A variety of images for today's post:

I have continued with my drive on painting ACW figures: artillery has been at the forefront this time, with two Union guns and a Confederate cannon from the Perry Miniatures 28mm hard plastic set.

The two models are a 12pdr Parrott on the left of the camera and a 3" Ordnance on the right.

I did the gunners in different blues - Oxford Blue and Dark Prussian Blue for the jackets, with Flat Blue or Dark Blue for the trousers. The guns, from what I could discover online, were an Olive Drab style, with Black for any metal areas.

I did the gunner nearest the camera holding a rifle as if to suggest he was ready to fend off any nearby hostile skirmishers.

The Confederate gun is a 12pdr Napoleon. Various greys and browns for the uniforms, while the gun I did in a dark wood style, there seems to be some debate about whether Confederate pieces had a particular colour.

A gun team for my Napoleonic "imagi-nation" Arcadia.

Some more Confederate infantry.

The flags are by GMB, kindly given to me by my regular opponent, Steve.

Two companies forward as skirmishers, the rest of the regiment in support.

Another Napoleonic "imagi-nation" unit - the Musketeer Infantry Regiment No.9

of the Kingdom of Nemea.

And finally, below, a few images from a Napoleonic game I fought with Steve today. All the figures are his, French, Austrian, British and Spanish, various manufacturers and beautifully painted and based by Steve. We wanted to try out the Shako 2 rules so it is an imaginary scenario, with a Franco-Spanish force vs. an Austro-British one. The latter won the game after all the former's infantry broke and fled! However, the Austro-British force lost all its artillery and cavalry before that happened. It was enjoyable to play and we worked out the rules as we went along, finding some interesting anomalies, but basically learning not to attack in column against line, even in overwhelming numbers, and that the rules produce a fast-based game.

 The most recent battle of my Thirty Years War campaign:

The Elector Palatine's forces are on the left of the camera; the Duke of Bavaria's army on the right. The random battlefield generator threw up another crowded table top, the centre of the field dominated by a large wood. The ridge nearest the camera was designated steep, so half movement on its slopes. The castle on the right is a very old German N gauge railway model in card. The stream is passable only at the small bridges - more old models made from plaster, I have probably had them for over forty years now!

The massed Electoral cavalry on their right wing.

The Electoral foot and their artillery support.

The Electoral detachment across the stream - a Commanded Shot Battalion and a unit of dragoons.

The Bavarian right and centre.

The Duke's army had deployed in a more traditional manner with cavalry on both wings. Just beyond the stream is a unit of dragoons.

The Bavarian left wing cavalry.

The battle saw a prolonged cavalry action on and around the steep ridge from which the Electoral horse emerged victorious, but the Bavarian horse units put up a brave fight.

Over the stream, the Electoral Commanded Shot Battalion made short work of the Bavarian dragoons and then spent the rest of the battle firing into the Bavarian flank with some effect.

Cavalry are allowed to shoot carbines/pistols under the rules, although they are not very effective and those using them count as stationary to any charging opponent.

The Bavarian cavalry successfully charged and routed this Electoral foot unit, but when they tried it again on the next one (see next photo), they were beaten off and their general killed.

The Bavarian battery failed to stop the Electoral unit's charge with hailshot and was overrun.

The final views of the battle after 12 turns (the maximum allowed) with the Bavarians decisively beaten, having lost over half their units by this time.

The map shows the situation at the end of 1619. The Spanish have made good progress in establishing a "Spanish Road" while Austria has overrun both parts of Bohemia. The Elector Palatine has held on to the Upper Palatinate, with Bavaria making no gains. The United Provinces as secured a few neighbouring provinces as a buffer against Spain.