Wargames Illustrated Subscription

Have you seen the current subscription offer from WI? It's a free box of plastic Warlord Miniatures with a year subscription. The offer runs out this month. Seeing as I buy the magazine every month anyway, im considering getting it - not sure what box though.

http://wargamesillustrated.co.uk/shop/one-year-subscription/

The new offer will apparently be Flames of War plastic tanks.

Anybody else interested?

It's an easy way into Napoleonics Pete...

I've done those deals a few times before. I've only ever actually used one of the freebies I've had through it...

I'm toying with getting the Germans and actually committing to a second Bolt Action force. But we've not played for some time and late war Germans come with awkward camo smocks. On the up side I would have an excuse to keep the army small and veteran - which would play differently from the Red Horde.

On the other hand, the Napoleonic British have potential if I ever get my ass in gear on the War of 1812.

I tried to do an ECW army once. I gave up after one unit - I've still got them somewhere - and I think I'm too old to start Romans and too aware of what starting Celts would entail...although, ancients were always my first love on wargaming...

...hmmm...

I suggest sticking to 15mm for ancients. We have some stuff for impetus for that. I'd really like to do that again or use a different rule set, actually.

I have napoleonic british. I realise I never do anything with them, but it still seems a bit odd to both have the same force there. Alternatively I suppose you'd have both forces.

Germans for bolt action sounds good as we lack axis forces - would you have to do camo?

Probably. They're modelled in smocks. However, for a veteran force, the box should be all the infantry I'd need. Add in a Panther and the army is done...

Conversely, I was thinking that the French infantry might be a good idea. They're modelled in overcoats, which makes them easy to paint, and I have those Dragoons that I'm unsure about using as Americans. It's the beginnings of a brigade. There's no rush to do them, and I could put them aside until we get the motivation to do something Napoleonic. Painting British and French at the same time might help motivation.

Good idea, we'd get to it at some point...

Hmm. I had seen this. Was tempted to get a box of those grenadiers to do as veteran heer! It's the only box out of the 8 that interest me anyway.

Although saying that I always fancied painting up some Romans but then that's why we did impetus! I would like to do a 28mm historical army but not sure napoleonics is what I'd want to do. ECW might be cool.

I've got 28mm Ancients armies, so if you got Romans, you'd have someone to use them against. I don't think I'd go towards ECW again for myself. I didn't enjoy painting them at all.

What's the issue with Napoleonics? If it's uniforms, that box of French Light Infantry and the the Perry French Line Infantry are all in overcoats, so a lot of the awkwardness (like the braiding and tartan on Matt's British) is circumvented.

For myself, my head is saying Germans, whilst my heart is saying Napoleonics. I probably need some kind of counselling.

What about the Italians/Hungarians/Japanese you were going to do?

That's my point about the Germans. Common sense says 30 free models shouldn't be ignored when I'm already considering a second Bolt Action army, but I can't help feel that I'm just re-hashing what you've already done...and I already have 7 Japanese figures.

Mind you - late war Germans should have bucket loads of Assault Rifles...

If you can think of a way that I could do Germans but be notably different from your army, then I could be persuaded.

Thing is, i'd planned to buy more germans to have what you're proposing anyway. Theres a set all with assault rifles which is high up my list!

I want to have as much variety with my germans as possible so I could do all sorts of different lists!

See, I'm quite enjoying doing that with my Russians (even though they're 'finished'). With the SU-76 and possibly a Stuart (which could be used by a potential future Japanese army), I'd be able to play Tank War in 28mm.

I'm wary about starting a second Bolt Action force from scratch.

Mind you, I'm like that about Napoleonics too...

Thats why I'm taking a bit more time with my Brits. Doing them as vets to start so I don't need as many and then seeing how it goes

It's a good argument. And I suppose it's possible to borrow some German stuff early on to get some games in.

I'm going to make a decision soon...honest...

Italians!

Slightly hindered by not being one of the free boxes.

Go weird and do Free French using the Americans!

I dunno. You seem to be making more painting progress than me - maybe that's the time to try to tackle napoleonics?

You and your bloody French - actually I'm considering turning my FoW Americans into Free French.

I've decided that next month I'm doing my Native Americans and I'm leaning towards the Germans again. In terms if Napoleonics I still have my War of 1812 Americans to scratch that itch.

Vive la France!

Have been having a look at Napoleonics again. The models are great and cheap but then as soon as I start looking at how to paint them I want to cry...

That's my point about the overcoats though. Because of the coats, I'm less daunted by the French Napoleonics than I am by the German camo.

If you get the French Naps, I'll give you the Dragoons I got from Matt as cavalry were really a non-event in the War of 1812.

I think it will definitely be the Germans that I get though. It seems silly to ignore them when I have been considering a second Bolt Action force for some time. As veterans, one box should cover all of my infantry.

In other news, I've finally fobbed off the Daimler Dingo onto someone!

I did think about the overcoats but then it's robbing me of painting pleasure. It's not the amount of detail that's daunting, it's all the different coloured pompoms and stuff that I'd want to get right.

Who's the sucker?

Craig. He's doing a British Bolt Action force. He's already got the better Daimler, but unlike some folk, he doesn't see a problem with free stuff.

The French are easy to find references for. My napoleonic uniforms book would have pretty much everything you'd need to know. Although I'd buy an extra command section and use the box to make two units of twenty personally. I can't really see us even doing the huge units thing.

Thinking on it, if you do Germans it'll spur me on to painting my Brits...

Well these are your choices then - WW2 Germans and spur Pete into doing British, or Napoleonic French and spur me into doing British.

So which British army do you want to see most?

If I do Romans, will Wes do Ancient British?

I'm getting the Germans. Reasons:
1) It stops me faffing about a second Bolt Action force and just gets it sorted.
2) I'm going to do a small veteran force (they're late war) and this box should cover the infantry I need.
3) The camouflage is actually something I'd like a crack at.
4) Getting the French would mean the War of 1812 stuff would continue to rot.
5) My War of 1812 Americans are still a historical match up to Matt's British.
6) I have a Red Skull mini to use as an officer!
7) the Germans fight everybody (except early war French)
Pete's already doing Napoleonic French.
9) I'm 'Panther Bastard'.
10) Matt's never going to paint his Napoleonics...ever...