LETTING GO!

Here we are at the end of September. It's October tomorrow and that means less than three weeks to Skelp! 2013, the wargames show at Forfar on the 19th . Targe at Kirriemuir is on the 9th November.

The bring and buys at these shows are an opportunity to move on unused figures, rules and games. I have an idea of what I am moving on, but, as always, knowing you have to get rid of something and actually doing it are very different things.

So far, I have identified some excess 20mm vehicles (you can have too many Tigers!) and I will be selling a few of my DBA armies. There are also one or two boardgames and sets of rules (Tac, anyone?) that are surplus to requirements or not being used enough to justify keeping them. I have already got my sheet number for Kirriemuir and I am off to assess whether I still need all my Wings of War stuff. Watch this space!

                                                                       SKELP 2012.

ENCOUNTER AT LA PLATAVILLA: DON FEATHERSTONE TRIBUTE GAME.

On Thursday, Rick put on a tribute game in memory of Don Featherstone. The scenario used was based on Encounter at Platdorf, the tribute scenario from Miniature Wargames 366.

I played the British and Spanish Allies whilst Rick took the French. The rules were C&C Napoleonics using 15mm figures on Hexxon 2 terrain.

Here are the starting positions. It is a meeting engagement. The Allies are at the top of the picture. The poker chips represent objectives that are worth victory banners. 7 banners wins the game.

 

 A view across the French lines.

 

Fire from French Light Infantry causes enough casualties to make this unit innefective for the rest of the game.

British infantry disrupt a french cavalry charge. The red poker chip defines the bridge as an objectivev that only the British can score, but the French can deny them.

 

The Allied lines early in the game. 

 The French begin to advance. The cards are with them!

 

The Allied right flank is pushed back following a bayonet charge.

French lancers force the bridge defenders into square.

 

 

The French pressure on the Allied right begins to tell. The Spanish have been outflanked. Two units are destroyed.

The British come off the hill to try to stop the French before they reach the bridge.

The French had reached the 7 banners required for Victory. The British launched a desperate bayonet charge to try and reduce the deficit.

 

This game was an enjoyable tribute to the great pioneer of wargaming in the UK.

 

This was a good test for the C&C Napoleonics game. It was the first 'unnoficial' or 'made up' scenario that we have played. It was a great game; even though I lost!

 

 

GORDON HIGHLANDERS MUSEUM AND ABERDEEN MODELLERS SOCIETY.

Today I visited the Gordon Highlanders Museum. I was not there for the museum tour, which I can heartily recommend, but to see the Aberdeen Modellers Society display.

I am not a member, but one of my friends is and I had hoped to see him. Alas, Iain was working.

Here are the photos I took:

The pictures of the Aerosan should appeal to David and Matthew. Quite a selection.

Link for AMS: http://ams.myfreeforum.org/viewforum.php?f=13

Link for the museum: http://www.gordonhighlanders.com/

SONGS OF BLADES AND ZOMBIES!

This gaming week began on Wednesday. I was facing my second battle of the SOBH campaign, against Derek. I had lost pretty comprehensively to David's Dark Elves two weeks ago, but my casualties, fortunately, recovered in the post battle wash up.

Once again I faced Del's Dirz. I was the attacker. Choosing a normal scenario, rather than a raid, I rolled an accidental meeting, which meant that the opponents deployed each other's warband with a gap of at least a long range between figures.

                                            The initial deployment.

The opening turns were all about each side trying to join up, although there were some individual combats. Movement and combat was effected by the heavy rain that was falling. Missile fire suffered a penalty and any activation rolls of 1 meant that the figure was treated as having fallen (green markers differentiate these from a combat result of 'fallen').

The Warbands close.

My orcs make their escape, with my ogre acting as rearguard.

 

Gruesome kill!

Once Del had got his warband together, his better quality Dirz were easier to activate than my clumsy Orcs. Even with the penalties for shooting in the rain, the Dirz missile troops took a toll of my footslogers. A combination of a failed activation roll and good shooting robbed me of my wizard. My force was whittled down so much that a tactical withdrawal was necessary. This was too late for one grunt, who suffered a gruesome kill after being set upon by The Dirz.

 

Another loss! Two casualties failed to recover, including my wizard. I have replaced the fallen with grunts to hold the line. My next battle is the first of the second round, against David's Dark Elves.

 

On Thursday, Rick, Aidan and I played Timber Peak, a Last Night on Earth stand alone expansion. http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/122240/last-night-on-earth-timber-peak

 

I took the role of the Zombie player. We played the first scenario, which was a basic survival scenario. I have played Last Night on Earth before, so had an idea of how the game played. The boys took a bit of time to get used to the rules and the tactical side of the game. Once they got the hang of it, they staged a late comeback, but suffered a defeat because night fell before they had met their victory conditions. I suspect that this may become a game that we will play again.

 

 

 

 

 

THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND AND WONDERLAND.

Last week, I spent some time in Edinburgh. Apart from getting away from distractions for a couple of days, the main reasons for my trip were to see The Great Tapestry of Scotland and a visit to Wonderland Models.

The Great Tapestry of Scotland is a project to tell the story of Scotland and it's history and culture through a 160 panel tapestry. http://www.scotlandstapestry.com/ .

I arrived at the 1000 opening time, thinking that there would not be many people, only to find hundreds! It took nearly two hours to get round the 160 panels. It was well worth it. The amount of work put in and the number of small and hidden details, that would be missed at first glance, are well worth the time spent.

If you don't manage to see it before 21 September, it will be touring Scotland in the future.

I spent the rest of the day at the National Museum of Scotland, seing the displays that I didn't have time for  back in August. 

The following morning, before coming back to Aberdeen, I visited Wonderland Models. I picked up some models for ongoing projects.

The 105 is for my early WW2 project and the guns and crews will be used in my Over the Top and Memoir 14 projects. Both projects will use figures based in the same manner. I can hear Rick's voice in my head already: More projects? Jeff, you are a lost cause!

DONALD FEATHERSTONE.

I can't let Don Featherstone's death go by without comment.

Back in the early 70's it was his book Wargames (along with Charles Grant's Battle! Practical Wargaming) that saw me find a proper use for all those Airfix figures. That was my introduction to what has become a lifelong pastime.

Other of his books have been useful over time: Advanced Wargames (for Personalised Wargames), Skirmish Wargames and Wargaming Airborne Operations.

Don lead a full life outside Wargaming, but will probably be best remembered for his contribution to Wargaming.

The hobby owes him a great debt. Rest in peace, Don.

A TALE OF BROKEN WALLS AND FALLEN ANGELS.

Been on leave this week. Had a couple of days in Edinburgh. More of which in a separate post. Not being at work meant I was able to help Rick repair his driveway wall yesterday afternoon. We also swapped our spare Dixie cards. We are both a bit nearer having full sets for some expansions, but the important thing is we both have a bigger selection of cards to select our decks from.

After a fine Ashvale haddock supper, we settled down, a bit earlier than usual, to our Thursday game. This week it was Angels 20, the Axis and Allies dogfighting game. I had bought this, but had realised too late that my flat was too small to get the best of it. I did a swap deal with Rick. He was able to set up a 6 x 4 ft table, with Hexon.

The scenario involved a kette of Bf109s and a Me110 with escorting veteran Me109 on a mission over the South of England involving a mysterious British installation. The defenders were a vic of Hurricanes and a roving Spitfire ace.

                                         'Tally ho!', the Hurricanes on intercept course.

                                                      The Luftwaffe makes landfall.

                       The Me110 makes it's way to the target through a confused dogfight. It was even more confusing as we were using duplicate models.

                                                      One of the Hurricanes is crippled.

 

Pictures from the dogfight and the attack on the installation.

The Me110 managed to bomb the installation, but only caused light damage. The final tally of fallen angels was two Hurricanes shot down. The other Hurricane and the Spitfire were crippled. One Bf109 was shot down and the other crippled. Due to the damage only being light, we declared it a German minor victory. Rick's man of the match was his Veteran Me109, closely followed by the Me 110, which led a charmed life. It took hits aplenty, but never enough to beat the armour score: until after it had bombed of course!

My first impression of the game is good overall. It took a few turns to realise how the system operates. Once we were used to the rules, turns were only taking minutes.

I have a feeling we will be playing this game again.

BLITZKRIEG BLITZ.

A busy week has limited my opportunities to update my blog. I am off for the next two weeks. Apart from a couple of trips, I intend to have a bit of a clear out, whilst progressing a few of the projects on the to do list.

Number three on my priorities list is my early WW2 project. I already have a selection of figures and vehicles in 20mm covering the early 30s onward and capable of covering historical conflicts as well as fictional VBCW type conflicts. I have added these to my collection.

I have already put the three Miniarons Panzer Is together. They are very simple 10 part kits (one of which is the alternate 20mm cannon turret) very similar to the Zvezda 15mm kits. I will build the other kits over the next two weeks, along with a couple of others.

WEDNESDAY GAMES NIGHT: SOB&H CAMPAIGN REBOOT.

As you will be aware from previous posts, our Wednesday group has embarked on a campaign using Songs of Blades & Heroes by Ganesha Games.

Apart from the three way game detailed previously http://jjs413-thegen.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/wednesday-game-songs-of-blades-and.html, we have each played against each other once: I lost to both Del and David, who won both his games.

We have been using the  basic campaign system in the SOB&H rulebook. The limitations of this have become apparent already. With that in mind, we have started to use the Songs Of Deeds & Glory campaign system and Songs of Wind and Water wilderness rules.

Wednesday was used to reboot the campaign. This allowed the lessons of the games we have played to be taken into account in forming new warbands. The main change is that the winner of a scenario gets a campaign point. The winner of the campaign will be the first one to a set number of campaign points, which can also be spent to allow warband improvements, which could result in some interesting dilemmas. This means that victory points only determine the victor of the scenario. Each survivor of a scenario gets an experience point. These can be retained and spent on individual improvements from the expanded development rules.

Here are a few photos from my previous defeat by Del's Dirz.

 

There was a headlong rush towards each other. We met in a massive melee in the middle. Del's sorcerer was better at using 'transfix' spells than mine. I only managed to get three survivors, including my sorcerer off the table!