Spanish Gate

As a test item, I built a 28MM Spanish Gate today (well I also was involved in a Zouave 2 play test game, which was fun stuff). I'll build straight and corner wall sections too, to go with this. I'll build a handful of buildings too. Paul Darnell's work (of Touching History fame) is very inspirational, thanks Paul!

The core of the wall is foam core board, a little spackle for texture and some store-bought tiles round it out. I made the gates in two separate pieces so that it can be made to be open or closed or half-open during games. The gates are made from cardboard.

More to come...

Napoleonic Skirmish

Our club recently had a swap meet, and I traded stuff and got some Victrix plastic Napoleonics. I had not really intended to get any 28MM Napoleonics - maybe never - but (1) there is at least one club member that is really wanting to play Peninsular skirmish battles and (2) the deal was alright and the stuff I traded went to one of my favorite people, Colin.

Colin is the young son (10, I think?) of a very good man in our club and terrific gamer, Scott. Colin is actually developing into quite the gamer too. I believe that I have yet to defeat him in Flames of War (or maybe anything for that matter)!

Anyway, back to the Nappies. So, I painted up a few of these plastics to see how they go...and I think they go splendidly. They go together pretty easily. At first it was a pain, but after a few guys you get the hang of it. They have terrific detail and paint up nicely. The variation of pose and soldier type are almost endless and excellent instructions come in the box to build grenadiers versus fusiliers versus voltigeurs, etc. Also, some really awesome flags come in the box too! So, I give these plastics two thumbs up!

I also bought the Song of Drums and Shakos to use as rules. They won an award a couple years ago and look fun. I really like the activation system too.

Here are the handful of minis I have produced so far...with visions of Sharpe's Rifles dancing in my head!

British Chaps!

Fusiliers!

I also started a little terrain. This is a patch of crops (cabbage?) made with the tiny paper roses you get at the craft store. More terrain to come. Yes, Greg, that is coming too!

With a Fusilier for scale

Vietnam Action

While my brother was here, we played a little Vietnam gaming. Not too much, as we were feeling our way through the rules, but enough to get some fun action in and get some pics. We're playing Piquet's Forgotten Heroes - with some additional flavor tacked on.

The airmobile stuff is really fun. A Hog came in and did some fairly good suppression work on the NVA on the edge of the LZ ...but there were too many NVA around. One of the three Slicks went down while coming in, but two others successfully delivered their squads to the ground for the fire-fight!

The American Objective

Man, armor and tracks are tough...

Tracks head up to clear an LZ

Tracks in action

A potential LZ, contested by some NVA

The last of the NVA near this LZ

The NVA kill a track and are assaulting the former passengers

Me, and my brother, setting up some troops

Wargaming Dorks

Air Assault. The LZ is at the upper right

The Hog will soften it up for the Slicks

The Hog goes into action!

In come the Slicks!

One Slick down! The others unloaded successfully

 

Long Road South...

Pirate Action

Well, nearly a month of quiet on this blog...sorry...hasn't been quiet around here, just too much going on to post photos and such...but...while I was away...

We played a pirate scenario using Legends of the High Seas. In this scenario, a large group of pirates attacked the hidden island stronghold of another band of pirates. The smaller band, defending their "fortress" could stand to the last man, while the attackers played with the normal morale rules. The object of the attack is to take the ship and any loot that those pirates may have in the fortress.

The smaller band, defending the fortress, was run by myself while my brother and his wife ran the larger attacking force. It did not start off well for me as the cannon on the wall misfired on the first shot and took two turns to "reload"...by that time, the cannon was pretty much out of the battle.

Ignoring this omen, my men fought bravely as the assailing scallywags mounted their assault, bearing ladders with which to scale the walls. Clearly, these raiders had staked out the fort and came with a plan! My men defended the wall strongly, but were overcome by numbers. Once the enemy was within the compound, my captain showed his mettle in close combat. He killed three of the attackers, always fighting more than one enemy and was finally overcome when the attacking captain, a swashbuckler and a deckhand all attacked him.

In one area, an attacking pirate armed with a blunderbuss let a round off that took out a key wall defender...so...one of my swabs ran out of the gate and attacked him. Although the close combat amounted to nothing and the brave pirate was soon killed, the move was very brave. Very cinematic!

In the end, those thieves stole the ship of my thieves...and my thieves were all dead or recruited into the winning crew! Great and fun battle, great rules...get them if you have not!

Here are some images...

The Prize Ship

Carrying the new "recruit"

The Cannon Redoubt

Some of the attackers

Getting Closer!

Up the ladders!

The End is Near

The last artilleryman succumbs