The Megalomaniac (Mwhaha): May 2014

Saturday, 31 May 2014

Partizan in the Park

I'm off to the annual pilgrimage to Kelham tomorrow. I'm looking forward to seeing what eye candy games they will have and to get the answers to these burning questions:

1. Will the tents give better light for photos than the hall?
2. Will I be able to park nearby since there is a venue clash (hence tent)?
3. Will I need wellies?

We've had a lot of rain recently but fingers crossed it should be a hot one tomorrow. Wargamers in shorts and wellies should be a sight to behold!

Tuesday, 20 May 2014

Hail Caesar Germania book

I picked this book up at Triples to my great surprise has I hadn't realised it was out yet. As an added bonus I received the free figure as well.

The book is more similar to the Dacian supplement than Britannia. In that Britannia had a campaign and army lists for each of the British tribes and details of the terrain to be fought over dependent on location and this doesn't. Nevertheless it gives a good potted history. I am no expert but I enjoyed the read. It does come from the viewpoint that Varus was incompetent, which I've read elsewhere was not a clear cut case. It does cover the main German tribes and mentions their main troop types and terrain for their lands but in descriptions rather than lists.

The scenarios are interesting and I think give a good flavour of the period. I also liked that after the write ups of games played it gave suggestions how the scenarios could be tweaked to be improved or provide a different challenge. I didn't check if the army lists in the scenarios were any different to the army options in the army list books. I suspect not.

I loved it, lots of pretty pictures and I now want a German army with divisions of different tribes with distinctive hair. I currently use my Celts!

To be balanced I also want to update my Romans to the quality in the book rather than my mix of Minifigs, Essex and who knows what.

Sunday, 18 May 2014

Sheffield Triples 2014

The annual trip to Triples has been made and I've enjoyed myself and spent the last minute rustled up funds. It was warm in the venue but all the doors were open to give some air circulation. The main thing I noticed was that it was quite quiet. There certainly wasn't a throng of people moving round. The traders I spoke to all said they were having a steady day but not a busy one. One advantage of this is that I got to talk to a lot of people.

The loot:
Doctor Who Miniatures game from Crooked Dice
Vlad's Army cards and tokens from Crooked Dice
Battle Group Barbarossa from Plastic Soldier Company
Weathering paints from Plastic Soldier Company
Hail Caesar Germania supplement from Warlord Games
Full Thrust template form GZG (but made by Figures In Comfort)

Germania was a bonus as I didn't expect this to be out for the show. I also got the free figure. I was very happy. I also picked up another 2 free 15mm Sci Fi figures from GZG, which is slowly getting me in to this scale. I played Gruntz at Hammerhead and enjoyed myself.

So what games did I see in my 4 hours poddling along:

Brompton Bankers put a weird wild west game with great marketing - Gangs of Fractured Jaw .

I liked Osprey style pictures

Fractured Jaw game in mid flow by the Brompton Bankers.

Wings of War WW1 by Wings of Glory Aerodrome

Sails of Glory Wings of War by Wings of Glory Aerodrome

Warhammer 40K city fight by Steel City Wargamers

Flames of War 15mm WW2 by Chesterfield Open Gaming Society

Ripper Street Tong Menace 28mm Pulp using In Her Majesty's Name rules by Chesterfield Open Gaming Society

WW2 20mm German invasion of Ireland by ABW Irregulars

15mm WW1 by Sheffield Occasional Gamers 1916 Muck and Bullets

Brompton Gamers still very busy

A shot to remind by the Chesterfield club were promoting the GCN as well

Dystopian wars by a mystery club as I didn't note them down and they are not in the show program

Penarth and District Wargames Club present Night of the Ninja

Penarth and District Wargames Club present Night of the Ninja using Steve Barber figures

Bruce Weigle's marvellous 6mm St.Quentin Franco Prussian war

A display of 6mm Ancients based for a board game. Romans on the left and Successor on the right. I was amazed how quickly the eye faded out the formalised bases. Green = lights, Blue mediums and Red heavies

The Glory Boys present the Last Samurai a 15mm Meiji Japan game

The Glory Boys present the Last Samurai a 15mm Meiji Japan game. I didn't spot the American flag when I took the photo.

The Glory Boys present the Last Samurai a 15mm Meiji Japan game

Almansa 1707 28mm by Like a Stone Wall club. Great terrain and figures yet again from this club. I also liked the fact they'd reused terrain and some figures from their Carlist War display. The game was sponsored by Ebob miniatures.

Almansa 1707 by Like a Stone Wall club. Great terrain and figures yet again from this club

Alamanza 1707 by Like a Stone Wall club. Great terrain and figures yet again from this club

Almansa 1707 by Like a Stone Wall club. Great terrain and figures yet again from this club

If I've read the plan right and adjusted for people moving this is steampunk horror by MDK gamers or it's a Doncaster club game.

28mm Victorian Scifi gothic game

A time machine

I love the details on the shops and wall

28mm Victorian Scifi gothic game

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. Richard III's bones have been found in 1937 while digging a bomb shelter and Yorkist forces have come to get them back. Sunday's game saw the Yorkists trying to break out of Leicester with the bones hidden in one of 3 hearses. Great stuff.

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. The Hunt moves in hounds and all.

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. The Hunt

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. Grand Union Canal

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. Mounted police

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. I've spotted an armoured tractor

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. One of the hearses

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. A hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. Another hearse and a dummy tank

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse. Lots of little details in this game like a bin in a back yard

20mm Very British Civil War game by Rotherham Wargames Society called My Kingdom of a Hearse

6mm SciFi by KB Club

20mm Modern by KB Club

Wargame Developments 5 min game Doodlebuggers

6mm Isandlwana 1879 Anglo Zulu War by Beasts of Bolsover I think

28mm Wild West using Dead Man's Hand rules

pretty

28mm Battle of Zorndorf 1758 by the Ilkley Lads

6mm Command Horizon game by Wargames Emporium

28mm ACW by Ilkley Old Boys using Longstreet rules.

28mm French Indian Wars relief of Fort St. John by Derby Wargames Association

28mm first battle of St.Albans May 22nd 1455 by Mosborough Old Boys. Very friendly bunch and gave me a great run down of the history and the game they were playing. I now want to play War of the Roses!