Hi guys,
Another Project ACW update for you and things are coming along. Given the sheer volume of figures that need to be built, painted and based progress is pretty good.
I've managed to get 3 Regiments painted and ready to go, so with 2 more I'll have a full Brigade ready for Black Powder.
So as you can see, there is a shitload of blue! So in order to mix that up, I've painted up a couple of bases of Zouaves, just for some variety. These will be regiment 4 for the 1st Brigade.
Just another 4 bases to go there.
And finally, just for a bit of a treat, I manage to finish off an artillery piece.
So all in all, I'm still having a ball with this one. It's a big project, but it's coming along!
What's that Johnny Reb? You ain't heard a peep from us Yankees in a while? Well, allow me to indulge you.
While a lot of our time of late here at Behind Enemy Lines HQ has been focused on our Flames of War V4 coverage and reviews, I've been studiously churning through the mountain of plastic and lead which makes up my 28mm ACW Union force and actually managing to get a couple of units finished off.
It looks like we've settled on 24 man units for our games and I understand that's reasonably standard for Black Powder so by that rationale I've got 2 full units based and ready to go.
I like the look of having two flags in the unit, especially when they're massing! All my models are painted in reasonably generic Union uniform. I hadn't planned on replicating any specific historical units at this stage to its seas of blue for me at the moment.
The models are mainly Perry plastics but there are also a number of (possibly) Peter Pig models thrown in as well for some variety. I do have a bunch of Dixon miniatures which I'm planning on using as I go.
And because man cannot survive painting infantry alone, I treated myself to a couple of cavalry models and a General for some painting variety...although in saying that, it's still seas of blue!
Again, the plastic cavalry are Perry plastics and the General is metal, also from Perry.
And lastly, what 19th century ACW would be complete without a cabin...
So there you have it. Definitely making progress but still a ways away from getting a full force ready for a game. Good things come to those who wait....
On the table at the moment, I'm testing my scheme for the Zouaves so hopefully the next update will see a couple of bases of those colourful gents ready for show!
- with Greg
For as long as I can remember in my gaming "career" there has been one period of gaming that I've always wanted to get into and get playing. That's the American Civil War. This year, I've finally decided to take the plunge and really get into it. I'm going to try and get some regular updates done here for the Behind Enemy Lines readers of my progress with amassing, assembling and creating my armies. Hopefully this can inspire a few of you to get into that period that's been beckoning you as well!
Why ACW?
I really don't recall where the desire to play ACW started but I do remember watch thew TV series North and South (featuring a young Patrick Swayze) as well as reading quite a bit about the history.
There is something seriously vibrant about a well-painted ACW army facing off against another one. I think it can only be match by Napoleonics for sheer beauty on the tabletop.
And so, my journey begins...
Which side?
I'm pretty lucky with this one in that I'll be doing an army from each side of the conflict...just in different scales.
In 15mm, Mike and I will be building forces. As Mike is a Yankee himself, he's going to be taking the Union while I'll be painting up the Rebs. There's a little more free reign that you get with the Confederates in that the uniforms are anything but. I expect to be painting a lot of greys and browns with some blues mixed in here.
For 28mm, I'm on the Union side with Ryan taking control of the Confederates. This is the force that I have actually made a start on painting. Here's my first base:
Only 40 or 50 more to go.....
Which Rules?
At this stage, for 28mm we'll be using Black Powder from Warlord Games as this is the rules that are generally played in our area. I've had a test game and the rules seem pretty intuitive and well polished. The most interesting aspect I think is the order system in that you specifically order your units to do things such as "march toward the fence line and deploy to fire" or "CAVALRY CHARGE!" and it's up to you to get into character doing it!
I believe we're also going to use Black Powder in 15mm with some conversions for distances and the like.
So there you have it! I'm in and really looking forward to the journey!
