Order Arrival

Some weeks ago I placed an order with JTFM for a pack each of their German and French regulars from their When the Navy Walked range.  In both cases the regulars are very suited to colonial style troops, as both packs are wearing sun helmets.  The figures are on the large side of 15mm, measuring 18mm from sole to eye.  There are two poses per pack, advancing and firing, with six of each pose per pack.  The figures are cleanly cast, and fairly proportionate.

I placed my order on January 3rd, and received them from Canada on February 20th, even though the figures were actually shipped on January 8th (delays evidently caused by Canada Post).  While the cost per pack is only $6.00 Canadian, shipping is on the high side.

My next order will be from Blue Moon and I will be able to provide comparison pictures at that time.

Some Musings/Updates

In a recent fit of organizational need, I took some time recently to get my gaming closet a bit organized.  My wife and I live in a two bedroom condo, and the second bedroom serves as our den/office with two computer tables, bookshelves, and my gaming "stuff" in the closet, and due to volume of the latter, that also spills out on the den floor.  Granted, a couple of piles are items to sell or give to gaming friends, but Lord what a clutter it was, and bothering the wife to boot.  So, I was highly motivated to get the closet organized and the overflow cleaned up.  Made massive headway and the den looks much larger somehow, with all the organizing and combining bins that I was able to tackle.  Now it will be time to start pulling out the Fantassin/Warmodelling/Capitan/Stonewall Spanish I recently picked up from Scale Creep and get them on bases.  I will also need to order some movement trays/horde bases, but that can wait a bit. 

In getting the closet organized I realized that I have a ton (for me) of desert terrain from the various buildings and terrain bits I have picked up over the years.  I really need to get it all out and set up for some pictures to share.  I can fill a four by four table (maybe larger) nicely with a village and outlying hills and rocky outcrops, a desert stream, and a fetid pond.  I really just need to paint up the walls from Crom's Anvil, and base and drybrush the palms from same, and the desert terrain is DONE.

A reminder to those who may find the German colonial wars as interesting as I do...years ago I created a Yahoo group for Ost Afrika, which then morphed into all German colonial wars (from a gaming perspective).  While I no longer moderate the group, you'll still find some good links and files there.

For rules there are a ton of options (discussed previously) but I am really leaning towards Colonial Adventures.  I picked up a hard copy of CA along with the campaign supplement recently, and I believe they will offer a simple and fun game for conventions.

Flags have been flowing in from Sgt. Guinness, he sent United States and Spanish flags from his collection recently.  I definitely have a collection for several factions now.

Book Review - The German Colonial Empire

I was able to take advantage of a deal on a gaming site for a copy of The German Colonial Empire by Woodruff D. Smith (274 pages.  Published by The University of North Carolina Press, 1978).  Hardcover copies are currently being offered at $100.00 or more, so dropping $17.50 (including shipping) on a copy that is in excellent condition was a no brainer.

The book is divided into four parts that cover the following subjects:
The Origins of Germany's Colonial Empire
The Colonies: 1885-1907
Colonial Politics in Germany, 1890-1906
The Dernburg Era and Its Aftermath

Each part has three or four chapters.  The subject matter is from a social-political-economical point of view, there is very little military coverage.  For example the Herero and Nama Wars are covered in a short two pages at a broad brush level.

Overall, if you come across this title for under $20.00 it may be worth your while to understand Germany's path into colonialism as the book does provide a decent amount of coverage for each colony and protectorate.  However, it is extremely lacking in what most wargamers seek, substantial military history and/or scenario generation.

The 25th Post - Did Someone Say...Flags?

It is interesting at times how connected we can be using this big old world wide web, and how fellow gamers I have never met can be so generous.  Jeff Baumal (he of the excellent Sgt. Guinness blog) saw my post here on the blog about obtaining The Flag Dude's products for my Der Wind und der Löwe project, and let me know the status of The Dude.  Jeff also offered to send national flags for a variety of European nations (Spanish, French, German), and also sent me some great flags for Turkish and Egyptian troops.

There was a time I never thought this blog would make it to 25 posts and I gave some thought to shutting the blog down due to the frustration with the Herero Revolt project, but with the new direction for 2018 there is new life, and 2018 has already turned into the most prolific year the blog has seen to date!