Welcome to Marauder Moments - a chronicle of the Mortimer Street Marauders; the games we play, the rules we use, the figures we play with and the scenery they fight over. Hope you enjoy these pages and maybe call back to catch up with our escapades.

Monday 25 May 2015

A delivery, a productive holiday and some light reading in review...


It has arrived.
It has many Filipino stamps on it.
It weighs over five kilos.
It is full of painted miniatures from Barry.
It is not the only parcel we have received full of painted miniatures.
They are come.


We have been quietly building up a large mass of newly painted Napoleonic toys to add to our collections. Rich has bundles of new Hanovarians, Germans, Brunswickers, Scots and Brits including some heavy cavalry at last - possibly even a rocket section. These are in action as we speak in our 100 Days campaign. Tony has taken on board a pile of French conscripts and Chris is rounding out his Austrians. Rich has based all of his stuff already. Tony will do his own as ever and Chris very kindly helped me get past first base with mine. They are now glued down with sand & rocks etc modeled around them. Next step, flock and dry brush them, then add rufty tufty bits.        
Our new puppy Birdie and I looking out to see.
My wife and three daughters and I are spending a week in Devon on the north coast over half term with our new puppy in a nice big house near the sea and a fine pub. Now the kids are older they fend for themselves so I get some time to do me things - in this case flock and read!

The dramatic north Devon coastline at Lee Bay.
Why didn't I contact the other JJ of Devon Gamers for a blogger meet up and greet? Doh!
(What if he told me to piss off? Awkward!)

Here's what I decided to base up on my holiday.
The toys above fitted into the two boxes pictured with no room to spare. This should keep me busy.

Here is what I have for you as they get based, hopefully sooner rather than later;-

4x36 Poles, 12 Polish skirmishers, Polish Foot Battery, 36 Portuguese Legion, 36 Piedmontese Legion & 6 skirmishers, 36 Corsican Tirailleurs, 36 Noepolitan Guard, 36 Italian lights, 2x36 Italians, 3x36 Nassauers, 3x36 Westphalians, 4x32 Middle Guard, 2x36 Austrian Jaegers, 30 Portuguese and 12 skirmishers, 12 French lancers, 36 Austrian hussars, 12 Austrian uhlans, more Austrian generals, a beautiful Napoleon vignette, 3x32 Prussian LDW and 40 Scots Light Infantry. Not all of this fitted into the two boxes so will come later.  

I intend to flock this lot first.
Some civilians fuss about in front of my muster!

Portuguese skirmishers in front of Polish battalions - note bather.

Austrian top brass with Napoleon and retinue behind, cooeey! Nassauers and Middle Guard with Austrian jaegers in line.
Polish Skirmishers, Westphalian lights and two Italian battalions. Piedmontese Legion skirmishers in brown, Middle Guard Fusilier Grenadiers with red plumes. 

Baron Ott's Austrian Hussars! My largest ever cavalry regiment at 36 strong.
Polish foot battery behind, Polish line in the foreground.

General overview - much green flock and tufts needed.

This might amuse - me aged about 19 or 20 in someones bathroom!
27 or 28 years ago - where does the time go I ask you?
Moving swiftly on... 
Holiday reading material

From the archive.
I was gifted Bruce Quarries book in the late seventies or early eighties, I recall my edition had more pictures than this one which I picked up on ebay for peanuts. It was a trip memory lane, which is a path not to be tread lightly as somethings are not quite as you remember! This is only an ok read to be honest. What strikes me is how far the hobby has come in terms of just about everything!  Quarrie sets out his stall early on, this isn't a history book it's about creating campaigns to give your battles a purpose which is a laudable aim. In this respect he creates an overly complex and needlessly detailed system with a nod towards the quarter master's role or chief of staff rather than marshall, emperor or general. The actual wargame rules are from that era just before rules became very chart & modifier heavy and these are heading there with haste yet remain pleasingly naive. There are very serious charts about dead ground and loads about weather too. The section on leadership is very good and he even goes so far as to provide a "stat line" for a whole host of generals of the age which is useful. By far the best bit is the chapter on a few of the bigger battles with beautifully drawn maps which are ideal for wargamers. I am glad I picked this up as it is well worth the read and reminds us of how spoiled we are as gamers now - may sell it though!

       
From the Best Sellers lists.
God knows I can't stand the Sharpe series and God knows I have read enough Waterloo books but this one came to me by a surprising route. I had bought a copy for my father in law at Christmas, he and I plus my two brothers in law are visiting Waterloo in June so I guessed he might like some accessible background reading. He gave it back to me as he already had a copy! I hooked it out for a holiday read and I have to say I am really enjoying it, if only his Peninsular books were as good, infact I saw him doing a documentary on the Peninsular War which was excellent. If it lets me down I'll say so but for now I'm enjoying the ride.
    
Off the shelve - the top shelf I might add!
 Do we really rank alongside soft porn and tattoo/piercing mags?
The model railway chumps get star billing beside computer games and women's fashion!  
2015 has seen me continue my self imposed boycott of these three and any other printed titles. I picked these up to read on the holiday loo - sadly none are absorbent enough to be useful for wiping. I remain convinced that I don't need these in my life and will invest my pounds in painted models or scenery instead. The variation and quality coupled with the immediacy of the online wargames community on both blogs and some forums has me hook line & sinker. Some of this magazine content is even from the online community so why we I paying for it when we can see it free and chat with the author online?
If you are looking for casualties in wargaming as one article seemed to be, I would suggest it is printed magazines not wargames conventions as postulated. This is a shame as the early Miniature Wargames mags where utterly responsible for much of my gaming life and ambitions.
However, things change.  

A few scenario books from my collection.
I never go on holiday without a few of these and I have very many. Fields of Glory is excellent and these other three are very, very good too. I intend to write a whole post about Napoleonic scenario books one day.

So that's my reading material for the coming week. If I find time aside from being a parent, husband, master to a puppy and flocker of armies I'll get some quality reading done.

Catch up soon, Jeremy.

14 comments:

  1. Sounds like you have a very busy holiday planned! I hope you and your family have a great time - and - for you - a very productive time! If you and the Marauders ever want a GDB battle with SAD Wargamers, just let me know!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Very busy Paul! Thanks for the good tidings and yes, if we are ever at a loose end we should sort out a game.
      Have fun, Jeremy

      Delete
    2. Thanks Jeremy - we only have seven 28mm GDB players and we would like to recruit more for our 1813 camapign final battle - Leipzig. You can also contact me on nettle.paul@yahho.com if you can get the Marauders to play! Have a fantastic time on holiday!

      Delete
  2. Carlo - so sorry I deleted your post somehow! It remains in my email though as follows;-

    "Always nice to see maglomania going untreated Jeremy. We lot need to stick together! Great post, great figures and oh so similar tastes! Fantastic."

    Glad you liked it Carlo, I'll repost the finished units in batches sometime.
    Be good, Jeremy

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's Christmas in May!!

    Love the look of all those Poles. It's snap with the scenario books, but I'll leave Mr Cornwell to you--can't bear the man's stuff myself!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like I said James, I can't abide the fictional Sharpe nonsense but this an OK read, if it turns out to be "poor" I'll be the first to say so. I detect a hint of redcoat bias already...

      Delete
  4. You have a similar reading type material to me when I go on holiday... book 'natch, but always a set of rules, a pad of squared paper, a box of coloured pencils and some dice - nothing like a skirmish on paper every now and again while sipping beer in the sun...

    PS. If it were me, and you ain't, I'd consider obscuring address details in the parcel picture... just a thought....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Steve, sound advice, I always have paper and pens for writing new scenarios. You are spot on with address advice, I should obscure it, I'll ask a daughter! Luckily this is my office address, I couldn't explain this lot landing at home!!!
      Best wishes,
      Jeremy

      Delete
  5. I'm currently on holiday too, but as we flew 'hand luggage only' to Barcelona am limited on wargames content to just a couple of books.

    Home tomorrow though with just enough time to finish off a few more figures for our Bois De Caures game at Partisan this weekend.

    Have a spiffing time in Devon old chap!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheers Scrivs, we usually manage a week ot two in Devon with a ton of books and another two in the sunny Med with somewhat fewer tomes on board. Possibly not this year as my house build nears completion and is colossallyover budget!
      Your work rate always amazes me; every second every hour it seems! Hats off to you Sir.
      Best wishes,
      Jeremy

      Delete
  6. Have a great break J. Your Nassau command group is all finished, sent you a few pics to mobile. Give me a shout when you are back and I'll drop them over. Cheers, Tony

    ReplyDelete
  7. A cracking haul, are they 15mm? or just Farr awayyyy. . . Ah I see now they are 28mm!

    I mind those days G.B.H. Exploited, DK's good times!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Paul, these are 28mm, possibly far away!
      Those three great bands are still going, Exploited and DKs play Bristol in the coming weeks, GBH I saw earlier this year, all better than ever.
      Have fun, JJ

      Delete