Between games and getting ready for Aucherre

Between and during postponed games, I have been trying to ensure that what I want for the next scenario is ready.  I suppose because I am having to catch up with myself in replacing so much that I had, making new things that I had never got around to doing and painting all the many figures that I hadn't dealt with previously (in addition to anything bought again/new), I have been running to stay still.

I want the centre piece at Aucherre to be a farmhouse complex where the PDC 4th Battalion (The White Unicorns) HQ has been established since the conflict began.  I also want an orchard, some ploughed/corn fields and a main road.  I am also considering a river or stream to limit flanking.

So, chopping about an old kit proved to be the way forward and that was soon on a tile and ready to go onto the table.  Next day, I added a cornfield tile which I may add another feature to, later.

Chrissie had set about some Tudor cottages which will be wanted in another scenario altogether. She had had rescued two smashed cottages from years ago (Thanks mum!) and using one bagged cottage that I had bought back before going off to Uni all those years ago, she managed to reconstruct two full rows and one small cottage. She is so good at this kind of thing :)

There's a small rectangular area designated for a covered market place to be added, later, too. So that's all ready for part of a small market town or even to designate the whole town rather than clutter the table with too many buildings. With its narrow street, it presents suitable issues for troops in formations, thinking about the ECW campaign, particularly.

Aucherre was gradually taking shape on the table, along with the lines of PDC defence. The main road ran past the farm with a lane from farm to that past the new cornfield. Sandbags and defensive positions had appeared. I placed the first of the Dozans, advancing cautiously onto the low hill in the foreground where they could stay under cover.

On a completely different note, I promised one of the gang that I would put some of my formal dressed troops up in formation to show them off. Here's the result of having a little play around between wargames using a bare table;

Just a sample of some of the rest of the collection.  One of the issues that I have as a collector of soldiers and military models that I like is that a lot are not practical to use very often if at all so it's nice to just display them, like this and enjoy the colours. If I was fighting a garden scale wargame with 1/35 troops, I'd throw everything into the mix, of course but I can't see this lot having much of a practical impact.

Anyway, back soon with the next episode in the Dozan invasion of the PDC.