Muskets & Tomahawks: 2nd Ed

We’ve taken up the powder horns and stomped off into the wilderness for the second edition of Muskets & Tomahawks. We played a few scenarios, starting out at 300 points, and advancing upward to 350. We played the first edition plenty, so it was nice to return to the game. I consider it an improvement, especially with the dice changes, and the scenarios are fun to play out.

I posted my French & Indian War Canadian force some time ago (follow the tags). These minies here are some of the new additions to allow the force to be payed at higher points.

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First up are a group of soldiers from the Compagnies franches de la marine, the regular light troops of the French colonies. These are metal models from North Star. The rest of my Canadians are unit from the Warlord Colonial Militia plastic set, so this unit will stand out a bit. Their blue and white color scheme looks nice on the table.

The second pic is a unit of Ottawas Indian, allies to the French. These are also metal models, which amazingly I prefer over the plastics from Warlord. They have lots of detail. They got warpaint and decoration befitting skilled woodsmen.

The army will soon be finished to 500 points. After that, we’re considering the American Revolution. I’m thinking Hessians…

Blood and Plunder!

With the arrival of Blood and Plunder to my FLGS, I’ve been shanghaied into painting up the French starter box for the game. I’ve actually gotten a demo game this week. I enjoyed it- very close to Muskets & Tomahawks, with fairly simple basic rules and few super units. The activation mechanic is very cool, allowing for some good strategy over the course of the game turn.

We played 3×3 players on the Breakthrough scenario, with the starter boxes. My side all used the French, while the opponents used Spanish, English, and Unaligned forces. The French line was holding fine on the flanks, beating back the Spanish and English (the right flank even pushing the English almost back to their deployment zone). The center was severely mauled, the Unaligned force nearly taking the French deployment zone. I had to leave before the end, but France seemed in a good position at the end.

The models are nicely done, with some good details and character, though some of the castings are a bit rough in places. The era of the 17th Century Spanish Main and colonial conflict in the Caribbean is a new historical era for me. Earlier I posted my French Canadians for Muskets & Tomahawks, which covers mid-to-late-18th Century conflicts, so I’m at least used to musketeers and their assorted details.

The first pic is the French Commander. This guy is very fancy, with a lacy shirt, bright blue coat, bows and ribbons all over, and of course the big curled wig. He definitely gives the force a national character, considering the rest of the minies are somewhat generic frontiersmen and sailors. I painted him to match the color scheme from the official art; very colorful and vibrant. He’s joined by a few of the Marins that I’ve finished.

The next pic is a group of Boucaniers, the hunters and woodsmen of the French army. They lack any sort of uniform and standard equipment, instead looking like rugged individuals. The bare legs and floppy hats give them a distinctive look.

Finally in this batch are the Militia, the Milice des Caraibes. In contrast to the Boucaniers, they wear uniform grey coats and blue sashes, along with standard issue muskets, cutlasses, plug bayonets, and pistols. Some have bayonets fixed, while the others are firing their guns. The boxed unit has duplicate members of the unit (8 in the full unit); hopefully I’ll be able to paint them with enough variation.

More to come. The box contains 8 Milice, 8 Flibustiers, 4 Boucaniers, and 4 Marins.

French & Indian War tables

As long as I’m posting pics of the progress of my French and Canadian forces for Muskets & Tomahawks, I figured I’d post some pics of some of my group’s recent gaming tables. most of these tables were 4’x6′ (400 points), but the second is a 4’x4′ (200 points)

The buildings used here are laser cut wooden pieces from 4ground from Warlord Games, and the trees and shrubs are a mix of suppliers. The fences are scratch built and resin prepaints. Felt pieces mark out fields and orchard boundaries.

We tried to make ‘organic’ looking frontier settlements, with at least some resemblance to a real farmstead or trading post. The better to attempt to burn down, right? Gives the games a bit more flair than too scattered and random.

Militia Fire!

Highlanders March!

Marines and Highlanders Clash!

Mid-Battle Chaos

These are a few pics of units during some of the games. The Canadians and Marines are from my French force (previous posts) while the Highlanders are from a friend’s British army, though I painted those as well (shown in previous posts).

The big scrum between some French Marines and Highlanders was a decisive point in one battle, with both units crushed from the sprawling melee. After the sides broke off the fight there were only a pair of Highlanders and a single fleeing Marine left. The Marine got revenge though, managing to fight off a British Officer who cowardly charged him in the back, taking the oafish Brit out of action. The losses from the fight pushed the Brits into a Morale card situation, which eventually broke the force (good thing too, since my own force was teetering on the edge as well).

The fourth pic is a 2v1 game, with mine and a friend’s French forces versus a British force. At that point in the battle, units were depleted and scattered all over.

Pour la couronne et le pays!

France calls on reinforcements for its forces in Muskets & Tomahawks. Pour la couronne et le pays! (“For crown and country!”).

The Compagnies Franche de la Marines unit is complete for the 200-point skirmish force.   The core of the unit is their officer, a musician with a horn, and a ensign or two in proper uniforms. The rest of the unit wear variations on the uniform and more traditional marine outfits. They have enough variety in their uniforms to show off the looser training, as well as their acclimation with life in New France. Once I add French Regular infantry units they’ll really stand out.

This 9-man unit can be fielded as Regulars (gaining the Firing Line rule), thus a pic of them in line formation, or as Irregulars (gaining Scout), thus a pic in a skirmish screen.

Joining the French are a unit of allied Indians, in this case members of the Ottawa tribe. These miniatures were from Warlord Games Woodland Indians set. They got nice individual poses, as well as personal war paint.

Only a few more until the 200-point force is done.

Muskets & Tomahawks, eh?

More work on the French force for Muskets & Tomahawks. The force is about halfway done, painted between other projects.

The first pic is a Canadian militia unit. They have a nice look, with their buckskin clothes and mix of colors to make them all individuals. They’ll get expanded later with more members and a second unit for larger games.

The Compagnies Franches de la Marines members are the second pic. I painted them with a majority of white coats and blue trousers, as well as the ubiquitous sock cap. I wanted their more professional demeanor to be obvious, in contrast to the militia. However, being stationed in the wilds of the north they have adapted, so show a little bit of variation in the unit (a couple members wear buckskin coats instead of the white Marine uniform). The member with the tricorner hat is the unit’s leader. The pair facing left show off the back detail, with their various bags and powder satchels. It’s funny how relatively simple minies can get complicated with 3 bags and their straps on every guy.

Next up the rest of the Marines unit, as well as the Canadian Officer and the Natives.

 

O Canada!

 

I’ve dipped my toe into Muskets & Tomahawks. Previously I painted up an English army of Highlanders for a client. Having played a few games, I’ve enjoyed it enough to give it a try. The small size of the forces involved certainly helped, since the 200-point force I’m working on has only 21 models.

I decided to go with a French colonial force from Montreal or Quebec during the French Indian War (1754-63). The band includes a Canadian Officer, 8 Compagnie Franches de la Marine, 6 Canadian Militia, and 6 Natives (probably Huron or Odawa). I can expand with another Militia unit and some additional members if I want to get to 300 points.

These pics are the Canadian Militia I’ve finished so far. The models are from Wargames Factory’s Black Powder Colonial Militia Men box. They have a lot of nice detail, with fringed buckskin coats and leggings and all sorts of bags. They wear stocking caps associated with the French costume (the leader of the unit wears a round brimmed hat). I kept most colors neutral to reflect the wilderness lifestyle, though a few dashes of color help avoid monotony.

I’ll add a note on their bases. I wanted them to look like they were in the wilderness rather than open ground. With that in mind I used 3 different flocks to create a mix of colors and textures, all on top of patches of rocky ground and scattered rocks. A few models will have craggy bits of cork, resembling tree stumps, while others have broken toothpicks that scale down to fallen trees.

Next up are the Compagnie Franches de la Marine, who will be very visually distinct from the militia’s fur traders and trappers.

Highlanders

 

More Highlanders join the King’s forces for Muskets & Tomahawks.

I’ve completed 2 units of 10 Highlanders (20 men) plus an Officer. These men have blue bonnets and blue cuffs, collars, and ascots/scarves. The first pic shows the second finished unit.

The client wants even more Scots for his army. So to help break up the monotony of color, and to help him separate units on the table, the next 2 units of 10 and their Officer will have yellow cuffs, collars, and scarves. A couple of that color scheme are in the second pic. Otherwise they’ll follow the color scheme, including that lovely tartan that I’m totally not sick of by now…

More to come.

The King’s Highlanders

Kilts and bonnets in full display, the Highlanders muster forth. I’ve completed 10 Highlanders for Muskets & Tomahawks, which is enough for a basic small force. I divided them up to show them in detail, alongside a group shot. It also shows a common gripe I have with leader-type models: while everyone is pointing their muskets to the left, he raises his pistol to the right, which makes him seem to fighting some other threat. It does make him stand out, but also makes posing him for a group shot look a bit jarring.

The models themselves have a common uniform, but have enough variety between them to keep it interesting. The unit’s coats have different cuffs, trim, and collars, some going fully decorated, while others are pretty simple. Some have leggings, while others have some nice plaid socks. More to come!

For King and Country

Muskets & Tomahawks is a newer game moving through my gaming circles. 18th Century skirmish in the backwoods of North America during the Indian Wars and so forth. I’m not as familiar with the time period as I am with Ancient or Medieval, but the game seems fun and easy to get into.

This Highlander from the English army is a test model for a client. He wants a whole force of this guys, so I wanted to get the colors down. I had to figure out how to do the tartan justice on a 25mm model. Going by my Welsh from Saga, I can do plaid. But can I do this nicely involved and regular pattern, and most importantly, can I do it on 20+ yahoos? Hopefully I can…

This fellow’s regiment (platoon?) has the ubiquitous red coat, but also wear blue bonnets, with blue cuffs and collars where applicable. The regiment’s tartan is a regular green divided into squares, with a blue at intervals between the green crisscross. This model has leggings, but most simply have socks (those will have a red/white diagonal plaid). On to the rest of the force.