In the last couple of months I have been having trouble putting fingers to keyboard (and pencil to paper) to keep this blog spot going. The muses Calliope, Clio and Hexahedra seem to have deserted my literary creativity. I don't know why, but it is not the first time, and it is the reason I am no novelist (my first tentative essays in that direction quickly dried up the well of inspiration).
But I have at least to keep this blog spot alive, so, here are some teasers for items to come...
Portable Battle of Aspern-Essling, 21 May 1809
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| Early morning. Marshal Massena's Corps on the march just as the Austrian Army appears on the skyline. |
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| French cavalry attacks by the cavalry Divisions of d'Espagne, Lasalle and Marulaz holding back the Austrian |centre |
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Portable Battle of Aspern-Essling, 22 May 1809
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| A clash imminent, all along the front line |
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| Marshal Bessieres leads a Division of cuirassiers into the attack on the Austrian centre |
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| The battle rages, the issue still in doubt... |
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Battle of Isla Santa Maria
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| The Ruberian Far East Squadron intercepts the Azurian Khitai Station group attempting to return home |
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| Early action, the gallant charge by the armed merchantman O.K. Fjord ends tragically... |
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The Azuria Convoy.
A Ruberian hunter group comprising battleship RMS Royal Sceptre and protected cruiser RMS Ewaldaintercepts a convoy of four freighters protected by an ironclad battleship, and armoured cruiser and an armed merchantman.
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| The lumbering freighters turn about whilst the escort ships face off against the attackers |
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The Glacial Ocean Convoy.
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| A Ra'esharn convoy intercepted by a 4-squadron Group of bombers. |
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| A mid-ocean melee as the escorts try to hold off a Kiivar intercept squadron. White = Kiivar; Red = Ra'esharn Now: what can that green die, showing a six, portend? |
I hope to give these actions a more sensible write-up in due course, though the Aspern-Essling battles will receive a fair brief summary for each day.
It seems to be the time of year for lethargy in all parts of our hobby but at least you got some good table time, look forward to reading the Aspern-Essling reports, looks a good game.
ReplyDeleteDonnie -
DeleteMy war gaming and blog activity is usually fairly brisk at this time of the year, often exploring some new ideas. A year ago it was a Roman Civil War campaign. Dunno what the story is this year...
Cheers,
Ion
I'm looking forward to reading all of those. Your Aspern Essling looks a lot grander than mine!
ReplyDeleteBigger board, I think, Martin. At that I have been surprised at just how well a 4ftx4ft board can accommodate sizeable battles - ever since my Waterloo back in the middle of 2021. I don't reckon I could 'do' Leipzig, though...
DeleteCheers,
Ion
Looking forward to the reports whenever the Muses return from their Winter Break Ion.
ReplyDeleteMaudlin Jack Tar -
DeleteIt will be the summer break, here. But I do hope the creative juices start flowing ... (this sounds a bit wrong, don't it?) ... soon.
Cheers,
Ion
Apologies for the tacit Hemispherism!
DeleteNo worries, eh?
DeleteAs Donnie says, lethargy rules at present. Remember it's a hobby not a job....
ReplyDeleteLook forward to the posts whenever they appear.
I note a different hex cloth / board in use in the last photos; different sized hexes by any chance?
Neil
Neil -
DeleteThat different sized board is fairly new. It is made up of a couple of sheets of haevy stock cardboard coloured on one side, bought from an art shop (a useful source of modelling materials, too). I would have preferred a lighter colour, but I'm happy enough with it. I hand drew the hexes with a white POSCA pen.
The hexes on this board are 6cm across, rather than the 10cm of my usual board. The array comes to 16/17 along each board by 15 and a bit across. Placed together they add a rather skinny hex at the join, but acceptable. This new board one is to accommodate my 'Jono's World' navies (Mini-chubby Marine). Speaking of which, I have the materials now for a very elaborate campaign involving combined and amphibious operations... sort of a bit like 'Axis and Allies' or 'Civil Axis'.
Actually, I do have 6 sheets of light blue on lighter card stock drawn up with 5cm hexes, that would give me a much larger surface area. Four of those featured in my Battle of the Laroc Sea, about October, last year. But the card stock is very light, and sheets I've had for over 40 years, so they are showing the signs of age.
Cheers,
Ion
The keyboard may be silent but the gaming table is still active. There’s hope!
ReplyDeleteJonathan -
DeleteEven the gaming has slowed down. I'm wondering whether maybe after all the army painting and modelling over the last three or four years, I'm running out of things that need doing.
Which is starting to lead towards, maybe, putting together the prep work for some serious campaigning! I may have to begin by mapping the major theatres of war for the Little Great War:
Azuria, the line of the Pardis River in Medifluvia, the Mesogesean Sea, and Kakheti - the eastern littoral of the Karadeniz Sea... Unfamiliar as these places seem, they'll be recognisable when drawn up...
Cheers,
Ion
Ion:
DeleteNaval combat happiness! Question: who makes the aircraft for the Glacial Ocean Convoy battle, or are they scratch built? Did you mention them in a previous post?
--Chris
Chris -
DeleteI have shown them, and first mention them way back in November 2011. They are scratchbuilt - made from 3 pieces of beer mat - fuselage, wing and tail plane, though a lighter card stock would have been better for the tail plane, and probably the wings as well. For multi-engined aircraft I added bits of toothpick.
The fuselage is about 12mm long, and the wings similar. They are mounted on clear plastic that have been cut from various packaging, a pin thrust through the middle of them, and mounted on plastic cotton bud tubing. For bases I began by using paper clip, suitably twisted and bent, but never really liked that system. Discovering a couple of years back some craft necklace beading(?) I bethought their use as bases. Those bases I coloured light blue to go with my light blue playing surface.
If you would like to see more, you might check this out:
https://archdukepiccolo.blogspot.com/2024/10/naval-projects.html
To the Kiivar Navy, by the way, I have since added a battlecruiser and, uniquely, a 'heavy cruiser', with 3x3-gun turrets.
That link goes to the beginning of a whole series of articles on these fleets, including the vast Battle of the Laroc Sea - a complicated action designed for as thorough a playtest as I could devise. The rule set I submitted for publication in Bob Cordery's Fourth Portable Wargames Compendium.
Cheers,
Ion
Looking forward to your reports. Your Aspern Essling game is on a whole different level than the 1809 mini campaign I ran using Dominion of Napoleon Bonaparte.
ReplyDeleteMark -
DeleteRight from the get-go, I was intrigued by the 'army level' potential of Bob Cordery's Portable Wargame concept. That was what led me to draw up my square grid and hex grid tables. Until 9 or 10 years ago, I never thought of gridded war games.
The FP3x3PW I found intriguing as a way to put together quite vast campaigns, from a 'barbarian' raid to whole wars (Roman Civil War) or even a chronicle (Byzantiad). The reasons I haven't gone the 'Dominion of' way are (a) I didn't want yet another project and (b) I felt the 3x3 game fine for the campaigns I want to run. I appreciate that I might be missing out on something there.
But the 3x3 gig did persuade me into finishing off my 'Byzantiad' armies (and my 'Byzantiad' campaign idea), and in turn to develop a game on my 10x10 board. I really need to get back to that - but it does mean I went in quite opposite direction from the 'Dominion of' concept!
They say that all roads lead to Rome - but all roads will as well take you far from Rome!
Cheers,
Ion
I enjoy your blogs- they are both entertaining & interesting-but dont feel obliged to make the blog a burden - we all have busy lives &-I can be satisfied with just photos & captions, BTW I always get excited with your naval campaigns
ReplyDeleteThanks. Perhaps the opportunity will present itself for a naval game in Maudlin Jack Tars collaborative campaign.
DeleteThanks, Andrew!
DeleteI have experimented occasionally with overprinting pictures with battle narrative. Although that enforces brevity, it does have its attractions as a narrative technique.
Cheers,
Ion
You played some games, so that’s a decent sized positive point already. I’m sure we all go through periods of lethargy, but that’s frequently cancelled out by short bursts of significant activity. Swings and roundabouts I reckon.
ReplyDeleteAs others have noted, this isn’t a Job it’s a Hobby and should be enjoyed.
I’d be happy with pics and brief captions - in your own time Ion. The festive period beckons and I’m sure most of us have more important (in the “big picture”) things to be doing anyway.
Cheers,
Geoff
Geoff -
DeleteActually, I have no big plans for Christmas and New Year - for me a nice quiet time. No doubt it would be different if my daughter's family were domiciled locally - and not in another country (Oz). I dread to think how I would deal with protecting my kit (not very securely accommodated), from swarms of grandkids!
I spent quite a bit of the last few years rounding off several of my armies - and navies! - until now there is very little remaining to do for any of them. So now there is nothing to stop my launching into some serious campaigning!
Cheers,
Ion