The Emperors Blog

Republican Roman Triarii

2012-01-22T14:33:00.001Z

Republican Roman Triarii, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

Republican Roman Hastati

2011-12-09T12:04:00.001Z

Republican Roman Hastati, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

The finished article. Miniatures by Aventine

Republican Roman Principes

2011-12-09T12:03:00.001Z

Republican Roman Principes, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

The finished article. Miniatures by Aventine

Aventine Republican Romans

2011-12-04T18:42:00.001Z

Aventine Republican Romans, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

Undercoated with white spray (GW skull white)

Base colours:
Chainmail & pilum heads - GW Boltgun metal
Helmet/greaves - Vallejo gold 878
Furs, hair & bases - Vallejo Burnt umber 941
Sandals & belts - Vallejo green ochre 914
Feathers and scabbards - Vallejo Dark Sea Blue 898
Plumes on officers - Vallejo Violet 960
Pilums - Foundry Spearshaft 13A
Finally touched up white tunics with GW Skull white

Washes:
Chainmail armour - GW Badab black
Flesh, gold metal and sandals - GW ogryn flesh
All over coat of army painter strong shade

Empress British Zulu Wars on eBay

2011-12-04T11:53:00.001Z

PC040025, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

This is a group of Empress Miniatures British Infantry I bought at the Reading show last month to see how thye painted up. Immediate observations were: (1) lovely detail, (2) smaller than most 28mm figures being produced at the moment. Still, If I were going to collect figures from this period, these would be the ones I would go with.
As Empress are producing plastic Zulus, amassing an IMPI of Zulu opponents (farsands of them) seems a reasonably achievable feat.

Warlord Games Russians

2011-12-04T11:49:00.001Z

PC040021, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

Bought a box of plastic Russians at the Bristol show last weekend and thought I would paint them up to see what they are like. Verdict, quite good, only 4 poses so a little limited. The metal command figures were quite poorly cast. Not too much modelling, only the backpack and heads to glue on (and you get 4 musketeer and 4 grenadier heads for each frame of 4 poses). These are made up as later 1812-1815 period. I was quite pleased with the results.

French Napoleonics on eBay

2011-12-04T11:45:00.001Z

PC040020, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

I've just painted some figures for sale on eBay this week, since I had some spare time on my hands! These are Perry plastics, the best, IMHO

My new Late Roman project

2011-07-04T16:09:00.001+01:00

Infantry #1 close up, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

Foundry figures painted by me

Seven Years War French 28mm front rank

2011-06-28T21:28:00.001+01:00

SYWFrench 002, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

Part of my SYW collection sold last year. Painted by Barry Lee (me)

Seven Years War Prussians

2011-06-28T21:25:00.001+01:00

SYWPRUSS007, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

These Front Rank 28mm Prussians are some of my favourite sculpts for that period. I painted these about 3 years ago -they were part of my own collection but eventually sold and shipped to a customer in the US recently

Late Roman archers

2011-06-28T21:12:00.001+01:00

Late Roman archers, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

Here's a unit of archers I painted for a customer some years ago. it reminded me how much I enjoyed painting the Foundry 28mm figures sculpted by the perrys.

French Officer

2011-06-17T15:37:00.001+01:00

French Officer, a photo by emperorbaz on Flickr.

This is one ofthe figures I will be putting up for sale on eBay this week. It is a French Napoleonic Infantry Officer painted by me and manufactured by Wargames Foundry in 28mm

More Wargames Pictures - 28mm scale

2011-06-17T15:32:00.000+01:00

I have recently uploaded a good proportion of my catalogue of images which I have gathered over the last 7 years, representing a selection of the many figures, units and armies I have painted, often commission work, and occasionally stuff I have painted and sold on eBay. Click on the Flickr photostream sidebar.

Minden Rose-PDF free to download

2011-06-07T15:20:00.000+01:00

I have just made version 1 available as a free download. It's in adobe acrobat "PDF"

Click here for a PDF

Minden Rose Frequently Asked Questions

2011-06-06T16:48:00.000+01:00

2.2 Basing
Q Why have you chosen the 50mm, i.e. slightly bigger than infantry, base for cavalry?
A. We wanted to use base sizes that were both commercially available and big enough to accommodate 28mm figures.

4.2 Brigade Orders & command tests
Q. If a brigade is attacking (moving into contact), surely there comes a time when it can't move units at least half-speed or won't want to move any more because the brigade is engaged?
A. It would be appropriate to add an amendment to the rule to state (Attack, table 1b) "…unless units are engaged in melee or in close range of the enemy."

Q. In what order are the command tests performed in? Does the general decide?
A. The General is free to decide the order except all involuntary command tests must be performed before any voluntary ones.

Q. In one game we played, during the shooting phase of a Musketeer unit lost a stand and promptly routed. Does this require the brigade to take an immediate command test, or do you wait until the Movement phase thus allowing the rest of the brigade to continue the attack
A Command tests are taken in the movement phase

4.4 Hits Per Stand (HPS)
Q. Are Hits per stand accumulative? (ie do HPS get carried on from one bound to the next?.
A. The HPS are not cumulative between bounds.

4.8 Supporting Units.
Q. The diagram suggests the rule is that to support a unit must have a majority of its frontage behind a unit.
A. That is correct. The diagram is just to show which unit a unit is counted as supporting if it is behind, two, in those circumstances, it is supporting the one it shares most of its base frontage with

4.14 Visibility
Q. The rule states that "troops may see over an intervening unit that is further than 3 segments from the target or more than 3 segments from the unit shooting".
A. This should read that "troops may see over an intervening unit that is either further than 3 segments from the target or more than 3 segments from the unit shooting".

6. Shooting
Q. Do you total all shooting at a target, then assess Effect?
A. That is correct. If a unit received 2HPS from one opponent and 1HPS from another opponent in the same bound, they would be added together to make 3HPS when calculating the effect from shooting

6.3 Ammunition
Q. Am I right in assuming I assume an artillery battery must by itself score 4DPS to run low on ammo?
A. That is correct

8. Melee
Q. Do you add shooting casualties (when fire is held & delivered during the charge) to casualties used to determine the Melee Winner?
A. No. Calculate the shooting, and any response to that shooting, before proceeding with the melee

9.3 Interpenetration Q. Am I correct in thinking that units interpenetrated by routers cannot shoot or move, the same as units interpenetrated by close order units voluntarily?
A. That is correct
9.4 Special Manoeuvres
Q. If a unit of close order infantry change from column to line, do they complete the formation change as per the diagram in the rules, then move forward up to 2 segments? Or do they deduct the 2 segments, then complete the formation change as best they can with each stand moving no more than 2 segments?
A. Always make the special manoeuvre deduction first.

9.7 Routing
Q. What happens when units falling routing encounter blocking terrain?
A. They flow round it, or are destroyed if they can not

9.9 Falling Back & 9.6 Evading
Q. What happens when units falling back/evading encounter blocking terrain?
A. In these circumstances units simply stop on reaching terrain that blocks their movement.

Q. Do units falling back/ evading halt at the table edge?
A. Correct

43rd Foot, Front Rank Figures

2011-05-01T14:41:00.001+01:00

French Indian Wars - Rogers Rangers & 43rd Foot

2011-05-01T14:36:00.001+01:00

Rogers Rangers 28mm from the Galloping Major painted by me:

Minden Rose

2011-02-19T12:47:00.000Z

These rules are designed for either 25mm or 15mm size figures. The game works with any army size, so you can start small, and have a few games while you build your armies up.

The rules are simple to understand, and all play is simultaneous. There is no record keeping (writing down orders or keeping track of casualties). Players will each need around 30 normal six-sided dice (D6), a measuring stick or tape measure and some Red, Yellow and Green counters (such as tiddlywinks) for battlefield orders.

The appeal of the Seven Years War from a Wargaming point of view has much to do with the developing linear tactics of the era, the variety of interesting uniforms deployed (not the least being the flamboyant Hussars), the increasing effectiveness of Musketry and availability of Artillery. As a period, it is well served by metal figure manufacturers in 25mm and 15mm, and more plastics figures have become available in recent years.

ACW Armies and Sample Pictures for sale

2010-10-25T18:57:00.000+01:00

ACW Union
6 units of 32 figures each on 10 bases, 3 or 4 per base; One cavalry regiment of 12 figures, 2 per base; and a Gun battery. In total 192 infantry, 12 Mounted, 2 Artillery and 6 crew.

ACW Confederate
6 units of 32 figures each on 10 bases, 3 or 4 per base; Two cavalry regiments of 12 figures, 2 per base; and a Gun battery. In total 192 infantry, 24 Mounted, 3 Artillery and 9 crew.