The Grand Duchy of Stollen

  The story of my life during our game yesterday and today.  I could not roll 'em high to save my life it seems. W ell, the rest of our Sawmill Village refight played out in just one hour this Sunday afternoon, between 2 and 3pm.  All in all, the game lasted about 4.5 hours across two afternoons.   While things began to go in the wrong direction for yours truly during yesterday's seven-turn session across the table from Young Master Paul, they went from bad to worse during turns eight and nine today.  Lady luck was very much against me, and I never managed to make any decent die rolls when it came to attempts at close range musketry, close combat, or saving throws against my son's hits against my own men. Parenthetically, out of three Yatzi games with The Grand Duchess  on Friday evening, two were abysmal.  Clearly rolling dice high is not my forte! But returning to wargaming for a moment,, and worst of all, Young Paul was firmly in possession of ...

  The view from my end of the table.  I reprised my role as the dastardly Zichenauer mercenry-adventurer General Phillipe de Latte, visible in the foreground in the dark blue coate with his back to the camera.  Young Paul took the role of the sickly General von Bauchschmerzen, who rides around the tabletop battlefield in his wicker carriage with a lap blanket and hot water bottle to sooth his bad stomach. A second view of my line from the northeast to the southwest with the contested village of Hasenpfeffer at the center of the table.  You can just make out Paul's newly routed jager company at the right (northern) edge of the 6'x 10' table. Here's a shot from Young Master Paul's end of the table, showing how confused the battle has become.  Not sure what he's doing with his red-coated Hanseatic Regiment, which has exposed its rear and flank to my lurking dragoon squadron.  Among all of the action, you'll notice General von Bauchschmerzen, lolling in his wic...

  The initial 36 Minden Austrian dragoons, painted as three squadrons of the Batthyanyi Regiment.  The final nine, a troop of horse grenadiers and regimental staff, lurk in the background.  They will get their combination base-undercoats in just a few day's time.  Ideally, I'd like to wrap up the entire regiment before January 1st.  I know, I know.  The best laid plans, the road to Hell, good intentions, and all of that. . .    A flurry of activity here in The Grand Duchy of Stollen today, Friday.  The day after (U.S.) Thanksgiving.  A busy but not unpleasant day ahead. First, finish applying gloss to the final three Austrian dragoons and their horses, shown above.  These will have their tabletop inauguration tomorrow in the planned encounter with Young Master Paul.   Second, set up the tabletop, buildings, and terrain for our version of Sawmill Village.   Third print out latest version of home brewed rules and ...

  No, not hitherto undiscovered paintings by Piet Mondrian (or The Patridge Family Bus), but a movement stick (top) and a musket volley and skirmish fire stick (below).  The rulers are 18" in length and based on the Grants' dimensions laid out in The War Game.   S till glossing the Austrian dragoons piecemeal, but with the planned Thanksgiving Weekend game between the Young Master and me now two weeks away, it seemed like a good idea to begin preparations for it.  I aim to simplify things as much as possible to keep the game moving and a positive experience for young Paul, now 11 years old, so that he will want to continue these occasional tabletop adventures with ol' Dad.  Hence the movement and firing sticks, which owe as much to the von Reisswitz kriegspiel as they to Charles S. Grant. The measuring devices I've produced over a couple of days have movement dimensions marked on one side, and firing distances on the other.  I must touch up and label the va...