The Flu and all

I ended up with the flu over Christmas but I was still able to print out and edge the first regiment of the Arnsburg army.  I've figured out how to use the Silhouette Portrait and it is amazing!  I put in for my last deck of cards needed.  I've begun working on the Mounted Units as well, so even though I was sick I still feel I was slightly productive.  Here are the pics of the Minis that I didn't put up yet.

This pic was done before I got the Silhouette, these were hand cut and so are a little jagged.  They still printed out nicely.

This one was cut with the Silhouette the edges are way smoother.  This is also a close up of the flag.

This one shows that with Silhouette I can print and cut in bulk, cutting the amount of time on a unit in half!  This was the best Christmas gift I could of bought myself.  Starting to finally feel better so back to work on the Cavalry.  When Arnsburg is done I will do one of the enemy armies so I can start fighting some battles!

Electric cutter has arrived!

Well I bought an electric cutter and can now print and cut out my minis with ease. Been doing some tests to get the alignment right.  I'll post pics tomorrow.

Letter from the front

Flags

I am well into coloring the armies, almost done with the 18 regiments of foot that Arnsburg can field.  I've started working on some flags as well to break up the monotony of the coloring process.  Here is the national flag for Arnsburg.

I just used the coat of arms designer and photoshop to create this flag.  I'm pretty happy with it.  Now I have to do some for the individual regiments to add some more flavor to the world.

Coloring process begins

So I've begun the arduous task of coloring the units for all the belligerent nations. I'm going nation by nation right now and see how that goes.  This is going to take a while to do and I'm trying to stay motivated as this process is very tedious!  Anyway here is Arnsburg 1st Regiment of Dragoons!

drawing complete!

As the title says I have finished with all the drawing.  Now begins the coloring process.  I am giving myself a deadline of after Christmas to have this finished.  With my purchase of an electronic cutter after the holidays I will be able to cut out all the miniatures that I will need for the campaign.  Before I get on with the coloring I need to sit down and design the second set of cards that Piquet uses.  That is it for now, I will post updates as I make significant progress.  I also hope to start adding some story elements soon, I've probably said that before, I just haven't had the time.

The End is Near!

I've almost finished the drawing process of the miniatures!  I have two more artillery crew poses to do and I will be finished.  After that comes the long process of scaling and coloring.  Then I will put the sheets together for printing and then cutting out.  This process won't happen until the holidays.  I plan on getting an electronic cutter around Christmas.  The hundreds of miniatures that will be printed will take a million years if I cut them out by hand.  I am still working on some characters to do a narrative of the campaign once I get that going.  I also have to do one more set of cards.  So over all my timeline is working out.  I will be moved into my new house tomorrow so there won't be any more distractions, besides Rome Total War 2!

It's August.....

August has snuck up on me.  I am, however, still in good shape to have the miniatures drawn by the end of the month.  I have one mounted officer pose left to draw and then it is onto the Artillery and I am finished.  Then I will start coloring for the specific factions and getting the sheets ready to print and cut out.  I am currently working on the personalities of my major characters and a family tree for the Royalty of Arnsburg.  This is a short update but work is continuing.

Light activity

I've been super busy with the whole house situation and some games have stolen my attention away from the project, but I am getting back on task.  I've finished two sergeant poses and have started on the third.  I will then move on to the officers themselves.  From there I plan on moving to the mounted Generals and then the artillery to finish up the drawing.  Once all the drawing is done I will start coloring the minis to their respective Dutchies.  I have to plan how I'm going to put the figures on the page once I scale them down to 30mm, my goal is to fit an entire unit on one sheet of paper.  We shall see when the time comes.

Another Update

So I have finally moved out of my house and into a temporary location until I can buy a new house.  Computer is set back up and work begins again on the miniatures.  I finished the mounted Dragoons!  I was going to do a separate model for the Elite Cavalry units, but due to time constraints and all this moving I am just going to use the models I have done already and just do a recolor for the elite units.  Eventually they will get their own models but if I want to stick with the August deadline I have to make some cuts.  I've begun work on the command figures, namely the drummers.  I will do sergeants and officers following the drummers.  I will then tackle a couple of different mounted officer poses and finally the artillery.  Artillery will be last because I'm trying to gather more references for a fitting battery for the time period I am emulating.

Here is a little bonus of a figure I've done for some friends for a Viking Skirmish game that we are playing.

Ulfgard

Ulfgard sits on the border with Morgard and Obenbruck.  Ulfgard boasts a population of 419,000 and maintains an army of 20,950 men.  Ulfgard has allied herself with Arnsburg in the coming war.  Ulfgard is ruled by the Dutchess Annebel Ritz, she is a stout supporter of a unified country under Arnsburg rule and is willing to stake everything on a victory.  Though their cause is outnumbered, she is sure of ultimate victory.

*this update is short and I didn't have time to cut out the shape of Ulfgard out of the map.  I also tried to post the comparison pic of my cards but having some trouble with that.  I do like the Superior POD cards and will use them again, I will just make sure my images are double the resolution!*

update

Work is progressing.  I have almost finished the mounted Dragoons and then I will finish the rest of the Cavalry units.  I also plan to finish the nations involved in the war histories.  So a short update but still plugging along.

Lots of Progress

I have finished three of each pose of firing and ready Dragoons.  This puts me even closer to my goal of completing all the minis by August.  I will begin the mounted Dragoons next and maybe even a horse holder.  I just received word that my cards were printed and shipped, looking forward to receiving them next week.  I will compare the quality to the cards I got from Artcow and decide if the expensive shipping is worth the almost two weeks it took to print the cards from Superior pod.  Here is a preview of the work so far.

Dragoon firing

Dragoon Ready

Obenbruck

The state of Obenbruck borders Morgard, Koneudorf, and Wulfenburg.  Obenbruck is a large state that has vowed to protect Munzirnbach.  Obenbruck is ruled by Duke Otto Von Hefner and has a population of 844,000 people.  Obenbruck maintains an army of 42,200 men.

Obenbruck Uniform

Still Working

Work is slowly coming along.  I have one pose left to finish for the Grenadiers and then it is on to the Dragoons.  Dragoons will take a while as they will have both mounted and dismounted poses.  I still haven't received my cards so that is kind of disconcerting.  The price was right but the wait might not be worth it.  So I might send my one remaining deck to the other site Artcow.com.  They are more expensive and less flexible on the deck size but turnaround time was fast and the quality was excellent.  I think my goal of having the miniatures done by August is looking pretty good and with luck I'll be in a new house and have room to build a table to fight the battles!

Work Continues... Slowly

Work on drawing the minis continues.  I finished the last firing pose and one throwing pose for the Grenadiers.  I am working on a ready pose and will do one more throwing pose for variation.  Then I will start tackling the Dragoons.  Trying to sell my house so I've been working from a laptop which makes the process a lot slower than using my main computer with a 32" monitor.  I sent off the next set of cards to be printed.  I'm trying a pod called Superior POD, we will see.  They were cheap so I didn't mind spending the money to try them out.  I have some reservations as I've read a lot of negative feedback on them.  I really like the quality from artcow and how quick the turn around was.  My only complaint is the shipping is expensive, as they come from China, and you can only get a deck in 54 cards and my decks vary in size.  I'm really hoping Superior POD works out, as they have a really flexible system for how many cards you can print up in a deck.  Let's hope the negative feedback is just from minor bad experiences and not how that company operates.  I will post when I get the cards in.

Production Pipeline

I just finished the first 3 poses of the Grenadiers.  I need to do 3 ready poses and they will be done.

List of minis to finish:
Dragoons
Guards
Officers/flag bearer/drummer
Artillery

Once all the minis are finished I need to develope the major personalities of the campaign.  I'm looking to hopefully be moving on the Campaign by August, barring any real life complications.  I've also began work on designing the cards for the army characterization deck.  If you are familiar with Piquet this is the deck that establishes the armies moral and any special army cards.  I am going to use Superior POD, I used Art Cow for the first set but shipping is pretty expensive through them as the cards come from China.  So all in all there is an end in sight.  Once I am done with this campaign I have some ideas in the backburner for some type of medieval game.

Quick Update

Work has been slow on the miniatures.  I am trying to sell my house and that has got in the way of things.  On the bright side my cards I had printed up for Piquet have arrived and they look pretty good.  One card didn't turn out so well but that's ok.  I will take some pics and post them as soon as I can.  I am working on the characterization deck now.  I am also in the works of trying to save up for an automated cutter, this will make my life 10x easier.  It will make cutting out hundreds of paper minis a breeze.  Once the campaign begins I have a couple of ideas on how to tell the story.  I think I will have a couple of main characters from each side that I will try to form a narrative through.  The good thing about this blog and talking about my plans is it is keeping me motivated to finish the project.  On a side note I have ordered some Old Glory 2nd edition Union that I plan to paint up in preparation for Longstreet when that comes out.  I am going to have to do some conversion work to them.  Get rid of the knapsacks, no good soldier would go into battle with all that gear on their back.  Also since I am from Kentucky I'm going to make them look the part of a more proper Federal Western Volunteer.  No brass and a nice slouch hat! 

Morgard

Morgard is a large state who have thrown their lot in with Arnsburg.  Hoping to expand their influence and gain some new territory.  Morgard borders Bernefels to the east and Koneudorf to the south.  She is ruled by Duke Ludwig Von Morgard, who's family has ruled since the Dutchies were first founded 500 years ago. Morgard has a population of 709,600 and an army of 35,480 men.  Morgard is eager to get into battle with their hated foe Bernefels.

Morgard Infantry

Work in Progress

I thought I would post some of the minis I've been working on.  All factions will be using the same models to save time. I might go back later and do some special units for the various states to add a bit more personality to them.  The goal now is to get the basic units drawn up, colored, and printed out so that I can start the campaign!

Cuirassier

Grenadier

Musketeer

Work Continues

Work on the background details and minis continues to make progress.  I have finished the populations and army makeup of all the warring States.  I will continue to work on the brief outline of the States in conflict.  As far as minis goes, I have completed the musketeers and pike men.  I am almost finished with the Cuirassiers.  After them I will move to the Grenadiers.  The pipeline for minis is Grenadiers, Dragoons, NCO's/standards, and Officers.  Once all the minis are drawn I will begin coloring them for their respective States.  There isn't going to be much variety yet as I want to start gaming asap.  I will work on variety to the armies as times goes but for right now they are going to be pretty much clone armies with different colors.  I don't think this will be that big of an issue as they are only going to be 28mm and from a gaming distance you won't be able to notice that much.  I do plan on adding a variety of hair colors and I might do a separate set of heads that I can just swap out in photoshop.  I have had my own personalized cards printed for the Piquet game that have just shipped so I am excited to receive those.  A fun fact the Arnsburg League, as I am calling Arnsburg and her allies, can field a total force of 116,346 men.  While the Munzirnbach Alliance can field 145,000 men.  Clearly Munzirnbach has some powerful friends and things aren't going to be so simple for Arnsburg.  Who will come on top in this coming conflict?  Stay tuned!

Bernefels

Munzirnbach's mighty neighbor to the North, Bernefels, has sworn to protect their tiny neighbor against the aggression of Arnsburg.  Bernefels is a massive state and boasts a population of 1,043,500 people.  She is lead by Duke Manfred IV.  The Duke personally leads his army and can field a force of 52,175 men.  With Bernefels on the side of Munzirnbach, this war might not be so easy for Arnsburg after all.

The uniform of the Bernefel Army

Rule System

So I have decided to go with Piquet as my rule system for the Solo campaign.  I like the card driven mechanics and randomness of the system.  It has a strong ability to allow a story to develope from the battle and plus the cards allow for a more random computer opponent and I don't have to manipulate the outcome so much.  I've begun developing the Arnsburg army based on the amount of men they can field.  Using the army percentages in the Pike and Shotte supplement for Piquet, Cartouche, the 22,338 men of Arnsburg's army 13,403 men are infantry, 6,701 men are Cavalry, and 2,234 men are artillery.  That further breaks down into 22 Battalions of foot, 17 Battalions of Horse, and 10 Batteries of Artillery.  I am using 600 men per Infantry Battalion, this won't add up exactly but for simplicity in the math that is what I am using, 400 men per cavalry Battalion, and 8 guns per Artiller battery.  The Arnsburg army is further broken down into 18 Battalions of Foot, 3 Battalions of Grenadiers, 1 Battalion of Guards; 9 Battalions of Cuirassiers, 6 Battalions of Dragoons, 1 Guard Du Corps, and 1 Battalion of Life Guards; 5 Batteris of Medium guns and 5 Batteries of Heavy guns.  This is the make up of the Arnsburg army and gives me my units exactly.  I will be doing this for the other warring states.

Koneudorf

The state of Koneudorf is west of Munzirbach and north of Wulfenburg.  Koneudorf has sided with Arnsburg in the coming conflict.  The wife of Prince Rupert, the ruler of Koneudorf, is the cousin of the wife of the ruler of Arnsburg.  With this family tie Prince Rupert was obliged to commit his forces to Arnsburg's cause.  The population of Koneudorf is 426,050 with a military of 21,303.

Koneudorf Uniform

Mannebruck

The State of Mannebruck borders Arnsburg's eastern border.  Mannebruck has vowed to protect the state of Munzirbach from Arnsburg aggression.  Mannebruck is a hilly landscape dotted with smaller cities.  The only major city is Mannebruck itself.  Mannebruck doesn't have a single governing figure like most states in the Dutchies.  Instead, they are ruled by an elected council.  Mannebruck has a population of 427,000 people and maintains an army of 21,375.

The Uniform of the Mannebruck Army

Munzirnbach

The state of Munzirnbach is the tiniest state in the whole land known as the Dutchies.  She has a small population of 174,200.  The land is mostly hilly with some woodland towards the city of Tenehofen.  The Allerz river runs the length of the state.  Munzirnbach is ruled by Lord Governor Richard Hoffman.  With the state of Arnsburg showing signs of severe aggression.  The Lord Governor has mustered is tiny force of 8,800 men and placed them around the capital in the hills.  The Lord Governor has sent out requests to neighboring states for aid.  He is currently awaiting the answers.                                                                                  

Uniform of the Munzirnbach Army

The Nation Developes

Work continues on the preparation for my solo campaign.  Using an article from issue 5 of Battlegames magazine I've started developing the size of the military for the various antagonists in the upcoming Unification conflict. The state of Arnsburg, our main protagonist, at this time had a population of 446,550.  Using the article lets say that half that population are men giving us 223,375 males.  Further using the article let us say that 10% of those men are eligible for military service giving us a military force of 22,338.  Using this method I can create my army lists for the nations.  Tiny Munzirnbach can only field an army of 8,800 men, luckily she has some major friends on her side; more to come on that!  I've decided on 10 states engaging in this upcoming war.  I plan on rolling off to see which side each state joins.  The states are:

1. Munzirnbach
2. Arnsburg
3. Mannebruck
4. Wulfenburg
5. Koneudorf
6. Bernefels
7. Morgard
8. Obenbruck
9. Ulfgard
10. Abenbach

The rest of the states are sitting this one out for now. I'm going to start on the story and Noble families of these states after I finish the military strength.  Here is the uniform color of Arnsburg
                                                                   

A Different Direction

           So work continues on my Arnsburg campaign.  Miniatures are finished for the most part, still have to finish Arnsburg's army.  However I've decided to put together a solo project for myself representing 100 years before the current Arnsburg Succession campaign.  At this time the year is 2449 the country of Arnsburg was divided up into many nation states, each with their own nobility. The Nobility, being the fickle bunch they are, were never satisfied with their current state in life.  Grand Duke Ostermand of Arnsburg decided to expand his realm by annexing the tiny state of Munzirnbach.  This act of aggression set the whole realm into a massive war.  Arnsburg and her allies would come out on top and country would become united under Arnsburg rule.

           This sets the stage for the campaign I want to play.  I will be using the same map for this campaign as it is already divided into areas that I can use as the other nation states.  I will do better about posting on the development of this campaign.  Currently searching out rules for both campaign and battles.  While I love Maurice, I don't think it will fit the style of warfare I have in mind.  I will also be hand drawing my miniatures in photoshop in 28mm instead of the 10mm ms paint minis I am doing for the Arnsburg Succession campaign.  Without further ado here is the uniform for the state of Wulfenburg, a staunch ally of Arnsburg in the coming conflict.

                                                     

Uniforms

Here is a uniform guide for the current infantry Regiments of the Wanderburg Expeditionary force.  More regiments are being raised as the country mobilizes for war.  The unit in the great coats is the Groß Männer Grenadiers.

Wanderburg miniatures

I've reduced the scale of the miniatures.  Templates for the miniatures are from the website juniorgeneral.org

The Map

The map is finally done.  Work is moving slow on the troops.  I plan on eventually doing another history posting.  The map when printed out is around 32" x 44"