Thursday 31 August 2017

A Final (?) game of Sharp Practice

Steve, General Ballroom and I convened for a game at the Ilko Gaming Hut last week.
Usually the preceding 48 hours of the three of us playing are riven with emails passing back and forth as we attempt to agree on a game to play.
However on this occasion it was easy.
General B asked the question and Stephen replied Sharp Practice.
The two of us immediately called his bluff and agreed. So Sharp Practice it would be.
I took the British, Steve the French and the good General read the rules so we'd know what we were doing.

We ended up playing the Sweep mission from the rulebook and set up the deployment points on a very splendid looking table.

 Voltigeurs arrive

 Others seize the hill

The farmhouse is searched!

There were then three or four rounds of cards being drawn during which the French fully deployed and began searching for Creamy Beatrix before a single British unit arrived.

"Ou sont les anglais?"

However when it did it was with devastating effect as the British senior officer and his large unit arrived on the flank of some incautiously advancing Frenchmen and enfiladed them to extinction.

 "Have some of that Jonny Frenchie"

 Thin red line

And from the other side

In the centre French infantry arrived and began to fire on the British flank but in return recieved fire from the British Light troops.

At last the British deploy

 Forward mes braves!


Give fire!

An attempt at a charge by the French was likewise met with strong fire from the British which bought them to a halt.

The advance is halted

With an unharmed unit of infantry advancing on one of the remaining objectives and much of his army shocked or dead the French ceded the field to the redcoats.

 Redcoats close on the objective

The French prepare to withdraw

Unfortunately, whilst the company was convivial, the soldiers splendid and the table terrific the rules were rotten really not enjoyed by everyone.
There's a "fussiness" about them that sits ill with the members of the Sherwood Hucknall and Ilkeston Team. Fussiness is perhaps unfair (though some of the lists of modifiers would seem to confirm it) possibly fairer to say there's a level of detail that requires more effort than we see rewarded. For some gamers this level of detail may be exactly what they want (and clearly judging by the popularity of the rules that's quite a large number of gamers) but for us they're the wrong side of the equation.
We also had some quibbles about the scale - it's a skirmish and yet the unit movement restrictions seem more akin to much larger conflicts. On the other hand your ability to move said units is affected by your leader standing in some poo. Is it a role-playing game or a mass battle game? For us it felt an uncomfortable mix of the two.
The rules are also just a bit hard to get your head around. At least for us simpletons. I've now tried four Lardy rules sets and it's quite telling that the ones I've most enjoyed and have played best have been the ones where someone really knew the rules and could explain them. The two where I've tried to teach myself from the rulebook (Dux Brit and SP) have been a bit of a slog.

It's a shame - I *want* to like the rules better than I do and it feels like there's a good game in there somewhere but at the moment I'm not feeling it (and certain other S.H.I.T.ers are even less enthused) so I think, sadly, we'll be looking elsewhere for our Napoleonic jollies.

Wednesday 30 August 2017

Footsore Late Roman Sagittarii (3)


A little work of the Bank Holiday weekend has finished these eight off.
Of course to be properly effective I think I probably need another four...





Now back to the spearmen.

Tuesday 29 August 2017

War Sheep!

After our last game of OGAM I asked the Gaming Heir what animal was most associated with Hermes, thinking that I could add a unit of ferocious wolves or brutal boars to my force.
Sheep, came the reply.
Hermes is (among many other things) the god of shepherds.
This was something of a blow, but then I decided that it would be quite funny if I had a unit of ferocious sheep in the force.
So I went searching and picked up some Mouflon sheep from Warbases.
Looking at the pictures these looked most like the ancient animals Hermes is sometimes pictured with and the actual real live animals look surprisingly powerful and a little intimidating (if not quite up there on the wolf/boar scale),

So here they are, a herd of six Mouflon War Sheep to bolster the forces of Hermes!




They will of course also do useful double duty as set dressing on any games set in or around the Mediterranean.

Edit 

Anyone doubting the power of War Sheep should view the following!

Thursday 24 August 2017

Templars with the Gaming Heir

The Gaming Heir has actually decided to apply some pigment to models.



I spray 'em, he applies some block colours then I tidy them up (still some tidying needed on that sergeant's shoulder pad!)

Wednesday 23 August 2017

Footsore Late Roman Sagittarii

It seems Steve and I are now in a mildly competitive rush to get our WAB armies together for Peterborough.
He's doing Irish - you should have a look at his progress over on his blog.

Right, here's what I've been up to.


Eight sagittarii pretty much blocked in and ready for some washes and highlights


Too much flesh paint on the palette meant I made a start on these eight spearmen too.

Even though Steve has over 100 wee Irish fellas to paint and I've already pretty much finished two units he will win the getting things painted race.

Tuesday 22 August 2017

40K - Hunt the Milkman

Anopther small encounter with the Gaming Heir's Templars

We used the miniature carrying the geneseed containers that was part of the Macragge starter set. We always called it the milkman when I was in Mail Order.

The milkman started in the centre of the board and stumbled wildly about until a unit of troops could move into contact with him and escort him from the table.

It was a suitably bloodthirsty encounter,

 Waaagh Gruzzkup arrives, looking for milk geneseed

 Ulp!

 The cavalry arrives

 Gruzzkup got his knobs out

The Ork boss goes down fighting

Once again I lost. I really don't have much than can deal with a Land Raider Crusader. 

Monday 21 August 2017

Partizan Swag!

Here's what I got at Partizan yesterday


A varied selection of nonsense for a variety of nonsensical projects.

Northstar spears and Renadra 20mm square bases for the Late Romans

Paint - some CDA and a couple from The Tree Fellas (though there were only two of them)

 Foundry Harpies for OGAM

Frenchies for the Sherwood Hucknall and Ilkeston Team foray into the FIW

Sunday 20 August 2017

Other Partizan 2017

I went to Partizan today with Stephen.
It was mainly a shopping expotition (as Pooh Bear would have it) so didn't take a camera.
However I did snap these quick pictures of Steve Jones rather marvellous AWI game.




Pictures of the swag to follow tomorrow.

Tuesday 8 August 2017

Rumble in the Pass - A TMWWBK AAR

Filled with enthusiasm after our last game General Ballroom and I persuaded Steve to join us for another game of TMWWBK.
Gen B. unfurled his rather super new mat for the occasion (which for some reason has a rather bluish cast in the pictures).
Steve took the plucky Brits, a Sikh unit of which had recently rescued the lovely "Creamy" Beatrix and were planning to hold on to her until help arrived.
General B took command of the Pathans and I drank beer and adjudicated.

The Sikhs prepare to defend Beatrix's honour (such as it is)

Pathan hordes arrive

Close Order is formed

The Pathans rush on

The thin kahki line gives fire 

Pathan swarm across the hills

The Sikhs are cut down and Beatrix is at the mercy of the Pathans

The 99th Humbersiders arrive

Beatrix is abandoned

More Pathans approach their target

But the Humbersiders are resolute

The last fatal charge of the Ghazis

In the end the plucky Brits won out.
I think I may need more scenery - the natives SEM very vulnerable. The field fun also feels horrendously powerful I may just paint some more soldiers so I don't feel obliged to...ummm...field one every game.
The game certainly cracks along I'm sure we'll play again soon.