November...

Well, "November" may be an odd title for this one, as the post will really have nothing to do with November, other than it was written in November.  I just thought I'd call it November since I missed October, and this is the first in November.

Been busy...deer hunting.  However, taking a break for my birthday...did see 21 deer this morning though...

So I have never really "wargamed" - I paint historical miniatures, and enjoy creating dioramas...but I've never used any for war gaming.  When younger I had some used tank game that I played...I never understood the rules, made up my own, and actually enjoyed it quite a bit.  The only other thing I had close to a wargame was Agincourt...in theory I liked the game, but I could never overcome why play a battle that you already knew the outcome?  Suffolk was my favorite by the way.

So I get Wargames, Soldiers and Strategies.  I actually started getting it to for two reasons - one, to find out more options on different miniatures (but alas, almost all are in the UK), and two, to see how others paint their miniatures.

The magazine is heaped in historical battles, and although I still don't quite get it, maybe there is something to replaying a battle, even knowing the outcome.

This month's theme was the American War of Independence, or the "American Rebellion" or the "American Revolution".  Those poor British, still having an identity crisis coming to grips that we whupped 'em, and whupped 'em good.  No offense meant...just the way it is.

But it gave me an idea...I don't think I could ever play someone else's wargame, but if I created the rules for my own (like I did with that tank game some thirty odd years ago), I might just enjoy it.  The period I chose (and not influenced at all by this month's Wargames theme), the War of 1812.  More influenced by James Finmore Cooper's, The Last of the Mohicans, than anything else.

So here I sit, with more than two dozen American Militia and Native Americans to paint.  I named one Davy Crockett, only to realize he is wearing a beaver cap, instead of a coon skin cap (oops!).  But I think it will be good.  The War of 1812 opens up many skirmishes between different nationalities and the Native Americans...so I need not name a specific battle and try to recreate it.  It is easy to just say the Militia ran into a Native American war party and go from there.  Who knows, might we see Johann Jacob Dechard in battle?  Wait and see!

Well...back to painting...a revolution awaits!