Two hundred and fifteen

I just counted up how many photographs are displayed on this blog - including the pages - and it comes to 215.  Granted, not nearly enough photos of finished work but this blog is meant as much to keep track of progress and remind me of what still needs to be done as anything else.  Hoping in the next few months, while distracted with rounding out my painted pirate figures for a game at a convention in July, that more stuff will be prepped for painting.  Was examining and pondering last night how to convert three Peter Pig WWI ambulance wagons into Mud Wagons.  And I had a though that maybe I will do two versions of each Stage Coach and Mud Wagon, one with crew and passengers and one without.  Not really decided on that front so will wait and see.

Recreating Rosebud battlefield

So, while enduring some mandatory but excruciating online training today at work, my mind wandered - for preservation of sanity - and landed with an understanding that I can recreate a pretty decent version of the Rosebud battlefield that was a week - actually 8 days - before the Little Big Horn battle.

I can take some of the terrain I created for my Pirates of the Carob Bean Sea game and use them to create four parallel contours with three valleys between.  The valleys will be a bit narrow at only around 16" each and the two inner most ridges being too wide at around 4' each - the end ridges at around 2' each.  I can also use some of the 'wedding cake' hills I have that match to the contours and the underlying mat to create a number of the key features, to a greater or lesser degree.  And all that leaves the valley of the Rosebud in its more or less east west run before turning north.  By making the east most 2' ridge only 3' in length versus the 4' of the other ridges, I can even represent a little bit of the waterway's turn north.

While all of the above isn't perfect - especially the valleys running too much true north instead of northwest - it does give a pretty playable recreation of the field.  And since I do 15 mm figures and I am talking about a 5' x 16' table set-up, can really do a job on the battle somewhere near 1:4 ratio of figures to actual participants.

And I have enough figures - many still to paint, of course - to have all 20 companies, the 15 cavalry companies (or troops if you prefer) and the 5 mounted infantry companies that fought on foot - as did some of the cavalry at points of the battle.  For that matter, some of the natives fought on foot at times.  And I should have more than enough mounted and foot natives, too.  A bit of a challenge to get the Girl Who Saved Her Brother figure, though, she who gave the Cheyenne name for the battle, just have to extemporize.

I have figures, too, for the Crow and Shoshone allies of the army and figures I can use for the civilians that participated.

My biggest challenge will be coming up with 16' and maybe a bit more for the turn north of waterway to represent Rosebud Creek.  Just a terrain project and I love creating terrain so I guess I'll think of it more as an opportunity than as a challenge.

More progress in brownish red

Worked on assembling and priming 18 wagons today.  Was hoping to get to 20 but the last two required using plastic cement so will have to wait.  However, the 18 add up to a total of 84 pieces including the wagons themselves, the horses, and the people.  There are 4 grain wagons, 6 buggies, and 8 buckboards.  Modest progress. 

The Pages

I have finally posted something other than the intro to one of the pages - for Alkali Wells.

Note the number x/x behind the name - that indicates how many posts/how many photos on the page.  Just an easy way to know if something is new to a page.  And, yes, there are a few new photos. 

Name inspiration from odd sources!

So, eating a late breakfast and watching a rugby match between Ireland and Scotland - Ireland crushed the Scots, and for a moment I switched channels to avoid some dread commercial and found myself watching the end of a Bugs Bunny cartoon - better than the commercial for sure.  And good 'ole Bugs was impersonating a doctor in his never ending annoyance of Elmer Fudd.  The good doctor's name?  None other than Dr. Killpatient.  I have found a name for my sawbones!  At least the Old West one.  😉

Garbanzo Gaspacho

 I think I'm going to have to have a character in my Old West by the name of Garbanzo Gazpacho.  Now, whether he is a hero or a villain is not yet decided.  But his name is settled.  Unless it gets modified somehow, say a nick name of some sort.  Of course, he will almost certainly be of Spanish heritage.  I already have El Pollo Grande, perhaps his alter-ego?  Only time will reveal.

edit later on same day: a couple more names while in the mood this morning.  The Mexican Grandee shall be Iago Latrans Embaucador and his lady will be D֘֘֘ona Zita Felipe Embaucador.  (have no idea how to add the accent mark here - I guess I need to learn).

A battalion of the 7th

Took delivery yesterday of the first four companies, A-D, of the 7th cavalry, a total of 168 figures.  The break down is 12 mounted men on 12 horses, 12 dismounted men, 1 standing horse to mark point of dismount, and 2 dead men and 3 dead horses for each of the four companies (42 pieces per company).  Photos in due time - bases still need texturing.

So, now have enough figures that are painted to consider running a game once the bases are textured.  Though still considering how I will do the texturing - need to be useful for both the northern plains and the desert southwest.  Might just use my 'standard' texturing and let the rest of the scenery define which of the two environments is on the table.