Over the past few years I have introduced several new periods to our club,viz."El Cid",Mongols,Teutonic knights,Crusaders,and last night The Plains Indians War.
I can not expect the same enthusiasm that I have for new periods,from the rest of the "lads",but I try!!
Last night Graham,Brian and I tried this interesting period,using a combination of Colonial,and our "usual" fighting rules-it wasn't a great success,although I really enjoyed it!
Perhaps we need to try a few more games,and have a few rule changes,as well as reading up about tactics,weapon capabilities etc.etc.
Top photo is scenario,bottom is table before any movement-I controlled all of the Indians,Graham controlled the 7th Cav. and Brian controlled the 2nd Cav.
In this shot(no pun intended!) Graham has got both his troops into position,and is giving the Cheyenne a right old drubbing! however the foot "soldiers" of the Cheyenne are approaching fast!!!
I have managed to surround Brian's command in this shot,although I did take tremendous casualties from my first attack!!
The Cheyenne are still on the table(just!) and are about to be supported by the second Sioux camp warriors.-note Graham's command is vastly reduced in numbers-hurrah!!
"He who fights,and runs away,lives to fight another day"
Final shot of the "battle"-Brian's whole command is slaughtered,and on the other flank,Graham is also "done for"-a great win for the Indians-another hurrah!!
Finally,a couple of photographs of the "camp followers" from Irregular Miniatures,painted up as Squaws!!
Roll on next Sunday.
I originally was going to use the Plains Indians and US cavalry as a solo project,but I'll try another couple of games,involving all the "lads" and see what they think.
What every Western scenario needs is a Log Cabin-but I didn't have one! I decided that I would make one.................................................
Top photo is the "former" made from cardboard and black tape,middle photo is the dimensions I worked out before I started,and last photo is the mainstay of the whole operation-Bamboo Placemats!!
I covered one side of the placemat with black tape,because if you don't do that and you start to cut the mat,then the threads holding it all together would be cut,the thing would fall apart, and you would look like a right "tit"-the more observant of you will be asking "How did he know that?"-Hmmmmmm!
Pieces cut to size and door and windows cut with chisel,now to glue the pieces onto the "former".........................
Done,and looking good(??)-THE WIFE,cleverly spotted that it didn't have a roof or chimney!
That's because I haven't made the bloody things yet!!!!!-darling.
I just happen to have a block of air-drying clay(which I am using on another project!) so made this chimney,ready to stick to the gable end.
Stuck and looking part of the cabin already!-but what of the roof??
Mounting card,which I just happened to have too!-note the carefully cut section to go around the chimney top.
Roof in position,so what next?-well,painting the chimney and roof..........................
Finished!! now who would live in a house like this??
Settlers and Pioneers,that's who-I wonder what the neighbours are like?????
Ooh-er!!!-I wish he would stop waving his big chopper about,it's frightening the wife!!
Before I took a bit ill,last week,I had ordered, and received, a batch of figures,and have now started to paint them.............................
These are "Camp Followers",cauldrons and spits,from Irregular Miniatures,which I am going to paint up as Plains Indians Squaws.
Also on my painting table are some 100 Years War Knights and some Zulus-although I do have quite a number of Zulus,my centre regiments are in need of reinforcements,so another 48 winged their way from Warrior Miniatures!!
I am painting them in batches of 12,and are easy to paint,the detail is excellent and the poses are full of action!
The 100 years war knights are from Lancashire Games,and are superb! However they are "whopping!",and probably will not mix in with the figures Dave and Brian are using(Front Rank,and Perry's) but I thought I might as well paint them anyway!!.....................
Grand figures!-note the hand-painted shield devices,and Barding devices (LIAR,LIAR,LIAR!)
These ,of course, were photo-copied and reduced to a size that fitted the shields and barding,and then stuck on with PVA glue-quite effective I think(??)
The other two in action!
One minute you're sitting at home painting figures and looking forward to Sunday's game,and the next minute you're in Hospital suffering from Diverticulitis,being drip-fed antibiotics,and not being allowed to eat or drink for three days(not to mention the "hellish" three nights!)
The next thing that happens is that my wife and I had to return to the hospital today so that she could have an operation to fix her fractured little finger!!!-this is a long-winded way to explain why we didn't play on Sunday!!
I have been told to take it easy for a few days,and have a "light" diet(???) but,hopefully, we should be playing the Plains Indians war battle that I had planned for last Sunday.
"prep'd" and awaiting CT scan,then off to ward.
Highlight of the day-visiting time(note Guantanamo Bay style PJ's!)
Just a small bandage!!!! for a little finger.
We'll look back on this and laugh-NOT!!
roll on next Sunday.
I have been "messing about" with my Plains Indians vs US Cavalry set-up,and now feel confident enough to put on a game next Sunday.
This will obviously be a trial run,combining Colonial thinking with a new period outlook.
I have devised a simple scenario,which,hopefully, will test my thinking and revised rules,to give an exciting game(and colourful!) I have taken a few photographs,just to get you into the mood(??) and show what I hope to achieve.
Top photo is the scenario,bottom is the notes which will help to run the scenario smoothly!
This is how the table looks at the moment-both columns approaching the creek,and hardly an Indian in site(apart from the "lookout" and individuals in the separate camps.)
Detail of the terrain and crossing point for the 2nd cavalry-note scouts in forward positions(mad fools!)
The Indian camps,2 Sioux and one Cheyenne,each containing 18 mounted Indians and 18 on foot.
The "lookout".
A view from behind the camps.
The 7th cavalry's column-this has a rifled artillery piece attached to it!
This is why it's called "Grizzly Creek!"
Roll on next Sunday.
Last night saw the fabulous five fight this rather impressive Ancients game,pitting two legions against a coalition of Dacians and Germans-and what a game it turned out to be!
Dave,Paul and Graham were in charge of the Romans,whilst I commanded the Dacians and Brian commanded the Germans..........................................
Brian opened the proceedings with a most vigorous attack on Paul's legion,whilst I did a similar thing against the fort(held by Graham) and Dave's legion....................
The fort attack and cavalry attack went well,but my Dacian warbands "bounced" off the first line of Dave's cohorts!!
As more and more Germans cross the stream,Paul is being put under alot of pressure,and is losing officers galore!!-so far so good for the Roman formations though(this was to change!!)
I am holding my line here,but a most disastrous cavalry charge against one of Paul's cohorts brought my intended advance to a standstill!!-Dave's Roman lines are a lesson to us all!
Meanwhile,back at the fort-I have gained access to the fort,and my cavalry are pushing Graham's troops back-hurrah!!-but will this situation last??
Look at those magnificent Roman lines,then Paul went "Hollywood!!"................
With flanks up in the air and lines broken,Brian needed to capitalise on this tactical error,but unfortunately he had suffered too many casualties in previous moves,and was held by Paul's legion-damn it all,man!!!
After my initial warband was forced back out of the fort,I have managed to gain access again,and Graham is giving me a hard time with his auxiliaries,but his cavalry have "gone home" and the flank should have been mine,but Dave transferred a cavalry unit of his to Graham and the Romans held their own(can't touch you for it!!)
In the background you can see my second line of Dacian warbands being slaughtered by Dave's second line of cohorts-oh dear,is this the end??
One final shot,showing Brian's Germans,still fighting but against the odds!!-well done to us all,this was another great game,roll on next Sunday-I will probably be "rolling out" my Plains Indians.
We had a brief discussion about what type of game we will be putting on at Battleground on 24th November at Stockton,but as usual,nothing concrete was resolved-I give up!!!-mainly because I had already told Leon(Pendraken) that we would be doing a WW2 game!-watch this space.................
