tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post7243270064624875982..comments2024-03-28T16:32:41.081+00:00Comments on Battlefields and Warriors: My new Pocket Armies projectNormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-31069915774682315012019-11-11T05:58:36.189+00:002019-11-11T05:58:36.189+00:00Thanks Stew, absolutely agree ....... so yesterday...Thanks Stew, absolutely agree ....... so yesterday I painted a 1066 Warrior :-)<br /><br />but I will be back on the ACW track now :-)<br />Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-50054034563185603702019-11-10T19:05:06.917+00:002019-11-10T19:05:06.917+00:00Pocket armies is a great concept and it will be ve...Pocket armies is a great concept and it will be very rewarding to have completed pairs of forces that are tabletop ready. I also don’t really enjoy painting all that much so I know how you feel on that subject, I paint bc I like painted armies. <br /> however to achieve your goals you gonna need some paint discipline. Many people find it hard to paint the same genre continually but it’s the best way to see it to completion. That’s why I have my rule of Two. <br />Best of luck. I’ll be following along. 😀Stewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00340930167419307092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-44585720002306888972019-11-09T19:40:24.324+00:002019-11-09T19:40:24.324+00:00Thanks Iain, you have thrown the runes and seen th...Thanks Iain, you have thrown the runes and seen the Viking warrior on my painting table :-)<br /><br />Yes, I think the important thing is to keep this something of a 'happy' project and by that I mean I don't want any of it to feel by work and by that I mostly mean painting schedules, so I think your style of little and often and having a fall back period, for a break, is a good guide for me to follow.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-47408356282767253002019-11-09T14:31:47.007+00:002019-11-09T14:31:47.007+00:00As ever an interesting post and I wish you luck st...As ever an interesting post and I wish you luck sticking to just ACW in 28mm for some time. I find it difficult to stick and sometimes to start a period and end up falling back on what is I guess comfortable ( in my case the Italian wars which I have frankly got enough of but keep on painting more!) A little and often is my motto also as far as painting is concerned and it is surprising how swiftly it can mount up!<br />Best Iaincaveadsum1471https://www.blogger.com/profile/02174163740406928172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-19349098661900535772019-11-09T13:54:07.885+00:002019-11-09T13:54:07.885+00:00As a wise member of the family once said to me, &#...As a wise member of the family once said to me, 'time is like money .... you can only spend it once'.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-85668188782388978802019-11-09T09:52:56.114+00:002019-11-09T09:52:56.114+00:00I whinge about lack of time, but motivation is kin...I whinge about lack of time, but motivation is king. I believe I will be able to play all 10 of my Punic War games in November and yet have been lucky to spend more than a few hours on tabletop games in the last 6 months. Motivation to do so has made me find the time, and not too hard it was either. But then I have been busy the last few months pouring many many hours into spreadsheets for solo SFRPGs (where my motivation seems to be currently!) Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-50873530926645570962019-11-09T09:00:50.667+00:002019-11-09T09:00:50.667+00:00Hi Shaun, I think the WWII in 1/72 will please you...Hi Shaun, I think the WWII in 1/72 will please you. Whatever people think about the Thomas rules, his sub-title shows that 'Time' was an ever present influence in his design. If one was to put time and playing space as two critical factors (as Thomas does), I am guessing that one would be reaching out to the majority of gamers, especially if one includes the invisible group who don't / can't game at all because of either of those two factors. <br /><br />Where I end up with rules is an interesting and as yet an uncertain outcome. I actually started all of this because of finding some old Wars of the Roses rules and I would like to do something with them.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-60759768181052763532019-11-09T02:31:51.352+00:002019-11-09T02:31:51.352+00:00Hello Norm,
An great introduction to something th...Hello Norm,<br /><br />An great introduction to something that I will enjoy following. My problem is I already have loads of stuff and not the time currently to get it on the small table. It will also be interesting to see your rules choices across periods - similar (as per One Hour Wargames) or different (as you currently have) or a combination!Shaun Travershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05691522858410783769noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-86916855498984676592019-11-08T14:31:17.454+00:002019-11-08T14:31:17.454+00:00Thanks, I enjoyed your plotting and planning posts...Thanks, I enjoyed your plotting and planning posts, I think there are a few of us on the same bus! hope something good comes from this.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-70445016601424897842019-11-08T13:22:39.372+00:002019-11-08T13:22:39.372+00:00Sounds like you’re going through the same thing I ...Sounds like you’re going through the same thing I am, Norm! I will follow this with interest...Jeffershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07319010033525561907noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-1407649824013811882019-11-07T20:07:32.470+00:002019-11-07T20:07:32.470+00:00Hi Jay, Seven Days to the River Rhine from Escape ...Hi Jay, Seven Days to the River Rhine from Escape Games may interest you. It is the sister game to their Iron Cross rules.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-68967805994107228972019-11-07T19:37:59.653+00:002019-11-07T19:37:59.653+00:00Hi Norm,
That sounds like a good plan to me. I...Hi Norm,<br /><br />That sounds like a good plan to me. I'm back on the trail of some OHW style rules for modern WW3 scenarios. I'll be interested to see how your WW2 armies turn out.<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />JayOld Trousershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16866101372406631079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-27692197631088942522019-11-07T16:28:27.803+00:002019-11-07T16:28:27.803+00:00Hi Mike, it seems I am in good company with armies...Hi Mike, it seems I am in good company with armies of 12 units per side or less. While in a hobby shop yesterday, I opened a box of plastic 1/32 Carthaginian infantry and was both impressed and surprised by their impact.<br /><br />I am increasingly pleased to be treading this path and am just doing an inventory of what I have been holding in the darker corners of the garage ... unfortunately, I have also uncovered a leaking roof!<br /><br />Enjoy your Pickett's Charge game, it sounds like a treat.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-10981027629580814662019-11-07T15:30:01.918+00:002019-11-07T15:30:01.918+00:00I have been attracted to smaller complete collecti...I have been attracted to smaller complete collections in recent years and have always found the 12 units a side size a good one since starting with Picquet in the 1990s.<br /><br />The portable wargame and Neil Thomas's rules let you build small collections that you can play a satisfying game with and let then build them if you want to.<br /><br />I have had a lot of very fun games with my 54mm 19th Century collection using various rules and is less then 60 infantry a side, 12 cavalry and a couple of gun crew. Most of those games have been with Portable Wargames rules on a 4' x 3' gridded table.<br /><br />I have a long term project of producing armies for Hyboria in 25mm using HOTT basing (undecided whether to use HOTT or OHW or something else) which lets me buy odds and ends to build armies from Egyptians or Romans or Knights without having to expand them into a full army.<br /><br />Of course, some collections grow - my 20mm ACW I bought recently was originally going to be just enough for Battlecry but I ended up with the whole collection and am playing Pickett's Charge next Monday with it...Mike Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13497565322680957504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-25114325244071269112019-11-07T13:07:09.299+00:002019-11-07T13:07:09.299+00:00Thanks Ross, your 4’ x 4’ to 6’ x 4’ puts you pret...Thanks Ross, your 4’ x 4’ to 6’ x 4’ puts you pretty much in the ball park that I am looking at and I like the idea that your different armies are doing different things and I liked the look of your recent 1/72 ACW game that had a certain mass look to it.<br /><br />The OHW rules are something that fascinate me as a concept and discipline, but as you state, they do straight jacket you in certain ways and don’t allow you the full range of troops for the period. I think they work better for a period that is of secondary interest to you, as a prime interest makes one a little more precious.<br />Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-7317619643598711292019-11-07T12:16:39.138+00:002019-11-07T12:16:39.138+00:00For a minute I had the odd feeling of reading one ...For a minute I had the odd feeling of reading one of my blog posts from a few years ago.... Good concept and plan as far as I can see.<br /><br />One of my now dropped plans was for a series of small games to cover a wide variety of wars (and/or "periods") with a similar size style and similar rules style to allow to focus on the periods and paint a variety of uniforms. I have met people who can do this sort of thing successfully but alas it wasn't me. <br /><br />After experience and thought I shifted my goal slightly to having each "period" provide a slightly different <b> style </b> of game as well as a different period but with each being able to provide a game on my table. Originally I aimed for a 4'x4' table and it served for 75% of games but with one and another unrelated things I found space for 4'x6'. Sometime I use it all, sometimes I mark off the excess and play on the 4x4.<br /><br />So far, I haven't completely managed to have each period provide a different type of game but I've gotten closer with the 1/72nd ACW being aimed at bigger armies, the "Dark Ages" 40's being aimed at skirmishes etc<br /><br />I have made good use of the OHW scenarios but not the rules. hey aren't bad but have one fatal flaw for my tastes, they give each unit type 1 and only 1 tactical option. For example there is is plenty of evidence that ACW cavalry usually fought dismounted but also sometimes delivered mounted charges and similarly infantry throughout the "horse and musket" era did occasionally attempt to assault a position or at least close to point blank range or sometimes hang back for a long range fight. He does not allow the player the luxury of choosing tactics and once in long range there is no benefit to pressing closer so all attacks stall into a die rolling contest. A small tweak would resolve that but I prefer not to tweak other peoples carefully thought out rules and steal ideas from them instead!<br /><br />Anyway, long comment but an exciting plan. Enjoy the journey wherever it goes. Ross Mac rmacfa@gmail.comhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04053555991679802013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-85084986499345899802019-11-07T10:14:28.742+00:002019-11-07T10:14:28.742+00:00Thanks Peter and in particular for the hard work t...Thanks Peter and in particular for the hard work that you put into your blog to keep it interesting and inspiring. Keep posting, the success of my project is depending upon it :-)<br />Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-48925823135033860672019-11-07T10:12:01.462+00:002019-11-07T10:12:01.462+00:00Hi Lee. You came to mind several times while compo...Hi Lee. You came to mind several times while composing this post and photographing scenes. We are both on the same page with regards to what we would like to achieve and I have been following your endeavours since the days of translating Command and colours over to 6mm on hexes and then your significant 15mm WWII armies. <br /><br />it is not just a case of the financial cost of selling such big projects off, but equally the emotional and physical investment in trying out these big ideas in the first place, only for them to fall short of expectation and for them to have felt like a distraction from true purpose.<br /><br />You will no doubt have your hands full for the next couple of months because of the move, but I think once at the other end, you will be closer to determining the kind of game that you want, which I think will likely be pretty close to where I end up as we tread a similar path. In the meantime, I hope posts here continue to interest you as your wargaming world goes into storage boxes!<br /><br />Cheers Norm.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-655218467774649582019-11-07T10:00:35.055+00:002019-11-07T10:00:35.055+00:00Good Morning David, thank you, having done this bl...Good Morning David, thank you, having done this blog thing for a while, I have come to know that there is a core of us who can tap into the sentiments of this type of post and despite what I say about screen time, a meeting of minds in the blogosphere is one of the enjoyable ways of us sharing our hobby time.<br /><br />I do hope that the Pocket Army posts that follow do something for all of us that have to grab some table time from the demands of normal domestic arrangements.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-36117320804849804352019-11-07T09:48:30.422+00:002019-11-07T09:48:30.422+00:00Thanks Steve, agree whole heartedly, all of that c...Thanks Steve, agree whole heartedly, all of that could have easily fallen from my pen! I have recently enjoyed a dip back into the ramblings of the ‘old wargamers’ and it brings into focus that ‘the game is the thing’. Somehow, we have managed to put too many things in the way of that.<br /><br />My greatest weakness is the butterfly syndrome. There is a lot of product goodness around today. Harnessing that and returning to the table to get a certain beat, style, method, enjoyment or whatever it is we can’t seem to describe properly, Is my challenge for 2020. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-86208833162690042252019-11-07T09:39:01.549+00:002019-11-07T09:39:01.549+00:00Thanks Ion, this is a significant diversion in my ...Thanks Ion, this is a significant diversion in my usual gaming stuff, so I am somewhat enthused and need to seize the moment. there does seem a current increasing interest in looking back to what may be perceived as simpler times, though I think that falls out of many things. Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-24933360383435734712019-11-07T09:33:23.769+00:002019-11-07T09:33:23.769+00:00Thanks Simon, your thoughts chime with much of my ...Thanks Simon, your thoughts chime with much of my own sentiment. I don’t mind a fully encompassing ruleset for its own sake, but it is the number of differing sets that I end up juggling with that cause me to seek simpler ground.<br /><br />I have not read One Hour Skirmishing Wargames, but I have a respect for Thomas’s OHW and what he set out to achieve and the iron discipline that he applied to that, the rest of us want to amend and bolt on to what he did, but he resisted any such fabrication to core intent.<br /><br />I am with you on multi-part plastics, especially as I am typically affected by the plastic glue, but they do and will. Need to form a core of what I am doing. I have a fume mask thing, but it takes the pleasure out of the crafting, a bit like chewing toffee wit hthe wrapper on. Ii have actually been looking at some 1/72 and 20mm’s from Newline, who is present;y doing a 25% sale.<br />Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-68618571884847006392019-11-07T09:26:34.655+00:002019-11-07T09:26:34.655+00:00Looking forward to reading about your Pocket Armie...Looking forward to reading about your Pocket Armies project progress. Particularly the analysis you bring to your posts. And thanks for the shout out.Peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02918057670249529750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-14930021830513153002019-11-07T09:26:00.037+00:002019-11-07T09:26:00.037+00:00Thanks Phil ... all I need to do now is to do it! ...Thanks Phil ... all I need to do now is to do it! Not just talk about it :-)Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5368677310334370714.post-91441022504303561102019-11-07T09:25:11.926+00:002019-11-07T09:25:11.926+00:00Thanks Kevin, I awoke this morning to find a list ...Thanks Kevin, I awoke this morning to find a list of thoughtful replies to this post and I think the subject does tap into something that is deeper within our gaming souls.Normhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05031444717952755557noreply@blogger.com