Jim Barrowight!

 A single 28mm figure finished yesterday. This is "Jim Barrowight" from Crooked Dice. Obviously based on a Dr. Who character but I shall use it for a wide variety of games, most notably as a zombie survivor. Although I am also considering a "Sweeny" type game so he could be either a police detective or a  sinister vilian. so quite a versatile figure. I am also reminded of Terminator for some reason, probably the coat!The figure is armed with a pistol in a holster (on his hip) but otherwise carries no visable weapons. That said given the trench coat he could have anything under there, well anything smaller than a kitchen sink, not that a kitchen sink would be typically useful  in a zombie or cop game. I wanted a small break from 15mm WW2 so I took this figure on from the stack of lead which I have yet to finish. I am sure we are all the same and crave variety at times and I personally like changing painting scales, subjects and genres mostly because I find it hard to settle on one thing for long. It's probably a character flaw! Having said that I will be back to the 15mm figures today having already started my next batch.
Elsewhere in my wargames life I have been doing some background reading for the game I want to put on at BROADSIDE 2013. As a club we have settled on a WW1 game. And Tim (from Frontline/IT miniatures) will be bringing a couple of samples to the next club so I can have a practice painting them. I am very lucky that the guys will leave it to me to sort out exactly what we shall be doing and having started reading several ideas floating round my head. All have some merit, it's just deciding what I want it to look like and what I think will grab others imaginations! We do afterall want people to look at the game and then rush to buy some figures from Tim! Whether they will or not is another matter, as we all go to shows with a list in our heads. So I don't think it will happen on the day but with luck in the later months. Obviously one force will be German, but I am undecided on the opponents at the moment, could be Belgium, British or Portugese!

That's todays post, thanks for reading. All the Best Clint. Next update Sunday!

PBI Germans.

A couple of additions to the PBI German force I am creating. To the right is a Sdkfz 251/1D Hanomag Halftrack. You can just see on the machine gunners helmet cover that it has been painted in Oak Leaf (autumn) pattern. All my Germans are painted in a variety of camouflage patterns as well as Field grey. I wanted them to have a rag-tag "campaign" feel and not to be uniform. Maybe they are from different units and gave just been put together for this one mission, or maybe they are just using whatever uniforms they happen to have come across. The Vehicle is a King and Kerr resin one piece casting I picked up a couple of years ago and have only just gotten round to finishing. (As fast as usual!) Sometimes it just takes a while for things to get finished, other times I can manage it quite quickly, this was definitely one of those times mostly because I did not have a use for it. As the vehicle came attached to a resin base I have had to create a bigger base to avoid an obvious step. This will mean that I should add bases to all the German vehicles as well. If I do that, maybe I will to the American s as well, just to get a uniform look to the two forces.

Two LMG stands, both in a mixture of uniforms as mentioned above.These figures are Battlefront and are very nicely sculpted and cast, much better than the US troops. Given the difference in the sculpting I do wonder about the quality of their range as a whole, I can only imagine time will tell. The trees are simple twigs painted in a couple of different greys and with a grey-green side to one side. I am very happy with the effect they add to each stand. In a way it was necessary as the LMGs would have nothing to rest on otherwise!

Well I am not going to labour the point. That's today's post, thanks for reading. Next post is on Friday and don't forget we now have less than 9 weeks til Xmas! Take care Clint.

 

Two Axes, a Horse and a Helmet (but no camera)

Yes I admit it, I forgot my camera at the club yesterday. No one to blame but myself, so no pictures as such today. No excuses, all my fault. Saga players will guess from the title that I played my first game AGAINST the Anglo Danish army.I myself have Vikings, not because I had any affinity to the Vikings, but because I had a box set of the Gripping Beast Plastics, and no other reason. Frugality drove my army choice! Not that I am unhappy with the Norse, but if money was not a consideration I  most likely would have chosen Normans. However all this rambling does not tell anyone about the club on Sunday.

 

Not a terrible turnout at the club, most of the regulars, but only Tim and myself had bought our SAGA figures along. So we set up a very simple encounter 4 points each of my Vikings against Tims Anglo Danes. just between ourselves and just to learn the rules. Being a lazy git I did not have masses of choices and fielded two hearthguard, 1 Bereserker and one warrior unit for my points. Tim was far more courageous and selected a bigger variety of troops to better learn the rules. Well we did learn the rules slowly. I had read the rules through once several months ago so it took some time.

 

Highlights and low lights of the battle in order were. My berserkers chopped down a heathguard unit of Tims with lucky dice rolls and gained some fatigue. Thinking they were thus invincible I sent the 3 who survived to attack Tims warleader. Despite throwing loads and loads of dice they failed to inflict any wounds (well they did inflict 1, but warlords can ignore the first unsaved hit so they did nothing). Tim on the other hand single handedly wipes them all out! You could blame the dice, or a lack of armour, or me for attacking his warboss while fatigued. No matter what you blame the result was the same. This was compounded when one of my Hearthguard units charged into Tims Geburs (levy quality) and inflicted only 2 dead. Tims aggressive peasants killed two of mine, and I was forced to back of a couple of inches and stand exposed on my left wing.

Anticipating that Tim would reinforce his Geburs with his leader to fight alongside. I Chickened it and moved my leader as far away as I could, Erhm... I mean my commander decided to support my right flank. This subsequently worked in my favour giving me a fresh warlord and two fresh units against two of Tims units. I'm playing Vikings so I charged. By this stage I had started to use and "understand" the Battleboard. So as it was my turn I managed to drive back both opposing units inflicting heavy losses, but taking minimal losses myself and using the battleboard to reduce my fatigue. By the time Tim could get his warleader and supper levies across the battlefield his two units were devastated. One round of fighting his super levies, not a prospect I was cherishing with my warlord and a hearthguard unit. Did the trick and Tim conceded.

 

That game did take a while as we checked the rules and got to grip with the mechanics. So we had a second game. I reffed and Kevin and Relfie took joint command of my Vikings and Tim retained control of his Anglo Danes. As Kev and Relf had not played before I did a little coaching, suggesting options for the dice on the battle board. (Mostly they ignored me!) Both armies formed up and Tim put a unit of Dane-axes as a vanguard. The Vikings took one look at them and just charged! Subtle we aint! Let me just say hot knife and butter with fatigue to all Tims close units for the loss of a unit in close proximity. We then got to warlord versus warlord. No result as they continued to ignore the first unsaved hit from each melee. Then Kev and Relfie added a unit of warriors to the mix and despite Tim Killing more Vikings, Relfie and Kev managed to inflict 3 hits on the Anglo-Dane leader who could only save 1.

 

Post game analysis: The objective was to learn the rules. Which I think we did. I shall read them again before next time just so we know where I was getting things wrong! (I am not silly enough to think we got through it without making mistakes). But we now have 4 club members who have some passing familiarity with the rules, battle boards and concepts of the game. So I would say we have achieved the objective. All 4 of us have decided to set up a Saga day at next club. Kev and Relf have promised to get their figures painted, Kev doing Normans has only a couple of horsemen to finish off. I think Relfie is doing Anglo Danes, but am not sure, it could be Vikings. Stuart, not present yesterday will do either Vikings or Joms Vikings, Ian will do either Anglo- Saxons or Anglo- Danes. And Andy has bought Welsh at SELWG, but I am not sure how many he will ever get painted, The general consensus is that Stuart will paint them in the end!

 

So all in all despite the lack of camera it was a successful day. Thanks for Reading, next Blog post will be Wednesday. Until then take care, roll some dice and have some fun! All the Best Clint!