" Wooden Wars Gazette #4: ADC reviews and..." Topic

As the brave Kickstarter, Wooden Wars, Grand Armee' marches towards the immense walls of Stretchenheim, I just wanted to take a moment and thank all those that have thus far supported and believed in the cause. I cannot embrace you all – because I have a bit of a cold, and would hate to pay that forward – but you know I would! Without further ado and mushiness, here's the latest news that's fit to print and propagandize!

Wooden Wars at Pacificon / Celesticon Game Convention!

Don't be a square- come play!

I'll be running a series of games at my hometown convention, Pacificon, this Labor Day weekend. If you can, please stop by, say "howdy" and join in – there WILL be medals to be won!
pacificongameexpo.com

Game times are Friday: 6-10 pm (for the big kids) and Sunday: 11-2pm for all kids!
I'll also be at Celesticon Game Convention on Saturday playing in a couple of cool games and of course extolling the virtues of Wooden Wars by entering some in the painting contest. A Wooden Wars first!
celesticon.com
On the Drawing board

Here are some shots of Art for upcoming, Aides-de-camp. To see the new Marshal's batons and the long anticipated Queen Victoria's Robot Wars – check out my blog!

skullandcrown.blogspot.com
link
Cheers!
Thomas Foss

Huzzah! On to Stretchenheim!

That really looks like great fun!

Nice!

Congratulations, very nice job. I use "Woodens" for my Americaan Civil War Set up. These are flat soldiers of the same style and execution as these, they are more traditionally "flat" having the side view. However they in no way look 2 dimensional on the table top because, as you have done, the color scheme is carred across the edge.

Sadly Windcatcher Graphics which made these is now out of business, But I stocked up on a large amount before they did.

I am also making my own "wooden" soliders and guns of the period, for my own use. Or rather, I'm just getting into it. I really love them, and have had a lot of fun with the games. I also make my own terrain for my "Woodens" for the American Civil War. In the same style I make the buildings and the hills stepped and flat. The buildings are in the form of a "cross". That is, there is a side view of the building and a front view (front and back. These are put on foam core and matched up carefully then cut. There are slots to assemble the two pieces of a building which makes the "Cross shape." It looks at little strange at first but the eye plays its tricks and soon you don't notice they are 2 1/2 dimensional. Anyway, it also is functionally usefull as you don't have to put the soliders on the side of the building or on top as with most today, and the soldiers can be in the four spaces on the arms of the cross to show they are "inside" the building.

I also made my terrain the same way. There is a peach-orchard, wheatfield, cornfield, stone wall, sunken road, (can't have a Civil War Battle without a peach orchard, stone wall, wheatfield etc., and several others as well.

I also have fortification sections the same way, all assemble on a base, and all, along with the buildings can be disassembled and stored compactly for transportation to and from conventions.

I am experimenting now with making soldiers and Iguess I will have to find a plant to do the laser cutting.

Lotsa fun!

I'm also making gunboats, 11" Dahlgrens, Whitworths, Gatlins, Siege Mortars etc.

Once again, very impressive job!

OSchmidt- yes, windcatcher Graphics were very cool. I own exactly one of their pieces and cherish it!

I'd love to see your set up. do you have a blog or pics at all? I've prototyped a forest and some defensive pieces, but nothing on your scale, as blocks and Lincoln logs have been serving well!

ACW is one of the lines I've announced to producing, so keep in touch with me- maybe we can parlay and come up with something cool!

Also, my lawyer would clobber me if I didn't remind nicely that I have patent pending on Wooden Wars style soldiers.

Cheers
Thomas Foss

Dear Tom

I don't do blogs. I do have some pictures. I can send them to you on a diskette, or I can e-mail them to you. I'm not the greatest photographer so they won't be that revealing.

I have a game coming up on the 22nd of September where I will take lots of pictures and send them to you. The battle is "Vicki's Burgers" which will have all the terrain and fortifications, and lots of special models (ironclads, dahgrens, 12" siege mortars, etc.

I have a complete campaign system for the game as well. Basicaloly its a parody of the Civil War, and all the myths and foibles of it, but it does generate real battles and everyone has a good time. It uses a basic flow-chart strucutre, with players adopting strategies and following the iteration. For example, if you choose an offensive in the east you can pursue either an "On to Richmond" or an "Move to the Peninsula" This affect the units you get, the battles you can fight etc. In the West the situation is similar, "March to the Sea" or "Anaconda Policy." Within each strategy you can choose to fight a range of specific battles (which are pre-programmed scenarios). So for example you could if you chose to have an offensive in the West, and chose "March to the Sea" have the Battle of Mylanta, Muffreesboro, Shinola, Chickahammenahammenahammena etc. If you won the battle or lost it, it affects your future order of battle, or what you can or cannot do. For example,- if you lose the Battle of Vicki's Burgers, the Cornfederate Artillery reserve gets no reserve cassons with spare artillery ammunition. If the South loses the Battle of Grittysburg, he can't chose "Invade the North" as a strategy ever again etc.

The whole thing is to get the players to the battle as quickly as possible.

As you can see, the whole thing is done tongue-in cheek and the tactical rules are a single page, both sides. They are called "Magnolia's Mint Juleps N' Gritz!" The rebell yell is "Fiddle De Dee!" Adapted from that paragon of Southern Womanhood, Miss Fidelia, DeLeigh," (closely modelled on Scarlett of "gone with the Wind." She's the beloved of that most Southern of Southern Commanders of th Cornfederacy, General Holden MahJohnson, and was also the one-time sweetheart of his Union opponent, General Sterling Silver Service. Service however has moved on and married another southern paragon Miss Belle Starbuck. While the Southern states, went south she went North, her family making its money in coffee.

The battles all have whimsical names. Other battles for example are Gnoshville, Auntie-Tum's Creek, Fredericksburg of Hollywood, New Oilins, Fort Sumpump, Little Snotsylvania First Molasses or Bulldung Rung, Second Molasses or Picnicville, Chumpsville (Chancellorsville), and of course, "If It's Tuesday this must be Marvin Gardens" (The Seven Days.)

OSchmidt- I love the cut of your jib, sir!

I am very reachable at the following email address

foss1066 (at)yahoo (dot) com

Cheers, I look forward to seeing your art in action, and possible collaborations of chaos in the future!

Regards,
Thomas

p.s. Thanks and kudos to our esteemed editor for giving us this cool way to meet like minded souls!