Gaming Day and Challenge Update

I've had a very quiet month posting, not much done lately and what has been done has gone onto the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge post first - see blog list opposite.
This is what I've done so far

Perry Plastic Colonial Brits

More with blue putees

And some more

Studio Miniatures Marilyn Monroe with a Chainsaw.

A steady start.

Today I paid a visit to the Old Guard Wargames Club for a gaming day. I had a great day and played 3 different games.

Dave Docherty's Serenity City. I was a Walter Brennan character with a limp and a shotgun. Was a cracking battle

Roy Williamson had made this chariot racing arena and we played a chariot race. This was very funny and a great laugh, even though I kept getting attacked and came last.

Finally Dave and I played X-wing - never played before and it is great fun - very much like those old WW1 dogfight books. Will have to look into this more but it is very expensive so will need to find cheaper versions of the bits.

Plan is to go back and play some Impetus with my republican Romans.

TTFN

Happy Christmas

It's that time of the year, the Analogue Hobbies VII painting challenge has started, I have a cold and I'm thinking I need a bigger car to get the presents in. It been a great year, I've met loads of new people, played some great games and generally had fun.

To all my loyal, disloyal and Russian Spambot readers I wish you a Happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. This is the 3rd best Christmas Song

Loads of Prussians and the Amazon Postman rings the bell loads of times

I've not been doing a lot of painting this week, Suicide Squad, Star Trek and 2 series of Castle to watch. I'm a big fan of Castle, it reminds me  of Buffy without the vampires, i.e. it's very random, generally well written and funny, but now it's finished so will need to find a new favourite TV show.
Last week and today I did paint some more of the 10mm Prussians, I'd added to the original army with some more infantry, to paint, and some Uhlans.

Staff Officers. The Prussians had better officers than everybody else on continental Europe so givng them more than anyone else will help

Infantry Regiment of 3 Battalions

And another

3 field guns with limbers. The limbers are ACW bought from Col Bill but some hat filing gave them Pickelhaubes 

Dragoons 

Close up - uniforms very similar to infantry

11th Uhlan Regiment (2nd Brandenberg)

Yellow cuffs and epaulettes

Love these figures

Followers of my adventures will know that I am lucky enough to play VBCW in Matt Crump's dungeon. We fight VBCW and Matt has a couple of 1:48 biplanes to give his forces air support - I shot one down last time which was revenge for our first battle where his biplane caused me great damage. They are mounted on telescopic car aerials and look brilliant. So, as it's Christmas and I haven't bought myself a present yet I bought this from Amazon for £14.99.

 .

Went out of production in 1937 so is the perfect age. However it is at least 35 years since I built an model aeroplane and this is quite complicated. Looks like tomorrow is sorted

These also arrive - 10 for £7. I broke my 2 main paint paint brushes - 10mm figs are rough on brushes

Battle of West Aukland

The alarm went up through the town. "The enemy are coming". The citizens rushed to the town square where on the town hall steps Comrade Tatyana Korin was speaking to the crowd.
"Brothers, Sisters, Comrades the Royalists are coming. We must stop them or they will enslave us again. To arms Comrades".
The Citizens mustered a force of 5 inexperienced infantry squads and 1 squad of trained Postmen. They were equipped with 3 medium machine guns, a heavy machine gun, a rocket launcher (heavy mortar) and a light howitzer, whilst the fire brigade provided 2 flame throwers and an ATR. Facing them would be a fast attack column of Royalists and Fascists armed with light tanks, armoured cars and a plane. THere was no way they could stand but they would sell their lives dearly.

Another magnificent layout in Matt's Dungeon. The Miners me, are in the town and nearest the camera.

Port Vale, trapped on tour in West Aukland

The 50 cal in the church tower

The miners to the right of the town. 1 group of fascists have entered to their front

Firemen and miners in the town

The post men north of the town and in the garden of the building

Tanks in the centre

Cavalry with light tank and infantry support

Matt launched his attack with his plane that dropped a 2lb bomb on a unit of miners causing a hit but the Post Office MMG opened fire bringing it down. Matt was mortified

It limped home

It got worse for the royalists as the Post Office rocket had a direct hit on the light tank brewing it up

The howitzer also had a direct hit on a truck carrying the Police wrecking it and killing 3 Police. A burst from the other Post office MMG sent the cavalry running. Not bad for turn 2

The Royalists continue their advance on 3 fronts and a flame thrower advances in support

On the right the Fascists are kept pinned down by the miners who are gradually reducing their numbers whilst the howitzer takes out their AC - I'm having some epic rolls and Matt keeps drawing my units out of the bag (9 in a row in one turn). Whereas Matt's dice are, well shit.

To the North the Postmen have been pushed back suffering heavy casualties

The flamethrower moves forward and hits a light tank. It causes no damage but scares the crap out of the crew who leg it. Flamethrowers are bloody marvellous in Bolt Action. It is taken out by the infantry next turn but has done it's job

The howitzer then takes out one of the 2 remaining armoured cars. It had been pinned for 3 turns and I almost couldn't miss. The last AC advances and takes out the ATR and the last flamethrower. However the howitzer strikes again and brews it up.

I'm slaughtering the Royalists and I'v nearly won but the chance dice causes one of my covering infantry units to charge the nearest Royalist infantry where they are killed. Luckily they inflicted enough casualties to render them useless. Matt is now reduced to a few ineffective figures whilst I have 3 full squads, a howitzer and my HMG still left to hold the town.

It is a glorious day for the Revolution. A resounding victory in the end but I nearly blew it in the middle. I was too passive after my early successes and allowed the dice to cold on me. Luckily they came back at the end whereas Matt had terrible dice, especially for morale testing so he spent much of the battle pinned while I shot him up.

I  had a great day, Matt is a great host and puts on a brilliant table. It how I always imagined wargaming should be. He also provides posh lunch, the type where you get soup from cartons not tins.

I can't wait until our next battle - maybe something different

Battleground and the death of Aragorn (twice)

Today was the Battleground show in Stockton on Tees. Most of my family leave within 10 minutes drive so I spent the night with them and watched Barnsley get hammered by Notts Forest - my Brother in Law (a Barnsley boy) was mortified.
Up bright and early I blew up my Sister's electricity and scared the cat.
The show is one of my favourites, it's a nice size and usually has lots of good games. This year the games were OK with a few standouts, most looked a bit too much like a club night. I took some dodgy photos of the ones I liked. Dave Docherty was missing this year,unwell but on the mend I hear. This was a shame cos I was looking forward to fighting his 1:1 recreation of the Sudan war in 28mm😊

Wilsons Creek ACW

Sudan participation game

DedMan's hand - participation game

WW1

WW2 (can't you tell I didn't take club names)

Cannae - this was huge and a bit mental - see later)

1866 Prussian - Austrian. This looked fun

WW2 Participation game

Roman Civil War - To The Strongest

Frostgrave Participation - one of the nicest tables

Cannae later in the day. This was going to be a disaster

I like the fact there are lots of participation games, I often find demonstration games a little uninspiring. I only played one game, although I did play it twice.. Matt Crump brought his Save the Halfling game, the final scene from the 1st Lord of the Rings Film. It's a great 30 minute game.

Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pipin, along with Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas and Gimli are spread out on the table and are surrounded by 4 Orc scout units. The aim, using Dragon Rampant Rules, is to get the Halflings to the canoes. The Halflings can't fight and are captured when attacked by the Orcs. Par is 2 halflings and Aragorn has never died in the scenario

I played twice, the shots are from Roy Williamson's game not mine (he did better than me). In both games I saved 2 halflings but I did manage to get Aragorn killed both times ( I am the king of double one), an Boromir once. It was great fun and a proper challenge.

And now the Swag

The books

As a geologist this is intriguing 

My current interest

My Dad will like this

The toys

Marilyn Monroe with a chainsaw - Studio Miniatures

Steam Tank from ironclad - for VBCW miners

It's supposed to look like this

2lb AT gun - think it's only 20mm scale but looks OK

VBCW female militia - Ironclad - these are great.

I also bought a large bag of samurai from the bring and buy (35 inf, 8 cav for £25) but they have been confiscated as a Christmas present for me), and I ordered some 10mm Prussians to  complete the divisions. There is also paint and bases but you know what they look like.

Finally the post man has been

This was £2.83 with free postage (weird price)

I also got this package which I wasn't expecting. After checking that I hadn't bought it while drunk I realised it's from my Secret Santa. May thanks whoever you are, it's perfect

All in all a great day. Off to prep figures now