Player preference: Hollywood style fort or historical fort for Old West games?

[fred]

Harry, that fort feels it may have something in common with the Tardis!

[Cat]

Mine's Fort Starke, and it's the old offering from Airfix.

Can't go wrong with any of the Airfix forts!

[Harry Faversham]

That fort has graced the fields of glory since 1970.  In my imagination it's much bigger on the inside, than it is on the outside!
 

[FifteensAway]

Wow, Harry, now that is a "veteran" fort.  And we are all awaiting more of your delightful battle reports when you have the figures ready. 

Alas, closest I come to any Airfix fort is a castle I assembled for our wedding cake way back in 1999.  Last year the wife finally turned it back over to me to use for gaming - only took 25 years. 

So, given the range of opinions - and the reality that forts are rarely if ever an objective in Old West / Pony Wars games - it is settled, I will acquire a stockade fort.  Will certainly look at options before deciding but leaning towards that Tabletop Terrain item.

And hopefully many a patrol will exit and return (or not) to the fort and many a weary pilgrim seek shelter from the storms of arrows and other misfortunes.

[carlos marighela]

Alas, closest I come to any Airfix fort is a castle I assembled for our wedding cake way back in 1999.  Last year the wife finally turned it back over to me to use for gaming - only took 25 years. 

Shades of Miss Haversham in Great Expectations. I now have visions of the Airfix Sherwood Castle covered with cobwebs, still sitting on its marzipan base, that rats have gnawed upon.

[CapnJim]

Shades of Miss Haversham in Great Expectations. I now have visions of the Airfix Sherwood Castle covered with cobwebs, still sitting on its marzipan base, that rats have gnawed upon.

Er - that's a disturbing visual...

Wow, Harry, now that is a "veteran" fort.  And we are all awaiting more of your delightful battle reports when you have the figures ready. 

Alas, closest I come to any Airfix fort is a castle I assembled for our wedding cake way back in 1999.  Last year the wife finally turned it back over to me to use for gaming - only took 25 years. 

So, given the range of opinions - and the reality that forts are rarely if ever an objective in Old West / Pony Wars games - it is settled, I will acquire a stockade fort.  Will certainly look at options before deciding but leaning towards that Tabletop Terrain item.

And hopefully many a patrol will exit and return (or not) to the fort and many a weary pilgrim seek shelter from the storms of arrows and other misfortunes.

Didn't have the Airfix fort as a young'un...we did have the plastic Marx 54mm Fort Apache, though...

And good choice on the fort style.  They definitely did have stockade forts out west - had a chance to visit the Fort Phil Kearney fort site in Wyoming a couple years ago - it was a BIG stockade fort...

Looking forward to the day you can show us your Fort Discourage... 

[carlos marighela]

Er - that's a disturbing visual...

The 1946 version is arguably even more disturbing. It's one of Dicken's darker works.

[FifteensAway]

Dickens, Schmickens.  Back to the Old West.

My thinkerator decided to kick into gear and recalled I already have this stockade - for a very long time, just never assembled/painted:



And another view:



The stockade and towers are from Stone Mountain Miniatuares, the building from Blue Moon's FIW range.  Would take some effort to make it work but that is part of the fun - and it is already paid for.  And easily expandable with readily available bamboo skewers.  Have to make the firing platforms a little wider.  Perhaps even possible to make the gate swing open or closed with a bit of extra effort.  Tower roofs are removable.

What do y'all think?  Will it work?

[carlos marighela]

That looks good!

[Harry Faversham]

Alas, closest I come to any Airfix fort is a castle I assembled for our wedding cake way back in 1999. Last year the wife finally turned it back over to me to use for gaming - only took 25 years. 

Well, the Castle's still OK, but the marzipan's turned green with age!





 

[Inkpaduta]

Just do an alternative Old West where the US army was based in castles!
Could be cool.

[FifteensAway]

Yes, but which castle?  We have three in California: Hearst Castle along the coast, Vikingsholm up near Lake Tahoe, or the Disney castle in Anaheim.  At least those are the ones I know of - unless you account for the many dotted about miniature golf courses!

I'm considering ordering a second set of the stockade walls from Stone Mountain and use some to modify to fit the towers and some to expand - but still want to adjust for the other corners without blockhouses with at least one a platform for artillery.  Another set also gives me an additional gate and I like the idea of two gates for some reason.  But first I'll spend some time with those bamboo skewers since I have some - somewhere - around the homestead.  And I will include the signal tower inside the fort.  Going to need to add a few ladders around the fort, maybe a stairway, along with various and sundry bits of scenic scatter.

On an unrelated note, digging through the figure stash and I found a couple of doctors operating on patients on boards on top of barrels along with some nurses and others.  Not sure there were ever any female nurses on army posts of the west at the time but I'm sure the occasional army wife lent a hand here and there.  Now all I need is a scenario to use them - some sort of desperate need to rescue a patient who has critical information for saving the fort/the patrol/the lost pilgrims, etc.  I'm pretty sure I can dig a few sets of stretcher bearer parties out of the ACW casualty and medical stash.  Perhaps an Old West M.A.S.H. unit?  "Ambulance coming in going hell for leather!  Get ready to operate."  And, yes, I have a horse drawn ambulance or two in the ACW stuff.  If nothing else, a nice visual point of interest on the gaming table.

[Aethelflaeda was framed]

Harold and Kumar vote for White Castle.

[carlos marighela]

I say Bannerman Castle. It's where all the guns and ammo are, plus it's a super cool location.

Actually, an early 20th C raid on Bannerman Castle might be a fun Pulp scenario.

[Sunjester]

Taking this back to the original question, I am a little confused. Coming from the other side of the pond, the only historical US forts I am familiar with are the three on the Bozeman Trail that featured in Red Cloud's War. My understanding was that all three were stockaded. Pardon my ignorance, but does this mean most army outposts in the Indian Wars not so protected? That seems asking for trouble  .

And I'd go for a nice wooden stockade for gaming purposes.