Time for a 'Catch-Up'

After a flurry of painting the brushes have sat idle.  That doesn't mean, however, that nothing has been happening on the wargames front.


Monday 6th August 2018 - WDW

ACW Naval
Revolution (boardgame)
DBM - Scots Common v HYW English (0:10 to the Scots)
I wasn't there so thanks for the info Deany.


Monday 13th August 2018 - WDW

Napoleonic skirmish (Forager rules)
Age of Eagles - French v Prussians
DBM - Welsh v Early Byzantine.  When Andy sprung 8 x Kn(F) out of the wood it was all over bar the shouting. Our Wb(F) was massacred.  An ignominious defeat - we were packed up by 2100 hrs.


Friday 17th August 2018 - Gt. Houghton

Just for a change we were playing "DBA in the New World" (rules on 'Steven's Balagan' web page).

1)  Tarascans v Aztecs - I was (mostly) on a hill and awaited the Aztec onslaught.  It was then that we found out how weak Bd(O) are against Sh(S).  Maybe the term "Warrior" would be better for this class as they incorporate Wb, Aux and Bd(I) into one classification.  It was a 0:8 win for me.

2)  Aztecs v Later Spanish -  the dice deserted me so I went down to a 9:1 defeat.

3)  Colonial Spanish v Later Spanish - I had half-pikes but couldn't make them count.  Again the dice gods spurned me - only a 6:2 loss this time.

The rules seemed to work OK but the troops have to be handled carefully.  Modifications are needed to encompass the evolution of DBA to version 3.0.  As a consequence we did make a few mistakes.


Friday 17th August / Saturday 18th August - WDW

A big re-fight of Borodino organised by Chris - see the (Wakefield & District Wargamers) club website for details.


Sunday 19th August 2018 - Newark

I did consider going to 'The Other Partizan' but couldn't be bothered to make the 40 mile drive.  It seems that others made the same decision (eg Wargaming Girl).  Maybe having 3 shows at the same place in relatively short succession is a little too much!


Monday 20th August 2018 - Al's Garage

I took along Latins (this time with Gallic and Syracusan allies) to face off against Al's Early Carthaginians.  The set up was 'mirrored' with both armies concentrating on their left flanks.  As a result plenty of time was spent trying to get into contact.  Our Gallic Wb(O) was too slow to make any impact as were the accompanying chariots. 

The fighting front rotated 70 degrees clockwise which made moving figures tricky.  When we pulled stumps our side had taken more casualties but nowhere near enough to break a command.

Had we both used a more conventional (and confrontational) set up something other than a draw might have happened.

Yet More Vikings

I seem to have been on a painting spree lately.

2 x Saxon Mounted Command - Cv(O)
5 x Viking Huscarls - Bd(O)
4 x Viking Raiders - Bd(F)

11 x Viking Raiders - Bd(F)
1 x Welsh spearmen - Ax(O) or Ax(X)

The huscarls will be contributed towards a combined Welsh army using Ben's list.  The Bd(F) may well turn up as Breton allies.  Some of my recently painted Roman cavalry could do service in either army.

On my paint table are 21 cavalry that are nearing completion.  Production has been halted as I managed to break a lance and the Super Glue has dried up (isn't that always the way?). 


Round Up

Saturday 4th August 2018 - Gt. Houghton

2 games of DBN where I was commanding the Austrians v the dastardly Prussians.  I lost the first game 5:3.  Revenge came in the re-match 1:6.

We decided that a house rule was necessary - Jager & LI only get +4 when defending a BUA in melee.  You could argue for a +1 in shooting (rested muskets/partial cover) maybe!

2 games of DBA v3.0

Western Visigoths v Middle Imperial Roman - a 1:4 loss.  Just bad fighting dice.
Early Byzantines v Italian Ostrogoths - my light horse v Ian's Kn(F).  I took the wrong table edge so couldn't use my greater manoeuvrability.  A 1:5 loss.


Monday 6th August 2018 - WDW

Couldn't get there - hopefully I can post later.


Tuesday 7th August 2018 - Completely Off-Topic

Early evening the field behind my house was on fire.  The cereal crop had just been harvested the day before.  The fire brigade was called but could not gain access because of anti-nuisance gates.  They eventually came in from the far side of the hill crest.

You can see how the fire crept up the hill.  Had it not been stopped the un-harvested crop on the far side would have been lost.  Not a big event in world terms but quite spectacular on a local scale.

More Painting Progress

9 elements of 'Roman' cavalry.  The eagle-eyed will spot some Spanish (Mike's Models) and some mounted hoplites.  The rest are indeed Romans but painted mostly as more generic dark ages figures.

The 2h Lch that I purchased at Newark.  Not certain which dynasty it is supposed to be from!  The bases are too long to fit the model on straight - hence the skewed frontage.

I found 20 of these languishing at the bottom of my 'Dark Ages' box.  The riders are a special made by Mike's Models somewhere in the seventies.  An advert in Slingshot asked for people to buy some as the commissioner had to purchase a minimum amount.  They are Early Sarmatians (the horses may be MM or Minifigs).

After sleeping peacefully in their box for decades I have decided to convert them into something useful.  The Carolingian Medium Cavalryman illustrated in the Ian Heath Dark Ages book is pretty close but I will have to add a shield and disguise the quivers.

By adding a suitable figure from the spares box I will have 7 elements of generic DA cavalry for my Welsh and Breton armies. For once I am glad that I am a hoarder.

Round Up

Monday 31st July 2018 - WDW

Square Bashing - Russians v Germans
Wings of War - WW1
Hitler's War (boardgame)
DBM - Scots Common v Medieval Irish - a slow game with no conclusion


Tuesday 1st August 2018

Posted some pictures to the club's Facebook page.

Received Viking huscarls from Essex.  Unfortunately 10 of them were spearmen not axemen. In the fullness of time I will, therefore, have to purchase 6 more axemen.  Have started painting them already.