War of Northern Aggression campaign has begun.

[FierceKitty]

...and those dam' Yankees are invading already, sir. Our brave lads have marched out to engage them in a scorching summer, and we've met in the neighbourhood of Gettysburg. Pictures to follow.

Balloons not complete yet, but not needed this time.

[FierceKitty]

Dam' Yankees have crippled the Virginia with the first shots of the campaign. So much for my naval support next to the New Jordan river.

[holdfast]

If the Yankees are invading and the battle is around Gettysburg then you/they ought to spend less time painting the little chaps and more time looking at maps.

[d_Guy]

Technically only New Englanders are Yankees, so possibly...

Of course this is Kitty, who has a penchant for the Wild West. He could be speaking of Gettysburg, SD* and the Northern invaders are from ND (and are possibly even mis-identified Canadians).


* yes I know it didn't exist in 186x but I've found giving the truth scope adds to wargame storytelling

[FierceKitty]

We'd moved into the Gettysburg area already. They were invading our new territory, with regrettable efficiency. I've had to surrender unconditionally already.

[d_Guy]

All’s well that ends well.
(now for the carpetbaggers).

Will there still be pictures?

[FierceKitty]

Here we go. Just needed a bit of format work, which is Lee's department (the wife, not the southern general). Models Pendraken, Newlines, Red Eagle, Leven.

Note I did emphasise it was a hot, dry year.

[FierceKitty]

The camps. Note surprise visit by Mrs Mary Lincoln, her husband, and their friend Mr Booth.

[FierceKitty]

Ridiculous preponderance of cavalry actions. Even worse, the northerners kept getting the jump on me in movement order and attacking me before I was deployed.

Heavily outnumbered on the right flank, I had my one brief moment of glory and wiped out the Iron Brigade.

[FierceKitty]

For a change, I was ready this time. Below, Choctaws wondering if they've backed the wrong horse in um white man punch up.

[FierceKitty]

No dam' Yankees are going to be bagging carpets in Richmond! All they'll be capturing is a pile of cinders. Any objections? Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

[Techno]

Looking good, Kitty ! 

Cheers - Phil.

[FierceKitty]

You're such a generous chap!

Be it recorded that I still intend to have fields of maize, snake fences, and the like.

[FierceKitty]

Ballon, mein Herr?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Balloon looks good, see you got the net right.

[FierceKitty]

Ta. I fear they're a bit less polished at close quarters!

[d_Guy]

Thanks for all the pics, Kitty. Enjoyed seeing how you handled the scope of the ACW.

Random thoughts and questions:

So your wife is now "Unconditional surrender" Lee?

The campaign WAS actually fought in the Badlands of South Dakota? Sweet!  Lakota playing the part of Chocktaw?

Getting the Virginia up the Mississippi/Missouri must have been epic, is some sort of "Back of Beyond" epic in the offing?

Glad you balanced the Union baggage train with an equally "offensive" vignette piece, cleverly done.

Great balloons. I have been working (off and on) on something similar using ping pong balls as well. It may be in your balloon thread but what is holding them up? Did you need to add additional weight to the base?

Take as long as you like in answering the questions.

[FierceKitty]

The balloons are resting on rigid wires attached to the baskets, painted to look like cables. The baskets themselves are on clear plastic rods, originally purchased for WWI dogfights; I had a few to spare.

The campaign element is little but a five page set of rules linking successive battles and making advances or retreats (literally one-dimensional) significant in available recruits and in the location of the next battle (until one is advancing on Washington or Richmond). I was so dismally trounced, however, that I'd have retreated to Buenos Aires before I'd have had time to raise another army. So don't look too hard for history or geography; you'll strain your eyes and won't find them.

[FierceKitty]

Oh, and the bases are indeed weighted with some worthless coins that really couldn't purchase the metal used to make them.

[ErHo]

Very cool!

I work for the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations here in Oklahoma, its nice to see our homeboys on the field in another continent!