the Boss happy by taking the initiative to learn the steps to prep parts before my part (to keep busy and help me speed up) and staying a half hour to get a 3rd load in for the day, which is pretty painless but adds up.

My new kingdom 

Being home every evening has had the knock on benefit of an hour or 30 minutes of hobby time before bed every night too, which nudges things along steadily.

Adding More to Pottersville

I've been adding more details to Pottersville these past weeks. Advertisements and power poles.

Also rediscovered an O-Gauge "Hobo Jungle" (Plasticville I think) in the reject box and thought it would add to the junk yard:

Also a bill board for the empty lot:

Had the idea to turn the naff plastic brewery building into a coal merchants. Made the walls from brick sheeting from Model Builder Supply and foam core capped with card stock. The coal bins were match sticks and coffee stirrers glued together and given a brown ink wash.  Piles of coal from scrap foam, sand and paint. 

Here's the test layout as it is tonight:

Setting out gangs. I could do two mobs of Tong if I wanted and I'm not using all of my cops either. G-Men and Coppers could do with some more shotguns or even a BAR. Gangs could do with more pistol and shotgun armed wiseguys.
But I have more Tommy guns. Oh well.

Sailors on shore leave as a terrain hazard:

Busy streets:

Trial game!

The rules are pretty straightforward.  Especially once I have a few more games under my belt.

I'm planning something for up to 8 players for KEGSCON in September. Hopefully I can come up with eight conflicting and overlapping objectives to create uncertain alliances, bribery, deceit and a big shoot out!

Pottersville Update

The future is bright in Pottersville today. I've made a lot of progress since the last post.

The construction yard and scrap yard both now have bases so the gravel yards are surrounded by sidewalks.

I also used that idea to fill the empty fourth corner with an empty lot! 

The next three buildings, being bigger, more complex and me having other things occupying my time, took longer to finish. But they are done now.

I got some cheap boxes at a dollar store and used the hinges to make the big doors on the warehouse capable of opening.

Here's the test layout with minimal street clutter. Still need to add signs advertisements and posters etc.

I also need to figure out how to make the plastic buildings at either end of the warehouse look less plastic and anchored in the terrain instead of just floating on asphalt.

The space is big enough I could add more Sarissa buildings instead but I'd like to run this at KEGSCON in September. 

Now I just need period cars.