Not quite everything...

The figures are ready; the roads are ready; the river's ready; the bridge is ready; the trees are ready; the fields are ready; the hills are ready; the village is ready - everything is ready … except for the table!  

I just haven't managed to clear an area for the table - even a relatively small 6 x 4 table.  And I don't want to set up a temporary table for 3 or 4 hours then pack it away again.  I want to leave a wargame in place for days at a time as the situation develops.  Many years ago, I used to have an 8 x 5 table - but that was before accumulating 40+ years of "stuff" (and that's not counting all the things we've discarded over the years).

Anyway, here's a couple of set-up photos to give you an idea of what the Plattzdorf terrain eventually will look like...

I know rivers/streams aren't blue.  I may paint them greenishy brown - or brownishy green.  But I'd have to watch they didn't look just like a road.  If I gloss varnished them, that would differentiate them from roads.

Perhaps the table mat is a little too "frantic"?  I'm more used to the old school plain green cloth.

The base of the trees in the photo is rectangular, but it was just grabbed off a shelf to put something there.  All the finished tree bases are "landscaped".  And, although I said all the figures are ready, there are still a few bases edges to be painted.

For the Plattzdorf game, I'm considering using this dilapidated old wooden bridge, rather than the stone one in good condition.  This would allow me to have a slight chance (roll a 1 on a D6 ?) of the bridge collapsing every time artillery went over it.  As I'll be playing solo, I need occasional unexpected things happening to add a bit of friction.

The hills are 1" thick polystyrene.  It looks as though I've sprayed them with a can of camouflage paint (not easy to get!), but that was an attempt to blend them in with the table mat which - as mentioned above - I'm not 100% happy with.  If I go back to an old fashioned green cloth, the hills will go back to plain green again.  

I should mention that - like 10% of men - I'm red/green colour deficient.  So my perception of greens, browns and reds may be different to yours.  That's a handy excuse for anything I've painted in strange colours.

So, all I need is a determined effort to get rid of some furniture - and what seems like a hundred wargaming stuff boxes of all shapes and sizes - then I can make the table in a few hours.  Till then...

The Forest's Growing Quickly ...

I now have more than enough trees to use in Plattzdorf (at least, once the glue on these latest ones below dries).  I've already done some in longer strips one tree wide.  Not all the stones will be there when they're finished - I pour lots on where I've put glue, then shake off anything not sticking once the glue has dried.  

The figures are just to give an idea of size.  I don't want trees to proper scale, as they would end up about 12 inches high which would be inconvenient when moving figures around the table.  As long as there's an impression of forest, that'll do me.

Rules ...

Originally intending to write my own rules (everybody did that when I started wargaming) I soon realised it would take too long.  Mind you, there's been occasional workable rules comprising just both sides of an A4 sheet.  Der Alte Fritz has such a set.

I've decided to use the "Honours of War" rules - although the "lite" version called "Post of Honour".  These may be seen on the HOW website, together with a download of Malburian amendments I'll be incorporating.

The HOW website has a forum covering use of the rules and various aspects of 18th century warfare.

So - another couple of steps nearer to returning to battle...

No - I really mean it this time ...

No - I really mean it this time …

In the previous post, I said I'd enough figures for the opening battle of Plattzdorf.  Well, as usual, I got distracted when unearthing other figures and spent time basing them.  But no more figures until everything else is ready...

Following are photos of the last lot of figures, not in any particular order.

Not all parts of the Kingdom can muster full sized regiments

Some may notice a slight resemblance to a well known Commander towards the end of the Century.  Yes - the great-great grandson of this Artillery Brigadier did acquire his looks and interest in artillery from this soldier

I couldn't have a battle without the presence of at least one regiment of Ottomans

So - the odd bit of terrain to do, paint the edges of the bases, then make a table, and I'm ready to go

The Troops are Mustard...

The Generals are confident the troops are keen as...  They are all mustered and ready to march.

Below are pictures of all the units which will take part in the Battle of Plattzdorf (assuming there's not a mass rout in the second turn!)  I've prepared enough to allow for reserves which may - or may not - appear.  And, depending on events, there may be a second day's battle.  The pictures are not in any order.

I didn't have time to set up the light tent, and lifting the figures on and off a shelf was much quicker: hence the reflections.

When I said ready, of course the edges of the bases still have to be painted

The Officer on the left is not a giant.  This is a Regiment of teenage Cadets.  We won't worry about the ethics of that, just at the moment.

Limber colours are not indicative of which side they're on

Engineers/Sappers/Pontooneers won't be used until overnight and the second day

Mercenaries don't have a Princes' flag - just their own

While side by side in the photo, they may well be enemies on the battlefield

Couriers

and more Couriers - lots of Generals mean lots of Couriers

These are Regular Cavalry "hired" from another country

As these are.

The opposing Commanders

Cavalry Brigadiers

Infantry Brigadiers

The right hand one is a Brigadier of Artillery

There will be a couple of others.  For example, there should be a second Artillery Brigadier, but I must have missed it in the rush to get all the photos.

I've not yet decided which troops will be on which side, apart from the units with either a red or blue Prince's flag.  (Mercenary units have their own flags, as do Generals).  And I've not yet decided the ratings of the troops and Generals.  

But it's unlikely the opposing forces will be equal in numbers.  Differing morale, abilities, etc., and possibly different objectives should even things up.

If there's time, I may be able to rebase some of my favourite units, to appear if  the battle continues the following day.

Because of all this basing (I might just have overdone the amount of flowers!) hills are still to be finished.

By the way, reviewing all these photos brings home to me this is definitely an "Old School" set up, apart perhaps for the bases.  And the flags could well be from the 1970s.  But I still like my Minifigs...

The end - or should I say the start - is in sight...  I hope!