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Post by bruce on Jul 19, 2019 0:35:15 GMT
Hi guys - I have been busy with the ACW this summer, rules, painting armies, enjoying the change. I check in here on occasion. I have also been using TMP as a resource for ACW stuff. I plan on returning to Naps in the late fall.
Will the Forum still be here? TMP is asking the same question of its members. So much of this kind of thing has migrated to Facebook that things like these forums, Yahoo groups etc. are fading away. I am not on Facebook and really don't like it for many reasons. I am sure I am missing out on some things, but I am not signing up.
We have a rich history since this Richard started this Forum five years ago. There are a lot of great posts here that serve as a valuable resource for everyone. And I have enjoyed meeting so many nice people - we are renowned for our helpfulness and civility.
Some on TMP feel that we are just getting old and there are no younger people coming up. There are so many other things going on for younger people that are technology based that maybe collecting miniature soldiers and gaming are becoming a bygone pastime. Could be, but I'm still here and I hope a lot of you are as well.
Would you consider expanding the scope of the Forum? Keeping 6mm as our foundation, but perhaps other Horse and Musket eras could be allowed? The periods all connect in fascinating ways to form a narrative. If your out there, chime in!! Bruce
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Post by bruce on Jul 20, 2019 4:22:58 GMT
Well maybe I'll just keep this thread going single-handed for a bit. I also have purchased a couple of armies from Baccus for the American Revolution. Saratoga is not far, nor Boston and I have plenty of inspiration. Some of these figs may suit the French & Indian wars as well.
i am looking forward to painting the larger Baccus figures, maybe even faces! I did not buy their ACW figs though as I suspect that the marching troops are carrying there muskets incorrectly. Has anyone noticed this?
Napoleonics have led me in some of these other directions in part because I want to understand the evolution of tactics and technology, as well as organization, training and strategy for horse and musket armies. Bruce
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Post by Sho on Jul 20, 2019 11:01:05 GMT
I don't use facebook also, forums only. But what you mean by "perhaps other Horse and Musket eras could be allowed?"? Eras or sizes? We are not limited with Napoleonics here anyway.
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Post by Sho on Jul 20, 2019 11:05:09 GMT
Oops, my mistake, on front page it says, that 6mm napoleonics only.
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Post by bruce on Jul 20, 2019 14:12:35 GMT
Maybe people come here because it's 6mm Naps only? Bruce
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Post by john124 on Jul 20, 2019 15:09:55 GMT
Well Bruce I love forums and im on facebook, it all provides ideas and information for our war-gaming activity. This forum could expand to include all periods of history 6mm is a wonderful scale, but it needs input to keep it vibrant. Stalwarts like yourself do a tremendous job but we have 216 members where are they? I think its a case of too many lookers and not enough doers. Forums like this will die and the lookers will have fa to look at. John.
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Post by bruce on Jul 20, 2019 22:28:55 GMT
Very true, John! There has been just a small core of posters this past year or so, but the viewing stats show a fair number of visitors even when we go dormant for a while. Some people just don't like to speak up and we have to respect that, but it would be great if we had a couple of dozen regulars instead of just a handful. Even just a quick update on your latest adventures or some thoughts on the hobby would be welcome and enhance our sense of community.
Of course people do come and go for good reasons, but if you are a viewer, you can certainly be an occasional poster as well. Bruce
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Post by profjohn on Jul 21, 2019 21:47:22 GMT
It would be a shame if this just withered away. I like it precisely because it's not Facebook and also, unlike some other fora, it's friendly and polite . A core of posters and a larger number of visitors is probably par for the course and it may be that 216 is simply too small a community to support anything but a small number of active members- I bet there's a algorithm for this. So I'd certainly commend the idea of extending to cover other horse and musket periods - how about 1500 - 1900 to give a really broad definition. After all many of us will do more than one period. So we would probably find for, say, Marlborough that a different core of active posters would emerge.
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Post by bruce on Jul 22, 2019 1:59:18 GMT
I am for it, Prof. It is Richard's call. I know he was looking for help to run the Forum earlier in the year. I will PM him and see what he thinks. Bruce
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Post by davidsh on Jul 22, 2019 6:58:30 GMT
Hi all. I confess I have been quiet of late. I don't always post as I don't always have a lot to say! I have also been quiet on the painting and gaming front - just busy, busy, busy. I do think it a shame though if the forum withered away. Always happy to read of other forays into different periods. I have armies for different periods as well, although Naps will always be the main deal. I'm not on Facebook, and am unlikely to be, even though that means I'm probably 'missing out'. So I will try and put some posts on here, although I STILL can't seem to get photos on here.
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Post by bruce on Jul 22, 2019 18:48:39 GMT
You are a regular, David, no worries. I also have struggled with the photo thing. There is a tutorial on the Forum that should help. If I did it more often it would get easier, I'm sure.
I think Naps are my main focus as well, but as I said, there is a historical progression 1500-1900 that I find fascinating and gaming is a great history teacher. So I have begun to branch out, but my new ACW and AWI armies are smaller and more compact than my Naps, and I do not plan to keep expanding them.
But there are always more Naps to paint! The Russians have been taking me forever. There are so many huge battles for French, Austrian, and Russian armies that I am barely started on my Bavarian, Swiss, British, Spanish troops. I am determined to finish one day, especially the British as the Peninsula seems like a fascinating, almost separate world, full of its own characters and high drama. I still retain a fondness for Richard Sharpe and the 95th, not to mention Wellington. Bruce
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Post by bruce on Jul 24, 2019 0:19:05 GMT
I have sent an email to Richard and Tim regarding expanding the Forum topics to include 1500-1900 6MM. Richard is the owner of Perfect Six and the man who started this Forum and Tim is the moderator. We will see what they say.
In the meantime, I will continue to post things of general interest as well as things like the balloon discussion we just had under the 6mm boat post. Both Napoleon and the American Civil War Union army had balloons, and both failed to fully realize the potential. As I keep saying, there is a progression of development from era to era that is very interesting to ponder. Bruce
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Post by bruce on Jul 28, 2019 1:07:31 GMT
So....back to this topic. I have sent emails to both Richard, the owner of this forum, and Tim, the moderator, regarding our thoughts for expanding our topics. To really do this, we would want to add some categories perhaps, and that would be entirely up to them. In the meantime, there are some related topics connecting several historical periods which I would think would be acceptable, from weapons and tactics to organization and strategy. Bruce
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Post by john124 on Jul 28, 2019 22:48:09 GMT
Bruce, I to am interested in the development of tactics.I recommend a book to you by Dr Paddy Griffith called Rally Once Again. He was a lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He argues that the ACW was the last great Napoleonic struggle. Worth a read if you have not already. John.
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Post by jambo1 on Jul 29, 2019 5:02:41 GMT
Just seen this thread, I have dropped out of 6mm wargaming and sold my Napoleonics, so never really came back on here. Now I am back into 6mm, have started a SYW project and an Austro-Prussian project and no doubt I will get back into Napoleonics, Adler this time, so would be sorry to see the forum go as it is a wonderful resource. Throwing it open to other periods may be the way to go, would love to help out but my techie skills leave a lot to be desired!!
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Post by john124 on Jul 29, 2019 15:30:18 GMT
Just seen this thread, I have dropped out of 6mm wargaming and sold my Napoleonics, so never really came back on here. Now I am back into 6mm, have started a SYW project and an Austro-Prussian project and no doubt I will get back into Napoleonics, Adler this time, so would be sorry to see the forum go as it is a wonderful resource. Throwing it open to other periods may be the way to go, would love to help out but my techie skills leave a lot to be desired!! Would love to see your syw ect project, especially if its Adler. Good luck with all your projects. John.
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Post by bruce on Jul 30, 2019 1:56:39 GMT
Welcome back Jambo! Seems like its been ages! I too would like to hear about your SYW project as I may be taking on the French and Indian War at some point. My AWI army is Baccus and some of those figs may be useful. Which reminds me, does anyone know if SYW and/or AWI figs from any range are convertable for the French Revolutionary period? I thought may Adler had some French from this period as well.
Jambo, there is a tutorial on the Forum about posting photos that may be helpful. But even without pics, stay in touch.
John I am a Paddy Griffith fan and read the ACW tactics book years ago. A great read even if controversial, and I think the general conclusion about the war being the last Napoleonic war is a good one. It was still a case of Napoleonic battle lines putting out the most effective fire at close range.
Some things I did not agree with. Many of the general officers on both sides were good leaders. They had gone to West Point and studied Napoleon's tactics intensely, as well as all things military. Many also fought in the Mexican War. It took a very long time though for a country with a tiny standing army to make soldiers out of average American citizens in great numbers. And nobody had first hand experience with such large bodies of troops. There was a lot of learn as you go, but at the end, the Army of the Potomac especially was as good as any army of the period anywhere. And Grant, Sherman, and Longstreet were arguably rather un-Napoleonic generals. They would have done well in any era - like Wellington or Napoleon himself. Grant may be the most under-rated general in history.
One other thing. Griffith's idea that ACW cavalry were not utilized properly in battles is an interesting question. My feeling is that cavalry as a factor in big battles more or less ended at Waterloo. And the Union cavalry charge against Confederate infantry in line near the end of Gettysburg was a senseless disaster. Was it the tactics? The weapons? The French horse at Waterloo could not break squares of well-led quality infantry. While they were not the French cavalry of Eylau, I think cavalry was already beginning to shift roles. Recon and raids became the norm in the ACW. The infantry had figured out the cavalry it seems. I am not sure how this really evolved.
But there was still one great light cavalry force left after the war, perhaps the best on earth. The Sioux had no equals on horseback and made short work of the vastly outnumbered Custer on the Plains in 1876. They literally rode circles around the 7th Cavalry. Even repeating rifles made no difference. I don't know of any significant successful cavalry action anywhere after this.
For me, the French charge at Eylau remains the most spectacular cavalry action of the horse and musket era. Bruce
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Post by john124 on Jul 30, 2019 16:32:53 GMT
You see thats why I like Napoleonics so much. The combination of the three arms. I am a big fan of the ACW as well and to a lesser extent the SYW. I am not so well read in the SYW only having studied some of Duffys work and then only the main battles. In this period I dont recall an action were the infantry formed square so they must have fought cavalry off in line using firepower? In Napoleonic action ( as in other times),Infantry seem to be only broken when in some discomfort and hardly ever when in square. In the ACW no one North or South ever put in a big mounted cavalry charge against infantry ( I think Jeb broke federal infantry at bull run but that was only a regiment). Now you may say if they did it would be shot to pieces, but you have to use your cavalry at the right time, in mass and when the intended target has been softened up or in some discomfort, even in Napoleonic times Steady infantry in line could defeat a cavalry attack. One day I would like to wargame Gettysburg 2nd day, Longstreets attack, Mclaws and hoods divisions with Anderson and Johnston in support ( Johnston arrived the night of the first day, deployed around Culps hill.) With Jebs cavalry behind them (fictitious, he was still miles away). Anyway Maybe we should set up a discussion thread on tactics and ideas, could be very interesting so long as kept amiable. John.
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Post by bruce on Jul 30, 2019 23:47:31 GMT
Yes, let's start a new thread for this topic. I will post it under Rules because, beyond the history for its own sake discussions, we can and should be consider how some of these things impact the games we play. Bruce
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Post by bruce on Aug 22, 2019 21:47:03 GMT
Well, I have just returned from my summer holiday in Scotland where I found myself unable to make use of any of my armies there due to many social engagements. It occurs to me that just saying that sounds a bit dysfunctional, but then I am surely not alone. Just an old git and his toys.
I plan to review the new teddy bear mats from the Wargaming Company in a few days, I had a time of it converting it to 6mm, will explain and post a pic. Also, a discussion of supply depot and lines of communication rules. Don't hesitate to chime in! Bruce
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Post by twr on Aug 29, 2019 6:24:02 GMT
Was there any decision on period expansion?
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Post by john124 on Aug 29, 2019 12:42:44 GMT
I think the future of this forum is threatened by the fact that tinypic is closing down and the other providers expect money. Images to me are the lifeblood of the hobby. It would be a great shame if we could not seen visual images of peoples effort. Any suggestions? John.
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Post by bruce on Aug 30, 2019 0:33:24 GMT
I agree completely John. Picture posting is an issue. I will see if I can find someone to suggest options. Keith, I did message Richard and Tim but no reply. I would like to see us expand the periods and reorganize the categories, but I have no technical skills, so I have not volunteered to give Richard a hand. If we can combine this with an easier picture posting system we will do much better, I think. I will try Richard again and I will look into the picture business and report back. Bruce
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Post by twr on Aug 30, 2019 0:35:38 GMT
I post links to images elsewhere. I use Twitter, but there other options.
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Post by bruce on Aug 30, 2019 13:00:00 GMT
It appears there is an option available using this Proboards format to post pictures as attachments that can simple be left opened. However, at some point based on usage there seems to be a fee to the owner of the board. This option has not been activated for this forum it seems.
I can see how Richard may not want to take this expense on, as his business has expanded with the fantasy line, and he seems to be very busy. More thoughts to come. Bruce
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Post by davidsh on Sept 17, 2019 6:41:44 GMT
Hi. One of my sporadic visits to the forum - have been busy of late so no gaming or painting being done. Will have to change that now the darker days are arriving in the UK (due to the season, not Brexit!). The activity here certainly does seem to have dropped off a cliff David
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Post by bruce on Sept 19, 2019 1:43:19 GMT
Hi David! Good to hear from you and hope you have a good restart and stay in touch. If we have gone off a cliff we are still trying to grab on to something on the way down! Hopefully new and expanded eras for 6mm will make some difference. We have always had some interesting discussion here and a lot of info shared. Bruce
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