Project 6mm!

First brigade ready! Already the Union is out-producing the secessionist rebels...

Nice! How come half the base is empty?

Because I like it that way. It also helps me to see which way they're facing. Later on I may start putting some scenic features or skirmishers in that space.

Cool. Is that how much you got for £16?

Nope. There's enough line infantry for another eight regiments and enough skirmishers for anywhere up to twelve stands depending on how many you use per base.

Basically it's enough for a division, minus the commanders and artillery.

Unless your pack is different to mine, there's actually only 10 stands worth, not 12.

Unfortunately, seeing yours makes me think I should reposition the models on the one base I've done, because I've put a space between the ranks and now think I shouldn't have. Damn you!

Are they all facing the right direction this time?

Yes.

Anyway, I felt they were all facing the right direction last time, you just couldn't handle my artistic vision.

I changed that one to avoid precisely this kind of tedium, so you can see how successful that was.

I've definitely got 12 stands of infantry in my pack, and that appears to be two more than the website says I should have! Result! Interestingly, I've also got a command strip with big hats as well, which are probably western theatre.

Jammy git!

Here's a fun fact: I've also got twelve strips of skirmishers. In total that's 8 bonus strips of infantry for nowt!

I can't get too upset, that would take me 3 months to paint at my current rate.

Pete, did you get anything in the end?

No, didn't get chance. Plus, I want to try and get on top of my other painting first I think before starting this!

That's not how we do things!

Boooo!

I'm finding it hard to get interested in ACW! Its like napoleonics to me!

You sir, need to watch Gettysburg. Or read the Bernard Cornwell Starbuck books.

In truth though, it is a bit like Napoleonics, only with MUCH more efficient weapons and easier to paint uniforms. The bonkers generals are where the colour is.

If you're not keen on painting initially, wait a little bit. There's a pretty good chance that I'll end up doing Confederates as well...cos I'm like that.

We'll see. I'll read up the Wiki entry on the war and try and get enthused about it tonight....

I would offer to lend you Ken Burns documentary series which is what got me interested many many years ago, but I've lent it to a colleague over the summer. It's an outstanding series.

As a side note, I've been reading about the Longstreet rules today, and that has a campaign system which focuses on the fortunes of the commander rather than the course of the war. To a large extent it treats your brigade or division in the same way Necromunda does gangs. It's a really interesting idea and I'm looking into crowbar ring those ideas into Black Powder.

I'm not going to suggest buying the rules as it uses a completely different basing system, costs £25 for the rules and another £10 for the deck of cards. That's an entire army in 6mm!

I've not yet watched Gettysburg for its full 4h 30m duration, nor the Ridley Scott documentary. I intend too soon though to get myself more enthused about the era, because even just from reading the wiki page I realised that I knew more than I thought I did.

At the moment I've mostly been building and painting the Sarilla (?) scenery that I bought. My goal is to try and complete my 26 infantry guys for Bolt Action soon so I can finally have a 1000 point game (which requires a water fountain, machine gun bunker, searchlight and a small shop).

And then moving on to the rest of the 6mm guys, no guarantees it'll happen in that order though.

water fountain, machine gun bunker, searchlight and a small shop?!

Sorry, this is the confusion that comes from replying after beers. Those are the four bits of Sarissa scenery that I bought.

Apparently, Ken Burns' Civil War documentaries are on Netflix. Highly recommended.

Ordered some bases and some confederate flags...

Found this on a forum:

Also mine are single base units, 60mm x 30mm or 30mm x 30mm, allowing for playable very large battles of corps size. A one stand unit can take 1/4 the time to move as a four stand unit, and much less than a 24 stand unit! Smaller units and guns get the 30x30 bases, and skirmishers are on separate 60x30 bases. When an entire regular-sized regiment becomes skirmishers I replace their stand with two 60x30s. Mixed order has a regular base behind a skirmisher base. Columns simply involve a counter next to the base.