2022 Seven Years War Association Convention

 Back in the usual rotation after getting restarted last year from the PanDAMNit, The regulars gathered in South Bend, IN for a weekend of gaming and socializing.  Over the years it has evolved to having a number of games on Thursday night, all day Friday and Saturday, and Sunday as a travel day.  Still a bargain at $35 for the weekend.

Photos (click on them to upsize) are arranged by the game since some repeated over the weekend.  The quality of the eye candy has always been among the hallmarks of the event.  Hope you enjoy.

Hulsen's Attack on the Krechor, 1757 with Paul Petri and modified Shako.

 Skirmish in Saxony, 1760 with Alex Burns and Inhaber rules (in development).

Luzzara, 1792 with Dannie Fogleman and Twilight of the Sun King Rules.

Beaver War: French vs. Iroquois with Chris Engle and Follow Me Boys! rules.

Battle of Banja Luka, 1737 with Michael Mathews and Final Argument of Kings rules.

Poltava 1709 with Michael Wedding and Age of Honor rules.

Prague: the Opening Attack, 1757 with Pat Lebeau and modified Shako rules.

Bread and Croats with Jim Purky and Terror rules.

Battle of Port Egmont, 1768 with Jurgen Olk and Modified Tricorne rules.

Mollwitz, 1741 with Steve Verdoliva and Grand Tactical for King or Empress rules.

Battle of Germantown, 1777 with Tod Kershner and Easy Home Brew rules.

Assault on Carillon Heights, 1758 with Bob Moon and 40mm Tactical, Modified rules.

Fighting on the Frontier, 1760s with Pat Lebeau and Fist Full of Lead rules.

Guilford Courthouse, 1781 with Michael Wedding and Guns of Liberty rules.

Buttock's Massacre with Tod Kershner and 54mm Iroquois Terror rules.

Battle of Culloden with Joseph Barrette and Paper Soldiers and Black Powder rules.

Miscellaneous or games that I lost track of: apologies to those GMs. 

I know I missed getting pictures of some of the games and probably mislabeled others.  The standard is very high for the look of the games.  Everyone seems to put a lot of effort into the visual aspect of the con, as well as the game design.  Plus the convention is unique in that ALL the participants share a common interest or love for the period and gaming.  When you go to a generic con you get all sorts of players and occasionally "that guy" who makes gaming less than enjoyable.  Not so with the SYWA convention.  

Or as one person described his first time participation there, "we came into a hall full of strangers and left with a ton of new friends."  Can't really ask for a better endorsement than that.

2022 Painting Project

 Last year on an impulse I bought a "grab box" online of SYW figures in 15mm scale.  The seller mentioned a bunch of Ottoman-Turks.  So imagine my surprise when it was about 60% or better Turks.  However, this was something I didn't already possess and had only painted for others in 28mm.  So at the first of the year I dove headfirst into painting up enough to host a game at the Seven Years War Association Convention in South Bend, IN on March 31st-April 2nd.

Doing a little research I chose the Battle of Banja Luka in 1737 between the Austrians and Turks in modern Bosnia.  Small enough that I could match the numbers on table.  The Austrians were already mostly painted so in a few weeks we'll be giving it a go.  I ran a playtest of the scenario and made some tweaks, and I'm anxious to see it played out.  

Click on the pictures to enlarge them.  Comments and additional information is welcomed.

The "Big Picture" with one infantry unit to go.

Our local rules of choice are The Final Argument of Kings by the late Dean West.  The majority of infantry units are 12-20 figures, with cavalry 8-12.  All artillery batteries are represented by one model and four gunners.  The system is an offshoot of Johnny Reb so was a natural choice for our game group.

Eight regiments of cavalry, lights and mediums with
a large number armed with lances.

Two medium and two fancy heavy batteries.

Infantry, ranging from "elite" Janissaries to spear and bow armed levies.

The Ottoman Army wasn't covered in the core rules so I have to go to other rule sets like Warfare in the Age of Reason and my own research and experience to come up with values for the troops.  Just the names are confusing to this westerner.  Provincial levies, Sekban mercenary musketeers, Kapikulu, Akinci, Solaks, Azap and Alti Boluk household troopers.  Instead of regiments they are organized into Ortas.

Exotic Akinci cavalry.

Close shot of the medium guns.

The first brigadier I painted, with his sun shade.

For our game the great Hekimoglu Ali Pasha and his escort.

One of the fun things is that unlike European armies, there was no absolute definitive uniform at the time, so I could be creative.  Reds, especially on the lances, predominated, but also greens, blues, yellows and browns appeared in illustrations.  So while some may question, proving the paint scheme is wrong will be difficult.

I hope you found this interesting or entertaining.  

Tundra Con 2022

On January 8th, 2022 we held the 7th Tundra Con at the American Legion Hall, always on the weekend after New Years.  With the surge in COVID variants we didn't know what to expect but wanted to forge ahead anyway and let people decide for themselves about their risk comfort level.  In the end we were below average for attendance, but did better than expected.  The Legion Hall is ideal for a one-day convention, featuring adequate space and food and refreshments available on site.  This year they had an expanded menu of specials for us.

We had eleven game masters running an assortment of games on land, sea, air and the dungeon.  Participants paid a $10 fee and could play in as many games as desired.  Some games were longer than others but many played three games and all could get in two.  Take a look at the pictures below to get a feel for the day.   

Battle of Midway, a possible surface action with 
Naval Thunder, Adam Apell game master.  Savo Island
followed on the same table.

Walking in a Winter Killing Field with Flames of
War, Michael Mathews game master.

Relief of Fort Kasala with The Sword and the Flame,
Greg Miller game master.

Battle Tech Grinder - A Learning Game

Battle of Lake Takitwithya with Drums Along the
Mohawk, Todd Prochniak game master.

Bolt Action demo games all day.

Encounter Appleton with All Quiet on the Martian 
Front, Bob Rondou game master.

Dan Verssen Games, one of our valued vendors.

LOD Enterprises, another regular vendor.  Not pictured,
Jadeco Hobby.

Action heating up in the Battle of the Bulge game.
Will Peiper take the bridge in time?

British relief column vs. the Mahdi looking to rescue
the Egyptian garrison and missionaries.

Ireland Forever, Maybe! with Nevermind the Billhooks,
Todd Prochniak game master.

Invasion at Normandy with Memoir '44, Todd
Chirhart game master.

Rescue and Ambush with Flames of War 'Nam.  Paul
Alaniz game master.  One of three tables.

Relief just needs to drive down this road to rescue
the L,R.P.S. team.  No problem, right?

NVA regulars intercept and engage the now distracted
US armor.

Puff the Magic Dragon and heavy air is available
to support the drive.

A heavy toll is exacted, but the insurgents win in 
the end.

Shadows of Brimstone, Alex Drumm game master.

 

A view of the Legion Hall in the morning.

Yes, I was even seen smiling.

Not pictured are the evening games of Wings of War with Bob Rondau and Mind the Gap with Armageddon '89 with Dan Wideman.

Finally, a shout out to the American Legion Post #38 who has worked with us for years to bring this event to life, and to the men and women who have served with honor.