Thursday, October 30, 2014

Making Trees Out of Twigs, or, Scenes From a Wargamer's Marriage

I never have enough trees for my gaming table.   Either they all look the same (cheap railroad trees from a bag) or just forlorn and mangy (Woodlands Scenics armatures missing foliage clumps), and they never look like a forest, maybe a copse or a spinney (the English language has a surfeit of words for “small group of trees”).

Last winter, on a frigidly cold night, Madame Padre and I were leaving the local library, and she stopped, as she often does, to examine the garden beds.  The fact that she will do this, even in the dead of winter, is one of her more endearing traits, in my opinion.   “Can you use these for trees?”  she asked me, showing me a twig she had snapped off a bush.   It was hard to see in the dark, but it looked rather spindly.   “I could try,” I said, so we snapped off a bunch more and headed home, where the twigs then sat at the back of my painting desk for much of the following year.   

“What do you think of this face?” I asked her the other night, holding up my latest masterpiece.  She glanced at it for all of a second.  “Too dark".  Madame Padre will be the first to admit that she’s not much interested in my “little men” and I knew that was all the feedback I’d get from her.  Then her glance wandered to the back of my painting table.   “You’ve never done anything with those twigs I found you” she said, her tone somehow both hurt and accusing, as if to say, “You never listen to my ideas".   “No”, I said, lamely, “but they’re working their way to the top of my to-do list”, which was sort of true and I had been looking at them the week before.  

 

Legolas is (pardon the expression) dwarfed by the spindly trees of Mirkwood.

So, the following week, I went to a craft store, found a spray can of dark green paint, and blasted the four most useful-looking of the twigs.   Once dry, I took some dark brown craft paint and brushed it onto the “trunks” and those of the “branches” that I could easily make.   Then I put some children’s plasticine on washers, and stuck the ends of my “trees” in.    They are too tall for anything but 28mm or larger figures, and even then they would be big trees, 40-60 feet tall or so in proportion to the figures.   I suppose they could pass as poplars … I think there are some kinds of poplars that don’t have white bark.  I don’t know.  I’m not really that good with tree spotting.

I’m not even sure what plant these twigs are from, exactly.  Madame Padre thought they were from Sorbaria, sometimes called False Spirea.   If you look up close, the green clusters are more like dried up seed pods than leaves, but from a distance they look ok.

I still need to flock the bases, but last night I couldn’t resist leaving them out on the gaming table, which lives at the back of our TV room, and was pleased when she noticed them.  “My trees!” Madame Padre cried out happily, then looked at me and her eyes narrowed.  “Did you paint those just because I complained that you were ignoring them last week?  You do have free will, you know.  I’m not an ogre”.  I didn’t take that remark seriously, it’s a standard move in her repertoire of verbal chess moves that keep me on my toes.  “Of course not, darling, but it was a good suggestion, and I’m glad I took it.  They do look splendid, don’t they.”  She glanced at them again, her face going neutral.  “I’ve seen you do worse”, she said as she wandered off.   

Such is love.  And now I have four more trees …. and they are nice trees, I think.  Even if I’m not sure what sort of trees they are.

MP+

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Diplomacy Game: Fall 1903 Turn Results

After several weeks off for several participants to take some holidays, we’ve moved the game forward.  I look forward to the General’s analysis of the game, but the brief result is that it was a bad turn for Russia, good for everyone else.

Current score:  England, Turkeyand France are tied at 7 SCs each, Italy has 6, and Russia and Germany both have 3.   One player (Austria) eliminated. I was a little surprised to see that Vienna still shows as Austrian, but then remembered that Italy captured it in the Spring 1903 turn but did not keep its army there for the Fall turn to secure possession.   I am sure Italy can remedy that in the 1904 turn.

We are now in the Adjustments Phase, and it will be interesting to see where the new units will go.   Scroll down to the bottom to see the Adjustment results.

MP+


 

Results for Fall, 1903 (Movement)


General Notices:
All dislodged units destroyed; advancing to next phase.Order
resolution completed on 28-Oct-2014 at 06:04:32 EDT


Order Results:

England:

A den Supports F ska -swe

F hel -kie Bounced with ber (1 against 1). 

F nth Holds

A nwy -stp

 F ska - swe



France:

 A bel Supports F hol

A bur Holds

 F lyo Holds

 F hol Supports A bel

A pic Holds

A spa Holds



Germany:


Germany: A ber - kie  Bounced with hel (1 against 1). 


Germany: A boh - mun Bounced with tyr (1 against 1). 


Germany: A sil - ber Failed because Germany: A ber - kie failed. 



Italy:


No order for unit at Piedmont. Hold order assigned. A pie Holds

 A tri Supports A vie - bud

A tyr -mun Bounced with boh (1 against 1). 

F tys Holds

Italy: A vie -bud



Russia:


The Army in Budapest cannot retreat; unit destroyed.

The Fleet in Sevastopol cannot retreat; unit destroyed.


No order for unit at Baltic Sea. Hold order assigned. F bal Holds

A bud Supports A ukr -rum Support cut by Move from Vienna. Dislodged from vie (2 against 1). 

A gal Supports A ukr - rum

A mos - lvn

F sev -bla Bounced with bla (1 against 1). Dislodged from arm (2 against 1). 


Russia: A ukr -rum

Russia: A war Holds



Turkey:

The Army in Rumania cannot retreat; unit destroyed.

A arm - sev

F bla Supports A arm - sev

F con - bul/ec

F gre Holds

A rum Supports A arm -sev  Support cut by Move from Ukraine. Dislodged from ukr  (2 against 1). 

A ser - bud Bounced with bud (1 against 1). 



Supply Center Ownership:

England: Denmark, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Norway, St. Petersburg, Sweden (7 total).

France: Belgium, Brest, Holland, Marseilles, Paris, Portugal, Spain (7 total).

Germany: Berlin, Kiel, Munich (3 total).

Italy: Budapest, Naples, Rome, Trieste, Tunis, Venice (6 total).

Russia: Moscow, Rumania, Warsaw (3 total).

Turkey: Ankara, Bulgaria, Constantinople, Greece, Serbia, Sevastopol, Smyrna (7 total).


Adjustments

 

England: 7 supply centers, 5 units. 2 units may be built.

France: 7 supply centers, 6 units. 1 unit may be built.

Germany: 3 supply centers, 3 units. No units to build or remove.

Italy: 6 supply centers, 5 units. 1 unit may be built.

Russia: 3 supply centers, 5 units. 2 units must be removed.

Turkey: 7 supply centers, 5 units. 2 units may be built.

 

 

 

Monday, October 27, 2014

Tuesday Boardgame: Two Ways To Tell The Same Story

I mentioned in my last post that I recently visited Harpers Ferry, and of course, I couldn’t visit a National Park Civil War site without visiting the bookstore.  NPS bookstores are excellent, with something for everyone from the serious historian to kids.    I allowed myself one book, and it was a hard choice, but here’s what I settled on.

Since my visit to Antietam last year I’ve been very interested in the prelude to that battle, particularly the action at South Mountain.    South Mountain is a long ridge running north to south that separates the area around Hagerstown from the part of Maryland to the east.   When McClellan got his hands on Lee’s orders, as wrapped around the famous cigars, and had an opportunity to destroy the Confederates in detail, his first task was cross South Mountain via three passes or gaps as they are called locally.   These gaps were thinly held by troops under CSA general D.H. Hill, and because McClellan didn’t move with any great urgency, Hill was able to buy a day’s worth of time, allowing Lee to pick off the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry and concentrate most of his army in a strong defensive position along Antietam Creek.  It was not a big battle as they go, but it was a desperate affair fought offer difficult terrain.   As a reenactor long ago, I remember climbing part of the long steep slope up South Mountain around the village of Burkittsville in 2000 and getting quickly and badly winded.    And that was with no one shooting at me.

South Mountain was a hard fought affair, not as bloody as Antietam to be sure, but it saw two promising generals killed:  Garland, one of Hill’s brigade commanders, and Reno, a Union corps commander.

Most historians, like Sears in his excellent Landscape Turned Red, focus primarily on the horrific day of fighting at Antietam, but several authors cover the two weeks that led up to it.  John Michael Priest wrote an excellent account, Before Antietam: The Battle For South Mountain, that covers the moves and countermoves in detail and ends with the sun setting at the end of the day on South Mountain.  It is rich in detail, and would flesh out quite a few small scenarios for rules sets like TFL’s Terrible Sharp Sword.   There were a number of cavalry skirmishes in the first few days of the campaign that are quite exciting and well balanced.  The only problem with Priest’s book is that the maps are hand drawn and not easily deciphered.

The NPS rangers I spoke to told me that the new book by D. Scott Hartwig is an essential treatment of the days before Antietam, so it was my choice.   I’ll report back on it in due course, as soon as I finish my current guilty pleasure, R.F. Delderfield’s Napoleon’s Marshal’s.

 

 

On getting home from West Virginia last week, with my copy of Hartwig tucked under my arm, what awaited me in the post but this?

 

 

Twin Peaks is the first P500 game I’ve backed - P500 is sort of an internal Kickstarter for GMT fans and customers.   Once they get 500 people committing to the game, they charge 500 credit cards and get the game into production.   Very clever.   I was tempted by this game because it covers two battles, South Mountain, but also one of Stonewall Jackson’s victories in the Valley in the summer of 1862, Cedar Mountain, which I confess I know zilch about.  Two games in one box, using Richard Berg’s Great Battles of the ACW system, a direct descendent of the venerable Terrible Swift Sword from the 1970s, which I’ve mentioned here before.  That seemed like too good an offer to pass up.

 

As you would expect of GMT, the contents are top notch.  Lovely hex maps, player aids and charts, and beautiful counters.   We really live in a golden age of board wargaming.

 

I realize that not everyone reading this blog is a paper and counters board gamer, and that’s fine.  However, one advantage of using a system like this to tell the story of South Mountain is that it would be a very difficult battle to do properly on the wargames table.    The number of contours and elevations, and the abundance of woods and tiny farms would challenge even a 6mm treatment of even part of the battle.  Most of our tabletop battles are fought on relatively flat terrain with a few hills tossed in as an afterthought.   South Mountain, like Chattanooga, was one of those big uphill battles fought on difficult terrain that would tax even the most dedicated gaming club to create.

I hope to report back on this game in the near future, but I’m still pushing blocks around in Afghanistan, so it may be a week or two.

MP

 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

A Trip To West Virginia and Harpers Ferry

Last week Madame Padre and I got away to West Virginia and stayed at a cabin we found on a travel website called VRBO.  I say cabin but really it was like a hotel, with all the comforts one could want, including wifi and abundant views of the hills covered in fall foliage, at least, when the clouds lifted.   The local countryside has numerous places like this one, set off winding and hilly dirt roads.   Each place, it seemed, had abundant “No Trespassing” signed posted, so when I went for runs, I was always careful to stay on the road.

 

There was a always a hill to run up.

 

 

 

We chose WV because it was half way between our house in Ontario and Kay’s brother and sister who live in the US South.  We arrived a day ahead of them, and went into the nearby town of Berkeley Springs, a pleasant artsy kind of place, which just happened to having a parade to kick off the start of its apple butter festival.   Kay loves a parade.  there were tons of local politicians out campaigning and they all came to offer us pamphlets and sales pitches.  It was very convenient to say that we were from Canada, which got some odd looks.

 

These lovely ladies had something to do with nature.

 

 

And these people were all dressed up as various kinds of apples.   I’m not sure what the cat in the background is all about. 

 

 

As you can see, after 9-11, small US towns have gotten a lot of money for their first responders.

 

 

I have no idea.

 

 

Making apple butter in the town square. 

 

 

After a few days of rain we had a good day and I couldn’t resist suggesting that we go nearby Harpers Ferry for the day.    I was pleased that Kay’s siblings seemed to think it was a good idea, and they had a pretty good day.   This is the second time in a year that I’ve been to a US National Park, and I have to say that the NPS staff do a very fine job.   An NPS ranger gave us an eloquent and polished lecture on the John Brown Raid - he would have been a credit to any university history department.

Part of the preserved town from the Civil War period.  Between the war and the occasional floods that would go half way up these buildings, the folks here had a pretty rough go of it.

 

 

A machine shop with the sort of equipment that was used at the US government armoury.   My brother in law is a mechanical engineer and he was quite intrigued at the idea that this sort of shop could assemble rifles out of any  of standardized mass-produced parts, rather than making each rifle separately.

 

The site where the Firehouse, the site of Brown’s last stand, was originally located.  St. Peter’s, the Catholic church on the hilltop was built before the ACW to minister to the many Irish labourers who worked in the area.  The priest, Fr. Costello, often flew the British flag from the church to protect it from fighting during the several occasions that Harpers Ferry changed hands.

 

 

The firehouse, which was known afterwards as John Brown’s Fort.   In one of those odd details about the Civil War, Robert E. Lee and J.E.B. Stuart led the US Marines that stormed the building and captured Brown.  The building itself has been moved quite a few times since, including once all the way to Chicago for an exhibition, and isn’t exactly in its original condition.  African-Americans treated it as something of a shrine after the ACW. 

 

 

I tried a bottle of the local beer at lunch.   It was pretty rough stuff, I suspect it was made out of coal. 

 

 

I love rivers - Harpers Ferry is where the Potomac and the Shenandoah rivers come together. 

 

 

Harpers Ferry is surrounded by mountains.   Once you stand there and look around for a few minutes, you can understand why the place surrendered during the Antietam Campaign.  Once Jackson got control of the surrounding heights, and got his guns up on them, it was pretty much all over. 

 

 

Get a battery up there and the town’s in trouble.

 

 

It would be an amazing place to tromp around and try to suss out the two day battle that led to the Union surrender.   I’d like to go back and do that one day.   It would also be amazing to try and hike the distance from Harper’s Ferry to the Antietam battlefield , following the route that A.P. Hill’s division took to make its save the day arrival late in the day.  That would be about 17 miles of fast marching to do it in the time that the rebs did.

Highly recommended if you have never visited this part of the country, especially if you want to see a place where the Civil War started, at least before it started officially at Fort Sumter.

Cheers,  MP+

Friday, October 17, 2014

What Started Here?

 

Madame Padre and I just got back from a week in West Virginia, where we rented a place and visited with her in-laws, which was surprisingly pleasant.   We managed a few day trips.   I am off to a conference in Ottawa in minutes and I have more photos of this place which I’ll post when I get back.  For extra marks, can you identify this place, the event represented by this marker, and the significance of it all?  Clue:  regular readers of this blog will know it’s a period close to my heart (and will infer that it’s somewhere within driving distance of W. Virginia).

MP

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

The Daily Dissembler, Spring 1903: Your Trusted Source For News From An Imaginary Europe


The Daily Dissembler, Special European Gazette Issue, October 15, 1902

 

We make sense of a complicated, far-off world so you, dear reader, can enjoy the Gilded Age.

THE CURRENT SITUATION IN A TROUBLED EUROPE


 COLONIES LEND A HAND

General Sir John Monash, Answering the Call

A second British Army has now landed on the Continent, challenging ideas that England is content to be just a naval power.  The Imperial Expeditionary Force, commanded by Australia’s Sir John Monash, consists of soldiers from Canada, South Africa, India, Australia and New Zealand.   As we go to press, news arrives that they have successfully landed in Oslo and secured Norway, with detachments on their way by dog-sled and elk-drawn sleighs to the northern border with Russia.  While some of these soldiers from warmer climes were surprised to be finding themselves in frigid Norway, they have accepted their duty with the sturdy, simple, dog-like devotion that characterizes the best scions of England’s far-flung domains.   As Colonel Sterling Moose, the commander of the Strathcona Mounted Rifles (Alberta’s Best), some with snow still on their boots, told the Dissembler, “It’s all rather complicated for Colonials to discuss, but it’s much too high and mighty to ignore.  If it’s good enough for England, it’s good enough for us, so we colonial boys are lining up for war."

 

TSAR QUASHES WAR RUMORS!

 

The Russian government today issued a statement on the recent happenings in Rumania.

"This was a carefully planned relocation of our forces in line with a long standing agreement with Turkey.  As as well known in the world, the Czar never goes back on a promise."


When asked for comments, a number of European governments expressed doubts about the second part of this statement.

The Czar went on to claim that "our forces are being moved further north to deal with the real enemy...."



 

 

TURKEY ANNOUNCES BALKAN POWDER-KEG HAS BEEN DEFUSED

By “Franz Ferdinand"

 

 

 

 

All calm in the Balkans!  Our on-location reporter 'Elgar' tells us that all is now quiet in the Balkan territories of the apparently resurgent Ottoman Empire.  According to sources in the Turkish Military, the battle for Romania was sparked off by a "popular uprising" amount the local population who requested the support of the Sultan's Armies in "throwing off the shackles of the Russian occupation."


 

Several eyewitnesses reported Russian troops "fleeing in terror" as the Sultan's forces advanced almost unapposed.

 

Russian prisoners of war taken near Bucharest by Turkish forces.

 

 

DATELINE ROME! FORGERY AND INTRIGUE!

 

Our Man Ernest Harrison reports.

 

[Note to Ed – Bill if things don’t turn out this way run my other article ‘Ministry Calls for Inquiry as Navy Lets Italy Down Again!”]

 

Sources close to the Foreign Ministry [Bill, send £5,000 dollars, establish an account for me with the best Parisian milliners and a set up subscription to the Boston Woman’s Weekly] tell me that a dossier reputing to contain secret negotiations between the Ottoman and Russian Empires recently arrived in Rome.  The aim of these negotiations was supposedly to establish a cease-fire between the Empires, so that the Turks might attack Italy.  

 

Despite initial consternation (readers will remember that the Foreign Minister suddenly cancelled his visit to the Bey of Tunis), the reports were quickly dismissed by the Admiralty.  One recently retired admiral told this reporter “This is a load of nonsense!  Those dimwits in the War Ministry might believe such things, but we have a good relationship with the Ottomans – I’ve had my share of Turkish Delight, if you know what I mean, narf, narf!”

 

Bolstered by naval assurances, the dodgy dossier was immediately dispatched to Constantinople.  “You see” my Foreign Ministry source pointed out, “the fact that the Russians have done this plays into our hands: if it’s true, we can show the Sultan that he has been betrayed; if it’s not it just goes to show the Sultan that the Ruskies are a load of bungling bodgers.”

 

Wider Implications?

 

 The real concern in the Ministry is who else the Russians might have sent dossiers to, and what they contained.  “We have good reason to believe that London is receiving this stuff, but what about Paris?  If the Czar is behind the deployment of a fresh fleet in Marseilles, it could mean trouble – after all if we and the French start facing off he has less competition in Central Europe.  No, the sooner the Czar stops playing at puppet-master the better!  Someone might just have to go and cut his strings!”

 

-----------------------------------


DATELINE LONDON:   MISS AMELIA ROOSEVELT’S VIEW FROM LONDON

 

Story filed by the Daily Dissember’s own Miss Amelia Roosevelt, Intrepid Girl Reporter and niece of the Vice President.

It was not without adventure that I made my way from St. Petersburg to London this fall. My first hurdle was a request from the Italian authorities to detain me, since Count de Graspi, who my sources tell me may soon be Italy’s Commander in Chief, had informed the Russians that I was wanted for “extensive close questioning” with regard to “unfinished business”.   However, thanks to my acquaintance with the young wife of the Tsar’s chief of intelligence, Duchess Molotova Smoulderina, I was able to have this request delayed until I was safely on a British steamer.   Apparently the Duchess is more than familiar with Count de Graspi, and her acquaintance with him dates from when she was an actress in Rome.  She was thus able to persuade her husband that the Count’s request had more to do with matters of the heart than with matters of state.

A further hurdle was an encounter with the Russian Fleet as we were making our way through the Baltic.   A Russian destroyer came alongside, and despite our Captain’s protests, insisted on sending a boarding party aboard to make sure that all papers and cargo were in order.  A Royal Navy officer aboard my steamer, Captain Clive Whickker-Baskett, returning to England after his duty as a military attache, told me that he feared relations between England and Russia might be taking a turn for the worse.  It was a relief to arrive in Copenhagen, where the British flag was flying, and to find the city prosperous and orderly.  From Copenhagen an American steamer took me safely to London, where the newspapers are confident in future British successes on the continent.

Sadly the King was unable to meet with me, and expressed his regret.  The Palace did however give me an interview with Lord Lansdowne, the British Foreign Secretary.  He was a most courteous and knowledgeable gentleman.  I thanked him for his time and he told me that “All of England followed my adventures with great interest.  In fact, a popular novelist has published an ongoing series of stories in the weekly papers, loosely based on my adventures and entitled "The Perils of Amelia".   While I do not read themselves myself, due to their somewhat risqué character, they are said to be popular with the working classes."

I asked Lord Lansdowne about the role of the King in the current crisis.

"King Edward VII's main interests are in the fields of foreign affairs and naval and military matters.  He is fluent in French and German, and has made a number of visits abroad.  While he usually takes his annual holidays in Biarritz and Marienbad recently he has been looking at visiting his brother-in-law, King Frederick VIII, in Denmark and his son-in-law, King Haakon VII, in Norway who have recently placed themselves under British protection.   One of his most important foreign trips was an official visit to France in May 1903 as the guest of President Émile Loubet. Later he hopes to visit the Pope in Rome to further create a cordial atmosphere for the European powers and seek an agreement delineating colonies in North Africa, and hopefully ruling out any future war between affected countries.

What of King Edward’s special relationship with the German Kaiser?    King Edward likes to think of himself as the "Uncle of Europe" and has been trying to resolve difficulties faced by his dear nephew, Kaiser Wilhelm.  A key aspect of this has been fleet modernisation and his majesty was most pleased to see the Kaiser embrace the first step in modernising his fleet by the recent scrapping of a number of obsolete battleships in the Baltic.  Some Russian scrap iron dealers, the King understands, have made a late bid for the ships, but are believed to be dismayed that the iron had already been acquired by German munitions factories."

What troubles the King about the current situation?  "The King is troubled by the Russo-Japanese War and its unsettling effect on the colonies, past and present.  This coming so soon after the unpleasant business with the Boers has been resolved is most unfortunate.   The King feels the colonies are often over looked and indeed cannot even be found on the map these days."

A week after my interview with Lord Lansdowne, I was invited by a friend in the War Office to travel to Plymouth, where a large contingent of soldiers from the Colonies were arriving to swell the British forces.    I was thrilled to see many strapping Sikhs, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders arriving, and to note their patriotic reception by the local populace.  As I finish this dispatch, I have been informed that the Commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Force, General Monash, has asked me to join the Force as an “embedded reporter” (I am not sure what that term means, exactly) to come and “see how we colonial boys do things.”  I expect that my next dispatch will be from Scandinavia.



Monday, October 13, 2014

Diplomacy Game: Spring 1903 Results

Some interesting developments occurred in the fifth turn of our Diplomacy game.

Russia’s position has taken a turn for the worse as Turkey has turned its cannons north.   The Russian Army in Rumania has been forced out by three Turkish units and has to retreat north to Ukraine (or be disbanded - Russian player’s choice but the retreat seems a no-brainer.  

Germany’s enigmatic foreign policy has contributed to Russia’s setbacks as the German army in Bohemia tips the balance in giving Italy the keys to Vienna.   England’s second army now makes its appearance on the continent.   France and Italy continue to advance their interests in the south of Europe.    

More analysis coming in the next Daily Dissembler.


Results for Spring, 1903 (Movement)
General Notices:
Order resolution completed on 13-Oct-2014 at 08:11:07 EDT


Order Results:


Austria: The Army in Vienna cannot retreat; unit destroyed.

No order for unit at Vienna. Hold order assigned.  Austria:
A vie Holds  Dislodged from tyr (3 against 1). 

 

England:  England: A den Holds   England: F hel Supports A den  England: A lon -nwy

Convoy path taken: lon- nth- nwy. 
England: F nth Convoys A lon - nwy  England: F ska Supports A lon -nwy


France:

France: A bel Holds  France: A bur Holds  France: F hol Holds  

France: F mar - lyo  France: A par - pic;  France: A por - spa


Germany:

Germany: A boh Supports A tyr -vie;  Germany: A kie - ber;

Germany: A sil - gal;  Failed because Russia: A gal - vie failed. 



Italy:

Italy: A tri Supports A tyr - vie;  Italy: F tun -tys;  Italy: A tus -pie;

Italy: A tyr -vie;  Italy: A ven -tyr



Russia:

Russia: A bud Supports A gal - vie; Russia: A gal -vie Failed. 

Russia: A mos -war; Failed because Russia: A war -sil failed. 

Russia: A rum Holds; Dislodged from bul (3 against 1).  A Gal has only one retreat option, to Ukr.

Russia: F sev Holds; Russia: F swe - bal;  

Russia: A war -sil  Failed because Germany: A sil - gal failed. 



Turkey:

Turkey: F aeg - con; Turkey: A ank - arm;  

Turkey: F bla  Supports A bul - rum; Turkey: A bul -rum;

Turkey: F gre Holds; Turkey: A ser Supports A bul - rum

 

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Men of Gondor

“Men of Gondor” makes me think of a patriotic song in an ancient tongue of Men to the tune of “Men of Harlech”, to be sung from the ramparts of Osgiliath while the hordes of Mordor approach.   But I digress.
I’m on holiday with Madame Padre this week, but have some images on iCloud that I haven’t posted yet.   Here are four figures from GW’s LOTR range.  The middle two are from the “Gondorian Command” blister, and the two identical fellows with bows and swords are the “Beregond” figure, who will make a great captain of archers figure.   One is a prize from my blog competition this spring, which is for Baconfat if he ever wants to tell me how to get it to him.  Since I was painting one Gondorian, I thought I might as well paint the others in my lead pile.


A very simple palette, really.    I used Citadel Chainmail for the armour, then a wash of black ink, then picked out the highlights, edges and embossed tree on the breastplates with Citadel Mithril Silver.  I simply used a dark blue for the cloaks and tunics, with a medium blue dry brush.




 And here’s the sum total of my Gondorian army to date:  the command group, one Beregond figure, and the three figures from the Osgiliiath veterans blister.   I have a whack of plastic Gondorians still to paint, but this is a start.



These figures bring my 2014 totals to:
28mm Mounted: 13, 28mm Foot: 42, 28mm Artillery: 1; 28mm terrain pieces: 9.
20mm Foot: 33, 20mm Artillery: 2, 20mm Vehicles: 2, 20mm Terrain Pieces: 2
15mm Vehicles: 5, 15mm Foot: 26, 15mm Terrain Pieces: 3
6mm Foot:  120, 6mm vehicles: 4, 6mm Terrain Pieces: 2
Kilometres Run: 946

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

On His Way To Sweden

Back in late April I announced some prizes and I am slowly delivering on them.   I’m not proud of my tardiness, but I note in my defence that I didn’t promise a delivery date.  I know, what a weasel I am.
This rugged adventurer from Bob Murch’s Pulp Figures is on his way to Joakim Strom, the Miniatures Man.  Joakim is just starting a pulp project, so I am sure this fellow will get some two-fisted action before too long.  Enjoy him, Joakim.







Diplomacy Game: Fall 1902 Adjustments Are Complete

Here are the results at the end of the F1902 Adjustment Phase, with a summary of builds:

 

Results for Fall, 1902 (Adjustment)

General Notices:
Order resolution completed on 08-Oct-2014 at 10:30:02 EDT


Order Results:  Austria:

England: England: Builds A lon

France: France: Builds F marFrance: Builds A par

Germany: Germany: Removes F bal

Italy: Italy: Builds A ven

Russia:Russia: Builds A war

Turkey: Turkey: Builds A ank

.General Erasmus Blatt is a better judge of these things than I am, but here are some quick comments.

England surprised me by building an Army rather than a Fleet.

France is hedging its bets between naval and land policy and holds the balance of power in the West.  

Turkey’s new Army in Ankara should give the Russians pause for though, although Sev is safe for the moment.  On the other hand, Russia’s build of an Army in Warsaw shows that it wants to be a serious player in the battle for the remnants of the Austrian empire and for a share of the Balkans.   I don’t see how long-term peace between Russia and Turkey is possible at this rate.

Italy’s build of an Army in Venice is also surprising and shows that it has, with some justification, trust in France and Turkey, though with only one fleet in Tunis,  Italy has to be watching the waters east and west with some trepidation.

While Germany bids adieu to being a sea power, it has two armies concentrated in the east and could be a definite spoiler.

Let the Spring 1903 turn begin!  Hopefully we can get all orders in by Saturday midnight my time, but I want to leave some time for diplomacy.   I’m sure there will be a lot of it.

 

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Fall 1902 Daily Dissembler: Your Trusted Source For News Of An Imaginary Europe

 

The Daily Dissembler, Special European Gazette Issue, October 15, 1902

We make sense of a complicated, far-off world so you, dear reader, can enjoy the Gilded Age.


EXTRA: COLLAPSE OF AUSTRIAN EMPIRE!!

Shocking news has reached us of the collapse of civil order in Austria.    Following the Siege of Budapest by the Russian Armies of General Samsonov, secret documents were captured confirming the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the throne and commander of the Austrian army.   The Archduke was killed this spring during fighting in Galicia and his death was kept secret by the Hapsburg regime.   However, as the Emperor brooded on his son’s death, his interest in affairs of state grew less, and his seclusion increased, leaving his generals and diplomats without direction.   Reports from Vienna indicate that the city is divided, with some neighbourhoods under control of workers' committees while others are still controlled by loyal army regiments.   The acting mayor of Vienna, Dr. Sigmund Freud, has appealed to the various European powers to treat Vienna as an Open City.  “To violate this innocent city,” Mayor Freud told the press, “would be an act showing primal aggression and unresolved conflicts from childhood.”  When asked if Count de Graspi, the Lion of Trieste, was being asked to come to the rescue of the Viennese, Acting Mayor Freud merely said, “De Graspi is indeed a fascinating case."

MUTINY OF THE AUSTRIAN FLEET

Austrian naval units moored in Athens and other Greek harbours have run up the red flag of revolt.   Some captains and more detested officers have reportedly been thrown overboard and have had to swim for it.   When the Turkish flagship Mejidye anchored off Athens last week, there was no resistance.   When news of the mutiny first broke, the Greek government of national liberation assumed control of the Austrian ships , but shortly relinquished them to the Turkish Governor, along with everything else, and then were escorted to prison after the Governor’s swearing-in ceremony.  If anyone in Greece saw anything positive about the arrival of the new masters, it was the head of the Greek Olympic Committee, who said “Well, at least now we don’t have to worry about the bills for Franz Joseph Stadplatz (since renamed Sultan And-al-Hamid II Stadium - eds) we’ve just completed.  You can send the bills to the Sultan."

 

The Austrian fleet at anchor off Athens, just before the mutiny.


FALL OF BUDAPEST

General Samsonov is Russia’s hero of the hour after Austria’s Army of the Vistula surrendered to his forces after a one month siege of Budapest.   Here we see a photograph of Austrian prisoners of war beginning their long journey to Siberia.   General Rennenkampf, commander of Army Group Warsaw, complained publicly that his soldiers deserve credit for the victory.   “That dolt Samsonov couldn’t encircle a chamberpot with his fat arse without his staff to help him.   I should receive the Order of St. Michael, not him.”  Possibly General Rennenkampf will have the good fotune to secure Vienna, if the Italians do not beat him to it, but will the Turks let this be merely a two-man race or do they harbour their ancient memories of once besieging Vienna?

 

 



WHERE IN THE WORLD IS THE KAISER GOING?

For the last month, rumours have been circulating in Berlin about the Kaiser.  The German government has vigorously denied the “scurrilous lies in the socialist press that His Excellency was recently seen wandering through Austria in his undergarments”.  

  Our Berlin correspondent, Maxwell von Haus, sends this report, which we consider trustworthy.  "On hearing of the collapse of Austria, Kaiser Wilhelm was heard to shout "Nein, nein, nein, nein, nein!"  Later that morning he was photographed on the steps of Marienburg Castle dressed in full medieval plate  with the surcoat of the Teutonic Order.  He mounted a white charger and rode off in an easterly direction. Shortly thereafter he was followed by a long supply train loaded with the finest food wine and beer as well as luxury field accommodations."

This news may explain something that has baffled military commentators, namely the sudden eastward turn of the Germany armies.

 

Our staff cartoonist’s view of the Kaiser’s “pivot to the east”.


DATELINE LONDON: COPENHAGEN WELCOMES THE BRITISH

Troops of the Royal Marines were the first to land in Copenhagen earlier this month.    In a complex operation supported by overwhelming firepower from the Royal Navy, the Marines led the way, taking the major points of the city without a shot being fired.   Expected resistance from the German High Seas Fleet melted away as Admiral Tirpitz had raised steam and sailed eastwards into the Baltic the week before.  Martin Munk, Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, breathed a sigh of relief.   “I’ve been assured that they’re just here for the football.   German, English, it’s all the same to us, they’re all good for business.  Not as good as the French navy is to the Dutch, I hear, but pretty good.”  In the weeks since, the rest of the British Expeditionary Force landed and moved south, taking up positions on the border of Schleswig-Holstein.  Will that mean a fight with Germany?


 

Danish crowds cheer the arrival of the Royal Marines in Copenhagen. 

In other news from London, the British Foreign Office cabled today that it announces the end of the Boer War and acknowledges the role and support given by the Dutch in achieving this settlement and wishes them well for the future.  Shelling commences in five minutes.  (Ed - are you sure about that last bit?)




DATELINE ROME - DOES THE BUGLE SOUND FOR DE GRASPI?

 By Our Man in Rome – Ernest Harrington

With the situation in Central Europe deteriorating it seems certain that di Rossi, the current Foreign Minister, will accede to the premiership.  What then of de Graspi, his father-in-law, who for many has come to personalise the War Party?  Many are calling for him to be appointed Minister for War.  My sources, however [Note to ed – send more cigars, tinned pineapples and maple syrup], tell me that di Rossi is likely to bow to de Graspi’s own desire for a field command -possibly as Commando .  How this will affect policy or not, is uncertain, but what is clear is that we are headed for a Great Northern War.

 

 

 Count De Graspi

De Graspi himself has refused to comment on the likely change of government.  Currently on a ‘popular lecture tour’ of the Eastern United States he recently gave the following statement to the Boston Women’s Weekly – “Whatever position I adopt, I assure you my resolve will be stiff.  Italy calls and I shall return!”

There is wind in the old warhorse yet, it seems...


 

A Journey to St. Petersburg and a Meeting With The Tsar

 

 

Story filed by the Daily Dissember’s own Miss Amelia Roosevelt, Intrepid Girl Reporter and niece of the Vice President.

It proved very difficult for me to leave the Hotel Trieste this spring.   While my charming host, Count di Graspi, did not tell me in so many words that I was a prisoner, I came to feel that I was under a kind of house arrest.  It was with thanks to the Maitre d’Hotel, Monsieur Gustave, that I was able to “check out” by means of being hidden in a laundry van, thus eluding the charming (and rather familiar) officer appointed by the Count as “my minder”.  Thanks to M. Gustave, I was able to travel in the company of a cheese importer, Herr Finkel (by appointment to the House of Hapsburg), who had received permission to travel through the lines to Vienna, and was able to disguise myself as a young land in his employ.  From there, after some choice words with the assistant to the US ambassador in Vienna, who did not perceive my true identity, I was able to secure assistance, new clothes, and a visa to Germany and from there a train to St. Petersburg.    Most Russian trains, and there are relatively few of them, are employed on the Galician Front, and so my car was crowded with soldiers, old women, chickens in crates, sacks of onions and clouds of mahorka tobacco.  Two Cossack officers appointed themselves as my bodyguards and were very gallant.   One told me he has a cousin in Chicago, but sad to say, I had to inform him that I did not have the honour of this gentleman’s appearance.

After several months of repeated visits to various Ministries, Equerries, Aides de Camp, and other dignitaries, I finally secured an appointment for an audience with Tsar Nicholas.   I prepared a list of questions, and submitted them to somebody (a Grand Chamberlain, perhaps?) to have them checked for “protocol”.  The day came and I presented myself at the Alexander Palace, passing through a series of ornate rooms, and waited in a type of salon for at least an hour before I was shown into the Tsar’s study.   Tsar Nicholas is a slight man, not tall by the standards of American men, but possessed of large and piercing blue eyes, which stared at me for some time and blinked, owlishly, as he stroke his luxuriant moustache, somewhat nervously, I thought.   I stammered through my questions, which were I believe translated to the Tsar, who remained silent.   Finally, he said something which was translated as a question, “Had I seen any American red Indians?”  A few, I mentioned, while travelling in the West with my uncle.  The Tsar nodded, then stood, bowed, and left the room.  I confess I know nothing more about Russian policy and ambitions than I did before, but after speaking to several military attaches in the city, I gather that I am no more ignorant on this subject than anyone else.  Russia’s ambitions will continue to be a mystery until they are revealed.

I hope to file again after I take ship for England and speak, I hope, to the King about the British view of things.


 


 

nsightful commentary on the European situation by General Sir Erasmus Blatt (ret), geo-political and military correspondent for the Rioters News Agency, on contract to the Daily Dissembler..

 



The Demise of the House of Hapsburg.

A commentary by General Sir Erasmus Blatt, geo-political and military correspondent for the Rioters News Agency.

It was not long in coming: the last of the Hapsburg Emperors, his Imperium reduced to the environs of Vienna itself; his fleet scuttled, captured or interned; his armies reduced to little more than a personal bodyguard; is no longer Emperor. A rump government remains in Vienna barely retaining any governance over the street mobs.

The main beneficiaries have been Russia and Italy, who have carved up the Empire between them. Which of the two will take Vienna? One thing is certain: the Kaiser will not be sharing the spoils. And how is Turkey placed?

The crumbs at the feast have certainly been plentiful and sustaining, for the Sultan is now master of the Balkans, barring Romania, and has a very considerable naval presence in the eastern half of the Mediterranean Sea into the bargain. But it is becoming clear to your correspondent that as the Hapsburg provinces are to be shared between Victor-Emmanuel and Nikolai II, Abdul Hamid will find himself with no further expansion possible without he attacks one or other of his erstwhile allies. That is supposing, of course, that there was an alliance between Italy, Turkey and Russia.

So expect a "falling out among thieves" by at least the Fall of 1903, as Turkey joins with Italy against Russia, or with Russia against Italy. At that, I should not be astonished if in the coming months the Grand Vizier of the Porte were to pay court to the Queen in London, with the view to securing a long-term deal with the United Kingdom.

In the West the Anglo-French detente has reaped rich rewards for both partners, and this looks likely to continue. As Spain will fall like ripe fruit into its own lap, the Republic can afford to see England capture the German main naval base at Kiel. At the end of 1903, the 13 units the Detente can command between them will be poised to sweep past Switzerland into eastern Europe. The Kaiser is on borrowed time - borrowed at a heavy rate of interest, at that.

Such a prospect - caught between an eastward expanding Detente, and the Porte seeking to expand westward, must give the King of Italy and the Tsar some pause (The Kaiser must know already that the game is up for him - if he can swing any kind of lasting deal at all, it would be would be a master-stroke of diplomacy. Some fast talking with Russia and Italy might yet give him hope to survive a little longer, though even then it would be as Uriah the Hittite, in the forefront of the battle). Powerful in the south, the Russian Empire is looking decidedly vulnerable in the north. Placed as it is, Italy has for the moment little to fear from France (though the recent commissioning of the Mediterranean Fleet in Marseille must surely be making Victor-Emmanuel feel a little bit thoughtful), but the powerful Turkish Navy might well be very concerning.

Quite what the future holds, this writer hesitates to state with absolute certainty. But if it transpires that a Triple Alliance of Britain, France and Turkey develops against Russia and Italy together, this should surprise no one. Germany will be dismembered 'en passant.' But an alternative, if much less likely, scenario is possible: South against North. That would be an alliance of France, Italy and Turkey, possibly with Germany as hostage, against Russia and England. As I say: unlikely, for such an alliance would necessarily be a fragile one. For one thing, the Anglo-Gallican Detente is so obviously in the interests of both partners, for the coming year or two at least, that it would be more than a bold decision to forego it in pursuit of more tenuous accords.

31 December 1902.



Sunday, October 5, 2014

Diplomacy Game Fall Turn 1902 Results

Fall 1902 results and allowable builds/losses are below.

Executive summary:  Austrian player withdraws from game and Austria now declared in Civil Disorder (see page 18 here).  France leads in supply centers gained this turn.  Everyone else gains one SC each except for Germany which loses one SC and has to disband one unit during the Build Phase.

We are now in the Build Phase.  Players please consult your allowable builds and submit your build/disband orders to me by end of day Tuesday Oct 7, sooner if you like.

Hopefully there will be an issue of the Daily Dissembler out shortly to make some sense of this.

 




Results for Fall, 1902 (Movement)


General Notices:
Order resolution completed on 05-Oct-2014 at 09:07:42 EDT


Order Results:

Austria:  The Army in Budapest cannot retreat; unit destroyed.

No order for unit at Greece. Hold order assigned.  Austria: A bud Holds  Dislodged from gal (2 against 1). 

Austria: F gre Holds  Dislodged from aeg (3 against 1).  Fleet disbanded due to Austria being declared in Civic Unrest.

Austria: A vie Holds



England:

England: F hel Supports A yor -denEngland:  F nth Convoys A yor -den   England: F ska Supports A yor - den  England: A  yor -den

Convoy path taken: yor- nth- den. 



France:

France: A bur Supports A pic -bel; France: F hol Holds  France: A pic -bel;  France: A spa - por



Germany:

Germany: A boh Supports A vie -gal  Support failed. Supported unit's order does not match support given. 

Germany: F kie -bal; Germany: A mun -sil;  Germany: A ruh - kie



Italy:

Italy: F ion - tun; Italy: A rom - tus;  Italy: A tri Supports A ven - tyr; Italy: A ven - tyr



Russia:

Russia: A gal -bud; Russia: A lvn -mos; Russia: A rum Supports A gal - bud; Russia: F sev Supports A rum  \

Russia: F swe Holds; Russia: A war -gal



Turkey:

Turkey: F aeg -gre; Turkey: F ank -bla; Turkey: A bul Supports F aeg - gre; Turkey: F con -aeg

Turkey: A ser Supports F aeg - gre


Results for Fall, 1902 (Retreat)


General Notices: Order resolution completed on 05-Oct-2014 at 09:13:20 EDT


Order Results:

Austria:  Austria: F gre Disbands




England:  Supply centers were gained. Units that may be built: 1.


France: Supply centers were gained. Units that may be built: 2.


Germany: Supply centers were lost. Units that must be removed: 1.


Italy: Supply centers were gained. Units that may be built: 1.


Russia: Supply centers were gained. Units that may be built: 1.


Turkey: Supply centers were gained. Units that may be built: 1.

 

Friday, October 3, 2014

Halt! Papers! Cool Roadblock/Sentry Box Stuff From 4Ground

I bought two 28mm 4Ground sets for my Weird War Two project to give some terrain pieces for the evil secret Nazi base that my heroic commandoes will eventually be ready to assault.   They work pretty well with my secret evil Bob Murch Pulp Figures Nazis.
There are two sets.   One is a set of five wire barricades and another checkpoint set.  That gives you a satisfying amount of stuff.I decided to go for a pre-war or early war feel, so instead of drab browns or camo I wanted an in your face, you better stop now or else feel and choose to paint all everything except for the signs read and white.



That’s my terrible attempt at Gothic German script.  



The sentry box and barrier.  The barrier comes in two parts, the barrier on a hinge and a resty thing.   It was a little finicky to put together.



 You can pass!




 The sentry box was fun to assemble and paint.   “Ach, so!”  Here, Feldwebel Stronk catches Geferiter Finkel snacking while on guard duty.



The checkpoint set comes with two useful signs.






 Now that I have a checkpoint, I need a 28mm(ish) vehicle to go through it, particularly one that looks appropriately German, per perhaps  carrying resistance types disguised as Germans.   Also, this set comes with four useful Luftwaffe/pilot types who will go nicely with my cross German aviatrix.



 I’m going to award myself a total of nine separate terrain pieces for my yearly total, since there are five barricades, a sentry box, two signs, and the gate.  That seems right, especially as everything got based.
These figures bring my 2014 totals to:
28mm Mounted: 13, 28mm Foot: 42, 28mm Artillery: 1, 28mm Terrain Pieces: 9
20mm Foot: 33, 20mm Artillery: 2, 20mm Vehicles: 2, 20mm Terrain Pieces: 2
15mm Vehicles: 5, 15mm Foot: 26, 15mm Terrain Pieces: 3
6mm Foot:  120, 6mm vehicles: 4, 6mm Terrain Pieces: 2
Kilometres Run: 925

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