2mm Strength and Honour: Resources Primer

 

Thought I’d pull together a list of some of the online resources that I made use of in preparing for the release of Strength and Honour, and when working on my Second Punic War bases.

There is some great inspiration out there, ranging from Mark Backhouse’s  own original home-made forces, to his work with Sidney Roundwood and on to the consistently creative and varied work on display via the 2mm and Small Scale Gaming Facebook Group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639662269377760/

First up, I would bring out Sidney Roundwood’s excellent Lutzen 1632 project, where I first saw the possibilities for home-made blocks to accompany the 2mm from Irregular Miniatures, and also highlight his painting techniques, which give amazing looking results in depicting mass without forgetting detail:

https://sidneyroundwood.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm

Of course, Mr Roundwood co-operated with Mr Backhouse on the Other Partizan 2mm Siege of Portsmouth project, which rightly won the best participation game in 2018, and set the standard for what could be achieved with the smallest of soldiers:

https://sidneyroundwood.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-siege-of-portsmouth-1642-other.html

Turning to 2mm Ancients, an early and superlative effort was made by the always excellent Per Broden of Roll a One Blog, with his take on matching huge bases with Irregulars’ blocks to produce armies that looked like armies ! :

https://rollaone.com/2020/08/30/some-2mm-bases-for-playtesting-homunculus-est/

Once Strength and Honour had moved on from its roots as Homunculus Est, other manufacturers took up the banner in making troop types available commercially that would be ideal for the rules, and were custom made for its depiction of Mass on the tabletop…..

Principally of course, Antonine Miniatures via Warbases in the UK,

https://warbases.co.uk/product-category/figurines/antonine-miniatures/

And now Korhryl Miniatures from Europe, and LaserCast from Australia:

https://korhylminiatures.bigcartel.com/blog

https://lasercast.bigcartel.com/products

Not to forget the original and best, Irregular Miniatures themselves:

https://irregularminiatures.co.uk/

That is not to say, of course, that these were the only candidates for sourcing miniatures, the explosion in 3D printing and the creativity of the STL file makers out there mean that more and more options are becoming available:

https://projectwargaming.com/collections/2mm-ancients

http://timstanks.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm

Not forgetting the more humble, yet incredible home-made ones; check out what this guy uses ! :

https://revengeoftheiceni.wordpress.com/2017/09/14/2mm-ancient-madness/

Since I stepped back from Blogging in 2013, and relegated the Hobby to the back-est of back burners, the growth of content creators on sites such as YouTube has been exponential and is now intrinsic to the hobby - a damned good thing, I say, as it serves to reach audiences that us old Grognards could only dream of, and of course I’m even more pleased to highlight those that include 2mm miniatures like Project Wargaming:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLygl00smhwxUygp3v2fFZSpHhWRVDZxBG

Also  - The Joy of Wargaming:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_z29m150g5rATx3QwCAaR3EZVFMGZ0FH

And again, with Prasutagus the Orwell Wargamer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFrpKqiI28k

And with a twist on using the Strength and Honour Rules, T’s Creative Ramblings:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyoNqSLlIiwoBTFN2QCObUMytsr7Zdo5z

Oh, smallest of small-scale war gamers, we are no longer lone voices crying in the wilderness !

Finally, another inspirational place that I visit, namely the Blog of the incredibly productive Jim Jackaman - I think he has a more varied range of interests than anyone else I know, and of course, now in 2mm:

http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/search/label/Strength%20and%20Honour

This, thankfully, is only a small proportion of what is now out there for those of us that enjoy the smallest of scales, and the above only a snapshot of what I think we can expect to become available in the near future - I am sure it won’t be long before periods outside of Ancients will be covered in greater variety than ever before, and I , for one, can’t wait !

More 2mm Buildings from Irregular released!

Great news just announced from Irregular Miniatures; they have released a whole slew of new 2mm buildings and accessories, BG161 through 167, and IKS11 to 14.

These encompass individual crenellated wall sections, medieval style gate towers, and even more excitingly Vauban style architectural fortifications that will enable the construction of whole layers of town and city defences.... the additions to to the 20th Century range have stackable tower block sections and a factory, as well as their ruined counterparts - it's great to see that the recent upsurge in interest into the tiniest of troops has been reciprocated by expansions to the ranges we all know and love.

Even more good news is that Ian and the gang have illustrated all these new things with photos, which you can peruse in the 2mm scenics and accessories section of the website - hurry on over and take a look-

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/

Yes, I know I tend to get over-excited by such tiny things, but that's just the way I am.....  ;-)

2mm News: New 2mm blocks are on their way!

News from Ian Kay and the gang at Irregular Miniatures that some new 2mm blocks are about to go into production has reached SteelonSand Towers.

I'd thought I'd give everyone a heads up, as although this has been a discussion point over at the 2mm Yahoo Group recently, not all of you small-scalers might be signed up as members there.

Ian has said that the new blocks will include an Infantry marching column four files wide and some 19mm deep, as well as a two file cavalry column of the same depth, there will also be a new Command unit that will be on an arrow shaped base.

Hopefully the new items will be appearing in the coming couple of weeks up on the website, and be available to purchase.

There has been a lot of discussion around the likelihood of producing some of the existing block codes without the normally integral flags, and I know that Irregular are likely to be looking at doing some separate flags as well; Ian has asked that if people are interested in 'flag-less' versions of existing 2mm H&R blocks, then could they drop him a mail at ian_kay@sky.com, in order that he can get an idea of the likely demand, and therefore look at the practicalities of mould production.

Without trying to steal anyone's thunder, Irregular are also thinking about putting some more modern urban buildings into production eventually too, so keep checking the News page at the Irregular website for forthcoming details:

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/

In any event, it's great to see a manufacturer pushing forward with some new 2mm blocks, and I'm sure that the more people show an interest, and furthermore invest once they become available, then hopefully this is a trend we shall see continue into a teeny-tiny, but small and perfectly formed future!

2mm Web Resources: Nice shots of a game in progress

Just a small update to the occasional series on 2mm related things that can be found out there on the Web; this time a great After Action Report with plenty of pictures from Tim Gow's excellent Blog, Megablitzandmore, of Blenheim 1704 in 2mm.

http://megablitzandmore.blogspot.com/2011/05/blenheim-1704.html

It's great to see the little 2mm blighters in use in an actual game - there aren't enough photos available of them in action, as it were - so hurrah for Tim, Martin Rapier and their fellow club members - definitely a set of photos worth a look, if you haven't spotted them already!

2mm Web Resources: New entries!

Hello All, just a quick 'heads up' with regard to some new teeny-tiny wargaming minis appearing on the old WWW. A couple of posts have been brought to my attention, firstly at the always interesting Panzer Eight Blog, which debuted earlier this year, followed by Tim Gow's Blogsite, Megablitz and More.

Mr Gow has posted some great photos of an ACW game setup, using some interesting ideas involving generically painted 2mm forces that might be employed for a number of different protagonists and conflicts:

http://megablitzandmore.blogspot.com/2010/03/terrible-swiftly-painted-toys.html

Panzer8, meanwhile, has been working hard on some WWI units, producing some excellent-looking British troops, mounted on particularly effective scenic bases. I particularly like his use of kitchen steel wool teased out and cut to form barbed wire:

http://panzer8.weebly.com/1/post/2010/10/ww1-in-2mm-british-army.html

Make sure to drop by and take a look; hope to see more from them both in the near future!

2mm Web Resources: New Entry

A new entry, now, into the ever-widening presence of 2mm miniatures on the old WWW, here in the form of a great pictorial entry at the Blog 'One more gaming project':

http://onemoregamingproject.blogspot.com/

Chris Palmer has posted photos of his growing forces for use on Mars, this time with the focus being on the Germans, but he promises more to come - some excellent painting of Brigade Model's Land Ironclads and GW conversions being on show, but also some beautifully painted 2mm Infantry and artillery from Irregular.

Swing by and take a look if the tiniest of minis are your thing - it's already been bookmarked by yours truly.

http://onemoregamingproject.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm

2mm Web Resources: New Entries

Some recent additions now, to the thankfully ever-growing presence of 2mm miniatures on the Web.

As with a number of other people, the lure of adding soldiery to a Land Ironclads / Aeronef collection has led Mwowm over at Panzer Grenadier Kompanie CHUK to throw his hat into the tiniest of rings and have a go at some of Irregular's 2mm output:

http://mwowm.blogspot.com/2010/04/irregular-2mm.html

A stirling start, I think, and hopefully more to come in the future; always good to see more photos of our favourite tinies on the 'net, anyway!

Talking of photos, 2mm maestro Nik Harwood recently announced over on the 2mm Yahoo Group that he had been in contact with a very creative individual, in the person of one Slobodan 'Bokaso' of Serbia, who has filled the 2mm-free void of that particular part of the world with some truly incredible scratch-built vehicles and terrain.

If you are not already a member of the Yahoo Group, then you may have missed the announcement and uploading of his photos, so here is his Photobucket account, that is well worth a good exploration; you will be amazed at what this true small-scale artist has achieved, working by hand, in creating both scenery and vehicles of all types:

http://s626.photobucket.com/albums/tt341/bokaso1/

Absolutely inspirational; puts most of us to shame! If only I had a talent like that. There's even a tutorial on doing scratch-built 2mm palm trees! Let's hope we see a lot more from Slobodan in the coming months.

Talking of the near future, don't forget that the Society of Ancients here in the UK is hosting its Battle Day this weekend on the 17th April, and this will be especially significant in that Simon MacDowall will be hosting a recreation of Zama in 2mm, using miniatures painted by Tony Hughes of Gildas Facit fame; a photo report will no doubt follow over at the always excellent:

http://legio-wargames.com/#/zama/4539106142

Don't forget to take a look!

2mm Web Resources: It just keeps on coming....!

I told you that 2010 would be the year of the littlest miniatures, and I am glad to report a further online entry for the world of 2mm.

Fjodin's Victorian House is an eclectic and eccentric mix of all things VSF related, and has made a good start on introducing a number of ongoing projects, as well as posting up some intriguing links to videos that might be of interest to VSF, or even just Victorian gamers.

Principal amongst this however, is the showcasing of the author's expanding collection of 2mm minis; some excellent painting on offer here, and hopefully plenty more in the future!

http://fjodinvsf.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm

March on over and take a look......

2mm Web Resources: the Future?

Hello all! The majority of what we do with our 2mm minis may involve the 'historical', but that does not mean we can't embrace new-fangled ways of presenting the hobby; with this in mind, I introduce a first step in the possible future of wargaming with miniatures - yes, it's 2mm minis on Facebook - that thing the youngsters are always on.....

http://www.facebook.com/pages/2mm-Miniature-Wargaming/105273802153

Chris has made an excellent start with this page, showcasing some of his miniatures, current projects and observations on the hobby - well worth a visit, and with a growing membership, will no doubt be a great addition to the world of 2mm online.

This should give us all an excuse to indulge our passion for all things tiny, whilst remaining 'hip' and 'groovy' (or whatever they call it these days) at the same time!

2mm Web Resources: Late Entry

Someone's been hiding their light under a bushel!

Another Blog dealing with 2mm miniatures has slipped in under the radar of the SteelonSand ever-roving eye, but have no fear, I will now rescind the error by introducing you to Mr Andrew Beasely's latest Blog. (He of "Kings Sleep" fame)

This has got going recently, and goes under the moniker "2mm Wargaming"

Currently, there's an excellent report on an idea for scratch building small scale woods that you can actually put your bases into!

Check it out at:

http://2mmwars.blogspot.com/

See, I told you 2010 would be filled with plenty more 2mm goodness!

2mm Web Resources Update

A quick update now, to the list of resources pertaining to 2mm miniatures available on the Web. Some exciting new developments have been occurring with the start of a new Blog by CJR, and also an interesting new direction taken by an existing Blog, ISeeLeadPeople.

Eli Arndt has always had a whole raft of interesting ideas at the latter Blog, taking in a range of periods and types of miniatures, with plenty of creative work on intellectual backgrounds for gaming - well worth a thorough browse when you have the time!

Now, however, in his pursuit of a new project involving VSF-style Land Ironclads set on Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars, he is branching out into 2mm.

Can't wait to see how it all turns out, but in the meantime, make sure to have a look at his scratch-built Martian cities, and the development of his forces to battle it out on the Red Planet over at:

http://leadpeople.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm

The new Blog, TwoThreeSixMM, has had a very promising start in describing the author's ideas for the smallest of scale miniatures, which will, amongst other things, be looking at using Irregular's 2mm output to recreate the fantasy worlds envisaged by both Robert E. Howard and Charles Saunders.

There are some nice photos of 2mm wolf packs masquerading as lions, and some great scratch-built buildings and bases for an alternative history campaign.

http://twothreesixmm.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm

I definitely think these will both be 'ones to watch' in the coming year, and hope they will just be the vanguard of a new wave of 2mm related gaming to come....... :-)

2mm Web Resources: Extra

A quick update now, to the recent post on 2mm resources available on the Web, mainly in order to correct some glaring omissions that I made!

The good news is that there is more and more appearing out there on a regular basis, as interest in using this size of miniature grows, so hopefully there will be more to add-in over time.

First up we have this Web page at Lloydian Aspects, which has a good look at some of Irregular's Ancients figures, as well as showing some useful comparison photos to give some idea of scale:

http://www.lloydianaspects.co.uk/models/2mm.html

Next, we have the recent posts over at the CWT's blog, General Headquarters, which has an excellent After Action Report, with blow by blow photos, of a Napoleonics game, all played out on a unique gaming board, which illustrates the ability of such small sized miniatures to be used in a cross-over style within a 'boardgaming' framework; some nicely painted minis on show here, including a tiny L'Empereur:

http://generalheadquarters.blogspot.com/

A return entry to the list now, in the form of a 'heads up' on the latest posts over at Coop's Fighting Fantasist Blog, showing the progress he is making in developing a WWI / Great War project using Irregular's range:

http://fightingfantasist.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm

Finally, Pushing Lead takes us over to the War of Spanish Succession, with a C'est la Guerre Rules Battle Report, some detailed photos of British and French forces on show here:

http://pushinglead.blogspot.com/2009/06/2mm-wss-aar-using-cest-la-guerre.html

As before, these entries in no way make the list exhaustive, and there are many more people out there, outside of the Yahoo Group, that are talking about 2mm, but what I've been listing are significant in having some good photographic evidence of the tiny men in use, hopefully enough to tempt more of you out there into giving them a try!

2mm Web Resources

Increasing numbers of people are showing an interest in using 2mm miniatures to re-create battles on the tabletop, so I thought I would introduce a list of readily available resources on the Web, which I have found both useful and inspirational in preparing projects in this scale.

Of course, there is an excellent and flourishing Yahoo Groups site, with approaching 1,000 members world-wide, but for those of you who are only 'dipping your toe in the water', as it were, or are not yet ready to commit to joining a Members-only Group, I present a run down of the best Web sites relating to 2mm, which should help the intrigued amongst you to become the inspired!

Of course, this list is not exhaustive, and is entirely personal and subjective, but should serve as a good indication of the creative use of these tiniest of toy soldiers; apologies for any obvious omissions, feel free to let me know if you think someone should be included.

Firstly, we have what must serve as the locus for any exploration of the world of 2mm, the 'Granddaddy' of all small scale sites, namely Gildas Facit, the website of Tony Hughes:

http://www.gildasfacit.btinternet.co.uk/2mm/2mm_wargaming.htm

This has long served as a primer to the resources available from Irregular Miniatures in 2mm, and is full of excellent, detailed advice, photographs, and measurements of what is on offer, any journey into 2mm should start here!

This site is now ably aided and supported by the commercial website Tiny Tin Troops, which has further valuable insights, and also offers a painting service for the faint-hearted (Yes, these miniatures are really small!):

http://www.tinytintroops.co.uk/

Of particular note are the galleries, and the useful, downloadable information pamphlet:

http://www.tinytintroops.co.uk/Resources.htm

Next, I would like to list, in no particular order, websites and pages that have 2mm related content, and more importantly, some 'eye-candy' photos that should whet the appetite!

From TMP, an excellent Workbench article relating to 2mm Sci-Fi:

http://theminiaturespage.com/workbench/382222/

From Nik Harwood's Wiki Pages, ACW and Napoleonics:

http://nikharwood.pbworks.com/2mm+Gaming+

Volley and Bayonet, all the way from New Zealand, offers Lobositz 1756, done in 2mm scale:

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/mcnelly/vb/battlereports/photos_Lobositz_2mm.htm

The Fighting Fantasist offers Thirty Year's War Renaissance armies:

http://fightingfantasist.blogspot.com/2009/05/thirty-years-war-armies-in-2mm.html

Arnstein Orten considers 2mm gaming:

http://folk.uio.no/arnsteio/DBXin6mm/2mm.html

and mentions the Ancients ideas available at Bob's Games:

(click on the left side Nav bar for excellent photos!)

http://www.angelfire.com/games4/bobsgames/tiny_warriors.htm

David at War Depot looks at starting with Napoleonics:

http://wardepot.blogspot.com/search/label/FIGURES%3A%20%202mm

Nice looking terrain board at Beware the Beast Blog:

http://bewarethebeastof.blogspot.com/search/label/2mm%20Scale

Thomo ruminates on nascent 2mm projects involving Aeronefs, with photo of 2mm train!:

http://thomo.coldie.net/wargaming/more-aeronefs-and-land-ironclads

Rodvik presents Napoleonics rules for use with 2mm miniatures:

http://www.rodvik.com/2by2/

Germy shows off his excellent Sci-Fi ranges:

http://www.germy.co.uk/scifigallery2mm.htm

John Scoville's home made, yes, that's home made, 2mm armies:

http://web.me.com/johnscoville1/WARGAME_SITE/LILLIPUTIAN_ARMIES.html

There are of course many other valiant pioneers out there who have taken the plunge, and I urge anyone interested to join the growing Yahoo Group: debate, information, advice, rules, and a plethora of photos in the gallery:

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/2mm/

Manufacturers/Retailers in this scale include principally the following:

Irregular Miniatures:

http://www.irregularminiatures.co.uk/

Germy's Micro Minis Sci-Fi at GZG:

http://www.gtns.co.uk/store1/commerce.cgi?product=gmm&exact_match=on&cart_id=7087937.7622

Brigade Games' Aeronef:

http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Frames/VAN/index.html

If all this is just too teeny weeny for you, then honourable mention must go to the close cousin of 2mm, namely the growing range of 3mm miniatures by Oddzial Osmy, which provide fantastic coverage of WWII and Modern era conflicts:

http://picoarmor.com/

these 1/600th giants, as opposed to the ostensible 1/900th of 2mm, also have a flourishing Yahoo Group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/3mm_miniatures/

I hope the above will encourage some of you who are still labouring under the misapprehension that 2mm is just too small to be practical, or that are sceptical of its ability to represent large scale armies in various periods, to at least give them a try!