Wednesday, July 29, 2020

Afghans/Pathans for the Great Game

Off the desk today sees a return to yet another dormant project.  This time, three Afghan units for the 25mm Great Game project.  On offer from the painting desk are 2 x 15 man Afghan warbands (three stands each) and one gun and crew.  Figures are all from Wargames Foundry.
The Great Game project has been slowly percolating on a back burner for about five years.  The initial motivation for the collection was to field an army to oppose a gaming buddy's 1840-1850s British and Indian colonial armies.  With that goal, I began fielding a mid-19th Century Russian army augmented by Natives to use in The Great Game.  My Russians may have actually taken to the field in an action against his troops a few years ago but I find no artifacts of the event.  Only slight, fuzzy memories exist.  It may have been a dream.
Stepping forward to late last fall during pre-COVID days, Kevin hosted several Commands & Colors battles on a LARGE, tiled table with his 25mm troops.  The battles were set in the 1840s and pitted the British against Native protagonists (see Battle Report EIC 1840).  The plan was to continue these battles on a semi-regular basis with a goal of pitting my Russians against his British.  Both sides would likely be drawing upon Native contingents as well.  Before any of that fun could be arranged, I broke my leg and then COVID struck.

With the addition of these three Afghan units mustering to the colors, the Russians will be even more prepared to face their English adversaries when hostilities resume.  Oh, two more Russian guns are in the painting queue too.  Kevin, one day we can return to the field of battle...      

54 comments:

  1. Nicely done, once again white garments ‘just right’. Particularly like the more unusual and dynamic poses of the artillerymen.

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    1. Thanks so much, Norm! With the dynamic crew poses, one could mistake them for old Glory but they are not!

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  2. Great looking Afghans, gun and crew Jonathan!

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  3. Great stuff Jonathon - knowing your liking for Old Glory, I was half expecting these would be their figures - as I have a few Pathans from their NW Frontier range in my own collection. I hope you get The Great Game campaign up and running - a very evocative period full of great possibilities!

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    1. Keith, I had a bunch of Old Glory Pathans years ago for a NWF project. I sold them off and now wish I had not! They were very nice figures. We will be back to gaming soon, I hope...

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  4. Lovely units and nicely posed, to give a dynamic feel to each base. It reminds me that somehwere I have a load of Great Game figures but in 10mm. A very dormant project I must say!

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    1. Glad you like them, Steve! Very good to see that I am in good company regarding dormant projects. I ought be bring some of these old collections to the table on a more regular rotation.

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  5. Very nice additions to your Great War project Jonathan. Looking forward to see the Russian artillery. Have you checked out the Wargame Atlantic plastic Afghans? Cheers Greg

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    1. Thank you, Greg! Russian artillery will be next off from the painting desk. Wargame Atlantic plastics? I have not heard of those. I will give them a look. Thanks for the suggestion.

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  6. Great work Jonathan - really nice units.

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  7. Great job and a really nice addition to the Great Game project. Hopefully you’ll be able to return to gaming before the year is out. 😀

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    1. Thanks, Stew! Yes, hopefully we will back to our regularly scheduled programming soon.

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  8. Wonderfully painted figures JF. The basing looks great too, suitably sparse.

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  9. Nice looking lot of whites in those paintjobs. You do them well Jon. Look forward to a time when we all can play again...

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    1. Glad you like the like my white-turbaned horde. I look forward to the time we can game again in-person too.

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  10. Very nicely done, I do keep getting drawn to this period of history.

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    1. Thank you! Well, you are about due to add another project, no?

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  11. Well there’s a wight band of wuffians and wascals. I bet that scoundwel Ignatiev is behind this. Well Fwashman will sort them out what?!

    I must get out more.

    They’re looking great Jonathan. Hope you’re able to get them and your Russkies on the table soon.

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    1. Good impression! I hope they see action soonish too.

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  12. I have read some very good books on the Great Game, but never thought of wargaming it. Lovely troops.

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    1. Hopkirk’s The Great Game is a good read and inspiring. Glad you like the latest Afghans!

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    2. That’s a great book, as are his others on related subjects. You know you might just have given me a nudge into doing this period. Ive long thought about it, and the idea of including a few Russians appeals.

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    3. Sometimes, a slight nudge is all one needs...

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  13. Very nice, and I remember reading the AAR of your previous games. It seems like quite a while ago now.

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    1. Thanks, Lawrence! Those games do seem a long time ago.

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  14. A rum looking band of ruffians indeed...

    All the best. Aly

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  15. Lovely looking figures - absolutely super. A period I know nothing at all about, of course, but I reckon I could get interested in most things if the toys were pretty enough! The Great Game sounds gripping.

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    1. Thank you much, Sir! Reading Hopkirk will provide some background on the period. For me, gaming The Great Game my push me as close I will get to an alt-historical "what if."

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  16. I do like this kind of unit...and the artilery is top notch!

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  17. Nice to see the fallow times being used to good effect. Now we paint, eventually we play.

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  18. Lovely looking Afghans! Great looking tribesmen and a splendid gun!
    Best Iain

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    1. Thank you, Iain! This was another nice change of pace.

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  19. I look forward to seeing them on the table!

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    1. Me too, Scott, me too. I would be happy to see ANY game on the table!

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  20. They look just wonderful Jonathan!

    Christopher

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  21. Who even knew that was a project ! a lovely period and fine paintwork as usual. I have quite a lot of back of beyond British I need to get round to one day and then perhaps an Afghan horde ?

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    1. Yeas, it is a little seen project currently having about 500 painted figures. Hope to get them onto the table once F2F play is allowed.

      I look forward to seeing you tackle colonial British and Afghan hordes. One time I had a NWF project in 25mm. Wish I still had it.

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  22. Nice addition, and seemingly requiring some tabletop time when conditions permit once again!

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    1. The goal is to get this collection (and many others) back onto the gaming table when the situation allows. Still a bit of a mess on the West Coast.

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