Saga Civilians

 These are the civilian figures from Gripping Beasts pack "SSC01 - Baggage for the Escort Scenario". I've painted them up in mostly brown and homespun clothing with leather capes. All but one is carrying the farm implements from the pack. The last I replaced with a spear because I broke the lead cast pitchfork it came with by accident. I'll use these as a unit of four (4) civilians where required by Saga's Book of Battles. Next up on the painting table is a unit of eight Rus warriors.

NROW Game at Charlie's

Last night my friend Charlie invited a group of us to his gaming loft to play a game of Napoleon's Rules of War. Charlie is working on version two of the rules and had some changes he wanted to test. The general consensus was overwhelmingly positive. Charlie has made improvements in the combat resolution matrix and to national doctrine differences.

For the game I was placed in the French center. I've mostly played Austrians lately, so playing French gave me a fresh perspective. Ralph and Rob made a big push towards my left flank, right of Earl's battery. I reinforced this area with one reserve battalion and a field battery. With Earl's help we held up to Rob's initial attacks, but as our artillery ammunition ran low, Ralph's second wave of the white menace was much more successful, mostly eliminating my forces in that area. To my right I had slightly more success helping Byron eliminate two of Charlie's units. At the end it appeared that the Austrians had the better of the battle with a good solid center.

Byron's cavalry was mostly in tact, so if it were a real battle. disengaging safely would probably have been an option for the French. As far as casualties went Rob on the Austrian side and I on the French side suffered the highest losses. Fun game, great evening with friends. Thanks Charlie!

Saga Objectives

While waiting for my Saga Book of Battles to arrive, I decided to start to work on what I thought I might need to play some of the new scenarios. My starting point was the Gripping Beast pack "SSC01 - Baggage for the Escort Scenario". The two carts shown here are from that pack as is the scattered baggage around the smaller cart. The civilians from the pack will be based individually as the civilian unit of four figures called for in the new Book of Battles. Those will be the subject of a future post.

The cows will fulfill the 'livestock' requirement for some of the scenarios. For those scenarios each player is expected to provide three bases of animals. With many new players in our group, it made sense for me to base up six bases worth of animals. The figures are O-gauge pre-painted model railroad figurines, given a quick magic wash, matte overcoat and based. I'm counting the wagons and basing as six figures in the painting totals for the year.

Lithuanian Hearthguards for Saga

These are two points of Lithuanian hearthguard for my Eastern Princes Saga army. The figures are Old Glory's ME-37 Lithuanian Light Cavalry from their Mongols in Europe line. Side to side with Gripping Beast these are quite compatible. Gripping Beast figures are a bit more stout, but size is similar for height. Shield transfers are more Little Big Man transfers.

Although these are sold as 'light cavalry', the Lithuanians used hides and leather armor almost exclusively during the early part of this period, so I'm comfortable with calling these hearthguards. They'll also be appropriate for mounted warriors should I choose to field the Lithuanians using a Mongol list representing the Lithuanian forces that fought the Mongols primarily on horseback. I'm counting these as 16 figures in the painting totals. Next up on the painting table are some scenario objectives for the Saga escort scenario.

Stug III Purchased From Ebay

This is a Warlord Stug III that I purchased from Ebay. The price was very reasonable considering the nice quality paint job and weathering. The only thing I wasn't happy with was the commander figure. The original, while well painted, had the uniform a bit too dry-brushed for my tastes. I kept the flesh portions and re-painted the uniform. Close up of the after and before versions below.

After re-painting the commander figure.

Before re-painting the commander figure.

Club Trip to the American Heritage Museum

Earl from our club organized a group trip to the Collings Foundation American Heritage Museum yesterday. Eleven of us gathered at the museum to enjoy a visit. The museum is doing a 'soft open' and is still putting the finishing touches on many things. That said they're definitely ready for the public. There is an introductory movie, a WWI trench scene with multi-media displays, and ample knowledgeable docents that provided even wargamer geeks with plenty of helpful extra detailed information. The highlight of the trip for me was being able to hear Ralph and Ed talk about the the tank they commanded while they were in the army. It was extra special having them be able to point to parts of the tank and tell detailed stories about how it impacted their use of the weapon.

The collection is extensive, but primarily consists of armor from WWII with a few notable exceptions, an American FT-17 from WWII, and a decent amount of post-WWII vehicles and armor. Most of the vehicles are running, moving examples. Many have hatches and ports open. Access around, below and above the exhibits is exceptional and taking photos inside is not discouraged.

I took a large amount of photos, too many to post here on the blog. I've included a sample below of some of my favorites. All of my photos can be viewed by accessing my Google Photos gallery here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y9J12hjiMB8ygVWH8

I'm VERY happy I went and will return for many visits I'm sure. I had a few nits to pick with the introductory movie, but that's a common occurrence with such offerings intended for the general public. Also the lighting could be better for photography in some places. The lighting is something they're continuing to work on as they find final locations for some of the exhibits. All in all an exceptional museum, worthy of an excursion to.