Some random gaming and painting

Old guard met last weekend. Unusually for us we played different games and not one massive one. Ian and I played Lion rampant using 48pt Norman armies.

We played 3 games - 1st up bloodbath as it had been a while since we'd played. Ian won but it was pretty much last man standing

Next we played defend the hill and I won that pretty easily, hard to shift a shield wall from a hill. For the decider we play blood feud (think that's what it's called) and I launched an all out attack to kill Ian's leader. I got within about 18 inches and that was the high water mark. Properly slaughtered. So Ian won 2:1 and it was a fab gaming day

While me and Ian played 3 double sized games of Lion Rampant Angus and Stu played a single game of  Sharp Practice. Looks pretty but to be honest neither of them seemed to have control of their forces and they appeared to have to act in response to the random actions in the rules. Like random acts but they shouldn't define the battle - see Oak Ridge for the charge of the drunken union forces

On the other table a couple of random old men play several games of To the Strongest. Pete was doing well until John got the Romans out.

Speaking of TTS. Pete has invited me to his palatial chateau at the end of August for my 1st game of it. I will be bringing my virgin Indians so bound to get slaughtered. Indians have lots of elephants and chariots but everybody else just rocks up in underpants. I have loads but typically needed some general types.I had some Xystron cavalry to paint so have used them

 The 7 years war project continues slowly, not in the mood for lots of painting

2 regiments of Grenzers (Hungarian border and mountain types. The Karlstadter-Lykaner Grenzer (in red) and the Banal Grenz-infanteri Regiment (blue). The figures are Old Glory and are OK but came with no command so I nicked a couple a figures from Pendraken artillery sets. These will function as light infantry but generally there isn't a lot of difference from regular infantry. 

All good armies need artillery and the Austrians get loads. I've painted a couple of 12lb cannon and limbers. These are massive and on same sized base as an infantry battalion

Very nice though

Tomorrow some VBCW action as we fight the delayed battle of James' new house

Battle of Oak Ridge

Yesterday me and Matt finally got our diaries together and I drove over to Penrith for a day's gaming in the dungeon. I was spectacularly hungover but looking forward to an epic day. Matt always puts on a brilliant game and this one used most of our combined ACW forces to refight the battle of Oak Ridge on the 1st day of Gettysburg. I was about as epic as battles get.

The Union were to the South and East defending Oak Ridge and the smelly rebel scum were to the North. I was the Union by the simple fact that I was too short to reach the middle and move the Rebels. The battle was a Black Powder scenario so for the 1st time we had different sized units. We used our Bolt Action mash up and therefore small units were very fragile. Once a brigade was below 1/2 actual strength it had to roll at the start of the turn and pass a morale test or the whole brigade legged it.

The battlefield from the South, told you it was going to be epic

My centre, couple of brigades

Bit more of my centre

My right flank. Only 1 brigade and very exposed as they are closest to the rebels

Some Rebel scum

and some more

Here they come

This looks very scary. My line is already taking damage and there are 2 brigades coming right at me

To the South I have a flanking brigade and starts to move forward

My reinforcements arrive at the south and start to dash forward. I have to roll up Matt's flank before he smashes my right. Only an entire division to kill

Back in the centre getting hairy

One of Matt's reinforcing brigades arrives

We use a random event dice and the unit I have occupying a farm find a stash of bourbon and take 6 pins. i'm never getting these back into action again

Here comes my left flank. Go get 'em boys

Crap. Matt's 2nd reinforcing brigade arrives. I'm never going to hang on

Still they come in in the centre. I can't move to reinforce my flank without getting cut in half

Getting to to position to the South. I'm going to have him in a cross fire. Get him marmalized

The drunk unit inthe farm get another random dice activation and have to charge the nearest enemy

Which they win, Dutch courage and general lack to feeling a spatial awareness will have helped

However my right flank is under pressure

Here we go. THe Left flank is in position and ready to unleash hell

Still they come in the centre

Hand to hand around the farm. Need to win this and roll them up

1 unit running and fighting the next

Need to be quick

We continue to press

But it's too late. Baxters brigade has routed and left a very small brigade against 2 brigades. Time to bug out.

A victory to the Rebels, not decisive but a victory. I have no centre left to rescue the right flank and whilst I'm confident I'm going to roll up from the south, Matt is about to lose a brigade, there are still too many men to get though and i will have nothing left to rescue.

God that was brilliant. The rules continue to work well, the melee rules need a little work but not much and using brigade activation can be very confusing - need markers for that.

7 years War Austrians

End of an undergraduate year is properly mental, so I've been very busy. I've done very little since the Utah beach battle. The VBCW battle didn't happen, too many clashing diaries but James and I did play a really great couple of games of Necromunder to test out the rules. I have a Palantine type set of figures, rules for them not out yet, so they doubled as Esher. I won the 1st battle and then we swapped the board round and James won the second. We will play this again. No photos though, no charge in phone.
Other news, last Christmas I painted my aged parents (don't tell them that) a couple of figures. My dad always said he was in the Bengal Lancers when we were little - don't think he's ever been on a horse. So he got a Bengal lancer. My mum is a fan of greek mythology so she got Talos. She has now asked for more of these for next Christmas so i've taken advantage of a Foundry sale and bought Gorgons, Cyclopses, Hydra, Cerberus and a Chimera. They will keep me busy and the Chimera looks impossible to paint.
You can tell it's been a while since my last post, I'm rambling on.
I have started a 10mm 7YW project and have finished the Brunswick army, typically they fought on the wrong front as the plan is for Austrians vs Prussians. Still what can you do. So I've started the Austrians. I'm building all the units for the Battle of Lobositz to give me a good force. This was the 1st major battle of the war (about 35K men for the Austrians and 28K for the Prussians). These will mainly be Pendraken but i picked up loads of Austrians at Partizan and have finished some of them

• Major-General Wied's Infantry Brigade
  • Nikolaus Esterházy (2 bns)
  • Kaiser (2 bns)
  • Harsch (2 bns)
• Major-General Perony's Infantry Brigade
  • Alt-Wolfenbüttel (2 bns)
  • Baden-Durlach (2 bns)

Dragoons - Liechtenstein Dragoons, Erzherzog Joseph Dragoons and Batthyányi Dragoons 

The figures are Old Glory Grand Scale but don't occupy as much physical space as Pendraken so the units look smaller, the cavalry are in 2 pieces, which is annoying as they never fit right, they come in pack sizes that don't match the basing plan and they are more expensive than Pendraken. Other than that they are fine.

I have a couple of Grenzer regiments to paint and then I've bought a load of Pendraken artillery and grenadiers to add to the force which only leaves me 30 packs to buy to finish the army.