Back from Crisis...

What an awesome weekend !

On Friday mornig my mate Robert and me set sail and went to Düsseldorf. There we wanted to meet the other two fellows of our carpool. But since we were too soon we took a slight detour to the city centre of Düsseldorf and started the weekend with a nice pint at one of the local craft breweries and a bread roll with roast pork. After this excellent start Axel and Holger dragged us up and we proceeded to Antwerp.

There I spent two excellent days with all the fellows of our THS club and many, many nice people from the wargaming community. Although I'm still sorting the pictures here's a first shot of our team:

left to right: Holger, Georg, Robert, Kalle, Heinz, Axel, Stefan (me) and Bernhard

Crisis 2014 was really the best wargaming I visited until now. Although I have not so many other shows to compare it with the weekend was simly top-notch. The trip with the boys was excellent and on the show I had the opportunity to chat with some very nice people from the community. Diane and Martin from Warbases were there, Burkhard from DHC Wargaming Blog, Mirko, Elmar and Gabi from Stronghold Terrain, Peter from Peter's Cave, Wayne from Wargames Illustrated and his charming wife, Mike from the Dreispitz blog, the fellows from Black Hussar miniatures, Ged from Gringo40s and Paul from Scrivesland just to mention some of those nice people I met...

Many, many thanks to the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp for organising and managing this extraordinary event and likewise to those I had the chance to meet and chat with. I was simply priceless to make or renew your acquaintance and I'm looking forward to Crisis 2014 to meet hopefully all of you again.

During the next days I'll post some of the pictures I took from the excellent tables that were there. Of course of our table as well who won the award for the Best Presented Wargame. That puts a nice cherry on the cake of this awesome trip...

By the way Burkhard was quicker with their review. Enjoy them:

DHC Wargaming Blog

Counting down for Crisis...

Slightly more than 24 hours and we'll head for Antwerp. As usual I'm looking forward to the show with a thrill of anticipation. For me it's the second show this year and so it's a kind of special occasion. And it's the second trip with my wargaming club fellow so a real highlight at the ending of the year. The only disadvantage is the shortness of the event. Just one day is simply too short to visit all the stunning tables, stroll around the excellent market stalls and chat with all the nice people whom you met only once or twice a year. Anyway I hope to find the time to meet some old fellows there and maybe get acquainted to some new ones.

I some of you'll make it to Crisis as well then let me remind you of the game our club is presenting:

We are located in the real center of the hangar at g4B01. Just look for our emblem or the nice looking fellows in black:

pictures from Crisis 2013 behind our Fort George game

See you there !

Dear Santa...

This year I'm participating the "Secret Santa" venture. For the one I have an idea but for the other I'm still groping in the dark.

Anyway maybe I should give Santa a little hint what I'm currently doing or what I'm pondering to start as new projects...

1.) 28mm Napoleonics:

Always one of my pet issues. My British are always in need of reinforcements and especially the RHA is craving for a howitzer. For our 2015 club project we'll need loads of French artillery as well. So some French Guard Horse Artillery could be very usefull. In addtition my small French forces don't have any commanders so a Général de Brigade is needed sooner or later...

Although I respect the other companies my absolute favourite are the miniatures done by the Perry twins.

2.) 28mm WWI:

For this winter I prepared a bunch of late WW1 Tommies to paint. But the boys don't have heavy support yet. So maybe Santa wants to drag a British 13pdr and its crew to my Christmas tree...

Great War Miniatures highly preferred.

3.) Saga / Vikings:

A highly enjoyable game for which I finished my warband this year. But my Dark Ages village needs some residents. I've been strolling around some of the excellent Wargames Foundry Sets of those late. Especially the Viking civillians with the spilt milk and the celebrating Vikings.

4.) 10mm Prussian 1860s:

During the last decades of the 19th century there were several interesting conflicts with the Prussians involved, especially the wars against Austria, Danmark and France. Somehow I got the idea to start something around those and would love to start a collection of Pendraken 10mm Prussians for that. And because I don't have anything besides some command models, everything is welcome.

5.) 1/1200 Napoleonic Navy:

Maybe a bit too pricy for Santa but lately I started to collect some 1/1200 Napoleonic ships by Langton. Of course some British first but maybe Santa wants to give the opposite site a start with either the Santissima Trinidad or the Bucentaure...

I hope there are some good idea for Santa. Actually I would appreciate any stuff that fit into my other project or that just show that Santa contemplated as well. But these projects are so many that they would burts any whish list. Maybe I should facolise more...

As for me I'll crap the miniatures which I'll paint for my "Stanta Clause" victim at Crisis in Antwerp next weekend. I'm looking forward to paint it for him a lot.

Only my "Secret Santa" target is a bit dawdling with his whishes. Currently I'm pondering but have no idea what to sent him yet...

Our game for Crisis: An Imperial disaster !

Finally Crisis 2014  is almost here and I'm really looking forward to this event. In my wargaming schedule it's the second ledger and it's an excellent opportunity to undertake a trip with friends before the stressful preparations for Christmas begin.

Belgian troops on their march to Puabla.

This year our club prepared a participation game taking place in the 1860s during the second French intervention in Mexico. During this so called Maximilian affair the French invaded Mexico and tried to install archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Austria as Mexican emperor and puppet ruler under their influence. After first successes Maximilian took over the reign in early 1864 but the Mexican opposition of former Benito Juárez never accepted him. Finally when the American Civil War was over the United States insisted on their Monroe Doctrine. Therefore the French decided to withdraw and dropped Maximilian like a hot stone. The emperor himself wasn't able to stabilise his power and underlay Juárez and his republican followers. In the end he was arrested and sentenced to death in 1867. On 14th May 1867 Mexico's last emperor was killed by a firing squad.

The Belgians marching on...

For Crisis we prepared a game following the 3rd battle of Puebla in 1867. Main part of it is a rearguard battle. The remains of the imperial and multi-national troops that stood true to Maximilian have to reach the strong Bastion of Guadalupe while the republicans try to cut them off from two sides.

French troops holding the fortress.

This year most of the work was done by our wargaming fellow Kalle whose special subject the Maximilian adventure is. But most other members supported the project with smaller or larger efforts: Preparing the boards, painting loads of miniatures, finishing some terrain pieces, creating a leaflet and so on. But most enjoyable of course was it to see everything come together in the games we played.

Multi-National troops unfold to face the republicans threatening their flank.

The game will be played after Warlord Games Blackpowder ruleset with stats for the units and special rules were re-designed for this very special conflict. We'll present the game on a 3.25m by 1.50m table and employ more than 400 miniatures by various companies, mostly Gringo 40s and Wargames Foundry.

The vanguard of the retreatng troops reach the bastion.

One of the centre pieces of the game is the fortress which our fellow Michael built about two years ago. Here he presented an interesting WIP diary and a couple of detail pictures.

The republicans chasing the flanks...

If you want to know more about Crisis then have a look at the website of TSA (Tin Soldiers of Antwerp) who host this event each November. We're on g4B01 in the center of the main hangar. You should find it easily on the map the TSA offer on their homepage (here). If you want to know who else is there, you'll need their legend (download link below the map).

During the next days I'll hopefully present a link to our club's page covering the game which is still under construction. However we'll have a PDF of our leaftlet there which is definitely worth having a look at. But that'll follow later...

I hope to see some of you in Antwerp !

Back with news...

My honest apologies that I was lost for the last weeks without notice. Fortunately there are no bad news connected to this. There was simply no time to get anything sorted for the blog because the last weeks were an extraordinary labour. We spent two weekends with trips and in between our younger daughter had to go to the hospital which of course didn't make things easier. Paired with flu and middle ear inflammation which haunted our family free time was short. Anyhow the last weekend with friends in Bavaria gave us the chance to clear our minds and catch some energy. Thus I'm optimistic that things'll go more orderly again...

So I'll keep marching on with the blog now !

With a tow, row, row, row, row, row, to the British Grenadiers. - A photo a friend of mine took of my minis.

But as the title promises there are some news to be published.

• In two weeks there'll be Crisis 2014 in Antwerp taking place. The THS is preparing a presentation game dealing with the French intervention in Mexico during the 1860s. Especially our fellow Kalle but a lot of efforts in the project and we'll be happy to welcome any visitors at our table.
  More about the game itself and some pictures will follow this or next week.
  
• For this year's "Secret Santa" and "Santa Clause" ventures the sails are set. I'll happily look for some nice things in Antwerp...
  
• Currently I'm working on an article for a rather large wargaming magazine so the time with brushed and paints is very limited. Please excuse that you'll not see much progress during the next two weeks.
  
• In the pipeline there are two AARs and two museum reviews. The pictures are more or less prepared so rather soon I'll be able to finish those.
  
• I haven't forgot the announced raffle for my 100K step at Monty's Caravan. It'll take place soon...

During the next days I'll try to work off all your blogs. Be sure that I'll try to visit each of them but I'll not post comments everywhere.