Solo Crusader Game.

One of the best things about being retired is having lots of spare time on your hands,so once the menial tasks of the day are done(shopping,cooking,washing up etc.etc.) you can get on with he important things in life-ie. Wargaming!!
Today I "played with myself in the garage"(as my wife likes to call solo wargaming!) pitting my new Saracens and Mamaluks against my Teutonic knights,using simple rules for movement and morale/melees-thoroughly enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours.

I set an objective for the Saracens to out-flank both wings of the Crusaders-here the Sword Bretheren and Hospitallars are taking on the Mamaluks on the crusader right flank.

This is the crusader left flank-apart from some Saracen cavalry there are some horse archers hoping to surround the Crusaders-some cross bowmen on the battlements of the castle were hoping to dissuade them from doing so!!-the rest of the two forces are about to make contact!!

Having successfully completed a "feigned retreat"by the Saracens, my Crusaders have rushed after them,only to be subjected to an attack on their rear by the horse archers!!

Not wanting to lose both flanks,I called out my reserve cavalry(Templars) to bolster my right.

Just as well!!-my exposed unit is being attacked in front and flank-this is going to be tight!!
But then I spotted the Saracen CinC,and challenged him to a duel(was this going to be fool-hardy?

"Come over here if you think you're hard enough!"-I inflicted the first wound,then he inflicted two on me(it was the best of three) the final one being fatal!!!!-why am I surprised???

With my left flank being shot to pieces,I needed some good melee wins in the centre and right.

I am pushing the Saracens in the centre back,their morale broke and they fled-hurrah!!

On the right I am also winning-this looking good!

The chase begins!!-to be fair I did lose one flank,but my victory in the centre and right compensated for it,and I declared myself the winner(!!!)
Great stuff,very enjoyable-recommend it to anyone.

Battle of Fort Gordon 1896.

Last night we had a 100% turnout for this fascinating,fast and furious,colourful and exciting Colonial game.

Top photo is scenario,bottom is the table layout.I was the British commander(!) Paul was the Egyptian commander(!!) whilst Dave took charge of the Haddendowah,and Graham the Dervishes-all was set for one hell of a game(depending which side you were on!!)Brian opted to referee,and what a grand job he made of it.

Graham started proceedings by launching his Dervish hordes against Paul's Egyptians,who inflicted multiple casualties on the advancing warbands,causing Graham to shudder to a stand-still,initially-great stuff,but the Egyptians had now expended all of their ammunition,and would have to rely on the bayonet from now on!!!-Brian can be seen to be taking his refereeing responsibilities seriously,by looking at the garage floor!!

On the other flank,Dave has also launched his ,thousands, of troops against my still forming British,however my well-aimed artillery and rifle fire has given him a bit of a shock,and his casualties are mounting very early on in the game-do I smell success(or is that Graham forcing us all to smell something else??)

Graham's out-flanking move,by his cavalry,against the Egyptian flank,has been "thwarted" by my Lancers-hurrah!! But there are more and more enemy advancing in all sectors!!

Is this the calm before the storm?-Graham's troops are ,once more,advancing on the fort-is Paul up to the challenge,will his demon dice throwing get him out of trouble??

On my flank,I am holding on,but just! Dave is  sending his second line in a wide arc,against my exposed right flank(which begs the question,why did I send my Lancers against Graham's cavalry??-I need them to protect my own troops now!!)

Paul's cavalry is being over-whelmed by Graham's cavalry,and the referee is thinking about what he can have for his supper!!-this is serious(cheese on toast or a portion of fruit??-decisions,decisions!)
Meanwhile,back at the game............................

I am in all kinds of bother!
Graham is attacking the fort in a furious manner,Dave is attacking the British in a furious manner,and Brian is yawning in a furious manner!!

I am "undone"-Dave has managed to get round my exposed flank! with my Lancers lying in bloody tatters on the nearest sand dune,I now have no protection from the " Fuzzy Wuzzies"
who are all over my position-can I rely on Paul to send me help??

No,he seems to be pretty well tied up at the moment!-The Egyptian did well,initially,but their poor fighting/morale points eventually forced them to fall back in some dis-order!

This shot is taken from behind the Haddendowah lines,and shows the sorry state of my British-all is over I fear!

Questions will be asked in Parliament!!!!
This was a typical Colonial game,full of fun and laughter(unless you were Egyptian or British!) lots of fast moves and nail biting melees-great stuff!!
Roll on next Sunday,we will,once again, be fighting the game we are putting on at Falkirk in May-a few new things have been added!

Painting update.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that for our game at Carronade in May,we needed more Moorish Black Guard,to make a bigger impact,so I ordered some figures from Warrior Miniatures of Glasgow.They duly arrived in double quick time,and I set about painting them in double quick time!!-As they were all going to be black,painting was very simple(even by my standards!) and very fast-it has taken me two weeks to paint all of them,plus some very nice casualties and stretcher bearers from Irregular Miniatures,which Paul got me at Vapnartak.

This is the lot!-64 infantry,8 cavalry,8 archers and some casualties,fully finished and awaiting their bases(from Pendraken) being flocked.As usual the standards are from foil from wine bottles!

Shield detail,showing my take on a Koranic verse-obviously not authentic,but I try!

The Irregular casualties and stretcher bearers-very well detailed(maybe too well detailed if you look closely!!)

Another 16 archers-because I had miscalculated on my original order!-Ordered on Monday,delivered on Wednesday(!!) and painted on Thursday-it's good being retired!!-but what are they going to be used for???

Figures all flocked and "on parade"

They do look as though they've had a bit of a night!

In line and looking good-I already have two units,so with this lot that will be six units,forming the Moorish front line-should be okay(?)

The cavalry(or half of them!)

Back in the box!-what's next? Wait and see!!!

Preview for the game to be played 25th Feb 2018.

On my last blog I "hinted" that we might play an English Civil War game on Sunday,but I have changed my mind(so what's new?) and decided on a Colonial game based in the Sudan.
I have taken a few photographs and here they are......................

This is the simple scenario,we will pick sides on the night,and like all Colonial games it should be pretty exciting stuff!

This is the table as the "boys" will see it on Sunday night-the Egyptian troops will have limited ammunition!!

The Egyptian position,Fort and wall to defend-both flanks fairly open,and the Dervish hordes have cavalry on both flanks!!!!-might just be a tricky situation.

This is the view from behind the Haddendowah position looking towards the British column.

The British column,consisting of Camel-mounted troops,Lancers,artillery and infantry,all armed with the latest modern weapons-what could possibly go wrong????

Another view of the Egyptians-I'm sure the British commander will sacrifice his troops to go to their assistance(?)

The Dervish troops waiting patiently for their turn to attack-and they will!!!
Roll on Sunday.

2nd Dacian War 105AD.

We had a "corker" of a game last night,pitting Germans and Dacians against the might of Rome. Dave was feeling a bit under the weather,so it was left to Paul,Graham,Brian and I to play this interesting and tight game!

Top photo is the scenario,and bottom is the table before any movement.
I commanded the Dacians,Brian the Germans,whilst Paul was Trajan,and Graham was Hadrian.

We're off!!-top photo shows my front line Dacaians smashing into Paul's pathetic little auxiliaries(who just happened to give them a good old thrashing!!!)-Paul's dynamic dice throwing should carry a government health warning(to Dacians anyway!!) and he won every melee and killed all of my officers in the process!!!
The bottom photo shows my Sarmatian heavy cavalry against some Roman heavy cavalry-they too got beaten up-this is not going according to plan(so far!)

Meanwhile,on Brian's flank,his "tardy" Germans are advancing(slowly) and ,initially, is being given a bit of a bloody nose by Graham's auxiliaries-oh dear!

At last! Brian's Germans have stopped looking at the flora and fauna and counting the trees,and are attacking the Romans-hurrah!!(is that a smirk on Graham's face ,or wind??)

Back to my flank-I am putting in one hell of an attack,and Paul is looking worried-why??-he's got his secret weapon,aka bloody dice!!!-eleven,yes eleven,officers "bit the dust" in the ensuing melees and my troops were sent reeling back to their lines(I'm going to burn his dice,that's what I'm going to do!!)

HOWEVER-my cavalry are beating his,and driving them back-hurrah!!!-but a cohort of infantry are making their way behind the rocks,just waiting to ambush me-not so hurrah!!!
In the background,the tussle for the hill continues,but my leaderless rabble is no match for the cohorts(and dice!) and is in real trouble.

Brian's Germans have eventually made contact with the Roman cohorts of Hadrian's legion-but they didn't like it!!! Paul then sent a cohort to help Graham out,and this swung the balance to the Romans-woe is us!!

The state of play,about move number 8-I am beaten in the background,and Graham is putting Brian under all kinds of pressure in the foreground!

One final shot,showing my troops forming a defensive line in front of the town,and the "Chuckle Brothers" having a rest!!
This was a great game,well played,and enjoyed by us all,roll on next Sunday,maybe an English Civil War game,but who knows???