Looking for some playtesters for a big new project!

Hello all!

While I cannot share a ton of details yet, I am finding myself looking for a group of playtesters for a game that is under development for production.

The game will be a division-level American Civil War tabletop wargame. It will be a somewhat "modernized" game… think a traditional wargame mated with something like FFS's Armada. We are shooting for something that

…is quick to play (end goal is an hour or so)

…reflects some of the "list building/tweaking/upgrading" aspect of modern games that many people enjoy

… focuses on and reflects the personalities of the leaders

…and incorporates what we expect from a Civil War wargame… dismounted cavalry scouting the battlefield, lines of infantry being managed by screaming officers, famous battalions fixing their bayonets and charging into melee… the whole nine yards.

We are looking for several GROUPS of playtesters who would be willing to run a number of versions through the grinder over the next six or so months. We'd ask you to play quite a bit, giving feedback as you go, and trying to push the game to the limits and break it if you can!

There will be a bit of a "payment" for working with us… if you stick with it and do a nice job, we'll repay you in the form of many miniatures!

Anyway… if this is something you are interested in AND feel you can devote time and energy to, please do shoot me an email at gpa@alumni.duke.edu

Thanks all!

Selling some miniatures from the collection!

FOR SALE!

Hey all!

Well, I'm going to be selling a few groups of miniatures over the next week or so... need the money, so while I hate to part with figures, it's got to happen!

First up?  Two lots of 15mm ACW Confederates!

Both lots are pretty similar... four units of five stands each, with a total of a hundred figures per lot.  They are painted to a decent war-games standard; they CERTAINLY won't win any awards, but they look nice on the table... grubby like Rebs should be! 

Above and below are lot #1.

And then below you have lot #2.

Here is lot 2 again, below.  The "Tigers" don't have a command stand, sorry!

Anyway... they've served their time in the field, and I'd like them to go to someone who can lead them to (further) glory!

I'm asking $130 per lot.

Shoot me an email... grenadierguardscampaigns@yahoo.com if you are interested!

Thanks for taking a look!

The most infuriating war-games experience of my life

Hey all

So, this happened a few years back, and honestly it got me SO upset I couldn't even post about it.

Anyway, found some figures that connected to it, and thought I would finally share.  Curious to see people's' take on it!

So, some years ago I took part in a Longstreet campaign with a local group of wargamers.  Not everyone had an army of the correct size and basing, so I thought it would be good of me to do what I could to help!

I went ahead and put together four Longstreet armies, using figures I had had for years and years.  You might remember that I posted about the process, here...

https://lordashramshouseofwar.blogspot.com/2013/09/three-more-longstreet-armies-done.html

Unfortunately, the campaign wound down without a true "ending" and that's when trouble started:(

Two of the armies never really found their way back to me.  One person moved out of state, and the other didn't really game with us much.  He lives about an hour away, and I just couldn't get down to get it.

But the third army... that's what kills me.

The person who borrowed them brought them back one day... and they were DESTROYED.

Now, I had gone to GREAT lengths to make them nice.  I had done work on the basing to make it look better, with tufts of grass and flowers and the rest.  I made sure everything was edged nicely, created counters to represent skirmishers and heroes, and made sure all of the base sizes match all of the other armies in the campaign.  You can see them above.

But for some damn reason, when I got this army back... they had been torn up.

Here is what the bases looked like when I loaned them out...

One inch by one inch, same as every other army in the campaign.  Tufts, blacked, etc.

And here is what I got back.  For the ENTIRE ARMY.

Some figures torn off their bases.  Some bases cut in half, for some unknown damn reason.  Some bases cut in half, and then glued back together onto thick wooden bases.  Some bases with the bottom half ripped off (they were mounted on card.)

THE ENTIRE DAMN ARMY looked like this.

And the person who gave them back to me didn't say anything.  Like... nothing.

I think I was in such shock that I didn't say much.  I honestly cannot even remember what I said, but there was no explanation, no apology, no nothing.

The ENTIRE ARMY.  Ruined, torn up, cut up.

This was a few years ago, and it still BLOWS MY MIND.  Figures I had had for YEARS, and which I worked HARD on, and which I really cared about.

Anyway... it's honestly frustrated me so badly that I've never posted about it.  I started a post about it a few times, but never finished it because I got so pissed.

It is just TOTALLY alien to me.  Not only do I love toy soldiers too much to ruin them, but I also have WAY too much respect for other peoples things.  If someone lent me soldiers, I'd guard them with my LIFE.

Has anyone out there ever had this happen to them, where they loaned someone figures and gotten them back totally ruined?

Some shots from a playtest...

Hey all!

Sorry I haven't kept the blog rolling recently... been really super busy over the holidays!  Lots of family time, which is fun, but is also a bit exhausting!

Anyway, a few nights ago a buddy came by and we playtested a very rough rule set I am working on, for the American Civil War.

The game saw the US and CSA forces fighting it out to control a vital crossroads, which the American cavalry held for a while, before being forced back.

Here is a quick look at one of the bits of the game... although it will change a LOT by the time it's all done!

One funny thing... rather organically, we ended up recreating the attack on the Sunken Lane at Antietam.  The Irish Brigade struggled this time, too:(

Overall the game ended up well... the Rebs just couldn't take the crossroads.  The game itself felt rather natural and organic, but still took too long... I am looking to get a game that will be done in, at the VERY most, 90 minutes, and this one took over two hours.  It's a shame, because there are some really cool elements, but I think I have to do some editing down, or maybe even a large-scale tear down to get it where I want it to be!