Beau Geste (or Carry on Follow that camel, I will let you decide!)

Yes I have enough figures for a trial game. The problem is, and it is not really a problem, more an issue to work around. Anyway the problem is people turning up at the club with no plans and hoping to squeeze into another game. They are not to blame, I do this any number of times in a year. But as it stands I DO not have enough figures for them to do this in a FFL (French Foreign Legion Game), Given a few months it will not be an issue, at all.

But at present I only have 7 FFL. I have enough MOUNTED Arabs But not enough dismounted Arabs so maybe after a few practice game up the shed on my own I can invest in some more. The good news is that TIM down the club (LINK) makes them. you may have to specifically ask for FFL as they are WW1 French Conversions and I do not think they are on sale just yet. But he is a nice guy and will probably sell some if the money is right. Anyway all the terrain is built and as mentioned the Arabs are painted. So finally at very long last here are the first of the FFL.

They are 20mm NOT 15mm or 28mm, a proper scale 1/72. (No one knows what 28mm is due to scale creep and while some call 15mm 1:100th scale it is closer to 1/123rd scale if we are being purist! as a man at 1/100th scale would stand 17.78 mm tall and not 15mm)

Climbing off soapbox these are 20mm or 1/72 nd scale.. As mentioned above they are all IT MINIATURES (follow the link above) should you want any.

I plan to use an adaption of the "Songs of Drums and Shakos" which in my head I am calling "Songs of Blades and Kepis" I only really need to re-write the points costs for each side and we are good for a game. However that is at least 1 month away (the Game). Due to other commitments down the club and a show, maybe 2.  So as ever my mind is faster than my paint brush.

That's it for today, just 7 FFL finished and a lot of waffle.
All the best Clint


take the vehicles out and we have an Arab town
in 20mm

Mixed Bag

I have not had such a good week so far. But I am Ok and the Family are OK so it could have been FAR worse.

OKAY let us start with the Wargaming. As you Know I did play a Napoleonic game on the weekend. And as you will no doubt remember I aid I would help out painting up some 28mm French (as I had a box of Victrix models sitting about doing nothing. So here are the next 6, Making 9 in total. I am sure you can spot the difference. (I can easily)

Having played the game I do not feel the need to make any flag bearers officers or musicians. Maybe just some NCO chevrons on one in the next 3. Or maybe some flowers on the base. Just an indication that One figure is in charge.

You may note that the Blue is darker on the last 6 following your feedback last time. I have mixed them in so they start to blend.  3 |More figures to go and then that is a Unit done. And As I am not enjoying it I will then stop and call it quits for as long as I can. I really do not enjoy painting them.

Following the Game on Sunday I got to thinking.... always a dangerous thing! I do now have a set of Skirmish rules I do like. "Songs of Drums and Shako's". I also have a desert town in 20mm (My Afghan town) which does not see enough play. I think with a very very quick re-write and a very slight reimagining I can use these rules to play some "Beau Geste" or in the clubs way more likely to be "Carry on Follow that Camel!". I already have enough 20mm Arabs AND a(this was a secret but I am blabbing now) some 20mm French Foreign Legion. (FFL) and while the FFL are few in number being just samples and conversions I think I can have a show quality game (but played at the club) up and running within 2-3 weeks. 

Finally I am painting my Aeronef fleet (no nothing to show yet. ) The problem being I really do not like the stands at all. The plastic breaks in the holes FAR too easily and the stands wobble a LOT with bigger vessels. Therefore I need either to make my own stands OR find a viable alternative. At present I am looking at Resin block stands as they will have the weight I require with metal (wire) columns to support the vessels. If you have a better Idea I am all ears. The Stand shown was made by Tim of Frontline and does not come with the Wire, but that really is a small thing so at present I am not worried.

Thanks for looking today and with luck more again in a couple of days.

All the best Clint

Next 5 Burpas.

I did mean to post these on the blog yesterday, but time just got away from me.

So a little latter than I hoped, here are the next 5 Burpas. A mix of makes Empress and Foundry (I think) and they should function quite well as Indian hill Tribesmen. And they may even do a turn in some pulp games set in North  Africa. How Knows.

Over all nice to paint as It does allow me to paint some bright colours as well as some drab colours which is always pleasant. I do have 10 more to do so expect 5 more along  shortly.

I may post again tomorrow as I have some 6mm vehicles that are just about done and that will put me back on schedule! At least in regard to blog posts.

Until then have fun take care and smile as much as you can. All the Best Clint

Burpa batch 2 finished.

yep with slightly cooler weather I am able to paint more so I have finished the second batch of Burpas for Matt.

Now I could stretch these over a couple of days, but as they are done I see no reason not to show them as soon as possible.

Starting of we have a mounted leader on a palomino pony. I think this may be one of the few times that I have painted a palomino and I like the way it has come out. Not perfect of course but acceptable. This leader has striped trousers, a red jacket and Green Turban. a white sash and an orange waistcoat/under-jacket. As a leader I wanted to keep the colours quite rich and exciting as he would have a better share of any money or if a bandit any loot!

The next 5 are somewhat duller in colour and would be more run of the mill foot soldiers. They are all Foundry figures in 28mm from a variety of ranges but all suitable for North West Frontier, or Saharan adventure games. Two wear sheepskin jackets to keep out the cold in the mountains (Far left and far right) or the desert at night.

Overall they have come out quite well in all regards. And I will be able to give them back to Matt on Sunday at the club. And then he can give me some more to paint. So expect more Burpas in the next few weeks.

This gives me a  day to paint something for myself or maybe to carry on with the steam tank... Not sure what I will attempt next for me, I do have some Dark age 15mm figures that are calling out and some WW2 in 15mm that are also shouting my name.

And the final picture is them all in this batch together.  You will be able to blow the figure up quite large on screen and see all the mistakes that I make. I ask you NOT to point them out as I am already aware of them.

All the best Next post on Monday.

5 Burpas!

Well very unlikely that I will get any more on my 10mm VSF tank this week. Although I suspect a couple will comment at the club on Sunday.

However here are 5 more Burpas, for the NW Frontier. They are all 28mm Foundry castings from the Colonial North West Frontier and Darkest Africa ranges.


This time as I said I would I went for less bight colours although Matt did like them bright and Vibrant. While there are still some bright colours they do not dominate this time. Normally I email Matt some pics before I post on my blog but as he is on Holiday I have permission to put them straight on my blog as he has said he did not care what colours they would be. Still one hope he likes them. I hope to have 5 more finished by Friday night and the last one finished on Saturday. When I say last one I mean last one of the current batch.

Thanks for looking More Burpas in a couple of days. But the weather is such that the paint is drying on the brush as I paint and as for washes.... Still it could be worse it might be like this all the time!

Taking of Akaba

Arab Revolt   - 1916 to 1918

The taking of Akaba

Prince Auda Ibu Tayi with 50 Arabs, “advised” by Lawrence of Arabia (and 22,000 British gold sovereigns) leads a daring assault on Akaba (a port on the Red Sea) to break the deadlock in the Middle East War. The force crosses the harsh Nefud desert terrain swelling to 500 men as they travelled, attacking the Hejaz Railway on route, and avoiding the Turkish cavalry sent to intercept them.

On July 6^th 1917 the Arabs meet the Turkish infantry guarding the land approach to the port at Abu al Lissan. The Arabs skirmished ineffectually at first but goaded by Lawrence they charged on camel back into the enemy positions.

During the fight the Arabs lose a handful of  men killed and an unknown number of wounded - far less than the losses to snakes and scorpions in the desert! The Turks are overwhelmed, many are killed after surrender as the Arab leaders struggle to hold back their jubilant men.

Lawrence was lucky to escape unhurt as in the excitement of the charge he managed to shoot his own camel in the head! Luckily he was thrown clear and managed to avoid being run down by his own allies!

The arrival of the Arabs from the desert resulted in the surrender of the Akaba garrison.  Lawrence then made an epic dash to inform the British, who quickly sent ships with supplies and transported units of Prince Feisal Arab Army to consolidate the success and launch the next phase of the campaign. The success also encouraged many men from the local tribe to join the revolt, which diverted Turkish troops, and helped the Allies advance into Palestine.

The game was set up much more to the Laurence of Arabia film than the "Real History". In Reality the battle was mostly focused around a Turkish block house. Which was situated between two towns (Akaba and Ma'an). Wikipedia has an entry on the battle should you be interested in what actually happened. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Aqaba

 

And indeed was more balanced as a game.  I did use a very simple set of rules that I had made up myself and they led to a quite balanced game.  On the day we played 2 games. Tim and myself took the Arabs in the first game with Peter and Graham taking the Turks. In the second Game Peter had to leave early and Richard sat in for him.

In each game the two Turks in the trench died very quickly (as they are supposed to). But after that each game went completely differently. 

 

 

 

 

 

In the first game I had spotted a gap in the Turkish troop line (they were spread thin. And managed to slip around half a dozen Arabs into the  rear of the army.  When I brought my arabs into melee the Turks (Peter) was able to beat them of with bayonets and my atrocious dice rolls. Not once while in Melee in the first game did I roll higher than a 2 on d6. Mostly I threw 1's. While Tim managed to hammer into the Turkish main line and not only keep them occupied but also to break them. All the while my troops in the rear stopped the Turks from getting any reinforcements which resulted in the Arabs being able to out gun the Turks and close for melee combat. It was a close run thing with each side capable of winning it.

Lucky for me the Arabs won the first game but it was balanced on a knife edge at one point.

 

The Second Game was more one sided. We had all learnt from the first game. I think I used up all my favours from the dice gods as well as my Turks were turning out to be crack shots (I rolled high on the dice a few times more than usual). My troops this time (now the Turks) were rubbish in melee (my dice rolls). But as My troops were mostly able to keep the Turks at a distance the rifle fire was the telling blow. Additionally both Tim and myself had learnt the value of slipping Arabs into the rear (ohh err! Waits for Tamsin to make a choice comment!) so we put a stop to that. Which allowed us to keep reinforcements arriving.  And by having reinforcements we were always able to keep up the pressure on the Attackers .

Overall it was a very good day and we mostly played for fun. The photography is a bit hit and miss as mentioned on Monday my Camera was playing up and it is no where near the quality of Grahams hence the different colour tones.

Anyway thanks for looking and with luck more again on Friday.

 All the best Clint

 

 

Finished.

Yep I have managed to do everything I need for the Arab Revolt game for Broadside. Literally

just finished at 7:45 am this morning.  Nope, not a beach board if that is what you are thinking. This is just a simple sheet of hardboard painted to look like sky and sand. It seems clear at shows that when people take pictures of games they usually have to crop the picture very close or allow the background of the show (yes all those handsome wargames chaps with killer physiques) clutter the back ground of the shot. I cannot clam that this is my solution after all model railway chaps have quite often put back drops in place. Also there was a guy at Salute this year, (and last) doing a Martian Game who had done something similar. So this is just my quick and simple solution to the problem this year.

I am not claiming to be an artist, my last art lesson was while at school about 30 years back. But I hope this simple scene will help to blot out the back ground of the general look of the show clutter. And if the worse comes to the worse, I have spent very little time or money on it so not a huge loss.

The board is 2 foot by 4 foot and other than getting it the wrong way up there really is nothing to go wrong. I went for that size for three reasons. 1) it is a commercially available size, 2) each of the boards is 2 foot square so it should be able to act as a backdrop on at least 2 boards at once. And 3) it is a size both easy to transport and hold into position.

Only time will tell if this will work. So thanks for looking today and with luck see you in a couple of days.

All the best Clint

Trees finished.

Well as the Broadside Show is a single week away now I have been progressing my boards a little. But only a little. To that end I have based the trees up and painted the bases. A very simple process of painting the bases then sprinkling them with sand and then another coat of paint to seal then again. I placed them on my Salute yellow carrier bag while drying.


And once dry I placed a few on the board to see if they would look right. Given that I have eight boards and 50 trees I think a ratio of 6 trees to a board will be about right. That should be enough to make it clear that there are some and yet not too cluttered to hinder movement and get in the way. As I will leave the placement of the trees to other people in the club I have no idea how sensible they will be. But scattered palm trees will work best I think.

Later today I will need to go to B+Q and get my final piece for Broadside this year. And with luck I will get that piece finished as well. (Before the show, not all done today although I do expect to start it.)

Sorry there is not too much on the paint table at the moment as I am considering what I will need to buy at Broadside this year. I only have a few wants, needs and desires at present so not expecting to start anything really new just before the show as I am bound to get a few things that I did not KNOW I really needed and will therefore make my life complete (until I see something else that is.) So I think it will be a lazy week on the brushes for me.

All the Best, and take care.
Clint.

No Prisoners (Aqaba Arab Revolt Game)

For those of you who cannot remember the film. The history is of course different from the film and the actual battle lasted 4 days.

But as a wargamer I am more drawn to the spectacle of the film. So here is Our game interpretation that we played out yesterday. Some amendments to make to the playing boards and to the rules before Broadside, but no reason not to give a game walk through of one of the games we played.

 Starting positions for the Arabs.

4 foot long Arab camel line and 2 Turks in a trench Not expecting guests

 Mostly a deserted Desert town

Turkish Patrols wandering the town

Over-running the trench line the Camel charge moves on

Laurence of Arabia and entourage.

They reach the out skirts of the town

Moving through crop fields

 And skirting buildings. In the distance you cane see a Turkish Patrol taking cover behind a low wall field boundary.

Another Turkish Patrol taking cover. As the Charge gains momentum.

Turkish shooting starts to take it's toll and Camel riders start to tumble.

Laurence Moves forward in the centre of the board

 Skirting the building a first wave of Camel riders suffers devastating incoming fire.

 Else where melee is joined and while some Arabs slip past others engage in the Melee.

 Having survived, for the most part, the incoming fire the arabs start to get stuck in.

 The Melee is not all one sided and it delays the Arab attack long enough

 Long enough for the Turks to get reinforcements.

 Laurence gets dragged down in Hand to hand combat by three Turks and unfortunately DIES! Graham is a ROTTER!

 The Flag bearer pushes forward but the Turkish reinforcements are to many and their fire power concentrated and eventually he runs to cover.

Arab reinforcements finally arrive, but too late to turn the tide.

 

 

Yes so the Turks managed to defend Aqaba in this game but it was a close run thing. If two more Turks had died it would have been an Arab victory. I(n the first game, the Arabs did win and that was also a close run thing. So I must conclude that the rules and forces are quite balanced. There will be a few changes made but just minor tweaks. The Boards also need a slight revamp, but nothing major. As a teast game it worked very well.

 

 

Thanks for reading and more again as soon as I can. All the best Clint