Bought Travel Battles the other day, then a couple of bits to flesh it out (you can basically buy it in parts, which I did, then realised I could have probably just bought two sets).
I now have two slightly different armies (hate symmetry in these things), a slightly Infantry heavy British and more cavalry and artillery endowed French force, so I can do the stubborn thin red line vs the grand battery and massed cavalry charge dynamic.
The French have 13 foot (3 elite), 4 heavy and 4 light cav, 4 artillery and 6 marshals.
The Brits are 15 foot (4 elite), 3 heavy and 3 light cavalry, 3 artillery and 6 marshals.
I also have four boards for size and variety.
The slight numerical advantage the French have is balanced out by the extra elite foot and the defensive nature of the British army.
My intentions is to paint them, but not do the “thing” that is common and rough paint then wash them. I will black undercoat and dab paint, which to be honest, is likely quicker for me. I have a habit of doing my “to be washed” paint jobs too well and often, should have just painted them better. I also do not like how the board and figs often do not match with figs washed dull and the boards not.
The boards will get a go over, my original intention was to do them as the Peninsula campaign in sandy browns and white buildings, but the figs are not a great fit (heavy cav are a bit off for that period and no Spanish Bicorns-unless I buy their metals), so a more textured green and straw colour dry brush, then some colour to the buildings etc.
My WW2 game is settled (finally). Single bases, usually with single figs, but sometimes small teams like FO’s, dual moulded’s and crews that cannot be split will be based as one, but will count as a single figure/weapon and casualty in the game. My whole set will be fully interchangeable also, which I like.
I compared all the mechanics I liked in both element and singles games and it turns out, singles is just a better fit all around and I have flexibility to do what every I want from there using sabot bases or “clumped” figure elements like Battlegroup Panzer Grenadier suggests.
There you go, only took 20 years!
I picked up Undaunted Stalingrad and Callisto 2200 as well recently. Callisto appealed on a few levels, solo play being one of them. I remember a few years ago waiting for a wave of Stalingrad games to be finished or reprinted, Old School Tactical the main one, then I sold the whole system (lovely maps), then the Lock n’ Load (whole collection with deluxe mats), which I also sold en mass as I disliked the “jargony” rules, but I do miss the Mogadishu version where it started, then the Combat Commander scenario pack, which was really hard to find at the time, then Heroes of Normandie which is a favourite game and finally Undaunted, the one that never seemed to come.
I have played Undaunted before and did not rate it, but it was not a great time to try something new as I was time pressed and distracted (and I did not like the art), so the game got setup, then nothing much happened.
Gotta live a board game with miniature game aspirations.
Stalingrad seemed to want to be my Stalingrad it seems.
Captains Chair the expansion and second core set are both coming after a very long wait. Hope it lives up to the hype (have not bothered with the original out of apathy until the set is a bit more fleshed out with logical opponents for all players).