Upper Canadian Militia - Volunteers

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Back last year when I did my first batch of Canadian Militia for the War of 1812, I suggested I would produce another batch, but was stumped as to what models to use.  Well I eventually made a decision and bought a bunch, which sat and waited on the modelling shelf for months for their moment.

Of course, these days, every painting projects' moment is here!

This image from the old Osprey book on the British and Canadian forces in 1812 was to serve as my inspiration, there are only a few images out there, and few if any contemporary, but the look is typical of English dress of the working classes in that period:

   

What did I choose in the end as a base for the project?  Well, after looking at all the options, for simplicity of kit and value I went with picking up a couple of Sprues of Perry Austrian infantry off the eBay:

About £4 for 6...

The benefits of these models are the relatively simple, clean uniforms, and have the advantage of some likable elements to the present kit for my purposes; but there would still be a fair amount of work, in short:

1. cut away all the straps for the knapsack, as I decided I wanted them without it.  This means a lot more work in conversion and assembly, but much less hassle in the painting.  This was a job for a fresh craft knife blade, as steady hand and a lot of patience.  Personally though I've always been better at carving away than sculpting on.  Alas; we'll do some of that too
2. cut charge pouch, canteen and bayonet from the knapsacks and attach to the backs of the models
3. sculpt replacement webbing onto the backs of all the models, connecting up the new kit and rebuilding the bread bag and charge pouch straps.
4. trim the buttons off the gaiters and soften (scrape down) the edges of the trews.  now the gaiters will simply paint over as relatively skinny trousers, which were at least the fashion of the time, even if realistically a bit less likely for the hoi-polloi!  If you really care you could sculpt up baggier pants I guess, but at that point you might as well spend £2.50 a figure on some Knuckleduster Miniatures on import.
5. cast up some homebrew top hats (see my post on Blue Stuff from last year too).  Trim some of the Austrian heads and mate the two elements, add them and we're good to go!

Only took a few hours once I girded my loins to the task.  I also took a couple of extra bits to make one figure stand out as probably a Sergeant:

In the raw from the side where most of the work is 

So the next task was altogether quicker and more fun, given the general lack of a fixed uniform, as can be seen in the header image.  I went with a good range of browns, creams and washed out blue-greys/blue-greens.  For the kit I decided for simplicity that they would have Quartermaster issued equipment.  This meant that using my typical subtle three-four highlight paint job these came together in just a few hours of painting

We're Canadian, ey?!

The trews more or less painted out okay, and the rest of the models looked exactly how I hoped:

Let's all stand aboot

I decided not to add the armband, so they can do double service as American militia if required.  All wrapped up these are a tidy little addition to the 1812 forces.  I now need to finish another 8 Natives, and some American Cavalry and it's another project I can pin a tail on for a while.

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Upper Canada Militia

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These miniatures are now ready:

 

They represent typical, if well appointed, Canadian Militia of the period 1813-14.  In particular they are inspired by accounts of the issue of surplus red jackets for the 41st Regiment to militia troops in Upper Canada.

 

These are constructed, as I may have mentioned before, from a pile of Victrix Miniatures spares I had lying around.  The conversion work is relatively extensive, with webbing for knapsacks being carved away, cross-belts re-sculpted, and tall hats made in Blue Stuff moulds from Green Stuff!

all angles view

I wanted these to look like regulars, but it is also clear from the sources that regularised equipment issue was incomplete, and not always consistent with standard uniform.  As is clear these wear red, but green jackets with red facing were probably issued just as often, and reports of other colours also show up.  Here I added grey trews and a white and red plume to the officer, who also has sourced himself some crimson for a sash; he cannot be very senior however, otherwise he would probably have purchased himself a dark blue coat.

They are a charismatic little unit for Rebels and Patriots, offering something distinct from my Peninsular War British.  I need at least one more militia unit of Canadians, and so green jackets may well appear too; although a mash-up of Perry ACW figures may better represent the non-uniform attire of civilian volunteers. 

Stay tuned for more...

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Rebels & Patriots - the War of 1812 test games.

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A little while ago, myself and Gav had a chance to play another test game of Rebels and Patriots; and with my newly finished Americans raring to go, it was a chance to get the War of 1812 ball rolling again.

The main issue was going to be the rather more limited British forces I would be able to present.  I obviously had a handful of Natives and some Glengarry Rifles, but for the time being at least any other models would need to proxy from my Peninsular British.  Thankfully the lights companies of my original British regiments were singly based, and with the addition of a commander and some artillery, one of the scenarios in the rules was easy to play. 

We set up for the Mendenhall's Battery scenario, with the British placing two guns on a hill in the centre of the board, which the Americans were to storm. 

Our field of battle

The battery was accompanied directly by a platoon of Light infantry, with the Glengarry militia and Natives in reserve.

The battery and camp to the rear

Natives and militia

The Americans placed their main force of a large platoon in the fields aiming to cover their advance.  Ohio Militia  were nearer the far itself, whilst two sections of the 4th Rifles were in open ground close to woodland.  

The Ohio militia  ruin some Canadian potato seedlings

I took command of the Americans, and Gav the British.

Mid game

It was, as it turned out, not a success for America.  If ever a scenario required two things, more cover and cavalry, this was it.  As it was the battlefield played into the hands of the British, with the artillery raking the American ranks with fire before they were able to close even to musketry range.  

The US rifles were unable to make a significant dent in the British light troops, meanwhile the Ojibwe pounced on the militia and defeated them in a swift exchange.

New model syndrome

Which was about the point I conceded.  In less than an hour we had thoroughly break-tested the scenario, and perhaps found it wanting (short of forcing them to set up 6 inches in from of a forest, I can't see how one wins as the attacker).

Time to go!

That however meant we had plenty of time on our evening for a second go.  I quickly adjusted the British list to a couple of sections of good quality Light infantry, and a single gun, and set up a version of Lament ridge, as the bridge over the Lament river.

Deep in the woods, a river runs...

Potential for a similar American disaster was apparent, when Gav deployed his cannon to the road, with the bridge effectively covered by its' fire.

Scary.

However with the river deemed fordable along its' length, much denser woodland, and the priority not being the gun itself, it would be possible to circumvent it's threat.

Gav hurried for the Bridge, whilst I had to redeploy to avoid gifting his gun with soft targets.  The Ohio militia used the hill to cover themselves and laid withering fire into the natives, who eagerly advanced on them across an open field.

Give fire!

US rifles crossed the river and held up the British left flank.  Their fire kept the light infantry at bay and diverted the British artillery, whilst the US line conducted a largely unassailed advance on the bridge.

Cross now, they are unguarded

The US line swept over the bridge and in a succession of attacks took the Glengarry, Light infantry and Artillery by turns.  Delivering a spectacular blow to the British.  the natives by this point had charged the Ohio militia, and been thrown back, only to find their way barred by a flanking section of Rifles.  Who effectively finished them off.

A last hurrah!

So the bridge fell easily to American hands.  Overall we shared honours for our evening.  Rebels and Patriots like many of the Rampant engine games can stand or fall based on how balanced your force selection is to the scenario in hand.  For this second game the armies were well matched, but luck went more the direction of the Americans.

So far I'm really linking the way the rules play, and they operate at an ideal scale for both the smaller battles of 1812, and for my intended sizes of forces.

Very pleasing.

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Ohio Militia - Stage 2: painted (that makes an army!)

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I was super enthusiastic to get these conversions ready for the table, and so they bumped up the paint schedule and a quick job was made of them.

Statesmen-like

Accounts generally describe militia clothing, especially that of frontiersmen, as browns and greys, and so I largely stuck to that palette, with stockings in a variety of lighter shades, and a couple of dark waistcoats poking through.  I elected to go for an issued look to equipment to give a semi-regular feel; it also sped up the painting!  The drum is based on period equipment and illustrations which suggest fairly plain equipment for militia troops.

With these done I can field a legitimate 24 points of Rebels & Patriots Americans for 1812:

Murica!

Most of the models above being converted plastics, the majority of those being Perry Miniatures, the metals being mostly Knuckleduster except for the mounted officer, who is an old Hinchcliffe one-piece casting.

All told, technically ten years work; I painted the first of these in 2009!  The latter troops finished in the last couple of months, quite a gap.  Still, it means I can get these to the table soon.

In the mean time, I guess I need to work on British and Canadian troops now; so to that end I've started some Canadian Embodied Militia:

Kit bash...

Mostly made from a batch of Victrix Waterloo British donated to me years ago, with a few Perry parts and some custom Green Stuff to remove their packs and add tall hats.  These will get painted soon, but before then I'll discuss a little one specific new tool I used to help make them..

Stay tuned...

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Ohio militia - Stage 1: Build

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Among other projects, I'm using Rebels and Patriots to motivate me to return to the War of 1812 miniatures I first started almost a decade ago.

I've already done some painting which I'll get photo's of up shortly, but last night I whiled away three hours working on a troop of Ohio Militia, based on the Perry Miniatures AWI American rifleman sprue.

Fresh from the modelling tray

I modified them firstly by using a handful of Victrix and Perry Napoleonic parts to create an officer, drummer and a couple of different weapon poses.  The main task then was to modify the heads and hats.  

One of the two poses has a queue in the hair, which I trimmed away, being out of fashion by the nineteenth century.  Then using the supplied round hats as a base I modeled tall hats in Greenstuff.  The fashion of the time was for something approaching a top hat, but most illustrations show it somewhat disheveled.  This is not a surprise given these objects being made of felt and sometimes even just coloured card and cloth, would not hold their shape well in wild weather.  I can imagine a soldier's hat suffering greatly in a Canadian winter!

The plus side of that is that I didn't need to be too perfect with the sculpting.  Honestly I don't know how the pro's manage it, I'm doing well the blend stuff in and make passable folds in cloth or straps.  That's the limit of my Greenstuff skills.

Still these look the part, and cost only 75p a miniature to assemble; and I can move them straight to the painting tray now, as all other projects have neatly concluded.

More on them soon....

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A modest addition - 2nd Glengarry

Formed by order of Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost in 1812, recruited from settlements of discharged Scottish soldiers (and some evicted Scottish highlanders) in Glengarry district.  Originally intended to wear highlander uniforms (kilts, etc.), they wore the dark green uniform with black facings of the Rifle Brigade instead, although they were armed with muskets rather than rifles.  Companies and detachments fought in several actions in Upper Canada in 1813, and the whole unit fought at the Battle of Lundy's Lane. The unit specialized in British light infantry tactics and thus was well-trained in duties such as skirmishing and concealed sentry duty.

Wikipedia (yes, I'm that lazy!)

As an interlude, I painted a few languishing models I found in my Napoleonics bits box, I was dipping in for another secret project as it happens, when I found enough of these to make use of; specifically for my War of 1812 skirmish games.

 

Although, the records say black facings, illustrations generally show red - more akin to the 60th American than the 95th rifles.  Scottish details were limited to the Shako tape.

These models having muskets are ideal for the Glengarry's:

 

The line troopers are Essex Miniatures so far as I can tell, whilst the Sergeant is from Wargames Foundry.  all fine models, despite the former's age (well over thirty years I reckon).  

A group of 6 is more than enough for most skirmish games, not least with my eye drawn to the latest iteration of the Lion Rampant system, due sometime after Xmas:

 

These cover the right period, at the right unit size to go with the units I've - oh so slowly - assembled (over the past 10 years!).  Given how much I've enjoyed the Lion/Dragon rampant rules, I hope these will fit the bill very nicely.

Not that I won't keep trying other rules for the period, but that's a story for another post...

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A second batch of Ojibwe

These were finished a couple of weeks ago, but prior to that, they were in danger of languishing indefinitely.  In painting terms I've found an issue with painting irregular troops, that they tend to become more complex in design with each set, and that it gets harder to make them diverse at the same time.  You feel like you are in danger of repetition, whether it be poses or paint schemes.  Truly random is had to achieve, patterns show up all to easily.

Anyhoo.  Another 8 of the 24 Ojibwe tribesmen I want to produce:

Same guys, different arrangement

Not much else to add really.  Progress is progress...

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I have played some other games too...

In my blogging downtime there were a number of games, more than I bothered to get photo's of actually.  In no particular order here are a few.

A war of 1812 Skirmish game was an opportunity to play a Napoleonics game at a smaller scale.

 American Infantry, including Rangers and Militia try to seize a farm from those devious British.

The British would prove victorious on this occasion however.  We used Song of Drums and Shako; which work, but are rather too slow and lacking in character given how small the formations are.  I feel there is work to do finding a set that works for us; suitable for 10-30 miniatures a side, with individuality but playable in three hours or less.

We've also played a couple of English Civil War games, in 15mm, using Black Powder.  James T, one of my regular opponents inherited a classic collection of miniatures and so our games can stretch to grander encounters.

 We played with my usual one page of modifications to BP, which is all I feel it needs to cover the mid 17th century.  'Pike and Shotte' are wholly unsatisfactory, and this modification at least ensures we all know the rules we are using.

Lastly, going waaaay back, here are a couple of shots of my display game at Pudsey Recon.

 We played Dragon Rampant, using my Kobolds and Giants in a couple of epic struggles.  Honours ended even on the day with both me and Gav winning a game; or alternately as a whitewash, with the Giants winning both games.

The snow/frost effect is nothing more than Bicarbonate of Soda, which worked quite well as a quickie effect.

That's all for now...


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Ojibwa Indians - The War of 1812

So I promised something Napoleonic that was a little different, and here it is.

 The Ojibwa were one of the tribal nations of the lower Great Lakes, part of Tecumseh's coalition of disparate tribes fighting for the British against America, ostensibly on the promise of an independent nation in the event of victory.

 

These represent the first of three batches, to eventually create a force of 24 men, I may add a chieftain if I can find a suitable model.  These are the former Wargames Factory Woodland Indians, now available via Warlord Games.  Superb looking models, though the posing is as fixed as it is dynamic, if that makes sense...

The painting technique is my usual style, but the warpaint was applied as a thin glaze and then highlighted again, over he finished flesh tones.  This seemed to work well enough.


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Boardgame Roundup

A few words on recent board gaming activity are in order today folks, I obviously do a lot of board gaming but tend to keep the blogs focus more on miniatures, still, I hope you won't mind the diversion.

Firstly I was pleased to receive the last of my Conan Strategy Game pledge this week, when the freshly minted Adventures in Hyboria expansion arrived.

Conan with Lightsaber, it appears...

 The expansion greatly increases the involvement and Influence of Conan in the game, as well as adding a new type of unit for the players - Spys.  I've yet to do more than scan the components, but they look to be of the promised high standard and will no doubt provide some interesting wrinkles to the base game.

I'm happy to report that I managed to get a game of 1812: The Invasion of Canada going in the last week.  Given the original cost of this game, I'd really like to get my money's-worth from it, but more than that, it's one of the best board wargames I've ever played.

The field at the end of play

It was only as a two player game on this occasion, but the game can accommodate up to five players; recommendations are that it works best with two or five players.  Head to head, I duelled with Ross' command of the British for five rounds; the Native Americans seized Detroit and the west whilst the British marched south from Montreal; things looked bleak for the Americans.  

Little did the British know that I had a forced march and a naval manoeuvre in hand and was able to sweep troops across Lake Erie and the Niagara.  Although the British had signed the Treaty of Ghent to end the game when they thought they were ahead, they suddenly found themselves on the back foot.  It was only by a paramount effort that they were able to pull the game back to a draw. 

As a light wargame, 1812 provides everything I could want from it; easy to learn and simple mechanics, but one's that provide for an enormous range of possibilities.  A game that is hard to master, and should vary every time.  Highly recommended.

Much of which can be said of Concordia too, except the wargame part.

What have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

Concordia is an archetypal 'Trading in the Mediterranean' Eurogame, a sneering cliché critics of European board games like to throw around; and sure, there is no fighting in the game, no dice rolling, no randomising element during game play to speak of.  But the game manages to address this with a semi random board set up and a card driven play mechanic that allows players to forge differing strategies for success.  

The game is only partly about the action on the board too, for all your efforts to establish trading outposts across the known world can be for naught if you don't acquire enough favours of the gods (cards) to maximise your efforts.

This would be a good Monopoly replacement for the more able family group, or for gamers looking for a mid weight game with plenty of re-playability.  Just ignore the dull as dishwater box cover, which really doesn't sell the game.

And on a final note for my British chums, if you've not already noticed, get yourself down to your local branch of The Works (or online) for they again have a batch of modern board games in stock, including for the military minded amongst you 'Sun Tzu', 'Chosun' and 'World of Tanks - Rush', as well as various others of a more varied nature; all seem well regarded by those I know who've picked them up, with perhaps 'Origin' 'Artificium' and 'Madame Ching' being the best reviewed:

For £10-12 each you really can't go wrong though, most of these games would've been £30-40 each.

1812: The Invasion of Canada - A Brief Review

A couple of weeks ago I got my fist opportunity to play one of my holiday presents to myself; 1812: The Invasion of Canada.  A simple (though not simplistic) board wargame reflecting events of this oft overlooked war.

Mid game and the British are thrashing Cousin Jonathan

Now grognards may favour a game dependent on tables of data, march rates, supply concerns and accurate representation of historical units; to somehow fully convey the experience of the war in a play time only marginally shorter than the actual war itself.  But '1812' does not go down that route and instead condenses part of the conflict (most would argue the key part of the land conflict) into a game with plenty of strategy that takes under two hours to play.

Ideally for either two players or teams of two and three respectively (the game therefore plays 2-5) the aim is to occupy the largest number of enemy objectives - towns and border fortresses - by the end of the game.  This simple process is complicated by a number of elegant factors, first off being the order cards.



Each player has a deck of 12 cards specific to their force (American Regulars or Militia, British Regulars, Canadian Militia and Native Peoples)  7 of which are basic movement, 4 being special abilities and one Truce card.  In each turn you must play a movement card, of which the truce card is also one; but if the last truce card for your side is played the game will end once each player has had their turn.  Now in our first play this worked great for the British team, as our truce cards came into our hands early and we were able to invade American soil and shut down the war before the US could recover.  But the luck could've gone either way, and the element of first uncertainty and then anticipation of the war ending means sides are discouraged from hunkering down for the long game.

It appears that the Americans are more mobile, but then the design of the board requires that.  The fact that American armies could mobilise and move great distances constantly surprised us in play.

Next to mention is the random activation, a simply engineered bag draw system; only on the first turn is it at all fixed - When the Regular American player goes first.

Battle is simple with each side rolling a small number of D6 over as many rounds as required; but the dice are another elegant factor in the rules.



Each has a number of blank sides and a couple of symbols (or in the case of the British dice, just one).  When the dice are rolled a 'Target' result is a hit on the enemy - and he must removed a block; a 'Running man' is a flee result and one of your units is removed to a rallying area - to muster on a later turn.  A blank result allows you to retire a unit to an adjacent area, if you wish to - or you may stay in the battle.  Each player's dice have different ratios of the symbols, with the British never fleeing and the Militia running all too readily.  This gives a nice reflection of different units without the need for stats and tables.

At the end of the turn players check to see if the game ends (essentially if all of one sides truce cards have been played), and if not place their markers in the draw bag and begin again.  Reinforcements come in the form of set numbers of new units at set locales, and the return of any fled units.  Americans have a slight advantage in recruitment and the longer the game lasts the more likely this is to play in to their hands.  Further, the native peoples break a couple of core rules reflecting their lack of respect for borders and mastery of terrain; this they pay for by being easily the smallest force in the game.

All in all I think it makes for a very elegant strategic wargame, one that would work well for two players going head to head, but results in a worthwhile amount of negotiation in team play.  As I said we romped to a British victory in our first try (effectively taking all of the great lakes region into our power) and so I look forward to trying the American role next time.  I think one of the beauty's of the game is that all you need to understand to play can be learnt in about 15 minutes, and it is not so mired in nitty gritty detail that anyone will feel or choose to be excluded from play.   It is a nuance, elegant game with plenty of decisions built in to a simple system.

A final point is that the production values are faultless, with quality components throughout;  though this does come at an attendant cost, typically retail price is about £45.  But if you enjoy a board game now and then, and want an insight into the period, this is as good a way to go as any.


Postscript: Had a second chance to play this t'other night, and we managed to reverse the result with the Americans scraping a narrow victory.  As I theorised, a longer game favours the US ability to mobilise troops.  Really do enjoy this game.

Book Review: The Lion & The Union

A lucky find in my local library is one of the few in depth studies on the history of the little known Anglo-American war of 1812-1815. A war which is mainly known just for the burning of the White House, and the writing of 'The Star Spangled Banner', a war that had one of its' largest land battles after the peace treaties had been signed for many weeks.

From the wargamers standpoint the book is a mixed feast, Kate is very readable, but nonetheless spends the first half of the book - some 140 pages - dealing with the political context and run up to the war. Once she gets on to the matter of the war though it certainly holds the attention and throws up all manner of interesting skirmishes and small scale actions for the wargamer to try to represent. For example attacks across the frozen St Lawrence with artillery mounted on sleighs! However, there are few maps, which makes following the spatial details difficult, and the native American aspect is covered very thinly.

Perhaps the biggest problem is the simple one of keeping track of the many characters and which side they are on. Some of the rival commanders held office for fairly short periods, and of course there is little to distinguish and American name from a British one. Nevertheless, this is a worthwhile read, and one which should be in the collection of anyone with an interest in the war.

Sifting through the material will give you details of dozens of engagements, unit sizes and organisation (for example, locally raised Canadian light companies numbered 41 men), and the odd uniform detail too.

Published in 1978, expect to find this only on reputable book selling sites like Abebooks.co.uk or in your local second hand specialists.

War of 1812 - Artillery crew

As you may recall I showed a photo of what looked like unarmed infantry the other week, with the US 17th. Well, they are now finished, and so without further ado, the US Light Artillery detachment:

The figures are some simple but creative conversions on the Perry British. Mostly it was trimming the spare belts and straps away (tedious, but worth it), Clipping off cartridge packs and water canteens to kit them, and adding swords from the unused 'Waterloo period' parts. The shako's were the Waterloo period officer models, but due to the limited numbers available to me I used a Bicorn for the officer, and a bare head.

Cutting a musket or two away to produce empty left hands was necessary too. And this led to a rather appealing look for the officer, clearly consulting his watch to time the opening of the barrage!

Lastly, two of the figures were done as artillery train guards, not a complex job at all.

The uniform incidentally is based on photo's of American re-enactors in Artillery uniform of the period. I have to assume their research is rigorous and accurate, as all I could find on the net was them!

As for an artillery piece for these chaps, the Cannon from my Dogs of War army (which itself was originally from an English Civil War rummage box) will serve for now; though in time a more appropriate gun will appear, I'm sure.

Sawyers Bridge: 1814

So hurrah, I managed to get my first Napoleonics game on in double quick time. Now it's not 'In the Grand Manner', but it is a start; me and my opponent Neil, did our best to raise the standard high in terms of presentation, even if the actual figure numbers were low.

I've been writing some rules, for skirmish gaming the period (which once finessed will appear on the blog for one and all to use). The requirements for the game as a consequence were a small table and a handful of models. As can be seen above we used a huge 4 foot square layout of farmland around a critical bridge.

Lt. Blunt of the 60th Rifles (played by Neil) had orders to seize the Bridge to allow a larger attack by the British to develop. The bridge was thought too far from the main lines to be of any importance and so the defences were light, only a platoon of Line infantry, divided into several bodies, not all in the area of the bridge immediately.

However, time was of the essence so only a scratch force could be spared from the 60th too. Blunt's men advanced in pairs toward the bridge, forsaking fire for closing the range and making an early attack on the bridge itself.

The Americans for their part suffered losses in their piquet on the bridge, whilst their relief patrol deployed to the fields south of it.

The American sergeant did a reat deal to stiffent the line, making good use of his Spontoon to run through two riflemen on the bridge. However when Blunt's cavalry sabre met the pike staff, the sergeant came off the worse.

A final fusilade and charge from the field almost carried the surviving rifles; but Blunt was able to hold his men and in the end the remaining Americans scattered. An opportune moment meant at least that they could retreat without being fired upon by the British.

Ah well, so I lost; but I've had several victories lately so that's no problem. As for the rules, well, it's early days yet but their system of command checks to perform different actions and alternate unit nominations seemed to work well enough; only a few tweaks and some clarifications are really needed.

As for the look of the game, I'm glad to say it drew many admiring glances and favourable comments. Hopefully we can keep this up!

Next time it'll be Neil's own French facing the deadly fire of the 60th.