Blood, Sand and Empire Vlog on YouTube!

Just added the Blood, Sand and Empire Vlog on my YouTube channel for your viewing pleasure. Basically a place to post all my British colonial wargaing videos. I usually post battle reports, updates, reviews, and other such nonsense there. So be sure to check it out if you have any interest in this period of wargaming.

More Goodies Have Arrived!

This week I got my 6' x 4' Cigar Box "Desert" mat as well as the Black Powder rules and Sudan supplement - Death on the Nile. Below are some pics of the goods.



New rules to get me going.

Pretty happy with everything so far, as this little project of mine continues. The Cigar Box mat looks really nice. It should be noted that these mats are made of high quality fleece - they are not simple felt sheets. As such they have a very appealing look and feel to them.=; somewhat of a slight shine to them in fact. This is not really a bad thing as it is hardly noticeable at all. Again, very high quality. The actual texturing on the sheet is very well done - color is just right, and scattered "desert" details fill the piece. I highly recommend Cigar Box mats if you want a high quality product that really adds to the look and feel of your lay-out.





This is their "Desert" mat; perfect!




Cigar Box Mats are really high quality.

The Blood on the Nile supplement for Black Powder also looks great. At 90 full color gloss pages it is slightly smaller than the new Rebellion AWI supplement that just came out. At first glance the book is chalk full of details - scenarios for all the well known battles, pictures of uniform details, battle scenes, etc. What you would expect from Warlord Games really.




Lots of nice color pics to inspire.




Uniforms, maps, scenarios abound!

I will have more details - reviews - on these products later down the road. For now, know that I myself am very satisfied with these items. I am really excited to get this project going and get some troops on the table!

Stay tuned as I progress through this awesome new project of mine.

Some NEW Minis are Here!

Getting this new project off to a start I ordered some Blue Moon 15mm Colonial troops last week - from their Sudan range. All I can say is these little guys are awesome looking; no complaints at all. I ordered just five pack, which is enough to get me started. Of course I will be adding to this little collection over the course of the coming weeks as I get models completed. Really looking forward to getting some Egyptians and Sudanese troops to make the bulk of my colonials. Here are a few pics of the haul so far.



An assortment of Blue Moon Sudan troops.




Here are the British regulars command.




A nice assortment of Ansar command.

In addition to these I also bought a nice Cigar Box fleece "desert" terrain mat. These mats look great! Considering I don't have any desert terrain, this will save me time and give me a good start.



A nice desert mat from Cigar Box I also ordered. Perfect!

Introduction to the Blog

Well, I have finally decided to take the plunge in to colonial wargaming. I have to admit, after years of reading about the conflicts, battles, and heroes of Victorian adventure I am quite excited. Living my busy little life I never seemed to have the time to blend my interest in this romantic period with my wargaming hobby. I also should thank Dan Mersey for giving me somewhat of a nudge to getting in to this period of history. If you get the chance have a look at his blog to gain some interesting historical wargaming insights. Now, after years of putting it off, I am finally getting myself stuck in. This blog is all about this very subject - my journey in Victorian Wargaming.

If you follow any of my other blogs you will be used to my format. I hope you like it. I should also mention that at the moment I do not really have much content to post. Like I said, this whole project is new to me - although the history and subject matter is very familiar. As time goes by I will be posting all sorts of interesting tid-bits about this wonderful era of history - as it pertains to wargaming. That would include such things as battle reports/AARs, making terrain, rules and product reviews, as well as details on my own experiences with the period - such as the rules I use, observations, scenarios, and so on.

It should be noted that much like my other blogs, this blog is very specific - its subject matter in this case is almost entirely about the Victorian colonial wars from the mid 19th c. to pre- WW I. Those conflicts that fascinate me the most will be covered in great detail. This includes the 2nd Afghan War, the campaigns in the Sudan, and the Boar War! The blog will include information regarding other colonial conflicts as well - if such strikes my fancy.

I am very much in the beginning stages of this grand project. Suffice it to say, I am quite taken by such miniatures rules as Dan Mersey's up-coming colonial rules (?), Black Powder, Smooth & Rifled, and the wonderful rules Battles for Empire II. If you fancy the Piquet system, Din of Battle is another great set of rules. I will be covering these rules in great detail as the project gets under way in full. In fact, I will be covering everything from how I will be mounting my miniatures, scale, making terrain specific for the conflicts I play (such as the Sudan), as well as details on my Wargaming Diary.

All in all I hope you enjoy what I do present here. I have much planned indeed; stay tuned.