Photos from Strategicon Wargaming Con

OK - Here are the photos from the last war gaming con I went to:

http://s207.photobucket.com/user/juggernought57/library/Wargame%20Convention%20Photos%202015/Gateway%20September%202015

Some of the game were in Honor of a friend of many of us, Harold Hildebrand, who passed away this April suddenly. He was a good friend and game and was quite into Historicals, and enjoyed Flames of War and WarHammer Ancients. As WAB is no more...our group has moved to Hail Caesar.  And in his honor we had on Saturday The Harold Hildebrand Memorial Hail Caesar Open Lists Tournament. I was well attended with 19 players and great prizes.

If this link to the photos doesn't work, let me know and I will correct it.

TTFN

What are you Painting?

  Well, I have been getting myself back together (see last post) and working on painting figure for me and for fun (I have finished all my commissions). So I have painting stuff for either - "Songs of Blades and Heroes" or "Lion Rampant"!

  These figures can be used for either game, but I planned on using them with Lion Rampant as Yeoman (I think)

   I am quite happy with the look and using Army Painters Quickshade Strong tone which I use a paint brush to apply to the figures (to be fair, they are cheap brushes you can get from any 99 cent or the like store).

Red Sonja perhaps?

  Both the barbarian ladies are for use with "Songs of Blades and Heroes", which is a fantasy skirmish game using small war-bands. I have watched and play the game and like the rules. And as I have a fair amount of barbarian types from a previous failed project, I have quite a bit to paint up and use.

  And as far as Lion Rampant goes, I am going to be using Teutonic Knights (FireForge plastics) and Russians for that and yes, I have a Alexander Nevsky figure! But for right now, it's the march of the barbarian horde!!!

TTFN

Goodbye Mr. Harold...

   This post is dedicated to the memory of one of my Best Friends, Harold Hildebrand, who passed away April 18th. He lost his battle with illness that kept him in the hospital for (approx.) 18th months, from 2006 into 2007.

 

   I had met him through another friend of mine at the Strategicon Game Conventions but really didn't get to know him till later, when he was still in the hospital. I would go visit him there, get him something if he needed it to work on while he recovered. When he finally got to go home, I discovered he was living only 5 minutes away from me! And so we got together often, play games, painting miniatures, etc. Harold was one of those guys everyone would want to have in their game group/club as he was a gracious winner or loser. He was fun to play with or against and liked to just have a "fun" game. 

  My world is a little smaller without him and I will missed him dearly. Now who will I go with to "Mama's Sushi" during "Happy Hour"?

TTFN

Some Photos from the Game Con

OK - I have been gone awhile - Sorry! However, I thought I would at least post some photos of some of the games at Strategicon's Orccon 2015 in February. The following shots are from the traditional Friday night Flames of War game.

It was Early War - French vs. Italians

 And now let's get in the Way-Back Machine for some Lion Rampant! The Medieval Skirmish Game from Osprey....

And for those of you out there into Mecha and the like...the new Robotech boxed set....

I didn't get as many photos as I usually do because I was running my Lord of the Rings game (The Bridge at Khazad-Dum) and I was only able to attend the Con Friday Night and Saturday. However, next Blog will be about the game or actually 2 games as the first one ended quicker that I thought it would and some people wanted to play but couldn't be there when I started at 1 PM so I ran a 2nd time as well.  So how about a little teaser...

The Fellowship is falling back to the Bridge...

"Hold Them! Get the Hobbits across the bridge!!"

"AAiiee!" wailed Legolas. "A Balrog has come!" 

TTFN...

Road Kill Corpses!

Road Kill Corpses!?! Yes indeed. From Johnny Borg Castings. But Larry, you say, why do I need these? Good question. To add ambiance to your gaming board. Or maybe you are running a skirmish game with people trying to steal cattle/sheep/etc. and some of the getting shot. Or maybe Space Aliens are killing cows, etc. for fun? He also has vultures, which are fun to move around the board as people die. I have done it during some of my Colonial games.

Anyway, go to:  JohnnyBorgCastings.com  and check out the dead critters and other goodies he has!

By the way, these dead animals do NOT have tire marks on them....

TTFN

Bird House Buildings from Michael's

  Quick one this time just to show two Bird Houses that work as Wild West, etc. type builds I got from Michael's, the Arts & Crafts store. One of the war game magazines I get, "Miniature Wargames with Battlegames" has an article every issue by Diane Sutherland, the "wargames widow" on making great terrain/building piece yourself for a minimal cost with stuff you might have around the house/garage or get from a arts/crafts store. When I saw these pieces, I knew I had to get them to paint & use (at a later date), something she has done in her articles.

The Log Cabin

Saloon/ Store?

    The figure I believe are from Monday Knight Productions Desperado Figures line and are 25mm. Sure some of the parts of the building are a wee bit out of scale (it is a birdhouse after all) but each building was $9.99 (assembled) and with a quick paint job will fill the bill quite nicely (IMHO).

  Also, if you have not checked out "Miniature Wargames" magazine, please do so. Great articles & photos every issue.

TTFN

"A Balrog of Morgoth....What did you say!?!"

 

  You bet! But it looks like I will have to postpone the Bridge at Khaza Dum till the February 2015 Orccon convention. I was cutting it a bit close thinking about making a gaming board for the September Gateway con but my Mother is having her gallbladder surgery on August 15th, so I need to be free to help take care of her. This just gives me more time to get things done for February.

  Anyway, I have done a cardboard mock-up of the game board in order to see how the scenario plays and to help with making the game board.

   

       The photo on the left is the exit board, that blue line is the exit the Fellowship have to go out of. The right photo show the 3 entrances the Goblins and the Balrog may com in on, their choice. It is the full Fellowship vs 24 Goblins & the Balrog. 10 Goblins a turn may come in after the Fellowship sets up (Turn 1), then on turn 2, 10 more Goblins and on Turn 3, last 4 Goblins and the Balrog. The original scenario was published in the first rulebook in the first boxed set. The Fellowship of the Ring (pages 70-71). So far I plan to use the Fellowship and the Balrog as written up in the hardbound rule book, The Lord of the Rings - A Strategy Battle Game. 

  Having not been able to play games recently I ran a couple of solo games of the scenario, trying different strategies. This led to the following sets of photos....Oh and the brown patches are piles of rubble.

Boromir has won (!?!) a fight against the Balrog and pushed him back off the bridge - a lone goblin is running toward Gandalf

Gimi! Keep them moving, I have a plan.....

Run Frodo, run!

"I, Boromir of the Gondor fear you not, foul Balrog!"

"You hold him Boromir.I'll get the bridge....1...2...3...SORCEROUS BLAST!!"

"BLAST WHAT!?! Oh bugger...."

    And so Boromir, Captain of Gondor, fell in battle against the Balrog and saved the rest of the Fellowship (and winning the game!!) I played out the combat of the Balrog vs Boromir, who was cut into many pieces....

The Good side had to exit with over half the Fellowship still alive (especially Frodo) and destroy the bridge, which Gandalf did. Being a gamer I was sure that is how many people would have done it....Sacrificing Boromir for the win as Legolas and Aragorn had already fallen. Bit of fun that!

TTFN

Almost forgot....here are some photos of a terrain piece a friend made for me...can you recognize it?  :)