Friday, January 29, 2016

River Battle in Frosgrave

This is not the river battle form the Lich lord set but Mike had put this board together and he really wanted to use it so we were happy to.  We tried out the ice movement rules and also tried the captain rules.
 As we had 4 players we each started in a corner with section of dock going in one foot.  Mike and Dave on one side.
 My self and Dave's son Will on the other.
Thinneth and her boys huddle in an broken old building (
The Dwarves are on the same bank as us...
In the far distance the lizardmen and their allies can be seen.
Aelric advances on a treasure token that Thinneth should have dropped in his lap but I flubbed the roll getting a 2 when I need a 5!
Hagman is on the second floor of the partly colapsed building in a great sniper position.
He manages a good shot on Dave's thief wounding him badly but not killing .
Will is fogged in by Mike after Mike managed to doge an elemental bolt.
My other men are out on the pier and Ap Rosser drags a treasure token in range.
Will has his wizard out alone going for a treasure token Mike has at least 3 guys with really clear shots
Thinneth flanked by guards is using Daves's fog as cover ready to pop through on the next turn...
as Dave's guys are clustered tight the perfect target for a grenade spell but the attempt fails
Will's wizard looks like he could be in trouble... but Mikes apprentice misses, his crossbowman missed (Blunderbuss actually) and his thief misses with an explosive cocktail.
Aelric is brought low by Dave's Archer.
and Dave has men on the ice.
Will's good luck ends brought down by Mikes marksman. His apprentice to the right will share his fate.
Drazenko goes out to check Aelric's body and grab the treasure and manages an impressive doge (21 vs 20) to avoid the same fate.
The Fog is down but my grenade spell doesn't go off.. I should have empowered it.
Will having lost a wizard and an apprentice try to get some of this own back but to no avail. 
Rosser hits the construct menacing Arnulf with an elemental bolt and it falls hard and fast
By luck of the initiative roll (Will's roll not mine) I got to move before Dave while his men were still l clustered on the dock.
I strike them with another grenade blasting the hound and Templar though the two men at arms escape damage with lucky rolls.
App Rosser's telekinetic skills have helped me get 4 treasure tokens with little damage (I would end with 5)
We ruled that first token off the board would end the game as it was getting late and having scrambled for cover to avoid Dave launching a counter strike I get one off Bringing the game to close.  I was a lot of fun I think we should probably cluster the treasure in the center next time we do the game like this to avoid the two games on one table effect we often get. I also wound up with a couple extra token closer to me and in line of sight letting me use telekinesis to my advantage.
 Finally a few of the details from Mike's work can you tell we are from New England?
 This is from the Reaper Kracken set
Such shacks were at one time ubiquitous to the New England Coast.


Challenge Entry: PSC Half-Tracks


These are Plastic Soldier Company Half tracks 15mm scale. 

My first experience with Plastic Soldier company and I liked the models but I wasn't as impressed with the the figures that came with them.  They looked fine out of the box but the details disappeared after priming.. others have mentioned this over at the challenge and the BF figures scattered int eh group look fine. 
I did add a few extra men from my bits box including the guy on the left who is Battlefront
As you can see he's in a dark leather jacket benefiting an officer who can buck regulations a bit.
I'm glad to have these as they will be more than adequate as a support unit for my US Armoured company for Flames of War.

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Challenge Entry: Spider for the Hunt.

I don't know who made this guy, its another piece that Chris Rett gave me for his Monster Hunt game for Huzzah!con. So some kid will hunt it down and get to keep it... if he or she can kill it. I went black and then yellow green because I thought it looked like a really nasty spider.
I dry brushed the abdomen to bring out the texture and give it a very spidery look. Its ready to eat hobbits, dwarves or anyone else it can get in its web.
Hope Chris and the kid who get this one like it. My apologies in advance to his or her parents if this gets used to scare siblings. 

1000 Post Give Away!

I started this blog in 2009 to tell the story of my Volley and Bayonet Campaign I was playing with Luke. I was unemployed at the time and it was partly an effort to fill in some time.
A few months Latter I was busy working for the US Census and then starting a job with Marriott and didn't have time to game.  I restarted the blog in July of 2011 and started writing steadily in 2012, as I found more connections in the local gaming community.

This past year has seen more and more readership and soon the page will welcome its 200,000 visit (probably two months from now).  So taking my queue from other blogers I am doing a little drawing.
#1
 30 Arquebusiers from Warmonger Miniatures 10mm scale
#2
 A unit of British Legion troops from Orinnoco Miniatures perfect for a Napoleonic Imagination or for the Wars of Liberation (South America)
#3

A meso-American "elf" from Menhir Games.

#4
Finally a partial spruce of Wargames Factory Viking Bondi. There is a enough here for 3 soldiers all with shields and hand weapons.

Comment below and let me know what you which items your interested in.  Entries will close on February 17th and drawing will be done that weekend with the winner announced on Sunday the 21st.

At the risk of sounding gauche please indicate if you are willing to help with shipping (especially over seas).  I have a good idea of how much domestic shipping will cost, and it should be no problem, but over seas shipping is a bit of a mystery and often pretty pricey.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Challenge Entry: Mouse Templar and Ice Spider

   

This is my second post from Monday another Mouseman (Dark Sword Miniatures) ready to set off for Frostgrave, I love the detail on his helmet and wish I could have gotten it to look better in the photo. He'll make an excellent Templar soldier for some war band.


Giant Ice spiders are a common creature in Frostgrave and they sort of show how horrible a place it is... not only do you have the undead, trolls, traps and other war bands to contend with but these giant 8 legged nastiest too.


I used light blue, then a wash and some dark blue for highlights note the eyes circling the head


The fangs are the only part I don't really like but I can't come up with a better look for them. This is Reaper Bones figure.

Challenge Entry: Orinoco's Paraguayan Infantry

I won these last year for participating in the challenge and when I decided to do the challenge again I felt I should paint up at least some of these fine miniatures from Orinoco Miniatures I knew nothing about the Chaco Wars and I suspect many of you don't know much about them either. All I had to go on was some pictures I found on the web and a couple of shots form Osprey (which I don't own). 
These are Paraguayan Infantry, I don't know that I got the uniform right it looked blue gray a bit like the french uniforms of World War II so that is what I went with (though later images I have seen since getting started make it look more gray green)
I like the look of these the uniform is practical and looks comfortable (as uniforms go)
The hat looks like something I see fishermen wearing in old pictures (as a Nova Scotian I know that these are called Sou'westers and I own a traditional old cloth one)
I don't have any specific plans on how to use these guys. 
I don't see a Chaco Wars game being too popular here but I may find some other use for these guys. 
I've thought form the beginning they would make great guerrillas troops. 
They might work as soldiers or sailors in any pulp game
These are great sculpts and I really wish I had a project I could get excited about using them in..
I did these because I feel if you offer us free stuff to for painting figures you ought to get your figures painted and shown off in the challenge. I'm out othings to say about these though the book the Green Hell has been suggested to me for those who want to know more about this conflict.