A new chapter has been written in the long standing theological debate between the Elector and the Bishop of Holstein regarding the existance of Santa Claus. The Elector has long held that, not only does the man exist, but he has an interest in sustaining the military capacity of Ardoberg-Holstein. The Bishop maintains that Santa Claus is a fiction promoted by greedy children to separate their parents from money better spent titheing the church. As proof of his position, the Elector calls the Bishops attention to three new batteries of artillery drilling on the Marchfeld. It seems the Elector has been very good this year, and has been rewarded by a visit from the jolly old elf.

The guns and crew are plastic Wargames Factory War of the Spanish Succession. I like the guns a lot and the set includes some nice stacks of cannon balls, water buckets and barrels. On the down side the crews had early WSS hats, which I had to trade out for some tricorne heads I had in my collection of bits. Also, each gun had an officer mounted on an oddly posed horse (not shown). I suppose I will find some use for those.

 The Elector clings to a dollar with grim determination, and for that reason the army was assembled over time from whatever figures came to hand. Historians of the Imaginations military scene will recall that the Ardoberg-Holstein cavalry, Spencer-Smiths that were (sadly) out of scale with my 28mm infantry, were replaced last year with new plastics from Perry and Wargames Factory. This year it was the turn of the artillery. The guns were Prince August home cast models. Nice enough except my poor casting skills denied them the detail a more skilful hand would have delivered. The gun crews were an assorted lot of Hinchliffe gunners, ham handed conversions and infantry officers drafted in to fill up numbers.

The older guns will have their wheels removed and a garrison carriage added to provide firepower for a fortress project I have in mind.