War of the Ring Project Take Two.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I have the second edition of the board game War of the Ring. I documented my painting journey for this set and its two expansions throughout the summer of 2019.
I was able to purchase, from that well known auction site, a copy of the first edition as well as its expansion.

The expansion comes with a double sided playing board, here is Helm's Deep.

This side is Minas Tirith. These maps allow you to fight those two famous battles away from the main game board, which of course, depicts much of Middle Earth. This time as a tactical battle with terrain playing a part as well as other factors.

Some of the new sculpts for the tactical game. Left to right, siege tower, catapult, Southron cavalry and orc crossbowmen.

Of course I also have all the figures now from a second core set. During the summer of 2020 all of these miniatures will be painted. I shall use a similar colour scheme to my other set, but with subtle differences, to allow me to tell the sets apart. With this in mind, a new project began to take shape in my tiny brain. I would have enough figures, close to 600, to actually fight tabletop battles. Not on the maps that come with the game, but in a world created by myself.

The map of Middle Earth will be redrawn, Mordor and its pallisade of mountain peaks will be no more, nor will the elves dwell in Rivendell and Lorien. All the areas will be redrawn and renamed for the story I wish to create, to allow me to fight those tabletop battles. Fortunately my good friend Kurtus has cartography skills and between us this new world will be created.

I am using the pieces from the board game, so of course it will still feature all the races that come with the game, that is fine, I can work my story around that. This new land will be known as 'Culm' and a Facebook page, currently private, has been created to detail its progress from a vague idea to hopefully a finished project.

I am already working on the back story, characters, places etc. The painting of the new figures will commence at Easter 2020. Later in that year, the new maps should also be ready, though of course, a lot of planning and discussion will be needed to finalize them.

It should be a fun project.

Battle of Second Kernstown 1864

With an upcoming campaign using Altar of Freedom rules, I decided to play a small affair. I have not actually played the rule set before, so it will be a learning curve for me.

The battlefield is just three feet by three feet. The Union deploy in the north, A-C 1, and the Confederates in the south, A-C 3.

My interpretation of the battlefield looking north, Kernstown lower right. The main pike runs north/south with minor roads/tracks shown in grey. Creeks are in blue, difficult to tell apart from tracks in this photo, but clear enough in real life.

Hoge Run is bridged at Kernstown, Opequon Church is lower left, centre, with Kern Farm upper right corner.

The pike passing through Kernstown and over Hoge Run.

Crop fields shown in yellow. Looking from the south west corner.

Looking from the west, Glass Farm is bottom, Toll Gate is left centre with Kernstown upper right.

From north west corner, Kern Farm is lower left, with Toll Gate lower centre.

Whole table from the west, with all the troops awaiting to be deployed.

Troops on the table, Union away to the north.

Rodes' Infantry and Vaughn's Cavalry Divisions, hidden behind a rolling hill.Wharton's Division under General Breckinridge at Kernstown and finally Ramseur's Division with army commander General Early in the centre.

Union General Crook with his HQ (tents upper centre left) with Mulligans Division. Nearest camera is Averell's Cavalry Division and Thoreburns Infantry Division. Top left are Duffie's Cavalry Division with Duval's Infantry Division.

View of the Union deployment.

What the troops can see ahead of them to the south.

General Crook's view.

View of Duffie's Cavalry Division.

View from General Breckinridge's command at Kernstown.

General Early at Opequon Church.

Ramseur's Division, just west of the church.

Cavalry and infantry divisions behind the hill.

'Colonel Mulligan is mistaken. 
I have full and accurate information.
There is nothing in his front but a few bushwhackers.'

Major General George Crook.


General Jubal Early and his corps of 16,000 men, were falling back up the Shenandoah Valley. Union commanders mistakenly assumed he would abandon the valley and rejoin Lee at Petersburg, Operating under this assumption Major General George Crook and his corps of 10,000 men were to screen the rebels and trail along behind them.

Early quickly realised that the force pursuing him was considerably smaller than his own, he changed direction and marched 15 miles to the north. Initial contact with Union pickets was made just south of Kernstown. Crook refused to believe Early's entire corps was just ahead of him. Instead of beating a careful retreat, Crook ordered a full attack at 1 pm.

War of the Ring - Summer Painting Project - Part Sixteen and Final.

All the figures of the core set and first expansion, out in the sunshine for their flocked bases to dry.

Moving on to the Warriors of Middle Earth expansions and the Corsairs of Umbar.

The Brood of Shelob.

The Dead Men of Dunharrow and the Wild Hill Men.

The Ents.

Finally, the Great Eagles of the Misty Mountains.

I wanted to finish all the figures by the end of June, I just made it the last eagles painted on the 30th!

War of the Ring - Summer Painting Project - Part Fifteen

The board set up for Turn One with all the newly painted armies.

A view from the Southrons and Easterlings towards Gondor and Mordor.

The Men of Rohan stand ready.

The hordes of the dark lord gather in Mordor. Orcs, Trolls and Nazgul.

Saruman's forces in Orthanc with Uruk-hai and Wargs.

The elven nation in Lorien and Rivendell.

The reinforcements available to the Free Peoples.

I am now two thirds the way through painting the Warriors of Middle Earth expansion. The Brood of Shelob, Corsairs of Umbar, Wild Hill Men and The Dead Men of Dunharrow all complete, with the Ents now on the painting table. The final unit will be the Great Eagles. That will be a total of 261 miniatures.