I've Been Busy!

Some photos of the test game for "The Patrol", the scenario I am going to be running at the February game Convention using "The Sword and The Flame". This scenario if from the 20th Anniversary Scenario book and the idea is taken from the movie "Gunga Din". 2 Infantry platoons of Indian soldiers back up with a Gatling Gun and 3 British Officers go to a remote village to see why the telegraph is no longer working. It's down because the tribesmen want to get someone to check it out and "crush" them. This game was run at Aero Hobbies on 11-07-2010 as part of HMGS day (every 1st Sunday).

Indian soldiers look down the street at a group of Afghan tribesmen moving toward them.
Afghan tribesmen (Pathans) charge down the street, hoping to survive rifle fire and the Gatling gun (which, lucky for them, jammed!) The vulture, on the edge of the roof, watches & waits for din-din...

Two tribes (clans) of Pathans move around buildings, waiting for the right moment to charge.

Fire-fight & melee at the low wall

The complete set of photos can be seen at:

http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb44/juggernought57/Playtest%20%20The%20Patrol%20%2011-02-2010/

Now some photos of a WarHammer Ancient Battles game I played with Harold on Saturday, 11-13-2010 at the Games Workshop Battle Bunker in Westminister. Now I am not that into WAB just yet, but it was fun and Harold's opponent for this game was going to be late I believe.

I was playing Greeks vs. ancient Hebrew army

My skirmishers against Light Israelite cavalry, acting as "speed bumps" when they were charged by the cavalry, which they heroically did for 1 turn...

This is a above shot just before the cavalry charged the skirmishers

Light Cavalry, looking for trouble....

So I have had a playtesting one weekend and a WAB game the next. Lots of fun! I have also gotten much painting done, which I will have to up-date my projects on my home page. Everything I need for my game is done, terrain picked out, etc. I hope to get a couple more playtests before February. Some of the ideas the players had about set-up, etc. in the 1st playtest I want to try, as well as a game with 1/2 sized units (10 figures).

I also had a brainstorm on my terrain issues, which was "what do I have?" I will take photos of it all, so I have a catalog of what hills, trees, buildings, etc. I have to use. Should take a day or two but in the end will be very worth it!

TTFN

Prototype telegraph poles - One is on a 1.5" washer and the other is a 1.25" washer.

The last of the Pathans

Some of them in a GW movement tray used for "War of the Ring" Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game (the mass battles). This might work well to move masses of native figures

Another view of Pathans in the GW WotR movement base

At least, the last 20 Pathans are done!!!

So they are done, now I need to get the telegraph poles attached to the bases, which I will do with my trusty hot-glue gun. The Gatling Gun is almost finished. I attached a small metal plate on it so I can just attach the figure that is firing it via a small rare earth magnet attached to his seat. This way I can use the same gun for the Sudan with it's Naval Gun crew or in the North-West Frontier with a different crew. I still need to get another Gardner Gun sometime for the British. 2 Gardner's, one Gatling Gun and a as-yet-unpainted screw gun, the Anglo-Egyptian forces should have enough artillery/MG's.

I am also working on my Mid-War Italians, doing up the extra 47mm ATG's that are integral to the infantry platoons. I didn't have any more ammo boxes that are for these guns, so I ordered some from The War Store. They just look "wrong" without the right ammo boxes.

I also may be spending some $$$ at Black Tree Designs to order some Daleks (Doctor Who) as they might not have them much longer. It's just the !@#@! things are expensive! But to have a game with them and say "Exterminate!" all the time..

TTFN

From the Workbench

The last of the Pathans, just before getting the Army Painter Quickshade treatment!
Some 15mm Peter Pig Dervish Camelry for using with "Patrols in the Sudan 1885" rules. I need to get more but I have enough for one unit when these are finished.

Old Glory 28mm Ansar for my Dervish army - Spearmen in process and almost ready for the "Quickshade"! Just a little touch-up and off they go! Spear and shield added first tho...

The Indian gun crew for the Gatling gun seen in the background. This is for my "The Patrol" game. The Sword and the Flame" for February Strategicon. I hope to do a playtesting or two real soon now.

I decided to paint the "Gunga Din" figure I had of the set of figures done for the movie. It's not a really good figure but it wouldn't be right not to have him there.

2 small buildings that are in process for being painted

2 larger buildings. All are use able for the Sudan, Wild West, etc.

The Copplestone Naval infantry I got. Very nice figures .

Grey primed and ready for their blue uniform colors.

So this is what is going on my workbench. A lot as you can see but as I get one project to a point I cannot paint it any further that day I can switch to something else. The buildings need another hit of white drybrushing, paint the wood (doors) and the bricks and it's wash time.

The Pathans shown above just got their "Quickshade" hit today (Wednesday 10/06) so they will be dry tomorrow so I can use the colored "basing" material. Then when that drys, I can spray matt them (Friday) and after that dries later that day I add the grass, whatever to the bases and THEY ARE DONE!! And a couple of my already painted Dervish figures I have been re-basing on round bases got a quick covering of the "Quickshade" as well, to see how they look. If good enough, I might be tempted to go back as give them all a Quickshade" brushing!

This Saturday at the St. Crispins game day in Anaheim Harold said he would like to play "Patrols in the Sudan 1885" so I have to get something ready...shouldn't take too long to come up with a scenario!

TTFN

LIMITS

"That's alot of Dervish!"

"That's cause Lad they are full sized 20 figure units!"

Which is why is time I am writing about the number of figures on the gaming table, which wherein lies the "Limits" I refer to in the title of this blog. The Zareba and other games I have run as well as the scenario I plan to test run for February's Strategicon have has issues with too many figures on the table.

"The Patrol", the scenario for February has 120 Pathans on the board, plus buildings, plus 40 Sikhs, 3 British Officers and a Gatling gun. All this on a 4' x 6' table. It just maybe too crowded.

What to do????

Well, in a current order from Brigade Games I received a copy of a new set of Sudan Rules, "A Good Dusting" (look OK so far) and a copy of the Colonial Campaigns: Zulu War 1879 by Mark Fastoso. He designed the "Fastoso' Variant for The Sword and the Flame. This was used to run the scenarios in the book and instead of the usual 20 figure infantry units, it uses 8 figures, 7 soldiers and 1 Leader figure. His explanation in the forward I re-read a couple of times and it did indeed make sense. Due to the number of figures on a table, and the fact a table larger than 4' x 6' is not usually available, either the number of units or the number of figures per unit had to be adjusted. And I have read of many people using smaller, half-sized (10 figure) units due to space and cost.

The Plan

Which will be to finish the last 20 Pathans (they are half done) finish the Sikh gun crew for the Gatling Gun (which is also half done) and the telegraph poles. But a least one of my play tests I would like to try with either 10 or 8 man units and see how it goes. Smaller units could go a long way to making it easier on my 28mm TSATF games, as units can then maneuver. It would be easier on my pocketbook as well to use smaller units...

TTFN

Back to Pathans!

Now that the game Con-Gateway - is over, I am returning to finishing the Pathans and everything else I need for the scenario, now scheduled for the February 2011 (Orccon 2011)

Here are a few photos from the con....

Shot from the Warhammer Ancient Battles
Photos from my game "The Zareba" Saturday night -The British and Egyptians form a square

The Zareba burns away at one corner

Last stand of the British Hussars-standing fast against the Dervish

"Elephant Hunt"-Harold's 15mm FOW game. I played it and as the Germans I stood off and destroyed the Russians who are in this shot trying to "close assault" my elephants.

Stalag 9 and the hunt for the SturmFrappenZooter. Great board!

Between the Wars-China

"Check Your 6"

Agincourt - 28mm - Piquet:Band of Brothers Rules

"Folgore!"-Adam's Flame of War Game-15mm-Friday night-2nd Battle of El Alamein, Played in that and had a blast!!!

I'll have to post more photos at Photobucket. Anyway, I have returned to my Pathans and today gave 20 of the last 40 figures their wash in Army Painter Quickshade. That should dry nicely over-night and I can apply the basing material, give them their coat of flat finish and then touch-up the swords, etc. with silver. Then add some flocking to some of the bases and "Bob's Your Uncle" for them. Then it's the last 20 which shouldn't take too long and then the Pathans are done!!

All that will be left is the telegraph poles and the Gatling gun and it's crew. Building selection will then begin and hopefully play testing in October. And then I will be ready for February 2011. And as for May...maybe a Lord of the Rings game or maybe, as Tim suggested, a 50's monster movie game...I do have all those giant scorpions...

TTFN

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