How Much Does a Figure Cost?

Simple enough question isn't it?

You look through a manufacturers lists, choose the figures you want, calculate the cost based on the advertised price and hand your money over. Simples.

But is this the end?

A friend raised an interesting point about the real cost of figures and something I hadn't really considered before. He used the new Perry plastic Wars of the Roses figures as an example.

In his case he took 18 of the plastic figures and spent a further ninety minutes assembling them ready for priming - 5 minutes each. He compared that to less than thirty minutes for 32 metal Front Rank WSS figures - less than 1 minute each. the cause for the delay was the assembly time for the multitude of arms, heads, weapons etc that come with the Perry box. Let's take the minimum wage over here in the UK (currently £5.85 per hour) as a base line and that means that the Perry figure puts an additional £0.50 on the figure compared to £0.10 for the Front Rank - so the Perry figure actually costs £0.83 (40 figures in a £15 box = £0.38) against a Front Rank at £1.15 (£1.05 for the figure - less if you buy in units).
Are you still happy with your purchase from Perry?

For the record I am very happy with the perry figures & this is exactly why many of us have bought the Perry box, to give us choice and a range of styles & poses.

How much is your time worth? Can you put a cost on your hobby time and do you feel as though you get value for money all things considered?

Movement Tray

My "How to" on the movement trays I'm making for the Wars of the Roses project.

Firstly the raw materials - sheet of 5mm MDF cut to size (mine happens to be the bases of some old draw units we threw out some years back - all good wargamers I suspect see some use from salvage & scrap) and the wooden stirring straws found in many coffee houses*. I'm basing the figures in ranks of six on 20mm square bases so the internal dimension needs to be 120mm by either 80mm or 60mm if four or three ranks. I allow an extra 10mm on each edge for the stirrers - now this sounds excessive when you look at the width of the stirrer but I've found that once the filler is used the extra depth is not that great.

*I've found that the sticks from Cafe Nero or Starbucks are almost 120mm in length, coincidentally the width of the movement trays!

Cut the sticks to length and glue in place with wood glue. I use two layers of sticks which seems to be the right height for the bases on the figures. Leave to dry overnight. A word of caution here - try and make sure that the sticks are as close to the edge as possible and that the top layer does not overhang on the outside, otherwise the figures won't fit and it's a devil of a job squaring up the outer edge with filler later.

Once dry apply the filler to the internal and external edges of the sticks, filling all the gaps and sealing the edges. Apply extra filler at the corners to hide the joints.

Once dry sand the outer edges smooth so that the bases will butt upto one another on the tabletop. Also sand the inner edge so that the figure bases line up neatly. Coat in your preferred earth tone - for me that's Burnt Umber (cheap craftshop version in 250ml pots).

Once dry I highlight with a light stone colour, usually something along the lines of Mid Stone emulsion in those little tester pots from DIY stores.

Next a further drybrush highlight this time with Caramel to give it a warmer feel and I find a little more depth. Usually I just squeeze a little onto the pallet and use the same brush as the stone highlight with no washing in between.

Lastly I flock the base, this time using Summer Meadow mix applied onto a PVA wash.

Once I've painted the figures for the tray I also liberally spray base and figures with a matt varnish which helps to fix the flock in place and stop some of the wear during play.

Wars of the Roses Revamp Progress

I'm about a quarter of the way through the revamp and expansion of the Wars of the Roses collection.
So here are the first five finished units. Three bases of bills and two of archers.
The bills are organised into units of twenty four, each with a commander in plate in the front rank. The front rank also boasts a larger proportion of men with mail and hauberks, and some with plate, the amount of protection diminishing towards the rear ranks. the units represent men from the county militias of Lincolnshire (gules & argent), Cambridgeshire (vert and or) and Nottinghamshire (vert & gules).
The archers are in units of eighteen and represent the men of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

In a move away from the traditional multiple figure bases I've mounted these individually on 20mm square bases and used movement trays of my own making. I've done this for two reasons - firstly the rules we use work on unit basis and not individual figures so there is no penalty for having units on a single stand. Secondly it allows me to play around with the figures and their configuration should we decide to alter the structure and organisation (no plans for this but I'm ready if it should happen).

As noted in a previous post the figures are mostly Foundry but the new Perrys are there - a third of the bills and a fifth of the archers. Now that they're mounted and based the size difference isn't that great and I'm please with the overall effect.

Flock is from Musketeer and represents summer meadows with wild flowers. Makes a change from just grass.

I'll post an article later on the making of the movement trays.

Random thoughts on Rules

Playing the "Black Powder" rules the other week caused me to think about the rules I use for the WSS and some of the comments that have been made about them.
Firstly, what is it about the WSS that I want to see on the tabletop? I want big battalions of 30+ figures moving in lines with none of this new fangled marching to a cadence step. I want squadrons of horse sweeping over the table, fighting and then returning to lines to recover before entering the fray again. I don't want to have to break the movement down into more than half moves and worrying about how long it takes to form line/column/square - keep it simple: it takes a move.
I want to roll buckets of dice and not consult a table or slide rule to work out the result. I like to see battalions shrink as they suffer casualties, although hit markers work as well for me.

So what about the rules?

Well I'll not be adding in anything for army/brigade morale. Formations in the WSS were fluid and adhoc with no formal organisation other than temporary commands formed to meet a given situation. So cohesion within a brigade was not as brittle as it may be when seen from a Napoleonic gamers perspective. Add in that with our games it soon becomes clear where the problems are on the tabletop regardless of needing to take morale tests for friends in peril.

I liked the Black Powder command rating for giving orders. Perhaps this is worth exploring. I do have a list of all the commanders given large formations through the war and their general ability. It would not be beyond me to cobble together a rating list for refights. However, for our regular games I'm happy with the way things are. Command and control is necessary for some games where relaying orders is either difficult or demanding. For the WSS things are relatively simple - form line, advance to a given objective & defeat the enemy. Few battles had anything more intricate.

The rules do not have a long list of modifiers to consult. Rather we've taken the table and turned it on it's head - more classes of morale test with few modifiers. Works for me and takes very little working out to resolve the matter, generally a roll of the dice is sufficient to tell you whether you've passed under the given circumstances. So I don't think I'll be changing much there.

Where is this heading?

I guess what I'm saying is that although a new set of rules comes along and seems to offer a lot of possibilities it does not mean that we have to change lock, stock & barrel. Rules evolve and that's a good thing as long as the enjoyment of the game evolves too. Equally one should not criticise a set of rules because their understanding of the period and the intention of the recreation of that period does not meet that of those of others.

Caliver Books

Caliver Books (www.caliverbooks.com) at their new premises on Baker Road in Newthorpe is the sort of place that I love and my wife hates.

This was my first visit to the shop, and indeed my first time of talking to Dave outside of the hustle and bustle of a show. From the first you are welcomed into a real treat of a store. Friendly smiles and warm greetings made me leave the cold wet rain outside and the coffee was a real surprise and warmly thanked.

So why would my wife not like the shop?

Simply it's a cleverly conspired trick to take money from an unsuspecting wargamer.

The shop starts with a section dedicated to Partizan Press. Every title you want (need is no longer applicable is it?) sectioned and ready for inspection. Move on from here to a room full of rules - every period and all types of styles. Follow that with a room choc full of books both new and second hand - I defy any gamer to leave without a title in his hand.
This latter room also houses a selection of figures, paints and accessories to tempt the unwary gamer.

I left with armful of books (two titles for the Malburian period, the new book on Poltava, a couple of pamphlets for the Wars of the Roses and the Seven Years War volume from Grant & Olley). I had to leave other titles that I saw in there, but only because the bag I had with me was of insufficient size to smuggle them past the wife!

So next time you're in Nottingham take the twenty minute journey to Caliver and reward yourself with a very pleasant experience. My thanks to all the staff present and I look forward to more visits in the future.

The American Revolution - Black Powder Game

My first game with "Black Powder" rules and as a test we used figures for the American Revolution. Each player had two brigades of mixed troop types to give a variety of tests for the rules.
Playing a revolutionary I had two brigades each of two or three state line and two militia battalions. One had an additional small unit of rifles and an artillery piece.
Facing me were two brigades of British each with a detachment of light infantry. Given the loop of the river across my left front I decided to refuse this flank whilst assaulting the church in the center of the table in support of my co-commanders' attack against the Hessians facing him.
The game started well enough with my opponent rolling an order blunder on two occasions within the first three moves. Able to form line and deny the enemy the ford, everything looked set for the assault. My right hand brigade advanced boldly and came around the wood to face the church. Finding it occupied by the enemy their brigade commander rolled for the assault order and saw his brigade lurch forward...............to the right to hide behind the adjacent American Brigade!
Several moves later they had regained their desire to take the battle to the enemy and assaulted the church. Hurling the enemy out of the building they took shelter. Unfortunately the cover they found there was not enough to shield them from the enemy fire that poured into them from the rest of the battalions supporting the original defenders.
As the American battalion fled on the left things were also beginning to crumble. Two battalions had fled the field under the sustained fire from the British lining the river. As I began to wonder whether it was time to yield the field. Turning to my co-commander I found that he had suffered a similar fate and was beginning to leave the field.

So what were my thoughts on the rules after this first try?

I couldn't find any glaring faults or indeed great criticisms in them.
The order system worked well and was a source of amusement on several occasions. I did forget to rally the troops on many turns and, whilst this may have contributed to my fall it was my fault and not the rules.
Firing was straight forward once you had done it a few times. We found that several units in line are more than capable of holding a position but without support they will be worn down - just as it should be.
Melee were fun and fast. Easy to resolve and simple to work out there were no issues here.

I'm looking forward to playing more games and it was certainly the view of the owner of the AWI collection that these are the rules for future choice.

So many thanks to Dave for the game and the opportunity to try the rules. Definitely a thumbs up.
Thanks also to Mark and Steve for providing the opposition and getting into the spirit of the game.

The Wars of the Roses

I wonder if this book falls foul of the Trade Descriptions Act?
Marketed as a new history - it's even on the front cover - we would believe that there is some material here that sheds new light on this series of conflicts. Well there isn't.
What we do get is a history of the houses of Lancaster & York from their rise to power to their downfall. Whilst it may be interesting to see this I'm not convinced that a book dealing with the Wars of the Roses needs to spend half of the volume examining the reigns kings in preceding years e.g. Richard II & Henry V and using these as excuses for the causes of the conflict. The historical accounts of Kings Henry IV &V and the Hundred Years war are better covered in more detail in other books. I don't need a book on the Wars of the Roses to tell me how Crecy, Poitiers & Agincourt were won.
When we finally get to the conflict we find nothing new in the analysis or discussion.
Okay, that's unfair. What we get is a view that if it wasn't for Somerset and his affair with Margaret of Anjou the conflict wouldn't have happened.
There are some very nice anecdotes included in the book and Hoyle does a very good job of binding the political intrigues and plots into the story.
For me this book is a very good general history of the war. There is nothing new here expect the method of presentation. A book to look for second hand, not for brand new purchase.

Sea Robber

The third volume in the series following the trials of Hector Lynch in the 17th century by Tim Severin (Corsair & Buccaneer being the others).
As ever we follow Hector and his three companions through various twists and turns as he tries to find his way to his (hopefully) true love. This time we find him forced to return to his pirating days as he sails west, first into the Pacific and then the South China Seas. Again we meet various disparate groups and a wide range of characters.
What we never meet is any real danger. Strangely as I read the book you always had the feeling that nothing too drastic was going to happen. Even when he loses touch with his friends he manages to be reunited despite the vastness of the ocean. When they land and are captured, which seems to happen in every chapter, the reader is not inclined to believe that they will be harmed.
Severin has served up a cold plate of meat here with little to spice it up. His writing style flows easily enough but it is not a style that tells a good story and does not compare with Scarrow or Mallinson for example. The book does offer a number of scenarios for games though - three boat crews coming together on the Galapagos islands, meeting Japanese warlords, Spanish colonists fighting south sea islanders and inter island warfare between the islanders for example.
If you've read the first two then this is a book that continues the story and leads to a fourth, as yet unnamed book. If you haven't read the first two then this is not the best pirate book to start with.

Wars of the Roses - in plastic

I've been planning a revamp of the Wars of the Roses retinue for a while now and putting it off until the release of the Perry plastic figures. So with two boxes purchased I started the reorganisation this weekend.
The first photo shows four of the assembled bills, the one on the extreme left waits the finishing touches (like armour and weapons) whilst the other three have been varnished and only need the basing finishing.
The figures come on a sprue loaded with options. Multiple head and helmet choices, three different swords in scabbards (hand and a half, falchion and sword with buckler), and arms with bills, halberds or spears. The warning in the accompanying pamphlet is necessary - make sure you get the right arms for the torso because there are similar weapons held by arms with sleeves, hauberks, mail shirt and partial armour. Whatever the options they are extremely nice figures and easy to assemble. The only problem I found is that they benefit from a wash before priming because, unlike my experience with GW plastics, they have a film of oil on them that prevents good adherence of an acrylic primer.
So what about size?

This shot shows a Perry on the right next to a Grenadier figure* and a Foundry bill man. This suggests that they are reasonably compatible.
The Perry figures are slimmer and taller. They are also considerably better in their detail and sculpting.

I've deliberately chosen one of the better Foundry figures for this shot because there are some awful figures in the Foundry range, looking more like hobgoblins and dwarves then medieval soldiers. It is for this reason that I'm a little wary of mixing them in with the rest of the retinue. The vast majority of the collection are Foundry figures and my plans may need revising as I progress through the revamp.
The plan is to expand the bills and men-at-arms to units of 24 from 18 and to make all the archers into 18 strong contingents from 15. This means the intended inclusion of six bills into each unit and three archers. As such I've painted the first 18 Perry figures into three different liveries - but I'm prepared to have to repaint these to create a Perry only contingent and to remove figures from other units to make up the difference. All will become clear over the next week as I finish the first units.

* I picked up two Grenadier figures as some point in the past and have no idea what they are. I have looked on the Amazon website but can't match these two figures to a description in the catalogue. So if anyone recognises these please help let me know because they are lovely castings and I'd like to get more.

Happy New Year

...to one and all.

2009 is now confined to the history books and 2010 beckons with all kinds of promises.

I'm keeping things simple for this year with only three projects in mind.

If Bill keeps to his promise 2010 will see the first tabletop action for my GNW project once Musketeer produce the Russian command (promised for January according to the website - see link on the left).
With the launch of the new Perry plastic Wars of the Roses I'm planning to revamp my current Wars of the Roses retinue. Two boxes have been purchased and I'll post some pics over the weekend of progress suffice to say the figures are fantastic in the bare plastic - I hope I can do justice to them.
Finally, and with a change to the advertised project, I'll be progressing my 40mm collection. The change being that it will now be the American Revolution not the French Indian Wars. The reason for the change is the purchase of the "Black Powder" rules from Warlord Games and the scenario for Freemans Farm - a scenario that has sufficient variety of troops, a small number of battalions and includes Indians. Plus the uniform book from my lovely wife for even more inspiration. Talking of the "Black Powder" rules, my first read through suggests that these should be a fun set to play and appear to have the right ingredients for a game providing your opponent buys into the mind set written into the rules. And that does seem to be the key to the rules - gentlemanly conduct with no room for the rule lawyer or "beardy" gamesmanship. Hurrah!!

I'm also realistic enough that my projected painting total for 2010 will not be in the same league as this years 1250 points. I'll settle for 50 points a month with a target of 600 for the year.

So here's to a 2010 full of promise and potential.

Cheers!