My sincerest apologies for this belated update. Life, as it often does, took me on a whirlwind, and regrettably, I haven't kept you in the loop. Now, however, I'm thrilled to report that I've found my way back and am diving headfirst into the world of painting, surrounded by a mountain of lead that I've been collecting.

I've been toiling away, carving out a space to bring my artistic endeavors to fruition. Initially, I secured a spot, all set to unveil my creative sanctuary, but alas, the fickle hand of fate played its cards, and the pandemic struck, unravelling my plans. I graciously handed over that space to my wife for her tutoring business, surrendering to the unpredictable twists of life.

But, as luck would have it, a new opportunity arose in the form of a dilapidated building just a stone's throw away from the original spot. Hence, my silence on this blog – the renovations and transformations demanded my full attention. The new establishment surpasses the old one by leaps and bounds, and I couldn't be more elated.

Picture this: three rooms, each with its own charm and purpose. The first, a sprawling 20x30 foot haven, adorned with tables of various sizes, a cozy living room setup, and a charming coffee bar. The second, a 20x20 room housing a 12-foot game table, complete with a wall showcasing a myriad of board games for our patrons' pleasure. A small cafe kitchen and a bar grace this room, adding to its allure.

And there's more – the final room is a work in progress, a vision taking shape. I envision a war room reminiscent of the old-school gentleman's club – flags proudly hanging, arms displayed on the walls, high-back leather chairs, and a grand battle table as the centerpiece. Stay tuned for updates as I embark on this exciting new chapter in the gaming arena. I can hardly contain my enthusiasm to share the journey with you.

 Well would you look at that, Time really does fly, at least it isn’t crawling. I cant believe my first post was in 2016. 6 years ago. Ben is 5 now and William is 3. We have either had a mild case of Covid or missed it altogether. But boy did it do a number of the Toledo Table Top game cafe. Only recently would we be able to open and operate at a safe level according to the State of Oregon. To say the least keeping the store front was not going to happen. Although we did hang on for several months hoping it would blow over. 

I have continued to stock games and the garage is packed with a mountain of lead and games just waiting to be brought out. My wife took over the game store space and started a elementary age tutoring business. The boy are reaching an age where they can participate. Re-opening is on the horizon!

Research list of wars in the Black Powder era

I found this Wiki entry that list wars from 1500-1799. This is basically the era of black powder. It’s a great site to look at to find research information. Say you are interested in painting some Spanish Blood and Plunder figures from about the 1630’s. You would start with this site and see that from 1625-1630 there was the Anglo Spanish war.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=2ahUKEwj3iLinopTpAhVRrJ4KHVT9BcEQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FList_of_wars%3A_1500%25E2%2580%25931799&usg=AOvVaw2j8rMkL4k5sHnuqbdw0I98

Jump to that war and we see In 1629, a Spanish naval expedition, commanded by Admiral Don Fadrique de Toledo, was sent to deal with the recently established Anglo-French colonies on the Caribbean islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis. The territories were regarded by the Spanish Empire as its own since the islands were discovered by the Spanish in 1498 and the English and French colonies had grown sufficiently to be considered a threat to the Spanish West Indies. In the Battle of St. Kitts, the heavily armed settlements on both islands were destroyed and the Spanish seized the islands.

We jump to the battle of St Kitts and we see a painting by Felix Casrello, an oil on canvas created in 1634.

In the fore ground appear to be Spanish soldiers marching to battle.  There is no real uniformity to their uniforms as far as color goes. We can also see some ship detail, terrain, and fortifications. 

Game cafe ready to open

Toledo Table Top Games is ready to open! The cafe coffee shop is open to the public. The gaming area has a $5 cover charge. Pick one of my many games and enjoy hours of adventure. 

I plan on hosting campaigns and tournaments for various games. 

I have really enjoyed studying and acquiring Blood and Plunder figures and ships. From the website;

Blood and Plunder is a 28 mm historical miniatures war game set in the 17th century during the golden age of piracy. The game is played out on a tabletop using custom terrain and 28 mm miniature figures and ships.

The figures are very nice sculpts and the ships are amazing. I’m working on a color scheme and found some of my paints have gone bad. I’ll have to order new ones.  The figures are 28mm at eye level and are “big boned” meaning the arms are proportional but on the large size compared to say warlord figures.  They are metal cast in one piece. I am really impressed with them and have a mountain of metal ready to be painted. The ships are resin and very nice. They come with metal cast cannons and rigging minus the sails. I bought some light canvas for that. I’ve started making terrain and will post some pics of my progress. Here are some pictures I found on the internet of figures and ships painted by very talented people. Some great sites to visit and see battle reports and the crews are;
Beast of War https://www.beastsofwar.com/featured/firelock-games-blood-plunder/
Blood and Pigment https://bloodandpigment.com/2020/03/17/completed-palisade-fort-test-battle-report/

Wow the last time I posted anything was three years ago! Since that time I have a three year old son and a 1 year old son. In January 2020 I retired from my position with the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office. I’m ready to play some games! Stand by for more updates during this flu virus outbreak.

Sails Of Glory

There is a great video series on the rules of Sails Of Glory on YouTube.

Movement Rules

Firing rules