Going off-line for a while

I'm going off-line for a while.  Probably about two years.  I have new expenses with a new apartment.  And I can't afford internet right now for my laptop.  So, I'm putting all my blogs into hiatus for the foreseeable future.  It's been fun.  However, I'll still have personal and professional email accounts if you need to get a hold of me online. 

Thanks,
Regards,
Blake Wood Walker
St. Louis, MO
USA

Counting the cost....

Unfortunately, I sold off my entire 28mm British colonial/darkest Africa, 28mm Samurai/Koreans, 15mm SYW, and 6mm 1980s Angolans/South Africans in order to pay bills.  The only things I have left are 28mm Mongols, 28mm Franco-Prussian War, and 28mm American War of Independence. 

I also got rid of my WH40K armies, too.  I also sold off my Warmachine armies, too.  Not that I have room for all those figures.  I had to downsize.  It was only a matter of when. 

Part of me would like to reminisce about what I got rid of.  However, my most immediate project is 28mm American Revolutionary War.  Most of which is plastic.  That's for British Grenadier. 

I'm also looking at doing two small 28mm Macedonian Successor Kingdom armies for Neil Thomas's Ancient and Medieval Wargaming Rules.  Those will be my historical armies. 

I'd like to put together 2.000 points of Blood Angels Assault force for WH40K eventually.  I'll just have one WH40K army and some Kill Zone forces from the boxed set, too.  I've been reading too much WH40K novels recently.  It's rekindled my interest in WH40K.  Right now, I'm reading Ciaphas Cain:  Hero of the Imperium by Sandy Mitchell. 

I have also have schizophrenic delusions of 15mm Great Pacific War, 1879-1884 using They Died For Glory.  Maybe, some other time down the road...

Old Skool Chainmail game....

I played in an old school Chainmail game today at Glenn Wilson's house.  I played the Orcs/goblins and Joe Collins' playing the dwarfs.  Joe set up a defensive position while I went on the attack.  My first group of goblins broke from close combat against dwarf spearmen.  They routed off the board.  My second group of goblins took casualties from bow fire.  I had them fall back when they reached 50% strength.  They also eventually routed off the board at the end of the game.  My archers managed to wipe out a unit of dwarf axemen.  While my orc heavy infantry took out the dwarf spearmen before running into a were-bear.  My orc heavy infantry went berserk and killed the were-bear.  They reformed as the dwarf bowmen charged my heavy orc archers.  The dwarfs lost the combat and routed into the orc heavy infantry to be wiped out to a man. 

I was only left with two orc units and a marginal orc victory for controlling the game board.  End of story...

Current and future projects...

I made a concerted decision to completely sell off most of 28mm, 15mm, and 6mm scale collections.  I had to much stuff for a one bedroom apartment.  I kept my 28mm Franco-Prussian War armies and 28mm American War of Independence forces (NIB). 

The next thing I did was determine what I'd do after that.  I simplified things by keeping everything in one scale.  I'm staying with 28mm figures.  I would have liked to have done 15mm Great Pacific War.  However, I'd have to buy 15mm Hispanic terrain to go with the armies. 

Maybe later, much later.  Like five years down the road....  LOL.

I did talk to friends.  I'd planned to build two 28mm Macedonian Successor Kingdom armies for Neil Thomas' Ancient and Medieval Wargaming rules.  I have 28mm Foundry Greek command.  I'll fill in the rest with 25mm Old Glory next December 2019. 

I have entire 28mm British, Hessian, and Continental plastic armies to assemble and paint.  It will take most of the next eighteen months to complete.  The rules set I'm using is British Grenadier.  The Great Pacific War would be modified They Died For Glory.  Those are my plans, so far....

Blake

Liquidating most of my 28mm figure collections....

I'm in the process of liquidating most of my 28mm figure collections.  What remains is 28mm British Colonials.  I'm not sure after this week what will remain.  The 15mm SYW and 6mm Angolan/South African micro-armor has also been spoken for.  If you're interested in any of the remaining figures, please email me at blakewoodwalker@gmail.com

Thanks,
Regards,
Blake Wood Walker

Review of Dave Schafner's 28mm ACW Muskets and Tomahawks

I played in Dave Schafner's 28mm ACW Muskets and Tomahawks game several weeks ago at Miniature Market's retail shop here in St. Louis, MO.  I ran two 12 man Union green regular infantry regiments.  Craig Ackerman (Rusty Musket) ran two 10 man regular Confederate infantry regiments. 

The 28mm ACW rules are a variant of Muskets and Tomahawks.  It's a specific card driven system where you can get both movement cards for both sides.  I found this rather confusing.  The Sword and The Flame is also card driven.  However, everything happens in a specific order.  There's a Movement, Fire, Close Combat, and then a Morale phase. 

Dave's 28mm ACW house rules handles movement, or fire, or reloading.  Everything is based on D6s.  Morale test happen as the unit needs to test.  Because of the randomness of the card play, you never know when your movement card for a particular unit might be played.  I didn't see the point in playing enemy movement cards to confuse the enemy.  Dave Schafner loved it. 

Part of the problem was there was too many players on a 4' x 8' table to maneuver.  That was out of the question.  It then became a question of a slaughter-fest as troops got in range of rifled muskets.  Craig Ackerman (Rusty Musket)rolled outstanding.  His command was eventually liquidated.  The Union left center was gone by the end of the game.  I would take a casualty, roll morale, and fall back.  This happened most of the game.  I did inflict casualties on the Rebels, however, because of my large 12 man regiments. 

You could also burn command figures for extra morale and firing effects, depending on the command figure.  Another example of the "GW reroll" mentality that now pervades historical gaming.  The game ended in bloody draw with not much being determined other another massacre of figures...

I do like 28mm ACW.  It's been a long time since I played it.  Most of my 15mm ACW experience has been as a Union commander playing Fire and Fury.  I played 28mm Brother vs. Brother when I lived in Ames, IA at Iowa State Wargamers Guild.  Craig and I agreed not to playtest 28mm ACW Muskets & Tomahawks again.  Neither one of us liked it.  If there had only been two players aside and room for maneuvering, I would have liked it better. 

However, Mr. Schafner isn't the only one guilty of that.  Many of my scenarios had too many troops and not enough terrain for maneuvering.  That is something I'm trying to rectify in future gaming scenarios....

Blake 

I'm still alive...

Yes, I'm still alive.  I haven't been online for two months.  Now, I am.  However, I've got to liquidate most of my gaming collections to come up with cash.  This only good to those around the St. Louis metro area.  I can't afford to ship the number of 28mm scale figures and 6mm South African and Angolan micro-armor outside of the local area. 

Here is what I have:

28mm Figures:

28mm Colonial:
250 1880s Dervishers (primed)
100 1882 British infantry
380 1879 Zulu infantry

28mm Japanese/Koreans
250 Japanese samurai
150 Royal Korean army

Modern/Vietnam Era
90 Viet Cong infantry
36 US Marine infantry
32 ARVN Rangers
4 M113s (ARVN)
2 US Marine Sea Knights

6mm Scale Modern
1.33 1:1 scale Angolan Micro-Armor Battalion (two companies of BTR-60 and two companies of T-55s)

1.33 1:1 scale South African Micro-Armor Battalion (two companies of motorized infantry, one company of mechanized infantry and 1 MBT company)

Prices:
28mm:  $1.00 per figures, $5.00 per vehicle, including case and foam.  Everything painted except where indicated.

6mm:  $300.00 for entire lot, including sabol bag and foam.  Everything painted, based, and flocked for FFoT, III.

If interested anything, please email me at blakewoodwalker@gmail.com

Thanks,
Regards,
Blake Wood Walker

WIP, 15mm Native Americans and 15mm SYW Prussian infantry brigade, 23APR18

                                          WIP, 15mm Native Americans with various weapons

                                         WIP, 15mm SYW Prussian infantry brigade.

Selling of my Warmachine and WH40K armies....

I selling off my WH40K and Warmachine armies. The reasons are two fold. I'm into way too many periods for my own good. I decided to take the plunge and buy several hundred dollars worth of 28mm American Revolutionary War for use with British Grenadier.

I've been progressively getting rid of things. I'm keeping my 28mm Darkest Africa/British Colonials, 28mm Franco-Prussian War, 28mm Samurai/Koreans, 28mm Vietnam, and 15mm SYW.

In addition to the new Space Hulk game I still have in shrink wrap. I also have an entire unused 6mm Angolan and South African micro-armor waiting to be bloodied. With the American Revolutionary War stuff, that's enough to keep me occupied for quite a while...

Regards,

Blake Wood Walker

End of March 2018 reading...

Here's what I've read so far this past week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  America and the Korean War.  More about Chairman Mao and his rise to power in post-WWII China....

2)  Poets by Cindy Fendel.  Noir murder mystery set in 1947 LA.  There's a screenplay inside the story.

3)  Blood Will Flow.  More Viking adventures in 11 century Norway between the pagan Norse and King Olaf the Christian.

4)  The Sea Devil by Sam Jefferson.  More about Count von Luckner's adventures in the Atlantic Ocean.

5)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume Two by R.A. Salvatore.  Drizzt gets involved in a barbarian uprising to crush the townspeople of Icedale.  He gets the crap beaten out of him in the process.

6)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  Jason Morgan and his wife, Sira, are finally together aboard a starship headed towards Trade Pact space with their friends....

WIP,, 22MAR18, Photos

Here are photos of WIP, 22MAR18 on the painting and assembling queue:

                                           WIP, 15mm Native Americans, 22MAR18.  Base coats completed.

                                          WIP, 30mm GW Phoenix Guard, 22MAR18.

                                          WIP, 28mm Palm Trees, 22MAR18, Assembled.

                                          WIP, 30mm WH40K Chaos Marines commission, assembled.

                                                    WIP, 30mm WH40K Plague Marines and Vehicles, Assembled.

Mid-March 2018 reading....

I didn't get much reading accomplished this week.  I did finish Swords of Good Men.  See previous blog postings for more details and a complete review....

Swords of Good Men by Snorri Kristjansson

Author:  Swords of Good Men.
Title:  Swords of Good Men.
Publisher:  Jo Fletcher Books.
Copyright:  2013.
Pages:  256.

Overview and Impressions:
This historical fantasy book about Vikings was fun.  It took me a while to get into it.  However, once it started, I enjoyed it.  Set in 11th century Norway, two Vikings must put down those who'd still fight for the old pagan gods.  In the process, they meet the gods and their interweaving plots as they kill one of the sister spinners of fate.  Rather bloody piece of writing, but still good rollicking fun.

Recommended.

WIP, 11MAR18

Here are photos of some WIP, 11MAR18:

                                          Completed 30mm GW Fantasy Figures, 11MAR18.

                                          WIP, 15mm Native Americans, 11MAR18.

Early March 2018 reading: part II

Here are some of the books I've read this past week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  America and the Korean War.  More fighting leading up the invasion of the Yalu River.

2)  The Sea Devil by Sam Jefferson.  More about Count Luckner and his early days at sea.

3)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume II by R.A. Salvatore.  More adventures involving Drizzt.  This time, mainly background info....

4)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  More Clan/Trade Pact interactions in human space.

Early March 2018 reading....

I must confess I didn't get much reading or writing done this past week.  I'm listening to Sabaton's "The Price of a Mile."  It's killed any idea of me ever redoing the First World War Western Front 1914 in 20mm.  Here's what I've read:

1)  The Sea Devil by Sam Jefferson.  Interesting beginning of Count von Luckner, the last German raider under sail during WWI...

15mm SYW Game: 15mm SYW British vs. 15mm SYW Saxons AAR, 03MAR18

This was a 15mm SYW game featuring a 15mm SYW British and Hanoverian forces vs 15mm SYW Hanoverians:

                                          Initial deployments between the Allies and Saxons.

                                          Craig Ackerman as the British commander.

                                          Glenn Wilson as the Saxon commander.

                                          British movement using Koenigskrieg 2nd edition.

                                          Calvary battle developing between the two armies.

                                          Both sides fail army morale at the end of turn 4.  Ending in a draw.

Late February 2018 reading....

Here's what I've been reading this week:

1)  The Cold Winter.  The actual Inchon invasion of August 1950.

2)  Swords of Good Men.  Getting to the first actual battle for the town of pig-farms in 11th century western Norway.

3)  Pacific Thunder by Cleaver.  Finished.  See previous blog posting.

4)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One.  Finished.  See previous blog posting.

5)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  More Clan doings in Trade Pact space.

Review of The Legend of Drizzt: Volume One by R.A. Salvatore

Author:  R.A. Salvatore.
Title:  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One.
Publisher:  Wizards of the Coast, LLC.
Copyright:  2013.
Pages:  936.
Price:  $19.95 (US).

Overview and Impressions:
This was an omnibus of the the first three Drizzt novels:  Homeland, Exile, and Sojourn.  They contain the adventures of a young drow elf who rejects his violent homeland for exile and eventual adventures on the surface world.  The first novel paints a dreadful picture of his homeland and city of Menxoberranzan.  The second deals with his misadventures escaping it.  Sojourn is concerned with his exploits making his way on the surface world. 

Drizzt is a fighter.  However, he is versed in magic.  The tell is told in third person and then interspersed with first person narrative.  The first omnibus took a while to read.  However, it's recommended as good fantasy writing by R.A. Salvatore.

Review of Pacific Thunder by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Author:  Thomas McKelvey Cleaver.
Title:  Pacific Thunder:  The US Navy's Central Pacific Campaign, August 1943 - October 1944.
Publisher:  Osprey Publications.
Copyright: 2017.
Pages:  296.
Price:  $35.00 (US).

Overview and Impressions:
The author covers the US Navy's central Pacific campaign from August 1943 to October 1944.  It's mainly the carrier air war between the American and Imperial Japanese navies.  Cleaver goes into pre-WWII naval aerial doctrine, tactics, organization, and logistics and how they affected the outcome of the conflict.

Military planner had been expecting a naval war between Imperial Japanese and US navies since the 1920s.  They thought it would be fought with battleships.  The old battle wagons were sunk at Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941.  The only capital ships the US Navy had left after that were flat-tops.  So the Second World War in the Pacific theater was fought by carrier fleets.

The Battle of Midway was the decisive battle of in the Pacific.  Everything after that were mopping up operations against the Imperial Japanese navy.  The Japanese overplayed their hand at Midway and lost.  Admiral Nimitz's plan was bypass their Pacific strongholds and go for the jugular vein of the Japanese home islands.  That plan infuriated General MacArthur.  He wanted to liberate the Philippines, first.  Invading Japan was projected to cost millions of casualties.  That is why Truman ordered the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

That is outside the scope of this book, which looked at the US central Pacific naval campaign to crush the Japanese.  It was brutal, effective, and it worked.  The Japanese couldn't afford to lose their carrier pilots.  The US Navy had a luxury of experienced naval aviators and aces.  The campaigns in the Marianas, Philippine Sea, and Leyte Gulf provide the worth of Nimitz's staff and underlings.  It went a long way in winning the Pacific theater....

Recommended.   

Mid-February 2018 reading....

Here's what I've read this week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  American and the Korean War.  Defensive battles around Pusan perimeter in August 1950....

2)  Swords of Good Men.  More Vikings in 11th century Norway....

3)  Pacific Thunder by Cleaver.  More carrier battles in the central Pacific in mid-1944 between the US and Imperial Japanese navies....

4)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One by R.A. Salvatore.  Drizzt learns about deities from an elderly, blind ranger friend whom he helps bury...

5)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  Sira makes contact with other members of the Clan while Jason Morgan signs onto a merchantman starship...

Early February reading: part II....

Here's what I've read this week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  America and the Korean War.  More background between the Nationalists and Mao's Communists in the Chinese Civil War.

2)  Missing Persons by Joe Pfeffer.  I stopped reading this second rewrite about missing people in Methland, MO.  Well written.  Not my cup of tea...

3)  Swords of Good Men.  More Viking misadventures between the old Pagan Norse and the Christians under King Olaf in 11th century Norway.

4)  Pacific Thunder by Cleaver.  More 1944 carrier battles for the Mashall Islands in the central Pacific between the Imperial Japanese and US navies.

5)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One by R.A. Salvatore.  More adventures of Drizzt the Drow in the Forgotten Realms.

6)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  More adventures of Jason Morgan and his partner, Sira, leader of the the surviving Clan members.

50th Anniverary of Tet Offensive, 02FEB18, AAR

Photos from 50th Anniversary of the TET Offensive game, 02FEB18.

I ran several Viet Cong local force squads against some aggressive USMC squads. My VC got their pajama bottoms handed to them in both games. I couldn't hit anything to save my life and the American firepower was too overwhelming. I have a better idea what to in future games.

Overall, Ambush Valley/Force on Force works well for small numbers of 28mm figures. Realistically, I have way too many figures for the average game scenario!

          Initial American deployment of his squad in the first game.  My VC were offboard in reserve.
                                       

Glenn Wilson moves up his USMC infantry through the brush

Early February 2018 reading....

Here's what I've read this week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  More about President Truman and the joint chiefs of staff pre-July 1950.  More about Civil War China between the Nationalists and Communists in 1948.

2)  Missing Persons by Joe Pfeffer.  Murder mystery moves to methland Missouri....

3)  Pacific Thunder by Cleaver.  Initial air campaign in the Pacific during 1943...

4)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One by R.A. Salvatore.  More miss adventures involving a tribe of goblins and a baby-devil who are gunning for Drizzt...

5)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  More back story about Jason Morgan and the humans in Trade Pact space...

WIP, 30mm Fantasy Figures, 02FEB18

Here is a photo of WIP, 30mm Fantasy figures, 02FEB18:

                                          30mm three headed ogre and high elves.

Late January 2018 reading: part II....

Here's what I've read this week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  America and the Korean War.  More history about President Truman and the fall of Nationalist Chinese forces in in the Chinese Civil War.

2)  Missing Persons by Joe Pfeffer.  Started a literary fiction novel/mystery based in St. Louis, MO.  I think I've read this manuscript in an earlier incarnation.

3)  Swords of Good Men.  More Viking mayhem in 10th century Norway between Christians and pagan Norse.

4)  Pacific Thunder by Cleaver.  Read about American pre-war flight training and tactics vs. the Japanese, who didn't prepare for a long, drawn out conflict in the Pacific.

5)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One by R.A. Salvatore.  A baby devil morphs into a Dark Elf and unleashes chaos on a farming community.  Causing Drizzt untold misery and guilt.

6)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  Jason Morgan deals with an old friend who wondering what happened to the Clan.   

Late-January 2018 reading....

Here's what I've read this week....

1)  The Coldest Winter:  America and the Korean War.  More battles and politics in the summer of 1950...

2)  The Battle of Minden 1759:  The Impossible Victory of the Seven Years War by Stuart Reid.  See previous blog posting...

3)  Pacific Thunder:  The US Navy's Central Pacific Campaign, August 1943 to October 1944 by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver.  I started reading about the US Navy's carrier war with the Imperial Japanese Navy in 1942.  I also got into prewar US Naval doctrine and carrier tactics, too...

4)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One by R.A. Salvatore.  Drizzt encounters some simple farmers and a former fighter when some stupid sprite steals one of his weapons...

5)  To Guard Against the Dark by Julie E. Czerneda.  I started in the third book in the Reunification series involving Jason Morgan, Sira, and the Clans.  Human space is under threat from the Assemblers, a race of microscope devourers, who want the Clans wiped out.  Morgan is by himself with an alien friend who loves beer (lol)....
 

Review of The Battle of Minden 1759 by Stuart Reid

Author:  Stuart Reid.
Title:  The Battle of Minden 1759:  The Impossible Victory of the Seven Years War.
Publisher:  Frontline Books.
Copyright:  2016.
Pages:  228.
Price:  $39.95 (US).

Overview and Impressions:
A detailed history of The Battle of Minden 1759 by Stuart Reid.  Lots of interesting tidbits about the side battles leading up to Minden itself.  The author claimed George Washington started the Seven Years War???  Outside of that rash statement, The Battle of Minden 1759 is a fast, good read.

Recommended.

Mid-January 2018 reading....

Here's what I've read this week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  More on the Korean War in 1950 and the politics of the American high command in Japan.

2)  Strike One:  Finished reading a police procedure manuscript for an acquaintance.  Technically, the writing is awesome.  However, I hated the main characters.

3)  Swords of Good Men:  More fantasy/historical Viking romp in 11th century Norway.

4)  The Battle of Minden, 1759:  The Miracle of the Seven Years War by James Stewart.  More fighting in late 1758/1759 against the French by Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick.

5)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One by R.A. Salvatore.  Drizzt escapes to the surface world.  He encounters a hill giant who makes his life miserable. 

6)  Vicky Peterwald:  Survivor by Mike Shepherd.  See previous blog posting.

Photos of current and future painting projects....

Here are photos of current and future painting projects:

                                          WIP, 30mm GW High Elf Spearmen, 14JAN18.

                                          More 30mm GW High Elves in the painting queue.

                                          Based a bunch of 15mm Native American infantry for Warbeads.

Review of VIcky Peterwald: Survivor by Mike Shepherd

Author:  Mike Shepherd.
Title:  Vicky Peterwald:  Survivor.
Publisher:  Ace Publishing.
Copyright:  2015.
Pages:  341.
Price:  $7.99 (US).

Overview and Impressions:
Reads like another Kris Longknife novel, only with a different, red haired heroine instead of a blond space admiral.  Some of the story is interesting.  A lot of it is boring and a repetition of the the first book in this new series.  I'm not going to read any more, however.

Though the court politics were interesting.  There was too much of it and not enough action sequences.  My two cents...

Early January 2018 book review....

Here's what I've been reading this week:

1)  The Coldest Winter:  America and Korean War.  The author dealt with Douglas MacArthur.  All I can say is what an ass...

2)  Strike One.  Police procedural mystery by a writer in my local writers group.  Technically flawless.  However, I didn't care if the main characters lived or died at the end.  I wish the amoral female assassin would have got her up and comings.  Felt like I was cheated for the all reading I did...

3)  The Battle of Minden, 1759 by Stuart Reid.  Did you know George Washington was responsible for the start of the Seven Years War according to this British author?  Aside from that, the book has been great reading.  I'm enjoying it so far...

4)  The Legend of Drizzt:  Volume One by R.A. Salvatore.  More adventures of Drizzt the Drow elf and his small party of adventurers taking on a city of mind flayers that get slain by his undead father, who's hunting for his son...

5)  Vicky Peterwald:  Survivor by Mike Shepherd.  More misadventures of her Imperial Highness Vicky Peterwald on a backward water planet over the mining of crystal...

WIP, 30mm GW High Elf Spearmen, 04JAN18

Here's a photo of WIP, 30mm GW High Elf Spearmen, 04JAN18:

                                          WIP, 30mm GW High Elf Spearmen, 04JAN18.