Dutchies do AWI update 2
Crisis has come and gone and with it, the division of the spoils, otherwise known as the Great AWI Order. There are references to this momentous event in both Jeroen Stroomer’s and Jasper Leenarts’ reports below and I’m sure we’ll hear about it from Jur, Jeroen and Mats as well. We were fortunate, again, in having a diligent accountant who verified the order and then went to the extra trouble of sorting all items into packets for the various participants. Thanks again Jurgen! For now, I’ll make way for Jasper and Jeroen before adding my own report.
Jeroen Stroomer: As the days shorten, so does the time between the monthly updates. Or, at least, so it seems. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the larger part of last month was spent waiting for Crisis, and the arrival of the miniatures. In the last two weeks, besides removing the cottonwool from the blisters of metal miniatures, I made a start on the project by assembling a unit of 24 militia. The Hanging Rock scenario requires seven stands of loyalist militia, which I plan to make as two units (four and three stands) with six models per stand. This allows me to use the models as larger units in other games as well.
As reported previously, my militia will be made from the continental infantry box. And what a fine box this is. Besides featuring arms with weapons carried casually (perfect for militia), the box also includes four models wearing hunting shirts to make the unit look suitably irregular. I added a few extra hunting shirts from another plastic box (it pays to buy more boxes than you think are required) and some large round hats from a british regulars box to make the unit look even more diverse. I did include the command models, as I feel the British commander would have allocated some capable officer to lead the rabble. Not wanting to make the focal point of the unit too formal, I included only a single banner bearer. I’m very happy with the resulting look of the unit, which is now finished for undercoating. If only it would stop raining…
Jasper Leenarts: And suddenly, a couple of days before Crisis, we got the news! Our group order from Perry has arrived. Best of all, we could pick our models up at the WSS-stand at Crisis! Regarding Crisis, it was my first time there and I felt like a kid in a candy-store. This show is bad for you, or at least for your wallet. But I kept my desire in check and only spent the maximum amount I promised myself. It is still enough to keep me occupied for a while. I also met Alex Buchel, writer of SAGA and Muskets & Tomahawks, which was really nice.
Back at home I started checking, preparing and basing the indians, civilians and mounted officers. They are ready for a nice undercoat. The only thing is, the weather at the moment in the Netherlands is dreadful, which means the shed is too humid at the moment to use the spray. I am waiting for a dry, but not too cold, day. Within a week I hope to get the bases for the other models as well.
Next I will have to find out what the uniforms looked like at the time. And more important, I will have to stick to it when I paint! That is hard for me; I am not such a purist in historical accuracy… Another thing to mention here. A couple of us are going to playtest the battle of Stono Ferry soon. We want to test if the Muskets & Tomahawks rules work okay for a large battle, with three gamers a side and two fairly large armies. I will tell you about it next time!
As for me, the time around Crisis is, obviously, always a busy one at WSS HQ. We’ve got to prep for the show, travel there, do the thing, come back, do admin and entertain Guy who always comes over and stays another day or so. In short: no time and little energy for painting, but luckily I’d already started on various AWI projects some time ago (I tend to swerve from project to project and often within the overall project as well. I’m sure that’s a familiar issue to at least some of you…) and picked one of those up to finish The Patriot militia cavalry shown at left are nearing completion. They’re not anything I need for the AWI project, but ‘need’ is such a relative thing anyway. They’re dressed in a combination of civilian clothes, a Carolina state cavalry regiment uniform (IIRC located in Osprey’s General Washington’s Army 2), and the 4th Continental Light Dragoons.
