Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Terrain Work in progress

Not much new painting because I am working on some X-mass gifts. 
With encouragement form some of my readers this project is a restarted
Its starting to come together though you can see pieces keep falling out.. hopefully I will be able to get them settled down.
Now its a matter of working out the roof.
The tower is also coming along coming along
You can see how it stacks up and I am working on putting on a top of some sort.

Secret Santa

So I think this is my Secret Santa Gift.  I haven't ordered any thing from Annie, AKA Dice Bag Lady. I've sent an email to Cathy to be sure after opening last years gift early.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Thrift Store Argonath

So here in the USA the day after Thanksgiving is know as Black Friday it's an insane day of shopping bargains and retail chaos.  I normally stay home I just don't like the crowds and madness of shopping on that particular day.  My Wife and I had agreed that Friday would be our day to relax and take it easy but by 12:30 she was getting antsy and wanted to go out.  Its a tribute to my love for her that I went shopping with her on a Black Friday.  It was a successful trips the stores were busy but not maddeningly so and we got several people checked off the Xmas list and/or got some bargains for ourselves.
One of the stops we had to make was at a thrift store called "SAVERS" we have a birthday party for the daughter of one of Ari's bridesmaids and the family had requested donations of baby cloths and items for a local charity.  We figured we could probably get more bang for our buck there.  In any event we were walking through the furniture section when a box caught my eye.  A set of "bookends" in an iconic shape recognizable to any fantasy literature/movie  fan.
 Tolkien's Argonath  and they where only $5.99 I said to my wife those would be good for a wargaming project, she looked at me a little amused and said "Yeah they would get them if you want them."  Obviously I did.  I did a little looking around this morning on line and found these are available on Ebay if you want them but the price is considerably higher.
 The pieces are solidly built, the hands and necks look a little fragile and sadly the box they came in will not work for storage but I think they should hold up pretty well. They will look great on a Frostgrave table and might be useful of Dragon Rampant as well.
I was pleased to see the rear of the piece was as detailed as the front so often this sort of item the rear is flat or worse covered with copyright information. I haven't decided if these need paint or not.  I might do a little maybe dry brush the crowns in gold like it was once covered in gold leaf that has worn away.  A light dry brush in light gray might bring out the texture in the stone or I may use them as is. Anyone want to weigh in on this one?  I would be glad of any suggestions.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Works in Progress

I haven't had much chance to paint and build lately but I have few bits I am working on.
 The ruined tower is coming along nicely.  I do have to come up with a plan for the roof the main body looks pretty good.
 After that last GQIII Game I decided my German ships needed some work.
 The Two Cruisers are basically done I need to get bases from them but other wise they are pretty well finished.
 The two Battle Cruisers are coming along nicely too.
 The red paint for turrets is historical I don't know if it saw action but it will help me distinguish the two ships at a glance.
Finally with have the test pikeman so far it seems my new primer is working just as well as the old ones.   If you are in the USA I hope you had a fine thanksgiving feast and enjoy your long holiday weekend.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Winter Painting Challenge

Once again Curt is holding his annual winter challenge the  7th Winter Challenge.  The theme of this challenge is Camaraderie and Teamwork.  So we are being asked to team up for the Curt Geld the miniature painted and sent to our fearless leader (who donates to a local animal shelter in turn).

The inspiration piece this year is the classic work of fiction the Seven Men of Gascony.  If you haven't read it it's worth reading, its very much a piece reflective of its time and I am not sure how well it works for a modern reader.

The bonus rounds have me feeling very disappointed that Bones III will not arrive before the end of the challenge (at this point I am skeptical I will see it before next summer).

  • January 8th - Armour

  • January 22nd - East

  • February 5th - Terrain: 'Home' 

  • February 19th - West

  • March 5th - Character(s) and/or Scene from a Movie, TV program, Book or piece of Music
Bones III would have provided me with every thing I need for all of these.  As it is I feel I've got at least three of them in hand.  We shall have to see about the others.  

I'm planning to paint up a pike and shot stuff army and the Grand Duchy of D'Argent will be getting a slate of opponents.  I've put my personal target at 1500 points.  My current planed 25mm items will give me a solid start with 410.  The Bonus rounds should give a minimum of 200.  That should be a good start on the target (610).  D'Argents enemies will be in 15mm and I don't have that fully planned out but each unit should give me between 16 and 32 points.  I also have the Warmonger Miniatures halberdiers that should net me another 20 points.     Other things will come to me as the challenge gets rolling.

Monday, November 21, 2016

Carnage and Glory: Peter Loweitt's Waltz on the Danube

My Friend Peter Lowitt periodically hosts big war games at his house using Carnage and Glory this scenario which he called Waltzing on the Danube pitted an Austrian force commanded by Rich, Pierce and myself against a French-Bavarian force commanded by Leo, Rob and Steve.  Peter handled the computer and any other adjudication that was needed. Leo was directly opposite me.  The Austrian army is huge but the French troops are of better quality and generally more nimble.
Austria was given initiative first turn and I quickly started shuffling troops to the left so we don;t get squeezed into a box.  Leo's cavalry are moving forward fast and his grand battery on that hill is looking very scary.
Rich is moving up the right with a mixed force of regular and light infantry.  Pierce has moved up to the center but that corn field limits his options.
Calvary charge and counter charge...
I'm able to hit one of the guns while its still limbered the other two get deployed but to late to fire at me as I close.
Austrian dragoons charge to defend our artillery from Bavarian Lancers
The Guards battery I charged was reduced form 200 to 11 men but didn't break entirely.. they did run away behind the infantry and hid there the rest of the day.  That Ulan unit would win Honors for the day.
My other unit of Ulans also won their fight but my hussars on the left were driven back.
The Dragoons were badly cut up but saved the guns... the Bavarians take the better part of valor and fall back away form the guns
I send a small  unit of Fricorps cavalry in to hold off the French Hussars to gain my hussars time to get away. The succeed in this but are broken by their charge.. still they buy me the time I need to get my left flank deployed.
The Ulans attempted to follow up their charge but fail to they are able to successfully break off and rally
We have pushed forward in the center but the corn field limits our ability to advance we can't charge what we can't "see" and the French have an advantage in the skirmish battle. On the right an agressive lung by the Bavarian has been stopped and rich is slowly advancing.
Leo has advanced his cavalry and infantry are coming up to support them too the artillery on both sides are blazing away and inflicting massive casualties on both sides.  The Gunners aimed at each other a lot(often they were the only target for each other) and artillery men on both side showed great courage standing to their guns through out the battle
Pierce at suggestion form me and Rich advances through the corn field and the two lines of infantry open up on each other.
Those guard artillery men hiding behind the hill and their infantry.
My Grenzers and Jager open up on the French cavalry as do the infantry to coming up to close off the flank.  Leo's horse men ride off to get out of the cross fire.
My Ulans how have rallied come back up with other cavalry units behind them I'm preparing a counter punch
Our attack in the center has met a check but Austrian Grenadiers are on their way up.  Rich and Steve's forces are driving at each other on the right.
The center is looking ragged but a second line and reinforcements are coming up I have my cavalry readying to sally forth but it will all depend on the end of turn moral checks..
As you can see our forward forces collapsed.  If we had more time we might recover.  Our moral is at 76% while the French are at 90+% both sides have lost 10% of their forces.  We had to end the game the computer ruled it an inconclusive engagement.  I would say the French forces were in a slightly better situation.  The Austrian army's side worked against it. some of our troops dispersed off board because they couldn't find a place to stop on table because of the congestion of troops behind them.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

En Garde! Defending the Block house

Thursday Dave Frank and I met Thursday for a three player game of En Garde! I had my Spanish troops defending a block house against Dave's Puritans and Franks Pirate (well they are mine but Frank was running them).  We played using the rain rules (we rolled for weather) so Dave's matchlocks wouldn't work and mine would only work in the block hose.
I send Alatrieste and his swordsmen out to intercept Frank's advanced troops.
Dave is advancing up the other side.
Frank's scouts fell back... so my attempt to ambush them has failed and I send some of my men back toward the objective
The Scout returns and is engaged
She uses her pistols it the fight but I am lucky in the exchange.
Shots ring out form the block hose.  Hitting the Puritan leader.
My commander steps forward and fires (pistols work in the rain but can have trouble when its re-loaded) but misses!
Pirates and Spanish ruffians begin to engage!
Puritans attack the outer wall of the block house!
Frank fires his blunderbuss into the melee and anti-climatically misses every one in the fight an amazing display of bad marksmanship.
Still the fighting is bloody one of my men has a serious wound and the other has a light wound and they are all stunned. One pirate is dead.
The Puritan leader is killed and a few others are wounded my men take a few stun markers.
Fighting on the flank continues...
and Frank makes a clean sweep of my Spaniards
The Puritans make a final rush (its the last turn) its a massive fight 4 of my men against 6 of Dave's
My men exact a savage price killing 3 of the puritans and inflicting a serious wound on another.  We get off without a hit.  That ends the game but if frank and Dave had two more turns I would have been in big trouble.  The random game length worked in my favor giving me a technical win but I would call this one a draw.  I didn't hurt Franks army at all (Alatriste and his men rolled terribly this game)