End of Year Properhammer - WFB Dwarfs v Empire

Steve and I decided to see out 2017 with some more Properhammer - a game of 8th edition WFB.
We were hoping Spandex might join us for some Triumph & Treachery Warhammer larks , but he is lost in the Lincolnshire Badlands.
As we were playing during the day with an entire night of NYE drunken debauchery to look forward to we consumed considerably less beer than is usual for our holiday type games - we are, after all gentlemen if a certain age and need to pace ourselves.

I took Dwarfs with their redoubtable Kislev allies. I was going to bring Ogres, but can't locate them in the loft at the moment. I would be facing the Empire who had bought along some Wood Elves in case all the shooting kicked out by a pretty shooty Empire army proved to be insufficiently shooty.

We deployed for the silly diagonal scenario with a helpfully placed road down the middle.

Gyrocopter view

 Screened by Kislev cavalry the Dwarfs prime their handguns

 The Empire forces, led by Volkmar, assemble

 Longbeards and Winged Lancers stand ready

 The Lazer Death Luminark of Doooooom!

I *hate* Empire shooty cavalry

For the first turn or two I was mostly shot at. The Empire killed the Kislev horse archers with ease and then pounded the poor Hammerers with shot and magic.

 Spearmen advance

 Forward the Winged Lancers!

 The Steam Tank is hull down. Oh good.

Time to cross the road chaps

Eventually, my much reduced forces crashed into the big spear block

 Chaaarge! Whats left of you.

Old Regiment of Renown Wood Elves

However my attack was somewhat blunted. Though a good shot from the cannon had taken out the Steam Tank - or at least reduced it to occasional shots.

 The Longbeards crash home.

Enthusiastic pursuit puts the Clansdwarfs in range of the archers

The Hammerers were eventually overwhelmed by the spearmen. However the Longbeards saw off the halbardiers and the clansdwarfs punched though some supporting swordsmen on the Empire flank. Before succumbing to machine gun fire Arcane Bodkins.

By this time I was running out of short, stunty bodies and the Wood elf cavalry had arrived.

Aim. Fire!

Despite the Longbeards chasing off Volkmar the field belonged to the Empire!

Huzzah for another game of The Best Game.

Great way to finish off a year of gaming - and we're going to do more Warhammer in 2018. A campaign of some sort.

Crusader Woodland Indians

A selection of Woodland Indians for games of Muskets and Tomahawks or Song of Drums and Tomahawks.

Excellent Crusader Miniatures I picked up from Northstar Nick a while ago. Much nicer IMO than the Conquest/Warlord Marines.
I did, however, fail my courage test for doing warpaint. I've got eight more to do, so may try some on them.

8th Edition Warhammer Orcs v Undead

General Ballroom was indisposed last week. So Steve and I decided to play a proper manly wargame of Properhammer - Warhammer 8th edition.
Steve has already blogged the game over on his blog - go and have a read if you like. Then come back here and look at my pictures.

Back are we?
Good
So I took my Orc and Goblin force and Steve pulled out his Undead (though fortunately he decided not to pull out his Ghoulies)

I had Trolls (the special mixed unit Steve likes so much)...

...a giant and some Squigs...

..and pigs. Lots of pigs.

Steve took the Dire Wolves I painted several years ago when we played Sigmar's Blood. I gave them to him after the campaign as they make me do a sick in my mouth the models are so horrid)

he also had some skellybobs.

Here's the whole battlefield - ill lit by the twin moons of Morsleib or whatever they're called.

My Boarboys started the battle by charging the Direwolves. They won! Yay! Boarboys!

The necromancer and his cadaverous chums tried lurking in the woods but it turned out to be a nasty wood that killed them a bit each turn.

After murdering the dead dogs the Boarboys crashed on into the Creepy Coupe. They won! Yay! Boarboys are awesome!

The trolls meanwhile had shambled into the graveguard and their Vampire master. This proved unwise.

The Boarboys now thundered into the Black Knights (who were a long way from ho-wo-wo-wome...)

The Trolls were taking a beating, but whittling the deadmen too.

However eventually the Vampire murdered all the Trolls in the face. By which time my Big Un deathstar had arrived.

Aided by a couple of chariots

This resulted inn the Graveguard and their Vampire general all becoming dead again.
In the background you may notice the Black Knights are charging a chariot as the Boarboys had finally reverted to type and died horribly.

The chariot hung around though

And with the additional deaths caused by the departure of the Vampire starting to...ummm....bite Steve conceded and the field was green!

Hurrah for Warhammer.
We do love it so.
Decent sized armies, plays in the right amount of time, we know all the rules (even if some of them are from older versions of the game).
We should play it more. All the time even. If only General Ballroom hadn't fallen prey to the Age of S***ar Kool Aid. Silly man.

On the other hand I think Steve is  a bit fed up of my Big Un unit opf Death. So I might need to paint some other models and try some different tactics.

40K Spiker Plants

The iconic piece of 40K scenery.

Fabricated from polystyreme balls and eggs, cocktail sticks and warbases bases

Splendidly retro and a bit foolish.
Rather like their maker.

Compagnie Franches de la Marine

Some months ago the members of the Sherwood, Hucknall and Ilkeston Team decided as one to assemble forces for the French and Indian war. Our rules of choice to be Muskets and Tomahawks.

Steve immediately painted up some plastic Perry AWI models to use as redcoats. General Ballroom and I take great pleasure in telling him they're the wrong period.

At the same time I purchased the models I needed but knew I had to finish the Late Romans for Peterborough.

Now, decks clear I have begun work.

I shall be playing the French and so began with the Warlord (Conquest Miniatures) Compagnie Franches de la Marine.

Ten including a couple of characters seemed a good start.

Truth to tell I'm not a fan of the models.
They're "characterful".
Not in an "oh my god, my eyes, my beautiful eyes" sense of characterful like, for instance the Tiger miniatures Afghans, but the faces are a bit cartoony and the sizes and proportions seem to me to vary quite considerably.

Anyway they're done now, bar basing which I'll do for the whole force at the same time.
Next up some Crusader Woodland Indians I reckon.