4th Quarter and Year End Statistics, 2023

Despite the pandemic subsiding, 2023 proved no less challenging with the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine, Palestine, and elsewhere. May our hobby continue to be a pleasant distraction from all that, despite its relationship to conflicts past!

 

Expenses:

October 2023

Piano Wargames: The Danube Campaign Kickstarter $552.00

November 2023

Nil

December 2023

Cigar Box Mats (6) $547.64

4th Quarter Total:   $1,099.64

22023 Total: Q1 =  $353.70  Q2 =  $238.12   Q3 = $1,116; 

Grand Total $2,807.54

Painting:

October 2023

Carabiniers a Cheval in Bearskins (80 points), Austrian high Command (65 points)

November 2023

Wurttemberg IR #1 (90 points)

December 2023 

Revolting Peasants x 3 (180 points), Wurttemberg IR #5 (90 points), Wurttemberg Leibjager Garde (80 points), Wurttemberg Gardes du Corps (80 points). 

4th Quarter Total:  665 points

2023 Total: Q1 = 1,155 points   Q2 = 935 points   Q3 = 747 points;  Grand Total 3,507 points 

Breakdown of the past 3 years:

2023 - 3,507 points

Army	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery	Command	Points
Napoleonic Spanish			40		40
Napoleonic Wurttemberg	630	320	160		1110
Napoleonic Bavarians	360				360
Napoleonic Hessians		90	55	35	180
Napoleonic French		80			80
Napoleonic Austrian				65	65
Napoleonic Duchy Warsaw			80		80
ECW (Scots)		360	120	35	515
Renaissance	30				30
Wars of the Roses	540		120	40	700
Late Medieval (refurb)	112	135			247
Macedonians	120			15	135

Napoleonic dominated, as expected, Almost half Confederation of the Rhine troops (and thus almost half Piano Wargames figures!). Strong showing by ECW Scots and Wars of the Roses, too. 

2022 - 3,542.5 points

Army	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery	Command	Points
Napoleonic Spanish	180	160		20	360
Napoleonic Hessians	270				270
Renaissance				40	40
ECW (Scots)	480				480
Wars Roses/Late Mediev	1260		20	120	1400
Mauryan Indian	430	240	240*	50	960

2021 - 3890 points

Army	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery	Command	Points
Napoleonic  French	540				540
Napoleonic Austrian	990				990
Napoleonic British	270				270
Great Italian Wars		120			120
ECW (~ 50/50 K or P)		200			200
Ancient Egyptians	200			20	220
Ancient Sea Peoples	475	330		10	815
Ancient Hittite	140			35	175
Ancient Indian	120				120
Ancient Assyrian	40	50		30	120
Ancient Libyans	200			20	220

Games:

October 2023

Snappy Nappy 1809 "Crisis on the Danube" Campaign

November 2023

Battle of St Armand 1815 with  To the Strongest: Napoleon. 

December 2023

Eagles Cheaper than Brain Cells solo playtest, The Battle of Cookham Moor 1643  with For King and Parliament 

4th Quarter Totals:  4

2023 Total:  Q1 = 3   Q2 = 7  Q3 = 6;  Grand Total = 20 games

Blogging

103 posts

Rules

New rules tried - Valor and Fortitude, Battle Command, Bloody Big Battles, Eagles Cheaper than Brain Cells. 

Terrain

Added 9 scratch built Russian buildings

So, how was the 2023 performance compared with the goals set forth in January 2023?

Expenses:

Projection: Let's aim for $3,000 or less. I have 5 major board games, each from different genres slated for delivery in 2023 from Kickstarters (Coalitions, VoidFall, Castles of Burgundy Deluxe edition, Kingmaker Remastered, and HOMM - the Boardgame) so really, why would I need any more?  I have a relatively few figures I want to add, but Lucas may well do TWO Kickstarters in 2023, and I will surely support those!

Result:  $2,807, a bit under the (very generous) budget. 

Goal: Stay at $3,000 or less for 2024. Lucas will surely have at least 2 more Kickstarters in 2024! Other than those, major lead purchases seem unlikely, bar a new project arising...

 

Painting:

Projection: Aim for at least 3,000 points again. Start the Wurttembergers, finish the Hessian Cavalry, Artillery, and Command, add more ECW Scotts, and may be a few more WotR Old Glory figures. Only the later requires any new lead purchases! Napoleonics seem likely to rule the painting table in 2023 once again! 

Results: Pretty much right on target, and a bit above goal at   3,507 points, 1,100 points of Wurttembergers; the last of them should be completedin  Q1 of 2024 ; Hessians completed, Bavarinas about half done, major adds to ECW Scots and WotR forces. 

Goal: Aim for 3,000 points again; finish Wurttembergers and Bavarians, Make a dent in the remaining Austrian Napoleonics, add to ECW Scotts, refurb the remainder of the 25 mm Late Medieval figures. Maybe start of the expansion of my Napoleonic Portuguese forces (most lead already on hand).  Possible reorganization and some updates to my Assyrian army, possible additions to Macedonians/Thracians. Maybe add to the Tyrolians (Lead on hand already). 

Games:

Projection: Aim for 18 games

Results:  20 games, more or less on target. 

Goal: Aim for 18 games again

Blogging:

Projection: At least 100 posts for 2023. 

Results:  103 posts, on target

Goal: stay at 100 or more posts for the year

Rules:

Projection: I'll likely do as poorly as in the past, but playing "Eagles" and "123!" remain a goal, and add in Absolute Emperor (Osprey) and the new Perry Napoleonic rules "Valor and Fortitude".  I would still like to try Form Line of Battle, and Grand Fleet Actions, and now add in Black Seas (the set designated for Naval affairs on our very languid Napoleonic Imaginations Warplan 5/5 campaign. For Sci-Fi Naval, Starmada, Stars and Lasers, and Ascension of the Galaxy remain goals. I probably will need to retire (planned for October 1, 2025) to accomplish much here!

Results:  New rules played - Bloody Big Battles, Command Patrol, "Eagles", and Valor & Fortitude.

Goal: I'm pretty content with the rules I play - I will likely use V&F 2nd edition at HAVOC in April, getting some Naval and Sci-Fi games on the table remains a goal, odds only fair. Hopefully get around to trying 123 Napoleonics. 

The Scoring

(From the Analogue Painting Challenge)

6mm foot figure = 0.5 point
6mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 1 point
6mm vehicle = 2 points

10mm foot figure = 1 point
10mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 2 points
10mm vehicle = 3 points 

15mm foot figure = 2 points
15mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 4 points
15mm vehicle = 6 points

20mm foot figure = 4 points
20mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 8 points
20mm vehicle = 12 points

28mm foot figure = 5 points
28mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 10 points
28mm vehicle = 15 points
28mm chariots w/ crew 15, + 5 for each crew figure and/or horse

40mm foot figure = 7 points
40mm mounted figure, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 15 points
40mm vehicle = 20 points 

54mm foot figure = 10 points
54mm mounted figures, artillery piece or crew served weapon = 20 points
54mm vehicle, limber, etc. = 30 points

The Battle of Cookham Moor, 1643

Set up for The Battle of Cookham Moor with For King and Parliament, from the (fictional) scenario book From Marlowe to Maidenhythe. View form the Royalist positions, their forces consist of 1 Seasoned and 1 Veteran Battalia, 3 seasoned pike heavy battalia, 1 unit of Commanded shot (the famed Oxford Musketeers), 1 Field gun, 5 Swedish Horse, and a small troop each of Swedish Horse and Dutch style Lobsters in 4 commands.

View form the Parliamentary starting positions. They have 2 units of deep Highlanders, 5 regular Battaglia (3 of them Scots), 1 unit each of commanded shot and Field guns, and 3 units of Dutch stle Horse, two of them Veteran, in three commands

With Thomas having to bow out last minute due to feeling unwell, it was just Kevin and I. As he was new to the rules, I gave him the Royalists to command (the Dutch style cavalry is at a huge disadvantage to the Swedish style Horse).  The royalist won the "toss", and played first. My center command moved across the stream to their front without issue, but the Scots, even with the Army general replaying their failed Group move forward stubbornly stayed put, evidently claiming their Haggis had yet to cool properly. Only one of the 3 Horse units made it across the minor stream as well. Not a very auspicious start. 

Royalist Move 1 - note the great precision with which their forces have advanced in a well coordinated fashion! 

Parliament, Move 2. The local militia Battaglia have continued their advance, and another cavalry unit has crossed the stream. The3 Scots get partly across the stream, but then pause to rinse out their stockings. The Roundhead artillery remains limbered, having difficulty deciding where to deploy. 

Table edge view of the end of Parliamentary Turn 2. 

Royalist Turn 2 - a continued advance on all fronts, with the alarmin arrival of some cavaliers far in the vanguard, and potentially threatening the Parliamentary Left flank! The Royal Artillery also decided to await events before committing themselves and unlimbering (once Artillery of this era unlimbers, it cannot move for the rest of the game, other than to change its facing). 

Royalist Turn 3 ends very quickly! This has the potentially to really give the King's men a tempo advantage at critical stage of the battle's development!

Royalist Turn 3sees the forces of the King lose some spring in their step as well, but the far advanced Horse on the Royal right has turned to face the flank of the lead Scots Foote. 

Parliamentary Turn 4. The Roundhead gun unlimbers in position, and then fies - an actually manages to score a hit, which the target fails to save!  They have accomplished about as much as one ever expects from the guns in these rules already (right after I explained to Kevin how generally ineffective they are!)

The rest of Parliamentary Turn 4; the far left Scots Foote manages to form hedgehog, which greatly reduces the risk of them being trampled by the enemy Horse, but makes them ineffective at shooting whilst themselves making a prime target. Their failure to exert any Zone of control is yet another disadvantage of the formation. It will buy time, but at the cost of eliminating any real offensive threat by the unit. The Parliamentary cavalry has positioned themselves behind the hedgerows, which offers them considerable protection against the superior Swedish style horse, supported by a unit of Foote; the Commanded shot have infiltrated the woods, which is the best spot for them. Still this means that a mere 6 VM worth of Royalists are stalemating 12 VM's or more of the enemy. With the Scots all but incapable of offensive action as well, the center is left open for the King's men to dominate.

Royalist Turn 4: and dominate the Center is exactly what the Cavaliers do. The Royal Artillery finally decides to commit, deploying to partially counter the threat of the commanded shot in the woods. 

Parliamentary and Royalist Turns 5. The roundhead shot in the woods turns and shoots the Green regiment in the flank, one unsaved hit resulting. They also manage to move one unit of Scots in front of the guns, holding the bridge over the river... but masking the gun. Two units of Scots are still grossly mispositioned and unable to contribute much to the battle! Even worse, on the Royalist movethey manage to infiltrate another of their cavalry units across the stream and into the woods, on the flank of the hithertofore inactive Scots!  The Cavaliers continue by moving the Black regiment up to the bridge, and turning their whitecoats to flank the enemy bluecoats, whilst the Greencoats pull back.  Note the small troop of Lobsters holding back in the center. 

Parliamentary Turn 6.: The two flanked units of Foote manage to turn to face their attackers, but they can generate little offense. 

Royalist Turn 6: The Foote and commanded Shot on their right move up to engage the Hedgehog in a  battle of Musketry where they have all the advantages! The Cavalry in the woods pulls back to avoid being shot at by the Covenanter Foote, but still continue to threaten the flank of the Scots command.  

Turn 7: View of the Center and Left - the Covenanter Foote has managed to score 2 hits on the enemy Blackcoats; one more and they will be dispersed!

On the right, the Commanded shot advance to regain the flank of the Green coats, and the right flank commander decides it's now or never, and advances boldly (some might say, rashly) with his yellowcoat Foote and one of his Veteran regiments of Horse. meanwhile, the Highlanders launched a wild, Highland charge upon the veteran Yellowcoated Roundhead pikemen. The initial impact did some damage, but after that everything favored the pike armed Foote, and before long a mob of Scots ran screaming back to the heather and the hills!. 

Royalist Turn 7; the small troop of Lobsters manages to maneuver to charge into the flank of the Roundhead Bluecoats; this is an official Bad Thing, and they play SIX hit cards, scoring 2 unsaved hits. The Bluecoats are in serious danger of becoming cooked ham!

Situation on the Royalist Left. 

In the center, the combined firepower of the Blue Regiment and the Oxfiord Musketeers has eliminated the Scots Hedgehog - Double hit cards and poor saves, ouch!

Turn 8: The Roundhead Horse pulls back, and the Yellow Foote flank the Cavalier Horse; however, they are unable to activate to shoot (Foote are unable to attack Horse in melee under any circumstances in this era)

The Roundhead Blue regiment, with 2 hits on it, pulls back, but the whitecoated Royalist Foote  Lobster  troop both follow it. The Royalist Foote in the Center move up to, and in the case of the the Oxford Musketers, across the stream. The Scots Foote near the woods turns to face the advancing enemy, while the Highlanders gain the flank of the Horse in the woods. 

Overview of the battle from the opposite perspective. 

Turn 10: The Highlanders shoot the Cavalier Horse in the woods in the flank, scoring one hit. After that, they are essentially unable to effect the Horse; they can't shoot again, and are not allowed to engage them, even in the flank, Disordered in the woods. That seemed a bit unreasonable, and the first time I have had a serious issue with the rules. Pikes and cavalry don't belong in the woods; I think at very least cavalry should lose their invulnerability to attack by infantry when in the woods! They do already lose the benefit of their Dash markers when charging into, in, across, or out of rough terrain. Easy enough to House Rule, though. That lead to the question, is Dash still expended in such a circumstance. We decided no for game purposes, but I think the answer is yes On the other hand, reading the rules the night before, moving 2 boxes for Horse doesn't expend a dash, only charging and pursuing any distance. The Oxford Musketeers charge into the flank of the Covenanter unit defending the bridge, and in 2 charges, the entire regiment is scattered!

Royalist Turn 11: The Highlanders can only stare aggressively at the enemy Horse in the woods, the Scots Foote pulls back, the gun shoots at the Blackcoats, hoping to get that last hit and eliminate the unit, but - nope! The Royalist Bluecoat Foote pulls back yet again, whilst their Yellow coats turn to face the Horse, but fail to shoot them!

Parliamentary Turn 11: The Bluecoat Horse pull back from the Yellowcoat Parliamanetarian Foote to avoid being shot at. With no hedges to blunt the fury of their charge any longer, another unit of Cavalier troopers charge some veteran Pistoliers. They play FIVE hit cards, and as is so often the case, brush off the point blank defensive fire of the enemy pistols, and ride down their Puritan opponents. Poof, gone!  Meanwhile yet another Royalist small troop gains the other flank of the beleaguered Parliamentarin Blue Foote, whilst the Lobsters muck about in the woods, placing themselves on the flank of the Roundhead Commanded shot!

Meanwhile, the Oxford Musketeers occupy Cookham and threaten the flank of the last Covenanter Foote. The Parliamentarians have lost 13 of their starting 17 medals, and the Royalists... none of their 18 medals. With little meaningful they could do on their next turn before at least 2 more units will almost certainly be destroyed, the Roundheads concede to their opponents. Interestingly each side only had one General hit, and each time they were merely stunned for a turn. The victorious Royalist Horse would have had to have launched a Pursuit on their turn, but at this point it would matter little. A smashing victory for Kevin and the forces of the King!

Yuletide Treasures, 2023

First, a very Happy New Year to one and all! Let us hope the situation in the world improves in 2024!

No, that's not a picture of our home at Christmas, but a very suitable puzzle (we even have a fireplace that looks a lot like the one illustrated!) that one of my Grandsons game me!

Now THAT is a picture of our home at Christmas!  With plans to breed Maddie (center) this winter, maybe it could look even more like the puzzle next year. :-)

One of a number of books from our History buff friends. 

Could be inspiration for TTS! game...

I even have a small collection if tiny Triremes from back in the 1980's!

I hadn't heard of this one before, and have already started to read it. 

2 decks from the King's Wild Project -  Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Also from King's Wild...

How to enter the Gates of Moria (assuming you speak Elvish).

Upgrading my table coverings for some of my games - Cigar Box "New Europe - no roads" 6  x 4 foot plus (actually about 80 inches by  40 inches); three of them which should be plenty  for anything I am likely to run!

The very aptly named Field of Battle Grassland 2 mat!

...with a 6" grid for To the Strongest and perhaps gridded Napoleonic games. One again, I got three of them, which should be more than enough. I just don't want them going out of production after I decide I need another! 

No lead for the Holidays this year. I have more than enough of a backlog already, and with Lucas' most recent Kickstarter due to start delivery in a month or so, and at least one and probably 2 more to come in 2024, I pretty much know where my budget for figures is going this year!