Third Quarter 2021 Update: How's the Plan going?

"Buying a new truck was not part of the plan Charlie."

 

Here is the plan I developed for 2021; let's see how it's going especially since I took a big break in August:

1. The French and Indian War. His Most Catholic Majesty, King Louis XV has requested politely (something about it being a pain in my neck if I don't get going) that I finish the initial French force for the French and Indian War. I'm planing on using one of the suggested force listings from Rebels and Patriots (Paid Link):

a. Two units of Light Infantry at 6 points each (Compagnies Franches de la Marine). One is complete. I plan on doing the second unit of Compagnies Franches de la Marine during the 3rd Quarter.

b.  One unit of Skirmishers (Canadian Militia) for Rebels and Patriots (Paid Link) that are Sharpshooters at 6 points. Complete!

c. One Large unit of Aggressive Natives at 6 points for Rebels and Patriots (Paid Link)> Complete!

2. The Great Game goes Hot! The Russian Empire vs. The British Empire in a fictional (and I mean fictional) war in Central Asia that impacts the British Raj. I'm planning on using both The Men Who Would be Kings (Paid Link) and In Her Majesty's Name (Paid Link) for all of the fun. It will take place between 1895 and 1920 so I can pick what figures I think look cool for the fight; in other words, be prepared for uniforms and troop types that don't go together historically (I said it would be fictional!). And what's not to like? It will have Wolseley Helmets (just like fezzes, Wolseley Helmets are cool), Russian spies, Political Officers, dashing semi-historical uniforms, Maxim Machine Guns, Pathans, Sikhs, Cossacks, Boris and Natasha, mustaches on stiff upper lips, etc. The conflict will start with a disputed succession of a princedom and a threat to the Khyber pass. The opening shots have been fired! 

 

Initial Russian Field Force: Complete! But . . . Force Creep! I've added the Putilov 76mm gun to the Imperial Russian Army. Maybe those Cossacks will show up by the end of the year?

"Well done General, we now have enough troops to deal with the Britishers and their lackeys."

The Izmaylovsky Lifeguards

14th Frontier Guards

Imperial Russian Naval Brigade

Russian Maxim Machine Gun

Putilov 76mm Quick Firing gun

The British Raj: The Initial Force is complete - plus with some extras. As expected (see above) I'm expanding the British Indian Army with more Indian Forces. I completed two more British Indian Unit (Jacob's Rifles) and the 1st Madras Pioneers which will be in the British Indian Army and also Princely State units. I'm planning on adding at least one more British Indian Unit by the end of the year which might be some cavalry.

The 19th Punjabis

The 14th Sikhs

The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment)

Indian Army Maxim Machine gun

The Royal Regiment of Chaimbellistan

Tribal Infantry for both sides!

Jacob's Rifles (also known in the Princely State of Chaimbellistan as the 1st (Swords of Judgment) Regiment of the Royal Chaimbellistan Army).

The 1st Madras Pioneers. 

Swap out the flag stand and now they are the 2nd (Thundering Herd) Regiment of the fictional Princely State of Chaimbellistan.

3. The adventures of the TFS (The Free Ship) Audacity. Rules will probably mostly be IHMN Edition 2 ( I also need to finish painting the Audacity). Painted and Complete!

TFS Audacity

Picture of Lady Helen Quartermain and some of her crew that was used in the Second Edition of In Her Majesty's Name.

4. Paint some old GW Phoenix Guard for Honorable Son #5 (The Skirmisher). They will be used as some sort of elite infantry in Dragon Rampant. (Paid Link)  Not yet. I really need to get on this.

 

5. Try to finish the generic Scottish Infantry (two units) for my English Civil War project. If I really get on a roll, I'll add two units of Scottish horse and one Scottish Artillery Piece. The Scots are still waiting. I really need to get on this. The musketeers for the first unit are almost done but then I put them away. I think once the other items are done I will focus on the Scots. This is turning out to be the longest time I have ever painted a unit and the uniforms are so simple!

This pike block has been finished for over 3 years. Time to get the unit finished and some more.

"Hey! we ur nae even oan th' wirk table!"

6. Played of game using the Second Edition of IHMN. What a Riot! And we even integrated the game into the Anglo-Russian War. Mysterious goings on!

7. Introduced my buddy Tom (a longtime opponent for In Her Majesty's Name) to The Men Who Would be Kings (Paid Link) by fighting the next battle of the Anglo-Russian War. Battle report to come.

8. I built some more terrain for the French and Indian War using Rebels and Patriots (Paid Link) and the Anglo-Russian War using The Men Who Would be Kings.

Yep, showing off Jacob's Rifles from Perry Miniatures again but with some of the new terrain.

The Imperial Russians get to use the new terrain too!

9. A nicely converted figure to use with In Her Majesty's Name.

Well, that's the plan so far through three quarters of 2021. I hope you and yours are doing well!

Canadian Militia (Coureur de Bois) from Northstar Miniatures

Canadian Militia from Northstar Miniatures.

My latest unit for the French and Indian War using the rules Rebels and Patriots. For my French Force they will be Skirmishers that are Sharpshooter for a total of 6 points.

Keeping track of the British advance into Canada.

Military service has been part of Canadian life since the 17th century in New France, where colonists were required to serve in local militia to support regular units of the French army and navy. In 1651, Pierre Boucher received a commission of captain from the Governor of New France and asked to raise a militia corps in Trois-Rivières. Until the arrival of the Carignan-Salières regiment in 1665, militia corps were the only defense of New France. In the long struggle between the French and British colonies, British and colonial American troops found the Indian-style tactics (i.e., Guerrilla warfare/ frontier warfare) of the Canadian militia to be a formidable adversary. Perhaps the two most famous Canadian attacks against New England were the Siege of Pemaquid (1696) and the Raid on Deerfield (1704).

Working with Native American allies in conducting a raid on a British foraging party.

The success of the Canadians was underscored during the French and Indian War by George Washington's defeat at Great Meadows and Edward Braddock's embarrassment at the Monongahela River. The British response was to create new "Ranger" and "Light infantry" units adept at woodland warfare. 

"Je vais couvrir et vous passez à l'arbre suivant. Alors je te suivrai quand tu seras en place"

Approximate numbers of militiamen in New France in 1759 during the French and Indian War:

• Acadian Militia – 150 militiamen
• Canadian Cavalry: 200 cavalrymen
• District of Québec: 5,640 militiamen
• District of Montréal: 5,455 militiamen; 4,200 sent to Quebec City
• District of Trois-Rivière: 1,300 militiamen; 1,100 to Quebec City
• First Nations: 1,800

Not all of the Canadian Militia were natural woodsmen but the unit I painted will be and based on the coureur de bois lifestyle. The Coureur de Bois (literally woods runners) were independent traders who knew the woods well and dealt directly with the Indians. During the French Colonial period, the coureurs de bois operated in the upper Mississippi valley, extending their reach into the American bottom, an area stretching almost one hundred miles south from the point where the Missouri River flows into the Mississippi. 

The ancestor of "Yukon Cornelius."

The French government tried to control the activities of the coureurs de bois, and put many restrictions on them, trying to compel the Indians to bring their pelts directly to government-sanctioned trading posts.

I have one more unit of French Marines to paint and the basic French Force will be complete. It will be time to set the frontier ablaze.

The 1st Madras Pioneers

"Sarvatra!" (Everywhere!)

My next unit for The Men Who Would be Kings is the 1st Madras Pioneers. The regiment took part in the Carnatic Wars in 1746–1763 and then the Third Anglo-Mysore War. In the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War they took part in the Battle of Seedaseer, the Battle of Seringapatam, the Battle of Nagpore, the Battle of Ava. They were next in action during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 in the Central India Campaign. Their next campaigns were outside India when they took part in the Second Afghan War, the Second Burmese War and the Boxer Rebellion. During World War I they were part of the 9th (Secunderabad) Division in the 27th Bangalore Brigade. This brigade served away from its parent division and served in British East Africa as part of the Indian Expeditionary Force B. After returning to India they took part in the Third Afghan War.

After World War I the Indian government reformed the army moving from single battalion regiments to multi battalion regiments. In 1922, the 61st Pioneers now became the 1st Battalion 1st Madras Pioneers, which was disbanded in 1933. 

Yikes! I've got to fix the paint on the flag pole!

Lineage

• 1st Battalion Coast Sepoys - 1758
• 1st Carnatic Battalion - 1769
• 1st Madras Battalion - 1784
• 1st Battalion, 1st Madras Native Infantry - 1796
• 1st Madras Native Infantry - 1824
• 1st Madras Native Infantry (Pioneers) - 1883
• 1st Madras Infantry (Pioneers) - 1885
• 1st Madras Pioneers - 1901
• 61st Madras Pioneers - 1903
• 61st Prince of Wales's Own Pioneers - 1906
• 61st King George's Own Pioneers - 1910
  
  

Of course the 1st Madras Pioneers will be taking to the tabletop using the rules The Men Who Would be Kings! The 1st Madras will find themselves in the 2nd Afghan War, the fictional Anglo - Russian War, and anywhere else the Empire needs them. The figures are Perry Miniatures and are from packs VLW 32 Bombay Infantry Command, 2nd Afghan War, VLW 33 Bombay Infantry advancing, 2nd Afghan War, and the mounted officer is from VLW 13 Jacob's Rifles Command.

By swapping out the flag stand, they are now the 2nd (Thundering Herd) Regiment of the fictional Princely state of Chaimbellistan. I fudged the flag a bit when gluing,  but I am proud (humble, aren't I?) of the elephant I painted!

Yep, painted two elephants decently!

To make them look more like an engineering unit, I added mainly leftover hard plastic axes from the Gripping Beast Viking Hirdmen box and some odds and ends I've collected over the years. Save those bits!

"Good job lads! You have built another fine bridge!" When the 1st Madras Pioneers are performing engineering tasks on the tabletop, I will add the little vignette of tools and materials next to the unit.

Not only can they fight as infantry, but the 1st Madras Pioneers will be performing engineering tasks from time to time on the table top. I plan on using rules similar to the "bridge building" rules from Scenario G: Widow Creek Bridge found in Rebels and Patriots on pages 47 - 48. Having capabilities like this adds new and fun dimensions to scenarios and can make the game very interesting.

I had to give the Havildar (Sergeant) an axe! I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley.

Off to the next mission.

A fun Victorian Sci-Fi Conversion

Balgar "The Fox" Fraser: Soldier, explorer, hunter and slayer of monsters and other nefarious baddies that threaten the Empire. 

When I did the 42nd Highland Regiment for the French and Indian War, I had a few figures left over. I used two of the figures to make disorder markers for my Highlander FIW units for the ruleset Rebels and Patriots leaving me one spare figure. About 8 months later I was rearranging and cleaning my hobby room when I came across some sprues from the Warhammer hard plastic Pistoliers and Engineers. As I looked at the ridiculously sized weapons for the Engineers, I got a crazy idea and at the same time, a new idea for a Scottish adventuring company for In Her Majesty's Name.

I carefully cut off the left hand of my 18th Century Highlander from Warlord Games and also the musket. I left the stock of the musket in place as it fit nicely with the GW nock gun/Gatling gun (I see a use for both in IHMN2!). Using some trimming of the hard plastic weapon to make it look "realistic" I then used some super glue to affix the weapon. I'll be honest; I gave myself a pat on the back.

I wanted him to have the look of a former soldier; but, I did not want him to be wearing a uniform of the late 19th century. So instead, I decided to go with browns and a more subdued, "man of the countryside" look. To hide the 18th century lace and other uniform details, I strategically placed knives and pouches from the Gripping Beast hard plastic Viking Hirdmen box set (save those bits!)

Here is what the original figure would have looked like painted compared to the conversion:

The completed, and well armed Highlander ready to take on the enemies of the Queen-Empress! He is mounted on a 25mm round Litko base.

"Let me introduce ye tae mah wee friend!" 

"Let me introduce ye tae mah wee friend!"