New House(25mm)

Whilst browsing in the P.D.S.A. charity shop in Newcastle this morning,I saw this little beauty,and decided that I would splash out a good percentage of my Old Age Pension,to acquire it.For the princely sum of £2.99p it was mine!!(plus 10p for a carrier bag!)

Front.

Back.

Close up showing detail.

25mm figures,marching past,to show proportions.

Put it together with some of my other buildings of the same size,and what have you got?

Coutts' Cozy Cabins!!!!

Battle of Rye 1065AD

Last night,Paul,Brian and I had a really good looking game,pitting a Norman reconnaissance force against a defending Anglo-Saxon force.

This is the scenario,Paul and Brian were the Normans,with Brian taking the "already-landed "troops,and Paul still sailing along merrily,to attack the town/village of Rye.

This is the table before any movement-you can see what I meant by a good-looking game!!

Brian started the game with a most furious attack on my Huscarls!!-on the flat ground he suffered greatly,and was beaten in all of the melees,however on the hill in the foreground,he beat me and eventually forced me to abandon the position!!

Whilst the epic struggle on my right was going on,Paul has landed his troops opposite Rye,and is advancing in a most aggressive manner-my Fyrd, in the open, look vulnerable to an attack by the Norman knights-but will they hold?

Back on the flat ground,and I am driving the "Invaders" back to their ships-hurrah!!

A very relaxed looking Brian is chopping my Huscarls to bits on the hill!-this does not look good for the Anglo-Saxons-however,Brian,one piece of advice,especially in this period-don't look up!!!!

Well,I did try to tell you!!-ZUNK!! an arrow got him,not in the eye,but on the nose!!!
To great hoots(excuse pun!) of laughter,and vile abuse,Brian had a bit of a nose bleed-the game was obviously too exciting for him!!-but like a true trooper he managed to get the bleeding under control,with the help of a paper hanky(!!),and we didn't have to call for the emergency services-phew,what a brave little soldier he is!!

This shows my exposed Fyrd,about to be wiped out by the Norman knights-why did I place them there ???-however the village is still in Anglo-Saxon hands,but Paul has opted to shoot "fire arrows" at the thatched cottages-the swine!! and managed to set two on fire,causing all troops within half a move to abandon their positions-woe is me!!

With the village ablaze,and the defenders being heavily out-numbered,Paul has achieved his set objective-Brian has completed half of his objective,which was to observe the fighting methods and strength of the Huscarls,so the Normans were declared the winners.

One last photo,by way of a consolation,of the Huscarls driving the Normans back to their ships-let that be a lesson to you,and don't come back!!!!!!
By any standards this was a good game,and we can see lots of opportunities for both armies in the near future-well done lads.
Roll on Sunday-a full "dress rehearsal" for Carronade.

Battle of Luxor 1190BC

Last night we got back into the swing of things by having a cracking Eyptians vs Pa'Arasites game,involving Brian and Graham commanding the Egyptians and Paul and I commanding the Pa'Arasites.

This is the scenario,and initial troop layouts.Paul and I had decided to just go for the objective,of getting a spear-armed unit to touch the walls of Luxor,whilst messing the Egyptians about on both flanks.

My left flank,consisting of light chariots and light infantry,surge across the Nile to attack Brian's flank-a fast moving and furious skirmish between the chariots ensued,neither side gaining any real advantage for a while.

Meanwhile,on the other flank,Paul is doing the same,however he had heavy chariots mixed in with his light infantry,and they caused Graham a bit of consternation,when he charged and scattered all of the Egyptian skirmish troops!!!

In the centre,both lots of "heavies" advance onto each other-this is where the real "fog of war" took a hand in the proceedings-Brian got his unit names mixed up,and consequently his casualties,causing all kinds of mayhem and problems(for clarification,just look at Graham's face!!!!!) however we solved the problem,and the game continued...................

With Luxor looming in the background,the order to charge was given-as both side's points were equal,this would be tight-and prayers were said to the god of the dice(of which Paul is the high priest!!)

With a clash of spear and shield,the centres engage!-Brian had the upper hand in the first melee,but then high priest Paul,got limbered up and started throwing high dice and officer killed dice,like they were going out of fashion,and the tide turned in our favour-hurrah!!

On the left flank,my chariots are "besting" Brian's,and my light infantry are moving to complete his discomfort!!

On the other flank,Paul is moving to charge the thin line of Egyptian skirmishers,who,having recovered from a previous "scattering",have reformed and are posing a real threat to the Heavy chariots,however they "scattered" again,and the flank was secured-hurrah for Paul!!

In the centre,the Egyptian line has fragmented,and one of my spear-armed units has advanced and touched the walls of Luxor(to the left of the statue!) ending the game!!

One final shot,showing the victorious Pa'Arasite army,and the "crestfallen" Egyptian commanders taking their beating like true gentlemen-miserable gits!!!!
This was a good game full of hilarious moments and forgettable moments,if you were an Egyptian commander!!
Roll on Thursday-probably Horse and Musket.

Play and Painting Update.

Having gone through the most rigorous and efficient health check on Tuesday,involving two scans,chest x-rays,blood/urine samples,heart monitoring,blood pressure etc.etc. I was passed as fit to continue my role in the world(if I ever find out what that role is!!). I 'phoned Brian and Paul and Graham to see if they wanted a game on Thursday,but,Brian has a gum infection,Paul is away on a course in Derbyshire,and Graham has been off work for a week with sickness and the runs!!!-bloody hell,what a load of "sickies".
As I was demented by inactivity,I decided to finally get around to painting the Gun Emplacements that I was "conned and coerced" into buying from Robbie Roddis at York show back in February.

These are the eight sections,which I paid the exorbitant price of  £3 for,which, I thought at the time, was a bit too much,but Robbie is now a Pensioner,and needs the money,so "hey-ho!"
I first washed the sections in soapy water to get rid of any grease,I then under-coated them in white emulsion,followed by generous layers of good old-fashioned "Poster Paints"(green and brown)-the walls were painted using a mix of white and black from my new Vallejo paints.

A detail of the emplacement.
What I like about these,apart from contributing to Robbie's pension pot,(I hope he declares his ill-gotten gains on his tax returns,as per Mr Cameron!)is that they are utilitarian,and can cover many Periods in history,with just a little bit of imagination..................

By adding a couple of towers,you have an Ancients camp/fort for Romans,Carthaginians etc.

A "fortified" village or town for English Civil War/7YW/Napoleonics-endless possibilities!

Or even just a gun emplacement!!-Thank you Robbie,I forgive you!!
Roll on Sunday,if we are all "spared" we'll have a game-Ancients.

Temporary suspension of play!

Due to me not feeling too well for a couple of days,we didn't play on Thursday night.
I've been put on a course of steroids for a few days,and have a "scan" booked on Tuesday,next week,so hopefully everything will be okay,and normal play will be resumed by next Thursday.
Brian is painting and basing his WW2 stuff,and is enjoying getting back to his old ways.Dave is "badgering" away at the Assaye stuff,and Paul assures me he is going to "get the paints out" and start to either finish his 7YW Austrians, or his WW2 Desert stuff-lots going on,I'm the only one with nothing to paint(at the moment!!!!)
I've been reading some back-copies of the Wargames magazines,and am quite amazed at the number of "new" rule-sets that are coming out every month(or is that day/week?)-do we need them? surely clubs and groups,and individuals can adopt and adapt the myriad of commercial rules on the market already, to suit their needs,because,as has been proved in the past,no one set will ever satisfy everybody! Abraham Lincoln's speech about "pleasing everybody" springs to mind,still,I suppose the Dinosaurs didn't progress,and look what happened to them!!
Roll on Thursday(I hope!)

Assaye and Painting/Project updates.

Last night Dave brought up all his Assaye Troops,for a "run-through" of the game we will be putting on in Falkirk,and Brian brought some of his WW2 stuff that he's been painting-we had a thoroughly enjoyable night,even though we didn't play a game.
Firstly, I was knocked out by receiving this post card from Australia..................

But who is it from??

John Holt of Warrior Miniatures!!-cheers John.you made my day!!

Now onto Brian's painting project-WW2 12th Panzer(Hitler Youth) division.Figures and vehicles from Bolt Action......................

The anti-tank gun is superb,and the basing detail is a sight to behold(I wish I had the skill and patience to do my bases like that!)

Brian has made a great job of these troops and vehicles,once they are all done he intends going on to paint some British(or maybe Canadian/Americans.) so we can have a "D" day landing type game-roll on,and on and on!!!
The main point of last night was to see how the Assaye figures that Dave has built up,would fit onto the board,and how we would play the game.
Dave has done alot of research into this battle,and has discovered that the "accepted" version of the battle,is not what actually happened,so we will be fighting the "newer" version,backed up with historical evidence.
All of the figures are from Redoubt,and are a massive 28mm !! the buildings are from Hovels,the terrain pieces are from Lost Valley,and there are a "smattering" of officer figures from Elite miniatures........................

From behind the Indian lines,Singh-a Song of Sixpence Brian surveys the British line-note the LED tee-lights in front of the Indian guns-very effective!

From behind the British lines,Lord Dave of Nissan,surveys the Indian lines-note LED tee-lights in front of the British guns!-try not to go to sleep Graham!!!

The village of Assaye-still needs a couple of bits to complete it,but it will look the part.

This shows the table from the Indian right flank-I can't remember a pair of spectacles taking part in the actual battle!!

A shot of the Indian infantry line,behind their guns-spectacular!-Dave has spent more on the flags and banners than I spend on an army!!!-but the result is magnificent.
On the day we will break up the open terrain with grass and bushes etc,so the terrain looks like an Indian Plain.

Some people say that the Indian army was a load of Elephants..........................

Some that it was a load of Bullocks!!!-we'll see on the day.
Well done to Dave and Brian for adding a new dimension to our wargaming periods,and now I will have to try and think of a game for Thursday!!

Battle of Dystopian Fields 425BC

We had a small,but interesting, game last night pitting Spartans against Athenians.

Paul and Graham were in charge of the Spartans and their Allies,whilst Brian and I were in charge of the Athenians and their Allies.

My Corinthians,archers and heavy cavalry advance towards Paul's right flank Spartan troops.

Whilst my Athenian hoplites await the Spartan onslaught(which was swift and relentless!!!)

On the other flank,Brian has charged his  hoplites into Graham's Spartans,hoping for a quick success(has the man lost his senses?)

In the centre,Paul is wasting no time in advancing onto my Athenians,who are retiring(it's good being retired!) slowly to try and gain a terrain advantage-no chance!!! In the background,Brian and Graham are fully engaged,and, initially,Brian was doing better-hurrah(but keep your eye on the word "initially!!")

Brian's "heroic" struggle continues,but Graham is about to unleash his light cavalry against any unit that retires-this he did with aplomb,and it was,eventually,Brian's undoing-woe is him!!

To the sound of "war cries" and shield crashing against shield,the Spartans hit the Athenian line.The first two melees were pretty evenly matched,but eventually the Spartan training and superior fighting ability told,and I was beaten-woe is me as well!!

Brian is on the run,and Graham is sending his light cavalry against his rear(oooohh!!)
But what of the central hill(c/w temple)?

Well, Graham had the audacity to attack it with light infantry-Brian responded by charging down the hill and inflicting severe casualties on them-hurrah!!-they couldn't recover could they??

On our left flank,the Corinthians are mixing it with the Spartans stationed there,and were doing okay-HOWEVER(!) I had to put my command figure into a melee,to supplement the points of a "wavering" unit,and,yes you've guessed it, he got himself killed!!!-this was a disaster for the Corinthians,who,en masse, decided that the city of Corinth was a nice place to be,instead of in the Dystopian Fields,and fled to a man!!!!!-flank lost!

With the Spartans punching holes in my centre,and the central hill(c/w temple) now in Spartan hands,things are looking bleak to say the least-it now all depends on Brian's flank-how is it doing?

Oh dear,how sad,never mind!!-Graham's magnificent use of his light skirmish cavalry has put an end to the Athenian hopes,and the battle is lost-well done to us all,a great game.
Roll on Sunday,Dave is bringing the figures and terrain for our demo. game at Falkirk, on 7th May, which is the Battle of Assaye 1803. for us to go through-can't wait!