Down the proverbial leafy Suffolk lane this mild autumn there appeared a classic on the verge. I could not see the doctor anywhere so just took a snap. Glad to see the recycling bin to rear not sure about the bird box though?
Looks the McCoy. Or is that too much Doctoring!
Dr Who gave me the pleasure and enjoyment of things done with minimum resources. Even while you could go to multi million dollar movies somehow programmes like dr who, dare I say Blake’s seven and later red dwarf allowed you to suspend disbelief on a massive scale in a great fun way.
Through modern eyes the old programmes seem archaic but they retain a certain innocence of production now mostly lost to tv and film, but not quite perhaps.
These figures are by Warrior Miniatures and John@just needs varnish https://justneedsvarnish.wordpress.com/ prompted me to dig them out. They date from the mid 1970’s and they are one of a kind because I had already switched my interests to WRG Ancients plus D&D and then left the hobby altogether for a couple of decades.
I kept some of my old collection including these fine chaps. They had the weight (heft) and style I have always liked. Probably more so as 28mm ranges tend to be well overfed.
During lockdown I even managed to paint some of my Warrior figures!
It’s not often you get a major historical movie these days and even less by a mainstream producer. So Ridley Scotts “Napoleon” is a good excuse to get some figures on the pedestal.
First up is the man himself – Napoleon – as imagined back in the early 1970’s by Miniature Figurines (the Warlord of their day).
Next up is one of a kind for me…..
*the painting of the same name by edouard detaille hangs in the New South Wales art gallery showing the charge of the 4th hussars at Friedland 1807.
John over at just needs varnish shared his latest Ork which by all accounts was fortuitous – it was fortuitous for me as I restled with the lack of Orks or Orcs among my Danes, Germans, Austrians and Italians of the mid 19th century (there is another game in there somewhere I am sure………..)
So then I glanced at my cabinet – lucky enough to have a permanent display. And low and behold I saw some Orcs.
This neatly tied in with my recent trip to Barnsley and the Lord of the Rings event that runs till April 2024.
well I never…..well I never again….had the album but never even gave it a second thought – duuuurrrrrrrThe one ring unguarded!Plenty to see and do around Barnsley – the whole museum is free
You will have to see the exhibition to enjoy its contents – its free and so is the first 3 hours parking in the centre of Barnsley 5 minutes away! Trains, buses, trams nearby as well.
Here are those pesky Orcs. They date from mid 1970’s in the days when White Dwarf editions were in their teens I seem to remember. I was absorbed by D&D for a few years then simply left the whole hobby thing altogether. The figures never got disposed of and lived in various boxes biding their time. They still are biding their time but have a sentimental place in my display cabinet.
The figures are forest orcs from Miniature Figurines.
Their purchase also coincided with my oil painting experiments, humbrol enamels being the standard painting method. These chaps have a mix, the green skin is in oils with yellow highlights while the mail and shields are in enamels complete with some dry brush. Oh and the spear wood was in gouache for some reason.
The Lord of the Rings Exhibition at Barnsley Museums Trust was an enjoyable step back in time – the event focuses on how every type of media shared and promoted the stories. Yes there are model orcs…… Some well thought out and detailed text compliments the various items on show. Of course the one ring is there but strangely unguarded………….hang on those pesky orcs have run off, I wonder where.
If Battlegames and Henry Hyde introduced me to wargames blogs then I guess my next Blog Influence was that blog that most reflected my interests at the time.
And at the time I had decided for budget reasons to switch to 1/72 plastics for new projects. We were still struggling out of the recession.
Into the bargain I was using an idea from Lance and Longbow SocietyHobilar magazine to reduce DBA standard figure numbers on each element/base – the article was about cutting the cost of your hobby yet keeping the pleasure.
At the same time I had encountered Peter Pigs Bloody Barons (15mm focused) which joined up to Society of Ancients article by Mike Tittensor “Do Ancients stop at Quadesh?”.
Peter Pig makes figures and writes rules – many use grid based gaming
The upshot was I found plenty of 1/72 ancient chariot sets for sale and plunged in.
The Chariots never got painted although the infantry did. However I have since then indulged myself across multiple periods painting 1/72 figures.
Behind all this was a particular blog, Wargaming for Grown Ups. Trebian provided lots of inspiration not least that 1/72 was a good table top scale to game with. His large table games had masses of space yet that meant something smaller would still look good and play well.
So Blog influences No2 is Wargaming for Grown Ups. Trebian offered me a window into table top wargaming in 1/72 plastics and even 15mm metals. His blog offered a range of posts – games, figures and of course a bit of real life. And there were the “opinion” pieces in amongst a nice mix of text and images.
I can pretty much say that Wargaming for Grown Ups has been my longest running go to Blog and given me plenty of ideas and enjoyment. Thanks Trebian.
Minus their chariots my 1/72 ancient lybians square up to some Sea People invaders – Hat and Ceasar figures on show on 80mm x 60mm bases “flocked” using a games workshop idea involving bird gritIronically I have used War and Conquest to play my 1/72 bronze age games.
My spread and speed of reading books has declined in recent years. I have been more selective in reading around my interests.
A good example are the various books I have discovered covering the European wars of 1848/49 and 1859/60.
Out of the blue when I was in Fowey in the local bookshop I noticed a book about the english civil wars. Or rather it was a book about the British Isles – Ireland, Scotland and England.
This is not just another book about the wars of the mid seventeenth century, that afflicted the whole archipelago.
It starts with Charles I losing his head and ends with the restoration. Thats the eleven years which military history tends to skip along with the fifteen leading up to the Monmouth rebellion in 1685 – soon followed by the Glorious Revolution.
The book in question is not the usual chronological journey. It does get you from 1649 to 1660. Time jumps about in the process.
The main structure is aimed squarely at a series of characters who have their own individual stories, contribute to the timeline and in a very neat way interweave their stories. That last achievement is the author’s. The background effort to realise this construction must be significant.
Now the important bit. This book is steeped in knowledge and detail yet the author has stripped that all down so you have an easy read.
I read this book in about five chunks over a month. Which is saying something for me – extensive reading sessions have not been my style.
I got into this book easily and it kept me page turning in a way I have not for a long time.
I read about a period that had not previously attracted me, I was thoroughly involved in the author’s chosen journey and I really enjoyed it.
I had previously encountered Bob’s grid rules in the History of Wargaming publication of Joe Morschausers early 1960’s book on wargames. Although a contemporary of Donald Featherstone, Joe’s rules better resonate with 21st century rulesets in my view.
This purchase collided with my stop-start diversion into “pound store warriors” and ultimately a bit of sci fi gaming. Man of Tin had been instrumental in starting me to look at these figures that did not even look like green army men. It is a measure of my lack of progress (the figures arrived during lockdown……) that my recent first game only fielded half a “sci-fi” set up. Some WW2 Russians and Americans filled in as opponents and neatly delivered the unexpected scenario and indeed a back story into the bargain.
Captain Parker of the US 21st Army held the edge of Exetown along the river Exe. In the town were the Russian 33rd Army forces led by Senior Lieutenant Yashin.
The front such that it was involved nothing so much as a watching brief. There had been “no action” when the two forces had closed up to each other – just looking and with even the odd conversation exchanged across the river.
When the Russians were surprised by the Aliens in Exetown all that changed, Yashins troops just ran hell for leather at the Americans who fortunately hesitated to fire long enough to spot the new enemy beyond. Somehow the Americans could sense that the Russians were not trying on a surprise attack – they were genuinely running for their lives.
So the scenario made itself – The renewed Allies have to fight off the Aliens and at least hold the river line. The Aliens have to drive the humanoids off the table.
Rules
Rules used were The Portable Wargame by Bob Cordery. I used the solo option.
Only rule change of note was to assign the “alien blasters” 5 dice per firing round. So they were like super heavy machine guns in effect. But they had only a grid range of 2 instead of 3.
I also permitted some unit size differences. The Aliens had fewer units but 4 or more figures per unit. The Allies were basically 3 man units.
In the event the Allies had a higher break point for exhaustion yet got there quicker as their units were destroyed more easily.
I had just played a game so had the table set up plus some figures that in turn fed the scenario and storyline. My grid was 8 long x 12 wide, using 6 inch (150mm) grids. Not very portable!
Opposing Forces
Allies (Exhaustion Point is at 6 units left)
American (First Lieutenant Osteen)
CO unit 3 figures
rifle squad 3 figures each
rifle squad
rifle squad
rifle squad
rifle squad
Russian (Senior Lieutenant Yashin)
CO unit 2 figures
Machine gun unit 2 figures
machine gun unit 2 figures
rifle squad
assault squad
rifle squad
Aliens (Exhaustion Point is at 3 units left)
Blue Troop (Colonel Blue)
Colonel Blue and Heavy Machine Gun 2 figures
Blaster unit A1 3 figures (one figure armed with what looks like a bazooka)
Blaster unit A2 3 figures (one figure armed with what looks like a bazooka)
Yellow Troop (Colonel Yellow)
Colonel Yellow unit
Attack unit A3
Attack unit A4
What happened?
First up – the Allies (US/Russian) threw high in the first 6 moves for “first to move”. The Aliens took heavier losses as they advanced, then at close range they began to wear down the Allies. Exhausted the Allies had to hold their line and so my scenario backstory kicked in and the allies retired rather than simply continuing to hold under the rules.
So a new ruleset, some abandoned figures and also a new grid surface** combined with a storyline from nowhere, resulted in an excellent game.
The game played out in 12 moves and took half a day as I left it quite a few times to do some real life activity! So I guess maybe it took about 1 hour to 1h30m to play the 12 turns including set up and take down. Remember I already had the table set and in fact the US/Russian troops were from that game.
I suspect that this sort of game is easily a one hour set up, play and put away operation.
Biggest impact for me was the ease of play and how it simply connected with my rather mad scenario. So very high on the Enjoyment scale.
Here are some episodes from the game.
The Russians race across the bridge towards the stunned AmericansAs First Lieutenant Osteen gathered his men Senior Lieutenant Yashin called his men in and sent a squad to the sawmill.Lieutenant Yashin finally gets a sighting on what appear to be different types of enemy foot soldiersA brisk firefight at the edge of town as the Russians retreat across the unfordable river Exe by the main bridgeThe enemy pursue the russian squad to the sawmillOn the right flank the US troops, in the morning sun, began to get a sighting of their opponentsagain what seemed to be a mixture of enemy troops in their bright uniforms loomed into view
The brightly uniformed enemy had been easy targets and the allies gained an early advantage decimating the orange unit that tried to reach the main bridge first – the remnants retreated to the hedged half timbered house where they stayed for the remainder of the battle
The defenders in the sawmill got a shock as the blue unit and orange units combined fire felled many russiansIn the centre the firefight was heating up with one Lieutenant Osteens squad falling victim to the accurate enemy fire. On his right the remaining russian machine gun team continued to stop any enemy advance on the bridge.As Yashin crossed over to the now threatened right flank a US squad took aim at the enemyin the open the allies were decimated – Petrov and Lefebvre fell hereThings were going from bad to worse on the right flankAnd now on the left flank the orange unit stormed over the foot bridgein the centre it was still a stand offYashin managed a counter attack on the right which drove back the blue blaster unit and weakened the orange unit.but the enemy responded in turn and Yashin fellOn the left flank the footbridge looked lost as the US defenders were being overrunbut a heroic effort by the left and centre threw the enemy back, they even silenced one of those dreaded “blasters”only for the enemy to attack again – the last allied squad moving up to the footbridge at that momentThe uneven contest at the footbridge was short and the allies lost and with it their left flank as well
With both flanks destroyed Osteen, Kachalin and the remnants of both Russian and US combat teams retreated from the field.
The Aliens move on the main bridge over the River Exe as Osteen prepares to retreat.
* – tacfos or “the aliens came from outer space!”
**- for this game I used one of my new grid sheets. I have been experimenting with different surfaces when it comes to grid games. Like most Board games, the grid surface is integral to the game. So I have not yet settled on the best grid surface for any one game. Given I have quite a few cloths and boards for my “measured” table top games this should come as no surprise.
The empty field – the trees wonder what will happen next?
In part 1 we encountered 1940’s action between Americans and Russians on some unknown wargames table………………..
Osteen and Yashin briefly discussed the situation….. “who the hell are those guys Yashin?” “Lieutenant Osteen your guess is as good as mine – they appeared from nowhere and started shooting”……..
Just then a bloompf – “what the………..Drabowsky report!” Luis Drabowsky scrambled across to his Lieutenant, right now he could not get used to rubbing shoulders with these Rushkies: OK so they had fought the common enemy but now it was 1946 and a deteriorating stand off existed between the former allies.
Meanwhile Senior Lieutenant Gregori Yashin rushed over to one of his squads led by Sergei Petrov. “What was that? that noise Petrov?” “Senior Lieutenant the enemy have some sort of energy weapon – there was muzzle flash and then an unusual airburst – our men were dazed but that is all…..” Yashin nodded then ordered Petrov to organise the right flank with his new american comrades.
“We will make good communists of you Johncheeses yet” laughed Junior Sergeant Eduard Kachalin – Sergeant Wes Lefebvre was about to respond when fire erupted all along the line, “Kachalin, it looks like we will have to delay our discussion!”. The two men scuttled off to organise their squads.
The fighting was quick and one sided, the renewed allies withdrew from the edge of town as their new common enemy forged towards them.
As Osteen withdrew in the centre he met Kachalin, one of the good english speakers amongst the Russians………”Hey Kachalin where is Yashin?”, ” Kachalin between gasps “Lieutenant, he fell, they got him,,,,, he stood no chance” – Osteen – “damn, damn these monsters……..”
Captain Parker repeated his statement again “yes sir we have been attacked by a superior enemy – we have retreated from sector 6, repeat we have retreated from sector 6…………the russians? the russians are with us sir………….I can explain sir, no sir they fought with us, sir, sir……..”. “Yes Lieutenant Osteen is one of my best men – solid and dependable………..yes sir I know this hard to take………….no this is not, I repeat not a russian trick………”
“Damn it Barnes where is that link to Osteen?” Sergeant Barnes groaned – “nothing sir, nought, zilch……”
The noise of guns and other weapons invaded Captain Frank Parker’s mind – then he realised they were for real.
“Roseborough call up the jeeps we are moving, Barnes radio we are pulling back to sector Y zone 3A”
Just then a massive noise erupted near Parker/Roseborough and Barnes.
They rose dazed but uninjured. Nearby others were not so lucky.
Later in sector Y zone 3A Parker listened …..”so you see sir its an ASF situation with probably a RIM aspect……….”, “cut the crap Kouffax – give it to me in words……” Kouffax took a deep breath and continued ” Well sir it looks like an ASFI, I mean an Any Scale Figure incursion and involves Rogue Injection Moulded forces…..” meaning what exactly?” – Parker being now completed exhausted by the whole mess. Joe Kouffax took another breath, “well sir we have contacted OTO…” stop stop! “what/who is OTO” – Parker was exasperated. “well sir he is the One to One scale operator, we think there has been a WTMU, I mean a wargames table mix up”. Parker was lost for words as the line went dead………..
Barnes was incredulous “so Sir we were fighting the wrong forces? they were in the wrong place – sorta like a time travel event? and this OTO guy, he sorted it all out……….”
Parker gazed at the sky “…….Barnes……….yes, yes for gods sake if you like………anyway it is all SNAFU”. “Barnes get me Osteen on the line I want to know he got those new Russian friends off his back, that they are on their side of the line….”
The Wargaming Erratic 