Song of Drums and Shakos AAR

So last weekend, my wife and I decided to break out "Song of Drums and Shakos" from Ganesha Games. She has shown a keen interest in my "little guys", and SDS is an easy game to get into. Since I already have the scenery, especially the farmhouse, for the "Take the farmhouse" scenario in the basic rule book, that is the scenario we chose to play.

Setup

I took the French, at 520 points, and the Mrs. took the British, defending the farmhouse with 400 points. In my merry little band, I had 4 grenadiers, an officer, drummer, eagle-bearer, and a half-dozen line company infantry with an NCO, in case the officer were to be rendered hors d' combat.

For the British, I gave them an officer, NCO (love the halberd!), drummer, 6 grenadier company, and 4 line company soldiers. After playing the scenario, I don't think the drummer is useful for the defenders holed up in the farmhouse; you aren't likely to be making group activations while spread out over defensive positions. Maybe there's a chance for a 'regroup' order, but that's about it.

Le Rosbifs

To battle!

So, coming on from my deployment position, having no voltigeurs or legere, I decided to go straight up the road and ignore the woods. I lead off with a column of line infantry under orders from the officer, with the NCO tagging along for support. The grenadiers were meant to follow immediately, but they would have to wait until the following turn (I failed my next activation).

The British meanwhile, seeing the French heading for the bridge, began pouring out of the farmhouse, leaving only a pair of their mates to man the window closest to the bridge. The French line company troops charged with a great cheer towards the bridge, with the NCO cheering them on. However, the British fire was withering; several of the French soldiers fell instantly, while others tried to return fire, but they were so rattled that their shots missed widely.

This bridge is too steep, as the soldiers kept sliding off and falling over; I need to scratch build a new bridge out of wood.

Two brave men of Gascony charged across the bridge to cross bayonets with le rosbifs, but were set upon by two British soldier's each, and were also quickly put down.

The white pom-poms indicate unloaded muskets; I like them better than cotton balls, because they don't get all over the place.

Finally, lieutenant Deja Vu ordered the grenadiers forward, trying to pour his best men into the fray with a group order. Ponderously (getting only one success out of two rolled), it took at least two turns for them to get within range. The officer followed along behind, to command his best troops to setup a firing line across the creek, but they too were quickly brought down by deadly fire from the British muskets. The drummer and eagle bearer never moved the entire game!

Denoument

Finally, the numbers began to tell, and the French morale broke, with even the standard bearer dropping his precious eagle and running for camp. His sweet Amelie waited there to console him. The British cheered as they saw the backs of Johnny frog (as usual), and the captain ordered a ration of gin all around!

The French NCO runs away into the woods. (Woodland Scenics ready-made trees on wooden discs). The wooden disc bases look awful here, but at the time of this writing, I have rectified that with wood glue, sand, paint, and reindeer moss and Spanish moss.

Comments about the game

 This is not the first time I have played this game, not even the first time I have played this scenario. But this is the first time I have been able to put my thoughts about the game in this blog. It is not likely to appeal to grognards who seek strict realism, as it is not meant as such a game. Rather, it is an adaptation of the popular "Song of Blades and Heroes" to a Napoleonic setting. Furthermore, there is no strict ground scale; everything is measured in the very abstract short/medium/long lengths that were introduced in SoB&H. But if you want a fun and exciting game you can play with your Napoleonic miniatures, this is a game for you.

Some critics like to point out, quite smugly, that there was no such thing as a "squad" in Napoleonic times, and that the rules allow an unrealistic mis-match of troop types in the same force that would never have fought together. For example, you could take a pair of dragoons on horseback with your legere squad and a handful of grenadiers. However, I never expect to use this set to create historically accurate or realistic battles; rather, I expect to have fun with some painted 28mm figures in interesting scenarios.

Some of the special rules are unrealistic though. One of them is the "light" special rule, which allows light infantry like jaegers, grenzers, and legere to move through rough terrain or woods at the normal movement rate. In larger scale games, like Drums and Shakos Large Battles, these faster movement rates make sense; units of light troops do not have to dress lines and maintain cohesion, since they are moving in looser formations. While moving around individual soldiers however, everyone on the table is capable of moving in loose formations. That being said, I accept the rule, as it makes such troops distinctive.

Anyways, that's my take on the game, one of my favorites!

Painting Figures

I am getting to work on my next two battalions of 15mm French, 12 figures per battalion. I have in the past painted brigades for Napoleon’s Battles at 24 figures each, and later, 32 figure battalions for Sam Mustafa’s Lasalle. For my new collection, I am painting smaller units for several reasons: they are quicker to paint, which encourages me to keep going; they require fewer figures, which allows me to use the odds and ends I have left over; and finally, they take less table space, which allows more room for maneuver. Large battalions look impressive on the table, but too many of them, and you end up with both armies wall to wall, and the only option is to charge straight ahead.

What I wanted to write about today however, is two methods I have used to mount figures for painting. The first method I have used since I began in 1989, which is to mount the figures on popsicle sticks or tongue depressors. The depressors are better than the popsicle sticks I began with, but they can still cause fatigue in the hand that holds the stick.

Some time in the late 1990s I was acquainted with a gentleman in San Diego named James Hansen, who was a beginner painter and avid wargamer. In his case, being a beginner was an asset, because he came up with the brilliant idea of gluing 4 popsicle sticks in a hashtag (#) arrangement. This makes for a comfortable, ergonomic handle for holding the figures for painting. I have used it ever since, at least for my 15mm figures, where mass production is the key.

For 25 mm figures, I fix them to 20mm washers, and I handle them individually. When I return to them, I should look into a form of wooden handle with rare earth magnets, or a medicine bottle with poster putty. I have read about some painters mounting their figures on roofing nails, so that they can rotate the figures to access all sides of each figure, but I am in the business of mass production of my battalions, and am fine with a few highlights and picking out those few details (like Shako cords) that really stand out.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite method of painting that you would like to share?

Quick and dirty (aka crappy) paint job + donated figures = mission accomplished

What have I been up to since my last post? A mix of board gaming, some miniatures gaming, a little painting, and wasting more time than I care to admit on The Miniatures Page. I must be more intentional as I consider the use of my time, as much as I consider what things to hold on to, from hobby projects to household goods, clothes, whatever.

Like many wargamers, I do lose enthusiasm for painting from time to time. But I find the best remedy for that is completing something. So I present for your enjoyment some completed WW2 Soviets. These were plastic Warlord figures donated to me by a close friend, apparently from a project he was no longer interested in. 

Rifle squad, including some LMGs and a sniper.

I started with a prime and base coat of camouflage color khaki from Walmart's camouflage spray paint line, followed by a dark wash. The rest of the figure was all about high-lighting, and painting a few details, ignoring others, and finishing off the bases. The faces I painted with a base coat of Ceramcoat Tomato red, followed by straight flesh. Usually I would mix some mid-tone between the two, but I think on these figures, simpler is best. Some details, like the chin straps on the helmets, I left unpainted.

Two of the figures are from the Wargames Factory line, which I believe are no longer available. I know that the Wargames Factory lines were bought out by Warlord Games, and their AWI figures are still available there, the WW2 figures are a superior design. The Wargames Factory would only be available from shops that carry leftover stock, or on eBay, but I would advise not bothering with them.

Assault Squad, armed with the PPSh

What I have learned from assembling these figures is that the best way to match weapons and arms is to dry-fit these pieces. First, place some glue on the right shoulder, and give it about 30 seconds to a minute for the plastic at this location to begin to dissolve; remember that "plastic cement" is a solvent for the model plastic. Then, attach the right arm. Once the right arm is set, then  dry-fit the weapon and the left arm. If the left arm doesn't fit, try a different left arm from the sprue. Glue the weapon into place on the right arm, and when that is set, glue on the left arm. 

I can use these figures in a game of "Flying Lead" or "Chain of Command". That is the beauty of individually-mounted figures. Best of all, since completing this project, I am once again enthused about painting the next thing. This will be more French battalions for DSLB.

Other Projects

Other things I have worked on in the last eight months include: painting some orcs from Reaper miniatures (which I can use for Song of Blades and Heroes), a dismounted Old Glory crusader knight (painted to match my mounted version of him), and two battalions of French for Drums and Shakos Large Battles. My next posting shall have to be why this is my game of choice for Napoleonic wargaming.

He can fight just as well without his horse!

The helmet on this figure is identical to the mounted figure, and so I matched the heraldry as best I could. In a future post, I must show how I paint shield designs and heraldic devices.

On the rear of the figure below, you can see how the mail coat and helmet look so like metal; that's because it is! I began work on the figure by polishing it with steel wool to a shine. Then I gave the figure a black wash, and polished it a second time time with steel wool.

After that, I primed the non-metallic parts of the figure with Liqui-Tex gesso, and painted these parts carefully. I received this tip from George Cavanaugh, a long-time friend of mine from San Diego. Of course, this method does not work with plastic figures!

 Here are the first of my French battalions for DSLB:

Line battalion on the left, Legere on the right. Some 5-7 of these comprise a brigade, and I need two brigades and a small reserve