It's Quiet In Raubenstadt...Maybe Too Quiet!

WOW! Where does the time get off to? Five weeks since the last posting? Heartfelt sigh.

So what have I been up to wargaming-wise? I've been finishing up some of those excellent Zvezda GNW Swedish Dragoons as my "Hayburningnag Dragoons". Three boxes will give you enough figures for a "Grant - Wargame" sized regiment of 1 Colonel, 2 Officers, 1 Standard, 1Bugler, and 24 other ranks, with some figures left over for Brigade Staff, Couriers, or Escorts. The boys at Squadron Mail Order were having a sale, so I went ahead and got enough for the "Roadapplegang Dragoons" and the "Knackerbound Karabiniers" as well. (As the names might suggest the Markgraaf does not have a lot of confidence in his cavalry.) They are reasonably priced and easy on the ol' Warchest, so even the most cost concious Monarch can recruit with confidence. Don't be put off by the timeframe. They are tricorne wearing Heavy Cavalry. If some eagle-eyed opponent spots a uniform detail in this scale, just say that your Imagi-Nation is very conservative, militarily speaking, and that "The Socket Bayonet is just a passing fad. Real Men Use Plug Bayonets". If he keeps it up, field a unit of pikes in the next game. Good stuff all around.

With their release of the Russian Artillery of Peter the Great and the Prussian Grenadiers of Fred the Great (I wonder why they avoided some of the more accurate nicknames of the past like Aethreld the Unready or John Lackland? I can see the troops really getting fired up to campaign with Wilhelm Augustus the Barely Adequate! Ha, ha, ha!), it looks like I'll be a regular customer of the Michigan Toy Soldier And Figure Company for the forseeable future. Check out their website at www.michtoy.com for an excellent source for figures, paints, brushes, books, etc.

I've also got an order in with Mr. Mike Tabor's HistoriFig Company for some of those classic 25mm Scruby SYW Le Noble Jagers that I will paint up as my "Ulster Jagers". (As an added benefit, they make great "stand ins" for AWI Butler's Rangers!) Included in the order are some 25mm AWI figures that I'm anxious to get my grubby little cotton pickers on too: Morgan's Riflemen, Hunting Shirt Infantry, Indians, Tarlton's Dragoons, Mounted Infantry, and some command! WOOF! They mix in well with the figures from Zvezda, Airfix, Revell, Italeri, and Hat Industrie, so a wide variety of units can be fielded.

More years ago than I like to recall, I took Bruce Quarrie's advice from his excellent book, "Napoleonic Campaigning In Miniature" to heart, when it comes to painting a couple of armies. Like most great ideas it is so simple that you shake your head and say in a sotto voice to yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?!"

Start with painting a Line Infantry Unit. Once that is COMPLETELY finished and ready for the tabletop, paint up an opposing Line Infantry Unit. Paint up a Cavalry Unit for each side, then a couple of Artillery Batteries. Add a Supply Wagon Train Unit, then paint up a couple more Infantry Units. The jist of the idea is to vary the type and nationality of the units, so that you have two balanced forces (Not necessarily identical!) to set upon the tabletop. I have found that among the main advantages is that you avoid "Painter's Burnout" (NOOOooo! Not another Highlander Unit! The plaid! The plaid!), and if it's an era that you're not sure you want to commit major bucks to, you can still have some cracklin' little actions without having to 'prentise out the firstborn, or take out a third morgage on the ol' family estate. By the time you're ready to field Guard Units, your experience with the lowly Line types, will make your elite troopies martial display something to marvel at.

Last, but not least, I've been kicking around the idea of combining Graf Bogy's (of Hesse-Fedora fame) canvas cloth General Purpose battlefield with the Perfect Captain's Battlefinder tabletop terrain layouts. Seven foot by five foot canvas dropcloths would be ideal to represent their 6 by 4 area. When painted with all the detail of rivers, roads, fords, forests, fields, etc., then draped over the table and the edges clamped to the table's edge, the only things left to be added would be any hills, ridges, and buildings. Each battlefield could be unique and easily rolled up until the next conflict. BWAHAHAHA! The World Is My Oyster!

Meanwhile....In A Back Alley, Somewhere In Frankszonia

Those who noticed him passing through the Frankfurter countryside thought that he was a well to do farmer. Most didn't even consciously register his presence at all, and that was just the way Erwin von Mack "The Knife" liked it. The whole idea was to blend in so well that no one would recall his features or clothing, so an accurate description would be difficult. For the life of him, he never could understand why any one who didn't want to be noticed, would dress in an all black outfit that fairly screamed, "Look at and remember me!". A dark, sober brown was just as good at night, blended in better in the day, and the occasional unavoidable bloodstain was much easier to hide.

God! He hated amateurs. They always gummed up the works and forced professionals, such as himself, to take extraordinary measures; like the one he was taking now. Hans Rottenbrat, a Stagonian Agent Provacateur, had escaped from the City of Frankfurt, and was lying low in a small town outside of the Frankfurter capital, but he had not escaped von Mack. There he was now! Just like clockwork, slinking along the alley way, all in black.

Mack the Knife waited until Rottenbrat had slunk by, then he stepped out behind him. One smooth, swift, practiced blow from a shot-filled leather blackjack, and Hans fell to the ground without a sound. A moment later he was trussed up, gagged, hidden in a haycart, and on his way to the Felsigburg. Erwin wondered what kind of song the canary would sing, once he was in the cage.

As the cart move out of the alley, he didn't notice a heavy lace curtain fall back into place. Milady de Winter turned to her cloaked and spurred minions. "Should we kill him and recover Rottenbrat?", one of them asked.

"No", she said after a long pause. "Mack the Knife has killed more people than smallpox, and he would not go easily. I can't afford the losses and the ensueing inquiries. His Vileness would not be pleased. He'll not get much out of Hans that concerns us!"

She turned back to the window and said, "And that is why we use 'Cut Out' Agents."

And now for something completely different. Does anybody know what's going on with the DPC website?

Oh No! Not Another Period And Ruleset!

Those evil trolls over at, "The Perfect Captain" keep tempting me with new periods and rulesets. I've already fallen victim to their "Battlefinder" campaign system and "Hoplomachia" - Hoplite fighting in Ancient Greece. Democrates, the leader of my City/State of Indiepolis has been having quite a time going up against opponents like Slago the Carthaginian, Philanderer of the Meander, and the local Persian Satrap, Arses The Extremely Ill-Tempered The Fourth. It wouldn't be so bad, but those equally evil trolls over at Zvezda also keep churning out good looking figures that paint up well and are easy on the ol' warchest. (Must resist purchasing Polish Winged Hussars until after thePrussian SYW Grenadiers come out!)

TPC's latest offering to catch my wandering eye is their "John Bull/Patriots" rules - small unit actions that can stretch from the French and Indian War to the War of 1812. One of the neatest things about this timeframe is that I can visit some of the actual battlefields and get a feel for the terrain and the combatants. Fallen Timbers, Fort Meigs, and Tippecanoe come to mind, but one that really caught my fancy was, "The Battle Of Blue Licks", August 19, 1782.

One can make a good arguement for it being the last battle of the Revolution. (Cornwallis who?) It's a small engagement. One hundred and eighty Kentucky Militia against three hundred and fifty Indians and Loyalist Rangers. It has it all: a well-known hero, Lt. Colonel Daniel Boone of the Fayette County Kentucky Militia, a well-known baddy, Simon Girty of the British Indian Department, infamous troops from Butler's Rangers, warriors from blood thirsty tribes like the Shawnee, Mingo, Ottawas, etc. against Sharpshooting pioneer indian fighters. WOOF! I see a road trip looming in my near future to catch the annual reenactment just a little bit North of Lexington, KY. Then I've got to find where I put those 1/72 scale Accurate Am. Rev. Militia and the Italeri Eastern Indians....I think I can get my 25mm Scruby Prussian Fusiliers to stand in for Butler's guys.....

Von Mack Rides Again

Erwin Von Mack, Chief (and Only) Intelligence Agent for the Markgraaf of Raubenstadt, found himself late at night on the road to nearby Frankfort Am Main, with a message from the Margrafin to her second son, the Ritter Andrew Von Meltzer, who was currently accompanying the Grand Tour of the Reich Duke Wilhelm Von Beerstein. She had received vague warnings from her sources in Stagonia, that there was a foul plot underway in Frankzonia involving the Grand Tour and the Frankfurter Herzog, but no further specific details as to who, how, and when were forthcoming.

Von Mack thought that if the Stagonians had grown so bold as to antagonize the Frankfurters, they were due for a rude awakening. Could this new agressive stance be the influence of the Duchess of Sachen-Vindow? If so, she did not know the Frankfurters as well as she thought. Bitterly gained personal experience had taught Von Mack that underneath the bland and somewhat bumbling facade Stanken showed the world, there lurked a mind that could have taught Machavelli a thing or two about ruling. He mentally winced at the memories, and wondered what it would be like to be on the same side for a change.

Sachen-Vindow. Sachen-Vindow. His failure at that damnable Inn, "The Crooked Kobold", had haunted Von Mack for months now, and if events had just gone a little different, he probably wouldn't have found himself on the road to Frankfort Am Main at such an ungodly hour, with a full moon lighting his way along the well known track. The grim setting did nothing to improve his mood. Von Mack was determined that this time there would be no failures.

Justice and Death, personally delivered in the form of Erwin Von Mack, were coming closer to Frankfort with every plodding hoofbeat of his horse....

(Hi Guys,

Sorry about not posting in a while, but things have been awfully busy around here for the last three weeks. However, progress has been made. The wiring, drywalling, and painting of the living room and hallway has been done, and the air conditioning system has been brought up to date and turned on. You would not believe how humid it has been around here. I hope that there will now be a little more time for hobby stuff.

Hope you had a Happby Birthday Jeff! Long may the Blue Bear lead this merry band!

A. J. ! Here's to you and your Bride! May you both live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live!

Hey Stokes! All kidding aside, congratulations on the impending arrival!

Given the outcome of current events in our Imagi-Nations, I just couldn't resist sticking a big ol' Raubenstadter thumb in the eye of this particular Stagonian plot!)

Reading, Raiding, and 'Rithmatic

The Markgraaf has been pretty busy remodelling the basement (a.k.a. "The Mancave") and taking care of my brother. John's operations to repair his right wrist and left elbow went well. Some of the pins come out next week, and he's well on the road to full recovery.

So.....I was reading my copy of Brig. Grant's excellent booklet, "Raid On St. Michel", and I had one of those Eureka moments that happen so rarely. "Raid" is an excellent read, but it's kind of like eating a potato chip - it's tastes good, but one is not enough. Then I got to thinking (generally others can tell I am thinking by the burning smell that would remind one of cobwebs and old sawdust going up in smoke.) "Hey! Wait a minute! I've got 'Scenario's For Wargames', 'Programmed Scenarios', and 'Scenario's For All Ages' around here! Now that I've got a framework for minicampaigns, I'm only limited by my own imagination! Let the evil laughter and creepy organ music begin!"

Anyway, so now I'm pouring through the books; linking scenarios, and calculating how many troops would be needed for both sides. The results of these mental gymnastics have been put into a notebook. And on that glorious day when the "Mancave" opens for business, I'll have a narrative that will be worthy of those wargamers that have inspired me. Looking forward to the good times.

The Walking Wounded

Well....the month of April has sure had it's share of surprises. Back on the 15th (Tax Day! Boo! Hiss!) my brother was involved in a bicycle/Golden Retreiver accident while going to the local YMCA to lifeguard at the pool. The dog is OK, but John suffered a broken left elbow and right wrist. Ouch! So he's come to stay with us until he recovers. Oddly enough, the doctors say that the elbow will recover before the wrist does.

Now my brother has always been an active, self-reliant fellow; used to being on his own, and so this is going to be a big change for the next six months or so. I guess it's a good thing we're related, because when you can't use either arm for very much, there are just some things that only a close relative can do for you. It reminds me of when I broke my left wrist while serving in South Korea. Normally no big deal, but I'll be darned if the Army didn't introduce the Battle Dress Uniforms (BDU) with the button fly the next week! You sure find out who your friends are in a hurry, when you're in a situation like that!

So if I don't post as often as I'd like over the next few months, bear with me.

A Light Gleams In A Window In The Palace Late At Night

The Markgraaf was restless and could not sleep this night. So he went to his Study to catch up on at least some of the never-ending flow of paperwork.

He sat down at the desk and started to read the first scrap of paper. Some sort of sickness or plague in St. Maurice. Skeletal like peasants spreading the disease, and they were heading for Frankfort-am-Main! Not close, but not far either! The Frankfurters were mobilizing to repel this incursion. The Markgraaf chuckled. Well that should give that smarmy Bastille something to foam about! From what little he knew of Phillip-Louis ( or was it Louis-Phillip?) he was the kind of ruler that would work his people into the ground, feed them next to nothing, and clothe them in cast-off rags! Small wonder that the observers thought these poor souls looked like something the grave had spit back up! He made a note to ask General Schwillensaufenstein about mustering a couple of battalions of Grenzers to strengthen the border patrols in that direction.

He picked up the next report. What in the name of all that was Holy is going on in Sachen-Vindow? The Scandel of the Duchess was the talk of the court, and rumors multiplied like mad march hares! Some of the more outrageous said she was on her way to Stagonia. Others implied she had gone to Gallia. Yet others insisted that they had it, "on the best authority", that she had accepted an Ambassadorship to some postage stamp place down South called, "The Pressipality"! God protect us from wayward women, he thought to himself.

Oh dear! Now Duke Peter is on his deathbed, and wills the Duchy to Treadergar? Good heavens. He wrote another note. This time to Chancellor Weisenheimer. "How will this effect our commercial contracts? Does anybody really know where the Duchess has gotten off to? Is there a chance that she might be able to rally enough support, both internally and externally, to contest the wishes of her husband? In case a civil war breaks out, which side should we support, or should we remain neutral?"

The Reich-Duke's Grand Tour is going well. The "Running Of The Barrels" had been a smash! (Literally and figuratively!) The Markgraaf was pleased that the Beersteiners had enjoyed their stay in Raubenstadt. It certainly made up for "The Fishing Incident" with General Technicalstuff! The Reich-Duke, the Markgraaf, and the Chief Engineer had flogged the water of the Rubberneckar River all day in a vain attempt to get that enormous pike to rise to the bait - to no avail.

General Technicalstuff said to his fellow anglers, "Gentlemen! I refuse to accept defeat from the fins of our gilled foe. Your Grace, if you will apply yourself to the starboard oar? My Lord, if you will be so kind as to man the port oar. I will take the tiller." With that, the small boat drifted with the current to where the fish lurked. As they drifted over the site, the General lit a fuse to a small, sealed, weighted cask, and casually tossed it over the side. He then shouted, "PULL ME HEARTIES! PUT YOUR BACKS INTO IT! ROW LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT, BECAUSE IT DOES! PULLLLL!" Needless to say the startled oarsmen dug in with a will at his sudden encouragement.

The resulting geyser was spectacular. The little boat violently rocked back and forth upon the waves . The Reich-Duke looked at the General like he had lost his mind. The Markgraaf wiped the spray from his face, and sputtered, "Carl! Are you trying to kill us?!", but the General's attention was fixed upon their wake. "Ah-ha! There she blows! Quick! Turn us around My Lord. That's the way! The blast has stunned the big bastard and he's floated to the surface! Now pull together! Your Grace, if you would be so kind as to get the net ready? Hummmm....I think a smaller charge of gunpowder for next time...." The Markgraaf was sure that the Reich-Duke would have an entertaining story about fishing on the Rubberneckarfor the rest of the Grand Tour! And the Markgraaf had sworn never to go fishing with an Engineer for the rest of his life.

The next missive caused a sigh to escape. "King" Ludwig of Stagonia is marching to add a Stollen Sawmill to his kingdom?! Well.....if there were any doubts about his sanity before, they were removed now. The Stollen General Drosselmaijer is confident of victory....Yah, yah...I've heard that one before! We'll see. They have pretty uniforms, but do they have spine (or claws) for battle with the Vile Stagonians?

Stagonia. Stagonia. All roads lead back to Stagonia. Perhaps once the territories from Spires have been absorbed into Raubenstaat, new troops could be recruited. Perhaps an alliance or two with other interested parties..., but not yet. Not with Frankfort in an uproar!

It was at this moment that young Bueller knocked on the door, and said, "Excuse me My Lord, but Herr Von Mack is here and wants an audience with you."

"Well...the night has been full of surprises!", the Markgraaf thought to himself. "This should be interesting." "Yes! Ferris! Send him in. I've been most anxious about him!"