Current projects From the editor

What are you working on?

What is your current or next project?  Here’s mine.  A few months back, I completed my Cowpens project.  (See LW174.)  I’m seriously looking at Guilford Courthouse as my next big game.  Guilford Courthouse saw 2000 British, Hessian, and Loyalist troops narrowly defeat about 4000 Continentals and militia.  What I like about Guilford Courthouse (as I did about Cowpens) is that the fight could have gone either way.  The British attack was characterized by separate battalions, out of mutually supporting distance and in the woods, relentlessly grinding through lines of defenders without regard for casualties.  I can’t paint all the figures I’ll need (I use a 1:10 ratio), but I will acquire and paint the Von Bose Regiment.  Also, I’ll need more British regulars.  Given my other projects, it may be a few months before I can actually fight it out.

What is everyone else doing?

18 thoughts on “What are you working on?

  1. I’m working on setting up a solo sci-fi wargaming campaign. The setting for the campaign is up on my blog, and I’ve just finished the first set of figures. Pictures of them should be going up in the next week. For rules, I’ll be using a variety of reaction-based systems, because I like the way they take control out of my hands and help tell a story. 5150 (from Two Hour Wargames), and Gut Check (from the Tiny Solitary Soldiers blog) for skirmish games. RoboFire (from Scott Pyle) and a sci-fi version of the WWII rules Sturm (from Don Bailey) for platoon level games. Add in a healthy dose of Mythic for storytelling, and away we go.

    1. Looking forward to your new rules. Am looking for the original and other derivatives of Don Bailey’s rules.

  2. Rich,do any of the LW HAVE a ACW game in them and when will the new LW be out?

  3. I have two projects going on; one an ongoing solo Song of Blades and Heroes campaign (no special rules, just playing each side with narrative connecting scenarios), that I’m posting at:

    http://clashofspearonshield.blogspot.com/

    And for Solo Nexus’ Solo Gaming Appreciation Month this November, I’ve started the painting on some WWII figures for a solo Platoon Forward campaign that I will run that month. This I’m posting at:

    http://twouponeback.blogspot.com/

    I love looking at other gamers’ solo projects, so if you’re blogging about it, do post your blog address, and I’ll be sure to stop by and read!

  4. I’ve set up a game of Commands & Colors: Ancients (with figures instead of blocks) to try out some medieval variant rules — some ideas from others, some of my own.

    CC:A plays well as a solo game anyway, and the medieval variant seems to be working well. So my next project will probably be writing up the experience as a Lone Warrior article.

  5. I made the jump from 20 mm to 54 mm and gave all of my 20 mm figs to the 2 boys down the road to play with. Currently building up some 54 mm French Italeri figs and I scored a bunch of Colonial figs from a buddy. I have my game board built and I am concentrating on small skirmishes for now. What I like is the eye candy of the hobby/collecting aspect, but I am a real stickler for detail. So game mechanics are optional. I make stuff up as I go and rules are based loosely on Featherstones books/ideas. The beauty of this hobby as a soloist is you can do what you want. I fancy this as I used to belong to a club and a few of the blokes were way to serious for my liking and they were sore losers.

  6. This morning, I hope (intend) to finish preparing the French formations for my Shevardino project. The wargame should be completed by the end of the month.

    I am also tinkering with the idea of adapting Fire and Fury to the 10th and 11th centuries. (It’s been done for Greek Naval as well as for the FPW, so I figured “why not”?) Along this same line of tinkering, I’m considering revisiting an idea for a solo mini-campaign involving the Norsemen. WAB 2.0 is out, I understand. I do not think I’m going to be spending the 50 dollars for it, however.

    While all of this is going on, I’m also drafting maps and orders of battle for Ligny with modified V&B RTG. I’m debating whether to go the historical route, or change it around a bit and have the “missing” French corps arrive. Of course, I could also have the other Prussian corps arrive in time for the battle and put the French on the defensive.

    So many ideas, so many solo options . . . so little time. (At least, that’s what it feels like.)

  7. At the present time I’m redoing my Ancient frontier campaign. I want to use both 6mm figures and 10mm. I realise there is’nt much difference in scale but the 10mm are individual figures while the 6mm are in strips. It will give me a fresh opportunity to delve more into characters of both Romans and barbarians. aaaaaaaaaaaai’ also redoing the map. I’ll let you know how things progress.

  8. What am I not working on is more like it!

    I’m painting 15mm ECW, and have been for ages.

    I’ve also discovered 10mm figures – really great; the perfect compromise of detail (just enough) and size (you get more on the table). So I’m currently painting WWII British & German battalions.

    As far as gaming goes I’m experimenting with Napoleonic naval – using rules recently published in LW (but obviously I have to tinker with them!)

    And I’ve just finished an Imagi-Nation 18th century campaign – but having tinkered with the rules a bit in the meantime, I’m anxious for another war to start.

    I’ve also been setting up rules for a solo RPG.

    But mostly I’ve been thinking about articles for submission to LW – Jonathan Aird inspired me in the last issue with his call for all readers to contribute something – so I did & it should appear soon I think. Having done that, the floodgates seem to have opened & now I’ve got loads of ideas for articles.

  9. I’m trying to finish of a large continental map ready for use with a medieval/renaissance campaign. In fact, I produced the original hand drawn sketches over 25 years ago (showing my age there) but they’ve been sitting at the bottom of a cupboard ever since. I wanted something different so I decided to use my old sketches as the basis for a new campaign set in a medieval/renaissance world.
    I’m just putting the finishing touches to the map using a computer generated drawing programme and hopefully will be playing very soon.

  10. Reference the comments from Steve. I’d be interested in any ideas on the systems you use. Could even make a good article for LW. Things such as political interaction and causes for war etc.

    1. George – I’m a little late coming back to the blog, so have only just seen your comment, sorry. As for the systems I use, well, I’m a convert to the “Mythic Games Master Emulator” (originally for use with “fantasy” games) which I’ve found very useful in providing me with reasons for my medieval countries to go to war.
      Not much room to say much about it here, but if you’ve seen Bob Stewart’s long running article – “Tagh Dum Bash” – in LW, then you’ll get some idea about how it can be employed. If you want more details, please post again here and I’ll get back to you.

      Steve.

  11. I am working on fantasy campaign using the card combat units from Battleground Fantasy. Realy like the units and the combat syle and soooo easy to set up. Though my large Warhammer Wood Army is jealous. Am using Battle Finder to create the map (from Perfect Captain). Throwing in a bit from the PC game Spell Force Universe (a slow but permament dimensional gate) to allow all the races to arrive in a new world and start the battle royal. Just working on the background for the world. My use of the Mythic RPG system has been essential. I already have a solo deployment and tactical combat system. Feeling good aout this one.

  12. At the moment – I want to be doing my new naval mini-campaign, but I also want to do some linked games of Songs of Blades and Heroes because (shock ! horror !) I already ahve suitable figures painted up that just need organising into units. And…I have just had the most brilliant thought (well, brilliant for me anyway) – I could use my old Minifigs VFW figures, and play the VFW boardgame with the combats resolved using SoBH. That…might…just…work ! I’m going to have a think about this!

  13. Well – three years on it’s probably time too ‘fess up – how many of these plans came to full fruition?

    Well…I never did refight the VFW boardgame with SOBH – but it still sound a neat idea! I got distracted onto De Bellis Velitum for skirmish games, and that’s been a lot of fun so far.

    How did everyone else do ?

    1. Good grief! Was that over three years ago?! Already? Tempus does indeed fugit.

      After dismantling a large Mongols versus Teutonic alliance ARMATI 2 battle, I have returned to and have started revising a failed WOTR project. I should like to wrap this up well before the end of the year and ideally, have it accepted and posted by our Blog-Master-General. Once that’s done, I would post a link to a couple of other sites with the intention of drawing more readers to this Internet address.

      Here’s hoping that October holds more fun than frightening wargames, solo and otherwise.

      Chris

  14. Three years have indeed flown by and no-one could be more surprised than me to realise that I actually did all the stuff I said I would back then. Actually I’d forgotten this thread entirely but seeing it again made me think back and realise that actually the past thre years have been quite fruitful for me in wargames terms. I’ve done much besides the stuff in the original post and I have even become a regular contributor to LW which I have to say has been an extraordinarily positive experience.

    More important than any of that has been the contacts and friendships made through the blog, most especially with Mike Crane (spare your blushes Mike) with whom I’ve struck up a great friendship and fruitful partnership in games design and general gamey discussion. Odd isn’t it that a solitary hobby can provide such a strong social aspect.
    Paul

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