WW1 Progress Report

Not a lot happening this week on the wargaming front - no WDW.  I'm also still suffering from a throat infection and getting little sleep.  Still I have managed to make progress on the WW1 East African front.

The German Forces:

9 x Ruga Ruga - a real mixture of figures - Tarzan, Zulus, Red Indians and others that I cannot identify.  The eagle-eyed will spot some unfinished items, missing shields etc.

2 x Germans Seabattalion (white uniforms);
2 x German 'regulars' (khaki)
8 x Askaris (mostly the awful old HaT box with a few recent additions.

Tried to photograph some  others but light levels are pretty poor at the moment.  The camera insisted on using flash (in spite of 3 spotlights.  I had to use the 'suppress flash' setting which meant that the 'anti-shake' was turned off.  Will try again tomorrow (after the threatened deluge).

With the Brits (pictures next week) I now have all the figures in a useable state.  How much tidying up I can do in the time remaining is in the lap of the gods!


On another matter.....

Featuring the David Tennant Doctor and the splendidly feisty Donna (Sharon Tate) this is a good yarn set in Indai on the verge of independence.  The period touches are wonderful and Gandhi comes over as very likeable.

Ghosts of India is a good read - well worth the money.

The English Are Coming

Monday 15th August 2016 - completed 4 elements to finish my Colonial English DBA-RRR army:

1 x Drg               Colonist mounted muskets
1 x Gun               light gun  [using normal cannons until I find a suitable 'light gun']
1 x Sk                 Caribbean Indians 
                           [don't have any carribean indians but as the English also fought in
                            North America I used some AWI figures]
1 x Sk                 ‘Woods-wise’ colonists  [used Roget's Rangers]

This is the 17th DBA-RRR army that I have painted up so I reckon it's time for a break.  


WDW - DBM Tupi v Spanish (not colonial).  We hid in the bad terrain until throwing a "1" forced us out.  Another turn would have resulted in an ignominious defeat.  The Spanish were throwing ridiculously poor movement dice (usually 2 x 1 plus something else).  I made up for it in combat by throwing ones and twos.

Viet Nam scenario being played on the main table - the Americans won in the end.

Tim's Vichy French managed to inflict a defeat upon the Brits (WW2) in the 2nd round of their ongoing Mediterranean campaign.


Thursday 18th August 2016 - WW1 East Africa - progress report:

Started painting the bases - slightly different colours for the Germans and the Brits (it makes it easier to diffentiate between so much khaki).   Player briefings and maps done.

QRS still to be done.  Play test to be carried out.

I MUST get on with it!!!

The Nearly Man

It's one of those weeks when you think...."I'll get that job done by Thursday".  Alas real life gets in the way and you become a 'nearly man'.

Saturday 6th August 2016 - WDW

Turned up lunchtime to find the lads 'Square Bashing'.  Apparently there had been a 20C naval game on in the morning.  Too late to join in anything though!


Monday 8th August 2016 - WDW (again)

The big game was "Attack" with 6 people playing.  A sort of variant on Risk.  It seemed to me that they spent far longer on the rules than actually playing the game.

Andy & John played a rare game of DBA (v3).  I think that's the fourth this year.

With Chris absent the other three had a DBM bash with Al's Samurai v Andy's Tuaregs.  By close of play the Samurai were one command down.  Not a thrilling game.


Thursday 11th August - deadline

 I finished yet another book:

This book is an expansion of what happened in the tv series 'Deep Space 9'  The writer is constrained in how far she can go and there is precious little suspense.  Still the author does her best. 


On the painting front  I managed to get my WW1 East Africans done plus some elements for DBA-RRR English Colonial.   So two projects completed?  Well......that's when  I spotted a stray box file!

Seems that I am a  'Nearly Man' once again!

This Is NOT The Way to Do It!!!

(It's 02.45 GMT on Thursday 4th August 2016)

Monday 1st August 2016 - WDW

 DBM - Thracians v Pre-Islamic Arabs.

The scribbled plan above shows my troops in black and the enemy in blue.  I really made a mess of my deployment.  Command one had all my cavalry plus 10 Lh(O) - stuck between a steep hill and two woods.  Command 4 (the Greeks) were hung out to dry on the right flank.  In hindsight I should have put the hoplites between the hills (a la Thermopylae) and command one on the right.  Basic rookie mistakes.

This shows what happens when you turn up frazzled after being diverted off course because some a***h**e thought he could get under a low bridge.  Luckily Al & I managed to hold out for a draw.

On the other tables - WW1 Naval, American War of Independence (Black Powder) & WW2 in the Desert (Vichy French v Americans).


Tuesday 2nd August 2016 - finished another book

 A more joyous book about Steam coming to the Discworld.  Clearly the author had benefitted from spending time on the Watercress line (as I did).  The counter-balance to his last (ever) book that showed the downside of new technology.  No matter what the cultural differences Pratchett tells us that we all have our place in society.  Clearly a message that needs to be repeated loudly in post-Brexit England.


Thursday 4th August 2016 - Red Box figures (from Hannants) arrived this afternoon.

RB72096 - Spanish infantry 16C - set 1
RB72099 - Italian infantry 16C - set 1
RB72108 - Scottish Light Cavalry - War of the Roses

All of these are currently sitting in the "Awaiting Review" section of PSR. 

The infantry have an awful lot of flash around the sprue and figure base making them hard to separate.  The cavalry have no distinct lessening between sprue and riders' legs.