Time for Plan B

A mess of Pathans - 60 to be exact!

A close-up of the blue clan (Old Glory Pathans)

The boys in purple

The red clan and our British Officers plus Pathan artillery & crew (Foundry Zanzibaris with cannon and a Pathan Leader (Old Glory)

Another nice shot of the hoard

That Army Painter Quick Shade looks great!

Askari Pathan on the right and Old Glory Pathan on the left

AAAaarrrr!

I have gotten half of the figures I need done but I cannot finish the rest of the project before the Con, Gateway 2010 this Labor Day weekend. So I have gone to Plan B, and changed my game. I will be running "The Zareba", using The Sword and the Flame. I ran this scenario back at the February Con. It went well and is a good back-up game. I will have this scenario ready to go by February next year, for Orccon 2011. I plan to get it ready for the HMGS day at Aero Hobbies in October so as to play test it then. I just need to get 60 more Pathans done (and they are well on they're way) a Gatling Gun and some telegraph poles.

I am quite happy with how the figures look after using the Army Painter Quick Shade on them (Strong) and then giving them a coat of Matt spray (in this case it's Games Workshop's) It covers many sins and makes finishing the figure a lot easier. No Golden Demon winners but done to a very acceptable (IMHO) wargame level of painting. And if anyone is wondering, I gave each of the clans a specific color (red, blue, etc) so as to make it easier on the table to figure what figures belong to which Pathan clan, a opposed to marking the bases, which I did with my Dervishes. After using red, blue & purple, I had a bit of trouble in figuring what the next 3 colors I should use but I have sorted out now.

TTFN

What's Up with those Pathans???

Pathan rifleman stained with Army Painter Quickshade Strong Tone (aka The Dip)

2 Pathan swordsmen that have had "THE DIP!" (I really just paint it on).

One of the above figures that has now been sprayed with clear Matt spray

The rifleman with the same treatment

The other swordsman also sprayed with matt clear coat. All figures are Old Glory.

So how has things been going with my mass Pathan painting? OK I guess. The photos above show some of the first batch of figures after they have been painted and then had a coat of "The Army Painter" Quickshade applied. I use the "Strong" color, which is brown, as you can see. I tried a test figure with the "Strong" shade, which is black, but it was too dark for my tastes on the mostly white clothes on the Pathans. The Quickshade gives the figures a strong glossy coat which, IMHO, looks alot better after a coat of clear matt spray (in this case, it was GW). I am happy with the look. The first 20 are done, as well as all the Sikhs and the Pathan gun & crew.

I had decided to give each Pathan clan a different color on part of their clothes, as this make it easier during game play to know what figures belong to what clan. The "Red" clan is the first to be finished, the blue, green and purple are coming along. However, I need two more colors as I have to do 6 clans (20 figs/clan). I should (HA) have 40 more figures done in a couple of days, barring any delays (like my dentist appt. Friday afternoon...)

Almost forgot! The figures for the 3 British sergeants are also done. However, they are getting a promotion and I am using Officer figures for them in this scenario. This also allows me to use the same figures for later North-West Frontier games.

More photos to follow!~

TTFN

Primed Pathans!

A couple of photos of primed Pathans, figures by Old Glory

More Primed Pathans, Old Glory and some Askari miniatures

Close up of a couple of the Old Glory figures

Old Glory Sikhs

Another shot of the Sikhs, with the English Officer on a different base, which marks him as a "Leader" figure for purposes of shooting.

2 figures from "Mega" miniatures Arab figures, one is a "imam" (Religious leader) and a "bodyguard" with a 2 handed sword. I have another figure I may or may not use as the Tribal Chieftain, as I am not sure if it is too ornately dressed for the part. I may either use the "bodyguard" figure as the Tribal Leader or find another, I am not sure just yet. Coming along nicely tho.

2 Pathans from when I was getting samples of figures along time ago, they are from Castaway Arts in Australia and are quite nice, I believe. I am going to use them as "Leader" figures. I also plan to make them "mixed" clans (10 rifle/10 swords men) as opposed to pure all sword or all rifle/jezzil armed clans, as per "The Sword and the Flame" organization for Pathans. If the players want to make some or all of the clans one weapon type they can do that during the game.

Also a big choice to make is how to "ID" the clans. For my Mahdists, I have marked the back of the bases so players know who belongs where if units get mixed together during melee or some such. This is due to what they are wearing, it was the easiest thing to do. However, I have more of a choice as most Pathans are in a white turban/blouse/trousers. So I believe I will go with what I have seen in other Pathan armies painted on-line, is that a article of clothing - slash, turban or blouse is a color (red/blue/green/etc.) and the rest of the clothing white. Thus one clan is the "red" clan, "blue" clan, etc. This should make figuring things out much easier, even if it isn't very historically accurate. After all, I am going to have 6 clans (2 tribes/120 figures) of Pathans on the table!!

The Sikhs should be done quickly as it's just like 10 figures or so to have the 2 platoons I need, as I done one platoon some time ago. As far as the "Leader" types, I have enough British Officers (3) to paint as the "Sergeants" for the scenario. As this scenario is based on the movie "Gunga Din" (the trip to the village of Tantrapur to fix the telegraph lines) the heroes of that movie were 3 British Sergeants, oddly enough armed with sabres & pistols (much like a officer?) Maybe it was because they were engineers and rode horses in the movies? So I need to get them bases and painted. I have some "Gunga Din" figures by Regiment Games but they are not very good compared to the other figures I have......so I'll paint them as per the movie, sergeant strips and all and fix then if I need to later.

I need to paint up a Sikh gun crew for the Gatling gun (as well as do up the Gatling as well) so I guess I should get those figures out and base them. One of the optional things the "Hill Tribes" (Pathans) can have is a old, slow firing cannon. I liked that idea so I got what I needed from The War Store, Wargames Foundry, from their Darkest Africa line, DA-4/4 Zanzibaris with Cannon. They look fine to work with the Old Glory/Askari Pathans size wise and I just added a 4th figure from my OG Pathan Command set as the artillery commander as the set just has 3 figures.

More to follow as I get things done..

TTFN

The Con...and beyond!

3 photos for the fantastic "Boxer Rebellion" game at Gamex 2010. I'll put the rest of the photos on my Photobucket account soon: http://s207.photobucket.com/home/juggernought57/index The Con was May 28th to 31st and I had a good time, only to be so tried and beat that I had a massive sinus attack Tuesday and was suffering from Tuesday to Saturday, just feeling well enough to run my game at HMGS day at Aero Hobbies...but I get ahead of myself...

I was to help Harold with his FOW game on Saturday and run my "Sword & the Flame" game on Sunday. Harold's health failed him and he was unable to attend, so the FOW game was cancelled as he felt it was too much in his head for anyone else to run. I took his loaner armies and other stuff for the Warhammer Ancients Tourney he was going to run on Sunday.

Friday evening I played a WWII naval game by the "Special Projects Team" which was fun. Saturday I played in the "55 Days in Peking"-Siege of the Foreign Legations China 1900 game. Great board and figures, terrain, a overall "WOW" game. This is how I want to do mine. I played Adam's American War of Independence Game "The Battle of Brandywine" Saturday evening. This was a hard fought and close game, being a draw to the end (But as playing the British, I believe the Americans got a "bit more of a drubbing" than we did!) The close fought ones are most fun!

Sunday I was to run my game, but they were running the "55 Days in Peking" all day and there was no available tables much less players! I figured I would wait and set it up later when they finished. I did but it was REALLY quiet (Boo-Hoo) so after an hour or so of no takers (But Art of War, whom I get most of my terrain from, came by & took pictures) I took it down. I wasn't upset or anything, as the WAB tourney went well, with 6 players and as this what was Harold was hoping for, it was good to get it done well for him, even tho he couldn't make it. I went home early (Sunday evening), as I wasn't sleeping well and wanted my own bed. And started feeling crappy Monday and by Tuesday, was a poisoned pup....such is life.

I recovered enough to run my game the following weekend on Sunday, "The Oasis at Yasra Village" at Aero Hobbies. I got 5 players and a good game. I still have a little problem with the scenario balance but it works overall. I need to tighten the board (terrain, etc.) up a little maybe....

So now that Gamex 2010 is over, it's time to get ready for Gateway 2010 in September. I have started on the Sikhs I need to make another squad of 20 and they should be done very soon. However, all the Pathans are going to be a pain, but as they say "no pain, no gain". I have about 30 figures ready to base, but I need to trim, file & base 120 figures. Then prime them white....

Good news is the last little bit of figures I need have been shipped from "The War Store" today so I will have all the fires I need soon. I need to order some Pathan flags from "The Flag Dude" and more 25mm round magnetic bases from Litko, as the Pathans, being irregular troops are going to bases on 25mm rounds and I am basing the regular (non-key/leader figures) on 1" fender washers and the Key/Leader figs on 25mm GW rounds. Regular troops, such as the Sikhs are going to be on 25mm squares and Key/Leader on 25mm GW square bases. I will also have to start re-basing the Mahdist forces on rounds.... :(

Have to post photos of the painting.....

TTFN

I have.....

a cunning plan! well, maybe not a cunning plan but getting my stuff together about basing my Colonial figures. After basing all the foot figures on 25mm square bases just doesn't look good to me anymore. I was basing the "Leader" & "Key" figures on 25mm rounds to make them look different for visual ID purposes, but it's not working for me. Also having the Mahdi forces on squares people tended to put them in far more of a organized formation than they are allowed.

So as I am going to be paint a LOT of figures for the September Con (Gateway 2010), like 120 or so Pathans and another 30 Sikhs, a Gatling gun, a Sikh crew for it and a old, muzzle loading cannon for the Pathans. So with this batch, they will be based as follows:

• The Sikhs with be based on 25mm (1") squares, with "Key" & "Leader" figures based on 25mm plastic square bases (GW bases). So all organized, well disciplined troops will be on 25mm squares (British, Egyptian, etc. types).
• All native or less disciplined troops will be based on 25mm rounds, with "Key" & "Leader" figures will be on larger edged GW type 25mm rounds. Troop types will be Zulus, Mahdists, Boers, Pathans, etc.

I have some figures re-based so I'll take photos for my next entry to show what I mean.

I'm am also working on rules for standard bearers and musicians (bugles/drums). British have bugles or drums and the Mahdist & Pathans have standards & drums. After events in the first Afghan War and Zulu War, the British stopped carrying standards into combat. Too many people dieing trying to save them. I'll have something next entry. This will make them a little more important than just being a "pretty" right now in a game.

TTFN

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

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