ACW Diversion

 

Life can be a boring monotonous chore.  Let's have a short diversion in ACW gaming...as in a short post.

An ACW Game is Always Fun

Over the Memorial Day weekend there is Kublacon; one of the largest and best miniature conventions on the west coast.  I didn't go.  I'm too poor these days to go off spending nights in hotel rooms.  It's not so much the price of the hotel room as it is price of the cocaine and hookers that are mandatory purchases in any hotel scenario....plus gas is like $6 a gallon around here!

Anyway..

I did have some people over to play some ACW.  Other losers who also didn't go to Kublacon were Mr. AS, Mr MW, and Mr. CG (so 4 players including me).  I was tempted to try and find more players for a BIGGER game but I started thinking that 4 player games are kinda the Goldilocks of miniature games. 

Rules were (my favorite) Regimental Fire and Fury.  Scenario based on the 'Duncan Field' scenario out of the scenario book "This Bloody Field" by Brad Butkovich on Shiloh.  I have SO MANY regimental sceanrio books that sometimes I just pick one at random and find a scenario that works just so I cans ay that I've played a scenario from the book and therefore was NOT a waste of money. 

Each player has two brigades or 8-9 regiments.  That's another bonus of smaller games, players get to have bigger commands.  I like having bigger commands in my games.

And SO; the table is set:

Tried Out Something New

I tried out a new terrain technique for me because I've had a problem with ALL my previous ACW games.  The problem of terrain boundaries.  FOR EXAMPLE: The terrain for this scenario is that it's light woods everywhere; except where is open ground in fields and one region where it's heavy/dense woods (in this case the area is the famous "Hornet's Nest.").  Usually I mark the boundaries of woods and fields with fences or logs or whatever and it tends to still look good and be clear.

Until half way through the game; because fences get moved and logs roll and all the trees end up in bunches in out of the way places on the table. 

The idea:

Using one of my Cigar box mats as the base (and Cigar box mats always seem to photograph weird) I laid out all the boundary stuff, and then took some of the flocks I have for ground cover and spread these out in a light layer over the mat where needed.  

Like So!
The Hornets Nest area marked out by logs and filled in with a brighter green flock.
This area is heavy/dense woods.

Like So!
Duncan's Field (and all fields) marked out by fences and a light ground cover.
These areas are open ground.

Everywhere else is light woods.
Trees on the table are there just to look nice.
But not as nice as my Blue Moon ACW collection.

It seemed to work like a treat.  Provided clear boundaries that held up during gameplay and will be a versatile system to adapt to any shapes.  

Alternatively one could just make custom fields for each scenario and that would look awesome.  But did I mention I have a LOT of scenarios?  that would be a lot of work.

Here is the ONE picture I took during the game.

My good friend Mr PC came over during the game to talk and hang out.  Mr PC is my good gamer buddy from when I lived in the Bay Area 7 years ago and we did frequent games because we lived 20 mins apart.  And I only had one child back then. 

But now he recently moved from the Bay Area close to me again; so gaming shall be back on the table.  I'm not saying he moved over here JUST to play games with me again but I am saying it was likely 80% of the reason why...

Too bad that now I have even more children...

Speaking of Family: My Wife the Hero

The original plan was to play outside in the backyard.  This wasn't so much due to COVID concerns but to be out of the way of the children and wife who could stay in the house doing whatever.  And the weather was gonna be nice so it worked out.  

But kinda at the last minute my wife decided that she would take the kids to her parents house in the Bay Area and stay the night there 'to be out of the way and you can just have a good time.' 

I was gonna have a good time regardless, but answered "Well I don't want you to feel like you HAVE to do that...ButHereLetMeHelpYouPackSoYouCanGetOutOfHere."

So we got to play inside and in the evening I was able to do some extra painting and relax all by myself.  Thanks Sweets, you're a hero.

(My wife doesn't read this blog, it's been well proven, but maybe after I die she'll look at it from time to time and this will really get her in the ticker...)  

Now Get Back to Work

All right; Breaks over.  Back to the boring routine of work, woes, and whining.  

Till next time.

Hopefully soon.