Paper Soldier Blogging

Return

2009-12-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

I may restart this blog soon, since I have a little bit of time before I need to get back to other things. So I'll see if I can post here.

I'll also try to update this blog with a few pictures of our new soldiers, of which there are now several dozen new pages.

Real Life Again

2009-09-30T17:17:00.001-07:00

Well, I may post from time to time but time constraints are really making this blog hard to handle. So I'll probably post occasionally, but for the time being this blog is down.

Real Life

2009-09-12T09:38:00.001-07:00

Sorry, real life has been catching up to me here. I'm starting my last year in college, so this is a little tough to keep up with; I'll see when I can post next.

World War III and Rossbach

2009-09-05T12:12:00.000-07:00

We fought Rossbach and... the camera broke. Figures. I'll have a battle report soon. Oh well, pictures next time.

World War III, or 2016, is done. It ended with the U.K. surrendering to the German Empire and the North African League, the U.K.'s ally, being destroyed by Egypt, the EU, and Russia. (Russia was advancing into the Middle East during the time.) Then the U.S. lost Alaska, and it holed up in the states for the rest of the war before a stalemate was arranged. The last one to go was Israel, which had obstructed most convoys to Egypt until the very end of the war.

My 1806 campaign is also on the verge of completion and will definitely be done next post.

Last but not least, Wurttemberg troops will hopefully be posted soon; they fought at Rossbach as well.

Final Touches and WWIII

2009-08-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

Rosbach is almost finished, only the last touches are being set. We just need about two more German allies.

A little bit of work is being done on Epic I World War III's, although they are not particularly good yet. The shadows and such are still giving us some trouble. We are also currently running a campaign of sorts with this, although I haven't checked it out yet. It seems as though Russia and the EU (consisting of the now massive German Empire, Finland, and Turkey, the last two being little more than satellites to the first,) are on the brink of war against the U.K. and U.S. at the moment. The EU has been expanding beyond the Balkans and Russia seems to be attempting to rebuild the USSR, (not in government, but in land,) so I look forward to seeing the coming conflict. I think it's inspired by a juniorgeneral.org range of troops.

1806 is Here

2009-08-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

The Prussians are back, albeit in a different time period. Rosbach and my campaign are underway but not yet presentable, so I thought I'd throw this up here. The hats are very fun to do for these 1806 projects, and I had a great time with it. All the plumes can be a little difficult to make when you're looking down from above, but it was managed. So check these out and then you could head over to juniorgeneral.org where the rest are stored, under 'Top Downs', 19th Century. Both Prussians and Austrians are up.

As for the Germans, Wurttemberg is done, but not yet posted, and we made some French cavalry. I am still fiddling with the camera, as it seems to have gone down after all, but I hope to have it all soon. I guess we'll find out.

For King and Country

2009-08-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

The British are now almost complete for skirmishing, I completed these a day ago. I had to resist the urge to print off the 50th Foot Commander; I love the flag. Regardless, the British will be baptized in fire in the next few days as they fight for King and Country, probably against the vile French.

Thundering Hooves

2009-08-20T05:22:00.000-07:00

We fought a small random battle today; sorry I didn't take pictures, but I forgot my camera. We decided that the cavalry of two armies had been riding ahead when it collided. Thus, with some eight Regiments to each side, they met without any other elements. This meant no artillery support or infantry.

The cavalry did not delay and met with a thunderous clash in the middle of the battlefield. The Russians had placed their Cuirassiers and Dragoons in front, reasoning that since there was no artillery, there was no need to place the Hussars in front as a shield. However, the Prussians had put their Hussars in front as usual, and due to an extremely good show on their part, the Russians lost about as many Cuirassiers and Dragoons as the Prussians lost Hussars. This disaster set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Russians, just like when its overtime in a soccer game and you fall behind, rushed everything into the fray. This only worsened the situation for them as they fell prey to flank attacks and more. The final results were that the Prussians had won with three Regiments to spare. After that little skirmishing, I returned to a campaign which I have been building: the Seven Years War in western Europe. What if the Prussians had taken an army and followed up on Rosbach? Could they have actually invaded France?

To fight this campaign, I'm using Hesse-Kassel, Brunswick, and Prussia on one side, while France fights with the Reichsarmee on the other. The Hesse-Kassel/Brunswick army will represent the German allies of the Prussians and will march directly for northern France, while the Prussians themselves will be heading for Paris, although they will have to knock many Germans out of the war. I'll post in more detail once it really starts developing.

For King and... Peninsula?

2009-08-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

The Spanish have shoved their way into our schedule, so the Germans have been delayed. We have plans to fight a few battles from the Seven Years War using these troops, (Portugal was allied, so there are several opportunities for skirmishes as well,) and another wargamer has been charged with making them. Considering that this is his first assignment, I'm rather impressed. The unnamed Regiment is Costa de Granada, an issue we will rectify shortly. I personally hope to command the Real America Regiment, it's always been one of my favorites. Well, I'll keep you posted.

As for the British, I've finished off the Grenadiers and am two thirds of the way through to the Musketeers. All the Artillery is also ready, and everything's printed.

Specialists Bulletin

2009-08-15T13:24:00.000-07:00

We've decided that from now on, some troop types will be upgraded by nation. For example, Hussars were light cavalry everywhere but Prussia, where they were trained as combat cavalry. Consequently, Prussian Hussars now hit on a 3+ instead of the usual 4+. We're working on more of these; soon a few will probably be written out.

British Update

2009-08-15T08:11:00.001-07:00

The British army continues to rally; this is one of two pages I've printed off, And my core of Guards, Grenadiers and Fusiliers is coming together. Once again the commanders were not printed off, and the General is the last one of my trio.

My precise listing is probably going to be this. In addition, another player's Hanoverians will be supporting me in most battles.

Four Regiments of Grenadiers, (two of which aren't officially designated Grenadier Regiments, but the rules count them as such.)

Nine Regiments of Musketeers

Four Regiments of Horse and Seven Regiments of Dragoons

Lifeguards

Horse Grenadiers

Six Artillery Batteries

Any suggestions?

Random Battle

2009-08-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we just sort of drift in and fight a battle for no reason other than to pass the time. Today we began playetesting the Napoleonics with a few of these, and it seems to be working out quite well. They are much like our Seven Years War rules, but slightly different to accomodate new technology, etc. We're also devising an alternative system with D8s.

Today I printed the above forces, to start my British army. I wanted a solid core, so I'm going to be using the 1st Guards and the 12 and 24th Foot as the center of my line in most battles. I might also add the 21st North British Fusiliers. Then, I'll build up more Infantry. In addition, I think the Horse Grenadiers would be a nice touch. After that, the cavalry comes in. The Regiments of Horse are my default option there, and possibly also a few Dragoons, although in the rules they're the same so it doesn't really matter. I'll probably also have four or five Artillery Batteries, and three Generals, with one in command and the other two as extras, to lead the cavalry or something like that. I won't be using regimental commanders as they aren't in the rules for the Seven Years War. I also must say that I feel slightly threatened by the lack of Grenadiers; I usually prefer six regiments. So I might call in some Hanoverian reinforcements, as they have the von Scheither Grenadier Regiment as well as then mounted Guard Grenadiers. Not to mention their Garde du Corps, which is heavy cavalry, something the British Dragoons can't match. It might also be fun to use the Hanoverian Engineers and Jaegers.

Napoleonics and New SYW Range

2009-08-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

The above are Hesse-Kasslers; most of the new city-states will have the same structure for their pages.

Bongard & Scheck is working on a new range of Napoleonics. They are much like the Seven Years War figures, but there are bicorns and plumes to be admired on the helmets, and since these figures are also Epic I's, the helmet plays a big role in the look of the figure.

We've made a range of Prussians and one of Austrians, and we're quite satisfied with them right now. The bicorns blend with the Prussian blue slightly, but all in all I think they're quite good and look forward to seeing more. Also, we may refight a few battles soon, so keep your eyes peeled.

In addition, a new Seven Years War range has been added. We now have Spaniards, Caissons, and Saxons. Also, progress on more German states has begun, and we think we may have devised a type of Mortar, which has been eluding us for some time. They'll all be on the Junior General site.

The German states we want to make will be a page each (usually that's a cavalry regiment, three infantry regiments, and an artillery battery, plus a general and commanders for the infantry,) and will hopefully include Schaumburg-Lippe, Bavaria, Wurtemberg, possibly Mecklenburg, and the Swabian Circle. This way, German allies of France in The Seven Years War will be available, and we might even be able to wargame Rosbach.

Leuthen

2009-08-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today we fought for Leuthen in what has probably been one of the best battles I've seen. I commanded 11 Regiments, 44 Units, under von Zieten.

Deployment
Deployment was historical, so little can be said here. The Prussians formed the oblique attack order, and my cavalry took the furthest part of the wing.

Turn I
Turn I is almost always moving or rearranging, so nothing noteworthy occurred. Upon seeing the Austrian's deployment, all forces advanced about 6", and then we retired briefly to confer. Frederick himself took the center, along with von Wurrtemberg, intent on capturing Leuthen itself. Von Kheul took our left, resigned to doing little more than guarding the advance with his cavalry. Finally, I was ordered to destroy the Dragoons to the right of Leuthen, so that the town could be isolated and destroyed. Also, the Grenadiers and Cannons were almost all in Leuthen, so it seemed logical to set up to surround it and force a surrender, if possible.

Turn II
We continued to advance, but I now covered the full 12", almost reaching the Dragoons, who retreated quickly. This wouldn't have disturbed me, but behind them the Austrian cavalry was rushing in to meet me. While this meant that von Kheul could joyfully go to work outflanking the Austrians, I was in very real danger, outnumbered by four Regiments of cavalry and in plain sight of Leuthen's Artillery Batteries. Indeed, I lost two Units this turn from those cannons. They were depressingly accurate.

Turn III
The Infantry began to engage, and several Austrian Regiments were repelled. However, Arenberg and Wied, two more stalwart Regiments, held firm and crushed the 18th and 2nd Prussian Infantry Regiments. However, since only the first rank of Infantry can shoot, the Prussians were not altogether destroyed. Again, the Artillery in Leuthen was stunningly precise, raining death down on everything it saw. Luckily no Prussians lost their nerve. In the meantime, my cavalry was horrified to see that the Dragoons were now at the forefront of a massive wave of Austrian riders. While we were now almost equal, (some of the cavalry had broken off to engage von Kheul,) they still had more Cuirassiers, and I saw doom approaching, especially because my death pile from the Artillery now tallied a whole Regiment's worth. On the other hand, this meant that the Infantry wasn't having half the trouble it otherwise might have. Regardless, my remaining ten Regiments braced themselves.

Turn IV
The Austrians were running steadily now, as several Regiments broke under heavy fire from the Prussian Infantry. However, Leuthen was still firmly the cornerstone of the Austrian defense, and I realized that if my cavalry retreated, we would probably have to storm it under fire, versus surrounding it and driving them apart. So the weight began to settle on my cavalry. But I was pretty sure that we couldn't win it alone, so I fell back. The Austrians followed, to hotheaded to see the trap. I had slowly split my forces into two groups, and left lanes for the Artillery to shoot through. So now I had fire support and I could flank them. On to Turn V.

Turn V
My trap didn't work out like I had planned, however. The Artillery did fire, but it missed. I did flank, but the results were far from satisfactory. In fact, little to nothing became of what I consider one of my finest wargaming maneuvers ever. Ultimately, I killed about eight of their Regiments and lost six of mine. So now we were about equal, each side holding on to five Regiments. Luckily, I had slightly more Cuirassiers. In addition, Leuthen was still impregnable. Or so I thought. Von Wurrtemberg performed one of the most brilliant moves of the game, not to mention Bongard & Scheck history. His Grenadiers were arranged in such a way that they targeted the weak points of the Austrian lines, Musketeers or under strength Regiments. The result was showing. Already, Leuthen's defenders found that the Austrian center, slightly above them, was giving. Behind the cavalry, which had gone out to far, (I guess the trap came to something after all,) Grenadiers of the 33rd and 34th Regiments were closing in. And four Austrian Grenadier Regiments sat, waiting for the results.

Turn VI
As more and more Prussians surrounded Leuthen, the forces around it either ran or surrendered. Prince Charles of Lorraine himself was almost captured as he and a Dragoon Regiment fled from the swift advance. Leuthen's guns were also being silenced, one by one, as the Prussian Artillery massed its fire to come down on the town. The remaining Austrian cavalry was thoroughly stunned. Not only had they abandoned the flank and caused what they had been trying to prevent, they were also caught in a stray knot of the noose closing around Leuthen. Some rode towards Prince Charles, others fled outright. In the meantime, Kheul's cavalry, which will probably be one of those forces in military history which never receives real credit, had cleanly cut the Austrians in half. Confusion and arguing could be heard from the Austrian corner as they conferred.

Turn VII
The battle was over. Victorious Prussians received the surrender of the Austrian's best (except for the notorious Arenberg Regiment, which actually fought its way through, only to surrender to the cavalry,) or eagerly pursued what remained of the enemy army. The commanders had also already fled, all except Prince Charles who wasn't quite close enough. I managed to ride down several Infantry Regiments, and it was over.

The battle wasn't a very good historical refight, as there was never a great cavalry melee and Leuthen was never the center of the battle. Regardless, it was extremely fun, so huzzah and long live King Frederick.

P.S. The time posted thing at the bottom is off; it's six hours behind. This battle was over at 2:15, and we started playing at 10:30.

Final Preparations

2009-08-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

We've decided to downsize the armies. This is the new Prussian list. Everything is present.

3 Generals, including the overall general

9 Hussar Regiments

8 Cuirassier Regiments

11 Musketeer Regiments

6 Grenadier Regiments

8 Artillery Batteries

And here is the Austrian list, which is receiving the final touches. Tomorrow we will fight for Leuthen.

3 Generals, including the overall general

8 Dragoon Regiments

8 Cuirassier Regiments

15 Musketeer Regiments

6 Grenadier Regiments

6 Artillery Batteries

Prussian Blue

2009-08-12T06:28:00.001-07:00

These are some Prussians who will be partaking in the battle. None of the commanders will be, but the Artillery Battery is in the center, the Hussars and Cuirassiers are with me, the General could be any one of four, and the three Infantry Regiments are in the center.

Prussians have been massing for Leuthen; over 90 Infantry Units out of 132 and 32 Cavalry Units out of 88 are already waiting near the battlefield, along with 10 Artillery Batteries and four Generals.

I'm taking the Prussian right, (the flanking end of the oblique attack order,) and will come down around the Austrians to destroy them completely. I hope. I am in charge of around six Regiments of Cuirassiers (move 12", hit on 2+, melee, Yippee!) which comes out to 24 Units organized into groups of four. Also in my army are eight Regiments of Hussars, (move 12", hit on 4+, melee, also yippee,) which are 32 Units structured into eight groups of four as well. Right now only 16 Hussar Units are gathered, but the Cuirassiers are also at 16, so we're getting there. I also command two Generals, General Prinz von Wurttemberg and General von Zieten, one of my favorite commanders.

What frightens me is that I have no Infantry or Artillery, a new experience for me altogether. I have always had mixed elements, but now I'm slightly insecure. Not being able to pulverize something from afar or expend some Musketeers (move 6", hit on 5+, range 8") to take down a position is new, and most importantly I have no cannon fodder. Every single one of my soldiers is gold to the Prussian army, so I can't be losing to much. I can't post our strategy yet, as I foresee some dirty Austrians reading it off of this blog, so I'll tell it to you with the battle report.

P.S. Sorry if we don't have pictures for this one, I have a feeling it's not going to work. I'm still experimenting with the whole pictures thing.

Paper Soldier Blogging Intro

2009-08-11T14:13:00.000-07:00

These are Russian Seven Years War figures; they have flags on their Infantry Units because they need a distinguishing feature. Most Units do not have this. P.S. An Infantry Regiment is six stands, a Cavalry Regiment is four, Artillery Batteries are just one stand. Commanders are rarely used per Regiment, because there tend to be to many to make it logical. However, sometimes when an important figure is in charge of a Regiment, these are handy.

Hello all, this is Bongard & Scheck's Paper Soldier Blogging [Blog....] The purpose of this blog is to document paper soldier battles, talk about new sets, and the occasional utterly whimsical and thoroughly pointless comment may turn up.

Bongard & Scheck is a group dedicated to fighting paper soldier battles. We're a bunch of people who love wargaming but find waiting for the figures to arrive, painting them, and losing all that money a little arduous. So instead, we make paper soldiers on Microsoft Paint. Most of these are Epic I's, which are figures seen from an aerial perspective. We post everything on a splendid site called juniorgeneral.org, and that's just about the world of Bongard & Scheck right there.

We'll be fighting a battle soon, specifically Leuthen, so you'll get a feel for this soon.

P.S. Click the pictures to see them better.