54mm: Duchy of Warsaw.

A project that, to be honest, took me longer than I expected: the Duchy of Warsaw in 54mm scale. Although truth be told, the figures ended up in a slightly larger scale, 60mm, to be precise, due to an oversight on my part.

But let's start from the beginning. As the 54mm scale was gaining popularity in our group, I decided to expand my collection in this scale. Because no suitable figures were available on the market, I chose to upscale Polkowski Miniatures figures, which are originally 28mm. I entrusted this task to my printer, Tomek. However, when he sent me photos of the figures with their dimensions, I forgot to compare them with the figures I already owned—and that's how this happened. The blame lies squarely with me.

Up to now, I had only owned voltigeurs, and they were generally shorter. For them, I ordered 10 fusiliers and 10 grenadiers. Overall, it doesn't look bad, and with the right perspective on the table, it shouldn't be a problem.

The cavalry, however, is a different story. I ordered some Uhlans: an officer, a trumpeter, and three troopers. Some time ago, at Claymore, I got a Guard Lancer from Michael, and now that lancer looks as if he's riding a pony next to my Uhlans!

Still, I decided to paint them regardless of the scale issue. The real problem turned out to be the bases. The Uhlans were on Warbases products, and I chose the right size for them from the start. For the infantry, though, I used bases that were too narrow, and the figures became very unstable once they were fully painted. I had to glue them onto larger bases (both are Renedra products), but in the end, it doesn't look too bad.

The worst part, however, was the painting process itself. I haven't been this reluctant to finish a project in a long time, so the final touches were done rather quickly, just to finally get it over the line. It took me three months to finish that project, even though it should have taken only one month!

Anyway, it's finally done. They're going into the box to wait for their first game. I'm taking a long break from anything larger than 28mm—it's time to move on to smaller scales.

Finally, the infantry, fusiliers, and grenadiers are painted in the colours of the 8th Infantry Regiment, while the Uhlans wear the colours of the 7th Uhlan Regiment. The pennants on their lances are of my own design.

Napoleonic Rebels and Patriots in 54mm.

Hello everyone, after a long break, the holidays are over, and it's time to get back to regular gaming. First, we played two games using the Rebels and Patriots rules, but this time on a 54mm scale. Initially, Mike intended to use only his miniatures, but it turned out that my Poles would fit in. We managed to play two games during the club night.

SCENARIO: Scenarios G and L from the main book
UMPIRING: Mike Evans

SCENERY: Mike Evans, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Mike Evans, Bartek Żynda

1. Defend Schneider's battery

1.1. Forces.

FRENCH & POLES

(Bartek, Gordon, Peter, Tim)

1 x HEAVY CAVALRY

1 x GRENADIERS

2 x VOLTIGUERS

1 x LINE INFANTRY

REINFORCEMENTS:

1 x LINE INFANTRY

BRITISH & PRUSSIANS

(Alasdair, Michael, Mike)

2 x GUN

1 x JAEGERS

1 x LINE INFANTRY

1 x LINE INFANTRY

1.2. The game.

The first game we played, was based on scenario L from the book. Michael and Alasdair were Prussians defending the gun battery, while Mike led the British support. On the other side, Gordon, Peter, and Tim led the French infantry, while I had the Polish Voltigeurs and French Cavalry. Our goal was to destroy the Prussian battery. Unfortunately, we started too concentrated in the middle of the field, so the Prussian guns had us on a silver platter. Michael's shots were also surprisingly accurate, and their fire decimated the French. The support gained from the double 6 did not help. The game ended in a victory for the defenders.

2. Zynda Creek Bridge

2.1. Forces.

FRENCH & POLES

(Bartek, Gordon, Peter,)

2 x LINE INFANTRY

3 x VOLTIGUERS

BRITISH

(Alasdair, Michael, Mike)

1 x GUN

1 x 95th RIFLES

1 x SKIRMISHERS

1 x SHOCK INFANTRY

2.2. The game.

In the next game, we played scenario G from the book. I defended the bridge as the Poles, while Gordon and Peter rushed to help as the French. Meanwhile, Alasdair, Michael, and Mike commanded the British. The 95th Riflemen appeared on the table, but they have had no luck against my Poles in previous games. This time, the British moved forward, but the Poles held their positions behind the fortifications. The French were much more effective this time, with a unit of British light infantry being shot by French Voltigeurs right at the beginning of the game. This loss had a strong impact on the British's further actions. When they reached the Polish positions, they opened concentrated fire, but the Polish retaliated with equally effective fire. As a result, the 95th Riflemen were defeated once again. The Poles held their positions and held out until help arrived, which led to their victory this time.

3. Links

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/Seswc.co.uk/posts/938787901611875

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720321029622

History Dad: The Second World War. France 1940.

Last week, Mike invited us to play a game with History Dad: The Second World War. This time, we reenacted the 1940 France scenario, with the BEF facing the German Blitzkrieg. The game was played on a 54mm scale.

SCENARIO: Mike Evans
UMPIRING: Mike Evans

SCENERY: Mike Evans, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Mike Evans

1. Forces.

UNITED KINGDOM

(Mike, Tim)

Lieutenant

Sergeant

Artillery Observer

Radio Controller

3 x Infantry Team (8 x Rifle, 1 x Bren Team (2 crew))

1 x Light Mortar (2 crew)

1 x Medium Mortar (3 crew)

2 x ATR (2 crew)

2 x Universal Carrier

1 x Daimler Dingo

2 x Bunker

THIRD REICH

(Bartek, Gordon, Peter)

Lieutenant

Sergeant

Artillery Observer (on Motorbike)

Radio Controller

3 x Infantry Team (1 x SMG, 6 x Rifle)

3 x MG34 Team (3 rew)

1 x Veteran Infantry Team (1 x Pistol, 1 x SMG, 6 x Rifle) in Sd.Kfz. 251/1

1 x Light Mortar (2 crew)

1 x Medium Mortar (3 crew)

1 x Tripod MG34 team (3 crew)

1 x Flamethrower Team (3 crew)

1 x MG34 team (2 crew) in Kubelwagen

1 x MG34 team (3 crew) on Motorbike

1 x Sd.Kfz. 222

1 x StuG III Aufs. A.

Air Support: JU-87 Stuka

2. The game.

In our game, the Germans were given the task of breaking through the British defence in a French town. The Germans launched a strong attack from the beginning, exploiting the fact that the British defence lines were mainly situated in the centre of the town and that the British soldiers had to expose themselves to fire at the attacking enemy. Gordon attacked on the left flank, Peter in the middle, and I on the right flank. Opposite me was Tim's unit, which initially effectively hindered my actions, but the combined firepower of all my forces led to the defeat of the British resistance in that area. There were, of course, German losses, mainly in equipment. The armoured car was immobilized, and the Kubelwagen was destroyed.

Gordon, however, was much less fortunate. He was pinned down by the fire from Mike's infantry unit, halting his advance in a small forest. Taking advantage of the main British fire being focused on me and Gordon, Peter attacked in the centre of the field. He used a flamethrower to eliminate the British centre, creating an opening for Stug to drive through. The game was over. The British defence crumbled, giving the Germans an open route to the west.

Few words about the rules. Units are activated randomly and they execute single orders. When a unit is activated, fire causes the enemy unit to undergo a certain number of tests. Failure to pass the test results in the loss of figures. Additionally, a suppression test is performed to determine whether a unit can perform offensive actions or not. Each weapon type has a specific number of attack dice assigned to it. Furthermore, each heavy weapon (such as guns, mortars, etc.) has a designated hit radius. In general, the rules are quite straightforward and can be learned very quickly, making them perfect for a club night.

3. Links.

RULES:

https://www.wargamevault.com/product/473159/History-Dad-The-Second-World-War

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720319128938/