Back On Line At Last!

Computer Woes

In early December my hard drive failed.  I took the computer to the shop only to be told that the motherboard was cracked and consequently of no use.

After much mithering (Yorkshire expression) I purchased a second-hand unit with Win 10 pre-installed.

Approx 70% of the old HD data can be recovered plus recourse to various backups.  This work will take some time.


Wargaming

Not much has been happening with the club closed down from the 15th Dec to Jan 7th.

Due to play DBA v3 this coming Wednesday.

Doing some research on the Jacobites.  Have read the Osprey title and found it lacking in depth.  Seem to recall that there was a WRG title covering the period - anybody remember it?


New Year Resolutions (regarding this blog)

Mr Dean is planning to start a club blog early in the new year so I think my reporting of WDW games can go there rather than here in future.

As I enjoy playing DBA-RRR I am thinking about putting more information up.  Trouble is this blog does not have the capacity to host documents so maybe I will be moving  in due course!

Anyway.......I wish all my readers/viewers a

HAPPY NEW YEAR for 2019

  

 

More Books

Been off all week recovering from this awful virus so I hit the books again.  First there was an entirely forgettable Star Trek tome.

Second was this:

Taken from a radio play this book was a bit of a mixed bag.  It starts out like something written by Douglas Adams - that semi-surrealistic quirky logic.  After that it falls into a standard story with the Doctor & Peri being chased around a space-ship.

Now I couldn't find any reference to which incarnation of the Doctor this was - Peri as the companion (the gorgeous Nicola Bryant) meant two possibilities - Peter Davison or Colin Baker.  The characterisation does not seem to fit with either.  On-line research tells me the play featured the later Dr Who.

An unsatisfactory book as far as I'm concerned - maybe it worked better on the radio!


Monday 29th February - DBM - Scythians v Assyrians.

Tim subbed for me, partnering Al, versus Chris & Andy.  Apparently it was a good game with both sides having opportunities but the dice gods decided condemning  Andy with a  '1' near the end.  A 5:5 draw.

Only two other games were going on - Square Bashing - a board game.  No doubt further information will be forthcoming.

Normal Service

Well almost.......still trying to throw off the last of this virus.


Monday 30th November - DBM - Samurai v Sung Chinese - a hard battle where my leftmost command managed to hold on (with the general resembling Houdini) whilst Chris broke two enemy (Samurai) commands. 

I learnt that although Bw(X) may look tough they can soon go down to determined opposition. This situation left me with only one small command intact. An amazing number of sixes being thrown by myself and Al to little result.

On the other tables:
    'Square Bashing' Austro-Hungarians v Russians
        100 Years War fight using Osprey rules
        Star Wars dogfight
        HotT practice game

Incidentally I gave up trying to read 'Field of Glory' Renaissance - too prescriptive and unwieldy for my liking.


Wednesday 2nd December - in between catching up on all my Folk Dance duties I took another look at the basing options in 'Victorian Steel'.  p4 - "So long as the frontages for all......are the same any size can be incorporated.  For anyone starting from scratch we use 3" square bases.....with the depth reduced or increased as necessary for skirmishers, cavalry and equipment."

A sample of the photos shows the following:

        p4       Colonial African Askari            6 figs                              square
        p5       Boxers ('mobs')                         4 figs                              2:3 ratio
                                                                                                      (front to depth)
        p6        Egyptian brigade (foot)           6 figs                              square
        p6               "           "       (horse)         3 figs                              square
        p6               "           "       (artillery)     4 figs + 1 gun                 square
        p7       Bengal light horse                    3 figs                              square
        p7       Bengal horse artillery              6h, limber + gun             long (approx 2:5 ratio)

 Looks to me like any 'regular' troops, horse and unlimbered guns get square bases but irregular 'mobs' have greater depth.  As my Zulus are on (largely) unpainted cardboard bases altering them to 3" x 4.5" shouldn't be too difficult.  Not so for the imperials as they have 60 mm frontages.  Obviously a need for some sabot bases - more work!

Did I really offer to put on a game this month????
              

A Short Note

Yes I know I missed a Thursday....and this week it's just a brief note.  Still firmly in the grips of this virus - coughing, sneezing, raging sore throat and headache.  Local knowledge says it takes at least a month to recover!

Next Monday I hope to be well enough to get to the club for some wargaming.  Meanwhile I am trying to read through the 'Field of Glory Renaissance' rules. 

Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible...............

Yes I'ts Thursday

It seemed like a good idea at the time - blog every Thursday.  Trouble is you get weeks that just crowd wargaming out.

My other hobby (country dancing) meant me calling Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon.  I also danced on Friday and Monday.

On top of that my loft cover came crashing down yesterday - it's a good job that no person or animal was anywhere near!  So now I have a gaping hole into my loft and a cold wind blowing into my bedroom.  Such is life.......

Oh yes,,,,Saturday's wargaming:  I took some of my DBA-RRR armies along.  The other table was happily playing Age of Eagles (Neapolitans v French) and I waited for my opponents.  At 15.00 hrs we alll packed up.

On the plus side my solo game meant that I could set up and try out a 'house rule' for DBA-RRR. 


HAMLETS

The last time we played with a BUA getting established troops out was impossible.  The 'standard' rules give +3 to the defenders.  Now this is probably ok for a town with brick walls and substantial buildings but what about the lesser fry?

 I was thinking about this as I drove through Cold Hiendly - a hamlet near where I live - it has approximatley 8 houses (brick built), one winding road through, hedges and two small barns.  So this would, maybe, count as a large hamlet and defenders could be given a +2.

Old 18th century maps show only 4 buildings, a track and some small sheds or barns.  None of the current buildings pre-date the 19th century so Cold Hiendly, at that time, would have been little more than a blip on the landscape.  Perhaps it should only rate a +1 for defenders.

I therefore propose that scenario setters could be more flexible in how they rate BUAs.  Hamlets could be from, say, 1 to 2, Villages 3 to 4, and larger areas as appropriate (even being split up into differntly rated sectors).

First trial:

 Setup was as per a scenario in 'One Hour Wargame' with a village at the centre of the board, a hill in one corner and a wood in the opposite diagonal corner.  I designated the BUA as value +2.  Half the DBA-RRR armies (Swedes v Danes) would march up the road towards the BUA.  One force was 5x foot + 1 Lh.  The other was 5x mounted + 1 dragoons.  Mounted would receive no bonus within the village.  After 5 turns the other halves would turn up (over the hill or out of the wood).  

In the battle the Danes rushed their mounted into the village.  The enemy foot plodded forward.  One unit of dragoons was not enough to hold out against 4x muskets.  But just as the Swedes were celebrating the other forces arrived.  This time, after 15 moves, the Swedes could not be shifted.  

Maybe when I play it again with 'real people' I will have to put terrain in all four corners (wargamers are always suspiscious of terrain).  That way each player could decide where the 'second half' emerges from.  It would add more uncertainty.

If anybody tries this out please add a comment.

Weakly Posting

One of my readers suggested that  I post every week. I decided upon Thursdays.  Well it's 0049 Friday but that's close enough:

Monday - DBM - Chris put up Fanatic Berber versus Andy's Western Sudanese.  A slow business with both sides playing cagey.  Chris was waiting for his Spanish flank march to arrive (he's still waiting).  The game ended in a draw with the Berbers being close to a broken command.

Tuesday - turned out my Renaissance boxes to see what forces I could field for" Irregular Wars - Conflict at the World's End".  Looks like I have enough for an 'Aztec' type army or a Mayan one.  The Europeans can be fielded as Conquistadores, Colonial Spanish or Colonial Portuguese.  A few more bases of general-purpose 'natives' would be useful so I based up & flocked some slingers & warriors.

Wednesday - woken up at an ungodly hour so decided to get my computers sorted out.   A whole day to install Win7.  Reminded me of  a poem called "Reinstalling Windows" by Les Barker.

Thursday - so I got on with my painting didn't I?   Had a surprise visit from a friend with accompanying mutt.  Spent the day walking around the local reservoir and socialising.    The best laid plans............

I Have Been To....

OK I pinched the title from another blogger....

No painting this week as I  have been dog-sitting for a week "in foreign parts".  This does not, however, mean that I have been idle on the wargaming front.


Saturday 18th July - Halifax shop where I purchased:

Caesar 105 - Goblins

The 'strap-line' is "You could resist Goblins no longer!" I cannot deny it.  Will be added to my growing Fantasy collection.

Strelets 0024 - French Light Infantry (Crimean War)

The box art shows zoaves & other light troops in equal numbers.  Inside were 9 of the former and 35 of the latter - this will teach me to check the PSR site before buying.  The lights will, no doubt, be given to Ian.

Caesar 011 - Assyrian Chariot

Another contribution to my growing Assyrian army.


Wednesday 22nd July - Burnley Wargames Club:

Not that easy to find but worth the effort.  A friendly group where I got roped into playing a Napoleonic scenario using a modified version of "Fire & Fury" rules.  Thanks for the warm welcome lads and hope to see you at Recon.


Thursday 23rd July - Pennine Raiders (Halifax):

Seems that the wargames club had been taken in by the Raiders after they lost their former premises.  The Working Mens Club soon filled up with a variety of games including Fog Renaissance, Warhammer Ancient Battles & 40k.


Saturday 25th July - "The First Colonial Soldiers"

My neighbour had taken in three weighty volume by authors Weiner Drenth & Jonathon Riley.  Haven't had time for more than a quick flip through - bit disappointed that there are no colour plates but you can't have everything I suppose. 

Subtitled "A survey of British overseas territories and their garrisons, 1650-1714" they should provide plenty of information about the Renaissance period. 

Volume 1: the British Isles, Europe, Asia and Africa covers - the Channel Isles, Isle of Man, Dunkirk, Tangier, Gibraltar, Minorca, West Africa, East India and the Spice Islands.

Volume 2: the Americas and the Caribbean part 1: New England and the Middle Colonies.

Volume 2: the Americas and the Caribbean part 2: the Southern Colonies and the West Indies.

I have another book to read first before I can get down to a serious look-see but in due course dear reader..........

A Little Light Painting

Last weekend I finally managed to get to my painting desk without freezing my toes, fingers and other delicate bits off.  On my board was an eclectic mix of:

15 - Chinese warband (one has presumably gone astray).
50 - Renaissance figures (some Transylvanians)
10 - Sci-Fi goblin types (in need of repair)
38 - Daleks (in various stages)

The warband only needs some dry-brushing and basing. The goblins shouldn't take much longer either.  Hopefully that means photos will be forthcoming - weather permitting of course.

Two more projects are sitting in my living room - Romans & Egyptians.

You know how it is - you research the army list, check your own stock and make a list of shortfall items. With good intentions you go to shows and pick up the figures you need - then you loose your notes.

In this case it was a 15mm Early Imperial Roman army (DBM) that I was collecting.  Realising that one of my fellow players already had an EIR army I decided to alter it to Middle Imperial Roman.  In the meantime DBMM lists came out  At this stage the project was shelved until I, literally, fell over it.

The bare metal only gives a vague indication of the units that I was trying to build.  So it's back to the drawing board.  This time I will keep a hard copy of my proposed army.

The 20mm New Kingdom Egyptians are already painted and based for Armati.  My intention was to re-base for Impetus.  Simples!  Not so as Impetus army lists are hard to come by.  I checked the lists for the 'Extra Impetus' magazines (why am I thinking RIP OFF?) without success.  The only available list seems to be in the 'Basic Impetus' section.  Reluctantly I will have to spend time on the Forums!

Xmas Cheer

Not a lot of it around this year - I'm full of cold - coughing, spluttering, etc.  Such is life!

On the positive side being out of circulation has meant that I have done quite a bit of reading lately.

Border Reivers: proved interesting if a bit unsatisfying (like most Osprey books I find).  The Currours will no doubt be converted in due course.

Irregular Wars 2nd Edition:  really a heap better than the first edition.  Can't wait to try out the rules.  Optional cards are way too expensive though.

Not wanting to mess about with re-basing and considering that my 20mm plastics are already set for DBA-RRR, I went in search of  the 'unused' Meso-American 15mm figures.

It turns out that I have:
             a considerable number of Aztecs (mainly Tin Soldier and Minifigs);
             some Tupi (Grumpys & Gladiator), Maya (Gladiator ),
             plus a few Incas(Minifigs) & Eskimos(MY Miniatures).

Can't help feeling that there may be some American Indians somewhere lurking about (also MY)!

European opposition is sadly lacking though - only some Wars of the Roses figures that could be press-ganged into use.  Hopefully Vapnatak will provide the answer!!!

Anyway ..... although I do not celebrate xmas for those who do may I wish you all a

      MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Returning from Recon

"4 plastic Blue Dice,

3 pots of paint,

2 boxes of soldiers .....and...

a book on Border Reivers."

My booty from Recon 2014:

Now that I have given up on Armati I'm looking to re-base my New Kingdom Egyptians, Trojans & Sea Peoples/Philistines for Impetus.  Depending upon what is needed whether I draft these figures into an existing army or use them as the basis for a new one - time will tell.

At last I managed to find this book on the Bring & Buy (at £4).  Only read a few pages so far but it looks interesting.  A DBA-RRR force created from Curours (plus head-swaps) seems possible. 

The 2nd Edition of these rules (pdf) came into my possession earlier in the week.  A huge improvement over the previous version - but a lot more pages to read.  I'm almost tempted to buy the book when it comes out!

Purchased on the weekend before Recon, at the Halifax shop.  These useful figures will go into my 'stock pile' until they are needed.


Finally Monday saw a DBM battle between Polybian Romans versus Axumite Abbyssinians in Arabia.  Again we managed to face off our camels & light horse against his Light horse (Numidians this time).  The enemy threw a "1"  to make their ally unreliable.  Sensing victory our hordes advanced.  Light Horse Harry (Chris) quickly threw a "6" to get his command moving and avoided contact for most of the game.  After 3 hours we declared a draw with fewer than 10 casualties per side.

Another Quick Note

RL getting in the way again - folk dancing & computers.

Been calling at least twice a week lately - something to do with xmas no doubt!
Also had to build a new computer as the previous one was burning out the CPU (ouch!).

Still I did managed to put a bit of paint on lead today - tidying up some Irish kerns [Ps(I)] that I hastily painted for a recent game ...... plus starting on their 'wealthier' brothers [Ps(S)].

Renaissance figures are definitely on the back burner, along with the WW1 East Africans.

Hopefully with the festive break (which I don't celebrate) I will find time to catch up on the painting front.

No doubt this Saturday's trip to Recon (Pudsey) will mean even more bare metal and/or plastic going into the unpainted pile - Ho hum!