Command & Colors + ECW Books

Kevin is hosting a Command and Colors: Napoleonics (CC:N) session on Saturday. Scott and I are planning to attend. The Command and Colors system is a fast playing and eloquent system. My impressions of the Napoleonic version are limited to only a couple of playings but the ancient version is first rate. I have found in the Napoleonic sibling that play is much slower than its older brother, ancients. Part of the speed decrease could be due to the more nuanced tactics in the Napoleonic set. Rather than a unit maintaining the same firepower regardless of losses, CC:N has a unit's firepower degrade as losses mount. Another nuance that requires further test games is that it appears that melee is a preferred tactic for the French over British. Anyway, looking forward to an enjoyable day of gaming.

With the introduction of CC:A and CC:N into our gaming rotation, actual miniatures' gaming has been reduced. Looking back at the Events page, I may have only played six or so miniatures' games outside of my solitaire activities in 2011. Still, that yields more than one game per month. For me, that's about the right pace. Once I get the hex map created, I plan to give CC:A in 6mm a try.

I popped over to Scott's on the 26th to pick up my portion of the Old Glory order and get in a few games of CC:A. I think we got in four games with each of us winning two. The highlight for me was skunking Scott in the Battle of Marathon with the Greeks sweeping the Persians from the field. Scott is a very good CCA player but I was able to repeatedly pressure and drive back the Persian right flank forcing a collapse of the Persian line. Of course, as the victor, I get to write the historical account of the battle.

New Shipments of ECW Books:
Over the holidays I received a number of ECW books at sometimes bargain prices via eBay and AbeBooks. These new library editions include:

Haythornthwaite, The English Civil War 1642-151 an Illustrated History

Wanklyn, Decisive Battles of the English Civil War (gift from my daughter!)

Atkin, Cromwell's Crowning Mercy, the Battle of Worcester, 1651

Sherwood, The Civil War in the Midlands 1642-1651

Foard, Naseby, The Decisive Campaign

Denton, Cromwell's Soldiers, The Moulding of the New Model Army 1644-1645

Atkin, The Civil War in Worcestershire

Clark, Marston Moor, English Civil War - July 1644

I have much reading to do!

18mm SYW Project: 
As mentioned above, I picked up the Old Glory order. In the order were Blue Moon packets of AWI Hessians (fusiliers and jagers) to be fielded as Prussians for my SYW project. The BM fusiliers are smaller than their Eureka Prussian counterparts but match closely with the size and heft of the Eureka Austrians. I bet when painted and fielded on the table, no difference will be noticeable.  Also in the order, were sample packs of Blue Moon British FIW infantry and Napoleonic French infantry.

2011 was a very productive year wrt the SYW project. As shown in the 03 JAN 2012 post, nearly 600 figures were painted last year. That brings the totals for the project thus far, to about 2100 figures and 18 guns. That's quite a sizable collection awaiting their initial baptism by fire. One goal for 2012 is to host a game and (finally) get these figures onto the gaming table. The project is approaching optimal scale but I could add more guns and bolster the Prussian OB. Nevertheless, the SYW project is likely 90% complete. Painting towards this project in 2012 should be greatly reduced. 

For books, I recently picked up copies of Summerfield's Austrian Seven Years War Infantry and Engineers and Dorn/Englemann's The Infantry Regiments of Frederick the Great, 1756-1763.

15mm Second War of Italian Independence Project: 
Resupply of Mirliton miniatures from CGM in Spain arrived just after Christmas. In addition to more Piedmont artillery, cavalry, and bersaglieri, I also ordered samples from Dermot's Napoleonic line of 18mm figures. In 2012, I would really enjoy getting this period onto the gaming table. I think I made the same statement last year too.