Christmas Soldiers

 These Toy Soldiers are a gift to my Nephews Will and Tucker.  

I painted them as Canadian Soldiers 1944 Uniform because their Great Grandfather served with the North Shore Regiment as part of the D-Day invasion. 

Clearing the table

 Just a couple of items I finished up befor the Painting challeng. 

Bones wizard or Cleric 

Clearly he's a bad guy I would say. 

An Anti Tank bunker for 15mm World War II. 

Black Seas Break the Blockade (Let's Roll remote game day)

Six intrepid privateer captains had gathered at a small French Port in the Caribbean hoping to stage a major raid on a British Convoy.  The Royal Navy has gotten wind of the plan and has sent ships to keep them in check.  As the number of ships increases the captains decide its best to break out on as a group then scatter. 

Captain Greenwald decided to make his break early. His tactics were good but shooting on both sides was poor early on. He took more damage than he gave to the British Frigates, but he avoided being boarded and he was free of the big ships and managed to dodge the supporting British cutters.  He even took a prize on the way home.

The English Frigates once again managed to double one of the Privateers but again they failed to grabble the privateer.  Captain Seebald's ship was hurt broke through. 

Captains, O'Tool, Chevrette and Covollo have been making there way up along the East side of the table.  They shot at the frigates and smaller ships at long-range doing minor damage.  All three would escape and take prizes on their trip home. 

Captain Rioux found himself in a tight spot Grabbled by the English 32 Aeolus.  Fortunately, HMS Belvedere went in pursuit of the other ships never imagining its consort would be unable to take a French Privateer.  The gun boats chased Captain Seebald talking out his mizzen mast with a lucky critical hit.  Still Captain Seebald managed to escape despite some unfavorable changes of wind. 

Captain Rioux meanwhile lead his men in a savage hand to hand battle with the HMS Aeolus and managed to take her. He then managed barely to escape the table with HUM Belvedere in pursuit. Still a stern chase is  long chase and Captain Rioux managed to slip away in the end with his prize.  

Making plans

 

My proposed path

Level 1

Hall of Traps: then on to The Pit of the Pendulum: from there I will need a teleport to The Chamber of Darkness and on to the Aquifer and on the Level 2

Level 2 

I'll star at the Adventures Landing then go toe the Shrine, Oubliette then the Tomb and on to 

Level 3

I'll start at the Knights solar then Teleport to the Treasury, then Teleport again to the Hall of Heroes, then on to the Graveyard Beach.  Finally, a Teleport to the Alter of the Snow lord. (or something like this, no plan survives first contact with the enemy!)

Anologue Hobbies Winter Painting Challenge XI

I am once again taking part in the Winter Painting challenge.  I have set myself a target of 1000 points but this year I am focused on finishing projects rather than racking up points. 

In particular, the shipyard is full of hull that need painting. 

I hope to be able to host games featuring French, American and British navies whenever we can game in person again.  Thanks to Will and Arofan I have nautical terrain to paint too.

I will be doing a terrain project for a friend who did me a good turn over the summer.  

Also I have some other terrain projects including these buildings for Frost Grave or a Dark Age village.

If time allows, I want to also get my Jacobite’s painted up I really want to be able to field them for some game once we come out of this Covid thing.  I've got some other odds and ends handy once the map of the challenge and its rules are revealed.

Generous Gift

The other night I was running a test game in preparation for the Let's Roll Game "Day" this weekend. One of my players Will Hunter made a comment about getting me the Terrors of the Deep Set for an Xmas gift.  I, thinking he was joking, said I would rather get the Scenery pack.  Well two days later it showed up at my door.  Apparently Will wanted to thank me for running line games during the pandemic. This was utterly unnecessary as I ran the games as much for myself as for anyone else. That said it was a very generous thing to do and I shall have to think on how to return the favor. 

The is a very nice addition to my collection.  I briefly considered modifying the Martello tower to detach the batteries around the base.  In the end I decided not do this. 

I look forward to getting them painted up and putting them on the table. 

Four Brigs for Arofan

Arofan has most generous to me providing a great number of ships form his 3D printer "Shipyard." So when some Frigates I picked up come with some additional Brigs I saw an opportunity to if not quite repay my debt to at least provide a down payment.

I did two of the ships as American Ships. One has the Black and White of the US Navy the other could be a Warship, Privateer or Armed Merchant. 

The Two Royal Navy ships are near twins. I used damaged sales for one to make it easier to tell them apart and you could even use one as a damaged version of the other if you wanted too.

Brig to Small Merchant

Another conversion that starts life as a pare of Brigs.

Glue the long pieces together the trim the short sections down.

You'll need to trim the bow of the lower deck as well.

The trim the railings for the footprint of the forecastle and poop deck

Attach as shown. I added a trimmed down frigate figure head for good measure.

Take the top portion of a Brig mizzenmast and ad the lower portion of the main mast. I had to add an extra section to the lower mast to get it tall enough.

I used a frigate stern plate cut into three sections with some "green stuff" to make the stern.

I had to use some green stuff on some small gaps and to support the main mast. Normally I would wait to attach the masts but I can paint around them.

Maurice Meat Grider Part One

 

Saturday night I ste up a little techical problem for three friend.  Nick, Frank and Pat commanded a Austrian-Allied force attempting to break through a French blocking force to relieve a besigned town in the Austrian Neatherlands.  

On the left an advanced force of French light troops screan the main line. 

On the right a line of flags can be seen rising over the vinyard and sunken road ahead. 

In the center the french have fortefied the old Chatuea and the hill across the road. I was inspired by my reading about some defensive positions prepared by Maurice de Saxe in the War of Austrian Succession hence the senario name. 

My foes wisely decided to avoid the fortefied center of the French line and begand to move agaist both wings.  

The Austrian light corps and Cavaly move up on the French Screen the Austrian Dragoons spot a corps of Swiss troops and Grenadiers de France.  A small Austrian Dragoon unit fell to a charge by the French hussars. 

The French Light infantry managed some extrodinary shooting driving off a Austrian Hussar unit. 

They sold thier lives dearly but vell to  a three pronged attack by Nicks light units. 

This reavealed the French Cavely as brigade of Dragoons and some Household and/or line Cavalry.

Hanovarian hussars charge thier French hounter parts and thier heavy cavalry move up to suport them. They eliminate one unit and send the other one running.  They are charged and riven off by the French dragoons. 

Those fleeing hussars are too tempting a target for the French Household cavalry who charge and eliminate both of them but then stop cheer and shake hands rather than hitting the light troops and cavalry behind those hussars (that would have been useful).  Nick mounted a chage on the Swiss and grenadiers He got hurt but did damage to the front line. 

Left side of the attacking line is well engaged several Austian and Allied units are hurt (a few badly) but they are still able in very good shape.  A big cavarly fight is shapping up here.

On the Allied rigth the guns are into position and have started to lob ranging shots. I've moved the Irish brigade up in suport.  The fight hasn't started here yet but it will soon and the Allied forces have a significant advantage in troops 21 batalions to 12 and 5 batteries to 3. 

We hope to get back to this game some time this week or next weekend. 

Honors of War French vs. Austrians

 

I gave running something that wasn't Black Seas a try last night.  It was a modified version of Honors of War.  

Jess advanced on the left driving back the Croatians in the woods. 

Arofan drove back the Hussars on the left though his infantry was slow to follow-up. Dana advanced in the center. My Austrians were stalled  trying to react to the French attack. Arofan got his infantry up and launched a coordinated attack on the right. 

Dana's troops held the center as Jess advanced through the forest while Arofan smashed into the Reichs army troops on the right. With both flanks turned the Austrians are doomed.