TSA 2011 ACW weekend: First Bull Run, the Prelude

So the weekend of the infamous TSA megabattle has arrived, and this year it`s First Bull Run (or First Manassas, depending where your loyalties lie...).

I`m in command of the 2 / 2 AoNEV, taking the role of Col. Ambrose E. Burnside, and yes, I had my facial hair grown to a (measly) impersonation of him. You might find pictures elsewhere, I`m not bestowing that horror upon you all...



and this is the brigade I have command over:



Now for some statistics of the game:

The table we`re playing on is 36 square meters, using 197 TSS tiles in up to 4 layers. About 23 metres of roads are on the table, 600 trees for 9 square metres of forest.



About 3000 models (including the spectators which where also there historically!) are used, all from the collection of Patrick Smets and to be commanded by 34 players in total.



Of course, TSA provides the full catering, while our friends of the Red Barons provide the umpires. Pictures of the battle on day 1 are to follow in a few, first now I`m going to get a shower ;)

Banshee and Thunderbird

Since our gaming group is anticipating the arrival of the Supersystem rulebook, I started repainting some of my Heroclix models recently. Including one team that will feature in Lead Painter`s League with an effort to use the `Dallimore style`, but who and what I`m still keeping to myself, unpublished rules et all.

Now personally, I`m a great fan of Heroclix models, though I have no ambition at all to play the game. The models are dirt cheap ranging somewhere between 0.50 and 1.00 USD a piece, who cares if I have the LE uberrare veteran Spider-man, he`ll get rebased and repainted anyway so the boxfiller of doom common version of Spidey is just as good.
The comments about the quality of the sculpts? Negligeble in my book, it`s usually the terrible factory paint job that makes them look really bad, but the details are usually there, and I`ve seen far more expensive metal and plastic models (GW`s Rohirrim on foot anyone, where you couldn`t distinguish hair / cloak and arm / armour from each other at all) that had those sculpting issues as well.

But on to the ones that got the paintjob today. Two of the lesser X-men from history (Wolverine`s and Cyclopses on tables by the buckets), namely Thunderbird, who had the `honour` of being the first X-men ever to die on the field of battle, and Banshee, the Irish mutant. Of course, at some time both have been dead, but Marvel returns all except Uncle Ben as the saying goes... (Well, actually it used to be `Everyone returns from the dead in comicland except Uncle Ben, Bucky and Robin` but DC brought their two back in the meantime)



... up to the next batch now!

Newest SAC Member: Capitano Morbidello

Capitano Morbidello is the field officer in charge of the military troops joining the SAC expeditions in the wonderful world. A former drill officer and career military, he is the equivalent of people like John J. Keeshan (bonus points for who gets that reference), doing a Rurik (and more bonus points when you get that) whenever the opponent is spotted.

He lost his left hand in a fierce battle at Wakanada Beach, but doesn`t mind that to hard as he can still hold his semi automatic, and the replacement hook is great for gouging out the enemies eyes...



The model is the limited edition Crisis entry model from 2008, so just one more to paint (and the only one not to become a SAC team member) before I finished them all. This model, `Popski`, was sculpted by Paul Hicks.

Is this art?????

Or better said, my first attempt at painting backgrounds for my miniatures pictures. Eye damage not refunded!

Red Barons convention Gent

Today, the yearly trip to the small, but extremely cozy convention in Gent of the Red Barons took place. With about 10 traders and 20 games, this show is for me a blast to the past, when shows and conventions used to be smaller regional affairs with the odd foreign trader or club.

This year once again, I had the opportunity to spend a heap of money (clocking out around 200 euros in the end, not bad for a small affair), get some whacky ideas going, and meet up with some familiar faces, as well as adding fresh ones.

The trade halls:





Our own club was present with a 28mm Vietnam game, focussing on the liberation of Erio di Lupo




There where a lot of nice games present, eye candy galore for the budding plans forming in my mind.

My personal favorite was this colonial game, a fictional scenario in which Leopold II and mistresses where visiting a settlement at the wrong time.





This was also the only game in which one of the (french languaged, but making a great effort to speak dutch) players interrupted his game just to tell about what they where exactly playing, how the terrain had been made et all. Bit pity as this is more the exception then the norm these days on shows all around though...

Another great piece of eye candy was the Stipsicz Hussars table, the camel corp in particular was really cool looking.




Paper terrain seems to be a new trend catching up, though i admit it looks cool, it just doesn`t `do it` for me though. Especcially not compared to `normal` terrain.




Mainstay traders of most shows in the Belgium, top to bottom, Dax magic with his, well, everything you want to build your models, Dave Thomas`s transportable wargames supermarket, Worean from Germany and Millenium Books for all your Osprey needs.






And some traders from France / Wallonia provided a range of well, like everything, whilst The Gamestore was there with some discount boxes.






But a personal winner for me every year is the Bring and Buy, really great deals at ridiculous cheap prices are to be had there, every year again. My `top find` this year was a bag of almost 100 metal Foudnry Saxons / Franks infantry (who will join my ranks of the Hibernians for WAB) for... 50 euros!



And then for the remaining gaming tables (I forgot one of 15mm nappies, but they weren`t set up yet when I was on my `personal walkabout`)

Murphy`s Heroes ran a naval game of barges and the likes in scale 1/600, a table heavily played by attendees all day.




De Witte Ridder brought along a 6mm world war 2 Flames of War game



A literally massive ancients game, with 54mm armies battling it out




Two of my favorite periods where also present, the ACW and the ECW, needless to say I drooled over the battles to much to remember to take much pictures...





And then the remaining games, in no particular order, but a lot of pretty tables around here again (the afghan game, the napoleon armies...). The show may not have had the most spectacular tables scenery wise or concept wise, but heck a LOT of good looking models on the tables (and EVERYTHING was painted).
















A highly enjoyable day, the only downside being me and my cheese for brain forgetting my jacketon the venue, maybe I`ll see it again, otherwise I only have myself to blame for that.

So to close the day of, the `loot picture` of a day at the Red Barons



Ciao ciao and see you at Salute