What's Up for 2012

The year is just about over, so What's Up for 2012? Well, finish projects that were started in 2011. A partial list might be:

1. Add more 15mm Colonial for "Patrols in the Sudan 1885" and possible use them in a yet-to-be-determined rule set for large battles.
2. Finish the unit of 25mm Dervish Camel
3. Finish 15mm ACW I am painting for pay
4. Finish painting 25mm Saxon for my WHFB army
5. Finish my Early War Italian CV33 tankettes

Figures to paint up for use could be:

1. 25mm Native forces for "The Sword in Afrika"
2. 25mm Highlanders for the "The Sword and the Flame"
3. Put together & paint all the plastic Dervish I have
4. Do up the Early War Italian M11/39 tanks I just got

Also something I will do is keep track of figures I finish in 2012. See how good I am REALLY doing. I am trying (and it is difficult) to finish more of what I have vs. getting more stuff as I see "A Shiny!!" (or a squirrel)
I have a LOT of Pulp figures to do. WWWeeee.......

TTFN

More Terrain!

Not much to report on as the Christmas Season is busy, with little time for gaming and as the winter weather has set in, my garage, which I paint in gets too cold to use, a least at night.  However, I have gotten two new terrain pieces from a seller on E-Bay, scuzime at:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/scuzime/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25&_trksid=p3984
These pieces are well worth it, being made of a some heavy, strong material (Hydrostone?)

 

 Bust of the Pharaoh

 

                   Shown with 2 Old Glory Dervish (25mm) to give an idea of scale

Side and front view of Sphinx

Either of these are great for Ancients, RPG's, Pulp or Colonial games. I plan to use them when I run the Battle of  Hamunaptra (from the Mummy -1999) which I ran a couple of years ago at the local wargaming con (Strategicon). So if you need something like this or have other terrain needs, please go visit his site at the link above and see his wares!

My painting for my Lord of the Rings game in February continues (slowly) of which I will report on next time.

TTFN

HMGS game at the Muzeo

   OK - I posted the last draft I had done, now onward! An Italian L3/33 tankette, found in Iraq I believe. Normally it was armed with twin 8mm MG's. What a small vehicle!!!

Some were modified as shown with a Solothrum 20mm anti-tank rifle.

   In the new Early War Flames of War book the Italians can have one of 5 in platoon modified with this anti-tank rifle. I have 5 almost finished armed with the twin 8mm MG's. The one with the ATR I need to modify as the gun that the tankette model comes with is too soft a metal and bends way too easily. A small wire should work, with the mantlet done in green stuff.

   On Saturday, November 12th, I did a demo game for HMGS at the Muzeo museum in Anaheim in conjunction with their Victorian Art and Steampunk presentation's. I ran a "The Sword and the Flame" game using a scenario I had ran before, "The Zariba" (taken from the 1939 The Four Feathers movie.)

The players split the cavalry unit (12 figures) into two 6 figure units (one with the Sergeant the other with the Lieutenant) in order to better deal with the Dervish....

   As you can see however, the Dervish doubled up on one of the units to try to crush it in melee. All the photos taken can be seen at:
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb44/juggernought57/HMGS%20at%20the%20Muzeo%2011-12-2011/
   It ended up that the British and Dervish were both badly mauled but, as can be seen in the last photo on Photobucket, that the Dervish still had a unit of riflemen still relatively intact. If the game had continued and the Dervish Fire Phase was a good one, it would have been all over for the British but still a "Phyrric Victory" for the Dervish as most of their units were routing and under 50%. Also the casualty rate among the Sheik's was high and the British lost their overall Commanderas well.  Lots of people came by and checked it out, took flyers about HMGS and loved it. Many compliment's on my paint jobs and board (blush).  I might run another game next month...have to think about it.

   Also my Dervish tried to escape just before set-up....both boxes took a header and some spears and shields came off. Have to fix that up. I also need to check on the number of figures, I think a couple of the disappeared into the Muzeo after the boxes hit the floor.

TTFN

It's been WAY....Tooo...Long!

Ok - it's been a while since I have put anything up.  So let's see....

Mid-War FoW Italian Light Tanks-L6/40's are done!

   So that's out of the way. The Gondorian Rangers are finished (HUZZAH!) as well as Beregond (Black Tree Figure) and Gandalf the White (GW) and Pippin in his Gondorian outfit (GW). I should post some photos I guess. I have also been adding a magnetic base to my LOTR figires in order to carry them easier in a plastic tray with a lid. I just attached a sheet of metal to the bottom of the tray for they to stick to.

   Still working on my WAB Saxon army but not a lot right now. Need to kick it into gear. Need to finish my Dervish re-basing project. Also working on Italian CV 3/33 tankettes

TTFN

EPIFANY

Well, that what happened at Strategicon - Gateway 2011 over Labor Day weekend (Sept. 2-5) here in Southern California. I have not planned to run anything as my Colonial games were not being well received as well as I liked, I thought I would just play. However, a friend of mine gave me the “puppy-dog eyes” and asks me “pretty-please” to run a Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game Saturday night.

So I did.


I dusted off a scenario that I had run with 2 other friends in 2006 and ran it again. The 3 of us ran LOTR-SBGames every year, 3x a year at Strategicon’s for a few years before one of them moved to Las Vegas, being offered a job. A while later I started on my Colonial kick but it never had the draw LOTR did…..

I didn’t expect what I got, which was 7 players, 2 of which I remembered from when we ran LOTR all the time at the Con. And I was asked if I would run something again at the next con (Orccon) in February 2012. Looks like I will…but WHY?


Because it seems that LOTR goes over better at the Con than The Sword and the Flame does. Orcs & Elves are more interesting than Fuzzy-Wuzzys and British soldiers. And people remember the games we ran not so many years ago. And it's not like I don't have the figures, terrain and whatever else I need to run a game. So it's time, all tho I wish the Colonial had gone over better, I guess I have to "play to my audience".
Still, I am alittle sad....but I can still run Colonial games now & then.

TTFN

Book Review - "How Can Man Die Better"

  So this blog is about a book I just finished, "How Can Man Die Better" The Secrets of Isandlwana Revealed by Lt. Colonel Mike Snook ISBN: 978-1-84832-581-4.  While I like the Colonial period, for some reason I have never been a big fan of the Zulu War. However, due to the movie "Zulu" and later "Zulu Dawn" it is one part of the history people know most. But, being a good wargamer, I have tried to educate myself on the Zulu War as time has gone.  I have found this book to a bit of a dry read, not sure why but never-the-less IMHO, a very informative one.

  Unlike Rorke's Drift, the few survivors give no over-all picture of the event, due to it's size and scope. Mr. Snook has tried to fill in some of the gaps with information from both the British and Zulu sides as well as some Common Sense and military logic of the period.

  Some might say he is doing "revisionist" history, but in my opinion, he is attempting to "revise" history, much like what has been done in with "The Battle of Little Bighorn" in recent years, to show a clearer picture of what happened where and when, and to perhaps dispel some of the myths about this battle. This is my opinion of the book and I would say that it is well worth the read and see what you think as to whether the author is successful in his attempt.

TTFN

I can now Respond (I hope)

My wholehearted apologizes to people who have left comments and I have not responded. I just now, being a noodle-loaf figured out this thing was not set up right to.....

1. Let me know a Comment was left

2. Let me respond to Comment(s)

  I promise to "endeavor to persevere" in the future!

TTFN

HAIL CAESAR!

As in my last Blog, I stated I was going to post photos of the test game of "Hail Caesar!" play tested at a friends house on 7/29/2011. Here are some photos to wet the appetite and the link to the full album on Photobucket will follow, as there are 47 photos in all.

Roman Auxilia in melee with a German Warband
German Cavalry on the move

A German Warband defending the village!

Roman Auxilia Infantry in combat with Auxilia Cavalry in support

Another shot of the combat

All 47 photos (good/bad & so-so) can be seen at:

http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb44/juggernought57/Hail%20Caesar%20-%20Test%20Game/

Because of the number of photos, I downloaded them all there! However, as I was jsut taking photos of the miniatures, there is no a AAR with them... Enjoy!

TTFN

PIQUET - Battle of Archon

Here are some photos from the PIQUET - Ancient Pitched Battles - The Battle of Archon in 10mm - Romans vs (I believe) Greek Successor States army run at HMGS Day 8/7 at Aero Hobbies by the kind Mr. Greg Kildare! He and a friend of mine played the Greeks.

The Romans - ready for battle

The Greeks

The Enemy!

Natives- Indian Allies of the Greeks - Elephants

Skirmishers covering Cavalry

The Roman forces with their skirmishers in the lead - The round base is a Command base

The dreaded Greek phalanx!

Elephants advancing in front of the archers - the round base in the back is the Greek General mounted on an elephant

Elephants vs Roman Legionaries - The Romans will win this fight and make the Elephant unit run away!

The Roman skirmishers try to soften up the Greek phalanxes

I move a Heavy Roman Legion with an attached Command Base to crush the archers in melee!

Enemy Cavalry move past their skirmishers

My skirmishers melee with enemy chariots (they are just skirmishers!)

My right flank - I have a cavalry unit hit in the flank, my cavalry engages the chariots while my skirmishers take a break and watch (being unformed at this point)

The skirmishers continue to try to give the Phalanxes a hard time...

The Romans hit the phalanxes...not one of my better plans...which I decided not to do again after they where sent packing! (But were later Rallied)

My right flank again - Holding but I didn't make any of the enemy units run away and I took some losses in the process

Come on, break darn it! NO, not my units.....HIS!

Hit in the flank again...OUCH!

My Left flank, holding..

Trying to hit the flank of a phalanx (failed) but Legionaries on the top of the hill are hitting a light Greek infantry unit - on the left just next to the hill is a Roman unit that knocked a infantry unit with the attached Greek Army General out of the battle (broke the unit)

Sorry, no more photos but that was the battle as the Greek Army was out of Morale chits some time ago and couldn't rally any broken units! And as I have broken the center and the remaining center units fled, that was that!

TTFN

Where have I Been?

Well, in July I have major dental surgery (5 bone grafts/4 teeth removed) and it has sucked the life out of me till just recently. So I have been getting back into action....

Late Romans - I have painting these for sale for a few years now and I am getting back into finishing them. This infantry is getting ready for its "Army Painter" shade treatment. More photos of them to follow...

Cargo ships based & ready for using with the "Victory at Sea" rules

British WWI Battle Cruise "Invincible". I am getting ships for using "The Age of Dreadnoughts" version of the "Victory at Sea" rules ready to play. Not quite finished yet, as the wake and a few touch-ups are required.

Looking at them from above

When my order from Litko comes in, I will do the rest of the ships I have. I also need to get the next unit of Late Romans out of the box and get them prepped to be primed and painted.

I also played a test game of the ancients rules "Hail Caesar!" at a friends house on 7/29, feeling up to it that day. On 8/7 HMGS day occurred at Aero Hobbies and I played Romans in a PIQUET - Ancient Battles and won! I will post photos of those games on this blog in the next post -

TTFN

"The Patrol"at HMGS Mini-Mini Wars 6/25/2011

Here are some photos and a brief "After-Action-Report" on my game of The Sword and the Flame at Historical Miniature Gaming Society (HMGS) Mini-Mini Wars "The Summer Offensive" on Saturday, June 25th, 2011-The scenario is called "The Patrol" and is based on the scene in the movie "Gunga Din" where a force of Indian soldiers lead by British Officers go to the Village of Tantrapur to see why the telegraphic communications have stopped. Of course, a powerful Chieftain has amassed several clans of Afghani to destroy the Britsh and their lackeys!

Above are a couple of shots of the table just after the terrain was set-up
Looking toward the Village of Tantrapur - The calm before the storm!
Some of the Afghani Forces - 4 clans of 20 figs each

The Anglo-Indian forces, led by the brave British Officers - and a Gatling gun!

"Look Sahib! Afghani come!"

A brave (but foolish) Afghani clan charges the Gatling gun! My dice rolling for movement failed me - Indeed, it was a "EPIC FAILURE" of rolling 6" of charge movement on 4d6!!

A Indian Soldier discusses his future with a vulture....

"Ready...AIM...FIRE!!"

"CHARGE!!! DEATH to the British and their lackeys!!" And they did indeed charge up the stairs...and were shot & melee'd to death. The Indian soldier's +2 for defending a building helped a little...

The Afghani's had an old brass cannon "Old Achmed" - Which randomly generated a bit too close to the Indian soldiers (See the above photo of "Ready..AIM") and suffered for it before getting to fire one shot. The next turn the last crewman was shot to pieces...

The Gatling gun crew was shot up but the didn't make it before it was re-crewed....OUCH!

The Gatling gun and a Indian soldier unit. The next turn they re-manned the Gatling gun, much to the Afghani's displeasure!

The Indian soldiers have a good position, re-manned the Gatling gun as a group of Afghani charge up the road at them. The vulture waits...for another meal...

A view from fortunes of war!above of the same scene. The Afghani are about to get shot up by the Indian's and the Gatling does a number on that other Afghani clan charging them.

It was a good game, even with my dice rolling for movement failing me a few times...fortunes of War! Also the one "Event" card drawn during the whole game effected 2 of my units, bad Hummus! So they shot/Meleed and Moved badly due to illness. Again, I was not favored by Allah to drive the foreigners out of Afghanistan! Maybe next time.....

The Perry Miniatures Co. is coming out with plastic Fuzzy-Wuzzys. I have pre-ordered some, 4 boxes of 40/box from Brookhurst Hobbies. with them, I will be set for Fuzzy-Wuzzys!

TTFN