28mm ACW Wargaming

Just before my detox started I managed to purchase a Perry Miniatures ACW  'Battle in a Box' which would form the starting point of a joint project for 2016 that I would be undertaking with my good friend and fellow addict Mr Tony Horobin.

We had gamed in 15mm for a while using Martin Goddard's excellent Civil War Battles rules but we both had a yearning to branch out into 28mm.

Infantry figures are based in 3s on 40x40mm with cavalry in 2s on 50x40mm. The reason for this is that they are compatible with Black Powder, Longstreet and even (at a bit of a push Fire and Fury).

Our current chosen rule set is Sam Mustafa's Longstreet.

So far we have had in excess of a dozen games and Tony is just about to start a 6/8 player campaign at our local club, the South Somerset War games Group (SSWG).

I've been very impressed with the rules and thoroughly enjoyed our games.

Like all of Sam's games they are card driven and qluick to pick up but have hidden depths and require a lot of thought.

The campaign system is extensive and well thought out; seemingly almost inevitably leading to historically accurate results.

With regards to Figures I have stuck almost exclusively to Perry Miniatures, the vast majority being plastic. I've managed to stick to my detox and the extra 8 (or possibly 10 or 12!!) boxes of infantry, cavalry and artillery have been funded through sales of surplus lead and swopping a 28mm Winter War Finn army for plastic.

So far this year I've painted just over 200 infantry, 16 cavalry and half a dozen guns with crew. To prevent getting bored with all the grey and dark blue I paint 30-40 at a time but then paint something different between units i.e. 28mm Sassanids, New Kingdom Egyptians and 15mm Classical Indians.

This is very much an on going project but I aim to have everything (well almost everything!) painted by the end of the year with the option to add the ocassional unit in 2017.

Tony and I are due to play the last game in our 2 player campaign before the end of this month and then I'm looking forward to using Longstreet in the Club campaign but moreso to try historical scenarios and some of the more obscure battles.

Photos and AARs to follow.