Wednesday, May 5, 2010

HMGS Day At Aero Hobbies 05/02/2010

Several games were played at this event, last Sunday. The photo's above and below are from the Warhammer Ancient game of Harold's Vikings vs. Adam's Norman's.


15mm Johnny Reb American Civil War game



More WAB shots





2 photos from a "Check Your 6" WWII aircraft game. Looks like the German bomber is not having a good day....

Some photos of my "The Sword and the Flame" game - playtesting it for Gamex 2010 later in May. Many THANKS to Adam & Harold for their help!

British infantry and Ansar engage in hand-to-hand combat. The British win this combat.

The Fuzzy Wuzzy crush a British platoon!

3 more photos of the Johnny Reb game


This is just a sample of the photos I took. The Warhammer Ancients game the Vikings won, appears the British won in the "Check Your 6" game, The forces of the Madhi won in my game and the Union won in the Johnny Reb game. I may post all the photos on Photobucket, but I am running out of space with the current level of membership I have.


TTFN

Monday, April 12, 2010

2 British Sergeants and A Bugler




Here are photos of 2 sergeants & a bugler I have been working on for my British. The 2 smaller figures are Perry's and the larger one is a Reaper mini. They have since had their bases finished and added to my forces. I also finished the 2 extra FoW Italian Artillery Staff and Observers as well as 3 MMG's of the 9 I need to get my Italians up to code. I also then need 9 47mm ATG's and 9 20mm ATR if I want them. Part of the upgrade my Italians got in the new FoW North Africa book.
I have also been working on some 15mm Mahdist Camel Cavalry for "Patrols in the Sudan". The 15mm ACW I have been doing for Dave on commission are done! WHEW! I have been trying, somewhat successfully, to get my partially done projects DONE and out of the way. I still have 5 or 6 LOTR Warg Riders to finish as well as the Bashti Unit for my Wargods Army (Then the Sobeki need doing..)
I have my scenario for the next game con in mind and I have been working on it as well...more to follow!
TTFN


Saturday, March 20, 2010

To Zulu...

Or not to Zulu, that is the question! In reality, the question is what next? While I am still going to add units to my Sudan Armies, (Arab Cavalry/Camelry, etc.) what next should I do? Go to the Zulu Wars? Or to the Northwest Frontier and the Pathans??
After some thought, I decided to start work sometime soon on the Northwest Frontier (NWF), for the following reasons. The Khaki uniform works not only for the NWF but also the 2nd Boer War and everything else thereafter. I have some Pathans and some British in 25mm already, so it's a easy start. And the uniforms for the British are easy, it's just how much I want to do on the Pathans!
More to follow...
TTFN

Monday, March 15, 2010

From the Workbench

Here are three figures, the taller one is from Reaper's "Chronoscope" range British sergeant that is uniformed for the Zulu War, so I cut down and filed off the sleeve & pant embroidery and painted it for the Sudan. The other two figures, the bugler and sergeant are Perry miniatures.


A close up of the Reaper figure. It's almost done and will be used as a Sergeant-Major to go with my Captain when I field enough British troops to warrant a Captain & Sgt. Major (British Company -2 platoons). I still need a Colonel if I ever field a Infantry Battalion (2 Companies).

The two Perry minis - looking good - Almost finished!

Confederate Artillery being done on commission for a friend.

Confederate Artillery crews - photos not too good...


More reb artillery crews and their Commander. Then I have infantry to do. As of today the artillery crews & guns are finished and the infantry is almost finished. My first batch of Italians to upgrade my FOW Mid-War Italian Army are almost finished. I believe they need their black & brown wash. The next (and last) batch of HMG squads are primed and I'll start on them tomorrow. Then I have like 9 47mm ATG to do. The Italian list was changed in the newest NORTH AFRICA book adding a HMG & a 47mm ATG to each infantry group, So a full Company has 3 groups, so 3 HMGs & 47mm ATG a Company. I'd better double check how many Companies I have now & what I need again. I might be about to have a infantry Company w/ 3 platoons.
UP AGAINST A WALL
The other thing on my mind is how many 28mm Sudan figures do I need? I believe that due to numbers, I might be coming up against a wall as to how many 28mm figures I can get on a 4' x 6' gaming board. During the game at the February convention I noticed that having 5 Mahdists bands (20 figs/band x 5 bands = 100 figures) and 40 Anglo-Egyptian forces infantry figures plus a unit (12) of Cav the gaming board was a bit crowded. It maybe possible that around 200 figures maybe that wall. So I will have to go to 15mm to do really large scale games. And I have rules for that, "The Gatling's are Jammed" looking the best so far. "Patrols in the Sudan 1885" I don't thing can be used for massive games. I have a copy of "800 Fighting Englishmen" on the way which can be used for large games, but I don't know if it's for 28mm or 15mm or both. I can sell get more 28mm units that I use, like more British & Mahdist Cavalry & Camelry (Mahdist & British Camel Corp.) and another Gardner Gun and Mahdist Artillery to have for various scenarios.
TTFN

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Orccon 2010

Strategicon, Orccon 2010 is over. My scenario went over well, both Saturday & Sunday. Here are some of the Saturday photos....
The set-up for the Anglo-Egyptian Forces-The Cavalry (10th Hussars) were moved outside before play started (shown in the next photo). The Anglo-egyptian forces need only last till the end of Turn 9.....
Opening moves - The Cavalry is seen in the top of the photo set up outside the Zareba. One band of Fuzzy Wuzzys have come on the board near the Zareba and moved in, each band having a torch in order to set it on fire. Another band have come on (Mahdist appearance was random around the board).
All of the Mahdist forces are on the board. In the top of the photo the Hussars have charged the Dervish riflemen, taking 2 casualties in the process. The Zareba has been set on fire and is burning away (each section burns 3 turns and the fire is rolled for each turn to see how far the fire burn each turn).

As the Zareba burns, the British & Egyptian forces re-form into squares to defend themselves from the inevitable Dervish charges when the Zareba burns away. Being in a square gives them a bonus in close combat.

The Fuzzy's charge in the instant a section of the Zareba burns away. Who will the close combat?????
The British!!! But many brave soldiers are dead or wounded. And more Mahdist forces are waiting....
Another band of Fuzzy Wuzzy wait for their turn as the section of the Zareba in front of them burns...
Another band gets ready to charge in on the left of the photo-a close up of a Fuzzy band.

The Hussars charge a band of Fuzzy's that were going to charge against the British. The Fuzzy's failed their roll to stand against the charge and fall back. "RUN AWAY!!"

The Egyptians get ready for a Ansar band to charge them. Their Officer gets them to stand!

The last of the British infantry go toe-to-toe with a greatly reduced Fuzzy band. They will lose this fight and the survivors will rout away.

The band that fell back from the Hussar's is rallied by their Sheik and charges them! "DEATH TO THE BRITISH!!"
Victory to the Mahdists! The Sheik looks on as he has won against the Hussars. Much of his band had lost the fight but were not killed, however the Hussars have bravely died to a man! (The wounded were killed when the Fuzzy-Wuzzy reformed after winning the combat.)

The Ansar Swordsmen charge the Egyptians as time is running out (On the last turn of the game). If they win this fight the forces of the Mahdi will win the game!

The Ansar appear to have lost! However, the mounted Amir, the over all Commander of the Mahdists forces and a single sword man continue the fight in the hopes of winning, Allah willing!!

Alone, outnumbered, the Amir, Afridi Nadim, fights on, Against the Egyptian Officer and the last of the Egyptian soldiers. Victory or Death!!!! The British CinC, Captain Smyth Crumpington, was in the melee, but was not killed, just fell back (lost the combat). If he had been killed or wounded, the British would have had to make a Major Moral check.
The Egyptian Officer has fallen in combat, but so has the Amir! Thus the Egyptian have won the day!!!! (And the game)! They also saved the reputation of Captain Smyth Crumpington (losing a fight and running away looks bad).

The Sunday game was good as well. Not quite the down-to-the-wire the Saturday was (game was won on the last turn) but the Mahdist players called it at the beginning of Turn 9 (game would end at the end of Turn 9) as they just couldn't defeat the remaining British/Egyptain's before the end of the turn. Just picked up two players both days, my Co-GM, Mark playing as well. Everyone had fun and after the game, I asked what was right and what was wrong about the game. It was all good, no negatives, which is good after all the play testing I did.
I will post these photos and more from the Con on photobucket soon. I think I will just play at the March HMGS day at Aero Hobbies (March 7th) and get something up for April. I am also getting back into painting in order to clear my painting table of past half-finished projects and the ACW figures (15mm) I am painting for Dave for $$.
TTFN

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

From the Workbench..and my Workbench




Those rocky terrain by Gale Force 9 "Battlefield in a Box" I gave some desert color dry-brushing and some flocking so I can now use them with my desert mat. I plan to use the large one shown for my game at Strategicon, Looking Good! And now my workbench....



My workbench is a mess. I have too many half-completed projects sitting around it that are driving me batty. So I am going to get them done & out of the way. Those LOTR Wargs are have painted and need to be finished and are underway. One picture shows the "Redneck Militia" that are 2 steps away from done, and those Basti (Wargods) that have been sitting around for a least a year now. And 2 Japanese pillboxes are waiting to be finished...and the list goes on. Not really that bad. Also show are 3 British Colonial figures that I can get done really quick. The figures on Popsicle sticks are 15mm ACW rebs, 15mm Italians for FoW and some 15mm Ansar Camel Cavalry.
TTFN