I go away for a week...

I go away for a week and I come back and find out that Jon at Khurasan Miniatures is shutting down for a while for personal reasons. Man, with GZG going dark to get the new webstore up and running and Mark at Dropship Horizon leaving, and now Jon, it's been a bit pf a bumpy ride for 15 mm Scifi this year. But with anything great, I hope it's just growing pains of a burgeoning genre.

I put in a bits and pieces order with Jon the day before he made the announcement, so I hope it will get processed, and I wish him well. It would be nice to get the order so I can use them for Blasters and bulkheads.

This doesn't temper the Black Powder or Hail Caesar goodness either. There's plenty of the Lead Addict to go around.

And on another note, my favorite 15mm fantasy is being rereleased. Demonworld was bought by Ral Partha Europe. And the first wave was announced today! My beloved orcs. Now the rest of the world can get a chance at these beautiful figs.

(edited:clarified that GZG went dark just for the new web store reboot)

Black Powder - continued playtesting

Had a go again with Black Powder on Father's Day. The Baron http://baronvonj.blogspot.com/ and I played at his house. Just the two of us. BEen a long time since we did that. It was great fun. We used our ECW/TYW figs. I know mine have never seen a battle, but now they will for sure using Black Powder.

I am terrible about Battle Reports. Suffice it to say, we had 8 units of cav, 8 units of Infantry, and a cannon each. 4 brigades each. We finished in 2.5 hours including set up and take down. I love these rules. I never feel like I have gotten screwed after playing them. I have lost 2 out of the 3 times I played. I never feel like the guy who knows them the best or knows the intricacies of how to manipulate them will win. As simple and elegant as they seem, so far, the winning side, always has been the one with the best tactical set up and execution. and a little luck never helps. This and Hail Caesar opens up a whole new possibilities for during periods that we can still game, have fun, and enjoy great looking tables covered with minis.

They are a winner. I would encourage anyone who likes this style of gaming to pick up a set.

 Hail indeed. Late Roman/Arthurian/Viking/Saxons here I come! 

Shout out for all to go see

Thought I would drop a note for everybody who may not know, but since to Dropship has changed crews, and is still running the Horizon through her paces, so until they get the kinks out, my go to blog for 15mm is now http://tinysolitarysoldiers.blogspot.com/

Great stuff. Vibrantly painted 15mm minis that are hard to believe they are 15's. and I stole his Vault boards for my 15mm dungeon boards.

Great Job. Nice to see the 15mm love.

Now I need to pick a bunch of characterful figs from my collection and get them mounted on pennys form skirmishing and playingtesting Blasters & Bulkheads from Scott Pyle. http://four-color-figures.blogspot.com/  great guy that is. Scott has been sending the Basement Generals playtest rules for some of his upcoming games. And Blasters & Bulkheads is the lastest. Skirmish team goodness in the space opera future. Looks great and is based on the great goalsystem system he is known for. Thanks Scott.

Happy gaming folks.

A new project.


We have been play testing the Black Powder Rules, and soon Hail Caesar. I really like the rules and the spirit of them. I am really lucky that I have 2 groups of gamers who seem to have hit on them at the same time. and they both can play them for the spirit of the game they represent and not be gamey. Lucky Me!

So after a successful week of playing them, we want to stay in the period, but play another set we love but hadn't played yet. Commands and Colors Napoleonics. We love C&C Ancients and BAttle Lore. You have seen my fantasy armies for the system, but we hadn't played the NApoleonics version yet, so I brought my stuff and 15mm figs to the BAron's new Castle and had a game.

It was fun, 3 generals on each side. We played Vimiero out of the scenario book. A rough go for the BRits if they don't concentrate fire and whittle down the French attack columns. It was fun, and over in 2 1/2 hours. My kinda game.

But while prepping for the game, I decided I hated the basing my collection was on. It served no purpose for me any longer. It was for Age of Eagles, which I have abandoned as a game I want to play anymore. 3/4" x 1" stands with four guys. six stands a unit. Too small, too few figs, and barely a third of any of my painted armies ever got to the table. So I have a new project...the worst thing in wargamming...REBASING!

I hate it, but since my philosphy about what I find fun in a wargame has changed so much in the last 10 years, its time for a change.

Here they are. 6 stand units to go with Black Powder Standard Units, or they can be used for C&C Napoleonics, since base size is irrelevant. Or even in better looking Age of Eagles game, if I were so inclined.(I'm not).

I did a test on the Brits. 6 stands. Each stand is 25mm x 50mm. Same size as my C&C Fantasy mounting. Cav is 6 Stands for Lt. Cav(2 to a stand), 4 Stands for Hvy Cav(3 per stand), on a 50mm x 50mm stand, and Cannon are 1 cannon and Crew on a 50mm x 50mm stand. I think it looks pretty good. Dense and easy to see as a mass of men on the field. I also get to do what I have always wanted to. Have infantry commanders, moounted, with their units, like The Grand Manner. And for the BRits, I get to finally have the room for the Kings Colour and the Regimental Colour on the same stand.

Infantry Unit



Infantry Unit with Artillery Support

Gamers View

Lt Cav Unit

Down the Line

I will do this as time allows. I am going to finish the construction of my foam dungeons and do some doors. Finish the HiMobility 15mm guys. Then maybe the WWWII stuff thats's on the table, or the rebasing effort.

Also looming, playing Pike and Shot with Black Powder. I  have 12 units of infantryand 1 cav painted. The Baron has some as well. I need some more infantry, cav and cannon, all of which are sitting in a box, rady to paint. Its a golden age for the game, truly.

Sneak Peek

OK so gamer ADD and eye candy always seems to make me change dirrection.

This post http://tinysolitarysoldiers.blogspot.com/ and a few others at this great blog got me interested in doing some cheap tile terrain. So, I put the WWWII guys and the GZG Hi-Mobility force to the side and dove right into the dungeon time making.

So I had stacks of 3" mdf bases from an old project lying around. and I had pink foam. A quick visit to Home Depot at lunch to get the cheapest sheet tile I could, and Voila. Dungeon tiles for $.20 a tile.

I did 40 in the last week. Tiles are 14 tiles/foot. cheap glass tiles. Perfect for 15mm, which I have tons of. Its portable and compact and I can really do some great thematic stuff with it. So It should be fun. About 2 dozen more tiles should finish the construction of the first batch. Should be good for some dungeon bashing with the kids. OR the Generals.

Overall tiles so far. 36 3" tiles and a large 6" tile room.

Blow up of the materials.

Scale shot with some Demonworld 15mm fantasy figs(yeah they are avalable again)

Broken out tile examples

Single corridor tile.

All the walls are hand carved with a very sharp xacto #11. I have gone through 3 blades so far. Alene's tacky glue for adhesive. Best glue for terrain ever.

I will be doing some 6" tile for rooms and themes. Painting is next. I will hand paint the tiles black first, then decide on the overall color of the dungeon (probably traditional grey or brown, then do colored theme rooms, tile color patterns, etc. All in all a nice and productive diversion.

and speaking of diversions...

We are now dabbling with Black Powder, and soon Hail Caesar! The BAsement Genrals play a SYW game on thursday of Black Powder (enjoyed it a lot) then played it again Saturday witha different group with 15mm Civil War. Played great both times. VEry fun. Its quick, decisive,a nd requires you to think a little different from other games. I have realy enjoyed it. So I ordered the rules. Hopefully here soon.

May start painting Nappies again. Sure would be nice to get Phase II done. And would like to play Hail Caesar with Late Romans/Arthurians I think. and Rome is always fun. We'll see...

Well looks like I jumped the gun...

Dropship Horizon is flying again. Now with a different crew. MArk has gracioulsy let a group of international gamers take the controls. Good Luck Guys! One of the Addict's favorites, Eli from I See Lead People is on board so it should be OK.

A Sad Day

Those of you who have followed the blog over the last few years have noticed a creeping interest turn ionto a full blown obsession with 15mm sci fi. And the man who really put it all together into one of the most informative, thought provoking and fun blogs about the subject is ending his run. The blog of course is Dropship Horizon. http://dropshiphorizon.blogspot.com/2011/06/end.html

Mark's personal work in getting good 15mm sci fi product out there has really made an effect on the market. His thoughts became the go to opinion ofor many manufacturers, and he was used as a sounding board for concepts and previews for many as well. HE will be missed mightily by those of us who checkeed his site 3-4 times a day, hoping for a preview of what was coming in the genre.

Thanks Mark. You will be missed.