"Anybody feel like talking about AWI wargaming?" Topic

Enough of these "discussions" about slavery, etc.
Let's talk about wargaming the AWI. This IS the AWI wargaming board, hainna?
What project(s) are you working on now? What figures are you using?

I'm like a moth, flitting from candle to candle. I'll list the projects I'm working on now, in descending order.

1. Yorktown. Specifically the assaults on Redoubts 9 and 10. I want to have the Franco Americans conduct an actual siege, starting on one side of a ping pong table and approaching the other.
I have a huge miscellaneous collection of old foam resin redoubts, hard resin palisades, and yards of resin gabions and gun emplacements. I highly recommend Acheson Creations.
I will add an Anspach command stand to my generic Hessian musketeers. British are done.
I have a nice 30 figure unit of Old Glory Royal Deux Ponts, with 2 nude lead Perry and OG French regiments in reserve.
I have OG Yankee LI in the painting queue, and did head swaps on Continentals in hunting shirts to get LI.
Recently I got Perry and Foundry French and British howitzers and 24-pdrs.
I'm making abatis from Woodland Scenics trees, and fascines from a witches broom I bought at Michael's.

Next project is Spencer's Ordinary. I got this idea when I was gifted 6 Queen's Rangers Hussars, so I looked for an interesting scenario. I had purchased Perry QR artillerists and amusettes a while back, and already had a bag of OG QR. so I got 2 more bags. Which gives me gameable sized Grenadiers and Highlanders. I guess I can also do a fictitious Setauket game too.

Penobscot, or Majabiguaduce. Read Cornwell's The Fort. A use for all the Highlanders I have, plus the Brigade Games MPC lads and Eureka Marbleheaders.

Chelsea Creek. A use for my Pirate sloop! Not to mention livestock, Marbleheaders, MPC, British Marines, converted by filing the caps on OG British LI.

Lord Dunmore's Ethiopians. Use the bespoke Perry figures, plus Foundry Pirate range Maroons. Another use for rowboats, Sarissa or model railroad mansion. Old Glory sailors and Marines. Perry and Fife and Drum mounted militia.

Alamance. Redcoat militia? I don't think so, but it's the first Google Image that pops up. Plus they're in Outlander. Warlord FIW British infantry. On the other side, the Hillbilly Highlanders I made from ordinary militia with Kings Mountain flat bonnet heads.

Paxton Boys. Immediately after Pontiac's Rebellion. Eureka and Warlord Provincials, painted as Associators.

So, good lookin'. Watcha got cookin'?

No

I still need to get around to painting up my little collection of large plastic "toy soldiers," which I use for my homebrew skirmish set. While I love examining and discussing the various actual battles of the war, for gaming I just am not all that interested in figuring out what colors/facings/hats/etc., each individual unit will have. I prefer to just slap nicely generic figs on the table and declaring that this small band of fictional Patriots met that small group of fictional Enemy at such and such fictional place and shot it out over grand political differences and the local supply of beef. Or whatever.
Look! A bridge! It must be held/taken for The Glorious Cause/His Majesty the King! Hey, they have cannon! And cavalry! And is that a mortar? Where the heck are we? Who cares! "Give ‘em Watts, boys!" "Volley fire! First RANK!", etc., etc..

I'm 12 at heart, and sometimes I just want to be 12 in my play, too.

Just getting started in AWI and am painting New Jersey regiments using Fife & Drum. A recent trip to the Cowpens battlefield may sidetrack that in favor of Southern militia and Maryland troops. How is the mail order service out of the UK for Perry miniatures?

I have just wrapped up a couple of AWI armies for Rebels & Patriots using a mix of Perry, Warlord and Fife & Drum.

I didn't know a great deal about the period but l have enjoyed doing the research and have a greater knowledge about the events across the pond.

So far l have managed to get a single game in, l have played the rules with my ACW collection before and am now casting an eye on all my left over figures to maybe add a few more units. Like John, l found The Fort very inspiring re scenario design and a good read to boot.

I also picked up a copy of Hold the Line, enabling me to get a fast, fun evening of gaming, l have so far managed to lose Cowpens twice, playing the British, this history repeats itself.

Finishing up AWI 15mm forces with even a couple of Spanish units. Deciding how much is too much and enough. Next step will likely be figuring out if there are any other unique units I "need" to have.

Have far too many legion figures – however wanted a nice representation.

Using FnF – AWI variant and getting ready to do Brandywine and Cowpens at an upcoming convention

I have my ongoing Battle of Brandywine project, 28mm, using Black Powder rules.

I think I finished all the American units. Working on Brits.

After many years of use, have recently moved across from having a modified version of Patriots & Loyalists as my main rule set to now using a modified version of Liberty or Death available for free from here: link

I don't really have any specific projects that I work on, but rather try to find good scenarios to play at the club. Either historic ones from the British Grenadier scenario books or adapting some of the generic scenarios from the excellent Warning Order from WFHGS: wfhgs.com

Did some big games a few years ago, Brandywine and Germantown, and wouldn't mind having crack at them again. Also want to do the what-if Battle of the Clouds scenario that appeared in Miniature Wargames several years ago.

In terms of figures have a decent collection of 28mm metal, but if putting on a game will try to use as many as possible from my expanding collection of mainly Perry plastics, with a few Warlord Games plastics mixed in too. Saves on the weight when travelling around London on public transport.

Ezza

Although my 54's are F&I War not AWI, I'm in a dilemma as to whether I should give them a toy soldier paint job ala Traditions or something more realistic along the lines of John Jenkins. Just looking for useful feedback.

I have never liked the "toy soldier look". It's almost anti-realistic. The only excuse for it today is nostalgia for monochrome paint jobs and stiff poses.

Had my first game with my Perry AWI figures this week, painted last year. I used Sharp Practice, and the Rebels won a handy victory, by getting the initiative every time they needed it, and even when the Loyalist cavalry managed to charge a unit of militia, I won the melee in spite of rolling half the number of dice the cavalry did. Even though it turned out to be a one-sided game, it was nice to get the figures on the table. However I realised that, although I had bought a couple of appropriate buildings, I was pretty short of other terrain. So that will be the next part of the project.

Thanks John. I think that for me it depends on the actual figure. Some 54's lend themselves to it and some don't.

I only feel like talking about it on Tuesdays. ; )

I treated myself to the command and colors (sic) boardgame Tricorne. I have the mad idea of fighting the war using the AWI campaign rules that Charlie Tarbox (I think) put out in 1976.

I've been building up forces in 28mm using OFM's very useful "How to get started in AWI" TMP post

Last night while chatting with the lads on skype I made a lot of progress painting another unit if Perry plastic Continentals, lovely miniatures.

I have enough figures, should probably put some on the table and try a small scenario, and will probably use modified TSATF to start with.

I am still hung up wanting to finish my Americans. Too many other projects are getting in the way (sigh!)

I've got a "failing eyesight" pair of AWI armies in 54mm, and if you look close, you can just see the 6mm AWI at the very tail end of the painting queue. But for everyday purposes, I gave up a few years ago and built a pair of 28mm "Grant Armies"--one Red and one Blue. Red is British/Canadian, composed of regiments I like from the AWI and the Napoleonic Wars, while Blue is American with supplementary French from the French and Indian War (Rogers Rangers) through the AWI to the War of 1812 and the Napoleonic Wars with a whopping big militia contingent. Unless the battle is very small, some of the troops will be out of period, but I've got the right troop types for the vast bulk of AWI and War of 1812 battles, or for almost any Grant "horse and musket" battle in his three volumes or the Table Top Teasers series.

Satisfies me, didn't break the budget, fits in the available space--and it's done, and not something I'm going to finish some day. I'm getting a little obsessive about that last.

I have a ton of 40mm Front Rank and Triguard miniatures in the paint queue.

Almost finished with some FIW 40mm Triguard New Jersey Blues which will find themselves transported into the future to fight the Crown.

Skirmish gamer. Love my 40s.

I just flocked 8 Brit Lt. Inf. figs and 8 Continental Lt. Inf. figs. They are ready for the Dull Cote. It is the beginning of my 28mm AWI skirmish forces. I have a Perry order of Queens Rifles, Continental Riflemen, and Brit. 16th Ft. Dragoons (hopefully) on the way. This is my new project. No gaming likely, just setting up skirmish scenarios on my soldier table with metal figs.

I have been embarked on a multi-year project to accumulate enough troops and units to fight the battles in the south up to Cowpens. I have made good progress on my British and American regulars. I need a pile more of militia. I've made a start on the Loyalists, but need more information on what they were wearing in 1779 and 1780. So far I have no Hessians. Troops are a mix of Perry, Kings Mountain, Fife & Drum, Wargames Factory/Warlord with a handful of Front Rank and now some Brigade Games.

Somewhat stuck. I have a 28mm collection I game with. Debating cutting my 2*2 stands into individual bases as I like Muskets and Tomahawks and Revels and Patriots.

Hint. Mount your individual figures on 3/4" steel washers.
Get magnetic tape and put it on 2" square bases, or 2x3" bases. To ensure the magnetic tape sticks and doesn't buckle free, put a bunch in a bench vise and clamp them tight overnight.
In effect, you now have 2 different basing systems for the same figures.

I've been kicking around picking up and using Tricorne (the Command & Colors AWI game) with 6mm miniatures as I've built a geomorphic map set using 3" Litko hexes and magnetic base bottoms and 2'x3' 26ga roof flashing as that is working well for Samurai and Ancients. I just don't know how well C&C handles the AWI and maybe FIW.

Once upon a time I was working toward a 1775 Canada campaign. There was a broader notion of doing the entire AWI as a campaign using the AH rules 1776 for strategic level activities. I tried to run it at my flgs, but it was poorly and unpleasantly received. Everything went into a box and was ultimately sold off.

It's a period you'd think would be more popular, but somehow it seems never to get the traction it deserves.

Well, that's the breaks when your group isn't interested in a project where you're supplying everything.
Sorry to hear that.

In the past year I've done two sets of AWI games: some 1;1 skirmishes using a combo of SHARP PRACTICE and my own rules; and Regimental Fire and Fury (Cowpens and preparing to go Guilford). Both have been against remote opponents, due to distance and COVID. I set up a couple of skirmishes and had my grandson (age 15) playing against my brother (age 71) via photos and email. Cowpens my bother and I did via Skype.

It's a period you'd think would be more popular, but somehow it seems never to get the traction it deserves.

It's because so many wargamers have Napoleonics, ACW and WW2 as their normal gaming periods where the casualties are high and the action is fast and intense. By contrast the AWI seems to be somewhat slow and it isn't helpful that several of the authorities seem to think the period should feel like watching paint dry to get that authentic AWI feel.

In addition, the AWI suffers from some competition from the FIW and the continental SYW (Which again games more lethally and exciting)

To me, one of the best things about AWI gaming is that compared to Europe, very small actions can be decisive. See Cowpens, Trenton, Even Saratoga.
You can do decisive 25/28mm games on a normal tabletop. Even a single independent company can turn the tide.
A full AWI OOB would be an inconsequential division at most in an SYW battle.

I am working on a a (very) slow project with a lot of 40mm Front Rank – I painted two british units, have 2 nearly finished and then got stuck on the USA troops.

I got the Revellion supplement for Blakc Powder which has helped a lot and I hope to get enough painted by the end of the year to play Rebels and Patriots with them.

I am painting them Toy Soldier style and Gloss with a little shading because that is the look I like for bigger figures..

Mike

Oh, its Tuesday … yes, said only on Tuesdays, ok.

Enjoy AWI in 40mm. Although I have a series of 28mm sculpts that I really like so bought into them as well. The 40mm are mostly Triguard, some Sash & Saber more recently, no Front Rank yet. The 28s are from Brigade Games because I enjoy Paul Hick's sculpting.

Mostly use Light Bobs for rules, although Rebels & Patriots will work, and Maurice has been fun. Perhaps Carnage & Glory at some point. Open to trying others.

Got 4 Triguard 40mm horsemen, 2 Brit & 2 Amer on the painting desk currently that need to be finished eventually.

Don't tell anyone I posted on a different site about these on Monday. ; )

I'm on an involuntary gaming and painting hiatus at the moment but the following are in the pipeline – figures bought just need to get the little sods out of the lead mountain and onto the table – probably in the following order

a) 28mm: Skirmish (probably using Wiley Games Fistful of lead – Horse and Musket) – those Perry figures were just too tempting….

b) 15mm: Sharp Practice "Swamp Fox" campaign supplement – I also have a hankering to adapt the Lexington and Concord scenario from the Canadian wargames group's Whites of their eyes booklet (i've got a mix of Peter Pig and Frei Korps 15 for this…..)

c) 6mm: Its all Little Wars TV's fault! after seeing their Brandywine game on Youtube YouTube link so I've decided to invest in their "Live Free or Die" rules and scenario book plus enough Baccus 6mm to do Bunker Hill (for a start….)

Thought I would rest my sandy tanks for a week and crack on with my AWI. Just after deciding to make my collection a mix of Hinchliffe and Fife & Drum, I find F&D seems not to have a UK distributor any more.

If God has not sent me enough signs to chuck this nonsense in and go bird watching this may be the one.

Looking to do a new ground cloth for GCH. I have a teddy bear fur, but that really doesn't look like a forest floor to my eye.

I've been using the Lemax brown lichen mats as forest floor for patches of woods. The lichen falls off easily and the netting starts to show through pretty quickly, but they go on sale at Michaels for a big discount (like 40-50% off) every year toward the end of the holiday season, so I consider them a bit disposable.

- Ix

Because of the pandemic I haven't run a game in 18 months, but this coming weekend my first game out of the gate will be AWI.

A few club members expressed interest in Live Free or Die by the Little Wars TV crew, so I'm putting it on the table. Two tables, actually: I had too many people sign on, so I'm playing the two main sectors at Brandywine on separate tables. Because my miniatures collection is a bit short, Knyphausen's attack will be a bit bathtubbed.

If LFoD becomes A Thing™ with the club, I may do more scenarios in the coming months.

I have a project on the back burner to play the Penobscot Expedition as a campaign of linked games, including a couple naval games. I even did a photo tour of Castine, ME a few years ago to get a sense of the ground.

I have a less-firm project in my head to do the Philadelphia campaign as a series of linked games. I ran Whitemarsh (the last battle) a few times years ago, I'm doing Brandywine now (the first battle), I'd like to do some of the other battles.

Someday I'd like to get Monmouth on the table. Probably as a really big convention extravaganza.

I also have a lot of work to do on my AWI collection – especially flocking, dullcoating, and a little rebasing of an acquired collection – but I have so many other projects in the way I've never gotten to it. I'm also really unhappy with my standard basing (2-3x 15mm figures on 1"x1/2" bases), so I have a vague plan to rebase the entire collection, but rebasing is a big project that will increase the storage footprint of the collection, so I'm a bit ambivalent about undertaking the effort.

- Ix

Once Salute is out of the way I am planning to return to my AWI armies starting with my 18mm Eureka ragged colonials. I have the figures individuals based so that they can be used for Musket and Tomahawk and will use Warbases bases to group figures for larger battles using British Grenadier.

I'm not a gamer but I'm enjoying painting 54mm.(bad eyes & too shaky for anything smaller)Currently doing BMC tricornes as British & American/Continentals. Hopefully getting to Grenadiers & Hessians as Lights as well as painting some Hessians as Volunteers of Ireland. And then to Armies in Plastic's F&I War's French repainted to look like Hessians…someday.

I have a few battalions of Peter Dennis excellent paperboys cut out and mounted on bases…
That is the extent of my AWI project. To be honest, that is quite a bit more advanced than most of my projects :-)

We played an AWI game with "A Gentleman's War" a few weeks back. Patriot militia was trying to remove supplies hidden in a local church when attacked by The Crowns troops.

Dantheman I have about 10 units (18-24figures each) that are based 6 figures per stand, the rest of my figures are now based on 3/4" steel washers and I use movement trays, 2x3, when doing bigger battles.

Doing the final editing on a Battlefield Atlas of the American Revolution which will be published by Helion sometime early next year. 120 maps and accompanying narratives designed with wargamers in mind…orders of battle with troop strengths will be included. Amazing how there are still serious questions about the organization and composition of both armies in major battles. For example, I have four different OB's for the battle of Germantown, including one from a popular boardgame and a recently published book and several of them don't include basic information on who commanded some British brigades, most don't include troop regimental troop strength and several don't agree on the basic organization of the British forces.

Between editing I am continuing to add to my 40mm collection and running games with a group of gamers from from the Raleigh and Charlotte areas. Hoping to organize an American Revolution campaign using the Carnage and Glory campaign system.

Planning a Lexington and Concord scenario. I am going to see if I can find British Light Infantry in caps shoulder arms marching. I am going to use Foundry British Grenadiers shoulder arms marching. Scenario based on the British Grenadier scenario. Going to use Perry Northern Militia. I need to find an Old North Bridge that my bases will fit on. I am planning to do all the major battles in a row.

We should all try to get together somehow. SYW Conference?

"Looking to do a new ground cloth for GCH. I have a teddy bear fur, but that really doesn't look like a forest floor to my eye."

I have never understood the appeal of teddy bear fur. It just looks like 70s shag carpet to me.

Fantastic idea OC, but I wouldn't survive the flight over. Unless I do a Greta Thunberg, but I don't fancy sailing and having to poo in a bucket. Meanwhile…

Loose Files & American Scramble will always be my favourite rules for the AWI.

@Old Cintemptible
For Old North Bridge, I can highly recommend two MDF laser cut kits.
The most accurate one is from Thingsfromthebasement.
link
Between rails, I can fit 3 Foundry LI, each mounted on 3/4" washers. Note the overall length, given in link. This is relevant to how it fits on the map in the scenario.

Next, from Sarissa Precision.
link

It's much shorter in length, and from the pictured Foundry figure, you can see that easily fit 4 figures across.

Both are very easy to assemble. Check out both manufacturers for great AWI buildings.

Also, if you do a SYW Con trip, a group of us MIGHT be making the trip from Pa next year.

The rules I use require the units vary in size based on the strength of the unit. So, for example, the 23rd Foot might have 20 figures in one scenario but only 15 in another. As a result of this I have a large collection of figures but often different units stand in for each other in different scenarios.

Seven Years War convention is scheduled in 2022 for April 1st and 2nd at the Ramada Inn, South Bend Indiana. Contemplating going, perhaps even contribute a game, perhaps.

Old Contemptible:

The look of teddy bear fur varies depending on the length, size of the figures if it is trimmed in areas, and how it is painted. I use a shorter fiber and cover it with lots of other scenics. But it just doesn't look like a forest floor to me.

I have a pretty full collection of 28mm AWI figures, primarily Old Glory but with a smattering of Perry, and Sash and Saber. Coincidental with the arrival of the pandemic, i noticed that the Perry boys had released AWI Spanish, so I hopped on that bandwagon and painted up five units of the lads. Led by Flag Dude flags, I am very satisfied with how they turned out. Unfortunately, I haven't been disappointed by them on the game table, but their time is coming. I realize that I could have used my French troops already in the collection, but I didn't want any double dippers. For rules, I have most typically used the AWI variant of the Regimental FIre and Fury System. Clearly written and well supported by the author, it is well worth down loading for all the period information and detail. Oh, and one last thought: the Seven Years War Convention is awesome.