English wargamer and gamemaster Martin Knight and I have been corresponding about the order of battle for an upcoming wargame he is running for the 1862 Battle of Antietam. He sent me a few photographs of one of his recent games.
Note the painted teddy bear fur used for grassy fields. Cheap, easy to use, and durable!
Here are three more photos.
Union and Confederate naval forces collide near the Mississippi River town of Johnson’s Bend, Missouri. Ironclads thunder away at each other while speedy Rebel rams look for an opening to slice open the hull of the enemy craft.
The 15mm ACW cavalry figures above were part of a very large collection I purchased many, many years ago on eBay or from Bartertown; I don’t recall which. I sold off the infantry and artillery, and kept the cavalry and several nice supply wagons, as well as marines and a naval brigade. I think these may be old Heritage Confederettes, but I really don’t know for sure. I also have cavalry from Essex and Old Glory, as well as a few scattered figures from other makers. The ones in the photo above have corresponding dismounted figures and horseholder stands.
What is your favorite ACW 15mm (or 25mm, for that matter) manufacturer of mounted cavalry figures, and why?
And, do you prefer to paint separate horses and riders and then glue them together, or do you like the kind above, where it’s all one single molded sculpture?
Do you use horseholders and horse figures? Do they play a role in your favorite rules, or are they strictly decorative?
The peaceful pastoral setting of the historic village of Mingus Mills will soon be shattered by the devastation of the hand of war, as ten of thousands of armed troops will contest these verdant, fertile fields. Crops will be ruined, fences will be destroyed, livestock taken, houses occupied, and the citizens imperiled.
The real village of Menges Mills (original German spelling) is less than a mile from my office in southern York County, Pennsylvania). When we moved here in 2001, we were stunned to find that our mythical wargaming setting was similar in name to a real location.
A few of you who read my recent post on My Wargaming Room asked for more photographs of the layout for my annual Christmas holiday season Johnny Reb 3 Civil War showdown against my two sons. Here are a few more pix from closer toward the miniature tabletop itself.
10mm Civil War miniature wargaming figures and terrain from a game held at Rock Con 2008. The rules were A Terrible Discord by Doyle Collins. Photos by Randy Miller of ACME Terrain. For more photos of this scenario, “Richmond or Bust,” please click here.
Have you ever tried 10mm wargaming? It packs more figures, terrain, and excitement into a smaller space, making the scale ideal for kitchen table gaming or smaller venues than 25mm or even 15mm. The scale can readily be used for larger convention games as well.
I gave 10mm a shot a few years ago when I purchased some packs of 10mm Rebellion figures from the good folks at GHQ, who made the Terrain Maker hexes I was finishing and using at the time. I also picked up a bunch of 10mm accessories and houses / buildings and planned to switch from 15mm to 10mm (keep in mind that I had already scaled down from 20mm K+L figures to 15s, so this would have been my second dip into the scale downsizing pool).
The Battle of Gettysburg is refought in miniature. My first two scenario books (Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature) offer more than 20 different scenarios to refight portions of Gettysburg in regimental level. These popular books are available from Marek/Janci Design and from leading Internet gaming retailers.
I met Belgian wargamer Patrick Roovers at the 2007 Fall-In miniature wargaming convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He stopped by to watch my Johnny Reb 3 game, along with long-time JRGS member and gamer Dennis Cunningham. Patrick was kind enough this week to send me a link to his photo gallery of a recent Johnny Reb game his group ran at their club house. Check out the photos, and pay attention to the gaming venue! These guys have a great location for their gaming efforts!
Stephen Huckaby is an Erie, Pennsylvania, wargamer that I was fortunate to know when I lived in northeastern Ohio. He helps organize and coordinate the periodic Erie “Day of Gaming” regional mini-conventions. Here is a photo of some of his 25mm figures in action.
The first are Foundry 25mm Confederates painted by Stephen. This is a Brother Against Brother engagement… using a non-historical scenario. It was a pick-up game to introduce his brother (who was visiting from Georgia) to miniature gaming.
The hobby of miniature wargaming has experienced somewhat of a revival in recent years, with many new rules sets, figure and accessory manufacturers, scenario books, hobby reference works, and other items of interest to gamers. Major conventions such as Historicon, Little Wars, Cold Wars, and Fall-In remain popular, and there does seem to be new blood in the hobby, with younger game masters. Even the venerable Origins has experienced growth in the number of historical games being presented, thanks in part to the sponsorship of HMGS-Great Lakes.
Here are a few more photographs of my 15mm Civil War miniatures and terrain. Figures are mostly AB Battle Honors and Old Glory. (Click on the photos to enlarge them!)
Union infantry approaches the battlefield. Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes of Fremont, Ohio, is in command of this regiment, the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After the war, Hayes was a President of the United States. His Presidential Library in Fremont remains one of that area’s top repositories of Civil War documents, letters, journals, and other relics.
