Vive l'empereur!

The order has been placed, money has changed hands, and 144 enthusiastic Frenchmen are now rallying around the Eagles anxious to put Matt's redcoats (not to mention greencoats and blackcoats!) in their place...

We've ordered a brigade's worth of French infantry- plastic Perry figures- from Mabuhay Miniature Painting Service in the Philippines in an effort to beef up the French forces for our Black Powder Napoleonic games.  Being a club purchase, the idea is also to have some units available for those who wish to participate in our games and who do not yet have any miniatures painted for it (although they would certainly be encouraged to paint units of their own should they get hooked on the period!).

Fons at MMPS has been very quick and helpful in responding to our enquiries, and we hope to see the new contingent come off the transports here in Tokyo sometime around the middle of July or so.

When they get here, I'll just have to base them and add the flags, and then they'll be ready to go.  Just for Giovanni, I think I'll give one battalion a flag for a regiment raised in Torino (although at that time a part of France).  That's so those southerners from the Kingdom of Naples don't reap all the tabletop honours for Italy.

Rumour has it that Brian has finally been overcome with enthusiasm pour l'empereur, and that he too is now raising a contingent to help liberate Europe from itself.  Perhaps we will put on a training scenario for him at our next game.

*****

As Giovanni mentioned,  we had an exciting game of Saga last week, and it was really a lot of fun.  An interesting- and I think, successful- blend of miniatures and board game mechanisms, which gave a game that felt like a Dark Ages bash should have been like!

 

Rod painted this fantastic Viking warlord and  attendant beserkers!
Gripping Beast miniatures.

"I'll be back!"

"Save my sorry ass, men!"

The Vikings found themselves ultimately frustrated by a stubborn Anglo-Saxon defence that saw Giovanni's Housecarls hurl themselves in front of his kickass warlord, saving him from the fury of our elite Úlfhéðnar beserkers at the heavy cost of many of his finest retainers- a cost, it must be said, that Giovanni had no hesitation in paying.

It was fun using my old, now vertically-challenged Perry-designed Citadel Vikings again.  The last time they saw action was 1987!

A great game, and one I'd like to play again in the future.

And happy holidays to Giovanni!  

-Robert