This is the weblog of the Old Dominion Military Society (ODMS). It is intended to be a listing of news items related to game announcements, meeting recaps, monthly overviews, convention AARs, campaign postings, etc. In short, the news items of record for our wargaming club.
I've chosen a historic battle as the basis of my western scenario at Guns Of August - the Battle of Apache Pass, fought in July 1862 in Arizona. I found the movie poster you see here at http://www.posterpalace.com/.
Converting the forces to units for "The Tomahawk & The Flame" and fudging the math a bit to stay within my budget and minimize wasted figures (Old Glory's 25mm figures are sold with 30 infantry or 10 cavalry to a pack), I end up with the following:
US Army: Captain Roberts in command of 3 infantry companies (10 men in each) from the 1st California Infantry, an attached battery of two 12 lb. mountain howitzers, and a cavalry escort from the 2nd Regiment of California Volunteer Cavalry (10 men); 5 total units, suitable for 2 players.
Apache: Two commanders - Mangas Coloradas and Cochise, each in command of 6 warbands (10 men in each); 12 total units, suitable for 4 players.
Note that the conversions above have 1 figure on tabletop for every 4 men in the battle; this is simply a concession to the realities of limited time and budgets :)
To keep the game looking like a western battle, I want to ensure that I give the units plenty of room to maneuver, so I plan to use a 4ft deep and 9ft wide table (this also leaves room around the edges of the 5ft x 10ft convention table for dice, reference sheets, etc).
Unusual for this battle, the Apache used stone breastworks until they were driven from them by the fire of the mountain howitzers. The only other terrain piece mentioned in the battle is an abandoned Butterfield Overland Mail station, which I plan to represent with this Old Glory "Medium Stucco House" http://oldglory25s.com/images/H-2.jpg.
Next steps - laying out the battlefield elevations and placing my orders.
The "War From A Horse" theme has me thinking about games that I want to run at Guns Of August 2011 (August 12-14, Williamsburg, VA).
With the many westerns I watched as a child for inspiration, my favorite idea thus far is a Wild West game using 28mm figures and "Tomahawk & The Flame" rules (of course based on TSATF).
Simply to ensure that everything comes together before the convention (177 days away) I'm thinking that I need to have one side mounted and the other mostly dismounted, with roughly balanced troop quality on both sides, so a punitive mission by US Cavalry against an Apache camp sounds just about perfect.
For figures, I'm pretty much sold on the Old Glory "War Paint" 28mm range. 15mm is of course more affordable, but I like the visual appeal of 28mm figures. Brian C can take credit for that...
For terrain, I'll use a hot knife to carve insulation foamboard and add wood chips to make some attractive and affordable canyons, mesas, etc. A good tutorial on these methods is at http://www.quindia.com/studioarticles.htm.
For the Apache camp, Acheson Creations has several 28mm pieces that I like - the Sioux tepee and the campfire are obviously useful, but I think I'll need to scratch build a horse corral.
That's it for now. I'll update this post as the game starts to take shape.
The convention weekend started for us (on the committee) months ago, as we did a lot of planning and contacting of vendors, GMs, raffle supporters, the hotel, etc. During this phase, the slow but steady buildup of duties and anticipation of the convention reminded me a lot of "Saturn: The Bringer of Old Age" by Holst It starts out quiet and you almost don't notice it, but it builds. Still subtle, but before you know it, there is an urgency...
About a month before the show, in early January, things really pick up. Stuff starts coming together. At this point it is well ordered and everything looks fine. The 3rd of the Brandenburg Concertos (J.S. Bach) comes to mind - in my mind one of the greatest testaments to the Human Mind and its ability to construct order out of nothing.
Soon, it is the week before the convention and a lot is not done. Things go from orderly to scary. The demons begin rising up out of the schedule, and stuff gets lost. It should have been done two weeks ago, but human beings haven't changed for 10,000 years. Chuck Time rules (ask an ODMS member what Chuck Time is). At this point, the scene goes to Mussorgsky and his perfect Night on Bald Mountain.
Thursday the tables are set up, and the Vendors start coming in with their treasures. Watching those guys trudge all that great stuff in has to be accompanied by the Volga Boatmen Song, and no version is as pure as the one sung by the Red Army in 1965 (as old as me).
Finally, at about 1:00 on Friday, the first miniatures games start. This really brought up a couple of things in my mind. First, I thought the Triumphal March by Verdi, from Aida . . . but no. Then I thought of the Prince of Denmark's March (much better) by Clarke.
The tournament players line up - mostly the Flames of War guys - like Monks in their Cells. If I were a bit more quixotic I might think of something modern and romantic like Mea Culpa by Enigma, but rather I am reminded of Gregorian Chant as they go through the litany of rules and modifiers back and forth. Hail Holy Queen by the Monks of Notre Dame gets the nod here. Close your eyes and imagine the FoW guys going through the motions while listening . . . but try not to pollute the sacred music too much with whimsy.
In fact, a better option might be the Monk's Chant from Monty Python.
Seeing all the great games set up and playing can only stir (in a wargamer of a certain age) the strings and melody of La Victoire est à Nous. This version is complete with images from Waterloo, and is a montage along with La vieille Garde and The Girl I left behind me (played during the death scene of Picton).
Finally I get around to running my own game - a large game of The Sword and the Flame - and it is a blast. This has to be O Fortuna by Orff.
Time comes to pack up and leave the convention. Saying goodbye to old gamers, fellow brothers from the club, new friends and gaming comrades, and all the great people that make our conventions fun. This has to be done with only one piece of music - not for me, but for the folks leaving the convention!
The bad part of this year was that I realized sometime Sunday Morning (as people were starting to leave) that the Guns of August flyers we put out were misprinted with the wrong information! Horrors, my very soul dropped through the floor as I felt bad about this mistake. It was all my fault, and I tried to tell everyone I could, but the fact is the dates on the flyer were wrong (correct dates below). This was such a blow, the only thing I felt is summed up by the poet/king David, and set to music in Miserere Mei.
Anyway, I hope you had a good time at Williamsburg Muster, and will think about Guns of August. We would be glad to spend some time gaming with you.
Get your dice ready, and prepare to ride to battle!!
The Williamsburg Muster is coming up, only a few short weeks away. The PEL on the website is chock full of awesome games, and there will be terriffic vendors at the show, as well as the hospitality suite, the great raffle, and Winston Churchill (in the flesh).
Don't forget - it is February 4,5,6 in Williamsburg.
[The following is an announcement from fellow gaming club the "Richmond Leisure Society"]
It's time once again for Battle Hymn, a friendly local gaming convention taking place on Saturday May 7, 2011 near Richmond, Virginia! This year, the Richmond Leisure Society has once again combined forces with the Virginia Aviation Museum to put on quite a show. Only at the Virginia Aviation Museum can you get up close and personal with an actual World War I fighter, an SR-71 Blackbird, a Huey Slick, and William Randolph Hearst's personal luxury plane!
The central hall of the museum and the concourse area have been given over to gaming, and a significant number of both rectangular and circular tables with chairs are available.
The Richmond Leisure Society has several games planned for the event, but we need more folks willing to present some games. Any type of miniatures game is welcome, whether historical, science fiction or fantasy. Board and card gamers are encouraged to join us! The general public will be attending, so introductory games would be appreciated in addition to games for experienced players.
Based on the Virginia Aviation Museum's operating schedule, the time available for the gaming tables has been divided into two 2.5 hour slots, with an hour break in between, as follows:
1000 – 1230 slot one
1330 – 1600 slot two
The Museum opens at 0930 and closes at 1700, so we have uninterrupted time in between. If anyone would like to use two slots for a longer game, it can be arranged.
Besides our miniatures and board gaming, attractions include a mini movie theater continuously showing the late war installment of the Soviet classic "Liberation" and other films, a full-motion flight simulator, and all of the outstanding exhibits that are part of the museum! A guided tour of the exhibits will be given during the break in gaming as well.
Admission is $6 USD per adult, $5 USD per child under 18. Seniors and active military enjoy reduced rates.
Folks interested in running a game, please contact me at: Battlehymn (at) inbox (dot) com and I can reserve a table and slot for your game.
If any games publisher would care to send a representative to demo a game, we'd be more than happy to accommodate you!
For information about the Virginia Aviation Museum, including driving directions check their website.
For information about Battle Hymn, including updates check their Facebook Page.
Scott Craig
Battle Hymn Events Coordinator
The Richmond Leisure Society
