Friday 22nd July 2016 - WW1 East Africa
Managed to complete the British & German briefings for the "Battle of Ngomano 1916". Soldiering on with the painting of course. Still need to come up with a QRS for the rules. Checked my list and reviewed the figures. Still 8 short - not a disaster.
Monday 25th July 2016 - WDW
No Ancients this time as only two of us were available. Got roped into playing "Oregan" boardgame. It was a close game with few points between us at the end. On the other tables were - 'Square Bashing' (Brits v Germans) and yet more boardgames.
Deany & Co started off with a hex-tile game featuring fantasy monsters. The follow-up was a trading game set in the Caribbean during pirate times. [Must find out the names!]
Tuesday 26th July 2016
Still cannot find the 'trees' for my newly discovered chariots - have selected some suitable rose clipping though. Getting closer on a handful of DBA-RRR figures/models. The 15mm Vikings are still looking at me balefully.
Thursday, 28 July 2016
Thursday, 21 July 2016
Not A Lot
Saturday 16th July - should have been going to WDW Napoleonic bash.
Thanks to my kind and considerate neighbour I was instead obliged to clear rubbish out of my back garden. Seems that there is now a draconian new law (2014) that allows people whose sensitivities have been disturbed (when looking out of an upstairs window) to report miscreants to the council. These criminals can then be obliged to carry out remedial work within 14 days else they will be served with an ASBO (and face fines and/or imprisonment).
Sunday 17th July - still working on my garden and making trips to the 'local' tip.
Some panels now drying out within view of the 'sensitive neighbour'. Will have to wait for the Environmental Officer to carry out an inspection (who by the merest coincidence happens to have the same surname as my neighbour).
Monday 18th July 2016 - no WDW meeting today (and no Swillington FDC either) so I made a second visit to Wakefield Warriors.
Didn't play this time but watched a game of "Kings of War" - Elves versus Undead. The Elves looked impressive but were ground down by waves of Undead.
Future Plans - to get on with my East Africans. More details to do than expected. Don't have long until they will be in use. The bases, however, can be left as they are - the MDF colour is similar to soils found in modern Tanganyika.
Thanks to my kind and considerate neighbour I was instead obliged to clear rubbish out of my back garden. Seems that there is now a draconian new law (2014) that allows people whose sensitivities have been disturbed (when looking out of an upstairs window) to report miscreants to the council. These criminals can then be obliged to carry out remedial work within 14 days else they will be served with an ASBO (and face fines and/or imprisonment).
Sunday 17th July - still working on my garden and making trips to the 'local' tip.
Some panels now drying out within view of the 'sensitive neighbour'. Will have to wait for the Environmental Officer to carry out an inspection (who by the merest coincidence happens to have the same surname as my neighbour).
Monday 18th July 2016 - no WDW meeting today (and no Swillington FDC either) so I made a second visit to Wakefield Warriors.
Didn't play this time but watched a game of "Kings of War" - Elves versus Undead. The Elves looked impressive but were ground down by waves of Undead.
Future Plans - to get on with my East Africans. More details to do than expected. Don't have long until they will be in use. The bases, however, can be left as they are - the MDF colour is similar to soils found in modern Tanganyika.
Wednesday, 13 July 2016
The Fortunes of War
[It's 00.16 GMT on Thursday 14th July 2016]
Sunday 10th July 2016 - a few more figures done:
Well that's almost all my planned DBA-RRR revisions / additions done. The only army left is 'English Colonial 1637-1700' which still needs 1 x Drg; 1 x Light Gun plus 2 x Sk.
The two 'unknown' elements were sitting on my board - they may end up in a Dutch Colonial army (book 3) at some future date. Now it's back to the East Africans.
Just finished another Dr Who book:
A reasonable yarn with some weird aliens set in the not too distant future. 6 out of 10 maybe!
Monday 11th July 2016 - DBM Abbasid Arabs v Tuareg - an ignominious defeat with two of our four generals being killed. Movement dice were OK but shooting and melee were just awful - we were six-oned mercilessly.
On the other table was a five person boardgame of "1812". The Canadians, Indians & Brits fought off the American invaders. I started off playing this game before the DBMers arrived - I wish that I had stayed there.
Sunday 10th July 2016 - a few more figures done:
back left - Colonial Portuguese - Kn(g)
back right - Transylvanian - Cv(g) - note 'Dracula's false teeth'
front left - Jinetes - Lh (Colonial Portuguese)
front right - War Dogs - 4WB (Spanish Colonial)
front left - Jinetes - Lh (Colonial Portuguese)
front right - War Dogs - 4WB (Spanish Colonial)
back left - English Colonist horsemen - Cv
back right - Pi (unknown)
front left - Moloitsy - Sh (Cossacks)
front right - Sh (unknown)
back right - Pi (unknown)
front left - Moloitsy - Sh (Cossacks)
front right - Sh (unknown)
Well that's almost all my planned DBA-RRR revisions / additions done. The only army left is 'English Colonial 1637-1700' which still needs 1 x Drg; 1 x Light Gun plus 2 x Sk.
The two 'unknown' elements were sitting on my board - they may end up in a Dutch Colonial army (book 3) at some future date. Now it's back to the East Africans.
Just finished another Dr Who book:
Monday 11th July 2016 - DBM Abbasid Arabs v Tuareg - an ignominious defeat with two of our four generals being killed. Movement dice were OK but shooting and melee were just awful - we were six-oned mercilessly.
On the other table was a five person boardgame of "1812". The Canadians, Indians & Brits fought off the American invaders. I started off playing this game before the DBMers arrived - I wish that I had stayed there.
Thursday, 7 July 2016
Just a Trickle
Saturday 2nd July 2016 - finished another book.
"Eight Banners and Green Flag" (see Thursday 26th May for cover) by Michael Fredholm von Essen - Pub: The Pike and Shot Society ISBN 978-1-902768-33-5
Subtitled "The Army of the Manchu Empire and Qing China, 1600-1850", it covers not only 250 years but also areas held by the Chinese (Ming & Qing), Mongols & Tibetans. A pretty comprehensive book and well worth the £10. I wanted more information on the Qing's enemies but I guess that you can't have everything.
If you see the Pike & Shot stall at any show, and have any interest in Chinese affairs of this period, then go and buy it.
Monday 4th July 2016 - WDW
DBM - Nikephorian Byzantine v Communal Italian - off to a slow start (1-1-2-2) but luckily the ally was paying attention. The game never really speeded up. My (left) command was fighting against two others - one half creamed the enemy knights - the other half went down in droves. Meanwhile the Georgian allies not only failed to break the opposition - they lost heavily. The Byzantines may live to fight another day but will have to do some substantial recruiting.
On the only other table - Andrew & Jim played a WW2 tank fight with home-grown rules. I got the impression that more work needs to be done to improve playability!
Very sparse attendance and no football excuse either.
Wednesday 6th July 2016 - recovering from my calling session at Barkstone Ash I finished off three more elements:
The blue and white flag looked ok from a distance but doesn't bear close inspection. I will re-paint it in due course. All these are for my DBA-RRR armies of course.
Some of my readers / viewers might be suffering a bit of deja vu. With the acquisition of more Conquistadores I have been able to swap some figures around and substitute where appropriate. This means more consistency regarding helmet / hat types etc so that I can differentiate between Portuguese, Spanish and English forces.
Have been adding steel to my khaki and brown (WW1) hordes. Wish I could paint as fast as Tamsin ('Wargaming Girl').
"Eight Banners and Green Flag" (see Thursday 26th May for cover) by Michael Fredholm von Essen - Pub: The Pike and Shot Society ISBN 978-1-902768-33-5
Subtitled "The Army of the Manchu Empire and Qing China, 1600-1850", it covers not only 250 years but also areas held by the Chinese (Ming & Qing), Mongols & Tibetans. A pretty comprehensive book and well worth the £10. I wanted more information on the Qing's enemies but I guess that you can't have everything.
If you see the Pike & Shot stall at any show, and have any interest in Chinese affairs of this period, then go and buy it.
Monday 4th July 2016 - WDW
DBM - Nikephorian Byzantine v Communal Italian - off to a slow start (1-1-2-2) but luckily the ally was paying attention. The game never really speeded up. My (left) command was fighting against two others - one half creamed the enemy knights - the other half went down in droves. Meanwhile the Georgian allies not only failed to break the opposition - they lost heavily. The Byzantines may live to fight another day but will have to do some substantial recruiting.
On the only other table - Andrew & Jim played a WW2 tank fight with home-grown rules. I got the impression that more work needs to be done to improve playability!
Very sparse attendance and no football excuse either.
Wednesday 6th July 2016 - recovering from my calling session at Barkstone Ash I finished off three more elements:
Left back - later Spanish Bd command - Left front - sword & buckler men (Bd)
Right - early Spanish Bd command
The blue and white flag looked ok from a distance but doesn't bear close inspection. I will re-paint it in due course. All these are for my DBA-RRR armies of course.
Some of my readers / viewers might be suffering a bit of deja vu. With the acquisition of more Conquistadores I have been able to swap some figures around and substitute where appropriate. This means more consistency regarding helmet / hat types etc so that I can differentiate between Portuguese, Spanish and English forces.
Have been adding steel to my khaki and brown (WW1) hordes. Wish I could paint as fast as Tamsin ('Wargaming Girl').
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Another Fine Mess
No, I'm not referring to Brexit (at least Boris is no longer a PM contender). It's just that Real Life gets in the way sometimes. So much so that when I looked into my "This Week" folder today it was empty.
The paucity of wargaming activity is as a result of finding a large envelope among the stuff I had to hurriedly move when my kitchen was flooded. It was a collection of old tapes that needed transferring to CD - and the deadline was Saturday 2nd July - EEK!!!!
Still here's what I did manage to do this week:
Monday 27th June 2016 - down at the club.
Al and I fought a DBM game of Viking Leidang v Carolingian Franks. The wargame was tight with the Vikings loosing their central command at the last moment. One of my commands was close to breaking as well.
Only two of us playing as Chris and Andy were watching England get (deservedly) thrashed by Iceland. How did Matt Baker describe them???
Two games of 'Square Bashing' were going on - Russians v Turks and French v Germans. I'm still interested in this set of rules but nobody produces Boxers in 10mm at the moment.
Medieval FUBAR using the club's SAGA figures. Seems that Saga itself has fallen out of favour whereas Fubar & Lion Rampant are in the ascendant!
Talked to Mike about 'Irregular Wars' again and showed him my recent acquisitions. Like me he has a fair number of Aztecs (or similar) but wants to base the bulk of them up for Baroque Impetus. The leftovers can be used for IW.
Figuring out what I need for the Conquistadors list is not quite as straightforward as it should be - there is the matter of classification. More on that later - when I have the time.
The paucity of wargaming activity is as a result of finding a large envelope among the stuff I had to hurriedly move when my kitchen was flooded. It was a collection of old tapes that needed transferring to CD - and the deadline was Saturday 2nd July - EEK!!!!
Still here's what I did manage to do this week:
Monday 27th June 2016 - down at the club.
Al and I fought a DBM game of Viking Leidang v Carolingian Franks. The wargame was tight with the Vikings loosing their central command at the last moment. One of my commands was close to breaking as well.
Only two of us playing as Chris and Andy were watching England get (deservedly) thrashed by Iceland. How did Matt Baker describe them???
Two games of 'Square Bashing' were going on - Russians v Turks and French v Germans. I'm still interested in this set of rules but nobody produces Boxers in 10mm at the moment.
Medieval FUBAR using the club's SAGA figures. Seems that Saga itself has fallen out of favour whereas Fubar & Lion Rampant are in the ascendant!
Talked to Mike about 'Irregular Wars' again and showed him my recent acquisitions. Like me he has a fair number of Aztecs (or similar) but wants to base the bulk of them up for Baroque Impetus. The leftovers can be used for IW.
Figuring out what I need for the Conquistadors list is not quite as straightforward as it should be - there is the matter of classification. More on that later - when I have the time.
Thursday, 23 June 2016
Pastures New-ish
Monday 20th June 2016
No Wakefield & District Wargamers meeting today and....no Swillington either. So what did I do? I went off to find the Wakefield Warriors at their new venue. Now meeting at Westgate Common WMC on Park Grove Road (WF2 8TW) I found them welcoming (as I had two years ago at 'The Snooty Fox').
This bunch plays boardgames, FRP and wargames (at the fantasy end of the spectrum). I was offered the chance to play "Kings of War" being tutored along the way. Simple mechanisms involving the 'bucket of dice' approach. Quite a few subtleties in game play which I have yet to commit to memory. Still I managed to win with my Orcs versus his Goblins. I like the system and might even buy a copy. Fun and beginners luck!
Tuesday 21st June 2016
Finished a couple more DBA-RRR elements:
2 x English Colonial Generals
As it's another busy week for me - calling Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday - it's unlikely that I will get any more painting done for a while.
At some time in the past I discussed with club member Mike the possibility of running a Renaissance colonial game in 15mm. The problem was that both of us had large numbers of Aztec type figures but little in the way of European opposition. With the acquisition of the Conquistadores on Saturday there may be a possible resolution.
Accordingly I dug out my copy of "Irregular Wars - Conflict at World's End" to look at the army lists. Assuming the use of standard 40mm x 40 mm DBM/DBR bases the 'Conquistador' army requires:
Compulsory - 2 x Mtd Conquistadors (6 riders & 6 horses)
2 x Rodeleros sword & buckler men (6 foot)
Optional - 1 x Rodeleros sword & buckler men (3 foot)
1 x (Regular) Pike (8 foot)*
1 x Shot (3 foot)
1 x Crossbowmen (3 foot)
1 x Priest (1-3 foot)
1 x War-dogs (3-5 dogs)
1 x Field gun (1 gun plus 2-3 crew)
2-8 x Indian mercenaries - missiles (6-24 foot)
2-10 x Indian archers (6-30 foot)
1-6 x Indian porters (3-18 foot)
* I feel that such a close-order would be appropriate for the 'regular pikemen' but not for the 'half-pikes' who fought in a looser formation.
I can cover the Compulsory and the first four optional troops from my newbies. Indian mercenaries, Priests and Porters I will have to search for. The field gun and war dogs I could order from the new owner of Naismith & Roundway figures - http://naismithandroundway.co.uk/
The dedicated Naismith sword & buckler men are codes CQ14 - Standing; CQ15 - Attacking. I could use a mixture of CQ01 - Conquistador Officer; CQ02 - Gentlemen Adventurer with Sword; CQ03 - Conquistador with Sword Charging & CQ04 - Conquistador with Sword At Ready.
Next is to look again at my Mesoamericans. As I recall they are a mixture of sizes - Naismith (smallest) to Tin Soldier (largest). Perhaps I'm allowed to be 'size-ist' on this occasion?
No Wakefield & District Wargamers meeting today and....no Swillington either. So what did I do? I went off to find the Wakefield Warriors at their new venue. Now meeting at Westgate Common WMC on Park Grove Road (WF2 8TW) I found them welcoming (as I had two years ago at 'The Snooty Fox').
This bunch plays boardgames, FRP and wargames (at the fantasy end of the spectrum). I was offered the chance to play "Kings of War" being tutored along the way. Simple mechanisms involving the 'bucket of dice' approach. Quite a few subtleties in game play which I have yet to commit to memory. Still I managed to win with my Orcs versus his Goblins. I like the system and might even buy a copy. Fun and beginners luck!
Tuesday 21st June 2016
Finished a couple more DBA-RRR elements:
As it's another busy week for me - calling Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday - it's unlikely that I will get any more painting done for a while.
At some time in the past I discussed with club member Mike the possibility of running a Renaissance colonial game in 15mm. The problem was that both of us had large numbers of Aztec type figures but little in the way of European opposition. With the acquisition of the Conquistadores on Saturday there may be a possible resolution.
Accordingly I dug out my copy of "Irregular Wars - Conflict at World's End" to look at the army lists. Assuming the use of standard 40mm x 40 mm DBM/DBR bases the 'Conquistador' army requires:
Compulsory - 2 x Mtd Conquistadors (6 riders & 6 horses)
2 x Rodeleros sword & buckler men (6 foot)
Optional - 1 x Rodeleros sword & buckler men (3 foot)
1 x (Regular) Pike (8 foot)*
1 x Shot (3 foot)
1 x Crossbowmen (3 foot)
1 x Priest (1-3 foot)
1 x War-dogs (3-5 dogs)
1 x Field gun (1 gun plus 2-3 crew)
2-8 x Indian mercenaries - missiles (6-24 foot)
2-10 x Indian archers (6-30 foot)
1-6 x Indian porters (3-18 foot)
* I feel that such a close-order would be appropriate for the 'regular pikemen' but not for the 'half-pikes' who fought in a looser formation.
I can cover the Compulsory and the first four optional troops from my newbies. Indian mercenaries, Priests and Porters I will have to search for. The field gun and war dogs I could order from the new owner of Naismith & Roundway figures - http://naismithandroundway.co.uk/
The dedicated Naismith sword & buckler men are codes CQ14 - Standing; CQ15 - Attacking. I could use a mixture of CQ01 - Conquistador Officer; CQ02 - Gentlemen Adventurer with Sword; CQ03 - Conquistador with Sword Charging & CQ04 - Conquistador with Sword At Ready.
Next is to look again at my Mesoamericans. As I recall they are a mixture of sizes - Naismith (smallest) to Tin Soldier (largest). Perhaps I'm allowed to be 'size-ist' on this occasion?
Sunday, 19 June 2016
Phalanx 2016 - Let the Train Take the Strain
Yes an extra posting - what next?
Saturday 18th June 2016 - Phalanx @ St.Helens
So off I went on my 2.5 hour jaunt over the Pennines. It didn't start well - at 09.09 the train turned up at Fitzwilliam to get me to Leeds. 1 minute late - not bad - only it was supposed to be the 08.46. This didn't bode well but apart from having to stand to Wakefield I managed to make the first connection. Surprisingly Manchester Piccadilly & Newton-le-Willows changes also worked out.
The show was easy to find - walking distance from the station. The bugbear - nowhere to get any cash. Why don't these Leisure Centres have cash points? After a 15 minute walk each way to a shopping centre I had my cash and could go to the 'Bring & Buy' (which was excellent). I didn't buy a lot in the main hall - very little in 15mm. Some of the games were interesting but not as good as Partizan. The hall was also rather hot and stuffy.
Here's my loot:
1 cardboard box labelled "24 packs - Conquistador Army" Inside were 25 packs (I complained bitterly - NOT) of Naismith Design figures for £10. The next time I hand over my 'spare change' to the Cat Protection League I will add £2.
Also - 4 packs of 60 x 60 MDF bases (for my East African project).
The journey home involved 3 changes - Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge & Leeds. The Pennine Express was 5 minutes late into Leeds but as I had 12 minutes for the changeover it was no problem. The only gripe I had was when a bunch of charming lads boarded the Manchester bound train - they were very loud-mouthed and foul-mouthed - F-ing and B-ing relentlessly. From Stalybridge a quartet of older gentlemen also had a somewhat limited vocabulary.
So would I go to Phalanx again? I think not. Train advertising doesn't mention the crass passengers you meet or the bawling babies. 2.5 hours is too long to endure for a moderate show.
Here's some links for pictures:
http://wargameamateur.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/phalanx-2016.html
http://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/phalanx-2016-wargame-show.html
http://willwarweb.blogspot.co.uk/
Saturday 18th June 2016 - Phalanx @ St.Helens
So off I went on my 2.5 hour jaunt over the Pennines. It didn't start well - at 09.09 the train turned up at Fitzwilliam to get me to Leeds. 1 minute late - not bad - only it was supposed to be the 08.46. This didn't bode well but apart from having to stand to Wakefield I managed to make the first connection. Surprisingly Manchester Piccadilly & Newton-le-Willows changes also worked out.
The show was easy to find - walking distance from the station. The bugbear - nowhere to get any cash. Why don't these Leisure Centres have cash points? After a 15 minute walk each way to a shopping centre I had my cash and could go to the 'Bring & Buy' (which was excellent). I didn't buy a lot in the main hall - very little in 15mm. Some of the games were interesting but not as good as Partizan. The hall was also rather hot and stuffy.
Here's my loot:
1 box of Airfix 'Robin Hood' (B & B) - £2 - destined for the 'general box'
1 box of Imex Sioux Indians (B & B) - £3 - for conversion into various 'natives'
Also - 4 packs of 60 x 60 MDF bases (for my East African project).
The journey home involved 3 changes - Manchester Victoria, Stalybridge & Leeds. The Pennine Express was 5 minutes late into Leeds but as I had 12 minutes for the changeover it was no problem. The only gripe I had was when a bunch of charming lads boarded the Manchester bound train - they were very loud-mouthed and foul-mouthed - F-ing and B-ing relentlessly. From Stalybridge a quartet of older gentlemen also had a somewhat limited vocabulary.
So would I go to Phalanx again? I think not. Train advertising doesn't mention the crass passengers you meet or the bawling babies. 2.5 hours is too long to endure for a moderate show.
Here's some links for pictures:
http://wargameamateur.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/phalanx-2016.html
http://battlefieldswarriors.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/phalanx-2016-wargame-show.html
http://willwarweb.blogspot.co.uk/
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