The Grand Duchy of Stollen

Well, I managed to finish quite a bit in just two hours this evening as you can see in the photo: stirrup leathers, girths, holsters, blue coats, and the sword blades. Oh, and a few more selective black touch-ups to better define certain parts of the figures. All that remains now are the stirrups themselves plus the bronze bits on the scabbards, sword hilts/pommels, and silver bits on the bridles. Other than a few black touch-ups on the horses, I hope to wrap these babies up by Saturday, when I will give the entire regiment of 30 a clear coat of Future floor polish, snap a photo or two for posting here, and then carefully pack the unit in a Rubbermaid plastic box, already waiting just out of sight on the painting desk. Ah, moving. . . You’ll also notice that the ol’ painting desk is looking a bit Spartan these days. I got around to dismantling all of the radios, tuners, speakers, and assorted wires/cables last Saturday afternoon. I must say, I am enjoying the extra el...

Just a quick update today. Last night, I managed to get in a couple of hours of work on those last nine Spencer Smith cavalry. Finished the yellow turnbacks, tan breeches, and the blue saddle cloths. Naturally, I made a number of mistakes, which I then had to fix before quitting for the evening. But there was nothing too upsetting or time consuming, just some careful (re-) lining with GW Chaos Black. It felt good to be back in the saddle. Tonight, I’d like/hope to paint the blue coats. We’ll see if that actually happens. If so, that means the only things like the swords, scabbards, and a few assorted small bits will remain. With any luck at all, I might have the entire 30-figure unit finished with a photo or two in the next several days. Cross your fingers!

Well, things are in complete disarray here in the Grand Duchy of Stollen. Virtually all of the books are packed in carefully labeled, book-sized moving boxes and lined up in the middle of the living room floor. It no longer looks like our apartment. So, I’m taking a little breather right now and typing an update for the blog. First, the Spencer Smith cavalry are getting there – very slowly. I finally was able to snatch an hour or so a couple of late evenings ago and finish the white bits before starting on the yellow facings and turnbacks, something that I might get to finish this evening. Then, it’s simply a matter of filling in the blue on saddle cloths and coats, tan on the breeches, and the various metal bits for the swards, stirrups, and scabbards, plus the stirrup leathers, etc. If I only had a few consecutive evenings where I didn’t feel worn out by 9PM! Of course, as luck would have it, I am in the midst of reading and grading student papers right now too. This is...

Well, the Grand Duchess and I are in the midst of packing up our belongings for the move into larger digs at the end of March/start of April. As you might expect, the associated activities have assumed precedence and seem to be dominating all areas of life at the moment. Those final nine Spencer Smith cavalry keep calling to me from the painting table, but I’m simply too wiped out in the evenings to sit down and dab a bit of paint here and there. Sigh. Anyway, while emptying the various bookshelves and packing up too many book boxes, guess what I cam across? Two rule sets that I’ve never used and now wish to clear from the collection: They Died for Glory by Dave Waxtel and Robert Burke and Playable Napoleonic Wargames by Barry Edwards (02/22/2008 Update -- both titles have been claimed and are no longer available.). If any of you Grand Duchy of Stollen regulars (only those living in the US , please) would like either one or both, please e-mail me your address offline. ...

. . . Donald Featherstone. Yes, I had a second very nice letter waiting in the mail for me from Mr. Donald Featherstone this afternoon! And he is interested in learning more about the Old School Wargaming Yahoo group. So, I guess I’ll just have to send another letter, explaining some more about all of us to him and supply the weblink. Wouldn’t it be neat to add Mr. Featherstone to our ranks at OSW? Funny the possibilities that come about when one revives the apparently lost art of letter writing. As far as painting goes, I managed to get in a couple of hours on those last nine Spencer Smith cavalry. Just the faces and green bases so far, but they look more alive now than was the case a week ago. Tomorrow, it’s on to the white wigs, gauntlets, shoulder straps, and saddle cloth edges plus the tape on the tricorned hats. On a humorous note, our cat “Rannveig” sat at my right elbow early this evening watching my every move with the paint brush. At one point, she stretch...

Persistence sometimes pays it seems. Here are a few images of Prussian miners that I found on the web. The original plate was done by Richard Kn ö tel.

. . . what goes through one’s mind while slopping gesso and (later) black acrylic paint on the last batch of Spencer Smith cavalry. As I was doing this, engineers, sappers, pioneers, miners, and pontoniers in a wargame context came to mind. Hardly surprising since I’ve been enjoying the David Chandler book on Marlburian warfare, and he devotes roughly a quart or the work to this very subject. Anyway, my question to you Grand Duchy of Stollen visitors is this. Besides the obvious siege game context, have any of you ever incorporated engineers, sappers, pioneers, miners, or pontoniers into a game? My thought is that this might add an interesting (but frequently ignored) dimension to our games. I think C.S. Grant has a few scenarios in his books that do something similar, and I must check up on it. And I also believe there was a Table Top Teaser in an early Battlegames where there were some bridging troops (Spencer Smiths if my memory serves me correctly). Anyway, I’d be...

Ok, time to wear my Beatles fan badge proudly and stop hiding it, I suppose. Of all the great popular music and rock bands of the last half century or so, the Beatles and their music are the greatest in my humble opinion – musically and personality-wise. So, in honor of Der Stollenkeller, here are two photos of the savage young Beatles. . . The top shot is of the original five-man band onstage at The Indra Club , the first place in Hamburg that the Beatles played when they arrived in August 1960. Besides George Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney, original drummer Pete Best and bass player Stuart Sutcliffe (an art school buddy of Lennon’s) are pictured here. The band members ranged in age from 17-20 here, and the Hamburg redlight district was by all accounts a pretty wild and rough place for five very young guys to be let off the leash. By the way, Ringo Starr was playing in a rival club around the corner at this time with his own Liverpool band Rory Storm an...

The Zichenauer general staff from left to right: Major Paolo Biscotti (seconded from the Piedmontese army), the dastardly French mercenary-adventurer General Philip de Latte, and General von Gherkin. Well, it’s been a pretty good weekend despite coming down with a slight headcold yesterday. We got in a little skiing Friday and Saturday, I’ve done some reading in the David Chandler book, and managed to finish trimming the moldlines from the final nine Spencer Smith cavalry. Today was not as productive as I’d hoped (funny how a cold saps your will and concentration, isn’t it?), but I did finally finish the three-officer group of Zichenauer generals pictured above. The left-hand figure needed some final details, and the middle figure needed a bit more gold trim on his blue coat. So, tomorrow I’ll give them a coat or two of Future floor polish, and then move on to basecoating the SSM figures below with white artists’ acrylic gesso. The bottom picture shows my RSM French musketeers...

. . . a like-new used copy of this wonderful book by David Chandler arrived with the daily mail. A few weeks ago, I asked a question here about how troops fought during the early part of the 18 th century – before the rise and prominence of Prussia ’s Frederick II. Among all of the great information that several of you sent my way, Paul Robinson of Grimsby , England recommended this particular book (Many thanks, Paul!). Well, like any good wargamer/amateur historian/one-time graduate student, I immediately began looking around for a used copy of said book. Briefly, The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough examines thoroughly what took place on battlefields in Europe , in theory and in practice, between about 1690-1750 with regard to infantry, cavalry, artillery, and combat engineering. The book also explains how recruiting and training were accomplished as well as discussing various weapon and the resulting tactical innovations that took place during this period. Mr....

Step Six – Add Windows, Doors, and Hanging Sign Our final step is fairly simple, requiring only a black marker or felt tip pen, a steady hand, and some patience. Once you have finished painting the interior ruins and the exterior of the merchant’s townhouse, it’s time to add a few doors and some windows So, take your pen and, with a very light touch, begin by adding some widows where you want them. Be careful not to place any windows in illogical places though, like where a chimney would obviously connect to a fireplace and hearth inside. That said, I’m sure I’ve made that kind of error myself in the 15 or so model buildings I've built in the last year, but there you are. The same caveat follows when it comes to any doors you add to your model structure Now, remember that you are not trying to create all of the minute details of windows and doors, merely the impression of them. So, if your windows and doors are not all exactly the same size, or if some of the angles are ...

Here's the Grand Duchess taking a breather during our ski-trip to Wisconsin last month just after January 1st, 2008. Heavy snow here in Central Illinois , so the university is closed today – Yahoo!!! And you know what that means don’t you? Yes, the Grand Duchess and I will don our ski gear and head out on our cross country (Nordic) skis today, followed by some hot chocolate or coffee at one of our local cafés. Cold temperatures throughout the weekend mean the skiing will remain good at least until Sunday afternoon, making it hard to balance the outdoor fun along side painting the final squadron of Spencer Smith cavalry. Oh, how difficult and unfair life is!

Step Five -- Paint the House and Interior Ruins Typically, I paint the roofs of my buildings first with a shade of mid-gray or reddish brown acrylic paint. Here, the color was Liquitex Red Oxide. Apply your color fairly thickly and straight from the tube, brushing it from top to bottom. Faint brush lines will remain when the paint dries, which help suggest a shingled/tiled effect. For subsequent coats, lighten/darken the basic color with white, a tiny bit of black, or grey and brush it on in irregular, rectangular patches, to better approximate the look of a real roof with shingles or tiles of different ages and conditions. You can, of course, leave the basic colors untouched, but the dusty, “used” effect that comes through the gradual application of multiple coats and judicious drybrushing is pleasing to the eye. For chimneys and brick walls, I next used Liquitex Burnt Sienna mixed with a healthy amount of white, to approximate a dusty, generic brick color. I paint these are...

Step Four -- Cut and Assemble Interior “Ruins” on Base . This step in the townhouse modeling process can be a bit tedious since you need to get the dimensions just right, for the outer shell of the townhouse to fit snugly (but not too much so) over the ruined base. What I’d suggest is to measure the inside of your townhouse shell, and (I hate myself for suggesting this) use the METRIC side of your ruler, so you can get precise measurements down to the last millimeter. "Metric?" you sputter. I know, I know. . . I use ¼” thick pieces of balsa wood for these interior pieces because it approximates the look of nice solid foundation walls. By the way, these inner walls measure just under 1” high, so any 25-30mm figures placed in the ruins will just be able to peak over the walls in the heat of battle. But let’s get back to constructing the ruins. Isn't that a contradiction in terms? Anyway, cut any pieces that will form corners with 45 degree angles, using that ti...

Step Three – Cut and Attach Chimneys. This can be a bit tricky since we are working with steeply pitched roofs at angles greater than 45 degrees. Unfortunately, it’s largely a matter of trial and error, which will see you uttering a a few choice words and throwing away the first few pieces of balsa wood that you cut until you have the angle just right. Then, your model chimneys should stand straight and tall (more or less ) . If you are lucky, you’ll get it right before too long. Here’s how I do it. Once the basic house is all glued together and thoroughly dry, I take a long piece of balsa, from which I’ll cut my chimneys, and stand it on end right up next to the rear gable -- the triangular, rear end – of the house. Holding it firmly against that gable with my left hand, I trace the angle of the roof along the piece of balsa with a fairly soft-leaded artist’s pencil. I now have a faint angled line across the piece of balsa wood that is complimentary (r...

Step Two -- Glue the four wall pieces together. I usually attach an end piece to a side and the other end to the other side piece first (see picture above). Use a “jig” to ensure that your walls are flush with each other, perpendicular to the table surface, and dry firmly attached to each other. You can purchase small jigs through model railroad supply houses, but I improvise my own, using my trusty old tape measure. When these two L-shaped pieces are dried, glue the two halves of the exterior walls together (see photo below). Before moving on to the roof itself, reinforce the interior of your model structure with a couple of carefully measured and placed pieces of heavy card or balsa wood. While not entirely necessary, these interior pieces will add strength, durability, and stability to your model buildings, preventing later warping. You can see an example of what I'm talking about in the picture just below this paragraph. When the glue holding all of this together ha...

Step One -- Measure and cut out the end and sidewall pieces from the heavy card(board) that you have hoarded and transported from one residence to the next for 20 years. An analyst would very likely have lots to say about that, but I digress! Anyway, take care to get your angles correct on the gabled end pieces and make sure your pieces are cut square. This is where the small carpenter’s square and steel edged ruler come in handy. If cutting out any curves or arches, keep your fingers out of the way, cutting slowly and carefully, so you are pleased with the results. If all goes well, you should have the four basic walls and the base of your model cut out in 15-20 minutes. The dimensions of the pieces shown above are: End Walls – 2 ¼” x 5" Side Walls – 1 3/8” x 3" Base – 3 ¼” x 3" Cutout for Archway – 1 3/8” x 1" Although I based my various building models on the features of actual structures, I did not copy any one building exactly. Instead, go...

The old German town of Soldau, located in present-day Poland. Building Materials I’m not a total packrat, but I have saved and stored a few boxes worth of stuff that is useful for wargaming scenery over the years. I’ve also purchased a few other inexpensive items when and as I’ve needed them. Here's a brief list of the things used to create my own old school "Grantian" buildings and houses: *Heavy card from the back of writing and artist’s sketch pads (I'm embarrassed to mention how much of this I've saved over the years). *Balsa wood *Elmer’s carpenter’s glue *Acrylic or poster paints *Steel ruler *Small carpenter’s square *X-acto knife and plenty of standard triangular blades *Cheap paintbrushes *Black Sharpie or Flair permanent marker of felt tip pen *A little imagination and handiness References The first thing you need to do is to find suitable photos of the building “type/style” you wish to model. Things like boo...

A modern photo of two old merchants' houses in Szeczcin (German: Stettin), Poland on the Baltic Sea . Background and Rationale When I began down to road that led to the Grand Duchy of Stollen, my fictitious mid-18 th century campaign, I decided that I wanted to construct buildings unlike any I could find commercially. Another influence on my decision to build miniature houses from scratch was the charming impressionistic style of those old, hand-made balsa wood houses that Charles Grant used in his battles all those years ago. We’ve all seen these in various photos from The War Game and other books authored by Mr. Grant. Charles Stewart Grant’s Table Top Teaser articles in Battlegames , and the recent refight of Mollwitz (in which Brigadier Grant participated), have also featured these now very familiar vintage pieces. Needless to say, I wanted something similar, but with a more distinct northern German/Baltic “look”, to fit my particular campaign setting and narrative. Sin...

After sitting on my desk for a year, the final three Stollenian structures have been painted to completion. From left are: a formerly Lutheran church based on two still extent structures now in the Russian Kaliningrad region (the once German towns of Goldap and Eydtkuhnen right along the Lithuanian border), a single merchant’s townhouse detached from its ruined interior base, and two similar townhouses built as one piece. If you look closely, you’ll see the dates of construction (so common on old houses in the “old” sections of many cities across the European continent). You’ll also notice that the right most townhouse is also home to Der Traurige Krabbe (The Sad Crab), a favorite haunt of students at Stollen’s Krankenstadt University. I wonder if Immanuel Kant ever spent time daydreaming at that particular tavern? Finishing these stylized model buildings this evening has made me realize that I never did post a wargaming structures how-to here although one of you asked ab...

Above, you will observe the first two squadrons plus regimental staff of Zichenau’s Grenadiere zu Pferd, led by Colonel Stein von Pilzenkopf, charging past the edge of Zollamtstadt where they are billeted for the winter. Rumor has it that the regiment was, in fact, not on maneuvers. Rather, they were racing to the other side of town to make the acquaintance of a gaggle of curious peasant girls from several nearby farms outside of town! Whew! I just finished a marathon session, putting the finishing touches on the middle batch of eight Spencer Smith cavalry as well as going back over the first lot of 12 to add some of the same details which I left out for expediency’s sake last month. Today’s work included the metallic colors (silver and brass) on the swords, sword hilts, scabbards, horse snaffles, and martingales plus a light brown on the leather bits – the girths that hold the saddle on the horse and pass beneath the animal around its ribcage and the stirrup leathers. T...

As I mentioned below, it’s been a busy week. Many odds and ends to take care of, concerning the new house. Lots of discussion and dreaming about how the Grand Duchess and I will set things up and arrange our belongings, furniture, and, indeed, our lives for the next 30+ years (at least), which has been taxing at times, but also a great deal of fun. Then there was the faculty talent show this passed Friday evening to raise money for research into autism, put on by the physics student honor society. Considerable, surprising, and interesting talent was on display at the hands of university faculty and staff: puppet shows, chemistry and physics demonstrations, Swedish and Irish fiddle music, and the like. And just how did yours truly fit into all of this? Well, I closed the show on my guitar with four old rockabilly/R&B tunes from the 1950s and early 60s, and managed to do it without flubbing any of the guitar parts or forgetting any of the verses, something I did during th...

Well, it’s been a busy week. First and foremost, here’s the promised Rosca de Reyes (aka Kings’ Day Bread of Epiphany Bread)) recipe: Serves 8 Ingredients ½ cup lukewarm water 6 eggs 2 teaspoons of active dried yeast 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon of salt ¼ cup of granulated sugar ½ cup of butter, plus 2 tablespoons of melted butter for glazing 1 ½ cups of candied fruit and peel 1 ½ cups of confectioners sugar, plus extra, for dusting 2 tablespoons of light cream Candied fruit and cherries to decorate Preparation and Baking Instructions 1) Pour the water into a small bowl, stir in dried yeast, and leave in a warm place until frothy 2) Crack 4 of eggs and divide yolks from the whites. Place yolks in small bowl and discard the whites. 3) Put 1 ¼ cups of flour in a mixing bowl. Add the salt and sugar. Break the remaining 2 eggs into the bowl, then add the 4 yolks. 4) Add ½ cup of the butter into the bowl, togethe...

Many thanks to those of you who have sent your congratulations about the new house! The Grand Duchess and I are currently up to our eyeballs in various pre-closing details, like setting up house inspections, roof inspections, radon gas tests and the like. Gosh, the movies make it look so easy kids! Still, it’s a terribly exciting period in our lives, and although these things have taken lots of time the last several days, there has still been some room for some steady painting in the evenings. I’ve also heard from Randy Frye in Northern Illinois about the chance of a July or August game with him, Bill Protz, and Jim “Alte Fritz” Perky. Although the game will likely take place at Randy’s home, the possibly might also exist to inaugurate my own future wargaming room/table, which I have yet to christen with some kind of simultaneously silly, and yet clever name. Wouldn’t that be something? Sonja and I were bouncing ideas around a few nights ago after dinner. She didn’...