Muskets and Tomahawks Inspiration and a pleasant surprise

I said a few posts ago that I was starting to try and sort things out and decide what periods did I actually want to game.  I think I'm currently at 15+ different genres with not really a fully painted army for any of them.  Lots of bits of armies, and lots of unfinished armies at the "8 colour" stage so that they were competition legal (flesh, bases, trousers, jackets, armour, weapons, hair, shields) but not really very detailed.

The French Indian Wars is one of those that's going to be staying due to the appeal of the Muskets and Tomahawks Rules from Studio Tomahawk although largely promoted by Gripping Beast and North Star Miniatures in the UK.

The interest goes back much, much further but what it needed was a set of rules to capture the flavour of early books and television.  I had bought "Ranger" from Partizan Press but the emphasis was on larger battles (with regiments of say 24 figures) with regular troops alongside the Indians and Rangers.  I wanted the enlarged skirmish game that is the subject of Muskets and Tomahawks.
 

I must have been nine or ten (we moved around my tenth birthday) and I had the book at the 'old house" when I got a rather super book.

Whilst the BBC version of Last of the Mohicans was on TV in 1971 with Phillip Madoc.  The book has survived with its spine intact unlike the companion volume of "The Finding Out Book of Battles".  Both books were illustrated by Ronald Embleton who also wrote the Pioneers book.  The guy behind Galloping Major miniatures is also a long term fan of the pictures and also has the book.  What I've just realised as I've checked the web link is that he appears to have chosen the same picture as one of the favourites out of the book.  

Forty years ago America (I hadn't appreciated that we might actually mean Canada then) was still somewhat exotic - Jumbo Jets were relatively new and I had little realistic chance of actually seeing America.  I've still yet to see the Great Lakes area but have now visited Boston and the site of Bunker Hill, as well other Revolutionary War sites such as Lexington and Concorde and places on Paul Revere's ride.  

As part of sorting out then I've been taking stock of books:

  

Contents

Foreword · Part I: The French-Indian War 1754–1760 · Part II: The American Revolution 1775–1783 · Part III: The War of 1812 · Bibliography · Index

(This is a somewhat meaty tome that I've only really just dipped into, but seems promising

I bought this a long while ago because it was cheap and interesting.   Rather scholarly, its good at portraying Indian life and details but is short on what I want as a 28mm gamer - pictures of different types of warpaint.  The Galloping Major website has lots of useful information on painting Indians.   

These two were bought during my "Pirate" phase, out of sheer interest for what the Colonies had in terms of troops.  Given the time period covered then only of partial relevence, and volume 3, because of the Ranger Element has direct relevence to the M&T period.  

The Ranger book is one that no self respecting M&T enthusiast should be without.  The Raid book has lots of ideas, pictures and maps but is one to take slowly, probably with a map to hand to understand the relevence and locations.

A couple of very useful books and whilst the emphasis (especially in the French book) is on larger forts which are unlikely to appear on an M&T tabletop except as a backdrop there are a couple of very nice black & white drawings of smaller fortfied villages/hamlets which are very useful. 

The pleasant surprise was Redcoat, which was a book I'd bought from one of the online bargain book sellers that I deal with.  I'd never had time to look at it in depth (thing with the book clearance trade is buy it when you see it as it may not be there when you go back later) and had always put it with my Napoleonic books.  Sorting those out for storage though, I discovered (pleasant surprise) that it is a rebadged British Redcoat 1740-1793 and large amounts for the French Indian War and later the AWI. 

 

If  I had to rank them in terms of value for money (and I've taken to buying some books second hand now to save money) then:

1: Ranger book and Raid book

2: Forts books

3: Woodland Indians, Colonial Troops.  

No French Uniform book reviewed as I'm still waiting for that to arrive, and the redcoat book needs to be looked at in detail.  

Next, Movies...

Probably "The" movie to watch with its haunting Clannad soundtrack, although like me you have probably seen the best bets as short clips previously.  Lots of fighting, lots of redcoats, lots of Indians.  Touch of romance and some excellent shooting.  

Battle of the Brave is set in New France in what appears to be the Quebec area to judge from a siege scene.   First and foremost this is a tangled love story with betrayals and accusations.  Not much in the way of battle scenes or even shooting whilst I'm not sure I spotted a white coated French Regular in the entire movie nor a tomahawk.  Lots of Plot but not a great amount of action (other than brawling and sword fights etc), and lots of scenery to look at.  I got mine for a few pounds secondhand and at that price I felt it well worth it but pay more than £5 and I suspect you will be disappointed given the advertising statements made about it.