Dispatches from the front XXXVII - Last post of the year.

It's been a while since the last dispatch from the front....... 

Time for an end of year review and some annual awards to dish out..... :-)

Unit or Unit of the Year.

Looking back over this years painting efforts I thought it would be interesting on which units where the most enjoyable to get on the table. 

The paint count this year was not to bad at all.

Over 150 15mm Foot Figures, 24 Cavalry, 220 28mm Foot, 30 28mm Mounted Figures and around 20 buildings and Terrain pieces.

The winner has to be the men of Massachusetts. 

At the time these 10mm Pendraken miniatures were far too many in one go... but 10 months later and reflecting on the overall output it was great to get 5 units on the table in one go. 

Rule set of the year.

It has to be Lion Rampant - They are so flexible and have provided numerous well balanced games. The Outremer games have kept the paint table ticking over.

More next year that's for sure.

Game of the year.

This was a tough one, but based on the look, feel and challenge playing VC forces against a mobile well armed US force it has to be La Drang Valley - Dust, Tears & Dice: Ia Drang Valley 1965 - Force on Force. We played using Force on Force which gave a great feel for the period.

Book of the Year.

Saul David - Tunisgrad a great read that takes you from the trenches to the generals map table. Inspiration for future games that's for sure.

Near miss.

This was a fun one... Projects or Rabbit holes that almost resulted in another project - Inspiration can come from a range of things. A weekend trip to Barcelona and a sense you had seen this building before. 

Several years ago I completed a Nationalist Spanish force - I was almost tempted to build an CNT Militia force I put it down to too much sangria.

Find of the Year.

Blitzkrieg Workshop - Printed and Painted WW2 vehicles - Items for sale by blitzkriegworkshop | eBay

£22.50 for a ready painted Tiger I

Now that's good value for money.

Save from the brink.

I must be getting old but the past 12 months I have seen several trusted brands wind up or retire. It was great to see Pendraken acquire Ironclad Miniatures and keep them in the market they had a great range of figures and terrain it would have been a shame to see them disappear. 

It's been a productive 12 months it was good to finish off the American War of Independence project with more than enough completed for most encounters especially using the Rebels and Patriot rules they play really well and have resulted in some great games - This year finally Lexington and Concorde over a couple of days.

The Crusades project is almost complete definitely a project that got out of hand.... so many cavalry. I bloody hate cavalry. With two more Arab units to go... the aim is get these done before the return to work on the 5th.

So what for 2026

The Christmas haul is a hint.

The occasional Aztec project continues with some additional cavalry, more Japanese for the January project more on that below and some US Rangers for Operation Torch - Curse you Saul David.

I have taken my first dip into 3D prints, having purchased the occasional mini this is the first major army purchase. I can't see myself buying a printer especially as there are lots of people popping up with print on demand businesses. Good to get a friendly local supplier who I can chat to about purchases and get them picked up within a few days. 

A couple of shots of the work in progress.

With an eye for the lesser known periods I fancied some Chinese for WW2 I already have plenty of terrain for the Far East and Japanese troops already painted they seemed like the perfect choice. There are some great files available for the Chinese army in a mix of headgear and supporting armour from Panzer II's to French FT17's.

These are the first batch a mix of the 88th Division in German kit.

Plenty more in British Issue helmets.

With a mix of uniforms ranging from Blue to Khaki they will certainly look that little bit different on the table... Not overly bother by Rules at this stage - Perhaps Chain of Command, Bolt Action V2 or even Xenos Rampant (Tweaked for WW2)

Having gone all in and purchased enough for 6-8 squads plus supports it will be a refreshing change from the Crusades.

Have a great new year everyone.

The Battle of Germantown 1777 - Rebels and Patriots.

Club game from a few weeks ago and the Battle of Germantown, the scenario is taken from a old edition of Wargames Illustrated. Played using Rebels and Patriots and the first outing for the Germans.

British forces under Howe face off against Washington's continentals. We had to scale the table down to 10mm which left a little bit of room to place the units on the table.

The US player attacks on multiple fronts hindered by the fog one brigade approaches Luken Mill securing 4 victory points if they can seize it. Additional bonus points are awarded for each unit destroyed or routed and -1 point to the owner of the lost unit.

On the far right the main force approaches Chew House also defended by British regulars.

The Crown forces defending Crew House awaiting the advance of the Americans. The British and Hessian main force is in Germantown will need to gather their forces to support the defenders.

The Continentals reach the outskirts of Chew House and line out preparing to assault the building if they can secure it, it will be worth 6 Pts. 

British reinforcements crest the hill and poor fire into the advancing mounted militia, driving them backwards.

Back at the mill the massed ranks of the militia succeed in driving back the original defenders, but fresh troops in the shape of 2 companies of Light Infantry start to make their presence felt. The Americans press forward.

Meanwhile in Germantown the Hessians advance towards Chew House as the attackers are making slow progressing in forcing the British out.

Finally multiple bayonet charges forces the British to withdraw, but casualties are mounting on the American side making activations more difficult.

Chew House is finally in the Hands of the US and in the same turn the Mill is seized. The victory points are balanced at 10 points each (10 for Germantown firmly in British hands.

But the Crown forces are now fully deployed in front of the Crew House and it feels only a matter of time until it is back in British Hands.

As the game draws to a close it's a victory for the British 16 points to 14. The US simply lost too many units in their assault on the main house.

A cracking afternoons gaming with some real back and forth between the two sides. You really need to prepare your attack stepping into close order and preparing a volley to break the British line, all to often the US opened up at long range which did limited damage to the Brits with the advantage of hard cover in the buildings.

We added in chits for each brigade which gave a random element to activations which made for an interesting challenger for each commander.

Next up.... Lexington and Concorde hopefully over the Christmas break....

17th Light Dragoons - AWI Cavalry.

A couple of take nights but I was determined to get these finished whilst the calendar still said September :-)

The last of the core troops for the AWI project and the 17th Light Dragoons from Pendraken Miniatures. Based 3 to base for Rebels and Patriots.

Given most of the cavalry of the period seems to have been deployed in small detachments 3 units of British cavalry should be fine for most engagements of the war.

A little bored of the mass of scarlet, I thought I might sneak in a unit of British Legion in green. I know the head gear is wrong, but it's 10mm so I can barely make out which way round the infantry are so head gear is not a major concern.

Really pleased which how these have come out.... Now to get them on the table....

AWI Logistic Corps....

Another batch clear the paint queue for the American War of Independence Project, these could be used for both sides of the conflict and will be useful for ammo markers or niche scenarios.

Two supply wagons and 4 mule trains should be enough for now.

Continuing the mounted theme I dug a few dead horses from the spares box, these will be perfect for extra shock/pinned markers for Rebels and Patriots.

Two days of the month to go, just enough time to finish the last of this project and the British cavalry..

No pressure....

American War of Independence - Hessians

Later into September than I would have hoped for and a determination to complete the last of the 10mm American War of Independence project.

First up Hessian Grenadiers whilst their are lots of choices amongst the German regiments deployed in the colonies, I opted for the classic feel of German Infantry. Painting up the regiment pack from Pendraken gives you for units for Rebels and Patriots, together with an officer base.

I threw in a couple of casualty/shock markers to make them a standalone formation. The flags are from Maverick Models to complete the formation.

Painting all four units in one go was a stretch, but 2 colours and night picking out the rifles, straps or boots and suddenly they are done.

Next up the British cavalry.... assuming all goes to plan.....

Timecast Terrain 10mm - Return to the AWI.

After a brief detour to the New World, back to the last AWI and a concerted effort to clear the last of the AWI elements to crack the project before the of the month...

I felt the AWI battlefield lacked a little bit of colonial structure tucked in box was a bunch of trees from the guys at Time Cast perhaps some of the best trees on the market in this scale if you don't foliage shedding over years of gaming.

I opted for nice tidy rows so they could be used as an orchard or to line the roads on the approaches to towns or farm lands.

Also some poplar trees on make up sticks with some rounded edges to mirror the troop bases. 

Not really sure why it's taken so long to get them on the table but in the spirit of getting Sh*t done. On to the next unit.

The Battle of Princeton 1777 - Rebels & Patriots.

The 250th Anniversary of the birth of America tempted me give the AWI forces a roll out. I picked up a copy of the Live Free or Die rules on PDF, the scenario's are great, they come with detailed maps and force breakdowns they need a little bit of work to convert to Rebels and Patriots.

Borrowing directly from the scenario with a slight tweak on the number of turns given the potential for commands to fail within R&P.

The game begins at 7am and lasts 10 turns, until mid morning. 

The British earn a victory if they can maintain control of road exit to Trenton or Princeton and inflict higher losses than they sustain at the end of the turn limit. This would delay Washington long enough for Cornwallis to react. Any other result is an American victory. 

The British deploy first on the left of the table with the US and Mercer command opposite on the main approach.

Washington begins on the table with Cadwalader’s brigade on the far right flank.

The British Light companies and Grenadiers advance knowing the they have to strike an early blow. They advance swiftly taking the fight to the American militia.

Cadwalader’s Brigade starts to take casualties before they had a chance to line out the first militia unit fell back disrupted. 

On the left flank the Mercers small militia brigade was under pressure from the German Jaegers pushing through the wood. 

Reinforcements for both sides start to flood the able the “Recruit/ Convalescent” regiment arrives on Turn 3 for the Brits together with the 55th Foot arriving on Turn 5 crossing the creek/ 

For the US Hitchcock’s brigade arrives from a logging trail on Turn 3. Fermoy arrives in column from Turn 5, and Mifflin arrives in column on Turn 7. 

Things were starting to get interested in the centre as the US pushed forward only to be countered by the experienced British every time the Militia lined out they were brought under fire by the thin red line.

Fermoy's mounted militia rushed forward on the left flank, driving the British backwards.

A vicious fire fight amongst the dense woodland, slowing the Americans gained the upper hand but at a great cost.

The clock was winding down, the British held the field, their Light Infantry and Grenadiers were being whittled down but a numerous American militia units were broken or down to half strength,  History was not to be repeated and the road to Princeton or Trenton would remain closed.

A fun battle the Rebels and Patriot rules flow really quickly, with 4 times the points recommended in the book, but still fought to a reasonable conclusion in under 3 hours. Each brigade was a drawn randomly to to decide who activated and in what order, this created some interesting challenges beyond the risk of activations within each brigade. 

HISTORICAL OUTCOME Heavily outnumbered and surprised to find himself facing the entire Continental Army, Lt. Col. Mawhood put up a tremendous fight. He was unable to defend either road exit, and the broken remnants of his command reunited with Cornwallis that night, at a cost of 400 men, or 30% of his brigade. The Americans pressed on to take Princeton and earned Washington his first victory over British regulars in the field. Remarkably, American losses numbered just 100 men, but famously included Washington’s friend.