Chickamauga and Chattanooga

I'm back. My wife had training for her new job in Dalton, GA, and I got dragged along. There's not a whole lot to do there, but luckily the ACW battlefields of Chickamauga and Chattanooga are about 20 minutes away. For those not familiar with the American Civil War, Chickamauga was the greatest military victory for the South. It was not masterminded by General Lee, as you might have expected, but it was a lucky break for the much maligned Braxton Bragg.

The battlefield itself is lot like it was then, mostly woods. There are roughly 1,110 separate monuments, put there by their respective regiments after the war. It's criss-crossed by dozens of walking paths, but it's best done by following the driving trail, which is about 7 miles long. The tour takes in order of how the battle was fought. The whole place has that weird, unearthly feel most Civil war battlefields have for me.
It wasn't the best I've been too, Gettysburg gets that, but it's well put together and the small museum at the Visitor's Center has hundreds of guns and a cheesy, but informative movie.

Some cool revolving carbines

General Wilder's Monument. 135 steps to the top!

The next visit to me to Lookout Mountain, the scene of most of the fighting around Chattanooga, TN and home to the "Battle Above the Clouds". It's a great view up there, and of course the most striking question is "how did they drag cannons up here?"
Chattanooga, a few months later would be the South's greatest defeat, and ultimately open up the South to Sherman and his March to the Sea.

I spent the rest of the trip drinking beer and smoking cigars by the motel pool, wondering why my copy of Renaissance Principles of War hasn't shown up yet.

Crimson Skies Thursday

Got chance to pull out an old favorite, Crimson Skies. Every time I play I think, "why don't we play this more?" I love painting the planes, love playing even more. Tight rules, great background, too bad it's out of print.
This scenario pitted an incursion of Missouri airspace, by ISA planes. The valiant 13th Missouri Air Militia rose up to fight them.

Both sides got chewed up in the fight. It ended up being a draw, with two planes barely making it back to their respective airfields.

More Swashbuckling Swordsmen

I kinda phoned it in on these, but I'm kinda in a "clear off the table" mood. I'm working on the Four Musketeers themselves next. Then, hopefully start on some more Renaissance.

The more observant viewers might have noticed a new link on this blog. It's for the Unkerlant Chronicle, a place for all of your coverage of the interbellum conflicts in our favorite, tiny Imagi-Nation.
Also, this Saturday, another foray Beyond the Wall will be launched. So make sure you check the Beyond the Wall link next week for the further OD&D adventures of Mellion, Miss Adventure and the rest of the stalwart party.

3 Whites and a Red

Finally got some paint time in. The results? Some MG support for my RUssian Civil War troops and a Swashbuckling hero.

Lewis Gunners. I painted these in "regular" Russian colors so they could be used for any White faction.

A Maxim crew, again available for multiple uses.

The hero known only as the "White Mask".

And finally, the Reds get some support with these Naval Infantry gunners.

R.I.P. Frank Frazetta

This illustrator is one of the reasons I got into drawing myself. Also gaming. He made Conan, Tarzan, John Carter, all come to life.

Bringing Unkerlant into the 20th century

As the readers of this blog know, Unkerlant is an angry little Imag-Nation somewhere close to Central Europe, but not quite on any maps. So far, it has only existed as an early 18th century kingdom, wracked by civil wars and its own rampant xenophobia. A few in the Imagi-Nation community have started expanding this idea into other realms. So, what would Unkerlant look like during the Interwar period (1920s and 30s)? 

In its first foray into the wider world, did it get entangled by foreign treaties and forced into the Great War? Was it bankrupted by its losses in both men and money? Did old regional rivalries rear their ugly heads?

Below is an artist's rendering of a member of the Volborgian Freistaat Provincial Militia.

His uniform is similar in both cut and design to late war German soldiers. Only the color and shoulder patch identify him as a member of this elite paramilitary organization.