The Nothern Conspiracy's New Website

After running a straight html-based website for the better part of 15 years, the Northern Conspiracy has recently migrated to a web hosting service specifically designed to service clubs and organizations. After reviewing several companies that offered these services, we settled on Memberzine to do our hosting. One of the primary reasons to migrate to a hosting service geared towards clubs was to allow our officers, who aren't necessarily HTML programmers, the ability to manage the content of the website. Memberzine allows them to do this through the use of menu-driven content editing including a WYSIWYG editor for composing page content.

We're still in the process of getting all of our public content for the site finalized, and we'll be undergoing somewhat of a learning curve while we get up to speed, but so far the software seems to be working as advertised. Hop over to http://thenorthernconspiracy.org/ to check out our progress.

15mm Trees - 43 of them!

This week my wargaming time was spent completely absorbed in campaign work. I calculated losses from the huge battle throughout the 22 corps involved, as well as adjudicated the pursuit, and generated sitreps for all six players. Although it was a lot of work and very interesting to myself and the players of the campaign, it doesn't make for a very interesting blog post. Instead of more information on the campaign, I'm posting some photos of some 15mm trees I made up for the Muttenz-Nyon campaign game.

A while ago I purchased a tree kit from Scenic Express, the model railroad scenery company. The kit I purchased was the Small Deciduous Easy Tree Kit. I was happy with the trees it made although the contents of the kit confused me a bit. I received 14 armatures, which you twist up and then apply the tree foliage to with Hob-e-Tac adhesive. The process worked great and produced 14 lovely trees. What confused me was the large amount of foliage that was included, which was many times over more than was required to cover the 14 armatures included in the kit. I can only assume that Scenic Express uses the same bag of foliage for all of their tree kits and they save more money by only having one size bag, than they lose by giving me extra product. Although confusing, I was thrilled to have the extra, which I saved for later.

This past summer, while I was at the Historicon convention, I purchased a bag of Woodland Scenics Medium Sized Tree Armatures for the express purpose of using up the left over foliage from the Scenic Express kit. I was familiar with the Woodland Scenics tree kits since I've used them for most of my 25mm trees. Their tree kits come with dense foliage clusters, which is a stark contrast to the foliage that comes with the Scenic Express kits, which is much more of a loose leaf like affair. While watching TV over the next couple months I twisted up the tree armatures and glued them to their bases, and then to a large metal washer as a base. They sat in a bin on my workbench for a couple of months, until I desperately needed them for the Muttenz-Nyon game. The week before the game I applied the glue and foliage, and then flocked the base of each tree. They got a final spray of flat lacquer as a fixative the morning of the game.

I think they have sort of a poplar or magnolia look to them. I'm fairly happy with the loose-leaf foliage. I think I will mix in a set or two of the Woodland scenics trees, to round out the collection, but for now these will do nicely. As is the case with a lot of my terrain, this was a 'just in time inventory' situation. Necessity may be the mother of invention, but in my workshop she's also the mother of motivation.

Muttenz-Nyon Battle Report

On Saturday we completed the epic Muttenz-Nyon battle in my ongoing Napoleonic 1813 campaign. Eight players and two game masters braved the first snow storm of the year to attend the game. The battle of Nyon was fought for two turns (two hours time in game terms) and then the fog of the morning lifted and the two battles became one giant battle. All totaled there were twenty-two (22) large corps of troops at the battle, eleven (11) on each side. The Nyon battlefield was situated north of Muttenz, as shown in the map in my previous blog update. The photo to the left shows how the troops were situated at the start of the battle with the Russians defending the city of Nyon in the foreground. Entering at the extreme north of the battlefield in the background was four corps of Mark Decouteau's wing of the French army. Mark was assisted by French ADC Andrew Simpson. Blocking him was the Russo-Swedish army commanded by Phil Hammond who was aided by allied ADC Mike Coppinger. Mike was spelled from his duties in the Prussian army by the return of the Prussian commander Ed Mueller, who missed the first battle as he was out of town at the time.  In addition to this staring photo, I also made a very large panoramic image of the entire battlefield.

During the opening turns of the Nyon battle, the French agressively advanced towards and threatened the Russian's western flank, and advanced a strong cavalry force to meet the Russian cavalry on the eastern flank. In the middle the French also advanced through the woods to prepare to assault the hinge point in the Russian line. In response to the French threat, Phil, the Russian commander raced forward with the Swedish cavalry and a reserve division of Swedish infantry to shut the door on the French flanking movement. Where the Russians had already prepared a stationary line, the French responded in like kind and settled in for a prolonged firefight, first with just battalion guns and artillery, but later they re-deployed their lines within musketry range of the Russians and slugged it out in a firefight that lasted several turns. In this photo you can see how the battle lines are shaking out as the French are deploying at artillery range.

After the two battles synchronized and became one, Napoleon shifted the guard cavalry north and feigned a threat to the Russian cavalry's rear. In response to that Mike Coppinger, who was commanding the Russian cavalry, advanced further north charging the French cavalry there.  The French guard cavalry withdrew, but the feint worked, and committed the Russian cavalry into a prolonged slug fest which they eventually lost (see photo left). Unfortunately for the French, this was to be one of the few bright spots of the day for them.  As they were succeeding here, their attacks and the prolonged firefight against the Russian deployed defensive positions was causing severe casualties among the ranks of the Poles, Swiss and Bavarians.

Also at this time, Ed Mueller's Prussians back on the Muttenz portion of the battlefield continued to press their advantage. Ed's opponent Dave, had the unenviable task of holding off the Prussians as long as he could while the French tried to exploit the Russians on the northern end of the battle. Dave's self-proclaimed strategy to achieve this goal: create as much chaos as possible. As seen from this photo, he was successful in that goal, although eventually Ed was able to push him back while destroying a sizable portion of several divisions, including completely annihilating one division.

In the center both commanders maintained their lines. Both deployed massed batteries, which fired for a turn each, then were withdrawn and dispersed after each commander thought better of allowing his artillery to be destroyed in a prolonged firefight. Charlie Galemmo, who is Napoleon in the campaign, can be seen here executing one of the few charges that happened in the center of the battle. There were a few places on the center table where the placement of the table made it hard to reach the troops. Lucky for us, my primary table is robust enough to climb up on! In the background is my lovely wife Lori, who stopped down to watch the battle for a little while.

As things on the "Prussian Front" looked grim for the French, they were hoping for success up north to sway the battle in their favor. Unfortunately for them the gods of musketry, saber and cannonade (i.e. the dice) were not with them, and the attrition of the battle started to wither division after division of General Decouteau's wing. The Russians were winning through sheer effectiveness of fire. Here you can see that a reserve division of heavy cavalry has had to be pressed into service to plug the large hole in the French line where their assaulting force used to be. The final saving grace on this wing for the French was that the Russian guard was caught trying to press their advantage, and ended up having one brigade destroyed by a French cavalry counter charge.  Otherwise this flank was a very successful defense by Phil and his Russians and Swedes.

Where does that leave us? After the battle, the three French wings have withdrawn back down their lines of approach, each pursued by an allied wing. I haven't done the final casualty totals for the battle yet, but when I do, I expect that the allied casualties will be a few brigades damaged, and possibly a few cavalry brigades eliminated. The French will most definitely lose a couple divisions, and several brigades from other divisions will have to be consolidated. We'll see after the casualty numbers are finalized. After the battle Charlie, playing Napoleon, was heard saying, "I might just have to spend a year in Elba after this."

There's a lot more photos (almost 50) available to view over in the Northern Conspiracy Events gallery. I'd like to thank all of the players who stayed to fight the battle to completion as I'm sure we would have had a tough time scheduling another time to complete it before the holidays. It was GREAT fun hosting such a huge battle.

Battle of Tarentum II - Update

Just a quick update on the 2nd Battle of Tarentum. During our hiatus from the game, Hannibal has fled from the field of battle. Rome is victorious!  We'll be doing another campaign move (or several) to generate our next battles over the next few days. Look for another new battle later on this month hopefully. Three cheers for my victorious new Velites and Triarii. Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah!

Battle of Muttenz-Nyon Continued Saturday

Saturday we will continue the battle of Muttenz, which is a game in my ongoing 1813 Napoleonic campaign. During the battle of Muttenz, troops continued to maneuver elsewhere in the campaign while the battle raged on. Part of this maneuvering created another battle, the battle of Nyon which is actually adjacent to, and in fact on some of the same ground as Muttenz. Thanks to a little bit of creative furnature moving in my basement, and the setting up of two portable tables, I was able to set up the tabletop such that the two battles connect.

Players in the Nyon battle will play their early morning turns while fog obscures the area between the two battlefields. Once the battles are synchronized they'll become one huge battle.

For those who weren't able to follow the lay of the land in the photos from my previous post, this map shows the current approximate positions of the armies in the Muttenz battle, and the approximate deployment zones for the upcoming battle of Nyon (marked TBD). You can always click any image in my blog to see the full-sized image. The Russian army is defending Nyon, a stone-walled city, from an attack from a multi-corps French wing attacking from Locarno, at the top of the map.  I'm hoping this will be a great game and everyone will have fun. At the very least it will be the largest single game I've ever hosted in my basement!

Battle of Tarentum II

This was a busy weekend for me as far as wargaming goes. Friday we had our bi-annual club business meeting, Sunday I hosted the Napoleonic campaign game from my previous post, and Saturday I visited my friend Mike's home to play this game. This is a mid-battle photo of the third game in our ancients campaign, the Second Battle of Tarentum. After the first battle of Tarentum, the defeated and outnumbered Romans retreated north to the safety of an approaching veteran legion. Once the two legions joined up they counter-marched back to Tarentum to meet Hannibal on Roman terms. On paper, this looked to be a very one-sided fight, but the Carthaginians have fought valiantly, particularly their lights, who have destroyed several battle groups Velites single handedly. Both armies still have a lot of fight left in them.  Here's a summary of the current situation from the other Roman player, Mike,

On the Carthaginian side Randy, Charlie and Leo played a great game - although outnumbered, they gave as good as they got.

On the first turn the Roman flank march on the Roman left/Carthaginian right came on. The remnants are fighting for their lives hoping to be saved by the velites, cavalry and extrodinarii coming to their rescue. On that flank the Cartho's lost their all of their cavalry and a Spanish BG. On the Roman right/Carthaginian left the Numidian remnants are being forced off the field. The Carthaginian spear line were the heroes this day. They've destroyed several Roman BG's while only one of theirs is broken - but still on the field. The Spanish have also shown their mettle in the woods and fields of this battleground.

Now Hannibal needs to decide whether to fight on or fade away. His spear line is holding strong but taking pressure from the right. The Roman flank march was destroyed but in the process the Carthaginian right flank is in jeopardy. The Numidian allies are on the run.

The Battle of Muttenz - Part I

We got together on Sunday to fight the first battle in my Napoleonic campaign, the Battle of Muttenz. The battle opened up at 1pm campaign time, with the Austrian army positioned in a defensive position around the village of Muttenz (left side of this photo). Three corps of the French 2nd wing (right side of the photo), commanded by general Rousse, commenced their assault of the town after taking the morning to march to the battlefield and deploy. In the photo you can also see Charlie G. (Napoleon) surveying the battlefield.  From their deployment it was clear that the French intended to attack Muttenz either by driving through or flanking around the large woods to the west of Muttenz.

Here Bob O. (Allied CinC and Austrian commander) deploys his cavalry in response to the French advance west of Muttenz. Allied Aide-de-Camp Mike C., to Bob's left, commands two corps of the Austrians closer to Muttenz and is advancing through some standing crops north of town, trampling them down. Opposite of Muttenz, French Aide-de-Camp Dave B. (out of frame) advances cautiously, preferring to allow the standing crops south of Muttenz to conceal his approach.

Day 1, 15:00 - Napoleon enters the battlefield from the southwest. His column is greeted by a single division of Austrian cavalry that attempt to delay his approach by forcing his column to deploy. Is that the imperial guard with him? In the center the French continue to deploy opposite Muttenz behind the screen of standing crops.

Day 1, 15:30 - General Blutcher arrives from the Northern road. At the head of his column, the Prussian guard!

Day 1, 17:00 - The French have completed their flanking maneuver and deploy a stationary battle line as the Prussians march their arriving troops away towards the eastern portion of the battlefield to meet Napoleon's arriving force. Prussian and Austrian cavalry monitor the French battle line from a safe distance.  In the center the French stay put behind the standing crops while Napoleon continues to march more troops onto the battlefield from the southeast.

Day 1, 18:00 - darkness falls and the French re-deploy within their battle lines (marked in dark cord) under the cover of darkness. The French withdraw their flanking force to a position behind the west woods. In the distance, you can just make out Napoleon getting the last of his arriving troops deployed within his own battle lines. In this photo you can see French ADC, Dave B. redeploying his command.


The allied nighttime redeployment included the arrival of the last of the Prussian reinforcements as well as a continued shift east towards Napoleon's approaching reinforcements. North of the west woods, the Prussians deploy a corps of infantry with Austrian and Prussian cavalry protecting their eastern flank. In this photo you can see Allied ADC, Byron C. who commanded the Prussians on the eastern end of the battlefield.

As dawn breaks, both commanding generals send orders to recall their reconnaissance cavalry to the battlefield. 


Day 2, 10:00 - This view, from behind Napoleon's lines shows the Emperor's forces, deployed ready to assault the Allied positions. In the distance, several allied cavalry divisions press the western flank while French cavalry give ground, waiting for additional French cavalry to arrive.


Day 2, 12:00 - Napoleon strikes, driving a brigade of Austrian curiassers from the extreme eastern flank of the allied line with an attack from two brigades of French guard cavalry. Elsewhere on the eastern side of the battlefield the French continue to advance cautiously while the allies continue to organize their internal lines.


Day 2, 12:30 - After the French curiassers have exhausted one division of Prussian cavalry, a counter-attack by a second Prussian cavalry division routs the French curiassers, dispersing them. On the extreme west flank (right in the photo) two allied cavalry divisions continue to press a single French cavalry division, that is desperate to protect the French supply lines that are marked with the supply wagons at the table edge.


We've suspended the game at this point as it was getting late in the evening. We will be returning to finish the battle in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the campaign troops will continue to maneuver. There could be other battles developing, more reinforcements, supply lines being cut, who knows! Stay tuned for more campaign news as it unfolds. For additional photos, including a series of panoramic shots taken from each side at the suspension of the game, you can visit the Northern Conspiracy's Events Galleries.

Roman Triarii for FOG

These are two battle groups of Roman Triarii I painted up for my mid-Republican Roman Field of Glory army. Normally they'll probably see service as four battle groups of two stands each, but in order to allow me to use them in larger groups I painted them up in four-stand units. The figures are Old Glory 15s . I used a basic block painting technique with dry-brushing and Citadel black wash. The wash came out a touch too dark for my tastes, but I'm going to just think of them as 'dirty, weathered veterans'. These are only the second ancients I've painted after a long hiatus, so I'm still getting a feel for the period.

I've finished these just in time for them to be used this Saturday in another battle in our FOG campaign. Hopefully they'll perform well on the tabletop. Sorry for the rough photos. This time of year in New Hampshire, I go to work before the sun comes up and I get home after it sets, so I have to take my photos indoors, and lighting is always a problem for close-up photos of miniatures indoors for me. Some day I'll construct a proper light booth for such occasions. Until then I'm stuck with dodgy photos. The next ancients will be either some Roman cavalry, or some extraordinarii -- I need more of both.

Napoleonic Campaign - First Battle Announced

My new Napoleonic campaign has generated its first battle, the battle of Muttenz. Located centrally in the hypothetical countryside of the campaign. The small village of Muttenz holds a key location on the northern end of two crossroads. Here is the battle announcement my players received:

"In the late morning hours of day two of the campaign, advance elements of the French 2nd light cavalry division approaching from Burgdorf, contacted pickets from a multi-corps Austrian force defending the area surrounding the village of Muttenz. The Austrian force is commanded by Erzherzog Karl, CinC of the combined allied forces. At approximately noon a multi-corps French force under the command of Marshal Rousse will commence a general engagement of the Austrian forces defending Muttenz."

In addition to this general announcement that all players and ADCs received, each team received specific intelligence about their forces in the battle and a general scouting evaluation of the enemy forces. Unfortunately I can't divulge this sort of information here in this public forum.

We're currently working out a date that best suits most of the primary participants. I hope that we'll get good participation from both our primary players and our ADCs, who get to be corps commanders in the larger battles where we need more players. This should be a fun battle. Look for battle report here after the game is played.

Edit: We've scheduled this first game for November 22nd. I'll be sure to post an after-action report after the game.

New Nappie Campaign Started

OK so the blog has been quiet as of late. Early in October my wife and I took a vacation to Orlando, FL to visit the amusement parks and on the flight home I picked up a horrible bug that put me out of commission for another week. Once back on my feet I took to catching up with non-hobby items that built up during the first half of the month.

The past couple of weeks I've been working on a new 1813 Napoleonic campaign that I'll be running for several members of the Northern Conspiracy. The campaign will feature hypothetical map with terrain modelled after Napoleonic Europe and armies built from the Volley & Bayonet Road To Glory rulebook. Each army will have three 4500-point wings. One army will be French, the other will consist of three allied wings: Austrian, Prussian and Russo-Swedish.

We're hoping to get games started by mid November, as soon as the Carnage convention is over. Many of the campaign players are either running games, or participating in the management of the Carnage convention. Look for more updates and game reports from the campaign to be forthcoming soon.

I'm also hoping to post the promised, and well-overdue, photo tour of my gaming room and painting & modelling room as well as hopefully some finished photos of my in-progress Roman Triarii once I complete them. Stay tuned!