Shovels at Gut Waldau. Red vs Blue

As Red advanced units crest the Doppelberg... Scenario 5  Attack an Objective-Battle.

Shovels, shovels, shovels

Stores Officer Uriah Hackenbush has a wagon load of dodgy military stores that must be escorted to the main body from the nearest farm which he has established as a depot.  

Unfortunately the enemy know about the  supply convoy and an attack is imminent.  

Scenario 5  Attack an Objective-Battle

A Red company must get the wagon to, and then defend, the farmstead, and a plot complication is that a traitor .
is in their midst.

The list of possible traitors is generated from both the officers in the defending force and any of the three Civilians in this location,
Otto the mule guy, Paymaster Uriah Hackenbush and the Blue Nun.

Red Forces
1. Captain James Dale
2. Lieutenant Bernie Cribbins
3. Sergeant Pete Butterworth

4. Leutnant Trocken Stuhl

1 Group Skirmishers

3 Groups Line
1 Group Militia

Blue Forces
1. Major Jurgen Blödsinn
2. Skirmisher Sergeant Grande Jambe
3. Grenadier Captain Grüße Mörder
4. Line Sergeant Schreihals

The Column pokes its nose towards Gut Waldau

The Red Line with skirmishers to the right

And at the farm a group of Red Militia.  

Beside Captain Dale is Storemaster Uriah Hackenbush, he of the huge mustachios, sarcasm and blazing dueling pistols.  An enthusiastically home made figure

Up on the hill Blue arrive

The Blue skirmishers race for  the farm

Red skirmishers, outnumbered take cover behind the wagon

The Militia bravely shuffle back into the cover of the farmyard

Blue skirmish fire is ineffective.  that must be a thick planked wagon.

The red Line closes the distance

Looking good so far

But the Blue Grenadier Officer has a brainwave and takes his group to attack the farm, covered by the skirmishers

Blue first fire is devastating 

The Grenadiers charge into the buildings at bayonet point.  Its a massacre 

The surviving Militia flee.  The spy is revealed on the Event chip.  Its the Nun with the Gun!

With a finger on the lens I chase the Militia across the farmyard.  The wagon will be the centre of the fight.

The lines square up for the final volleys

And brave Captain Dale falls, pierced by a ball to the gorget

Bad things happen as the red line collapses and runs for it

The Red Light Company defends the Deployment point as Blue advances.  It's a tremendous win for Blue who have captured the wagon load of shovels.

Campaign Game 2 The march on Schönkirch.

Campaign Game 2 

The objective for this game is d6=3 Schönkirch.
Red starts at d6=1 Silberburg

Red are in Two Brigades, each of four battalions, and two batteries.  Two Rifles companies are split between the Brigades.  The Infamous Red Hussars provide their only Cavalry force.

Commanding the Red Force is the veteran Maj-Gen Stuhl, known to the King as Old "Solid" Stuhl.
His Chief of Staff is Colonel Inkontinenz.  

Turn 1
Red match on the New Selhiemer Road

Red Event
The Council should sort out these potholes.
The road used by advanced units has been washed out with recent rains.  Progress is slowed.

Turn 2
Red Event
Draw a new Officer card.
An Officer trained in the Blucher Academy is added to your Forces.  Colonel Kershaw, Earl of Brent.  Master strategist is revealed as the commander of Red First Brigade.

Turn 3
Red advanced units crest the Doppelberg. 

Shovels, shovels, shovels
Stores Officer Uriah Hackenbush has a wagon load of dodgy military stores that must be escorted to the main body from the nearest farm which he has established as a depot.  Unfortunately the enemy know and an attack is imminent.  Scenario 5  Attack an Objective-Battle

A Red company must defend the farmstead, and a traitor is in their midst.

The list of possible traitors is generated from both the officers in the defending force and any of the three Civilians in this location,
Otto the mule guy, Paymaster Uriah Hackenbush and the Blue Nun.

Red Forces
Captain James Dale
Lieutenant Bernie Cribbins
Sergeant Pete Butterworth
2 Groups Skirmishers
3 Groups Line

Turn 4
The Mayor of the nearest town is another traitor.
Local Militia close the town in the enemies name.
The Earl of Brent commanding 1st brigade sends his Squadron of Red Hussars to arrest the Mayor.
(A short game I think, but I need to finish my 9 British Hussars)

Red Forces

Hussars Lieutenant Charlie Hawtrey
One group 8 Hussars
In support
Rifles Lieutenant Quentin von Wießmehr. (Nicknamed the Fidgeting Midget)
Rifles Sergeant Terrance Scott
1 Group Rifles

Blue response:
The siege at Wirthshaus Zum Lamm; The enemy has fortified a strong point on the flank held by a single company of heroes under a charismatic Blue officer.
Go kill them please.

The "charismatic" Blue Officer will be Major Finguin, with his Legere Skirmishers and a gun.  For "charismatic" read ...handsomely Fat.  He will have some civilians/guerrillas in there as well as a section of poor local militia.  The Blue are up to something here, and have a wagon loaded in the farmyard.

1.   The Spy                                 
2.   The 83 year old Nun
3.   A Red officer is a traitor      
4.   Torturing Count Bresslaw
5.   Saucy Miss Windsor             
6.   Dragoons down the road 

The good thing is that I don`t actually know what Blue are up to and won't until half way through the game when  roll on the list of 6 possibilities.  I sincerity hope its not that 83 year old nun again.  She caused havoc last time.

The Red Force will be randomly selected for this one since blue drew this, but it will probably be our valiant Rifles captain and his long suffering butler who gain the honour.

So the game has had its first four turns, but in true Farthingdale fashion I am paused to paint up figures for the second game.  I have however rolled Turn 5 so I know that these games are isolated events on the route of march.
Just what are Blue up to this time?

Turn 5
The enemy are nowhere to be seen.  Could they be waiting just off the map?

Black Powder Era Solo Campaign System

With my Campaign Game 2 The march on Schönkirch about to start, I thought I would write up my game mechanics to the blog, as a reference.

Solo Game Mechanics:

Only one side is played, and has an objective location on the Meckel map .  There are 6 possible objectives so a d6 roll, and the entry point diced for.

1. Silberburg, 2. Lenka, 3. Schönkirch. 4. Kroppen. 5. Karsdorf,  6. Gross Hagen

The player's Force marches straight for the objective location.  Once the player's force has moved d6 marches the enemy main body can be determined by drawing an Enemy Response card.  Before this of course other enemy detachments may pop up in response to campaign cards.  An event card is drawn for each march move.

The Enemy is programmed on a set of 6 response cards, that can be vague, but detail their plan in broad terms, using the objective location as their own marker.  All that is known is that the enemy is roughly the same size as the attacking force.  This solo system ensures that each game should be different.

For example in my first game Silberburg was the objective and Blue advanced from nearby Lenka.  The Red drew the first response card and blocked the Selhiemer River foiling those dastardly egg tappers.  It was quickly resolved, but a strongpoint event card added a twist.

The campaign is actually one of companies.  Side actions and skirmishes are the order of the day.  The main forces are notionally brigade sized and battles that are in reality company sized actions will  simply mislabel groups as if they were battalions.

Determining Force size

A simple d6 roll.
6.  Two brigades Infantry, each 4 battalions, a light battalion,  two Cavalry regiments two batteries
Reduces incrementally by one unit to
1.  One Infantry Brigade of three battalions and a light battalion,  one cavalry regiment, one battery

Determine which Companies will be available for each side.

Draw Brigade commanders trained in the Blucher Academy.
Note their specialities.

Companies used in my campaign

Red Line or Guard Infantry
Red Light Infantry
Rifles/Jāger Infantry
Red Hussars
Oporto Allied Infantry

Blue Ligne or Guard Infantry
Blue Legere Infantry
Foreign or Militia Corps White Coat Infantry
Blue Dragoons
Blue Lancers

Sharpe Practice 2 Games

Scenario 1  An Encounter  Battle
Scenario 2  Sweep the Table  Mission
Scenario 3  Defence in Depth  Battle
Scenario 4  Escort Duty  Mission
Scenario 5  Attack an Objective  Battle
Scenario 6  Rescue Mission

Enemy Response cards.

1.  It seems that the enemy has chosen to offer battle.  They are drawn up in a good location between you and the objective.

2.  The enemy have gone into a well defended position on the flank.  If you attempt to bypass them you may be vulnerable.

3.  The enemy are nowhere to be seen.  Could they be waiting just off the map?

4.  The enemy are coming to you.  Their general is aggressive and plans to meet you head on

5.  The enemy have split their forces.  Some are in a well defended location to your front but a second group are behind in reserve.

6. To put it bluntly someone has blundered.  The enemy have at least twice our numbers, and are coming at us from the objective as well as a strong force moving from a second location towards our entry point.

The traditional Meckel map game uses Mid 19th century Armies, however Napoleonic Armies are so similar in composition I find it works well.  This is an "Attack an Objective battle going wrong for Blue.

Campaign Cards.
Below is the entire list Converted to a d6 grid...Roll 2d6

1.1 The corrupt stores Officer.
Uriah Hackenbush, he of the large moustache cigar, eyebrows and double talk, has been at it again.  What's missing this time?  This may slow our advance
D6.  6 is a major failure of supply/1 is theft from the Generals wine store.

1.2 Enemy scouts.
Dice to determine type and discover if more substantial enemy are near.

1.3.  The road less taken
Mud has halted one of the columns.  Stretched in line of march it encounters a small enemy Cavalry unit that will harass your units until driven off.   Two groups of Enemy Cavalry against a Company and a bogged down gun.

1.4.  Forced March
One of your Officers is obviously a rambler.  His units have made almost double the anticipated progress.  He has his men singing the tappers anthem... "Wir sind Klopfer, wir klopfen und klopfen, gekochte Eier sind Spitze, Ja, Ja!"

1.5. The weather turns
Sunshine turns to dreadful rain and vice versa.  Rain lasts d6 days.

1.6. Deserters
The Army of Nedd Ludd is reported to be raiding the nearest village, lead by former Army Chef Ronay Ramsei.
Divert a company to deal with them.  D6 for the number of Militia units Ludd has turned.

2.1. The army paychest
Army Paymaster Uriah Hackenbush, he of the large moustache cigar and eyebrows, is delivering the paychest from the nearest town.  A company sized force must be sent out to escorting him to the General.  The enemy will attack with d6 groups

2.2. The Dowager Countess of Nennwieler
The very eligible and over keen Countess Joan is in an nearby hostelry after her coach threw a wheel.  Officers may abandon their duties to pay court.  Dice for each.

2.3. Shovels, shovels, shovels
Stores Officer Uriah Hackenbush has a wagon load of military stores that must be escorted to the main body from the nearest farm which he has established as a depot.  Unfortunately the enemy know and an attack is imminent.  A company must defend the farmstead.

2.4 Draw a new Officer card.
An Officer trained in the Blucher Academy is added to your Forces.

2.5. A company action.
One of your companies has been isolated and faces an assault from an enemy of d6 groups.
Scenario 1  An Encounter  Battle

2.6. The rocket troop.
Caractacus Potts latest madness; along with his assistant Wernher von Braun he has constructed half a dozen metal "rockets."  Escorting Potts towards the enemy and firing the secret weapon is the mission.  He wants to establish a "Rocket Troop," as part of the Royal forces.  These things are really  dangerous and von Braun loyalty suspect.

3.1. The landscape painter.
J M W Turner noted artist wishes to paint the enemy advance.  He is added to your Forces.  Protect the idiot. Joey Mickey Willy Turner is famous as the painter of the Haystrain, a depiction of rural farmworkers, and of course his Naval masterpiece "The Fighting Temptation," depicting a quayside, harlots and Sailors.

3.2  A wild eyed preacher.
The Reverend Ian Paisley Stripe (A self confessed egg slicer) preaches Sunday Service on the dangers of tapping.

3.3. Thomas W. Paine the Colonialist Rebublican.
Paine is arrested, having called for Universal Suffrage.  He must be escorted to the nearest town and handed over to a Naval Officer and Pressing Party from HMS GoodRiddance.  The enemy are aware of this and have sent Cavalry to rescue Paine, just to cause political tensions.

3.4  An Officer of The Exiled Prince
Alan Brek Stuart, Highland Officer serving on the staff as one of the ADCs.  He has sworn to return to the Highlands one day with the Young Prince, raise the clans and retake the throne of Albion. Meantime he's here to annoy everyone with his recklessness and passion for the ladies.  His nickname with the lads is "Ever Ready Brek. "  Keep him alive.

3.5.  The Council should sort out these potholes.
The road used by advanced units has been washed out with recent rains.  Progress is slowed.

3.6. The Apricot Pie Incident.
A senior Officer dallies whilst he consumes an excellent breakfast/luncheon/ dinner/ supper.  All marching is halted.

4.1. A Martinet.
An ADC exceeds his orders and halts a unit's march whilst the troops are inspected for dust/lice/a stolen lithograph of the General's sainted mother.  D6-6 and a culprit is found and flogged. D6-6 and 6 again it's the wrong man... Morale suffers.

4.2. Officers in conflict.
The senior officer of one unit has a deep hatred of one of his subordinates,
D6 an open fight/ 4 duel/ 1 orders refused.

4.3. The Mayor
The Mayor of the nearest town is a traitor.
6, local Militia close the town in the enemies name, /1 an air of hostility.
Scenario 2  Sweep the Table  Mission

4.4.  The Spy
A civilian reports the position of the enemy.
6 Good news, the spy has it right
down to,
1 bad news, the spy works for the enemy.

4.5. The young Lord
A young Ensign in your force is a Viscount.  The mission is to keep him alive.
Dice for his character.

4.6. The Mission
There must be a bridge that needs repairing somewhere.  Send out a light company with Engineer Sherman and his choir of Navvies. Scenario 4  Escort Duty  Mission

5.1 The siege
The enemy has fortified a strong point held by a single company of heroes under a charismatic officer.
Go kill them please. Scenario 3  Defence in Depth  Battle

5.2. The Antagonist
An Explorer officer of the Enemy had been reported on the flank and a light company sent out to get him.  It's a trap. Enemy Cavalry will be waiting.

5.3. The Siege Gun
A great 32 pounder with a broken wheel has been hidden in a barn off to one side of the road. Send out a light company to get it, because the enemy almost certainly wants it back.

5.4. Lady de Wiener: An infamous overblown poisoner, has seduced one of your Officers.   He insists on inviting her to dinner.  To refuse would be ungallant.   To accept would be to risk a day's delay on the latrines

5.5. Boris Beggar: A former soldier, now a hopeless drunk.  If paid he will reveal that the enemy have hidden stores in a nearby building, usually a tavern (dice for a random compass direction.) Scenario 5  Attack an Objective  Battle

5.6. Baron von Klinkerhofen: The famous duelist has focused his beady eyes on one of your Officers.  He has probably been paid to insult and then kill your Officer in a duel.  Unfortunately it's too late, the challenge is issued, and it's time to dust off the dueling rules.  As the challenged party you may choose Pistols or swords.

6.1. Mother Steffi, of the Order of the Sisters of Easy Virtue (The Blue Nun) seeks a contribution.  A nearby church has been ransacked by the enemy.  She prays you will assist and offers a generous reward.  Be careful however, she is a large manlike gripper of a figure. Scenario 6  Rescue Mission

6.2. Fritz the woodcutter: Fritz is beside the road taken by the leading column.  If paid he claims to have seen the General's "Niece" cavorting with an enemy Officer at the nearest barn.  You send out a Detachment to arrest both of them, but especially the "niece." Fritz owns the barn.
Scenario 5  Attack an Objective  Battle

6.3. Otto the mule guy: Otto approaches the column and produces a fine cognac from the panniers of one of his mules.  He informs the leading Officer of enemy scouts lurking in the nearest woods.

6.4. Jacob Thinleggstein, Merchant of Vienna.
Seriously cheap prices, sir.  What are you after, a nice Porto wine?  A ripe black sausage?  A friendly lady?  Jacob may be a spy but he has quality merchandise.  Dice for his information.  6 reveals the enemy, 1 leads you into an ambush.

6.5  So what do you do my man?
Royalty joins your next company in battle!  Keep him/her alive.

6.6  War Winning Weapon
Major Dawlish of the Royal Albion Army, appears with his sidekick Captain Moore, and demonstrates his new war winning weapon.  Not allowed to repeat.

The Skirmish at Kramerhofe. Game completed.

Skirmish action.

Initially I wondered whether to fight this last flank battle, given the level of loss by Blue in the previous game, but this scenario has an interesting twist from my campaign cards.  The card drawn by Red was:

Officers in conflict.

The senior officer of one unit has a deep hatred of one of his subordinates,

D6 6 is an open fight/ 4 duel/ 1 orders refused with sarcasm

The dice indicated a 5.  They really hate each other.  I selected the Rifles company to hold this flank position against the Blue Dragoons.  Red will have some Musket armed Light company Skirmishers attached. Our Rifles officer Captain Quitte has realised that his hated younger brother, Major Bodo is commanding the Redcoats.  With the assistance of the Wachtmeister, his trusted Sergeant armed with bristling mustachios, our Captain will sort out both the Blues and the family squabble.


I'm really pleased that my solo campaign system can generate a game like this.   I will have to blog them up.Blue had already drawn:

The Antagonist

An Explorer officer of the Enemy had been reported on the flank and a light company sent out to get him.  It's a trap. Enemy Cavalry will be waiting.

This however fits the situation for Red much better so I will change events to the extent that it is Major Bodo who has been sent out to capture the Blue Exploring Officer, and the Rifles to hold the farm on this flank.

Between the rampaging Blue Dragoons and the Girandoni Air Rifle of a certain Rifles Captain I don`t think Bodo has much of a future. 

Forces

Red 7th Line

Major Bodo von Weißmehr

Lieutenant  Aloysius O'Soak (A drunk from the Emerald Island)

Two light Infantry groups

3rd Jāger

Captain Quitte von Weißmehr

Wachtmeister Otto Feuct

Four groups of Rifles Skirmishers

Supply mule with extra ammunition.

Blue 6th Dragoons

Colonel Michel-Georges de Vique

Captain Waleran du Tabac, smoking a woodbine. 

Sergeante Pierre Grande Jambe

Two groups Mounted

Three groups dismounted skirmishers

Blue Hussars

Captain Poule Pinze-Nez, Exploring Officer

Situation at 10am

The Exploring Officer has been spotted in the rough ground to the north west of the farm.

The Blue cavalry are somewhere north of the river.

The rifles occupy the farm, amid the cover of houses and walls.  Captain von Weißmehr has just been served a magnificent sausage and mustard breakfast by the Wachtmeister, his former Butler, washed down by a cheeky claret (from the vinyards of the Grande Duchy of the Blau, war is hell)

The Light Company of the 7th Line, under the battalion Major, are resting in the orchard.  The Major is wondering how he can catch the exploring officer, and kill his brother the Rifles Captain before luncheon.

The sleepy farming hamlet of Kramerhofe.  Red troops about to deploy to defend it

The Blue Exploring Officer

Red Deployment.  The Rifles in the farm the Red line in the woods.  Major Bodo has selected a centre company unit to accompany his skirmishers.  Is that wise?  The Tiffin chip comes out with the Dragoons nowhere in sight.

"Pot that chap somebody!"  The Wactmieister commands the left corner groups 

Bodo sends out his lieutenant, in line, to kill the Exploring Officer.

O`Soak and his men caught by the dragoons.  Six killed.  O`Soak would be doomed, but he has the Luck of the Emerald Isle and the god of all drunks protects him.  He flees back into the farm.

The Exploring officer, moving on the extra chip, joins the dragoons as an additional Officer.

But Mr Bartholomäus Girandoni makes an excellent weapon.  The Rifles Captain spends a flag to take a shot.  I gave it a 1 in 6 chance and...one dead exploring Officer killed by a silent round from an air rifle.  Bad things happen for the Blues.

The Blue Colonel rallies his unit and brings on two more

Fighting on the flank is inconclusive

The Blues Colonel takes command of a skirmish group and takes them towards Bodo in the woods.  Nice tactical Company the Dragoons.

Captain von Weißmehr orders O`Soak to the Deployment point and to damn well sober up.

Bodo shows his true colours and retreats 

The Captain defends the farm, as the rifles kill a second Blue Dragoon Officer.  

Bodo and his men invade the farm and make for the deployment point.  An awkward moment as he orders Captain von Weißmehr to hold to the last man... and then flees intending to let the dragoons kill his brother for him..

But Lieuteant O`Soak has sobered up to the danger.  He takes command of the rifles reserve.

The Dragoons at the walls, as O`Soak escapes death yet again.

But the rifles kill the Blue Colonel.
Game over as the dragoons morale fails and they withdraw. The Rifles lost one man, the Dragoons eleven, including three Officers. 

Lieuteant O`Soak intends to seek a commission in the Rifles... as the Wachtmeister points out his route to the nearest Inn.

A really great game, with lots of twists and turns.  It seems to me that Major Bodo cannot now continue as an officer in the forces of the Red Kingdom.  Fleeing before his courts martial he will now be welcomed into the Grand Duchy of the Blue as a Major of Dragoons. 

It does strike me that this was a game of Green Dragoons versus Green Rifles so perhaps I can introduce the Archbishopric of the Green as a faction in my Imaginations game.  

Unboxing the Hoplites.

After my disparaging words about the Cypriot Postal Service the god's of irony have struck  The Hoplites arrived, exactly a week after ordering them.  Something like 2500 miles.  Excellent service.

So, why Warlord Games Hoplites?  Basically because these are precisely what I need to start Men of Bronze.  


Of  the 42 figures one is clearly the Strategos, with a musician, five have bronze armour, twenty-five linen and ten have no armour.  They are all in the usual hard grey plastic.

Rich and poor hoplite equipment would clearly differ in quality so mixing of types is probably fine, and in later periods unarmoured Hoplites were perhaps an answer to skirmishing enemy.  My unarmoured guys will however be drafted as Peltasts and Psiloi.

That leaves me 30 Hoplites and the commander with his musician.  It also gives me ten unused hoplite shields to turn into Arete points markers.   

Warlord include shield transfers, mercifully, as well as the usual collection of bits and pieces.  A very nice touch are ten arrows to decorate shields.  

It just takes the pain out of painting these guys.  I always find "heraldry" like this daunting.  I also note that Victrix do not have transfers included and that they can be as much a £5 a sheet.  It all adds to the price.

The five main Sprues have eight Hoplites each.  Six armoured two Unarmoured ... but you would probably have worked that out already...
There are a good range of helmets here, with separate crests.
I'll have to go back to the Ospreys to find the best helmet type for the Ionian influenced Cypriots. 

Some really nice additions in there, shield curtains, (probably a proper Greeky word for them) swords and different crests.

When using Men of Bronze the box of Warlord Hoplites gives me three Hoplite groups and a group of Peltasts, or two of Psiloi using the size of group I can muster:

2 Drilled Hoplites  @20,

1 Militia Hoplites @8,

2 Psiloi  @4

Total 32 Points.
Thats most of one army, all from one box.  A nice start.

My first tranche of Napoleonic Civilians

One of the problems with being a wargamer here in Cyprus is the availability of figures.   My last order didn't arrive, and I'm currently waiting on Warlord Games Hoplites that I'm only 50% certain will reach my Post Office Box.  To put it delicately packages have a propensity to go missing around the postal service here.

Finding myself needing some character and personality figures to fit into my Black Powder period games was always going to be difficult.   Front rank do great 18th century and Regency civilians.  Perry do some useful pieces too.  I went with the third option.

I have a lot of experience in customising 54mm figures for my 17th Century game.  Given that I have saved lots of odd arms heads weapons and assorted unused bits from various 28mm plastic sets I knew that I was already ahead of the game.

The Method

Turns out my usual method of sculpting milliput was useless.  I used a diced up wine bottle cork (a natural resource around here) to make the torsos.  Cocktail sticks were inserted and bent as both legs and any arms that wouldn't be from a plastic set.

The milliput formed a solid shell over this. core.  I gave up trying to sculpt detail into this.  The heat has turned it flaky.   Turning to Das gave better results.   Coats hoods and boots alll add to the look.  The pladtic gives me arms and faces.  

Some nice touches here too.  Turns out that a shako makes a good Regency top hat if shaved down and given a good rimming.  The rather chesty lady gets a pistol from a Dragoon set.

I already had a nice mule wrangler from a Warlord Games voucher, so I made five civilians in this first batch with him as the sixth.

Looking what can best be described as unique!

Appearing on some of my Campaign cards each of these has a brief scenario idea or plot complication for my game.  The figures from right to left:

Lady de Wiener: An infamous overblown poisoner, has seduced one of your Officers.   He insists on inviting her to dinner.  To refuse would be ungallant.   To accept would be to risk a day's delay on the latrines

Boris Beggar: A former soldier, now a hopeless drunk.  If paid he will reveal that the enemy have hidden stores in a nearby building, usually a tavern (dice for a random compass direction.).

Mother Steffi, of the Order of the Sisters of Easy Virtue (The Blue Nun) seeks a contribution.  A nearby church has been ransacked by the enemy.  She prays you will assist and offers a generous reward.  Be careful however, she is a large manlike gripper of a figure.

Baron von Klinkerhofen: The famous duelist has focused his beady eyes on one of your Officers.  He has probably been paid to insult and then kill your Officer in a duel.  Unfortunately it's too late, the challenge is issued, and it's time to dust off the dueling rules.  As the challenged party you may choose Pistols or swords

Fritz the woodcutter: Fritz is beside the road taken by the leading column.  If paid he claims to have seen the General's "Niece" cavorting with an enemy Officer at the nearest barn.  You send out a Detachment to arrest both of them, but especially the "niece." Fritz owns the barn.

Not pictured above:

Otto the mule guy: Otto approaches the column and produces a fine cognac from the panniers of one of his mules.  He informs the leading Officer of enemy scouts lurking in the nearest woods.

Still under construction:

Jacob Thinleggstein, Merchant of Vienna.
Seriously cheap prices, sir.  What are you after, a nice Porto wine?  A nice black sausage?  A friendly lady?  Jacob may be a spy but he has quality merchandise.  Dice for his information.  6 reveals the enemy, 1 leads you into an ambush.

These are my first 28mm figures.  When I painted them they proved a revelation... even my manly looking nun.   I celebrate the fact that they are unique.  They will certainly add to my games.

Planned figures for tranche 2 and 3

Uriah Hackenbush, he of the large moustache, cigar, wit and eyebrows.  Chico, Zeppo and Harpo his boys 

Army Deserter Chef Ronay Ramsei.

The Dowager Countess, Joan of Nennwieler

Caractacus Potts and his assistant Wernher von Braun

The Reverend Ian Paisley Stripe

Thomas W. Paine the Colonialist Rebublican

 J M W Turner

The Mayor

Alan Brek Stuart, "Ever Ready Brek" and his Highlanders... well probably some Perrys to raise a Highland Company to be honest.  That level of detail is too much of a stretch for Das modelling clay.